BLINDFOLD

Januay / February 2012

BVIC Announcements
Vision Loss
- Support Services / Case Management
- Orientation & Mobility

1. BVIC Announcements

Membership

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." Winston Churchill
The BVIC relies on its Membership Drive to help support our programs. We encourage everyone (sighted or visually impaired) to become members. Often we are asked if you have to be a member to receive our services. The answer is no, but many recipients and their families are supportive members of the BVIC and we certainly are grateful for their support. People become members for many reasons. For some it is a way to show support of a friend or loved one who is blind or visually impaired, for others it is an act of appreciation for services received from the BVIC. Many show their commitment to others and belief in what we do by being a member. All members receive the Blindfold, our newsletter, and are eligible to vote at meetings. Please join or renew your membership now. For your convenience, we’ve included a membership envelope in this issue of the Blindfold. We extend a heartfelt thank you to those who have already submitted their 2012 membership dues.

Birdies for Charity - Tweet

We have another wonderful opportunity to raise funds for the BVIC. We've enclosed a brochure in this newsletter with all the details. We have already received over $5,000 for Birdies for Charity and look forward to double that amount. You must act now as the contest ends soon. All forms must be returned by February 8, 2012. As always, your support is greatly appreciated.

Thank You Cardinale & Wright Christmas Trees

The tree donation was beautiful!

Country Store & Auction

Our lively red and white balloons surrounded the new sign inviting you to the BVIC Country Store & Auction. Thank you Trucksis Signs for your great donation! Country Store & Auction was an exciting and fun-filled event. We enjoyed the harmony of the Smiles and the Cannery Rogues, as well as having the opportunity to view two of the Chariots for Charity. There were finger foods to enjoy and wines to taste. There were also baked goods, candies, jams and jellies, as well as knitted specialties. Ceramic treasures were created by our own Tuesday ceramics class and friends of the BVIC. The Event was put together by so many fabulous folks. We had 99 items on the silent auction and 15 on our live auction. The lucky winner of the raffle grand prize was Edith Hafstad. We must give credit to our great staff for putting together every last detail. Our Board of Directors and wonderful volunteers wore many hats as auction item solicitors, decorators, wine stewards, food preparers and servers, cashiers, auctioneers and more. Many thanks to all the people working for Country Store & Auction.

Our donation solicitors were outstanding and we are ever grateful for your support. We had both BVIC volunteers and friends of the BVIC soliciting, reminding, collecting and delivering, and thanks especially to so many donors! And the special presentation of the generous checks by the Old Capitol and Monterey Host Lions Clubs was the grand finale to the event! Country Store & Auction was truly a SUPER event! See you this year in November 2012.
Carolyn Craig, Event Chair 2011

A note from our Directors, We extend a big thank you to Carolyn for chairing such a successful and enjoyable event! To view photos of the event visit our Facebook page. Go to BVIC FaceBook .

Chariots for Charity

For info or if you have a vehicle in good running order that you would like to donate, call Russ at 659-5360 or the BVIC at 649-3505.

Help the Blindfold Go Green

The Blindfold is available in Braille, large print and email upon request.

Annual Meeting

Our annual meeting will be held on a Tuesday in February at 1:00 p.m. Please call the BVIC for the date or check our website. Annual Reports will be given by the staff and the new Board of Directors will be voted upon by all paid members in attendance. All are welcome to attend.

2. Vision Loss

Support Services / Case Management

Jacquie Johnson attended an invaluable workshop on how to set up help at home for someone who is seriously ill. It is based on the “Share the Care” model of how to organize a group of care providers.
SHARE THE CARE ™ SEVEN PRINCIPLES©FOR GROUP CAREGIVERS:

PRINCIPLE #1: “SHARING RESPONSIBILITY IS THE KEY TO NOT BURNING OUT”

No one person has to be in charge all the time.
No one person has to deal with every crisis.
No one person has to be “on call” every single day.
No one person has to make all the decisions, all the time.
No one person has to try and run his own life plus the entire, complex life of his or her loved one.
Let the others do their share. They want to. They need to.

PRINCIPLE#2: IT WON’T WORK UNLESS EVERYONE GAINS SOMETHING PERSONALLY

Recognize the importance of personal rewards.
The patient will feel too guilty unless the helper gains something too.

PRINCIPLE#3: KNOW YOUR LIMITS AND STICK TO THEM

Whatever you can do to help is enough.
If you can’t or don’t want to do something, don’t. (Someone else is probably good at it, or loves to do it.)

PRINCIPLE#4: THERE IS NO ONE RIGHT WAY TO DO IT

If there are ten members, there will be ten ways to do it.
It’s ok to disagree.
Agree on basics, and then follow the rules.
You may learn some amazing things.

PRINCIPLE#5: ANYONE WHO WANTS TO HELP SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED

A group needs eight, but ten is better.
If main caregivers are “real” family, they must be willing to broaden their circle.
“Free floaters” (people who can help only occasionally) are very important.

