Promoting Independence through Vision Rehabilitation
GDABVI Winter 2008 Newsletter
Below is a text-only version of our Winter 2008 Newsletter, INsight, featuring many interesting articles about GDABVI and our 2006-2007 Annual Report.

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Winter 2008 Newsletter
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INsight

GDABVI News and Information
Winter 2008

February focuses on major cause of vision loss

Agency Rehabilitation Training helps older adults adapt to life with reduced sight

Norleen Thomas says she’s blessed. She’ll also tell you she makes “the baddest” sweet potato pie.

A vibrant, active retiree, Ms. Thomas experienced a series of physical setbacks, including the development of macular degeneration, which has reduced her vision significantly.

"I felt as though I’d lost my independence,” she says. “I could no longer drive, and even when I was home I couldn’t read the mail or even bake a pie for fear of using the oven. I became depressed."

February is Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) Month, according to Prevent Blindness America, a national eye health and safety organization that educates and advocates for the prevention of blindness.

Locally, the Greater Detroit Agency for the Blind and Visually Impaired offers in-home rehabilitation training that helps men and women adapt to living with AMD along with other major causes of age-related vision loss such as cataracts, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. Rehabilitation Therapists go out to the homes of seniors throughout southeast Michigan who are legally blind, teaching them how to maintain their independence. Last year alone, Agency therapists conducted more than 1400 individual home visits to more than 175 seniors, teaching communication skills and personal care techniques, as well as how to safely prepare meals and identify denominations of money.

With help from an Agency Rehabilitation Therapist, Ms. Thomas adapted her oven so she could once again cook. She was shown how to rearrange her furniture for better mobility within her apartment and was also connected to the Oakland County Library for the Visually and Physically Impaired. She now regularly receives books on tape.

“The training has helped me be more independent, so I don’t just sit around my apartment brooding,” she says. “This gives me the confidence and energy to get out and do things.”

National resources, local commitment

In the state of Michigan alone, Prevent Blindness America estimates that almost 60,000 adults over the age of 60 have age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which can take one of two forms. Dry AMD, which is the most common form, occurs as fatty deposits develop under the light-sensing cells in the retina. Wet AMD, which occurs when tiny new blood vessels develop under the retina and eventually leak fluid or break open, is less common but more threatening to vision.

In January, Prevent Blindness America called attention to glaucoma, which causes a gradual degeneration of cells that make up the optic nerve and affects more than 78,000 Michigan adults over the age of 40.

“We are very fortunate to have organizations such as Prevent Blindness America calling attention to eye health at a national level,” says Greater Detroit Agency for the Blind and Visually Impaired President & CEO Gail McEntee. “Our agency benefits from the research and resources that these organizations offer, providing us with information and materials that help us better serve the community.”

“I thought I couldn’t make it, but I did.”

Norleen Thomas is now more self-sufficient, though she is concerned about more than just reduced vision from macular degeneration. She’s a cancer survivor who’s also been diagnosed with diabetes. But she says being more independent has allowed her to get on with her life.

“Learning how to do things on my own has helped me to be more positive,” says Ms. Thomas, who had just come back from visiting her sister in Dayton, Ohio. “There’s no reason for me to stay home and cry.”

For more information about how you or someone you know can benefit from GDABVI’s in-home rehabilitation training, call Case Manager Ollie Lester at 313-272-3900.

Consumers learn to cast ballot with greater independence at GDABVI Accessible Voter Training

This past October, the Greater Detroit Agency for the Blind and Visually Impaired (GDABVI) offered training to voters with visual impairments seeking to exercise their right to vote.

Gail Kundinger of Electronic Systems and Software was on hand to instruct attendees on how to use the AutoMARK ballot-marking machine, which allows voters with disabilities to mark their ballot without second-party assistance, thus reducing the risk of error or abuse and promoting greater independence in those who are blind and visually impaired.

