Noah's Fight For Sight
Donation protected
Noah is my 11 year old son who is losing his eyesight due to a degenerative retinal disease for which there is no cure.
Noah is a happy, funny, kind boy who has a positive outlook on life and doesn't let his vision impairment get him down. With every passing year Noah loses more and more of his sight, but you wouldn't know by watching him. His ability to acclimate and continue on with his life shows a strength of heart, courage, and determination beyond his years.
Noah will be starting junior high this coming fall. With that comes an entirely new set of visual challenges for Noah to overcome. Noah, for the first time will moving to and from 6 different classrooms throughout his day. That means he will have 6 different teachers with 6 different teaching styles, and 6 different classroom set-ups. Up to this point, Noah has only had one teacher and one classroom. He currently uses an immobile piece of equipment called a CCTV. The CCTV is a flatscreen tv monitor that sits on his desk, with a long armed camera/magnifier coming out of the top of it. Noah uses this piece of equipment to see books and handouts on his desk, as well as being able to point the camera anywhere around the room so that he can follow along with what his teacher is writing up on the board or is showing in different parts of the classroom . The current equipment is large and is not something that can be moved from class to class. In addition, it takes up the majority of his desk, and leaves little room for Noah to comfortably read, write or work. Despite those factors, Noah does his best to make it work for him. Once he starts junior high, he would have to endure the embarrassment of having the same, big, clunky CCTV on a cart next to his desk and have it being wheeled from class to class, hooked up at the start of every class, and unhooked at the end of every class by a one-on-one para educator who would follow Noah around with this cart all day. Noah is an independent child and with the right equipment, has never needed a one-on-one para for any reason.
The start of junior high is daunting for a kid - and that's without the added challenge of an impairment. Noah wants to blend and fit in with his new classmates as much as possible, while having the correct equipment to ensure his academic success.
Recently Noah had the rare opportunity to participate in a demonstration of a new low-vision aide by a Canadian company called eSight. The eSight company has manufactured a product that essentially has taken that big, clunky, CCTV that Noah is currently using, and put it into a pair of glasses. The eSight glasses have two LED screens (one screen in each lense) in them, with a small camera imbedded in the front of the glasses. Once Noah put them on, wherever he turned his head, the camera gave him a live feed which Noah was watching on the screens inside the glasses. There is a remote type device, with a battery pack (so no need for chords and outlets and hooking things up) that sat next to Noah on the table which allowed him to zoom in and out, change contrast, and even take screen shots of what he was seeing, which get saved to an sd card so that he can look at them later if need be. The glasses are made of materials used in the military, so they are "break proof". Noah would be able toss these glasses into his backpack and travel easily from class to class - for the first time having a portable level of magnification that would allow him to see and follow along in the classroom as seamlessly as the other kids, as well as giving him an open desk space to do his schoolwork. No cart, no para educator, no disruptionion at the beginning and end of every class period trying to get the cart , chords , and power sources/outlets situated with a CCTV. In addition to the classroom, Noah would have the ability to see and enjoy school assemblies, concerts and performances - which he has never been able to do thus far. He can use these to read labels and instructions and signs when out in public. He will be able to go on vacations and trips and actually be able to go sightseeing and take in all of the visuals and sights that he never gets to experience like the rest of us.
The eSight glasses are not just for Noah's academic success.....and not just to help him to feel included and accepted during that time in life when all you want is to be liked and to feel like you fit in......they will be LIFE CHANGING for him. They will open doors and allow him an opportunity to experience life with independence and dignity.
Noah does not complain about or feel sorry for himself because of his impairment. He accepts it and has embraced the fact that it's part of who he is. Noah knows he can't change what is happening to him, but these eSight glasses will at least help him to tackle some of the obstacles that stand in his way, making this tough journey just a little bit easier to live with.
Please help us to raise enough funds for Noah to be able to purchase a pair of eSight glasses. You will be helping to open up a new world of possibilities and opportunities to a boy that is so deserving!
