VisionServe Alliance established this week, the week of June 10th as Vision Rehabilitation Week to recognize the many professionals who provide vision rehabilitation services to clients with a vision loss. These services often begin at the state level and are coordinated through each state’s department of Vocational Rehabilitation of through the state’s Unit on Aging. Each state receives federal money from the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) coupled with state money to fund these services, often at no cost to consumers with a vision loss.
Unfortunately, patients receiving medical treatment for eye conditions that cause irreversible vision loss, like glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and macular degeneration, often hear little from their medical providers about vision rehabilitation services. They are often told, “there is nothing more that can be done” for them, which of course means, there is nothing more medically, that can be done, such as surgery or corrective lenses. As a result, the patient is left to their own resources to try to find these vision rehabilitation services through their state agencies.
The easiest way to find these services, is through the ConnectCenter, with a phone call to 800-232-5463 or go the Directory of Services at aphconnectcenter.org/directory and enter the state you are searching for. Here you will find a comprehensive list of statewide services supporting individuals with a vision loss, low vision, or blindness.
Through these services, consumers can connect with vision rehabilitation professionals like Vision Rehabilitation Therapists, Orientation and Mobility Specialists, Low Vision Therapists, and Assistive Technology Specialists. For more information on these professionals check out this article on the American Society on Aging Generations website.