In April 2020 AFB took the lead in designing and deploying a survey to gather information about how COVID-19 was impacting U.S. adults with visual impairments. There were 1,921 usable surveys completed that were analyzed. Participants shared their experiences in 8 areas including transportation, healthcare, access to food, meals, and supplies, education, employment, and voting. After reviewing highlights of the findings, the presenter will discuss the implications of the data and how the data can be used.
Presenter:
Dr. Rosenblum is the Director of Research at the American Foundation for the Blind. She is the lead author on the Flatten Inaccessibility study that examined the impact of COVID-19 on adults with visual impairments in the US and the Access and Engagement study that examined the impact of COVID-19 on the education of students with visual impairments both in the U.S. and Canada. She is currently conducting a research study to examine the use of technology by adults with visual impairment in the workforce. Dr. Rosenblum has published and presented widely on topics in the field of visual impairment including on braille literacy, social skills, nondriving, and personnel preparation. Prior to joining AFB at the start of 2020, she was a Research Professor at the University of Arizona. She is married and lives in Tucson, Arizona.