Visually Impaired Modellers

[Geoff Endacott]

Does anyone have any experience of helping modellers with visual impairments?

 

One of our members is in hospital and, following a less than successful eye operation, is likely to be left with very limited vision. What can we do to help?

 

I would welcome any suggestions from clubs or individuals with experience of this issue because there are a lot of us who want to know what we can do to help, but don't really know where to start.

 

Thanks.

 

Geoff Endacott

[Nearholmer]

Adding a note simply so that this pops-up in my "contributed to" filter. 

 

I experienced a torn retina a couple of weeks ago, and although it was laser-stitched within six hours (All Praise to the NHS), I'm experiencing quite markedly compromised sight in that eye currently. Should clear-up over "a period of months" if the lasering works as intended and the retina doesn't get torn further, but any ideas in the mean time would be gratefully received.

 

Is your friend affected in only one eye, or both? And, have you tried RNIB HQ - I used to know someone who worked there, and they will go the extra mile to help.

[BMacdermott]

Hello Geoff

 

My mother-in-law has very low vision and has had some help from charity Bucks Vision. I googled 'Wilsthire Vision' on the off-chance and came up with the link below. It might help but I have no idea from where I stand. I'm sure you will be able to make appropriate enquiries.

 

Brian

 

https://www.wiltshiresight.org

[HonestTom]

Your local hospital's low vision team should be able to assist, although to be honest I suspect it might be best to hold off until he knows how badly his vision is affected and how much assistance he needs. I work in a hospital ophthalmology department, and our low vision guys can point people in the direction of equipment, lifestyle advice etc. It may be a case where only fairly minimal adaptation is needed. As a general thing, a variety of magnifiers are available, which a lot of people find helpful. You can get different ones for different situations, e.g. head-mounted, table mounted etc, whatever suits your colleague.

 

Kudos to you and your club for seeking assistance, though. We've had some instances where hobbyists (not railway modellers, I'm glad to say) have been less than willing to accommodate.

Edited October 17, 2019 by HonestTom

[phil_sutters]

Martin Murdoch is a neighbour of ours. He is totally blind. He has a large garden railway and an N gauge layout. He has an extensive website, which he accesses via a text - speech converter. This is the link to the garden railway part of the site. If you go to the bottom of the menu you can make a link to his main site and contact details. He is a very friendly guy and quite a good networker, so he may have contacts with other visually impaired modellers.

He is currently working on a railway sounds programme, mainly for authentic background soundscapes, I think.

http://www.theblatchingtonbranch.com/

I haven't spoken to Martin about this enquiry, but knowing how helpful he is, I feel sure you would get a supportive response. He runs three or four garden railway open days each year for different charities.

 

Best wishes in your search for help and advice and to your friend with the sight loss.

 

Phil

Edited October 17, 2019 by phil_sutters
Missed word

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

Saw this very problem with a member of my wife's immediate family. His hobby was an interwar car maker, driving, exhibiting, (endlessly) repairing and researching. He can at least still read with good lighting and a magnifier, and this combined with an encyclopaedic memory and a daughter specialising in information management willing to assist, meant he could continue to fully participate in one aspect of his interest. I feel he set a great example in simply getting on with what was still possible. (We tried a Concours competition for which the car was already largely prepared, and he got a good (my opinion) or very disappointing (his opinion) score - because it was his entry and no assistance - so that was knocked on the head, and the car sold.)

[Geoff Endacott]

Thanks for the advice so far.

 

He lost most of the sight in one eye some time ago, due to a torn retina, multiple surgeries for which were unsuccessful.

 

He now has a torn retina in the other eye and is recovering from a second operation on that. He can see the screen of his smartphone, but can't read any of the writing.

 

Things may improve and we are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.

 

He has been told not to do any more soldering!

 

The RNIB are involved. What we really need is advice about modelling specific adaptations to help someone who can see light and shade, vague shapes, but not much else.

 

The club is determined to welcome him back whatever we have to do to accommodate his needs.

 

Geoff Endacott

[Nearholmer]

I've racked my brains about this, and tried half an hour with my good eye covered, to get a feel for working with one not-so-good eye, and it isn't easy to come up with good ideas. And, my dodgy eye is probably worlds better than your friend's will be.

 

Anything that requires accurate distance-perception is a real trial with one eye, however good the other one is, and other less expected issues occur - surface reflections become harder to deal with, and areas in shadow, because somehow two eyes extract a lot more useable data for the brain in these circumstances. His bad eye might well have complete blind spots/zones, plus a fog of tiny dots, and dark splodges.

 

I would suggest that you might think about:

 

- the need for bright, but very diffuse lighting;

 

- tasks where the work is at a fairly large scale and the odd mistake isn't going to ruin the whole job ...... primer painting baseboards or back scenes, plaster-bandage scenic forming (which relies as much on touch as sight anyway), that sort of thing;

 

- track ballasting, which might sound odd, but I think might be do-able by feel;

 

- if you exhibit a layout, the role that involves explaining the exhibit to visitors;

 

- a large-scale layout/diorama. Small prototypes in G scale are actually quite small-layout friendly, the LGB Feldbahn items particularly so, and I think it might be possible to go a long way towards creating a small LGB layout with no sight at all.

 

I will keep thinking.

 

 

[BoD]

Making sure that he gets to club nights and is socialising with like minded people may be a good starting point.

Any practical activities that follow on from that will be a bonus.

 

[Nearholmer]

Is he a renowned expert on any aspect of the hobby?

 

Inviting him to give lectures/presentations on his special subject could be a great morale booster.