Programs and Services
New Visions
Program Description
NEW VISIONS: HELP FOR ADULTS WITH NEW VISION LOSS If you have significant permanent vision loss and don’t know where to go for help and resources, New Visions is for you! This community-based program is designed to help you learn practical ways to make your life easier and safer in order to maintain or increase your independence at home and in the community.
New Visions is a four session, workshop series that introduces participants to vision rehabilitation with important information and hands-on demonstrations in an interactive and supportive environment. Topics for this “First Steps” series include: ·
Emotional and practical implications of vision loss
Sighted Guide and self-advocacy
Labeling and organizing techniques to better manage your time, money, and household
Techniques and factors to consider to maximize remaining vision·
Magnification products and strategies
Talking and large print products
Adaptations for recreational pastimes
Each session provides participants with skill-building products to use at home, practical low vision tips and techniques as well as resource materials in large print or on audiocassette that they can use for future reference. Although attendance at every session is not mandatory, those who do attend the entire series will receive a comprehensive manual of resources that they can take home and share with others.
Realizing that family members and friends are an integral part of the adjustment process, the Guild encourages program participants to attend each workshop with a support person. Doing so, we hope to educate those closest to the participant so that they may gain a better understanding of what a person with low vision experiences on a daily basis and how they can best support them. Activities have been designed especially for the support persons that attend, giving them first-hand experiences of what it is like to live as a newly visually impaired adult.
The Guild brings New Visions free-of-charge to local communities through partnerships with local governments, eye care professionals, support groups, and senior-focused facilities. Basing the workshops in local areas allows for ease of travel to and from each session as well as a familiar setting for participants to develop better supportive ties with their own neighbors and to their own community resources. To find a program near you follow link: UPCOMING PROGRAMS
For more information or to schedule a series in your area, please contact Kathy Austin at (312) 236-8569 or kathya@guildfortheblind.org.
Click here to learn more about New Visions Topics.
The more advanced workshop series, Next Steps, presents information regarding Braille, adaptive technology, orientation and mobility, and support groups. Click here to learn more about Next Steps Topics.
Programs & Services - For Those With New Vision Loss - Low Vision Devices & Tools for Daily Living - Guild Briefs - Scholarships - Passionate Focus Art Exhibit - Program Partners - Donor Opportunities - Calendar of Events