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InSight Newsletter -- Fall 2006
A.V.R.E. InSight
Newsletter Our Mission: “To assist people who have a vision disability enhance life quality through attaining or maintaining personal and economic independence, and help remove obstacles imposed by vision disabilities.” Now
Is The Time for You To... Invest In Our Vision! This issue of InSight is quite different from our usual format where we highlight services and information that directly benefits people who have a vision disability. In this issue, we make a direct call for you to join us in creating a “Centerpiece” for our region. In it, we offer opportunities for you to invest with us in our vision to create a Center of Excellence in Vision Rehabilitation and Employment. A.V.R.E. serves an area of 9,000 square miles -- an area larger than seven states. There are at least 30,000 people of all ages in this area who have severe vision disability, from infants to elders. Each of them needs, and deserves, the best we can offer in skills training to assure bright futures and independent lives. Our Center of Excellence will make these training opportunities available in a way that exemplifies the best in practice and will give our consumers the opportunity to learn in a modern, safe, and efficient environment. Our Center of Excellence will be located in the heart of Binghamton, the largest metropolitan area in our 9,000 square mile region. From it will emanate “Rays” of hope, independence, and success throughout the entire area. Our Center will give our consumers a sense of belonging -- a home base -- a place to connect with when needed. One of the greatest challenges faced by people who are affected by a vision loss is a sense of isolation. If left “unconnected” this sense of isolation can sometimes bring about more severe challenges. In working age or older people it might be depression. For children and parents it might be feeling as if “I am the only one.” This sense of being alone is especially challenging for teens. One of the most important things our Center will offer people with a vision disability, and others in their lives, is the chance to meet other people who face the same challenges and need to find similar solutions. I am reminded of the gentleman in his mid-50s, who visited A.V.R.E. recently. He had been “suffering” from age-related macular degeneration for years but had never been referred to A.V.R.E. for information or services and had never met any one else with this eye condition. He spent about one hour with our Vice President of Operations Ken Fernald who also has macular degeneration. Ken showed him computer adaptations and talked about living with mac gen. This gentleman left A.V.R.E. with tears of joy knowing he was not alone and that solutions existed. This is what we must bring to all people in our region -- over 30,000 -- who have a vision disability. Your investment will help us make this happen. I hope that you will join us as a Visionary, a Luminary, a Beacon, or a Ray of Light. This issue highlights four specific services our new home will allow us to create. We are well on our way. We have purchased a new site at 174 Court Street in Binghamton. It is now being renovated and will help revitalize the downtown area. We have agreed to sell our current building to the State of New York for its downtown Binghamton University project and we are halfway toward reaching our $3.1 million Invest in the Vision campaign goal. Your investment will pay dividends for years to come in the lives of infants, children, working age individuals, and seniors who have a vision disability. Your investment will show returns in our ability to create new and better job opportunities and will enhance the local economy. Your investment will pay off in a regional resource in which we can all take pride. The following articles will tell you more about our new Center of Excellence and our Vision. If you would like to obtain additional information about our Invest in the Vision campaign, you may visit our website: www.avreus.org. Click on the “Invest in the Vision” link. Or you may call 607-724-2428 and ask for Jennifer Cubic. (Drawing of a map of our 12 county service area, with a star showing where Binghamton is located, and lines radiating out from the star to each of the counties.) End of article. “Alone we can do so little; Together we can do so much.” Helen Keller A Low Vision Center – Finding The Right Tools. A low vision center may be the single most important service an agency like A.V.R.E. can offer. Between 80 and 90 percent of legally blind people have some vision -- from light perception, to normal central vision with very restricted side vision (retinitis pigmentosa or glaucoma), to loss of central vision with still some side vision (macular degeneration). There are three parts that make up the Low Vision Center. The first part is a unique eye examination by a specially trained Optometrist or Ophthalmologist who understands the eye condition of the patient and how the condition affects a person’s independent living, learning or working skills. The Doctor examines to determine if special magnification, color contrast or lighting conditions will help the patient maximize the use of any remaining vision. The Doctor then prescribes appropriate magnifiers or other devices that help the patient use their vision to complete tasks. In some cases, the Doctor may prescribe other services such as travel training or rehabilitation teaching (vision