Editor’s note: In honor of Veteran’s Day on November 11, APH VisionAware brings you this exciting story about a Veteran and his experience both in WWII and the space program. On November 14, 2022, several WW blinded veterans are invited to Kennedy Space Center to observe the Artemis I Moon mission. It is a unique … Continued
November 11 is Veterans Day, and VisionAware is honoring the veterans who have served us throughout the years, as well as highlighting the services that are available for veterans with vision loss. Services for Veterans with Vision Loss These services are housed in Blind Rehabilitation Services (BRS) at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). … Continued
Editor’s note: November 11 is Veterans Day, and VisionAware is honoring those who have served us with this special tribute from VisionAware Peer Advisor DeAnna Noriega. For further information, VisionAware has an entire section devoted to Veterans including services, resources, and personal stories about veterans with vision loss. A Tribute to Veterans with Disabilities By … Continued
According to VisionAware’s Gregory L. Goodrich, Ph.D., writing about combat-related traumatic brain injury (TBI) and its effect on vision: “… It can be argued that … it took the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to highlight the fact that head injury often leads to visual loss and/or visual dysfunctions. These wars have resulted in over … Continued
Guest blogger Rebecca Sheffield, Ph.D., is the Senior Policy Researcher with the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. The AFB Public Policy Center collaborates with policy makers in Congress and the Executive Branch to ensure that Americans with vision loss have equal rights and opportunities to fully participate in … Continued
“Thank you for your service.” It’s a sentiment our veterans are hearing a lot today. But this was not always the greeting they got on returning home. Thanks to a national program called Honor Flight, my friend Bob, age 92, received it all day long one day this past April. These Honor Flights were created … Continued
According to the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA), there are 165,000 blind or visually impaired veterans in the United States. BVA data also indicates that some 7,000 veterans become newly blind or visually impaired each year, due to age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and retinitis pigmentosa. In addition, approximately 17 percent of the evacuated wounded … Continued
Editor’s note: The information in this post has been updated in this article, Veterans Health Administration Services for the Blind or Visually Impaired. For more in-depth information and available services for veterans who are blind or visually impaired, check out the Information for Veterans Coping with Vision Loss section on VisionAware. With Veterans Day on … Continued
Dr. Gregory Goodrich received his Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology in 1974 from Washington State University, when he also began his career with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). He retired in 2014 after having served as supervisory research psychologist assigned to the Western Blind Rehabilitation Center in Palo Alto, California, and as the … Continued
Editor’s note: Here is another post related to volunteering and National Volunteer Week. However, peer advisor Sue Martin, Vision Rehabilitation Therapist, also addresses another important theme this week— Vision Rehabilitation Therapist Week. Volunteering at the Blind Rehabilitation Center My life with blindness began in my mid-twenties. I had to learn how to do almost everything … Continued