The loss of vision is often a traumatic experience, exacerbated by other losses that can include independence, livelihood, and self-esteem. Successful adjustment to vision loss is often a continual process that involves developing adapted skills and maintaining them through periodic training and counseling.
Lighthouse provides an Adjustment to Vision Loss Program (AVL) to help adults and seniors who have vision impairment or blindness with accepting and adjusting to vision loss and improving self-esteem. The program, facilitated by Lighthouse Social Worker Nancy Branciforte, is based on “Passages” which is one of the programs used by practitioners in the field of vision impairment to help people adjust to a life without vision or with a vision impairment.
Lighthouse’s AVL Program is provided in groups over 5 to 7 sessions. Activities are customized based on client strengths and weaknesses. Activities may include physical relaxation training, anger management, depression causes and treatments, personal growth and self-esteem exploration, and guided discussions provided specifically to increase self-awareness and to create a network of support. A recorded life story is provided to demonstrate actual life experience with the stages of adjustment, which are trauma, shock, mourning, and depression.
Kara, a program graduate, said “I don’t feel so alone anymore.” Kara’s blindness is almost total and her adjustment process has been complicated by gradual losses over the years. Her self-esteem and mental health are affected by her vision loss and the isolation she experiences because of it, combined with being a widow and living alone. Kara came into the program when the pandemic intensified all of these feelings. By the end of the program, she demonstrated improvement despite her loneliness and isolation. And she knows she can reach out when she feels low or anxious and that there is no shame in asking for help.
Adjustment to Vision Loss is provided at no cost to our clients thanks to the generosity of our donors. In Pasco County, the program is funded in part by a U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development Community Development Block Grant from Pasco County Board of County Commissioners, administered by the Community Development Department.
The mission of LVIB is to educate, empower, and employ people who are visually impaired and blind. To meet our mission, we provide residents of Pasco, Hernando and Citrus Counties with no-cost vision rehabilitation and opportunities to maintain and increase independence. To learn more about the Adjustment to Vision Loss Program, call Nancy Branciforte at 727-815-0303. To learn more about the Lighthouse, visit www.lvib.org.