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<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial'; COLOR: #000000"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Hi you
all<BR><BR> <BR><BR>The below article is one piece of great
informational
literature that we in<BR>the NFB have to share. This piece was published
when
Dr. Maurer was<BR>president. I bet we could add more stories like this to
our
mounting<BR>treasure trove of NFB literature. will you share your story?
Write
something<BR>up, or call me at 402-660-1743 and tell me about you; either
way,
and we<BR>will get it edited and ready to share! One last thing, what is
presented<BR>below concentrates on those of us who are partially blind and
sighted, so if<BR>there is some one reading this who has with age, become
totally blind, we<BR>need your story, too!<BR><BR> <BR><BR>Meet Some
Competent Seniors with Low Vision<BR><BR>Meet twelve individuals who are
blind
or visually impaired and lead<BR>interesting, fulfilling lives. They range
in
age from 75 to more than 90.<BR><BR> <BR><BR>Seniors with low vision
are a
cross section of senior citizens. They have<BR>had as many different careers
and
other experiences as any group of seniors.<BR>Seniors adjust to vision loss
in
different ways according to their<BR>personalities and opportunities they
are
given. We are introducing several<BR>individuals below that you may find
interesting. Seniors who wish to find<BR>opportunities for training and a
better
adjustment to poor eyesight should<BR>contact the National Federation of the
Blind.<BR><BR>Helen has been visually impaired all her life. She had a good
memory and<BR>managed to finish high school, but she never really believed
she
could<BR>compete on the job. She raised a daughter and was active in her
church,
but<BR>did not work outside the home. In her mid-60's, Helen learned she
could
get<BR>training to become more self-sufficient as a person with low vision.
She<BR>learned to travel independently with a long white cane, and she
learned
to<BR>believe that she could do more than she had formerly thought. Since
that<BR>time, Helen has become well-known as a cowboy poet, and she has
maintained<BR>several jobs. Until the age of 83, she worked part-time in a
cafeteria. Now,<BR>at 86, she is fully retired but still active in her
church
and in the<BR>Organization of Cowboy Poets. She says, "I wish I had known as
a
young<BR>person what I now know about blindness, but I am glad I got my
training
and<BR>found out what others with low vision are doing when I
did."<BR><BR>Heather found out she was losing her eyesight after she was 80.
She
was<BR>frightened, but determined to stay active. She heard about the
National<BR>Federation of the Blind and called the President, Marc Maurer.
He
referred<BR>her to a good training center and introduced her to the
director.
Heather<BR>immediately enrolled in that training and completed it. Then she
moved to a<BR>new city where she had wished to live. She continues to
travel, to
hold<BR>strong opinions, and to encourage others who are losing vision to
expect<BR>life to be just as interesting and challenging as it ever
was.<BR><BR>Lloyd has retinitis pigmentosa which causes slow deterioration
of
vision<BR>over a period of ten to forty years. Lloyd was an aircraft
mechanic
when he<BR>could see well and continued to do that work long after his
vision
was<BR>worsening. When he stopped working on aircraft, he continued to work
on<BR>everything that needed fixing. As his sight diminished, he took
training
and<BR>learned independent travel and Braille. He says that his hands are
well<BR>calloused so he does not expect good speed in Braille, but he uses
it
to<BR>keep track of phone numbers and other short pieces of information.
Lloyd<BR>also has a substantial hearing loss, but he likes to work in his
shop.
He<BR>built a beautiful sun porch on his house. He is now 77, but when he
was
75<BR>he helped a friend who also has vision loss to build a
house.<BR><BR>Jim
has macular degeneration and still has some usable vision, but gave
up<BR>driving several years ago. Jim has lived in many places and done many
kinds<BR>of work. He is a good gardener and excellent carpenter.
Unfortunately,
he<BR>bought a house that was not in good condition structurally. He decided
that<BR>the only solution was to tear it down and build a better one. He met
Lloyd<BR>on the bus going to a meeting of blind and visually impaired senior
citizens<BR>who were sharing experiences and ideas having to do with their
lives
as they<BR>lost vision. Jim found that he and Lloyd had a lot in common.
