This month, The Hadley School for the Blind is launching the innovative and highly anticipated Low Vision Focus @ Hadley program for older adults who have low vision. The mission of Hadley is to promote independent living through lifelong distance education programs for people who are blind or visually impaired, their families, and blindness and low vision service providers.
A newly-revised series of 10 audio lessons is the core component of the Low Vision Focus @ Hadley program. Each lesson is approximately 30 minutes long and available on a CD (pictured below), which is mailed directly to the person with low vision after speaking with a Hadley intake coordinator to determine which lesson(s) best meet his or her needs. The CDs are free for each person to keep. The initial mailing is limited to two CDs, with additional lessons available upon request.
The audio lessons include the following topics of interest:
- Making the Kitchen User-Friendly
- Getting Around in the House
- Basic Tactile Marking
- Going Out with a Friend
- Doing Simple Kitchen Tasks
- Keeping Prescriptions in Order
- Low Vision Cooking
- Looking Your Best
- Going Out for a Meal
- Simple Home Modifications
More about the Low Vision Focus @ Hadley Program
From the Low Vision Focus @ Hadley website:
Did you know that one out of every six seniors experiences age-related vision loss due to conditions such as macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetes, or cataracts? These conditions often result in low vision. As your vision loss progresses, it often becomes necessary to relearn how to conduct normal daily activities such as reading the mail, shopping, cooking, watching TV and paying the bills.
The great news is that there are lots of techniques that can help you in managing your low vision. These include adjusting lighting; using contrasting colors, sounds and smells; magnification; tactile (by touch) markings; and simple safety precautions.
The Low Vision Focus @ Hadley program is designed to help you maintain your independence in your home by sharing practical ways to address daily living skills made difficult by low vision. Hadley is a nonprofit organization that has been supporting people with vision loss for nearly a century.
We are pleased to offer a series of free audio recordings available on CD that provide you with the tips and tricks needed to continue living well with low vision. They range from marking your stove or oven and managing medications to indoor mobility and using adaptive devices.
The Low Vision Focus @ Hadley program is designed to help older adults living with low vision maintain their independence by sharing practical ways to address daily living skills made difficult by vision. The program is unique in that it offers adults with low vision the opportunity to learn, and take advantage of, these resources from the comfort of their own homes, at a time that is convenient for them, with the benefit of one-on-one counseling and support, at no cost.
In addition, adult children of parents who are living with low vision are encouraged to take advantage of the resources offered by the program to aid their parents in the adjustment process. While many of the people who are living with low vision are seniors, the program is open to any individual who is experiencing sight loss. Adults with low vision and professionals also are encouraged to use the program to develop new low vision support groups in local communities or to sustain existing support group networks.
For More Information
For additional information about the Low Vision Focus @ Hadley program, you can visit the program website at www.lowvisionfocus.org or call toll-free at 1-855-830-5355.