Ashley Nemeth, Provincial Director for Canadian National Institute for the Blind Manitoba and Saskatchewan said they were in Morden this week to pilot their Mobile Hub, bringing their quality-of-life programming to the city.
"In Manitoba, we're doing the pilot here in Morden, and it's the only one that we're doing right now. We looked at the province and wherever we had pockets of clients, and so there's around 175 clients between Morden and Winkler, which is a significant population. So, we decided that this was a great place to start because of the significant population of individuals who are blind or partially sighted."
The Mobile Hub was stationed in the Morden South Central Regional Library Tuesday and Wednesday. Nemeth described what kinds of activities were taking place in the meeting room.
"We've run a peer support group and we've talked a lot about advocacy and what that looks like and how people can get involved. We've also talked about our 'Come to Work Program', and how CNIB can support individuals to become employed, but also how CNIB works with employers to become more accessible and to hire individuals who are blind or partially sighted. Right now, they're talking about adjusting to vision loss and what that looks like. Vision loss is very much a grief journey for a lot of people, and there's a lot to learn and understanding, really overwhelming. So, helping people through that journey."
Overcoming barriers is part of the work, CNIB is working towards identifying and supporting communities to reduce them for blind and partially sighted people living in rural communities.
Nemeth said stigma is still a very big barrier for people with vision loss, noting some people think they can't work, live independently or even parent. She said this is frustrating for those who are trying to overcome this stigma that exists.
She identified another barrier.
"I would say the biggest barrier for people in rural communities especially in places like Morden, is transportation and a lack of accessible transportation for people to be able to be part of their community in the ways they want. There's also a barrier for people in connecting with individuals who are also going through the same thing. That's really what these hubs are trying to do, is to connect people not only with CNIB and our programs and services, but also with other people in the community."
Nemeth explained how to best support blind or partially sighted people living in your community.
"I think the biggest way is, if you see someone who has sight loss out in your community and you feel like they might need help, is just ask if they need help. And also, look at things that you're involved in within your community, whether that's your job or volunteer opportunities. Are they accessible and inclusive for people? Are we making the effort to really include everyone in our community and make sure that they have the ability to participate in their community like everyone else?"
The CNIB Mobile Hub Program will be returning in Spring for the second part of their pilot.