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| | ▲ 2009 Bressler Prize Awarded to Designer of Clinical Trials in Ophthalmology
▲ Hundreds Came in for Steady Rain
▲ SightCare Trains Florida Occupational Therapists
▲ CBVH Executive Board Makes Recommendations to the Governor
▲ Guild Participates in National Parents’ Conference
▲ Guild Prepares Students for College
▲ Guild Students Exhibit Their Art
▲ Guild Day Programs Promote Independence
▲ Preschool Graduation Day at The Guild
▲ Mitzvah Project Benefits Guild Preschool
▲ GuildCare Staff Volunteer at YMCA
▲ Florida Reception in Boca a first for The Guild
▲ At The Guild
▲ Learning Computer Skills
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In October, The Guild awarded its Alfred W. Bressler Prize in Vision Science to Roy W. Beck, MD, PhD, Executive Director of the Jaeb Center for Health Research, Tampa, FL, and Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of South Florida. The 2009 Prize was presented at a luncheon held at the Asia Society.
 | | Guild President Alan R. Morse, JD, PhD (right), presenting Roy W. Beck, MD, PhD, winner of the 2009 Bressler Prize in Vision Science, with an engraved commemorative crystal prism. | The luncheon was preceded by a series of presentations by vision professionals, including prize winner Dr. Beck, who was introduced by Mark Kupersmith, MD, Director of Neuro-Ophthalmology at the Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery, New York, NY. The speakers and their presentations, which all focused on diabetes and its consequences for vision health, were:
Roy W. Beck, MD, PhD, Executive Director of the Jaeb Center for Health Research, Tampa, FL; Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The University of South Florida: Diabetes: A burgeoning public health problem
Lloyd Paul Aiello, MD, PhD, Director, Beetham Eye Institute, Joslin Diabetes Center; Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA: Recent advances in imaging and screening for diabetic retinopathy
Neil M. Bressler, MD*, Professor of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD: Diagnosis and treatment of diabetic macular edema
Susan B. Bressler, MD*, Professor of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD: Diagnosis and treatment of proliferative diabetic retinopathy
Thomas W. Gardner, MD, Professor of Ophthalmology, and Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA: Pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy
Dr. Beck is best known for his design and management of clinical trials in ophthalmology, which have resulted in landmark investigations related to the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the retina, cornea and nervous systems in both adults and children. Part of his unique approach to clinical trials is his understanding of the needs of the practicing medical doctor while integrating the rigorous research demands of an epidemiologist.
Dr. Beck received his PhD and his MPH, both in Epidemiology, from the University of South Florida College of Public Health. He received his MD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and his BA in Economics from Brown University. Among many positions he has held, Dr. Beck has served on the Board of Directors of the Society for Clinical Trials, as well as on the National Eye Institute’s National Advisory Eye Council. He has been on the editorial boards of numerous journals, and was Section Editor, Clinical Trials, for the Archives of Ophthalmology from 2004 to 2009.
The Bressler Prize in Vision Science at The Guild was established in 2001, through a generous bequest of Alfred W. Bressler (1905-1999). Mr. Bressler was a noted New York attorney who enjoyed a distinguished legal career for more than 70 years, most of that time with the prestigious law firm of Moses & Singer.
For more information on The Alfred W. Bressler Prize in Vision Science, call Gordon Rovins, Guild Director of Special Programs, on 212-769-7801 or e-mail bressler@jgb.org.
* Dr. Susan B. Bressler and Dr. Neil M. Bressler are husband and wife, but are not related to Alfred W. Bressler, for whom the prize is named.
