Success Stories
Ken Saunders
Ken Saunders is a legally blind artist, living in Massachusetts, who creates web graphics and websites. The best thing (besides his really great graphics) is that his websites offer accessibility tools for people with disabilities. Ken manages several websites, most notable is his Access Firefox site. He provides information to assist people in utilizing the Firefox browser, add ons and extensions. These accessibility features are free, and Ken and his fellow volunteers spend their time developing, and seeking new and improved ways to help disabled people enjoy the internet. Ken has several websites, please visit them and enjoy both the art and helpful instruction of this talented, resourceful artist.
http://www.mouserunner.deviantart.com
Dr. Amy Bower
Dr. Amy Bower is an oceanographer at Woods Hole, she studies the ocean, observing the plants and animals that live there, and any changes in the water. Amy has been legally blind, for 14 years, as a result of Macular Degeneration, yet amazingly, she has adapted technology in order to be successful at her career. Amy is currently working on a project called
OceanInsight ; it is a collaborative project between the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Cape Cod Massachusetts and Perkins School for the Blind, in Watertown, Massachusetts. Amy arranged for the students from Perkins to visit WHOI and together they setup several experiments designed to teach the students about the ocean, science, and the environment. Amy’s goal is also to inspire the students, by being a role model, proving that visual impairment does not prevent people from attaining successful careers and goals. You may read about Dr. Amy Bower at the following address:
http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=16975
Mr. Dennis Polselli
Mr. Dennis Polselli is a 55-year old, totally blind, very accomplished, disability advocate currently working as the coordinator of disability services at Framingham State College in Massachusetts. His work does not stop there, he also directs a radio “Reading Service” which has a cast of approximately forty volunteers, who read various content (often sent in by listeners) in a broadcast for those who are visually impaired to access written materials through listening. His contributions to the students at the college, include but are not limited to, finding ways to provide materials in alternative formats, assigning scribes to assist students, and arranging note-taking services. He is well qualified in his position: he attended the Perkins School for the Blind, then Bishop Connolly School in Fall River Massachusetts, then he earned his undergraduate degree at Stonehill College, and his masters degree at Syracuse University.
He is also an active member in other disability-related organizations including the Bay State Council for the Blind and the Massachusetts Office for Disabilities and he is chairman of the Framingham Disability Commission. His areas of interest in these groups are to contribute towards making American currency accessible to the visually impaired, work on maintaining the continuation of “The Ride” associated with the MBTA, and to aide in improving the quality of disability services for all.
One thing he has stated is the use of money from fines paid by those who violate handicap parking, be allocated to the disability commission for use as ADA scholarships and home modifications for disabled individuals.The existence and enforcement of these services is crucial for improving the quality of life and level of independence for those with disabilities.
The MetroWest Radio Reading Service is affiliated with the Massachusetts Reading Network Talking Information Center (TIC) based in Marshfield Massachusetts, and is a disabilities services program at Framingham State College. If you are in the area, you can receive the broadcast at 91.3 FM WDJM located in Framingham Massachusetts. The wide variety of content narrated on this station includes but is not limited to newspapers, books, articles, the latest information on food and dining, and the MetroWest Business Journal, and updates on employment information as well. Visit the web-page by clicking on the link below to learn more and find details about airtime, their schedule, and the content being broadcasted.
Dennis’s advice to all students is to seek as much assistance as possible, never to think to take less, and also to never believe you are being a bother by asking for them. The reason why these services exist is to provide the student with the opportunity to be a better student and to access materials and classes in the same way as their fully-sighted and able-bodied peers.
http://framingham.edu/disabilityservices/
Link to the Disability services information for Framingham State College.
http://framingham.edu/mrrs.htm
Link to the MetroWest Radio Reading Services (MRRS) information web-page.
Dennis also provided me with information regarding Federal and State agencies and organizations aimed at assisting the disabled, ranging from employment and transportation options - all the way to legal and non-discriminatory information. These are listed as very helpful and organized resource documents in this website. Click on one of the links below to read the information.
Go to the Federal Information Page here
Go to the State Information page here