January 14, 2011
1. Group helps visually impaired man hit the slopes
Northwest Herald
January 9, 2011
2. Stem cell trial sets sight on blindness
Los Angeles Times
January 10, 2011
3. Blindness hasn’t stopped violinist
Omaha World-Herald
January 11, 2011
4. $12M for city crossings overhaul
London Free Press
January 14, 2011
5. The Hadley School for the Blind Announces Launch of Forsythe Center for Entrepreneurship
Trib Local Winnetka/Northfield
January 14, 2011
1. Group helps visually impaired man hit the slopes
Nate Magit loves winter because he gets to ski, something that he thought had been taken away from him forever.
Magit, of Crystal Lake, is visually impaired and has a rare eye disease called anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. He sees things at 20 feet that a person with normal vision could see at 320 feet.
AION occurs in one eye in about three people per million. Magit has the condition in both eyes, which accounts for just three percent of those afflicted.
Magit began skiing in college and then more seriously when he started skiing with his children. When his children grew up and left home, he stopped skiing in 1985 because there no longer was anyone with whom he could go.
In 1996, Magit got AION in his left eye, and it spread to his right eye in 2004. That killed, he thought, any hope of ever getting out on the slopes again.
That changed when Magit was inspired by MaryJo Morse, a visually impaired co-worker at Horizons for the Blind, a Crystal Lake non-profit organization. He found out that she went skiing and couldn’t believe it was possible.
"I don’t care what it is and where you go, but I’m in," Magit remembered telling Morse.
That led to Magit joining the American Blind Skiing Foundation, a national organization headquartered in Chicago that is open to any blind or visually impaired person in the hope of providing physical and psychological therapeutic value.
Magit now is the vice president of ABSF, and Morse is the president. The club is open to children and adults from beginning to expert skiers.
Volunteer guides assist club members on the slopes and gauge their level of assistance based on a person’s level of visual impairment and their skiing ability.
"When you have a totally blind skier who is not experienced, the guide skis with them and hangs onto their pole," Magit said. "The first time I’m on a run, I like the guide to ski behind me and call out my turns."
Magit said he’s a little more cautious on the slopes now, but the club has some very good skiers. Even with his limited vision, Magit can see the perils he is about to encounter.
"Our best skier is [completely blind], and he skis nothing but black diamonds," Magit said. "Sometimes I think not having any sight at all is better than having limited sight. You can see what you’re getting into."
The club skis nearly every weekend in the winter along with a western trip to Colorado or Utah. Club members wear "blind skier" bibs and Magit said the reaction they get is unbelievable. On one occasion, a woman even asked for Magit’s autograph.
"They think it’s the most amazing thing in the world," Magit said.
Magit said he will be forever grateful to the American Blind Skiing Foundation for giving him the chance to ski again.
"ABSF has given me to opportunity to take to part in a sport that I dearly love and never thought I’d be able to do again," Magit said. "You’re there and you’re doing it. That’s the most gratifying thing.
For information about ABSF, visit absf.org, or leave a message at 312-409-1605.
http://www.nwherald.com/2011/01/09/group-helps-visually-impaired-man-hit-the-slopes/caifwn8/
2. Stem cell trial sets sight on blindness
About 10 million Americans suffer some degree of vision loss caused by age-related macular degeneration, and that figure is expected to grow as more baby boomers become senior citizens. There is no cure for the disease, but last week the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave a green light to an unusual clinical trial that seeks to restore patients' sight by employing human embryonic stem cells.
None of the stem cells will be injected into patients; instead, they are grown into another kind of cell that will be delivered to the back of the eye, where the retina is damaged by the disease. The hope is that the cells will help repair the damaged retinal tissue.
The company behind the trial, Santa Monica-based Advanced Cell Technology Inc., developed the therapy to treat Stargardt's macular dystrophy, a rare childhood version of macular degeneration that affects about 1 in 10,000 kids. The FDA gave the company permission to test the therapy in Stargardt's patients in November. However, if they work, the cells would have a much bigger effect as a treatment for age-related macular degeneration.
Here's a closer look at the disease and the new therapy.
What is age-related macular degeneration?
Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision impairment and blindness among people who are 65 and older, says Dr. Jose Pulido, an ophthalmologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. The dry version of the disease begins with tiny deposits of fat and protein -- called drusen -- that appear in the center of the retina, called the macula. As the deposits grow in number and size over the course of years, things begin to look blurry in the center of a person's field of vision. As the disease worsens, the blurriness may progress to a blind spot.
What causes it?
The main problem is that light-sensing cells in the macula, called photoreceptors, slowly break down. This is thought to be caused by the loss of another population of cells, called retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells, which support the photoreceptors in a number of ways.
Among other things, the RPE cells release growth factors important for photoreceptors to thrive. "The RPE are also the garbage trucks of the retina," removing toxic byproducts that the retina makes as it performs its light-sensing function, says Stephen Rose, chief research officer for the Foundation Fighting Blindness, a fundraising organization based in Columbia, Md.
Dry age-related macular degeneration can also progress into wet age-related macular degeneration, in which blood vessels grow abnormally and leak fluid into the macula. It's a much more aggressive form of the disease, but it's also more treatable.
How can human embryonic stem cells help?
The stem cells are grown into healthy replacement RPE cells and injected into the retina, says Gary Rabin, Advanced Cell Technology's chief executive. The company hopes the lab-grown cells will replace the dying RPE cells and keep vision intact -- or even restore it to some degree.
"We've had incredible success with this in animal studies," Rabin says. A study published in the journal Stem Cells found that the RPE cells restored eye function in sick mice and rats to "near-normal levels," and another study in Cloning and Stem Cells reported that the treatment improved vision in affected rats until it was 70% as good as that of healthy animals.
Of course, success in animal studies doesn't always translate to humans. In addition, the eyes of people in their 50s and 60s likely present "a very different milieu for the RPE cells to try to hook onto," Pulido says.
Rose adds that the treatment, if it works, wouldn't amount to a cure because it doesn't address the reason why RPE cells deteriorate in the first place. But it would buy time for patients, delaying vision loss for perhaps years. "That's huge," he says.
What will the new trial assess?
The FDA granted permission to conduct a Phase I/II clinical trial, which is essentially a safety trial, that will involve a dozen patients. The first patients will get a very low "dose" of cells -- 50,000 -- and will be monitored for any untoward effects.
"If there are no safety issues after three-ish months, we will increase the dose [to a level where we] hope to see efficacy," Rabin says. "We anticipate that the photoreceptor cells will awaken and that there will be a gradual increase in visual acuity over time." For now, the protocol calls for a one-time treatment of up to 200,000 cells.
Aren't there ethical concerns about using human embryonic stem cells?
Generally speaking, many people are troubled by research involving human embryonic stem cells because they are typically made by dismantling -- and thus destroying -- embryos that are a few days old.
Advanced Cell Technology uses a proprietary technique to extract a single cell from a young embryo, allowing the rest to remain intact and develop normally, Rabin says. A similar method is routinely used to biopsy embryos for pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, in which embryos created through in vitro fertilization are scanned for genetic disorders before being transferred to a uterus.
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jan/10/health/la-he-blindness-stem-cells-20110110
3. Blindness hasn’t stopped violinist
GRAND ISLAND, Neb.--The memory of just how Stephanie Quiring became interested in playing the violin is a little hazy for her and her mother.
Both seem to recall that it is rooted in a trip to a violin recital. At first, they can't remember if the recital prompted Stephanie to ask for violin lessons or if mom suggested the idea.
Eventually, they decided that perhaps Lori Quiring saw something in her daughter's face during the recital that made her think that she would enjoy playing the violin.
Stephanie, then in her first year as a home-schooled student, has no doubt about how she answered her mother's question.
"I said, ‘I want to play the violin for Jesus,'" she said.
Stephanie has realized that goal, playing for the past two years with the orchestra at the annual "Festival of Lessons and Carols" at Nebraska Christian School in Central City.
When she performed, her mother was sitting at her side, tapping the tempo on Stephanie's knee, keeping time with concert conductor Eric Dale Knapp. That help was needed because Stephanie, 21, has been blind since age 10.
"As we called it, ‘lights out,'" her mother said.
