KIT in the Community
Happy Midsummer Friday!
While we are known for our high-quality training and support services, we also try to expand inclusive practices in other ways, every chance we get. We’ve got two good examples from this week, and a call to action at the end.
The week started with the Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival, where we co-sponsored a viewing of documentary filmmaker and longtime “Friend of KIT” Dan Habib’s new film, Intelligent Lives. We were happy to get a little shout out in the Martha’s Vineyard Times here. Kat represented KIT at the event, and here she is pictured with Dan. I hope that you will all get to see the film which will be released nationally in the fall. We are a national outreach partner (see the list here), so we may be involved with future screenings and we’ll share the info when we have it!
Meanwhile, in Minnesota, Jennifer (who is leading our new Inclusive Schools effort) was meeting with Minnesota state Senator John Hoffman, a long-time advocate for inclusion, and turning him into our newest AdvoKIT. He has agreed to attend and speak at our Inclusive Schools launch event in Minneapolis at the end of August!
Before I let you enjoy your weekend, I wanted to share an opportunity with you. This week I learned about an app called Be My Eyes. Our board member, Beth Foraker, shared this and some of us jumped right on it. The app connects people with visual impairments (blind and low vision) who need help seeing something with sighted volunteers who can help. It uses the camera on your smartphone and you have a quick call with someone where you are serving as their eyes. Beth’s first call was helping someone read the potato chip bag so they could see what type of chips they were holding. My first call was reading the words on a perfume bottle. I encourage you to download the app and sign up! It is super convenient (you only accept calls you are available for), takes very little time, and provides a valuable service for people who need it. This 90-second video explains it well. I’d love to hear about your experience!
Next week I will be coming to you from Morgan’s Wonderland, the world’s first accessible family fun park, located in San Antonio, Texas.
Until then,
Torrie