“It is important that voters with low vision or no vision can exercise this important constitutional right in the same manner as those with sight,” says GDABVI President & CEO Gail McEntee. “Teaching those with blindness and visual impairments to embrace new technology is critical, and efforts such as this have even more relevance as we approach the 2008 Presidential election.”

The Accessible Voter Training, which was free to the public, is part of the Agency’s ongoing efforts to provide services and programs that promote independence. For more information about the AutoMARK ballot machine, call Christina Schlitt at 313-272-3900.

You’re never too old for the Agency’s Accessible Computer Training…
just ask Caroline Nemeth

Last year, Caroline Nemeth celebrated her 100th birthday. After a party that was held in her honor, she thanked all those who attended with a letter she typed on a computer using Microsoft Word.

Ms. Nemeth is one of 50 adults and seniors who last year learned computer skills through GDABVI’s Accessible Computer Training (ACT) program. She attended weekly one-hour sessions, learning to use magnification technology and computer keystrokes in lieu of a mouse.

ACT is offered at the four regional libraries for the blind at no cost to clients, who learn basic keyboarding, e-mail and Internet skills. It can prepare adults for more advanced training that can help lead to employment, or simply provide them with new skills that will enable them to be more independent.

The program utilizes an innovative “train the tutor” approach whereby volunteers, most of whom are themselves blind or visually impaired, learn screen reading and magnification technologies that allow them to teach basic computing to adults and seniors with low vision or no vision. This year, ACT will also be offered at two area senior facilities, which the Agency hopes will be the beginning of a larger program expansion effort.

“Accessible Computer Training does more than just give adults and seniors the opportunity to learn new skills,” says Program Director Cathy McAdam. “It also enables them to more easily shop or do their banking, read a newspaper or communicate with friends and family.”

For more information about Accessible Computer Training, call Cathy McAdam at 313-563-1412.

Agency receives NAC accreditation

GDABVI has again received accreditation by the National Accreditation Council for Agencies Serving People with Blindness or Visual Impairments (NAC). The accreditation process included an extensive self-evaluation followed by an on-site peer review. Ramona Sangalli, president & CEO of Lions World Services for the Blind in Little Rock, Arkansas and George F. Theriault, president & CEO of the New Hampshire Association for the Blind conducted the review in late July of 2007 and presented a report of their findings to the NAC Board of Directors this past December.

The Agency was first accredited by NAC in 1970. It voluntarily participates in this process to meet the highest national standards of agencies that serve individuals who are blind or visually impaired. NAC was established in 1966 and serves to promote effective, sound and publicly accountable programs and services that help children and adults with visual impairments achieve their full potential.

Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan supports Agency summer camp for children and youth

The Greater Detroit Agency for the Blind and Visually Impaired (GDABVI) has received a $5,000 grant from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. The grant will be used in support of the Agency’s 2008 Summer Enrichment Camp, which offers children and youth with blindness and visual impairments a variety of fun activities that will help them become more independent.

The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, founded in 1984, is a permanent community endowment built by gifts from thousands of individuals and organizations committed to the future of southeast Michigan. The Foundation works to improve the quality of life in southeast Michigan by supporting a wide variety of activities benefiting education, arts and culture, health, human services, community development and civic affairs.

The GDABVI Summer Enrichment Camp offers a variety of activities that encourage young people with blindness and visual impairments to explore the community in which they live while developing self-confidence. Children ages six to 15 learn daily living skills such as cooking, cleaning and money management, while also participating in activities such as judo and rock climbing that help develop spatial awareness, along with orientation and mobility.

To learn more about GDABVI’s Summer Enrichment Camp, including camp dates and how to enroll a young person, call Outreach Coordinator Mary Beth Kullen at 313-272-3900.

Learning institutions can order free Braille books from Temple Beth El

Temple Beth El Braille Bindery in Bloomfield Hills offers children’s books in Braille at no charge to qualified schools and libraries. Lists of book titles are available on request. The Bindery also offers concept books containing shapes and letters of the alphabet for a nominal fee, in addition to repairing braillers at a reasonable cost.

