DBS Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist–at Work in Pasco, Hernando & Citrus

May 21, 2013 by Patricia Porter Leave a comment

DBS Counselor Provides Encouragement to Others

Re-posted with permission, courtesy of The Ledger.com
By GARY WHITE | The Ledger (Lakeland, Fla.)
Published online: May 20, 2013
Retrieved May 20, 2013 from:
http://www.theledger.com/article/20130518/NEWS/130519419

LAKELAND | Darlene Acree had never really considered what it’s like to be blind before her life changed at age 17.

Acree was riding in a car driven by her boyfriend when he apparently fell asleep traveling at 90 mph. The vehicle hit a tree, and Acree’s face slammed into the glove compartment.

She went from having 20-20 vision to being completely sightless.

“I had never met a person who was visually impaired or blind,” said Acree, a Lake Wales native now living in Lakeland. “I thought people like that are just born that way. I was very ignorant until it happened to me.”

Acree, 40, now devotes her professional life to helping others with visual impairments. She works as a senior rehabilitation specialist for the Florida Division of Blind Services‘ Lakeland office.

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Filed under Info about Blindness, Lighthouse, Success Stories Tagged with DBS vocational rehabilitation counselor, employment for visually impaired and blind, job training for vision impaired, vocational rehabilitation

Spring/Summer Independent Living Classes Start Soon

May 6, 2013 by Patricia Porter Leave a comment

Independent Living Classes To Start June 1st

Donna teaches a client to make grill cheese safely

In the Independent Living Skills Program, clients learn how to function independently and safely.

Learning to live and function with diminished vision or a lack of functional vision can be a frightening and challenging experience. Vision loss can result in emotional and physical isolation and injury, and for those of working age, it can lead to unemployment. Adults who experience vision loss often become isolated as a result of the inability to drive, read, or use the telephone adequately. In addition, they often experience health issues or unsafe situations due to difficulties shopping, preparing meals, managing medication, and many are prone to falling.

To address these issues, the Lighthouse for the Visually Impaired and Blind offers Independent Living Skills Classes for low vision or blind individuals who live in Pasco, Hernando and Citrus Counties. The next 12 session classes start on June 1st.

These classes, which are held twice a week at the Lighthouse in Port Richey and the Lighthouse in Brooksville, teach individuals with vision loss to effectively utilize any remaining vision and how to use their other senses. The training includes medication management, meal preparation, writing checks, and the use of assistive technology, computers, Braille, and the white cane. The classes are free and transportation is provided.

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Filed under Info about Blindness, Lighthouse, Success Stories Tagged with blind, Blindness and Visual Impairment, Disability, independent living training, vision rehabilitation

Lighthouse Celebrates 30 Years of Service

March 6, 2013 by Patricia Porter Leave a comment

30 Years Serving People With Vision Loss

30th Anniversary Logo designed by
Lighthouse Volunteer Stephen Mortimer
http://www.smortimerphoto.co.uk/Design

Submitted by Lighthouse Volunteer,
Caryl Melancon

Back in 1983, there were no rehabilitation programs for the visually impaired and blind in Pasco County. Therefore, the Florida Division of Blind Services held a town hall meeting at the West Campus of the Pasco Hernando Community College to determine if there was a need for local services. Over 150 people attended and voiced strong support for the establishment of a center. In May of the same year, the First Methodist Church of New Port Richey donated a house and the B.L.I.N.D Club of New Port Richey donated $500. The Suncoast Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired was born and, in October, 1983, began helping the visually impaired and blind members of the community to acquire the skills needed for maximum independence.

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Filed under Events, Fundraising, Info about Blindness, Lighthouse, Success Stories Tagged with anniversary, assist, blind, Blindness and Visual Impairment, donations, Vision loss, Visual impairment

Good News – No Cap on Charitable Donations

January 9, 2013 by Patricia Porter Leave a comment

Sylvia giving a tour of the classroom to 4 Lighthouse visitors

Blindness does not always mean completely blind. The Lighthouse helps those who are ‘low vision’ to develop their remaining vision, in addition to other senses, in order to live independently.

Good News for Donors and Nonprofit Agencies
Submitted by Lighthouse Volunteer,
Caryl Melancon

According to the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, which was signed onto law by President Obama on January 2^nd, there will be no cap on charitable donations. They will continue to be coupled with an individual or household’s tax rate. Additionally, the IRA charitable rollover has been extended to December 31, 2013.That means that someone age 70 ½ or older can make a tax free contribution from an IRA of up to $100,000 per taxpayer, per year.

That’s good news for charities and for those interested in donating to non-profit organizations. But who are the people that give and why do they give? Studies show that individual perceptions are at the heart of giving, and despite what you may think, most donations to charities come from middle class Americans not the rich. Why do these people give? According to research, some of the reasons that people give to charitable causes include: Read more of this post

Filed under Fundraising, Info about Blindness Tagged with blind, blind babies, blind children, donations, tax law

Vision Impairment Increasing in the United States

January 2, 2013 by Patricia Porter Leave a comment

Incidence of Macular Degeneration, Cataracts, Glaucoma & Diabetic Retinopathy on the Rise

Submitted by Lighthouse Volunteer,
Caryl Melancon

According to a number of recent studies, nonrefractive visual impairment (visual impairment that cannot be corrected with eye glasses) is on the rise in the United States. The most common causes of nonrefractive vision impairment are macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. Increasing nonrefractive vision impairment raises concerns about the availability of resources and medical services to address the growing need. More individuals will require ophthalmic care which could have grave consequences for the limited resources and funding currently available.

