Dr. Deborah Gold
Already the mother of two, Dr. Deborah Gold, associate director of CNIB’s Research department, never thought she’d have another baby. That was until CNIB’s most recent resource guide – “You and Your Vision Health: Yes! Something More Can Be Done” – was conceived.
As she has with all projects that come out of CNIB’s research department, Dr. Gold worked in consultation with a number of groups to create the new resource guide. Under her guidance, CNIB researchers spoke with eye doctors, ophthalmologists and seniors with vision loss to help produce a guide that would ultimately benefit people 50+ who are or may soon be faced with diminishing vision.
Dr. Gold obtained her PhD in Special Education from Syracuse University, focusing on social policy and disability. She has worked in the disability field as a researcher, academic lecturer, administrator, residential counsellor and recreation therapist. She joined CNIB in 2000, and since 2002 has been primarily responsible for the development of CNIB’s rehabilitation and outcomes program, which focuses on quality of life issues for people with vision loss.
One of her first projects was to review the programs that CNIB offered to children living with vision loss. Dr. Gold travelled across the country for six months and found CNIB had strong programs for young children and adults but was missing programs for youth, specifically one that would help prepare them for the workforce.
She saw this as a research opportunity and secured a grant from the Social Development Partnerships Program of the Canadian government. The result was “The Status of Canadian Youth who are Blind or Visually Impaired: A Study of Lifestyles, Quality of Life and Employment” – a comprehensive study of the lifestyles of Canadian youth, ages 15 to 30, living with vision loss.
Since then, Dr. Gold has acquired funding for several key research projects, such as the Employment Success Study and “An Unequal Playing Field” (a study of unmet needs among Canadians with vision loss) and has established valuable partnerships with other research agencies.
Right now Dr. Gold is gearing up for the launch of “You and Your Vision Health: Yes! Something More Can Be Done,” which will include presentations at 13 health-care professional conferences and at least 50 workshops for seniors across Canada.
“I loved working on this project; it’s my baby,” says Dr. Gold. “I find it exciting to link research to practical use in the everyday lives of people living with vision loss. I want to help make a positive difference.”
In addition to her work at CNIB, Dr. Gold is an adjunct professor in the University of Ottawa’s Department of Ophthalmology. She also serves on the scientific program committee for Vision 2008 – a conference where academics, researchers and other professionals from around the world will present on vision health, rehabilitation services and the psychosocial aspects of vision loss. Previously, she served on the scientific program committee for the Cost of Blindness Symposium in 2004 and the CNIB Health Strategy Task Force.
Read more about CNIB Research.
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