shari roeseler: making the criminal justice system accessible to underserved victims
TRANSCRIPT
A Regional Resource forVision Healthcare & Blindness
Services
Victims of Crime Who are Blind or Have Low Vision
• What Factors are Unique
• Best Practices for Interacting
• Resources to Assist People with Vision Loss
Staff Members’ Experience33 Staff ~ Half are Blind or Low Vision
17 Staff with Vision Loss asked if they were ever Stalked• 5 YES
• 3 online 2 in person
No Statistical Slide for Stalking of People with Vision Loss
“It’s difficult to ask for help because I don’t know if the person helping me is also my stalker.”
Factors That Are Unique• Levels of Vision Loss• Light sensitivity• General sense of vulnerability• Balance/Spatial issues • Sleep disturbances• Headaches
Statistic: There are an estimated 21 million people with vision loss in the U.S.
Normal Vision
Vision with Age-related Macular Degeneration
Best Practices: Interacting with Persons with Vision Loss:
Victims of Violent Crimes
Cane or Dog
Accessibility
Vision with Diabetic Retinopathy
Best Practices for Interacting with Persons with Vision Loss:Treat them as
IntelligentSpeak in a normal
tone of voiceInquire about
amount of VisionVerbally describe
action or care to be given
Bradley Snyder, US Navy Seal blinded by IED in Afghanistan. 2012 US Paralympic Gold Medalist in Swimming.
Best Practices for Interacting with Persons with Vision Loss:
Introduce yourself and others
Speak directly to the person with vision loss
Describe lay-out of room; entry/exits
Best Practices for Interacting with Persons with Vision Loss:Verbal/Audio
expression of emotion
Use “Clock method” for giving directions
Quieter areas are best for meetings
Resources AvailablePeople with No Vision
▫ JAWS software▫ Brailled documents▫ Personal Readers▫ CCTVs with built-in text reader
Resources AvailablePeople with Low Vision
▫ Zoom Text▫ MagicEyes▫ CCTVs▫ Handheld magnifiers▫ Brailled documents▫ Personal Readers
Shari Roeseler, Executive DirectorSociety for the Blind1238 S Street, Sacramento, CA [email protected]
Our Mission: To empower individuals living with low vision or blindness to discover, develop and achieve their full potential.