Vision Loss Rehabilitation Ontario – Learn how our services can help
Posted September 13, 2017
Did you know?
Every 10 minutes someone in Canada begins to lose their vision.
Today, approximately half a million Canadians are estimated to be living with significant vision loss that impacts their quality of life. In Ontario, roughly 187,000 people are living with blindness or partial sight.
The four most common eye diseases causing vision loss in Canada are age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and cataracts. If left untreated, most people with these diseases are at risk of blindness or significant vision loss.
The Impact of Vision Loss
Affecting almost every aspect of a person’s daily life, vision loss is a significant factor in overall health, wellness and economic participation.
Research shows that in comparison to their sighted peers, people who are blind or partially sighted experience:
- Twice the risk of falls
- Three times the risk of clinical depression
- Earlier admission to long-term care facilities (three years, on average)
- Lower incomes (with approximately 50 per cent earning $20,000 or less annually)
- Lower employment rates (35 per cent) compared to people with other disabilities (49 per cent) and Ontarians overall (61 per cent)
What services are available?
In Ontario, vision loss rehabilitation therapy is available through Vision Loss Rehabilitation Ontario. It helps people with all levels of vision loss develop or restore key daily living skills, enhancing their independence, safety and mobility.
Who is eligible?
Vision Loss Rehabilitation Ontario's programs are available at no cost to Ontarians who have experienced a loss of vision – whether they are children or teens, adults or seniors, whether they’ve been completely blind all their lives or have recently experienced a loss of vision.
Who can refer?
Ophthalmologists, optometrists and other healthcare professionals refer people with vision loss for this therapy as a part of their overall care plan.
Vision Loss Rehabilitation Ontario Services
Vision Loss Rehabilitation Ontario's certified specialists create personalized plans to meet each person's needs and goals.
Low Vision Services. For a person with low vision, learning to use the sight they have left can be life-changing. People will receive:
- A functional vision assessment designed for people with low vision
- Information about their diagnosis and how it affects their vision in easy-to-understand language
- One-on-one instruction on techniques for making the most of their remaining eyesight, such as how to use lighting and contrast to their benefit, and how to use sight-enhancing devices, such as specialty magnifiers
Essential skills for daily living. Building the skills needed to live safely and independently with vision loss is essential. This may include:
- Learning safe methods of pouring a cup of coffee, preparing a meal and using household appliances
- Discovering simple techniques for labelling medications, identifying money, using the phone and organizing household items
- Learning how to use large-print, braille and audio products, and adaptive technology as a part of day-to-day life
- Finding community programs, financial subsidies and other helpful resources available locally
Travel and mobility instruction. Learning to travel independently with vision loss also is an essential skill. This may include:
- Using guiding techniques: a comfortable way to walk with a sighted person, the ability to use remaining vision and other senses to travel
- Using a white cane and other mobility tools
- Finding and crossing intersections
- Riding public transit with confidence to reach community resources like the grocery store, bank or shopping mall
- Navigating new environments like a workplace or school campus
Assistive technology services. Most people with vision loss need help discovering the world of assistive technology products – from accessible audio book players, to video magnifiers, to computer screen readers and other items that can help make life with vision loss easier. Assistive devices are offered in Ontario by the Ontario Assistive Devices Program. Certified specialists:
- Provide an assessment and recommendations on assistive technologies to meet individual, specific needs
- Demonstrate how to use assistive technologies, to help make the process as easy as possible
- Help people with vision loss get the tools they need for the workplace or school
- Identify the financial supports available for the purchase of assistive products Ontario Assistive Devices Program
Are there services for children and families?
Vision Loss Rehab Ontario's services help children who are blind or partially sighted gain the skills they need to grow into successful, confident adults. Programs focus on:
- Giving children the support they need, like braille preparation, tactile learning sessions and peer programs
- Providing parents with educational materials, access to local resources, and workshops on raising a child who is blind or partially-sighted
Pre-school children are eligible to receive services through Ontario's Blind and Low Vision Program.
For more information about Vision Loss Rehabilitation Ontario, contact 1-844-887-8572 or info@vlrehab.ca.
About CNIB Ontario
CNIB Ontario consists of three pillars:
- Vision Loss Rehabilitation Ontario is funded by the Government of Ontario through the Local Health Integration Networks.
- The CNIB Foundation provides programs and services that address the social and emotional needs of people dealing with sight loss; it is entirely dependent on charitable funding.
- CNIB’s Deafblind Intervenor Services and Literacy Programs are funded primarily by the Government of Ontario. Deafblindness is a combined loss of hearing and vision to such an extent that neither the hearing nor vision can be used as a means of accessing information to participate and be included in the community.