[Nfbf-l] {Disarmed} Fw: Going Blind - a film by Joseph Lovett Showing at UCF

Fri Oct 7 21:17:50 UTC 2011

Hi Sherri,

Thanks for passing this most intriguing sounding movie synopsis along. I also hope several Orlando chapter members can see this documentary and give us their opinions. If it's done well, it would certainly be a great tool for those losing vision, and should be shared in many areas of Florida as well as the rest of the country.
Have a great weekend!
Sherrill

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org]On
Behalf Of Sherri
Sent: Friday, October 07, 2011 4:56 PM
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Subject: [Nfbf-l] {Disarmed} Fw: Going Blind - a film by Joseph Lovett
Showing at UCF

Going Blind - a film by Joseph Lovett Showing at UCFI got this email from 
Lighthouse Central Florida and am passing it along. I hope many of us in the 
Central Florida area will be able to see this documentary. I went on the Web 
and found a synopsis. Below is the synopsis and then the original email with 
date and times.

Sherri
Synopsis
Going Blind is a unique documentary film that increases public awareness of 
sight loss and low vision issues profoundly affecting the lives of more and 
more people around the world.

Director Joseph Lovett has glaucoma, a disease that robs 4.5 million people 
worldwide of their vision. After years of slowly losing his sight, Joe 
decides to take action: to investigate how people all over the country 
respond to vision-loss. His search begins small, with people Joe meets on 
the streets of his hometown New York City and gradually leads him to places 
and people around the country, of all different ages and backgrounds. Each 
has a fascinating story about dealing with the vision loss caused by 
sight-robbing diseases, infections and accidents. As a filmmaker, Joe uses 
the tool he knows best to gather information, to connect with individuals 
and to find answers to share with the world.

Going Blind interweaves Joe’s story with that of his fellow subjects. 
Inviting us into the intimate spaces of the visually impaired and blind, Joe 
takes us into the homes, hospitals and workplaces of these characters. In 
his own self-portrayal, he bravely shows how glaucoma is threatening a 
filmmaker’s entire lifestyle. With determination, Joe does everything he can 
to slow down the course of his disease from medication to surgeries, visual 
aids and the support of family and friends. From his subjects and fellow 
members of the visually impaired community, Joe receives a guiding light in 
a darkening world. An array of intimate anecdotes provide a glimpse into the 
world of low vision and blindness for sighted and visually impaired viewers. 
A startling 37 million people worldwide have lost their vision, while in the 
United States alone, Lighthouse International reports that 10 million people 
are legally blind or visually impaired. Here are the stories of six of them.

Jessica Jones
Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Jessica serendipitously met Joe on the 
streets of her current home, New York City, while she was training her 
seeing-eye dog, Chef. Jessica was only 32 and an artist teaching in the New 
York City public school system when she lost her vision in eight months from 
diabetic retinopathy. Initially, Jessica faced opposition through her 
illness with a lack of encouragement and support from family and a dearth of 
career opportunities. Determined not to succumb to these obstacles, Going 
Blind traces Jessica’s evolution to empowerment as she finds multiple 
strategies and technology assistance to cope with her blindness, and finally 
lands an art teaching position at the Lavelle School for the Blind in the 
Bronx.

Emmet Teran
Eleven-year old Emmet has low vision due to his albinism, a condition he 
inherited from his father who also lives with low vision. Emmet needs every 
detail to be enlarged in order to see, limiting his participation in school, 
sports, and activities with friends. Recent operations provide hope, yet 
Emmett takes it upon himself to cope with his illness—participating in an 
after school comedy troupe, Emmet’s humor is uplifting to himself and his 
family and friends.

Steve Baskis
Texas native Steve Baskis was 22 and Private First Class in the Army when a 
roadside bomb north of Baghdad hit his vehicle. In addition to injuries all 
over his body, shrapnel from the bomb created nerve damage to Steve’s eyes, 
leaving him blind. Going Blind documents Steve’s transition from recovery at 
Hines Blind Rehabilitation Center outside of Chicago to his new life at his 
own apartment, cleverly designed by himself for independent living as a 
blind person.

Pat Williams
Pat Williams is a legally blind woman, who struggles to bridge her place 
between the world of the sighted and that of the visually impaired. As a 
program support assistant at the New York City center for Veterans Affairs, 
Pat has found ways to adapt her work environment to her own needs. Yet at 
times it is necessary for her to receive help from family for daily needs. 
Throughout the film, Pat works to strike a balance between relying on family 
and remaining a fiercely independent woman who does not let her disability 
define her.

Peter D’Elia
An 85-year-old architect suffering from macular degeneration, Peter D’Elia 
has been slowly losing his vision slowly over the past 10 years. His career 
was in crisis when he noticed that his vision was failing even in his good 
right eye. Through passion and stamina, Peter finds the drive to continue 
working, trying new medication for his illness and fighting to restore his 
sight. Despite vision loss, Peter continues to pursue his love of 
architecture at his home in New Jersey.

Ray Kornman
At age 29, Ray Kornman discovered he had retinitis pigmentosa, an incurable 
eye disease that would leave him blind by the age of 40. In Going Blind, Ray 
discloses his initial feelings of hopelessness and vulnerability before 
learning of the various services available for the blind. Ray’s life changed 
when he got his guide dog at the Seeing Eye in Morristown. Now, secure in 
his condition and content with his life, Ray’s mission is to spread the 
message about the power of guide dogs.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Lighthouse Central Florida
To: flmom2006 at gmail.com
Sent: Friday, October 07, 2011 12:03 PM
Subject: Going Blind - a film by Joseph Lovett Showing at UCF

      October 13, 2011

      UCF
      Student Union
      CAPE FLORIDA
      Ballroom 316

      Going Blind Showings:
      10 AM - 12 PM &
      2 PM - 4 PM

      Q&A Open Forum:
      12 PM - 2PM

      The film, Going Blind, will be shown twice in the UCF Student Union, 
CAPE FLORIDA BALLROOM, 3rd Floor. Please show your support by simply 
attending to watch the film. Bring a friend.
      ADMISSION IS FREE!!

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      Lighthouse Central Florida
      215 East New Hampshire St.
      Orlando, Florida 32804
      US

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