Dominion Diamond Corporation & CNIB Northern Legacy Project Year 2 Report August 2014

Seeing beyond vision loss in NWT In 2012, Dominion Diamond Corporation generously agreed to fund four years of projects and services to help blind and partially sighted CNIB clients in the Northwest Territories live full and independent lives. All of the projects are community-based, address pressing needs in the north, involve a wide variety of local partners and – most importantly – many are designed to become self-sustaining beyond the four-year funding program. Projects include:

• Yellowknife square foot garden • Travel and community outreach • T’licho literacy project • Behchoko soapstone carving • Yellowknife office • Professional development

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In brief

CNIB is a registered charity, passionately providing community-based support, knowledge and a national voice to ensure Canadians who are blind or partially sighted have the confidence, skills and opportunities to fully participate in life. We continue to see a steady growth in clients in the Northwest Territories. Since the major causes of blindness in Canada are age-related, 70% of our clients are seniors. As the population ages, the need for CNIB services grows. In fact, the number of Canadians with significant vision loss is expected to double by 2032.

Client Statistics (as of March 31, 2014)

Age Group 0-18

19-59

60+

Total

2004-2005

8

54

73

135

2005-2006 9 54 84 147 2006-2007 8 57 83 148 2007-2008 8 55 86 149 2008-2009 8 58 94 160 2009-2010 10 67 104 181 2010-2011 13 72 138 223 2011-2012 14 71 139 224 2012-2013 14 68 157 239 2013-2014 12 78 161 251

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Yellowknife square foot garden In 2010, Norma Jarvis, regional manager at CNIB Northwest Territories, sent an unusual proposal to the city of Yellowknife. Her plan was to build a square foot garden – an exciting and innovative type of garden that could be adapted for clients living with limited vision and/or mobility. “In the beginning, many said gardening was off-topic for CNIB,” Norma recalls. “But people with vision loss can often feel isolated, and I wanted to offer clients an avenue for meaningful recreation. Square foot gardening makes a therapeutic and rewarding activity available to

anyone.” Norma also shares that an abundance of community support and generosity made an all-consuming project much less overwhelming. From cement and shed materials to pump trucks and valuable hours, a multitude of volunteers and donors made this accessible garden a reality – and Dominion Diamond’s continued support keeps the project thriving.

This year, 55-year-old Randy McBride (shown left) grew lettuce, onions, beans and peas in the CNIB garden for the third season in a row.

An avid outdoorsman, he values the chance to get active and make new friends. “The garden is about independence and the outdoors, and it’s also a great social experience,” he remarks.

Randy reached out to CNIB in 2007 after a stroke paralyzed the left side of his body and caused a hemianopia – loss of the left field of vision in both eyes. The garden impacted him so much that he’s building his own when he moves to Kelowna this year.

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CNIB’s mission is to help the blind and partially sighted live as independently as possible, and the square foot garden model is particularly conducive to that. With high contrast pathways, smooth concrete and circular navigation, people with vision loss navigate the garden with ease. This year, engineers from Dillon Consulting helped CNIB introduce four additional raised boxes. The beds, which are at the 12, 9, 6 and 3 o’clock positions, are accessible by wheelchair or walker. In past seasons, gardeners depended on a hose, but watering cans and wagons made the square foot garden even more user-friendly this year. Volunteers continue to assist with watering and general maintenance, and it’s because of this collaboration with dedicated clients that the garden produced its biggest bounty to date. This year, the ergonomic benches were fixed in place, and a flag pole featuring the CNIB flag was installed in the center planter. The flag pole will act as a sundial in the summertime. The garden also provided creative summer opportunities for community engagement (it was the site of four different art and music presentations). Word about the garden is spreading like pollen – with more and more people taking interest each year. Clients say gardening increases their self-esteem and provides a sense of fulfillment. 65-year-old Bryon Best says, “CNIB staff should be commended. This gets people doing something creative and productive, and also generates good community spirit. I sure hope the gardens catch on, because any community could benefit from something so good.” As garden volunteer Jenny Tucker puts it, “People living with vision loss and other limitations are used to receiving care, and this is their chance to give care. That has such a positive effect.”

