Disability Resources for Vision and More subjectId: 690166

• The Americans with Disabilities Act defines a person with a disability as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity
• According to the World Health Organization, over a billion people, about 15% of the world's population, have some form of disability.
• Between 110 million and 190 million adults have significant difficulties in functioning.
• For the latest news on disability, click here

• Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act is a Federal law that ensures technology is accessible to those with disabilities

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• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act prohibits disability discrimination for all programs and activities operated by recipients of federal financial assistance.
• Title II of the Americans with Disability Act prohibits disability discrimination by public entities

Together, these acts work to eliminate barriers in order to provide access to educational programs and facilities, free appropriate public education, and academic adjustments in higher education 

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• The Marrakesh Treaty was adopted in June 2013 in order to provide copyright exceptions for publications in order to improve accessibility for the print disabled. 

• “Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can...perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Web, and that they can contribute to the Web.”   -Web Accessibility Initiative
• Web Accessibility Initiative's page outlines and advises ways to make the web accessible to disabled people

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Guidelines for Web Content

1. Information should be presentable to all users in ways they can percieve
2. The components and navigation should be operable for all users.
3. Information and the interface should be understandable
4. Content should be robust in order to be accessible to a variety of user agents, such as assistive technologies

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Check if your website is accessible, and ways to improve it, with this tool

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Co:Writer predicts your intended word providing suggestions that can be read with a swipe. Text-to-speech is also available after composition to help proofread
Available for $19.99 for Apple

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Fleksy can increase your QWERTY keyboard size, utilize gestures to maximize typing comfort, and provides incredible autocorrect
Available for $0.99 for Apple and Android

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Text Expander allows you to type more with less effort via custom abbreviations called snippets. Create snippets of frequently used words and phrases to insert quickly and easily into your documents
Available for $4.99 for Apple

AccessNote: the Official iOS Notetaker App from the American foundation for the Blind.  Provides highly efficient note taking combined with other iOS features and functions.
Available for free for Apple

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TapTapSee: identifies and reads out loud an object the user has identified by double tapping on their screen
Available for free for Apple and Android

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Be My Eyes: links the blind with sighted volunteers who are able to assist using video chat
Available for free for Apple

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DanKam: remixes photos on the camera, allowing colorblind to see color and differences
Available for $2.99 for Apple and Android 

Windows offers a variety of built-in accessibility options in the areas of vision, hearing, dexterity, language/learning, and more. Click here for a comparison chart of all their features

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Apple offers built-in accessibility features to support seeing, hearing, literacy, and mobility interactions for all their devices. This page shows all those features for Apple computers, as well as linking to features for other apple devices. 

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The American Printing Huse for the Blind provides a collection of apps they have developed for both iOS and Android. These are available for free or low cost. 

NaturalReader: copy and paste any text, or instantly upload a webpage, to hear it read back to you
Available for free for Windows and Mac OS

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Voice Dream: allows you to read any text, while also helping you proofread your own work by reading it back and keeping an outline
Available for $0-$9.99 for Apple and Android

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BeeLine: read faster and more efficiently with a color gradient that guides your eyes
Available for $1.99 for Apple and free for chrome and Firefox

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GhostReader: a customizable text-to-speech app for Mac users that allows you to convert texts to audio files to listen on the go
Available for $24.99 for Mac

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Claro ScanPen: scan any printed text and Claro ScanPen speaks it back to you
Available for $6.99 for Apple and Android 

• The Special Needs Alliance is a national, non-profit organization comitting to providing attorneys to those with disabilities, their families, and the people who work with them. 
• The American Association of People with Disabilities works to increase the politcal and economical power of people with disabilities in order to increase access and equality. 
• The Arc is a national organization that serves people with intellectual and physical disabilities via advocacy, support, and service. 
• The National Organization on Disability works aims to increase employment for those who are disabled and unemployed. 
• Learning Disabilities Association of America supports people with learning disabilities, teachers, and professionals by providing information and a network of research
• The International Disability Alliance aims to create a worldwide inclusive environment by advocating at organizations such as the UN
• The US Department of Labor provides a range of resources for disabled citizens to assist with aspects ranging from civil rights to employment. 

