Society’s Black American Senior Support Group is Thriving
When Debra Pendleton, an instructor in our Senior IMPACT Project, was first approached about starting a support group for Black seniors with vision loss, she was hesitant.
“I’ll admit that at first I questioned if we really needed a Black senior support group,” Debra said.
Everything changed when George Floyd was killed. With a nation devastated and many organizations staying silent, Debra felt like she and the rest of the Black community at Society for the Blind needed a safe space to process their experiences with the intersection of vision loss and racism. She called many of the Black clients she had met and asked if they were interested. Most were.
BASS members enjoy a boat ride on the Sacramento River
Our Black American Senior Support Group known as BASS was formed in summer 2020. With the pandemic still raging, the group met by phone every couple of weeks. Within a year, BASS had grown to 10 members. Now as the group gets ready to celebrate its fifth anniversary this summer, Debra is proud to say there are at least 23 regular members who not only meet onsite but spend quality time together outside our four walls.
“Anytime a senior of African descent contacts Society for the Blind, our staff puts them in touch with me and we invite them to join the group,” Debra said.
BASS has now formed its own social group that has become proficient at using their iPhones to contact each other regularly for outings, thanks to Society’s iPhone classes. They are thriving and aging independently as they enjoy meeting up for meals, shopping trips, jam sessions, volunteer opportunities, birthday parties and more after taking SIP classes aimed at independent living skills, assistive technology, and orientation and mobility.
“They don’t call us for help coordinating because they’ve learned how to do all that on their own,” Debra said.
Many members have become proficient at taking the train after attending Society’s trainings at the Amtrak station where they learned how to buy tickets, order lunch and more. Several traveled to Florida on their own for a blindness convention, and the whole group is planning a three-day cruise around Catalina Island this summer all by themselves.
With the confidence and skills they gained at Society, three BASS members are now employed, with a fourth going through the process – two are over age 75. Several others are attending our Core classes so they can return to work.
“It’s been amazing to watch this group flourish,” Debra said. “I’m just so proud of them and excited for them. They have really set the bar for our other support groups. I try to just keep encouraging them and be there when they need me.”
BASS also formed a book club where they read and talk about Black authors. They are currently reading “The Invisible General,” a book about a famous Black general at West Point who is the great-grandfather of one of our BASS members.
BASS Lunch Outing
Debra said they feel like this is a safe place where they can come and talk about how racism affects them as blind seniors.
“We’re addressing issues that the other groups don’t address, like the fears we all face being Black, blind and seniors,” Debra said. “In the last few years, people have felt more comfortable expressing racism and violence toward people who are Black. If you’re blind and Black, you can’t see an attack coming and defend yourself. It’s our reality and it’s what we live with. But this group helps us feel empowered.”
Debra also has been moved by how generous they are with one another. When one member’s wife abandoned him, everyone in the group took turns making financial donations to help pay utilities and buy food and toiletries until he was back on his feet.
“They call themselves a family,” Debra said. “If anyone needs anything, they’re there for each other. They depend on each other and talk every day. They always say that it’s the tools they got from Society that allows them to do the things they do.”