In partnership with the New York State Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped (CBVH), AURORA of CNY is amping up the state-of-the-art technology it can offer clients who have vision loss.

“We have new laptop systems that include Braille embossers, for example, and new desktop and handheld video magnifiers. Another handy piece of equipment is the Victor Reader Stream,” said Joel Brennan, director of AURORA’s Adaptive Technology Center.

Nancy Anderson of Marcellus uses the Victor Reader Stream, a handheld device whose functions include downloading books and music.  Anderson, who has been blind all her life, uses it to download audio books, music, podcasts, and text files. Because the Victor Reader Stream has a recording function, she takes notes on it and creates text files.

“I love it,” she said. “I can listen with earphones or I can hook it up to an MP3 speaker. It’s very easy to download Talking Books, it has rechargeable batteries and it’s very portable.”

Similar advances in technology have broadened employment and educational opportunities for people with vision loss, Brennan said. “It’s much better than it was just a couple of years ago,” he noted.

AURORA of CNY, Inc. is the only non-profit that works exclusively with people in Central New York who are deaf, blind, visually impaired or hard of hearing. AURORA is a United Way agency of Central New York and Oswego and Cayuga counties.

For more information, call Aurora at 422-7263 (TDD 422-9746).