Harris' InkWell

Hi Blog world,

 

Happy Nystagmus Awareness Day also known as Wobbly Wednesday. During the early hours of the morning, I came across Glen’s (Well Eye Never) Nystagmus tag. Click here to watch Glen’s Nystagmus Tag YouTube Video

Since I have Nystagmus myself I decided to do the tag.

1. Are you the only one in your family to have Nystagmus?

I was the only one who has it by birth called (Congenital), however both my grandmothers have a form of Nystagmus called (Acquired).

2. How has your Nystagmus affected you throughout your life so far?

When I was little my mother noticed that I had problems seeing. She took me to see many eye doctors, who said I had Nystagmus, and that I should be fine doing mainstream schoolwork.  However, like most children with Nystagmus, I struggled with seeing my school books and the board. When it became evident that I was struggling in school my eye doctors said I needed to be registered as a student with a visual impairment.

My mother had to fight for many years to get me registered as a student with a visual impairment. In fifth grade I finally started to receive help from a low vision teacher and my school materials in large print.

Now as an adult, the only thing I can’t do is drive. I am currently looking for employment, however with the support I am receiving I should be able to find employment soon.

3. What are you registered as – partially sighted, severely sight impaired, blind, etc?

All my medical documents state that I have low vision, however I prefer the term visually impaired.

Here in the United states we have the American’s with Disability Act which helps people with disabilities have access of reasonable accommodations to help with employment. I am receiving help through Division of Blind services and Vocational Rehabilitation. The main mission of these services is to help me find employment, and provide me with low vision devices or other services if I need them.

4. Do you have any other eye conditions with your Nystagmus?

Yes, I do. I have Night blindness, sensitivity to light, lazy eye, and astigmatism. Click here to read more about my journey with Night Blindness

5. Do you have any visual aids to help you with your condition?

Yes, I use a long white cane during the evenings, during nighttime, or when I am in a new environment. I have several magnifiers i.e. dome, or bar, I also use a screen reader called ZoomText, where I can change the color of the screen, and the tracker or pointer, this program also reads the text on the screen.

Another program I use is called Kurzweil 3000, which is a program when I can access regular print books; and I also use this program to write articles and other writing tasks. A feature I really like about this program is that I can change the color of the background so my eyes aren’t as tired.

One of my most favorite devices I use is my talking book player, with this I can access books through Bookshare.org or through my talking book library.

 

Lastly, I use the speech and Siri feature on my Iphone.

6. Do you have any advice for parents of children with Nystagmus?

Yes, get them the help they need early. I struggled with school until I received my large print textbooks and that helped me a lot. Also, keep a positive attitude towards the condition. Finally, don’t forget there are support groups out there to help answer any worries or concerns you may have.

American Nystagmus Network Facebook Page

Nystagmus Network Facebook Page

The Nystagmus Family Foundation Facebook Page

7. Describe your vision in 3 words.

Blurry-I describe it as like looking through a piece of Saran Wrap.

Loss of quality of vision during the day-my vision is best during the morning after I get a goodnight’s sleep, then my quality of vision gets worse during the day.

Tired- different things such as change in the weather, or if I’m stressed or ill can make my eyes tired.

8. What help did you get in school/work?

During grades 5-6,  I received large print textbooks and worksheets. Then in sixth grade my family moved to Florida where my teacher of the visually impaired gave me low vision aids, magnifiers, telescopes etc, instead of my large print text to help me be prepared for college and the world of work.  In college, I received most of my books in digital form, which I either converted myself by using Kurzweil 3000 or the disability resource services. I received extra time on tests.

Since for now I am still looking for employment we are not sure which devices I may need, however I know that I will need ZoomText to access the computer.

I hope you enjoyed this tag.

Blog soon,

Amanda Gene

Hi Blog world,

 

Grab your swimsuit, goggles, and sun block and jump into a pool! Wednesday, November 1st, is Nystagmus Awareness Day This day is to help educate the public about the Nystagmus, about how it affects people, and what we can achieve with help from the community, medical professionals, and our peers from the online support groups.

 

For those of you that don’t know Nystagmus is a condition where a person’s eyes move continuously, sometimes they move in a vertical, horizontal, or in a circular pattern, and sometimes there can be a combined form of movements. A person can either be born with Nystagmus (called Congenital), or some people can be impacted later in life (called Acquired). Because of these movements our world is blurry, and for some people who have Acquired Nystagmus our world can appear to be moving.

 

There are many different causes of Nystagmus, some of us are born with it because it runs in our family through genetics, for others it’s a result of another condition that they have such as, Optic Nerve Hypoplasia, or Albinism, for some of us there is no known cause. For those that have Acquired Nystagmus sometimes people get it because of vertigo, a head injury or a brain tumor.

Whatever the cause I want the public to know that this condition doesn’t stop us from dreaming big! We hold all different kinds of jobs from journalists to teachers.  There are all different kinds of devices that can help us achieve our dreams, from screen readers to discounted bus passes.

However, we can’t achieve these dreams without help from the public:

–  Be understand that Nystagmus can affect us on a daily basis and there are ways that we can accommodate ourselves-for most of us our quality of vision changes throughout the day, please be patience when we are having a hard time seeing something.

-One of the myths about Nystagmus that I hear on a daily basis is that we can’t do things because of our vision –I would like to burst that myth right now. This myth is completely false! There is nothing we can’t do! except the majority of us can’t drive, and there are ways to get around it such as, carpooling, or taking the bus. There are many success stories on the online forms of children and adults achieving success on a daily basis.

–  Lastly, a big part of the Nystagmus Awareness Day is to raise funds. With these funds the medical community is working hard to improve the quality of life of people with Nystagmus and to help find a cure.

 

To learn more about Nystagmus, the Nystagmus Network charity or to make a donation:  http://nystagmusnetwork.org/

 

To learn more about Nystagmus, the American Nystagmus Network, or to make a donation: http://nystagmus.org/new/

 

If you can’t make it to the pool to make a splash then consider ordering one or both of these wristbands:

 

Click here to order wrist bands from the Nystagmus Family Foundation

Click here to order wrist bands from the American Nystagmus Network

 

Thank you for helping the Nystagmus Network, American Nystagmus Network and the Nystagmus community make a big splash on this very special day!

Blog soon,

Amanda Gene