For more information, call Temple Beth El Braille Bindery at 248-851-1100, ext. 3129, or e-mail asmandell@sbcglobal.net.

Agency to recognize employees' years of service

The Agency will remember long-term employees in a lasting way. The first, a plaque commemorating Lila M. Cabbil for 35 years of employment, will be placed in the main floor hallway. Ms. Cabbil worked in children’s programs from 1968 to 2003. Her last position was supervisor of Occupational, Information and Children's Services.

New year starts with new board appointments and staff

GDABVI is pleased to announce that Susan S. Thoms, M.D. has been elected Vice Chairperson of the Agency’s Board of Trustees. Dr. Thoms is an ophthalmologist at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center, as well as an assistant professor at the University. Joining her on the Executive Committee is returning board member and newly elected Treasurer John W. Rhinesmith, CPA. The Agency also welcomes retired school administrator and newly elected member-at-large John R. Spotts.

The Agency would like to acknowledge the outstanding service of three trustees whose tenures have recently ended – Carla T. Blakey, Jeffrey D. Evans and Bonnie M. Reyes. We are pleased to announce that all three will remain affiliated with the Agency as members of its Advisory Board.

GDABVI welcomes new staff members Christina Schlitt and Dave Lemaux. Christina, who worked with the Agency on its NAC accreditation process, has joined the Agency as a part-time contract administrator. She owns her own business management consultancy, Cameron Bridge Management, and is an active member in the League of Women Voters of Grosse Pointe. Dave joins the Agency as a part-time driver. He is a retired construction engineer and former police officer. Both Christina and Dave are fine additions to the GDABVI family.

GDABVI answers United Way’s Call for Investment

The Greater Detroit Agency for the Blind and Visually Impaired, which has been a United Way partner agency for more than 40 years, has submitted a proposal for program funding under United Way’s 2008 Call for Investment.

The Call for Investment reflects United Way’s new business model, which seeks to align funding under three focus areas – Educational Preparedness, Financial Stability and Basic Needs. Both traditional United Way partners and organizations not previously affiliated with United Way were invited to apply for funding under one or more of the focus areas.

United Way’s funding shift is not only the result of the economic realities in the region, but also part of a changing environment in the nonprofit sector that demands greater efficiency and accountability, as well as greater collaboration among nonprofit, for-profit, educational, government and faith-based organizations.

The Call for Investment, which will apply for a 2008-2011 funding cycle, is a highly competitive process in which more than 200 nonprofits are seeking support for programming. Regardless of the outcome of the Agency request, our organization remains committed to carry out its mission of providing quality, innovative services while meeting the challenges that face all nonprofits throughout southeast Michigan.

We need your help to carry out our mission

All of the services and programs described within these pages are available to clients in the seven-county southeast Michigan region at no charge. Agency efforts are made possible through support from organizations like United Way and the Area Agencies on Aging. But more importantly, they are made possible through the contributions of people like you.

Please make a contribution to the Greater Detroit Agency for the Blind and Visually Impaired today. To do so, you can simply fill out the enclosed donation envelope or call Development and Communications Director Rob Boyle at 313-272-3900. (MICS #9825)

2006—2007 Annual Report

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”
-Helen Keller

Dear Friends:

The Greater Detroit Agency for the Blind and Visually Impaired (GDABVI) has been opening new doors of hope and happiness for men, women and children who are blind and visually impaired for more than four decades. Through training, technology and adaptive techniques, those with severe vision loss have learned to be more self-reliant. In 2007 we continued to open more doors.

Our in-home Vision Rehabilitation Training in skills of daily living continues to be an important service to our older clients. We strive to assist all of our clients to be independent and self-confident. For those who have lost their sight later in life, this has great impact. Reducing the fear of vision loss by learning to do familiar tasks safely and in a new way is the backbone of GDABVI services since our founding in 1961. In fiscal year ending 2007, we saw 175 new clients in their homes, conducting more than 1400 home visits.