When
Lloyd<BR>learned that Jim wanted to tear his house down and rebuild it, he
offered to<BR>help. So they did. They had a wonderful time, and Jim's new
house
is well<BR>built and comfortable. When it was completed, he cooked lunch for
the
whole<BR>blind and visually impaired senior support group. Now Jim and Lloyd
have<BR>written a book about their experiences building the house.
<BR><BR>Arlene called the National Federation of the Blind to find a
better<BR>magnifying glass so that she could continue doing books for
people.
She was<BR>83 and a little bitter about her deteriorating vision from
macular<BR>degeneration. The NFB tried to help Arlene find a better
magnifier,
but it<BR>also introduced her to many other people who were losing vision as
seniors.<BR>Arlene joined three groups and says she needs them all. If you
talk
to<BR>Arlene now, you will not see any hint of bitterness. She stays busy
with
her<BR>children and grandchildren and her work for the National Federation
of
the<BR>Blind.<BR><BR>Sybil is only 75. She began losing her vision in her
60's.
She was<BR>devastated and thought it was the end of her life. She tried to
find
a<BR>doctor who could cure her but failed. Then she came across members of
the<BR>National Federation of the Blind. She learned that many, many people
have<BR>had and are having experiences similar to hers. She began to
become<BR>independent again and joined her local chapter of the NFB. She
went to
a<BR>national convention and saw thousands of blind and visually impaired
people<BR>working and playing the way people do at conventions. She met
some<BR>individuals and became close friends. Now Sybil is a leader in her
chapter<BR>and well known in her community. She is eager to tell others
'both
blind and<BR>sighted 'about her experiences, so that they don't have to
struggle
"as much<BR>as I did when I first lost my sight."<BR><BR>George is 103. He
has
been losing vision for some years but only recently<BR>became unable to
read.
His housekeeper wants to protect him and wants him to<BR>find things to do
inside his house. George is unwilling to do this. He has<BR>been a farmer
all
his life and has brought large plastic tubs onto his<BR>patio. There he
plants
whatever strikes his fancy from time to time. He<BR>enjoys working with his
plants, but his housekeeper and some friends fear<BR>that he will hurt
himself.
Other visually impaired people encourage George<BR>to do what he wishes.
Blindness or low vision is no reason to stop living<BR>and doing what
interests
us, even at 103.<BR><BR>Beatrice is a retired school teacher. She went to a
state convention of the<BR>National Federation of the Blind looking for
something to do. She said, "I<BR>know a lot of people and have a lot of
experience, and I want to share it<BR>with other people." Members of the NFB
encouraged her to learn Braille and<BR>to buy a white cane, which she did.
Then
she began to tell people about the<BR>Federation and to raise funds. She
said
she needed a cause and found as much<BR>need among blind and visually
impaired
seniors as among the school children<BR>she had taught. The specifics were
different, but her skills and experiences<BR>were just what was
needed.<BR><BR>Ethel felt trapped in her mobile home when she lost her
vision in
her<BR>mid-70's. Her husband would not let her do much anymore, and she was
very<BR>frustrated. A member of the National Federation of the Blind came to
visit<BR>her and showed her that she could dial the phone more conveniently
if
she<BR>took it off the wall. It was at an inconvenient angle for her hand
motion.<BR>This person also left Ethel some audio materials about other
blind
and<BR>visually impaired people. Ethel began to understand that she could
cook<BR>again and take care of her own needs. She got some training and
learned
to<BR>travel independently. She was elected president of her chapter and
helped
to<BR>strengthen it. Then she moved to a different town and organized a
new<BR>chapter. She died at age 89 and is remembered in a very special way
by
many.<BR><BR>Margaret has had low vision all of her life, but didn't realize
that her<BR>level of vision constituted legal blindness. She moved with her
husband to<BR>the United States from Germany as a young woman. She raised
two
children and<BR>established a private kindergarten. She is respected by most
of
the citizens<BR>in her town, many of whom were her kindergarten students.
When
she retired<BR>because of poor health and worsening vision in her early
60's,
Margaret<BR>wanted to write a book. She tells wonderful stories. It took her
about two<BR>years to find a talking computer she could afford and learn to
use
it, but<BR>she got that accomplished. Then she wrote a cookbook. She has
published the<BR>first volume of her autobiography and is about to complete
the
second of<BR>three parts.<BR><BR>John is 88. He was a newspaper reporter all
his
life and continued to write<BR>a column for another 15 years after he
retired.
