NCBI News
Incorporating The Blind Citizen (1923)
Volume 19 No. 2. Summer, 2016.
Cover Headline:
A Lyon in all Seasons for NCBI
Main Picture:
This main picture shows Frank Lyon up close standing on the veranda of the Royal Dublin Golf Club overlooking the 18th hole with the Bull island in the background.
The Photo Caption reads:Frank Lyon, overlooking the 18th Hole at the Royal Dublin Golf Club. Frank organises his club’s contribution to NCBI’s famous HolmPatrick Cup — the final of which will be played at Royal St. Andrews from October 10th to 12th.
In this Issue:
This is our usual lateral bottom-of-the-page taster pictures for articles in this edition.
The first picture on the left of the page shows a group of blind and vision impaired children, service users of NCBI Midlands region in the kitchen of the Neven Maguire Cookery School at Blacklion, Co. Cavan.
The photo captions reads:
NCBI Midlands children cook with Neven Maguire. See the story on pages 6-7.
The second picture in the middle of the page shows four men in Green Golfing blazers. You can read this story on pages 14-15.
The photo caption reads:
Irish golfers win blind US Open Championship in Arizona.
The third picture on the right of the page shows four people, holding a very large cheque. From left, a man in brown jacket, a woman wearing a white top, a boy wearing spectacles and a man, with and NCBI poster and vision aids in the background.
The photo caption reads: Friel family raise €6,150 for NCBI North West!
You can read this story on page 24.
At the bottom of the page is a request to readers to — Follow us on: Facebook, twitter and YouTube and the logos of these social media platforms. On bottom right of this cover we carry the NCBi Logo.
End of page.
Page 2
Page Header:
Sight Lines
Down the left hand column of three on this page we carry our contents and the NCBI News Imprint patter.
IN THIS ISSUE:
Page 5:
Leave a legacy to NCBI!
Pages 6-7:
Independent living skills in Neven Maguire’s Cookery School!
Pages 8-9:
Personal Profile: The Selfless Art of Volunteering with NCBI.
Pages 10-11:
Welcome to White Cane Theatre of Sound.
Pages 12-13:
To Be Frank, It’s All About Golf When It Comes to the HolmPatrick Cup!
Page 14-15:
Spring into summer with Vision Sports Ireland.
Pages 18-24:
NCBI Fundraising and a round-up of all our sporting, social and fundraising activities.
Publisher: NCBI
NCBI NEWS (Incorporating The Blind Citizen 1923) is published four times a year by: NCBI,
Whitworth Road, Drumcondra,
Dublin 9.
Tel: 01 830 7033 Fax: 01 8307 787
email:
website:
Editor: Frank Callery,
Mobile: 087 6724097
email:
Printed by: PB Print Solutions
Tel: 353 86 2511640.
NCBI is a registered Charity,
registered in Ireland No. 26293
Charity No. CHY 4626
SIGHTLINES
Headline:
Message from Chris White CEO at NCBI
The first few months of 2016 have been both challenging and rewarding for NCBI. We have been heavily involved in looking at what services we provide and what services we should provide.
Our 85th anniversary is an opportunity to reflect on what we do. To that end we have established a 2020 Committee to look at these issues. In particular what NCBI should be delivering to our service users in four years time.
If our readers have any views on this at all, please drop me an email
I look forward to hearing from you. — Ends.
Headline:
United Nations Convention on the Rights
of People with Disabilities
The latest EBU analytical report on article 20 of the Convention: ‘Personal Mobility Rights of Blind and Partially Sighted People in Europe: An Analysis of 15 countries’ is now available in .doc and .pdf formats.
The EBU online UNCRPD legislative database, aims to help ensure an effective implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. To provide up-to-date information on specific legislation relevant to blind and partially sighted people in Europe and to enable EBU member organisations to record the extent to which their country’s legislation provides the rights contained in the Convention.
The database builds upon a set of statements developed by the EBU Rights Commission. The statements define the needs and characteristics of blind and vision impaired people in relation to the relevant UN Convention articles. 15 draft statements have been prepared and fed into the database.
EBU members will be invited to update the database as the process of implementation progresses in their country. As the database develops, it will provide a reference source for monitoring and for comparison. This will be of value to EBU and other agencies who wish to monitor the implementation of the Convention.
You can read the documents at: or visit the European Disability Forum for alternative views. Ends.
End of page.
Page 3.
Carries an NCBI page cut-out request form to readers to make a regular gift. The direct debit or bank deposit form is carried on the reverse of this on page 4.
Page 5.
Page Header:
NCBI News
Headline:
Mullingar Access Day February 1st. 2016
Thank you to everyone who took part in a recent accessibility day in Mullingar, with the Irish Wheelchair Association.