▲  | | 2009 Bressler Symposium Speakers: Lloyd Paul Aiello, MD, PhD (left); Susan B. Bressler, MD; Roy W. Beck, MD, PhD; Neil M. Bressler, MD; Thomas W. Gardner, MD; and Mark Kupersmith, MD. |
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 | | Left to right: Frederic and Benefit Co-Chairman Pauline Raiff; Benefit Co-Chairman Suzy Mendik and Moe Tarkinow; Jane and Paul Rittmaster; Judy and Alan R. Morse, Guild President & CEO. | The Guild recently brought together friends, families and supporters for an evening at Broadway’s most anticipated theatrical event of the season, A Steady Rain, at the Schoenfeld Theatre. Written by Keith Huff and directed by John Crowley, the two-character play stars Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman. The theater benefit, which started with dinner at the nearby Marriott Marquis Hotel, was a sold-out success.▲
 | | Left to right: Steven Boxer and Lisamarie Ponzio; Jeffrey and Karen Jacobson (left) with Anita and Howard Blatt; Anita Boxer (center) with Garry and Leslie Boxer. |
 | | Left to right: Dr. Scott Goldsmith (left), Shelley Brier and Dr. Norman Brier; Bill and Fran Klingenstein; Cathy and Marc Solomon; Mr. and Mrs. H. Richard Roberts. |
 | | Left to right: Neil Janovic and his wife Cathy Hull; Thomas Graham Kahn and Saundra Davidow; Teri and Andrew Marks; Gail and Charles Rubinger. |
 | | Beth Rogers (far left), her husband Jeff Katz (far right) with Maya and Lawrence Goldschmidt. |
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 | | Dr. Roy Cole instructs Chris Sears, OT, on the use of very strong reading glasses. | Recently, SightCare, The Guild’s Vision Loss Education and Training Program, conducted a two-day training seminar for Occupational Therapists from Florida. The seminar was entitled “Low Vision Rehabilitation for Occupational Therapists”.
Guild Director of Vision Program Development Roy Cole, OD, lectured on the normal and abnormal eye, including vision loss that occurs with aging and a description of major eye diseases. Instruction covered not only the use of lenses and magnifiers, but also how to liaise with a client’s Low Vision doctor so that the OTs might better instruct patients in the use of prescribed optical interventions.
Yu-Pin Hsu, OT, from New York Presbyterian Hospital, demonstrated how to evaluate a patient using assessment tools that indicate reading performance and viewing skills. She followed this with hands-on training so that the OTs would be able to teach their patients ways to enhance their visual skills.
For information on SightCare, contact Annemarie O’Hearn, Vice President Community Health, at 518-436-1520.▲
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The Executive Board of the New York State Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped (CBVH) recently submitted to Governor David Patterson its first report on programs for blind and visually impaired New Yorkers together with recommendations for improving service access, delivery, and comprehensiveness.
In its report, the board underscored the need for greater integration of delivery of services to children and adolescents who are blind or visually impaired since this could impact the success of vocational rehabilitation. Specifically, the report calls for a strengthening of the role of the children’s consultants when working with the child’s family and/or vision teachers.
In the last few weeks, the Executive Board also approved a resolution calling for the passage of
pending legislation that will enable New York State to work toward ensuring that new electric and alternative fuel cars emit sufficient noise so as not to be a hazard to pedestrians who are blind.
The Board also passed a resolution supporting certification of rehabilitation teachers and orientation and mobility instructors.
Executive Board Co-chairman, Guild President and CEO Alan R. Morse said, “We're pleased to have taken these steps in our efforts to improve access and delivery of programs and services for blind and visually impaired New Yorkers. In the future, we plan to look at issues that span all age groups, for example, pre-natal, early childhood and school age on the one hand, and adult, elderly and society's oldest old on the other. In all cases, we will be focusing on subjects and categories where the state can bring about positive change in the lives of blind and visually impaired persons of all ages."▲
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 | | Dan Callahan registering Michelle and Luke Chauvin of Sugarland, Texas (shown here with their daughter, Lauren) for one of The Guild’s telephone support groups. | Dan Callahan, Director of The Guild’s Children’s Vision Health Initiative, participated in the July conference of the National Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments (NAPVI) held in Costa Mesa, California. This biennial event brings together parents of children who are blind and visually impaired from all over the United States and from foreign countries as well. This year there were more than 600 participants at the conference representing 35 states and 11 foreign countries.▲
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 | | Members of the 2009 College Preparatory course. Front row, from the left: Naeelah Murray, Violeta Dashi, Justin Rivera, Mitashi Datta and Syretta Giusto. Back row, from the left: Maria Morel, Bryan Velasquez and Syed Hassan. | As it has done every year since 1986, The Guild held its college preparatory course for visually impaired students this past summer. Each student who attended the course had already obtained college acceptance and was recommended to The Guild by the New York State Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped.