Noah is a happy, funny, kind boy who has a positive outlook on life and doesn't let his vision impairment get him down. With every passing year Noah loses more and more of his sight, but you wouldn't know by watching him. His ability to acclimate and continue on with his life shows a strength of heart, courage, and determination beyond his years.
Noah will be starting junior high this coming fall. With that comes an entirely new set of visual challenges for Noah to overcome. Noah, for the first time will moving to and from 6 different classrooms throughout his day. That means he will have 6 different teachers with 6 different teaching styles, and 6 different classroom set-ups. Up to this point, Noah has only had one teacher and one classroom. He currently uses an immobile piece of equipment called a CCTV. The CCTV is a flatscreen tv monitor that sits on his desk, with a long armed camera/magnifier coming out of the top of it. Noah uses this piece of equipment to see books and handouts on his desk, as well as being able to point the camera anywhere around the room so that he can follow along with what his teacher is writing up on the board or is showing in different parts of the classroom . The current equipment is large and is not something that can be moved from class to class. In addition, it takes up the majority of his desk, and leaves little room for Noah to comfortably read, write or work. Despite those factors, Noah does his best to make it work for him. Once he starts junior high, he would have to endure the embarrassment of having the same, big, clunky CCTV on a cart next to his desk and have it being wheeled from class to class, hooked up at the start of every class, and unhooked at the end of every class by a one-on-one para educator who would follow Noah around with this cart all day. Noah is an independent child and with the right equipment, has never needed a one-on-one para for any reason.
The start of junior high is daunting for a kid - and that's without the added challenge of an impairment. Noah wants to blend and fit in with his new classmates as much as possible, while having the correct equipment to ensure his academic success.
Recently Noah had the rare opportunity to participate in a demonstration of a new low-vision aide by a Canadian company called eSight. The eSight company has manufactured a product that essentially has taken that big, clunky, CCTV that Noah is currently using, and put it into a pair of glasses. The eSight glasses have two LED screens (one screen in each lense) in them, with a small camera imbedded in the front of the glasses. Once Noah put them on, wherever he turned his head, the camera gave him a live feed which Noah was watching on the screens inside the glasses. There is a remote type device, with a battery pack (so no need for chords and outlets and hooking things up) that sat next to Noah on the table which allowed him to zoom in and out, change contrast, and even take screen shots of what he was seeing, which get saved to an sd card so that he can look at them later if need be. The glasses are made of materials used in the military, so they are "break proof". Noah would be able toss these glasses into his backpack and travel easily from class to class - for the first time having a portable level of magnification that would allow him to see and follow along in the classroom as seamlessly as the other kids, as well as giving him an open desk space to do his schoolwork. No cart, no para educator, no disruptionion at the beginning and end of every class period trying to get the cart , chords , and power sources/outlets situated with a CCTV. In addition to the classroom, Noah would have the ability to see and enjoy school assemblies, concerts and performances - which he has never been able to do thus far. He can use these to read labels and instructions and signs when out in public. He will be able to go on vacations and trips and actually be able to go sightseeing and take in all of the visuals and sights that he never gets to experience like the rest of us.
The eSight glasses are not just for Noah's academic success.....and not just to help him to feel included and accepted during that time in life when all you want is to be liked and to feel like you fit in......they will be LIFE CHANGING for him. They will open doors and allow him an opportunity to experience life with independence and dignity.
Noah does not complain about or feel sorry for himself because of his impairment. He accepts it and has embraced the fact that it's part of who he is. Noah knows he can't change what is happening to him, but these eSight glasses will at least help him to tackle some of the obstacles that stand in his way, making this tough journey just a little bit easier to live with.
Please help us to raise enough funds for Noah to be able to purchase a pair of eSight glasses. You will be helping to open up a new world of possibilities and opportunities to a boy that is so deserving!
Organiser and beneficiary
Angela Piccin-Cowhig
Organiser
Puyallup, WA
Robert Piccin
Beneficiary