Help for the blind rolls in
Photo: Brayden Ursel
The Canadian National Institute for the Blind launched its mobile hub in Kelowna this week.
It is a new program delivery model in which the CNIB travels to communities across the country to offer personalized programs to people who are blind or have low vision.
With stops in Kelowna, Vernon and Penticton this week, community members were encouraged to stop by and learn about the services the CNIB offers for the visually impaired.
“We don’t just talk to people about vision loss. We make things possible and help people on their way. The most important thing is that people realize that life doesn’t stop when you become visually impaired,” said Vittoria Spindor of the CNIB in Kelowna.
“There is still so much to do… Today we are giving away Victor readers and Daisy players to help people read stories and books.”
Spindor tells Castanet that life for the visually impaired is difficult, but not impossible. And with the help of the CNIB’s programs and services, life can become a little easier.
“Fifty years ago someone who was blind or had lost his sight was institutionalized. Today we changed all that. People can live in the comfort of their own homes if they learn skills like independent living skills,” Spindor continued.
“We now have things that people can go out and travel around with using technology that helps them get from one place to another. We have grown by leaps and bounds and this technology is helping us a lot.”
According to Spindor, many people in Kelowna don’t know what services are available for the visually impaired, and the point is to get that information out to the public so people can access the help they need.
The CNIB mobile hub will make stops in Penticton on Wednesday at the Trade and Convention Center and on Thursday in Vernon at the local library.
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