The WeWALK is an innovative white cane, designed to make navigation safer for people who have are blind or have low vision. GPS- and voice technology-enabled, the cane can tell users what’s around them, and warn them about objects at head and body level, not just the ground. Learn more about the WeWalk device here.
Health and wellness check! Eye exams are important for maintaining overall health. If you notice your eyesight changing, you should go get a check-up immediately.
Whether you have full sight, limited vision, or are blind, you should still get an annual eye exam to ensure you don’t have any infections, eye damage or underlying illnesses that could either worsen your vision, cause blindness, or weaken your immune system.
Help us raise awareness & connect with people in your community! Follow the infographic on how to invite someone to follow our page.
Steps:
1. Select the 3 dots at the top of our page, next to the “share” button.
2. Scroll down and select “invite Friends,” which brings you to a pop-up window.
3. If desired, write a personal invite in the top text section of the pop-up. This invite goes to all the people you invite.
4. Tap on all the names of the people you would like to invite by scrolling down. Alternatively, you can pick “select all” from the right hand.
5. You can also check the box in the bottom, which sends the invite via Facebook messenger as well, not just as a notification on their Facebook home page.
6. Hit “send”!
Happy Halloween! October is Halloween Eye Safety Month. A gentle reminder to all be wary of using non-prescription contacts for costumes to ensure eye safety.
Image description: There are 4 orange pumpkins on a dark blue background. The background also has faded bats on the right and a spider web on the left. The top of the image says in orange text “Buying Cheap Halloween Contacts?” followed by smaller green text “Trick’s on you. Without a prescription, contacts can cause:”. The causes are listed each pumpkin. They are as follows: “Sores and scars, Eye infections, Corneal abrasions, scratches, Blindness.” The bottom of the image has black text “Halloween Eye Safety Month” on an orange background.
Nicole Cicchetti said she felt instantly isolated when she covered her eyes with a black mask at Dining in the Dark. “Of course I couldn’t see, but my hearing was affected too: it was like the conversation at the table became muffled,” explained Cicchetti, one of 180 guests at Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey’s annual fundraiser on Oct. 24.
Across The Meadow Wood ballroom, VLANJ participant and line dance instructor Harry “Buddy” Bradley coached Jill McNeil as she struggled to slice her chateaubriand. The next challenge was eating the small-cut pieces. She laughed when she brought an empty fork to her mouth. “I’ve done that three times!” she said. Fourth try was a charm.
Held during Blindness Awareness Month, Dining in the Dark gave sighted guests a glimpse of what life is like for people who are blind or have significant vision loss. It also showcased the fulfilling lives people with vision loss enjoy.
“I am inspired daily by the individuals who attend the programs that we offer. They refuse to let vision loss define who they are and what they can accomplish,” VLANJ Executive Director Kris Marino said.
Longtime newspaperman and book author Mark DiIonno, who emceed the event, told guests how impressed he was by the camaraderie he witnessed at VLANJ. “That sense of community is paramount to what this organization is all about,” DiIonno said.
Vision Loss affects 1 out of 40 adults in New Jersey, and the numbers are expected to increase significantly as the population ages. The National Eye Institute projects the number of people with visual impairment or blindness in the U.S. will double to more than 8 million by 2050.
Dining in the Dark guests watched three videos of VLANJ participants describing how the nonprofit has impacted their lives. They also heard from VLANJ trustee Claudia Schreiber, who became blind more than a decade ago, when her two children were still in elementary school.
Devastated, she turned to VLANJ, and learned skills that helped her reclaim her independence.
“This was the beginning of my journey back,” Schreiber said. “Slowly, slowly, I started to feel like the person I was before.” A sculptor, Schreiber returned to her art, and has become a mentor and advocate for others with vision loss. “I am happier today than I ever have been in my whole life!” she said.
Dining in the Dark, which included a silent auction and a wine pull, raised more than $50,000 to provide services at the nonprofit’s center in Denville and at locations in Montclair in Essex County and Ridgewood in Bergen County.
