The Blindfold is available in Braille and in large print upon request. To go green, and receive yours by email please send an email to
vision@blindandlowvision.org and put Blindfold in the subject line.
The Annual Meeting will be held Tuesday, February 9, 2010, 1:00 p.m. at the center. The public is invited and encouraged to attend. Annual reports will be given by the Director, Treasurer, Orientation & Mobility Specialist, Support Services/Case Manager and Low Vision Services Coordinator. The election of the 2010 Board of Directors (slate will be posted at the BVIC) will take place. To vote one must be a paid member of the BVIC. There will also be an opportunity for comments and questions.
Kurzweil stand-alone reader (converts
printed characters into full-word synthetic speech), for sale $200 OBO. It is about 5 years old. Please call Gilbert Lozano for information (831)975-4456.
For info or if you have a vehicle in good running order that you would like to donate, call Russ at 595-1871 or the BVIC at 649-3505.
The Chariots for sale are as follows: 1986 Buick Somerset - 2 door Regal series - 4 cyl automatic - very clean - passed smog - safety checked. This is a very nice economical car that has been well maintained. Asking $1,950 or best offer.
The BVIC’s Program Director is pleased to have purchased her second car from the Chariots for Charity Program. Jeannie says, “It’s a personal win/win situation. I commute each day from Prunedale in an attractive, economic, safe vehicle and the funds from my purchase go for direct services for the BVIC. Thank you Chariots for Charity.”
We have received remarkable news from the Harden Foundation. The BVIC has been approved for a one to one matching grant of $15,000. For every dollar the BVIC raises the Harden Foundation will match it with a dollar up to $15,000. Funds need to be received by12/8/2010. The grant will be used to provide services to Monterey County residents who are visually impaired. We know it’s difficult times for many so we appreciate each and every dollar contributed by you. Contributions are tax-deductible.
The delightful event began with Ed Dickinson of KIDD broadcasting live from our Center. With prizes donated from our generous community and the efforts of the event committee and volunteers CSA was a success. Thank you event committee; Sylvia Gardner, Shirley Doolittle, Carolyn Craig, Gail Garcia and Joshua Karanis , volunteers; Patricia McNally, Betty Preddy, Russ Hatch, David Lloyd, Tom Gardner, Arlene & Andy Anderlick, Justin Doolittle, Gary Moosman, Leslie Garcia, and Henri Stockton. Kimbley Craig your support is greatly appreciated. We also received a generous donation of $3,000 from Old Capitol Lions Club and another generous $4,000 contribution from Monterey Peninsula Host Lions. We commend Old Capitol Lions and Monterey Peninsula Host Lions for their longstanding support of our Center.
Country Store & Auction Smiles
Barrie Sandell, Kathy, Cheri Padin &
Justin Doolittle
Happy New Year to you and your family. As we begin 2010, I am humbled by the courage I have witnessed on the part of our clients. Living with low vision is not easy, but so many wonderful people I know have risen to the challenge of learning new approaches to reading and communicating. It is such a privilege to be a part of this process and our great team at the BVIC.
In addition to our Low Vision Clinic and individualized training, we also offer presentations and workshops to groups. Dr. Wodecki and I recently presented at Del Mesa Carmel to a group of around thirty people about eye care and low vision services. If you would like us to present to your group, please let us know so we can make arrangements.The following are new products we are planning to add to our Assistive Technology Room.
The Compact Mini, an LCD pocketsize magnifier that weighs less than five ounces and has a tilt stand, sells for under $500.
The SenseView Pocket is another portable unit that uses LED technology for a brighter display, and has four brightness and four magnification levels to choose from.
The Mano can capture, scroll and enlarge an image.
Please feel free to contact me if you would like a demonstration of these devices and we can arrange an appointment for you to try them.
Ken Kraska, Low Vision Services Coordinator
Vision Aware is a wonderful website appropriate for people with vision loss as well as their family and friends. This website provides valuable information to help improve the quality of life for people who experience low vision.
The following excerpt from visionaware.org addresses some common questions.
I'm Embarrassed When I Don't Recognize People I know. What Advice Can You Give Me?
