Tag: blindness

BALANCE Announces Our Winter 2019 Groups! (All Programs are Free of Charge)

Posted on by Deborah Gold

Introducing…A Close Knit Group

Do you have a knitting project you are working on and want that boost of motivation to get it finished? Are you interested in becoming more skilled in your knitting, but not sure where to locate accessible patterns? Well, BALANCE has just an intermediate knitting group just for you! We are pleased to offer an 8 week knitting group. Each week, the facilitator will bring a topic of interest to knitters, to launch the discussion.

When: Thursdays, Starts: Thursday, Feb 7, 2019. Ends: Thursday, March 28, 2019

Time: 10:00 AM until 11:30 A.M.

Location: BALANCE offices (2340 Dundas St. W, unit G06) and runs from , Multi-purpose room.

Facilitator: Neena Avery

About Neena: I’ve been knitting since 1991, at the age of 17. One reason I wanted to run the knitting group at Balance is to bring blind knitters together to solve problems and discuss their knitting in a supportive context. Knitting a piece of fabric makes a difference in the world because it gives the knitter a sense of accomplishment. I have a guide dog called Fargo from Guiding Eyes.

Please bring your knitting project, patterns, and supplies with you. Your own water bottle is a good idea too.

To register, please contact Eleanor at info@balancefba.org or 416.236.1796 X. 0.

Happy Stitching!

Encore! Sharing Space Support Group–West End (East End group will start soon!)

BALANCE will be offering our Sharing Space Support Group, with Lisa Derencinovic, MSW, on Wednesday afternoons from 1:00-3:00 p.m. from , 2018 at the West Toronto Support Services, located at 1709 Bloor Street West, side entrance off Indian Grove (please tell WheelTrans the side entrance off Indian Grove).

Nearest Subway station: Keele Station. Lisa Derencinovic has agreed to return in order to facilitate her extremely popular “Sharing Space Support Group” for those BALANCE clients who have not yet had an opportunity to share with others and benefit from Lisa’s experience and superb facilitation skills. The feedback from participants in the past 3 groups has been excellent. The group is shaped around the concerns of participants, with some structured topics built in to every session. Participants will spend 12 weeks getting to know each other, sharing experiences and learning from each other.

Detailed information:

12 sessions, each lasting 2 hours, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. please plan to arrive on time, room is available from 12:30-3:30 p.m.

First meeting: Wednesday Feb. 6, 2019

Last meeting: Wednesday April 24, 2019

Discussions could include: understanding ableism, effects on self-esteem, dealing with negative emotions, and building strength and resilience.

The group will be facilitated by a registered Social Worker, Lisa Derencinovic. Lisa runs her own counselling practice specializing in working with people with disabilities. She has also facilitated many groups throughout her career. Lisa knows first-hand the experience of living with visual impairment, having been diagnosed at age 4 with a genetic eye disease causing blindness.

Group minimum-5, group maximum-10. First come, first served.

Balancing the Power!–A Discussion Group for Women

Are you interested in connecting with other women living with vision loss?  Are you interested in learning more about issues facing women with vision loss in our urban community? 

BALANCE is excited to announce we are hosting a discussion group for women, facilitated by Chelsea Mohler (Community Engagement Specialist and Assistive Technology instructor at Balance) who lives with vision loss and who has experience facilitating groups for clients living with vision loss.

Start Date: Tuesday, Feb 5th, 2019
End Date: Tuesday, March 19, 2019
Time: 2-4 PM
Location: TBA

The theme of this series is empowerment of women who are blind and partially sighted, through discussion of key issues in a safe and supportive setting. This group will address issues such as: networking as someone with vision loss; Self-Defense; managing stress and anxiety; self-esteem and body image; and relationships and dating as a person with a visual disability.  Come on out and check out the group! If interested, please contact Chelsea at c.mohler@balancefba.org or 416.236.1796, ext. 225 for more information or to sign up. Registration deadline: January 15, 2019

Learning the iPhone as a Blind User

The goal of this 6 week course is to help participants to demonstrate knowledge of the basic functions of the iPhone and provide participants with the skills and confidence to become independent with their mobile device.

Start Date: Thursday, Feb 7, 2019 End Date: March 14, 2019. Time: 2-4 PM

Registration: call Doug at BALANCE, ext. 224, or email him at d.poirier@balancefba.org

Registration deadline: January 25, 2019

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

  • Demonstrate knowledge of the basic orientation of the phone (including how to turn it on and off and locate the sleep/wake functions).
  • Make and receive calls and send/receive text messages.
  • Add and edit contacts.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of how to access the App Store and ITunes Store.
  • Navigate the Calendar and Reminder Applications and,
  • State 5 benefits and uses of applications to enhance independent living.

Navigating Wheel-Trans (Course offered by Phone)

Are you considering applying for Wheel-Trans and don’t know what it is or how to apply? Are you concerned the application process is not accessible, or unsure of where to locate the forms?  Are you already a Wheel-Trans user who books by phone and is tired of those long waits and awful hold music?   Do you have Wheel-Trans and want to book using your iPhone on-the-go?

This trio of teleconferences will allow you to get the information all without leaving your house!  Tune in and learn how to apply for Wheel-Trans, book online,  and book using a Smart phone.  You need only take part in the workshops that pertain to your situation.

Dates: Tuesdays, January 15, 22 and 29       Time: 6:30-8 PM

Dial-In Info will be provided upon registration.

Register: Chelsea at ext. 225 or c.mohler@balancefba.org

Registration deadline: Please sign up no later than 5 business days before each workshop. Spots are limited so make sure to register soon so you can optimize your chances of getting where you want to go during the upcoming winter season.

Students Say Thanks and Good-Bye, Summer, 2018

Posted on by Deborah Gold

What we have learned this summer at BALANCE for Blind Adults has far exceeded our expectations.

As students who aspire to have careers in health care, our experiences have broadened our perspectives and knowledge of working with individuals with vision impairments. With the help of the staff and clients at BALANCE, we have become more cognizant of various barriers and as such, strive for inclusion and accessibility in our future career, as well as personal lives. We feel empowered to become advocates for people with vision impairments by educating others about opportunities to create more inclusive communities.

Prior to working at BALANCE, we had very limited exposure to working with individuals with blindness or low vision. It was a big learning curve and it hadn’t occurred to us that there had been so many advancements in the field of low vision and blindness. We realize that every day we take for granted the tools that many people with visions impairments rely on for independence. Just to name a few; Google Home, Siri and Amazon’s Alexa. As well, one of the main learning takeaways from this experience is that the key to a meaningful life is having connections in the community. We have learned that through partnerships with various organizations we can better support our clients and achieve that goal.

As sighted people, we have become more aware of existing features in our community that promote independence and safe travel for people with vision loss. For example, pedestrian crossing activators and the tactile bumps in subway stations. By being more aware of these necessities, we can play our part in reporting to authorities when these tools are not functioning and/or assist someone, if they wish.

We encourage students to apply for positions at Not- for-Profit Organizations because you will be surrounded by some of the hardest working, dedicated and kind people in existence. It is evident that the staff at BALANCE work as hard as they do because they truly care about making a difference in their clients’ lives. Thank you to the staff  and clients at BALANCE for teaching us all that you have and showing us the importance of working with passion and the impact that you can make on someone else’s life.

 

Sam and Tal