BEAT the BEST (Best's Disease Support & Awareness)

11/08/2020

Excellent read! “What My Legally Blind Son Taught Me About Living in the Moment” by Kat Moody

The small moments make a big difference

14/07/2019

"What is 'Beat the Best!' up to?" may be asking, as we've been a bit quiet lately. Being incredibly passionate about resources and awareness for those with low-vision/blindness (with the core focus on Best's Disease).

Being an innovator and tech geek - I've been keeping up with the incredible traction motion tracking, augmented reality and artificial intelligence. I'm convinced that there is an incredible opportunity to build a low-cost and small apparatus to wear/carry which could help individuals with low-vision navigate their in and outdoor surroundings more safely. There are some great gadgets out there but they have been lacking in either price-point or precision depth/location tracking indoors.

While fostering the discussions and community that has already made 'Beat the Best!', we'd like to offer the opportunity to collaborate on this project to anyone interested in testing the product out once ready, developing hardware/software with us, or investing in our work financially during a 'Friends & Family' investment round.

- Ahmed Makkawy, Founder - Beat the Best!

Please ask any questions you may have and let us know if this initiative would be of interest to you and your family!

30/04/2019

https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/news-room/2019/april/lego-braille-bricks

The LEGO Foundation and LEGO Group will announce their support of a pioneering project that will help blind and visually impaired children learn Braille in a playful and engaging way using Braille customised LEGO bricks.

26/07/2018

A useful link to keep handy!

Sighted guide technique enables a person who is blind to use a person with sight as a guide. The technique follows a specific form and has specific applications.

20/12/2017

This news looks promising - We'll be making some inquiries on the spectrum of retinal and macular conditions this treatment could potentially aid. FDA has approved the first ever gene therapy for a specific genetic mutation. https://t.co/iKd58Ji5XV https://t.co/XraOZDwajS

FDA approves novel gene therapy to treat patients with a rare form of inherited vision loss

22/11/2017

How quickly can we hit 2,000 page 'Likes'? If we think of page likes as a form of awareness, it becomes so important that we share this page with others so news, updates, and support can be passed along so much broader than it already is! Please share this post and have friends and family 'like' our BEAT the BEST (Best's Disease Support & Awareness) page.

18/10/2017

October 18th was White Cane Day in the US for the promoting of safety and awareness of those of us using a cane or companion pet to help navigate. Are there highlights or struggles you've experienced in public with either?

Hi Everyone, The time has come to pre-order your 2017 White Cane Day t-shirts. We have a new ordering system this year. You will register to pre-order the t-shirts and then send in payment with the order confirmation cash, check, and money orders ONLY. Once you fill out the form on my en

12/10/2017

Congratulations to Dr.Ed Stone (of the University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences) for being awarded The Board of Regents Award for Faculty Excellence! He is a leading researcher and has made great contributions to further the understanding of vitelliform macular degeneration (Best Disease). https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1567550356640787&id=1049687581760403

“Dr. Ed Stone, professor, received The Board of Regents Award for Faculty Excellence. Congratulations, Dr. Stone!”

19/04/2017

What an incredible story of innovation and brightening childrens' path and enjoyment. http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/bomb-squad-creates-beeping-easter-egg-hunt-blind-children/ #.WPYXKfGnas8.facebook

These explosives experts put their skills to the test by organizing an Easter hunt for the city's children using only beeping eggs.

24/11/2016

Happy Thanksgiving friends!

14/09/2016

Thank You to National Geographic for putting together such an in-depth look at fighting blindness around the world. Here's the story from the September 2016 issue: http://ow.ly/xu0g304dKBW Read & share with friends/family

Thanks to medical advances and expanding treatment, it's no longer just a dream.  

13/09/2016

There is absolutely no limit to what those with low-vision can do in their life, career, athletics, academics, etc. Check out this article on the 1500m race at the paralympic games in Rio! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/paralympic-1500m-t13_us_57d6d3a8e4b03d2d459b7e78

Even the fourth-place finisher would have won gold in August.