The Outlook


Official Newsletter of the Sight-Loss
Support Group of Central PA, Inc

The Sight-Loss Support Group of Central Pennsylvania, Inc.
Turning Darkness into Light Since 1982

P.O. Box 782, Lemont, PA  16851
office@slsg.org            www.slsg.org          814-238-0132

THE OUTLOOK Newsletter

Winter/Spring 2024/2025

SEASONS GREETINGS


Helen Keller, the eternal purveyor of hope, called Christmas the Festival of Optimism. Hanukkah too, is a celebration of hope and a remembrance of the power of turning darkness to light. As we enter into the heart of the holiday season, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, and other traditions as well, all touch upon our desire for hope. During the dark of winter, we seek out the light as moths are drawn to a flame. Twinkling lights and candles spread a soft glow on evergreen boughs, the Yule log is lit, and the candles of the menorah burn brightly for eight days. These are all affirmations that the light will prevail at the darkest time of year.

Our challenge is to hold on to this message of hope and optimism in the new year. Do not let it slip away. It’s not just a Christmas or a Hanukkah or a Kwanzaa thing. It’s an everyday, all year long thing. These celebrations can be our spiritual arrows - our guideposts – that will keep hope and gratitude alive as we move through our days. Have a wonderful holiday season. Eat, drink and be merry and light a candle for the world.


2nd THURSDAYS SUPPORT GROUP MEETINGS

Eat, Share, Connect

  • December 12: Holiday feast

  • January 9: Enjoy the show a whole lot more: Pre-show notes for audio-described performances. Presented by Louise Victor, Coordinator of View Via Voice

  • February 13: Social meeting

  • March 13: So many ways for VIPs to read. Presented by Shelley Haupt from the Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services

  • April 10: TBA

Our 2nd Thursdays lunch group meets on the second Thursday of each month at Mt Nittany Residences, rain, snow, or shine. If you are new to vision loss or are an old hand, this is a good place to be. We always share a simple lunch, learn from one another, and enjoy each other’s company. We share our stories and experiences, learn about services and resources, and offer support to one another. We’re an informal group; sometimes we have a speaker, sometimes not. Occasionally we’ll arrange a special event: a play, baseball game, or special tour. We hope to meet you soon.

Second Thursdays is held at Mt Nittany Residences, 301 Rolling Ridge Dr. in State College. We meet in the community room and always serve a complimentary lunch. For additional information call Josie Kantner at 814-238-0132 or 814-574-1017.

CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS AND CENTRE STAGE 2024-2025 SEASON

CHARLES DICKENS’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL Audio Described: Wednesday, December 18, 2:00 pm AND Thursday, December 19, 7:30, Schwab Auditorium

Join us for this classic holiday story! This will be a unique series of performances to benefit the School of Theatre and Centre Stage, performed by the professional artists on the School’s faculty, along with students and members of the community in a truly unique Town and Gown event for the holiday season.

URINETOWN Audio Described: Sunday, February 2, 2025, 2:00 pm, State High Thespians, State College Area High School Performing Arts Center

A hilarious satire of the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, bureaucracy, corporate mismanagement, municipal politics and musical theater itself.

In an attempt to regulate water consumption, Urinetown has outlawed the use of private toilets. The citizenry must use public, pay-per-use amenities owned and operated by Urine Good Company, a malevolent corporation run by a corrupt boss. It is a fable of greed, corruption, love, revolution, and urination. The show’s themes of the ever-widening gulf between the haves and have-nots are becoming more real than ever before and worthy of our humorous investigation.


HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING Audio Described: Monday, March 3, 2025, 7:30 pm, Playhouse Theatre

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying centers on a young window-cleaner, J. Pierrepont Finch, who begins a meteoric rise from the mail room to Vice President of Advertising at the World-Wide Wicket Company. Finch's unorthodox and morally questionable business practices jeopardize not only his career but also his romance with Secretary Rosemary Pilkington.

