University of California Bioelectronics Professor Wentai Liu is working on technology for artificial retina implants and neural prosthesis for spinal cord and other injuries.
Here is a recent article on him and his work from Good Times in Santa Cruz:
http://www.goodtimessantacruz.com/santa-cruz-news/good-times-cover-stories/485-top-of-the-class.html
Here’s an earlier article from UCSC:
I have found the Blind Handyman group to be a useful resource for dealing with common home maintenance issues as a visually impaired person. Check it out on Yahoo Groups or listen to the show.
As a visually impaired person, as with almost any disability, you have to learn to accept it and do what you can with what you have. When you are in a relationship, it’s important that the other person knows that you will ask for help when you need it. The exceptions being situations that are dangerous or that you have previously agreed upon.
Once you have this, the stress of being together and dealing with the disability can be reduced because the boundaries are clear and the non-disabled person does not have to worry about whether they should jump in to help.
The problem is that people outside the relationship often see the disabled person struggling with something and the non-disabled person not helping and look at the non-disabled person with harsh and judging eyes.
This is one of the stresses that the partner of a disabled person often has to deal with that most people do not understand.
From pokernews.com:
Hal Lubarsky provided one of the greatest stories of the 2007 Main Event, becoming the first legally blind player to cash in the WSOP Main Event. Lubarsky’s great run ended on Day Four when he couldn’t catch a straight on the river to pull ahead of Scott Freeman. On a board reading 
, Lubarsky moved all-in over the top of Freeman’s bet, but his 
was well behind Freeman’s turned set of sixes. The river didn’t bring the nine for Lubarsky’s straight, and he was eliminated. Nolan Dalla called Lubarsky up onto the podium after his elimination to recognize his amazing accomplishment. Despite being legally blind, Lubarsky outlasted over 6,000 players in the Main Event, providing a moment of inspiration stretching far beyond the poker community.