The Power of Peer Support: A Conversation with Linda Newman
Linda Newman, peer facilitator for Juneau’s monthly Low Vision Support Group, came of age during an exciting period in the disability rights movement. After losing a significant amount of vision as a teenager, Linda spent a summer living with other blind adults, was introduced to the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), and went to college. All of these life-changing moments occurred during a high point of the independent living movement: the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). So it’s no surprise that Linda is still a passionate advocate for people with vision loss.
“It was all new and scary, but also empowering to be with others who shared a similar experience,” Linda shared one rainy afternoon.
However, her connection with the visually impaired community wasn’t always congruent. “I was in my early thirties when I first moved to Juneau,” Linda reminisced. “I attended a low vision support group meeting and the average age of group attendees was much older than I was at the time, so I didn’t really feel I fit in at that particular point in my life.
“But now, as I’ve gotten older, I’m once again feeling empowered to be more of an advocate for myself and others. I also have a whole new host of lived experiences with low vision that I didn’t have at a younger age: I’ve raised three children, have had to work hard to stay up to date on the latest in assistive technology, have a great appreciation and understanding of the strain on one’s neck and lower back when you are constantly bent over trying to read a book or screen up close…all of these things I’ve had to do with low vision that now, because of my age, many in the group can relate to.”
The following is the extended interview with Linda from an article that appeared in our 2021 Gratitude Report.
Why is Peer Support Important?
It’s nice to commiserate and laugh together. To feel like you’re not alone with a certain challenge, to know that someone who has gone through a similar experience might have a perspective that can help you.
There are some things that only other people with low vision can fully understand. For example, in a recent email to the group, I accidentally triple tapped on my phone and it entered the wrong date for the next meeting. But because of personal experience, the group totally understood why the mistake happened. The silver lining of the situation was I, as a peer, could show my vulnerability and by doing so it helped others in the group.
What are some barriers and frustrations shared by people with low vision or who are blind?
Transportation is always a top issue. So is accessing printed material. Many people with low vision talk about the piles of magazines, newspapers, and mail in their house as it just takes longer to get through printed material. Keeping up with technology and its advances, including the time to learn about new devices or apps, the cost in acquiring them, and the struggle for working individuals with low vision when it comes to asking an employer to support those purchases as a workplace accommodation.
Many people don’t appreciate the diversity in types of vision loss, and the varying degrees of comfort people with similar disabilities have with how they operate in the world and how the world in turn interacts with them. For example, does one use a cane or not? Are cars more likely to stop for you at a crosswalk if you carry a cane or are guided by a dog?
And then there are the mundane things many fully sighted individuals take for granted. There is one woman, for example, in the group who can no longer keep her house as clean as she’d like because of her worsening vision. So she’s had to hire someone to help clean her house, which of course is an unplanned expense that has to come out of her own pocket.
What are some highlights of the peer support group?
Before the pandemic, community outings to places like the new state museum and Glacier Gardens were highlights. The group really enjoys getting out of the house and into the community since most of us don’t drive. I also call each group member monthly to remind them of the next meeting, which gives me a chance to connect and act as a bridge to other SAIL staff or community resources as issues arise.
It’s also been fun to get to know people personally. One gentleman always has a joke ready for the group, so it’s a great way to end the meeting with a laugh.
How has the pandemic affected your meetings?
Technology has definitely been hard. Connecting virtually is and continues to be a slow process, partly because of people’s vision loss and partly because of the average age of group attendees. We have one gentleman, for example, who doesn’t have video and often can’t get his microphone to work. But he still feels connected and values the opportunity to just listen in.
While the technology curve has been difficult for us to all overcome, it has also forced me to lean into it a bit more to stay connected with members. It’s opened my eyes to other ways of communicating that might be more approachable to group members (such as text reminders versus an email).
We’ve also seen our numbers increase as virtual meetings encouraged us to open the group to members from throughout Southeast. Being open and flexible to people either calling or videoing in has welcomed people from Ketchikan, Sitka, Wrangell… even places like Anchorage and Fox. It’s also been easier to host guest presenters from around the state as they too can call in virtually.”
What are you hopes/vision for low vision peer support in Juneau?
I would really like to expand our outreach to doctors and optometrists in Juneau. Obviously, most people with low vision are likely seeing someone as they manage their vision loss, however it originated and however it evolves.
I’d also like to engage younger people. Right now the group is predominantly people of retirement age, which is understandable as vision loss can increase with age. But I know there are a whole host of young people who, like me when I was younger, are grappling with a disability that can at times feel lonely or isolating. Connecting with people who shared a similar experience empowered me at a young age, so I’d hope to pay forward the same support I got when I was younger.
