[vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]For people with low vision, reading a book, a label, or a printed work document isn’t as easy as throwing on a pair of glasses. However, assistive technology like closed circuit televisions (CCTVs) can help them bring the world into focus.
A CCTV is a stand-mounted or handheld video camera to project a magnified image onto a video monitor, a TV screen, or a computer monitor. Cameras with zoom lenses provide variable magnification. Costs for these units can range from $1,800 to $4,000.
So The IC’s staff was thrilled and grateful when Dana McMullen, a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI) in the Douglas County School District, contacted the organization about donating seven used CCTVs. The units in her classroom were being replaced and she wanted to make sure that they went to people who could use them. In her previous position with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Dana had learned about The IC’s Older Individuals with Blindness (OIB) program and thought it would be a perfect fit.
“It can be hard for older individuals who are blind to get access to CCTVs for financial reasons,” Dana says. “I knew that by donating our old CCTVs to the OIB program, they would continue to get used by people who need them!”
The CCTVs are already being put to good use. “They are in almost perfect condition and once Jeannette (Fortin, OIB Specialist) found out about them, she spread the word and we started donating them out within a couple of weeks,” says Paul Spotts, Assistive Technology Specialist.
Bethany Monk, Development Specialist, who helped facilitate the donation, says that she receives a lot of calls about donations but this one was truly special.
“Dana drove them all the way down here herself,” says Bethany. “It’s just so humbling to know that she thought of us.”
If you would like more information about CCTVs or other assistive technology, call 719-471-8181.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”14504″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row]