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Dreamscape Foundation: A Charity for the Disabled & Our Community
Dreamscape Foundation: A Charity for the Disabled & Our Community
Founded in 2013, The Dreamscape foundation was created when the founder, Joseph Sehwani was diagnosed with a rare disease at the age of sixteen that took away his vision. Since then, Joseph has created a vision of his own for people suffering from rare diseases. Providing individuals with scholarships, job aids, education accommodations, health aids and all amenities to help them succeed in life. This foundation focuses on supporting their future to provide equality.
Accessibility First
We know that living with a disability can negatively impact one’s chances of success in education and employment, but at Dreamscape Foundation, we believe that we have the power to do something to address this. While nothing can prepare us for an unanticipated disability, Dreamscape Foundation offers hope. Our non-profit provides accommodations for individuals with disabilities in their pursuit of education and life-fulfilling work.
Our mission is to aid the small population of people affected by sensory impairments to help them achieve success and to fund a cure. We encourage the community to embrace the use of accessible technology to ensure independence. In the past, Dreamscape Foundation had partnered with IT consulting company Intone Networks and accessibility software company User1st to build out our accessibility platform. The program is unique in that we are not aware of any other non-profit organizations who are committed to holding accessibility to such a high standard and provide similar services.
Dreamscape Foundation’s Mission
The commitment of Dreamscape comes from Joe Sehwani’s struggles and difficulties after he lost his vision in high school at sixteen. It is a privilege to work with a charity that works hard to ensure others struggling with similar disabilities are well taken care of and know that they are not alone.The prevalence of visual disabilities also stands to show the need for support for those who are blind or living with low vision. Across the world, 285 million people live with some type of visual impairment, with 39 million living with blindness and 246 million with low vision. In the United States, those with a visual disability account for about 2.2% of the total population.
Without accessibility, we do a disservice not just to the quality of life for those living with a disability – we also prevent them living to their fullest potential. Our charity can better justify program expenses that involve accessibility. This is illustrated clearly when we look at the number of working-age persons with disabilities in the United States who are employed. Right now, that number is only 35% – Dreamscape believes that with accessibility, that number can be much higher.
Helping our Community
Dreamscape partners with many other charities on both a local and national scale with many different missions. We support local charities by partnering with them on fundraisers, campaigns and events as well as support them with various product donations. At Dreamscape, we’re committed to addressing these issues and advocating for the changes needed to help those living with disabilities. Although living with a disability can be a struggle, we are here to assist and support.
« PreviousNext »Adjusting to Challenges of Being a Young Adult with Disabilities
Adjusting to Challenges of Being a Young Adult with Disabilities
The transition into adulthood can be quite different for everyone, but nevertheless, still challenging. Waking up and noticing changes to your own body is a difficult time for any child growing up. Now, on top of that, imagine making that same transition with a disability.
Facing the real world
For most of us high school is the time of our lives. We get to see our friends everyday, 3 months off during the year, and the only thing we have to worry about is homework and if our crush likes us back. Being a teenager, it is only natural to focus on the things that make you happy, but did anyone ever stop to think about the other types of kids in high school? The ones who struggled or had it more difficult than everyone else. Not many people think much about it, so don’t feel bad. Having a disability means a lot of things and while you’re in school you can receive special education tailored to the specific disability. This is really great… until you wonder what happens after they are no longer in the school system. The reality is, this special education doesn’t help them prepare for adulthood or living on their own after high school. After they exceed the age limit, which in most states is 22, a lot of people lose their support services. For example, the service could be their pediatric therapies are terminated.
What happens next?
After high school the average person will either go to college or go straight to working. Then, they will proceed on with their normal lives. But, For people with disabilities it’s not so simple. In 2014, a poll was taken of people 25 and older to determine the percentage of people with disabilities who have completed at least a bachelor’s degree. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics only 16.4% received a bachelor’s degree. After that, 25.5% received some college or an associate’s degree, 36.8% received a high school diploma and no college, and 21.3% received less than a high school education. These percentages are extremely low compared to the average person. This makes it more than difficult for these young adults to find jobs, or even live an independent lifestyle. Not to mention that on top of their daily struggles they go through the constant discrimination, dirty looks, and feeling as if they’re slowing the people around them down. Could you imagine what that life is even like?
