In a series of "Lunch and Learn" presentations Fork in the Road owner, Marshall Flax, talked to staff and faculty at the University of Wisconsin Eye Clinics and the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. The aim of the talks was to provide staff and faculty with basic information about the functional implications of vision impairment, tools and strategies that people with vision impairments can use to be independent, and actions that staff can take (or NOT take) to make the clinic experience as positive as possible.
Marshall's #1 rule for staff to remember:
Talk directly to the patient who is visually impaired. Don't talk to them through the sighted person who might be with him or her ("How is he feeling today?").
Rule #2
Always ask BEFORE stepping in to "help". Just because a task looks impossible or difficult to us, as fully sighted people, it doesn't mean that the patient with a vision impairment can't do it independently and do it well.Thanks to DOVS Chair, Dr. Terri Young and the staff of the department for the opportunity.