July 2020
The Hull Foundation’s
Low Vision Monthly News
www.hullparkfortheblind.org
Editor: Julie Wright
503-668-6195
Contents
Mission Statement, p. 2
Coping with Social Distancing, p. 3 – 6
Join us for our last 1,000 miles, p. 7- 8
Meet Friends during “Hull Foundation Presents… p. 9
This Month’s Book Suggestion, p. 10
Tip and Gadget of the Month, p. 11
Jokes to Keep Us Laughing, p. 12
Our Mission Statement:
The mission of the Oral Hull Foundation for the Blind is to provide programs, facilities and services including social, educational, and recreational activities for people who are blind and visually impaired.
“Keeping Hope & Dreams Alive!”
*If you would prefer to receive this newsletter by email, or to unsubscribe, please call the Hull Foundation at 503.668.6195 or send an email to: oralhull@gmail.com
Coping with Social Distancing
Hello Friends,
A question heard during a recent Zoom meeting seems to be a good place to start the newsletter this month. It goes like this…
“How are we going to appropriately acknowledge people now that we can’t have contact?” This is a topic we can always discuss further during our bi-monthly group meetings open to everyone who has either a phone or computer. See page 9.
For now, Sharon Elder, our Exec. Director found something important to share with our readers. The following seven tips include info from a press release from the Lighthouse Guild in New York that gave ideas on how to navigate this new world of social distancing as someone with low vision or blindness.
| Thanks for reading! |
1. Speak Up if you think someone is approaching you. They may not know you are near. You can use verbal cues such as “Please let me know when I can move up in the line.” “My dog is not trained for social distancing, so please direct me, and I’ll direct him,” or “My apologies for coming so close, it’s very difficult to tell how far apart to be, so if you can move farther away, that would be great.”
2. Shop Safely: Remember, there are delivery services available. [Even TriMet Lift has been delivering groceries to those living in the TriMet area.] Remember 6 feet is about 2 grocery cart lengths. You can ask store employees to tell you where you should stand at the check-out counter. You can encourage businesses to make their COVID-19 signs with large print and high contrast.
3. Embrace Technology: Smartphone apps like “Aira” and “Be My Eyes” plus phone cameras for magnification can all help you maintain social distancing and navigate public areas. Be sure to stay active and keep your health up!
4. Use Your White Cane! Using the cane for identification increases the awareness of others that you are blind or have low vision. It may help you avoid confrontations and provide an icebreaker for gaining assistance.
5. Adjust Your Mask: Put your mask on and adjust it before you leave home. If you wear glasses, try to make sure the mask doesn’t fog up your glasses before you leave home. It is important to not touch your mask when you are out.
6. Stay Connected and Active: You don’t need to be isolated. You can reconnect with old friends via phone or online platform meetings like Zoom. There are online support groups like “The Hull Foundation Presents…” on the first and third Wednesday. Call the Hull Foundation Office for more information: 503-668-6195.
7. Consider learning a new hobby or skill and complete projects around the house.
If you want to learn more about the Lighthouse Guild in New York or access their latest Covid-19 information, you can search their website at www.lighthouseguild.org
Continue reading this newsletter for more about what the Hull Foundation can offer you for staying active.
Join us for our last 1,000 miles!
We only have 1,000 miles left until our virtual walking group reaches Cape Cod! Join us for the exercise group that we started in May. Our goal? To walk from Lincoln City, OR to Cape Cod, MA. Every day, we tally up everyone’s miles and we send out a note to tell you where we are on our journey. So far, we have made it 2,692 miles and we are traveling amongst the Great Lakes. Help us cross our finish line by sending us your miles, too!
How to Give us Miles: Any kind of exercise or hobby time works! 20 minutes of activity equals 1 mile. Just call the office between 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm and leave a message with the amount of time you clocked or the miles you walked. We do the rest.
Our group has grown to 19 and we want you to join too! So far, we have ridden ostriches, whitewater rafted, visited wineries, backpacked through the Nez Perce Clearwater National Forrest, ridden by horseback through parts of Montana, crossed Yellowstone, became friends with a T-Rex dinosaur skeleton, canoed on the Platte River, and even crossed the Mississippi River riding alligators. We made it to friends in Bozeman, Montana, Omaha, Nebraska and Okoboji, Iowa. Be part of our fun and celebrate with us as we cross the finish line in July!
Hope to see you on the trail! …And face-to-face in September! If things work out, we hope to hold our Arts and Hobbies seminar and an Adventure Retreat in September as well as an Introduction to Living with Vision Loss Seminar October 6-8. Call us if you want to come!
Office Phone Number: 503-668-6195.
Meet Friends during our online and over-the-phone “Hull Foundation Presents….”
First Wednesday
When: Wed., July 1 and Aug. 5
Where: Zoom Meeting ID: 991 2762 5481#
Phone Number: (253) 215-8782 US (Tacoma)
Or (669)900-6833 (San Jose)
Time: 1:00 p.m.
July Topic: Technology Talks with Randy Paden
Third Wedensday
When: Wed., July 15 and Aug.
Where: Zoom Meeting ID: 931 9058 2632#
Phone Number: (253) 215-8782 US (Tacoma)
Or (669)900-6833 (San Jose)
Time: 10:00 a.m.
July Topic: Book Suggestions & Good Reads
If you have a topic you would like to present, let us know!
This Month’s Book suggestion
The following book title starts with a DBC number. This is a catalog number given when using the free Talking Book service through the National Library Service. Don’t have Talking Books yet or need to sign up for BARD, their online book library? Call them at 1-888-657-7323
This book was provided by one of our readers. Did you have a great read? Share it with us and we’ll put it in the newsletter.
· DBC 91075 “The Best Cook in the World: Tales and Recipes from my Momma’s Table” by Bragg, Rick. A food memoir and tribute to the author’s mother, Margaret, who never owned a cookbook, but was an amazing cook. Includes family generational stories that pre-date the Civil War. Some strong language.
Tip and Gadget of the Month – Dental Floss!
How to thread a needle without sight. The following is one way to help thread a needle.
Use looped dental floss as a threader. Take the looped tail end of the dental floss in one hand. Place a finger of the other hand behind the eye of needle.
Push the looped end of the dental floss through the eye and feel the loop coming through. Place your thread in the looped end and pull the loop back out of the eye of the needle. Look in the dental aisle at the drugstore for dental floss with a loop that will make threading needles a cinch!
Jokes to Keep Us Laughing!
- Did King George like the colonists?
No, he thought they were revolting!
- Knock! Knock!
Who’s There?
Tarzan.
Tarzan who?
Tarzan Stripes Forever!
- Someone said they don’t have the 4th of July in other countries. That would be odd to skip from the third to the fifth, don’t you think?
- What did the colonists wear during the Boston Tea Party?
Tea-Shirts!
- A battery and a firework were arrested. They charged one and let the other off.
| Thanks for Reading! |
Happy July 4th! May we all enjoy equal rights to our freedom.