We were delighted to have four county councillors along on the day to experience first-hand the issues faced by people with physical and sensory disabilities.
Special thanks to Councillor Peter Burke, who used a long cane under blindfold, and to volunteer Eamonn Casey, who was able to share his own experiences of navigating the town with a long cane.
This article carried one photo. It shows five people , two with long canes and all wearing hi-vis vests.
The photo caption reads: Pictured at the Mullingar Access Day, Left to Right: Dereck Carolan, Eamonn Casey (service user), Annette Dowling (NCBI regional manager) Aileen Ahern (NCBI Community Resource Worker) and Councillor Peter Burke. — Ends.
Headline:
Leave a Legacy to NCBI
Will you consider leaving us a gift in your will?
When writing a will some people feel that gifts to charity must be very large — this is not the case, we are grateful for gifts both large and small. At the NCBI we must raise approximately, four million euro per year. So every little helps!
At NCBI Working for People with Sight Loss, we understand and encourage your desire to look after family first; however once you feel your family and friends have been taken care of, we ask you to consider supporting us by including us in your will. Leaving a legacy to NCBI will ensure that the work we carry out for people with sight loss will continue for generations to come. When making a will it is advisable to seek the help of a solicitor.
How to leave a gift in your will?
There are different ways you can support us in your will either by:
A Pecuniary Gift (a gift of a specified amount of money) or
A Residuary Gift (a percentage or remainder of your estate, once gifts to family and friends have been distributed and all outgoings taken care of).
Thank you for your support.
If you would like further information or have any queries on pledging a legacy to help us continue our work, please contact Ruairi McGinley on
01 8307033 or alternatively by e-mail .
This article is accompanied by a picture of a hand holding a pen over a Last Will document. — Ends.
End of page.
Page 6:
Page header:
Our Nine with Neven!
Headline:
Independent living skills on show in Neven Maguire’s Cookery School!
A group of nine blind children had a wonderful day recently in McNean Cookery School in Blacklion, Co. Cavan.
Last September, Neven Maguire came to Athlone to judge the children’s cooking skills. He was so impressed by their knowledge, ability and alternative methods that he invited them up to his school.
These children have been coming together for independent living skills training for the past two years.The two-day workshops take place during all school holidays at NCBI Athlone.
Essential life skills
The workshops are addressing essential life skills in a fun way and with peer support. The group has made great advances in the kitchen with information being shared on the origins of the ingredients, the cost of shopping, good organisational skills and proper time management as well as cooking a dish from start to finish.
The workshops also incorporate an IT session each time with work on emails, ipads and phones. In between the workshops this group have their own group email where they can support each other and share information on everything from how to convert audio to mp3 on the BrailleNote to help using twitter.
Self determination
The group also get a slot to really focus on and practice skills in small groups of two, tying laces and chopping skills are currently being explored and the children are a fantastic help to one another. Social skills are an important element in these workshops also with a particular focus on self determination, making choices, talking about their disability and communicating their needs effectively.
Mobility skills and cane work are incorporated also with regular treasure hunts to locate ingredients and move from room to room.
After all this work, a day being spoilt by Neven Maguire was just what we needed! The hospitality we received in McNean house by everyone we met was second to none.
Neven talked to the children about the importance of good food and local ingredients and a particular favorite was sampling the variety of different types of chocolate he uses in the kitchen. He demonstrated 3 recipes for us and took the time to allow each of the children time to feel, smell and taste the ingredients as he was making the dish. He allowed them time to explore the various mixers, spatulas and tins and ensured that they understood each element of the recipe.
After the demo we were taken on a tour of the McNean House and restaurant and into the main working kitchen. There we were introduced to all 10 chefs and we felt the buzz and atmosphere of a busy working kitchen. The chefs allowed us to touch and smell everything that was on hand from vanilla pods to goat’s cheese to oyster mushrooms!
(End of page 6 here continued on page 7.)
Page 7:
(Continued from page 6.)
It was back to work then and we had to re create the recipes that Neven had demonstrated earlier. We all got familiar with our work stations and new surroundings and under the watchful eye of Neven and his cookery school chef Claire the results were very impressive. We made pitta pizzas, salmon parcels and chocolate pecan brownies.
We had intended visiting Neven’s polytunnels but the hailstones and sleet on the day were not very inviting. Instead Kevin the gardener came to us and talked to us about what he grows and brought us wonderful samples to smell and feel.
Celebration cake
Neven surprised Victoria, who turned 16 on the day, with a beautiful McNean celebration cake and she told us it was the best birthday ever. Neven gave each of the children an apron, his latest book and a goodie bag of ingredients to take home.
As a token of our appreciation we gave Neven a framed picture of his renowned McNean Wheaten Bread in Braille. Shane presented this to him and also brought a loaf of the bread that he had made the day before for Neven to sample.
