What's the relationship between “Was blind, but now I see” and ‘low vision training’ ?
“Was blind, but now I see”, could this be
possible? In another sense, this is also a type of education and a type of
work.
When I was listening to the music
Amazing Grace, I recalled the lyrics “Was blind, but now I see” and suddenly
I related this to the work that I had participated in the past, which aimed at
helping ‘blind’ students to see.
Apart from medical treatment by
ophthalmologists who could help some patients with eye diseases to resume their
vision, my work in the past also had a similar experience. Twenty-five years ago,
I started a job that was to teach some visually impaired students to make use
of their residual vision. This kind of training is called ‘low vision
training’.
But how could people with visual
impairment see? In fact, many people don't know about this:
considerable number of people who are assessed as visually impaired or even
blind are not living in a totally dark world. They have different levels of residual vision that could still be used in daily life. For most of the cases, their abilities to use vision would be raised after training, as if ‘blind’
students could ‘see’.
For some children who are assessed as
visually impaired, if they still have vision to be used in daily life, this could help
their developments in cognition, concepts, motor, language, and social skills.
This is really good news and such an encouragement for parents of low vision kids. Being able to participate in such
meaningful work is also an amazing grace for myself.
The following is one version of the lyrics of
Amazing Grace:
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.
Through many danger, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.
Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.
When we've been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we'd first begun.
Related articles on low vision training:
Origin of low vision training in “To pay
tribute to two educators who have brought about significant innovative changes
to the education for the visually impaired: Dr. Natalie Barraga and Dr.
Christine Roman-Lantzy”：
“Cerebral visual impairment: ‘look, but could not see’, a group of
people who are being misunderstood”
Blog:
“Low vision training ( visual
training ) strategies for cerebral visual impairment (CVI) children with
multiple disabilities”
