Posts Comments

Games and Activities for Blind Children

It is important for blind children to play games and enjoy forms of entertainment. Simple adaptations can be made so that blind children can participate in fun activities.

Ball Sports

Blind or visually impaired kids can still participate in sports where balls or used. For safety reasons, hard balls should be replaced with light weight balls such as blow up balls, beach balls and nerf balls. Blind children can learn to play volleyball with a teacher or assistant standing by their side. Blind children can also play catch safely with light weight balls.

Playground

Visually impaired children can enjoy swings and slides with the help of a parent or older sibling.  Obstacle course type play equipment can be beneficial for blind children as they can feel their way through tunnels.

Musical Toys

Some blind children adapt to have keen hearing.  Musical toys are a great way for blind children to express themselves.  If you can afford to give your blind child private piano lessons, with a little practice and proper training playing the piano may be an activity your child can enjoy and excel at.  Young children may enjoy dolls that they can squeeze and music and sounds will come out.

Play-Doh

Blind children can have a good time crafting with play-doh.  Play-doh has a nice texture that children will find it interesting to mold with.  Scented play-doh is also now available.  You can play a game with your child by teaching them to identify different colors of play-doh by using their sense of smell.

Filed Under: Blindness Tagged With: , , ,

Charities and Non-Profits that Fight Blindness

There are many non-profit organizations and charities hard at work everyday to find a cure for blindness and make improvements in the lives of the visually impaired.

Fight for Sight

Fight for Sight has been doing vision research for over 65 years.  This institution continuously raises money to do research to make advancements in the visual impairment world.  They continue to do experimental treatments that have helped the visually impaired.

Prevent Blindness America

Prevent Blindness America is a charity that encourages annual eye exams and blindness prevention.  The agency educates the public about vision problems in adults and children.  They continue to be a voice for the blind in hopes of getting more government support in eye care protection and research.

Sight Savers

Sight Savers fights vision loss in third world countries. Their team members travel to Nigeria to do eye exams on people who desperately need medical attention but have no money or access to doctors.  Sight Savers have saved the lives of thousands of people by healing health issues that could have eventually caused blindness as a side effect if they were not diagnosed.  They have saved 21 million people from river blindness,  common cause of vision loss in poor nations.

The Seeing Eye

The Seeing Eye is a non-profit organization based in Morristown, New Jersey.  At the Seeing Eye they train canines to be seeing eye dogs.  In addition, they temporarily house blind individuals and train them to work well with a furry companion before sending the person and the dog home together.

Filed Under: Advancements, Blindness Tagged With: , , ,

Facts About Blindness

Everyone knows that blind people have little to no vision, but there is much more to this serious and life altering condition that the general public does not realize.

More People are Blind Than You May Think

There are over 15 million visually impaired and blind people in the United States alone.  21% of people over the age of 65 are visually impaired.

Blindness is Not Just for the Elderly

Over 17 million school aged children around the world suffer from blindness or another serious vision impairment.  Reasons that young people can be blind include accidents, optic nerve malfunction and retina damage during the first year of a child’s life.

Misconceptions and Stereotypes

Many people may think that all blind people see nothing but darkness.  In reality, only 10% of legally blind individuals can see nothing at all.  Anyone who has vision of less than 20/200 can be considered legally blind even if they can still see in some capacity.  On television shows and in the movies, it seems like almost every blind person can read by using braille and use seeing eye dogs to get around.  In reality, 90% of visually impaired people do not use the braille system.  Many blind people can also get around fine with a cane or walking stick and do not opt to use a seeing eye dog.

Blind People Like to Be Treated Just Like You

Since many people have never met a blind person, some people get nervous and feel like they have to treat blind people in a special way.  It is important to remember that blind people like to socialize just like you do.  Blind people want you to make jokes, tell stories and have you treat them like any other person.  Don’t assume that all blind people are completely isolated.  Many blind people hold jobs and have hobbies.  As technology continues to improve, there will be even more options available for blind people to be handi-capable.

Filed Under: Blindness Tagged With: , , ,

Cataract Is A Leading Cause Of Blindness

Cataract can lead to blindness in a person. Cataract is one of the most common problems that are seen all over the world. It is also the most common cause for a person to become blind. There is a lot of ignorance present in the community about cataract and the need to get it treated with surgery.

