Confidence

Stephanie Hurd, Community Relations Coordinator at Future In Sight (formerly NH Association for the Blind) wrote this article for the Summer Issue of the New Hampshire RAP Sheet. This is a collaborative effort of the Disability Rights Center-NH, Institute on Disability, and NH Council on Developmental Disabilities. To download the issue in its entirety please click here. 

When five ladies gather at the William B. Cashin Senior Activity Center in Manchester, it is far from an ordinary meeting. These women share similar challenges and walk alongside one another in a unique way: each of them is visually impaired and almost all live alone.

It’s easy to take the act of voting for granted. Getting out and voting on Election Day seems rather simple, right? Most of us can drive, walk, or bike to a polling location. We tell the poll worker our names. Then we walk into private voting booths to cast our handwritten ballots. We deliver those ballots to the counting machine, and we’re on our way with “I Voted” stickers on our shirts. 

There is a silent crisis in New Hampshire – some 32,000 residents are living with profound vision loss. Roughly 70% of those we serve are over the age of 65 with this population expected to double over the next 10-15 years.

It’s hard to believe this year was our 13th Annual Walk for Sight! About 275 walkers ventured through historic downtown Concord, spreading the message that anyone can live and thrive with vision loss. 

Andy Strelczyk is a diabetic, double amputee and blind due to several health issues. With the skills he learned from the Association Andy now navigates with the help of a walker, sighted guides and mobility skills. 

As President and CEO of the New Hampshire Association for the Blind at the McGreal Sight Center, it is my pleasure to bring you the first in a series of interviews with trendsetters and technology leaders. These dynamic individuals are creating solutions for accessibility to help children and adults who are blind or visually impaired to live and thrive with sight loss.

Maybe you've heard the phrase, "Don't judge a person until you walk a mile in their shoes." We've created a way for local supporters of the blind and visually impaired to do so!