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ForSight Monthly Feature | ||||||||||||
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Spot Light by Heather M. Burke Making the decision to move home again wasn’t an easy one. I’d made every effort towards becoming self-sufficient and completely independent from my parents. I wanted nothing more than to stand on my own two feet. For a time, I seemed to have achieved just that. I’d been employed by a local Lutheran church in Hagerstown, Maryland, holding the position of Secretary. Due to the economic decline, however, my previous full time hours had been reduced to part time, along with the complete removal of my benefits. I found myself between a rock and a hard place—I wanted my independence, but I was no longer able to support myself. Sure, I had Graduate School to look forward to, but that was nearly four months away, and I needed to figure out how I was going to keep at least part of my independence by holding down a job, even if I was forced to move back under my parent’s roof for a time. ForSight Vision Industries was the first place that came to mind when finding a solution to this problem. I’d worked for them for a summer when pursuing my undergraduate degree in 2005. The experience in and of itself had been a rewarding one, in that I was not the “odd ball out” when it came to my disability. The people I worked with on a daily basis also knew the challenges of being blind/visually impaired, and could relate well to the prejudice that existed with regard to my employability within the sighted community. When I returned in June of 2009 to the shop and the tedious picking of the NSL tape boxes, I was very pleased to see that many of my former coworkers were still there, and that they remembered me. They were all anxious to hear about my endeavors since finishing my Bachelor’s in English, and were intently curious about my newest venture: studying abroad for a year in the United Kingdom in order to obtain my Masters degree in Creative Writing. When you get a room full of blind/visually impaired individuals, there seems no end to the humorous stories and the jokes. That was the one thing I liked best about working for ForSight. Everyone could relate to one another’s hardships, and everyone was approachable. They accepted you, as they say, “warts and all,” and never once thought differently of you because your vision wasn’t up to par with everyone else’s. Everyone helped each other out, lending moral support to those going through tough situations, as well as helped to celebrate milestones. While I was there, one of my fellow employees became a grandfather, and two others, who’d met while working at ForSight, were planning their wedding, which was to take place in a year’s time. Working for ForSight allowed me to reconnect to long lost friends, and to be able to forge new friendships. I was living at home, but the job offered me that sense of independence, that sense of “pulling my own weight,” that I had seemingly lost when the circumstances forced me to move back to York. Now, as I move forward in further pursuit of my education, I’m thankful for the time I spent there, thankful for the individuals I met and the stories we shared, and thankful that a place like ForSight exists to assist those in similar situations as myself, helping to maintain the dignity and independence that, in the end, we’re all striving for. HEATHER WORKED FOR FORSIGHT VISION THE SUMMER OF 2009.
RICKY COX Eight years ago Rickey Cox began to lose his eyesight. The cause was diabetic retinopathy. His earlier diagnosis of diabetes indicated it was caused by Agent Orange, an herbicide widely used during the Vietnam War. Ricky had served as a Marine in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969. Ricky has been participating in our recently formed Veterans Support Group. Although VA facilities provide help, there is no comparable group available once veterans are back in their home comunities. Vision loss is inevitably devastating. Support groups are an essential means of helping people to cope with the loss of their eyesight. Veterans have a variety of resources available to them but sorting out individual needs is a bewildering task that can be greatly aided through discussion with others. Rickey has some remaining vision. He has learned to use special magnifiers for a variety of everyday tasks. He has participated in other programs here at ForSight Vision and wants to help other veterans gain the independence and dignity that he enjoys. Because of his vision loss, Rickey had to resign from Precision Components Corporation after 30 years of dedicated employment. But he has since moved on to many other projects and is a great asset to the York community. Some of Rickey's current endeavors include serving as president of the Springettsbury Lions Club, chairman of the Vietnam Memorial Committee, and trustee of the Retirees Club for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. With the right help and encouragement, people with vision loss can lead satisfying and productive lives. Contact us and see what programs and resources are available to you and your family. 717-848-1690
From the President Are you tired of reading and hearing about the economy? I know that I am. But the reality is that for most of us, we are in uncharted waters here. It seems all too clear that our challenge is that we are going to have to do more with less. Loss of vision crosses all economic classes. We all know that the aging of the baby boomer generation will place unprecedented strains on all social services. But funding is difficult and donors to nonprofits most likely have less personal wealth to share. We are fortunate to have received some grants that will enable us to continue and even expand slightly our services. This summer, we will be able to host our fourth annual summer music camp. We also will be able to offer a summer employment program. You can read more about these programs in this newsletter. We have received a grant from the Department of Economic and Community Development for expansion of our vision services. We plan to purchase some additional optometric equipment that will allow us to provide a comprehensive vision examination. Once in place, we hope to provide low cost or free exams and glasses to the preschool children we screen who need an exam but cannot afford the service. Last year we provided free vision screenings to 4,314 children. A total of 258 children did not pass our screening and were referred to an eye care professional. At least half of those children were not seen by an eye care professional and we know that many of those simply cannot afford an examination. We continue to provide counseling services through our partnership with Shippensburg University. The demand for this service is increasing and we are grateful that we can help individuals manage their vision loss. Not surprisingly, employment for persons who are blind or vision impaired is our greatest challenge. About 70% of our business is with the private, commercial sector. We all know the struggles many businesses are going through in this economic recession. This may be one area where we do have some opportunity. Document Imaging, converting paper records to digital images, can actually save companies money as storage costs are reduced and information becomes more readily accessible. For local companies uncertain about hiring employees, our subcontract services enable businesses to reduce labor costs by using our experienced, dedicated work force. The onset of spring may well provide us with its annual inspiration of renewal. All around us nature has endured another harsh winter. Many trees have been uprooted by the winter winds. Others have had branches pruned by ice storms. Some will fall victim to age or disease. But the green leaves of spring will remind us that if we remain strong, we can weather any storm.
Growing Edges Community Counseling Clinic Growing Edges Community Counseling Clinic is now offering counseling services via telephone for ForSight Vision! We’re excited to be extending our services beyond the traditional counseling office setting by using the telephone to connect with clients. This way we can reach individuals who may have transportation problems or other obstacles that keep them from traveling out for appointments on a regular basis. Telephone counseling is similar to face-to-face counseling. One-hour weekly or bi-weekly appointments are scheduled for the client to have an opportunity to work through personal problems with the support of a counselor. The big difference, of course, is that the counselor calls the client on the phone at the designated appointment time. Since sessions take place on the phone, an initial session can be arranged in person so the client and counselor can get to know one another prior to starting the telephone sessions. Problems that can be addressed through telephone counseling include, but are not limited to, grief and loss, depression, anxiety, adapting to vision loss and visual impairment, relationship issues, identity, and self-esteem. Do you think telephone counseling could be a fit for you? If you would like more information, contact Jennifer Zack, Director of Program Services, at (717) 848-1690, ext. 105. By Michael Spencer, Counseling Intern
Our Mission Statement ForSight Vision, a 501 (c) 3 charitable organization, serves its community by providing quality, specialized services and opportunities designed to prevent, prepare for and adjust to loss of vision.
Photos of ForSight Vision's Totem Pole.
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