SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER No. 352
Share the Vision webinar
We’re speaking to Alex Britton who runs the ClearVision Project, which is a postal lending library of children’s books designed to be shared by visually impaired and sighted children and adults and can be used by libraries all across the UK and Ireland.
How vision loss and impairment could signal dementia
An ophthalmology professor is researching how certain age-related eye conditions could point to Alzheimer’s disease. Better home testing can help.
Golf offers hope for those with sight loss
Andy Gilford talks about the importance of offering other people hope. Gilford has dominant optic atrophy, he was born almost completely without sight, and now has less than five per cent vision. Today, having had 52 years to adapt to his condition, Gilford is always concerned when he meets anyone who is experiencing sight loss themselves after once being able to see. He doesn’t want them to lose hope. He knows this subject well, having been through tough times himself. His advocacy of golf’s health benefits is something of a passion in itself, and in recent times Gilford has become Chair of the registered charity, England and Wales Blind Golf (EWBG).
How to make football matches accessible for people with sight loss
It is still possible for blind and partially sighted people to go to matches and enjoy football matches.
Adam Woodmason has Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (ION). After receiving his diagnosis and being signposted to RNIB, Adam felt confident to get out and about in his community, which enabled him to reach out to his local football club to make attending matches more accessible. Adam speaks of his experience with Ipswich Town Football club and why it’s important to raise awareness of blind and partially sighted people who enjoy football, to motivate other stadiums to become more accessible to those with vision impairment.
Prospect of blind competitor on Strictly thrills visually impaired ballroom dancers
The comic Chris McCausland’s inclusion in the show has thrilled the small but dedicated community of visually impaired ballroom dancers, who are already celebrating the inclusion of a category for visually impaired dancers for the first time at the prestigious Open World international dance competition in Blackpool.
Guide Dogs encourages children to read to dogs in unique event at the British Library
Guide Dogs encourages children to read to dogs in unique event at the British Library.
Further details: https://www.londonworld.com/community/guide-dogs-encourages-children-to-read-to-dogs-in-unique-event-at-the-british-library-4729679
Untreated vision loss and high cholesterol added as modifiable risk factors for dementia
The two new modifiable risk factors have been added to a list of 12 other modifiable risk factors that were identified as part of the standing commission’s 2020 report. The risk factors that were previously outlined include less education, head injury, physical inactivity, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, hearing loss, depression, infrequent social contact and air pollution. The commission highlighted that modifying these 14 factors might “prevent or delay nearly half of dementia cases.”