YES, YOU CAN!

We take great pride in the success of our clients at Bosma, but their success is largely due to the success of our dedicated employees. What follows is the story of two of those people. One works internally at Bosma's Center for the Visionary Solutions, and the other is an itinerant (traveling) teacher who visits clients throughout the state.

JOHN MANYIK

John Manyik came to Bosma as a client in 2013 after losing his vision at age 43 to pars planitis, a hereditary condition. In January 2015, he was asked to temporarily fill in as the instructor of manual skills, and six months later, he was offered the full-time position. 

Before losing his sight, John was an aviation technician, where he often dealt with engine repair in small, non-visible areas that required the use of his hands more than his eyes.

"I've used my hands all my life, and it's the first thing I teach my clients. When I have them take apart a doorknob or faucet, I tell them to ‘look’ at all the parts with their hands and tell me what they feel. Being able to feel what they’re doing needs to become second nature,” John explained.

During the 16-week manual skills program, each client has three major projects to learn: basket weaving or leather stamping, a wood project, and cane repair. 

“They may laugh about basket weaving at the start, but by the end of the project, they’re proud. One client told me he was only doing the basket project because I asked him to, but he got pretty good at it. We laugh about it because now he and his wife sit on the porch of their small farm and weave baskets for fun...and money.

"The cane repair project came about when my wife and I were in a museum in Chicago, and my cane broke into pieces. I didn't have anything with me to repair it, so we had to leave. That’s when I decided to develop a kit to have with me whenever I was out. Now, everyone in my class is given a kit, and we practice cane repair often,” John said.

Clients learn basic household repair tasks, as well as the ABCs of plumbing and electrical, how to use hand tools and drills, fire safety, and home organization.  

“There’s a lot of laughing and sharing in class. When you are working with your hands, you tend to relax, and conversations take place that might not happen anywhere else. It’s amazing – they inspire me every day.” 

AMY PLANALP

Amy Planalp began her career as a certified occupational therapist working at a school with special needs kids. She and a coworker also worked during the summers at a low-vision summer camp for kids, which is where she first heard Bosma’s name. 

After moving to Bloomington in 2017, Amy found herself looking for a new job and discovered a posting for an itinerant teaching position at Bosma, which would fit perfectly into Amy's life and busy schedule.

“It was three days a week doing something I was trained for, and I love driving. I now live in Whiteland and mostly service southern Indiana, so I put a lot of miles on the car,” Amy said.

Amy receives her assignments from Bosma and then calls the potential client to get an assessment of needs and schedule her visit. The first question she asks every client is how their vision is affecting their daily life. 

Amy then chooses the assistive devices she feels will benefit the client and heads out to visit them in their home, present the devices, and begin the training. Most clients are interested in the high-level magnifiers, but other popular devices include the glare shields, bump dots, and an assortment of kitchen and talking devices they never knew existed. 

One client who lives in assisted living told Amy that when she awakens, it's terrifying not knowing whether it's 10 o'clock in the morning or 4 o’clock in the afternoon. Now, with the help of a talking clock, her anxiety is gone.

All services and devices are free of charge, which most clients can’t believe. “Their gratitude is overwhelming,” Amy said.

When asked what her best success stories have been, Amy is quick to say, “I can’t pick just one. I get so much from meeting and helping these people. It feels awesome – I am so blessed!”

“My goal is to find their strengths, build them up, and cheer them on. They may think their life is going dark. But I feel like I am there to shed a different light – the light of independence. 

 When they think they can’t, I simply tell them, "Yes, you can!"