If you encountered a situation where you had to save someone’s life, would you be prepared? The Fayette Home Orientation and Mobility Experiences at School (HOMES) students would be. On , the Fayette HOMES students and Intermediate Unit 1 teachers of the visually impaired participated in CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) training at Connellsville Area Career and Technology Center. Mr. Barry, the protective services teacher, provided the training.
TJ, a Connellsville Area School District student attending the HOMES Program stated, “Just because you are blind does not mean that you can’t save a person life. Since the CPR regulations have changed you no longer have to look, listen, and feel. Now you have to listen and feel.” The students learned how to perform CPR, operate the AED, and how to clear an obstructed airway. The students will receive a certification card from the American Heart Association.
TJ further reported, “I hope I never have to use it, but I feel confident that I am highly certified and can perform CPR just as well as anyone else. So never underestimate the abilities of a person who is blind or visually impaired.”
The HOMES Program provides students who are blind or visual impaired with the opportunity to meet to learn compensatory skills, to carry out career exploration activities, to acquire orientation and mobility skills, and to practice appropriate social skills in a variety of educational and community settings. Intermediate Unit 1 currently operates two HOMES programs: one based at the Fayette County Association for the Blind, and one based at the Washington-Greene County Association for the Blind.