Vision Impaired Personal Services

JOB: Vision Impaired Personal Services, Stockbridge

WHAT WE DO: Those who can't see face challenges with the most common tasks: buying a dress, getting to the doctor's office or choosing a favorite soup from the pantry shelf. Helen and Rebecca Bartels, through their company, Vision Impaired Personal Services, make it easier by going shopping with the blind and visually impaired (and offering tactful opinions of how that dress looks), driving them to the doctor's office and helping organize their groceries at home.

WHAT GOT US INTERESTED IN THIS: Helen Bartels, a BellSouth retiree, said: "I had a blind friend at BellSouth who needed transportation. He told me, 'You'd be good at this.'" After retirement, she earned a master's degree in rehabilitation of the blind from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and became a certified orientation and mobility specialist. As for Rebecca, "Good ol' Mom roped me into this." Both continue their training through private organizations and health and governmental agencies.

BEST PART OF OUR JOB: "It's a really rewarding job," Rebecca said. "You're helping someone do something they thought they couldn't do." Helen added that, for her, the most rewarding part is "teaching people to advocate for themselves." The Americans With Disabilities Act may be the law, she said, but it's frequently overlooked, misinterpreted or ignored.

MOST CHALLENGING PART: "When people lose their vision, they isolate themselves," Helen said. "We let them know what's out there, that there is life after blindness." Overprotective spouses or parents can hold them back, she explained. Rebecca helps the visually impaired overcome challenges without becoming discouraged. "I have to keep them calm and not frustrated so they can work through the problem," she said.

Photos by KARL RITZLER/Special

Rebecca Bartels familiarizes herself with the perspective of blind and visually impaired people. Her mother, Helen, started the business at the suggestion of a blind friend.

WHAT PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT OUR JOB: "People don't know the obstacles visually impaired and blind people have to encounter," Rebecca said. "Transportation is a big struggle, and it takes a little longer to do everything." A blind person has to develop his or her own organization system. For example, some people put mushroom- or chicken-shaped magnets on cans of mushroom or chicken soup. Or they use safety pins at the tops of black socks and at the toes of white socks. Rebecca specializes in teaching clients to sew and write. When someone has been taught only how to use Braille-writing devices, holding a pen and signing his or her name is a new skill, she said.

WHAT KEEPS US GOING: "I know I make a difference in people's lives," Helen said. "If I'm not there, there are so many things they wouldn't do." Rebecca added: "I love the people. They're like friends."

PREPARATION NEEDED FOR THIS JOB: Beyond extensive and specific training to work with visually impaired people, you need "a sense of how other people feel" about their lives and about their lack of sight, Helen said. Rebecca added that a person needs tact and should be a "people person." Both stressed the need for an awareness of surroundings, especially concerning safety. For example, people who assist the visually impaired need to look out for more than just curbs and traffic; they also must watch for low-hanging tree limbs and signs that protrude over sidewalks.