American Bar Association Commission on Disability Rights

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The Campaign for Disability Employment

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Disability Scoop

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The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund

• Cornell University created a website that provides interactive disability statistics about prevalence, employment, earnings, and common issues
• Disability Studies Quarterly: first journal in the field of disabilities. This multidisciplinary journal covers emerging theoretical and practical knowledge concerning disability.
• CAST is a nonprofit organization working to expand learning through the Universal Learning Design. 

• The American Foundation for the Blind teaches, connects, advocates and improves accessibility for those with visual impairment. Their website provides an excellent exapmle of web accessibility for users with visual disabilities. 
• As the nation's largest provider of reading materials for the visually impaired, Brailleworks aims to make "The World a More Readable Place."  
• The Lighthouse Guild provides vision and healthcare services, education, and community outreach to those with visual impairments and other disabilities 
• The National Federation of the Blind is an organization created by the blind aiming to enhance the lives of the blind through a multitude of programs. 
• The Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired is an organization that supports those who provide services to those with visual impairments through publications, professional development, scholarships, and adovocacy 
• The American Council of the Blind strive to create policies that provide opportunities to people with disabilities. 

Click here to discover rights of students with disabilities as well as helpful steps for considering colleges, visiting, and enrolling. Additionally it includes useful software, websites, and apps for post-secondary students.

Scholarships for Disabled Students

• Disabled Scholarship Opportunities
• Scholarships for Students with Disabilities, categorized by type of disability 
• Financial Resources and Discounts for Students With Disabilities - Use the resources in this link at your discretion. Before pursuing or providing your personal information, investigate them to verify their legitimacy. Do not send money.

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Scholarships for the Visually Impaired

• National Federation of the Blind Scholarship Program
• Scholarships and grants for students via the American Federation for the Blind
• 25 Great Scholarships for VIsually Impaired Student

• Career tips for college students during college up through graduation
• We Connect Now links college students with disabilities to job opportunities
• Cornell's Career Link Mentoring project program pairs disabled graduates with professionals in various fields to mentor as they find careers. 
• Lime Connect is a not for profit organization that connects disabled college students  and alumni with scholarships, internships, and employment opportunities.
• The US Department of Labor provides information for both disabled individuals looking for employment and those who are employed. 

• Guidelines for transitioning to college as well as helpful college resources for those with visual impairments
• Advice for succeeding in college along with scholarship opportunities for visually impaired students
• Pepnet provides options for free resources to help those with hearing impairments in postsecondary education

• The University of Miami has many resources for students with disabilities. Please see the Office of Disability's website for more information.
  • Once students are accepted, they must claim their disability to obtain access to the resources
• The University of Miami Library has a CCTV scanner that students can use to enlarge anything from texts to pictures to diagrams. In addition, there is a Kurzeil 3000 text reader that will read aloud to students. Both of these are located in the assistive technology lab on the second floor. 
• The University of Miami is one of the 120 members of HathiTrust. This enables all students access to HathiTrust's extensive digitized book collection, along with specialized features for those with print disabilities. 
• The Camner Academic Resource Center, located in Suite 2400 of the Whitten University Center, offers peer tutoring in various subjects as well as learning specialists for all University of Miami students
• Based at the University of Miami, CARD provides support and services for those with autism spectrum disorders and related disabilities
• Miami Upup educates students on guide dog training and standards
• Toppel Career Center provides resources and assistance to students with disabilities in the search for internships and jobs. 

• Talking Books Library: a service through Miami‑Dade Public Library System and the Library of Congress National Library Service for the blind and physically handicapped that lends audio and braille books and magazines, free for all ages
• Center for Independent Living of South Florida: provides services to help those with disabilities live independently
• Service Dogs of Florida: provides service dogs to people with disabilities in Florida.