EASTBOURNE BLIND SOCIETY
TRAINING COURSES
Enhanced Skills Training - Rehabilitation
The Enhanced Skills Training course is one of the most effective ways for a vision impaired person to learn new strategies for coping with their sight loss. The course is held over five days (one day per week) and takes place in our centre in Longstone Road. Access is wheelchair friendly and there are no steps to negotiate.
During the course we provide information about the support we can offer as a society as well as information about talking books, talking newspaper, aids and equipment, other support agencies and a talk about magnification from Garry Andrews from the Low Vision Clinic at the District General Hospital. In addition we provide information about the various eye disorders, the implications of registration as a sight impaired person, mobility aids and guiding techniques.
Most important is the opportunity to meet other sight impaired people in a safe, friendly and understanding environment. Attendance at the course is free and transport is provided using one of our minibuses.
The course is provided under contract to East Sussex County Council and people must be referred either through social services or through our welfare officers. People with an interest in attending can ask to be considered.
The course is attended by no more than eight people at a time and is fully supported by trained staff, invited speakers and dedicated volunteers.
Picture
of hall set out for the cookery day of the Enhanced Living Skills
course.
Demonstrating
ways of preparing food using colour contrast.
Receiving
instruction on the use of a talking microwave
Learning
about using typewriters and Braille printers to communicate instead of
handwriting. Also using tape recorders and digital memo
recorders for taking short messages
A
group discussion about the various writing aids that are available.
EyeT4All Course
Over
the last couple of years, we have held several EyeT4All computer taster
days for our members. These taster days allow visually impaired people
to get hands on experience with using computers. No previous knowledge
on how to use computers is required as guidance is given throughout the
day by a trainer that we generally have is himself registered Severely
Sight Impaired and he is well supported by the number of volunteers.
There are generally eight members on each course. The course is based around the Guide Software package although other software packages are also discussed during the day.
The
participants get the opportunity to send an e-mail, write a letter,
access the Internet and to try out the scan and read facility. Many go
on to request computer training and several have signed up the computer
classes at Sussex Downs College.
What the course does reinforce is that access to new technology and new skills is available to all despite increasing age and decreasing sight.
Vision Awareness Training
Eastbourne Blind Society Chief Executive, Deirdre Dean, and Resource Officer, David Dick, delivered Vision Awareness Training to Asda Customer Service staff in their Eastbourne store on 23rd February 2012.
Eastbourne Blind Society take some of their service users to shop at Asda every week and they have been working closely with the store to try to ensure that this is a positive experience for them.
Deirdre Dean said "For someone with low vision, shopping in a large, unfamiliar environment can be a very frightening experience. The aim of this training is to show how staff with vision awareness can turn that shopping experience into a positive and enjoyable one."
The Asda staff were given an introduction to vision awareness and shown some guiding techniques. They were asked to wear Simulation Spectacles which allow a wearer to experience the sensation of sight loss, and to try to locate a number of specific items by themselves. Still wearing the sim specs they were then offered support with their shopping to demonstrate how a frustrating experience can become a positive one.
Three
of the staff of Asda discovering, using Simulation Spectacles,
some of the problems that VIPs experience when out shopping.Julie Farrell, Deirdre, Theresa Parkinson, David and Tracy McClaren.
