Prevent Blindness Northern California

Your Feelings About Sight Loss

Feelings about Sight Loss

When you lose your vision, the loss may be gradual. A time comes when you can no longer ignore the loss because you cannot carry on your usual activities. At this point, you may be very depressed. Although depression is normal, it should not go on too long. If, after several months, you are still rejecting most of the aids and help offered, you probably need expert advice and counseling. Adjustment is under way when you are able to accept vision loss, learn new skills, and go on living a full life despite your vision loss. Some of the community agencies or programs listed in this book may be helpful. You may get help with the activities of everyday work and living just from talking with one of the professionals in an agency or from meeting someone who has experienced and adjusted to the loss of sight.

What Your Family and Others Should Know

What Your Family and Others Should Know Your family, friends, coworkers and others may have feelings about your loss of sight similar to your own, perhaps including anger, grief, or depression. Maybe most of all, your family and others need to know that although you have lost your vision, your other abilities are not affected. You are still a thinking, feeling human being who must now learn to do some old things in new ways, and in addition learn to do new things. It is important to talk openly with others and to make it clear that you do not expect, nor will you permit, them to take over all of the tasks and functions that you ordinarily perform. You must have the opportunity to try them yourself and to discover whether or not you can do them in a way satisfactory to yourself. Others must know that you wish to maintain the greatest amount of independence and self-respect. Your family members and others may not understand that vision loss has many forms. Most persons with vision loss are not totally blind; some can see light and outlines of large objects; some may be able to walk about well but not to read or identify persons at a distance. Others may be able to read and see distant objects in a narrow field but not travel about. If your family and others know your particular kind of sight loss, they will understand that your ability to do some things and not others is not pretense on your part, but reflects your true abilities and limitations.

Courtesy and Etiquette Regarding the Visually Impaired

Courtesy and Etiquette Regarding the Visually Impaired This section is directed to the people who may be concerned about how to act in the presence of someone who has a visual handicap. Blind people rely a good deal on verbal description to orient themselves to people, surroundings, and situations. When encountering a visually handicapped person, identify yourself by name. When a blind person enters a room, identify people or pets that are in the room, tell the person their location, and also let her or him know when people leave the room. If assistance is needed, help guide the person to a chair, and describe any unfamiliar obstacles. Table skills may be a problem for visually impaired people. Ask if they need assistance in locating food or in having meat cut or fat removed. Location of food on the plate can be designated as on a clock dial. When several people are talking, use the name of the visually impaired person in remarks directed to her or him. Unless the person also has a hearing impairment, speak in a normal tone of voice. Ask the impaired person directly if they need anything, rather than, for example, asking someone else if the person wants a cup of coffee. Do not avoid the words "blindness", "visual impairment", "look", "watch", and "see" when they are otherwise appropriate to the conversation. Avoidance of these words and phrases only calls attention to the impairment. When walking with visually impaired people, do not grab their arms. Let them grasp your arm above the elbow and proceed to walk normally; give advance warning of obstacles such as steps, curbs, or uneven grades. When leaving, put them in contact with a chair or other orienting object, rather than leaving them lost in space. Recognize that protruding lamp shades, toys, and articles scattered on the floor are hazards: close cupboard doors, push in chairs, put things out of the way. If a visually impaired person is a guest in your home, guide her or him to the location of the bathroom, the closet, the dresser, the window, the light switch, the electrical outlet for shaver or hairdryer, and other areas and objects he or she will use. Be as explicit as possible when describing the location of things. For example, state that the soap is "on the right hand side of the sink" rather than simply "on the sink".

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More links with info about living with blindness

The following web sites have more advice on living with blindness and visual impairment as well as links to many other sites:

 

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A Blind Net

4450 California Avenue, Suite 222, Bakersfield CA 93309,

Website: http://www.blind.net
Free / Low Income

Web site providing information about blindness, related issues, and a philosophy of blindness.

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A-Z to Deafblindness

online

Website: http://www.deafblind.com
Email: James@deafblind.com

This site is here to try and offer some help to Blind or deaf people, and especially deafblind people, and those who provide specialised services for those who are deafblind. A-Z to Deafblindness is also here, to make people more aware about deafblindness. Within this website you will be able to learn the Deafblind Manual Alphabet and, the Two-Handed Manual Alphabet. Also includes links and archives.

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Adjustment to Blindness and Visual Impairment


Thought Provoker

CA

Website: http://www.thoughtprovoker.info
Email: Newmanrl@cox.net
Free / Low Income

Thought, discussion, education on issues of blindness.

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