rehabilitation therapy) so the patient can learn skills for independence. This is the “clinic” portion of a low vision center. A second part is an opportunity to try out a full range of devices: from hand-held magnifiers, to software that enlarges print on computers, to closed circuit televisions that enlarge print and adjust for color contrast, to special medical devices to… the list goes on! The second part now requires the third part. This is the services of someone who is specially trained in each of these devices and how they are used in different environments to accomplish special tasks. Training and follow-up are crucial to success. Many times a device prescribed in the clinic needs to adjusted or changed slightly when that device gets used at home, in school, at work, or while traveling. The Low Vision Specialist will help the patient find this out and then work with the Low Vision Doctor to prescribe a change, if it is needed. A low vision exam is not a regular eye examination, and it is not medical treatment for an eye condition. The Low Vision Doctor will refer a patient back to his or her regular eye doctor if a change in the eye condition is noted. In fact, ophthalmologists and optometrists are, or should be, a primary source of referrals for patients whose medical treatment has concluded. Harold and Anita Richterman have left a lasting legacy by bequeathing a portion of their estate settlement to A.V.R.E. specifically for our new low vision center. Harold (Ric) was an international icon in the field of services for people who are blind who always had a soft spot in his heart for A.V.R.E. and this region. Our Low Vision Center will bear the name of Harold and Anita’s deceased son Norman. End of Article. An Adaptive Living Center – Learning To Live Independently. In the “old days,” a severe vision loss was enough to send many older people to nursing homes. Their family, and often the older person him or her self, did not think that living independently was possible. Oh, how times have changed! Now, due to the quality of training in independent living skills, vision loss alone is no longer a reason not to continue to live fully independent, community-integrated and active lives. Vision rehabilitation services for older people have proven to assist seniors stay in their own homes, maintain active social and working lives, and to reduce depression, falls and accidents. Not only do seniors with a vision loss live happier lives, government expenditures through Medicare and Medicaid are reduced or delayed. A.V.R.E. is about to take a quantum leap in its Senior Vision Rehabilitation Services by creating a fully accessible “training apartment” within its new Center of Excellence in Vision Rehabilitation and Employment at 174 Court Street in Binghamton. The training apartment will include a functioning kitchen with dual gas and electric stoves and other standard appliances. There will be a functioning bathroom, bedroom, and laundry room, as well. Within this modern, safe and efficient training apartment, seniors with a severe vision disability (and visually impaired individuals in other age groups, too) will learn the coping skills necessary to continue to cook, clean, sort and coordinate clothes, plan and organize meals, monitor medications, and more. The training will be curriculum based and provided for both groups and individuals. In addition to independent living skills training, seniors will also have the opportunity to make or maintain social relationships and participate in other skill acquisition programs, such as travel training. One of the best ways to learn independent living techniques is to have an instructor who knows the tricks of the trade personally. A.V.R.E. is fortunate to have two certified, master’s-level Vision Rehabilitation Therapists who know first hand the challenges of a vision disability. The need for this intensity of service is self-evident. Seniors identify vision loss as one of their top three health issues. Twenty percent of falls by older people are a result of reduced vision. Our 9,000 square mile service area has one of the highest rates of seniors in its population in the country. Your investment in our Senior Vision Services adapted apartment is an investment in the independence of seniors and helps reduce third party government expenditures. End of article. An Access Tech Center – Opening Doors To Technology. Access Tech will be a center for learning about, and trying out, the latest and greatest in information access technology for people with a vision disability. Most of us think about computers when we think information technology. Access Tech will have a lot of computers. But it will also have all of the ways for a person with a vision disability to use them. This includes screen enlargement, voice output and refreshable Braille output. Access Tech will allow vision disabled people to learn basic computer skills but will concentrate on how to maximize the use of the hardware and software devices that make computer information accessible. Access Tech will go far beyond basic computers, though. We have included large print, talking and Braille items such as calculators, Personal Data Assistants (PDA), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), scanner/readers, note taking devices, Closed Circuit Televisions (CCTV), and more! Right now, people with a vision disability must go out of the region to find such an information technology center or learn on their own as best they can. Our