The Talking Information Center (TIC) a non-profit reading service, which broadcasts 24 hours a day to thousands of visually and mobility-impaired listeners, was on-site to record the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (MABVI) Vision Summit held recently at the Microsoft New England Research and Development (NERD) Center in Cambridge. TIC has made this broadcast available online at
https://soundcloud.com/ticnetwork/sets/2016-solutions-in-sight-summit.
TIC Executive Director James Bunnell, producer John Shea and development associate Lauren Kanan attended and taped the May 4th summit entitled, “Solutions in Sight: A Summit to Address the Vision Loss Crisis”, which put the spotlight on the impending crisis due to an anticipated doubling of the number of older adults with sight loss.
The Vision Summit was an invitation-only event featuring opinion leaders, senior government officials, innovators and philanthropists focusing on vision loss as one of the costliest health conditions. The goal of the summit was to have a common understanding of the needs of those with vision loss and to craft a plan to leverage today’s advancements to transform services in the 21st century.
Dr. Hugh Herr, the nationally recognized “Leader of the Bionic Age” was Keynote speaker. Dr. Herr is the Director of the Bio-mechatronics research group at the MIT Media Lab and Founder of BionX, a leader in the field of prosthetic devices. Four panel workshops were held:
Transformative Technology: Access, Collaboration, Innovationwith Moderator Kara Miller, Host and Executive Editor, Innovation Hub; Suman Kanuganti, Co-Founder and CEO, Aira; Erich Manser, Accessibility Tester and Consultant, IBM; and Bilal Zuberi, Partner, Lux Capital.
Closing Gaps in Our Healthcare System: The Challenge of Health Care Reform with Moderator Audrey Shelto, President, Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of Massachusetts; Cathy Holden, COMS, Director of Clinical Operations/Rehabilitation, NewView Oklahoma; Paul Saner, Commissioner, Massachusetts Commission for the Blind; and Scott Taberner, Chief of Behavioral Health and Supportive Care, MassHealth.
Access to a Full Life: Addressing Mental Health Barriers and Reimagining Services for Active Living with Moderator Michael Festa, Esq., State Director of AARP; Rebecca Alexander — Psychotherapist, Author; Alice Bonner, PhD, RN, Secretary, Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs; and Ryan Knighton, Author, Screenwriter, Speaker.
Employment: Strategies to Eliminate Joblessness with Joe Abely, President, The Carroll Center for the Blind; Bruce Howell, Accessibility Services Coordinator, The Carroll Center for the Blind; Kate Katulak, Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments, Perkins School for the Blind; Dave Power, President and CEO, Perkins School for the Blind; Carl Richardson, State House ADA Coordinator; Marla Runyan, Digital Accessibility Consultant/Testing Team Lead, Perkins School for the Blind; and Martha Steele, National Trustee and Boston Chapter President, Foundation Fighting Blindness.
Haben Girma, White House Champion of Change, Forbes 30 Under 30 leader, BBC Women of Africa Hero, and the first deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School, was the lunchtime speaker.
“Adult vision loss costs the economy more than $51 billion a year, and the number of older adults with vision loss is expected to double,” explained Bunnell. “MABVI’s Vision Summit was designed to focus more attention on the growing vision crisis and propose solutions.”
To tune in to the taped broadcast of MABVI Vision Summit, visit https://soundcloud.com/ticnetwork/sets/2016-solutions-in-sight-summit.
About MABVI
Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (MABVI) is the oldest social service organization in the country that serves adults and elders who are blind or visually impaired. They provide vision rehabilitation services and partner with community and medical groups to create high-impact, cost-effective services. Visit mabvi.org for more information.
About TIC
The Talking Information Center (TIC), a non-profit reading service located in Marshfield, MA, broadcasts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to visually-impaired and print-handicapped listeners including those suffering from AIDS, Cerebral Palsy, Multiple Sclerosis, stroke, paralysis or other physical illness that makes holding a publication or turning pages impossible.
TIC programming may be accessed several ways: via live audio stream at http://www.ticnetwork.org; by utilizing a specially tuned radio receiver; through AudioNow by calling 712-832-7025 from a home or cell phone; or by smartphone app. Listeners with smartphones may download the free TIC app by typing “Talking Information Center” in Apple or in the Google Play store for Android devices.
TIC’s mission is to provide human voice(d) broadcasts to visually and mobility impaired listeners throughout Massachusetts to promote independence and enrich quality of life. TIC broadcasts newspapers, magazines, books, special consumer information, medical and stock market updates, jobs, sports, supermarket specials, voting guides, community newspapers, and television programs. Cultural programming such as old-time radio drama, theater, and poetry is also provided. Two of TIC’s newest shows include Veterans Voice Radio and Veterans Voice Story Hour, which are specifically geared toward military veterans and their families.
TIC is a proud member of the International Association of Audible Information Services (IAAIS), and is also the hub of the Massachusetts Reading Network, broadcasting to all of Massachusetts as well as southern New Hampshire and Connecticut. Operating similarly to other broadcast networks, TIC has affiliates throughout the state of Massachusetts that provide inserts of local news and information that is of interest to listeners in their area. TIC is located at 130 Enterprise Drive, Marshfield, MA 02050. For more information visit www.ticnetwork.org or call (781) 834-4400.
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