HELENA — The National Federation of the Blind and The Montana Association for the Blind held a resource day at the library to share opportunities and programs to create a community where blindness is not a limitation.
Pat Trafton is a volunteer with The Montana Association for the Blind and has battled losing her vision over the past seven years.
"The blind community in this community, in Helena is part of what has helped me to grow and adapt to my own loss of vision," Trafton says.
Trafton was always helping others in her career in therapy, but now she finds herself asking others for help, an adjustment many in the blind and low-vision community struggle with.
"One of the biggest things in my life that inhibits me from going out and doing things is I always have to ask somebody else," Trafton says. "I mean it is like you keep giving up things incrementally, but you also gain things."
Although many lose their ability to drive or enjoy day-to-day activities, organizations like the National Federation for the Blind and The Montana Association for the Blind provide camps with cooking training, seeing eye dogs, and the talking book library just to name a few.
Despite the challenges Trafton faces she still manages to make artwork with the help of a magnifier.
Although she and others in the community have lost a lot, they have gained a sense of belonging from others going through the same struggles.
Trafton says, "There is a lot of emotional adjustment as well as physical adjustment with this process and to try to figure it out on my own would take me too long."
Resources to help populations at risk of losing their vision or that need help learning how to live with vision challenges are available at the library on the fourth Wednesday of the month.
