President's Page...

By Larry Belote

It is with great pleasure and also with great humility that I write my first address to the membership of the Blinded Veterans Association. We just completed the BVA 60th National Convention in Miami Beach. I know now, more than ever, that I have some very big shoes to fill. My predecessors, in particular our Immediate Past President Neil Appleby, worked very hard to meet the needs of the BVA membership. I will try to do the same.

A number of issues emerged from the convention. After stumbling over many obstacles, it became clear that the ScripTalk device is going to be readily available. We also learned that VA will embrace a Continuum of Care for visually impaired veterans. VA is coming to the realization that the vision loss that prevents people from doing functional tasks is also detrimental to their overall well-being. This detrimental vision loss starts well before legal blindness, and intervention needs to start well before that point.

Modern science and technology are wonderful, but we still cannot stop individuals from losing their eyesight and we cannot successfully restore eyesight for people who have become legally blind. That is at least the case for now. I, like most of you out there, wait for the day when things will change. Until that day arrives, however, we need to make use of the technology and advances available.

Veterans with useable residual vision should be able to read for the rest of their lives by utilizing optical aids and devices like a Closed Circuit Television. There should be no gaps in the timing of getting veterans this needed equipment. Intervention should start early on in the sight loss process and continue throughout life.

This means there will need to be a number of service delivery points starting in the home communities. Many will progress to a range of VA services that include things such as the Visual Impairment Services Outpatient Program (VISOR), the Visual Impairment Center to Optimize Remaining Sight (VICTORS), and residential blind centers. These services, along with local eye doctors and local provision of low vision aids, are all part of a Continuum of Care.

We have some of the finest eye doctors servicing our veterans. The challenge is to insure that all visually impaired veterans have access to services, beginning in their home areas. This challenge is a big one. Nevertheless, Under Secretary Perlin promised that VA would meet this challenge. His commitment, he says, even has some personal meaning because, growing up, he watched his own grandfather, a World War I Army veteran, lose his sight due to glaucoma and the effects of a traumatic injury.

One thing is clear by looking at our ranks and the ranks of veterans in general: The veteran population is aging. Our fastest growing segment of veterans is the age group 85 and older. This age group is projected to more than double in the next five years, offering new challenges for service provision in the future.

There are other things that I have noticed about the veteran population. Many of our Vietnam veterans who are relatively young have major health complications due to exposure to Agent Orange. It is unclear what health issues will face some of these individuals in the future.

America is at war and we have a new group of veterans. Every meeting and every presentation in Miami Beach turned, at some point, to the war in Iraq and concern about the returning troops. BVA has been a partner with VA Blind Rehabilitation Service in providing outreach and services to these veterans. This war is a long way from being over and we will continue to look for opportunities to help this group of veterans.

I felt a new cooperative spirit come out of the Miami gathering. It is one centered on speaking about problems openly. I hope that such a change will lead to addressing conflicts and obstacles early, avoiding delays in services and misunderstandings between BVA and VA Blind Rehab Service. The entire VA seems at a crossroads to the future. Together with VA, we might well be at a historic point. Perhaps we can demonstrate that full cooperation between a service organization and its VA counterpart may be the most effective way to plan for the future and make critical care decisions.

The first half of this decade has seen BVA function as a strong advocacy group, often at odds with Blind Rehab Service. I would like to see this change. I would prefer to see an era of partnership. It would be an era in which our expertise and their expertise were melded into the best possible services for all visually impaired veterans. This is a goal we can obtain.

People often tell me that my job is my life. I am a VIST Coordinator in San Antonio. VIST Coordinators deal with the problems of visually impaired veterans. I have been legally blind for over 35 years. My job really is my life. Even after 35 years, I face challenges, disappointments, triumphs, and adjustments due to my loss of sight. I have been able to face those challenges, disappointments, triumphs, and adjustments because, way back in my past, someone helped me get over that first hurdle, which was a big one. It has been relatively easy from that point on.

It is the job of BVA to insure that all blind and visually impaired veterans have the help they need to get over that first hurdle. It may not be all smooth sailing from there, but the biggest bump in the road will have been cleared.

Over the next two years, I will try hard to resolve these issues. You can help too. Encourage the veteran having problems out there to get help. Remind the VIST Coordinators that you appreciate their efforts. There may be times in which you must shake them up a little and remind them that you are still alive. Make use of the opportunities available to you. Maybe you are hedging on whether to go to a blind center. Go! You will learn new things and you may prove to be an inspiration to others.

I have come to recognize that we have much untapped talent within BVA. I am going to reach out and use this talent. We are going to ask individuals who are not on the Board to participate on committees on which they might not have been asked to serve in the past. We are fortunate that our new legislative liaison, Tom Zampieri, is a physician assistant and offers many unique talents.

There is only one direction for all of us, and that direction is forward into the future. I am thankful to be able to play a part in that journey. Best wishes to you all, and please feel assured that all the BVA board members, officers, and staff members are here, working for you.