Building Awareness

February is Low Vision Awareness Month. Indeed, many Minnesotans don’t realize that the majority of consumers SSB serves identify as “low vision.” This means that lots of Minnesotans who are struggling with vision loss may not know that SSB could help. For this Low Vision Awareness Month, let’s focus on living well with low vision. If you’re a senior and your vision loss is at a point where you find yourself struggling more to do everyday things, give us a call, we can help. If vision loss is a barrier for getting a job, staying in your job, or advancing in your career, get in touch with us, we’re here for you. Finally, if you’re struggling to read print, SSB’s Communication Center might have a great solution for you!

Whether you have low vision, no vision, or some vision sometimes, what matters is not what you see, but what you can do. At SSB we’re here to help blind, DeafBlind, low vision, and print disabled Minnesotans find the tools and resources they need to live their dreams. We are inspired by the vision of the Minnesota Council on Disability to create “A barrier-free Minnesota where every person with a disability has full access to all aspects of life.”

Learn more about Low Vision Awareness Month and check out some great information and resources from the National Eye Institute.

SSB Department Spotlight – Senior Services

Experiencing age-related vision loss can be overwhelming and frightening. Anyone 55 or older in the state of Minnesota not intending to work or currently working and experiencing difficulties in their daily lives due to diminishing vision are eligible for our services. The Senior Services Vision Loss Specialist and staff will work with you at your home and at your pace to help you gain the skills and confidence to live well with low vision. Sometimes, even something small like a large-print calendar, a magnifier, or bump dots can make a huge difference. Perhaps the best part is all the services, training, and equipment we provide are taxpayer funded, and as such, there is no cost for service delivery. There are no medical qualifications needed. Simply give SSB a call and one of our skilled Senior Services counselors will meet with you to assess your needs and work with you to determine the best ways to meet your goals. According to Senior Services Supervisor, Ed Lecher, “While providing low vision services isn’t technically complicated, the work the SSU team does is remarkable. It takes a very uniquely skilled person to know the wide variety of interventions, but the real skill in doing this job is possessing the patience and compassion to help someone along their low vision journey. It can be a scary journey, but the staff we have are unbelievably talented at guiding seniors on that journey.”

SSB is proud to claim that we serve the second most seniors in the country, just behind California. In 2024, SSB’s Senior Services Unit served a total of 3,919 Minnesotans all across the state! “There are a few things we hear from our senior consumers all the time. One is that they ask us why their eye doctor didn’t tell them about us years ago. Another is that they tell us they can’t believe all the services and resources we provide. Often, consumers will try to insist on paying us. We make sure to tell them they can donate if they like, but that they likely paid taxes for decades and so they’ve paid for services many times over. The most meaningful thing we hear over and over again is that folks just didn’t know what they were going to do, and they are frightened they would have to leave their homes,” states Ed Lecher. SSB’s Senior Services is here to help seniors throughout Minnesota stay independent and live well with vision loss.

Olmstead Plan Inclusion Consultant applications open through February 24

The Olmstead Implementation Office is working with the Dendros Group to support consultants with lived experience of disability. Lived experience of disability includes people with disabilities, family, friends, and caregivers.

Dendros will select, train, and support 17 to 23 individuals to work as Inclusion Consultants. These consultants will work closely with state agency staff to create the next Olmstead Plan. The consultants will be independent contractors. The pay is $50 per hour with an average of 20 to 35 hours per month. The application is open through February 24. More information and applications are available on the Dendros website. If you have questions about the consultant opportunity please contact the Dendros Group.

In early February, the Dendros Group hosted virtual Question and Answer events about the Inclusion Consultant opportunity. You can view the transcript of the event, a list of the question with answers, and the event recording.

MCD 2025 Legislative Forum – March 14^th

The Minnesota Council on Disability (MCD) invites you to their bi-annual Legislative Forum. Join in-person or virtually on March 14, 2025 to connect with legislators and state officials as we discuss issues and policies impacting Minnesotans with disabilities. The forum provides a unique opportunity to advance disability rights and shape state policies. Whether you are engaging in discussions or learning more about legislative advocacy, your presence at the forum contributes to a more inclusive Minnesota.

Click here for more information about the MCD Legislative Forum.

Apply to Serve on the State Advisory Councils

Would you like to have input on how we carry out our work at State Services for the Blind? Are you seeking to support other Minnesotans who are blind, low vision, DeafBlind, or who have a print disability? Are you a person with good ideas and a passion to serve?

Consider applying to serve on the State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind (SRC-B). The SRC-B guides the work of SSB and reviews our progress.

Currently there are openings for the following SRC-B positions:

• A representative from the Governor's Workforce Council
• A representative from the Statewide Independent Living Council
• A representative from the Client Assistance Program

The MN Department of Education has openings on their Blind and Visually Impaired Advisory Committee. The positions include:

• An Interagency/Program Representative
• A Parent Representative
• A Student Representative

The Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library also has open member positions available on their Advisory Committee. 