DEAR EVAN HANSEN Audio Described: Thursday, March 27, 2025, 7:30 pm Eisenhower Auditorium

Declared “one of the most remarkable shows in musical theatre history” by The Washington Post, DEAR EVAN HANSEN is the first musical to take a groundbreaking look—from the point of view of both the parents and young people—at our complex, interconnected, and social media-filled lives.

Evan Hansen is a high school student who always feels like he’s on the outside looking in. Evan finally gets what so many of us are searching for—the chance to fit in. This poignant, funny, and powerful musical shows us that even though it can be hard, we can find each other and ourselves along the way.


LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOST, THE MUSICAL Audio Described: Saturday, April 12, 2025, 2:00 pm, Pavilion Theatre

This musical adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy—filled with romance, revelry and enchanting music—brings together the language of the bard with a fresh contemporary pop-rock score. The King and his best buds decide at their five-year college reunion to swear off the joys of women. But when four cute, clever girls from their past show up, they’re forced to reconsider all of that nonsense! Smart, sexy, outrageous, and irreverent, Love's Labour's Lost is a madcap celebration of true love and coming of age.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND Audio Described: Saturday, April 26, 2025, 2:00 pm, Playhouse Theatre

A combination of the well-known stories of Lewis Carroll–Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-glass and What Alice Found There–this production looks at the indelible themes of change, growth, desire, status, societal rules, and loss of innocence, as we unravel the mystery of the human psyche through a highly physical and metaphoric trip down the rabbit hole. PG-13

DON’T FORGET TO ORDER YOUR TICKETS AT LEAST TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE SHOWS. CALL 814 238-0132


SHOULD I SEE AN OPHTHALMOLOGIST?

WELL, YEs

A recent survey found that only half of Americans see an eye care professional on a regular basis. Here are many reasons to see an ophthalmologist.

  1. Ophthalmologists are physicians and surgeons, who are well-versed in health conditions beyond just those related to the eye. They can diagnose and treat eye diseases and can sometimes diagnose systemic diseases that a specialist or primary care physician can help treat.

  2. Ophthalmologists can spot eye disease early. Many eye conditions are silent such as age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma. By the time you notice symptoms, your vison may be partially impaired.

  3. An ophthalmologist can guide healthy lifestyle choices. You can protect your vision by eating eye healthy foods, exercising and protecting your eyes from UV light. The doctor can advise on the pros and cons of dietary supplements and vitamins.

  4. Seek medical attention right away if you experience any of the following: an eye infection, an eye injury, a sudden change in vision or blurriness, new floaters or flashes in your eyes, double vision, or a sudden loss of vision.

  5. People with diabetes should get regular eye checks. High blood sugar can damage blood vessels in the eye and cause vision loss.

  6. Vision changes during pregnancy such as dry eye, pregnancy-related diabetic eye disease or blood pressure can be treated by an ophthalmologist.

  7. Considering LASIK surgery? An ophthalmologist can make sure you’re a good candidate before you spend the money.

  8. If you’re already living with low vision, add an ophthalmologist to your vision rehabilitation team, who will collaborate on the best ways to preserve your sight and boost your independence in day-to-day life.


BOOK REVIEW:

THE FIRST YEAR–AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION: AN ESSENSTIAL GUIDE FOR THE NEWLY DIAGNOSED

BY DANIEL ROBERTS

Age-Related Macular Degeneration is the leading cause of severe visual impairment in people over 50, affecting 15 million people, with an additional 2 million diagnosed annually. From the moment of his own diagnosis in 1994, educator and musician, Daniel Roberts made it his mission to provide the most up-to-date information about AMD through his website at www.mdsupport.org. As a “patient expert”, Roberts applies his wealth of knowledge to The Frist Year series, providing crucial information for the newly diagnosed, including therapies and tips on how to navigate everyday tasks with diminishing eyesight. Roberts has written an essential resource for everyone who wants to be an informed, active participant in the management of their condition, The First Year – Age-Related Macular Degeneration covers a wide array of subjects including:

