News

2012 Mission Believe Camp
The National Federation of the Blind of Missouri is holding a 2012 Mission Believe camp! This is a camp for blind students ages 12-18 or who are in middle and high school, and it will be held August 3-5 at the Windermere Conference Center in Roach, Missouri. The camp is completely free of charge to the students and their parents.
Gene Therapy for Retinitis Pigmentosa
Researchers at the University of Florida have developed a possible method for treating X-linked retinitis pigmentosa using gene therapy. This is the same group of researchers that developed gene therapy for Leber's Congenital Amaurosis (LCA), which is a form of retinitis pigmentosa. They say that the LCA gene therapy "was a great advance, which showed that gene therapy is safe and lasts for years in humans, but this new study has the potential for a bigger impact, because it is treating a form of the disease that affects many more people."
Stem Cell Therapy Found Safe in Phase 1/2 Study
Advanced Cell Technology reports that a phase 1/2 study to test the safety of human embryonic stem cells (HESC) in treating two common forms of retinal disorders, Stargardt’s macular dystrophy and dry age-related macular degeneration, has been successful.
Research Study for Mothers of Blind Children
Abbe Golding is a graduate student in the Genetic Counseling Program at Brandeis University. She is conducting a research study to explore how a mother feels while bonding with her child with a visual impairment. Would you like to participate in this study? In order to be eligible to participate in the study, you must...
Mrs. America Raises Awareness About RP
The new Mrs. America visits Fox News to speak out about Retinitis Pigmentosa. She works with the Foundation Fighting Blindness and she is using her position as Mrs. America to get the word out about RP as well as LCA and other genetic retinal disorders. She explains what RP and LCA are and how there have been great advances in gene therapies to restore lost sight in patients. She is hoping that by talking about these issues she'll encourage others to donate to the cause and support exciting new research.
Braille Requirements in the Law
Does your child's school have to teach your child braille? Even if they don't have anyone on staff who can do it? The answer is yes! And believe it or not this is actually written into US federal law. Here's what it says in IDEA:
Jumping Out a Window & Repelling Down the Wall
Would you ever think that stepping out of a window and walking down the side of a church steeple would be a good idea? Maybe you've got one of those daring personalities, but I don't! I like my feet on solid ground, thank you very much! But young Miss Elizabeth apparently has much more bravery than I do as evidenced in her repelling down the side of a church steeple (in tandem with an adult of course). She seems to take it all in stride and does an amazing job!
Are You Going to the NFB Conference in 2012?
Kris is a mom and WonderBaby member. We recently got to talking about the upcoming annual NFB Conference which will be held in Dallas June 30th through July 5th 2012 and which Kris tries to attend every year. Kris is an American married to a German. Her family splits their time between Germany and Dubai, along with yearly trips back to the States. They do their best to attend the yearly NFB conferences because it means so much to them to be there.
Watch a Baby Walking with His Cane!
Laura Suyasa sent in this video of her son, Alan, walking with his cane at only ten months old. Alan is thirteen months now. He was born with bilateral retinal detachment, congenital cataracts, and bilateral PHPV. Alan is doing so well walking around his living room and maneuvering around his little dog. He follows his father's voice and is rewarded with love and hugs. Laura knows that Alan can be an inspiration for others. If you'd like to contact her, just send her an email.
True Life Episode: I'm Losing My Sight
The acclaimed MTV documentary program, True Life, recently aired an episode called I'm Losing My Sight that follows three young people dealing with different types of visual impairments.

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