Despite Her Vision Loss, Rebecca Tussey Creates A Masterpiece Quilt For St. Louis Society For The Blind
 When Rebecca Tussey of St. Louis lost her sight after experiencing a stroke of the optic nerve six years ago, "I was pretty angry," admits the former manager of local radio station KADI and community volunteer. "It was a really humbling experience because I lived by myself, and couldn't do things I used to do. In the beginning I burned myself cooking in the kitchen, or dropped things, or spilled bowls. It was frustrating.
"I really didn't know where to turn," says Tussey, who lost all vision in her right eye and 80 percent in her left eye when the stroke occurred.
When her retina specialist recommended she visit the St. Louis Society for the Blind & Visually Impaired to learn orientation and mobility skills, Tussey did -- "and all the people at the Society were phenomenal," she says.
"The Society sent people to my house to help me cope and re-learn basic skills for living. I began to take advantage of Society programs and services, such as Adaptive Computer Technology skills. The Society adapted my computer with magnifiers, zoom text and audio software. Now I can do everything from search websites to digital painting, which I love to do.
"I have always been creative," adds Tussey, a spirited age 59. "When I learned that the Society's 100th anniversary was coming up in 2011, I wanted to create a commemorative quilt." Had she ever been a quilter? "Never!" says Tussey.
Through the Society, Tussey announced that she was looking for fabric donations. "Before long, I got hundreds and hundreds of yards in all colors!" Before starting the project, Tussey wanted to learn all she could about the Society, which was founded in 1911 by James C. Jones and other community-minded citizens.
She approached David Ekin, ACSW, LCSW, Society President. Ekin gave Tussey permission to review the Society's historic archives for background information – a rare privilege – but "only if I did it very, very carefully," she recalls.
"I put on a white lab coat and gloves when I went to the archives. With my zoom magnifiers I read just about everything there is to know about the Society's founding and its history going back 100 years – it was amazing!"
With her friend Shirley Blankenship, a quilter, Tussey developed a design based on the logo the Society had developed especially for its 100th anniversary. The yellow and royal blue logo incorporates symbols especially meaningful in greater St. Louis, including the Gateway Arch and the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. It shows the year of the Society's origination and showcases elements of the Society's Mission Statement in its tagline "Enhance, Empower and Enrich," which are references to enhancing independence for individuals who are blind and visually impaired, while empowering and enriching their lives.
Tussey picked all the fabric colors, including additional hues she chose to complement the Society's logo, and she strategically laid out all the fabric throughout the project as Blankenship meticulously worked on the hand stitching. The finished quilt is comprised of three colorful panels, each measuring five by ten feet, which fit together side-by-side to illustrate the Society's insignia. When the giant quilt was finally complete, Tussey called Ekin.
Ekin said, "We enthusiastically welcomed the donation of Rebecca's quilt. It is a wonderfully meaningful piece of artistic work. We premiered the quilt for our Board of Directors and friends at a special reception in December, and many guests posed for photographs standing in front of it. Today, we display it proudly at Society headquarters, and everyone who sees comments about how beautiful it is. We deeply thank Rebecca Tussey and Shirley Blankenship for this extraordinary and meaningful commemoration."
The not-for-profit Society serves an increasing number of older adults who are newly visually impaired, blind or deaf-blind due to age-related eye conditions by providing home-based services, specialized agency services and community activities. It also renders services to school-age students at school districts in Illinois and Missouri. It is the only agency of its kind serving greater St. Louis, and the second oldest of its kind west of the Mississippi River.
Throughout 2011, the Society celebrated its 100th year of providing programs and services for people who are blind and visually impaired and their families in greater St. Louis. In addition, the Society named its clinical facility The Leslie and Robert Drews Low Vision Clinic to honor the late ophthalmologist Leslie Charles Drews, MD, and his son Robert C. Drews, MD, of St. Louis.
Tussey is understandingly pleased that the centennial quilt has been so well received by Society patrons and supporters. "I wanted to do something special for the Society because they have done so much for me. It was a great deal of work, but I learned a lot and I loved every minute of it. It was a special project!" Tussey doesn't have time to tackle another major project right now, because she is very involved with other activities with her friends at the Society and other people, such as attending performances by the St. Louis Symphony.
Tussey, who lives in south St. Louis County, will turn 60 in August, 2012. When told that "60 is the new 40," she replies with a laugh, "I sure hope so… I have lots of things I want to do!"
For more information about the St. Louis Society for the Blind & Visually Impaired, please visit the Society website at slsbvi.org or call Christy McCutcheon at 314.968.9000.
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