25,500,000 people in the U.S. have low vision, some of which have Usher syndrome.
Have YOU ever heard of Usher syndrome? Likely not. In fact, most people diagnosed with Usher syndrome have NEVER heard of it and some doctors don’t even know what it is!
What Is Usher Syndrome?
Usher syndrome is a rare genetic disorder which is the leading cause of combined deafness and blindness. It varies from person to person dependent on type. It may cause blindness and deafness in babies or may not present until someone is in their teens. It affects 400,000 people worldwide.
For more information on Usher syndrome and its two conditions, hearing loss and retinitis pigmentosa, click here:
What Is Low Vision?
Low vision is a visual impairment, not correctable by standard glasses, contact lenses, medicine, or surgery, that interferes with a person's ability to perform everyday activities. It could be a peripheral or central vision loss.
Some of the most common causes of low vision include age-related macular degeneration, diabetes, cataracts and glaucoma. Low vision may also result from cancer of the eye, albinism, brain injury, or inherited disorders of the eye including retinitis pigmentosa (which causes the blindness component in Usher syndrome).
Why We Are Painting it Yellow
WE WANT TO HELP PEOPLE LIKE OUR TROOP LEADER AND USHER SYNDROME SOCIETY BOARD MEMBER, PEGGY BORST AND NOISY VISION FOUNDER, DARIO SORGATO. WE WANT TO RAISE AWARENESS FOR LOW VISION DISEASES LIKE USHER SYNDROME AND MAKE THE DAILY LIVES OF THOSE WITH LOW VISION EASIER.
Since they found out about her condition, Troop 1673 has been raising awareness for Usher syndrome to help their troop leader, Peggy Borst. She was diagnosed with moderate hearing loss when she was six years old and diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa (the vision component of Usher syndrome) in 2010.
Borst loves being a Girl Scout Troop Leader and tries not to let her disability slow her down. She tells her troop to always follow their dreams and that working to make a difference in the world can make the darkest of days seem brighter. She has been a Troop Leader for 5 years, since the girls were Daisies.
In addition to leading a Girl Scout troop, Borst is on the Board for the Usher Syndrome Society whose mission is to use art, events and collaboration to raise public awareness for Usher Syndrome. The Usher Syndrome Society’s mission has always inspired the girls, so much that they hosted an awareness event and dance challenge when they were Brownies.
Borst met Dario Sorgato of Noisy Vision at an Usher Syndrome Coalition conference and was so excited to tell her troop about his AWESOME campaign. As you can see, he was wearing a banana yellow suit which was hard to miss.
Though Dario Sorgato has Usher syndrome, he has not stopped living his life to the fullest while inspiring others to do the same. He hikes for hundreds of miles, planting flags to raise awareness. He has inspired many to join him, some of which are completely blind.
We were so impressed by the NoisyVision campaign to Yellow the World, that we wanted to host our own challenge to PAINT IT YELLOW! PAINT IT YELLOW is a spin-off of #YellowTheWorld, a campaign initiated by NoisyVision.
NoisyVisionLike NoisyVision, we are also advocating for IMPROVED ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL THOSE with LOW VISION!
#YELLOWTHEWORLD
We are inspired by our Troop Leader and the man in the banana yellow suit telling the world ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.
How Are We Painting It Yellow?
People with vision loss often have difficulty seeing where a sidewalk or crosswalk ends and the road begins. This is a challenge when entering/exiting businesses into the parking lot or crossing the streets. Better markings would prevent injuries from falls or accidents in the street.
Did you know some people with low vision might see stairs as slides and cannot differentiate each step? Putting yellow strips on stairs will help those with low vision determine where each step begins and ends. We want to paint it yellow, federal* yellow, because it offers a nice contrast against concrete and asphalt.
*There are some locations where federal yellow cannot be used due to local guidelines and restrictions, however, the key is CONTRAST. As long as there is a discernible difference, those with low vision have a better chance to see!
Our Proposed
Changes
A Zebra Crosswalk with rumble strips is much easier to see.
Sometimes people with low vision see stairs as slides.
This yellow strip allows high contrast allowing people to better see each step.
People with low vision cannot always see the drop down from a curb to the street. A contrast like the yellow shown here, would help prevent falls.