If you, a loved one, a client or patient is visually impaired,
TravelVision can help. We offer a wide range of services designed to
empower visually impaired individuals to lead active lives.
This site was designed to provide information about visual
impairment. Every effort has been made gather a wide variety of resources that may be particularly useful to the newly blinded, their families and
loved ones. It is hoped that what is presented here may assist them in their adjustment.
To learn more, read about the history of Orientation and Mobility instruction, and see the proper way to guide an individual using the
"sighted-guide
technique (graphic link only)." Get more
information about using the white
cane or dog-guide (this link opens a new window) when making the important decision to
about independent travel.
Services can be provided in your own home. You, your friends and family are invited to
learn a better way of adjusting to sight-loss. Cost varies according to services
requested. Call 626.254.9553 for more information.
VISUAL IMPAIRMENT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THE END OF THE WORLD.
YOU CAN LEARN TO THRIVE.
What is Orientation & Mobility?
Orientation and mobility is specialized instruction for the visually impaired
individuals who wish to travel safely and independently. Training is highly personalized
and specific. Our in-home instruction helps you develop the confidence and skills
necessary to accomplish your goals.
The loved ones of a blind family member may be confused about how to assist when
walking outside. They can learn the skills to effectively guide a family member up and
down stairs, through doorways, narrow seating and aisles, and around obstacles. They will
be taught how to help their family member feel more comfortable in a variety of
situations.
All professionals who come in contact with blind individuals may be confused about how
to assist them when walking. They can learn the skills to effectively guide a patient,
client or family member up and down stairs, through doorways, narrow seating and isles,
and around obstacles. They will be taught how to help a blind individual feel more
comfortable in a variety of situations.
Health Care Professionals
Learn to care for your visually impaired patients. Receiving medical treatment at the
doctors office, clinic or hospital is frightening for many of us. For a blind individual
it can be a devastating experience.
Even the most caring and educated staff generally lacks the knowledge of how to assist
the blind.
We offer seminars with the goal of educating health care professionals to work
effectively with visually impaired patients, with gentleness and understanding.
Legal Professionals
Vision-loss is a frequent result of disease and injury. Allow us to assist you in
obtaining the best for your client.
We conduct in-depth, comprehensive evaluations for legal and medical disputes
involving loss of vision.
Reports include:
Current visual functioning
Effect of vision loss on the individual.
Recommendations for training
Recommendations for additional services
Additional services:
Expert witness
Resource for doctors and attorneys.
We are qualified, university trained professionals with extensive experience in the
field of visual impairment. All have master’s degree’s with an additional field
of specialty.
All are certified by the Association of Educators and Rehabilitation of Blind and
Visually Impaired (AER) and hold California Teaching Credentials.
We have extensive experience with the medical implications of trauma resulting from
accident and medical treatments.
Kathy Zelaya received her M.A. in Special Education in 1988 from California State
University, Los Angeles, and is credentialed by the State of California in Clinical
Rehabilitative Services. She is a member of the California Association of Orientation and
Mobility Specialists.
Since 1988, she has worked at various schools and agencies for the blind and visually
impaired in the greater Los Angeles area, and has specialized in working with blind and
low vision adults.
O&M Living History -- Where
Did Our O&M Techniques Come From?
By Dona Sauerberger
This story begins during World War
II, when many U.S. soldiers who had been blinded in battle were sent to hospitals at
Valley Forge and Dibble, then to a rehabilitation program for the blind in Avon,
Connecticut. The Avon program had "orientors" whose job was to orient the new
patients. They didn't teach techniques as such, but during their orientation they
encouraged the patients to be aware of and use such things as echolocation, surface
changes in the floor, and the spatial layout and landmarks of the buildings and campus.
This was done without the use of canes, which were all but forbidden.
To provide services to the soldiers while they
recuperated at Valley Forge and before they went to Avon, the military searched for
personnel who had expertise in blindness. They recruited Warren Bledsoe and Richard
Hoover, both of whom had worked at the Maryland School for the Blind (MSB) before the war.
Bledsoe, in fact, had been born and raised on the campus while his father was
superintendent there, and he had coached dramatics and taught English to the blind
students before joining the army. Richard Hoover had been an athletic coach and taught
math at MSB.
"The first thing they need to know ... "
One day, when the staff at Valley
Forge discussed what to do with a group of newly arrived blinded soldiers, Hoover said,
"I think the first thing they need to know is how to get around. We've been working
on it, but not enough. People say blind people in this country do a good job of getting
around. I don't think they do a good job. I think they do a hell of a poor job."
