Cam Sight

Dining in the Dark.

A unique gastronomic experience with Cam Sight, at a new venue at
The Red House, Longstowe.

Wearing a blindfold to open your eyes to food…

Blind-tasting wine is an established concept; but blind-tasting food is just as fascinating.  You can challenge your tastebuds, and your culinary knowledge, at this popular event.  Can you identify ingredients when you can’t see the delicious food on your plate?  Even if your table doesn’t win the bottle of champagne awarded for the best guesses, dining in the dark means you’ll appreciate textures, tastes and conversation in a totally different way.

How does it work?

You’ll be given 3 tasty finger-food morsels for starters, and 3 for pudding, to be tasted ‘blind’ so you can compete for the prize to guess what you are eating.  But blindfolds off for the main course, knives and forks allowed, to let you to enjoy your choice in a more conventional way. 

This popular event is moving venue to ‘The Red House’ at Longstowe

20 minutes from Cambridge on the A1198, halfway between Wimpole and Cambourne, The Red House is an old coaching inn with loads of atmosphere, specializing in well sourced traditional English food. Why not organize a table of friends for a great evening?  Or mix in with other couples on the night.

Dining in the Dark
£39 per head for a 3 course meal with coffee
7.30pm, Friday 25 November, 2011

To book a table please send a cheque to:

Cam Sight, 167 Green End Road, Cambridge, CB4 1RW. 

Credit card payments can also be taken, please phone Becky 01223 420033 or becky@camsight.org.uk

Please note, payment for the event is taken in advance and no refund will be offered if the booking is cancelled unless the places can be filled from the waiting list. This will help to ensure the event raises the maximum amount towards the work of Cam Sight supporting local people with sight loss.

This is a fundraising charity event for Cam Sight.

Help us make sure every blind and partially sighted person has access to the same range of information, advice and practical support by encouraging people to take part in ‘Seeing it my way’.

‘Seeing it my way’ is a new initiative developed so that every person with sight loss across the UK gets the support they need. It sets out a range of outcomes that people have told us are important to them, such as the need for emotional support, mobility and independence.

Developed by the sight loss sector, ‘Seeing it my way’ is endorsed by the UK Vision Strategy.

So that ‘Seeing it my way’ can really make a difference in changing sight loss services, we need feedback from blind and partially sighted people, to make sure we have the right outcomes.

To take part, blind and partially sighted people should read ’Seeing it My Way’, which can be found below, and then complete the online survey at www.vision2020uk.org.uk/ukvisionstrategy/survey/seeingitmyway_online_survey.htm or call Stephanie Village at the National Blind Children’s Society on 01278 764 771 for a copy of the document or to give feedback by phone.

Alternatively, people can call Visionary on 01777 705299 to find out if a local society near them is holding a focus group that they can take part in (focus group surveys should be returned by post to ‘FREEPOST UK VISION STRATEGY’).

The closing date is Friday 16 December 2011.

One of the most exciting features of the iPhone4S is called “Siri personal assistant,” a voice recognition application that allows a user to ask common language questions and get real responses without having to issue specific voice commands. 

Siri opens up a whole new world of exciting mobile access for someone that has low vision or is blind. Instead of having to manually navigate through a sea of icons using VoiceOver, then typing in your text message to someone, you can simply say, “Text Jerry and tell him I’ll be there at 3pm.” Siri will create the text and read it back to you.  If you have your accessibility settings turned on, Siri will dictate your message back before sending it.

We hope it’s as good as it sounds. For more information take a look at their website http://www.apple.com/iphone/features/siri.html

The iPhone4S goes on sale 14 October.

Guide dogs will be allowed on moving escalators on the Tube for the first time under changes to a bylaw, it has been announced. Transport for London said it had been advised for years that dogs should not be allowed to use moving escalators to prevent injuries. Passengers had to carry dogs or use lifts or stairs instead. But recent research has proved that dogs can be trained to use a moving escalator. The rule banning dogs on escalators dated back to the days of wooden escalators and fears that dogs could get their paws caught.

Although Tube staff would often provide assistance to visually impaired passengers, including by stopping escalators where possible, the official line was that this may not be possible “at busy times” in case it caused overcrowding. But research carried out by The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association has shown once guide dog owners are trained, they will be able to safely use escalators.

The charity will now carry out a training course for Guide Dogs users to learn to use the escalators safely.

The change, which comes into effect this week, will also apply to the Docklands Light Railway and London Overground. A TfL spokesman said: “It was not always practical for disabled passengers with an assistance dog to carry them on escalators, particularly if the person was visually impaired.”

Oliver Barton, client services manager at Guide Dogs for the Blind, said: “Once guide dog owners are trained, they will be able to safely use escalators if they provide the only means of accessing TfL managed stations.”

London Mayor Boris Johnson said: “The modernisation of this antiquated bylaw helps make the Tube more accessible for all.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15148178?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter