History
The Michigan Foundation for the Blind and Visually Impaired was started in 1984 by Donald Blasch, an internationally known leader in the development of services for the blind and the first Director of what is now the Department of Blindness and Low Vision Studies at Western Michigan University.
Mission Statement
Our purpose is to maximize independence through the use of accepted professional practices to empower individuals who are visually impaired, primarily in the Kalamazoo area, to achieve their desired level of independence through the provision of habilitation and rehabilitation services.
Methodology
The Michigan Foundation for the Blind and Visually Impaired serves anyone who has a visual impairment that prevents that person from functioning normally in day-to-day activities. We provide opportunities to individuals irrespective of race, creed, sex, religion or economic status.
Rehabilitation Services
Adjustment training helps participants learn skills and acquire knowledge to enable them to live independently, safely, and confidently. Each person has the opportunity to learn basic kitchen and cooking skills, keyboarding, Braille, money handling, writing guides, orientation and mobility, and other daily living skills.
Monday, March 31, 2008
PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT
Everyone responds differently. The aging person may have the problem compounded by physical as well as other losses he/she may be experiencing. He/she may feel useless, anxious, fearful, helpless, and angry as a reaction to the visual loss. The person experiencing a sudden vision loss may be in a state of shock and unable to respond or function in his/her usual manner. He/she may be depressed. Depression is a normal and necessary part of adjustment to a visual loss. Support and encouragement are important for this person.
Different reactions to blindness may be:
• Denial. This person will not try to compensate for the loss by developing the remaining senses. It is preferable to avoid confronting this person. Caretakers should continue to give this person encouragement and in tactful ways show him/her ways to make tasks easier without letting him/her know that they are specifically techniques for blind individuals.
• Anger and Resentment. This person may complain about the food or caretakers. They may be helped by a concentration on what they have retained rather than what they have lost.
• Relief. This person may feel that now it is his/her turn to be taken care of. He/she may seem excessively dependent. One way of involving this type of individual is to encourage the person in a favorite activity that he/she has done well in the past.
Visually impaired persons usually go through a period of depression and reaction to the loss. Each individual responds in his/her own ways. A goal is to enable the individual to adjust to the loss as a reality and to be able to recognize his/her remaining interests and capabilities. Adjustment to blindness can be achieved as fears diminish through retraining and redeveloping the person’s remaining potentials.
Reference: “Caring for the Visually Impaired Older Person,” Minneapolis Society for the Blind, Inc., 1976.
Different reactions to blindness may be:
• Denial. This person will not try to compensate for the loss by developing the remaining senses. It is preferable to avoid confronting this person. Caretakers should continue to give this person encouragement and in tactful ways show him/her ways to make tasks easier without letting him/her know that they are specifically techniques for blind individuals.
• Anger and Resentment. This person may complain about the food or caretakers. They may be helped by a concentration on what they have retained rather than what they have lost.
• Relief. This person may feel that now it is his/her turn to be taken care of. He/she may seem excessively dependent. One way of involving this type of individual is to encourage the person in a favorite activity that he/she has done well in the past.
Visually impaired persons usually go through a period of depression and reaction to the loss. Each individual responds in his/her own ways. A goal is to enable the individual to adjust to the loss as a reality and to be able to recognize his/her remaining interests and capabilities. Adjustment to blindness can be achieved as fears diminish through retraining and redeveloping the person’s remaining potentials.
Reference: “Caring for the Visually Impaired Older Person,” Minneapolis Society for the Blind, Inc., 1976.
TIPS FOR WORKING IN THE KITCHEN
• Eliminate anything that sticks out or that you could slip on, i.e. cabinet doors, small rugs.
• Keep a flat-edged rubber mat on the floor by your sink to help prevent skidding if water should splash on the floor.
• Plan a specific place for everything, storing tools used at the same time in one place.
• Use drawer dividers.
• Use a safe holder for knives that covers the blades.
• Use a tray when cooking to keep all items in one place and to prevent them from falling on the floor.
• Pull-out shelves and drawers reduce hazards of reaching back into cupboards.
• Electric stoves are preferable to gas. But if you have a gas stove and it needs to be lighted, use long matches to keep your hands away from the flames.
• Use a timer.
• Cookbooks are available in Braille and large print.
• Use graduated measuring cups and spoons. Handles can be bent for dipping things that you need to measure.
• Keep vanilla and other extracts that you use in small amounts in the refrigerator. It is easier to feel them when they are cold.
• When, cutting, place item to be cut on a board, don’t hold it in your hand. A board with two stainless steel nails sticking up out of it is a good way to anchor the item to be cut.
• Adjustable knives are available for slicing bread or meat. (Magna Wonder Knife)
• Stoves, microwaves and toaster ovens can be marked with raised dots, textured tape or brightly colored tape on the temperature controls.
