OBVI Objectives
Introduction
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Office for the
Blind and Visually Impaired (OBVI), is the government agency designated to
provide assessment, training and information to adults with vision loss,
their families and interested professionals. These services exist to
enhance independent living skills and quality of life for persons with
vision loss. Services are provided free of charge in all of Wisconsin's
seventy-two counties by Office field staff and contracted agencies1.
In 2005, the program served 2,000 individuals statewide. To be eligible
for services, a person must be legally blind or have significant visual
impairment. Specifically, they must meet one of the following criteria:
- Central visual acuity is 20/70 or less in the better eye, with best
correction; or
- Field of vision is constricted to the point that it interferes with
daily living activities; or
- A permanent or progressive visual impairment impedes independent
living.
The Office provides services to adults who meet these guidelines
through the direct teaching of adaptive living skills, both in group
settings and in participants' homes.
Problems Presented by Low Vision
Blindness or the onset of vision loss changes an individual's life
dramatically. Many of the changes are emotional, as the individual faces
the loss and all its implications for identity, relationships, and
functioning. When family members and friends step in to help and take
responsibility for a blind or visually impaired person, previously
balanced relationships may take on a new aspect of dependency. Vision
problems that impede driving a car or bike, or make walking more hazardous
can make people feel isolated and housebound. Feelings of disorientation
from the loss of visual cues lead to further immobility outside the home.
Even within the house, fear of tripping, colliding with furniture,
falling, dropping things, etc. can lead those with vision loss to restrict
their movements and activities, becoming more sedentary - and thereby
putting both mental and physical health at risk. All of these changes
contribute to sadness and anger as part of a normal grieving process. When
they go unresolved, they can lead to depression and sometimes serious
mental health problems.
Solutions
The changes wrought by blindness and vision loss are pragmatic and
logistical, concerning a wide range of considerations about accomplishing
routine daily tasks and retaining or regaining independence. With
retraining, instruction, and sometimes specialized adaptive devices, those
with vision loss can learn to move about safely, live independently, read
and write, have a social life, enjoy recreational activities, and travel.
They can continue to communicate using large print books and newspapers,
magnifiers, special lighting, and specialized time-telling and telephone
devices. Specific orientation and mobility techniques and tools can enable
them to get around safely inside and outside the home. Equipped with new
skills, tools, and techniques, many blind or visually impaired individuals
are able to maintain a normal lifestyle. Learning to do these things in
new ways also helps individuals cope with the emotional effects of their
loss.
Achieving the Goals
The role of the Office for the Blind and Visually Impaired is to
provide people who experience vision loss or blindness with the skills,
knowledge, home modifications and adaptive equipment to achieve these
outcomes:
- Learn different ways of doing activities made more challenging by
vision loss
- Retain or regain the ability to move around inside and outside their
homes
- Retain or regain the ability to prepare meals by themselves and
manage housekeeping tasks
- Manage paperwork tasks (mail, writing checks, etc.)
- Enjoy reading, whether on tape, in large print, with magnifiers, or
in Braille
- Participate in activities with family, friends, and community
- Retain or regain control over decisions important in their lives
- Feel safe where they live in terms of moving around and
accomplishing daily activities
- Cope emotionally with the challenges of vision loss
- Feel confident that they will be able to maintain current living
arrangements if they wish to
1 Field
staff are regionally assigned to conduct group training and make home
visits.
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Last Revised: July 12, 2010
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