ORIENTATION AND MOBILITY TRAINING
There is a huge need for orientation and mobility training for every blind person, including those who are newly blind. It takes on average two and a half months of daily interaction to teach these skills.
Blind SA offers two kinds of orientation and mobility training; Every day Living and Independence.
Everyday Living
Everyday Living is a free rehabilitation training that teaches people who are blind and visually impaired how to get around on their own. It focuses on the basic skills of daily living and how to effectively carry out tasks like identifying money and clothing, ironing safely, cooking, pouring drinks and general housekeeping.
Independence
This training is vital to ensure that those with little or no vision gain confidence and self-sufficiency. Our instructors assist with teaching people new skills and safety measures – even how to move about and commute on their own – in order to live successfully in society.
Assistive Devices
Blind SA is proud to have recently launched Mali-Bhala – a money counter and signature guide – in association with the Disability Rights Awareness Month. This locally created device comes in two standard sizes that are designed to fit either in a person’s wallet or pocket.
It is used as an indicator to differentiate between the five South African ‘Mandela’ bank notes and
as a signature guide. It will give thousands of blind and partially sighted individuals the independence of signing documents and counting money.
The cost for a single Mali-Bhala is R20 or R35 for a double pack that includes both the pocket and wallet size devices. Blind SA strives to make assistive devices like this one more accessible and affordable to the blind community. For more information or enquiries on this device, please contact 011 839 1793. Blind SA launches another inexpensive but very handy tool for daily living