• If you have a hood over your range, rim it with brightly colored tape to avoid accidentally hitting it.
• Sitting while you work reduces fatigue in your legs and back and lessens stress on your joints. A high chair will keep you at counter level.
• Be sure to wear appropriate clothing when working in the kitchen. Long, loose sleeves are dangerous if they brush across a hot stove.
• Never leave sharp or hot things lying on the counter or in the sink.
• Always carry knives and other sharp or pointed items by the handle, by your side, with the point down.
• Always clean up spilled things right away to avoid accidents.
• Center the pan on the burner before turning the stove on and turn the handle to the left or right, away from the other burners and away from the front of the stove.
• Always make a place for the pan before taking it off the stove or out of the oven.
• Turn off the burner before taking if off the stove.
• Always use potholders.
• Never leave a fork or spoon in a pot or pan.
• Pouring liquids:
• Use a liquid level indicator.
• Place a small ping pong ball, cork or bobber in the cup and stop pouring when it comes to the top.
• Hook your finger over the lip of the cup and stop pouring when the liquid reaches your finger. This method is not recommended if the liquid is hot or if you have reduced sensitivity in your fingers.
• While holding the cup or glass, feel the temperature change as the liquid fills the container. Stop when it reaches the desired level. Again, not recommended for those with reduced sensitivity in their hands. It is a good idea to practice over a sink with cold water.
• You may also be able to judge the amount of liquid in a cup or glass by weight, or by listening as you pour. Again, this may take some practice over the sink.
•When pouring something into a saucepan or larger container, place a long wooden spoon (or chopstick) in the middle of the pan. Bring the edge of whatever you are pouring up until it touches the spoon, then pour.
• When measuring oil, pour it into a larger container and dip out the tablespoon or teaspoon that you need. Pour remaining oil back into bottle using a funnel.
• When pouring, if you can find a measuring cup with raised lines at the quarters and thirds, you can measure the amount you need by placing one finger inside and another outside with your fingertip just where you want the liquid to come.
• Keep a flat-edged rubber mat on the floor by your sink to help prevent skidding if water should splash on the floor.
• Plan a specific place for everything, storing tools used at the same time in one place.
• Use drawer dividers.
• Use a safe holder for knives that covers the blades.
• Use a tray when cooking to keep all items in one place and to prevent them from falling on the floor.
• Pull-out shelves and drawers reduce hazards of reaching back into cupboards.
• Electric stoves are preferable to gas. But if you have a gas stove and it needs to be lighted, use long matches to keep your hands away from the flames.
• Use a timer.
• Cookbooks are available in Braille and large print.
• Use graduated measuring cups and spoons. Handles can be bent for dipping things that you need to measure.
• Keep vanilla and other extracts that you use in small amounts in the refrigerator. It is easier to feel them when they are cold.
• When, cutting, place item to be cut on a board, don’t hold it in your hand. A board with two stainless steel nails sticking up out of it is a good way to anchor the item to be cut.
• Adjustable knives are available for slicing bread or meat. (Magna Wonder Knife)
• Stoves, microwaves and toaster ovens can be marked with raised dots, textured tape or brightly colored tape on the temperature controls.
• If you have a hood over your range, rim it with brightly colored tape to avoid accidentally hitting it.
• Sitting while you work reduces fatigue in your legs and back and lessens stress on your joints. A high chair will keep you at counter level.
• Be sure to wear appropriate clothing when working in the kitchen. Long, loose sleeves are dangerous if they brush across a hot stove.
• Never leave sharp or hot things lying on the counter or in the sink.
• Always carry knives and other sharp or pointed items by the handle, by your side, with the point down.
• Always clean up spilled things right away to avoid accidents.
• Center the pan on the burner before turning the stove on and turn the handle to the left or right, away from the other burners and away from the front of the stove.
• Always make a place for the pan before taking it off the stove or out of the oven.
• Turn off the burner before taking if off the stove.
• Always use potholders.
• Never leave a fork or spoon in a pot or pan.
• Pouring liquids:
• Use a liquid level indicator.
• Place a small ping pong ball, cork or bobber in the cup and stop pouring when it comes to the top.
• Hook your finger over the lip of the cup and stop pouring when the liquid reaches your finger. This method is not recommended if the liquid is hot or if you have reduced sensitivity in your fingers.
• While holding the cup or glass, feel the temperature change as the liquid fills the container. Stop when it reaches the desired level. Again, not recommended for those with reduced sensitivity in their hands. It is a good idea to practice over a sink with cold water.
• You may also be able to judge the amount of liquid in a cup or glass by weight, or by listening as you pour. Again, this may take some practice over the sink.
