Who is considered “Deaf-Blind?”

An “individual who is deaf-blind” means any individual having auditory and visual impairments, the combination of which cause extreme difficulty in attaining independence in daily life activities, achieving psychosocial adjustment, or obtaining vocational objectives.

If you believe that you, a relative, or a friend might be eligible for services through the Nebraska Individuals with Deaf-Blindness Project, contact the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired office nearest you.

What kind of jobs can blind and low vision people do?

People who are blind and visually impaired work in almost every career field imaginable. There are blind teachers, lawyers, engineers, biologists, chefs, university professors, retail workers, mechanics, custodians, childcare workers, and small business owners. Other people who are blind and low vision choose to be stay-at-home parents or active homemakers. Regardless of your career or independent living goals, NCBVI can equip you to reach them.

Can blind and visually impaired people raise children?

Yes, absolutely! Millions of blind and low vision people across the United States care for children as parents, grandparents, foster parents, and legal guardians. In some families, both parents are blind or visually impaired. In other families, one parent is blind and the other is sighted. Some blind parents are single or divorced. Some older blind adults have custody of their grandchildren or foster children. Regardless of age, blind and low vision people can learn the skills to safely and confidently care for children. Many NCBVI staff members are blind parents themselves.

Does NCBVI offer financial assistance to blind and low vision college students?

NCBVI does offer financial assistance for college, university, technical, and vocational school students who need education or training in order to reach their employment goals. This may include assistance with tuition, fees, books, technology, and reader services. In order to qualify for financial assistance, students will need to contact our vocational rehabilitation program. They will be assigned a vocational rehabilitation counselor who will discuss the client’s career goals in order to determine what education and training NCBVI can provide.

Which cell phone is most accessible to people who are blind and low vision?

As of this writing, Apple's iOS, which runs on its iPads, iPhones, and iPods has the most robust accessibility features for people who are blind or low vision. iOS includes a built-in screen reader called VoiceOver which reads screen contents aloud and allows a person to interact with the phone through gestures on the touch screen. VoiceOver works with all of the apps and functions that come with the device and also with a majority of the apps that can be downloaded from the Apple AppStore. iOS devices also offer a built-in screen magnification program called Zooms.

What kind of computer is best, PC or Mac?

Both PC's and Macs have screen access software for reading on-screen content and also screen magnification software for enlarging screen contents. As of June, 2020, 77.7% of workplaces utilize Windows-based PCs. Therefore, most vocational experts recommend that high school and college students learn to operate Windows. However, a growing number of businesses, especially tech companies, are beginning to use Macs, Linux, and other operating systems. The system you choose should depend on your prior experience, what you intend to use the computer to accomplish, and where you will be using it.

Can blind people use tablet computers?

Absolutely! As with the mobile phone market, we find that Apple's iPad tablets are the best off-the-shelf accessible devices for blind and low vision users. If you want to use a tablet that runs Microsoft Windows 10, screen reading software like JAWS and NVDA have numerous keyboard commands for navigating the environment and touch screen gestures for non-visual access. Recent developments in Amazon Kindle FireOS 5 and later have added more robust accessibility to the Kindle Fire line of tablets.