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- Confidence: The main ingredient
- Hidden Resources: Find used low-vision equipment through statewide database
- Tips for buying a used or new CCTV
- Adaptive Sports Iowa: Local sports enthusiast starts business to bring sports to the disabled
The Main Ingredient
IDB programs build confidence first as skills are taught
Fifty-one years ago, a philosophy that it is OK to be blind was bound into the functions of the Iowa Department for the Blind (then the Commission for the Blind). That idea—that blindness does not have to limit a person’s capability in our society—has shaped the way every program and every client is treated each day. We know through practice that if given the proper training and tools, a person with significant vision loss can be as productive and successful and happy as any sighted person.
In the Adult Orientation and Adjustment Center, our teachers are trained to allow a student to learn non-visual skills through a trial-and-error method called “structured discovery.” The students who have some vision wear sleep shades to help them focus on learning these new skills, such as cane travel, Braille, using a computer and home economics. This way, a student’s mind adjusts to utilize other senses that help them navigate a trip to the grocery store or send an email.
“There have been many students over the past 50 years who have come to the Orientation Center at a point in their lives when they felt they had no other options,” said Sandy Tigges, program administrator of the Center and a former Center student. “They must confront their vision loss, learn the skills necessary to go on with their lives and, most important, build their confidence to go out into the world as a blind person.”
On average, students stay six to eight months in the Center. When they graduate they feel empowered and ready to get back to work, to their families and friends, and back to their lives as a whole.
While they are in the Orientation Center, they are working with a vocational rehabilitation counselor to set career goals. This way, when they leave the Center, they will have a plan in place and be ready to tackle the next phase of training or the job market itself.
The VR counselors work with clients throughout the state as well, helping them to keep the jobs they have or, when that doesn’t work, train for and find new jobs. Counselors also work with employers to develop jobs suitable for certain clients.
In one case, IDB Employment Specialist Brenda Criswell worked with a woman in the Quad Cities who loved animals and wanted to work in the veterinary industry. Her passion for animals was clear, and Criswell was able to help her get a job working for a busy veterinary practice in the heart of Davenport. “Joseli’s confidence has increased tenfold in working with Dr. Seng,” said Criswell. “He has raised the bar for her by giving her more responsibilities regarding the provision of quality care for the animals. His belief in her and her drive for success is a winning combination!”
When a person with vision loss comes to the Department for assistance but does not want to seek employment, they are referred to the Independent Living program. Independent Living teachers visit Iowans in their homes and teach a variety of skills that enhance independence. The clients receive training in mobility using the long white cane, so they can safely and efficiently move around their homes and neighborhoods. “Being able to go where you want when you want is a great achievement and significantly increases a person’s confidence and independence,” said Becky Criswell, IL program administrator.
Teachers also teach simple modifications in the kitchen so a client can do as much cooking as he or she wishes. Some clients also want to learn Braille to be able to read, take notes, label items around the house and keep track of messages and appointments. Others want to learn non-visual computer skills or how to continue their crafts despite their vision loss.
“Many times, when a person comes to us, they have given up all hope of living independently, and sometimes they have already moved into assisted living,” Criswell said. “But we help them understand that they can still do most of the things they want to do and can still live on their own.”
“The Department’s mission and philosophy have not wavered in more than 50 years,” said IDB Director Karen Keninger. “It continues to be our staff’s no. 1 focus to help blind and visually impaired Iowans—no matter what stage of vision loss and no matter the circumstance—get beyond their sight impediments and get back to work, back to their families, back to their lives. We believe that with the training and other successful activities we provide, a person can gain the confidence to do the things they want to do.”
Hidden Resources: Find used low-vision equipment through statewide database
By Mike Lightfoot
University of Iowa Center for Disabilities and Development
Sometimes financing assistance to purchase assistive technology devices can come from unexpected sources. For example, if you’ve determined that a closed circuit television (CCTV) is what you need to support your reading interests, you may not have thought about acquiring a used one. At a price substantially less than the full retail cost of a new unit, a neighbor down the street or possibly a stranger across the way may just have one they no longer need and would be more than glad to see it put to better use than serving as a bulky paperweight in a spare bedroom.
But how do you find out about that “hidden resource?” That’s where Iowa Compass’ Used Equipment Referral Service can help.