•When pouring something into a saucepan or larger container, place a long wooden spoon (or chopstick) in the middle of the pan. Bring the edge of whatever you are pouring up until it touches the spoon, then pour.
• When measuring oil, pour it into a larger container and dip out the tablespoon or teaspoon that you need. Pour remaining oil back into bottle using a funnel.
• When pouring, if you can find a measuring cup with raised lines at the quarters and thirds, you can measure the amount you need by placing one finger inside and another outside with your fingertip just where you want the liquid to come.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
GUIDELINES FOR MEETING OR WORKING WITH A BLIND OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED PERSON
• Most blind and visually impaired people have normal hearing. There is no need to shout.
Sometimes with elderly people there is a hearing problem, but don’t assume so.
• Speak directly to the blind person. There is no need for an interpreter.
• Feel free to use words like “look,” “see,” and “watch.”
• As you approach a person who is blind, identify yourself and let him/her take your arm.
• Never guide a blind person by pushing him/her in front of you or walking
backwards in front of him/her.
• When walking with a blind person, let him/her hold your arm just above the elbow. This
technique is called Sighted Guide. Relax. Walk one step in front of the person,
informing him/her of stairs, ramps, curbs, etc. When the person needs more
support, he/she might want to hold on to your forearm. A blind person who is
experienced with Sighted Guide will know to stay behind you and follow the
movements of your body.
• When seating a blind person, it is usually enough to put his/her hand on the back of the
chair and allow him/her to seat himself/herself.
• When you leave a blind person, let him/her know that you are leaving. Don’t leave
him/her there talking to himself/herself.
• When pushing a blind person in a wheelchair, always inform him/her that you are
ready to go. It can be a shock to be moved suddenly if you are not expecting it.
• When describing objects, be as specific as possible. Use the face of a clock to indicate
position. Try not to use phrases such as “over there,” “over here,” etc. Use left,
right, 12 inches high, for example.
• Allow blind people to touch objects as often as possible to get a better feel for them.
• At mealtime, use the face of the clock to tell the person the location of items on
his/her plate, i.e. “Your meat is at 6 o’clock, your peas are at 10 o’clock.”
• You can describe the place setting the same way. The water glass may be at 1 o’clock and
the napkin at 9 o’clock. Encourage the blind person to explore his/her place setting
by slowly moving his/her hand from the edge of the table toward the middle.
He/she should keep his/her fingers curled and move gently. That way, if he/she
comes into contact with something, he/she won’t hurt himself/herself and won’t
knock it over.
•Encourage the blind person to use a pusher to help guide foods onto his/her fork or
spoon. This can be a roll, a piece of bread, or a stationary item like mashed
potatoes. The person may be able to tell if food is on his/her fork by feeling the
weight.
• If necessary, it is acceptable for the blind person to lean forward slightly to meet his/her
fork or spoon.
• It is very helpful to have food cut up in the kitchen before it comes to the table. Be
certain that the meat is cut all the way through so the blind person doesn’t pick up a
string of four or five pieces still attached. This is also true for large noodles, such as
lasagna.
• In the blind person’s room, always leave things in the same position. It can be
upsetting to expect something to be in a certain place and find that it isn’t there.
And it is disconcerting to find a piece of furniture or wastebasket where you
weren’t expecting it.
• Be careful to leave doors either all the way open or completely closed. Half-open
doors have caused many a bumped head.
• If a person is partially sighted, try not to seat him/her facing a light source, such as
a window. This can make it much harder for him/her to see.
• It is important that caretakers be careful of unknowingly encouraging dependency.
Visually impaired persons must be allowed to do things for themselves whenever
possible.
• The most important thing is to remember that a visually impaired individual is a
person first. He/she is a person with a vision problem, but he/she is the same
person he/she was before.
Sometimes with elderly people there is a hearing problem, but don’t assume so.
• Speak directly to the blind person. There is no need for an interpreter.
• Feel free to use words like “look,” “see,” and “watch.”
• As you approach a person who is blind, identify yourself and let him/her take your arm.
• Never guide a blind person by pushing him/her in front of you or walking
backwards in front of him/her.
• When walking with a blind person, let him/her hold your arm just above the elbow. This
technique is called Sighted Guide. Relax. Walk one step in front of the person,
informing him/her of stairs, ramps, curbs, etc. When the person needs more
support, he/she might want to hold on to your forearm. A blind person who is
experienced with Sighted Guide will know to stay behind you and follow the
movements of your body.
• When seating a blind person, it is usually enough to put his/her hand on the back of the
chair and allow him/her to seat himself/herself.
• When you leave a blind person, let him/her know that you are leaving. Don’t leave
him/her there talking to himself/herself.
