New England Conference!

October 2020

Pride Power Progress

October 8th is World Sight Day!

Thank you OPTICIANS for your critical part in helping the the world see.

How One Optician is Giving Back

Jen Hyde graduated from opticianry school in 2018. Rather than find an entrance into a high-end dispensary, Jen found her way to Liberia, with OneDollarGlasses. Here's her story...

OAA: Tell us about what brought YOU to OneDollarGlasses USA?

JEN: I regard the idea that there are people around the world who can’t afford glasses as unacceptable. I am a fairly high myope and am paralyzed when my glasses are lost (as my kids would be happy to expound upon 😉). I discovered OneDollarGlasses and just love the mission of using a social business model in impoverished countries (e.g., Africa, India, South America) to produce simple eyeglasses, customizablea and on-the-spot, in rural villages, to those who need them the most.

Not only do we correct vision, but we create jobs where they are desperately needed.

OAA: It’s such an interesting name. Do the glasses cost one dollar? And why aren’t they free?

JEN: One dollar refers to the material costs of our glasses. With our name, we wanted to give a strong impression that our glasses are extremely affordable, even for the poorest on earth. We’ve discovered, however, that the name is confusing because our patients expect to pay $1/pair; and also the name suggests that we are a for-profit business—which we definitely are not! We do charge a few dollars per pair so that we can keep our non-profit sustained by the revenue and don’t need to rely entirely on donations. The proceeds are used to hire and train local vision specialists and purchase raw material for the frames and lenses. We will be changing our name in the next few months to GoodVisionGlasses to clear up the confusion. Stay tuned!

OAA: How do you choose where ODG will be set up?

JEN: We look for countries with truly underserved populations—where there is a huge gap between what people earn and the cost of glasses. For instance, in Liberia, ODG USA’s first project country, 84% of the population live on $1.25/day. Can you imagine paying many months of salary for a $100-300 pair of eyeglasses in a regular Liberian optical shop? Simply unaffordable for the average Liberian. And, as you know, one is severely impaired without clear vision. Even more so in developing countries. For instance, an entire extended family can be dependent on the livelihood of a tailor. But what if that tailor became presbyopic and can’t afford reading glasses to thread a needle? The lack of vision correction traps people in the cycle of poverty.

OAA: In the areas where it has been set up, how successful has it been?

JEN: Let’s take Burkina Faso in West Africa, for instance, where I had the good fortune to travel in 2018 to see OneDollarGlasses in operation. There we have a staff of 65, including trained vision technicians, administrative staff, eyeglass fabricators and more. And several of those individuals have physical handicaps including a blind eyeglass fabricator. Jobs are very hard to come by in developing countries, and each salary goes far, feeding multiple generations of a family that often live together. Additionally, over 60,000 pairs of OneDollarGlasses have been dispensed in Burkina Faso since we started working there in 2013. That’s 60,000 people who can now see the blackboard, thread a needle, read in a darkened hut at night, or drive a truck to support their family. They can now live their lives with the dignity and ease that we all deserve.

OAA: How can we get involved? Do you look for any amounts of donations?

JEN: We are delighted to get ANY donations. As was mentioned, in countries like Liberia, a few dollars goes a long way, supporting training fees and materials for optical specialists, purchasing the raw materials for glasses and more. For instance, thanks to donations, we were able to buy a used SUV for our partners in Liberia, which now allows them to take optical outreaches to remote villages. And also, now through the end of the year, we have two generous donors matching all donations! In addition, we are looking for volunteers and corporate partners who would like to help us build our organization: market and tell our story to others, build our Retail Optical Program and more. And when COVID is over, there are possibilities to volunteer with our project teams abroad. So please be in touch: mail@onedollarglasses.org

OAA: What have you witnessed with this program that has kept you involved?

JEN: What I witnessed in Burkina Faso was truly inspriational:

Hundreds of students in a remote school with few classrooms and no technology or other resources. Without being able to see the blackboard, these students cannot achieve academic success. They waited patiently for hours under a tree in the hot sun to be assessed for eyeglasses.

An auto mechanic who previously struggled to repair cars until he got his OneDollarGlasses.

Among the 65 employees in Burkina Faso who screen patients for refractive error and other eye problems, fabricate wire eyeglass frames, test visual acuity and provide the proper corrective eyeglasses for their patients are several who are people who are disabled. We were invited to the home of Sulemein, who is now the CFO for ODG Burkina Faso. He has had polio since he was young, and prior to his work at ODG, he was not employed. Now he has a family and house, and we enjoyed refreshments with him in his home of which he is so proud. None of this would have been possible without OneDollarGlasses, which Sulemein is quick to tell everyone.

Interested in Giving Back? One Dollar Glasses USA and Vision of Hope ( OAA's charitable arm) appreciate donations of any amount.

DONATE HERE

On November 8th

Opticians Association of Massachusetts

Opticians Association of Rhode Island

Opticians Association of Vermont

Society of Connecticut Opticians

New Hampshire Society of Optician

With the help from Blair Wong and Kevin Silva (Executive Director and Vice President of the Opticians Association of Massachusetts, respectively) and a team from each state association, ONE will deliver 7 hours of education for the needs of each society. This conference will provide education for each association,in addition to a tutorial on virtual conferencing.

More Info

Bravo for state societies working together!!

Join Your State Association!

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COA - Commission on Opticianry Accreditation - Target YOUR Career with QUALITY Education.

A MESSAGE FROM THE COA

COA seeks any comment to the proposed Essentials change below, and comments may be sent by December 31. 2020 to: Debra White, director@coaccreditation.com

ESSENTIALS OF AN ACCREDITED EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM FOR OPTICIANRY

IV. RESOURCES

B. Instructional Staff

1. Qualifications

Instructional staff must possess the following:

ï An Associate’s Degree;

ï ABO certification;

ï NCLE certification (when teaching contact lenses)

ï Fulltime instructors must possess Advanced ABO/NCLE certification (based on teaching content area), by December 31, 2022 2024

The faculty (instructors) must be individually qualified by education and experience, must be effective in teaching the subjects assigned, and must meet the standards required by the institution.

Teaching faculty for spectacle dispensing must be certified by the American Board of Opticianry or equivalent (e.g. licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist) and licensed (where applicable) in the state in which the program is located, or licensed, where applicable, in the state of residence, if this meets the institution’s requirements.

Teaching faculty for contact lens fitting must be certified by the National Contact Lens Examiners or equivalent (e.g. licensed optometrist or licensed ophthalmologist) and licensed (where applicable) in the state in which the program is located, or licensed, where applicable, in the state of residence, if this meets the institution’s requirements.

Current teaching faculty of accredited programs reviewed under an earlier version of the Essentials are “grandfathered” according to those standards in effect at the time of their appointment to the faculty. However, it is recommended that “grandfathered” faculty not meeting these qualifications upgrade credentials accordingly. Grandfathered status is not transferrable to another institution.

Qualified faculty must provide appropriate and documented oversight for all delivery methods of education, ensuring both the rigor of those courses and the quality of instruction.