0:01

Welcome to change makers, a

0:03

podcast from APH. We're

0:06

talking to people from around the world

0:08

who are creating positive change in

0:10

the lives of people who are blind or visually

0:12

impaired. Here's your host.

0:16

Welcome to change makers. I'm your host,

0:18

Sara. And we are just days away from February,

0:21

which is low vision awareness month and black

0:23

history month. So today this podcast

0:25

we'll talk about low vision resources that

0:28

help those who are experiencing vision loss

0:30

with experts will discuss the most common

0:32

eye diseases that impact older adults

0:35

and what books and online resources

0:37

are available. After that we'll celebrate

0:39

black history month. First

0:41

up let's learn about eye diseases,

0:43

what they are, how they should be treated

0:45

and what people should know about age-related

0:47

vision loss. We have Dr. Emily

0:50

Gorski, Assistant clinical professor at UC

0:52

Berkeley school of optometry here to tell us

0:54

more, Dr. Gorski , thank you so much

0:56

for joining us today on Change Makers.

0:58

Thank you so much for having me great.

1:01

So ,

1:03

Uh , a couple of different age-related vision loss,

1:05

eye diseases. Can you tell us more about

1:08

them? There's macular degeneration,

1:10

glaucoma, cataracts , diabetic

1:12

retinopathy. What

1:14

can you tell us what they are and how would one

1:17

know if they think they have them?

1:18

Yeah, absolutely. So I'll try to keep it simple.

1:21

I could talk for, you know , an hour

1:23

on each of these, but I promise I won't.

1:26

Um, so age-related macular degeneration.

1:28

Usually we abbreviate it and we just say, AMD

1:30

, um , is the

1:33

number one vision

1:36

cause of visual impairment in this country for older adults.

1:38

So it's very common. Usually

1:40

we break it down into two forms. There's

1:42

most people would call it the dry and the wet. So

1:44

a lot of times, if you ask somebody about AMD, they'll say,

1:47

Oh, I have the dry form. Oh, my doctor says

1:49

I have the wet form. Uh, most

1:51

people start off with the dry and that's basically

1:53

just damaging changes

1:55

that happen in an area of the eye called the

1:57

macula. So if we think about

1:59

the eye as like an old timey

2:01

camera, I have to say old timey now. So not a

2:03

digital camera, but like, you know, a film camera

2:06

we can think about the retina as the film

2:09

in the camera. So light comes in, it's focused

2:11

and the image gets focused onto the film or

2:13

the retina. The macula is

2:15

the central part of the retina. So it gives us our

2:17

central vision. So with

2:19

macular degeneration, that's damaged

2:22

to that area of central vision.

2:25

So in the dry form, it's usually little deposits

2:27

of waste products that build up or

2:29

atrophy or thinning of that tissue.

2:32

And if somebody converts to the wet form,

2:34

they have leaking of blood or fluid that

2:36

causes vision loss in the eye. Oh,

2:39

okay. So that's

2:41

AMD , uh,

2:44

symptoms of that, you know, with many of these diseases,

2:46

what I really want to stress is that in

2:48

early stages, you may not have any symptoms.

2:51

So it's really important to get your eyes examined

2:53

or have your loved ones, get a regular eye exam,

2:55

because you may not know that this is starting

2:58

to develop, but early symptoms

3:00

of AMD can be blurred central vision.

3:02

Things can look distorted. So something

3:04

that's like a straight line could look kind of wavy

3:07

in one eye , uh , loss of color

3:09

vision, or in more extreme cases,

3:11

people can start to develop blind spots. So

3:13

kind of dark areas of their central vision.

3:17

Oh yeah. So,

3:19

Oh, go ahead. No, I was going to ask, so

3:21

what about glaucoma and cataract

3:23

?

3:24

Yeah . So glaucoma is

3:26

a real sneaky disease and

3:29

it can be confusing for people because it actually

3:31

describes a couple of different disorders

3:33

that are all sort of labeled as a type

3:35

of glaucoma, but all of those have

3:37

to do with damage to the optic nerve. So

3:40

the optic nerve basically is the cable

3:42

that connects the eye to the brain. It's

3:44

what sends the vision information from

3:46

your eye to your brain. So it knows what you're seeing.

3:49

So with glaucoma, you've got damage

3:51

to that optic nerve. It starts to become thinner,

3:53

more damaged, and that causes this

3:56

loss of peripheral vision or side

3:58

vision. And ultimately that's not controlled.

4:00

Glaucoma can cause somebody to lose all of

4:02

their vision, unfortunately, but

4:05

it's very sneaky because the most common form

4:08

of glaucoma, when it first starts, no

4:10

symptoms, no pain, nothing. You don't

4:12

notice the changes until it's much

4:14

more advanced. There are

4:17

other forms of glaucoma where

4:19

one can have really acute symptoms. So

4:21

a sudden red, painful eye,

4:24

headache, nausea, sometimes

4:26

vomiting. You can see halos around

4:29

lights, blurry, vision. You know, that's

4:31

the form of glaucoma that most people will come in. They

4:34

know they have a problem. Uh

4:37

, but the most common form is called primary

4:39

open angle glaucoma. And that is this

4:41

very slow, sneaky, progressing disease

4:43

that, like I said, it doesn't cause

4:46

any changes until it's too late.

4:48

Wow. And

4:51

how are those issues treated ?

4:54

So age-related macular

4:56

degeneration. Unfortunately there's no

4:58

cure for the disease and there's really

5:00

no treatment for the dry form.

5:03

But if somebody converts to the wet form and has

5:05

more sudden changes from fluid linkage, they

5:07

can get injections in the eyes to help

5:09

reduce that vision loss.

5:11

Now, is there anything that can

5:13

be done to prevent

5:15

the macular degeneration? The glaucoma,

5:17

the diabetic retinopathy?

5:19

Yeah. So yeah,

5:22

I guess I'll focus on AMD first. So,

5:24

you know, well, what I tell all my patients

5:26

is what's good for the body is good

5:28

for the eyes they're connected to your, your

5:30

body. They're Hey,

5:33

they're inside your body. Yeah . So

5:35

eating a good diet, exercise, controlling

5:38

any medical conditions you have, like diabetes

5:40

or even high blood pressure. All of

5:42

that is going to be good for your eye

5:45

health as well as just your overall wellbeing

5:47

. Not smoking is huge. There's

5:49

a huge connection between smoking

5:51

and progression of AMD. So

5:54

if you're a smoker, one more reason to quit.

