Seeing Beyond Vision Loss - A YEAR IN REVIEW 2014-2015

seeing beyond vision loss
A YEAR IN REVIEW 2014-2015
Established in 1918, CNIB provided
food, clothing, residences and library
services to blinded veterans and other
Canadians living with vision loss.
Our organization has evolved over the
last 97 years; in addition to charitable
programs – such as education,
advocacy, research and client support
– CNIB has become the primary
provider of vision rehabilitation in Nova
Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
CNIB’s vision rehabilitation programs
and services reduce the personal,
social and economic costs of vision
loss, while improving the overall health
and wellbeing of individuals who are
blind or partially sighted. CNIB helps
individuals to see beyond vision loss
and lead full, active lives.
Whether that means learning to cook
again after a loss of sight, going back
to school, maintaining employment,
travelling safely and independently
with a white cane or getting support
to adjust to the emotional and social
impact of vision loss.
As we approach CNIB’s centenary in
2018, we look forward to continuing
to work in partnership with those
we serve, as well as with other
organizations, the medical community,
and government to create a future in
which every Nova Scotian and Islander
with vision loss has the opportunity to
fully participate in life.
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
Collaboration with health professionals
and community organizations
Throughout Nova Scotia and Prince Edward
Island, CNIB is focusing on strengthening
partnerships with community organizations,
health care providers, educators and seniors
groups to better connect people who are blind
or partially sighted to the supports and services
available in their region.
As part of our partnership with Dalhousie
University’s School of Occupational
Therapy, six OT students completed eightweek placements, facilitating group programs,
conducting research and providing follow-up
instruction to individuals learning independent
living and mobility skills, and how to use
assistive technology.
In September 2014, a social work intern
from Dalhousie’s School of Social Work
began an eight month placement with CNIB,
co-facilitating the Adjustment to Vision
Loss Program and other family programs
with CNIB’s specialized counsellors, while
also developing sessions for the Teen Girls
Program and helping with the research and
development of the Parenting with Vision Loss
Program manual.
More than half of the people who
come to CNIB in Nova Scotia and
Prince Edward Island are referred
by an ophthalmologist or an
optometrist.
Building a brighter future
for children and youth
CNIB’s first-ever SCORE (Skills, Confidence
and Opprotunities through Recreation and
Education) camp for students with vision loss
was launched in July 2014 – thanks to funding
from RBC.
A summer camp for children and youth who
are blind or partially sighted, CNIB’s SCORE
program provided an opportunity for campers
to enjoy recreation activities with their peers,
while both enhancing and building key
rehabilitation skills for everyday living.
Over the course of four weeks, campers
participated in activities that focused on
traveling safely, socializing, making friends,
preparing meals independently, keeping active
and self-advocacy.
The unique program offered an opportunity
for students between 10-12 years of age to
experience camp like their sighted peers, and
helped them gain the necessary skills and
confidence to lead full, active lives.
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Family Support Program
a new initiative
The first-ever program for family members
and friends of individuals with vision loss was
launched in November 2014 in Halifax.
The program was a pilot that was held over
a four-week period, covering a variety of
topics including: CNIB programs and services,
common eye conditions, the social experience
of vision loss, techniques to maximize
remaining vision, strategies for managing daily
living activities, how to communicate effectively
and the sighted guide technique.
Individuals with vision loss
learn Judo and self-defense
At 103 pounds, Alycia Pottie, who lives with
Glaucoma, never thought she was capable
of throwing a 205-pound man to the ground
using a defensive Judo throw.
The 22-year-old was among the first
participants in CNIB’s first-ever Living Safe
Program – a program based on a research
model designed and implemented in Australia
by Dr. Tanya Packer, Director of Dalhousie
University’s School of Occupational
Therapy.
Martial arts classes typically rely heavily
on students’ ability to see demonstrations
and copy the instructor’s movements; he
substituted visual demonstrations with verbal
descriptions of the techniques and then
hands-on demonstrations with each of the
participants.
Stress management techniques, awareness
of one’s surroundings and walking with
confidence were also key components during
the sessions.
Program graduates have varying degrees of
vision loss and range from the ages of 21
to 82, but the consensus remains the same:
learning what you are capable of and believing
in your own abilities can make all the
difference.
