By Adam Donnelly

Technology a focus at Canadian Council for the Blind Conference

Apr 22, 2016 | 8:17 AM

KAMLOOPS — Training and opportunity are two important factors in how people find meaningful work; they’re also two factors keeping blind and visually impaired individuals from obtaining employment. Thanks to technology, that could change

Technology has changed the modern world we exist in, and while some hearken for the good ol’ days, before smart phones and Facebook, you won’t find many of them the Canadian Council for the Blind’s BC & Yukon Division Conference.

“The world of technology has exploded, including for those of us in the blind community,” said Lori Fry, National First Vice-President of the CCB.

This afternoon at the conference, the Council held a workshop focusing on technology for the blind and visually impaired, and how that technology can help those with little or no vision in their daily lives.

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“The disability of blindness [has] probably the highest rate of unemployment,” Fry told CFJC Today. “With… technology advancements, more and more people have the opportunities to become employed, and to… demonstrate their abilities, versus that one disability.”

Betty Nobel is a self described tech nut, who uses an iPhone to keep organized. Although there are some extra pieces involved, she says the device allows her to go about many of the important tasks sighted people take for granted.

According to Nobel she uses “A little tiny Braille display… When I connect that to the iPhone, then I can read my e-mail quietly, and I can listen to  the stops as they are announced on the bus,” said Nobel. “So I’m getting the information I need, both through my ears, and through my fingers.”

While blindness and limited vision is still a difficult challenge for those who live with it, these are just some of the ways technology is helping remove some obstacles from their path.