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

Spring 2026

2nd THURSDAYS SUPPORT GROUP MEETINGS

April 9: David Paterson is a man of “firsts”; the first legally blind governorin the United States and the first African-American governor of New York.Join us for an audio-talk by former Governor David Paterson, the 55thgovernor of New York. With his wry sense of humor, he regales us withstories from his time in office, 2008 to 2010. He is a leading advocate forpeople who are visually and physically challenged. Paterson lost sight in his left eye and much of his sight in his right eye because of an infection asan infant.

May 14: Zandy Dudiak from the Library of Accessible Media forPennsylvanians (LAMP) will explain all the services from this free publiclibrary. It serves residents who are visually and physically challenged andhave difficulty reading standard print. See below for additional informationon LAMP. This is a Zoom presentation due to the travel distance between Pittsburgh and State College.

June 11: Maria Burchill from the Schlow Centre Region Library in StateCollege will join us (in person!) for a presentation on Schlow’s libraryservices. Maria will emphasize formats that make reading accessible topeople with vision loss.

July: There is NO MEETING IN JULY. We are on vacation!

August 13: Louise Victor, our View Via Voice audio-description coordinator(and SLSG co-president) will introduce the fall theater season. In additionto providing a brief description of each audio-described performance, shewill help all who are interested sign up for tickets. It’s one of the great joysof fall; we get to return to the playhouse!

Our 2nd Thursdays lunch group meets on the second Thursday of eachmonth (thus the name) at Mount Nittany Residences, rain, snow, or shine. Ifyou are new to vision loss or an old hand, this is a good place to be. Wealways share a simple lunch, learn from one another, and enjoy each other’s company.

 When: The second Thursday of each month, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm.

 Where: Mt Nittany Residences, 301 Rolling Ridge Dr, State College, inthe community room on the first floor.

 Details: Lunch is provided and is “on the house.”

2nd Thursdays is a collaboration between the Bureau of Blindness andVisual Services, North Central Sight Services, and the Sight-Loss SupportGroup. Staff members from each organization attend the meetings.

AUDIO-DESCRIBED SPRING SHOWS

VIEW VIA VOICE BY THE SIGHT-LOSS SUPPORT GROUP

THE MUSIC MAN: Tuesday, April 7, 2026 7:00 PM, PSU, Eisenhower Auditorium

OUR TOWN: Saturday, April 18, 2026 2:00 PM Matinee, PSU, Playhouse Theatre

MY FAIR LADY: Saturday, April 25, 2026 2:00 PM, PSU, Penn State Downtown Theatre

For information on shows at Eisenhower Auditorium follow the link for theCenter for the Performing Arts at Penn State. For performances at the School of Theatre venues – the Playhouse Theatre, the Pavilion Theatre,and the Penn State Downtown Theatre - follow the link to the School ofTheatre. https://arts.psu.edu/academics/school-of-theatre

Please call the Sight-Loss Support Group, 814-238-0132, to reserve theaudio-description service and for specific ticket information for the visually impaired. Reservations are due at least two weeks before thescheduled performances. Additional information is available on the website www.slsg.org or on our Facebook page. Tickets are required for all performances.

On the day of the performance, pick up your pre-ordered tickets from the person handing out your Audio-Description Equipment. At Eisenhower,your tickets will be at the Audience Services Desk (across the lobby fromthe Will Call desk). At all other events, pick up your tickets at the Audio-Description Equipment table. DO NOT GO TO THE “WILL CALL” WINDOW!

THE 21 ST CENTURY LIBRARY:

EXPLORING NEW WAYS TO READ

Long gone are the days of browsing the card catalog. In addition to themuch-beloved printed page, today’s libraries offer audiobooks andmagazines, digital audiobook downloads, and audio-described movies. It’sa new world.

This spring two separate presentations at the 2 nd Thursdays support group meeting will explore what our local and regional libraries have to offer withan emphasis on making reading accessible to blind and low vision people.May’s meeting will feature the Library of Accessible Media for Pennsylvanians, LAMP for short. LAMP is a free public library that serveseligible Pennsylvania residents who have difficulty reading standard printbecause of a visual, physical, or reading disability. (This presentation willbe via Zoom as the library is located in Pittsburgh.)

