Getting Started

Getting Started

American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults Outreach Worker Handbook
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GETTING STARTED
You have already become familiar with the work the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults is doing. You have read our publications, trained under the supervision of the executive director, and met with dozens of blind people in your community. Now it is time for you to compile and evaluate your local and national resources.
Look closely at each area of the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults service. Make a list of local resources which complement the things we are doing. Where are the gaps? What do you need to know to help blind people get the most complete and accurate picture of their options? Who can help? Are there local service agencies, self-help organizations, or others with whom you can cooperate? In other words, know the territory.
As you learn more about available resources, you will also learn about unmet needs. Make careful notes about your observations so that you may bring them to the attention of the executive director. As an outreach worker, you have prime responsibility for helping the agency expand its services and to ensure that those services are tailored to meet specific local needs. But you are not working in isolation. The executive director is available to work with you at any time. The things you are doing in your locality will complement the work of other American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults outreach workers. By coordinating what you are doing with the executive director, you will make the most efficient use of our nationwide assets. Our resources are limited; we should use them wisely.
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