5:57

You know, it's been shown that a good diet is

5:59

beneficial for all of your eye health, but specifically

6:02

with AMD, the

6:04

, uh, nutrients found in leafy greens

6:07

like spinach, kale, collard greens

6:09

have been shown to kind of bolster the pigment

6:11

of that macula area. So

6:13

eat your spinach salads, make a cow smoothie.

6:16

It will be good for your eyes. And

6:19

lastly, using sunglasses,

6:21

it sounds really simple, but UV light, well

6:23

progress diseases like AMD

6:25

cataracts, all those kinds of things.

6:28

So it doesn't have to be a super fancy Ray-Ban,

6:30

you know, it can be anything that blocks UV light

6:32

is good to wear when you're outside.

6:34

Wow. Okay. Last

6:37

question. What do you want people to

6:39

know about age-related vision loss?

6:42

So if you are somebody who

6:44

has good vision and you don't need

6:46

glasses and you're not going to your eye doctor regularly,

6:49

make sure you're going to your eye doctor still

6:51

for a comprehensive eye health exam.

6:54

I really want to stress that a lot of these conditions

6:56

don't have symptoms early on. So it's super

6:58

important that we detect them early so we can

7:01

try to prevent them. Uh , and if

7:03

you're somebody who is new to vision loss or newly

7:05

diagnosed with one of these diseases

7:08

know that you're not alone. This affects so

7:10

many people in this country. And there are so

7:12

many people who are ready and willing to help

7:14

you, not just your

7:16

retinal doctor or your glaucoma doctor, but

7:19

seeing somebody who is a low vision

7:21

specialist, who can actually examine

7:23

the functional vision, this type of

7:25

eye exam looks at how you're using

7:27

and maximizing the vision that you do have. And

7:29

so often it can be, we can prescribe

7:31

magnifiers or other kinds of devices

7:34

to help you use the vision that you have.

7:36

And we can direct you to other resources, other

7:38

trainings, even support groups,

7:40

you know, vision loss is scary and

7:43

there's a lot of really complex emotions

7:45

with it. And it really helps to connect with other

7:48

people and talk about it.

7:50

Dr. Gorski , thank you so much for joining

7:52

us today on Change Makers. Next

7:54

we'll turn our attention to books, but first

7:57

let's hear from our special segment partners

7:59

with Paul.

8:02

Hello everyone. My name is Paul Ferrara communications

8:05

accessibility editor for APH. And

8:07

this is Partners with Paul partners.

8:09

As Paul is a segment that's going to highlight

8:12

products and services from APH

8:14

partners. Stay tuned at the

8:16

end. We're going to tell you how you can

8:18

win a copy of Yue-Ting Siu's book on

8:21

Access Technology for Blind and Low Vision Accessibility.

8:24

With us today, Peter Tucic,

8:26

brand ambassador for blindness

8:28

products with HumanWare. How are you doing today,

8:30

Peter and living the dream. Paul, thank

8:32

you so much for the opportunity. And I'm glad to be

8:34

the very first guest. And

8:37

we're going to talk today about the braille trail reader.

8:40

So I've got a few questions for you about

8:42

it. Can you tell us a little bit about the

8:44

braille trail reader, some of the specs and general features?

8:47

Absolutely. So the braille reader is

8:49

a very small device that has 14

8:51

braille cells. Um, it also

8:54

has very basic scratch pad on

8:56

the device. Has your typical braille input keyboard.

8:59

Uh, it does have cursor routing ability.

9:01

So there are cursor routing sensor buttons that

9:04

exist on the device and the Braille Trail

9:06

Reader. Ellie also has

9:08

the ability to synchronize with

9:10

the notes app on your iOS device. So there

9:12

is a specific application that allows you to do that

9:14

and we can connect to five simultaneous

9:17

Bluetooth connections. The

9:19

braille trail reader also has

9:21

HumanWare signature thumb keys. So across

9:23

the front of the device, you have four thumb keys.

9:27

Great. What about features that are especially

9:29

helpful for emerging braille readers?

9:32

Sure. So for a young, as a young

9:34

Brill learners, if you will, or those

9:36

who are being introduced to the device, it's

9:38

a perfect starting device because we will use

9:40

it to reinforce that braille

9:43

sort of reinforcement for what we're getting from

9:46

audio. Uh, we'll use the device

9:48

to read what

9:50

our screen reader is saying. So if we're connected to an

9:52

iOS device, if we're connected to a

9:54

screen reader, we're going to be able to read what is

9:56

spoken. And we're also

9:58

going to use the device

10:00

to practice and work on cursor placement

10:02

, uh, panning and editing.

10:05

So being able again, to familiarize

10:07

yourself with those basic concepts, that can be a challenge

10:09

for somebody who is coming from a manual

10:12

braille writer. And what about braille tables?

10:15

Uh , I almost forgot braille table supported. So

10:17

we will support UVB for those of

10:19

you that have students learning the

10:21

UVB braille code that is both contracted

10:23

and uncontracted braille

10:26

And what tasks can be performed by

10:29

middle and high school students that are going to help

10:31

them as they transition to college or career.

10:34

We think about that school environment. We

10:36

think a lot about note-taking . Um , we oftentimes

10:38

will be quickly writing notes. We want

10:41

to do that in a kind of a silent way.

10:43

We're going to be able to take notes in a basic

10:46

scratch pad sort of form. Those notes can

10:48

be synchronized with iOS

10:50

or with a windows device. If you're using something

10:52

like exchange through outlook, but you're able

10:54

to synchronize notes for future you're

10:56

referring to them in the future. Alternatively,

10:59

you can also use the device for reading

11:01

books or text files, so you

11:04

can use, there is a transfer application

11:06

available on windows that will allow

11:08

you to send files to your braille trail reader.