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Participants also learned about resources,
products and technologies that are available to
individuals who are blind or partially sighted.
Teen Girls
with vision loss
CNIB’s first-ever Teen Girls with Vision Loss
Program is designed to give teenagers,
between the ages of 13-17, a forum to connect
with their peers to focus on the social and
emotional experiences of vision loss and the
challenges they face.
Discussion topics included extracurricular
activities, dating, bullying, makeup and
technology. Guest speakers played an
important role.
Launched in January 2015, CNIB’s Teen
Girls with Vision Loss Program was held one
evening a month and offered over the phone
and via Skype.
VISION REHABILITATION
CNIB programs and services
delivered where our clients need them most
CNIB’s vision rehabilitation specialists deliver
programs and services where Nova Scotians
and Islanders need them most: in their own
homes and communities, over the phone,
online and at CNIB centres in Charlottetown,
Halifax and Sydney.
Assistive Technology and Products
Assistive Technology Specialists provide
information, demonstration and training
enabling people to use screen magnification,
screen-reader programs, cell phones with
accessible features and other technologies.
Assessment and Referral
CNIB’s Service Coordinator assists new and
returning clients to identify their needs and then
connects them to CNIB’s vision rehabilitation
programs and services, as well as community
programs and concessions.
Orientation and Mobility
Orientation and
Mobility Specialists
teach people how
to travel safely,
independently and
confidently in their
home, community and
workplace. Instruction
includes the sighted
guide technique (a
safe way to walk with
a sighted person), way-finding skills, long cane
techniques and street crossings.
Low Vision Assessments
Low Vision
Specialists provide
explanation and
information about
eye conditions and
vision health, as
well as instruction
in the use of low
vision aids such as
magnifiers, and how to use lighting and colour
contrast to maximize residual vision.
Adjustment to Vision Loss Counselling
CNIB’s Counsellors provide one-on-one
counselling and facilitate structured peersupport programs to help individuals come
to terms with their vision loss, understand
their emotions, and accept the support and
training that will allow them to continue to live
independently.
Children, Youth and Family Services
Opportunities for
parents with vision
loss and parents of
children with vision
loss to learn about
resources available
– and through peersupport programs,
share challenges and
identify solutions.
Independent Living Skills
Independent Living Specialists provide training
in skills, techniques and adaptive aids to
carry out everyday activities, like preparing
meals safely, identifying money and using
the telephone. Instruction also includes
organizational and labelling techniques for
both household and personal items.
Last year, CNIB spent more
than 8,393 hours delivering
vital services to individuals who
are blind or partially sighted in
Nova Scotia and 1,159 in Prince
Edward Island.
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PHILANTHROPY
We simply couldn’t do it without you!
Every year, we are humbled by the incredible
generosity of our donors and supporters. From
sponsoring and participating in our fundraising
events to donating in memory of a loved
one, however you chose to help, you made it
possible for Nova Scotians and Islanders with
vision loss to live full, independent lives.
Over the past year, third-party fundraisers
have been a very effective way of raising funds
for CNIB’s vision rehabilitation programs and
services.
Yoga studios jumped on board to help out
with our fundraising efforts. Studios including
Moksha Yoga Halifax, Moksha Yoga
Charlottetown, Shanti Hot Yoga Bedford,
Shanti Hot Yoga Dartmouth and Asana Yoga
all supported CNIB through their donationbased classes, raising over $1,300. Shanti Hot
Yoga even put a twist on their donation-based
classes by incorporating blindfolds to create
Yoga in the Dark.
In the last year, Dining in the Dark events
were held at the Holland Collage Culinary
Institute in Charlottetown, Flavor 19 in
Sydney, Osprey Ridge Golf Club in Bridge
Water, daMaurizio Fine Dining restaurant
and Dalhousie University in Halifax.
The Auction House, ReLiSH Gourmet
Burgers, Jill’s Chocolates and individuals
throughout Nova Scotia and Prince Edward
Island also hosted third-party initiatives.
Blindfolded guests
raise funds
It’s not unusual to close your eyes and savour
a bite of your favourite dish. But have you ever
consumed an entire meal that way – replacing
sight with touch, taste and texture?
Based on a restaurant concept popularized in
Paris and New York, guests don blindfolds for a
unique, sensory experience in which they can
explore their meal in a whole new way.
