It is important to remember you are the same person after losing your sight as you were before. You just do not happen to see as well as you used to.

Galloway's Society for the Blind has put together this information guide in the hope that it may help you adapt to your new situation.

Galloway's Society for the Blind (formally The Preston and North Lancashire Blind Welfare Society) was established in 1867 and supports many blind and partially-sighted people throughout a large area of Lancashire. Its services are varied and ever expanding and we hope that you will feel free to ring us, at any time in the future, should you require assistance or advice with a particular matter. We are here to help and if we do not know the answer to a particular problem we usually can find out.

Notes for Sighted Carers

These notes have been taken from comments made over the years by visually-impaired people. Whilst coming to terms with a sight loss could take a considerable time it is recognised that a partner or carer of a visually-impaired person also needs support as well, in order to 'do the right thing'.

Please remember:

1. I may use a white stick but this does not necessarily mean I have no sight at all. I am an ordinary person who happens to have very bad sight. This is a sighted world and I meet with practical difficulties but there are many problems which are needlessly created by sighted people.
2. I have only lost one of my senses and I can answer for myself. You do not need to talk to me through a third person. Although I may need help occasionally there are many things I can do for myself. Please let me, even if it takes a bit longer.
3. Do not over protect me. Do not try to shelter me from problems, I have not lost my mind. I have not suddenly been endowed with extra senses, I am just learning to use my other senses more efficiently.
4. Do not be embarrassed to use the words LOOK and SEE, I will know what you mean. It is important to encourage a person who is visually- impaired to talk about their feelings and how their loss of vision affects them. Do not be afraid of asking people how much, or how little, can they see.

Making the Most of Remaining Vision

Are your glasses clean? Dirty spectacle lenses reduce the efficiency of your vision. Is the lighting in your home good enough? Usually people who have had their eyes tested under perfect lighting conditions are disappointed when they get home to find their new spectacles are not very helpful.

Home lighting in day time can be improved by drawing curtains well back from the windows and making sure that the windows are clean enough to let in as much light as possible.

A central light should have a large shade which allows the light to shine both up and down. If the ceiling is painted white or a very pale colour the light will be reflected to all parts of the room. For close work an adjustable or table lamp will make all the difference. The lamp should have a firm base and be used with the light close to the work being done, but never shining in your eyes. An 11 watt fluorescent bulb close to what you are doing is much more useful than a 200 watt bulb in the middle of the ceiling.

It will save eyestrain if you keep some background lighting on at the same time. A table lamp at least 18 inches tall and with a big shade could be equally suitable and would provide general light for the rest of the room.

Good lighting is particularly important in the hail, stairs and landing areas. The cost of improving lighting in these areas by larger size bulbs will amount to a few coppers per year. Do not be afraid to experiment with different lighting positions. Just because you have a light on top of the television before you lost your sight does not mean it has to stay there forever. Perhaps you could move it to a table nearer to you. Be careful that you do not insert light bulbs that exceed the recommended wattage for the light shade.

Low Vision Aids

There are various types of aids, magnifiers, binoculars, telescopes, etc. which are sometimes helpful for people who cannot be aided by spectacles. These are available through the Low Vision Aid Clinic and are free on the National Health Service. The referral to the clinic must be made by a Consultant Ophthalmologist.

It is important to remember that Low Vision Aids have their limitations. They have to be prescribed for a particular job and it may be necessary to have different aids for reading, watching television or distance viewing. It is essential to tell the optician at the clinic exactly what you need the aid for. It is also necessary to persevere in learning how to use the aid.

Simple Magnifiers

If you are choosing a magnifier for yourself remember that the larger the lens the less powerful it is. A hand magnifier should be light and easy to hold. One on a stand, which rests on the page, may be easier to manage. A magnifier may not be of any use at all to you so it is wise to try one out before spending money. Please feel free to contact a Galloway's Resource Centre where a number of magnifiers are on display.

Aids and Equipment for Daily Living

There are now a multitude of aids and pieces of equipment available that can help with many tasks. From simple cardboard signature guides up to close circuit television magnifiers. The choice is endless and ever expanding. Many items are in display at our Resource Centres in Preston and Morecambe.

In the Home

Many blind people adapt their former sighted methods for coping with work around the home, but some find that they need to learn new techniques. If you are having difficulties, Social Services Department can arrange for a Rehabilitation Officer to visit to offer you specialist help, advice and training. This could include mobility and the use of various canes, cooking and other domestic techniques, to learning Braille and Moon.

Safety

Trailing bedspreads can cause accidents, so can electric flexes and loose fitting carpets and rugs. Ensure that these are firmly fixed in order to prevent falls. Mop up spills in the kitchen as soon as they occur, especially if anything is greasy. Have a special place for sharp knives, and if you use razor blades put them in a container such as an empty margarine tub with a slit cut in the lid which can be thrown away complete with the blades.

