SPONSORS ARCHIVE:

From all of us here at Access Information News, we would like to extend to you our sincerest thanks, and most heartfelt gratitude for your support. Access Information News is a sponsor and reader supported publication.

Your sponsorships along with reader support are critical for us to be able to continue to offer free and unbiased adaptive technology news to thousands of blind and visually impaired professionals, educators and enthusiasts all over the world, each week.

Thank you!

Sponsor: Total Tech Solutions, LLC

Sponsorship Began: April 4, 2023

Sponsorship Ended: April 4, 2024

Website: https://blindtech.org/ 🌐️

About: TTS (Total Tech Solutions) is a startup technology company owned and operated in the Dallas Fort Worth area which specializes in offering services for the blind and visually impaired. While this is it's main focus, TTS also caters to the general public. Since its founding, TTS continues to make strides in demonstrating the countless ways blind and visually impaired individuals can contribute in all aspects of the workforce. This is one of the reasons why this company chooses to hire applicants who are visually impaired; to prove that there is a place in society for persons of any type of visual impairment, and to create a positive environment so one can thrive, live life to their fullest potential and to be a positive example to their communities and their families.

Sponsor: Clusiv

Sponsorship Began: January 16, 2023

Sponsorship Ended: February 11, 2024

Website: https://clusiv.io/ 🌐️

About: As there are many challenges people in the blind community face in employment and education, Clusiv has built the world's first e-learning platform designed for the blind to provide the training, tools, and resources needed to remove barriers to the modern workforce. Our courses teach you occupational and technology skills you need towards employment. Plus, we are working to connect our graduates to internship and job opportunities. Our courses are remote, self-paced, and we provide support throughout your whole journey through our student success team, and even provide lifetime access to our courses so you can keep up to date as technology evolves. You can request Clusiv training through your vocational rehabilitation counselor and fill out the form in the link below on our website. If you are a counselor wanting to learn more about Clusiv for your clients, or an employer looking to hire Clusiv graduates, click the respective link below and fill out a form to get more info.

➜ Person Looking To Enroll In Clusiv Courses

➜ Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Looking To Learn More About Clusiv For Their Clients

➜ Employer Looking To Hire Clusiv Graduates

Sponsor: Empish J. Thomas

Sponsorship Began: August 21, 2023

Sponsorship Ended: November 21, 2023

Website: https://www.empishthomas.com/ 🌐️

About: Hello. I'm so glad you're here. I'm Empish, a freelance writer and blogger specializing in vision loss and disability. I have a deep passion for the disability community and enjoy using my writing skills to bring awareness. Ever since I was a small child I have always been intrigued by the written word. Checking out children's books at my local library to reading the newspaper out loud to my parents, words have always moved and compelled me. Now, fast forward to my adult life. I had a journalism degree with a promising career. But six months after graduation I developed severe headaches and sensitivity to light prompting me to go see an eye doctor for the first time in my life. I was diagnosed with Uveitis in its most aggressive form and within a few years I was totally blind.

Despite this diagnosis my love for the written word did not diminish. I had noticed the negative and sometimes incorrect portrayal of the disabled in the news media. I wanted to be proactive in changing that image. Language is powerful and that people with disabilities must tell their own story.

This is why I love the Nigerian proverb “Don't let the lion tell the giraffe's story,” because it speaks to my career as a journalist and disability advocate. As we know, the lion is the king of the jungle and rules the animal kingdom. His voice is heard the strongest and the loudest the majority of the time.

But there are also other animals too. Ones like the giraffe that have a voice and a story to tell. Their voices are just as important. Just as powerful. Just as valuable. As you review and read my work my goal is to give the giraffe that voice.

Topics That Spark Joy

As a freelance writer and blogger, I use this site to talk about my life as a disabled person. Like Marie Kondo, you will find blog posts on the things that spark joy. I love reading audiobooks and watching audio described movies. I also love talking about accessibility and how it impacts my life. I include my daily routine. You know those mundane things we all do like grocery shopping, exercising, paying bills, voting and anything else I find interesting.

Let Me Write For You

Now that you know a little about me, are you looking for a freelance writer? One who can write a captivating story. ONE WITH excellent writing and organizational skills. One who understands the importance of deadlines. Let's chat. Shoot me an email from my Contact Page and let's discuss how I can meet your writing needs.

Sponsor: NSITE.org

Sponsorship Began: March 6th 2023

Sponsorship Ended: September 6th 2023

Website: https://nsite.org/ 🌐️

About: NSITE provides a continuum of employment services that connect employers with talented, dedicated people who are blind, low-vision, and/or veterans to meet their workforce needs. As you move through the hiring process, NSITE is with you every step of the way to ensure that finding the right employee-employer match is as smooth and seamless as possible.

