HSBC Bank USA, N.A. today announced the availability of
audio-enabled or "talking" ATMs in more than 250 locations across the
U.S. The talking ATMs provide spoken instructions in English and
Spanish and allow individuals with visual impairments to hear
on-screen information when conducting banking transactions.

Dorothy Nykiel stepped away from the polling machine set up at the Barnstable Unitarian Church satisfied with her choices: Strawberry ice cream, a Ferrari, Frank Sinatra and three-day weekends.

Nykiel, 88, who has limited vision and walks with the aid of a cane, took part in yesterday's demonstration of new voting machines for the disabled.

The Leeds-based tour operator was born out of entrepreneur Amar Latif's frustration at the lack of options available to blind travellers.

When Amar Latif discovered that the sort of travel experiences he was looking for didn’t exist for blind travellers, he was faced with two options. He could either do without, or organise them himself. Not being afraid of a challenge he decided on the latter option and in April 2005 the Leeds-based tour operator Traveleyes was born.

England's Graham Gooch and New Zealand's Martin Crowe have taken on junior blind cricketers in a friendly game at Rushutters Bay, Sydney.

The cricketing greats are in Australia to participate in the beach cricket tournament, but managed to sneak in a game against the vision-impaired kids organised by the Advanced Hair Studio.

The former English captain says he was astounded by the younger players' ability.

"They have a special ball which has a sort of bell inside of it, and you roll the ball along the ground," he explained.

The British Computer Association of the Blind (BCAB) has launched an initiative called EyeT4All. The revolutionary initiative brings easy to use, affordable access technology to visually impaired people around the UK.

The problem

It has long been argued that the cost of access technologies, such as screen readers, is too high. The benefits of using a computer if you are visually impaired are undeniable. Far greater access to information and services, but getting all the right equipment can be an expensive process.

Helping the visually impaired to reach out to the world was the motto of the day for The National Association for the Blind (NAB) who, along with Rotary Club of Bangalore, distributed around 1,000 FM radios to visually challenged persons at the NAB Rehabilitation Complex here on Saturday.
 
It is part of Rotary Club’s ‘Support the Challenged’ initiative, which in turn was supported by Mitra Jyothi and Matru.
 

Using technology he brought “sight” to hundreds of visually impaired students.

 
The amazing young Vietnamese man's name is Dang Hoai Phuc, aged 26.

 
He is the On-net Technical Initiative Project Coordinator, in charge of On-net’s Southeast Asian programs.

 
Phuc is a lecturer at the Regional Jaws Scripting Development Workshop, which gave IT-for-theblind training to seven IT teachers from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.

A blind chemistry graduate student at Penn State is making an impact in how visually impaired students get involved in the laboratory. A story posted on the Penn State website explains how Cary Supalo went from hating chemistry in high school to majoring in it in college. What made the difference? Having a little extra help in the lab.

 
As part of his doctoral degree, Supalo is creating tools that will better equip the visually impaired student to participate in the lab. "Chemistry gives you the potential to discover something new that can change the world," he says.

Dave Heeley, 49, will begin his Seven Magnificent Marathons Challenge on April 7, with the aim of increasing awareness of visual impairment around the globe and raising funds for The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.

His gruelling week begins in Port Stanley, Falkland Islands (Antarctica), followed by Santiago, Chile (South America), Los Angeles, USA (North America), Sydney, Australia(Australasia), Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Asia) and Nairobi, Kenya (Africa).

The final leg will bring him back to Europe, where he will run the Flora London Marathon on April 13.