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Diverse Abilities Programs & Training

Gina Martin

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Disability Awareness Resources and Education

Zip Lining

ziplining blindWays to navigate zip lining with low to no vision

The first time I zip lined was in 2016 while I was attending The Louisiana Centre for the Blind, receiving training to navigate life with sight loss.  What was unique about this adventure was that we all wore learning shades (a blindfold)!  It was…

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Neurological Disabilities

neurological disabilitiesYou may be familiar with the most known of the many neurological disabilities:

- Epilepsy. Abnormal electrical activity in the brain causing seizures.

- Parkinson’s Disease. A brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements, such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with bal…

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Hot Air Balloons

Hot air baloonsVision loss is not only about losing your sight. It also is about gaining your blindness. 

Why would someone who can barley see, want to go in a hot air balloon?  

Because the experience is more than just a visual.

The energy of the crowd was electrifying. People buzzing around all happy …

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Free As a Butterfly: My Blindness Rehabilitation Journey

butterflyEditor’s note: On January 25, 2017, friends, family and members of CFB gathered at Paul’s Restaurant in Victoria, B.C. to celebrate Gina’s successful completion of the nine-month training program at the Louisiana Center for the Blind. Gina gave an interesting and inspiring presentation about her e…

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Helpful tips for the sighted when interacting with people who have no to low vision

Gina Martin with her cane talking with Pluto while in DisneylandI have no central vision, and I experience blind spots and floaters in my peripheral vision. I can see shapes and most colours, but cannot make out details. I wear dark sunglasses as my eyes are light-sensitive, so I prefer low lighting. No two people’s experience with vision loss or blindness is th…

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What is Braille?

Fingertips gliding across page of BrailleThe Braille alphabet is used by people who are blind or partially sighted as a basis of the larger Braille code for reading and writing. Kids and adults who are blind read Braille by gliding their fingertips over the lines of embossed Braille dots. They write braille using a variety of tools, such a…

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Tricks Tips and Blindness Hacks

Cutting vegetables1) There are many different types of canes and cane tips for people who are partially sighted or blind to choose from. Every cane gives different information, and each person can explore what type of cane will work best for them.  A cane represents freedom to those who use them. 

2) A white ca…

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Identifying Currency

Canadian paper currency from left to right $100, $50, $20, $10, $5

Money is only good if you know what it is!

In Canada, if you are someone who has limited vision or is totally Blind, our Canadian currency is easy to figure out the denomination. Every bill is identifiable.

We can tell from the font size, different colours, and the tactile markings of Brai…

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See, Look and Watch

Beautiful orange rose with darker orange on the outer petals, gradually becoming a lighter orange in the centre. There are water drops n the petals. The rose is coming up out of a silky material that creates a dark blueish purple background.

It is totally okay to use the words see, look, and watch when talking to someone who is blind. These are not uncomfortable words for the majority of us who are blind. We do see, look, and watch only differently.

You look at a garden and see a beautiful orange rose. You smile as you admire how…

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Sensory Processing Disorder

sensory overload

Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is a neurological condition that affects how someone’s brain processes sensory information (sensory integration), causing extreme sensitivity to stimuli. From 5% to 16.5% of the population lives with SPD according to ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Occupational therapist, psy…

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Hearing Disabilities

handsketchThere are a few main terms used to describe people experiencing hearing loss. Deaf, Hard of Hearing, someone experiencing hearing loss, and deaf blind. The majority of people in the Deaf community prefer not to use the term “hearing impaired,” so avoid it unless the person specifies that they prefer…

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Attending a LEAD presentation

LEAD presentation
VDRC Article: Attending a LEAD presentation
Paul Frey, Writer for the Victoria Disability Resource Centre, had the pleasure of attending a Lived Experiences Around Disability (LEAD) presentation. He writes about it here.
 
Raising awareness among students about people living with a …

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Epilepsy

Gina is smiling at the camera. She's wearing sunglasses, a soft fuzzy purple cape and a burgundy touque, it's winter with a bit of snow on the ground behind her.Epilepsy is a disorder in which nerve cell activity in the brain is disturbed, causing seizures. Epilepsy may occur as a result of a genetic disorder or an acquired brain injury, such as a trauma or stroke. During a seizure, a person experiences abnormal behavior, symptoms, and sensations, sometimes…

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Challenges with Technology

Blind man, holding folded cane in right hand, holding cell phone in left hand as he listens to voice over aid him with his task.As a woman who is almost blind, technology has helped our community of people who are blind or partially sighted gain a huge amount of independence back. Smart phones and other inventions have allowed many of us to participate and enjoy life more fully. Voice over, Siri and magnification (all built …

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My Cane & How I Navigate

Gina, holding her cane in her right hand, using it to see where she's walking. She's walking across a moss covered tree that has fallen across a small creek.I used to fear the idea of using a white cane and drawing attention to myself. Today, this white cane represents my freedom.

Navigating with no sight is possible if you have these tools in your belt!

My cane is an extension of me! I use it to detect objects that I can’t see or have difficultie…

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