We need to be more accommodating of handicapped

At the end of her life, my mother was almost completely blind as a result of detached retinas. As wonderful as modern medicine is, at that time nothing could be done to help her. She was pretty healthy otherwise, but her blindness and the stigma of blindness crippled her. She ceased to walk very much or exercise. She seemed to lose interest in going out. She would not say "I am blind" and ask for help. One thing led to another and as a result she died before her time.

Knowledge could have helped my mother - and our society could have helped too if it was more tolerant and accommodating of those with handicaps. This weekend in our community, we have an opportunity to learn more about a whole range of low vision conditions as well as strategies and implements that can be of help.

Eight suburban public libraries are co-sponsoring a Low Vision Fair on Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Niles Senior Center located at 999 Civic Center Drive. The Center is on the southeast corner of Waukegan Road and Oakton Street. The Fair is free and open to the public from 9 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.

Dodie Frisbie is the outreach librarian at the Niles Public Library and is one of the fair organizers.

"This is the second year of the fair," she said, "and our inter-library outreach group has worked hard to pull these resources together. We've scheduled some terrific speakers including Polly Abbott, a certified vision rehabilitation therapist, and Dr. Stephen Conti, a retina specialist. Abbott's talk, 'The Top Ten Things to Do When Diagnosed with Vision Loss' will be at 9:15 a.m. Conti's presentation, 'Macular Degeneration and Senior Vision' will be at 11:30 a.m."

"The Niles Lions Club will be providing macular degeneration and diabetic eye screenings," Frisbie said. "Dr. Brian Markham from Glenbrook Hospital will be providing glaucoma screening. There will be information booths from organizations such as the Guild for the Blind and Voices of Vision, our area's Talking Book agency. Vendors of low vision equipment and assistive devices will also have booths. Every attendee will receive a goody bag and there will be light refreshments. It will be a Saturday morning well spent for anyone with low vision. It's free and provides access to the many local resources that are available to seniors," she said.

Libraries have a long history with low vision. The Talking Book program through the Library of Congress is over 70 years old. Most libraries have large print books and a whole range of auditory materials of use to those who have trouble with conventional print. Descriptive videos, which have additional narration to describe the visual action, are also available. But did you know that many libraries have low vision aids such as specialty magnifiers, Reading Edge reading machines, and Braille typewriters? Participating libraries (Des Plaines, Morton Grove, Park Ridge, Skokie, Niles, Arlington Heights, Glenview, and Vernon Area) will have a booth with staff members on hand to talk about available services.

To learn more about vision rehabilitation, tune in to my podcast this week at www.librarybeat.org, and hear my conversation with Polly Abbott.

If you or someone you know has vision issues, ask for help at your library. Remember my mother's story. Educate yourself and live life to the fullest.