Breaking Through The Darkness
My name is Andrea, and I was officially diagnosed with MOG antibody disease (MOGAD) in 2013. At that time, there was not much known about the disease. The first two…
Resources For the Blind
Many with MOG-AD, despite the efforts of their medical professionals find themselves with permanent damage to their optic nerves and therefore have low or no vision in one or more eyes. With improved testing and diagnosis, our hope is that no person loses their eyesight. Until then, we are proud to provide resources for our Blind MOG-AD patients.
For those who need help finding ways to adjust to a new way of living, our Director of Blind Advocacy, Andrea Mitchell is working to provide information and tips for helping those in need. Having her life changed by MOG-AD, she has learned many new things in order to regain her independence, and is passionate about helping others who find themselves blinded by this disease.
Newcastle, The MOG Project Mascot & Guide Dog
Useful links
Below is a summary of the resources used in Breaking Through the Darkness by Andrea Mitchell. Some are particular to the greater San Francisco area, but many are in the US nationwide, or are useful to anyone in general, worldwide. There are a lot of other resources out there depending on location. We are in the process of gathering and publishing resources from around the world.
- List of Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies by State: https://www.askearn.org/state-vocational-rehabilitation-agencies/ https://www.dor.ca.gov/
- All About Vision – Resources for the Visually Impaired: https://www.allaboutvision.com/lowvision/resources.htm
- San Francisco are Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired: http://lighthouse-sf.org/
- Orientation Center for the Blind:
https://www.dor.ca.gov/Content/DorIncludes/documents/OrientationCenterfortheBlind/OCB-handbook-07-18.docx - Ambutech: https://ambutech.com/
- Guide Dogs For the Blind: https://www.guidedogs.com/
- JAWS Screenreader Sofware from Freedom Scientific: https://www.freedomscientific.com/products/software/jaws/
- ZoomText Magnifier/Reader Software: https://www.freedomscientific.com/products/software/zoomtext/
- Talking Typing Teacher: https://www.maxiaids.com/talking-typing-teacher-standard
- USPS Informed Delivery: https://informeddelivery.usps.com/box/pages/intro/start.action
- KNFB Reader: https://knfbreader.com
- TapTapSee: https://taptapseeapp.com
- Be My Eyes: https://www.bemyeyes.com
- Seeing AI: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/ai/seeing-ai
- LookTel Money Reader: http://www.looktel.com/moneyreader
- LookTel Recognizer: http://www.looktel.com/recognizer
- NantMobile Money Reader: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nantmobile-money-reader/id417476558
- Blind Square: https://www.blindsquare.com
- Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps
- List of Smartphone Apps for the Visually Impaired: https://www.visionofchildren.org/voc-blog/2018/7/13/smartphone-apps-for-the-blind-and-visually-impaired
- HumanWare Victor Reader Trek: https://store.humanware.com/hus/victor-reader-trek-talking-book-player-gps.html
- Colorino Color Identifier-Light Detector: https://www.maxiaids.com/colorino
- List of Additional Apps: https://www.visionofchildren.org/voc-blog/2018/7/13/smartphone-apps-for-the-blind-and-visually-impaired
- More Color Identifer Apps: https://techigem.com/color-identifier-apps/
- Hadley Non-Profit Organization for the Visually Impaired: https://www.hadley.edu/
- PenFriend: https://www.maxiaids.com/penfriend2-voice-labeling-system
- ID Mate Galaxy: https://www.envisionamerica.com/products/idmate/
- BARD: https://www.loc.gov/nls/enrollment-equipment/register-for-bard-get-bard-mobile/
- Xfinity: https://www.xfinity.com/learn/digital-cable-tv/x1
- Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/
- AMC Theaters Assistive Moviegoing: https://www.amctheatres.com/assistive-moviegoing
UK Resources
This list was compiled by our UK Outreach MOG Squad member, Sarah-Huson Whyte:
- Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB):Â https://www.rnib.org.uk/
- BBC radio program called In Touch:Â https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qxww
- Here is an excellent collation of organizations for people with visual impairments:
https://www.charitychoice.co.uk/charities/visual-impairments - Guide Dogs:Â Â https://www.guidedogs.org.uk/
- This is an organization that helps you find local support groups:Â Â https://visionary.org.uk/
- National Health Service information:Â https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vision-loss/
- For children:Â https://www.rsbc.org.uk/Â
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