It’s 2021 and over a year since New Jersey ordered the closure of businesses, including
nonprofits. Remember those first weeks of the pandemic? Frightening daily news accounts of mounting COVID-19 cases. Empty shelves and long lines at grocery stores. The Zoom learning curve. Fear of other people, yet a longing for human contact.
VLANJ students attend a virtual class.
Now imagine, if you will, what the pandemic has been like for people with vision loss, who
uniquely rely on touch and proximity to others to navigate and communicate. Public
transportation options cancelled. An inability to see 6 feet means you cannot maintain mandated
social distances, and rules are listed on signs you cannot read. You struggle to use online
shopping apps and virtual conferencing platforms that were not designed with vision impairment
in mind.
“A lot of our participants stayed home because they weren’t able to navigate the COVID-
pandemic world, and that heightened isolation. We looked for solutions that brought people
back together in a virtual environment,” said Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey Program
Director Elsa Zavoda.
In response to the closure order, VLANJ quickly pivoted to online wellness classes, skills
training, and enrichment opportunities for adults with vision loss. We started by offering classes
in using the Zoom video conferencing platform and how to access various shopping apps to help
people obtain necessities such as food and prescriptions. We then moved to classes that helped
participants stay connected, share advice, and give one another support. Transportation was no
longer a barrier to participation.
Through these efforts, VLANJ’s enrollment increased three-fold in 2020, as people from across
the state and beyond logged in or called in to a growing list of virtual programs. About 200
people signed up for at least one offering — and most for two or more — over the winter
session.
Delores ‘Dee’ Eliassen had only recently given up driving before the pandemic, so she was
grateful when VLANJ went virtual. Dee states “Why it has been wonderful! The changes and
isolation that came in the last year from COVID have been incredibly stressful. It’s wonderful
that virtual learning has allowed me to do more than I was ever able to in the program. Now I
participate daily. I exercise, do Yoga, have organized my kitchen for safety and easy cooking,
and even meditate. Of course, I miss friends and the staff, but the Zoom meetings bring everyone
together and without the stress of transportation – there is so much I can do.”
Through VLANJ’s pivot to virtual programming, individuals with vision loss have sought and
found a community of support, education, and skills development. What we have seen in their
efforts to address COVID restrictions was a tremendous resiliency and a flexibility to embrace
new strategies to achieve their goals.