BLINDFOLD

Marjorie R. McNeely Low Vision Clinic Corner

The LVC staff: Dr. Wodecki, Steve Doolittle,
Albertine Potter & Moonset Yu

With the GUIDE Everyone Can Use a Computer
A new computer program called GUIDE is now available at the BVIC.  The GUIDE is designed for people who are unable to read information on the computer screen.  It helps people with limited or no computer experience to use a computer.

As soon as the computer starts, the GUIDE’s clear voice begins its guidance. With very little computer skills you can email, surf the Internet and write letters.  All you need is a PC computer and some typing skills.  One of the free services at the BVIC is touch typing lessons.

Please call Moonset Yu if you would like an appointment for a demo of the GUIDE

VISTA Grant Update
Manuel and his brother, Jesus, received our VISTA Grant in July.  Manuel is a high school junior and Jesus attends junior high school. Both of them have Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP).  RP not only reduced their visual acuity, but also their visual field making reading a difficult task. Prior to their VISTA awards they relied solely on enlarged information.  They could not carry out many computer assignments required by their schools.  Our VISTA Grant provided them with various assistive devices to overcome these challenges.

Manuel and Jesus now have a new computer with a 19” LCD monitor.  It is equipped with the ZoomText Screen Magnifier/Reader program and its companion, a black on yellow color large print keyboard.  The brothers also received a BookReader so books and other textbooks can be read and enlarged simultaneously on the computer.   With auditory assistance, the fatigue of eye strain will be greatly diminished.

Manuel and Jesus both were also given a pocket size video magnifier, so they can read regular print or handwritten materials anywhere at any time.

Manuel, Jesus, and their parents are very appreciative of their VISTA Award. The BVIC thanks our supporters who contribute to the VISTA Program and allow us to support visually impaired students like these two brothers.  If you would like to make a positive difference in a child’s life send your tax-deductible donation to the BVIC and write VISTA in the memo.

Rehab

• Ask that the soup be served in a cup, then, you can use the spoon to eat the vegetables and then drink the broth.
• Ask that the salad be cut in the kitchen into bite size pieces and served on a plate with the dressing on the side.
• Ask that the meat also be cut in the kitchen. Using the clock method - the plate as the face of a clock, have either the waiter or your family member describe where the food is on the plate.   Example: meat is at 6:00 and potatoes at 3:00 and the vegetable at 9:00.
• Ask for a slice of bread, it works great as a pusher, to help get food onto the fork, especially those little peas. For seasoning your food, use the pinch and sprinkle method.  Pour the salt into the palm of your hand and then sprinkle onto your food.  This method works well when you’re cooking also.
• Finally, relax and enjoy your meal!

Orientation and Mobility

Assisting Visually Impaired Companions in Unfamiliar Settings*
If you are accompanying a visually impaired or blind person to a new doctor’s office, store, church, or new building of any kind, it is helpful to first establish the “mode of travel”.  Would he/she like to walk with you as her sighted guide by taking your arm; or prefer to follow you; or prefer verbal direction?  For many visually impaired individuals it is most comfortable and efficient to take your arm and let you guide them around obstacles, up and down stairs, through doorways, to counters, and to seating.  The person who takes your arm and stays about a half a step behind you can feel the depth of a step or curb if you step down first.  You can tell her if there is a railing to her left or right; if a door opens toward you or away from you; if there is a narrow aisle in which she needs to step behind you temporarily; if you are at the bottom or top of stairs or on a landing; and if it is necessary to pause a minute to let pedestrian traffic pass.  You can make sure the person’s free arm is available to help you keep the door open as she comes through it slightly behind you.  In a waiting room, you can lead your companion to the reception counter and tell her when the counter is squarely in front.  You can inform her if the receptionist is on the phone or if there is no one behind the counter yet.  You can lead her to a free seat in the waiting room, indicating when the seat is directly in front of her.

In a church or theatre setting, you can enter the aisle first.  Stand side by side with the visually impaired person.  You can sidestep slowly together until there are some free seats, and tell your blind companion when a free seat is directly behind her.

