Statehouse Screening Invitation

Joe Lovett & Senator Kemp Hannon

Assemblyman Mike Fitzpatrick talking about the importance of addressing low vision issues

On Tuesday April 30^th Going Blind: Coming out of the Dark About Vision Loss premiered at the New York State House in Albany in room 104A of the Legislative Office Building to a room full of legislators, health professionals, advocates and staff. Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, Chair of the Assembly Health Committee and Senator Kemp Hannon, Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Health co-hosted the event. First the audience mingled at a reception for the event and met with Joe Lovett, director of the film, and Julie Gayin, Outreach Coordinator, where they could learn more about the outreach for Going Blind and the work that has been done so far. Next Joe Lovett and Assemblyman Gottfried gave special introductions for the opening remarks.

After the audience witnessed an abridged screening of Going Blind, an expert panel discussed the film and the politics of vision care, and fielded audience questions. The panel consisted of:

Joseph Lovett: Director of Going Blind: Coming out of the Dark About Vision Loss

Pat Williams: Program Support Assistant at the NY Veteran’s Administration Medical Center and a character in Going Blind

John Farina: Assistive Technology Instructor

Leah Pagnozzi: Graduate Student and Researcher, Cornell University, Biomedical Engineering Department

Dr. Albert Morier: M.A., O.D.

Dr. Paul Beer: MD, of Retina Consultants

A live Twitter feed of the event was provided by Raul Lovett and Julie Gaynin and can be viewed at https://twitter.com/GoingBlindMovie under the date April 30

For more photographs of the event please visit the Going Blind Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GoingBlindMovie/photos_stream

A special thanks goes out to: The offices of Richard Gottfried and Kemp Hannon, and all of our panelists.

Additional thanks to: Reader’s Digest Partner’s for Sight Foundation, Pfizer Ophthalmics, Allergan Foundation, National Eye Institute, Gibney Family Foundation, Allene Reuss Memorial Trust, Bloomberg Foundation. The Frank DeCoizart Charitable Trust, The Rudin Family Foundations, The Olcott Family Foundation, American Council of the Blind of New York, Linda Dawes, Ed Harris, Chris Burke, and Nancy Miller.

Last November Dr. Tyree Carr, head of the Nevada Institute of Ophthalmology, introduced Joe Lovett to give the Harold A. Stein keynote address at the annual meeting of the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (JCAHPO). The sold out audience was comprised mostly of ophthalmic technicians.

Joe’s address covered both his personal experience with vision loss as a result of his Glaucoma, and vision loss in general. The audience enthusiastically responded to his belief that ophthalmic technicians can be the gatekeepers to information about a patient’s diagnosis, low vision resource options and vision rehabilitation opportunities.

As a result of the meeting, JCAPHO is now exploring ways to help fill the patient information gap.

Kentucky Community Expo poster

Over 100 organizations from across the country came on board last year as Outreach Partners to help with the public television broadcast initiative. Many Outreach Partner organizations have hosted and continue to host community screenings to help raise awareness in their communities, see Spotlight on New Hampshire Association for the Blind. To help spread the word about television airings, we alerted Outreach Partners to local scheduled broadcasts, and many publicized them through agency newsletters, email blasts and social media. Additionally, we asked Outreach Partners to host community screenings of the film at the same time as the broadcast to raise awareness in their areas, and in October, several notable Going Blind screening events occurred.

Kentucky Community Expo Agenda

In Kentucky, the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government’s Office of Aging Services and Disability Support used the Going Blind Outreach Toolkit and partnered with the Lexington VA Medical Center, Independence Place, Inc., (a local disabilities organization), and Bluegrass Council of the Blind to host a screening event. The full-day event started with a White Cane Safety Awareness Walk down Lexington’s Main Street led by Vice Mayor, Linda Gorton. Both blind attendees and sighted attendees who wore low vision simulation goggles walked together. Reporters from local Noon News shows on CBS, WKYT, WLEX, and Talk Radio 690 came to get footage of the event in which over 80 participated.

UCF blind student panel

In Orlando, Florida, Myrna Ubides-Pagan, Assistant Director of University of Central Florida (UCF) Student Disability Services, in partnership with the Lighthouse of Central Florida (LCF), organized a World Sight Day event at UCF, which she wrote about for campus newspapers. A panel discussion of blind students shared their experiences navigating campus as blind and visually impaired. The event included a skit in which sighted participants wore simulator goggles and learned ways in which students with visual impairment are often excluded from classroom participation. Many visually impaired students will not speak up if they have trouble seeing the board and so the simulation experience gave sighted students a chance to “see” what it is like to have an obstacle such as visual impairment. The Lighthouse of Central Florida answered questions from the audience and spoke about causes of blindness and the day concluded with a Going Blind screening.

Sioux Falls White Cane Day

In South Dakota, as part of the Sioux Falls White Cane Day Taskforce, South Dakota VAMC Vision Impairment Services Team (VIST) Coordinator Anna Perry organized a march through downtown Sioux Falls. The march followed with a screening of Going Blind and a post-screening panel discussion. One veteran attending the march noted that, as per usual, motorists failed to yield to pedestrians, only this time there were police escorts to help those with canes.

Sioux Falls White Cane Day

In Minnesota, the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (JCAHPO), a national organization based in St. Paul, hosted a screening and panel discussion featuring local doctors. Janice Prestwood, General Manager, provided the following account of the evening:

“Approximatley 70 attended the screening, each with their own story of why they were there. Stories ranged from being an ophthalmic tech, to a gentleman whose 5-year-old nephew was recently diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma, to several people with glaucoma. Several of the attendees were blind themselves and came with lead dogs, family, etc.

MN JCAHPO Screening

MN JCAHPO Screening

We had several partners with us last night, including the MN Academy of Ophthalmology, the Woodbury MN Lions group, Blind, Inc., and the MN Low Vision Store. I am proud that we were able to provide many of the attendees with additional local information on where to go for help.”

Flyer for Syracuse VAMC World Sight Day

In New York, Syracuse’s VAMC partnered with Aurora of Central New York, a blind services organization. The two institutions co-hosted a Going Blind screening with breaks throughout to provide time for audience questions. VAMC VIST Coordinator Nancy Chaffee says, “It was a great way to share information about visual impairments.” The two organizations plan to have a large screening of the film in February 2013, and are currently fundraising for that.

We released our Outreach Toolkit so that individuals and organizations of all sizes could use it as a template for further conversation about vision loss, and to increase awareness about the available resources in their local communities. We’ve been impressed by organizations that have not only followed the toolkit, but have implemented innovative ideas on how to use the film to engage audience members. It’s inspiring that these October screening events were interactive, participatory and large-scale.

The National Eye Health Education Program (NEHEP) of the National Eye Institute (NEI) hosted a webinar on Going Blind and Going Forward on Wednesday, September 5, 2011. Moderated by Rosemary Janiszewski of NEI, the online workshop featured Joseph Lovett, director of the film, Going Blind: Coming Out of the Dark About Vision Loss; Julie Gaynin, Outreach Coordinator for Going Blind and Going Forward; George Theriault, President of the New Hampshire Association for the Blind; and Stacy Pommer, Visual Impairment Services Team Coordinator at the Veterans Health Administration, New York Harbor Healthcare System.

Over 400 individuals registered for the event – the highest in NEHEP’s history. Participants discussed how to use Going Blind as a tool to engage the blind and visually impaired community to open the lines of communication between their eye care providers, low vision specialists, and the general public; raise awareness about low vision services and devices; and inspire the visually impaired community to obtain low vision and rehabilitation services.

A post-participation survey found that 81% of participants would likely use the film and outreach materials in their community to raise awareness of low vision services and breakdown stereotypes of those living with low vision. In particular, participants would like to use the film with:

• Medical residents; in-service programs
• Senior citizens; family and friends
• Community screenings
• Local legislators

Since the webinar, many blind service organizations and Veterans Affairs Medical Centers have hosted screenings of Going Blind followed by panel discussions and audience talk-backs, including the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government and partners and the Syracuse VAMC.

More information about NEHEP’s webinars is available here: http://www.nei.nih.gov/nehep/webinars/index.asp#2.

Going Blind and Going Forward webinar participants include:

 

And now we are going into our next phase of Outreach, continuing the public television broadcast initiative, the educational outreach, organizing state house screenings and continuing Joe Lovett’s speaking engagement. To make a contribution, please visit our donate page.

We need your support on this campaign to reach millions with life changing information about vision loss. Fractured Atlas has come on board as a partner and now your donations are tax deductible. Please check out our indiegogo Campaign Page.

Going Blind tells personal and courageous stories of everyday people living and thriving with vision loss in extraordinary ways. The film is being used as a tool to raise awareness about new technologies, training and low vision therapy that allow people with vision loss to continue leading full and active lives. Although the film has already reached tens of thousands of people worldwide, there are still many more that need this vital information. Of the 25 million blind and visually impaired Americans, only 5% seek vision rehabilitation services of any kind.

Vision loss will touch each of us either directly or through someone we love. With your help we can reach more people and together come out of the dark about vision loss.

What you’re funding

This fall, we have the opportunity to reach millions of people with this important life changing information. But we need your help.

Capitol Hill Screening and Panel Discussion: On September 19th, Going Blind will be presented to lawmakers to raise awareness about rarely discussed issues experienced by the visually impaired community. We need funds to get speakers, Jessica Jones and Steve Baskis, to Washington and to promote this screening. For more information view Capitol Hill Screening Page

Nationwide Public Television Broadcast: Starting in October and for the next 12 months, Going Blind is being distributed free of charge to over 300 public television stations around the country. It is urgent that we have the resources to contact all the local stations to get the film and its issues out to the general public. For more information view Broadcast Page

Educational Distribution: We need to continue to get the film into the hands of more organizations that work with the blind and visually impaired. So far we’ve licensed the film to over 200 organizations, but there are many people in need of this information who don’t have access to the film. For more information view Outreach Page

What impact will you have

Every dollar counts towards fulfilling our outreach goals to make everyone aware about (1) the need for and value of early identification and intervention; and (2) the development and availability of low vision therapy, mobility training and other vital medical and social services that can better the lives of millions.

More specifically, by supporting at the $350 level you also have the opportunity to directly support a local grassroots organization or library in your community. An educational DVD of Going Blind allows organizations to screen the film internally and to the public an unlimited amount of times. For instance, The New Hampshire Association for the Blind has screened the film to the public 25 times to date. They report attendees of their screenings of Going Blind “have been empowered by the movie to seek out specialized vision rehabilitation services for the first time.” The film has become the centerpiece of their community and educational outreach campaign.

Our goal is to make Going Blind available to all local libraries and blind and vision service organizations around the country. Through your donation, you directly support grassroots organizations like NHAB and our various labor intensive outreach initiatives.

If you need a suggestion, we will soon have a list of organizations from around the country seeking a donation.

What else can you do to help

Support our campaign efforts by clicking “Add to favorites” below the campaign video and commenting on our indiegogo page

Share this link on Facebook and Twitter and via email with your friends and family

Like our Facebook page and Follow us on Twitter

Visit our Website to learn about the film and facts about vision loss, and find links to resources to make yourself aware about these issues

Join the movement and help us reach millions with this vital information!

Thank you from the Going Blind Outreach Team: Joe, Woo, Julie, Jamie H, Jamie Z, Ian, Adam, and AJ!

Jessica Jones, one of the inspiring people featured in Going Blind recently visited us at Lovett Stories + Strategies. She filled us in on what kind of impact she thinks the film has had.

Jessica Jones is as empowering and inspirational as any person can be. Catch up with her by checking out her video on below.

Senator John Boozman with Joe Lovett, Jessica Jones and Steve Baskis

On Wednesday, September 19, Going Blind screened on Capitol Hill to a packed audience of legislators, Hill and agency staffers, and veterans’ representatives. Senator John Boozman from Arkansas, an optometrist and low-vision specialist, gave a special introduction to the event. The event was standing room only! The crowd sat through a 45 minute condensed version of the film and then a 60 minute panel and discussion.

Outreach Coordinator Julie Gaynin and GoingBlindMovie.com Web Designer Tim Pugh outside the Going Blind Congressional Screening

Special thanks to Jeff Todd of Prevent Blindness America for providing welcoming remarks and to all of our panelists: Steve Baskis, Jessica Jones, Dr. Robert Murphy, Dr. Suleiman Alibhai, Chris Danielsen and Kim Hutchinson.

A live twitter feed of the event was provided courtesy of Maureen Duffy and is available at: twitter.com/goingblindmovie

For more information on the speakers, or to see the event invite, visit: www.goingblindmovie.com/chs/. You can aslo watch the entire panel discussion on YouTube.

This event was made possible with help from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Blinded Veterans Association and Reader’s Digest Partners for Sight Foundation.

Additional thanks to: the National Eye Institute; the office of Senator John Boozman; Jeremy Scott; Prevent Blindness America and; the House of Representatives, Vision Caucus Co-Chairs: Rep. Gene Green, Rep. Phil Gingrey, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, and Rep. David Price.

“The movie is breaking down barriers and myths about vision loss.”        
- Guy Woodland, Senior VP, New Hampshire Association for the Blind

We released our Outreach Toolkit in June 2010 so that ambitious individuals and organizations of all sizes could use it as a template to spark further conversation about vision loss, and to increase awareness about the resources available in their local communities for the visually impaired. In addition to utilizing the Toolkit, we hoped they would bring their own innovative ideas to the table and many have risen to the occasion.

One such organization is the New Hampshire Association for the Blind (NHAB). For the past year, NHAB has been one of the greatest champions of Going Blind and our ensuing outreach effort, Going Blind and Going Forward. Since licensing the film for educational distribution in January 2011, they have helped organize 21 screenings throughout the state of New Hampshire and they remain committed to bringing Going Blind into as many communities and venues statewide as possible.

NHAB has worked diligently to screen the film to an incredibly diverse group of people. They have partnered with various organizations such as the local Concord Lion’s Club, VA Medical Centers, universities, libraries, hospitals, community halls, and retirement homes to host screenings of Going Blind, which are often followed by panel discussions with blind and low vision members of the community, advocates, and medical professionals.

In the past year the film has become a key component of their public education initiative and Guy Woodland, Senior VP of NHAB, explains they have already seen an impact; attendees of their Going Blind screenings “have been empowered by the movie to seek out specialized vision rehabilitation services for the first time.” George F. Theriault, President and CEO of NHAB, also notes that the film has made an impact on the medical community as well: “Eye medical professionals serving on the panels have commented that, having seen the film, they better understand how they can help patients by referring them to NHAB for rehabilitative services. Some have also said they now feel more comfortable discussing vision loss with their patients.”

At this point, with over a dozen screenings under their belt, NHAB is a well-oiled machine. To get the word out about each event, NHAB advertises on its own website and newsletter and mails invitations to blind and visually impaired members of the community, family members, and donors, while the organizations that NHAB partners with can do the same within their own network of contacts. To ensure an even wider reach, Mr. Woodland recently wrote a letter to the editor advertising a screening in a local newspaper and they often recruit volunteers to disseminate posters in order to inform the general public outside of the visually impaired community.

Additionally, NHAB puts a tremendous amount of effort into making these events accessible to interested members of the community. With the help of a sponsor, NHAB is often able to cover the cost of travel and has even worked with senior housing units to bus local seniors to screening locations when they are unable to transport themselves.

2012 marks the 100^th anniversary of NHAB and their theme for the year is living better with vision loss, a theme that Mr. Woodland believes compliments the film so well. For this reason, NHAB will be screening Going Blind and has invited director Joseph Lovett to be a guest speaker at the Palace Theatre in New Hampshire in May 2012 as a part of the centennial celebration. To promote their anniversary screening of Going Blind, NHAB has partnered with a local ABC affiliate to produce a PSA about the event.

Mr. Woodland describes Going Blind and these events as a great vehicle “to build some hope, to allow people to share struggles they are having dealing with vision loss. It has been a big help.” Mr. Theriault adds, the “film is helping to overcome many deep-seated misunderstandings and misconceptions about blindness and vision loss,” and also that, “our effort is having a positive public awareness impact.” The feedback we have received indicates a great level of interest in the film and these community sponsored events as well as a definite need to continue to reach as many people as possible.

We are very grateful to NHAB and the other individuals and organizations all across the country, and the world, that have partnered with us in spreading the message of hope and raising awareness about the resources and services available. We sincerely hope others will follow in their footsteps and will continue to develop their own new and creative ideas.

The National Eye Health Education Program (NEHEP) of the National Eye Institute (NEI) invites you to participate in a free webinar moderated by Rosemary Janiszewski, of NEI, featuring Joseph Lovett, director of the film, Going Blind: Coming Out of the Dark About Vision Loss; Julie Gaynin, Outreach Coordinator for Going Blind and Going Forward; George Theriault, President of the New Hampshire Association for the Blind; and Stacy Pommer, Visual Impairment Services Team Coordinator at the Veterans Health Administration, New York Harbor Healthcare System.

Participants will discuss how to use Going Blind as a tool to engage the blind and visually impaired community to open the lines of communication between their eye care providers, low vision specialists, and the general public; raise awareness about low vision services and devices; and inspire the visually impaired community to obtain low vision and rehabilitation services.

To register, please select this link: Register

 

 

On May 2, the New York Campus Veterans Affairs Medical Center screened Going Blind to its community members.

The screening was followed by a Q & A session with Pat Williams, a character featured in the film, who is also an employee at the VAMC.

Over 100 people came to the screening and many requested to have another screening of the film soon.

After her Q & A session, we received this inspiring note from Pat Williams:

The VA had shown the movie as a teaching tool in all three campuses and let me tell you, it was very well received.

Your genius on film definitely stroke a cord with the audience.

We had a short Q&A and people just wanted to know how to assist blind/low vision people and how to approach “us”.

Thanks Joe – you opened up a whole new world for me. I have much more confidence and I can speak to one or a multitude fearlessly.

You don’t have to see to speak.