In his early 80's macular<BR>degeneration caused his vision to become so
poor
that he gave up his column.<BR>He was appointed to the board of the
rehabilitation agency for the blind and<BR>began to meet other blind people
and
people who were losing vision. He moved<BR>to a retirement center where he
could
use a closed circuit TV enlarger which<BR>helps him read more print again.
He
also joined the National Federation of<BR>the Blind and found contact with
other
blind and visually impaired people<BR>stimulating.<BR><BR>Mickey loves to
dance
and cook. She took some lessons in cane travel and<BR>Braille and became the
leader of a senior support group. She continues to<BR>dance almost every
week,
even though at 89 she has some health problems.<BR>Mickey still has a little
remaining vision for which she is grateful, but<BR>people think of her as
charming and busy more than anything else. After the<BR>first shock of poor
vision, she has continued to enjoy life and to help<BR>others.<BR><BR>For
more
information about blindness, please contact the Jacobus tenBroek<BR>Library
of
the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute at
(410)<BR>659-9314, or
send an e-mail to <</FONT></FONT><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><A
style='href: "mailto:jtblibrary@nfb.org"'><FONT
face="Times New Roman">mailto:jtblibrary@nfb.org</FONT></A><FONT
face="Times New Roman">><BR></FONT><A
style='href: "mailto:JtBLibrary@nfb.org"'><FONT
face="Times New Roman">JtBLibrary@nfb.org</FONT></A><FONT
face="Times New Roman">.<BR><BR>NFB<BR>National Federation of the
Blind<BR>Marc
Maurer, President<BR>200 East Wells Street<BR>
at
Jernigan Place<BR>Baltimore, MD 21230<BR>Phone 410 659 9314<BR><</FONT><A
style='href: "http://www.nfb.org/"'><FONT
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NFB<BR><BR> <BR><BR> <BR><BR> <BR><BR>You are
here<BR><BR> <BR><BR>Home<BR><BR> <BR><BR> <BR><BR> <BR><BR> <BR><BR> <BR><BR> <BR><BR> <BR><BR> <BR><BR> <BR><BR> <BR><BR> <BR><BR>Meet
Some Competent Seniors with Low Vision<BR><BR> <BR><BR>Meet twelve
individuals who are blind or visually impaired and lead<BR>interesting,
fulfilling lives. They range in age from 75 to more than
90.<BR><BR> <BR><BR>Seniors with low vision are a cross section of
senior
citizens. They have<BR>had as many different careers and other experiences
as
any group of seniors.<BR>Seniors adjust to vision loss in different ways
according to their<BR>personalities and opportunities they are given. We are
introducing several<BR>individuals below that you may find interesting.
Seniors
who wish to find<BR>opportunities for training and a better adjustment to
poor
eyesight should<BR>contact the National Federation of the
Blind.<BR><BR> <BR><BR>Helen has been visually impaired all her life.
She
had a good memory and<BR>managed to finish high school, but she never really
believed she could<BR>compete on the job. She raised a daughter and was
active
in her church, but<BR>did not work outside the home. In her mid-60's, Helen
learned she could get<BR>training to become more self-sufficient as a person
with low vision. She<BR>learned to travel independently with a long white
cane,
and she learned to<BR>believe that she could do more than she had formerly
thought. Since that<BR>time, Helen has become well-known as a cowboy poet,
and
she has maintained<BR>several jobs. Until the age of 83, she worked
part-time in
a cafeteria. Now,<BR>at 86, she is fully retired but still active in her
church
and in the<BR>Organization of Cowboy Poets. She says, "I wish I had known as
a
young<BR>person what I now know about blindness, but I am glad I got my
training
and<BR>found out what others with low vision are doing when I
did."<BR><BR> <BR><BR>Heather found out she was losing her eyesight
after
she was 80. She was<BR>frightened, but determined to stay active. She heard
about the National<BR>Federation of the Blind and called the President, Marc
Maurer. He referred<BR>her to a good training center and introduced her to
the
director. Heather<BR>immediately enrolled in that training and completed it.
