Guiding the Blind Community with the Lighthouse of Collier
Guiding the Blind Community with the Lighthouse of Collier
You wake up with the sun shining through your window. The bright glare is so much to bare that you draw the curtains before getting up to begin your day. Now picture this; you wake up and its as if your eyes are still shut or perhaps you cannot tell if the shades are drawn or if there even is a glare coming into the window at all. This is the reality for many who suffer from a visual impairment whether its complete blindness or partial. For these people, they may never know what the sun looks like or how bright stars shine at night. But outside of the world’s natural beauty, there is much more we use our sight for just to live independently. The folks at the Lighthouse of Collier County know the difficulties many face daily and are committed to doing their part in helping them live an empowering and independent life!
What is the Lighthouse of Collier County?
Founded in 2009 and celebrating their 10th anniversary this April, the Lighthouse of Collier County (LOC) is a blind and visually impaired professional care service center. They provide training and rehabilitation services for people of all ages, at no charge, to help those in the community who are blind or visually impaired. All their programs are tailored to each individual’s specific needs and sessions (both group and individual) are conducted year-round. Being the only rehabilitation center for blindness and vision loss in Collier County, LOC has made a commitment to their community. However, actions speak louder than words! So, what have they done thus far to prove this commitment? Well, to date they have offered and provided services to roughly 14,000 children and adults in the Collier County only! Additionally, their goal is not just to help people get through today but to give them their independence back and help them get themselves through every day to come! And if that doesn’t shout commitment and care, I don’t know what does! Their mission is to foster independence and enhance the quality of life for the blind, visually impaired and their caregivers. We had the opportunity to speak with LOC’s Executive Director Scott Flagel and asked him to elaborate on their mission. “It’s very straightforward and simple; we are here for the blind, visually impaired, and their caregivers and the whole mission is to enhance the quality of their life”. He went on to say, “It’s not clinical in nature. It’s really to make sure someone can live independently and to make their life more manageable”.Staff, Instructors and Accreditations
Committed to ensuring all rehabilitation training will be instructed by certified and qualified staff, LOC’s instructors all are required to meet or exceed the contract standards established by the Florida Division of Blind Services. Currently, they employ the following certified positions:- Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapists (CVRT’s)
- Certified Assistive Technology Instructors
- Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialists (COMS)
- Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI)
- VIISA Certified
Services Provided
The programs and services provided continue to increase and expand based upon needs in the community. Additionally, they come with no financial burden what so ever; “We do not charge for services, so it does not matter where you live in collier county, if you need services you get them and there is no cost to you”, said Scott Flagel. Blindness can happen to anyone and it does not care whether you are rich or poor, so why should the services you can receive be any different! Please see below for the complete list of their services:- Independent Daily Living Skills
- Vocational Rehabilitation
- Orientation and Mobility
- Assistive Technology
- Early Intervention/Babies (birth – 5yrs)
- Children’s Programs (5yrs to 14yrs)
- Transition Program (14yrs to 22yrs)
- Support Group for Individuals who are Blind/Visually Impaired
- Care Takers and Parent Support Group
- Braille Training Program
- Lecture Lunch (Brown Bag Lunch) Series
- Recreation and Social Activities
Top Resources for Disabled Veterans
Top Resources for Disabled Veterans
Our Veterans left their families and homes to fight the battles necessary to secure the safety of our nation and the world. What many of us civilians don’t hear or see is the life changing impact left on not only these brave men and women but their loved ones as well. To put it into prospective, based on a survey by the American Community Survey, in 2017 an estimated 26.3% of non-institutionalized Veterans between the ages of 21-64 reported having a VA service-related disability. This equates to roughly 2,354,700 men and women out of 8,958,400.
While we cannot change the everlasting effects, we can help improve their quality of life and make sure they are never abandoned. To find out more about the best resources and programs available to disabled Veterans and their families please read on!
Caregivers and Where to Find Help
Many disabled Veterans must rely on the assistance of a loved one or hired hand to complete common day to day tasks. Whether you are a caregiver looking for information or a Veteran in need of assistance, the DAV (Disabled American Veterans) and VA (US Department of Veteran Affairs) have a lot of useful information and can help guide you in the right direction to getting the help you need. Additionally, the VA offers various programs for both facility and home-based care, including adult day care programs and at home primary care.What is the adult day care program and how can it help?
The adult day care program is for Veterans in need of skilled care services, case management and assistance with daily activities. During the day Veterans can take part in social/recreational activities and peer support groups. Not only will this help keep Veterans active and social, but also for loved ones who act as caregivers, it gives you the opportunity to continue your career, run errands, or to simply have a break.Benefits: Medical and Disability
There are numerous disability benefit programs provided by the VA, for Veterans who return home unable to work. Whether it is due to a physical or mental service-related disability, you are eligible for some sort of compensation benefit. In addition to compensation for unemployable Vets, medical benefits are also provided for the Veteran and family. Where many are eligible there are still requirements that must be met for both disability and medical benefits. The primary for both requires you must have left service for any condition other than a dishonorable discharge. Additionally, for disability benefits your disability must be due to a service-related incident. For full lists of VA benefits or any questions you may have, you can call +1 (800) 827-1000 or visit the VA benefit’s web page. Other benefit programs include:- Burial
- Death Pension
- Dependency
- Indemnity Compensation
- Direct Deposit
- Disability Compensation
- Directions to VA Benefits Regional Offices
- Disability Pension
- Education
- Home Loan Guaranty
- Medical Care
- Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment
What if your Claim for Benefits is Denied?
