Society Begins a Phased Reopening
“When we do the best that we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another.” ~ Helen Keller
I am pleased to share with you that Society for the Blind has started a gradual reopening to in-person services. On May 27, our Low Vision Clinic started seeing patients at our downtown location, and our Senior IMPACT Project began in-home services the week of June 1. We are moving forward slowly with our reopening process to limit the number of people coming into Society for the Blind and to safeguard the health of our clients and staff.
We continue to offer our Core Teaching Program, CareersPLUS Youth Program, and numerous support groups and workshops remotely. In fact, we are seeing higher numbers of attendees in all of our programs!
I know I speak for everyone at Society for the Blind when I say how very grateful we are for the ongoing support from the community. Even when we don’t have a pandemic keeping us home, isolation and accessing resources in the community is challenging for people new to vision loss. It has been even more daunting these past few months.
The contributions from the community have allowed us to connect with our clients virtually so they could learn non-visual skills and stay connected with other students and instructors. Here is one example of how, in Helen Keller’s words, you brought about a miracle in another’s life:
“Sarah” has Retinitis Pigmentosa. She is a mom and was a social worker in Sacramento for many years, leading a very active life. Shortly before Society had to close in-person services, Sarah enrolled in our Core Teaching Program as her eyesight had significantly diminished. In May, one of our instructors called her for a non-program matter, and Sarah was crying. When asked what was wrong, Sarah said she was trying to cook fish and “making a mess of it. I just don’t think I can do this.” The instructor, Diane, immediately switched gears and said, “Sarah, we are going to fry fish together.” Diane proceeded to talk Sarah through preparing her fried fish using her newly found blindness skills. When it was done, Diane asked how she felt. Sarah said, “I feel great! It turned out better than when I could see!”
Whether providing instruction and support online, by phone or in person, our commitment remains steadfast to enable people living with low vision or blindness to discover, develop and achieve their full potential.
If you or someone you know is experiencing vision loss, please know we are here and making appointments for all of our programs. Below are numbers to call if you would like to be seen in our Low Vision Clinic, visit the Retail Store or access services from one of our programs.
Main Office Number – Program Services: (916) 452-8271
Low Vision Clinic: (916) 889-7545
Retail Store: (916) 889-7502