White Cane Awareness Day Highlights Sightless Struggles

EVERYONE. I'M MIKE WALCHER, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY IS WHITE CANE AWARENESS DAY WHICH HIGHLIGHTS THE STRUGGLES FOR THE NEARLY 6 AND A HALF MILLION AMERICANS LIVING WITH THE VISION IMPAIRMENT OR BLINDNESS AS PART OF THE OBSERVATION WG ISSUES YOU WANT TO PARK VISITED THE WHITE HOUSE OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. SHE LEARNED HOW FUTURE OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST ARE EXPANDING THEIR SKILL SETS TO SERVE POTENTIAL FUTURE CLIENTS. >> A GROUP OF STUDENTS TOOK TURNS BEING BLIND. HE STAGGERED AROUND THINGS USING A WHITE CANE TO ORIENT THEMSELVES >> WHEN THEY LEFT THEIR BLINDFOLDS. THEIR UNEXPECTED LOCATION. LET'S TO EVEN MORE LAUGHTER. THIS IMMERSION EVENT INVOLVED OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY STUDENTS FROM THE FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR EDWIN MYERS HAS BEEN BRINGING HIS STUDENTS TO THE LIGHTHOUSE OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FOR OVER A DECADE. MYERS SAYS SIMULATION IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF HIS TEACHING >> BECAUSE DOING? >> IT IS MUCH MORE IMPACTFUL THAN READING. >> I HEARD SO MANY TIMES LIKE I THOUGHT THIS WAS GOING TO BE EASIER AND IT'S NOT. AND THAT WAS JUST 10 MINUTES UNDERLYING FULL. SO TO REALIZE THAT WHEN THEY'RE WORKING WITH A CLIENT TAKES THEM TO BE ABLE TO BE AN EPIDEMIC TO BE PATIENT TO SLOW DOWN AS NECESSARY TO REALIZE YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO INSTRUCT SOMEBODY MORE THAN ONE TIME. THE SHOW THEM SOMETHING. >> THESE FUTURE OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS. ALSO THE SENSE TO THE EXPERIENCES OF WHITE HOUSE STAFF WHO SHARED WITH THEM. THE OF NAVIGATING LIFE WHILE VISUALLY IMPAIRED. >> ON TO THE ATTACK, THAT'S ENOUGH TO LET YOU KNOW, AS I THE AND TAKE A A TO THAT OF THE SEASON. MAY SOMETHING WENT WRONG. THING TO AN. >> UP NEXT WAS LUNCH. AND THE ULTIMATE CHALLENGE. TO EAT WHILE BLINDFOLDED. >> ITS GROWTH AROUND THE TABLE TO FIGURE OUT HOW THE FOODS MIGHT BE LAID OUT IN FRONT OF THEM. KRISTEN KEARNEY DESCRIBES HER EXPERIENCE. >> MY HAND IS A SAUCE. MULTIPLE POINTS WAS EATING AND I ENDED UP WITH ABOUT 4 OR 5 PIECES OF PORK IN MY LAP ACROSS THE ENTIRE MEAL. SO IT'S A CON. >> THE BIGGEST COMPLICATION FOR CARNEY WAS HOW THE LACK OF SIGHT. LET'S TO THE PROBLEM OF MISSING IMPORTANT SOCIAL CUES DURING CONVERSATIONS I FOUND IT EXTREMELY CHALLENGING THE SOCIAL ASPECTS. >> OF EATING IN A RESTAURANT BECAUSE YOU CAN'T PICK UP ON THE VISUAL CUES OF WHO'S ABOUT TO TALK, HOW PEOPLE RESPONDED TO WHAT YOU JUST SAID. AND THAT'S JUST NOT THE SOCIAL CUES. IT'S MORE DIFFICULT TO PICK UP ON. >> ACCORDING TO LAUREN COMBS, THIS EXPERIENCE WAS A HUGE SUCCESS. >> THE THING THAT WAS GOOD ABOUT THE SITUATION WAS NOT THAT WE CAN LOOK AT SOMEBODY AND SAY I UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE EXPERIENCING MORE THAT WE CAN TAKE THE TOOLS THAT WE GOT TODAY AND FLY THEM THE PRACTICAL WAYS. >> IN THESE WAYS. >> FIELD ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE THE 4 WALLS OF A CLASSROOM. >> INFUSE FUN IN THE LEARNING PROCESS FOR OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS AS THEY PREPARE TO SERVE FUTURE CLIENTS WHO FACE SPECIAL CHALLENGES JOINING ME AND THE STUDIO AS AMY PRICE. >> SHE IS THE CEO OF LIGHTHOUSE, A SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. >> AND THAT'S BASED IN NORTH FORT MYERS. IT'S A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT SERVERS THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED. >> WELCOMING ME. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME TODAY. SURE THAT THEY CAN. >> PLEASE DESCRIBE FOR US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE HISTORY OF YOUR ORGANIZATION. ABSOLUTELY LIGHTHOUSE. THE SOUTHWEST FLORIDA HAS BEEN PROVIDING VISION REHABILITATION SERVICES TO THE RESIDENTS OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FOR OVER 50 YEARS. IT WAS ACTUALLY STARTED BY A BLIND WOMAN AND HER HUSBAND AND THEN EVOLVED INTO THE AGENCY THAT WE KNOW IT IS TODAY AND CREATING SKILLS TOWARDS INDEPENDENT. OUR MISSION IS TO EMPOWER INDIVIDUALS WITH LOW VISION AND BLINDNESS TO REMAIN ACTIVE, INDEPENDENT AND PRODUCTIVE MEMBERS OF SOCIETY. >> THAT'S WONDERFUL. SO TELL ME A BIT ABOUT THE MEMBERS THAT YOU SERVE. ABSOLUTELY. IT'S WONDERFUL THAT WE SERVE MULTI GENERATIONS. >> AND OUR YOUNGEST CLIENT IS 8 MONTHS OLD AND ARE MORE SEASONED IS OVER 100 YEARS OLD. SO EVERYTHING FROM BABIES TO TEENS TO OLDER ADULTS EXPERIENCING LOW VISION AND BLINDNESS >> CAN YOU DESCRIBE FOR US SOME OF THE PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE SMOOTHLY. >> SOME OF OUR CLIENTS COME TO US BEING BORN BLIND AND OTHERS ARE EXPERIENCING LOW VISION AND BLINDNESS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THEIR LIVES, WHICH CAN BE A VERY FRIGHTENING EXPERIENCE. THAT'S WHY WE PROVIDE SUPPORT GROUPS. WE HELP NEW PARENTS NAVIGATE A DIAGNOSIS OF LOW VISION OR BLINDNESS. WE ALSO PROVIDE THINGS SUCH AS WHITE CANE AND TRAINING TO INDIVIDUALS IN THEIR SCHOOLS, HOMES AND PLACES OF EMPLOYMENT. WE ALSO PROVIDE TECHNOLOGY IS JUST TECHNOLOGY. THAT'S PART OF OUR EVERYDAY LIVES. WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT. AND WE TEACH THEM THE SKILLS THAT THEY NEED AS WELL AS INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLS, COOKING MEDICATION MANAGEMENT, MONEY MANAGEMENT, EVERYTHING WE DO AT LIGHTHOUSE IS TO EMPOWER THE INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCE EMOTION, FINEST REMAIN INDEPENDENT THAT'S GREAT. AMY. >> YOU KNOW THAT OCTOBER 15TH, THIS WHITE CANE AWARENESS DAY. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT WHAT THAT IS? AND THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT ENDS OF THIS OBSERVANCE? ABSOLUTELY. IT MAKES CITING DAY. >> IT'S ACTUALLY RECOGNIZED NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY AS WHITE CANE AWARENESS. STAN OCTOBER, 15TH, IT'S A DAY IN WHICH WE CELEBRATE WHAT THE WHITE CANE TRULY REPRESENTS, WHICH IS INDEPENDENT HOPE, INSPIRATION. IT'S ALSO A DAY IN WHICH WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF INDIVIDUALS WITH LOW VISION AND BLINDNESS AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO SOCIETY. IT ALSO CREATES AWARENESS ABOUT SAFETY. THE WHITE CANE LAW, WHICH IN ESSENCE STATE THAT INDIVIDUALS UTILIZING A WHITE CANE HAVE THE RIGHT AWAY. SO IT'S A GREAT WAY TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ABOUT WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO HAVE LIKE AN AWARENESS. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SPEAKING WITH ME AND FOR CONTRIBUTING TO THE COMMUNITY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. APPRECIATE IT.