Busy Week at Salus
This has been an unbelievably busy and fun week at Salus. On Monday, October 12th, 327 students from our Doctor of Optometry, Doctor of Audiology, Clinical Optometry, Physician Assistant, Occupational Therapy and Speech-Language Pathology degree programs celebrated the first of many professional milestones – receiving their white coats in a ceremony attended by over 1500 friends, family, staff and faculty. Symbolically and in reality, the white coat represents the beginning of the transition from layperson to healthcare professional – the hard earned rite of passage into the health sciences.
Additionally, the keynote address, delivered by Mr. James Hindman, a successful entrepreneur, philanthropist and author, provided our students and their families with a personal testament to the importance of inter-professional education. Mr. Hindman, an age-related macular degeneration patient, has experienced firsthand the devastating effects of this disease and is now dedicated to using his resources to help improve the lives of others who have this disease through philanthropy and education. Each student received his book, Was Blind, But Now I See. Mr. Hindman left us with a quote from one of his college professors that I believe all of our students will remember, "If you reach for the stars you’ll never come out with a handful of mud."
On Friday, Danne Ventura from Essilor was on campus to present the Essilor Optometry Bowl trophy to Nicole Rist, our senior who won this prestigious academic contest for Salus/PCO during Optometry's meeting last June. It was a fun event acknowledging not only Nicole's accomplishment but also Essilor's commitment to optometric education.
Concurrently, during Salus Time our College of Education and Rehabilitation presented a blindness and low vision orientation and mobility workshop for the University community. I think a high point was watching our Provost and VP of Clinical Services traverse a hallway with blinders on and a cane. It's not as easy as it looks! I think everyone walked away from that session with a new appreciation for what it must be like to not have functional vision.
Concurrently, during Salus Time our College of Education and Rehabilitation presented a blindness and low vision orientation and mobility workshop for the University community. I think a high point was watching our Provost and VP of Clinical Services traverse a hallway with blinders on and a cane. It's not as easy as it looks! I think everyone walked away from that session with a new appreciation for what it must be like to not have functional vision. 
The O&M workshop was fantastic! I learned a lot of things that I previously took for granted about the visually impaired and how they interact with the world around them. The faculty and O&M students did a great job making the session informative and interactive. Most of all, I learned that a cane is a strong force multiplier when wearing blinders!
ReplyDeleteJohn - you did great with the cane! Seriously, this workshop brought into focus all the challenges partially sighted people face on a daily basis and the mitigation techniques and strategies that can be levergaged through great training and patient centric care!
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