Wendy’s dedication and resourcefulness never cease to amaze! Upon learning about local inventor David Holmes from Waterford, who is developing technology to replicate vision with a camera, Wendy immediately tracked him down. What followed was serendipitous! She invited David to speak at our Macular Degeneration Support Group, where he shared his ideas and sought input from our members on the challenges they face when navigating, especially outdoors.

David discussed his innovative work, including an app designed to help the visually impaired navigate more effectively, as well as technology that uses motion detectors, cameras, and sonar—similar to echolocation—to identify obstacles. Our members raised important questions, such as how to navigate in snowy conditions, which provided David with valuable feedback for his work. Everyone is eager to hear more from him during his next visit.

David’s ultimate goal is to develop a system that can autonomously assess distances to objects in complex and ever-changing environments. This involves adjusting for varying light conditions, ground clutter (including snow), and atmospheric interference such as fog, by scaling a photograph from limited reference points to offer a broader perspective.

Members of the Center enjoyed a relaxing hike at Knox Preserve, guided by the Avalonia Land Conservancy. Located in Stonington, Knox Preserve offers a scenic mix of grassy meadows and woodland trails, with paths of packed earth that wind along the picturesque Quiambog Cove. Along the way, hikers found several spots to access the shoreline and took advantage of three benches, perfect for soaking in the beautiful views.

Last Thursday night, 35 members and guests gathered for a fun dinner at Captain Scott’s. We managed to dodge the rain, but the wind definitely made its presence known! It was so breezy, we had to hang onto our French fries and clam strips. Despite the gusts, the food was fantastic—and luckily, the seagulls kept their distance. We were even treated to a gorgeous sunset over the boats on the water.

The South East CT Community Center of the Blind is excited to introduce its Professional Membership Campaign. Businesses are invited to participate by joining for an annual membership fee of $250.

As a Professional Member, you will receive:

• A plaque recognizing your support of the Center of the Blind
• Access to the Center’s resources, classes, and programs
• Inclusion in Insight Scoop, the Center’s monthly newsletter
• Recognition in printed and online materials

Your support helps us build a better future for the blind and vision impaired.

For more information, please call 860-447-2048 or email [email protected].

Our First Professional Member

The Center proudly welcomes Dr. James Sanborn and InFocus Eyecare in Groton as our first Professional Member.

Members enjoyed a creatively inspiring morning at the Hartford Artisans Weaving Center, where a unique artisan program teaches weaving to people who are blind, visually impaired, or 55 and older. The level of craftsmanship was remarkable!

With the help of over 40 volunteers, the looms are set up to create beautiful items like rugs, shawls, towels, napkins, baby blankets, baskets, and handbags. The center also offers weaving and basket-weaving classes to the public. Training in the art of hand-weaving takes about six weeks, and our members were excited to try their hand at the looms.

On the way back, we stopped for lunch at Family Pizza in Colchester.

Visit the Hartford Artisans Weaving Center website for more info.

On September 9, UCP of Eastern CT hosted a Voting Rights Clinic at the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern CT on Eugene O’Neill Drive. Representatives from Disability Rights Connecticut answered questions about voting rights, absentee ballots, and voter registration. The Center of the Blind showcased devices designed to make voting more accessible for individuals who are blind or visually impaired. The Executive Director, Wendy Lusk, spoke to the audience about the Center and our services.

Disability Rights CT highlighted several ways that voting locations ensure accessibility for individuals with disabilities, including:

• Moving to the front of the line if you have difficulty standing.
• Bringing a friend to assist you with voting.
• Curbside voting if you’re in a wheelchair or unable to leave your car.
• Early voting from October 21 to November 3, with each town having a designated location, often the town hall.
• Absentee voting or voting by mail, which can be requested by contacting your town for more information.

You can register to vote up to 18 days before the election, or even on Election Day. For registration details, you’ll need to contact your town hall.

All polling places in Connecticut are required to have ballot marker devices, which are essentially laptops with magnification or earphone options. If the device is not readily accessible, poll workers must set it up and guide you on how to use it.

It’s important to note that you must ask for assistance at the polling place, as they won’t offer it automatically. If any location refuses to provide the above accommodations, contact Disability Rights CT at 800-842-7303.

If you missed the clinic and want more information on voting rights for individuals with disabilities, please visit the Disability Rights of CT website.

“The Miracle Worker” is a timeless classic. Experience it brought to life on stage at the Niantic Bay Playhouse. This powerful drama depicts Helen Keller, a young girl who is blind and deaf, and the woman who helps her communicate with the world around her. The story is a moving and inspiring testament to the power of love, determination, and perseverance, and it will stay with you long after the final curtain.

The play runs from October 18 to November 3, 2024. For more information and tickets, visit the Niantic Bay Playhouse website or call 860-850-5072.

The Niantic Bay Playhouse, the new home of East Lyme Regional Theater, is located in the former Niantic Cinema. Center of the Blind member Mike Coughlin highly recommends the playhouse.

Blind Chef Debra Erickson, Executive Chef and founder of the Blind Kitchen hosted an engaging and informative Zoom session on working safely and efficiently in the kitchen with knives, hot pans, ovens, and food preparation. She shared valuable tips, ideas, and products designed to make cooking easier for those with vision loss.

The 15 members in attendance asked challenging questions and shared some of their own food preparation tips. Debra offered practical suggestions and strategies, including how to maintain a clean and sanitized work area, read recipes, shop for ingredients, identify spices, and techniques for measuring and pouring liquids.

Her website features cooking tips, instructional videos, and recipes adapted for cooks who are blind or visually impaired. Additionally, she has a free monthly newsletter available for sign-up. All the adaptive tools discussed during the session are available tax-free through her website store. Click here to visit the Blind Kitchen website.

We had a fabulous turnout for the CT Tech Act Project Lunch & Learn at the Groton Senior Center! Program Manager Muriel Aparo introduced devices available for those who are DeafBlind, as well as grants and discounted loans for them. Seventeen members, two ASL interpreters, and one participant via Zoom listened intently to our speaker. Excellent questions were asked and resources were shared, including icanconnect.org and cttechact.com. Lunch, prepared by the Groton Senior Center, included stuffed peppers, potatoes, rice, veggies, sandwiches, and salad.

What a perfect day for a picnic! With a cool, comfortable breeze off the ocean, about 60 new and returning members attended this year’s event. Chef Lusk prepared an Italian macaroni salad, coleslaw with vinaigrette dressing and fantastic vegetarian baked beans. Hamburgers and hotdogs, grilled to perfection, were served by the chef and sous chef, Wendy’s grandson. Watermelon, chips, cookies, and brownies were available to snack on. Although we didn’t get to play everyone’s favorite BINGO, Wendy surprised the members with a refreshing treat of Mini Melts for dessert. Mini Melts of Norwich donated and delivered the ice cream treats.

As with any event, it wouldn’t have been a success without many helping hands. Special thanks to all our volunteer drivers, setup people, and waitstaff as well as Dave Lusk who “supervised” the cooks.