A life of independence
You may now be wondering how someone with a disability could manage any sense of in-dependency. It’s not easy and sometimes, not possible. There are numerous reasons on top of being under-prepared by education on why it is incredibly difficult for someone to live on their own. These reasons could be that the family member or caregiver simply lacks the easily accessible comprehensive up-to-date resources, options and possibilities. Or, something that is out of their control would be that the funding is extremely scarce. It could also be something as simple as the person has spent too much time with their caregiver or family member. This is extremely typical because someone with a disability doesn’t have personal control of access to transportation or personal assistance. This also results in them having no experience in a social life, making it extremely difficult for someone to pursue a friendship or relationship. In spite of that, listed below are just a few options for a disabled person to begin living independently.
- Speak to your physician about local support groups
- Seek employment or volunteer opportunities
- Practice good health and nutrition/ remain active
- Join in on community activities
- Caring for a pet
We believe everyone can have an independent lifestyle. If you or a family member is struggling, remember no one is ever alone. The best thing to do first is contact your physician to see if they recommend any first steps to being independent. After that, give some of our tips a try!
« PreviousNext »Good360: The Charity That Never Stops Giving
Good360: The Charity That Never Stops Giving
Running a nonprofit and struggling? Maybe Good360 is exactly what you need! Take a deeper look to get the full effect of what this nonprofit is doing for the community around you.
The Mission
Good360 is a product philanthropy, partner based nonprofit organization. This means they work with large and responsible companies to donate their excess merchandise to charities or other nonprofits. They then partner with the charities and nonprofits to help them receive goods for their specific needs. Their mission is to help people, whether it be individuals, families, or a community, who are impacted by disasters or other challenging life circumstances. By providing nonprofits with the goods they need, they can free up their resources to spend on more important aspects of their organization including programs and events.
Good360 views the products as more than just stuff, to them it could be providing a bed to a child for a much-needed good night’s rest. Or even something as little as a pair of soccer cleats to help someone pursue their passion confidently. They have a 35-year track record and have distributed more than $9 billion worth of products. Currently their organization has 400+ corporate donors and 800,000+ nonprofit members. By doing this they are able to give old products new life and reducing waste by keeping it all out of landfills.
The hard workers of Good360 take pride in not only the product donations, but in their help with disaster recovery. In the first few days of a disaster they will be there for people who have been displaced from their homes. They could supply them with products including toiletries, socks, diapers for babies, toys, games, and snacks for kids. When it comes to clean up, Good360 will partner with other organizations to help provide various cleaning supplies to help with things such as the debris and mold. After the cleaning is complete, they will then work on getting donations of the reconstruction materials needed. These materials could be something as small as paint or as large as kitchen appliances. This is extremely important to them because it’s helping people get their homes and lives back. The best part about their disaster recovery is that even years after the impact, they will still be there to help people with things like mattresses, furniture and other home goods.
But wait, there’s more!
This organization even has a blog to discuss all of the wonderful nonprofits and donors they work with. A lot of their blogs will include information on how the programs have given back to the community. Their articles talk about a variety of different things. Some of them will have information on current or previous disaster relief and even articles about how they have helped women dress for success! You might even get a little emotional when reading their impact stories and true testimonies from the numerous lives they have helped and transformed. Not only do they have a great amount of pride and value in themselves but also in their partnerships. They are constantly talking highly of all the people they work with and this shows even when only reading one of their articles.
Dreamscape has recently had the pleasure of starting a partnership with Good360. We started in mid-July of this year, and we have been more than impressed. They have made it easy on us start to finish. The employees listened to what we needed and walked us through to make sure everything smooth and accordingly. We have had the pleasure of starting with two donors and they have yet to disappoint. This program has been a tremendous asset to our organization. We are supplied the goods and products that we need and give back to the community what we don’t. This program has also been extremely beneficial for us to partner with other nonprofits in our community. Anything that we don’t need or can’t use, we reach out to other local charities to see if we can donate to them. This is such a great asset for everyone because it helps us with creating relationships with other local nonprofits and it helps them get a donation of things, they need but don’t typically get. Aside from the products that Good360 has helped provide us, this has helped us with saving resources to use on other important things within our charity. For example, being able to receive the donated products this has made us be able to save and use our finances towards other things such as the prizes we give away during a fundraiser event.
