A new pilot program aiming to help blind and visually impaired Arkansans launches this August. The program is a partnership between ALTA Integrated Wellness and World Services for the Blind, and focuses on using physical and occupational therapy to improve quality of life.
Dr. Kathy Lenahan, the founder and CEO of ALTA Integrated Wellness, has been an occupational therapist for 15 years. She sees occupational therapy as a way to help people do what is important to them by utilizing problem solving techniques.
She describes the partnership between ALTA and World Services for the Blind as a heart-led project.
“I created Alta Integrated Wellness under the whole health model of care,” she said, “which really looks at all the different pieces that come together to affect a person’s overall quality of life and wellness, and this program is bringing that kind of healthcare directly into our communities."
President and CEO of World Services for the Blind Eric Yarberry shares Lenahan’s excitement for the pilot program.
“This is one of the first programs of its kind in Arkansas,” he said, “and one of few in the country that highlights what an occupational therapist can do for the blind and visually impaired population.”
The pilot program provides physical therapy alongside occupational therapy, which Lenahan says will allow the program “to work with individuals who have different ambulatory needs or different gait needs.”
Yarberry and Lenahan emphasize how important the program will be in bridging the gap of time between initial diagnosis and providing care.
“Our typical student here is someone who has lost their vision three or four years ago, and they didn’t know about us,” Yarberry said. “So we want to make sure that people know that these services are available.”
Yarberry says roughly 100,000 blind and visually impaired people in Arkansas could benefit from the partnership.
“My personal goal, and I think most Arkansans would agree, is that if we have an opportunity to take someone who's recently lost their vision from being so dependent on government assistance and support to self-sufficiency, who wouldn't want that?”
Lenahan shares the same goals, but adds she hopes the program allows therapists to excel in their careers.
“I’d also love for therapists who are listening to this to get excited,” she said. "There are so many pathways to specialize in vision and ergonomics and things like that, and we have those opportunities here.”
Yarberry emphasizes that the program will be beneficial for employers, clients, and therapists alike. He does say, though, that transportation is a barrier. As of now, the program is putting together resources for those who may struggle getting to Little Rock.
The pilot program launches in August, and is open to people at least 18 years old. More information can be found at wsblind.org.
“And I really feel like you give the right people the tools and the resources,” Yarberry said, “and there's nothing we can't accomplish.
