FOCUS April 2015 - The Carroll Center for the Blind

APRIL 2015
Ode to the White Cane
Precious Perez is a 17-year-old
Chelsea High School student and a
talented singer/songwriter. She
hopes one day soon to go to college
and become a music teacher.
teach her independent mobility.
She credits her “Awesome!” O&M
Specialist, Kara Peters with helping
her become the confident traveler
she is today.
She’s been using a cane ever
since she was a youngster. e
Carroll Center for the Blind sent an
Orientation and Mobility Specialist
to her house to orient her to her
home, and later, her school, and to
“at’s not to say I don’t have
room for improvement,” Precious
said. “Knowing the cardinal
directions comes hard for me, and
I want to get better at making
routes, but I intend to keep
learning and sharpening my skills.”
inking about how she will
traverse a college campus is an
excellent motivator. She will want
to know where she is at all times
and be able to get there quickly
and confidently.
Precious once wrote a song
dedicated to the white cane. It is a
parody of a Taylor Swi song, but
it expresses her feelings, nonethe-less.
“The Carroll Center was a lifechanging experience for me.”
“I used to be painfully shy,” she
said. “I was the only kid who was
blind in my elementary school,
and it made me feel different. I
was shutting down.” at was
before she came to e Carroll
Center for the Blind.
“e Carroll Center was a lifechanging experience for me,” she
said. “It gave me a connection to
people my age who were also
blind, some of whom I still count
as friends today. We were all using
canes, and so were the teachers
who were blind. e biggest step
parents can take is to allow their
child to interact with people who
know what they need and who can
provide those resources to them
and establish a foundation they
can build on.”
Recently, Precious was featured
in a national ad campaign for
skincare products. e experience
was exciting and exhausting, but
for Precious it was something
more. It was a chance for her to
speak out about what it’s like to
grow up as someone who is blind
and help dispel misperceptions
about blindness. She wants people
to see her as a person first, not her
blindness. Her powerful message
to the world is, “My blindness
doesn’t define me. e real me is
unstoppable!”
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770 Centre Street • Newton, MA 02458-2597 • 800-852-3131 or 617-969-6200 (P) • www.carroll.org
UPCOMING
EVENTS
APPLE MONDAY
Do you ever wonder about the
significance of the white cane used
by people who are blind or
visually-impaired? We talk a lot
about the importance of
independent mobility. But what do
we mean by it? And how is it
achieved? In this issue of our
newsletter we are going to share
stories of 3 clients at very different
stages of their lives. For each, the
independence they received from
our Orientation and Mobility
Program helped them achieve their
personal and very different goals.
In the years during and
following World War II, Reverend
omas Carroll worked with
blinded veterans to help them
reintegrate into civilian society. In
addition to opening the first facility
for the newly blinded in the U.S.
(now e Carroll Center for the
Blind) and an outspoken advocate
for the rights of the blind and vision
impaired, he developed a new
mobility program for which the
white cane is a defining element.
In his book “Blindness: What it
is, What it does, and How to Live
with it”, Father Carroll said,
“Significant loss of vision results in
a loss of independence and in the
ability to negotiate the
environment. Newly blinded
persons may be afraid to move
around their homes on their own.
ey are without a sense of
freedom, security, and control in
their environment and feel very
dependent on others.” At the
Carroll Center, we help people get
through these losses and regain
control.
Dave, Precious, and Betty have
suffered the temporary loss of
mobility. But through training,
perseverance and hard work, they
have mastered the orientation and
mobility techniques that will give
them the freedom to be
independent.
Your consistent and
unwavering support helps clients
go from isolation to inclusion,
loneliness to a feeling of
camaraderie and from loss to gain.
Your continued generosity is
deeply appreciated.
Sincerely,
Joseph F. Abely, President
ank you for supporting e Carroll Center.
For more information about all our
programs for the visually impaired or
to donate visit us at www.carroll.org.
A publication of
The Carroll Center for the Blind
May 4 and June 1, 2015
9:00 – 12:00 p.m. – IPAD instruction
1:00 – 4:00 p.m. – IPHONE instruction
$20 fee for EACH session
Please bring your own devices;
none will be provided. Contact
Maureen Foley at 1-800-852-3131 or
Maureen.foley@carroll.org to register.
INFORMATION DAY
May 6 and June 3, 2015
Attend a monthly information day to
get answers to frequently asked
questions about programs and services
for the visually impaired. Contact
Maureen Foley at 1-800-852-3131 for
reservations. Friends and family
welcome!
TECHNOLOGY FAIR WEST
May 30, 2015, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Chicopee Public Library
449 Front Street, Chicopee, MA 01013
Spend the day learning about the latest
assistive technology options for
individuals with vision loss. Visit with
vendors, attend workshops and view
product demonstrations.
THE CARROLL AWARDS
Thursday, June 4, 2015, 3:00 p.m.
The Carroll Awards recognize blind and
visually impaired employees who have
made significant contributions to their
companies by their outstanding ability
and job performance. They
demonstrate the contribution to the
workforce that can be made by the
worker who happens to be blind or
visually impaired. Visit www.carroll.org
for latest details.
CARROLL CENTER SUMMER
PROGRAMS
Each summer The Carroll Center
provides educational and fun programs
for students ages 8-21 that empower
them to develop socially, academically
and independently. Visit our website
www.carroll.org for more details or
contact Dina Rosenbaum at
dina.rosenbaum@carroll.org.
770 Centre Street • Newton, MA 02458-2597 • 800-852-3131 or 617-969-6200 (P) • www.carroll.org
On The Road
David Dunham was diagnosed
with retinitis pigmentosa when he
was 25, but it progressed slowly.
