Aug. 25, 1988, will be a day Jeanne Furney will always remember as the day her daughter Hannah lost her sight. When Hannah Furney was 4 months old her mother put her down for a nap. When she picked her up her eyes were rocking back and forth in her head like ‘pinballs.’ Soon after, Hannah was diagnosed with bilateral retinal blastoma or cancer of the eyes. ‘I was so shocked and scared for a moment, then I had to decide to do what would be best for Hannah,’ Jeanne said. Within the week Hannah was taken to New York, where the premiere eye research was being conducted. The doctor performed an experimental procedure that allowed Hannah to retain some of her sight. ‘Most doctors would have immediately made the decision to take out my eyes,’ Hannah said. ‘But we did radiation, and I am one of the few survivors of bilateral retinal blastoma who retained at least some sight.’ Now a sophomore education major, Hannah has made a large part of her life helping the visually impaired and speaking up for their causes. ‘I want to give visually impaired people the advantages and the tools that I was never given,’ Hannah said. ‘Only 10 percent of blind kids learn Braille, and I want to make sure that changes.’ As an active member of the National Federation for the Blind, Hannah was one of five Ohio students invited to speak to Congress about issues for the visually impaired this past February. ‘[Addressing Congress] was really a great experience,’ Hannah said. ‘Not only did we get to go to Congress but I got to meet so many people. Try to imagine 500 blind people walking around Washington, D.C., I feel like we really got a lot accomplished.’ ‘ The group of students and representatives advocated for the visually impaired at Congress, addressing issues that are often overlooked by legislators, Hannah said. The NFB has created a Technology Bill of Rights which addresses the issues faced by visually impaired people as a result of advances in technology. The bill asks that electronic devices and appliances be equipped with user interfaces to make the product just as accessible to visually impaired people as they are to sighted people. ‘How many times a day do you have to use a touch screen monitor to pay for something?’ Hannah said. ‘Just think about it. How is a blind person going to use that?’ While in D.C. Hannah also spoke out about the dangers of ‘silent’ hybrid cars, such as the Toyota Prius. The environmentally friendly cars are virtually silent running, the unintended danger of this is that the silence can hinder a pedestrians’ ability to sense an approaching vehicle. A busy street full of silent cars could be a potential minefield for a person who relies on their hearing to safely cross the street, Hannah said. ‘We are just asking for a two year study on the cars to ensure that they do not endanger people’s lives,’ Hannah said. ‘I can’t believe that they cannot be equipped with some sort of audible signal to warn pedestrians when they are approaching.’ Robert Segna, who recently met Hannah when she visited the Bowling Green Lion’s club, has been working with visually impaired people for 30 years. He said he had not considered the issue of silent cars before. ‘As a sighted person you sometimes do not think about the challenges that others face,’ Segna said. ‘You just sort of go along your day and think about the problems you are going through but once you start to think about it, you can really be inspired to make a difference.’ The Bowling Green Lions Club recently helped Hannah purchase a GW Micro, portable CCTV. The portable screen allows Hannah to read documents and newspapers by scanning an image and magnifying it up to seven times the original type. Hannah said the tool is incredibly useful when she is teaching and working in the classroom. ‘Just having that option of not having to slow down is important. I don’t want to slow down,’ Hannah said. ‘If someone tells me I can’t do something or can’t get something I am going to do everything in my power to get that thing accomplished. I am going to have to fight for it, but I am going to get it.’