Blind Way Forward Package

We live in a highly visual world, in which we are constantly bombarded with visual information, from billboards to electronic media to simply going about your daily routine. It is therefore not surprising that the loss of vision, whether it is sudden, as in an accident, or gradual, through degenerative conditions such as glaucoma, can leave you wondering how you will cope. The Blind Way Forward is a practical guide to coping and thriving with visual impairment. It was developed to enlighten and motivate persons who have developed a visual impairment and are not getting sufficient information about coping with blindness. 

The current situation is for an eye care patient is that after being diagnosed with an ocular disease that may result in a irreversible blindness, the doctor may or may not refer you to a resource center (such as the Trinidad and Tobago Blind Welfare Association) to help the patient cope positively with their diagnosis. The shock of the news, together with lack of information usually causes the patient to take a longer period of adjustment which may extend between 10 months to over a decade. Worst case scenario, someone could be plummeted into depression that could lead to their eventual death.

When a situation like this arises, the persons going through it tends to believe that what they are going through is unique to them. This is however far from the truth. This kind of mentality does not only affect the individual or their family, but indirectly, the productivity of a nation and its economy. We believe that the Blind Way Forward can change in the lives of individuals and families across Trinidad and Tobago who may be victims to these circumstances.

The Blind Way Forward is different from traditional forms of support which are usually either web based or restricted to physical locations. It serves as a guide for inexperienced blinded individuals and their families so that they can learn how to quickly and effectively adjust to blindness. Support materials take the form of a short film, audio book and printed reading material. Additionally, a wiki was established to provide links to other useful sources of information. It focuses on serving several populations:

1) adults who have recently received a diagnosis or prognosis of blindness or acute visual impairment,

2) persons already living with vision impairment but who have been limited due to a lack of information, or who have become disillusioned,

3)the families, friends, and employers of persons with visual impairment, and

4) allies or other interested parties.

This is for the ones who were born blind, the ones who became blind later on in life, either by disease or circumstance. This is for the young blind girl who thinks that she will never have a husband or children; the senior citizen living alone; the young, ambitious professional who thinks his life is over simply because he is unable to see. This is for the family member who loves and cares for their blind relative, but just does not know who to help. The Blind Way Forward is meant to guide persons with a visual impairment and their families to quickly and effectively adjust to blindness.

The Blind Way Forward was an awardee of the Lumination Challenge 2015 program under the Ministry of Planning and Sustainable Development.