Guest blogger Dr. Priscilla Rogers is the VisionAware Program Manager.
The new VisionAware combines two stand-alone resources from American Foundation for the Blind and Reader’s Digest Partners for Sight Foundation (Senior Site and the former VisionAware, respectively) into a single, comprehensive website offering dynamic social networking and customized guidance for adults of all ages, with rich content and practical tips on living with vision loss. You can read more about this collaboration at Hello and Welcome to the New VisionAware Blog.
We Need Your Feedback
Now that the new VisionAware has been live for a few days, we think it’s time to hear from our readers about the new site. We would like your comments about features you like, what needs improvement, and what we need to add. Your feedback is really important to us.
We would also like to encourage you to register for email alerts that come to you when we put up new content that is of interest to you. Just log in to My VisionAware and update your registration.
About the New VisionAware
We’ve divided VisionAware into six main sections. We thought about all the questions that people have when they first start to experience vision problems and put together what we hope is a logical and helpful “road map” to help you cope and go on with your life:
- Your Eye Condition: Here you can find information about your own eye condition (by the way, we will be adding to this list very soon!), low vision, eye care providers and eye health, questions to ask your doctor, and even a glossary of eye medical terms.
- Emotional Support: This area of the site includes personal stories about people with different types of vision loss. It offers information about coping strategies and how to help others understand what you are going through.
- Everyday Living: This area of the site is your portal to the “nitty-gritty” of living with vision loss: using a telephone, handling your correspondence, shaving, putting on makeup, making home repairs, getting around your home and community, adapting your home, enjoying recreation and leisure activities, and finding helpful products and services. There are state and local agencies across the country that employ trained rehabilitation professionals who can help you learn the adaptive skills you need to “keep on keeping on” with your everyday life.
- Working Life: If you think you have to give up working when you start to experience vision problems, think again. This section offers suggestions on talking with your employer, along with resources to help you keep your job, learn new job skills, and acquire adaptive technology to carry out your important job tasks.
- Family and Friends: Family members and friends often do not know what to do to provide help and support. This section of our site is designed to provide advice and direction on how to assist your loved one with adapting successfully to the many changes – and challenges – ahead.
- For Seniors: If you are experiencing vision loss as an older person, you have many life changes to think about: retirement, your living situation, and other physical issues that can arise, such as hearing loss or even loss of a spouse. This section of our site deals specifically with these issues and more.
Additional New Features
To round out the site, we have added Frequently-Asked Questions to each section to help you find answers to questions that come up in your life every day, message boards that enable you to pose questions to others who share your experiences, and this blog where Maureen Duffy, VisionAware’s blogger and social media specialist, posts breaking news about eye medical research and stories of interest to people who are dealing with vision problems.
We’re eager to hear from you! Let us know what you think or where we need improvements. You can respond in the comments section or send us an email at visionaware@afb.net.