Oldest VA Blind Center, white cane perfecter, to celebrate 75th Anniversary

To commemorate this milestone, a ceremony will be held on July 20, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., outside Building 113 – 5000 S. 5th Ave, Hines, IL 60141.

Remarks from esteemed speakers and hospital leadership will begin at 11:30 a.m., followed by a catered lunch and open house.

Navy Veteran Michael Roland of Westchester, Illinois, will be among the speakers. Roland attended the BRC course in 2008 following years of homelessness.

“I was devastated,” Roland said of losing his vision. “But the program gave me hope. The people there became family and really taught me how to live a quality life, even when visually impaired.”

Hines VA’s BRC opened on July 4, 1948, following a 1947 directive by President Harry Truman to turn over care of visually impaired World War II Veterans to VA. Naron Ferguson became the first patient at the new nine-bed Hines VA unit and was trained by Russell C. Williams, a fellow blinded World War II Veteran and the center’s first chief.

Under Williams’ direction, the center tripled in size and developed a curriculum that helped build the foundation for the modern care of visually impaired individuals, including developing touch recognition through real-world activities.

Williams and his staff are also credited with perfecting the long white cane by the American Foundation for the Blind. The long cane was originally developed at Valley Forge Army Hospital in 1944, where Wilson and most early BRC staff consulted before coming to Hines VA. The Hines BRC developed orientation, measuring and mobility methods for the long cane. It also improved its design and materials, and trained sighted staff to use a cane blindfolded to better instruct Veteran patients.

The modern long cane has been used by millions worldwide. It is lighter and longer than the initial cane created two decades earlier in England.

Over its 75 years, Hines VA’s BRC continued to develop innovative techniques and use cutting-edge technologies to aid Veterans. The center developed guidelines for using GPS to enhance Veteran mobility and was the first VA facility to use the technology.

In 2021, Hines BRC became the first VA to develop in-house 3D-printed tactile maps using satellite imagery for locations specific to Veterans’ needs, such as their neighborhoods.

Today’s center was built in 2005 and can house 34 Veterans from across the United States undergoing a four- to six-week inpatient course. The facility continues the 1948 care approach by training Veterans to maintain their hobbies and skills after vision decline.

The modern center includes practical skills areas, a woodworking shop, arts and metal-working areas, and two independent living apartments to help Veterans continue a full, self-sufficient life after graduating.

Since 1948, Hines BRC has trained approximately 10,000 Veterans and currently serves around 300 Veteran patients annually. It also uses video conferencing to remotely aid additional Veterans across the country. Veterans are referred by their area VA medical center.  

“We are immensely proud of the Hines VA Blind Rehabilitation Center’s 75 years of service to visually impaired Veterans,” said James Doelling, hospital director. “This significant milestone is a testament to the dedication of our staff and the immeasurable impact they have made on the lives of our Veterans.”

Contact Hines VA Hospital Public Affairs to attend the July 20 event: HinesPublicAffairs@va.gov  

 

About Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital

Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital, located 12 miles west of downtown Chicago on a 147-acre campus, offers primary, extended and specialty care to Veteran patients in the Chicago area. We are the largest VA in the state of Illinois, where more than a million Veterans reside. The hospital treats more than 44,000 Veterans from World War II through the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital Public Affairs Office

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