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Programs
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Living Well with Partial Vision
Living Well with Partial Vision is a Medicare-approved comprehensive vision rehabilitation program established in 2002 for individuals with severe vision loss. The unique services provided by this program are unduplicated in the state of South Carolina. Occupational Therapists specially trained in low vision rehabilitation provide in-home treatment to individuals who are experiencing severe vision loss from macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, strokes and accidents.
The program is designed to impart skills so that individuals can maintain independence and maximize the use of whatever remaining vision they may have. Clients help determine individualized goals and learn such skills as meal preparation, medication management, health and safety, and use of low vision devices (magnifiers, talking watches, clocks and thermometers, boiling water sensors, 20/20 writing pens, large TV remote controls, etc.), to name a few. For instance, women are often grateful to re-learn how to apply their make-up or tweeze embarrasing facial hair.
The Living Well with Partial Vision program served 193 individuals during the 2007 fiscal year. Upon successful completion of the program, 80 percent of these individuals showed an increase in knowledge, skills and self-sufficiency in activities of self- and home-care management and 86 percent of participants increased their reading/writing ability through the use of low vision devices and proper lighting.
Since its inception, the Living Well with Partial Vision program has served nearly 1,000 blind or severely vision impaired individuals.
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Computer Training
In July 2006, the Association for the Blind began collaborating with the South Carolina Commission for the Blind to provide computer training to individuals who are legally blind. Before this collaboration, participants were required to commute to Columbia for many weeks to learn to use JAWS and ZoomText, specialized talking and magnification software programs for the blind. This program provides an opportunity for individuals in the Tri-County area to spend three to four hours three days per week at the Association for the Blind, where qualified instructors teach keyboarding and the use of the internet and email.
Since its inception, the computer training program has served 22 individuals. Classes are kept small to allow for individualized instruction and students progress at their own pace. Upon successful completion of the program, students are given a rebuilt computer with the accessibility software installed on it from the Commission for the Blind. The only requirements for the course are that individuals are legally blind and that they arrange their own transportation to the Association to attend the classes.
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Veterans Services
In April 2003, the Association began contracting with the Veterans Administration to provide Orientation and Mobility training for veterans. Orientation and Mobility training emphasizes techniques to help individuals adjust to vision loss by receiving instruction in the use of an aluminum "white cane" to assist them in independent travel in both familiar and unfamiliar areas.
In 2004, AFTB began setting up computers with accessibility software designed for the visually impaired for veterans in their homes.
In 2005, the Association again expanded its VA services to include the delivery and set up of Closed Circuit TVs for vision impaired veterans from Hilton Head to Myrtle Beach and west to Columbia. CCTVs allow individuals with severe visual impairment to read and write by adjusting magnification and color contrasts to suit personal vision needs.
The AFTB trained 62 veterans between June 2006 and July 2007.
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Social Events and Advocacy
Blind and vision impaired persons are often limited in their activities due to lack of transportation and/or lack of financial means. The AFTB strives to ensure that visually impaired individuals are afforded the opportunity to attend several training and/or recreational activities over the course of the year.
Annually, AFTB members are invited to attend a music performance at the Spoleto Festival, a Christmas luncheon, Charleston Stage dress rehearsals, and a fishing trip that is sponsored by the Santee Lions Club. The Association provides transportation to the Christmas luncheon and the fishing trip, and also has supported the startup of the ITNCharlestonTrident independent transportation network.
Many individuals who experience vision loss and their family members are unaware of the support services and resources that are available outside their doctor's offices. In February 2007, the Association presented its first Low Vision Fair to increase awareness about programs and services that exist for individuals who are blind or severely vision impaired. More than 150 people attended and learned how to access these invaluable resources. The AFTB plans to make the Low Vision Fair an annual event.
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Chair Caning Services
Association for the Blind caners have more than 50 years of combined experience in repairing cane furniture. Five visually impaired individuals are employed in the Cane Studio, where they re-cane everything from Grandma's old rocking chair to your antique baby high chair to that beautiful dusty heirloom in the attic. The service began in the late 1930s and continues today. Our caners specialize in repairs for string, wrap, rush, press, herringbone-split oak and radio press cane. Stop by our office for a no-obligation quote.
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Scholarships for the Care of Guide Dogs
Katie Lee Beard left the Association a generous bequest for the care of guide dogs. In 2006, the AFTB began helping qualified guide dog users with grooming and veterinary care.
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