News

Angela Bonfanti, the CNIB Foundation’s Senior Vice President of Foundation Programs, recently chatted with Joan Kelley Walker about how the Foundation is adapting its summer programming and fundraising initiatives in a time of COVID. Watch their chat and learn more!

TORONTO – June 22, 2020 – As students and families adjust to remote learning during COVID-19, the CNIB Foundation has released a free version of its iOS training manual for children with sight loss. The ABC's of iOS: A VoiceOver Manual for Toddlers and Beyond! ensures educators and family members have the tools to teach a child who is blind or partially sighted how to use iOS with VoiceOver.

We are pleased to take this opportunity to respond to the provincial government's consultation on developing the small business success strategy for Ontario. There are approximately 681,000 Ontarians living with sight loss.

We thank the Ministry of Education for the opportunity to provide input into Ontario's plan to reopen schools and summer educational programs for students. It is estimated there are 1,500 to 2000 students in Ontario who are blind or partially sighted. For years, parents, students, educators and organizations have been advocating to improve the education system to ensure students with sight loss have opportunities to thrive developmentally and academically at every stage of their education.

Every year, the CNIB Foundation's scholarship program awards multiple scholarships to students who are blind or partially sighted in recognition of their academic aspirations and achievements. If you are pursuing a post-secondary diploma, degree, skilled trades certificate or apprenticeship program in the 2020/21 academic year, we want to hear from you!

COVID-19 has created a myriad of new challenges while highlighting existing barriers for Canadians who are blind or partially sighted.  Today, during National AccessAbility Week, the Prime Minister made a significant announcement regarding financial support available to Canadians with disabilities in response to the pandemic.

The Connecting the Dots committee is assembling an enriching two-day learning experience with leaders in braille, technology, academia and employment to provide educational workshops and thought-provoking panel discussions on a variety of topics connected to the conference theme of braille, technology, and employment. Together, we will learn more about current trends and innovations in the sight loss community, network with talent who are blind or partially sighted and experience the latest advancements in assistive technologies.

During National AccessAbility Week (May 31-June 6), the CNIB Foundation, Canada’s largest non-profit supporting people who are blind or partially sighted, is proud to launch the organization's tactile branding project, a new aspect of the brand that’s not designed to be seen.

We hope you're staying healthy and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 19, the Government of Ontario announced that overnight camps will not be permitted to operate in the summer of 2020. While this is very difficult to hear, CNIB Lake Joe understands and supports this decision as it puts health and safety first. We are truly disappointed that cancelling in-person programs at CNIB Lake Joe means we won't see you at camp this summer, but we know there is so much to look forward to, with brighter days ahead. For now, we need to stay connected in other ways.

The CNIB Foundation is proud to announce their partnership with MapinHood, a personalized navigation app specifically designed to source accessible and safe routes in the city of Toronto.

Accessible navigation apps are often an essential tool for people with sight loss. They allow for independent, safe travel. But prior to the release of MapinHood, most navigation apps have been designed to meet the needs of drivers and transit riders, rather than for pedestrians.