Vision Loss and the Role of the Family

The process of aging and the experience of losing vision are associated with a variety of changes and losses that can lead older individuals to undergo a number of psychosocial transitions. Family members also experience losses, have their own set of reactions, and frequently are not sure how to help older relatives cope with vision loss. Access to vision rehabilitation services can make a tremendous difference for older persons and their family members.

This course examines psychosocial adjustment to vision loss and the role of family members in the adjustment process. It provides information for vision rehabilitation professionals including suggestions on how to approach difficult subjects with families during the rehabilitation process.

This course is available for CRC, ACVREP, and NBPCB credit.

Course Objectives:

1. Identify strategies for helping consumers and their family members deal with vision loss.
2. Recognize the importance of support groups in helping consumers and family members.
3. Identify strategies for professionals to use in helping consumers relate to their families.

The following are recommended screen reader and browser combinations.

Mac: Voiceover with the latest version of Safari,

PC: JAWS or NVDA with Firefox.

The course shows a start date, but this is simply the date the course was made available to the public. They are self-paced. So, there is not an end date. You can enroll at any time.

This course was developed by the National Research & Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision (NRTC) at Mississippi State University. We are the only national center funded to conduct research related to employment for people with blindness or low vision, and training and technical assistance for the federal Older Individuals who are Blind program. As a national center of excellence, we offer resources on a variety of topics for service providers, businesses, and persons with vision loss on our websites:

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