NSITE works with employers to identify potential candidates who are blind, low-vision, and/or veterans. From there, NSITE assists with accessibility needs, onboarding, and training, then prepares both parties for job placement. Our work does not end there; it continues with ongoing support to accommodate changes in accessible technology and employer requirements.

NSITE Connect: Linking employers with talented individuals who are blind, low-vision, and/or veterans. Access the NSITE Connect Job Board here.

Sponsor: Hartgen Consultancy

Sponsorship Began: May 29, 2023

Sponsorship Ended: August 29, 2023

Website: https://www.hartgenconsultancy.com/ 🌐️

About: Hartgen Consultancy was established with a mission to provide accessible training and usable software tools to individuals with vision loss and to the deaf Blind community. Product offerings have and continue to significantly contribute to the employability and productivity of these communities. Our vision of inclusiveness and accessibility; a vision that informs every training module, all adaptive products, and excellent customer service, embodies the commitment to the core values of the company.

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Sponsor: Carrie on Accessibility

Sponsorship Began: May 29, 2023

Sponsorship Ended: August 29, 2023

Website: https://carrieonaccessibility.com/ 🌐️

Email: email@carrieonaccessibility.com 📧️

About: Carrie's mission with Carrie on Accessibility (CoA) is to promote accessibility and to empower those, like herself, who are blind and visually impaired. Through her YouTube channel and other social media platforms, she shares videos exploring accessibility and assistive technology, along with other resources and encouragement that can benefit the community.

Carrie on Accessibility emphasizes accessibility, which is the path forward to equal access for those with disabilities. Designing with accessibility in mind is incredibly important. WCAG compliance is necessary and right, but compliance does not always equal accessibility. End user testing is the ultimate test. Through Carrie on Accessibility's Accessibility Review, businesses can evaluate the real world usability and functionality of their products and services.

Whether you're a content creator, small business owner, startup, organization, or corporation, Carrie on Accessibility can help you push beyond the limits to provide and promote accessibility.

Sponsor: Living Blindfully

Sponsorship Began: May 29, 2023

Sponsorship Ended: August 29, 2023

Website: https://www.livingblindfully.com/ 🌐️

About: Living Blindfully is the podcast devoted to helping you live your best life with blindness or low vision. Sight is a highly dominant sense. If you have it, naturally you'll use it for a lot of things. But if you don't have it, or you don't have as much sight as you used to, it's still possible to live a rich, full life. This podcast is all about how it's done.

We discuss tips and tricks, but we frankly discuss the barriers too, ranging from attitudinal barriers to accessibility barriers and more.

You'll hear plenty about technology on Living Blindfully, because when blind people have the skills to use it and when the tech is behaving itself, it's key to functional and economic independence. Whether it's a tech question from our community, a handy tip about getting the most from your screen reader, a demonstration of a cool new app for your smartphone, or discussion about a serious accessibility issue that is causing problems, you'll learn about it on Living Blindfully. We geek out sometimes, but we always make a point of bringing people along for the ride and making sense of it all.

But technology is simply a tool to help us live blindfully, so our podcast discusses much more. The topics on each episode vary a lot, but it's not uncommon to hear discussion about travel, cooking, relationships, self-care, sleep, history and even politics. After all, blind people have as diverse a mix of interests and opinions as anyone else.

While we welcome sighted allies and family members who have an interest in what blind people are thinking and talking about, Living Blindfully is unapologetically for blind people, by blind people. There are other great places to go to learn about how blind people do what we do. But there are few places that proudly cater to the blind community. So, if you're not blind but you're interested in an unfiltered discussion about what's occupying the blind community, you've come to the right place and you're very welcome.

Jonathan Mosen is the host and facilitator of Living Blindfully, and often conducts interviews and produces product demonstrations. But you'll also hear from our engaged community of listeners who share their thoughts in writing and in audio. You're very welcome to contribute on anything you hear during the show, or something new that's on your mind.

Sponsor: Menus4ALL

Sponsorship Began: November 20th 2022

Sponsorship Ended: July 20th 2023

Website: https://www.menus4all.com/ 🌐️

Email: stephanie@menus4all.com 📧️

About: 750,000 Accessible Restaurant Menus. On your iPhone ^® in the palm of your hand.

Yes, that's not a typo. The Menus4ALL iPhone app offers 500,000 accessible menus in the United States and 250,000 accessible menus in Canada.

Wherever you are and whenever you want The Menus4ALL iPhone app is the largest network of restaurant menus in one place and all of the menus are fully accessible.

Perfect for when you are out running errands and want to know what restaurants are near your current location. Great for planning a night out with friends. Favorite menus that you want to look at later or when you know you are going back for that amazing dish.

Download The App (Apple): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/menus4all/id1640547801?platform=iphone

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