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Seeing Hand Growing Client Services

Agency Makes Strides in Improving The Lives of the Visually Impaired

WHEELING — Since Executive Director Karen Haught started with The Seeing Hand Association more than four years ago, the agency continues to make major strides in education outreach in the local community and grow services for their clients.

The Seeing Hand Association’s mission is to assist all ages of visually impaired people living in the Upper Ohio Valley to receive the needed services to achieve quality of life, self sufficiency and independence. One of its core beliefs is that blind and visually impaired individuals can be truly independent and achieve quality of life with the appropriate individual and family support services. The agency’s services are designed to encourage, challenge and empower individuals to maximize their potential in all areas of life. The facility provides some employment opportunities for  visually impaired individuals. Clients work with several products in the workshop, including: homemade mops, hand-loomed rugs and caned chairs.

“When I first came here in 2012, through our outreach programs and the individuals that we served, we were serving about 700 people a year — last year we served over 3,800 and this year we are probably almost to that number already. So I think that we are making major strides in community outreach and education,” said Haught.

She said the agency continues to reach large numbers of individuals through a variety of community events such as senior health fairs, and more recently, “Back to School” fairs, where they promote a diet for healthy eyes and provided safety tips and common eye conditions for children.

“When I came here, the Seeing Hand was kind of a quiet little non-profit you came to if you had somebody that was diagnosed with an eye problem. …. Our goal is — is to be the top of the mind if you have any questions about eye care, any questions about eye needs, anything pertaining to low vision or blindness we want people to be aware of us,” said Haught.

She they want to educate as many people as they possibly can and that is one of the reasons they don’t pass up on a speaking engagement in the community. She said it provides the agency a platform to educate the public and talk about the services the Seeing Hand provides.

In addition to its educational outreach, Haught said the agency continues to have employment and transportation opportunities for their clients and other visually impaired individuals in the local community. She said providing transportation is very new to the program, as they keep a van on site and they have the availability to pick someone up in approximately a 15-mile radius.

“In the last year we got that (van) though various grants and funding … so that is huge because we recently added an employee from Marshall County who wouldn’t have had a way to get to work, had we not got this grant,” said Haught. She said a van gives them the opportunity to provide the visually impaired transportation to a doctors appointment or similar need.

“If you came in here and you were blind or visually impaired, our goal is for you to lead as a fulfilling independent life as your sighted peer. Now, you’re not going to be able to drive, but other than that we want to help you obtain a high level of independence and confidence,” said Haught.

Thanks to the Hess Family Foundation, Haught said the Seeing Hand now has eye screening equipment which allows the agency to provide free eye pressure screening at different events around the valley. She said the screening could possibly help an individual determine early signs of glaucoma down the road. She said if they detect high eye pressure for an individual, they recommend they see a physician.  She said the eye screening is something the agency has implemented in just the past year.

Jack Yahnke of Wheeling, who is has been legally blind since 1994 and is in his 10th year of being the workshop supervisor at the agency, said he continues to search for ways to make it easier for their clients to make products. He said the wooden jigs set up and dots set up on second floor work bench helps the visually impaired make things. He said every employee who works on the second floor workshop are visually impaired or  blind.

“We are thankful to the community for bring their repairs to us,” said Yahnke.

In conjunction with clients from Russell Nesbitt, The Seeing Hand also began a motivational gardening program where the clients grow and tend to fresh produce in a garden on Wheeling Island. The produce is sold from noon to 4 p.m. every Thursday through the end of the growing season at The Seeing Hand office in North Wheeling.

“It’s been a wonderful project. … It gets our workers outside. They plant the seeds and they can follow it and they can take pride in watering and picking it,” said Haught.

Looking forward, Haught said one of the ongoing challenges at the center continues to be expanding employment opportunities for clients at the agency. She said she is currently checking into a program that may allow the agency to expand on those opportunities in the near future. She said anybody who is blind or visually impaired and is looking for an employment opportunity should contact her at the center at 304-232-4810.  Their regular business hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday-Friday.

“Where we sit, we’re sustainable, but I want it to grow and we all want it to grow and be here for many years to come, and that’s why we are always looking for opportunities,” Haught added.

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