Fitness: Don't worry, Jordan; Mum Val tells Susan Lee how her family copes with blindness.Byline: Susan Lee VAL 1. VAL - Value-oriented Algorithmic Language. J.B. Dennis, MIT 1979. Single assignment language, designed for MIT dataflow machine. Based on CLU, has iteration and error handling, lacking in recursion and I/O. "A Value- Oriented Algorithmic Language", W.B. McCausland has a very personal message for model Jordan: ``Having a child without sight is not the end of the world.'' And she should know. Both her children are registered blind and she herself has a guide dog. But as the glamour model struggles to come to terms with the news that two-month-old Harvey's eyesight eye·sight n. 1. The faculty of sight; vision. 2. Range of vision; view. failed to develop in the womb, Val is adamant that being visually impaired is no barrier to success in life. ``I was absolutely gutted when I was told that, at the age of three, Christopher had the same problem as me - pigmentation pigmentation, name for the coloring matter found in certain plant and animal cells and for the color produced thereby. Pigmentation occurs in nearly all living organisms. on the retina,'' remembers Val, who lives in West Derbny. ``Although I knew the condition was hereditary and I had it I wasn't fully aware of what that meant. ``I had no genetic counselling and the problem became apparent as part of Christopher's routine checks.'' She admits she was `shocked' but absolutely determined that her son would have every opportunity available to him - opportunities which she had never had. ``My mother was blind and so was her father. ``My eyesight wasn't too bad when I was at primary school and I passed the 11-plus but it went downhill from there.'' As her sight deteriorated, Val received no special treatment to help her cope with her schoolwork. ``The only thing that was said was that I could get up and go nearer to the blackboard to see better; which, of course, I was too embarrassed to do.'' She left school with few qualifications and worked in shops and pubs. The condition from which Val suffers is known as retinitis pigmentosa Retinitis Pigmentosa Definition Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) refers to a group of inherited disorders that slowly lead to blindness due to abnormalities of the photoreceptors (primarily the rods) in the retina. . One of five children, two of her siblings were also born with it, although for Val her symptoms have worsened progressively until she now has only `fuzzy' sight. In the past, the family has taken part in a nationwide research programme to identify the gene responsible for the condition. Val's daughter Louise, who also attended St Vincent's, was also diagnosed with the condition at just two days old. When Val and husband John became aware of their son's condition she was determined his academic experience would be different to hers. He attended mainstream primary school before moving to St Vincent's School For The Blind in West Derby. He subsequently went to university to study computer software engineering and, now aged 25, lives in Surrey. Her daughter Louise, 18, is at college in Hereford studying for Alevels and has hopes of a media career. ``Our family's philosophy has always been to get on with it. ``My mother brought up five children despite her blindness; it was barely talked about,'' says Val, 46. She admits she has had `difficult' patches when coming to terms with her own sight problems but found that the arrival of her guide dog, Clover, helped enormously. ``It was getting to the stage where, because of my sight, I didn't want to go out but getting her opened up a whole new world,'' she says. ``She's given me independence, a way of making friends. I feel like a member of society again.'' The other change in her life came with attending the Christopher Grange Rehabilitation rehabilitation: see physical therapy. Centre off East Prescot Road where people with sight problems can learn a range of skills from Braille to cookery and typing. She now works there as a volunteer and has just completed a NVQ NVQ n abbr (BRIT) (= national vocational qualification) → título de formación profesional NVQ n abbr (= National Vocational Qualification) → level three course in teaching those with visual impairment Visual Impairment Definition Total blindness is the inability to tell light from dark, or the total inability to see. Visual impairment or low vision is a severe reduction in vision that cannot be corrected with standard glasses or contact lenses and . ``I've seen all aspects of having sight problems - the positives and the negatives - but it's not the end of the world. ``Whatever happens, you do come through the other side. ``It will be hard for Jordan at the moment - she might never have even met anyone who is blind - but it will get better. Opportunities and support have improved no end over the years and will continue to do so. ``She needs to concentrate on the positive.'' FACT FILE JORDAN'S baby son Harvey has optic nerve hypoplasia Optic nerve hypoplasia is a medical condition that results in underdevelopment of the optic nerves. Development of the optic nerve During the second month of pregnancy, a structure called the optic stalk develops into a pair of optic nerve bundles. , a condition where a bundle of fibres carrying signals from the eye to the brain fail to properly develop. In many cases no identifiable cause can be found although in some cases it may be hereditary or caused by an infection. It affects the sharpness of the eyesight, field of vision and sensitivity to light and shade. CAPTION(S): LOVE IS BLIND: Val McCausland with (inset) her children Christopher and Louise |
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