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Central Blind
Rehabilitation Center
Hines VA Hospital
PO Box 5000 (124)
Hines, IL 60141
Phone: 708-202-2272
Fax: 708-202-7949
hinesbrc@med.va.gov
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Screen Text Size Central Blind Rehabilitation
Center (CBRC) at Hines, Illinois
Overview of Services
All veterans go through an assessment phase prior to training. During this
time, they are asked about their personal goals for the program. After
assessment, the veteran and his/her team coordinator develop a rehabilitation
plan based upon the stated goals and assessment results. This plan will cover
participation in the following skill areas:
Veterans also participate in weekly support groups as well as a blindness
adjustment course. Services of the Psychologist and
Social Worker are offered to each veteran, with individual
therapy sessions provided at the veteran's request. Medical
staff is on duty 24 hours a day to meet any medical needs. Various
recreational activities are offered to provide veterans with opportunities to
utilize newly learned skills in a social setting.
Orientation and Mobility
Orientation and Mobility, often referred to as O&M, is the training process
through which one learns the skills necessary for independent travel. The
ability to move independently, safely, and purposefully through the environment
is a skill of primary importance for those who are visually impaired. The
O&M program at Hines often includes comprehensive evaluation and training in the
following areas:
- Use of remaining senses
- Self-protective techniques
- Orientation Skills
- Environmental concepts
- Safety Skills
- Cane techniques
- Low vision aids
- Public transportation experiences
- Electronic travel aids
- Rights and responsibilities
Sessions will take place inside buildings, in residential neighborhoods,
business districts and metropolitan areas. After completing training a veteran
should have the ability to use their skills in any environment. This increases
their confidence and independence.
Dog Guides
Veterans at the CBRC learn how to use the long cane for safe,
independent travel. There are about 15 dog guide schools across the
country. Each school values the skills taught in programs like ours,
and it is therefore recommended that an individual participate in a
program similar to ours prior to training with a dog. The following
is a list of dog guide schools located within the Hines catchment
area:
For a national listing of dog guide schools, such as
The Seeing Eye or
Guide Dogs for the Blind, please
visit the web site for the American Foundation
for the Blind.
^ Back to top Manual
Skills
In this area veterans are taught how to utilize the other senses in order to
compensate for limitations brought on by vision loss. Primarily, they learn how
to use the hands to do the work that they can no longer do visually. Something
as simple as putting a key in a lock, or lacing a shoe can become frustrating
for someone who can no longer see the small details. Here, they learn new
methods for doing familiar tasks. An emphasis is placed on adaptive and safety
techniques. Basic skill training will focus on organization, tactual awareness,
spatial concepts, problem solving, dexterity, confidence and a proper
integration of visual skills. Enhancing these basic skills will assist the
veteran in approaching any practical task in the home environment as well as
tasks in other training areas. Instructional areas used to enhance skills
include leatherwork, copper tooling, home mechanics, small engine repair,
woodworking, weaving and ceramics. Manual Skills is not considered to be
vocational training or arts & crafts. Each activity is used specifically to
enhance skills. It is not uncommon, however, for veterans to develop a hobby or
vocational interest as a result of their experience in this class.
^ Back to top
Living Skills
The objectives of the Living Skills program are:
- To provide instruction in Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Braille, and
Communication skills so that veterans may function at a maximum level of
independence
- To integrate skills acquired in other areas of rehabilitation
- To build confidence in skills and knowledge
- To make each veteran aware of his or her limitations and the need for
assistance
- To help the veteran develop realistic goals and to locate resources to
meet needs which cannot be met independently
In the ADL class the veterans learn adaptive techniques and devices that can
assist in completing a wide variety of daily tasks. These may be simple tasks
such as telling time, dialing the telephone, and pouring a cup of coffee, or
more complex tasks such as following a recipe and preparing a complete meal.
The Braille Class introduces Braille reading and writing, as well as
practical uses for Braille. Most of the veterans who participate in Braille are
totally blind, although some veterans with low vision choose to participate
also. We also offer alternatives to Braille for those who have difficulty
feeling or memorizing the Braille alphabet.
The Communications Class is designed to enhance communication with oneself
and others. Handwriting adaptations, talking book players, tape recorders, and
typing skills (with a typewriter or computer keyboard) are the means to the end.
Note taking skills, record keeping, correspondence, and listening for pleasure
are some of the goals we work to achieve. Many veterans use this class as a
stepping-stone toward future instruction in the Computer Access Training
Section.
The sum of these experiences gives the veteran the opportunity to enhance his
or her level of independence, develop a healthy attitude toward self and
disability, and enable optimal carryover of skills into everyday life.
^ Back to top Visual
Skills
Almost nine out of 10 of the people who are legally blind have usable vision.
The purpose of Visual Skills training is to get the best use out of a person's
remaining vision. This is usually done by training a person to do the
following:
- Use their vision more effectively. This often includes learning to
see with the best spot of vision a person has left, being able to
effectively scan words and sentences, being able to see while avoiding blind
spots, etc.