center will be within a couple of hours, at most, of our entire region. Initially, Access Tech will focus on helping people with a vision loss who want to stay in or reenter the workforce. We all know how important information technology has become to so many jobs, from cashier to manufacturing employee to engineer to lawyer. In a very short time though, the resources of Access Tech will be available to children and seniors as well. Schools now expect students to use computer devices in the classroom and for homework. Visually impaired children need to have “real time” information access in order to compete. More and more seniors are finding that computers are a way to stay in touch with family and the world. A large number of seniors develop a vision loss at some point in their lives and need to have information access skills. End of article. Giving Opportunities. Our hope is that individuals and businesses throughout our service area will be inspired to support our Center of Excellence in Vision Rehabilitation and Employment. To that end, we have provided opportunities for unique gifts at many levels. You may choose to underwrite an entire program, such as our Infant and Children Center or our Senior Independence Center. Those who do will have these facilities named for them with a prominently displayed plaque. Others may want to give a significant, but lesser gift. For those generous donors or corporations who give a gift of $2,500 or above, you will receive a place of honor on our Donor Appreciation Wall, which will be located in our lobby. Each name will be placed on a plaque as a reminder of your generosity and commitment. Naming Opportunities. $1,000,000: The new “Center of Excellence in Vision Rehabilitation and Employment” $500,000: Employment and Training Center; Vision Rehabilitation Services Center $250,000: Infant and Children Center; Adaptive Living Center; Adaptive Technology Training Center; A.V.R.E. Main Lobby $100,000: Senior Independence Center; Indoor & Outdoor Travel Training Center; Sensory Stimulation Center $50,000: Low Vision Clinic Waiting Room; Low Vision Clinic Equipment Investing Opportunities. $25,000 and above: Visionary $10,000 to $24,499: Luminary $2500 to $9.999: Beacon $100 to $2499: Ray of Light If you would like to Invest in The Vision and help us create our new Center of Excellence, you may use the Gift Reply Form we have enclosed in this issue. Fill it out completely and mail it to us, using the envelope provided. If you have any questions or concerns, please call our Director of Development Jennifer Cubic, at 607-724-2428. End of article. Our Investors.
Visionaries:
$25,000 and higher.
Luminaries:
$10,000 - $24,999.
Beacons:
$2,500 - $9,999.
Rays of Light:
$100 - $2,499.
In-Kind
Donations. An Infants and Children Center – Our Kids’ Korner Research has proven that the first two years in the life of a child are the most important in the future development of that child. This is the time when stimulation of all kinds helps the brain to make its connections that result in social, physical, and intellectual capacity. It is often said that “our children are our future.” Parents spend a lot of time and money on stimulating all the senses of their little ones. Quite a lot of this stimulation is focused on vision, as up to 90 percent of our learning is visual. A.V.R.E. has, over the past five years, invested in enhancing its services for visually impaired infants, children, and their parents. We are committed to the future of each of our kids! Infants and children with a vision disability need to learn ways to get around a lot of the vision stimulation and to stimulate other senses, or find ways to maximize how to use remaining vision. Parents of visually impaired children need support in both the emotional challenges of having a child with a vision disability, as well as learning the techniques for stimulating the “brain connections” of their child. Both the parents and the children need resources, information, training, and connections. In short, they need to know they are not alone. In our Center of Excellence, we will take the next great leap forward by creating a “special place” for our kids and their parents. Spread out across our 9,000 square mile service area, our kids and parents have no place to call their own where kids can play, learn, and stimulate, and where parents can hone special parenting skills. We will have a designated area especially designed to let children safely explore, touch, smell, hear, see, and taste. New research is showing that children with reduced or no sight can develop the remaining senses beyond what is developed by sighted people. There may be some truth to the old myth that blind people have better hearing, but only if they have the opportunity to work on developing hearing and the other senses. While the kids are playing and learning, there will be opportunities for parents to share and learn together with their children or in other program areas. We think the best way for each of the children to grow is for the family to grow together. Not too long ago, A.V.R.E. met an infant who showed no signs of vision. The medical prognosis was that the child would grow with no vision. Through sensory stimulation and parent training by our specially trained staff, this child now recognizes light, shadows, and some shapes. You too can invest in our children’s futures by supporting our Invest in the Vision campaign to create our Center of Excellence in Vision Rehabilitation and Employment.