The four-week course of study, offered by The Guild’s Rehabilitation Services Department, simulates a college environment in terms of workload demands. Classes are given on note taking, library research, term paper writing
and study skills. Discussion groups, run by a member of staff who is blind, cover college life as a blind or visually impaired student will find it.
This year’s invited lecturer was Ellen Rubin, a consultant, who described the work of Mobility International, USA (MIUSA). MIUSA manages the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange, sponsored by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs. Ms. Rubin, who is blind, has traveled abroad widely.
Students entering the pre-college program must have a high school diploma, be able to travel independently and have received a college or university acceptance. This year’s students will be attending various community colleges within the City University of New York system, as well as John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Nassau Community College and Dominican College.
For more information, call Lauri Filan, Supervisor, Communications Skills, at 212-769-6285.▲
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 |  | | Joseph Harvey-Gonzalez | Daniel Roman | In late July, students from The Guild’s Harriet and Robert Heilbrunn School participated in an art exhibition organized by the Children Art Foundation (CAF), held at the Asian Cultural Center’s art gallery located in mid-town Manhattan.
 | | Left to right: Elijah Jackson; Gabriel Tolama; Arnaldo Hinds-Gomez. | Over the past year, professional artists from the CAF assisted The Guild’s Art Therapist, Sarah Valeri, working with Guild students to create paintings, sculpture and tapestries. (See The Guild’s Winter 2009 Newsletter for the story about this collaboration.) The exhibition also included drawings from the CAF’s collaboration with an elementary school in Thailand.
 |  | | Guild School Art Therapist Sarah Valeri and Yonatan Horwitz | Felix Quinones (left) and CAF Volunteer Willie Baez | Guild School Principal Patricia Finocchiaro said of the project, “Initially I did wonder if professional artists would understand that the process of exploring materials and experimenting with textures that may be new to them is what is important for our students, and not a finished product. What happened over the year was almost magical as the artists became a part of the Guild School Family. To see them amidst a group of students all working on a common goal, or working one-to-one with another student, so intent on what they were doing, was just amazing. And they all had so much fun.”▲
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 | | Manhattan GuildCare registrant Esmeralda Luciano receives an eye examination from Laura Sperazza, OD, Guild Director of Low Vision Services. | At The Guild, day programs are available for individuals with visual, psychiatric or developmental disabilities who want to stay independent and remain in their own homes. Serving these populations are GuildCare, the Mental Health Day Treatment Program and the Developmental Disabilities Day Treatment Program.
Developed by The Guild in 1984, GuildCare is an Adult Day Health Care (ADHC) program for adults who are blind or visually impaired and who have chronic medical conditions, one of the most common being diabetes. GuildCare is New York State’s only ADHC provider specializing in services to this community. It is presently located in Albany, Buffalo, Manhattan, Niagara Falls and Yonkers.
GuildCare offers its members nursing care, vision rehabilitation, health monitoring, nutrition education, social work services, physical, occupational and speech therapies, therapeutic recreation and transportation, as well as breakfast and lunch. GuildCare’s nursing staff, in conjunction with the program’s registered dietitians, provides glucose monitoring to help clients who have diabetes achieve optimal blood sugar control.
The Guild opened its psychiatric clinic in 1961, the first in the United States to specialize in working with persons with vision loss. The Mental Health Day Treatment Program is offered to blind and visually impaired individuals who are moderately to seriously mentally ill. Interdisciplinary teams of psychiatrists, social workers and case managers work with persons with vision loss aged 18 and over, who also have a designated mental illness, emotional and behavioral problems.
The treatment goals of the Mental Health Day Treatment Program are: to help prevent psychiatric hospitalization; to help clients overcome the frustrations of living with coexisting disabilities; to prepare clients for vocational/rehabilitation programs and to introduce clients to educational, recreational and social community resources.