The event was sponsored by: Aegis Capital Corp.; Williams Jones Wealth Management; Paramount Assets, LLC; Peapack Private; Carl Stahl Sava Industries, Inc.; Thatcher McGhee’s; Summit Lions Club; Mynt Properties, LLC Commercial Real Estate; The Church of the Saviour; Norman Dean Home for Services; Anthony Felicetta; and Florio Management. Joseph and Antoinette Cicchetti chaired the event, and members of the Chester Lioness Club volunteered.
ABOUT VISION LOSS ALLIANCE OF NEW JERSEY
Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey is a 501(c)(3) that provides practical training and emotional support to help those who have experienced profound vision loss regain self-esteem and self-reliance. Since its founding in 1943, Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey has used a holistic approach to empower those with profound vision loss to live engaged, productive and independent lives. Go to vlanj.org for more information.
Article published in TapInto.net. article link here.
Uveitis is a form of eye inflammation. It affects the middle layer of tissue in the eye wall (uvea). Uveitis (u-vee-I-tis) warning signs often come on suddenly and get worse quickly. They include eye redness, pain and blurred vision. The condition can affect one or both eyes.
Possible causes of uveitis are infection, injury, or an autoimmune or inflammatory disease. Many times a cause can’t be identified. Uveitis can be serious, leading to permanent vision loss. Early diagnosis and treatment are important to prevent the complications of uveitis.
Patients with uveitis are also at increased risk of developing glaucoma because of the uveitis itself, and because of the use of corticosteroids which are the mainstay of uveitis treatment.
Image description: Left side shows an eye that is not affected by inflammation. Right side shows the same eye, with the shape of the pupil no longer circular, and the sclera (the white area) red and inflamed.
Join us on October 24, 2019 as we celebrate our third annual Dining In The Dark!
Enter a world of smell, taste and sound as you experience a unique sensory experience like no other. Help us as we raise funds to support our programs. The evening will feature a cocktail hour, Art Auction, Dining In The Dark, Entertainment and a wine pull.
Please visit our sponsors here.
Tickets, tables and sponsorship opportunities available via the form below, or call Jennifer Singer at 973.627.0055 ext 1323 for more information. For a listing of sponsorship details please click here.
Recognizing Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey’s crucial role in helping adults adapt to vision loss, Novartis has awarded the nonprofit $10,000. Vision Loss Alliance will use the grant from the global medicines company to provide affordable training to 280 adults who are visually impaired or blind, and their family members.
“The Novartis US Foundation is proud to support the Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey in their efforts to help meet the urgent need for vision services among the elderly and underserved communities in Morris and surrounding counties in New Jersey,” said Tracy Furey, president of the Novartis US Foundation.
Started in 1943, Vision Loss Alliance is one of the state’s longest-serving nonprofits for adults who are blind or visually impaired. Its one-day Essential Low Vision program teaches basic techniques to participants and caregivers. A 13-week Health and Wellness program expands on that with enhanced daily living skills training.
The program also addresses mobility, emotional wellbeing, and use of adaptive technology. (The nonprofit is expanding its popular technology offerings, creating a Learning Lab in which participants will learn not only how to harness the power of mobile devices, but to use desktop technology and software such as Fusion, and virtual assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Home.)
Last year, Vision Loss Alliance added low vision occupational therapy, offering one-on-one sessions that are covered by Medicare and most major medical insurance companies.
“We are grateful that Novartis recognizes our expertise in teaching practical skills and addressing the emotional impact of sight loss,” Vision Loss Alliance Executive Director Kris Marino said.
While the number of people losing vision is expected to increase as the population ages, few options for affordable training and support exist. Only 20 percent of people who come to Vision Loss Alliance for help are employed, and three-quarters of them live below the poverty line.
“The generous support from Novartis allows us to provide life-improving training to an underserved population,” Marino noted.
Trisha Ebel never let on just how bad her vision was. She had her first cataract removed at age 8 and developed glaucoma. She couldn’t read the blackboard even with glasses. She took driver’s education in high school, as well as private lessons, but failed the road test not once, not twice, but three times. Friends only heard about the first attempt. Her vision continued to deteriorate, but she kept up the ruse. “I would never tell anyone, ever! I wanted to fit in,” she said.
