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Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility gives vision care to teens
Incarcerated teens are getting comprehensive vision exams - and for some of them, it is for the first time ever.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - It's not your typical doctor’s office.
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For the first time, youth inside Wayne County’s Juvenile Detention Facility are getting vision care screenings, exams, and more, thanks to a new program.
"We want to come to where they are and that’s our whole purpose," said Tressel Flaggs, a Vision to Learn program manager.
Inside Wayne County’s Juvenile Detention Facility, nearly 80 youth are getting help to see clearly — literally.
The Vision to Learn Michigan group was invited in. Its team is performing eye exams and providing glasses for incarcerated teens for free.
"The most rewarding part about this job is just seeing the kids put on glasses for the very first time," Flaggs said. "The ones that never knew that they couldn’t see. And all of a sudden, now their whole world has opened up."
Outside of medical exams through booking, it’s the first time many of them have had a comprehensive exam like this.
And JDF’s Youth Experience Deputy Director, Indu Wilson, says it shows in their capstone classrooms, where these teens spend six hours a day.
"Oftentimes kids have learning disabilities or just can’t see the work, so that causes a lot of behavioral problems," Wilson said.
But in partnership with Vision to Learn, these kids are getting care that is often met with barriers.
Number one is the cost," said Flaggs. "The second barrier is the transportation. But third a child, they don’t know they can’t see. It’s not like a code you know they can tell you 'I’m not feeling well.' They don’t know they can’t see, unless they have something to compare it to."
Organizers say this is just the start. They are planning annual exams with the Juvenile Detention Facility and follow-up visits post release to make sure these kids have continued care.
Because giving them tools to see clearer, might put their path forward into focus too.
"It lets the kids know we’re thinking about their health on all levels," Wilson said. "Including vision, which is something great."
The Source: Information for this story is from interviews with members of Vision to Learn Michigan and the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility.