Spotlight on mental health

I recently started writing articles as a resource for our community. Information and encouragement are in short supply among many of the people I serve in adjustment to vision loss counseling. When it became clear we lacked a broad platform to share the articles, a newsletter was born.

Despite a growing consensus among vision rehabilitation professionals that mental health is an issue warranting our attention, (a resolution adopted in 2022 by the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired speaks to this well, and here’s the link to their full list of resolutions) ways to address this unmet need remain elusive.

The better part of helping people act in their own best interest boils down to knowledge sharing and unconditional positive regard.

I think a lot about how to improve access to counseling and blindness independence skills for those who need it. All roads point to the same answer: meet people where they are.

Low information consumers in my state struggle to find resources on living well with low vision or blindness. Even Google can't help if we don't know what we don't know.

So much depression and anxiety could be minimized if vision rehabilitation services were easier to understand and locate.

People need approachable descriptions of what all the acronyms mean, clear explanations of what adjustment counseling can do for them, and concrete guidance on how to access the help they need in real time.

How can we demystify the jargon? How can we explain government programs in language that makes sense to a person?

Can we break down vision rehabilitation terminology and processes into user friendly component parts?

People who receive support with understanding operational details of bureaucratic systems and encouragement to not take it personally when the door does not swing open right away experience less anxiety and depression.

This newsletter is intended for a broad cross section of professionals in the field, advocates, counselors, people diagnosed with vision loss, and their loved ones.

I hope the information provided here empowers people to find help efficiently AND minimizes emotional friction along the path.