Focus on Blindness is an organisation which provides services and support for those with sight impairment or/and multiple disabilities. Since September 2008 I have volunteered part time in the Elisabeth Gunn Centre which is the multiple disability service unit of Focus on Blindness. In this unit, service users with multiple disabilities (e.g. difficulties with communication and mobility) come Mondays till Fridays from 9am until 3pm to obtain complete support which includes health care, physiotherapy and food. My role at Focus is to help service users and to assist staff members if help is required. My main tasks are feeding service users, supporting during healthcare and assisting in activities.
Focus tries to help service users have as much independence as possible. Nevertheless, support is necessary even during dinner times because many service users do not have the essential senses and mobility to do something which for majority of society is something very easy, such as eating.
Healthcare is essential because in many cases service users have severe health problems. Besides important medical services, users also get psychotherapeutic support. Because I am not a trained healthcare member of staff, I can only assist the psychotherapists while they, for example, try to stretch service users who are sitting in wheelchairs.
Fun and enjoyment is an important column of Focus: Service users can participate in “Jabadeo” which is an activity session where movement and games are combined in an entertaining way for all service users.
Decoration and arts are a pleasure for everyone, especially during Christmas, and even sight impaired service users can be creative by feeling the difference of the structure of each material.
As you can see, the work for Focus on Blindness offers great variety. The examples given in this article do not cover everything I have to do but give a good impression of my voluntary work.
Volunteering for Focus and the Jesuits is a great honour, but at the same time it is very hard and gives rise to doubt. Helping people who live non-desirable lives, including those who are living on the margins of a society, is a challenge for one’s own faith. Where is God in the lives of service users of the Elisabeth Gunn Centre? And why did he create people with multiple disabilities while others live successful lives with good health? It is not possible to answer these questions in the “right” way. It depends on the character and the faith of each person. It has not been easy to find an answer to these questions, but up to now I have found an answer which is acceptable for me: God is surrounding the people who suffer more than anyone and anywhere else. Indeed it is confusing but, when I see how carefully and supportively the centre and the staff members take care of the service users, I notice that God is in all these people who help and support the service users. God is very close to all service users and gives them a reason to live even in their situation.
Jonatan is from Germany. He can be found at Focus or volunteering with schools in the woods with CSV. He can also be heard on internet radio on Sunday afternoons at JESFM on 1000mikes.com
Holy Joe 