SeeSaw Club

     There are many challenges that visually impaired children face throughout their daily lives, but a significantly crucial struggle is the inability to experience many imaginative and educational experiences such as reading picture books. However, The Bookseller has revealed that a certain company, Simon & Schuster Children's, is working to adapt a picture book for blind and visually impaired children.       The said picture book is Supertato , an endearing book about the hero Supertato's fight against the malicious Evil Pea. Around 30 hand-crafted copies have been made so far, and they feature tactile, hand-painted versions of drawings for children to feel and enjoy. The book also features braille on clear sheets to encourage deeper understanding, as well as an audiobook recorded specifically for guiding the children throughout the book.       Simon & Schuster collaborated with Living Paintings, a charity providing many ...

 A recent event aimed at supporting people with vision loss is the "VisionWalk," organized by the Foundation Fighting Blindness. On September 28, 2024, VisionWalk events will take place across multiple U.S. cities, including Seattle and St. Louis. These walks bring communities together to raise awareness and funds for research into treatments and cures for blinding diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration. The walk is part of a broader effort to empower individuals with vision loss, fostering connection and advocacy. This initiative continues to gain traction, with additional VisionWalks and related events scheduled throughout the year​

Melanie Barratt, a Paralympian gold medallist from Leamington Spa, has become the first blind woman to swim across the English Channel. Completing the 21-mile journey in just 12 hours and 20 minutes—faster than the expected 14 hours—Barratt's impressive achievement was not only a personal triumph but also a significant moment of inspiration for others. Reflecting on the swim, Barratt expressed her hope that her accomplishment would encourage people to take on new challenges, no matter their limitations. Having previously won multiple medals at the Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Paralympics, Barratt is also known as the first blind person to swim across Lake Geneva. This Channel swim, which took place on 28 August, was part of a fundraising effort for British Blind Sport, a charity that helps visually-impaired individuals access sports across the UK. So far, Barratt's effort has raised £17,000 for the organization, which played a vital role in her own journey to the Paralympics. S...

  Blind Cricket: A Game Beyond Sight Cricket is a sport beloved by millions, and now, thanks to innovation and determination, it’s accessible to the blind. At a recent demonstration in Cupertino, visually impaired players showcased their skills using a special ball that makes noise, allowing them to bat, bowl, and field with precision. This game, dating back over a century, has evolved significantly, empowering blind athletes around the world. The U.S. tour, organized by the India Creative Association for the Blind, aims to raise awareness about blind cricket and promote its inclusion in the 2028 Paralympics. Leaders like Mahandesh Kivadasannavar, who lost his sight as a child, have championed this sport, highlighting how it brings joy and opportunity to the blind community. Blind cricket doesn’t just create space for athletes to compete—it fosters camaraderie and inclusiveness, bridging the gap between different levels of visual impairment. It's also gaining recognition in the U.S...

Paralympics spectators learn when to be silent and when to cheer during visually impaired events. The Olympics is considered the world's foremost sporting competition, with more than 200 teams representing nations and territories taking part in the tournament. Next to that, we have the Paralympics. The Paralympics is the largest international event for disabled athletes and societal change that takes place shortly after every Olympic Games in the same host city. This year, 2024, the Paralympics and the Olympics took place in Paris, France.  Blind football and goalball are for visually impaired athletes. It is like Showdown, where people play a typical game with the eyemask on. Something different about these sports events is the atmosphere in the stadium and the volume of the crowds cheering.  The ball in both sports has a rattle or bell that alerts players to its approximate location. Players yell to one another as they go around the field, while fans must keep their exc...

  In the recent studies, they claim that visual impairment has been increasing in the course of the years. This means that more people are experiencing lower quality of life since visually impaired people encounter restrictions in their independence, mobility, and educational achievement as it’s stated in IoT Times. In order to give the visually impaired individuals the same quality of life as those who have normal vision, researchers across the globe developed a technological solution—smart shoes. These smart shoes have ultrasonic sensors which can detect obstacles of different heights, ground pits, and holes. The shoes can be paired to a device through bluetooth and generate an alert when the sensors detect barriers. These smart shoes can prevent any possible dangers from people who are visually impaired without a guide dog or a person next to them. I hope smart shoes can be utilized in society in a way that increases people’s quality of life. image: cbsnews.com