CNIB client Terry waters his garden plot

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Travel & community outreach Despite the vast distances and challenging conditions involved with travelling to remote communities in the north, it’s essential for people with vision loss to receive the support and skills they need to fully participate in life – and serving clients in those remote communities is what regional manager Norma Jarvis is most committed to. Among many other titles, Norma is a certified Low Vision Specialist who travels to provide direct service and to coordinate service through community health professionals (eg: Nurses in Charge, the Eye Team). In this funding year, Norma traveled to Inuvik, Aklavik, Hay River, Fort Simpson, Fort Smith, Fort Resolution and Behchoko.

September 2013

Janice Gurlitz, an Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Specialist from CNIB Edmonton, accompanied Norma to

Hay River, Fort Simpson, Fort Smith and Fort Resolution where they provided information and assistance in terms of daily living skills, orientation and mobility, and low vision assessment. The two travelled with talking watches, a number of magnifiers, and liquid level measurers to aid in instruction.

Janice and Norma returned to Hay River in February 2014 to follow-up on September’s O&M, ILS and Low Vision training/services. Travel costs were supported by funding through Dominion Diamond.

CNIB professional display in Hay River

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January 2014

Norma presented a workshop on understanding low vision and how to work with patients who are blind or partially sighted to students in the Personal Support Worker Program at Aurora College in Inuvik.

April 2014

Norma attended the Aklavik health and career fair (shown below), sponsored by the Beauford Delta Health and Social Services Authority. She presented a table on behalf of CNIB and also provided service to clients in Inuvik.

Norma continues to travel to Behchoko regularly, while braille specialist Myrna Thode continues to teach basic braille and provide Independent Living Skills (ILS) service to a number of clients.

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Overall, Dominion Diamond helped CNIB serve 87 clients in communities outside of Yellowknife.

Community Service Hours # of Clients Served

Aklavik 0.16667 2

Behchoko 58.0833 11

Fort Good Hope 3.16667 3

Fort McPherson 154.617 7

Fort Providence 5.91667 2

Fort Resolution 5.33333 3

Fort Simpson 16.6667 10

Fort Smith 14.0833 12

Hay River 77.9167 18

Inuvik 9.88333 13

Tsiigehtchic 1.38333 2

Tuktoyaktuk 1.83333 2

Wekweti 1 1

Wrigley 3 1

Yellowknife 192.133 38

Grand Total 542 125

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Behchoko soapstone carving It may seem unusual to find CNIB organizing soapstone carving workshops in a remote village in the north, but our commitment to providing community-based programs and services tailored to local needs can lead us to surprising places.

In the T’licho region, up to one-quarter of residents are affected by Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (BBS). BBS causes either partial or complete blindness, developmental delays, speech delays, learning difficulties and other systemic issues. Due to its remote location, Behchoko has limited opportunities for employment, and doesn’t have rehabilitation programs available to help residents with BBS make the most of their remaining vision. BBS also carries a stigma in the local community and, because the condition often involves cognitive impairment, the combination of situational and emotional factors leaves many feeling demoralized. Norma Jarvis implemented soapstone carving to provide hope, purpose, socialization, and the chance for local CNIB clients to develop new skills and independence.

The workshops were a hit – Norma received excellent feedback in the first funding year. This year, she continues her search for a coordinator who can help clients participate in soapstone carving in the future.

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T’licho literacy project

Residents of remote, rural areas in the north can have trouble accessing services that are more readily available in urban areas. No matter the location, CNIB strives to provide programs and services for blind and partially sighted residents – including access to the CNIB Library.

In 2010, support from Dominion Diamond enabled CNIB to conduct a survey of North Slave residents to determine what blind and partially sighted people in the area would like to “read” in CNIB’s newly accessible digital formats. The most sought-after titles were the New Testament and traditional stories. By making these texts available on CD in the T’licho language, CNIB endeavored to support culture and spirituality among people with vision loss in the region. Each CD reads, “Proudly sponsored by BHP Billiton.” This year, CNIB hosted a successful book launch in Behchoko and Yellowknife. Clients were shown how to use the DAISY Book Reader (shown above) – a device that allows people with vision loss to navigate books with ease.

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Professional development For regional manager Norma, keeping her professional skills and certification as an ophthalmological technician (COT) ensures that she’s informed about the latest treatments and research around vision loss and prevention.

”Courses and workshops not only certify me but also keep me up-to-date, so clients can feel confident in my abilities,” Norma says. “Part of my job is explaining functional vision – I want to be able to describe things in easily understandable terms to provide clients with the best service possible.”