Being Good
Neighbors The staff of A.V.R.E. still report to work at 55 Washington Street, but we are already working to become better acquainted with our Court Street neighbors. We are committed to playing a proactive role in Downtown Binghamton’s revitalization efforts by getting involved in new collaborative efforts with other community agencies. Also, we are working with local businesses to share resources and ideas about how we can make the downtown area a better place to live and work. A couple of these projects deserve special attention. First, the City of Binghamton administers a Department of Justice project called the Center City Weed & Seed Strategy. Targeting downtown residential and business districts, the project works to “weed” out destructive elements and then “seed” the neighborhood with positive activities. The “weed” initiative provides funding for increased police presence at particular times of day, more frequent neighborhood meetings, and gang prevention programming for area youth. The “seed” initiative follows up with activities geared toward strengthening residents’ commitment to their neighborhood – to encourage pride in “ownership.” We are proud to be part of this project and hope that our relocation to the Weed & Seed area will help to stabilize the neighborhood and act as encouragement for others to get involved. We have also been invited to be members of the Downtown Binghamton Business Association. Our unique standing as both a human services agency and a business operation affords us the opportunity to get involved in various ways. Our new location will enable us to increase employment by expanding our manufacturing operation, thereby infusing more dollars into the local economy. Attracting small businesses to the downtown area is crucial to the overall revitalization. We are honored to be a part of our community’s development and appreciate the opportunity to share resources and ideas. None of this would be possible without the continuous and generous support you provide for us. Thank you! End of article. Our Sign Goes Up! Recently, several of our employees removed one of our signs from our Washington Street location, and installed it on the front of our new building at 174 Court Street. It was another exciting day, as we continue to prepare for our move. (Photo of employees putting the sign up at the new location.) End of article. Got Low Vision? We Can Help! A.V.R.E. has been providing Vision Rehabilitation services to people who are visually impaired or blind for many years. But one of our restrictions has been that we could only provide services to someone who had been declared “legally blind” by an optometrist or ophthalmologist. Legal blindness is a level of visual impairment that has been defined by law to determine eligibility for benefits. It refers to central visual acuity of 20-200 or less in the better eye with the best possible correction, as measured on a Snellen vision chart, or a visual field of 20 degrees or less. We have good news! Thanks to a grant award from the Reader’s Digest Partners for Sight Foundation (see the article about this grant in the Spring 2006 InSight), we are now able to provide services to people who are age 55 or over and have a visual acuity of 20-50 in the better eye with the best possible correction. These are people who have not been declared legally blind, yet can now receive A.V.R.E. Vision Rehabilitation Services. This is wonderful news for the thousands of people in our service area who have low vision! Here is an example: Ms. G. is an 81-year old woman who lives on her own in Otsego County. Her vision loss started about 5 years ago with macular degeneration in both eyes. Her vision has continued to worsen, but she has not yet been declared legally blind. Under our Community Senior Vision Rehabilitation (CSVR) Program, funded by the Partners For Sight grant, Ms. G. came to A.V.R.E. for assistance. As part of her Low Vision Rehabilitation, she received a low vision exam, a stand magnifier, and an illuminated pocket magnifier. She was also provided with instruction in sighted-guide and self-protective techniques, the use of texture paint and raised bump stickers for marking her microwave and oven dial, and the use of a string signature guide and a check writing guide. As a result of our Low Vision Rehabilitation services, Ms. G. feels