Presentation about services provided by Pudulogong

1. Presentation about services provided by Pudulogong “Prevention of blindness vision 2020 workshop for Ophthalmic Professionals ” Maharaja By; Mr Titus Kebuileng Orientation & Mobility Instructor

2. Pudulogong Rehabilitation and Development Trust for the Blind • HISTORICAL BACKGROUND • Pudulogong Rehabilitation and Development is a charitable non-profit making organization, which came into being in 1982 as an initiative of the Dutch Reformed Church in Botswana. It is located in Phaphane ward in Mochudi in the Kgatleng District. • Pudulogong was established as a result of the Visually Impaired People in the country who had no where to go due to lack of suitable skills for employment. It is the first of its kind in the country, as the educational system did not have provisions for the Disabled Persons. By then, the Centre was offering basic handicraft skills.

3. Pudulogong • Vision • Our vision is to be a world-class provider of quality, accessible and equitable training of the Visually Impaired People.

4. Pudulogong • Mission • To provide quality training to Visually Impaired People and to create opportunities for life long learning to enable people to attain their full potential and contribute to national socio-economic and technological advancement. • This will be achieved through efficient and effective management, development and implementation of relevant and responsive training policies and the provision of an enabling learning environment.

5. Pudulogong • TRAINING PROGRAMME • The Centre has two major Training Programmes: - Independence Training - Vocational Training - (Pudulogong is BOTA accredited and is examined by MTTC, Pitmans & IBS)

6. Pudulogong • Independence Training • Braille • Orientation and Mobility • Activities of Daily Living • Social Work Services • Recreational activities • This training enables an individual to become confident and not depend on other people for mobility and daily routine activities.

7. Pudulogong • Vocational Training • Secretarial Studies • Business Studies • Agriculture • Music • HIV & AIDS Education

8. Orientation and Mobility (O&M) • What is orientation? Orientation can be defined as the ability to use ones remaining senses to understand ones location in the environment at any given time (Jacobson, 1993 p.3). It is the process of using the senses to establish one’s position and relationship to all other significant objects in the environment.

9. O&M Cont…. • Mobility is the capacity or facility of movement. • O&M may be defined, then, as the teaching of the concepts, skills, and techniques necessary for a person with visual impairment to travel safely, efficiently, and gracefully through any environment and under all environmental conditions and situations.

10. O&M Cont…. • O&M Instructors are individuals who are formally trained/ educated to help persons with visual impairments attain their O&M goals. • Other professionals who reinforce certain basic skills include: teachers, rehabilitation officers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, the nurse and the low vision specialists or an optometrist or an ophthalmologist.

11. Challenges • Lack of equipments • Shortage of Brailed material and learning aids • Lack of skilled manpower • Shortage of training facilities • Resident nurse & clinic • Unsatisfactory employment of our trainees.

12. How can I help? • Try not to take perfect eyesight for granted, especially where other people are concerned. Above all, think twice when you come across behavior that at first may seem out of the ordinary.

13. Common reactions to avoid; • At a party – “He’s just tapped cigarette ash into a bowl of peanuts – Drunk!” • At the library – “He’s holding that book right up to his eyes – Backward!’ • At the supermarket – “She’s standing suspiciously close to those shelves – Shoplifting!’ • At a bus stop – ‘He’s had to ask the number on that bus – Illiterate!’ • ! In fact, all may be visually disabled.

14. Thank you!!! The End!