Then she moved to a<BR>new city where she had wished to live. She continues
to
travel, to hold<BR>strong opinions, and to encourage others who are losing
vision to expect<BR>life to be just as interesting and challenging as it
ever
was.<BR><BR> <BR><BR>Lloyd has retinitis pigmentosa which causes slow
deterioration of vision<BR>over a period of ten to forty years. Lloyd was an
aircraft mechanic when he<BR>could see well and continued to do that work
long
after his vision was<BR>worsening. When he stopped working on aircraft, he
continued to work on<BR>everything that needed fixing. As his sight
diminished,
he took training and<BR>learned independent travel and Braille. He says that
his
hands are well<BR>calloused so he does not expect good speed in Braille, but
he
uses it to<BR>keep track of phone numbers and other short pieces of
information.
Lloyd<BR>also has a substantial hearing loss, but he likes to work in his
shop.
He<BR>built a beautiful sun porch on his house. He is now 77, but when he
was
75<BR>he helped a friend who also has vision loss to build a
house.<BR><BR> <BR><BR>Jim has macular degeneration and still has some
usable vision, but gave up<BR>driving several years ago. Jim has lived in
many
places and done many kinds<BR>of work. He is a good gardener and excellent
carpenter. Unfortunately, he<BR>bought a house that was not in good
condition
structurally. He decided that<BR>the only solution was to tear it down and
build
a better one. He met Lloyd<BR>on the bus going to a meeting of blind and
visually impaired senior citizens<BR>who were sharing experiences and ideas
having to do with their lives as they<BR>lost vision. Jim found that he and
Lloyd had a lot in common. When Lloyd<BR>learned that Jim wanted to tear his
house down and rebuild it, he offered to<BR>help. So they did. They had a
wonderful time, and Jim's new house is well<BR>built and comfortable. When
it
was completed, he cooked lunch for the whole<BR>blind and visually impaired
senior support group. Now Jim and Lloyd have<BR>written a book about their
experiences building the house. <BR><BR> <BR><BR>Arlene called the
National
Federation of the Blind to find a better<BR>magnifying glass so that she
could
continue doing books for people. She was<BR>83 and a little bitter about her
deteriorating vision from macular<BR>degeneration. The NFB tried to help
Arlene
find a better magnifier, but it<BR>also introduced her to many other people
who
were losing vision as seniors.<BR>Arlene joined three groups and says she
needs
them all. If you talk to<BR>Arlene now, you will not see any hint of
bitterness.
She stays busy with her<BR>children and grandchildren and her work for the
National Federation of the<BR>Blind.<BR><BR> <BR><BR>Sybil is only 75.
She
began losing her vision in her 60's. She was<BR>devastated and thought it
was
the end of her life. She tried to find a<BR>doctor who could cure her but
failed. Then she came across members of the<BR>National Federation of the
Blind.
She learned that many, many people have<BR>had and are having experiences
similar to hers. She began to become<BR>independent again and joined her
local
chapter of the NFB. She went to a<BR>national convention and saw thousands
of
blind and visually impaired people<BR>working and playing the way people do
at
conventions. She met some<BR>individuals and became close friends. Now Sybil
is
a leader in her chapter<BR>and well known in her community. She is eager to
tell
others 'both blind and<BR>sighted 'about her experiences, so that they don't
have to struggle "as much<BR>as I did when I first lost my
sight."<BR><BR> <BR><BR>George is 103. He has been losing vision for
some
years but only recently<BR>became unable to read. His housekeeper wants to
protect him and wants him to<BR>find things to do inside his house. George
is
unwilling to do this. He has<BR>been a farmer all his life and has brought
large
plastic tubs onto his<BR>patio. There he plants whatever strikes his fancy
from
time to time. He<BR>enjoys working with his plants, but his housekeeper and
some
friends fear<BR>that he will hurt himself. Other visually impaired people
encourage George<BR>to do what he wishes. Blindness or low vision is no
reason
to stop living<BR>and doing what interests us, even at
103.<BR><BR> <BR><BR>Beatrice is a retired school teacher. She went to
a
state convention of the<BR>National Federation of the Blind looking for
something to do. She said, "I<BR>know a lot of people and have a lot of
experience, and I want to share it<BR>with other people." Members of the NFB
encouraged her to learn Braille and<BR>to buy a white cane, which she did.
