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LOW VISION, HIGH HOPES: ONE WOMAN’S VIEW The spacious lobby of the Chase Park Plaza Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri, was crowded with people, seeing- eye dogs and white-tipped canes. Among the totally blind were many partially sighted who, like me, manage without dogs or canes. These several hundred delegates and guests, from almost every state including Hawaii, were there this past July for the 20th annual convention of the American Council of the Blind. More than a dozen affiliates of the A. C. B., such as American Blind Lawyers Association, National Association of Blind Teachers, World Council of Blind Lions and the Council of Citizens with Low Vision, had scheduled luncheons, dinners, seminars, workshops and conferences. The Council of Citizens With Low Vision was holding its 4th annual conference in conjunction with this A. C. B. convention since, of the estimated 1% million partially sighted persons in the United States approximately 400,000 are classified as legally blind. The C. C. L. V. aims, among other things, at establishing the right of partially sighted people to make full use of their remaining sight with the help of visual aids and services. In addition it provides a mechanism through which visually impaired individuals can express needs and interests, and educates the general public, professionals and the partially sighted themselves as to their potentialities and special neeeds. The C. C. L. V. conference opened with an address by William Gallagher, president of the American Foundation for the Blind, who spoke of the change in the Foun dation’s program focus from education and vocational training of young blind persons to the special needs of the blind senior citizen. Halfway through his anecdote-filled presentation it became apparent that this man was totally blind and reading his speech from Braille notes. The conference had a varied agenda. A renowned ophthalmologist spoke on the principal causes of diminishing vision in the older person; a speaker from Social Security explained the current changes in the Social Security System as they affect the visually impaired; the newest developments in the field of optometry were explained on a visit to the University of Missouri; and there was a panel on recreation for the low vision senior citizen. During the conference a film was shown illustrating the use of a closed-circuit T. V. apparatus which enlarges print up to 45X. This machine enables an individual to read, write, type and do many other things. It could be seen and operated at a ’’Boutique” sales room where many of the participating groups sold articles as fund raisers. It was a unique experience for me to be part of such a large assembly of visually handicapped people. As a partially sighted person, I had traveled to Missouri for this conference in an effort to overcome an increasing sense of frustration and stress which I experience daily as a city dweller. Department store shopping, crossing streets, using unmarked stairs, filling out medical insurance forms and reading mail with the help of magnifying glass, and not recognizing friends as I walk in the neighbor hood, were all becoming more and more distressful. In St. Louis, I met many people like myself and had the opportunity to talk and laugh about our common problems. In the hotel restaurant, I watched and marveled at the conventioneers as they ordered from Braille menus and laughed and chatted noisily over cocktails and dinner. About 150 convention participants attended a performance of ’’Camelot” starring Richard Harris at a beautiful outdoor theatre in the nearby park. I was astonished at the enjoyment expressed by the blind delegates who joked about the colorful sets and costumes. I felt very fortunate indeed to be able to see the sets, actors and costumes, however indistinctly. As a result of attending this conference I’ve become more aware of the many forms of assistance provided for the handicapped through government agencies, founda tions and organizations. The latter two however, are privately funded and staffed largely by volunteers. The visually handicapped, for example, have access to large print editions of newspapers and magazines; as well as classic and contemporary literature and popular magazines recorded on discs or special cassettes. The recorded material, or Talking Books, and special machines for their use are provided free of charge by the Library of Congress and distributed through local libraries for the blind and physically handicapped. The recordings are done by volunteer readers in English and some are available in foreign languages. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if some Ukrainian group undertook the task of recording at least a few Ukrainian classics? Information on howto go about producing some Ukrainian Talking Books can easily be obtained from the nearest library for the blind and physically handicapped. There are manychanges or modifications to be made in order to make life less frustrating for the visually impaired. Gradually things are being done through the efforts of individuals and groups such as The Council of Citizens With Low Vision. The Year of the Disabled brought to the attention of the general public that segment of the population which, despite limitations of varying degrees, is a viable force in all sectors of public and private life. There are handi capped people in every field of human endeavor. They contribute skills, talents, ideas, perspectives and a sensiti vity derived from their unique condition. Support of programs and actions aimed at the special needs of the handicapped will ultimately enrich all our lives. Alexandra L. Riznyk Видання C оюзу Українок A мерики - перевидано в електронному форматі в 2012 році . A рхів C У A - Ню Йорк , Н . Й . C Ш A.
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