Now, I know you’re probably thinking that this is a scam because there can’t possibly be a nonprofit organization out there that does all of this. But, I’m here to tell you that this is not a scam and it is true. When we first heard about Good360 and all of the great things they do we were a little skeptical at first, but we cast our worries aside and gave them a try and now we are more than pleased with the outstanding partnerships we have developed.
The best part is whether you’re looking to receive products as a nonprofit, a person who is struggling, or a business who wants to donate their surplus of goods, Good360 has a valuable place for you.
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Understanding Bell’s Palsy
Understanding Bell’s Palsy
Without thought or effort, we all smile and laugh at jokes, blink our eyes regularly and taste food with every bite. None of us even contemplate not being able to do facial functions as simple as these. But for those battling Bell’s Palsy, it can be a frightening onset and realization of just how vital these functions are to us in everyday life. Where Bell’s Palsy isn’t usually permanent, it can feel as if it is never ending to those living with it. The purpose of this article is to educate readers on the symptoms, causes, and treatments for Bell’s Palsy and to provide resources to those looking for more information.
Understanding Bell’s Palsy and how is it caused
Bell’s Palsy is a condition in which one’s 7th cranial nerve (aka facial nerve) suffers damage or trauma, resulting in muscle weakness or paralysis. The facial nerve is connected to the muscles on one side of the face that control facial expressions, as well as blinking and closing your eye. Additionally, this nerve is responsible for sending signals to the tear duct, saliva glands, and the ear. In most cases, only one side of the face is affected and will only last for a temporary period of time.
Researchers believe the main cause of Bell’s Palsy is a viral infection such as meningitis, the herpes virus, Epstein-Barr and more. However, other cases have been linked to flu-like illnesses, chronic ear infections, diabetes, Lyme disease and severe trauma to the skull or face. People with diabetes or upper respiratory conditions are at a higher risk at developing the disease. Aside from these preexisting conditions, neither age (typically 15-60) or gender plays a factor.
Recognizing the symptoms and taking action
Considering the many functions of the facial nerve, Bell’s Palsy can lead to many symptoms and problems. Luckily most of the symptoms are painless but unfortunately, are visually detectable and not to be taken lightly. The prominent symptoms are muscle spasms, weakness, or paralysis to one side or in extreme cases, both sides of the face. Other symptoms include, but are not limited to, difficulty making facial expressions (ex. closing eye or smiling), headache/earache, increased sensitivity to light and sound, decreased sense of taste, and increase/decrease to tear and saliva output.
Though these symptoms may only cause slight discomfort or make one self-conscious about their appearance, proper precautions should be taken. For instance, with the inability to blink or close an eye, the eye will dry out and be unable to cleanse itself of germs or bacteria. Without proper care, an infection or damage to the eye can occur, potentially leading to vision loss. Covering the eye and keeping it from drying out are highly recommended to ensure there is no permanent damage.
Treatment of Bell’s Palsy differs depending on the severity of each case. Mild cases do not require treatment and symptoms will subside on their own over a brief period of time. However, for more extensive cases, medication is the most common form of treatment. Prednisone, a steroid used to help ease inflammation has been studied and shown to be the most effective drug for treatment. While the medication is running its course, eye protections becomes the next focus. As previously stated, keeping the eye protected and moist, especially at night are key factors to a full recovery. Lubricating eye drops and eye patches are both effective ways to keep your eye safe and well.
While medication is the primary source of treatment, other therapies also hold potential for small improvements to facial functions and relieving pain. These include physical therapy, acupuncture, and facial massages. It is always recommended to discuss treatment options and seeking additional help with your primary physician.
Current research and additional resources
Currently, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are responsible for conducting and supporting research on brain and nervous system disorders, including Bell’s Palsy. Their goal is to understand how the nervous system works and what causes problems to occur. One focus of the research is on learning the different circumstances that lead to nerve damage and the conditions that cause injuries or damage to nerves. For more information on studies and current research, please visit the NINDS website and view their Clinical Trial Studies. Lastly, for more information and resources you can view the Rare Disease Database by the National Organization for Rare Disorders.
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Friends of Foster Children Forever
Friends of Foster Children Forever
Have you ever wondered how foster children and families receive help and support? Well, we had the pleasure of speaking with Ann Hughes, the Executive Director of Friends of Foster Children Forever (FFCF), to learn what it truly is all about.
The mission behind it all
The Friends of Foster Children Forever is a local non-profit organization in the Southwest Florida area. They strive to help children all across the area to succeed in life. The organization provides a variety of tools and programs, from supplies to summer camps, but their largest is the Academic Mentoring Program. This is extremely important to them because being prepared academically, will set a child on the right course to success. This mentor program helps the children get excited for school and makes them hopeful for their futures. Aside from the mentorships, they provide after-school programs such as dance, and various sports. They also provide professional tutoring for children who are having a hard time in school or with certain subjects. These tutors will continuously work with them regardless of switching from home to home or school to school.
Behind the scenes
There are a lot of great things provided, but what does it take for this organization to successfully help? Well, the community around them of course! Aside from the wonderful employees, the volunteers are a huge asset. From mentors to running summer camps, FFCF is always looking for help from their local community. On top of providing your time, all donations are welcome and extremely helpful as well. The donations help pay for the professional academic tutors, field trips for the kids, and supplies needed to help. In addition to donations, they hold fundraisers including this years back to school drive, being their most successful one yet! This year, more nonprofits and groups participated than ever before. They were able to distribute 150 backpacks, with 500 still left to give. On top of the backpacks they were able to provide uniforms for children whose school does not supply them. The organization is always prepared by providing an emergency backpack for the children who are taken from a home in an emergency or short notice. These emergency backpacks include, clothes, pajamas, blankets, tooth brush/tooth paste, and a stuffed animal or toy.
Upcoming events
Including everything they provide, the FFCF also encourages field trips for the children. They have different trips based on age groups. For the elementary school kids they will take them to Legoland, and for the high school kids they will take them to Busch Gardens. These field trips allow the children to have an outlet by spending time focused on fun and excitement rather than the stress they undergo on a daily basis. Also, during Christmas time, the organization does a gift giving. What this entails is, they will pair the children up with a volunteer and they go to pick out gifts for their family from Walmart. Then later in the year, for the caregivers/guardians they will take them to pick out toys and gifts based on what their child likes. During the holidays they provide wrapping paper, and on December 21st, they will be holding a Holiday Toy Fair.
Hope for the Future
We asked Ann what her favorite part of working for the organization was and this is what she told us.
“It gives foster children hope for a better future, they start with kids when they are infants and will follow them into their 20’s in some cases.”
This is extremely important for a child as they grow because it provides comfort and stability to have people who will continue to work with them regardless of how much they move around. By providing that stability, the children have a better opportunity in having a wonder and successful future.
Anything helps, even if its just your time. So, if you are interested in foster care, volunteering, or donating to the Friend of Foster Children Forever please click on the link below and follow their website.
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Child Abuse & Neglect Awareness
Child Abuse & Neglect Awareness
Everyone knows that child abuse and neglect is a problem worldwide, but people aren’t truly aware of how severe this problem is.
The facts
In 2017, according to the American Society for the Positive Care of Children, child abuse reports involved over 7.5 Million children in the U.S. alone. 4.1 Million of those cases were for maltreatment and only 3.2 Million received prevention and post-response services. That is less than half of the total reports! They also reported an estimated 1,720 child deaths in that same year. This means that almost 5 children died each day due to abuse. Within these reports, 71.8% of the children were under the age of 3, and 49.6% were under the age of 1. These statics are just from the United States alone, who knows how high the number would raise if we took reports from across the world!
Knowing the indicators
There are numerous different ways to tell if a child is being abused or neglected. Children can have both physical and emotional indicators that things aren’t going right behind closed doors. A child can be very wary to tell anyone if someone close is hurting them in any way, so pay close attentions to the signs. Different signs of physical abuse are if a child shows any unexplained bruising on their face, torso, back or even thigh area. Another indicator is bruising in various stages of healing or even in a cluster form showing regular patterns. Abusers will use various objects reflecting a bruise shaped as an electric cord or belt buckle. Watch out for a child having any unexplained burns, typically this will be on their soles, palms, and back area, reflecting a cigar or cigarette mark. The child could even have immersion burns or a burn reflecting flat or curling irons. The other indicators are in a child’s emotional behavior. If a child is wary of adult contact or apprehensive when other children cry this could be a sign of physical abuse. They can be taken to an extreme and act out in an aggressive manner, be frightened of their parents or even afraid to go home. Pay close attention to these signs and always report any suspicions you may have.
Don’t be afraid
People often wonder who can report child abuse, but the answer is simple and it starts with YOU! Anyone can report abuse, and in fact if they see any signs they should do so right away. It is not often people realize this issue isn’t just a family problem but a social one as well. When making a report you can do so out of good faith and don’t necessarily need physical evidence. There are many different ways to report signs of abuse or neglect. Contacting law enforcement or any type of child protective services is the first step. After that, a few good actions to take are jotting down notes on what you witnessed and how it harms the child, or how you intervened, and the person continues to overstep boundaries. It is also good to have as much information as possible when making a report, i.e. name and age of child, where the victim can be located, contact information of the guardian, and type of abuse or neglect.
It can be a bit intimidating to make a report of child abuse or neglect, especially if it is a close family member or friend. Remember, you could save a life by simply speaking up for those who aren’t able to do so for themselves. It is never too late to do the right thing!
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11 Facts You Should Know About LHON
11 Facts You Should Know About LHON
No one can prepare themselves for a life altering disability. The best you can try to do is gather an understanding of what is going on with your body. We’re glad to share this information and to help anyone going through the condition, with these 11 facts about Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy.
Onset effects Young Adults
When Dreamscape founder learned of his disability, he was only 16 years old. Often, we listen to similar stories of those effected by LHON. People usually develop LHON mid-late teens, and is described as loss of sharpness and a fading of color vision. The vision loss mainly affects central vision, which is needed for tasks such as reading, driving and recognizing faces. In a small percentage of cases, the central vision loss can improve; but in most cases loss of vision is permanent. It’s only after a year or so living with the disability, is when people fully adapt to their new surroundings. With the help of accessible technology, and charities like Dreamscape Foundation, you too can find the freedom you are looking for!
LHON is Painless but Quick Acting
You can rest a bit easier to learn that LHON’s onset is a painless one. The experience on the other hand, can throw quite a curve ball. It only takes a few moments for the central vision loss to kick in, leaving only peripheral view. We often hear stories of rapid blindness, usually after rubbing ones eye. In some cases, one eye will start to be effected before the other. The other eye’s condition soon worsens, at an average of 8 weeks after the initial onset. LHON is still has a cloudy reputation, as most people have never heard of the hereditary disability. It’s a good reminder to know that most of the visually disabled are not 100% blind! This can be a common misunderstanding, due to outdated stereotypes of the blind.
LHON is Transmitted by the Mother
LHON is passed down to children primarily due to mutations in the mitochondrial (rather than the male nuclear) genome, and only the egg contributes mitochondria to the embryo. Mitochondria constantly convert energy locked in our food into energy that the cell can use, and are small sub-units that reside within the cell. LHON follows a mitochondrial pattern of inheritance, also known as maternal inheritance. Only egg cells contribute mitochondria to a developing embryo, therefore only females can pass mitochondrial conditions to their children. Fathers affected by LHON or carrying LHON mutations do not pass the condition to their children.
Discovery of Disability
This disease was first written and described by the German ophthalmologist Theodor Leber in 1871, only 31 years old at the time. In said paper, Leber described 4 families in which a number of young men suffered abrupt loss of vision in both eyes either simultaneously or sequentially. This disease was initially thought to be nuclear linked but was subsequently shown to be mitochondrial.
Other Useful LHON Facts
- LHON affects both males and females, but more commonly found in men.
- The birth prevalence of LHON is approximately 1 in 50,000 people.
- More than 50% of men and more than 85% of women with a mitochondrial mutation will never experience vision loss.
- Without a known family history of LHON the diagnosis usually requires a neuro-ophthalmological evaluation and blood testing for mitochondrial DNA assessment.
- “LHON Plus” is a name given to a rare variant of the disorder with eye disease together with other conditions. (Many cases of LHON plus have been comparable to multiple sclerosis because of the lack of muscular control.)
- In 1988 Wallace et al. identified the nature of the first known causative mutation (50-70% of all LHON cases).
- The other two mutations known to cause LHON were identified in 1991 (8-25% of all LHON cases) and 1992 (10-15% of all LHON cases).
Dreamscape Foundation: A Charity for the Blind
Dreamscape Foundation: A Charity for the Blind
Nestled in Naples, Florida is a charity for the blind and visually impaired called Dreamscape Foundation. While they aren’t the only organization providing resources for the disabled, they are unique how they go about it.
Dreamscape doesn’t just provide guidance, resources, and raise awareness about accessibility needs. They empower its followers and individuals with disabilities to take action.
Florida-Based Charity for the Blind Empowers and Informs
When you first encounter Dreamscape Foundation, you may notice something odd. They aren’t just about promoting themselves and their mission.
In fact, they seem to spend more time promoting interviews, stories, and campaigns of other people.
Why? To help dreams grow.
Yet that’s part of the unique flavor that makes up this charity for the blind and visually impaired. They stand upon the forefront of today’s accessibility trends, serving as a voice for making today’s world more accessible.
To paint a picture of their mission, you can break it down into 3 goals: helping disabled individuals, raising awareness, and aiding businesses in making their products or services more accessible.
Helping Individuals Make Their Lives Better
Dreamscape Foundation Founder Joe Sehwani is, in one word, a fighter. After his LHON diagnosis at sixteen, he worked through the uncertainty and unfairness. The end result was a young man who refuses to take “no” for an answer.
While today’s world isn’t equipped to assist every disability, he chose to find or make the resources to make his dreams come true. In spite of his challenges, he graduated from high school, excelled in college, and started his own business.
Now he uses Dreamscape to empower others to do the same. On the website, you’ll notice you can create your own fundraising campaign. This is one of the most obvious ways Dreamscape Foundation empowers individuals to make change happen.
Do you need a piece of assistive technology? Are you are raising funds for a specific cause related to blindness or visual impairment? If so, Dreamscape Foundation offers a free platform to help you reach out to the digital landscape and gain funds and exposure.
It isn’t a tool you use on your own. Dreamscape Foundation collaborates with you to promote and succeed in your marketing efforts.
In this way, you don’t just ask for help. You find the strength, the resources, and the power to bring your own dreams to life alongside the Dreamscape Community.
Raising Awareness About Today’s Trending Accessibility Issues
Dreamscape Foundation does more than campaigns and raffles. They make it’s their job to inform Southwest Florida and beyond. The organization constantly shares news, trends, and issues related to accessibility for the blind and visually impaired.
Through blogs and social media, they share insight into how we as a community can improve the accessibility landscape. Whether it’s through designing new assistive technology, being more mindful of the challenges around us, or improving our businesses to be universally accessible, they are constantly sharing new information and asking the tough questions.
Consulting Businesses on How They Can Be More Accessible
Finally, there is the business end of things. Dreamscape Foundation believes that every business should be universally accessible, both in person and on the web. That’s why it works closely with businesses to update their sites with accessibility features and provide insight on how they can adapt to the needs of the visually impaired.
Like everything else Dreamscape does, it’s a collaborative effort. The organization works one-on-one with individuals and businesses to help tackle everyday accessibility challenges and make life easier for others.
Create a Campaign or Get in Touch
Are you struggling with a disability?
Are resources out there, but they aren’t quite within reach?
Join the Dreamscape Foundation community and let’s work together to make accessibility possible. If you have a personal need for resources but financially you don’t have the budget, start a campaign on our website!
Our Southwest Florida charity for the blind also works one-on-one with individuals and businesses looking to tackle accessibility issues. If you have a specific need that you would like us to collaborate with you on, reach out to us directly.
Our goal is to empower others while bringing accessibility goals to fruition.
« PreviousNext »5 Tips on How to Design for Accessibility
5 Tips on How to Design for Accessibility
The United States government reports that 8 million people over the age of 15 suffer from low vision or blindness. That doesn’t include the 8 million with a hearing disorder or the 35 million with mobility challenges.
With so many in North America alone facing these physical challenges, there is no reason why we shouldn’t design for accessibility challenges as well as functionality and aesthetics.
But how do you go about identifying and tackling accessibility issues for numerous disabilities? Just the thought alone may feel like a monumental undertaking. Yet it’s easier than you might think.
5 Ways to Help You Design for Accessibility Challenges
Whether you’re designing graphics, creating a website, or developing software and apps, accessibility belongs in design. While the level of assistive requirements varies from project-to-project, there are many basic best practices that can help you design for universal user experiences.
Below are 5 ways you can make your digital designs more user-friendly to everyone, including individuals with disabilities.
Don’t Depend on Color to Convey Meaning
Remember the photo of the dress that took the internet by storm as people argued over its color? Some claimed it was white and gold; others swore it was blue and black. No one could agree because people weren’t seeing the same things.
Without diving into a lengthy explanation involving rods, cones, and the mind’s tendency to make assumptions, this internet disrupting challenge brought to light a fascinating reality: not all of us see colors the same way.
This, of course, is especially true for those who are colorblind.
Make it a habit of not designing in a way that depends on color to convey meaning. A great example is online forms. Often, we lean on the color red to indicate an error, but what if someone can’t see it?
The best way to audit yourself is to take a look at your design in a grayscale format. Make indicators and interactive elements clear so that users can identify them even without color.
Allow Users to Control Automated Content
Sliders, videos, and other automated elements look sleek and draw the eye. However, they don’t do you any good if they’re moving too fast for users to read or interact with them.
Instead of finding an alternative, simply add control elements such as a pause, back, and forward button. These are easily integrated into website, software, and application designs. Plus, you’ll likely find that a lot of users will use them!
When you give control over automated content, you allow the user to digest information at their own pace and even go back to portions of your media they want to revisit. This is great for engagement and conversions.
Always Use Sufficient Contrast
When it comes to overlaying text, buttons, images, and other elements, it’s important to consider the contrast between content and its background. You can find more information about contrast minimums through this online resource.
Light gray text on a white background is hard for most people to read, but it can be impossible for others. The key is to provide enough contrast to make readability possible, especially for those whose vision is limited.
Provide Alternative Navigation Options for Your Users
This accessibility practice is something you may have already seen on many sites without realizing its connection. Websites and interactive software should provide easy navigation options, including:
- Keeping your navigation bar or menu design consistent across all pages
- Providing alternative navigation options such as sitemaps or search bars
- Provide orienting clues such as clear, easy-to-read headings and breadcrumbs
Multiple options are always better than one.
Include Alternative Descriptions for Visual Media
Not everyone can see or follow your visual media. Always include alt text with every photo and include transcripts for video or audio related media. If you can, also provide links or options for audio that describes a video as it’s unfolding. This feature allows users with low vision or blindness to still actively experience what the video has to offer.
Another element that people often don’t think about, but is easy to apply, is including text alongside icons or graphical buttons. Like captions, this will help clarify the item’s message or function.
Adapt an Existing Website with Accessibility Tools
These 5 tips are only a handful of best practices for accessibility designs. To learn more about ADA compliance for websites, check out these 12 guidelines.
If you already have a website, you can still adapt your design for accessibility. Talk to us about how we can help you take your existing website and make it user-friendly for every visitor. We’ll provide insight on to how it’s done and connect you with the right resources.
To get started, contact us through our online form or give us a call!
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A Brand New Beginning: Interview with Joseph Sehwani & Chris Girsch
A Brand New Beginning: Interview with Joseph Sehwani & Chris Girsch
Joseph Sehwani started Dreamscape Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit foundation, because of his developing Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON), a rare visual impairment, in high school at age 16. Chris Girsch, Dreamscape’s social media/blog manager and longtime friend, witnessed firsthand Joe’s worsening condition, as well as the conceptual stage of Dreamscape. Joe and Chris have been friends since high school, and they both realized that it doesn’t take much to make a difference.
