Richmond Organization Helps People with Low-Vision

By Charles Talkoff

Beginning in 1954, the National Association for the Visually Handicapped has grown from founder Loraine Markey's old storefront office on Balboa Street to a program that serves people in 28 senior centers across the Western United States, Alaska and Hawaii.

Jeannine Toussaint, the West Coast program director, described the long process of changing people's perceptions regarding the challenges of helping people with impaired vision.

"There's a stigma attached to it," she said. "People who have low vision have trouble discussing it and asking for help."

Chuck Frushan, an assistant at the center, said the hardest aspect for people is the feeling of a loss of freedom.

"They feel dependent on people and feel the tremendous loss of mobility. The inability to drive, which is such a major social force in our society, is especially hard and issues come up where they find themselves suddenly dependent on family, where before they were able to come and go on their own."

The Richmond District center, still located on Balboa Street, provides support in a variety of forms, ranging from group outings to technologically advanced devices designed to assist people with different levels of visual impairment.

Toussaint said there are various kinds of visual impairment, ranging from total blindness to blocked vision at the edges of one's eyes to dark spots. He pointed out the difference between a standard television remote control and one designed for a person with impaired vision. The standard remote was small, with small buttons, while the Tek-Remote remote control was several times as large with much larger buttons.

"We don't think about issues like this," Toussaint said. "We expect devices like this to be small and to keep getting smaller, but for people with low vision, these are crucial for giving them their freedom."

To help further, the center also provides magnifying devices, extra-large print projectors, books on tape and a large lending library, featuring books with large print. In addition, newspapers provide large-print editions that the center gives to its members. The library serves 14 states and has more than 1,000 titles.

"There are over 20 million people in the United States with some form of impaired vision," Toussaint said.

The center relies on donations and assistance from non-profit organizations, rather than direct government grants, and faces a regular challenge of keeping up with the financial need.

Frushan, who has a background in social work, says he became involved with helping the visually impaired when he lived with a college roommate who was going blind.

"It really changed things for me," he said. "People without vision difficulties take certain things for granted but when you're with someone who has difficulties, it's a completely different experience."

To help raise money and bring more awareness to the NAVH, the center is hosting a performance of Edna O'Brien's play, Family Butcher, at the Magic Theatre on Sept. 27. For more information, call the NAVH at (415) 221-3201.