My Story

I have been a VIST Coordinator for 12 years. I started off as a Part time VIST Coordinator and in 1994 I became full time. I am legally blind since 1970. I have been through the HINES BRC and the Palo Alto BRC. I attended college under VA vocational rehabilitation. In the following document I will provide an overview of my training education and experiences. I feel all my life experiences have helped to develop me into a VIST Coordinator. I will start with my knowledge of and skill to perform the duties of the Visual Impairment Services Team Coordinator.

My growth in the knowledge of successfully executing the duties of a VIST Coordinator has been a long evolution that started over 15 years ago. At that time I was appointed the part time Coordinator in San Antonio. Within five years I assumed full time duties, a position which I have held successfully for the last 12 years.

The role of VIST and the methods of performing VIST duties have evolved over this time period. I have gone from record keeping by hand using 5 by 8 cards to a sophisticated data base system. A simple annual review has evolved into a triage point in a continuum of care, and the process keeps on evolving.

The demographic of whom I serve have changed dramatically also. Fifteen years ago I had a just retiring World War II population as our major thrust. Many of these people still exist, but they fit into the geriatric category. In South Texas I also have a large agent orange related Vietnam veteran population. I have found that this shift in demographics have forced me to utilize many of my Social Work skills in managing my duties. The World War II population has many social concerns that come with aging and end of life that are equally as important as sight loss. The Agent Orange veterans tend to have numerous co-morbidities that have great bearing on the rehabilitation process. Fifteen years ago I would never have projected the great need I would have to improve my skills and knowledge in the area of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Nor, would I have foreseen the need to constantly keep updated in VA, DOD, Government, and Community benefits and resources.

The logistics of South Texas have offered some unique additional challenges. The VIST program covers over 100,000 square miles. In recent year’s health service have become decentralized as the VA has gone to provision of primary care in the veteran’s home community. To adapt to this I have expanded the way I communicate with veterans. This has lead to expanded use of the phone. I use volunteers and work studies to do informational projects. I initiated a newsletter as a secondary form of contact and education on key issues. I feel that our program has pioneered the use of statistics through the use of formal needs assessments to help shape the nature of the service I provide.

The following are formal activities expanding my knowledge of and skill to perform the duties of the Visual Impairment Services Team Coordinator.

My credentials:

My training:

As a results of my efforts, the South Texas VIST program has been a vibrant, healthy, growing program. The caseload has grown to close to 700 legally blind veterans who receive a wide range of services in one of the areas of the country that has pioneered the concept of a continuum of care.

Five years ago I initiated our Risk Management model based on the information obtained from a formalized needs assessment. Using this information I focused on regaining the ability to read and manage medications. Follow up needs assessment showed exceptional results from this effort. Concerns about every day reading dropped from an initial 47% to a two year later 3% with similar sample sizes. To accomplish this I needed to utilize identification techniques, timely intervention, and a full spectrum of services.

During the late 1990’s and early 2000’s the South Texas program has led the nation numerous times in total number of referrals to a VA blind rehabilitation center. As there has been a growing emphasis on local services I have attempted to be a leader in this area also. I have gone from using one low vision clinic to using three private agencies, plus, I have developed a strong working relationship with the two military low vision centers in our area. I also have a strong working relationship with other State and community agencies.

In 2000 the team initiated a quarterly newsletter. We looked to this to bridge the distance gap that our coverage area generates. This has been supplemented with special interest projects that have had a unique focus. In 2002 – 2003 we did a year long Agent Orange project for our Agent Orange veterans. This focused on the benefits, co-morbidities, post traumatic stress disorder, family considerations and other concerns for these veterans. It consisted of a start up survey, 12 installments of a monthly newsletter, and post program report. It was extremely well received by our veterans. We have also completed a joint project with Audiology Service called the Year of the Ear in 2004. The goal is to maximize the use of residual hearing by all VIST veterans.

 

Highlights of Results

South Texas VIST Program has:

Member of Community Agencies’ Board of Directors:

Personal Recognition: