New programs offered for adults with vision loss

WARWICK – INSIGHT, a nonprofit that serves Rhode Islanders who are blind and visually impaired, is offering two new programs designed to help adults adjust to vision loss that may have been caused by macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy or other eye disease.
The first is the Living with Vision Loss Workshop, a small education and discussion group which will meet every Tuesday for six weeks starting March 3. Led by a licensed social worker, the group will focus on strategies for coping with vision loss, to help people who have lost a significant amount of their vision regain more of their independence.
The second, the Essential Skills training program, which starts on March 16, is an eight-week skills-building program to introduce people with visual impairments to a wide range of independent living skills. Participants in the program learn adaptive techniques that include safely using household appliances such as the oven, washer, dryer and microwave; identifying prescription bottles; and writing checks, among other things.
Both workshops will be held at INSIGHT in Warwick and require advance registration.
INSIGHT is a nonprofit organization that aims to inspire confidence, build skills and empower people who are blind and visually impaired. For more information, call Rick Andrade at (401) 941-3322, e-mail insightri@gmail.com or visit www.in-sight.org..