CELEBRATING A CENTENNIAL
Wide variety of roles, includes support and advocacy, looking at technological advancements, finding employment for people with vision loss
CNIB active in a wide variety of roles, including support, advocacy, technological advancements
“We’re always looking for volunteers. We have lots of programs that we’re trying to implement. The more volunteers we have, the more programs we can implement.”
Pat Hilchey
Dawn MacEachern has spent her whole life in the dark.
The Mount Stewart native was born with only five per cent of her vision, and over time she lost it completely.
Thanks to services provided by the local branch of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), MacEachern has learned how to use a white walking cane and read brail at a Grade 1 level.
MacEachern and many other Islanders helped the CNIB mark its 100th anniversary with a celebration at the P.E.I. Brewing Company in Charlottetown on March 21.
The CNIB is a not-for-profit organization that offers community-based support for Canadians who are blind or partially-sighted to gain the confidence, skills and opportunity to fully participate in life.
Founded in 1918 by veterans and advocates who believed in the ability and equal opportunity for people who are blind, the CNIB hasn’t strayed from its original mandate.
Over the years, the institution has evolved and expanded as it continues to help those in need, including the addition of Vision Loss Rehabilitation Canada, a new health services organization it operates that provides personalized rehabilitation services designed to enhance independence, safety and mobility after a loss of sight.
Pat Hilchey, vision rehabilitation assistant with the CNIB in Charlottetown, said there are 900 Island clients who use the institute’s many services.
The vision rehabilitation side of the CNIB is funded by the province, but the foundations and programs it operates, including areas like recreation, peer support, the vision mate program and a guide dog program, use money collected through fundraising and donations, Hilchey says.
But it’s not only money that makes the institute successful.
“We’re always looking for volunteers,” she said.
“We have lots of programs that we’re trying to implement. The more volunteers we have, the more programs we can implement.”
Going forward, the CNIB will continue to provide support and advocacy to those in need, as well as looking at new technological advancements, employment for people with vision loss and a guide dog program to get more dogs into the hands of clients.
MacEachern said the CNIB is an important organization and is grateful for all it has afforded her.
“I like how they show you how to do things quite well,” she said. “I like their socials.”
For more information, visit Cnib.ca.