Greetings, I work at Clovernook Center for the Blind & Visually
Impaired in Memphis, TN. I have a client in her 50's who is very
pleasant and intelligent, has her masters in social work. She has
worked as a social worker in our county schools and at the University
of Mississippi as a professor. She is legally blind from sarcoidosis
but has pretty good residual vision- uses Zoomtext for computer
access. She has noted however, that her vision has decreased
recently. She has had mini-strokes resulting in fairly substantial
short-term memory loss. She participates in O&M and computer training
here at our center but is also referred for job development. Neither
are progressing as we would like. In computer instruction, she has
been able to log in, and open programs by following printed
instructions (48 pt. Tahoma) but can't see that so well now that her
vision is decreasing. We thought of a small tape recorder allow her to
record instructions, reminders, etc. but on one of her worst memory
days, she would listen to the instruction, put the tape player down,
return her hands to the keyboard and forget what she had just listened
to. As I said, that was the worst day- it seems to fluctuate. The
other problem with the tape recorder is that she forgets, I guess,
that something is recorded and then records over or forgets which
buttons are which and erases.
Ideally, she would like to return to work as a social worker/
counselor. We have not started the job development process yet. I'm
stuck as to what to do next. It would be great if a specific job could
be identified and then we could find a way to make it work but we also
need to find a way to make things work in general before we can apply
for specific jobs.
Can you think of any resources that can help us/her with strategies to
improve her employability? Help with remembering things? I am at a
loss as to what to do at this point. I know she can work meaningfully
but can't figure out what that would be. She's a great lady and wants/
needs to work.
Things to consider:
Legal blindness due to sarcoidosis
Last eye report we have on record from 6/2005 states OD: 20/400; OS:
20/300 with correction
Short-term memory loss from mini-strokes
Neuropathy
AT:
Zoomtext Magnifier: can use at 6-7x mag. With inverted brightness.
Dragon Dictate: to be useful, she would need to have a better
understanding of basic computer concepts.
Digital recorder: problems remembering which button is which- we have
marked them with Velcro, lock dots and felt for different textures...
Large Print: 48 pt. Tahoma. Some days she can see it and some days she
cannot.
Any help on this would be so wonderful.
THANK YOU!
Arwen E. Adair
Supervisor of Instructional Services
Clovernook Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired
346 St. Paul Avenue
Memphis, TN 38126
Phone: 901-523-9590
Fax: 901-523-1480
http://www.clovernookmemphis.org
