The Lightkeeper
THE LIGHTKEEPER
THE LIGHTKEEPER
Volume 6, Issue 2, March/April 2012
A publication of the Lighthouse of Manasota
Sally Meyers, Editor
IN THIS ISSUE:
Plan to Attend the “Be a Visionary Walk” April 14
APH InSights 2012 Art Competition
Plan to Attend the “Be a Visionary Walk” April 14
Make plans now to attend the 10th annual Be a Visionary Walk fundraiser at Sarasota Jungle Gardens on Saturday, April 14. Individual walkers can register for $25. Registration for sighted companions and children 5 and over is $10. Children under 5 are free. If you can’t attend, donations are always welcome!
There will be plenty of fun for the kids and the young at heart, and opportunities to win great door prizes. Climb aboard a fire truck and meet our friends from the Sarasota County Fire Department, have your caricature drawn by Michael White, or get your T-shirt autographed by artist Richard Capes. This year’s T-shirt features Florida’s Fort Jefferson Lighthouse. New this year is The Eye Associates Sight Mobile offering complimentary glaucoma screenings and distance vision screenings.
On-site registration begins at 8:30 am and the walk start time is 9:00 am. Sarasota Jungle Gardens is located at 3701 Bay Shore Road in Sarasota. Walk proceeds benefit the Lighthouse programs and services. For more information or registration materials, contact event coordinator LaRetta Yarbrough at 359-1404.
The annual Bradenton Lions Blind Fishing Tournament will be held Saturday, April 7 beginning at 8:00 a.m. at the Bridge Street Pier on Anna Maria Island. The Lions provide transportation, poles, bait and lunch. All participants receive a trophy. Please call Bob Bunce at 761-2735 to confirm your attendance.
APH InSights 2012 Art Competition
The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) is accepting entries for its 21st annual juried art competition and exhibition for artists who are visually impaired and blind. Deadline for entries is March 26 for preschool through high school, and April 2 for adults. Any person who meets the following definition of legal blindness may enter artwork: corrected visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye, or a visual field limited to 20 degrees or less.
Artworks in any visual art medium may be submitted. Crafts such as weaving, woodwork, and pottery are also welcome. Works will be selected on the basis of originality of concept, expressive use of media, and artistic excellence. All participants may enter only one piece of artwork. Award winners will receive a cash award and a ribbon.
Preschool through high school entrants must send original artwork and two copies of the entry form. Adult entrants may send the original artwork OR choose to send a slide or a digital image on a CD. Artists may send up to four images of the artwork they intend to enter. If the work is accepted for the exhibition, they will be notified to send the original artwork.
Ship original artwork or digital images to APH InSights, American Printing House for the Blind, Inc., 1839 Frankfort Ave., Louisville, KY 40206-3152. For more information email rwilliams@aph.org or call toll free 800-223-1839 ext. 357. Visit APH InSights on the web at http://www.aph.org/museum/enter_insights.html for rules and entry forms.
The National Eye Institute recommends the following simple tips to keep your eyes healthy:
1. Have a comprehensive dilated eye exam – Many common eye diseases such as glaucoma, diabetic eye disease, and age-related macular degeneration often have no warning signs. A dilated eye exam is the only way to detect these diseases in their early stages.
2. Eat right to protect your sight – Eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, particularly dark leafy greens such as spinach, kale, or collard greens. Eye health benefits from eating fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon and halibut.
3. Be cool and wear your shades – Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Look for sunglasses that block 99 to 100 percent of both UVA and UVB radiation.
4. Give your eyes a rest – If you spend a lot of time at the computer, you forget to blink and your eyes can get fatigued. Try the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look away about 20 feet in front of you for 20 seconds. This can help reduce eyestrain.
5. Quit smoking or never start – Smoking is as bad for your eyes as it is for the rest of your body. Research has linked smoking to an increased risk of developing age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, and optic nerve damage.