PRINCIPLE#6: TRUST THE GROUP; SUPPORT EACH OTHER

The group has power.
Someone has the talent or the answer.
Go on vacation. The others are there.
Share your feelings; share the goal.
Spend time together; acknowledge each other.

PRINCIPLE#7: KEEP YOUR OWN LIFE IN GOOD WORKING ORDER

Take care of yourself, or you won’t be able to take care of the patient.
Exercise, rest, stay in “life. Lighten the rest of your load.
Don’t forget about your own family and friends.
Let your friends, your boss, and your own family know what you are doing.

Copyright Cappy Capossela and Sheila Warnock. SHARE THE CARE How to Organize a Group to Care for Someone Who is Seriously Ill, 1995, 2004, Publisher Simon & Schuster

Orientation & Mobility

Unchanged Orintation and Mobility Principles in 2012
As we enter 2012, our thoughts tend to become self-evaluating and contemplative. Many are thinking about forming meaningful New Year’s resolutions. In that vein, here are some thoughts to consider regarding independent mobility as visually impaired or blind pedestrians:

Defensive walking is as wise as defensive driving. That is, do all in your own power to increase your safety margin regardless of what the other guy does. An example of this is one person I’ve worked with who has decided to put a squeeze horn on her cane. She knows that sometimes drivers are thinking of other things or in a daze, and not paying attention to the pedestrian on the corner waiting to cross the crosswalk. It often happens to be the corner where the driver is intending to turn. She beeps her ”Harpo Marx horn” before stepping off the curb, hoping it will catch the attention of a sleepy or distracted driver.

No, it is not standard orientation and mobility practice to place a horn on a cane, but it is not as absurd as it may first sound. The person who decided to place a horn on his cane is simply accepting of one of the realities of life: when you can’t see or see well, it is hard to hear a turning car or anticipate a driver who is not alert. A sudden unexpected sound is a great way to catch someone’s attention. So is extending one’s cane before stepping off the curb. The movement of the cane may catch a driver’s attention even if that driver did not notice the person standing at the curb. Many drivers notice moving objects out of the corner of their eyes, even if they are staring straight ahead. So when one’s O&M instructor suggests taking the time to extend the cane before stepping into the street, even if one has pretty good functional low vision, pay attention!

We all know clear communication helps to make the world go round. The same is true for asking questions to obtain information from a sighted pedestrian, or offering information to a visually impaired pedestrian. Be specific, be direct, and ask again if the information was not understandable or totally clear. Patience and diligence is the key. For example, a visually impaired pedestrian catches a passerby’s attention and asks “Do you see bus number 20?” The passerby may just say “No.” but that does not mean that bus number 20 has not arrived. The visually impaired person may first need to double check his or her location. “Can you tell me if I am on the side of the transit plaza where the 20 arrives? Can you see the sign listing what buses pull in on this side?” Then the sighted pedestrian has a better idea of the visually impaired person’s goal, and something concrete to check. The sighted pedestrian might say “I can’t read the nearest bus sign from here, but if you wait I’ll run over and check it and I’ll let you know if you are on the right side.” Or the sighted pedestrian might say “Is there a way we can walk together while I read the signs aloud to you?” or he or she might say” I’m sorry, I’m in a rush, I can’t help you today.” Any one of those responses is useful because then the visually impaired person knows what he or she needs to do next. What is not helpful is when a blind or visually impaired person is trying to get some information from some passerby in the crowd, and everyone just ignores him or her. This doesn’t always happen, but it can. So, please, if someone visually impaired asks for information, at least let him or her know that you heard the question and can or cannot be of assistance at that moment. And, if you happen to be the visually impaired or blind pedestrian, be persistent. Don’t give up re-wording the question if you realize you were not understood or that you actually need more information than you first asked for. You have the power to make yourself heard.

Finally, if you do not know how to ask a blind person if he or she needs information or assistance, be bold and just say, “Can I help you with anything?” Sometimes assistance is truly not needed, even if the blind person first appears to be moving slowly or hesitantly. He or she may just be processing information and moving cautiously, or he or she might actually be looking for someone to approach with a question.

Please don’t be offended if the visually impaired person states that he or she does not need help or information. Whether you realize it or not, offering assistance is a friendly general policy that will often be welcomed. Your input can help the blind or visually impaired person to verify information he or she needs to get where he or she is intending to go.

It is sometimes hard to swallow one’s pride and ask for information, so the person who does ask is as courageous as the sighted person who is afraid to approach the blind person. Many people these days do not see approaching a blind person as a difficult thing to do, but if one has never done it, it may feel a little intimidating. Likewise, the blind person who is new to dealing with the public may be intimidated. There is nothing wrong in asking for information or help, and there is nothing wrong in offering it. Keep up the good work, those of you who do!

So, in summary, (a) Defensive walking is smart on the part of the visually impaired or blind pedestrian. (b) Clear communication on the part of the visually impaired and the sighted pedestrian can happen with persistence. And (c) Asking for assistance or offering it is no crime! These are important elements of independent orientation and mobility that we can all support.

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