11:10

Ellie , it will let you take those files,

11:12

whether they are BRF or TXT. So

11:15

a great use case would be to take something

11:17

like a , a news article, save

11:19

it in HTML on your computer,

11:21

use braille blaster to convert that to BRF

11:24

or, you know, a braille document, and

11:26

then use that file transfer application

11:28

to get it right over to the device. So it can be

11:30

a great workflow again, getting

11:32

that reading going. And then also of course, pairing

11:34

with your preferred screen reader , be it

11:37

voiceover, be it jaws or

11:39

NBDA, and use that to,

11:41

to work with and kind of read what is

11:43

going on on your screen as well.

11:46

And finally, what makes this device especially

11:48

useful for adults?

11:51

For adults? We really focus a lot on portability.

11:54

Um, it's a , it's a wonderful device in terms

11:56

of its size will easily fit in your purse can

11:58

fit in your jacket pockets . Uh,

12:00

I definitely have one with me at all times sort

12:02

of floating around in my bag. It

12:05

will allow you to also keep it in

12:07

your phone in your pocket because you're able to wake

12:09

up your iOS device with the Braille

12:11

Trail Reader. So you're able

12:13

to use it to get the device going. Uh,

12:15

you, you know, are going to have

12:18

that note synchronization

12:20

and the where that comes in handy as you can synchronize

12:22

notes for future reference, but also you can use

12:24

multiple accounts. So if you have

12:27

a Gmail account, if you're using exchange,

12:29

you can synchronize those notes. Cross-platform

12:33

if you will, and take notes in a meeting and later

12:35

refer to them on your tablet

12:37

or computer. So we're again, it's

12:40

also perfect for spot reading, quickly, responding

12:42

to text messages, sort of working with that

12:44

two way communication side of things, instant

12:46

messaging, text message , uh , being able

12:48

to efficiently and effectively move

12:50

through that. So from that adult

12:53

or working professional side, it's a perfect

12:55

device and will allow you to sort

12:58

of move through your day , uh

13:00

, with that braille literacy that

13:02

we always promote.

13:04

Fantastic. Thanks for joining us today on this

13:06

episode, Peter Paul,

13:08

Thank you so much. I'm happy to come back any

13:10

Time. Thank you for joining

13:12

us. Check the show description

13:15

and you'll see a link for a survey.

13:17

Please take that survey. Someone

13:20

who does is going to win a copy of

13:21

a book on

13:24

excess technology for blind and low vision accessibility.

13:28

Thanks Paul. Now we have APH press director,

13:30

Heather spins here to tell us what resources

13:33

are available for those experiencing age-related

13:35

vision loss or know someone experiencing

13:38

this condition. Heather, thanks so much

13:40

for joining us today on Change Makers. Thank

13:42

you for having me. So what

13:45

books are available to

13:47

the public that discuss and explain

13:49

age-related vision loss? APH

13:52

press has several titles pertaining

13:55

to age-related vision loss. We have

13:57

aging and vision loss, a handbook

13:59

for families which offers

14:01

reassuring and helpful information

14:04

on meeting the needs of a family member who

14:06

is losing their vision. And it also

14:08

includes supports and resources

14:10

for family caregivers. We

14:13

also have making life more livable,

14:16

simple adaptations for living

14:18

at home after vision loss that

14:20

provides practical tips and

14:22

modifications that improve the safety

14:25

and security of the home and gives

14:27

older adults with vision loss solutions

14:29

to continue living independent and

14:31

productive lives. We

14:34

also have some personal narratives

14:36

out of sight, out of mind, personal

14:39

and professional perspectives on age-related

14:42

macular degeneration is

14:44

a personal narrative by Lindy Bergman

14:46

that illustrates the ways in which life

14:48

with vision loss can be lived with dignity

14:52

and personal satisfaction. And

14:55

then finally out of the corner of my eye,

14:58

living with macular degeneration

15:00

is another personal account of

15:02

a person living successfully with macular

15:04

degeneration and it discusses

15:07

ways to cope effectively. Okay.

15:11

So with aging and vision

15:13

loss, a handbook for families from

15:15

APH press, that gives information

15:18

on meeting the needs of someone who is losing

15:20

their vision. What are some of the ways the book

15:22

suggests ? Yes, well the

15:24

book emphasizes that vision

15:26

loss does not have to result in a

15:28

loss of independence, productivity,

15:31

or activity. Although many people

15:33

believe just the opposite with

15:35

the help of specialized devices

15:37

designed for people who have vision loss,

15:40

special vision rehabilitation

15:42

services, such as training

15:44

and accomplishing everyday tasks and

15:47

using remaining vision and

15:49

a few simple tips for rearranging the

15:51

house and its appliances. Someone

15:53

experiencing vision loss can live as

15:55

before without assistance. The

15:58

book discusses certain basic techniques

16:01

that are fundamental when adapting

16:03

tasks in the everyday environment

16:06

for a person with vision loss. Some

16:08

of those discussed in the book include organizing,

16:11

labeling using tactile

16:13

markers and devices using

16:16

contrast in color and

16:18

creating environmental cues. One

16:20

specific example is using

16:22

tactile markers, such as high Mark

16:25

to create raised dots on a stove

16:27

or a washing machine so that the controls

16:30

are recognizable. The

16:33

book also provides safety tips for

16:35

the home and includes a home survey

16:37

checklist, which is very helpful.

16:39

It discusses eight key elements

16:41

in the home environment that can be utilized

16:44

and adjusted to enhance the functioning

16:46

of people with vision loss. And

16:49

these are lighting glare,

16:51

color, contrast labels,

16:54

lettering, and marking organization,

16:57

use of texture and touch environmental

17:00

cues and techniques such as

17:02

sound and smell. And finally

17:04

safety issues. The

17:06

book offers tips such as using dark

17:09

bathroom towels as a contrast

17:11

to white or lightly colored bathroom walls

17:14

and installing door knobs that contrast

17:16

in color with the door. Okay.

17:22

It's related macular degeneration, that

17:24

is the leading cause of severe vision

17:26

loss in people over 60 the book

17:29

you mentioned out of sight, not

17:31

out of mind, personal and professionals perspectives

17:33

on age-related macular degeneration, which

17:35

is also from APH press. That

17:38

is a personal account of living successfully

17:40

with age-related macular degeneration.

17:43

What are some of the ways that the book

17:45

says people can live successfully? Well

17:49

in this book, Lindy Bergman tells

17:51

a very compelling story about

17:53

her experience with age-related macular

17:55

degeneration, even at 93,

17:58

Lindy was still living a successful

18:00

and highly satisfying life. Um,

18:03

in the book, Lindy recognizes that dealing

18:05

with macular degeneration is not

18:07

easy, but at some point you have

18:09

to come to terms with it and try to learn

18:12

how to make the best of it. Some

18:14

tips that she offers are

18:16

if you find that you're avoiding doing

18:18

things that are too stressful for you, as

18:21

you react to the news of your diagnosis,

18:23

it's okay not to do them for now.

18:26

Just don't forget to do them later when you're

18:28

better adjusted and acclimated. She

18:31

says to go ahead and vent frustration

18:33

when you feel it, but then

18:35

consider finding new activities

18:37

to replace the ones you no longer do.

18:40

For example, if you can still read, take

18:42

advantage of online networks and

18:44

helpful organizations on the internet,

18:48

don't become socially isolated,

18:50

join a support group. Um, there

18:52

are a lot of support groups available. Some

18:56

tips that Lindy offers , uh

18:58

, for your home are to have appropriate

19:00

lighting in the home, adjust the lights

19:03

so that you can see reevaluate

19:05

what you have on the floor, around your house.

19:08

Eliminate things such as throw rugs

19:11

, um, be careful about furniture

19:13

with sharp corners. Your home

19:15

needs to be comfortable for you. So you don't

19:17

have to worry about falling in your house or getting

19:19

injured, and finally

19:22

try to continue doing everything

19:24

that you possibly can. You might

19:26

need to have someone, you know, help you, but

19:28

if you enjoy doing something and

19:30

it makes you happy, try to continue

19:32

doing it. But one thing Lindy

19:34

really emphasizes is that trying to maintain

19:37

hope in a positive outlook

19:39

can be the most helpful things you can do for

19:41

yourself. Now, we just

19:44

talked about resources for,

19:46

you know, people that are going through this

19:48

or knowing that are , or knowing someone who

19:50

is going through this, what resources

19:53

are there for professionals? Well,

19:56

we also have several books for

19:58

PR professionals, such as vision

20:00

loss and an aging society, a

20:02

multidisciplinary perspective,

20:05

which is an overview that integrates

20:07

practice and policy issues

20:09

relating to aging and visual impairment

20:13

and O&M for independent living strategies

20:16

for teaching orientation and mobility

20:18

to older adults is an important guide

20:20

for orientation and mobility, instructors,

20:23

rehabilitation, specialist, occupation

20:26

therapy, therapist, and other professionals

20:29

who work with adults who may be new to vision

20:31

loss. All right , well, thank you so

20:33

much, Heather, for sharing all that information

20:36

with us. And if you're interested in learning

20:38

more about those resources, we just discussed,

20:41

the information can be found in the

20:43

show notes below again, Heather,

20:45

thank you so much for joining us today on Change Makers.

20:48

Thank you, Sandra. From

20:50

books to services, special advisor

20:52

on aging and vision loss, Pris Rogers

20:54

is here to discuss what's available online

20:57

press . Thank you so much for joining us today on Change Makers.

21:01

Well , thanks so much for inviting me to come great.

21:04

So we know the connect center

21:06

offers a world of information for

21:08

all walks of life. What services

21:11

does the connect center provide for adults

21:13

and seniors with age-related vision loss?

21:16

The connect center has wonderful services.

21:20

Um, one of the things that's been going

21:22

on through the pandemic of course, is it's

21:24

been hard for people to reach direct

21:26

services. And so the connect

21:28

center is providing that lifeline

21:31

that people need to be able to

21:33

find out about what help and services

21:36

are available to them. Uh , the connect

21:38

center has an 800 number that's

21:40

available Monday through Friday , uh

21:42

, all day long and into the evening until

21:44

8:00 PM Eastern time.

21:47

Uh , the number there is (800)

21:52

232-5463 again, (800)

21:56

232-5463. And they have people advisors

21:59

who know about services and can direct

22:02

people who need the kind of help that people have

22:04

when they're calling that line. Also

22:07

, uh , the connect center has an email address

22:10

and it's connect [email protected]

22:14

a as in Apple, P as in Paul, H

22:17

as in house.org, aph.org.

22:19

So if you can't , um , if you need

22:21

answers and you can't call, you can always

22:24

email as well. In addition

22:27

to these types of direct types of services

22:30

, uh , the connect center houses,

22:32

the APH directory of services,

22:35

where people can find , uh, information

22:37

about services in their own hometown

22:40

and in their own state. Um,

22:42

so they can look up their state and then look

22:44

for the services they want in their state.

22:46

So it's a wonderful , uh , directory

22:48

it's been around for many, many years and

22:51

is the most complete directory that

22:53

there is that I'm aware of in the

22:55

, in the whole country of refining

22:57

services. In addition,

23:00

the connect center houses, the

23:02

websites that help people with

23:04

vision loss , um , family

23:06

connect for parents of kids who have

23:09

vision loss , uh, Greer connect

23:11

for , uh , young adults and

23:13

people seeking employment and

23:15

Vision Aware, which is the site

23:17

that I'm affiliated with, which is for

23:19

adults who are basically new to

23:22

vision loss and especially seniors

23:24

who need to know about , uh , help

23:26

and support and how to live with vision

23:28

loss , um , and often

23:31

are , are really needing emotional support and

23:33

so forth. Okay.

23:35

So vision aware covers everything from

23:37

diagnosis to emotional and mental

23:39

impacts to how to adjust

23:41

to the new normal with vision loss. What would

23:43

be the first place on the website?

23:46

You would suggest someone go after

23:48

a diagnosis.

23:50

There are actually two places on Vision

23:52

Aware that are good places to start. Um,

23:55

first of all, we , uh

23:57

, wrote a roadmap to living

23:59

with vision loss. That includes just a page

24:01

or two about the kinds of services

24:04

that people will need to maintain their

24:06

independence and , um , and

24:08

their way of life. And that

24:11

that section can be found in everyday

24:13

living section. Um, and

24:16

it actually , uh, is kind of

24:18

an outline of another book

24:20

that APH offers , uh

24:22

, which is called making life more livable. And

24:24

it , that book was written for people new to vision

24:27

loss. So, like I said, that's a good

24:29

place to start a shortened short

24:31

and sweet , uh , piece of information on

24:33

a roadmap. And it includes,

24:35

you know, what types of services will you need when

24:37

you lose vision? Then another

24:40

wonderful place

24:42

to go is the getting started guide

24:45

, uh , four people need a vision loss

24:47

and this guide , um, it

24:50

is , uh , several pages about 20 pages

24:52

long. It starts out with

24:54

what you need to know about your eye

24:56

condition. It goes into

24:58

where you can find services.

25:00

It talks about , uh, tips

25:03

, uh, that of things that you can do

25:05

around your home to be able to make

25:07

your , uh, your home accessible

25:09

, uh , and able to, so that you can get around

25:11

easily and safely, for example,

25:13

what can you do in your bathroom? And what can

25:16

you do in your kitchen? Uh, also

25:18

talks about assistive technology

25:21

and also about reading and things

25:23

that are important to people when they first lose

25:25

their vision. You know, when you lose your vision, what

25:27

do you do? Uh, how can you continue

25:30

to do the things that you used to do such as

25:32

reading also talks about transportation

25:35

and how, if you cannot drive what

25:37

kinds of services are available? So

25:39

it's a really good, quick and dirty guide

25:41

for people , uh, it's available

25:43

in English and in Spanish.

25:46

And , uh, it can, like I said before, can

25:48

be [email protected]

25:51

slash getting started,

25:54

or you can go to that to

25:56

the place where the getting started kit is,

25:58

and actually request a free

26:00

large print copy to be sent

26:03

to you, free of charge. So

26:05

we can get a print copy. You can get a downloaded

26:07

version. Also, my understanding

26:10

is that pretty soon it'll be available

26:12

in an audio format for people

26:14

as well. So, like I said, I would

26:16

actually really recommend that above anything

26:19

else, because it will tell you

26:21

, uh , pretty much all you needed to know

26:23

in a very quick and dirty way to

26:25

really help you to get started

26:28

with dealing with vision loss.

26:30

Okay. And you just spoke of resources.

26:33

Can you just briefly touch on

26:35

some of the resources and services that are

26:37

available for those with age-related vision

26:39

loss? I mean, this is going from medical

26:41

to day-to-day services and well,

26:44

of course,

26:44

When you first start to experience

26:46

vision loss, you need to find out what's going

26:49

on. And it's really good to

26:51

go to an ophthalmologist

26:53

who is an eye care professional. He can look

26:55

at , uh , look behind your eye

26:57

and diagnose and make sure what kind

27:00

of medical condition that you might

27:02

have, if any. Um, also

27:05

if you are diagnosed with an , uh

27:07

, with vision loss, for example,

27:09

you have glaucoma or age-related macular

27:11

degeneration or diabetic retinopathy,

27:14

and you have some remaining vision, which

27:16

most of the time you will. Um, there

27:18

are services called low vision services

27:21

that optometrist and certain ophthalmologists

27:24

offer , uh, to help a person

27:26

make the best of the revision that

27:28

they have left . So they will

27:31

do an exam and determine

27:33

if you can , um, benefit

27:35

from magnification or what kind

27:37

of lighting might help you because sometimes lighting

27:39

makes all the difference in the world , uh

27:42

, to a person who's losing vision. Uh,

27:44

then , uh , there

27:46

are services called vision rehabilitation

27:50

services that are

27:52

available through state agencies for

27:54

the blind and also local agencies.

27:57

And like I mentioned earlier, there's a directory

27:59

on vision awaring and the connect center

28:01

to help you find those services. But basically

28:04

what they do is they have vision

28:06

rehabilitation professionals

28:09

and teachers who will help a person

28:11

who's just lost a vision, know what to

28:13

do, how can they cook? How can they read,

28:15

how can they do all the tasks? How can they identify

28:18

their medications and so forth? Um,

28:20

so all of this information is

28:22

available , um , on

28:24

vision aware in terms of what you can do,

28:27

and the types of services are available.

28:30

Another wonderful service that is really

28:32

helpful to people when they lose vision is

28:34

orientation and mobility. And

28:36

, um, most of the listeners

28:38

are probably aware of people using white canes.

28:41

Well , uh, people who are orientation

28:43

and mobility instructors teach people

28:46

how to use those white canes effectively

28:48

so they can get around in their neighborhood

28:50

or wherever they need to go and

28:53

do it safely. So vision aware

28:55

covers all of these types of services.

28:59

Um, and another, a really important

29:01

service is , uh, support groups.

29:04

And we cover , uh, information about

29:06

support groups on Vision Aware as well.

29:09

Okay. So say you

29:11

just got a diagnosis and

29:14

getting a diagnosis for anything you're

29:16

going to be really, you're going to be emotional. You're going to be

29:18

shocked. How would you suggest

29:20

a person prepare after they get

29:22

diagnosed with macular degeneration?

29:26

Well, first of all, they need to know that they've

29:28

been still have a life and

29:30

they need to understand

29:32

that they're really going to be upset. And

29:35

so it would be helpful to get

29:37

a support group going on to find

29:39

out about what's available right

29:42

now, of course, with a coronavirus

29:44

situation is not as easy to go to

29:46

a support group , uh, personally,

29:49

but there are a lot of online support groups

29:51

and also telephone support groups that are

29:53

available. And as I mentioned , uh

29:55

, we have some information , uh , on

29:57

vision aware about those types of groups. It's

30:00

important that you talk to your family

30:02

member about your vision loss and help

30:04

them understand because sometimes they're just

30:06

as scared as you are. And so

30:08

we have a section on vision aware to help family

30:11

members understand that. But the most

30:13

important thing is to know that there are people

30:15

out there just like you who have lost their vision

30:17

and have gotten through it. And

30:19

, uh , the, by getting the , uh

30:22

, the support and the types of rehabilitation

30:24

services that I just mentioned,

30:27

you just have to be open to the fact that

30:29

you can get help and that

30:31

life is not over and you

30:34

can go on with your life.