Trisha earned a certificate in travel and tourism after high school and was hired by an agency, but the owner let her go because she did such a poor job sorting brochures she couldn’t read. Then she took a job at a child care center because it didn’t entail paperwork. After marrying, she got another office job, but again was fired.
Staying at home to raise her children, Andrew and Aimee, made it easier for Trisha to hide her vision loss from the world. But as they approached their teenage years and began spending more time with friends, she felt isolated.
“I was so afraid to go out by myself and do anything,” she said. Trisha realized she had to do something. In 2006, she began attending Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey (then called NJ Foundation for the Blind), learning Braille and computer technology and taking aerobics and mobility classes. She became a volunteer after two years, helping others with low vision learn to use computers.
“I became a different person. I learned to accept my vision loss and got the tools I needed to live an independent life,” the 52-year-old said. “I went from having a confidence level of one to well past 10!” The experience also launched her career. Trisha became an assisted technology instructor, and a few years later an independent living assistant at Heightened Independence and Progress in Bergen County, providing support to people who have lost their sight. “I want to shout about all Vision Loss Alliance has done for me!” she said.
Trisha and her husband, David, live in Secaucus and enjoy ice skating, biking, cooking and traveling. She also volunteers on Vision Loss Alliance’s program committee. “My life is just so perfect. I don’t care that I can’t see, and I don’t think I’d have become the person I am if I hadn’t lost my sight,” said Trisha, her 2-year-old guide dog, Shelby, sleeping at her feet.
Volunteers served up grilled hotdogs, burgers, and chicken with plenty of sides as guests connected with old friends and made new ones at Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey’s Beyond Sight picnic. “It is wonderful being here with friends, and meeting new people,” said Wharton resident Misty Hagan as she hugged Rockaway Township resident Alisha Hawkins.
The June 1 event at Vision Loss Alliance’s Denville location celebrated the 76-year-old nonprofit’s past, present and future. It attracted former and current participants — and some newcomers — from all over northern New Jersey. Several members of Vision Loss Alliance’s Board of Trustees and the entire leadership team attended. Art therapy intern Marisa Juliano, music therapy intern Barbara Rose Smith, and drum circle facilitator Alfred Fredel were on hand to lead activities.
Florence Blume and Carol Jaskula made the trek from Clark in Union County. Blume attended Vision Loss Alliance for years, but a lack of transportation options stopped her. “I love it here, and I would be up here all the time, but it takes two hours each way,” she lamented. “I love this, getting together with people who are a pleasure,” said Robin July, who’s in her second year of Vision Loss Alliance’s technology program. “These people are very special to me.”
Longtime participant Lucy Steinthal used her hands to help see molds of faces and art supplies laid out in the art studio. Across the room, guests wrote words and drew images on a canvas expressing what Vision Loss Alliance means to them. “I resent that I can’t do what I once could do, but this place has really helped me cope,” said Steinthal, a Pompton Plains resident. “The support they’ve given me is great.”
Longtime participant and volunteer Peggy Kane of Rockaway Township said, “This has brought people together who haven’t seen each other for a long time.” “I’m having a blast,” said Millburn resident Chris Franz, who took part in the djembé drumming circle. The picnic was also meaningful to community members who helped set up and clean up, served food, and greeted and guided guests. “This is a great experience,” Denville high school student Emily Dobbs said. Volunteers included three members of the Chester Lioness Club.
Morristown Medical Center recently donated $25,000 to Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey to support its low vision occupational therapy program.
“Our committee felt that adding occupational therapy as part of a wellness program was an important component to help people who are losing their sight achieve a healthier and better quality of life,” said Joseph Nazzaro, chair of the Morristown Medical Center Community Heath Advisory Committee. Morristown Medical Center is part of the Atlantic Health System, which operates five other hospitals and another 400 treatment sites in New Jersey.
Nazzaro said the project “fits well with the committee’s mission of funding health-related projects that support our community health needs assessment.” He added: “We were impressed with the collaborative efforts of Vision Loss Alliance and felt our support would be leveraged to a broader reach.”