Only employing as early as 2017, Dreamscape has been consistently pushing out blog posts and video game charity streams. Chris has witnessed over a year now, Dreamscape showing a complete night and day from when he has started. His daily goals are promotion and spreading the word. “A lot of it is catering to people like Joe, who seem like they don’t believe they will have any relief, or support through anything,” Chris stated.
Making the Difference
Girsch closely witnessed Sehwani’s journey and how he overcame his struggles, starting with stigma. While Joe’s vision isn’t 100% gone, he started noticing others had a lot of confusion surrounding the topic. Arriving to class equipped with a cane, the stigma was at its peak attending high school. The soon charity founder felt as though people felt bad for him, or assumed he wasn’t as intelligent. Sehwani is not one to admire pity, so it was difficult for him to adjust to that kind of reaction. His coping method was to crack a joke about it early on in meeting someone to help clear the air.
For Chris, he noticed that people didn’t understand that Joe still had some vision, at the time equipped with a walking cane and wearing prescription sunglasses. There’s no way anyone could know. Chris and Joe were becoming good friends six months before Joe told him he was becoming blind, and it was a bit of a shock. Chris witnessed the evolution of people changing around them, changing their dialect, and treating Joe like he was fragile. It came out of not understanding how to treat or talk to someone with a disability, which is just like talking to everyone else. That stigma was something both experienced. Joe was always very social, calling up friends to go to the movies and hang out, so he got to see who his real friends really were.
Sharing The Dream
Part of Dreamscape Foundation’s mission became educating the uninformed, as well as supporting the disabled through accessible technology. As for Joe’s LHON, it’s a gray area where he can look at his phone. In order to see, he takes advantage of using the accessibility options found on the iPhone. All while using accessibility every day, Dreamscape wants to educate people that visual impairments are more than just being blind or not blind. There is a mix of in-betweens, such as with LHON. Resolving confusion could also end some stigma for people, in their receptiveness of those with visual impairments. It’s not the same for everyone.
Not only does Dreamscape help the disabled, one such story found our charity support a young girl with cancer. Although, Sehwani’s advice to any nonprofit starting is to find a niche and not take on everything. With that said, ever since Joseph’s grandfather passed of cancer, he was glad to help someone with cancer. Dreamscape stays open to various needs in the future. As the charity matured, they found their niche. However, their open-mindedness to helping others in general, saved that young girl with cancer. She wouldn’t have gotten treatment without Dreamscape’s help.
According to Chris, “We’ve done so many fundraisers; Some for St. Jude, we’ve supported orphanages, and second chance homes for kids in the state of New Jersey. All while leading up to the Giving Season (Holidays) working with Toys for Tots and Salvation Army.”
A Fresh Start
In terms of last year’s accomplishments, Joe says “I would say another big thing that we accomplished over the year would definitely be establishing the Dreamscape Foundation website and kind of really pushing that out there.” Sehwani personally works on the website, and states “It was less of rebranding and more of building context in what we’re doing.”
Dreamscape upheld their commitments with schools in Jersey, supporting accessibility school programs. Here at Dreamscape, accessibility means independence for everyone. When Joe was starting the new website, User1st and Dreamscape partnered up. User1st is a company who helped teach him a lot about accessible software for people with disabilities. Joe then returned the favor, by supporting their web accessibility initiative. Through User1st, Sehwani started reaching out to Universities to help disabled students have all the access they need.
Before Chris was faced with Joe’s visual impairment, he admits that he did not think too much about accessibility. He did not know the full measure of its importance to people with disabilities. As someone without a disability, he says “it taught [him] a lot!” Dreamscape current campaign is helping twins Justin & Kenny Jongsma who both have LHON, like Dreamscape owner Joseph Sehwani. Brand new accessible technology for the blind called eSight eyewear has changed the game. The glasses like device adjusts visual impairments and corrects the vision loss. According to Chris and Joe, everyone deserves independence through accessibility.
“There really is no nonprofit for accessibility,” Joe says. Together, Joe and Chris want Dreamscape to be out there and to have its own niche. Not just another visual impairment or blind charity, cancer charity, etc. but we want to leave a unique footprint on the world of accessibility.
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