Uni professor to teach blind in Mongolia
A Massey University professor will travel to Mongolia to teach blind people how to become more mobile.
Professor Steve La Grow, the head of Massey's School of Health and Social Services, will spend three weeks in Mongolia training six people in orientation mobility.
"You often find in situations where these skills haven't been taught before, people are very restricted. They simply can't get out and around by themselves," he said.
"In New Zealand we are used to seeing blind people out and about but in countries where these skills have not been taught, blind people can be stuck as they can't explore or interact with the world," he said.
"You see them sitting, or being dragged around by someone else. We try to break that cycle."
The World Blind Union is sponsoring the project, paid for by the Danish Association of the Blind, as there are no mobility specialists in Mongolia. Mr La Grow will travel there in August to work with the Mongolian National Federation of the Blind.
He said staff would learn how to teach blind people to use white canes and adaptive skills to orient themselves and safely move within communities and cities.
Mr La Grow, who has more than 30 years' experience in rehabilitation with blind people and those with low vision, spent three weeks in Indonesia in 2010 on a similar project. He expects major challenges with language barriers and facing the unknown in Mongolia.
"The big challenge to me will be the environment. I have no idea what the environment will be like – in Indonesia there were no controls."
Among the challenges in Indonesia were chaotic traffic and a lack of distinction between road and footpath. But Mr La Grow is excited to be part of a project shifting the focus in Mongolia from caring for blind people to teaching skills to develop their independence and confidence.
"It's fascinating to think you're going to step in and do something like that," he said.
- © Fairfax NZ News
Professor Steve La Grow, the head of Massey's School of Health and Social Services, will spend three weeks in Mongolia training six people in orientation mobility.
"You often find in situations where these skills haven't been taught before, people are very restricted. They simply can't get out and around by themselves," he said.
"In New Zealand we are used to seeing blind people out and about but in countries where these skills have not been taught, blind people can be stuck as they can't explore or interact with the world," he said.
"You see them sitting, or being dragged around by someone else. We try to break that cycle."
The World Blind Union is sponsoring the project, paid for by the Danish Association of the Blind, as there are no mobility specialists in Mongolia. Mr La Grow will travel there in August to work with the Mongolian National Federation of the Blind.
He said staff would learn how to teach blind people to use white canes and adaptive skills to orient themselves and safely move within communities and cities.
Mr La Grow, who has more than 30 years' experience in rehabilitation with blind people and those with low vision, spent three weeks in Indonesia in 2010 on a similar project. He expects major challenges with language barriers and facing the unknown in Mongolia.
"The big challenge to me will be the environment. I have no idea what the environment will be like – in Indonesia there were no controls."
Among the challenges in Indonesia were chaotic traffic and a lack of distinction between road and footpath. But Mr La Grow is excited to be part of a project shifting the focus in Mongolia from caring for blind people to teaching skills to develop their independence and confidence.
"It's fascinating to think you're going to step in and do something like that," he said.
- © Fairfax NZ News
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