Vision Loss Alliance’s low vision occupational therapy teaches participants ways to maximize their remaining vision. It covers home safety, cooking, grooming, medication management, paying bills, reading, appropriate lighting, watching television, and using the computer. Program Director Elsa Zavoda, an occupational therapist certified in low vision by the American Occupational Therapy Association, provides the one-on-one sessions.
“Vision loss doesn’t mean life has to stop,” Zavoda said. “People dealing with it can adapt, learning to do things differently.”
More than 160,000 New Jersey residents are either blind or have severe vision loss, and that number is expected to increase as the population ages. Adults age 60 and over make up 20 percent of the state’s residents, but that percentage is projected to grow to more than 25 percent by 2034, according to the state Department of Human Services’ most recent State Strategic Plan on Aging.
“We are grateful to Atlantic Health System, which is committed to building strong communities and recognizes the value of empowering individuals who are blind or visually impaired,” Vision Loss Alliance Executive Director Kris Marino said.
Contact Zavoda at ezavoda@vlanj.org or 973-627-0055, ext. 1335 for more information. Most major health insurance plans, including Medicare, cover low vision occupational therapy.
As a nation, we’re getting old. And with aging comes changes to our eyes. The number of people who are blind and low vision in the U.S. is projected to double from by 2050 from 2015 totals. March is Save Your Vision Month. Here are tips from the National Eye Institute for keeping your eyes healthy:
Stacey has a vivid image of the Barnegat Lighthouse in her mind that’s untainted by the degenerative eye disease retinitis pigmentosa that makes everything look fractured. “Like a broken mirror,” Stacey explained. Stacey worked for weeks to bring her sunset Jersey Shore memory to life on a large canvas with vivid colors, soft fabrics and plenty of glitter to make her ocean sparkle.
“That’s all her in every way,” said Marisa Juliano, one of three Caldwell University art therapy graduate students interning with Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey’s art therapy class. Juliano helped Stacey consider her options for materials, offered encouragement, and brought supplies to Stacy, who has health problems that make it hard for her to get around. “I asked questions that led her to her own discoveries,” Juliano said.
“The intern program really benefits the students, giving them the extra attention that, as a solo group leader, I can’t give,” said Vision Loss Alliance art therapist Traci Bitondo, a Caldwell University alumna. Jen Albright became the program’s first intern last winter, and is now in her third semester. She has worked for months with David on his Gothic cathedral model. “Jen has helped me take it from the mind into the three-dimensional,” said David, an architecture buff who was born without sight in his left eye.
“We act as the third hand. We assist without being too intrusive,” Albright said. She has been impressed with Vision Loss Alliance. “It offers so many different modalities for wellness,” she said. Intern Alyssa Udijohn added, “We act like vessels to help them create what’s in their heads and make it real. They know what they want to do.”
Sheila gave up reading, cooking, and independent outings when age-related macular degeneration severely affected her vision.
With no sight in her left eye and only peripheral vision in her right, her world shrunk. “It was really hard to accept at the beginning. I suddenly needed help with everything,” the 88-year-old widow said. Sheila’s outlook has changed since completing six sessions of low vision occupational therapy at Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey. “It’s certainly given me more confidence,” Sheila said after a recent session with Vision Loss Alliance Program Director Elsa Zavoda, an occupational therapist certified in low vision by the American Occupational Therapy Association.
Sheila has learned about the importance of room lighting and cutting down glare with special glasses. Using a headlamp and handheld magnifier recommended by Zavoda, “I’m able to read more than I thought,” she said. Zavoda suggested replacing her shade lamps with torchiere lamps strategically placed in her living room and bedroom. “That has really brightened her apartment,” Sheila’s daughter, Fran, said. She’s also cooking again, having learned techniques that keep her safe in the kitchen. The night before, she’d cooked a chicken cutlet and baked potato. “She hadn’t cooked for herself in a long time, and now she’s doing it, and doing it well,” Fran said.
