Dan Norris was seven years old when he told his mother he thought he was being haunted. Every time she turned out the lights, something stayed in front of his eyes no matter where he looked. Within a year he was diagnosed with Stargardt disease and went from typical vision to legally blind, with no central vision at all. His mother responded by becoming a teacher of students with visual impairments. Decades later, Dan followed her into the work.
This July he became executive director of the Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, an organization celebrating its hundredth anniversary this year. In this episode of The PR Bunker Podcast, Dan walks through what VABVI does, why the next decade matters more than the last one, and what it looks like when a client realizes there is still a way to do the things they love.
A few takeaways from the conversation:
VABVI serves Vermonters with vision loss at every age. For infants that means coaching parents on how a blind child learns to move, since a baby who can't see the shiny pots on the kitchen floor won't crawl toward them without being shown how. For students it means braille, enlarged print and access to the curriculum. For adults, and the majority of clients are seniors, it means learning to cook, travel and stay connected instead of slipping into isolation. Direct services never cost the client anything.
Vermont has about 15,000 significantly visually impaired residents today, and the projection for 2030 is closer to 27,500. Dan wants a full time certified assistive technology instructional specialist for adults, funded by an endowment that no state or federal budget cut can touch. A family foundation is matching donations at fifty percent, and the campaign is within $80,000 of its goal.
Dan says his reason for doing the work is selfish. He won't leave a first visit without finding one thing that makes a client's life easier, and the moment they realize life isn't over, something changes in their face. He is legally blind and says he can still see it every time. He also tells the story of a client who, after a simple adjustment to her computer settings, opened a file and found her mother's journal she hadn't been able to read in a decade.
We also talk about the hundredth anniversary Dancing with the Stars fundraiser at the Flynn Center on September 12, and an October 16 commemorative walk in Burlington that retraces the route VABVI's first teacher, who was blind, took from her house on Pearl Street to her office at City Hall in 1926.
To donate, volunteer as a driver or learn about sponsorships, visit vabvi.org. If someone you know needs services, call 1-800-639-5861 and ask for the intake specialist.
Listen to the full episode above.
Reading is the hello. SBGA is where we get to yes.
What does the Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired do?
VABVI provides free vision rehabilitation services to Vermonters of all ages, from early intervention for infants to braille and technology instruction for students to independent living skills for adults and seniors. Its teachers hold graduate level credentials in vision studies and related specialties.
How can I support VABVI?
Donations to the Second Century Campaign are currently matched at fifty percent. The organization also needs volunteer drivers for grocery runs and medical appointments, and it offers corporate sponsorships for events like its annual Dancing with the Stars fundraiser.
How many Vermonters have significant vision loss?
About 15,000 today, a figure projected to reach roughly 27,500 by 2030 as the state's population ages.
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