NPR commentator Beth Finke is an award-winning author, teacher and journalist. She also happens to be blind. Beth’s memoir, Long Time, No See was named one of the Chicago Tribune’s favorite non-fiction books for 2003 and made the Book Sense 76 Top Ten list of university press books. Her children’s book about Seeing Eye dogs — Hanni and Beth: Safe & Sound– was published by Blue Marlin Publications in October, 2007 and won an ASPCA Henry Bergh Childrens Book Award in 2008.
Hey Beth,
It was nice meeting you on the plane last night. I hope we can keep in touch. You’re blog seems pretty interesting. I’ll have to check it out more when I’m done with work today. Anyway, I just wanted to send you a couple links and say “hi!”
http://www.myspace.com/mikekraus
http://www.myspace.com/HFIpublishing
Keep in touch and pet Hanni for me.
Mike
I have a question, actually, and I can’t find a “Contact” button, so I’ll ask here. How can you type those blog posts if you’re blind? Do you have a braille keyboard, or do you dictate it to someone, or what? Just curious; this has been bugging me for a while.
In any case, I really like your writing and I have great respect for you. Thanks!
I’m glad you wrote! I was sure I’d written a post on my “Safe & Sound” blog explaining how I use a talking computer, but when I searched I realized I’d written that post for a different blog I work on – in addition to keeping a weekly blog here about my book “Hanni and Beth: Safe & sound” I also have a paid position keeping up a blog for Easter Seals. That Easter Seals blog is about autism, but it also covers assistive technology from time to time. Here’s the link to the post I wrote about my talking computer, it’s on the Easter Seals Autism blog, and I’ll paste the entire post below that, too. THANKS FOR ASKING!
http://autismblog.easterseals.com/listen-to-a-radio-essay-about-my-easter-seals-gig/
Ever wonder how the heck a woman like me, blind and unable to see a computer screen, ended up moderating the autism blog for Easter Seals?
Listen to (or read) my Navigating a New Workplace essay on Chicago Public Radio at http://www.wbez.org/Content.aspx?audioID=26740
and find out — the piece aired yesterday.
The essay features sound bites of my talking computer and focuses on the internship that got me started here at Easter Seals in 2006. I became involved
with Easter Seals when I participated in the
Technology Opportunities Program (TOP) grant
Easter Seals received from the U.S. Department of Commerce. The Interactive Marketing Group at Easter Seals Headquarters used the grant to work with
Convio,
a software company, to create web content management tools for people who are blind.
Easter Seals recruited blind and visually impaired interns from all over the country to work with the software and learn web content management skills.
I was one of those interns. Once my 10-month TOP internship was completed, Easter Seals Headquarters hired me as the “Interactive Community Coordinator.”
What that fancy title means is that I’m the one moderating the Easter Seals and Autism blog — I read through blog comments on a daily basis and forward
your comments to Easter Seals blog authors and information and referral staff.
I use assistive technology to do my work — a computer program called
JAWS
reads the text on my screen out loud. That’s how I’m able to read your comments. I tell people I’m the only blind woman in America being paid to moderate
a blog. I’m not sure if that’s true, but so far no one has challenged me on that statement.
Tomorrow I’m presenting a “Blogging by Ear” session at the
Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired
(AER) International Convention here in Chicago. So now I’m adding another unsubstantiated claim to my resume: I am the only blind woman in America leading
sessions encouraging others to blog!
Hi Beth, I met you forever ago. Well actually in 2004ish in Karen’s Explore Chicago class. You visited our class and I quietly waited until everyone left the classroom to talk to you. My mother has been blind my entire life. I told you that the sound of your watch made me homesick and then I asked if I could walk you out. We emailed back and fourth for a bit but when the question of meeting up for a beer came up I never wrote back. To be honest with you I was not quite 21 at the time and didn’t know how to broach the situation. I came across your blog in the most random way. I graduated from the Theatre School at DePaul. From time to time I check up on the prestigious Court Theatre and came across your name as assisting with Wait Until Dark. Which is double coincidental because my mom also assisted with a production of the show a while back. I loved reading the questions the actors had for you. How did the show turn out? Did you get to go to opening night? I have not yet seen this production and I probably won’t get a chance to unfortunately. In any case I’m so glad to have found your web site. I’m going to make sure to check in from time to time. Oh and I’m still up for grabbing a beer sometime if you are!
I love the safe and sound book you made it is really awesome! I think my brother will love it just like me!
Hi beth!I go to Jefferson.You came to are school assembly.It was awesome how Hanni walked you out of the gym!
Oh, Taliyah, we had such a fun time at Jefferson in Milwaukee. Our only disappointment was the snow — we had to hurry an dleave after our presentation so that everyone would get home before the blizzard. Otherwise, who knows/ we might have met you face to face!
Maybe next year? Hope so!
Hi, I am a computer science PhD student at the University of Washington. My research is on mobile device and camera interaction for blind and low-vision people. My goal is to find a usable way for blind people to use the camera on mainstream cell phones to gather certain information about their environment.
I have set up a repository for blind people to submit photos they have taken. You can go here to answer a few questions and submit any photos: http://abstract.cs.washington.edu/~cjayant/cameraRepos/upload_file.php. I am interested in what issues blind people have while taking photos, and excited to see some of the results as I move forward in my research.
If you have not already completed my camera survey sent out a few months back, you can check it out here: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dGQ4aXZHcmZvaXBjN1Q3VUF3anNNUEE6MA
This should only take a few minutes to complete. All survey results and photos are anonymous and not tied to your identity.
If you have any questions, any comments on the form’s accessibility, or if you are interested in being a part of paid future interviews and studies, please send me an email! cjayant@cs.washington.edu
Please forward to any relevant mailing lists or post to your blogs.
Hi Beth,
I was researching an old boss of mine from Columbia University, Gillian Lindt, and I came upon your blog.
It was wonderful to see that she’s doing well with her new friends. Do you know how I can contact her? Thanks.
Kelly, glad you found my blog! I’ll send Gillian your contact info so she can get in touch with you.
Cheers!
Are you still writing these blogs? I am doing a project for school on the blind and came across you page, I am just amazed and read for a few hours about you and your dog and the good you do for people. Can I ask you a few questions that I can add into my paper I will be turning in.
Thank you,
Wendi
Sure — if you go to my web site http://www.bethfinke.com and hit the “contact Beth” button you can write me there.
I have an advertising opportunity for you, do contact me.
Gerrad
I am Laura Sloate’s business partner. Can you remove the tag “Laura Sloate” from this article? It is causing confusion and your photo is being attributed to Laura. Your cooperation would be appreciated.
Done.
Hey! My name is Christine Miller and I run a blog about engineering, machines and technology at http://machine-project.com/. I was wondering if I could contribute as a guest to your site? I’d be happy to discuss article topics and requirements any time.
Thanks!
Christine
What’s up to all, the contents present at this site are truly awesome for people experience, well, keep up the nice work fellows.