{"id":18,"date":"2014-06-25T07:27:32","date_gmt":"2014-06-24T19:27:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.visionpacific.org.nz\/?page_id=18"},"modified":"2014-07-29T12:56:23","modified_gmt":"2014-07-29T00:56:23","slug":"suzies-story","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.visionpacific.org.nz\/?page_id=18","title":{"rendered":"Testimonials"},"content":{"rendered":"

Suzie’s Story<\/h2>\n
\"Photo

Photo of Suzie at graduation 2009 with Tewai<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/h2>\n

Suzie leads a busy, fulfilling, independent life. Having attended the school for the blind then known as Homai College, and worked at the now closed workshops run by the Blind Foundation, Suzie now gives a little back by helping out with the Foundation\u2019s annual guide dog appeal.<\/p>\n

Suzie loves to read, and veraciously devours talking books from wherever she can get them, be that her local public library or the Blind Foundation\u2019s talking book library. Her reading and communications horizons are expanding further now, thanks to her computer, which is equipped with a screen reader so she can hear what\u2019s on the screen.<\/p>\n

She has four cats she adores, and volunteers for the SPCA. She and her cats love their South Auckland flat.<\/p>\n

But there was a time when Suzie\u2019s life was very different. \u201cVision Pacific have been absolutely amazing,\u201d Suzie says. \u201cThey care so much, nothing\u2019s too much trouble, and they understand because they\u2019re blind like I am. I think that makes a big difference\u201d.<\/p>\n

When Vision Pacific began working with Suzie, she was in residential care. Her good friend Peter took the plunge and left the rest home to move into his own flat. That gave Suzie the courage and inspiration to follow his lead, and Vision Pacific were pivotal in providing her with the skills and support systems to realise her goal.<\/p>\n

Suzie and Peter married in 2005, and as Suzie describes it, had two wonderful years together before his death in 2007.<\/p>\n

Discouraged, Suzie for a time considered returning to residential care, but with the support of Vision Pacific, has been able to maintain her independent lifestyle in the community.<\/p>\n

Eager to give back and share her experience, Suzie, who also deals with mental illness, is determined to become a mental health peer counsellor. Vision Pacific has been both a support and an inspiration to her in this goal, having provided practical support and encouragement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s anyone better to help someone, than someone who\u2019s experiencing the same thing,\u201d she says. \u201cI have mental health issues, but it doesn\u2019t stop me from getting on with my life and living in the community. And just like Vision Pacific has done for me, I want to give back to others,\u201d she says. \u201cI want to be there, share my experience, and just listen\u201d.<\/p>\n

The credit belongs to Suzie for achieving her goals, but Vision Pacific has been the catalyst and support system she needed to achieve her potential.<\/p>\n

\n

Carita\u2019s \u00a0Story<\/h2>\n
\"Carita

Carita and Patricia<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/h2>\n

Carita is a woman on the move, thanks to her own determination, and assistance from Visionary Living. Through her tenacity, she demonstrates that a quality, independent life is possible with the right tools and support.<\/p>\n

Carita is Vision impaired, and underwent an operation in 2012 to remove cataracts and implant new lenses in both her Left and Right eye. She has regain good functional long vision as a result of the operation, enough to enable her to use a scooter safely in her local environment.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s exciting news, since she also lives With a form of congenital arthritis which has progressively deteriorated \u00a0to severely restrict her mobility.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce I got some vision back, I made inquiries to see if it would be possible to get a scooter to help me get out and about locally,\u201d to the shops and back, things like that,\u201d Carita says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey told me, as long as you\u2019re aware of your limitations and use the scooter sensibly, there\u2019d be no problem. It makes such a big difference\u201d.<\/p>\n

Carita lives with a third disability, a severe hearing impairment. She wears hearing aids, \u00a0and finds she has to have someone with her to help with her communication with specialists when she attends her appointments at the various clinics she must attend. Many people with full sight don\u2019t realise how much they rely on lip reading when their hearing isn\u2019t fully functional, so dealing with a vision and hearing impairment poses special challenges.<\/p>\n

Her arthritic condition limits her movements and causes considerable pain, so she benefits from personal care. Patricia from Visionary Living assists her in performing tasks \u00a0including \u00a0shopping, or they may go out for coffee together.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel totally comfortable with Patricia,\u201d Carita says. \u201cShe understands my needs, nothing is too much trouble. I call when I need help, and Patricia\u2019s so willing to drive me to appointments and provide other assistance. It\u2019s wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n

An active member of her community, Carita appreciates the support, while also valuing her independence. Visionary Living is there when she needs the support, while respecting her autonomy and dignity.<\/p>\n

With a lot of grit, help from Visionary Living and that mobility scooter, Carita is going places.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Suzie’s Story Suzie leads a busy, fulfilling, independent life. Having attended the school for the blind then known as Homai College, and worked at the now closed workshops run by the Blind Foundation, Suzie now gives a little back by helping out with the Foundation\u2019s annual guide dog appeal. Suzie loves to read, and veraciously […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-18","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P4LfuP-i","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visionpacific.org.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visionpacific.org.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visionpacific.org.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visionpacific.org.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visionpacific.org.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.visionpacific.org.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69,"href":"https:\/\/www.visionpacific.org.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18\/revisions\/69"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visionpacific.org.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}