WHAT'S NEW AT VISIONAWARE.ORG?
Vol 1, Issue 12, November 3, 2009

Announcing Our Online Education Center

Enroll in our new AWARE Online Education Center and learn more about vision loss, low vision and vision rehabilitation.

Our self-study courses are designed for health care and social service professionals, including social workers; occupational therapists; community advocates; recreational specialists; and personnel in independent living centers, senior centers, long-term care, assisted living communities, veterans’ centers and hospitals.

Select this link to learn more: http://www.awareusa.org/education.html

VisionAWARE Highlights

Featured Content:

• My Story: Josh Crary: Born with Choroideremia (CHM), a rare, inherited eye disorder that causes retinal deterioration and blindness, 23-year-old Josh Crary, a senior and resident advisor at the University of New Hampshire, faces life’s challenges with enthusiasm and shares his perspectives on growing up with a disability.
• The Locating Technique is helpful when you're exploring your place setting at the dinner table. With practice, the locating technique allows you to explore the table setting safely, discreetly, and minimize spills.

Events to Consider:

• U.S. Election Day, November 3: Learn about voting rights and accessibility for voters who are blind or have low vision.
• Veterans’ Day, November 11: Legislation, services, and recreational opportunities for veterans who are blind, have low vision, are visually impaired, or disabled.
• Gifts and holiday shopping: Shop our online store to find interesting and useful gifts for family members and friend with vision loss. When you shop Amazon.com, a percentage of your purchases will benefit VisionAWARE.
• Thanksgiving, November 26: Have a safe Thanksgiving. Learn about home and kitchen safety if you’re blind or have low vision.
• Eid al Adha, November 27: K Vision Books offers audio and digital versions of the Koran.

Meet the Challenge: Your Support Matters

By supporting AWARE, you help prevent blindness through providing information and resources, daily living tools for those already living with vision loss and so much more for their families and the professionals who serve them. We need your help to continue providing these services to you and thousands of people in need.

Fans: We're just 22 people away from reaching the magic 100 marker on VisionAWARE's Facebook Fan Page. Keep spreading the word and help us build this community.

And why are we building this community? Thanks to the RDPSF Challenge Grant, every $1 we raise gets matched with $1.50, up to $100,000.

Our Facebook Fan Page brings us the critical mass we need to reach that goal. Donate now and join us on Facebook today!

Take Note

November is American Diabetes Month and Diabetic Eye Disease Month

Read this introduction to diabetes and diabetic retinopathy by Debbie Sokol-McKay, OTR/L, CVRT, CDE, CLVT, vision rehabilitation therapist, diabetes educator, low vision therapist, and licensed occupational therapist.

Great American Smokeout

Smoking is a risk factor for the development of cataracts and for macular degeneration. Learn more by selecting and reading the articles below:

• What Causes Cataracts? by Tina D. Turner, M.D. Ophthalmologist
• What Treatments Are Available for Dry AMD?, with suggestions by renowned AMD expert, Lylas G. Mogk, M.D.

From Our Visitors

"I really like the VisionAWARE newsletter and web site. It has become the first site I look at for information about a specific topic." — Dawn Backer, CLVT, South Dakota Rehabilitation Center for the Blind

About Us

Associates for World Action in Rehabilitation & Education (AWARE) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit social service organization. VisionAWARE is a "Self-Help for Vision Loss" web site that includes Questions & Answers on a wide range of topics, including eye diseases and disorders, home management, home modification, reading and writing, personal care and grooming, recreational activities, crafts, braille, computers and technology, and helpful services and resources.

For more information, e-mail Maureen A. Duffy, AWARE's Editorial Director.

VisionAWARE is made possible through the generous support of
    

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