The Guild’s Mental Health Day Treatment Program is licensed by the New York State Office of Mental Health, and is a designated Comprehensive Out-patient Program Service (COPS).
In 1964, The Guild initiated its program for multi-handicapped young adults, which subsequently became the Developmental Disabilities Day Treatment Program. This program serves persons over the age of 21 years who are blind or visually impaired and have developmental disabilities.
The services offered to clients in the program are: functional life skills; orientation and mobility; psychological services; physical, occupational, speech and language therapies; counseling; support groups; adaptive physical education; music and recreation.
For additional information on GuildCare, call
518-436-1968. For information on the Mental Health DTP or the Developmental Disabilities DTP, call 212-769-6263.▲
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The Elizabeth L. Newman Preschool at The Guild held its annual graduation ceremony in early August. There were 16 graduating students in this year’s class, six of whom started their student careers as infants and toddlers in The Guild’s Early Intervention Program.
After Preschool Director Linda Gerra’s welcome, James Alicea and Miriam Soriano, parents of members of the graduating class, spoke about how much the Preschool meant to them and to their children. There followed a slide show presentation featuring the 2009 graduates, a series of songs led by Guild School Music Therapist Rhonda DeFiore and the ceremony closed with the presentation of diplomas and gifts.
 |  |  | | Amber Castillo and her mother Alejandrina Castillo | Simone Domenick (holding certificate) and her family | Destiny Blagrove and Guild Volunteer Rachel Yaacobi |
The graduates of The Guild Preschool will be going on to a number of different schools, such as regular kindergartens in the Board of Education, Westchester School for Special Children and the Harriet and Robert Heilbrunn School at The Guild.
The Elizabeth L. Newman Preschool provides educational services for children aged three to five years, who are blind or visually impaired and often multi-handicapped. For further information, contact Linda Gerra, EdD, at 212-769-6306.▲
 |  |  | | Kahlil Alicea, his sister Calista and parents James and Tanya Alicea | Angel Soriano (left) and Marques Fernandez | Menachem Kaufman and Teacher Maria DiBernardo |
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 | | Suzanne Brier presents a check representing her Bat Mizvah gifts to Dr. Linda Gerra, Director of The Guild’s Preschool with her parents, Shelley and Dr. Norman Brier, looking on. | For her recent Mitzvah project at Chabad of Bedford, Suzanne Brier encouraged her family and friends to give appropriate toys and games for blind and visually impaired children in the Elizabeth L. Newman Preschool at The Jewish Guild for the Blind. In addition, friends and family, including her parents, Shelley and Dr. Norman Brier, made generous contributions to The Guild’s Preschool for the purchase of more toys and games. Shelly Zachariah Brier is a member of The Guild’s Board of Directors.▲
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In August, Yonkers GuildCare Program Director Joan Clark and Community Outreach Worker Eva Salazar volunteered to help build a playground for the Mount Vernon Family YMCA as part of the YMCA’s collaboration with the Ben Gordon New Life Foundation and KaBOOM! With other volunteers from the community they constructed outdoor benches as well as putting together playground equipment such as a slide and the rock climber.
The Ben Gordon New Life Foundation, founded by Mount Vernon native and NBA player Ben Gordon, is dedicated to helping young people. KaBOOM! is a national non-profit organization that seeks to empower communities through creating playgrounds, usually in one day.▲
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 | | Ted and Deborah Bernstein | Recently, The Guild held a reception at ZED 451, a popular restaurant in Mizner Park in Boca Raton. Deborah Bernstein, a fashion model, beauty pageant winner and well-known philanthropist was guest of honor.
Mrs. Bernstein recently represented Boca Raton in the 2009 Mrs. Florida International beauty competition. The Ted and Deborah Bernstein Foundation assists families and children in need of food and shelter.
More than 50 people attended the event which included music and door prizes.