(Bledsoe, 1980)
Hoover and Bledsoe later discussed the feasibility of
using only echolocation to get around obstacles, as was taught at Avon, and realized that
echolocation wasn't enough; a cane was needed. Hoover then started to develop a cane
technique that would be effective. He blindfolded himself to try various techniques, and
also asked many others to experiment. After this trial and error, he realized the need for
a lightweight cane moved in an arc in front of the person, with the cane touching on the
side opposite the forward foot.
This Hoover cane technique, also called the "touch
cane technique," would revolutionize the independent travel of blind people.
Bledsoe and the other instructors learned the touch cane
technique, and together with Hoover they taught it to the blinded soldiers who were
recuperating at Valley Forge hospital.
A soldier learns and returns...
One particular soldier who was
blinded after the Normandy invasion was Russ Williams. He went first to Valley Forge
hospital and learned the touch cane technique. He then went to Avon, where he was told to
put away his cane, and where he learned orientation techniques (including the use of sound
shadows and echolocation). Afterwards, he incorporated all he'd learned from each program,
and started to develop techniques and challenge his skills to achieve greater and greater
independence.
After his training at Avon, Williams went back to Valley
Forge to teach Braille and other skills and offer counseling to those who had experienced
traumatic new blindness. His sensitivity to these soldiers resulted not only from his own
traumatic blindness, but also from an event which happened while he was recuperating at
Valley Forge -- an event which moves him deeply to this day. He had become good friends
with another soldier who had also been blinded in battle. This friend became despondent
about what he perceived to be his future life as a blind person, dreading the burden he
would be placing on his family. He died soon afterwards from a condition that does not
normally cause death. Williams is convinced that his friend had willed himself to die
because he thought that blindness means dependence and despair. This experience emphasized
for Williams the importance of early intervention and counseling for people who lose their
sight.
Perseverance pays off.
Meanwhile, the touch cane
technique and the training that accompanied it were not generally accepted by civilian
agencies which served blind people, nor even by some military authorities. Bledsoe worked
doggedly to advocate for it, and became skilled at the political and bureaucratic
strategies needed to maintain the program. Eventually his efforts paid off with the
establishment of a national rehabilitation program for blind veterans at Hines VA
Hospital.
Many revolutionary ideas have failed to become reality
because of lack of support. It is quite likely that if it were not for Bledsoe's efforts,
political skill, and determination to gain support for the program and its concepts, the
idea of the touch cane technique and the training that accompanies it would probably not
have survived.
Russ Williams was chosen to be Chief of the new
rehabilitation program. By that time, although he visited Hines occasionally, Hoover had
moved back to the MSB campus to attend medical school at Johns Hopkins University, and
later became an ophthalmologist. Bledsoe had become involved in Washington in the intense
bureaucratic work needed to establish the center and have it succeed, but he came for
several months to help set up the center. All the other instructors who had been involved
in the Valley Forge program had also left for other careers.
Pioneers join the effort.
Thus Bledsoe and Williams had to
recruit and train new instructors. These early O&Mers were Eddie Mees, Alford
"Dee" Corbett, Stanley Suterko, Bud Thuis, and Larry Blaha.
One of those instructors, Stanley Suterko, had been
working as a therapist in a program of corrective therapy for soldiers with spinal
injuries. He found working there to be discouraging because his supervisor had limited
expectations of the patients. Suterko had been promised that he would be rotated to other
wards, such as psychology, but more than a year had passed without his leaving this ward.
When he told his supervisor that he would apply for the
new Hines program for the blind, his supervisor discouraged him, saying he'd end up
carrying bedpans because the blind patients would not be able to do anything. Suterko
didn't believe him, any more than he believed his pronouncement of the limited potential
of patients who had spinal cord injuries.
The torch passes on as the flame burns brighter.
Bledsoe taught Suterko and the
other new instructors the cane technique which Hoover had developed. Williams taught them
the techniques that he had learned at Valley Forge and at Avon, and the techniques that he
had developed while pushing himself to the limits of independent travel in areas much more
advanced than where he'd been taught.
After each lesson from Williams, one instructor would
teach another who was blindfolded. Williams followed on these lessons, asking the one who
was instructing what the other was experiencing, provoking the instructor's thinking with
such questions as "What is he hearing?" and, "Is his cane close to the
wall?" Suterko says that these remarks didn't mean much to him at the time, but when
he started teaching his first blinded veterans he realized how important they were.
Williams was the only blind person whom the new
instructors had ever met, and though they were impressed with what he could do as an
independent traveler, they attributed it to his being exceptionally gifted. Nevertheless,
Williams taught the instructors how he accomplished what he did, such as how he could
locate buildings, statues, and even poles by noticing the sound shadow that they made when
cars passed on the other side of them, or by the sound that they reflected when he clapped
his hands.
Once, for example, he took the instructors into an open
field and threw a football to them as they ran and called to him, and showed them how he
could point to the edge of a distant building by clapping his hands as he walked and
listened.
Thus the successful development of the O&M
techniques and programs as we know them today is due in great part to William's
determination in learning the best from the experts and teaching himself even more, and
passing this knowledge on to the Hines instructors. It is also partly due to his high
expectations for the blinded veterans who, he was confident, could do it as well as he.
As the new Hines instructors began to teach the
veterans, their techniques and strategies began to change. Probably the most significant
change that took place was that the lessons and techniques became increasingly
sophisticated, with greater and greater expectations of the blind men. Suterko remembers a
lesson with one of his first learners, who was asked to complete a complex route indoors
to find a certain room. When the man reached his destination, he exclaimed, "Hot
damn! I did it!" Suterko felt like saying the same thing, because he was equally
surprised that the man could do it.
Williams wasn't surprised by what the veterans could
achieve because he had done it himself, but the instructors and Bledsoe and Hoover
continued to be pleased and surprised with what the blinded veterans were accomplishing.
One day Hoover, who visited Hines occasionally, watched a lesson in which the veteran
crossed several streets and went to a train platform. In retrospect, the lesson would not
be seen as particularly noteworthy, but Hoover was exceedingly impressed.
Williams also reports that at one visit, Hoover asked
him if there were any new developments. Williams couldn't think of any, but when Hoover
went to observe a lesson, he was astounded at the new procedure he witnessed: the
"drop-off" lesson. This is a lesson in which the blind learner is dropped off
without being informed of his location, orients himself, and meets the instructor at a
destination. Hoover's first reaction was that this lesson was cruel to the blinded
veterans, but he later said that he approved of the practice.
And it keeps getting better.
The techniques and the cane itself
also changed in those early years of O&M. For example, the canes that Hoover had
taught the soldiers to use were less than 44 inches long; the Hines instructors began to
use longer canes and also individualized the length of the cane to suit the height of the
user ("prescribed canes").
In another example of evolving training techniques,
Hoover introduced Williams and the other soldiers to the cane only after they had learned
to travel indoors and were starting outdoor travel. Williams taught the Hines instructors
to introduce the cane and its use at the very beginning of their instruction. They were to
use the touch cane technique indoors as well as outdoors, except for crossing narrow
streets, when the diagonal cane technique was to be used. After teaching this way for a
while, however, the instructors realized that the diagonal cane technique doesn't prevent
travelers from hitting their knee against the bumper of parked cars, so they started
teaching people to use the touch technique during all their crossings.
Other techniques and strategies also evolved, primarily
through the discussions that the instructors had at the end of each day when writing their
progress notes. Some of these strategies were developed by the blind veterans themselves
as they applied what they'd learned to travel independently. Each year around December,
the instructors also blindfolded themselves and tried things that hadn't seemed to work
with the veterans, and adapted or came up with new techniques and strategies.
Whenever the instructors had different ideas or
preferences for techniques, they all agreed to use the technique that the majority chose.
They felt it was imperative that they all be consistent because, even though each veteran
had one instructor assigned to him, other instructors often filled in and also reinforced
techniques when they were in charge of the ward overnight. They felt that it would have
been confusing to the veterans to have conflicting methods being taught or reinforced by
the various instructors. Students were told that after they had left the program, they
could adapt the techniques as appropriate for their needs.
Thus these early instructors, because of their
sensitivity, creativity, increasingly high expectations of the blind veterans and
willingness to learn from them also contributed significantly to the development of
O&M techniques.
Why O&M there and then?