Now, at 55, he’s coming to grips
with the puzzling effects of an
increasingly narrow field of vision.
“It was so slow, it was hard to
identify the point at which I
should hang up my car keys, or
take other actions,” he said. “I
probably should have done it
sooner. Hindsight is 20/20…but in
this case,” he joked, “I guess it’s
worse than that.”
A former certified planner for
the Defense Department and
other government agencies, he
ventured into the private sector in
real estate development, but the
real-estate crash in 2008-9 le him
unable to recover losses. He and a
partner are now in the business
development stages of a new
venture, which hopes to help
municipalities and commercial
facilities retrofit to solar
energy. e future is beginning
to look bright again.
“But it’s been a long road,”
he said. “Just as my business
was crashing, that’s when I
started losing more of my
vision. I was worried about
making a living. It’s not like I
didn’t know the vision loss was
coming, but I guess I kept
thinking I’d find a way to beat
it. You don’t necessarily beat it;
you just find another
arrangement with it.”
“This is a tremendous training
In 2012, Dave hung up his program. I’ve seen what it’s done for
others, and I know what it’s done for
car keys, was declared legally
me. I’ve got a new confidence now.”
blind, and was given a white
trouble accepting it, but it’s been
cane and a one-hour lesson in
good. And it’s important for me to
how to use it. He promptly put it
be
able to get around on my own,
in a drawer and didn’t take it out
and not on the arm of my wife or
again until he came to e Carroll
someone else. It’s important for
Center for the Blind Independent
me to look like a confident
Living Program. “Just the thought
professional.”
of coming here was a leap forward
for me, but I’m glad I did it,” he
“When we talk about mobility,”
said. “I was really struggling to
he
said,
“we oen look at it in a
deal with the ramifications of
vacuum, and forget how
being blind, and being seen as
important the ‘O’ part of ‘O&M’
someone who is blind. I can make
really is. In our communications
direct eye contact with people,
classes, I’ve learned about walking
and for a while, I thought it was
GPS and other apps to help me
better to try and trick them into
orient
for transportation and
thinking I wasn’t blind. But there
mobility. I’ve learned how to
comes a time when you realize
communicate
effectively when
you’re not doing yourself any
asking for directions, and how to
good.”
ease people’s anxiety around
talking to someone with a cane.
“For the first few days here, I
Cooking classes and manual arts
walked around with a support
are critical for developing
cane—it was sort of an interim
“I’ve been using the white cane
orientation skills around the most
step
for
me.
But
from
my
second
here and at home on the weekends.
dangerous parts of the home – the
class on, I’ve been using the white
I thought I’d have more trouble
kitchen and the garage/workshop.
cane here and at home on the
accepting it, but it’s been good.”
weekends. I thought I’d have more
(continued on page 3)
770 Centre Street • Newton, MA 02458-2597 • 800-852-3131 or 617-969-6200 (P) • www.carroll.org
“
There is a phrase that is often
used in the non-profit arena to
describe the many ways that
people can give. Some people
give time, others give talent and
many give treasure. Joe Kolb, an
Orientation and Mobility instructor
at The Carroll Center, has been
giving all three in his 30 history of
working with blind and visually
impaired clients. He represents all
the talented and dedicated staff
who make daily contributions to
The Carroll Center through their
selfless work with clients.
According to Joe, fear and lack
of trust are two of the biggest
impediments to mastering
orientation and mobility skills.
The instructor’s job is to create
an environment or present a
circumstance for positive
adjustment and incremental
success. “When you are dealing
with people who are fragile,
vulnerable, or angry you have to
know what the boundaries are
very clearly.” It is not always
easy and requires patience,
collaboration, creativity and time.
“The Carroll Center has a very
precious and special kind of
mission. I give to The Carroll
Center because I know that lives
You Know You’re Not the
Only One
Betty Burns began losing her
sight 10 years ago to macular
degeneration. “I’m completely in
the dark—24/7,” she said. But she’s
pragmatic about it: “You’ve got to
live with it. You do what you can,
when you can. You do your best.”
Betty lives at Sunrise Senior
Living in Arlington, and at 90,
doesn’t go out much, but learning
to use a cane has helped her
navigate the building. It’s helpful
for her to be able to get around
independently, especially aer her
On The Road
These former clients demonstrate
the importance of the white cane
for independence and mobility.
will be changed for the better.
Everyone should be able to live as
full a life as possible.”
”
husband passed away last year.
“You have to go with the flow,” she
said. She enjoys socializing with a
group of blind and visually
impaired seniors in Arlington.
“e Carroll Center for the
Blind was a big help to me,” she
said. “When I first went there, I’d
go once a week, and a group of us
would sit around and talk. It was
good to be around other people
who were losing their vision. You
know you’re not the only one.”
“I’m 90 and I can’t see, and
these two canes are my lifelines.
They help me stay independent
and mobile.”
(continued from page 3)
Low vision adaptations help
maximize both orientation and
mobility. Sensory development is
very much a part of all of these
areas. So it’s not just about the ‘M’,
it’s about ‘O&M’, as all of these
areas of training are integral to a
comprehensive ORIENTATION
package that makes successful
MOBILITY possible.”
“is is a tremendous training
program,” he said. “I’ve seen what
it’s done for others, and I know
what it’s done for me. I’ve got a
new confidence, now; I walk
around with my head held high. I
felt beaten down before, but here,
they raise you up to your potential.
I can’t say enough thanks.”
770 Centre Street • Newton, MA 02458-2597 • 800-852-3131 or 617-969-6200 (P) • www.carroll.org