Hadley gave me my confidence back, if my input helps others do the same, then I know I made a real difference for others facing vision loss.
Anita Kelly, 60, of Upstate New York considers herself a lifelong problem-solver, honing her skills the last 30 years managing details, plans, and schedules as an executive assistant for multiple CEOs in the international banking industry.
Anita's problem-solving abilities were put to the ultimate test following a routine day of running errands. "I stopped in a home improvement store, halfway through shopping I thought someone turned off all the lights," explained Kelly. "I assumed the store was closing and headed back to my car. It was then that I realized everything appeared darker and blurred, even outside in the daylight."
After a visit to a local hospital and undergoing a battery of examinations, including tests for retinitis pigmentosa and cataracts, Anita left without a diagnosis or explanation for her vision loss. She was told to come back in six months if her vision doesn't improve. It didn’t.
In the subsequent months, Anita's vision deteriorated and she became more reliant on her husband to get around her house and perform even the simplest of tasks. Unable to return to work, Anita went through a dark period following her vision loss, including battling depression. "It was frightening, I was disoriented, I ended up confining myself to my bedroom most days," said Kelly. To complicate matters, further testing never revealed a reason for her vision loss. “After many months, I had accepted the fact that I was blind and my vision was not going to return."
When her husband later suffered a heart attack, Anita found herself having to figure out how to navigate daily life on her own as her husband was recovering from his own condition. "I had a revelation, I knew I had to solve things myself now," stated Kelly.
Anita is among the growing number of those who have turned to Hadley.edu to help navigate life following vision loss. Hadley, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization is the nation's oldest and largest provider of free distance and online learning for adults with vision loss, serving thousands of visually impaired learners each year from all 50 states and more than 100 countries, all at no cost.
Anita began learning braille from Hadley and eventually I took more than 100 workshops, including many on adapting to vision loss. "There is a misperception about those new to vision loss," said Kelly. "There are many resources available for the visually impaired about using a cane and guide dogs. Hadley offered all this and more as I adjusted to my vision loss."
Through her experiences with Hadley, Anita was recently named to an elite group of Hadley learners selected to the HEROES program and to an advisory panel - providing input on workshops and topics of interest for Hadley.edu, a newly launched online learning platform built on many months of research and development. The new platform is entirely based on the needs and wants of visually impaired adults to keep them connected, engaged, and informed.