In a church or theatre setting, you can enter the aisle first.  Stand side by side with the visually impaired person.  You can sidestep slowly together until there are some free seats, and tell your blind companion when a free seat is directly behind her.

If you are leading someone to the back of a chair in a restaurant, you can ask her if it is okay to put her hand on the back of the chair.  She will let you know if she prefers for you to say when the chair is in front of her.

When preparing to give a blind or visually impaired companion a ride in your car, be sure to tell her when the passenger door is in front, and exactly where the door handle is.  Tell her if she is entering the front or back seat, driver or passenger side.  If you plan to open the car door for your companion, say so beforehand and place her hand on the sharp upper corner of the door, and the other hand on the roof of the car. Say if the car is very close to the curb or a step or two away from the curb.  Also, prevent accidents by telling her if you plan to close the car door.  Otherwise, she may reach out for the door handle just as you close the door, causing injury.

Inside the car, tell your blind passenger how to find the seat belt if she is having difficulty finding it.  If she has trouble finding the release handle before getting out, give specific directions.  For example, “Move your hand forward on the arm rest, then up.  The handle is inset.  It is below the window.” This kind of verbal cue is more helpful than “in front” or “to your right or left” since there are tactile cues such as the arm rest and the window that the person can use as reference points.

In giving verbal directions, using right and left without clarification is not always helpful for two reasons.  One, is that most people confuse right and left when they are talking about another person’s right or left.  Another reason is that the area of space covered by “to your right” or “to your left” can be a very wide area. For example, the object the person is reaching for maybe close to the person’s right hip, or level with the person’s right shoulder but a foot away from that shoulder.  Both places are “on the right” but in very different areas of space.  An example of good verbal direction would be, “Reach forward with your ring hand until you touch the counter.  Then slowly move your hand to the left along the edge of the counter until you feel the bell.”

Sometimes people approach a blind or visually impaired person by putting a hand on the person’s back or shoulder before anything is said.  This can be startling and offensive.  Please do not manhandle your visually impaired acquaintance in an effort to assist.  A good verbal approach is, “Would you like me to guide you or can I offer you some directions?”  If the person does want to be guided, just say, ”Here’s my arm”, as you lightly touch the person’s arm with your elbow.  The person can then find your arm above the elbow and you can walk together to the requested destination

The rule of thumb when wanting to be helpful in orienting a visually impaired person to a new setting is ask first if the person would like some assistance.  If you are not sure how to give clear directions, ask if it would be okay to show the person by walking them there.  If so, then you can ask, “Would you prefer to take my arm, or can you follow me?”  These are general ideas that work in most situations in which you may be able to offer help with indoor or outdoor orientation.

*Please note: gender pronouns and the terms “visually impaired” and “blind” have been liberally interspersed in this article to include both genders and to include practices that can apply to the visually impaired whether the visual impairment falls under the category of low vision or total blindness.

4. BVIC Announcements

Research Study: Mammography and Latinas with Disabilities

Volunteers Needed
The University of San Francisco and the Central Coast Center for Independent Living (CCCIL) are conducting a pilot community-based research project through June 2008.  The project will involve 100 Latina women with physical or sensory (hearing loss or blindness) limitations/disabilities who will participate in a class on the value of mammography, cancer prevention and strategies for working with medical providers to improve access to health and mammography screening services.

Classes, in English or Spanish, will be co-taught by a health educator and a promotora de salud (health promoter).
Participation in the study includes:

• An initial phone conversation of 15 minutes
• Participation in a 2-1/2 hour class
• A 5-minute follow-up phone conversation

To participate, women must: live in Monterey, San Benito or Santa Cruz County, be a Latina and age 40 or older, have a disability as described above and have not had a mammogram in the past year.

For info, please contact Mary Turner, Project Manager, at (831) 757-2968, ext. 15, (Voice) or (831) 757-3949 (TDD).  After completion of the follow-up telephone call, project participants will be mailed a $25.00 gift certificate.

Blindfold by Email or On-Line