That is precisely what 705 guests did during
five different volunteer-driven Dining in the Dark
fundraisers in 2014-15.
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In May 2014, CNIB participated in the
Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon Charity
Challenge for its fifth consecutive year. A total
of 31 participants raised funds as they laced up
their sneakers in support of CNIB.
In total, over $13,800 was raised
through third-party fundraisers
for CNIB programs and services.
Provincial eye safety tours target young workers
Holland College campuses and Nova Scotia
Community Colleges throughout Prince
Edward Island and Nova Scotia hosted 21 eye
safety workshops aiming to instill a culture of
safety among students studying skilled trades.
Since 2012, the number of reported workplace
eye injuries has increased by 50 per cent in
workers aged 15-24. Young employees are
now among the highest risk groups for workrelated eye injuries.
The provincial eye safety tours were part of
CNIB’s Eye Safety Program, an initiative that
educates employers and frontline employees
about the importance of practicing eye safety
at work, at home and at play.
The college eye safety tours focused on
reducing the incidence of eye injuries –
especially among the region’s future workforce.
Research shows that while the overall number
of eye injuries has declined in recent years,
workplace eye injuries among young workers
continues to rise.
CNIB’s Eye Safety Program is supported by
the Nova Scotia Department of Labour and
Advanced Education, Novartis, Workers’
Compensation Board of Nova Scotia,
Workers’ Compensation Board of PEI,
Holland College, and NSCC.
GOVERNMENT PARTNERS
CNIB would like to recognize the Government
of Prince Edward Island’s Department of
Community Services and Seniors and
the Province of Nova Scotia’s Department
of Community Services and Department
of Health and Wellness for funding vision
rehabilitation.
Their continued support ensures that CNIB is
able to deliver essential vision rehabilitation
so that Islanders and Nova Scotians are
able to learn skills and techniques to live
independently and remain active in their
communities – to see beyond vision loss.
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VOLUNTEERS
Creating Possibilities
by lending their talents
Over the last year, CNIB’s Vision Mate
volunteers provided weekly one-on-one
sighted assistance and companionship to 60
people with vision loss in Nova Scotia and 10
in Prince Edward Island.
Our office volunteers connected with clients:
calling them about upcoming events, assisting
with peer-support groups, and our staffing front
desk and Shop CNIB stores.
Clients in Halifax experienced and created art,
learned to knit and cook, and demonstrated
their exceptional talents at our first annual
Variety Show – all because of our volunteers.
So whether it’s weekly assistance in homes
or a new event in the community, CNIB
volunteers make it possible!
Heartfelt thanks
CNIB recognizes the Nova Scotia-Prince
Edward Island Division Board members’
commitment to vision health and thanks them
for their contributions in 2014-2015:
Peter Forgeron
Allen C. Fownes
Michael Haddad
Colleen Henderson
Mike Herenberg
Dave Hilchey
David Hirtle
Robert MacLeod
Sherri Merzetti
Dr. Marcelo Nicolela
Glenda Parsons
Dr. Edward Rafuse
Kevin Walsh
201-342 Grafton St.
Charlottetown PE
(902) 566-2580
6136 Almon St.
Halifax NS
(902) 453-1480
CHAIR
William Blight
PAST CHAIR
Dr. Rhett MacDonald
Meet Dave and Pat
Dave and Pat Hilchey have been major
contributors as volunteer fundraisers for CNIB
since 2011.
Dave is a member of the Nova Scotia-Prince
Edward Island division board, while Pat works
at the Charlottetown CNIB office each week.
As volunteers, they’ve founded Dining in the
Dark in Atlantic Canada – establishing the very
first Dining in the Dark in Charlottetown in 2011
– raising more than $150,000 net for CNIB
programs and services in PEI from these five
Charlottetown Dining in the Dark events.
Through strong leadership, passion and
dedication, Pat and Dave have helped raise
funds for a cause that is near and dear to their
hearts.
Dave and Pat are also volunteer champions
of the annual Philip Bower Charity Golf
Tournament, spearheading this event for the
sixth straight year. Together, they have raised
over $100,000 net in total from these golf
tournaments.
45 Weatherbee Rd.
Sydney NS
(902) 564-5711
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