30:36

Okay. Okay. Is there anything

30:38

else that you want listeners to know?

30:42

Well, I'm vision aware. Uh , we

30:44

have a great blog.

30:47

Um, it's written by what we call our peer

30:50

advisors . And these are people who are,

30:52

who've had vision loss, some of them all

30:54

their lives, some of them just recently diagnosed

30:58

and they write about how they do

31:00

things with vision loss, how they

31:02

get by what kinds of things do

31:04

they can they do on their own and how

31:06

do they get transportation and how

31:08

do they vote and how do they read

31:11

all of these types of things they

31:13

talk about on the blog? So I

31:15

would encourage people to go on a

31:17

vision aware and read through that blog and

31:19

get some ideas and , and get some

31:21

encouragement. I think that's the most important

31:23

piece is to get the encouragement. We

31:26

also have some personal stories about

31:28

people who have lost vision and how they've gone

31:30

on with their lives. And these are all on

31:32

vision aware as well. So you can look up your

31:34

eye condition and see about someone

31:36

who might have glaucoma and how they're

31:39

functioning and the same for the other types

31:41

of eye conditions. Also

31:44

, um, I think it's important

31:46

that people find out more

31:48

about low vision and the national

31:50

eye health education program

31:53

through the national eye Institute has

31:55

a great deal of information on low vision.

31:57

And we will, we'll be providing a link

31:59

for that information as well. So

32:02

there are other resources out there

32:04

that can help you to live with vision

32:06

loss and vision aware.

32:08

We'll help you find those resources. And

32:12

so we, we hope that this information

32:14

will be helpful to you, but please, please

32:16

do not hesitate to either

32:18

call or email the connect center.

32:20

If you have any questions as all at

32:22

all, because that's what we're here

32:25

to do is to help you with dealing

32:27

with your new vision loss, do not despair,

32:29

do not get up there, give up

32:31

there is hope , help and connection

32:34

for you.

32:35

That's right. Okay. Well, thank

32:37

you so much for joining today on Changemakers

32:40

, And we will have links to the connect

32:42

center, the national iHealth

32:44

education program, and vision aware in

32:46

the show notes. And up next,

32:48

we celebrate black history month. Thank

32:51

you, Sarah. Appreciate it. It's been fun doing this

32:53

today. Thank you. And

32:58

in honor of black history month, we're going to turn

33:00

to our special guest, Mr. Lee Tut , who

33:02

is a former EOT, who has represented

33:04

three different schools for the blind. Mr.

33:07

Tech , thank you so much for joining us today on Changemakers

33:09

.

33:10

Well, thank you very much. I'm happy

33:12

to be on the program with you. And

33:14

, uh , if I'm a change maker, I'm

33:17

happy about that as well.

33:19

You, are you certain your career? Yes,

33:21

you are. So tell us

33:23

a little bit about your background history, where

33:26

you went to school, where you're from, what you,

33:28

what your career was like.

33:30

Okay, well , uh, I'm from

33:32

, uh, Lou Ray, Virginia was born

33:34

there and , uh,

33:37

five years from the data, my

33:39

birth, my parents moved

33:41

to Washington DC. So

33:44

, um, I had all of the , my , uh,

33:46

elementary and middle or

33:48

junior and senior

33:50

, uh , or high education in

33:52

the city of Washington DC. And

33:55

so , uh, graduated from

33:57

, uh, public schools , uh,

34:00

in 1960. And

34:02

, uh, I'm a product of , uh , segregated

34:05

schools even in Washington DC

34:08

during that time. And

34:10

so , uh, once I

34:13

graduated high school, I took

34:15

a year off and worked. And

34:18

, uh, then I , um, enrolled

34:21

at Norfolk state university

34:24

in Norfolk, Virginia, and

34:26

, uh, went to school there from , uh,

34:28

1961 to 1965

34:32

, uh, graduated from,

34:35

from , uh, from Norfolk state

34:37

university. And of course at that time,

34:39

it wasn't normal state university.

34:41

It was Norfolk division of Virginia

34:44

state college. It was , uh,

34:46

a smaller school and hadn't received

34:49

that credential to be a university

34:52

, uh , yet , but later on,

34:54

after I graduated years later,

34:56

it became , uh , a state university

34:59

, uh , in Norfolk, Virginia. But

35:02

anyway, after I left , uh , Norfolk

35:04

state, I , uh

35:06

, got a teaching job over in Gloucester,

35:08

Virginia. And , uh,

35:11

that was at a , uh, an all

35:13

black school K through 12

35:16

, uh, TC Walker, not

35:18

TC Williams, which is famous,

35:20

you know , for the Denzel movie

35:23

, uh , some years ago, but that

35:25

was at TC Walker , uh,

35:27

as a teacher and

35:29

a coach of football and

35:31

track and field. And

35:33

, uh , of course it was a segregated education

35:36

there. So it wasn't new

35:38

to me since I had had

35:40

, uh, had , uh,

35:42

been educated in segregated

35:44

schools in Washington DC and

35:46

very good schools, I might say as well. Uh,

35:50

and so I was over

35:52

in Gloucester for , uh,

35:54

1965 and 1969.

35:58

Now in 1968

36:01

, uh, in Gloucester , uh,

36:03

the school superintendent of

36:05

Gloucester County school board

36:08

, uh, believe

36:10

that schools needed to be fully

36:12

integrated. And so in order

36:14

to do that, and that meant that

36:16

the black teachers, some of the black teachers

36:18

that at TC Walker

36:21

had to be transferred into the

36:23

all white schools in Gloucester, Virginia.

36:27

And I was one of three African-American

36:30

teachers who was transferred

36:33

to the all white high school , uh,

36:35

in Gloucester. And that was 1968.

36:38

So I went down as a phys

36:41

ed teacher, driver , ed teacher, a

36:44

football coach and track coach. And

36:47

, um , it, wasn't a very good

36:49

experience. Uh,

36:51

I must say that , uh, for,

36:53

for all concerned , not that it

36:55

was easy , uh, but , uh,

36:59

uh, the , the staff at the school,

37:02

the superintendent , uh, the students,

37:04

you know, all try to make it work.

