Many times when we lose the ability to see like we used to our basic every-day hobbies are left behind. The thought of cooking or baking becomes a chore and maybe even a fear. Well we want you to know that thought can change if you want it to. With a few simple changes and some adaptations you can be baking in no time. You will have to tap into your other senses and utilize those more. Your sense of touch and smell will become important. There are many every-day items that can make working in the kitchen neater, safer, and more enjoyable. These products can help reduce kitchen accidents and give you the confidence to bake again. Some of the items are the EZ SEE measuring cup which allows you to accurately measure ingredients with easy to see large numbers with high contrast, colored measuring cups and spoons with large print that allow you to see your ingredients with ease due to the contrasting colors and red pouring bowls so you can see your yummy batter. How many times have you put flour or sugar in a white measuring cup and found it difficult to see. This can become very messy. Also there are jumbo and talking timers so we don't burn our master piece and there are extra long oven mitts and oven rack guards so we don't burn ourselves. All these items we sell at Vision Dynamics as well as many other items to help you with your daily activities. Here is a recipes you can try that we hope will be enjoyed.
1st: Chocolate Chip Cookies (pre-heat oven to 375)
Ingredients: 2 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of salt
1 cup of softened butter (2 sticks)
3/4 cup of white sugar (granulated)
3/4 cup of brown sugar (packed)
1 tsp of vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups of chocolate morsels
1 cup of chopped nuts (optional)
1 cup of dried coconut (optional)
Combine: flour, baking soda, salt in a small bowl. Beat butter, both sugars, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs one at a time, use your sense of touch to feel the edge of the counter or side of the bowl and gently tap the egg and use your fingers to open the egg. This will take a bit pf practice. You can crack the egg in a separate dish so you can feel for shells. Make sure your hands are clean. Use a beater to mix and slowly add in your flour mixture. Then add your morsels. When your mixture is even, you can feel it, then you are ready to bake. Use a spoon, tsp or tbl spoon, and scoop the dough ( rolled into a ball) onto an un-greased baking sheet about 2 inches apart. You can space the dough using the spoon. Put down your first ball then place the spoon next to it and put your second ball down on the other side of the spoon until your sheet is filled. Then you are ready to put your cookies in the oven and don't forget to set your timer for 9 to 11 minutes. Pull them out, with your oven mitt, when the timer goes off and let them stand for 2 minutes before removing them to cool completely then enjoy. Just remember to take your time and have fun. It may take some time to get used to but the end result will be worth it.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Vision Dynamics at AER
Vision Dynamics had the pleasure of attending the AER Regional Conference in Boston this past weekend. The mission of AER is to support professionals who provide education and rehabilitation services to people with visual impairments, offering professional development opportunities, publications, and public advocacy.
AER's membership consists of a very diverse group, including administrators, vision rehabilitation therapists, orientation and mobility specialists, low vision therapists, itinerant teachers, and support personnel, who work with infants, children and teens, adults, seniors and veterans. Whatever the specialty, all AER members are committed to the principle that blind and visually impaired persons have unique needs which require specialized services delivered by trained individuals.
We had a flurry of people stopping at our booth eager to gather as much information about our adaptive technology so they could bring their knowledge back to those they serve. Our well staffed and energetic booth made an impact on many.
Charlie spoke on Saturday and inspired many with his positive outlook as he shared his own personal experiences and walked them through a few interactive exercises. He was able to tap into the strategies needed to deal with a vision impairment as an individual who can relate through his own trials and tribulations as well as his successes. Charlie had the ability to help educators be more in tuned with what kids might be thinking about there visual struggles and gave them tools to use to be more successful on their journey. Being diagnosed at such a young age and going through so many life changes, Charlies experiences with his own visual challenges was an inspiration to many. His energetic and compassionate personality allowed his message to be heard in a way that everyone could relate to.
Thanks so much to those that came and participated. We hope that we were able to help you solve some of your struggles. We would also like to thank those of you who stopped by our booth and continue to visit us at our store, online and a special thanks to all our verbal ambassadors.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
What will you choose?
"My diagnosis still hadn't sunk in...I didn't want to tell my family that I learned I'd be blind within a matter of years. I don't think I am ready to accept it myself."
Like most individuals that are newly blind or those that have a vision impairment, showing some signs of shock and denial to their vision loss is common. According to the American Foundation for the Blind, "ten million people in the United States are blind or visually impaired." The major eye conditions are Cataracts, Macular Degeneration, Glaucoma, and Diabetic Retinopathy.