The population that was at Valley
Forge and Hines was different from the blind civilian population, most of whom have
functional vision. Williams feels that one factor which may have influenced the
development of O&M is the fact that the vast majority of men who had been blinded in
the war were totally blind and had no hope of recovering their vision. Many of them were
young and energetic, and they wanted to be independent. The circumstances of having so
many totally blind, determined young men in one program may have inspired efforts to find
and develop alternative techniques for orientation and mobility, and to establish a
program to present those techniques to the blinded veterans in a sequential, orderly
manner.
Williams feels that another factor which may have
fostered improvement of the techniques and program is the fact that each person at Hines
felt comfortable sharing ideas with the others. The staff members felt close to each
other, and there was no hierarchy of status to inhibit their interaction and
communication.
Leaders in the rehabilitation of blind people were
convinced of the effectiveness of O&M training only after persistent efforts on the
part of the originators and their converts. Without people like Williams, Bledsoe, Hoover,
Blaha, Corbett, Mees, Thuis, Suterko, and the blinded veterans who were determined to gain
their independence, O&M programs may never have developed to the point where they
eventually proved their value and were accepted by the blindness field.
(Bledsoe, C. Warren (1980) "Originators of
Orientation and Mobility Training" in Welsh, R. L. and Blasch, B. B. Foundations of
Orientation and Mobility, pp. 581-624.)
I am one of those low vision people who didn't really need to use a white
cane. If I bent over and stared at the ground three feet in front of me I would only
occasionally trip over a miscalculated step. I would bump into people, but that was just
because I wasn't paying attention.
To quote my teenage son--"NOT"!
Now I would feel naked if I left the house without my cane. I will admit that
my change of attitude was not an easy process for me. It took a few years and a lot of
soul searching to reach this point. I can thank the writers of the many wonderful articles
on cane travel that have been in the BRAILLE MONITOR over the years for their perspective
and encouragement.
The simple fact of the matter is that by not using a cane the only person I
was fooling was myself. It is the old story that everyone knows you are blind but you. I
know the final realization for me was that I would rather walk tall as a competent blind
person than walk down the street bent over trying to see where I was going--and not giving
a very good impression.
How much easier travel is now! My problem wasn't my vision...it was my
attitude.
This attitude was even conveyed to my son. When I first started using my cane,
I was self-conscious, and my son said, "Mom, put that thing away, everyone is looking
at you." As my attitude changed, so did his. He later said to me, "Hey, Mom,
everyone is looking at you because you are doing such a good job." Out of the mouths
of babes!
When I talk to kids about using a cane they always say that people will notice
them. My answer is, "Sure, people will notice, people notice everything: whether you
are thin or fat, short or tall, or if you have red hair. Some people are even dying their
hair green to become more noticeable! So what if they notice you use a cane. You don't
have to hide your cane, it is a symbol of your independence."
A car owner will wax and wash his car. It is his symbol of freedom and
independence. He feels he can't travel without it. So I take care of my canes. I take care
of my cane for the same reason. I have never been known to leave well enough alone, so I
have customized my canes.
I have an NFB telescoping cane. But let's face it, it is plain white, so why
not spruce it up with a fancy handle. I have found a variety of grips that I add to my
canes. My favorite grip is a steering wheel cover. They are available in a variety of
styles and colors and can be found in most discount stores.
Other grips you might like to use are golf grips and tennis racket grips.
(That's as close to a steering wheel and tennis racket I'm going to get!) They look great
and they are practical as a non-slip grip when you are wearing gloves.
So you can have a sporty cane or a fancy cane or an elegant cane. You can pick
the style you want to match the occasion. You can now buy reflective tape in most discount
or hardware stores (similar to ScotchLite but easier to apply). You can't tape the
telescoping canes, but I put some reflective tape on my rigid cane for at night. I feel
more comfortable knowing I am a little more visible at night.
I also use the California Cane. This cane is the best cane I have found. It is
lightweight and when the joints slide together it has the feel of a rigid cane. Unlike
many other folding canes, this cane comes apart easily and you don't have to fight with it
to get the joints separated.
When it snows I use a rigid cane. I added a red reflective tip to my
"snow cane" because I have heard that it is very hard for people to see a white
cane in the snow. If it is snowing hard I will increase my visibility by wearing an orange
hunter's hat.
You can add some variety to your cane collection. I have a cane with wood
grain Contact Paper on it for walking in the woods. I am a radio operator in the Civil Air
Patrol and I have an all black AmbuTech folding cane to meet the uniform requirements (all
accessories must be black). I also have a Camouflage cane.
