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Event offers support, hope for those living with vision loss
A recent study conducted by the Canadian Council for the Blind found that loss of vision is the disability that Canadians fear the most and more than 25 percent of Canadians have a friend or family member with significant vision loss.
The Centre for Sight Enhancement at the University of Waterloo wants people to know that vision loss doesn’t have to lead to loss of independence. On Saturday, September 21, the Centre will host Overcoming Vision Loss, a public education event for people with visual impairments and their caregivers. The goal of this free event is to not only help participants learn more about their eye condition but also to discover new ways to improve their quality of life and maximize their independence.
“Low vision takes a toll both physically and emotionally,” says Dr. Tammy Labreche, Director of the CSE, “But there are tools and strategies available that can help people continue to lead active and independent lives. We want to let people know that there’s hope after vision loss.”
Registration for the event opened Wednesday, August 21. The event will highlight the CSE’s services, including assessment, counselling and assistive devices, as well as the personal experiences of CSE patients. Experts from the University’s School of Optometry & Vision Science will give “Eye Talks” on common causes of vision loss, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and stroke. Visitors will learn about low vision rehabilitation and assistive technology that may help enhance their vision and improve their quality of life. They will also have opportunities to use low vision simulators and “explore” inside the eye in the School’s virtual reality lab.
Established in 1984, the Centre for Sight Enhancement is a clinical, teaching and research unit within the School of Optometry & Vision Science. In the Centre’s Low Vision Clinic, clinicians and staff work with patients to improve visual function through the effective use of assessment, training, counselling, and assistive devices. Learn more at
Overcoming Vision Loss takes place at the School of Optometry & Vision Science at 200 Columbia Street West in Waterloo and runs from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Reconciliation Book Club to start this September
The University of Waterloo's new program in Gender and Social Justice is partnering with Words Worth Books to host a local monthly meet-up of Professor Pam Palmater's Reconciliation Book Club.
Each month, as part of her Reconciliation Book Club, Palmater, a Mi'kmaw lawyer, member of the Eel River Bar First Nation, and Ryerson professor, assigns a book and discusses it on her YouTube channel.
The local gathering will meet on the first Wednesday of each month from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Words Worth Books to discuss the latest book in the reading series. Words Worth, located at 96 King St. S., will stock the books Professor Palmater assigns.
At the group's inaugural meeting on September 4, the book up for discussion will be Karen Stote's An Act of Genocide: Colonialism and the Sterilization of Aboriginal Women. Professor Stote will join the group's discussion.
All are welcome, as the events are free and no RSVP is necessary.
For more information please contact Professor Shannon Dea by sending an email to sjdea@uwaterloo.ca.
IST publishes summer newsletter; other notes
The summer 2019 issue of the IST Newsletter is now available. Read about the O365 employee email investigation; the new AI chatbot; how residence rooms are allocated; our new IT video series; the important of strong passphrases; and more!
Associate University Secretary Mike Grivicic snapped this pic of a deer on the University's North Campus near Bearinger road while biking in to work Friday morning.
Just in time for the end of the summer season, the University Club has launched its new Autumn menu this week. Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Waterloo Sustainability will be hosting a BYOLunch & Learn on Friday, September 13 entitled "Transportation Updates on Campus" that will feature Kevan Marshall, Principal Planner, Transportation and Demand Management, from the Region of Waterloo to share information and updates on:
- ION launch and GRT service improvements;
- UW station features;
- Cycling updates, including the regional bikeshare program and infrastructure improvements; and
- TravelWise program and corporate transit passes.
The event will be held from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. in EIT-3142. Following the presentation, attendees are invited to walk to the ION platform by the Davis Centre (DC) for a demonstration. Feel free to bring your own lunch. Coffee and tea will be provided.