My Perkins School Reunions By Bob Branco   In the year 2000, 23 years after I graduated from Perkins School for the Blind, I had a brainstorm about reuniting all my friends from that era.  I was very curious to know how everyone was doing, so I decided to plan a dinner in a [ Continue to post page ]

Once a week, my friends group dines out at a local restaurant. Most of the people in my group are either blind or have other disabilities which prevent them from driving. As a result, we have to pay drivers to take us out because public transportation doesn't run too late. We don't mind [ Continue to post page ]

On the next edition of my podcast, In Perspective, Al and I will be talking about aging and how we feel as we get older. Does reaching a certain age bother you? We will also be asking a very interesting question. If we had to go without one of our senses, which one would we not want to [ Continue to post page ]

If you are having problems listening to my podcasts here on the site, J. S. Web Solutions has figured out a way to solve your issue. Using a different player, my designer set the mp3 to auto play when the visitor arrives at the site. The player controls are built in to the browsers, so she [ Continue to post page ]

Dear Blog Subscribers,   As some of you may know, my podcasts are now accessible to all of my blog subscribers. I would like to know if you are able to play the podcasts successfully. Recently, I received two reports from individuals indicating that they couldn't find the play [ Continue to post page ]

  The Importance of Tipping By Bob Branco   Tipping is a very important custom in this country. Many waiters and waitresses try very hard for the money they make, and as far as I’m concerned, tipping is an expression of appreciation.   While many people tip [ Continue to post page ]

Our Native Language By Bob Branco   We’ve often heard that the United States is a melting pot, meaning that we are a combination of many cultures coming together as one society. I understand why this is happening. History defines it quite well. With that said, I’ve always [ Continue to post page ]

  The Dangers of Online Dating By Bob Branco (Originally published in Word Matters, www.ernestdempsey.com)   It seems as though every time we turn around, there is an ad on television about online dating. The ad asks single people to apply on a dating site where [ Continue to post page ]

The Dangers of On Line Banking By Bob Branco (Originally published in Word Matters, www.ernestdempsey.com)   In today’s society, we are encouraged to do much of life’s activities online, such as shopping, banking, filing income taxes, registering your car, and more. We put [ Continue to post page ]

The Unemployment Rate in the United States is Deceiving by Bob Branco   I really believe that when the United States reports the unemployment rate, the figures are very deceiving. There are a lot of people who are of working age that the statistic doesn't take into [ Continue to post page ]

  Have Labor Unions Been effective By Bob Branco   I understand very well why labor unions were created. People who perform hard labor have as many rights as anyone else, and they needed to voice their opinions. What better way to do it than through an organized [ Continue to post page ]

  Has Comedy Changed on Television? By Bob Branco   If you are old enough to remember what television was like 30, 40, or even 50 years ago, ask yourselves if television comedy shows are as humorous today as they once were. I-Love-Lucy   I have been [ Continue to post page ]

  Racial Discrimination in America by Bob Branco (Originally published in Word Matters, www.ernestdempsey.com)   I honestly believed that when Barak Obama was elected in 2008 as our first Afro-American President, it would mean the end of racism as we knew it. After [ Continue to post page ]

  Racial Discrimination in America by Bob Branco (Originally published in Word Matters, www.ernestdempsey.com)   I honestly believed that when Barak Obama was elected in 2008 as our first Afro-American President, it would mean the end of racism as we knew it. After [ Continue to post page ]

My Father’s Legacy (Originally published in Matilda Ziegler Magazine)   For several decades before his passing in 1996, my father was working on his own brand of trivia, which he incorporated into a game. He ran tournaments in local taverns, homes, and anywhere else people [ Continue to post page ]

What was it like growing up blind? How did it feel going away to a special school at the age of 12? What was it like living in the "cottages" at Perkins School for the Blind? These are just some of the questions that Robert Branco answers in his book, My Home Away from Home . Legally blind [ Continue to post page ]

Micromanagement in the Medical Profession By Bob Branco   I don’t know how it is in other parts of the country, but where I live, I have noticed a trend in the medical profession which I find rather interesting and unnecessary. Think about your first visit to your new doctor [ Continue to post page ]

10 Pins and a Smile By Bob Branco   Since I was a child, one of my favorite sports that I knew I could participate in was bowling.  What helped in the beginning was that I had usable sight, so that when I rolled a bowling ball down a lane, I could see the pins fall.  At the [ Continue to post page ]

  By Bob Branco   This topic does not apply to all animals, because guide dogs are allowed by law to accompany blind people outside the home, whether it’s transportation, eating at a restaurant, or being any other location. However, there has been a lot of discussion [ Continue to post page ]

By Bob Branco     In the city where I live, there are lots of panhandlers who stand on street corners, in parking lots and on highway exit ramps. Some even bring their chairs and bask in the sun while soliciting money from the general public. They do this in order to [ Continue to post page ]

Telemarketing Work By Bob Branco   How often have you received a telemarketing call about your vehicle’s warranty expiring even if you don’t own a car? Why do these telemarketing companies waste their time calling people who do not qualify for their offers? In other words, if [ Continue to post page ]

Find out more about this book, as well as my other books at www.dldbooks.com/robertbranco/ [ Continue to post page ]

For years, blind people have fought for the right to sit on a jury. The common belief is that it would be difficult for a blind person to serve because he can’t see evidence or facial expressions, making it hard to reach a fair conclusion. However, the lack of sight does not hinder our [ Continue to post page ]

I’m proud that we have a State Commission for the Blind in Massachusetts, and I believe that when lobbyists fought for an agency separating the blind from those with other disabilities, they meant well. It’s not that persons with other disabilities don’t need a supporting agency. Of course [ Continue to post page ]