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Mason Haase needs a very expensive piece of technology in order to succeed in High School and eventually, college. This is why we are asking for support from you today.
Who is Mason Haase? He is my 14 year old son, who is just starting his Freshman year at Nevada Union High School, in Grass Valley, California.
Why does he need a $4000 piece of assistive technology to succeed in High School, college, and hopefully the career of his choice? Because Mason is legally blind.
He was diagnosed by a pediatric ophthalmologist neurologist at the Stanford Medical Center in San Francisco about two years ago. The diagnosis was that Mason had Kjers Disease, a genetic disorder that creates color blindness and poor vision in some individuals. The issue is the Optic nerve. This nerve, leading from the back of the eye to the brain, translates messages that the eyes see, into the brain.
In Masons case, the Optic nerve is atrophied, or shriveled up, and does not have the ability to let all the information from the eyes translate into images in the brain. So his vision is very cloudy. He also sees in black and white at this point because his color vision began to fade away around age 7. His ophthalmologist has told us that his vision is 20/800 in one eye, and 20/100 in the other.
So, in situations like the school setting, Mason cannot see the white board to take notes in class. He cannot see overhead projections really at all. He cannot read some of the fine print in his text books. When he tries to do the above, his eyes become very strained and weary and red. Sometimes it gives him headaches. Especially now that so much of school is done in front a a chrome book, which has a fairly small screen.
Upon discovering Mason's diagnosis...I did some research, to try and find a solution. Unfortunately, Kjers Disease has no cure. It only gets worse with age. How rapidly his eyes will degrade is not known, and seems to differ from individual to individual.
So...I turned my investigation towards the tech out there that could possibly help him have more of an equal opportunity in life. What I discovered was a wonderful piece of assistive tech called the Magnilink S, by a company called Low Vision International, out of Sweden. The device is definitely modeled for the low vision student. It is small, compact, comes with a carrying case, simple and quick to set up, and runs off your laptop battery. It also hooks into any brand of computer...PC, MAC or Chrome book. The Magnilink S also comes with the software for any of the different computer varieties.
What will this device do exactly that is worth the high price tag? It has a camera that can see the white board/chalk board/teachers notes at the front of the classroom. The device then instantly transmits the image, in real time, to Mason's laptop in front of him. Once there, Mason can enlarge the image to whatever size necessary for him to read it without straining his eyes. The Magnilink can also preform text to talk. So if you place a book under the camera, it will read the text out loud to Mason.
The Magnilink S was designed for students with low vision. It has many more capabilities than what I have described. If you wish to learn more about this device, here is the link to the website:
https://lviamerica.com/catalog/products/magnilink-s-premium-2
Mason is currently beginning his first year of high school. Unfortunately, school is under Corona virus restrictions, so Mason cannot necessarily sit as close as he would like to the front of the classroom. His teachers are all very understanding and want to help as much as possible. However, Mason is just one student out of many, and they are already overwhelmed with work. The state of California provides him with a worker from Vision Services. They try to provide him with helpful technology in the classroom setting. However, for the past few years, the devices have been outdated, broken, bulky or take 10 minutes to set up. Some have required an outlet, which is not always easy to find in a classroom. Mostly though, they just aren't specific enough to Mason's needs to be of real assistance. Plus, these devices do not belong to him. They are borrowed, and at the end of every school year, must be given back.
IN CONCLUSION...
Mason is a great boy. He loves school. He loves learning. He does amazingly well in school, as well as life, and it's almost impossible to tell by watching him, that he is legally blind. I think that as of right now, he has 3 A's, two B's and a D in his classes. Not half bad for someone with such a huge hurdle to overcome. He rides his bike all over town, he has a scooter he loves to ride. He runs like the wind....at least when he is chasing his brother! He takes his little sister to the park and walks to town to go shopping when I need things at the grocery store. He loves going to music festivals with his family, or camping, or hanging out with his dad in Tahoe.
Unfortunately, he won't ever be able to get his drivers license. This fact makes him very depressed I think. I just tell him that before too long, cars will be driving themselves, so just hang in there.
The sooner I can buy this device for him, the better off he will be. He could have a more equal opportunity in life and a chance to think seriously about a 4 year college. To own a piece of equipment like this would be a dream come true for both Mason and myself. I thank you for any assistance you graciously donate to our cause. Thank you for reading!
Peace
Who is Mason Haase? He is my 14 year old son, who is just starting his Freshman year at Nevada Union High School, in Grass Valley, California.
Why does he need a $4000 piece of assistive technology to succeed in High School, college, and hopefully the career of his choice? Because Mason is legally blind.
He was diagnosed by a pediatric ophthalmologist neurologist at the Stanford Medical Center in San Francisco about two years ago. The diagnosis was that Mason had Kjers Disease, a genetic disorder that creates color blindness and poor vision in some individuals. The issue is the Optic nerve. This nerve, leading from the back of the eye to the brain, translates messages that the eyes see, into the brain.
In Masons case, the Optic nerve is atrophied, or shriveled up, and does not have the ability to let all the information from the eyes translate into images in the brain. So his vision is very cloudy. He also sees in black and white at this point because his color vision began to fade away around age 7. His ophthalmologist has told us that his vision is 20/800 in one eye, and 20/100 in the other.
So, in situations like the school setting, Mason cannot see the white board to take notes in class. He cannot see overhead projections really at all. He cannot read some of the fine print in his text books. When he tries to do the above, his eyes become very strained and weary and red. Sometimes it gives him headaches. Especially now that so much of school is done in front a a chrome book, which has a fairly small screen.
Upon discovering Mason's diagnosis...I did some research, to try and find a solution. Unfortunately, Kjers Disease has no cure. It only gets worse with age. How rapidly his eyes will degrade is not known, and seems to differ from individual to individual.
So...I turned my investigation towards the tech out there that could possibly help him have more of an equal opportunity in life. What I discovered was a wonderful piece of assistive tech called the Magnilink S, by a company called Low Vision International, out of Sweden. The device is definitely modeled for the low vision student. It is small, compact, comes with a carrying case, simple and quick to set up, and runs off your laptop battery. It also hooks into any brand of computer...PC, MAC or Chrome book. The Magnilink S also comes with the software for any of the different computer varieties.
What will this device do exactly that is worth the high price tag? It has a camera that can see the white board/chalk board/teachers notes at the front of the classroom. The device then instantly transmits the image, in real time, to Mason's laptop in front of him. Once there, Mason can enlarge the image to whatever size necessary for him to read it without straining his eyes. The Magnilink can also preform text to talk. So if you place a book under the camera, it will read the text out loud to Mason.
The Magnilink S was designed for students with low vision. It has many more capabilities than what I have described. If you wish to learn more about this device, here is the link to the website:
https://lviamerica.com/catalog/products/magnilink-s-premium-2
Mason is currently beginning his first year of high school. Unfortunately, school is under Corona virus restrictions, so Mason cannot necessarily sit as close as he would like to the front of the classroom. His teachers are all very understanding and want to help as much as possible. However, Mason is just one student out of many, and they are already overwhelmed with work. The state of California provides him with a worker from Vision Services. They try to provide him with helpful technology in the classroom setting. However, for the past few years, the devices have been outdated, broken, bulky or take 10 minutes to set up. Some have required an outlet, which is not always easy to find in a classroom. Mostly though, they just aren't specific enough to Mason's needs to be of real assistance. Plus, these devices do not belong to him. They are borrowed, and at the end of every school year, must be given back.
IN CONCLUSION...
Mason is a great boy. He loves school. He loves learning. He does amazingly well in school, as well as life, and it's almost impossible to tell by watching him, that he is legally blind. I think that as of right now, he has 3 A's, two B's and a D in his classes. Not half bad for someone with such a huge hurdle to overcome. He rides his bike all over town, he has a scooter he loves to ride. He runs like the wind....at least when he is chasing his brother! He takes his little sister to the park and walks to town to go shopping when I need things at the grocery store. He loves going to music festivals with his family, or camping, or hanging out with his dad in Tahoe.
Unfortunately, he won't ever be able to get his drivers license. This fact makes him very depressed I think. I just tell him that before too long, cars will be driving themselves, so just hang in there.
The sooner I can buy this device for him, the better off he will be. He could have a more equal opportunity in life and a chance to think seriously about a 4 year college. To own a piece of equipment like this would be a dream come true for both Mason and myself. I thank you for any assistance you graciously donate to our cause. Thank you for reading!
Peace
