Episode #7
Small Steps for Big Vision: A Conversation with Mary Noga
Send us Fan Mail An audience measures attention. Understanding transforms people. August is Children's Eye Health Month, and families everywhere are heading back to school. In this episode, we sit down with Mary Noga, Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of the School Nurse Certification Program at University of Illinois Chicago, to talk about the Small Steps to Eye Care Action Plan she implemented at Indian Prairie School District 204, where she previously served as Health Services Coordinator, and why the gap between a vision screening and a completed eye exam matters so much for a child's ability to learn and thrive. Guest Mary Noga, Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of the School Nurse Certification Program at the University of Illinois Chicago Hosts Sylvia and Gabby In This Episode 00:00 Welcome And Why Vision Matters 02:02 Growing Up With Low Vision 07:10 Meet Mary Noga And The Gap 10:23 Small Steps Action Plan Explained 21:04 Barriers That Block Eye Exams 30:55 Partnerships That Boost Follow-Through 37:40 Inclusion Tools And Back To School 45:45 Resources And Closing Thoughts Mary's Bio: Mary has been a nurse for 19 years, and has worked as a school nurse for the past 18 years. Mary recently completed her Doctor of Nursing Practice in Advanced Population Health Nursing. Mary's advocacy and service focuses on children's vision and eye health and removing barriers and improving access to eye care. Mary has previously worked as the Health Services Coordinator and Licensed School Nurse in a large suburban school district in Illinois. Mary currently serves as the Director of the School Nurse Certification Program and Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois Chicago. Mary is dedicated to educating the next generation of school nurses and being the voice for children with visual impairments. A Note on A.I.R. This platform works to shift how we see one another through A.I.R. (Access, Inclusion, & Representation)™. This episode is a reminder that access starts early, and that something as ordinary as a vision screening can shape a child's whole experience of school. Resources Small Steps for Big Vision website, https://nationalcenter.preventblindness.org/small-steps-for-big-vision/ Small Steps Action Plan, https://preventblindness.org/document/small-steps-to-eye-care-action-plan-a-conversation-guide/ Bold Blind Beauty On A.I.R. features thoughtful conversations that challenge assumptions, broaden perspectives, and celebrate the richness of disability experiences, rooted in A.I.R. (Access, Inclusion, & Representation)™. Connect with Bold Blind Beauty YouTube · Podcast · LinkedIn May Bold Blind Beauty always be known not for the noise it made, but for the understanding it cultivated. Music Credit: "Ambient Uplifting Harmonic Happy" By Panda-x-music https://audiojungle.net/item/ambient-uplifting-harmonic-happy/46309958 Thanks for listening!❤️
