American Foundation for the Blind

And the statistics surrounding this barrier are really sobering.

I mean, if we look at the 2025 data from the American Foundation for the Blind, it paints this stark picture of how these invisible walls impact real people.

What are the numbers?

Well, for working age people with vision difficulties, the employment rate sits somewhere between just 38 to 42 percent.

She taught high school English for 29 years and is totally blind.

This year, the American Foundation for the Blind gave her the Helen Keller Achievement Award for 2026.

Now we'll get to her interview, which is so inspiring.

But let's talk about Because Someone Noticed.

She taught high school English for 29 years, and then she spent the last three years doing something a lot of districts don't think to do, built a program whose whole job is protecting the joy of brand new teachers.

Kathy is the 2015 Indiana Teacher of the Year and a National Teacher of the Year finalist.

This year, she received the Helen Keller Achievement Award 2026 from the American Foundation for the Blind.

Kathy, thank you for coming on the show.

Sure.

Well, the American Foundation for the Blind is a large organization that works on access and inclusion and opportunities for people who are blind or deaf-blind or deaf.

Helen Keller herself worked with this organization decades ago as she grew into her mode as a public figure internationally.

And they have been, as I said, working on opening opportunities, doing research, breaking down barriers, all kinds of things for generations.

She authored numerous articles.

She gave lectures for the American Foundation for the Blind and raised millions of dollars for them.

Throughout her life, Helen Keller received numerous honours in recognition of her advocacy and service to people who were blind or deaf.

In the Bible, Paul prayed for the Colossian Christians that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him.

I'm Alexander Scorvey.

One of the splendid services of the American Foundation for the Blind is the Talking Book Program.

The Foundation, in cooperation with the Library of Congress, produces the Talking Books, which are recorded books and magazines, available with a phonograph, free on loan, to any legally blind person.

It's been my privilege to be a part of the program for the past 28 years as a reader, and I must say that I've read a lot of books I might not have had the chance to read otherwise.

If you know someone who is blind, tell him or her about Talking Books.

We'll be happy to send information.

So write to the American Foundation for the Blind, Box 111, New York 11, New York.

Yankee Stadium, New York City, 7-0, Atlanta leading the Giants.

You're listening to Access World, a podcast on digital inclusion and accessibility.

Access World is a production of AFB Studios at the American Foundation for the Blind.

To learn more about Access World, visit us online at afb.org slash aw.

And welcome back, everybody, to Access World, a podcast on digital inclusion and accessibility.

I'm Tony Stevens, leading communications at the American Foundation for the Blind, your co-host.

And join with me today, as always, is our fearless editor-in-chief of Access World magazine, a quarterly publication that shares the same name and actually just dropped the other day for the summer into fall quarter, Mr. Aaron Preece.

Hey, Aaron, how are you again, sir? I'm doing

And again, folks can check that out in the show notes for our podcast.