Talking Times, Summer 2019 - Section 4

Blind Runner Makes History by Finishing NYC Half Marathon with Help of Guide Dogs

Here's an inspirational story from CBS News that we just had to share with our members. Runner, Thomas Panek, who lost his sight over 25 years ago, made history in March 2019 while running in the United Airlines, New York City Half Marathon. Panek ran with his guide dogs from Guiding Eyes for the Blind, a non-profit organization in New York that provides trained dogs to people who are blind and visually impaired. Thanks to 3 golden retrievers, Waffle, Westley and Gus who took turns running with Panek, he was able to finish the race in just over 2 hours and 20 minutes. Thomas Panek is the President and CEO of Guiding Eyes for the Blind. You can read the complete article or listen to the audio. To learn more about Guiding Eyes for the Blind see their website.

The Carroll Center for the Blind

The Carroll Center for the Blind at 770 Centre Street in Newton Massachusetts offers services to all New England residents. The Carroll Center serves individuals of ALL ages and ALL stages of vision loss. They offer social rehabilitation programs in assistive technology instruction, need training on computers, tablets, smartphones or daily living devices like the Victor Reader Stream, PenFriend and other digital technologies. They can also provide customized instruction depending on individual needs. For more information, please contact Maureen Foley at (800) 852-3131.

Computers for the Blind

Computers for the Blind is a non-profit organization located in Richardson, TX which provides deeply discounted, refurbished computers with pre-loaded, assistive technology software to individuals who are blind or have low vision, with free shipping in the US. There is no income limit, but students and individuals with low income or those who may be receiving SSI or SSDI benefits, will receive additional discounts. Contact them by email at info@computersfortheblind.org or call Customer Service at (214)340-6328, Monday - Friday from 9 am - 7 pm.

Xavier Society for the Blind Offers Religious Materials Compatible with Talking Book Machines

The Xavier Society for the Blind provides inspirational, spiritual and religious reading materials in braille and audio to the blind and visually impaired community of faithful free of charge. They recently announced that their conversion to digital talking book format is now complete. These books can be played on the talking book machines provided by the National Library Service. The Xavier Society for the Blind has an existing catalog of over 1,500 braille and audio titles and has added some popular titles to their catalog. One of the primary objectives of the Xavier Society for the Blind is to choose new titles which will appeal to a larger audience. They hope that the combination of more appealing titles and the digital talking book format will allow them to reach many more people, said the Xavier Society in a recent press release. They plan to add titles in Spanish as well. Visit Xavier Society for the Blind for more information, including how to register for Xavier Society materials or call (800)637-9193.