If you aren't using a white cane, it does not qualify under the law, but many
states have a broad definition to extend to all mobility canes. Check with the white cane
laws in your state.
When I first started using my cane I would carry it in an umbrella case so no
one would see it. Now I have a cane for all occasions and a few spares.
Other Visions eZine is open for submissions from any
blind or low-vision individuals as well as those of you in related health-care
professions. Please submit through snail mail to my P.O. Box or e-mail.
The eZine should "talk well". That is, be
screen reader compatible. Let me know if you have any problems with it.
Link to Other Visions eZine. This link should
open up a second browser window to make it easy to come back here.
If it doesn't fit any other category, you'll find it here!
White Cane Day
October 15 is White Cane Safety Day. There are several important components of this
proclamation, however, the following paragraph sums it up:
Governor’s Annual White Cane Proclamation
Civil Code Section 54.4
(E.) IT IS THE POLICY OF THIS STATE TO ENCOURAGE AND ENABLE
BLIND PERSONS, VISUALLY HANDICAPPED PERSONS, AND OTHER PHYSICALLLY DISABLED PERSONS TO
PARTICIPATE FULLY IN THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC LIFE OF THE STATE AND TO ENGAGE IN
RENUMERATIVE EMPLOYMENT
Free Phone Calls? Telephone companies often make large button telephones and 4-1-1 directory
assistance free of charge. Contact your local service for more information.
When the Earth Quakes!
Visually impaired cane travelers should tape an extra cane to bottom of their mattress
with duct tape. In the event of an earthquake in the early morning, it should be exactly
where it was left and easily accessible.
First Commandment of Low Vision: Focus on your remaining vision… not that which you have lost.
The Things I Can Do With My Cane (To the tune of "My Favorite Things")
Traveling downtown, or out in the ‘burbs,
Crossing the street and finding the curb,
If you’re still wondering, please let me explain…
I use it when finding a street intersection,
Establishing landmarks and object detection,
If you’re confused, don’t think I’m insane,
These are the things I can do with my cane.
I used to crash things, sometimes smash things
And end up black and blue…
But now with my cane, I’m no longer in pain,
And feel like I’m all brand new!
Checking to see if the curb’s parallel,
Catching a bus, or boarding the El…
I even use it when I take the train…
These are the things I can do with my cane!
Following grasslines and finding the door,
There was a time when this was quite a chore.
But please don’t be thinking these tasks are a strain…
These are the things I can do with my cane!
Escalators, elevators
These I do with ease…
I simply unfold it - in my hand I hold it…
And travel wherever I please!!!
The following are catalogs offering equipment for the visually impaired:
Carolyn’s "Products for Enhanced Living"
For ordering or questions: (800)648-2266
Fax your order 24 hours: (941) 761-8306
E-Z Laces Shoe laces that do not require tying. Especially good for those with arthritis.
Washable and colorfast. Available in many colors. Lifetime guarantee.
(909) 606-1124, 24 hour ordering.
LS&S Group, Inc. Products for persons with disabilities, specializing in visually and hearing
impaired. Free catalog.
P.O. Box 673,
Northbrook, IL 60065
Toll FREE (800) 468-4789 (Voice)
Toll FREE (800) 317-8533 (TTY)
FAX (847) 498-1482
Web: http://www.lssgroup.com/home.html
Email: lssgrp@aol.com
Maxi-Aids Aids & Appliances for Independent Living
"Products designed especially for the Visually Impaired, Blind, Hard of hearing,
Deaf, Deaf-Blind, Arthritic, and physically Challenged".
For Information: (216) 752-0521
For 24-hour fax: (516) 752-0689
TTY: (516) 752-0738
E-mail: sales@maxiaids.com
Website: http://www.maxiaids.com
The Lighthouse Catalog "For someone with a vision problem, there’s no greater gift than
independence."
Order Toll Free: (800) 829-0500
Customer Service: (800) 346-9579
Choice Magazine Listening A free service selects and records unabridged articles from periodicals, such as The
Atlantic, Time, Gourmet, and Esquire. Every other month, subscribers receive 8
hours of material on an audio cassette tape. Tape players are provided free by the Library
of Congress. For more information, call:
(516) 883-8280
New York Times/Large Type Weekly Offers subscriptions to New York Times - home or business delivery
229 W. 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036
(800) 631-2500 (home delivery order)
(800) 631-2580 (large-print weekly subscriptions)
Reader’s Digest/Large Print Edition Offers subscription to Reader’s Digest.