37:07

And I think for me having been

37:09

a coach , uh , at TC Walker

37:12

and , uh, was a coach at

37:14

gosh , a high coming in before school

37:17

started for football practices. You

37:19

got to meet some of the teachers

37:21

and some of the white students, you

37:23

know, before school started,

37:26

but , uh, that year went well

37:29

for me , uh, as teacher

37:31

and coach, but I realized

37:34

after , uh, going

37:36

down the Gloucester high and

37:38

, uh, that year there, that

37:40

I needed more education. So

37:43

, uh, I wrote to several

37:46

, uh, universities

37:48

in the Midwest and

37:51

, uh , about going to graduate

37:53

school and was accepted

37:55

, uh, with , uh , uh,

37:58

a graduate assistantship at

38:00

Michigan state university. So

38:03

1969, I

38:06

enrolled as a graduate student at

38:08

Michigan state university. So

38:10

here I was , uh, a

38:13

graduate of Norfolk state , uh , 4,000

38:15

students, all black to

38:18

a university with 40,000

38:20

students, black, white, and

38:22

you name it. So

38:24

there I was, and miss

38:26

big university, and for the

38:28

first time was sitting in classes with white

38:31

students. So

38:33

an experience, it was, but certainly

38:35

a very good experience.

38:38

So , um, I , I did

38:40

my master's degree there. I

38:43

had , um , determined

38:46

, uh, when I left Gloucester

38:49

to just go away and get my degree and come back

38:51

to Lockton high. But

38:53

during my matriculation

38:55

, uh, as a master's student,

38:58

I , uh, had to

39:01

, uh, visit , uh, three sort

39:03

of status Michigan as

39:06

part of a prerequisite for

39:08

this , this master's degree in education, but I was

39:10

, uh, matriculating.

39:14

And so one of the , uh , institutions

39:16

that I went to , uh,

39:18

what was the Michigan school for the blind? And

39:22

when I went there, I

39:24

was just appalled

39:27

at how these blind kids

39:30

learn to read, write

39:33

and do physical , uh

39:35

, exercises. So

39:37

I thought my, maybe

39:40

I ought to look into doing

39:42

a second master's in,

39:44

in , uh , the education of blind

39:47

and visually impaired children.

39:49

And my major professor , uh,

39:52

who , uh, was very,

39:55

very , uh, pleased with

39:57

my work , uh, thought

39:59

, uh, maybe we ought

40:01

to have you look

40:03

into doing work with deaf

40:06

blind children, children whose

40:08

mothers had rubella back

40:10

in the sixties and back

40:13

in the sixties, about 3000 bursts

40:16

of deaf blind students were born and

40:19

in the state of Michigan , uh,

40:22

they had the third highest burst

40:24

of rubella babies. Wow

40:27

. And so here are these rubella

40:29

babies, these well, they're not babies,

40:32

they're, they're , uh

40:34

, uh , elementary children now at

40:36

the school who needed

40:38

to know more about locomotion movement.

40:41

And so I did a second degree , uh,

40:44

and in the end

40:46

visual impairment with emphasis

40:48

on motor skills for young,

40:50

deaf, blind children. And

40:52

so at the end of the day study

40:55

, uh , I

40:57

was offered a position

41:00

to come back to Norfolk state, to

41:02

be on staff there and coach, but

41:05

I wanted to continue working with

41:07

, uh, uh, these blind

41:09

and deaf blind children. So

41:12

the school had three

41:14

other physio teachers,

41:17

but they didn't work with the deaf blind children,

41:20

the deaf blind children come into the gymnasium.

41:23

Uh, you know, because they couldn't walk,

41:26

couldn't talk, couldn't see, couldn't

41:28

hear. And they were used to working

41:30

with blind kids who could hear,

41:33

you know, who had , uh, intellectual

41:36

skills , uh, that , uh,

41:38

provided them, you know, opportunity to,

41:40

to, to learn, to do the

41:43

physical education. So, because

41:45

of my study that press

41:48

went to school , uh, recruited

41:50

me to come down as a phys ed teacher

41:53

and work with deaf blind kids on me. And

41:56

so I did that now,

41:58

my classroom was hallways,

42:01

bedrooms, and basements

42:05

as the physical ed teacher, I

42:07

got to the swimming pool only on Fridays,

42:10

but those 35

42:12

deaf blind kids at the Michigan

42:15

school of the blind, put me on the map. They

42:17

put me on the map. And as

42:19

result of that , uh , I

42:22

coauthored my first book with a professor

42:24

from bowling green university with

42:27

regard to motor skills for deaf blind

42:29

children. And sooner or later,

42:32

I was tapped to be an assistant

42:34

principal, the first black assistant

42:37

principal, and later on principal

42:39

at the Michigan school for the blind. So

42:43

those deaf blind kids , uh,

42:45

put me on the map. So I spent

42:47

10 years at the Michigan school for

42:49

the blind as a teacher assistant

42:52

principal and principal. Well,

42:55

if you wanted to , uh,

42:58

aspire to a higher

43:00

leadership position at schools

43:02

for the blind , uh,

43:05

that would it be superintendent. So

43:08

in 1981, I applied

43:11

to several schools. One was

43:13

the Missouri school for the mine, and

43:16

, uh , lo and behold, after

43:18

my interviews there in St . Louis and

43:20

coming back to Lansing , Michigan,

43:22

where I live, I got invited

43:25

to be the new superintendent

43:28

at the Missouri school for the blind in

43:30

1981. Wow.

43:33

So 81 is key for

43:35

you because 81 would

43:37

have been , uh, I would have become an

43:39

EOT , uh, because

43:42

I was superintendent. And then

43:44

in October of 81, my

43:47

first venture , uh, to

43:49

APH. So

43:51

, uh, that's the

43:54

history now, all of that

43:56

leading up to that point, you

43:58

know, was , uh , a segregated

44:00

education. Uh,

44:02

but, but , uh, you

44:05

know, things were beginning to change. And

44:07

so I was one of those change agents

44:09

at the, at Glossier in high school

44:12

when I became one of three black

44:14

teachers to go to that school. And

44:17

, uh, that worked out very

44:19

well. So from,

44:21

from an elementary student, myself

44:23

in DC to

44:26

, uh, being a change

44:28

maker and Gloucester , uh,

44:31

I look back with fondness

44:34

on this as to my

44:36

educational history. Uh,

44:39

I had some of the best African-American

44:43

teachers and teachers , uh , in elementary,

44:45

junior and high school. And

44:48

at normal state university, I had some of the best

44:50

African American professors , uh, there.

44:53

And so all of that

44:56

created for me this

44:58

next step out of education,

45:01

into special education, with

45:03

an emphasis emphasis on blindness

45:05

and visual impairment. And so

45:08

that's how I wound

45:10

up from 1981

45:13

to 2019 in

45:16

the field of blindness and

45:18

divisional impairment. Uh , Sarah .

45:20

Wow. Wow. What a career?

45:23

What a story. Okay.

45:31

May

45:33

17th, 1954. That was, that'll be

45:36

that 66 years ago. Yes.

45:38

That was when the us Supreme court

45:40

declared that segregated schools were unconstitutional.

45:44

The Brown beat , the Brown V board of

45:46

education decision was historic. And

45:48

those who were students then are now your

45:51

parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents

45:53

today. What, what do you

45:55

remember? I'm not trying to get your age or anything,

45:57

but where , where were you at

45:59

around that time?

46:01

Well, see, 1954,

46:04

I would have been in junior high school in

46:06

Washington, DC. I would

46:08

have begun my high school education

46:10

in 1957. So

46:13

I was out of , uh , 13

46:15

years old, of course , you

46:18

know, I'm now 78 years old.

46:20

And I'm one of those grandparents that

46:22

you've mentioned today after

46:25

the Brown vs board of education. So

46:28

, uh, I was in segregated schools

46:30

during that decision. And

46:33

from that time on , uh,

46:36

until, you know, going to Norfolk

46:38

state university, graduating, going to

46:40

Gloucester , uh, to teach

46:42

, uh, and then to be a part

46:44

of integrating the schools in the Gloucester

46:47

in , um , you know, 1968.

46:52

What was that like when

46:55

this decision is handed down, you're

46:57

13, you

46:59

have some sort of idea as to what's going

47:01

on. What was that like when

47:04

that decision was handed down? What was w

47:06

what was that like? Like does , because

47:09

change doesn't happen overnight? No

47:11

, it does . So what

47:14

was that like going to school the next day?

47:16

Well, in Washington, DC , uh,

47:19

which , uh , during those

47:21

years was probably

47:25

30% black and 70%

47:28

white. So

47:30

, uh, the DC

47:32

public schools were

47:34

slow to

47:36

integrate black kids

47:39

in the white schools. Therefore

47:41

, uh, I was in a junior

47:43

high school that was segregated black

47:45

, uh, and, you know, graduated

47:48

from there in 1957 and

47:50

then went to spinning garden highest school

47:53

in 57, which was black segregated.

47:56

So the schools

47:58

, uh , in DC

48:00

really didn't begin to, to integrate

48:03

fully until after I

48:06

had graduated high school in

48:08

1960. And

48:10

then, you know, the

48:12

issues began to

48:15

flourish because

48:17

the mandate had to be

48:19

, uh, exercised.

48:23

And so at that time,

48:25

I was at Norfolk state university

48:28

and saw all of the turmoil

48:31

across the country, especially the Southern States

48:34

about integration of, of schools

48:36

and colleges. So

48:39

, uh, how was in the

48:41

midst of that , uh, during

48:43

that time, but as , as

48:45

, as , uh , a student junior

48:47

high high school. And

48:49

then of course , uh

48:51

, after graduating novice state

48:53

and went over to Gloucester, how

48:55

was the part as late as 1968,

48:58

integrating the schools in Gloucester? Wow.

49:01

From 1954 to 68,

49:04

it's took all that time, you

49:07

know, for schools to do that. And there was a lot

49:09

of terrible health , obviously around

49:12

the country, mostly in the South , uh

49:15

, as a result of that. But

49:17

, uh, uh, I

49:19

, I was not too young

49:22

to realize what had happened, but

49:25

I wasn't involved in, in my, I

49:28

wasn't transferred

49:30

to , uh, uh , of white

49:32

junior high or high school

49:35

in DC. So thus

49:38

my elementary and secondary

49:40

education was all certain that it

49:42

, now, I believe if

49:45

I remember correctly as

49:47

been gone high school, there may have been a

49:50

white teacher who came to that school

49:53

if I'm remembering correctly, I'm

49:55

not sure, but I think so,

49:58

but that was a white teacher coming into a

50:00

black school, not a black teacher going

50:02

to a white school. And of course, DC

50:05

had a lot of excellent black

50:07

high schools in DC Dunbar,

50:10

Armstrong Cardoza. Oh

50:12

my goodness. Spin gone . What's the

50:14

newest films. Oh, wow

50:16

. I tell you, they see

50:18

had the best public

50:20

schools and many, many,

50:23

you know, athletes were being recruited

50:25

out of DC to go major colleges

50:28

around the country. Uh, so

50:31

I had an excellent DC

50:33

segregated education center and I did.

50:38

Wow. Thanks so much and

50:40

be sure to check out our next podcast where

50:43

Mr. Tight will talk about his experience

50:45

as a teacher in an integrated school.

50:47

Thank you so much for joining us today on

50:49

Change Makers. We look forward to hearing about

50:52

that and everything else. You've got to say, Mr.

50:54

Todd, it's been wonderful.

50:56

Well, thank you very much. It's been an honor

50:58

to be your guest , uh

51:01

, on this black history month for

51:04

APH . It really has. I mean that with all sincerity

51:08

and also please give my , uh , friends

51:10

and colleagues, APH, my sincere

51:13

regards and well wishes for

51:15

a happy 2021,

51:18

I sure will. Thank you. Thank

51:20

you so much. Yes. That's

51:23

it. For today's episode of Change Makers,

51:25

all of the information discussed today will be

51:27

in the show notes. Be sure to find ways

51:29

you can be a change maker this week.