Center of Vision Enhancement (COVE)

06/06/2026

Adults, come and join the crochet club at Merced Main Library for a fun summer crochet project. This month we will be crocheting flowers! All supplies will be provided while they last, but you can always bring your own.

Date: June 12 & 26
Time: 3:00-4:30 PM
Location: Merced Main Library - Gracey Room
For ages 18+

05/31/2026

Too much time spent indoors and intensive near vision activity lead to more children suffering from nearsightedness or myopia.

Taking regular breaks and spending more time outdoors can reduce this risk. Get regular eye checks!

05/31/2026

Today is National Autonomous Vehicle Day, a time to recognize innovations in self-driving technology and raise awareness about the future of autonomous transportation.

Autonomous vehicles continue to expand mobility and independence for people who are blind or have low vision, and ACB has worked with private industry and government agencies to help ensure this technology is accessible and inclusive for all.

Thank you to our industry partners and transportation policymakers for your commitment to accessibility—ACB looks forward to continuing our work together to drive a more inclusive future!

Pictured: A collage of ACB’s recent autonomous vehicle experiences (clockwise from upper left):

👉 Dianna Leonard (left) stands with Bay State Council of the Blind BSCB) member Jessica Barr (center) and Waymo’s Hannah Tuten (right) in front of a Waymo vehicle at the BSCB convention in Massachusetts.

👉 Claire Stanley and her guide dog, Tulane, ride in a Zoox robotaxi in San Francisco.

👉 Kolby Garrison and her guide dog, Marty, ride with Scott Thornhill in a Zoox robotaxi in the San Francisco Bay Area. Kolby is feeling the braille labels above her seat while Scott observes.

👉 Claire Stanley and her guide dog, Tulane (left), stand with Waymo’s Heather Aijian (center) and Scott Thornhill (right) in front of a Waymo vehicle in Washington, D.C.

👉 Scott Thornhill (right) stands with Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association (AVIA) CEO Jeff Farrah (left) at the AVIA Autonomy Summit in Washington, D.C.

05/27/2026

05/21/2026

On Global Accessibility Awareness Day, we emphasize the importance of designing products, services, activities, events, technology, and experiences with accessibility in mind from the very beginning. True accessibility is about creating a world where everyone can participate, connect, and belong. Inclusive design benefits everyone, and when accessibility is prioritized, no one is excluded.

Many everyday technologies we now take for granted were originally created or heavily influenced by accessibility and disability inclusion.

• Text messaging (SMS) gained early adoption among Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities as a way to communicate without voice calls.

• Voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant build on speech-recognition technologies developed to help people with mobility disabilities, blindness, and other conditions interact with computers hands-free.

• Closed captions were created for Deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers, but are now used everywhere — in airports, gyms, waiting rooms, social media videos, and by anyone watching in a noisy or quiet environment.

• Curb cuts and sidewalk ramps were designed for wheelchair users, but also help parents with strollers, travelers with luggage, delivery workers, cyclists, and more.

• Automatic doors were developed to improve physical accessibility, but now benefit everyone carrying groceries, pushing carts, or entering public buildings.

• Audiobooks and text-to-speech tools were designed for blind and low-vision readers and people with print disabilities, but are now widely used during commutes, exercise, and multitasking.

• Predictive text and word completion were originally developed in part to support people with mobility and communication disabilities, and are now standard on nearly every smartphone.

• Video calling became especially valuable for Deaf users who communicate through sign language, and is now part of everyday work, education, healthcare, and family life.

• Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology was advanced to help blind and low-vision users access printed text, and now powers document scanning, translation apps, and searchable PDFs used by everyone.

• High-contrast display settings, dark mode, and customizable text sizes were created for accessibility needs but are now mainstream features millions of people use daily.

Accessibility doesn’t just help a few people. When inclusion is built in from the beginning, everyone benefits.

05/18/2026

What is Stargardt disease?

Stargardt disease is a rare inherited eye disease that slowly takes away central vision, making it harder to read, recognize faces, and see the world clearly over time. It affects the retina, the light-sensitive tissue in the back of the eye that helps us process what we see.

Ocugen is studying a potential gene therapy, OCU410ST, with the hope of slowing the progression of disease and helping protect vision for the future. Every step forward brings hope to individuals and families affected by inherited retinal diseases.

Like and share this post to help more people learn about Stargardt disease and inherited retinal diseases.

05/13/2026

Join ACB in urging Congress to support the Blind Americans Return to Work Act!

Today, Americans who are blind receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) face an unfair “earnings cliff” — if they earn just a bit too much, their benefits are cut off completely. This system discourages people from working and limits economic independence.

The Blind Americans Return to Work Act would replace the cliff with a fair, gradual reduction in benefits. This model would empower people who are blind to pursue meaningful employment without fear of losing all support.

Since launching our advocacy campaign for the Blind Americans Return to Work Act last fall, the bill has picked up 29 additional sponsors, including 8 last month! Let’s keep the momentum going by sending a message to your members of Congress here: https://speak4.app/lp/5t01cset/?ts=1759238261

04/29/2026

Today is International Guide Dog Day! A day to recognize the extraordinary partnership between guide dogs and their handlers—the trust, independence, and quiet teamwork that makes navigating the world possible in ways many people never see. It’s a partnership like no other, and we’re deeply grateful to our dogs, and to all those who help make it happen. Happy International Guide Dog Day to all!

Photo Description: Close-up of a human hand gently holding the paw of a black Lab guide dog. The dog’s paw is extended and resting across the palm of the woman’s hand. A light-colored wooden surface with a subtle grain pattern is visible in the background.

04/23/2026

For Immediate Release: April 21, 2026 Contact: Jess Davidson, [email protected]; 202-465-5528 A broad coalition of disability rights organizations is expressing our unequivocal opposition: the Department of Justice’s Interim Final Rule extending the compliance deadline for the Title II digital ac...

04/02/2026

The eye is essentially a biological camera. It uses the light around us to create spectacular images that help us navigate the world as visual creatures. Like many modern cameras, the eye focuses automatically. But it can only focus on one thing at a time—specifically, one wavelength, or color, of light.

Scientists have known about this quirk of focus for a long time. But how the eye chooses which color to put in focus has remained a mystery. A new study, published today in Science Advances, finally helps to outline this process. Researchers found that our eyes aren’t just focusing on the wavelength that will yield the brightest image or on the colors in the middle of the range of visual light. Instead which color we see best depends on which one is most prominent in the environment. http://spklr.io/6005EyxxS