Opening up new opportunities for access

Written By eric hintz

Young boy smiling and holding a new iPad box with a handmade card attached that says "To: Kacen From: Joey" with a drawing of an iPad and the Vision Nonprofit logo.

For Kacen, a first grader in Piqua, Ohio, learning has always looked a little different. Born blind, Kacen relies on braille and accessible technology to navigate both his schoolwork and the world around him. His days are filled with learning braille, working with his vision teacher, and using assistive tools to participate alongside his classmates.

At school, Kacen had been using an older iPad that was no longer updating and couldn’t always meet his learning needs. The device was shared among students, and it often wasn’t available or set up specifically for the apps and accessibility features Kacen depends on. While he was beginning to learn VoiceOver gestures to navigate apps, having reliable, personalized technology was becoming more important every day.

When his Teacher of the Visually Impaired reached out to Vision Nonprofit, we knew we could help.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we were able to provide Kacen with his very own iPad — fully updated, customized, and ready for both home and school. And, in true Vision Nonprofit fashion, Joey created a special hand-drawn card to send along with it — reminding Kacen that he's part of a bigger community cheering him on.

“Your program allows him to have a tool that can open up many new opportunities for access.” — Kacen’s TVI (Teacher of the Visually Impaired)

One iPad. One student. One more opportunity unlocked.

eric hintz
Eric Hintz is a design focused experienced shooter, producer, director, and editor passionate about life and culture. Eric currently lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with his awesome wife Jillian and rambunctious puppy Corbin. In 2005, Eric graduated from the College Conservatory of Music (CCM) at the University of Cincinnati with a degree in Electronic Media. During his academic career he was a Production Assistant for the Electronic Media Division where he assisted professors and students with media related issues, productions, and technologies. While also working for the UC Presentation Services and Technologies Group assisting in field production and support of streaming media events. In 2004 Eric was selected as the sole recipient for a one year student exchange program, sponsored by Procter & Gamble, that recognized a UC Electronic Media major who exhibited a strong interest in global media industries. The program consisted of a 6 month study at the Ludwig-Maximillians University as well as an internship at Bayerischer Rundfunk, a public broadcasting company, in Munich, Germany. Eric has also worked on, filmed, produced and edited various projects including independent films, music videos, commercials, sporting events, and corporate videos. He just wrapped up a behind the scenes promo piece for 513{eats} and a music video for Switchblade Scarlett - Check out the Recent Work section for more. An important aspect of his life includes family and friends. He also enjoys photography, graphic design, reading, cooking and travel.
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