This year, Norma travelled to New Orleans, as she is required to recertify every three years and can’t always earn the credits in Canada. Thanks to funding from Dominion Diamond, she was able to take part in the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology’s annual national program, known as the JCAHPO Annual Continuing Education (ACE) Program.

This premiere event in eye education afforded her access to these and several other courses:

• Overview of Low Vision Devices • Corneal Procedures for Today and Tomorrow • Lucentis, Avastin, and Aylea: A New Era in Treatment • Identifying and Assisting the Patient with Low Vision • The Future of Age-related Macular Degeneration

The ACE Program is held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, so in addition to attending courses and earning credits Norma had an opportunity to meet and network with other ophthalmic professionals – like Dr. Gregg Pusateri, an optometrist who spoke at a workshop on technology for low vision. He proved to be an invaluable contact down the road.

iPad Training

Dr. Pusateri is a legally blind, self-taught technology expert. In March, he flew from Chicago to Yellowknife to instruct at CNIB’s three-day iPad training workshop.

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Dominion Diamond approved funding to purchase ten iPads. The five clients who participated in iPad training will each receive their own device, while the other five tablets will be used for training in Inuvik and Hay River this fall.

”I’ve never used iPads or even a laptop before. I didn’t even know how to turn the iPad on! I’m just a beginner, so the courses were very interesting and useful,” shares client Moreno Ladovici. ”I’m 100 per cent blind, so it’ll take practice before I’m comfortable with technology. I look forward to receiving my own iPad so I can practice more!”

Dr. Pusateri explains that for people living with vision loss, iPads and iPhones are the Swiss Army knife of low vision devices. ”They’re tools, not toys, and they opened up my world in a way that I hadn’t anticipated,” he says. From identifying currency to reading books, navigating streets, identifying colours and more, the VoiceOver option and other features make this technology the closest thing possible to a set of working eyes.

“There were a lot of apps and websites I wasn’t aware of. Now, I invert colours quite a bit depending on the application, and I often use the

flashlight feature,” says client Peter Biggar. “Everyone’s limitation is different so I think people gain a lot from training sessions like this. When you’re blind, every tool you can access is a definite advantage.”

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Yellowknife office

Learning to cope with losing some or all of one’s vision is never easy, but learning to cope with blindness or partial sight in remote northern communities presents unique challenges – ones that are often compounded by other barriers such as language, literacy, culture and access to technology and training. Maintaining a Yellowknife office helps CNIB better understand northern conditions and culture, connect with local partners and provide direct service in a way that wouldn’t be possible from our other divisional offices in Alberta. Dominion Diamond’s support plays an integral role in maintaining this local presence.

This year, the CNIB office in Yellowknife was equipped with a printer/scanner/photocopier/fax machine combination. Before this addition, the staff was unable to scan or photocopy legal-sized documents, and the already rather small office felt even more cramped with a separate fax machine taking up space. Not only is there more office space available, but there has been a drastic change in terms of efficiency.

Two computers were also updated. Braille specialist Myrna Thode was using a computer that was running on Windows XP – a platform that’s no longer supported by Microsoft. This year, the Northwest Territories office invested in a laptop, which not only has up-to-date software, but has made it easier for Myrna to complete client reports and other work when she travels.

Previously, Norma Jarvis was using her office computer to serve clients visiting CNIB. Thanks to funding from Dominion Diamond, the office has a new computer with a 24 inch screen. A larger screen and the ability to load JAWS and ZoomText are much more user-friendly, making it simpler for Norma to use technology for training and teaching purposes.

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Grant account

Dominion Diamond

Corporation (formerly BHP) Year 2

(2013/2014) - $63,500

Grant Amount

Y2

Balance Carried Forward

(From Y1)

Expenses Y2

Project Funding

Adjustment

Funds Remaining

Square Foot Garden Yellowknife

6,000

0

-9,379

3,379

0

T’licho Literacy Project 0 0 0

Behchoko Soapstone Carving

0 3,513 3,513

Outreach to Remote Communities

a) Caregiver manuals 0 5,000 -196 5,000 9,804

b) CNIB staff travel 40,000 1,377 -22,207 -8,752 10,419

Yellowknife Office Support, Professional

a) Cost of maintaining YK office

15,000 4,497 -19,497 0

b) Professional development

2,500 0 -2,873 373 0

63,500 14,388 -54,152 0 23,735

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