However, it was evident long before age 10 that Stephanie was having problems with her eyesight.
"When she was a year and a half old, we knew something wasn't right with her health," her mother said.
Stephanie received special preschool services for several years and attended kindergarten in the Hampton Public Schools. School officials had an individual education plan for Stephanie's first-grade year, but her mother said part of the plan seemed to go by the wayside shortly before the school year was to start.
So the decision was made to home-school Stephanie. But Lori Quiring did not teach her daughter by herself. Karen Markussen, an instructor for the visually impaired, taught her Braille.
"She taught me for four years," Stephanie said.
Stephanie learned to play violin from Kathy Nauman, who uses the Suzuki method, which typically teaches children to play by ear.
Over time, though, some adaptations were made because Stephanie could not see.
Her mother would record music that she played on the piano for Stephanie to learn. Typically, Stephanie would listen intently to the music before taking up the violin to play. Still, her mother had to give verbal instructions about some bow movements.
One thing that has helped Stephanie with playing the violin is that she has perfect pitch, even though she must wear hearing aids.
Her hearing impairment and her blindness are only part of her health problems. Stephanie also has curvature of the spine.As a result, she has had spinal fusion, with the insertion of two 15-inch rods, and as Stephanie adds, "22 screws" to go along with those rods.
Stephanie also has a tendency of insulin resistance.
The source of these maladies remained a mystery until Stephanie was 12, when an Omaha geneticist diagnosed her with Alstrom syndrome, which is caused by an extremely rare genetic mutation.
Lori Quiring said some children with it have had heart and liver problems, and a few have died young as a result of the condition,
Fortunately, Stephanie has not suffered from the most severe complications.
"By God's plan and grace, she is still on planet Earth, playing violin," her mother said.
Stephanie has performed at Lions Club events, area nursing homes, at the Red Violin Festival at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, at several functions for the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired and at area churches.
She has also played in a couple of competitions, including a state Lions Club event in which she finished second. She also got to compete in a Meadowlark Music Festival, after qualifying through audition.
"I didn't win it, but I got to try," Stephanie said.
To prepare for December's "Festival of Lessons and Carols" performance, Stephanie said, she memorized the music for 18 of the 22 songs that were performed.
Stephanie has had opportunities to play classical music and religious music as part of her public performances, and she said she is also a huge fan of Mannheim Steamroller--so much so that she has nicknamed her violin "Arnie" in honor of Mannheim Steamroller violinist Arnie Roth.
Now, Stephanie is about to enter a new stage of life. She is planning to travel to Lincoln for training from the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
She will live in an apartment, where she will get training in what she calls "home management skills." Stephanie will learn how to use computer technology, how to use public transportation, and how to walk on city sidewalks and cross streets while using a cane.
Her hearing impairment might make the latter more difficult to master because she will have a harder time gauging changes in traffic noise and direction.
While starting a new phase in her life, one thing will remain the same. When asked if she will take her violin to Lincoln, Stephanie answered, "Of course."
http://www.omaha.com/article/20110111/NEWS02/701119918
4. $12M for city crossings overhaul
LONDON--They’re so tiny, some people don’t even see them.
But they’re getting an overhaul sure to make many stand up and take notice.
They’re London crosswalk traffic-light buttons--slowly being replaced at about $32,000 per intersection, including equipment and construction.
With nearly 400 intersections and pedestrian crossings, that’s a more than $12-million bill before the city will be done years from now.
That’s enough money to buy more than 20 city transit buses, but some pedestrians and safety advocates say it’s well worth it.
Why?
Because the buttons are being updated to increase accessibility and help the visually impaired.
"I think everybody should be able to cross (the) streets and feel safe about it," said Jen Trudeau, at one of London’s busy intersections.
The oldest buttons don’t give the blind any information about when it’s safe to cross.
The new buttons will be a big improvement, said Shane Maguire, the city’s division manager for parking and traffic signals.
"Eventually, every intersection will have audible pedestrian buttons. It will give the visually impaired an audible beacon to let them know it is safe to cross," he said.
The blind are trained to use the new buttons, which emit a different sound meaningful to them for each crosswalk in an intersection, Maguire said.