Vision Loss Alliance started offering low vision occupational therapy over the summer to train people to optimize their remaining vision. “Vision loss doesn’t mean life has to stop,” Zavoda said. “People dealing with it can adapt, learning to do things differently.” Zavoda assesses participants’ current vision and life circumstances to help prioritize their goals, and tailors the hour-long sessions to those goals. Safety, cooking, grooming, medication management, paying bills, reading, appropriate lighting, watching television, and using the computer, are among the activities covered. Many health insurance plans cover the cost of low vision occupational therapy.
Occupational therapy is opening her world. Sheila said she may try the dining room at the Basking Ridge senior community where she lives and start taking the community bus to the grocery store and use the magnifier to read food labels. “Before my mom came here, she didn’t have confidence, so she wasn’t trying things,” her daughter said. “Now she realizes there’s a lot she can do.” “This has been a great experience,” Sheila said. “I’ve gotten so much out of it!”
January 4 marks a special day in the world of blindness. It is the birthday of Louis Braille, educator and inventor of a system of reading and writing for use by people who are blind or low vision, known worldwide as Braille.
Thus, today is celebrated as #WorldBrailleDay, to raise awareness of the importance of Braille as a means of communication in the full realization of the human rights for blind and partially sighted people.
Interested in learning Braille or know someone who could benefit from learning it? Get in touch with us by calling 973-627-0055 ext. 1312.
We held our second Dining in the Dark event on Thursday, October 25, 2018 at the Meadow Wood Manor in Randolph, New Jersey. We had 140 guests in attendance and raised much-needed funds to support our programs. Guests learned how to eat without using their eyes under the guidance of our program participants – a meaningful and enjoyable learning experience for everyone involved.
Check out the recap of Dining in the Dark 2018 and keep an eye out for information about next year’s events and programs.
Join us on October 25 as we celebrate our 75th Anniversary with our second Dining in the Dark gala event. Sponsorships and tickets are still available. For more information contact Jayson Daniels, Director of Development, at (973) 627-0055 ext. 1323 or jdaniels@vlanj.org
We will be honoring President and CEO of MyLimo and Gogel Auto
Howard Gogel
and
Bruce Van Buskirk
for their support of Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey.
Our emcee for the evening will be
Joyce Estey
News Director of WRNJ Radio
Cocktails and silent auction 6:00pm
Dinner and program 7:00pm
Cocktail Attire
For information on event sponsorships or to reserve your spot in our ad journal, download the brochure here.
Join us on October 25 as we celebrate our 75th Anniversary with our second Dining in the Dark gala event. Sponsorships and tickets are still available. For more information contact Jayson Daniels, Director of Development, at (973) 627-0055 ext. 1323 or jdaniels@vlanj.org
We will be honoring President and CEO of MyLimo and Gogel Auto
Howard Gogel
and
Bruce Van Buskirk
for their support of Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey.
Our emcee for the evening will be
Joyce Estey
News Director of WRNJ Radio
Cocktails and silent auction 6:00pm
Dinner and program 7:00pm
Cocktail Attire
For information on event sponsorships or to reserve your spot in our ad journal, download the brochure here.
Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey will be hosting a series of open houses to feature our tech program this fall. Join us on September 25, October 30, or November 27 from 2:00 – 3:30 PM following our Technology Program. Meet one of our instructors and see a little bit of what your iPhone or iPad can do to help the blind and visually impaired connect with the world around them.
The open houses will take place in our Denville location at 155 Morris Avenue, attached to the Church of the Saviour.
To register, please call Linda Groszew at (973) 627-0055 extension 1312
Vision loss is a serious problem that will continue to grow as the population ages and cases of age-related eye diseases increase. Blindness and vision loss currently affect more than 160,000 New Jersey residents, and nationwide, the number of people affected is expected to double to more than 8 million by 2050, according to the National Eye Institute.
Throughout our 75-year history, Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey has been a thought leader in the programs and services offered to those with profound vision loss. What began as a summer residential camp for blind women has grown into an organization that offers unique state-of-the-art programs. Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey has been ahead of its time every step of the way.
Through our programs and services, in 2018 we:
If you need help call us at (973) 627-0055, ext 1312, email us at info@vlanj.org, or visit us at 155 Morris Ave, Denville NJ.