Then
she began to tell people about the<BR>Federation and to raise funds. She
said
she needed a cause and found as much<BR>need among blind and visually
impaired
seniors as among the school children<BR>she had taught. The specifics were
different, but her skills and experiences<BR>were just what was
needed.<BR><BR> <BR><BR>Ethel felt trapped in her mobile home when she
lost
her vision in her<BR>mid-70's. Her husband would not let her do much
anymore,
and she was very<BR>frustrated. A member of the National Federation of the
Blind
came to visit<BR>her and showed her that she could dial the phone more
conveniently if she<BR>took it off the wall. It was at an inconvenient angle
for
her hand motion.<BR>This person also left Ethel some audio materials about
other
blind and<BR>visually impaired people. Ethel began to understand that she
could
cook<BR>again and take care of her own needs. She got some training and
learned
to<BR>travel independently. She was elected president of her chapter and
helped
to<BR>strengthen it. Then she moved to a different town and organized a
new<BR>chapter. She died at age 89 and is remembered in a very special way
by
many.<BR><BR> <BR><BR>Margaret has had low vision all of her life, but
didn't realize that her<BR>level of vision constituted legal blindness. She
moved with her husband to<BR>the United States from Germany as a young
woman.
She raised two children and<BR>established a private kindergarten. She is
respected by most of the citizens<BR>in her town, many of whom were her
kindergarten students. When she retired<BR>because of poor health and
worsening
vision in her early 60's, Margaret<BR>wanted to write a book. She tells
wonderful stories. It took her about two<BR>years to find a talking computer
she
could afford and learn to use it, but<BR>she got that accomplished. Then she
wrote a cookbook. She has published the<BR>first volume of her autobiography
and
is about to complete the second of<BR>three parts.<BR><BR> <BR><BR>John
is
88. He was a newspaper reporter all his life and continued to write<BR>a
column
for another 15 years after he retired. In his early 80's
macular<BR>degeneration
caused his vision to become so poor that he gave up his column.<BR>He was
appointed to the board of the rehabilitation agency for the blind
and<BR>began
to meet other blind people and people who were losing vision. He moved<BR>to
a
retirement center where he could use a closed circuit TV enlarger
which<BR>helps
him read more print again. He also joined the National Federation of<BR>the
Blind and found contact with other blind and visually impaired
people<BR>stimulating.<BR><BR> <BR><BR>Mickey loves to dance and cook.
She
took some lessons in cane travel and<BR>Braille and became the leader of a
senior support group. She continues to<BR>dance almost every week, even
though
at 89 she has some health problems.<BR>Mickey still has a little remaining
vision for which she is grateful, but<BR>people think of her as charming and
busy more than anything else. After the<BR>first shock of poor vision, she
has
continued to enjoy life and to help<BR>others.<BR><BR> <BR><BR>For more
information about blindness, please contact the Jacobus tenBroek<BR>Library
of
the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute at
(410)<BR>659-9314, or
send an e-mail to </FONT><A style='href: "mailto:JtBLibrary@nfb.org"'><FONT
face="Times New Roman">JtBLibrary@nfb.org</FONT></A><FONT
face="Times New Roman">.<BR><BR> <BR><BR>NFB<BR><BR>National Federation
of
the Blind<BR><BR>Marc Maurer, President<BR><BR>200 East Wells
Street<BR><BR> at Jernigan
Place<BR><BR>Baltimore,
MD 21230<BR><BR>Phone 410 659 9314<BR><BR></FONT><A
style='href: "http://www.nfb.org"'><FONT
face="Times New Roman">www.nfb.org</FONT></A><BR><BR><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> <BR></FONT></FONT>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial'; COLOR: #000000">Keep
Smiling,<BR>Janie Degenshein<BR>Happiness isn't having what you want, but
wanting what you already have!<BR>Facilitator of ECHO (Eyes Closed Hearts
Open)<BR>state affiliate board member<BR>President of the senior division of
the
National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey<BR>President of the
Technology
division of the National federation of the Blind of New Jersey<BR>NFBNJ
Newsline
co-ordinator<BR>jdegen16@comcast.net<BR></DIV></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>