There are many stages that a person may go through, when they find out that their life is going to change because of a visual diagnosis. Usually, shock and denial come first. Patients may become overwhelmed on hearing the news for the first time that they are losing their sight or may become blind. It can take their breath away. They may say "I can see just fine and I'm not going blind." They may even leave the appointment and not tell anyone. Self-pity and anger may come next. "Why me? What have I done to deserve this? Am I a bad person?" A patient may als0 become very isolated during this phase and stop doing activities that they once loved to participate in. This type of negative thinking can lead to the depression stage. They may have a feeling of despair and worthlessness as well as helplessness. At this point it is important for them to talk to someone so they don't give up or feel completely alone. Sometimes seeking professional help or searching out a support group is a helpful option. If at this point they are ready to move a step out of their despair and find a glimmer of hope then they are ready for the reassessment stage. Here is where they can evaluate their situation and try to move forward. Maybe by talking and sharing their experience with others they are able to examine their life and find meaning and realize they are not alone. Others too have felt the same way and have been able to move on and live happy successful lives. Some changes needed to take place and a new vision had to be seen but it's possible. With this kind of open mind and hopeful attitude they may be ready for the coping stage where they will go out and find information on ways to help them live with a visual impairment. They may reach out to their Doctor, support group, or family which leads to the final stage of acceptance. This is where the real healing can begin. Here the patients hopefully will gain some hope, self-confidence, and self-worth and begin to have and understanding with his/her vision loss and move towards a happy and productive way of life.
Having a positive attitude will impact people that are blind or visually impaired. Disability must be perceived as a challenge rather then a weakness. The key to ridding yourself of a bad attitude of helplessness is to clear your mind of all negative inner conversations and replace them with more hopeful messages. It is important to have a positive inner dialogue. While it is true that feeling of anger, resentment and helplessness are normal, it is best to move forward so that your physical debilitation does not override your mental and emotional faculties as well.
Do you see the glass half empty or half full? Those that go through life with a negative attitude will find it more difficult to find happiness. On the other hand, those that have a positive attitude will be able to find some happiness, much more successfully, in living every day. Losing vision or becoming blind is a hard thing to go through but with the right outlook you can go through this challenge. We all have a choice on how we deal with things that happen to us. Are we going to choose self-pity and not live life to our fullest potential or are we going to choose to live no matter what happens and focus on all the possibilities out there. Sometimes overcoming a traumatic experience and moving forward gives us a sense of accomplishment and triumph. Learning a new way of life can stimulate the brain and opens up a whole new and exciting way of life and shows us there is never a dull moment. I would rather learn a new way to live than be stuck in a hole of self-pity and pain. Remember, it's a choice.
What will you choose?
Like most individuals that are newly blind or those that have a vision impairment, showing some signs of shock and denial to their vision loss is common. According to the American Foundation for the Blind, "ten million people in the United States are blind or visually impaired." The major eye conditions are Cataracts, Macular Degeneration, Glaucoma, and Diabetic Retinopathy.
There are many stages that a person may go through, when they find out that their life is going to change because of a visual diagnosis. Usually, shock and denial come first. Patients may become overwhelmed on hearing the news for the first time that they are losing their sight or may become blind. It can take their breath away. They may say "I can see just fine and I'm not going blind." They may even leave the appointment and not tell anyone. Self-pity and anger may come next. "Why me? What have I done to deserve this? Am I a bad person?" A patient may als0 become very isolated during this phase and stop doing activities that they once loved to participate in. This type of negative thinking can lead to the depression stage. They may have a feeling of despair and worthlessness as well as helplessness. At this point it is important for them to talk to someone so they don't give up or feel completely alone. Sometimes seeking professional help or searching out a support group is a helpful option. If at this point they are ready to move a step out of their despair and find a glimmer of hope then they are ready for the reassessment stage. Here is where they can evaluate their situation and try to move forward. Maybe by talking and sharing their experience with others they are able to examine their life and find meaning and realize they are not alone. Others too have felt the same way and have been able to move on and live happy successful lives. Some changes needed to take place and a new vision had to be seen but it's possible. With this kind of open mind and hopeful attitude they may be ready for the coping stage where they will go out and find information on ways to help them live with a visual impairment. They may reach out to their Doctor, support group, or family which leads to the final stage of acceptance. This is where the real healing can begin. Here the patients hopefully will gain some hope, self-confidence, and self-worth and begin to have and understanding with his/her vision loss and move towards a happy and productive way of life.
