blind
It’s October and the Royals are still playing baseball! I think a lot of us are happy about that! How old were you when the Royals were playing in their last Post Season game (1985)? I was 1 year old 🙂 Well, I thought since many of us are excited about baseball and football (Go…
Read ArticleMandy Smith, Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist, will be presenting at the Chase County Health Department on May 1st. The presentation will begin at 1:00pm and last approximately an hour. Mandy will be explaining what the iKan-RCIL program does and the services it provides along with showing pieces of assistive technology. Anyone who has a vision…
Read ArticleiKan-RCIL will be hosting a low vision fair in Fort Scott on April 2nd. The fair will consist of Dr. Mitchell and Dr. Foulk speaking about eye health, diseases and conditions along with Audio Reader, Talking Books, Assistive Technology for Kansans (ATK), and iKan-RCIL speaking about their program and services. Assistive technology equipment will be available for hands-on demonstrations.…
Read ArticleLow vision support group – a group of people who have some type of vision loss that gather and talk about strategies, stories, equipment, etc. A support group can be very beneficial especially if a person has a new vision loss or is having a hard time handling their new way of life. iKan-RCIL will…
Read ArticleI read a story by Dr. Chris Kuell this week and I pulled this quote from it… “My cane does announce to the world that I’m blind, but I’m okay with that. It only symbolizes inferiority in the hands of those who don’t have the skills and confidence to use it properly. When I’m walking…
Read ArticleRCIL was awarded part of the grant from Kansas Rehabilitation and Services (KRS) to serve individuals who are 55 years and older and are blind or have low vision. RCIL has been serving this population since August of 2010 with the PILR/RCIL/SKIL consortium that was also funded by a grant from KRS. This time, however,…
Read ArticleRCIL is hosting a booth at the Assistive Technology Expo this year in Wichita. I am “manning” the booth to share with the participants my newly offered service, orientation and mobility. I have spoken to approximately 30 participants this far and explained some of the services RCIL has to offer. Remember, assistive technology does not…
Read ArticleI thought what better way to celebrate achieving my orientation and mobility certification than to look at pictures over the last two years. (Click on each picture for a more detailed description.) A lot has changed in the last two years and I’m thankful for it all. I’d like to thank all of my iKan…
Read ArticleFrom AFB eNews Are you or a family member having difficulty seeing? Or perhaps been diagnosed with an eye condition such as macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy? If the answer is yes, you’re not alone: vision problems affect 25 million Americans, and that number is on the rise. To support this growing community,…
Read ArticleDiabetes is a complicated condition that is able to affect many aspects of your health, including your eye sight… Diabetes is when your body does not produce or use insulin and you end up with high levels of blood glucose. This condition causes complications in the rest of the body which can result in heart…
Read ArticleWho really enjoys change? Maybe you enjoy a change of scenery or you enjoy the change of seasons? These are nice changes because you know they aren’t permanent and they are planned. Unplanned changes usually aren’t enjoyable and are usually permanent (at least until the next change). But change always happens! There is nothing we…
Read ArticleWho doesn’t love a cute face? What about a cute face that has puppy breathe? I’m sure many of you are familiar with dog guides, but did you know that people/families raise dog guides from puppies to about a year old? Dog guide facilities such as The Seeing Eye, KSDS Inc., Leader Dogs for the…
Read ArticleWith January and the new year here, this is a perfect time to talk about glaucoma. January is National Glaucoma Awareness month so now is the time to book your annual eye appointment. Glaucoma is the name of a group of diseases that commonly increases internal eye pressure, damages the optic nerve and causes peripheral…
Read ArticleDo you have questions about low vision? Have you noticed you don’t see like you used to? Have you been diagnosed with low vision and want to see what’s out there to help? Come to our low vision fair to hear Dr. David Nelson explain low vision and low vision exams, find out what assistive…
Read ArticleAs I’ve said before I am studying to become an Orientation and Mobility Specialist. This requires nine 3 hour courses through Texas Tech Univeristy (where I’m at right now) and two of those classes are white cane technique classes. My first class started on June 1st and we didn’t touch the canes much at…
Read ArticleHow many times have you heard someone who is not blind say “I’m blind as a bat” or “I can’t see anything without my glasses.” We know this isn’t true, but to that person, it may feel like he or she has little vision without their correction (eye glasses, contacts). Blindness is a functional defect…
Read Article“Fan the Flame” The 12th Kansas Disability Caucus will be held in Topeka on August 10, 11, and 12 with a Pre-Conference on August 9 and 10 provided by ikan that will focus on providing Independent Living services to individuals who are blind or have low vision. Individuals throughout the state with all types of…
Read ArticleI met with someone who was recently diagnosed with the eye condition, Age-Related Macular Degeneration. I asked her if it was the wet or dry type. She responded, “I don’t know.” I explained to her that with wet macular degeneration, the macula on the back wall of your eye swells up and causes your acute,…
Read ArticleWhile walking one day you see a man standing at an intersection holding a white cane. Does he need assistance? Is he okay? How does he know where he’s going? ASK HIM! Just walk up, tap him on the shoulder and say in your normal tone of voice “Do you need any assistance? Are you…
Read ArticleThis blog was written by Mandy Smith, an RCIL Staff member, who recently became an O&M Specialist. She has been working with RCIL since June 2009. In August of this year, I applied for a new position at RCIL. When I found out I had the position, I was so excited I went and told…
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