Page 4 - MidWeek Windward - Feb 16, 2022

4 FEBRUARY 16, 2022
Kailua’s Gabe Shares About Vision Loss
February is Low Vision Awareness Month, and at age 71, Debbie Gabe of Kai- lua continues her dedication to helping others.
impairment from my family, friends and at work by us- ing optical reading devices in secret, asking people for rides and taking many hours to prepare for routine work meetings,” Gabe states.
ing workshops and classes through Hadley, a nonprofit organization specializing in distance and online learn- ing for visually impaired adults. Recently retired, Gabe volunteers to teach Braille and runs a cooking class via Zoom through the National Federation of the Blind of Hawai‘i, where she also serves as president of the regional chapter.
After a career working with those challenged by sensory impairments, Gabe is driven by her own expe- rience losing her vision, her thirst for knowledge and her desire to share what she learned with others.
During this phase of her life, she recalls becoming angry and frustrated, un- til her husband encouraged her to seek help through the New Visions program at Ho‘opono. It is a branch of the state Department of Hu- man Services that provides comprehensive and special- ized services across Hawai‘i for those who are blind or visually impaired.
After completing her ed- ucation as an audiologist, Gabe moved to the mainland early in her career to accept a job with the Cleveland Clin- ic’s audiology department. She began to notice that she was having difficulty see- ing things like small screws and wires. After undergoing testing, Gabe was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, an optic nerve disorder. It dam- ages the retina over time, causing permanent vision loss. Although RP can run in families, 50% of people with RP don’t have a family history of the disease, like Gabe.
“The hardest news about getting my diagnosis was that no one could tell me how fast it would progress,” Gabe states.
PURPOSE BUILT FOOTWEAR for the
For her commitment to engaging others with visual impairments and keeping them connected to much-needed resourc- es, Gabe has been named a recipient of Hadley’s HE- ROES Award.
Debbie Gabe
In hindsight, she suspects that she had early signs of RP going back to her teen- age years.
“I first lost my ability to see stars at night, and when I was learning to drive a car, I knew something was off after several minor traffic accidents, I was losing my peripheral vision as well,” she adds.
After getting occupation- al therapy and orientation and mobility training with the New Vision Program, Gabe shares that she gained confidence as her ability to adjust to her vision loss im- proved. She kept on learn- ing new skills, like how to use screen-reading technol- ogy, basic Braille, and tak-
“Debbie is proof that vi- sion loss doesn’t define a person, her ambassadorship on behalf of Hadley and her passion for learning and teaching will assure and in- spire many others,” states Hadley president and CEO Julie Tye.
A celebration took flight as Sea Life Park Hawai‘i recently unveiled its renovated seabird sanctuary. Members of Girls Scouts of Hawai‘i Troop 257 and Troop 383 attended the blessing and special name announcement
of sanctuary birds Malu and Kolohe. The area’s updated resources, which includes new pools, will help advance the park’s commitment to the conservation of Hawai‘i’s seabird species. PHOTO COURTESY SEA LIFE PARK
Gabe moved back to Ha- wai‘i, where she continued to work as an audiologist with a local medical center, and as her vision worsened, she realized she could no longer ignore or hide it from others.
For info, visit hadley.edu.
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