“My So-Called Disability: Blindness & Visual Impairments” Airs April 11 on WCNY-TV
Cazenovia, N.Y. – “My So-Called Disability: Blindness & Visual Impairments” will air on WCNY-TV, Tuesday, April 11 at 8 p.m., and Saturday, April 15 at 6 p.m. The “My So Called Disability” project is a collaboration between WCNY, Cazenovia College and a network of area human service agencies aiming to educate and illuminate Central New Yorkers on the issues affecting people with disabilities, while at the same time advocating on their behalf.
This chapter of My So-Called Disability will focus on the problems associated with blindness and other visual disabilities. Several people with visual disabilities will be featured: a 17 year old high school girl who has been blind since birth; a woman who lost most her sight because of an in-operable tumor; a man who was lucky to find a job despite his disability. One panelist is a retired local businessman who lost his sight due to macular degeneration, a problem that is on the increase as a huge baby-boomer generation of Americans grows older.
The studio discussion will be hosted by Liz Ayers, WCNY’s vice president of Television & Media Services. Ayers not only has years of broadcast news experience but is the mother of two children who face disabilities. The panelists are Dr. Lawrence Stewart, an ophthalmologist with Eye Physicians of CNY; Lori Gleason, parent of a child who is blind; Joyce Mahoney, a rehabilitation teacher with Aurora of Central New York; Mary Lou Mendez, of Visual Impairment Services at the Syracuse Veteran’s Administration Medical Center; and David Hartman, retired from General Electric.
It is estimated that the number of people who are visually impaired in the United States will double in the next 30 years. This is due to the fact that millions of middle and older aged Americans unknowingly harbor one of three eye diseases that can seriously affect their sight… glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. This award winning series will discuss how people who are blind or have visual disabilities deal with the hurdles of everyday life – at school, on the job and in social settings.
Dr. Mary Handley, associate professor and director of Cazenovia College’s Human Service Program, is an adviser for My So-Called Disability which she helped create with WCNY. Handley is a long-time proponent of initiatives to include people with disabilities in everyday community activities.
Member-supported WCNY is Central New York’s Own public broadcaster, serving a 19-county area including Syracuse, Utica/Rome and Ithaca. WCNY’s services include WCNY-TV/24, WCNY Encore, CLASSIC FM and educational services for schools and life long learning. For more information, visit WCNY online at www.wcny.org.
Cazenovia College, named one of “America’s Best Colleges” by US News & World Report, is a small, independent, co-educational, baccalaureate college. Located near Syracuse, N.Y., Cazenovia College offers a comprehensive liberal arts education in an exceptional community environment, with academic and co-curricular programs devoted to developing leaders in their professional fields. For more information, visit www.cazenovia.edu.