Meet Jonathan Chace – “JC” to his friends. JC participates in the Lighthouse Transition Program for visually-impaired youth, ages 14 to 22. He is a sports enthusiast and enjoys power lifting, bowling, and baseball. In January, he took part in the Special Olympics Power Lifting competition in Atlanta. He won medals in three events: first place for dead lift (303 lbs), second place for bench press (165 lbs), and second place for squat (230 lbs). JC also received a gold medal overall. Recently he joined nine of his fellow transition students at Gulf Gate Lanes and bowled the highest score. No surprise, considering he plays in a Special Olympics bowling league. Currently he is participating in Challenger Baseball every Saturday in Venice. He is the only blind competitor. The pitcher calls out “1-2-3 swing!” and a sighted buddy guides him around the bases. So far this season he has five hits and four home runs. Keep up the good work, JC!
Robert Oliver repairs and refurbishes used computers and he provides the computers to clients of the Florida Division of Blind Services or the Lighthouse of Manasota as needed. If you have a computer you would like to donate for this purpose, please contact Robert Oliver at 941-721-0401. He will accept working or nonworking computers with Windows XP or later operating system. Working flatbed scanners are needed as well.
Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind is a free monthly online magazine with feature articles on subjects of interest to people with vision loss, computer articles such as navigation tips for Windows, recipes, reader’s forums, and more. Check out the latest issue and archives at http://www.matildaziegler.com/ where you can also subscribe to receive the monthly audio edition.
Tech Tips
For a donation of $100, the Texas Center for the Visually Challenged will send a newly refurbished fully accessible computer to your door. Each computer comes complete with monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, and all associated cables. It also comes with preloaded software, including Open Office, NVDA screen reader, demo version of Window-Eyes, and 60 day demo version of ZoomText. Call Lee Mann at 214-340-6328 for more information.
Lighthouse Calendar of Events
Please call 359-1404 to confirm dates and times for the following groups. Participants must arrange their own transportation to and from the Lighthouse. Unless otherwise noted, groups meet at the main Lighthouse facility, 7318 N. Tamiami Trail.
Mana-Sota Support Group, first and third Friday of each month from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m.
EnLIGHTenment Social/Support Group (age 55 and under), second Friday of each month from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. (call Niki Kissell at 359-1404 for schedule of events)
South County Support Group, second and fourth Tuesday of each month at area restaurants (call Joel Bauer at 426-0554 for more information)
Talking Book Club, first Friday of each month from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m.
Computer Club, second Friday of each month from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. (Meets at the Lighthouse Annex, 7328 N. Tamiami Trail.)
Craft Club, second and fourth Thursday of each month from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (call Esther Gatto at 371-2151 to confirm your attendance).
Classes in Independent Living, Assistive Technology, and Orientation and Mobility are ongoing. Please contact a Lighthouse Case Manager at 359-1404 for information.
Leave ‘em Laughing
A man is driving along a highway and sees a rabbit jump out across the middle of the road. He swerves to avoid hitting it, but unfortunately the rabbit jumps right in front of the car. The driver, a sensitive man as well as an animal lover, pulls over and gets out to see what has become of the rabbit. Much to his dismay, the rabbit is the Easter Bunny, and he is DEAD.
The driver feels so awful that he begins to cry. A beautiful blonde woman driving down the highway sees a man crying on the side of the road and pulls over. She steps out of the car and asks the man what's wrong. "I feel terrible,” he explains, "I accidentally hit the Easter Bunny with my car and KILLED HIM." The blonde says, “Don’t worry."
She runs to her car and pulls out a spray can. She walks over to the limp, dead Easter Bunny, bends down, and sprays the contents onto him. The Easter Bunny jumps up, waves its paw at the two of them and hops off down the road. Ten feet away he stops, turns around and waves again, he hops down the road another 10 feet, turns and waves, hops another ten feet, turns and waves, and repeats this again and again and again and again, until he hops out of sight.
The man is astonished. He runs over to the woman and demands,
"What is in that can? What did you spray on the Easter Bunny?" The woman turns the can around so that the man can read the label.
It says… "Hair Spray: Restores life to dead hair, and adds permanent wave."
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Our next e-newsletter will be published in May/June. If you have comments or suggestions for resources, topics, vision tips, etc. write to Sally at rehab.lighthouse@verizon.net.
©2012 Lighthouse of Manasota
7318 N. Tamiami Tr., Sarasota FL 34243
Phone: (941) 359-1404