Our Accessible Computer Training (ACT) Program continues to grow in the libraries for the blind, with ten volunteer tutors who worked 175 hours to provide one-on-one training to 50 participants. The coming year will see the program expand into two senior centers, offering an introduction to basic computer software for more blind and visually impaired users.

Partnering with The Greening of Detroit with a grant from the Carls Foundation resulted in a beautiful sensory garden, which not only improved our property and neighborhood, but more importantly has enhanced service delivery to our clients. We began with a “garden party” in January 2007, where consumers and volunteers chose which types of foliage and accessories best interpreted the goal of providing sound, smell, taste, touch and color into our new garden. In May, volunteers from MAS Youth joined staff from GDABVI and The Greening of Detroit to do the planting and complete the design. In July, we celebrated the new garden with youngsters from our Summer Enrichment Camp, board members, friends and staff at a special ribbon cutting ceremony.

Speaking of camp, 23 children in elementary and middle school participated in the two camps, enjoying daily activities at the agency and in the community. One group was able to join other blind and visually impaired children at the Lion’s Bear Lake Camp for an overnight adventure that included a campfire, swimming and bunkhouse antics. A week of Goalball was added to the summer youth activities in collaboration with Wayne State University and Boys & Girls Republic.

Additional financial support of summer camp, Goalball and other programming for children and youth was provided from donors including the Detroit Free Press/Skillman Foundation Summer Dreams Program, the Delta Sigma Theta Detroit Jerrylee Johnson Memorial Fund, and the Valance Fund from the Community Foundation.

The agency is actively engaged in strategic planning, which has included internal and external assessments over the course of a year. Most notable was the intense scrutiny by the National Accreditation Council for Agencies Serving People with Blindness and Visual Impairment (NAC). Accredited since 1970, the Agency participated in an agency self assessment and on-site peer review. Happily, GDABVI again met the prescribed standards and received accreditation for three more years. The entire process provided an opportunity for staff, board, clients and community partners to see where we are and where we want to go.

GDABVI is fortunate to maintain sound fiscal resources to maintain our programs. Challenges lie ahead as funding sources struggle in the harsh economic climate of Michigan. A United Way Agency since 1961, GDABVI along with all other non-profit organizations wishing to receive United Way funding, submitted proposals for their Agenda for Change. In spring 2008 we will learn how GDABVI fits into their new initiatives. We continue to receive funding from the three Area Agencies on Aging that serve metro Detroit, to provide direct services and educational presentations on age related vision loss. Through presentations, distribution of information and website hits, more than 12,000 persons have been reached.

Predictions are that Michigan will have more senior citizens than young people in another decade and we know age related vision loss and blindness will be a major concern as the Baby Boomers reach retirement age. Being active, productive, mature adults is the goal we all have. GDABVI continues to work hard to make sure our services are available to those who need us now and in the future.

On behalf of our Board of Trustees and staff, thank you for your past and continued support.

Gail L. McEntee
President & CEO

The Greater Detroit Agency for the Blind and Visually Impaired (GDABVI) provides quality, innovative services that increase self-reliance, productivity and dignity for persons who are blind or visually impaired.

GDABVI provides in-home rehabilitation services to adults and seniors, community education programs on eye health and safety, summer programming for children and youth, and Accessible Computer Training at regional libraries for the blind.

GDABVI, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is a United Way partner agency accredited by the National Accreditation Council for Agencies Serving the Blind and Visually Handicapped.

If you would like to learn more about GDABVI programs and services, or would like to donate or volunteer, please call 313-272-3900 or visit our website at www.GDABVI.org.

Planned giving lasts beyond a lifetime

A planned gift to GDABVI provides meaningful impact to men, women and children who are blind and visually impaired. It can also bring immediate and deferred tax advantages to you and your heirs.

If you have named GDABVI as a beneficiary in your estate planning, please let us know. We want to keep you informed about the programs you care most about. More importantly, we’d like to thank you.

If you would like more information about making a planned gift, please contact
Gail McEntee at 313-272-3900.