P.O. Box 241
Mount Morris, Il 61054
The World At Large This 40-page weekly publication printed in large type contains unabridged articles on
news, entertainment, sports, and other areas taken from the current week’s issues of Time
and Newsweek. For subscription information, call:
(800) 285-2743
American Association of the Deaf-Blind Information and referral.
(312) 925-9647
American Council of the Blind Self-help, advocacy. Monthly magazine, Braille forum, in Braille and
large print. http://www.acb.org
(202) 833-1251
Jim and Sue's Homepage
Sue and Jim Martin's services are available to industries requiring information and/or
staff training in the area of visual impairment. Their homepage discusses the topic of
blindness both as professionals, and on a more personal level. A must see for anyone
considering a dog-guide.
Web: http://w2.downeast.net/jimandsue/
E-mail: smartin@downeast.net
National Association for Visually Handicapped Useful information relevant to consumer needs. http://www.navh.org
(212) 889-3141
National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse Offers publications on diabetes and answers requests for specialized information.
Box NDIC
9000 Rockwille Pike
Bethesda, MD 20892
(301) 468-2162
National Eye Institute Provides publications on eye diseases; information on current eye research. For
information contact the following address:
National Eye Institute
Information Officer
Building 31, Room 6A32
9000 Rockwille Pike
Bethesda, MD 20892
(301) 496-5248
National Federation of the Blind Self-help, advocacy. Updates on current legislation. http://www.nfb.org
(301) 659-9314
National Retinitis Pigmentosa Foundation Information about Retinitis Pigmentosa. Offers newsletter, new research results,
information about making life easier and referrals.
(800) 638-2300
National Society to Prevent Blindness, Inc. Publishes educational materials and provides information on prevention of
blindness, research and some community services.
500 E. Remington Road.
Schaumburg, IL 60173
(800) 221-3004
Focus on Glaucoma Provides newsletter with information about newest research. Direct questions regarding
glaucoma to the address below.
P.O. Box 12125
La Jolla, CA 92039
Glaucoma Support Network
Foundation for Glaucoma Research 490 Post Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 986-3162
Retinitis Pigmentosa International Woodland Hills, CA
(818) 992-0500
Fax: (818) 992-3265
Center for the Partially Sighted They offer a variety of important services for the partially sighted.
Santa Monica, CA
458-3501
Counseling Center of West Los Angeles Individual and family therapy, short term therapy, group sessions, community
resource education. Sliding fee scale available. Contact:
Susan Benjaminsen, M.A.
MFCC Intern # IMF 24896
Counseling Center of West Los Angeles
(310) 840-4773
Vision Support Group
The 3rd Wednesday of each month, 2 to 4:00 p.m. Lockheed Room, St. Joseph’s Medical
Center (Buena Vista and Alameda Streets in Burbank). For more information, contact:
Fran Champ
(818) 845-6023
Visually Handicapped Adults of the Valley This facility offers both private and group counseling targeting adjustment to
sight-loss. It is a recreational facility with a variety of classes and social activities.
Van Nuys, CA
(818) 988-1992
(818) 9882740
Descriptive Video Service A service of the WGBH Educational Foundation in Boston that makes television programs
and movies released on home video accessible to blind and visually impaired people.
(800) 333-1203 http://www.wgbh.org/wgbh/access/dvs DVS@wgbh.org
This is an important decision for an individual to make. The care required for the
animal, along with, the person’s travel habits and needs when considering this type
of commitment.
"It is essential that our students have the ability to travel independently in
their home area before training and with a Guide Dog. Independent travel means proceeding
to three or four separate destinations by either walking, taking public transportation or
a combination of the two, usually by using a long cane." Guide Dogs for the Blind,
Inc., Admissions and Training requirements.
Guide Dogs for the Blind San Rafael, CA
Call: (800) 295-4050
Fax: (415) 499-4035
Guiding Eyes for the Blind, Inc. Granite Springs Road
Yorktown Heights, NY 10598
Phone: (914) 245-4024
Fax: (914) 245-1609
International Guiding Eyes, Inc. 13445 Glenoaks Blvd.
Sylmar, CA 91342
(818) 362-5834
Assistance Dog Special Allowance Program People with a guide, signal or other service dog may be entitled to receive financial
assistance through this program. You can get more information and help completing the
application from your county welfare department, local Independent Living Centers and
other consumer based programs.