• When pushing a blind person in a wheelchair, always inform him/her that you are
ready to go. It can be a shock to be moved suddenly if you are not expecting it.
• When describing objects, be as specific as possible. Use the face of a clock to indicate
position. Try not to use phrases such as “over there,” “over here,” etc. Use left,
right, 12 inches high, for example.
• Allow blind people to touch objects as often as possible to get a better feel for them.
• At mealtime, use the face of the clock to tell the person the location of items on
his/her plate, i.e. “Your meat is at 6 o’clock, your peas are at 10 o’clock.”
• You can describe the place setting the same way. The water glass may be at 1 o’clock and
the napkin at 9 o’clock. Encourage the blind person to explore his/her place setting
by slowly moving his/her hand from the edge of the table toward the middle.
He/she should keep his/her fingers curled and move gently. That way, if he/she
comes into contact with something, he/she won’t hurt himself/herself and won’t
knock it over.
•Encourage the blind person to use a pusher to help guide foods onto his/her fork or
spoon. This can be a roll, a piece of bread, or a stationary item like mashed
potatoes. The person may be able to tell if food is on his/her fork by feeling the
weight.
• If necessary, it is acceptable for the blind person to lean forward slightly to meet his/her
fork or spoon.
• It is very helpful to have food cut up in the kitchen before it comes to the table. Be
certain that the meat is cut all the way through so the blind person doesn’t pick up a
string of four or five pieces still attached. This is also true for large noodles, such as
lasagna.
• In the blind person’s room, always leave things in the same position. It can be
upsetting to expect something to be in a certain place and find that it isn’t there.
And it is disconcerting to find a piece of furniture or wastebasket where you
weren’t expecting it.
• Be careful to leave doors either all the way open or completely closed. Half-open
doors have caused many a bumped head.
• If a person is partially sighted, try not to seat him/her facing a light source, such as
a window. This can make it much harder for him/her to see.
• It is important that caretakers be careful of unknowingly encouraging dependency.
Visually impaired persons must be allowed to do things for themselves whenever
possible.
• The most important thing is to remember that a visually impaired individual is a
person first. He/she is a person with a vision problem, but he/she is the same
person he/she was before.
Tips and Info
Guidelines for Meeting or Working with a Blind or Visually Impaired Person
Psychological Impact of Visual Impairment
Tips for a Visually Impaired Person:
Traveling within the Home
Working in the Kitchen
Labeling
Eating
Using a Sighted Guide
Psychological Impact of Visual Impairment
Tips for a Visually Impaired Person:
Traveling within the Home
Working in the Kitchen
Labeling
Eating
Using a Sighted Guide
Services
Residential Services:
The Michigan Foundation for the Blind, through the services of therapist Gail Toda, provides direct service to individuals in the greater Kalamazoo area in Michigan.
Ms. Toda serves individuals and their families who are adjusting to low vision or blindness. Basic kitchen and cooking skills, keyboarding, Braille, money handling, writing guides, orientation and mobility are among the skills taught by Ms. Toda.
For more information about direct services, call (269) 341-4198.
Support Groups:
The Michigan Foundation for the Blind helps oversee Support Groups at residential facilities in the Kalamazoo area. Locations of current Support Groups are listed below. If you would like to start a Support Group in the Kalamazoo area, please call (269) 345-1913.
Coover Center
Crosstown Parkway Apartments
Hope Woods
The Michigan Foundation for the Blind, through the services of therapist Gail Toda, provides direct service to individuals in the greater Kalamazoo area in Michigan.
Ms. Toda serves individuals and their families who are adjusting to low vision or blindness. Basic kitchen and cooking skills, keyboarding, Braille, money handling, writing guides, orientation and mobility are among the skills taught by Ms. Toda.
For more information about direct services, call (269) 341-4198.
Support Groups:
The Michigan Foundation for the Blind helps oversee Support Groups at residential facilities in the Kalamazoo area. Locations of current Support Groups are listed below. If you would like to start a Support Group in the Kalamazoo area, please call (269) 345-1913.
Coover Center
Crosstown Parkway Apartments
Hope Woods
Home Page
Welcome to MichiganVisionHelp.org, a service of the Michigan Foundation for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
Our purpose is to help maximize the independence of individuals who are blind and visually impaired. We provide personal services to individuals and families in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, USA. We also help oversee support groups at residential facilities in the Kalamazoo area.
The information on this website is intended to help people of all ages who are blind or visually impaired.
Our purpose is to help maximize the independence of individuals who are blind and visually impaired. We provide personal services to individuals and families in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, USA. We also help oversee support groups at residential facilities in the Kalamazoo area.
The information on this website is intended to help people of all ages who are blind or visually impaired.
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