- Use optical or electronic aids that enhance vision. There are many
devices that change the apparent size of objects (e.g. magnifying). Vision
enhancement devices can commonly be used for reading, watching TV, signs,
sporting events, hobbies, public performances, etc.
- Modify their environment to make tasks easier. This often includes
improving lighting, use of brightness or color contrast, decreasing visual
clutter, buying products that are more visible, etc.
^ Back to top
Computer Access Training
The Computer Access Training Program teaches legally blind veterans the
basics of using a computer specifically adapted to meet their needs. Veterans
may wish to stay in touch with family and friends, get news, and learn what may
help them achieve employment or academic goals or just conduct personal
business. Most students are new to computers, but some have experience and now
have different needs. The program also trains veterans who cannot read print
effectively how to use a machine that reads documents to them. The veteran's day
is exclusively focused on Computer Access Training and independent practice.
They may be taught one-on-one or in classes with one or two other individuals.
We provide training materials in any form beneficial to them.
The Computer Access Training program at Hines is intended to help legally
blind veterans living in a society increasingly dependent on technology. We
serve veterans who have specific needs for using a computer, for instance,
writing letters, using electronic mail or the Internet. This is a basic program
for new computer users and veterans who may already have some computer skills.
We also work with veterans to find the best way for them to operate a computer
specifically designed and modified to meet their skills and abilities. That
means that a veteran may work with a computer that puts large print on the
screen. Another veteran may use a computer that speaks what is on the screen. If
a veteran completes the programs successfully, he or she is issued the computer
equipment used in training.
Depending on the veteran's demonstrated needs, we also provide training in some
of the more sophisticated functions of the programs we teach. If a legally blind
veteran needs to do computing work in several locations, we find what portable
devices may be useful. If a veteran is physically unable to type effectively, we
assess his or her ability to control the computer by voice. If a veteran needs
to work with Braille, we evaluate her or his ability to use equipment allowing
Braille input and output. We try to stay focused on the equipment and training
that meets an individual case.
^ Back to top
Optometry
The optometrist conducts a low vision evaluation for each veteran admitted to
the Hines Blind Rehabilitation Center to evaluate remaining vision, prescribing
special lenses or devices and training to assist each veteran in using their
remaining vision more effectively. The low vision evaluation attempts to assist
veterans to perform daily living tasks such as reading newsprint, watching TV or
paying bills. Each veteran participates in group and individual counseling to
develop a realistic understanding of their visual diagnosis, visual capability
and limitations. The optometrist works closely with the visual skills staff to
monitor each veteran's progress throughout visual skills training. In addition,
a low vision outpatient clinic is conducted for legally blind and visually
impaired veterans living in the Chicago area one day per week.
The Optometry service conducts education programs for optometric interns from
the Illinois College of Optometry and shares a residency training program in
ocular disease/rehabilitation with the Chicago Health Care System, West Side
Division.
Optometry maintains an active research program in collaboration with the
Lions Vision Research and Rehabilitation Center at Johns Hopkins University, the
Wilmer Eye Institute, and other institutions in the private sector. Department
of Veterans Affairs Research studies are focused on improving rehabilitation
services for persons with vision loss. VA Rehabilitation Research and
Development Service and the Illinois Society for Prevention of Blindness have
provided funding.
^ Back to top
Staff - Social Work
The clinical social worker meets with each veteran in the blind
rehabilitation program and explores social, emotional and family/relationship
issues that may affect the rehabilitation process. Individual and group
counseling sessions are offered to address problems related to adjustment to
blindness, financial difficulties, housing problems and family/relationship
issues. Education and assistance is provided about Advance Directives. The
social worker coordinates a Family Education Program when indicated by the
veteran's needs and recommended by the treatment team. Assistance is also
provided with discharge planning and may involve referral to community services
available in the veteran's home area to ensure that the veteran's needs are
adequately met. The social worker maintains contact with the veteran's Visual
Impairment Services Team (VIST) Coordinator during the rehabilitation process to
keep the VIST Coordinator abreast of the veteran's progress and to ensure a
smooth transition as the veteran returns home.
^ Back to top Staff
- Medical
The goals of the Medical/Nursing staff at the blind center are to improve the
wellness of our veterans, enable participation in the program, and minimize the
negative effects of disability. We are here to assist each veteran to
participate in the rehabilitation process as best he/she is able to. Medical
staff is on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
^ Back to top Staff -
Psychology
The psychologist's primary duty is to assist each veteran with his/her
emotional adjustment to sight loss. The psychologist conducts a careful
assessment of each person's strengths and limitations and provides group and
individual sessions focused on a variety of psychological issues related to
vision loss. The psychologist is also available to provide counseling for
vocational needs as well as other personal issues that the veteran may have such
as memory improvement, weight loss or anger management. The overall objective is
to help the veteran improve their self-esteem and formulate a plan of life that
is consistent with or superior to their life before losing vision.
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