Thanks to Cleveland Sight Center (CSC), Carrie feels like she isn’t starting over all by herself, but rather has a helping hand to assist her during this next era of her life.

“Every person I encountered at Cleveland Sight Center was kind and respectful, and willing to help,” she said. “They just were caring, and they didn't look at me like I was disabled. They were there to help, and I got the feeling right away that this place was going to help me.”

Since walking in CSC’s door for the first time, Carrie learned how to use lighting and magnification properly, navigate her community safely and keep her home accessible to her through assistive technology and vision rehabilitation.

For people like Carrie, vision rehabilitation services are essential to daily life, yet these services are not consistently funded as critical care. For Carrie, when state funding went away, it meant she might not have been able to get the magnifier that best suited her needs, which she could not afford on her own. Thankfully, her son could contribute to make up the difference.

“That was like Christmas to me,” Carrie said of receiving her magnifier. “The equipment has just been a godsend.”

After not reading for years, the magnifier opened up Carrie’s world again. After feeling frustrated and grieving her vision, and potentially her lifestyle, this tool gave her more than just a way to read, but hope too.

“Hope shows up every day, every time I pick up my magnifying glass, every time I pick up a book to read, every time I do anything,” Carrie explains. “I'm grateful for having something that helps me do the things that I like to do.”

Now, Carrie uses her magnifier all the time!

“Oh, it's made a big difference in my life. I'm a lot happier because I can sit here and read a book and that’s something I missed. I did a lot of reading, even as a young girl.”

Aside from using the magnifier to bring the joy of an old hobby back into her life, Carrie also uses it as a practical tool when shopping, reading her mail and tending to important paperwork.

“I take it with me when I go to the store because everything is in teeny weeny print, you can't read the prices!” she explains. “So it goes everywhere with me.”

Not one to stay inside all day, Carrie often walks her dog around her neighborhood and walks to the grocery store nearby when she needs to pick up a few things. Walking is another pastime of hers, and thanks to CSC’s Orientation and Mobility Specialist Scott, she can continue to do so safely and independently. He showed her how to take the bus to her favorite places in town, and use stairs with her white cane.

Scott taught her that while the white cane is useful for her, it also serves as a symbol for those around her, like drivers, to let them know she is visually impaired. That way, they can be mindful and yield when they see the cane. With this information in mind, Carrie seems empowered to enforce that rule!

“I kiddingly said to him, and ‘if they continue to go through the crosswalk while I'm crossing, I'm going to hit their car with it, or at least I'll shake it at them!’” she joked.

Whether it’s walking in a new place with her white cane, reading a bill with her magnifier or simply asking for help with she needs it, Carrie now knows how to advocate for herself so she can continue to live independently and do what she loves.

“I don't let the fact that I'm vision impaired stop me from doing things that I used to do.”