Category: Uncategorized
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Can I Get A Ride?
Most adults in the U.S. take the ability to drive for granted. But what if, because of your vision loss, driving isn’t an option? Arguably, one of the most difficult aspects of being blind is finding transportation. While some areas on the east coast have excellent public transit systems that can make a car unnecessary,…
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Universal Design: Inclusion From the Ground Up
Have you ever listened to an audiobook? Dictated a note into your smartphone? Ridden an elevator because your luggage was just too awkward for the escalator? If so, you’ve been the beneficiary of “universal design”. Also known as design for all, inclusive design and barrier free design, this means that a product, service or technology…
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Fake Service Dogs Are A Problem For Real Service Dogs
By now, most of us have seen a fake service dog. The animal wears some sort of vest or harness that makes it look official. However, the dog clearly isn’t well trained as it doesn’t respond to commands promptly, if at all. It lunges at other animals, snaps or barks, and is generally disruptive. When…
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Trusting Your Life To A Dog
For a person with a visual impairment, getting around outside their home can be challenging. Curbs, stairs, streets without sidewalks, and intersections with heavy traffic are just a few things that can be hazardous to navigate. Specialized training that teaches the use of a white cane and the skills needed to travel safely to a…
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A Guide Dog’s Journey
As you walk along a sidewalk in downtown Missoula, you notice a pedestrian coming towards you. Their head is up, and they move confidently along the congested sidewalk. They grasp a U-shaped handle in their left hand which is attached to the harness of their guide dog. As you watch, the dog deftly maneuvers the…
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Montana Disability Civil Rights In Jeopardy
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen joins Texas v. Becerra Lawsuit With Intent to Declare Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act Unconstitutional From NFB Montana Affiliate President, Jim Marks: There are times when a government action is so egregious, we have to act. Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen committed Montana to a Texas lawsuit that threatens…
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Vision Loss Is Not the Problem
A profile of Coreen Faulkner People living with vision loss are too often invisible to the broader society. We are capable and competent and have much to offer when given a chance. My name is Coreen Faulkner. I’ve lived in Missoula for 45 years. I spent 24 years teaching in elementary schools here in Missoula,…
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The Myth of Independence
There is more to independence for the blind than being able to carry out everyday tasks unaided. Imagine waking up one day and not being able to see. Suddenly, you couldn’t read, drive, or find something in the fridge. But as terrifying as your new reality is, the loss of agency over your own life…
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No, I’m Not Exceptional
My name is Samantha. I am a typical 35 year old woman. My life is hectic and chaotic most of the time. My days are spent juggling work, graduate school, being a mom of two school aged children, and a wife. This all seems pretty typical. I know so many other moms in the same…
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Accessibility: More Than An Elevator
Digital accessibility is key to allow the full participation of those with disabilities in the workplace, the classroom, and society at large. Your phone chimes softly, and you pick it up and read the screen without a thought. A restaurant server brings you a menu on an electronic tablet, and you scan down the list…
National Federation of the Blind of Missoula, Montana 