Future events that are planned include a luncheon and fashion show, featuring fashion designer Luca Luca, to be held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Palm Beach on February 10, 2010. For additional information and tickets, please call 212-769-6240 or development@jgb.org.▲
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Guild President and CEO Alan R. Morse, JD, PhD, authored an editorial entitled “Medication Costs Matter”, Archives of Ophthalmology, July 2009, vol. 127, no.7. Dr. Morse also was recently appointed to the Advisory Board of the Eye Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
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Roy G. Cole, OD, Guild Director of Low Vision Program Development, and Karen McCauley, RN, CDE, Guild Diabetes Nurse Educator, presented at the JCAHPO Continuing Education Program in New York held in conjunction with the American Society of Retina Specialists and Retina Congress 2009.
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Doris Gross, RN, has been promoted to Case Management Supervisor for GuildNet. She joined The Guild in 2006 as a Nurse Case Manager, with promotion in 2008 to Nurse Case Manager - Preceptor.
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 | | Left to right: Jacquelyn Mausert; Susan Miller; Robert Rubel. |
Jacquelyn Mausert, RN, MSN, MHA, CNE, joins The Guild as Program Director for Albany GuildCare. Before joining The Guild, she was a Restorative Nurse for the Albany County Department of Residential Services. She received her MSN and her MHA from the University of Phoenix and her nursing training at Vermont Technical College in Bennington, VT.
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Susan Miller, LCSW, joins The Guild as a Social Worker for Behavioral Health Services in the Brooklyn Psychiatric Clinic. Before joining The Guild she was a Clinical Social Worker with the Brooklyn-based Interfaith Medical Center Behavioral Health Program Adult Clinic. She received her MSW from New York University and her BA from the New School for Social Research.
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Robert Rubel joins The Guild as Marketing Associate for GuildNet. Before joining The Guild he worked for AmeriChoice in Newark, NJ as a Medicare Account Representative. Before that he worked for Humana, Inc. in Lexington, KY as a Sales Representative.
 | | Left to right: Mark Brady; Inna Polevoy; Brooke Touchstone. |
Mark Brady, MA, TVI, joins The Guild as a Special Education Teacher for the Early Intervention and Preschool programs. Before joining The Guild, he taught visually impaired PreK-12 students in the Tucson Unified School District. He received his MA from the University of Arizona and his BA from the University of Illinois.
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Brooke Touchstone, RN, joins The Guild as a Program Nurse for Manhattan GuildCare. Prior to joining The Guild she worked for a medical practice in Tequesta, FL. She received her nursing training at St. Joseph Hospital of Nursing and her BA from Rhodes College, both in Memphis, TN.
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Inna Polevoy, RN, BSN, has joined The Guild as a Nurse Case Manager for GuildNet. Before coming to The Guild she worked for MetroPlus Health Plan as a Medicare Advantage Case Manager. She received her nursing training at Brooklyn College and her BSN from Long Island University.
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Carol Fleischman, Activities Assistant for GuildCare Niagara Falls, authored “Beyond the Fear, Learning to Love”, about her first guide dog, published in Chicken Soup for the Soul – What I Learned from the Dog: 101 Stories, Simon & Schuster, 2009.
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 | | Guild Rehabilitation Specialist Pedro Laureano teaches Violeta Dashi how to enlarge text on the computer screen using ZoomText screen magnification. | Violeta Dashi is a busy woman these days, raising a family and studying for her Associate’s Degree in Human Services at Bronx Community College. To prepare for her studies, Ms. Dashi, who is legally blind, successfully completed The Guild’s College Preparatory course for visually impaired students. She is currently attending Adaptive Technology Training at The Guild’s Center for Workplace Technology, where she is working on the computer skills she needs in order to do her classwork.
Students are referred to The Guild by the New York State Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped. Students with low vision are taught how to use either ZoomText or MAGic screen magnification. Students who are blind are taught to use either JAWS or Window-Eyes screen reading software. All students are taught the Microsoft Windows XP operating system, how to access the Internet, use Microsoft Office Outlook, the use of scanning and reading software such as Kurzweil 1000 or OpenBook, and the AVG Anti-Virus program.▲
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