Dealing With Vision Loss Excerpt

FOREWORD

Why am I writing this book? First off, I have been told by a number of individuals that there is a book in me. I am as of this writing, 54 years old and endeavoring to start a new career. I have worked at several jobs in my life including: tele-marketing, factory work, functioned as a library aide, taught at rehabilitation agencies both state and private, and as well, been on the cutting edge of the development of talking software for use by blind and visually impaired individuals. In fact, when I think about it, I have worked in most areas of the field of blindness. Having worked with both adults and children who were blind or visually impaired as well as my own life experience uniquely qualifies me to speak to you about blindness, its causes, the effects, both psychological and physical, how to deal with it and the resources that are available throughout the United States and beyond.

Some say I’m lucky because I was born blind, and in fact, they are right. From my experience, I have found that it is much less difficult for me to do things, or to learn how to do things, not having been able to see rather than for an individual who has been able to see. Try looking at it this way; an individual who has been able to make use of their vision up until now has been able to look at that hamburger in the skillet to see how done it actually is, or that shirt to see if it matches the rest of what they are wearing. If they lose their ability to see colors they will need to find some other way to identify colors or determine doneness of food. That’s where I would come in. As a Rehabilitation Teacher it was my job to teach people how to do things not using their vision in order to gain information while performing the same tasks. But that’s not all. It’s not just my experience as a Rehabilitation Teacher which has led me to write this book. Over and over again I have heard from individuals that they had a hard time finding resources for their friend or relative, which would empower them to function as they did before they lost most if not all of their vision.

Everybody and their brother has ideas of what one needs to do in order to adjust to vision loss, where to find the necessary information they need, but I have yet to see a book available anywhere which spells out most of the places where one can go in order to find information about resources or how to deal with vision loss from several different perspectives. This book offers information from three very distinct and different fronts. It provides information for the individual going through the adjustment to having lost most if not all of their vision. It provides information and advice for parents of blind children and also provides a positive presentation for family members of individuals who are experiencing vision loss. I have seen books which attempt to provide information for one of these groups, but not a resource for everyone affected by vision loss. I feel that this book does that and I hope by the time you finish reading it you will too.