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Ben19999
Due to a sort of botched lasik eye surgery, I am no longer able to read. I can see fine. I can drive a car and use a computer for a short length of time. however I cannot read printed text. I cannot watch tv or movies. I am relatively young to experience something like this, but I am not beaten down about not being able to read. I just need to know where I can go for help. There are many things I still want to learn, but its like my education is completely halted because I can only learn by experience. I can't find info on organizations or anything where I might seek help?
Answer
You didn't say where you live, so I can't provide direct links, but I can suggest a few things as a newly blind person myself (7 months now).
First, you should contact your state Library for the Blind. Request an application. You will need to have a doctor or registered nurse sign off on it saying that you are eligible because you cannot read print. Can you read large print (the Library for the Blind uses font size 14 for large print...me, I don't consider that very large at all...still a blur :P)? If you can, they offer large print, but they also offer audio books, which is what I get, since I don't know Braille (which is what someone else called the 'bump-letters'). Braille is hard! It's like learning a completely new language, just all written and no spoken. The basic alphabet is pretty easy, but the contractions are very numerous, and hard to memorize (or at least, I have found it so...I have yet to master any but the basic contractions).
Beyond the state Library for the Blind, you can also contact your state's Department of Services for the Blind. You don't qualify for their programs since you are able to see, and aren't actually blind (well, you might be very near-sighted, and that might qualify you...ask your doctor and the state Department.
Another resource is the state's Social Services. They assist people in finding the help they need, from transportation to home care and beyond. They can also refer you to help from other resources.
For tv, may I suggest such channels as CourtTV, Animal Planet, TruTV, History Channel, Discovery, and Discovery Health? Even if the subjects don't interest you, you're bound to find a few shows among these channels that do. All of these channels, I have found to be very easy to follow as someone who only sees blobs of colour on the TV. Also, you may feel silly watching them, but many Disney movies, Scooby-Doo movies, Garfield...these are easy to follow, along with some others. If you are unsure about a movie, give it a try with a friend who is willing to describe the quiet scenes to you, or ask about the Library of Congress' DVS movie program.
Also, when you sign up with the Library for the Blind, request to be signed up for the NFB-Newsline, also. This is a number you can call to go through the latest news articles, and can be very useful.
There are many products available for the visual impaired. You may want to look into a lighted magnifier, or even a magnifying device called an AMIGO (if you have insurance, they may cover the cost...I don't know). This is a handheld device that you place the bottom screen over a paper and it magnifies it in normal colour, high contrast white on black, high contrast yellow on black, and a few others...I have found it to be very useful in reading cooking directions and my personal mail that I don't want my assistant to read.
You can e-mail or PM me with any questions you have. I have links to sites with products for the blind and visually impaired, and can research your state's resources if I know where you live.
Oh! Also, if you have Windows...go into Start, Programs, Accessories, Accessibility. There is an accessibility wizard that will walk you thru to help you figure out what will make computer use easier for you, such as high contrast and large font/icons. As well, in the same area, there is also a magnifier that has proven very useful to me in reading sites that have weird layouts that don't work with zooming. And if you have Mozilla Firefox, you can change the font size simply by clicking ctrl++ until it is big enough, or ctrl + the little scrolling button on your mouse, scroll it up or down to get smaller or larger font size.
I hope that helps, and feel free to write to me with your questions, and I will help best I can. I know where you're coming from...seven months ago, I was newly blind, and it's overwhelming to try to learn everything needed all at once.
Edit: Also, if it turns out you are unable to correct your vision, you should see about getting aids from a low vision center, who will help you find aids to assist you in reading and the like. I do wonder, though...how do you read the street signs? That worries me a tad.
You didn't say where you live, so I can't provide direct links, but I can suggest a few things as a newly blind person myself (7 months now).
First, you should contact your state Library for the Blind. Request an application. You will need to have a doctor or registered nurse sign off on it saying that you are eligible because you cannot read print. Can you read large print (the Library for the Blind uses font size 14 for large print...me, I don't consider that very large at all...still a blur :P)? If you can, they offer large print, but they also offer audio books, which is what I get, since I don't know Braille (which is what someone else called the 'bump-letters'). Braille is hard! It's like learning a completely new language, just all written and no spoken. The basic alphabet is pretty easy, but the contractions are very numerous, and hard to memorize (or at least, I have found it so...I have yet to master any but the basic contractions).
Beyond the state Library for the Blind, you can also contact your state's Department of Services for the Blind. You don't qualify for their programs since you are able to see, and aren't actually blind (well, you might be very near-sighted, and that might qualify you...ask your doctor and the state Department.
Another resource is the state's Social Services. They assist people in finding the help they need, from transportation to home care and beyond. They can also refer you to help from other resources.
For tv, may I suggest such channels as CourtTV, Animal Planet, TruTV, History Channel, Discovery, and Discovery Health? Even if the subjects don't interest you, you're bound to find a few shows among these channels that do. All of these channels, I have found to be very easy to follow as someone who only sees blobs of colour on the TV. Also, you may feel silly watching them, but many Disney movies, Scooby-Doo movies, Garfield...these are easy to follow, along with some others. If you are unsure about a movie, give it a try with a friend who is willing to describe the quiet scenes to you, or ask about the Library of Congress' DVS movie program.
Also, when you sign up with the Library for the Blind, request to be signed up for the NFB-Newsline, also. This is a number you can call to go through the latest news articles, and can be very useful.
There are many products available for the visual impaired. You may want to look into a lighted magnifier, or even a magnifying device called an AMIGO (if you have insurance, they may cover the cost...I don't know). This is a handheld device that you place the bottom screen over a paper and it magnifies it in normal colour, high contrast white on black, high contrast yellow on black, and a few others...I have found it to be very useful in reading cooking directions and my personal mail that I don't want my assistant to read.
You can e-mail or PM me with any questions you have. I have links to sites with products for the blind and visually impaired, and can research your state's resources if I know where you live.
Oh! Also, if you have Windows...go into Start, Programs, Accessories, Accessibility. There is an accessibility wizard that will walk you thru to help you figure out what will make computer use easier for you, such as high contrast and large font/icons. As well, in the same area, there is also a magnifier that has proven very useful to me in reading sites that have weird layouts that don't work with zooming. And if you have Mozilla Firefox, you can change the font size simply by clicking ctrl++ until it is big enough, or ctrl + the little scrolling button on your mouse, scroll it up or down to get smaller or larger font size.
I hope that helps, and feel free to write to me with your questions, and I will help best I can. I know where you're coming from...seven months ago, I was newly blind, and it's overwhelming to try to learn everything needed all at once.
Edit: Also, if it turns out you are unable to correct your vision, you should see about getting aids from a low vision center, who will help you find aids to assist you in reading and the like. I do wonder, though...how do you read the street signs? That worries me a tad.
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