Cataract is one of the leading blindness problems in society, whether it is developed or not developed. There are various kinds of cataracts that are present in a person. A person may have age related cataract. This is in fact the most common kind of cataract that is seen in the general population. This occurs because of the normal ageing process. In this kind of cataract, the individual who is blind because of cataract has a layer of tissue on the eye. This tissue forms over a period of time and needs to be removed for the person to be able to see properly.

Vision check is done for the person with the Snellen’s chart to check the actual visual acuity. Once this is deceased, the cause of the lack of vision is identified using various diagnostic test and then surgery is performed to treat the condition, if it is cataract that has caused the blindness.

Other than the age related cataract, there are two other kinds of cataracts that are commonly seen. One of them is the diabetes induced problems. This is commonly the damage to the retina called as retinopathy. This can also hasten the process of cataract formation in   person. There are many studies that have been done to identify the link between diabetes and cataract. The other kind of cataract is the steroid induced cataract. This kind of cataract is seen in a person who is treated with steroids like prednisolone and hydrocortisone.

Filed Under: Blindness Tagged With:

All Important Information About E Books For Authors

The e book is the best kind of book because of the many advantages that are associated with the book. In spite of this, the e book also has to have a lot of hard work put into it. This is because of the fact that the book has to be written with a lot of great care. Once the book has been written on a specific topic, the next phase is approached.

This is the phase where the person has to make sure that the book is also published. In between the writing and the process of publishing is the process where the cover and all the other things for the book is designed. The person who is the author of the book should decide on the cover for the book. This can be done by a designer because the e book should have a web designer designing the cover.

Once the cover is designed, the book is ready to be published. This means that the book is ready to be downloaded by the reader after paying for the book. The person who is interested in reading the book should be able to pay on the internet though a safe and secure process and then download the book.

Once the process of publishing the book is over, the process of popularizing the book has to start. There are many people who write reviews. You can ask a friend to write a review of your book. If the review is a positive one, then you will have many people who read the review to be flocking to the book. This will help you to make a lot of money selling your book. This is the process in which people are creating and selling e books. Once you create one, you will be able to make many more.

Filed Under: Blindness Tagged With:

How Can A Blind Person Read?

A person reading a braille book with two fingers

Image via Wikipedia

A blind person will find it very difficult to compete with other people as far as education is concerned. The reason for this is that the person who is blind will have to do a lot more hard work than the person who is not blind. The person who has normal vision will have a much better reading speed than a person who is blind. Blind people usually have Braille books to read. This can be used by running the hand over the dotted lines in the book.

For the person to read in this method will take a longer time than a normal person, but this is seemingly the only system that will help the person to read independently. There are also other methods that are used by some people to read the books without Braille. In these methods, they may have to depend on other people at least for some time.

A blind person can use the method in which all the information in a particular book is recorded in the tape recorder and then the person can rewind the tape and then listen to it. This will help the person to read a lot. There are many people who use this method to read because it is simple and effective. On the disadvantage aspect, it takes a long time for the person to record and then listen to all the tapes.

Another method that can be used by a blind person to ‘read’ is to make sure that he or she tries to have a scribe read whatever is in the book. This can be useful if the person has to hear what is in the book only one time, but if the information needs to be learnt by memory, then it is very difficult to read and memorize all the information at one go.

Filed Under: Blindness Tagged With:

Quality Of Life Decreases With Lack Of Vision.

When a person is blind, then the person is not able to appreciate the various colors and all the other things that the person can otherwise see. The lack of vision is a common problem in many people. There are some people who have this problem from birth and this is the congenital blindness. Other people who have become blind because of injury or disease are said to have acquired blindness.

A blind person will be partially dependent on other people, unless the person is very strong in the mind and also determined. Even if the determination is present, there are various hurdles that have to be crossed by the person to be very successful. A measure of the quality of life of the person will show that every blind person has decreased quality of life.

If a person does not have proper family support, then the quality of life of that person will be further decreased. There are various methods of measuring the quality of life of a person. The measure of the independence of the individual is one of the main methods of measuring the quality of life. If the individual is not able to lead an independent life in taking care of the self, then the person has decreased quality of life.

The blind person may not only be dependent for taking care of the self, but may also be dependent on other people for their other activities like moving from one place to another. Lack of independence in climbing stairs, eating and various another activities of life will identify the person to have decreased quality of life.