The 21% increase in impaired vision has been linked to the rising rate of diabetes. Individuals who have had diabetes for ten years or more are at the greatest risk. They are 40% more likely to have glaucoma and 60% more likely to develop cataracts. However, the most common threat for diabetics is diabetic retinopathy, a common complication of diabetes and the leading cause of blindness in adults from 20 to 74 years old. Diabetic retinopathy causes progressive damage to the retina, the lining at the back of the eye. If left untreated, it can cause blindness. Read more of this post

Filed under Info about Blindness Tagged with blind, Blindness and Visual Impairment, Diabetic retinopathy, Low vision

PRESS RELEASE: 2013 LARGE PRINT CALENDARS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE

December 19, 2012 by Patricia Porter Leave a comment

PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Lighthouse – Darlene Jones, Receptionist/Administrative Assistive – 727-815-0303

Large Print Calendars Available for Purchase

Now is the time to think about getting a calendar for the upcoming year. But for the visually impaired that’s not so easy – they need a large print calendar which can be difficult to find. Because Lighthouse for the Visually Impaired and Blind knows that visually impaired individuals often have difficulty in finding things that they need, they operate two stores, one in Pasco and the other in Hernando, that offer large print calendars as well as other adaptive items needed by the visually impaired.

The large print calendar is now available in both stories for a price of $10 a portion of which will be used to help fund the many programs offered free of charge to the blind and visually impaired by the Lighthouse. The Pasco store is located in Port Richey at 8610 Galen Wilson Blvd., the Hernando store is at 6492 California St. in Brooksville.

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Filed under Info about Blindness, Lighthouse, Technology Tagged with Blindness, Blindness and Visual Impairment, calendars, donations, large print, Vision loss, Visual impairment

Petition for Essential Services for Children with Vision Loss

August 21, 2012 by Patricia Porter Leave a comment

A Message from the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), has transformed educational opportunity for children and youth with disabilities, but the needs of children with vision loss have not been adequately addressed. Unfortunately, IDEA does not ensure the provision of vital services and instruction such as braille, orientation and mobility, access to technology and low vision devices, and a host of other essential services and instruction.

AFB is leading an effort to address this challenge by creating draft legislation, the Anne Sullivan Macy Act, which would set forth the range of educational services needed by students with vision loss to ensure that they receive a free and appropriate public education. This comprehensive draft legislation has been endorsed by leading national organizations in the blindness field.

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Filed under Info about Blindness Tagged with Accessibility, blind, blind children, Blindness and Visual Impairment

ALERT!–Coming Soon to a TV Near You!

July 2, 2012 by Patricia Porter Leave a comment

July 1st Starts New Era in Described Programming:
See If Your Favorite Shows are on the List!

Beginning Sunday, July 1, the landmark provisions of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA) requiring the nation’s leading networks to provide a combined total of at least 450 hours of described video programming per calendar quarter will come to life. Consumers are encouraged to begin asking their local broadcast stations and cable providers about accessing the described programming to be provided. In addition, given that information about which programs are to be described and the means for accessing description can sometimes be difficult to obtain, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has recently launched a web resource to help consumers navigate program choices, the technical means for accessing description via digital TV and/or cable set top box, and the FCC’s complaint process for consumers to use to resolve network, station, or cable provider failure to put described programming in consumers’ hands.

Visit FCC’s for more information.

Congratulations to the many advocates and organizations who have labored so long for this historic expansion of TV programming accessibility. Our community’s achievement in this area is an integral part of our ongoing effort to ensure that people with vision loss of all ages can enjoy full participation in American life.

For further information, contact:

Mark Richert, Esq.
Director, Public Policy, AFB
(202) 469-6833
MRichert@afb.net

Filed under Info about Blindness, Success Stories, Technology Tagged with Accessibility, Assistive technology, blind, Literacy, Low vision, Visual impairment

Please join us for a Vision Awareness Day in Pasco County

May 31, 2012 by Patricia Porter Leave a comment

Freedom Scientific Vision Awareness Day

When?

Tuesday, June 19, 2012
9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Where?

Lighthouse for the Visually Impaired and Blind, Inc.
8610 Galen Wilson Blvd.
Port Richey, FL 34668

Topics

Low Vision Awareness

Come learn more about low vision, vision rehabilitation, and tools for activities of daily living. Discover the benefits of video magnifiers, computer screen magnification software, technology that reads books, bills, and mail aloud – and more!

Blindness Awareness

Learn about technology solutions for the blind: JAWS® screen reading software, the PAC Mate accessible Pocket PC, braille displays, scanning and reading – and more!

April Awareness Bulletin

April 18, 2012 by Patricia Porter Leave a comment

Women’s Eye Health & Sports Eye Safety Month

Submitted by Lighthouse Volunteer,
Caryl Melancon

April has been designated as the month to raise awareness of two important eye safety issues, Women’s Eye Health and Sports Eye Safety.

Did you know that women have a greater risk of vision problems than men? According to studies by Prevent Blindness America and the National Eye Institute, more women than men are diagnosed with eye diseases such as glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy every year. Contributing factors are hormonal fluctuations which cause dry eye syndrome and the fact that women generally tend to live longer than men. Two thirds of the visually impaired and blind individuals in America are women.

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