Since 2004, this program has allowed individuals to buy, sell, swap or give away AT equipment through a statewide used equipment database. Through the free Used Equipment Referral Service, or UERS, individuals can list their devices for 60 days or longer and get statewide exposure by calling Iowa Compass’ toll-free number (800-779-2001) or by connecting with the UERS website at www.iowacompass.org and clicking on the “Used Equipment” link.
If you’re someone looking for a used AT device, UERS can be contacted using the same method as the lister using the toll-free line or the accessible website. As you contact Iowa Compass in search of a device, staff will provide you with information on all listings appropriate for your needs. You can then decide which listing to pursue, and go on to organize the sale, trade or donation with the person listing the device. Iowa Compass does not get directly involved in the negotiations between seller and buyer.
The Used Equipment Referral Service of Iowa Compass has significantly increased the number of individuals with disabilities who have acquired AT devices.
If you have equipment to list, or are looking for used equipment check out www.iowacompass.org to participate in what may have been a “hidden resource”for assistive technology.
Tips for buying CCTVs (new and used)
• A larger monitor allows for greater magnification.
• A color CCTV will be more expensive, but isn’t necessarily better. Many people see better with just a black and white contrast.
• Used equipment often runs about half the cost of new, depending upon the age of the machine.
• On any used equipment, try to get a year when the product was made (often it’s on a label on the back of the machine), and get a manual if possible.
• If buying from a vendor, check out the duration of the warranty and what it covers (new and used equipment).
• If buying from a vendor, ask how repairs are handled. Some companies have representatives in the field that will come to your home. Others require you to ship the product (inconvenient and expensive).
Sports enthusiast brings adaptive activities to disabled
By Tai Blas
Transition Counselor
Twenty-eight-year-old Mike Boone has loved sports his entire life. As a child, the Ankeny resident did not watch much TV, preferring the active outdoor lifestyle of his Colorado home. His father became blind as a result of Type I Diabetes when Boone was two years old, and Boone holds fond memories of the many things his father accomplished despite his vision loss.
“One of my earliest memories of my dad is kicking a beeping soccer ball around with him in our back yard” says Mike. “After he lost his sight he worked extremely hard to learn new skills so he could continue to provide for our family. He didn’t let his disability affect his role as Father.”
His father passed away in 1991, and since then, Boone has been committed to promoting sports and recreation among the physically disabled. Last year he launched a new venture, Adaptive Sports Iowa (ASI), focused on teaching physically disabled Iowans various sports and activities, such as rowing, running and beep ball—an adaptation of baseball.
Boone uses his extensive athletic experiences as the foundation of his business. While pursuing his Sports Administration degree at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo., he had an opportunity to combine his passions of sports and serving the disabled, including working as a ski instructor for an adaptive sport program.
“The experience I had working for the ski program truly impacted me. As a result of that experience I understood the positive outcomes that sports and recreation opportunities can provide to the physically disabled population.”
During his studies for a master’s degree in public administration at Drake University in Des Moines, Boone worked as a graduate assistant managing the university’s sports and recreation facilities. Later, he worked as sports coordinator for a parks and recreation department in central Iowa.
When Boone decided to pursue ASI, he received support from various community leaders and the Iowa Sports Foundation and held its first event March 8 in Ames to discuss bringing sports to a population that has largely been ignored by the sporting community.
The Adaptive Sports Iowa Summit, as it was called, attracted nearly 80 individuals, organizations and groups from all over Iowa with a vested interest in seeing adaptive sports opportunities grow in Iowa.
“When we started planning the ASI Summit we were hoping for 30 people to attend. To have almost 80 in attendance was humbling to say the least,” Boone said. “It’s my belief that the program’s popularity represents Iowa’s desire and need for a program like ASI. No one can argue that the need exists.”
Since the Summit, ASI has developed a guide-running clinic to train blind runners and potential running guides, a beep baseball clinic to introduce blind individuals to beep baseball (and possibly form an Iowa team), an adaptive RAGBRAI team with team training events and Operation ASI—an adaptive sports initiative targeting veterans that will kick off in mid-July. Operation ASI will offer continuous programming opportunities in boccia, cycling, golf and target shooting.
ASI is also planning various adaptive sports expos to provide demonstrations of adaptive sport equipment for interested individuals.
For more information on Adaptive Sports Iowa, visit its website at www.adaptivesportsiowa.org or call (888) 777-8881 ext: 115
