The possibility of a portable eye?

A fantastic new piece of software developed by Ray Kurzweil, may revolutionize the way blind people use their cell phones. Read about it here.

"Seeing" Stars

Here's a fantastic story about astronomer Noreen Grice, and her efforts to bring astronomy to the visually impaired:

http://www.bu.edu/bostonia/fall08/grice/

Blessing for the blind in Baghdad

Perkins releases new brailler

In some very exciting news, Perkins Products released a new edition of the Perkins Brailler that is lighter, smaller, cheaper, and easier to use. You can read all about the improvements on their website, or take a look through the Boston.com article:

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2008/10/03/a_lighter_touch/?s_campaign=8315

Singapore-MIT game lets visually impaired share the fun

Here's an interesting new development out of MIT that lets visually impaired people play video games. Another great way in which technology is changing lives for many...

http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/audio-game-0513.html

Greens Monster

At 90, blind golfing legend Joe Lazaro of Waltham can still show us duffers a thing or two. Just ask Tiger Woods.

Read the full article on Boston.com

Legally blind man, 78, bowls perfect game

Incredible!

Legally blind man, 78, bowls perfect game

The Blind Welcome a Ruling That May Help Them Count Their Cash

The Blind Welcome a Ruling That May Help Them Count Their Cash
By TINA KELLEY
People with impaired vision and the agencies that work with them welcomed a ruling that said the government discriminated against the blind by making its paper money all the same size and texture.

Blind Runner Adrian Broca Finishes Boston Marathon

Just a quick update on Adrian Broca - he completed the Boston marathon today in 2:56:18 for a pace of 6:44. Congratulations on another great accomplishment!

Chasing glory they can feel, not see

Tomorrow is a big day for Boston, but it's also a big day for Adrian Broca, the fastest blind marathon runner in North America. As the Boston Globe reported:

"Tomorrow, the 31-year-old hopes to defend his title in the Boston Marathon's visually impaired division and meet the "A" qualifying standard for the 2008 Beijing Paralympics of 2 hours 46 minutes. That would place Broca roughly 35 minutes behind the Boston finish times of the world's top male marathoners."

Read all about Adrian Broca in Boston.com

KBT Treasurer Paul Polman Finishes London Marathon, Raises funds for Trust

On Sunday, April 13th, Paul Polman completed the London Marathon with several close friends as part of his fund raising initiative for the Kilimanjaro Blind Trust. Thanks Paul for all of your efforts, and a special thanks to everyone who supported his run!

Blind runner completes 7 marathons in 7 days in historic fund raiser

Dave Heeley, also known as "Blind Dave" made history in the London Marathon on April 13th by becoming the first blind person (and probably one of the few/only) to run seven marathons across seven continents in seven days. Who wouldn't say "Wow"? He started with the Falkland Islands, then completed marathons in Rio de Janeiro (South America), Los Angeles (North America), Sydney (Australasia), Dubai, Tunis, and finished his historic quest by completing the London Marathon on April 13th, hoping to raise almost $2.7 million along the way.

An article in the New Zealand Herald quoted Dave as saying:
"my Seven Magnificent Marathons will [...] prove to the world that sight loss is no barrier to independence and human achievement."

Paul Polman, Executive Officer of the Kilimanjaro Blind Trust, also completed the London Marathon in under 4 hours as part of his successful fund raising efforts for the Trust. A separate blog posting will follow...

Congratulations to both Paul and Dave for their amazing fundraising efforts for various blind-related causes!

Here's more about Dave's run:
BBC Article
Electric Newspaper Article
Interview with Dave

Former professor creates vibrating Braille handset

Here's an interesting innovation for you to read about - a vibrating cell phone for the blind - which may also lead to innovations in keyboard technology too. Check out the article in engadget.

A challenging education on the slopes of Everest

Another review of "Blindsight" was recently published in The Boston Globe. Read it for yourself here!

Award-Winning Documentary "Blindsight" Premiers, Features KBT President

The Kilimanjaro Blind Trust is excited for the release of Blindsight, an award-winning documentary that features Kilimanjaro Blind Trust President Erik Weihenmayer leading a group of 6 Tibetan teenagers to the heights of the 23,000 foot Lhakpa Ri, a peak situated on the north side of Mount Everest.

The film has already received much acclaim from numerous movie critics. Here is one quote from a recent New York Times movie review: "Featuring exceptional people doing extraordinary things, “Blindsight” is one of those documentaries with the power to make you re-examine your entire life — or at least get off the couch." - New York Times

KBT Provides Training on Braille Repair

Participants’ Comments:

A trainee from Tanzania expressed her thanks to all who participated and who organized the workshop, because the skill she gained is very important and was greatly needed on her campus.

A trainee from Kenya told that he is proud to have received this training which enables him to understand much better how to provide service and maintenance of Brailler machines which is very useful to blind children.