This is a common occurrence and one of the many reasons why relationships can change among family members and friends. It’s helpful if you can learn to communicate with, and educate, your family members, friends, and neighbors about your vision impairment. To do this, however, you will first need to feel comfortable about sharing information about your vision loss with other people, and this is not always an easy thing to do.
Many individuals with a recently diagnosed vision impairment will attempt to “hide” it from other people, due to embarrassment, shame, or a fear of rejection. Make a plan about how you want to tell your friends and family members about your vision loss -- and then go ahead and do it!
If you feel uncomfortable speaking face-to-face, it might be easier to make a telephone call and say, “I value our friendship and I didn’t mean to ignore you today. I haven’t told you, but I’ve lost some vision and I can’t always recognize people I know. It would be helpful to me when we next meet if you could identify yourself so I’m able to recognize your voice.”
Common responses are usually, “Why didn’t you tell me? I didn’t know about your vision loss. We’ve been friends and neighbors for years! I thought you were angry at me. Is there anything I can do to help you?”
In addition to recognizing voices, you can also learn to use other cues to help identify a friend or family member, such as the sound of his or her walk, the smell of perfume or cologne, or the kinds of activities they’re performing, such as a son washing dishes or a daughter using the computer.
Moving Blindly Through a Visually
Oriented World
What is it like to be blind and walk to work, cross streets, find stores, get to appointments on time, take buses and find new destinations? As an Orientation and Mobility Specialist who is not visually impaired I cannot answer exactly what it is like. I can talk about some of the challenges my students face, and the tools they use to accomplish independent mobility.
One of the biggest challenges is lack of automatic information. With vision we instantly receive continuous information about what is around us; what is ahead; what is happening on the other side of the street; which intersections have traffic lights and walk signals; which sidewalks are blocked by construction; which corners have ramps and which corners have curbs; where the stairs are located; which slopes are driveways and which slopes are ramps into the street; which drivers seem to be aware of us as they emerge from a driveway we approach and which drivers do not see us; which drivers look distracted at the intersection and which ones see us; which restaurants and businesses are nearby; exactly where the bus stop is; which buses stop there; and so forth. We instantly avoid bumping into obstacles and other pedestrians, stepping into holes, falling down stairs, bumping our heads on truck rear view mirrors or protruding signs, bumping our shoulders or hips on car rear view mirrors or other protruding waist high or shoulder high obstacles. We do not make left or right turns without realizing we have changed directions. We do not mistake an alley for a regular street crossing. We have constant visual feedback from the straight lines of curbs, buildings, fences, streets and so forth to let us know if we are walking forward in a straight line or not. We have crosswalks painted on the street that also help us to walk straight forward. We can assess visually if an opening is wide enough for us to squeeze through, or if we need to seek an alternate path. At a glance we can read the name and number of a bus, the name of a business, or the number of the address we seek.
If we stop to talk to someone on our way to another destination, it doesn’t matter if we turn our bodies slightly as we chat. If we are facing at a different angle or in a different direction at the end of our conversation, we look around first to determine how to recover the direction we were heading in. We do this quickly and easily in most cases, without a thought, If someone yells out to us as we are crossing a street, or a driver beeps his horn loudly, we may be startled but usually discover by looking around if that yell and that beep was directed at us or not. We can visually assess that a driver was honking at another driver, not us, and the person yelling was goofing around. Those noises from other people may have startled us, but had no relevance to us. We don’t have to worry that another person or driver was trying to warn us of an unseen danger in the street.
So one answer to “What is it like to be blind and walk down the street?” would be that “It is like trying to figure out a sensory puzzle while walking.” Or, it could be that a response would be "It is like trying to figure out whether I have done something that might be dangerous without having realized it.” Or another response might be “Walking down the street from point A to point B is hard work, not “a walk in the park” “.