To reduce sound pollution, those sounds aren’t audible unless activated by someone who’s trained.
The new button also features a tactile arrow to help the visually impaired select the button for the direction they wish to cross.
The hardware alone for the new crosswalk buttons costs $12,000 an intersection. Add the cost of digging up concrete and pavement to install them, replacing and moving poles, and the tab quickly reaches the $32,000 average.
Because of the cost, the city is installing the audible buttons when an intersection needs a renovation. In the meantime, select crossings are getting the new models because of their key locations.
"First, we are targeting high-need intersections that the Canadian National Institute for the Blind and the city’s accessibility advisory committee has identified," Maguire said.
Roger Khouri, chairperson of the committee, said high-need intersections are typically close to government, medical and social service buildings frequented by the blind.
The buttons are a "bigger bang for the taxpayer’s buck" and an important safety step, said Khouri, who is visually impaired.
Still, it takes even more to keep visually impaired pedestrians perfectly safe, he said.
"It would be a nightmare for someone who is visually impaired to cross any busy intersection. It is difficult to distinguish the flow of traffic. Even with the (new) buttons. I would still ask motorists to be cautious and yield the right of way to those crossing the street."
Of the city’s 383 crosswalks, 19 feature the new model. The city plans to install more this year.
The Grosvenor and Richmond streets intersection by St. Joseph’s Health Care is next in line to get the new buttons.
Once approved, the installation will cost about $40,000 Maguire said. It will especially help those who use the Ivey Eye Institute at the hospital.
The new model also features an LED light inside which, when touched, lights up to indicate the button is working. If the light doesn’t turn on, there’s a phone number by each button to call to report a malfunction.
"The benefit (of the new model) for everyone is that it gives this type of automatic feedback," Maguire said.
http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2011/01/13/16879596.html
5. The Hadley School for the Blind Announces Launch of Forsythe Center for Entrepreneurship
The Hadley School for the Blind has announced plans to launch the Forsythe Center for Entrepreneurship in the fall of 2011. The goal of this new business, entrepreneurship and technology program is to provide individuals who are visually impaired with the knowledge, resources and networking opportunities enabling them to advance in their careers or to successfully launch and grow their own businesses.
Hadley is embarking upon this program, in part, to address the deplorable employment rate among people who are visually impaired.
Although statistics vary somewhat, the most reliable data sources suggest that the under- or unemployment rate of persons who are blind or visually impaired is 70%-80%.
"The Center will fulfill a great need. Self-employment is a very viable avenue to attain meaningful jobs and incomes for those who are visually impaired," says Hadley Vice President of Education and Training George Abbott, who will manage the Center.
By providing the requisite computer training, along with the relevant Social Security, tax, accounting, legal, marketing, management and communications information, Hadley will prepare students to take a large step towards achieving self-sufficiency. The curriculum content will be made richer through a network of accomplished civic and business leaders who are themselves blind or visually impaired, as well as through access to a comprehensive, online resource center.
The Center is named in honor of long-time Hadley trustee and donor Sandy Forsythe and her husband, Rick, who have offered a significant, three-year, 2-for-1 challenge grant if matched by new contributions to the school.
"We are honored to support such an important program at Hadley that truly fulfills the school’s mission to promote independent living," says Forsythe.
The program is also funded by grants from the Alliant Credit Union Foundation, Adams Street Partners, Union Bank Foundation and Martin J. and Susan B. Kozak Foundation as well as other individual donors. Hadley welcomes additional gifts toward the match.
The program is designed to be practical, relevant and interactive. Courses are open to anyone who is blind or visually impaired, over age 14 and is serious about starting or growing a business. Coursework is offered free of charge and is completely online.
"The Center for Entrepreneurship represents one of the many ways that Hadley is evolving to utilize technology to meet our students’ needs. This program will help students worldwide achieve their employment goals," says President Chuck Young.
For more information about the Forsythe Center for Entrepreneurship, contact George Abbott at 800-323-4238 ex. 2845 or George@hadley.edu.
http://triblocal.com/winnetka-northfield/community/stories/2011/01/the-hadley-school-for-the-blind-announces-launch-of-forsythe-center-for-entrepreneurship/
