NewView Oklahoma Host Blindness Basics Seminar at OSU-OKC
NewView Oklahoma, formerly Oklahoma League for the Blind, recently hosted a Blindness Basics Seminar on the OSU-Oklahoma City campus that provided attendants with the tools necessary to communicate effectively with those who have visual impairments.
“Participants learned about common eye diseases, low vision devices and how to make programs ADA-compliant,” said Cathy Holden, NewView Oklahoma director of rehabilitation. “During Blindness Basics training, attendants will be afforded the opportunity to journey into a world of blindness. All activities are hands on and interactive.”
Holden says the seminar will benefit anyone who wants to communicate with a visually impaired individual, through personal or professional contact.
After working with NewView for around five years, it was recently announced that in late August OSU-OKC will provide a 20-hour leadership course to 50 NewView supervisors. The course will cover employment development, effective management and performance management.
“This training is a partnership between OSU-OKC and NewView,” said Jannetta Clark, Oklahoma Manufacturing Extension Agent and NewView Industrial Advisory Board member. “We will utilize their special equipment for the visually impaired and our instructors.”
NewView has also scheduled a number of lean manufacturing projects in the coming months that will be provided through the Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance. The workshops are planned to take place on the OSU-OKC campus.
NewView aims to empower visually impaired and blind people to achieve their maximum level of independence through employment, rehabilitation and community outreach. In addition to educating the public, NewView has a fully functioning manufacturing facility that distributes multiple products, and a rehabilitation center and services.
Through NewView and OSU-OKC’s partnership, the training will help develop employee skills and will create new jobs. Clark would also like to thank Metro Tech for their collaborative support of this project through the existing industry program.
For more information on NewView Oklahoma, visit www.newviewoklahoma.org.
