In 1988, President Ronald Reagan and the U.S. Congress declared that every August 21 in perpetuity should be recognized as "National Senior Citizens Day," in honor of older Americans who have contributed so much to our way of life.
As such, Lisa D'Aloise and I of Orlando Senior Housing have chosen to recognize and honor an exceptional woman we have grown to know and respect over the past several months.
Ruth Sager
OrlandoSeniorHousing.com's "Most Amazing Senior" on National Senior Citizens Day
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Ruth is the President of the Seniors Division of the National Federation of the Blind. Lisa and I recently got to know Ruth when she invited us both to speak on senior housing issues at the NFB annual convention in Orlando.
A woman who is devoted to making life better for individuals who are sight-impaired, Ruth also serves as an instructor in Baltimore with Blind Industries and Services of Maryland.
I asked Ruth to share with us a bit of her life story and inspiration.
by Ruth Sager
As a young person finishing my academic studies, I moved from Wisconsin to the Washington DC metro area with the hope of finding a job. During my search, I met some blind people, most of whom were employed by the government and held professional jobs. They invited me to a meeting of the local chapter of the National Federation of the Blind.
At the meeting, I discovered that one of the young men there was running for local, public office. This really made me think about greater possibilities. It had never occurred to me that anyone with a significant disability could attempt to do such a thing. I found this group energetic and invigorating and they were purposeful in their quest to find and fight for equal opportunity for employment, housing, and lifestyle choices.
The group had a positive focus and a willingness to change the status quo, while working towards improving conditions and changing laws. I was challenged not only to think of my own needs and desires but to realize I was apart of a social minority in this country and should become actively involved in this organization.
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As time moved on, I eventually chose to become an instructor at one of the training centers established by the National Federation of the Blind in Ruston, Louisiana. I became one of the few blind cane travel instructors in the nation at that time, and then moved on to teach independent living and home management to newly blind adults.
I continued my work in this same capacity when I again moved back to the East Coast and began work at Blind Industries and Services of Maryland as an independent living instructor. In 1998 I began working exclusively with seniors who were losing vision. I visited them at home and then created and implemented a training program to enable seniors to learn non-visual techniques they can employ to remain active and self sufficient in their homes and communities.
The idea that “Collectively working together, we can change what it means to be blind,” became my mission when I joined the National Federation of the Blind thirty-six years ago. I have been assigned a variety of tasks and challenged to take on several leadership positions within the federation as I moved through rearing my children and finding a career choice living in several different states. I have had the opportunity to work with and meet many hundreds of blind people over the years who have inspired me and taught me how to live the life I want. This is the legacy I want to pass on to others.
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At our 2014 convention in Orlando, the Seniors Division of the NFB focused on housing issues for blind seniors. I hope this focus and discussion will spur conversations within Federation chapters nationwide as to options in senior living and what responsibilities are entailed in maintaining the best quality of life possible for each senior.
Whether they are a newly blind senior struggling to maintain independence or an individual who has been blind most of their life but who has now attained "seniorhood," knowledge about our options and how to access those options is so important. We can then be proactively accountable for planning our future as far as the physical space we live in and the financial management of our personal affairs. We can therefore control as much of our future destiny as our sighted colleagues using our abilities and talents to promote our personal desires and continue living the kind of life we want.
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Michele and Ruth
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Ruth, thank you for your exceptional work over the years and for your ongoing dedication!
Ruth Sager
OrlandoSeniorHousing.com's "Most Amazing Senior"
National Senior Citizens Day
August 21, 2014
