MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – Sight Savers America hosted a clinic at the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind in Mobile to provide life-changing technology for eligible Mobile residents who are visually impaired.
Director of the AIDB in Mobile Kyle McCartney said these devices usually cost thousands of dollars and are not covered by most medical insurance making it difficult for people to get them.
He said giving away these high-tech vision aids is only possible through generous funding from AIDB and its partners.
“These devices can range from 5,000…10,000 dollars per device, so you don’t want to just have that device, you also gotta have the training that goes with it,” said McCartney.
Specialists at the event didn’t just hand out the devices, they sat down with folks to provide special training on how to use them.
“It’s just a wonderful piece of equipment that brings these people back into independence which is where we all want to be,” said Associate Director at the Low Vision Department Leigh Irvin.
Irvin was one of the specialists helping with the hands-on training.
“They can magnify up to 118 times so you can imagine if you put your prescription under there or a recipe or nutrition facts. The first lady I trained was diabetic this morning and she said that’s really going to come in handy for her,” she said.
Some of the visually impaired received Onyx video magnifiers which are desktop devices that allow users to see everyday items up close.
Karen Barnes was at today’s clinic and said she’ll now be able to do something she hasn’t been able to do in a while…she can read again.
“I’m very excited because reading is fundamental,” she said.
Her daughter Sonya Barnes was equally grateful.
“My mother’s gonna be more independent to be able to read the Word of God, read labels, read her mail, things we take for granted who have full sight so this is very good,” Sonya said.
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