S. 7. Ep. 3: A Comprehensive guide to sight Loss

Adjusting to sight loss comes with plenty of questions. Where do you find training? What technology can help? How do you deal with the emotional side of losing your vision?

This week, Angie, Patty, Greg, and Danny discuss blindness adjustment training, mental health, finding community, accessible technology, employment resources, and ways to maintain independence. They share their own experiences, including what worked, what didn't, and what they wish they'd known sooner.

Greg covers iPhone accessibility updates in Greg the Gadget Guru, and during Ask a Blind Person, the crew answers whether blind people visualize movies and why color still matters when you can't see it.

We've included the resources discussed throughout the episode, along with additional blindness training centers and organizations across the country.

Resources and Support
Residential Blindness Adjustment Training Centers

Colorado Center for the Blind, Littleton, Colorado: https://cocenter.org | 303-778-1130

Louisiana Center for the Blind, Ruston, Louisiana: https://www.louisianacenter.org | 318-251-2891

BLIND, Incorporated, Minneapolis, Minnesota: https://www.blindinc.org | 612-872-0100

Iowa Department for the Blind Orientation Center, Des Moines, Iowa: https://blind.iowa.gov/programs-services/orientation-center

Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Lincoln, Nebraska: https://www.ncbvi.ne.gov | 402-471-2891

New Mexico Commission for the Blind Adult Orientation Center, Alamogordo, New Mexico: https://www.cfb.nm.gov | 575-437-0401

Ho'opono Services for the Blind, Honolulu, Hawaii: https://humanservices.hawaii.gov/vr/hoopono/about/ | 808-586-5269

California Orientation Center for the Blind, Albany, California: https://www.dor.ca.gov/Home/OCB | 510-559-1200

SAAVI Services for the Blind, Arizona: https://saavi.us | Phoenix: 602-795-0195 | Tucson: 520-795-1331

Additional Blindness Rehabilitation and Training Organizations

Braille Institute: https://www.brailleinstitute.org | 1-800-272-4553

Lighthouse Guild: https://lighthouseguild.org | 1-800-284-4422

LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, San Francisco: https://lighthouse-sf.org | 415-431-1481

San Diego Center for the Blind: https://www.sdcb.org

Valley Center for the Blind, Fresno: https://valleycenterfortheblind.org | 559-222-4447

Community Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Stockton: https://communitycenterfortheblind.org | 209-466-3836

Ensight Skills Center, Colorado: https://ensightskills.org | 970-407-9999

VA Blind Rehabilitation Centers: https://www.rehab.va.gov/blindrehab/Blind_Rehabilitation_Centers.asp

State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies: https://rsa.ed.gov/about/states

National Blindness Professional Certification Board: https://nbpcb.org/pages/NBPCBcenterapproval.php

VisionServe Alliance: https://visionservealliance.org

Mental Health and Emotional Support

Hadley: https://hadleyhelps.org | 1-800-323-4238

FindTreatment.gov: https://findtreatment.gov

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: https://988lifeline.org | Call or text 988, available 24/7

Zocdoc: https://www.zocdoc.com

Talkspace: https://www.talkspace.com

BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com

Community and Peer Support

National Federation of the Blind (NFB): https://nfb.org | 410-659-9314

American Council of the Blind (ACB): https://www.acb.org

American Printing House for the Blind (APH): https://www.aph.org

APH ConnectCenter: https://aphconnectcenter.org

Reddit r/blind Community: https://www.reddit.com/r/Blind/

BlindTok on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/tag/blindtok

Accessible Technology and Everyday Tools

Be My Eyes: https://www.bemyeyes.com

Microsoft Seeing AI: https://www.seeingai.com

Computers for the Blind: https://computersfortheblind.org | 214-340-6328

Apple VoiceOver: https://www.apple.com/accessibility/vision/

Google TalkBack: https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/6283677

Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses: https://www.ray-ban.com/usa/ray-ban-meta-ai-glasses

Rokid Smart Glasses: https://global.rokid.com

Amazon Alexa: https://www.amazon.com/alexa

Google Home: https://home.google.com

Apple HomePod: https://www.apple.com/homepod/

VoiceVista: https://www.voicevista.app

Financial Assistance, Employment, and Transportation

Social Security Administration, SSI and SSDI: https://www.ssa.gov | 1-800-772-1213

Ticket to Work Program: https://choosework.ssa.gov | 1-866-968-7842

State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies: https://rsa.ed.gov/about/states

ADA Transportation Information: https://www.ada.gov

National Aging and Disability Transportation Center: https://www.nadtc.org

Books, Games, Entertainment, and Recreation

64 Ounce Games: https://www.64ouncegames.com

ACB Audio Description Project: https://adp.acb.org

Move United: https://moveunitedsport.org

United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA): https://www.usaba.org

National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS): https://www.loc.gov/nls | 1-888-657-7323

BARD, Braille and Audio Reading Download: https://nlsbard.loc.gov

Bookshare: https://www.bookshare.org | 650-352-0198

Perkins School for the Blind: https://www.perkins.org

Perkins Library: https://www.perkins.org/library | 1-800-852-3133

Audible: https://www.audible.com

Blind Stokers Club: https://www.blindstokersclub.org

Training Note: Program availability, eligibility, residential accommodations, and funding vary. Contact individual centers or your state's vocational rehabilitation agency for current information.

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