The O & M Assistant trained one of her clients and the family members were so excited to see how independent their mother had become that they told her about their neighbour Mr Joe who is blind. The O&M Assistant visited him and found that Mr Joe, who is in his sixties, was involved in a car accident. The broken pieces of glass that got into his eyes and this led to him becoming blind. He is living with his supportive wife and children. He told the O & M Assistant that his priest told him that he is going to see if he keeps on bathing with the water he got from church (after bathing the whole body he must get clean water in a dish and sprinkle water from church then washed his face). He has been using that water since 2017 after the accident with no progress. However he was still unwilling to accept his disability. Ever since the accident he was depending on his wife. The wife was just pulling him when accompanying him to the toilet as she didn’t know any better. Mr Joe couldn’t count his money on his own when receiving the grant.
The O & M Assistant explained to him and the wife the importance of receiving the training. They understood and allowed her to start training him. She taught them (Mr Joe and the wife) Human Guide Techniques which are the techniques where a visually impaired is using a sighted person to guide him/her. She taught him a route from the house to the toilet while using protective techniques that prevent him from bumping into objects also using landmarks along the route so that he can refer to them if he feels like he is getting lost. She also taught him money identification.
Orientation and Mobility Practitioner taught him cane techniques and gave him a cane to use when travelling around the yard. Mr Joe is now independent. He can go to the toilet alone; his wife is no longer accompanying him. He can also identify his money on his own. When they travel together, he applies the correct Human Guide Techniques with his wife like gripping the arm. The family is now excited about life again. Mr Joe said that he doesn’t care if he can never see again because he is no longer dependent.
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