When one is blind, walking anywhere, no matter how advanced one’s mobility skills are, is an event that takes planning, determination, concentration, and the ability to think on one’s feet as the unexpected happens. A thought process that might occur is: “It seems like the sidewalk is completely blocked. Do I go into the parking lane temporarily to get around it, or do I retrace my steps and cross to the other side of the street to continue in a parallel direction, or do I stop and ask other people for more information?” Or another public encounter might involve the following thoughts: “This stranger seems to want to help me. Do I trust him and follow his directions or will he be following me? Do I take this stranger’s offered arm, or I am toying with a risky situation? or “I can’t understand this person’s directions. Do I thank him and find someone else to question, or do I ask a few more questions first? Am I going to be late to work?”I have shared some of the numerous challenges that a blind pedestrian can face, but what are the tools I mentioned? Yes, having the cane skills to detect obstacles and steps are major tools, and having had training and practice in mentally keeping track of changes of direction in many settings, and having developed good auditory skills to recognize cues and landmarks are all important. Having had practice in interacting with the generally visually-oriented public is also important. Yet some blind pedestrians never develop all these skills to the highest level, and yet they are successful in walking independently and finding their destinations. A major mobility tool is the ability to ask questions of anybody, to gather useful information as well as to sometimes request specific assistance,
The world is not a static place. Things change, sometimes often. There is an ebb and flow in life that anyone who wants to be independent needs to be in touch with. Traffic lights go out, cars block intersections at rush hour, construction blocks pathways, drivers get distracted and careless, people give incorrect directions, dogs sometimes run loose, and sometimes accidents happen in front of us that may have nothing to do with us but do influence our plans. Sometimes sighted pedestrians will respond to a blind pedestrian’s first questions, sometimes a question is asked with no response. It may be that no one was close enough to hear, or it may be that people were uneasy and self-conscious. unsure of how to respond. Or it may be that the first people that were asked were impatient, hurried, self-involved and uninterested in helping. Or it may be that the first person who is willing to offer information cannot give any useful information because he simply keeps pointing and saying “It’s over there!” seemingly unaware that the blind pedestrian cannot relate to pointing or to the phrase “over there”. It is a meaningless phrase unless qualified with something like “near that fountain you can hear running”.So, I encourage my students who are practicing mobility techniques out in the real world of their neighborhoods and downtown areas, to speak up and ask questions. I encourage them to ask specific questions that will give specific answers. I encourage them to ask more questions when the answers are not clear. I encourage them to verify answers by checking the same question with a different person. I encourage them to check and double check when it means saving time by not getting on the wrong bus, avoiding disorientation by not crossing the wrong street, avoiding delay by not entering the wrong store or coffee shop, and being appreciative of the people who are willing to stop and answer a few questions. I encourage them to think of asking questions as a necessary orientation tool, and as a skill that can become highly developed. A good question can yield useful information. I encourage my blind students to approach the public with politeness, because it is true that usually we will receive the same kind of response as the approach we use. Many of the public are very willing to assist but are now afraid to offend someone by assuming assistance is needed. I encourage the public to simply ask: Are you looking for some information?" “or “ Is there anything I can assist you with today?” if in doubt whether or not a blind pedestrian wants or needs some information. We all have times in our lives when we are in a new environment and need some directions to get to where we want to go. Many of us have experienced moments of disorientation in an unfamiliar department store or city, not sure if we can re-trace our steps or if we have turned in the direction we want to go. If my students are paying attention, they also realize they are not the only people in this world who can get lost! One of the realities of being human, whether we are blind or not, is that once in a while we may get lost!
The tools I cannot give my students are those intangible qualities of determination, courage, persistence, a sense of humor aboutpeople, and the ability to let it roll off and move on when they do encounter hostile people. Most of my students that have gotten some experience walking independently and interacting with the public know that there are a few bad eggs out there, but they do not represent the bulk of people who are very willing to offer information and assistance if asked. Developing the art of asking can even lead to friendly acquaintances and friendships for some people. So, to all O&M students past, present and future—do not underestimate the value of the question!“Hear It-Know It”
So many of us are able grab our favorite snack food or reach for the right medication without a second thought because we are able to see the difference between items. The Voxcom III is a wonderful low vision identification system that can be used to identify medication, clothing, food and countless other items used every day. Ten second descriptions can be recorded to a credit card sized card and then be attached to items. The description can be heard by inserting the card into the Voxcom III.
This system would be perfect for two BVIC clients. The Voxcom would greatly enhance the ease and quality of life for these individuals, but neither is able to afford the $89.95 to buy it. Sponsorship contributions for this product can be made by sending a check to the BVIC with Voxcom Sponsor written in the memo. Your help is appreciated.