Whether vision loss is sudden or gradual, it is cause for great stress and anxiety, often leading to physical, emotional, and social limitations. The Center for Vision Loss does not look at vision loss as a tragic event. Rather the agency assumes there are solutions to be found to solve problems related to vision loss using a team approach to find those solutions. These solutions are geared towards helping the blind or visually impaired person remain independent as long as possible in every phase of daily life.
Potential customers must reside in Lehigh, Northampton or Monroe Counties.
Whether vision loss is gradual or sudden, it is cause for great stress and anxiety, often leading to physical, emotional, and social limitations. The Center for Vision Loss does not look at vision loss as a tragic event. Rather the agency assumes there are solutions to be found to solve problems related to vision loss using a team approach. These solutions are directed towards helping the blind or visually impaired person remain independent as long as possible in every phase of daily life.
Visual eligibility is used to determine whether an individual qualifies to become a customer of the Center
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When a person experiences vision loss, everyone from family to friends to co-workers can benefit from remembering that certain adjustments in behavior and expectations are important. When someone can no longer see as well as before, personal interactions and daily activities must be adjusted to take this new reality into account. We hope that you find the following tips helpful.
When offering assistance to a blind or visually impaired person, speak directly to that person. Simply ask, “May I be of help?” When guiding a blind or visually impaired person, don’t push him or her ahead of you. Touch
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Support groups, led by a counselor who is blind or visually impaired, meet on a regular basis to give customers the opportunity to talk about their problems, feelings and frustrations in a group setting. Adjustment to Blindness Counseling provides similar support with a counselor who is blind or visually impaired on an individual basis.
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Computers have opened the world of print to those unable to see and reduced many barriers to education and employment for the blind and visually impaired. Students can now complete homework, do research and take tests, while adults can continue to work and pursue a variety of careers in mainstream society.
The agency is now in the planning stages to be able to provide computer instruction to enable blind and visually impaired customers to learn screen reading and magnification software such as JAWS and ZoomText. These programs allow the user to access the information displayed on the computer’s screen
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Many customers are eligible for the door-through-door transportation service. This service, using a sighted guide, is unique in the Lehigh Valley and Monroe County.
Customers are allowed three transports per month to essential medical appointments and grocery shopping. The destination of these trips must fall within 30 miles of the client’s home and not last longer than three hours in duration. A small fee of $2 per one-way trip or $4 for a round trip is charged. Tickets are required and they must be purchased in advance and then be presented to the driver at the time of the pick-up.
Tickets can
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Caseworkers assess the needs of the customer in their home and work with them to develop a personalized plan to help them live with vision loss. This may include in-home assistance to write checks to pay bills or make the kitchen safer by putting raised dots on stove controls to mark gradations of temperature. Customers may also be referred for orientation and mobility training and rehabilitation training.
Customers are encouraged to take advantage of monthly lifeskills programs on various topics such as home safety, dressing appropriately or learning to cook which are offered to provide information to enhance independence. They
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