We are pleased to announce that the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony of our beautiful Sensory Garden will be held on Tuesday, September 20th at 11:30 a.m. We offer our heartfelt appreciation to the Cypress Garden Guild who transformed our unkempt and neglected flower beds into a thriving beautiful garden. Patty Barrett, President of Cypress Garden Guild, was instrumental in organizing the project which proved to be quite an undertaking, but when a determined and talented group of women (and a supportive husband) get together things get done. Along with dedicated Guild members, Karen Mignano, Jayne Gasperson, Lois Weeth, Betsy Tatsugawa, Pat Matusewski, and Betty Fox as well as David Barrett, a lovely, vibrant garden was cultivated.
With expertise, green thumbs and creativity they designed a lovely garden to stir the senses. Brightly colored plants like mock orange and angel trumpet; aromatic foliage like rosemary and anise; and textures like the soft velvety petals of lamb’s ear were selected. A raised bed brimming with herbs that would delight any culinary chef is available for our Tuesday lunch. Large print signs with Braille identify the plants and there’s even a garden bench to rest and enjoy the beauty.
Thank you Cypress Garden Guild. The garden is magnificent! If you plan on attending the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, please call the BVIC at
649-3505.
November 12, 2011
11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Mark your calendars for our annual FUNdraiser, Country Store & Auction. The BVIC will be celebrating its 40th year of services to Monterey County residents. Enjoy entertainment, refreshments and good company. Beautiful ceramics made by our wonderful Tuesday members will be on sale. The silent auction and live auction will feature terrific items and gift certificates for goods and services from our local business community.
We welcome donations of baked goods, jams or handcrafted items for the craft/bake sale. Share your talents and help raise money for the BVIC. As a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization, Country Store & Auction is an important fundraiser. We also are selling raffle tickets at $1.00 each. The grand prize is a beautiful 32” LCD HDTV. There will be other great prizes too. We’ve enclosed an envelope so you can purchase raffle tickets or make a donation. Just fill in the information on the envelope and we will be happy to fill out your tickets and put them in the raffle on your behalf. You don’t have to be present at the event to win. We look forward to seeing you all and your family on the 12th.
The Blindfold is available in Braille, large print and email upon request.
1994 Nomad 20’ Travel Trailer (sleeps 6) Well-equipped kitchen, propane/electric refrigerator, bathroom with tub/shower, roof
mounted AC (needs some roof covers but no leaks), separate bedroom (needs queen-size mattress), needs upholstery work and curtains, needs floor repair near bathroom, has heater and all holding tanks. Asking $3,950
1969 Columbia 28’ Sail Boat in Berth B-8 Monterey Harbor
The berth is transferrable to new owner, Atomic 4 inboard motor, new canvas and stainless steel bracing, tinted glass, varnished interior, new cushions, sleeps 6, galley with ice box, head has no holding tank.
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.
Senior Center Without Walls
This month we want to highlight an award winning program that you can access right from your home. “Senior Center Without Walls” is a telephone community for California seniors (aged 60 and up) sponsored by the Episcopal Senior Communities. As described in its brochure, “Senior Center Without Walls offers activities, friendly conversation and an assortment of classes and support groups to seniors who find it difficult to participate in activities in their communities. From the comfort of their homes, they connect to our program using their own telephones. And it’s free!”Activities include book groups, armchair travelers, health discussions, brain aerobics, support groups (including: “living with vision loss,” discussion group for the blind, “changing vision, changing life”), and many more. All of the support groups are run by certified counselors and therapists. The majority of other groups are run by volunteers. SCWW works with a variety of local agencies and nonprofits, including In Home Support Services, the Lions Club, Lighthouse for the Blind and many others.
Here’s how it works:
To register, call the toll free number:
1 877-797-7299 or go to their website at www.seniorcenterwithoutwalls.org to download the registration form.
The Fear Factor in Becoming an Independent Blind Pedestrian Fear plays an important role in both challenging and informing the blind pedestrian. One purpose of orientation and mobility instruction is to teach skills that will free the blind or visually impaired individual from dependence on others to cross streets safely, negotiate obstacles and stairs safely, and maintain orientation in strange and confusing environments. The traffic dangers and dangerous environmental designs that are part of the blind person’s every day experiences can usually be dealt with once a person has learned cane skills, orientation skills, street crossing skills and has
received hours of supervised practice applying these skills in many environments.
The emotion of fear can play havoc with the ability to move our limbs or think, if the fear is intense enough. Reasonable fear can create enough adrenaline to keep the individual alert and appropriately cautious. It can keep the blind pedestrian focused on important non-visual cues and information that will help the individual to cross streets at the right time, ask for information when needed before acting, and make informed decisions about orientation and safety issues.
The most common fears I encounter among my visually impaired and blind students is the fear of curbs, steps and uneven sidewalks, the fear of crossing streets especially at very busy intersections, and the fear of being stranded somewhere after getting disoriented..
Most students will overcome the fear of falling down steps or tripping and falling over uneven sidewalks once they have learned to use the long cane correctly to warn them of these unexpected things. Many will overcome the fear of independently crossing streets once they have learned how to use auditory cues, and in some cases some remaining vision, to know when it is time to begin crossing an intersection. Those who are completely blind learn that they can listen to analyze different types of intersections to determine if there is a traffic light or stop sign. They can listen and figure out if there are turn cycles in addition to regular parallel and perpendicular cycles. They can learn to use the sounds of frequent parallel traffic to walk in a straight line within or near the crosswalk to get to the other side efficiently and safely. The confidence to do this comes with learning new skills and practicing them many times with a mobility instructor nearby before being ready to do it themselves.
Fear becomes a greater obstacle to safe travel if a visually impaired or blind pedestrian has experienced an accident or a very close call. Some students have been known to freeze in the middle of an intersection, unable to physically move. Obtaining focused O&M instruction as soon after such an incident as possible is crucial to overcoming the fear that paralyzes and causes people to want to stay home unless there is someone to accompany them. It is that old saying of “getting back on the horse”. Sometimes an accident may have happened because of an error on the part of the visually impaired pedestrian, but usually it is simply due to carelessness or inattention on the part of the driver. It just points out the reality that crossing streets can be a risk for any pedestrian. Yet if a person wants to live fully, taking calculated risks is a part of being alive. The probability of having a serious accident decreases as a person becomes more skilled in assessing whether the crossing is manageable independently, or whether he or she should seek sighted assistance for a particularly hairy crossing, or just find a different and better place to cross.
Another situation in which fear is a factor is when a blind or visually impaired person has no fear at all. There is an over-confidence that can stem from lack of experience as a blind pedestrian, or lack of experience as a blind pedestrian in new environments. Sometimes the complete lack of fear is simply a lack of true conceptual understanding of intersections, traffic patterns, and the perspective of sighted drivers. If a blind person appears to have good independent travel skills in his or her hometown, he or she may have never experienced a great variety of types of intersections or the hustle and bustle of a more metropolitan area. He or she may not have had the opportunity yet to test his or her skills in completely new, unfamiliar cities.
Sometimes someone was a seasoned independent traveler in his younger days, but health or work issues caused him to travel more in cars withfriends and with sighted guides as the years passed by. Perhaps that person later came to a time when he or she had the time and desire to travel independently again, but he discovers that street crossings are no longer as routine to do as in the past. Perhaps he discovers he has more fear in walking alone than he ever had in the past. It may be that his O&M skills are rusty for lack of use, and also the world of intersections and street crossings, the flow and speed of traffic, seems to have changed drastically over time. Actually, this individual has a somewhat reasonable fear until he brushes up on his mobility skills and gets some input from an O&M Specialist on these new types of traffic patterns, intersections, and cars that did not exist when he was younger. The attitudes of drivers are generally more impatient than 20 or 30 years ago. The pace of life is quicker. The formerly seasoned independent blind pedestrian who now finds himself or herself afraid to leave the house is an example of someone who could highly benefit from fresh O&M instruction. He or she can become independent again, with training and practice. His or her fear is a logical fear resulting from lack of practice and pedestrian experience in an ever-changing world.
The need for many more audible signals at crosswalks is growing because of the fast-paced traffic and more complicated intersections that have evolved over time. Wherever there is a need for a walk signal, there should be an audible component to it. If crosswalks are offset from one side of the intersection to the other, so that the pathway is actually diagonal rather than truly parallel to the parallel street, audible walk signals should be installed. Tactile crosswalk lines would be very helpful to long-cane users at these odd, diagonal crosswalks. With the advent of quiet, hybrid cars traffic sounds are less reliable for the blind pedestrian. This is another reason more audible, or accessible pedestrian signals, need to be placed at more intersections. The placement of these audible signals will also diminish the fearfactor that diminishes the street crossing skills of even the most skillful blind pedestrian.
Developing realistic caution for safer travel is a prime goal of orientation and mobility instruction. Every instructor must seriously consider and acknowledge the important role of fear of lack of fear as a factor in achieving good mobility skills. Every independent blind or visually impaired pedestrian must know that reasonable fear is appropriate; that overwhelming fear to move independently outdoors can be overcome with the support of new training from an orientation and mobility specialist.
The BVIC tries to have the latest products available. In time we have found our inventory has items that are good quality, but may not be the latest model or make. We also receive donations of aids that people no longer need, but are still serviceable. Moonset will be selling these items at a reduced fee at Country Store & Auction on November 12th. This is a good opportunity to get a back up magnifier or obtain a functional device for an affordable price.
New sunglasses / light filters will also be available for purchase at the regular price.
We thank everyone who is on our email list and encourage others to join. Because we are including our Country Store & Auction envelope with this issue everyone will receive this newsletter by regular mail.