In those who are blind and have reduced quality of life, removal of the barriers will help to increase the quality of life. So this should be the role of the caretaker of a blind person.

Filed Under: Blindness Tagged With:

Disadvantages A Blind Person May Face In Society

A person who is blind may have a lot of disadvantages in the society. There are many people who are blind. These people are said to be visually challenged. The person who is blind may have some residual vision left. This is the reason for the vision loss to be categorized into various levels. There are some people who are considered to be legally blind. There are other people who are considered to be completely blind and others are partially blind.

Whatever the visual status of the person, if the person does not have normal vision status, then the person may be at a disadvantage in the society in a variety of ways. The first and the most important disadvantage that the person has is the lack of ability to read. Braille can be used, or the person can use a scribe. If the scribe is used, the person will need to try to have it read for more than once and so it is a waste of resources and is not usually possible. Braille on the other hand, can be very expensive. So, in the absence of Braille, the use of the tape recorder and cassettes is the best method of reading.

As the blind person may not be able to have the same education as a normal person, it causes more disadvantages too. There are very few societies where a person who is challenged will be able to lead a normal life. In most of the developing and under developed nations, it is very difficult for a visually challenged person to be able to lead a normal life. Since there are many disadvantages, unless a person is highly determined to succeed, a person will not be able to be successful in life, especially if he or she is blind.

Filed Under: Blindness Tagged With:

Read for the Blind or Low seeing

When was the last time you picked up a book and began to read? Did you struggle with a word here or there; need extra light so that you could see the words, or did you find that the book wasn’t to your liking after all? These are minor concerns in the field of reading; ones that can be figured out without too much trouble and concern. But for the blind or low seeing, reading can be a problem, especially if the person has not yet learned how to read Braille. And this is where you can give some well-needed help and joy.

1. Make a visit to your local library. Volunteer to read to adults or children on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.
2. Check with local organizations for the blind in your area, including schools and foundations. Make sure the organization doesn’t already have someone on staff who organizes this important task, and if not, offer your services for free and let the organization know what days and times are available to you.
3. Find out the needs within your local church. There may be someone who needs your help not only with reading but with writing a personal history of their life or addressing envelopes or other daily tasks.
4. Provide the services free of charge by placing an ad online or in the newspaper. Visit the client’s home to read.

In the end, a blind or low seeing individual wants to glean all you desire when you sit down with a book for the first time. So, speak clearly and with enthusiasm. Read what the client wants you to read, and skip those things he or she tells you do not interest him or her. If there are pictures, maps, or drawings, explain them so that the individual can see along with you. And above all, have a good time!

Filed Under: Blindness Tagged With: , , ,

How to decide what breed of dog is best for a seeing-eye-dog.

Guide Dog puppies
Image by niallkennedy via Flickr

In the dark world of the legally blind, venturing into the noisy,crowded world of those not vision impared, it can seem a scary, dauntless task. For Those that do venture out, and make try to make their lives as normal as possible, a seeing eye dog is the most essential partner to them. Upon completion of formal training, a graduated guide dog is matched with those who need it the most. Normally a waiting list is in place for those willing and wanting to adopt and take home a guide dog.

A dog’s personality is a very important thing to consider when looking into adopting.

Is he Friendly? Shy? Does he lead? or prefer to follow? Is he loyal, and willing to work? or does he enjoy laying in the sun? When dogs are matched with their new owners, the owners must learn the dogs name, breed and temprament, in order to bond quickly and closely with their new family member.

The breeds most commonly used as Guide dogs according to the Guide dogs of America are: 70% Labrador Retrievers, 15% Golden Retrievers, and 15% German Shepherds. Labrador Retrievers make up the majority of dogs as they have been found to be the most successful breed used. The Labrador Retriever is the dog most often used for guide dog programs throughout the world, due to their friendly attitude and willingness to work hard.

A few days of one on one training is usually needed to help the new owner and the dogs adjust and to learn commands needed to show the dog just what tasks their owner needs help performing doing things such as walking across the street, picking things up,& walking up and down steps.Once a dog is matched with their new owner and the few initial days of adjustment and training are complete,both dog and owner are ready to begin their new life together as a family that relies on one another.

Filed Under: Blindness, Braille Tagged With: , , ,
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »