MCPD to Host Blind Woman Using Cutting-Edge Technology to See
Published on February 07, 2022
CHEYENNE – The Mayor’s Council for People with Disabilities (MCPD) continues to bring pertinent issues impacting people with disabilities living in Cheyenne, MCPD members, and the public. On Wednesday, February 9th, the MCPD will host Sandy Olsen Mortvedt, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., at a public meeting held on Zoom.
A retired Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Deacon and professional musician, Mortvedt is a blind women who has had two double eye transplants due to a rare eye disease, called Keratoconus. The disease is a progressive eye disease that causes a thinning of the clear front surface of the eye resulting in a cone shaped cornea, which causes blindness. Mortvedt was born with a condition called Explosive Suprachordial Hemorage, and has had two complete eye transplants called Keratoconus Cornea Halos Cone Transplant. However, her left eye transplant has now failed, but she has some vision in her right eye, which allows her to play both the piano and guitar professionally.
Patti Riesland, Chairwoman for the MCPD, was sponsored by AARP to attend a conference several years ago in Houston where she was exposed to new technology for people with severe vision loss, low vision, and blindness. Suffering from low vision herself, Riesland was particularly interested in MyEye2, a new technology for people with low vision and blindness. She brought the information on MyEye2 to the MCPD and AARP.
Riesland informed Mortvedt about MyEye2, which is now available at the University of Wyoming through the Wyoming Assistive Technology Resource Program (WATR). Mortvedt contacted WATR and has been using MyEye2 via their loan program to test it.
Mortvedt will speak on the impact that the adaptive technology, MyEye2, has had on her life, renewed accessibility, professional career, and independence at the regular monthly meeting for the MCPD on Wednesday, February 9th from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The meeting is open to the public. To attend the Zoom meeting featuring Mortvedt as keynote speaker, please join at the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86445548521.
For more information about the Mayor’s Council for People with Disabilities, visit www.cheyennecity.org/mcpd.
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