Cookers

Try and develop a technique for using the cooker. Doubtless you will have realised that deep fat frying is particularly hazardous for people with reduced sight. You will find that oven chips can become quite palatable. For boiling liquids, a metal disc available from our Resource Centre, dropped into the pan of liquid will alert you when the substance begins to boil. Electric toasters reduce the risk of burnt bread from under the grill and microwaves have been found to be especially useful in reducing the risk of burns from touching hot surfaces. If you have not got a microwave the use of a good oven glove, when removing items from a hot oven, is essential.

Control knobs on most cookers can be marked with a substance called HiMark. This can be dabbed so that the On and Off positions can be identified along with the most commonly used setting for cooking. Obviously if you were purchasing a new cooker it would be desirable to have the controls at the front so you are not reaching over hot pans, etc., and also a high level grill would be an advantage.

Think about using contrasting colours so that you could readily identify plates, cutlery, pans, etc., all that much more easily. Again our Resource Centres at Preston and Morecambe display many items and gadgets that could help towards independence in the kitchen.

You will learn by your own experience how to do things and you will possibly come up with ideas and simple tips which have never been thought of before. It is important to get the family, home help or carer, etc., to get into the habit of not moving things around. In the kitchen one tin feels very much like another. You have to remember where they have been put, and the last thing you want is somebody coming in juggling everything around.

Think of having a special place for bottles of bleach and other cleaning materials. Consider fitting a smoke alarm. These are available from our Society free of charge and can be fitted in a matter of minutes by family or friends, etc. If you did have any difficulty with fitting we perhaps could even arrange this. Just telephone us and we will send one off to you.

Talking Newspapers and Information

The Society produces a range of talking newspaper and magazines from its studio at Howick House in Penwortham. The Society also produces a number of talking books. Mainly of a local nature which would not have got on to tape as the demand would not have been sufficient to warrant national publication. There are a whole host of other tapes available, best known perhaps is the RNIB Talking Book Service, where for a yearly subscription the listener has access to thousands of titles. The system is recorded on to large cassettes and requires the rental of a special machine which is included in the yearly subscription. It may be worth while inquiring at your local Social Services Office as sometimes they are able to pay your subscription on your behalf.

Activities and Recreation

Just because you do not happen to see as well as you did you do not necessarily have to give up your former interests. You may be able to adapt the way you pursue them. There are special clubs for blind and partially-sighted people, but it may be more appropriate for you to join an ordinary club with sighted members which caters for your particular interest.

Our Society runs a number of Social Clubs throughout Lancashire and there is bound to be one near you. All the clubs are run by volunteers. Clubs are located at Burscough, Leyland, Penwortham, Bamber Bridge, Longridge, Over Kellet, Fuiwood, Garstang, Preesall, Lancaster and Morecambe. The Society also runs a number of special interest groups for the more active. Activities include rambling, swimming, yoga, archery and tandem riding.

Volunteers

Volunteers play an important part in the running of our Society and undertake a multitude of tasks. One of the most successful has been our Volunteer Visiting Scheme where trained volunteers are available to visit blind or partially-sighted people to provide a variety of tasks from letter writing, helping with shopping, etc., or just providing a regular friendly face who calls to see if everything is OK. Contact us if you would like one of our volunteers to visit you.

Getting About

Like it, or lump it, you have still got to be able to get about. Paying bills, going to the shops, collecting benefit, etc., all still have to be done. You will find that without noticing you will have developed your own technique in getting around the home and the garden and this just has to be applied on a larger scale in the outside world. Rehabilitation Officers can assist you with mobility skills and can offer regular tuition in a variety of techniques. A symbol cane can be supplied which, as the name suggests, is a symbol to other pedestrians and road users that the carrier is visually impaired. This is found to be particularly helpful when crossing roads, perhaps at uncontrolled pedestrian crossings. The actual cost of getting about can be subsided in a variety of ways, Disabled Persons Railcard and a Concessionary Bus Pass which in Lancashire is available to blind and partially sighted people can be obtained.

Contact any staffed Railway Station for details of Concessionary Rail Travel or your Local Social Services Office to apply for a Bus Pass.

Concessionary Parking for blind people is available under the Orange Badge Scheme, again contact your Local Social Services office for further details.

Finance

Whatever your circumstances on being registered blind or partially sighted you are strongly urged to contact the Local Welfare Rights Office. The Welfare Rights service is operated by the County Council and, from many offices in Lancashire, provide assistance for people who require Benefit Advice. Since being established some years ago the service has found millions of pounds in unclaimed Benefits. Recent studies have shown that a lot of blind and partially sighted people are not claiming their full entitlement. An Officer can visit you in your own home and the service is completely free. Contact the Blind Welfare Society for the address and telephone number of your nearest Welfare Rights Office.