Hello AER Colleagues, I promise this is the last time I’ll ask that you consider sharing information about AFB’s Journey Forward survey with others. We really do want to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has been impacting those who are blind, have low vision, or are deafblind. These data will be helpful to all of us in our work and advocacy. Your help with recruitment is really appreciated. And, if you are a US adult who is visually impaired we hope you will also consider participation. The study closes August 9. We’ve put the below email into a blog post. https://www.afb.org/blog/entry/pandemics-impact-journey-forward Thanks for your help getting us a diverse group of participants. It looks like we are well over 500 at this point and we have almost 2 weeks to go! Penny & The Research Team [image: American Foundation for the Blind's Centennial logo: AFB 100, Inclusion Knows No Limits] <https://click.everyaction.com/k/33059535/297708258/-1917188581?emci=9121950d-0eeb-eb11-a7ad-501ac57b8fa7&emdi=8b7b0206-e5ee-eb11-a7ad-501ac57b8fa7&ceid=8083354&contactdata=nhUBC8kDzbpEf5yjU2UzANqRHe3mgPi82goG2UzBKlKRlpTZyARh6B3HPRJCzl%2B%2BTbV%2F1pXop5a5ggZnTzB0gA%3D%3D&sourceid=N421JAN1EM1&N422JUL4EM1=&nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9FQS9FQTAwMy8xLzcyODI3IiwNCiAgIkRpc3RyaWJ1dGlvblVuaXF1ZUlkIjogIjhiN2IwMjA2LWU1ZWUtZWIxMS1hN2FkLTUwMWFjNTdiOGZhNyIsDQogICJFbWFpbEFkZHJlc3MiOiAibWFkaHVyZW51YmFzdTI5QGdtYWlsLmNvbSINCn0%3D&hmac=JYyJd0PcMIrcdEbRgztgzL0BnaB2ubcL9h6G2GBiJcM=> Hello, On July 20, my inbox and Facebook feed were filled with posts about Paralympian swimmer Becca Meyers, who is deafblind due to Usher’s Syndrome. Her reasonable request to have a personal care assistant with her during the Paralympics was denied by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), which cited the strict protocols in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the denial, she withdrew from competing in Tokyo. The pandemic, and an inadequate institutional response to it, has had a profound impact on Meyer’s life. All Americans have been impacted by the pandemic, though few in such a high-profile way. At the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), we want to better understand the impact of the pandemic on[image: Blue background with yellow AFB100. Below in white “Inclusion Knows No Limits”] those who are blind, have low vision, or are deafblind. We will then use this information to guide our work in creating a world of no limits for those who are visually impaired. On July 13, AFB launched a study titled Journey Forward: Recovery from the COVID-19 Pandemic by Blind and Low Vision Adults <https://click.everyaction.com/k/33059537/297708259/-1743781075?N422JUL4EM1=&nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9FQS9FQTAwMy8xLzcyODI3IiwNCiAgIkRpc3RyaWJ1dGlvblVuaXF1ZUlkIjogIjhiN2IwMjA2LWU1ZWUtZWIxMS1hN2FkLTUwMWFjNTdiOGZhNyIsDQogICJFbWFpbEFkZHJlc3MiOiAibWFkaHVyZW51YmFzdTI5QGdtYWlsLmNvbSINCn0%3D&hmac=JYyJd0PcMIrcdEbRgztgzL0BnaB2ubcL9h6G2GBiJcM=&emci=9121950d-0eeb-eb11-a7ad-501ac57b8fa7&emdi=8b7b0206-e5ee-eb11-a7ad-501ac57b8fa7&ceid=8083354>. We invite U.S. adults to share their experiences by taking a 30-45 minute survey. Twenty random individuals who complete the survey will be selected to receive $20 Amazon gift cards. U.S. adults who are visually impaired may also opt to sign up to take part in a focus group and/or be interviewed. The study closes *August 9, 2021*. We want our study sample to be representative of U.S. adults who are blind, have low vision, or are deafblind. Please help us by sharing this announcement widely. If you know individuals who do not use the Internet, consider offering them assistance to complete the survey by reading it to them or having a volunteer with your organization or company serve as a reader. Though the quote gets overused, I’ll close with Helen Keller’s famous words, “Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.” Thank you for joining together with AFB for this study. [image: Photo of Dr. L. Penny Rosenblum . She is a white woman with short hair wearing a white shirt and glasses smiling at the camera.] Be Safe, Dr. L. Penny Rosenblum and the Research Team [image: Find AFB on Facebook] <https://click.everyaction.com/k/33059538/297708260/-1808632241?emci=9121950d-0eeb-eb11-a7ad-501ac57b8fa7&emdi=8b7b0206-e5ee-eb11-a7ad-501ac57b8fa7&ceid=8083354&contactdata=nhUBC8kDzbpEf5yjU2UzANqRHe3mgPi82goG2UzBKlKRlpTZyARh6B3HPRJCzl%2B%2BTbV%2F1pXop5a5ggZnTzB0gA%3D%3D&N422JUL4EM1=&nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9FQS9FQTAwMy8xLzcyODI3IiwNCiAgIkRpc3RyaWJ1dGlvblVuaXF1ZUlkIjogIjhiN2IwMjA2LWU1ZWUtZWIxMS1hN2FkLTUwMWFjNTdiOGZhNyIsDQogICJFbWFpbEFkZHJlc3MiOiAibWFkaHVyZW51YmFzdTI5QGdtYWlsLmNvbSINCn0%3D&hmac=JYyJd0PcMIrcdEbRgztgzL0BnaB2ubcL9h6G2GBiJcM=> [image: Find AFB on Twitter] <https://click.everyaction.com/k/33059539/297708261/860052975?emci=9121950d-0eeb-eb11-a7ad-501ac57b8fa7&emdi=8b7b0206-e5ee-eb11-a7ad-501ac57b8fa7&ceid=8083354&contactdata=nhUBC8kDzbpEf5yjU2UzANqRHe3mgPi82goG2UzBKlKRlpTZyARh6B3HPRJCzl%2B%2BTbV%2F1pXop5a5ggZnTzB0gA%3D%3D&N422JUL4EM1=&nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9FQS9FQTAwMy8xLzcyODI3IiwNCiAgIkRpc3RyaWJ1dGlvblVuaXF1ZUlkIjogIjhiN2IwMjA2LWU1ZWUtZWIxMS1hN2FkLTUwMWFjNTdiOGZhNyIsDQogICJFbWFpbEFkZHJlc3MiOiAibWFkaHVyZW51YmFzdTI5QGdtYWlsLmNvbSINCn0%3D&hmac=JYyJd0PcMIrcdEbRgztgzL0BnaB2ubcL9h6G2GBiJcM=> ©2021 American Foundation for the Blind. 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