Send/Fax the application to:
Department of Social Services - Assistance Dog Special Allowance Program
744 P Street, MS 19-94
Sacramento, CA 95814
Voice/TDD: (916) 229-4048
Fax: (916) 229-4578
Creating Options Learn alternative techniques for identifying money, clothing and tasks of daily
living. Visually impaired women are given tips on the application of makeup, wardrobe
management, maintaining a healthy posture and other related areas of interest. Instruction
is provided in group and private format.
For more information, contact:
Nancy Burns, m.a.
P.O. Box 215
Burbank, CA 91503-0215
(818) 842-1018
Vista Nova, Home for the Blind Facility offering private apartments with amenities. Meals served in main dining room.
Activities are varied. Must be 18 years or older.
Pasadena, CA
(818) 791-1913
Here are QUALIFIED low vision specialists whose expertise extends far beyond regular
glasses.
Tony Carnevali, O.D.
Glendale, CA
(818) 241-1151
Ricardo Espinosa, O.D
Los Angeles, CA
(213) 261-3098
Spanish Speaking
Robert Gordon, O.D.
Encino, CA
(818) 986-8860
Wayne W. Hoeft, O.D.
Burbank, CA 91504
(818) 846-9075
Lions Low Vision Aids Services Program (LOVE)
c/o Southern California College of Optometry
Optometric Center of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
(213) 234-9137
Dancing in the Dark by Frances Lief Neer
Autobiography of adjustment to sight-loss, a "good humored, non-threatening reference
guide for living in a frightening situation". Recommended to individuals and
professionals.
$10.95 plus $3.00 shipping and handling. (CA residents pay 8.5% tax)
You can order at your favorite bookstore or through:
WILDSTAR PUBLISHING
1550 California Street, Suite 330
San Francisco, CA 94109
FAX/Voice: (415) 752-1453
24-hour credit card order: 800-321-1912
Blindness:What It Its, What It Does and How to Live with It (RC 20473)
Carroll, Thomas J.
The Adjustment of the Blind (RC 10632)
Chevigny, Hector, and Braverman, S.
Making Life More Livable: Simple Adaptations for the Homes of Blind and Visually
Impaired Older People (RC 22319)
Dickman, Irving R.
Insights from the Blind: Comparative Studies of Blind and Sighted Infants (RC
12781)
Fraiberg, Selma H.
Making the Best of It—How to Cope with Being Handicapped (RC 24717)
Holzhauser, Gillian K.
The Art of Seeing (RC 13503)
Huxley, Aldous
The Psychology of Blindness (RC 12290)
Kirtley, Donald D.
The Unseen Minority: A Social History of Blindness in America (RC 9069)
Koestler, Frances A.
The Changing Status of the Blind:From Separation to Integration (RC 11059)
Lowenfeld, Berthold
Evergreen Travel Service White cane tours for the visually impaired.
4114 North Avenue S.W., #13
Lynnwood, Washington 98036-5699
Betty Hoffman (800) 435-2288
The Foothill Service Club for the Blind (818) 249-0195
(818) 249-3551, Wednesdays 10:00-2:00p.m.
Provides a variety of social and recreational activities. Must be within their service
area.
The Joslyn Adult Center, the Braille Institute Community Center.
Every Wednesday, 12:00p.m. to 3:00p.m., limited capacity, contact: Terry Ingram, Community
Center Coordinator
(818) 884-2840
Visually Handicapped Adults of the Valley (818) 988-1992
Provides a variety of social activities. Must be within their service area.
Hint: Always mention that you are visually impaired
when calling for information. You will get better service by doing so.
RIDEINFO Information and referrals to all methods of transportation in the area.
Monday - Friday 8:00a.m. to 6:00p.m
English: (800) 431-7882
Spanish: (800) 431-9731
TaxiVouchers
Councilman, Los Angeles County (Currently under research.)
NCAM
The CPB/WGBH National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) is a research and development
facility that launched the Web Access Project to make the Internet fully accessible to
blind and deaf individuals.
Web: http://www.wgbh.org/wgbh/pages/ncam/
V.I.Guide
A Parent's Guide to Resources About Visual Impairments
Great list of resources for anyone who is interested in the education and welfare of a
blind or visually impaired child. http://www.viguide.com/
This page contains links
which may be of interest to those in the field of Orientation and Mobility as well as
those considering O&M as a career.