To learn more and apply for any open position, visit the Secretary of State Commissions and Appointments website.

Exciting News from BEP!

The MN Business Enterprise Program (BEP) is pleased to announce that Camp Ripley, the military training facility in Little Falls, MN, has awarded its full food service dining contact to the Minnesota BEP. This marks the first military dining contract the program has ever been awarded. BEP operator Mike Colbrunn will start operations in March.

The application process required many hours of work from Mike, several Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) employees, and SSB/ BEP staff. It was a total team effort, and everyone is super excited about winning the bid!

Learn more about the MN Business Enterprise Program here.

One-Cent Rides on Metro Transit

According to their website, as of Jan. 1, 2025, the fare for Metro Mobility-certified riders on Metro Transit buses, METRO lines, and Northstar is 1¢. Access this fare by using your Metro Mobility ID card on the reader.

Simply tap your Metro Mobility ID card on the reader to pay your fare. One cent will be taken and by tapping your card, you are validating your trip. Limited Mobility customers do not qualify for the free ride program but can still receive a reduced fare.

One-cent rides for Metro Mobility riders will also be valid on:

• Plymouth Metrolink
• Maple Grove Transit
• Minnesota Valley Transit Authority
• SouthWest Metro 

Regular fares remain in place for the following services:

• Transit Link
• Metro micro
• Maple Grove My Ride
• MVTA Connect
• Plymouth Click-and-Ride
• SW Prime

MnDOT Seeks Feedback on Transit in Greater MN

Your input is crucial in shaping the future of transit in our state.

Please take a few moments to complete the Greater Minnesota Transit Plan Survey from the MN Department of Transportation (MnDOT). Your feedback will help create a transit system that meets the needs of every Minnesotan.

Learn about MnDOT's Greater Minnesota Transit Plan and find the survey.

Blind Abilities Podcast

In the latest Blind Abilities Podcast episode, Kat Wilke shares her inspiring journey from high school to becoming a speech-language pathologist. Diagnosed with Stargardt’s disease in eighth grade, Kat overcame challenges with vision loss by connecting with Minnesota’s State Services for the Blind (SSB), which helped her develop self-advocacy skills and provided vital resources like assistive technology. As a peer educator, Kat shared college tips with other students, fostering a sense of community. She encourages high school students to embrace their unique paths, explore resources, and take pride in their differences. Kat’s story shows how persistence, support, and passion can lead to fulfilling careers and personal growth.

Check out the podcast here.

Haptic Displays Bring Accessibility to Professional Sports

In January, 2025, the Portland Trail Blazers became the first professional NBA team to provide haptic displays for their blind and low vision fans. These miniature, laptop displays created by OneCourt provide real-time feedback for the patron. Like a braille display, users feel the game play with their fingertips. As the game unfolds, different vibration patterns represent movements and key events. Users can feel the location of the ball, passes, catches, goals, and other major plays in real time. In addition to tracking the ball’s movement, OneCourt conveys other crucial game details. Different sections of the device display the current score and remaining time. A built-in tutorial helps first-time users get accustomed to the interface. To further enhance the experience, OneCourt includes an audio feature called "Audio Bites." These custom messages provide context about the game and can be tailored to individual user preferences.

OneCourt displays are available in baseball, basketball, and football formats. Let’s hope the Minnesota Timberwolves, Lynx, Twins, and Vikings catch on to this innovative technology and make displays available in their home stadiums.

Learn more about OneCourt haptic display systems here. You can even send them a request to have the devices available for your favorite Minnesota sports teams!

BARD Express Software Update

On February 6^th, the National Library Service (NLS) released a software update to BARD Express. Version 3.1.2 has been tested with the three latest versions of JAWS and NVDA and includes several improvements:

• Items per page, which is found under the View menu, now has a maximum value of 500 to allow for enhanced background system performance.
• BARD Express now supports more external storage devices.
• The global setting speed in the BARD Express player respects the speed setting of a book that has previously been adjusted.

To download the update, a user who already has BARD Express installed can open the program, open the Help menu, and choose ‘Check For Updates’. If, however, BARD Express is not already installed, it can be downloaded from the BARD Express home page.

Braille and Large Print Prescription Labels

A new law was passed during the 2024 legislative session that requires pharmacies to provide braille and large print labels on prescription bottles when requested. By 2026, all Minnesota pharmacies will be required to offer braille and large print prescription labels. For now, many pharmacies are already providing these options. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has a list of pharmacies offering large print or braille.

For some people, especially seniors who lose their vision later in life, braille and large print may not be accessible. To better understand the options for this group of people, MDH completed an assessment of licensed outpatient pharmacies and vendors providing additional formats such as audible container labels and prescription readers. MDH is currently finalizing this report and will publish it soon.

Click here for more information and to see the pharmacy list.

Article – Turning Back the Biological Clock on Aged and Injured Eye Cells

Continuing with the theme of low vision awareness, here is an interesting article on current age-related macular degeneration (AMD) research and whether a de-aging technique could stop damage in early AMD.