Having a positive attitude will impact people that are blind or visually impaired. Disability must be perceived as a challenge rather then a weakness. The key to ridding yourself of a bad attitude of helplessness is to clear your mind of all negative inner conversations and replace them with more hopeful messages. It is important to have a positive inner dialogue. While it is true that feeling of anger, resentment and helplessness are normal, it is best to move forward so that your physical debilitation does not override your mental and emotional faculties as well.
Do you see the glass half empty or half full? Those that go through life with a negative attitude will find it more difficult to find happiness. On the other hand, those that have a positive attitude will be able to find some happiness, much more successfully, in living every day. Losing vision or becoming blind is a hard thing to go through but with the right outlook you can go through this challenge. We all have a choice on how we deal with things that happen to us. Are we going to choose self-pity and not live life to our fullest potential or are we going to choose to live no matter what happens and focus on all the possibilities out there. Sometimes overcoming a traumatic experience and moving forward gives us a sense of accomplishment and triumph. Learning a new way of life can stimulate the brain and opens up a whole new and exciting way of life and shows us there is never a dull moment. I would rather learn a new way to live than be stuck in a hole of self-pity and pain. Remember, it's a choice.
What will you choose?
Friday, July 1, 2011
Vision Education
Hey friends! We want to tell you about an exciting and fun opportunity to learn about low vision and maintaining healthy vision at any stage. Vision loss affects many people at all stages of their lives but it does not need to be death sentence. We here at vision dynamics understand and have a light-hearted but successful approach to managing your eye condition. Not only are we knowledgeable but we can also relate because some of us are visually impaired our selves. So sharpen your minds bring a smile and mark your calendars for classes that will inspire and inform. These 2 one session classes are available to those who are struggling with their vision or family members and friends who would like to learn more.
The dates for these classes are as follows
1st Class:
When: Wednesday October 5Th from 7pm to 9pm
Where: Vision Dynamics
470 West Main Street
Cheshire, CT 06410
Course Name: What is low vision and do I have it?
Description: This one time workshop will discuss changing vision and when it becomes low vision. The staff at Vision Dynamics along with a low vision specialist will explain what low vision is and how it can be helped. Many people with Macular Degeneration, Diabetic Retinopothy, Glaucoma or even Cataracts aren't aware of what their condition is or how it will impact their life. Others are just having a little trouble reading the newspaper and could use some help. This program will talk about these conditions and what services and tools are available to help keep your independence and a quality of life. Join us for an evening of hope and laughter as we "Learn to see again".
2ND Class:
When: Thursday October 27Th from 7pm to 9pm
Where: Vision Dynamics
470 West Main Street
Cheshire, CT 06410
Course Name: Maintaining Healthy Vision at an stage
Description: This is a one time class that will explore ways to keep your vision healthy. The staff at Vision Dynamics will present a variety of approaches to healthy eating, exercise, sun protection and a good attitude. Whether your vision is perfect or impaired, everyone can improve the health of the vision they currently have. New research has exploded with information about food and vitamins that can be helpful in maintaining vision. Learn recipes, strategies and tools that can help make a difference.
Registration is through Cheshire Adult Ed 203-250-2450
Website: http://www.cheshire.k12.ct.us/adulted/defaulthtml
Be prepared to have a new vision and don't forget to bring your sense of humor. We like to laugh at Vision Dynamics. Remember, we don't see with our eyes we see with our brains. Can't wait to see you in October!
The dates for these classes are as follows
1st Class:
When: Wednesday October 5Th from 7pm to 9pm
Where: Vision Dynamics
470 West Main Street
Cheshire, CT 06410
Course Name: What is low vision and do I have it?
Description: This one time workshop will discuss changing vision and when it becomes low vision. The staff at Vision Dynamics along with a low vision specialist will explain what low vision is and how it can be helped. Many people with Macular Degeneration, Diabetic Retinopothy, Glaucoma or even Cataracts aren't aware of what their condition is or how it will impact their life. Others are just having a little trouble reading the newspaper and could use some help. This program will talk about these conditions and what services and tools are available to help keep your independence and a quality of life. Join us for an evening of hope and laughter as we "Learn to see again".