We are extremely thankful to Neven and all at McNean house for a wonderful experience and an incredible day. Also a very big thank you to David Lane, our photographer on the day, who gave up his entire day for this event.
(All photos this page David Lane.)
This article is accompanied by three photos. The first, at top, across the middle and right hand columns of three, shows a group of 14 child and adults in the kitchen at Blacklion.
The caption reads: Neven and his nine protégées with staff at the Blacklion cookery school.
The second picture across the top of page 7 shows the children looking on as Neven demonstrates while pouring oil. The caption reads: LEFT: The group listening to Neven’s first demo.
The third picture shows Neven and the children having a laugh in the kitchen while staff look on. The caption reads: BELOW: Hubert, Victoria, Neven and Carla sharing a joke in the kitchen. — Ends.
Page 8:
Page header:
Personal Profile — The Volunteer!
Headline:
The Selfless Art of Volunteering with NCBI
Introduction:
Many of NCBI’s service users are visited by a cohort of volunteers who bring companionship and friendship and ask noting in return. Peter Dowling is one such Limerick NCBI volunteer who quietly fills that selfless friendship role. Frank Callery reports…
There is an art to being a volunteer with NCBI. It requires discretion, courtesy, patience and interest; Peter Dowling has these qualities in spades. Having retired from the HSE where he had worked in services for older people, he was well-equipped to slip into his role as a volunteer with NCBI where, for the past number of years he has visited two older blind men.
Peter and his wife Marie, are originally from Co. Kildare, and having moved with the job to Kilkenny, where they lived for five-and-a-half years, they and the job moved to Limerick in 1983. For the last ten years of his career, Peter worked in services for older people looking after the whole of Limerick county, grant-aiding the voluntary services and the home help schemes.
When he retired, Peter saw an ad from NCBI in the back of the Parish News bulletin. He thought he might like to give a hand and had the interview, got Garda Clearance and then NCBI arranged for him to meet service user, Paddy Walker to whom he was assigned. Paddy (see panel on Page 9 opposite) has acquired blindness through Diabetic Retinopathy. Paddy and Peter got on well and then NCBI asked Peter if he would like to volunteer to visit another older man, Willie, who lived in a rural part between Patrickswell and Croom. Willie had recently lost his wife and was living in a remote area. They got on very well and became close friends. Peter would visit one day a week and take him out for a drive or a walk and if Willie wasn’t up to it, they would sit at home — Willie doing most of the talking! When they first met and Peter got to know Willie’s interests, he had to do a bit of research on farming and farm machinery. Willie still had a little residual sight at that stage and Peter brought out his laptop to show Willie old farm machinery and snippets from the National Ploughing Championships. He was charmed with the novelty.
“In the last year of his life Willie became more dependent” says Peter. “It’s difficult when someone starts to go downhill, and their physical dependence grows, but Willie died as he wanted to, in his own bed. His death was very sudden, I was out with him on the Tuesday and he died early on the Wednesday morning, April 20th. He had a good life and was well loved in his home place — I got to know his family and neighbours very well.”
Paddy Walker
Peter lives within a mile of Paddy Walker’s home in Castletroy and usually on a Sunday morning after Mass they would take a walk around Limerick University. It’s a simple relationship, predicated on what Paddy wants to do.
“It is essential as a volunteer to allow the person you are volunteering with to decide the agenda,” says Peter. “When I say to Paddy, what would you like to do
(Page 8 ends here, continued on page 9.)
Page 9:
(Continued from page 8.)
today? He might respond, ‘well what do you want to do?’ “I always have to remind him that I am there to service his needs during my visits. Sometimes older people just want to sit and talk, or not talk as the case might be. You have to go with that, and that’s fine, and as it should be. Some people are more reserved, more reticent, others outgoing. You have got to adapt to the situation, bringing nothing but your concern, interest and friendship.”
Peter has now decided to take a break from volunteering, to catch up on some personal interests. He will consider taking it up again sometime in the future. The NCBI offering will be the poorer for his absence and wisdom; and that bedrock of discretion, courtesy and patience that have marked him off as the essential volunteer.
This article is accompanied by a photo of Peter. The caption reads: NCBI Limerick Volunteer, Peter Dowling.
It is also accompanied by a vertical dark green panel down the right hand column of page 9 on which the following white text appears”
Headline:
Paddy Walker
Paddy Walker recently celebrated his 90th birthday. A Limerick man, who has lived there all his life, he originally came from the city centre, but recently moved to a retirement village in Castletroy (2016). Paddy has one daughter who gives him very good support. He meets with the other residents in the retirement village each morning in the communal hall for coffee and scones and enjoys the company.