Being denied benefits can be detrimental to the well being of any Vet and his/her family. Now not everyone is eligible for some benefit programs but if you feel you were wrongfully denied or would like to find out more on your eligibility, there are many legal groups like Woods and Woods, who are dedicated to helping our Veterans. They offer free consultations and can provide detailed information on all benefit programs and their requirements.Support Programs
Though the struggles of readjusting to civilian life is owned by the individual Veteran, they do not have to go at it alone. Support comes in many different ways such as crisis hotlines, support groups, and service animals. To make access easy for everyone, community-based counseling centers known as Vet Centers have been established throughout the nation. Vet Centers provide individual, group, family and marriage counseling for eligible Veterans, active duty service members, including the Reserves and National Guard, and their families. These other programs go further than therapy sessions by also providing assistance with addiction, PTSD, suicidal thoughts, sexual trauma and much more. For further information, all are urged to reach out to their local VA or visit their site!Transportation Services
Living with a disability can make it difficult enough to get around your own home, let alone traveling out and about. For many, the simple task of going to a doctor’s appointment can turn into an all-day affair. Now, thanks to the VA and DVA travel can be made easy by scheduling one of the many travel solutions available to disabled Vets. The DVA has a fleet of vehicles around the country available for free to help get Veterans to all VA medical facilities for injuries or illness. Since the program began and with the help of their partners at Ford Motors, the DAV have secured over 3,517 vehicles for the Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers nationwide. The VA offers a Veterans Transportation Program (VTP), which includes Beneficiary Travel (BT), Veterans Transportation Services (VTS) and Highly Rural Transportation Grants (HRTG). The BT program reimburses eligible Veterans for costs incurred while traveling to and from VA health care facilities and can also provide pre-approved transportation solutions and set up special mode transportation services (SMT) with a request to your local VA. The VTS program provides safe and reliable transportation for Veterans who need help traveling to and from VA health care facilities and in some authorized cases non-VA health care appointments. In order to provide the most to our Vets, the VA also partners with local transportation providers to make it easier for those in need to plan ahead! Lastly, the HRTG program provides grants to Veteran Service Organizations and State Veteran Service Agencies, to allow them to service the needs of Veterans seeking VA and Non-VA approved care in highly rural areas where means of transportation are not as common. With the various programs provided, it can be very easy to plan and schedule your transportation needs accordingly, but only once you know where to start!Housing Accommodations
We constantly hear about the unfortunate and difficult circumstances Veterans and Service-members face when returning home. But what about those who have nowhere to call home? In order to assure our disabled Veterans, have a warm place to lay their heads once back home, the VA has established multiple programs to help them find and afford an accessible place of their own. One program is the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant, which can be used in a number of ways, first one is to build a new home with an accessible design on land to be acquired. Additionally, the SAH Grants can be used to build homes on land already owned, to remodel an existing home, or to be put towards the unpaid mortgage balance on homes suitable for SAH. Another option is the US Department of Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH), a collaborative program between HUD and the VA. How it works, is by providing rental assistance vouchers for privately owned homes to Veterans who are eligible for VA health care services and are experiencing homelessness. If you think you may be eligible but are not certain, you can check your status by calling your local VA or by going online. While we cannot always help the difficulties faced by our Veterans overseas, our country can help with some of the ones they face domestically. « PreviousNext »Seton Hall: How Universities Adapt to Disability Needs
Seton Hall: How Universities Adapt to Disability Needs
College is an exciting chapter in life, full of undiscovered passions and potential. These formative years offer independence far beyond the scope of what you knew in high school, as well as experiences that will help define who you become.
Yet for people with disabilities, this adventure can feel more like an intimidating challenge.
Thankfully, most colleges have resources to help meet these needs. To access them, students register with a department dedicated toward making college life, classes, lessons, and exams more accessible.
It’s called Disability Support Services (DSS). Every knowledge-seeker who lives with a disability should look into it as they seek out the right campus for their higher education.
An Inside Look at Disability Support Services at Seton Hall
Angela Millman is the Director of Disability Support Services at Seton Hall University. With eighteen years of experience—six of which she’s served at Seton Hall—she has seen firsthand how students can excel when provided with the right resources. Her job at Seton Hall (South Orange, NJ) is to make the academic environment more accessible to students with various disabilities. Through her experience, she has seen a wide array of needs and challenges. To meet them, her department uses various methods, including (but not limited to):- Identifying and Addressing Needs in Student Meetings
- Implementing Accommodation Plans
- Improving Access to Courses and Curriculum
- Providing Test Proctoring
- Utilizing Assistive Technology