With Disability Pride Month in July coming to a close, it’s important to highlight the resources for those living with disabilities in Arkansas.
ALTA Integrated Wellness and World Services for the Blind are two local resources that are combining forces for a new pilot program designed to help people with blindness or low vision live more independently.
World Services for the Blind is the only residential career-training facility for people with blindness, offering vocational and life skills training. It is based in Little Rock on Fair Park Boulevard. The president and CEO, Eric Yarberry, is a graduate of the Leadership Greater Little Rock program. He has also been blind since he was an infant, so he understands what daily accommodations are needed to make life more accessible for the blind.
ALTA Integrated Wellness is a new Arkansas-based healthcare company founded by Air Force veteran and occupational therapist Dr. Kathy Lenahan. She recently graduated from the Venture Center’s Veteran-Owned Small Business Accelerator and is partnered with many organizations in the state, including the Walton Family Foundation, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The pilot, which the two organizations are launching Aug. 5, will provide services such as occupational therapy, adaptive technology training, workplace accommodations and other support to help participants overcome barriers.
“Imagine doing everything you did this morning, but without your sight,” Yarberry said.
Through technology and by creating modifications in places the person may frequent, they can make life easier for those with blindness and low vision.
One person the ALTA team helped was able to dress himself again, thanks to the team organizing his closet and setting him up with an app that could be voice-launched from his phone, which would tell him what colors each item of clothing was. In his home, they did things such as putting tactile markers around the kitchen, so he could find his way around it better.
With one-on-one aid from occupational therapists, the help can easily be tailored to each participant’s individual needs.
“It’s not a one-size-fits-all,” Lenahan said. “They may have other disabilities and needs, too.”
It’s a “first of its kind” partnership in the state, and through both the occupational therapy expertise at ALTA and the World Services for the Blind, they will be able to help a growing population of low-vision and blind people in Arkansas, Lenahan said.
Yarberry said connecting people to services will become even more important as the Baby Boomer population continues to age and lose their vision.
“This partnership will help fill that need,” he said.
Yarberry and Lenahan encourage people to seek more information, even if they have been told before that services are unavailable or that there is a long waitlist.
People who are interested in learning more, helping connect someone in their community to resources or joining the program themselves are encouraged to reach out via email at training@wsblind.org or by phone at 501-664-7100.
Yarberry also suggests a couple of helpful apps, one called Be My Eyes. It’s an app that connects people with low vision or blindness with human volunteers or AI tools to help guide them through places like grocery stores, wherever they may need assistance. Another similar app is called Seeing AI.
While the pilot partnership will start off with a small group, it is going to grow and be able to support more people over time.
“The right people with the right tools, there is nothing they can’t accomplish,” Lenahan said.
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