Vision Rehabilitation:

Core Program Continues to Change Lives

Losing vision can be a traumatic experience.  Fortunately, people in Maine do not have to surrender to fear, anger, depression, vulnerability or inactivity when facing vision loss. They can go to the Iris Network or, in some areas, to the Maine Division for the Blind for vision rehabilitation therapy,  the integrated, extended, empowering care that truly makes a difference.

 

From the professional who needs to cross city streets and enhance his sight at the office, to the grandmother in Piscataquis County who wants to continue to run the family home, to the student at the University of Maine who refuses to give up her dreams, people of all ages, occupations and lifestyles have been empowered by vision rehabilitation therapy.  “I know how to do almost everything I need to do, and I often forget that I am blind,” says Pat Hart, a former client, member of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Consumer  Advisory Committee.

Individualized for each client, vision rehabilitation therapy can mean personal adjustment counseling, adaptive communication training, adaptive home management training, recreational therapy, orientation and mobility training, and more. Programs integrate technology, and both visual and non-visual adaptive skills are taught.

 

The Iris Network’s therapists work from offices in Bangor, Ellsworth, Houlton, Lewiston, Portland, and Saco. Sometimes they drive hundreds of miles to work with an individual in a remote part of the state.

 

The Iris Network plans to expand this program to serve more people, especially those who have never sought services. “ Our goal is to reach out to as many blind or visually impaired people as possible,” says Dr. Adam Zayan, the agency’s new President.

 

Maine AIRS:

Remedying Vision Loss with Radio

The Iris Network’s Maine AIRS reading service celebrates its sixth anniversary this year.  This valued service is designed and produced daily for the thousands of Maine residents who are unable to read print.  Programming conveys valuable, unique regional and local news and features that would otherwise be inaccessible to people who are no longer able to read.  Content ranges from articles from Maine periodicals, obituaries, grocery specials, event notices, and other important community news, to full-length books.

 

Feedback attests that this program is life-changing for listeners and also for the more than 80 volunteers who record broadcasts in studios in Brewer and Portland. “The level of volunteer commitment to Maine AIRS is one of the most extraordinary aspects of this program,” says program director, Les Myers. “Maine AIRS demonstrates the ability to bring people together throughout our state and to connect individuals living with vision loss to their communities.”

 

To sample a live Maine AIRS broadcast, go to  the homepage of the Iris Network website at www.theiris.org. Or tune your television to Maine PBS and then press the "SAP" button on your remote. If you do not have an SAP button, SAP might be accessible from a menu on your TV. Look for menu, "Audio" and then select "SAP." If you do not have SAP, special receivers are available. For more information, call the Iris Network at 1-800-715-0097.

 

Testimony of a Maine AIRS volunteer

 “I have volunteered at Maine AIRS for the  past several years.  I read newspapers from Aroostook and Piscataquis Counties (with another person) over this special radio station. Through this medium, people get to hear news from their local areas as opposed to national news, which they can hear on TV. I also record full-length books in 27 minute episodes, which air every evening on The Maine Reader. “I understand that the feedback from the Maine AIRS audience is overwhelmingly positive.  We have heard often that listening to Maine AIRS comprises a significant dimension of the  person’s day. I believe strongly that if Maine AIRS ceased to exist (God forbid!) it would leave a significant void in the lives of many blind and visually impaired people throughout Maine who rely on the station to bring them the segments of the station’s varied broadcast schedule.”                                             —Dr. Shaun Dowd, Bangor 

 

Iris Network Support Groups: People Moving Forward Together

 

Support, companionship, information and new approaches can turn tough challenges into an often positive shared adventure.  This is the philosophy behind   the Iris Network’s array of support groups.

 

At  Aging with Grace, Cammy Moraros, an Iris Network Licensed Social Worker, plans and facilitates monthly sessions that empower participants to tackle the problems of age-related vision loss with a sense of     discovery.  Expert guests present on subjects such as enhancing vision through lighting and magnification; new research and technology in eye care; aspects of self-care, such as nutrition; and exploring options for recreation.

At an Aging with Grace meeting, with the focus on coping

with vision loss, participants enjoy recreation

At the Retinitis Pigmentosa or RP support group,  participants share strategies for dealing with a disease  that can impact vision early in life. Topics are diverse.  At the session on June 8, 2006, Tom Fournier, who founded the Fournier Leadership Karate Centers, presented to the  group, taught techniques from the Martial Arts, and chatted with participants about the value—especially for people with vision impairment —of self-defense.                      

Aging with Grace meets the third  Wednesday of the month at the Iris Network. The RP group meets the second Thursday at the same location.  Other support groups are on-going as well. Professional staff of the Iris  Network facilitates a variety of support groups in locations throughout the state. 

 

For more information, go to our website; from the homepage, click on announcements, and then user and support groups. Or call the Iris Network at 800-715-0097.

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