social programs for the blind
Donation protected
A national opinion poll in January 2007 conducted by Widmeyer Research & Polling and Public Opinion Strategies found that the public's biggest health fear is going blind, tied with paralysis at 21% each. Aids, cancer and other life threatening conditions fell much further down the list.
After losing my sight to optic neuritis in 1980 for unknown causes it felt like the biggest trajedy that could have fell on myself and my family. In reality it was just the beginning of a new life and learning to do things differently.
The public's perception of blindness being the most feared health condition also translates into less employment opportunities and social integration. Based on information from Social Security it has been estimated that 70% of working age blind people are unemployed or severely underemployed. Organizations of the blind have been working for years to remove a federal law that allows certain employers to pay the blind below minimum wage. My own personal observations of conversations face to face and on Facebook and other social media is that many blind people feel that in a integrated social setting that they are put off to the side and very few people will talk to them, so they tend to avoid being put in those situations and the result is for the most part becoming isolated.
This is why I have This Go Fund me campaign running. Your funds will help two programs that I'm involved in. One is an online chat community using a totally accessible conference client. There is usually something going on daily such as playing trivia and other kinds of adapted TV game show style games. There are times when people just engage in chatting with each other and also other learning events such as helping with technical aspects of their computers and also a monthly IPhone event and learning to use the accessibility features of Apple products. There is also a monthly book club. With that the conferencing client and bandwidth used costs money and we depend on public donations to help keep the site running. Although most of the members of the site are blind, it is open to all to use.
The other project will fund social events and outings for blind people. The idea for this came when some folks got together and rented a van and went on a trip. Later on it was said that we wished to extend this type of fun to those who might be less fortunate financially and may not have the friends and family to help them get out to such fun events.
I'm personally reaching out to you all to help us with these projects in as small or large a way that you would feel fit. Loneliness is such a powerful negative emotion and with your help we can make a difference in many blind people's lives.
Thank you for your support.
Charlie Richardson
www.GamesGaloreAndMore.com
Testimonials:
David F from Louisiana
Games Galore has allowed me to meet a wider range of people: people with a varied range of interests and backgrounds than I’d have met otherwise. The music game, Sounds of Music, has enriched my knowledge of many musical genres and the trivia games are always fun. The book group is an additional plus. Come join us and find your niche.
After losing my sight to optic neuritis in 1980 for unknown causes it felt like the biggest trajedy that could have fell on myself and my family. In reality it was just the beginning of a new life and learning to do things differently.
The public's perception of blindness being the most feared health condition also translates into less employment opportunities and social integration. Based on information from Social Security it has been estimated that 70% of working age blind people are unemployed or severely underemployed. Organizations of the blind have been working for years to remove a federal law that allows certain employers to pay the blind below minimum wage. My own personal observations of conversations face to face and on Facebook and other social media is that many blind people feel that in a integrated social setting that they are put off to the side and very few people will talk to them, so they tend to avoid being put in those situations and the result is for the most part becoming isolated.
This is why I have This Go Fund me campaign running. Your funds will help two programs that I'm involved in. One is an online chat community using a totally accessible conference client. There is usually something going on daily such as playing trivia and other kinds of adapted TV game show style games. There are times when people just engage in chatting with each other and also other learning events such as helping with technical aspects of their computers and also a monthly IPhone event and learning to use the accessibility features of Apple products. There is also a monthly book club. With that the conferencing client and bandwidth used costs money and we depend on public donations to help keep the site running. Although most of the members of the site are blind, it is open to all to use.
The other project will fund social events and outings for blind people. The idea for this came when some folks got together and rented a van and went on a trip. Later on it was said that we wished to extend this type of fun to those who might be less fortunate financially and may not have the friends and family to help them get out to such fun events.
I'm personally reaching out to you all to help us with these projects in as small or large a way that you would feel fit. Loneliness is such a powerful negative emotion and with your help we can make a difference in many blind people's lives.
Thank you for your support.
Charlie Richardson
www.GamesGaloreAndMore.com
Testimonials:
David F from Louisiana
Games Galore has allowed me to meet a wider range of people: people with a varied range of interests and backgrounds than I’d have met otherwise. The music game, Sounds of Music, has enriched my knowledge of many musical genres and the trivia games are always fun. The book group is an additional plus. Come join us and find your niche.
Organizer
Charlie Richardson
Organizer
Covina, CA
