Eye-Free Mobile Device to Facilitate Daily Life for Blind and Visually Impaired People

The following press release is about an interesting technology solution that may assist those with visual impairment:

Qualcomm and Project RAY Announce the Development of an Eye-Free Mobile Device to Facilitate Daily Life for Blind and Visually Impaired People

— Based on an off-the-Shelf Smartphone and Featuring a Unique User Interface, the Project RAY Device Enhances Quality of Life and Promotes Independence —

TEL AVIV and SAN DIEGO — October 22, 2012 — Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM), through its Wireless ReachTM initiative, and Project RAY Ltd., which designs accessibility tools for blind and visually impaired people, today announced that they have developed the RAY mobile device, an always-on, easy-to-use, multi-function, smartphone that is synchronized with Israel’s Central Library for the Blind, Visually Impaired and Handicapped audio books content. This collaboration sets a new standard in accessibility tools and ease of use for visually impaired people.

According to the World Health Organization, “285 million people are visually impaired worldwide: 39 million are blind and 246 have low vision…About 65 percent of all people who are visually impaired are aged 50 and older, while this age group comprises about 20 percent of the world’s population. With an increasing elderly population in many countries, more people will be at risk of age-related visual impairment.”

National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)

Held each October, National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is a national campaign that raises awareness about disability employment issues and celebrates the many and varied contributions of America's workers with disabilities. This year's theme is "A Strong Workforce is an Inclusive Workforce: What Can YOU Do?"

Learn more about National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) here.

Call for Applications - PRIDE Mentoring Program

This message is sent on behalf of Dr. Melissa Begg, Professor & Vice Dean for Education, Mailman School of Public Health, and Co-Director, Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research.

FUNDED SHORT TERM TRAINING OPPORTUNITY FROM THE MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, THE IRVING INSTITUTE AND THE COLUMBIA SUMMER RESEARCH INSTITUTE (CSRI)

The PRIDE program (funded by NHLBI) seeks to recruit and train junior scientists who can improve public health and reduce health disparities throughout the nation. Recognizing the urgent and compelling need to promote diversity, the PRIDE award will provide rigorous training and mentoring opportunities to junior faculty members from diverse backgrounds, and equip them with the essential skills needed to conduct comparative effectiveness research and address some of the most complex health problems facing us today.