For our June meeting, we will stay in our own backyard with a visit from the Schlow Centre Region Library. Two staff members will discuss the manyways to access their collections with an emphasis on formats that workwell for blind and low vision patrons.

In the words of Emily Dickinson, “There is no Frigate like a Book to take us Lands away”. Reading is indeed one of life’s great pleasures. In our 21 st century world, ways of accessing the printed page keep expanding inamazing ways. No doubt, there are more unimagined options on the horizon.

LAMP: LIBRARY OF ACCESSIBLE MEDIA

FOR PENNSYLVANIANS

LAMP is a new name, a rebranding of the Carnegie Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (in Pittsburgh) and the Free Library ofPhiladelphia’s Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. The newname is blessedly shorter and better reflects our times and thetechnological advances that help level the playing field for blind and low vision people.

Many of us have used this wonderful service for years. LAMP is part of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Disabled (NLS) run bythe Library of Congress. Services include mailing Braille books, large printbooks, audiobooks with playback machines, and audio-described DVDs. Patrons also have access to the BARD service (Braille and Audio Recording Download) for instant, electronic access to books and magazines within the Library of Congress. BARD has been a game-changer, granting phenomenal access to an amazing breadth of information, literature, and knowledge.

This nationwide system has served the visually impaired community since 1931. Below is a timeline that reflects the never-ending effort to make reading possible for blind people. We have come a very long way.

 1897: Librarian of Congress establishes a reading room for the blindwith 500 items.

 1931: President Hoover signs legislation creating a national programunder the Library of Congress.

 1933: Standard English Braille is adopted as the uniform code.

 1934: Amendments authorize the creation of “talking books” (sound recordings)

 1935: The WPA funds the production of 5,000 talking book machines.

 1952/1966: Services expand to include blind children, and later,individuals with physical impairments that prevent book holding.

 1996: The Chafee Amendment allows the reproduction of copyrightedworks into specialized formats.

 2013: The BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download) website andapp are launched, enabling instant, free downloads of materials.

 2016: NLS begins providing refreshable braille displays.

 2019: The U.S joins the Marrakesh Treaty (aligned with the UN’s human rights initiatives). The treaty, signed in Morocco, allows for the exchange of accessible materials with other countries.

FAREWELL, STEVE KECHISEN

By Josie Kantner

It’s true - all good things must pass but I was hoping it wouldn’t be sosoon. Steve Kechisen is retiring – harrumph. Yes, it’s well deserved andyes, life will go on, but Steve will be missed. No more of his wry wit andEeyorish good nature (think Winnie the Pooh) to put the real world in its place and to help us all carry on.

Steve began his career with the Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services (BBVS) in 2004 as a social worker for the Independent Living program that serves older adults who don’t see so well. Most of Steve’s clients are neto vision loss, having had significant vision for most of their lives. When aprospective client reaches out to BBVS, Steve is the first point of contactand he carries the case from beginning to end.

Think of Steve as a guide through the vision rehabilitation system - a new landscape that many of us enter reluctantly. I needed to dip my toes ingradually; I wasn’t ready for total immersion. Steve knows how to bring his clients along gradually, meeting them where they are. He connects us with various specialists who teach us new ways of doing the things we have always done. Gradually, we come to realize that with hard work, achieving independence is indeed possible. As all good guides do, Steve offers his fledglings a bridge from one territory to another, moving from a land of fear and discouragement to an uncharted territory - one that offers a glimpse of hope, possibility, and a new reality. “Oh my, I really can lead a full and rewarding life”. Independence and a newfound confidence creep back intoour lives.

