A 70-year-old wife, mother and grandmother developed macular degeneration. She became frightened about this loss and what it would mean to her life.
How would she manage without driving?
How would she continue to serve as treasurer for her church?
How would she be able to prepare her family's favorite recipes?
A friend referred her to a Project Insight volunteer. Together they began to explore ways to meet these challenges. The volunteer referred her to an agency that serves people with vision impairments in her community for ongoing help.
A 62-year-old man who was a retired editor of a small magazine had struggled with low vision that resulted from a rare hereditary condition.
He asked a Project Insight volunteer where he might find a Walter's telescope. He was referred to a low vision clinic in his city where he could try out not only the telescope he knew about but many others as well. He used his visit there to begin to learn about assistive technology and training that would help him use his newly acquired computer.
A single mom with hereditary optic nerve atrophy wanted to return to school to improve her chances for a good job. She had been thinking of a career as a physical therapist. Her aunt, who also had low vision, had been discouraging her from this career because of the records she would have to keep.
CCLVI's Project Insight volunteer referred her to the American Foundation for the Blind and its Careers and Technology Information Bank. She was able to contact a gentleman with low vision who has been working for many years as a physical therapist. This gave her more hope for realizing her career goals.
A long distance truck driver in his 40's developed macular degeneration. He was looking for a cure or a study he could take part in because he couldn't imagine how he could live without the satisfaction he gets from driving around our country at his job. The Project Insight volunteer referred him to the Foundation Fighting Blindness.
These are some examples of what CCLVI's Project Insight offers people who experience vision loss.
CCLVI adapted Project Insight from a successful model of our state affiliate in Florida and as a tribute to our past president from the state of Florida, Terri Blessing.
We announced Project Insight in our quarterly publication, VISION ACCESS. We asked that members throughout our country become telephone volunteers for this project. Many of our members have faced the challenges presented by vision loss. In their journeys they themselves have been helped by their personal contact with people who have offered them information, encouragement, and support. Many of our members welcomed this opportunity to offer the same important help to others, a positive attitude toward loss of sight.
Our volunteers are knowledgeable about services in their communities. These services include low vision clinics, support groups, vocational services, orientation and mobility training, life skills training, low vision aids, and catalogs.
There is a need for Project Insight and for people to know about this service. A recent study in the state of Michigan showed that on average, seven years elapse from the time of diagnosis of vision impairment until a referral is made for vision rehabilitation services. Seven years is much too long for anyone to live with the feelings of anxiety, anger, and sadness that typically accompany vision loss. Information, support, and encouragement are the best remedies for these real but difficult feelings.
We provide our volunteers with a brief manual that reviews active listening skills, procedures for accessing callers, and for reporting phone contacts. We have a consultant available to telephone volunteers who may have questions about their work.
CCLVI is proud to offer this service, and we are eager to spread the word about this outreach.
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