more confident with her daily tasks and has the tools and techniques to maintain her independence. Ms. G.’s story is a perfect example of the impact this new Reader’s Digest program will have in our community. But we really need to get the word out there. You can help! If you have a family member, friend, or neighbor who is over 55 and is experiencing vision loss, tell them about A.V.R.E. Have them give us a call at 607-724-2428 to find out if they are eligible for this program. It’s worth a shot! End of article. Our 2006 Scholarship Winners. Each year, A.V.R.E. awards one or more scholarships to deserving post-high school students who are blind or visually impaired. The Charles V. Costello Memorial Scholarship for 2006 has been awarded to two such students. Krystal Baker is a post-graduate student at Syracuse University and is working toward her master’s degree in Social Work. She earned the Bachelor of Sociology degree from SUNY Cortland. Krystal, who has a vision impairment, has a heart for people in lower income levels or who have been in trouble with the law. She feels that her goal to become a clinical social worker or a counselor for minorities will enable her to help them, and will allow her to use the vision she has in a very positive way. Adam Drake is studying for a Bachelor of Science degree, with a focus on Accounting and Hotel Management, at Rochester Institute of Technology. Adam, who is vision and hearing impaired, received an Associate Science in Business degree from the National Technical Institute of the Deaf in May of 2005. Realizing that changing with a changing world is important to success, Adam has added his interest in hotel management to create more career options. When his education is complete, Adam hopes to work in the accounting department of a hotel or corporation. We wish both of these deserving students much success as they work to fulfill their career dreams. If you are, or know of, a visually impaired student who would be interested in applying for our scholarship, call us at 607-724-2428 for more information. Or, you may visit our website, www.avreus.org, and download a scholarship brochure. End of article. Congratulations Are In Order. Ms. Diane McMillan, our Infant’s and Children’s Program Manager, recently completed the requirements to become A.V.R.E.’s very first Certified Low Vision Therapist. Diane is also a Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapist, which also makes her our first dual-certified therapist. We are pleased for Diane and are very proud of her accomplishment. Terry Kozak is a visually impaired employee in our Industries Manufacturing division. He has been a Machine Operator for several years, running a machine that produces manila file folders. We are pleased to announce that Terry has been promoted to the position of Production Supervisor. In his new position, Terry will be responsible for the direct supervision of all A.V.R.E. manufacturing employees. He will train new employees and help existing employees enhance their skills on various tasks, at times working side-by-side with them. Additionally, Terry will be responsible for quality control and production scheduling to make certain orders are filled on time. Congratulations to both of these fine employees on their successes! End of article. InSight is published quarterly by the Association for Vision Rehabilitation and Employment, Inc. (Formerly Blind Work Association) 55 Washington St., Binghamton, NY 13901. 607-724-2428 FAX: 607-771-8045 Email: avreinfo@avreus.org www.avreus.org. Editor: Joyce Bucci A.V.R.E. is a local, private, non-profit organization with a volunteer board of directors. We serve visually impaired ndividuals of all ages who live in the New York counties of Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Otsego, Tioga, Tompkins and Schuyler, as well as the Pennsylvania counties of Bradford, Susquehanna and Tioga. A.V.R.E. is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer. If you would like more information about A.V.R.E. or its services, please feel free to contact us. “Our vision is to be the first in choice and quality with respect to vision rehabilitation and employment services in the Twin Tiers, and to be a model for the broader community in understanding vision disability.” End of newsletter. |
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