  • Strategies for slowing AMD progression

  • Research and development

  • Approved and experimental treatment options

  • Low vison devices, technology, and rehabilitation training

  • Self-monitoring eye charts

  • Coping with depression and boredom

  • Exercise, diet, and stress management tips

  • Driving, traveling, and other key lifestyle issues

Daniel Robert’s book gives the reader a first-hand account of living well with AMD, along with reliable, useful, and empathetic information. It will help anyone adjusting to life with vision loss. Set in larger type for easier reading, The First Year–Age-Related Macular Degeneration, includes a comprehensive reference section of more than 100 resources for low-vision devices, audio books, research publications, financial assistance, and local and national organizations.

Daniel Roberts is a visually impaired educator who has devoted over two decades to researching and helping others with AMD. Roberts is the recipient of the 2004 Distinguished Service Award presented by the American Optometric Association Low Vision Rehabilitation Section. His organization, MD SUPPORT, was awarded the National Eye Institute’s 2006 Healthy Vision Community Award for innovative approaches to vision-related health education.


SHE WENT BLIND. THEN SHE DANCED

This story is adapted from an article by Frank Bruni of the New York Times.

There are different responses to unexpected hardship, and when Marion Sheppard began to go blind, she cycled through many of them. She pitied herself and cried loud and hard, because this wasn’t right, it wasn’t fair. Why me? Her hearing had been severely impaired since childhood. Hadn’t she paid her dues? This was the end wasn’t it? Not of life, but of independence. Of freedom. She spent months wrestling with these emotions, until she realized that they had pinned her in place. Time was marching on and she wasn’t moving at all.

Marion’s eyes were fine until her 40s when she began to experience episodes of scarily compromised vision. She was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a progressive eye disease that usually shows up at an earlier age. For her, blindness was delayed but it was coming all the same. This was not the first test of Marion’s strength. As a child she hardly knew her father and was just 14 when her mother died. While relatives stepped in to help, Marion nonetheless functioned as a sort of parent to her younger siblings. She got a college degree and worked for several decades while raising her daughter as a single parent.

As her vision declined, she rarely left her apartment. She felt vulnerable, powerless and self-conscious. Gradually, she began spending time with other blind people at a community center for blind people run by Visions, a nonprofit social services agency in Manhattan. She began to make peace with her blindness. She learned to use a white cane and in time it became her best friend, giving her a sense of independence and security. She came to realize that she had a clear choice: she could surrender to the darkness - or she could dance.

Line dancing had long been a love of hers. While spending time at Visions she was struck by how physically withdrawn many blind people were, how still. She asked the director of Visions if she could teach a line dancing class. The director said yes, provided that Marion could attract a following. She did and she has maintained it for over a decade.

Marion’s students are devoted regulars. While she can’t make out their faces, she knows them by their shapes and voices made audible by her hearing aids. Most of her students are people over 60 whose eyesight deteriorated when they were already adults and who can remember different, easier times. She tells them, “Just because we can’t see well, we can still do things, and one of those things is dance”.

At 74 Marion continues to create a rare space where blind people can be physically uninhibited, where they can move through space not with caution but with joy and exuberance. To Marion this is the very essence of dance. An 87-year-old student says she was all nerves and hesitation before she started line dancing with Marion. She shuffled everywhere. Now she sashays.

As her students dip and turn, learning the Electric Slide and the Barroom Stomp, self-imposed limitations fall-away and they are free. Marion is teaching her students to not retreat from life and to move through their lives with confidence, independence and grace. And they are delighted with themselves. Who thought it could be so simple – dance, just dance.

Sight-Loss Support Group of Central PA, Inc.

P.O. Box 782

Lemont, PA 16851

THE OUTLOOK

Winter/Spring 2024/2025

We would like to thank the Centre Foundation for their support through the

Kathryn K. and Roy D. Shoemaker Fund and the Sight Loss Support Fund,

as well as the Lion’s Clubs of the Centre region, and other generous donors.