Members of Lions Club International are known for their work with the visually impaired, and members of the Sunbury Lions Club adhere to that same mission locally.
Recently, Sunbury Lions Glenn and Donna Evans dropped by Hylen Souders Elementary School to deliver a new iPad Air to fourth-grader Amber Carver, a visually impaired student.
Amber is diagnosed with achromatopsia, a non-progressive and hereditary disorder that is characterized by decreased vision, light sensitivity and the absence of color vision; and congenital nystagmus, which is called shaking eyes. Both conditions have been present since birth.
Amber is legally blind and is currently learning to read and write Braille.
Tammy Wahl, teacher for visually impaired with the Educational Service Center of Central Ohio, contacted the Sunbury Lions Club about Amber’s need for an iPad.
“The Pad is a great tool for the visually impaired,” Wahl said. “In this student’s case, there is certainly an educational need for one. Information on the screen can be enlarged with just a swipe. The accessibility options for the Pad are easy to use, which can enlarge text, reverse colors, make bold text and read the screen with Voice Over.”
Wahl said there are also several free iPad magnification applications that can be downloaded. With these, the iPad camera is pointed at a document, and the document is enlarged. Amber could also benefit from the unit’s large calculator and clock applications. Her eyes also become very fatigued, and listening to books on the device helps in this regard.
Glenn said delivering the iPad to Amber was one of those occasions that touched him down deep.
“It was really a moving experience for Donna and I,” Glenn said. “I’m so glad to be a part of a group that’s able to reach out to students like this.”