By: Amanda Saunders
CNIB Newfoundland and Labrador has been hosting a series of educational sessions about accessible health care with the province's current (and future!) health care providers. As part of this important work, we’ve:
- Developed new partnerships and delivered sessions to many medical professionals, dental hygienists, home care agencies, and paramedics across the province.
- Invited nursing and social work students to join our team every academic term.
- Trained participants on how to interact with and provide care to someone who is blind or has low vision. This training has been offered to all first-year medical and nursing students.
- Training has also been incorporated into the curriculum of the Personal Care Attendant (PCA) program.
- During CNIB Mobile Hub stops, we dropped off information packages about CNIB programs and services to hospitals, medical clinics, long term care facilities, and home care agencies.
In all presentations and interactions, we reiterated the importance of descriptive and person-first language, introducing yourself while entering and leaving a conversation or a room, how to act as a sighted guide, and how to provide information in accessible formats.
If you are a health care professional or student in Newfoundland and Labrador, you can arrange a free training session by emailing kimberlie.hart@cnib.ca.
CNIB Newfoundland and Labrador is dedicated to continuing these discussions and partnerships in order to build an approachable and accessible health care system for the sight loss community.