Steve has always drawn an expansive circle around his professional life,fostering meaningful relationships, connections, and collaborations. I first met Steve in 2008 when I started working for the Sight-Loss Support Group. He has always been supportive of our group and he faithfully attended the SLSG’s original Lunch Bunch that began in 2002. It was at hriving group for many years but overtime it dwindled and disbanded for a time. It was Steve who said, “I miss the Lunch Bunch. Let’s bring it back.”

And so, we did.

Steve understood that recovering from the emotional onslaught of visionlo ss required more than learning new techniques and acquiring skills. Visually impaired people (VIPs) needed to connect with other VIPs. The salutary effect of being with others who share your challenge and knowing that you are not alone is hugely important. You meet other newcomers justbegi nning their rehabilitation journey; you meet old hands who havec rossed over the bridge to independence. Friendships form. You begin to see that you can lead the life you want, once again.

The new 2 nd Thursdays Support Group Luncheon was launched in February,20 17 as a collaboration between the three organizations that serve blind and low vision people in central Pennsylvania: the Sight-Loss Support Group of Central PA (an independent non-profit founded in 1982), the Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services (part of the state’s Department of Labor and Industry), and North Central Sight Services (a branch of the PA Association of the Blind). This monthly meeting is a gathering place for the clients of these three organizations and the professionals that serve them.

A free lunch is served, there is plenty of time for conversation, and we often have a speaker on a topic of interest to those with vision loss. The group has blossomed and has drawn attention within the regional sight loss community for its success. 2 nd Thursdays would not have happened without Steve. His continued support and participation have everything to do with the group’s success. This is just one way Steve has extended his reach to help the clients that he and others serve. He has always understood that helping VIPs reclaim their lives requires a mental and emotional shift. He nudges us across the bridge, shifting our perspective from darkness to light and a belief in possibility. Thank you Steve.

WHAT EXACTLY IS MACULAR DEGENERATION?

“This has become a true epidemic of our time”. - Jerry Chader, PhD., Chief Scientific Officer, The Foundation

Fighting Blindness Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of low vision and blindness in the United States among people 60 and older. By 2030 all baby boomers will be 65 years or older. This growth in our aging population is causing a surge in age-related eye diseases: AMD, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. Currently, almost 20 million people in the United States have some form of AMD. By age 75, roughly one in three people willbe l iving with AMD.

These are sobering statistics. This article is the first of two that focuses onage-related macular degeneration: what it is and what one can do toprevent it or slow its progression. (Look for Part 2 in the next newsletter.)

So, what is macular degeneration? We know that AMD develops after alifetime of damage to the macula, the delicate center of the retina, wherethe most detailed vision occurs. The rod and cone cells of the maculabegin to deteriorate, reducing the number of cells able to transmit visuals ignals to the brain. The cone cells (which are specialized for daytime vision; the rod cells are specialized for night vision) are very tightly packedtogether in the macula. Each cone cell has its own nerve fiber that communicates directly to the brain, which is why the macula transmits the most detailed sight of any part of the retina.

Macular degeneration, however, is not just a condition of these cells alone, but also of the underlying tissues that support them and keep them healthy. Three individual layers of tissue constantly nourish the macula with oxygen-laden meals and remove waste from the rod and cones. It is not understood exactly what causes macular degeneration, but it develops when the normally efficient exchange system breaks down. At this point, the rod and cone cells lack the massive amounts of oxygen they need to

stay alive and cannot clear away the waste products they produce. Dying of oxygen deprivation and clogged with refuse, the rods and cones can no longer send signals through the optic nerve to the brain – they are no longer able to see. This is what happens with macular degeneration.

There are many risk factors for macular degeneration, such as age, smoking, nutritional deficiency, and poor circulation. Almost all of the riskfactors can be linked to free radicals, the “bad guys” that attack our cells. Antioxidants are the “good guys” that combat the damage from freeradicals. The next edition of The Outlook will delve into our body’s duel between the “good guys” (antioxidants) and the “bad guys” (free radicals).Our focus on macular degeneration will continue with a look at ways of preventing and stabilizing AMD by building up one’s antioxidant bank account through nutrition and dietary supplementation.

THE OUTLOOK

Spring 2026

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.