Ray Zylinski walks to work every single working day.

“It’s a gamble, you know it definitely is,” Zylinski mentioned. “I mean I’m really self-confident. You know I’ve been traveling independently for 20 several years. But even then.”

Ray is blind. When he was 1 yr outdated, he was diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma – cancer in each eyes. A radiation procedure killed the most cancers, but also his optic nerves. Immediately after he shed his vision, his dad and mom introduced him to the non-revenue Visually Impaired Advancement, or Through, to support Ray create standard competencies.

“That’s wherever I discovered to browse and generate braille, which is where by I figured out how to use a cane for the very first time, that is where by I figured out to pick up on social cues,” Zylinski stated.

This 12 pound device is what Ray made use of to use to compose in braille. But Ray suggests now braille is being phased out. What’s at present frequently utilized is assistive technology, one thing Ray hated applying in school. But Ray understood how beneficial assistive technology could be. It permitted him to be much more impartial. He employed to have to have an aide go through him every thing on the board, projector or handout. Then when he did his work, he had to hand in his braille operate to the aide, who would then transcribe it and submit it.

“Learning the technological innovation authorized me to sort my do the job on the computer system, and then I could print it,” Zylinski claimed. “That moment correct there, I was like all right, the technology, I could be on to a thing there.”

What is assistive know-how? Ray is holding a Braille Notice as well as. It will allow you to publish papers, navigate the Net, e-mails, music and additional. It pairs with a telephone and turns into a tactile keyboard, which is less difficult for these visually impaired.

“Then in the do the job drive, it can be paired to your personal computer, and it can study what is on your computer system in braille,” Zylinski reported.

Smartphone applications, like Viewing AI, are also useful for people who are visually impaired. You can scan a face to explain to you what anyone or something appears like, know what kind of costs you have in your hand or to simply call a Lyft.

Ray states it is still crucial to discover braille. It can help with day by day existence. He presents the case in point of a breakroom.

“Instead of obtaining to open up each and every cabinet, come to feel about inside of, obtain out what is in there, you can set a minor braille label of the entrance of the door that suggests cups, bowls, mugs, espresso provides, whatever you want to label and exact point with the drawers, silverware and rags and pot holders and what ever else,” Zylinski mentioned. “I locate that incredibly helpful in a get the job done environment, definitely you would not have to do that in your household you would know wherever they are.”