Please take a look below and forward to parents who may be interested in
this program......
Thank you!
Jeanne-Marie Kopecky
Idaho Educational Services for the Deaf and the Blind
Director of Outreach
Services for Blind/Low Vision
*cell: 208-539-2862 fax: 208-934-8352 *office: 208-934-4457
Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist
Call for Applications
The application period is now open for all who wish to participate in
the ASPECT
(Advocacy, Support, Perspective, Empowerment, Communication, and Training)
Patient Empowerment Program at Prevent Blindness. We are recruiting
individuals with vision impairment or blindness as well as allies (i.e.
loved ones, nonprofit representatives, multidisciplinary clinicians, and
researchers). The program aims to equip participants with knowledge,
skills, and confidence to become advocates for vision and eye health- at
the individual, peer-to-peer, community, state, or national levels.
*Who is eligible to apply? *
Individuals of all ages (including family members of children younger than
age 18), with any eye disease/condition, residing anywhere across the
nation and globally. Classes are free and held virtually every other week
for 8 sessions total, spanning June to September 2022. Specific dates and
times to be determined based on the needs of the group. Patient and
caregiver participants will receive an honorarium for participation.
*ASPECT participants will: *
· Partake in eight two-hour educational sessions designed to build
advocacy skills and knowledge, communication techniques, and increase
awareness of eye conditions other than your own.
· Learn the components of storytelling and become familiar with use
of storytelling as an advocacy tool.
· Learn about avenues for patient-engagement and its importance (i.e.
research, advisory or advocacy boards, technology, presentations, social
media).
· Discover a sense of community through listening to the stories of
your peers, sharing, and supporting one another through the challenges and
triumphs associated with visual impairment and blindness.
· Build leadership capacity by having the opportunity to
co-facilitate sessions and present on various topics to your fellow
participants.
· Be invited to join the annual Eyes on Capitol Hill advocacy day
and/or the Focus on Eye Health National Summit, as able.
*What is the value to participating in ASPECT? *
According to graduates of the program:
“I was touched by the stories that were shared about blindness and low
vision. Even though we all had different eye conditions and journeys, we
all shared something in common, we were all there to better ourselves and
the community around us by wanting to educate others who lack an
understanding of what it’s like to live with vision loss. Many of us took
part in presenting content that challenged our thinking while motivating us
to bring this knowledge into the world.”
“The ASPECT program has provided an invaluable account of the varied
expertise and nuanced perspectives of patients, providers, and other
eyecare stakeholders regarding approach to care and patient needs […] which
has already helped me to reimagine my approach to research, as well as my
interactions with persons who experience vision loss and other forms of
disability. Discourse between ASPECT participants helped to illuminate gaps
in the current health paradigm as well as provide insight into potential
approaches for bridging these gaps. It is a most excellent initiative that
empowers participants to be innovative, inclusive, and circumspect in their
approach to eyecare, be they patients, providers, allies, or researchers.”
“ASPECT equipped me with tools to effectively advocate for patients who are
participants and beneficiaries of eye care services. These conversations
have contributed to shaping my perspective on advocacy and healthcare
delivery and the value in patient identified factors to attain best visual
health outcomes. I am almost the eye doctor that I have longed to be and
grateful for the role Prevent Blindness and ASPECT have played in shaping
me into a public health centric optometrist.”
To learn more, visit our website
https://cvph.preventblindness.org/aspect-program/#:~:text=The%20Prevent%20Blindness%20A.S.P.E.C.T.,to%20a%20chronic%20eye%20disease.
. If you or someone you know is interested in participating, please have
them complete a short 2-page application found here
https://cvph.preventblindness.org/apply-to-join-the-aspect-patient-advocacy-program/:
or call Julie Grutzmacher at 312-363-6032 if you are not able to complete
the application online.
The deadline to apply is Friday, June 3, 2022.
For additional questions about the program, reach out to Julie Grutzmacher,
Director of Patient Advocacy and Population Health Initiatives, at:
jgrutzmacher@preventblindness.org
Julie Grutzmacher, MSW, MPH (she/her) | Director of Patient Advocacy and
Population Health Initiatives| Prevent Blindness | 312.363.6032 |
www.PreventBlindness.org http://www.preventblindness.org/
Director, ASPECT Patient Engagement Program
Director, Center for Vision and Population Health
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https://www.instagram.com/prevent_blindness/, LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/prevent-blindness-america/ & YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1IdlM_CmWTfJkkVPM8IMqQ
Please help support our sight-saving programs by texting SIGHT2020 to
20222 to donate $20!
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