The incidence of visual impairment in adults stands at seven out of ten people. Visual impairment can be caused by many factors. Some are born blind while others could experience slow degeneration of their vision with age. Because of the many limitations of visually impaired citizens, organizations caring for the Blind continue to strive harder in order to give them the support that they require and comfort in the day to day challenges that they face.
Postman Petros Majola
According to certain reports, a small town in South Africa, Mpumalanga, became the target of Tape Aids for the Blind for projects that would help visually impaired people in the area. The town garnered more attention when one of their own, a postman, showed determination in helping an old lady who was suffering from blindness to get her parcel. Petros Majola, the only Postman assigned in Mpumalanga walked 10 kilometers over the mountains just to deliver audio-books to Mrs. Makkie McDonald, an 89 year-old lady who is visually impaired.
Interviews reveal that Majola decided to walk the distance and deliver the parcel to Mrs. McDonald without hesitation because he knew that the old lady was anxiously waiting for her books. Majola’s generosity inspired the old lady’s daughter, Anita de Beer, to volunteer at Tape Aids for the Blind’s service center in the locality.
An inspiration
Recognizing Majola’s dedication and service, he was given an award last May 6, 2013 in the retirement facility of the organization. Mrs. McDonald’s birthday was also celebrated at the same time and event. Heading the celebration and recognition ceremony is Aileen Mickleburg of Tape Aids for the Blind. She reiterated that the organization has a huge collection of materials that will benefit blind persons who are also of limited resources.
Caring for the blind
Tape Aids to the Blind is a non-profit organization that relies only on donations and contributions from people and organizations that are more than willing to share what they have. This organization is also dependent on those who share their vision and determination to help blind people. Their materials are also delivered free of charge in coordination with the SA Post Office. Records have shown that more than 11 million items from Tape Aids had been delivered by the local Post Office without even charging a single penny.
Making up with for loss of sight
Research has discovered that visually impaired people have better memory than those who could actually perceive things with their eyes. The University of Bath has discovered that people without any visual capability since birth posses superior memory and verbal skills.
According to Dr. Michael Proulx, the one who headed the research in the University of Bath regarding memory superiority of the blind, visual experience could even have a negative impact in terms of memory and cognitive reliability. It was also found that those lacking in visual experiences such as people who are blind from birth can store more memory with a high probability of full and proper retrieval of detail.
Photo Credit: Tape Aids for the Blind
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