2ND Class:
When: Thursday October 27Th from 7pm to 9pm
Where: Vision Dynamics
470 West Main Street
Cheshire, CT 06410
Course Name: Maintaining Healthy Vision at an stage
Description: This is a one time class that will explore ways to keep your vision healthy. The staff at Vision Dynamics will present a variety of approaches to healthy eating, exercise, sun protection and a good attitude. Whether your vision is perfect or impaired, everyone can improve the health of the vision they currently have. New research has exploded with information about food and vitamins that can be helpful in maintaining vision. Learn recipes, strategies and tools that can help make a difference.
Registration is through Cheshire Adult Ed 203-250-2450
Website: http://www.cheshire.k12.ct.us/adulted/defaulthtml
Be prepared to have a new vision and don't forget to bring your sense of humor. We like to laugh at Vision Dynamics. Remember, we don't see with our eyes we see with our brains. Can't wait to see you in October!
Friday, June 10, 2011
Summer Air Travel
Summer seems to be a time for travel and for those with low vision or who are legally blind this can be a challenge. Airports present many obstacles to passengers traveling with a visual impairment. It is hard enough for a sited person to maneuver through a crowded airport and to stand in line to be patted down be some stranger with bad breath and an attitude. It can also be an adventure trying to board a plane with everyone trying to stuff there baggage into the overhead compartments squished together like a can of sardines. There is no such thing as personal space when boarding a plane. For someone who is totally blind and traveling with a seeing-eye dog or a cane, it is obvious that they may need some assistance. Those with low vision on the other hand, have to do a bit more asking, be more organized an get to the airport earlier than most. It is not fun knowing your plane is about to take off and you are running towards the gate not being able to read the signs, even though they can be quite large, praying that you are headed in the right direction. Planning ahead of time is the best way to save yourself from headaches and unwanted stress that can be a voided with a few phone calls and some simple steps.
- Read about your destination and plan out what sights you will want to visit and contact those places to see if they offer special services. Pre purchase tickets if possible for parks and attractions.
- Research accomodations. Foreign destinations are likely to have different accomodations and services from your home city or town. Prepare yourself by researching your trip before you plan your travels.
- Make reservations whenever possible. Call the airline and ask about assistance and tell them your are visually impaired. Give them as much information as possible and let them know what you will need, (preboarding, luggage help, connecting to your next flight). Also let them know if you have a guide dog. Ask about seating arrangements, special meals, and shuttle and driving services. Some airlines allow trained service dogs to sit in the cabin. Continental and Delta are two airlines that will.
- If you are meeting an airline representative or transportation company let them know what you look like and what you are wearing.
- Plan for quide-dog restrictions. Some countries and states such as Hawaii either do not allow guide dogs for short visits or have quarentine requirements. Call your local guide-dog school for information on restrictions.
- Carry written directions with you. Have them written down before leaving. Even if you can't read them you can ask for help by showing then to someone else if you get lost. It's also helpfu to have a copy of the exact addrss of where you are going. A driver may not know where a specific hotel is, especially if there are several with the same name.
- Bring helpful technology with you such as a monocular, handheld magnifier, or mini video magnifier.
- Keep necessities with you at all times. Carry your money, keys, tickets and passes in a pocket. If you happen to misplace your purse or wallet or someone takes it, you can still reach your destination. Keep some extra money handy for tips.
- Notify others about your needs. Inform those around you about your visual limitation. Ask questions. If you can't see a monitor or find a gate at the airport ask a customer service representative or another traveler to help you find your way.
- CARRY your cane. Whether you choose to use it or not for mobility puposes, your cane helps to identify others that you are visually impaired.
- Ask about amusement park or other tourist discounts. Some of the amusement parks give discounts either to visually impaired visitors or to their sighted guides.
- If you do bring a suitcase, remember its type and color. It may be helpful to putt a colorful piece of ribbon or a sticker to help you or anyone assisting you with easy identification.
- Enhance your sensory experience by going on tours and visiting gift shops. Some tour groups allow travelers who are visually impaired to experience an exibit by tuching objects that are off limits to others. Gift shops often sell dmall cale replicas of monuments you can touch.
Remember that travel is supposed to be an adventure and exciting so take your time and enjoy all you can even if everything does not go exactly as planned. Happy Travels!
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