More Than What You See: Finding Strength and Support Through Vision Loss

Vision loss often means learning new ways to move through daily life. Long before a person learns to navigate with a cane, use a screen reader, or adapt daily routines, they are often navigating questions about identity, confidence, and how to move forward. The CDC estimates that one in four adults with vision loss reports feeling depressed or anxious. “There are so many people with vision loss that keep their head down,” says Terese Goren, Envision Senior Accessibility Analyst. “There’s lots of depression — it’s a grieving process.”  

It isn’t just tasks that change, it’s confidence, social connection and a sense of self. Someone who once moved through the world without thinking may find themselves pausing more often, planning more carefully and relearning how to do familiar things in new ways. The emotional weight is real, and it is often invisible to everyone except the person carrying it.  

Vision loss can mean no longer driving, reading in the same way, moving through crowded spaces on autopilot, or doing favorite hobbies without adaptation. Many people talk about needing to do things differently, which can affect their sense of identity and independence.As one Envision staff member explains to new clients, there is a genuine grieving process, not just for what the eyes can no longer do, but for the routines and roles they were used to.Without support, people may withdraw or feel disconnected.Protecting mental health in the face of vision loss isn’t optional, it’s essential. Poor mental health doesn’t just make vision changes feel harder, it can slow rehabilitation, delay a return to work, strain family relationships and increase the risk of other health problems. When depression and anxiety go unaddressed, people are less likely to use assistive technology, less likely to travel independently, and less likely to participate in programs designed to help them.  

Counseling, peer support groups and vision rehabilitation services play an essential role in changing that story. Orientation and mobility specialists, rehabilitation teachers and assistive technology trainers help people relearn tasks and rebuild skills, step by step. Just as importantly, they help rebuild confidence.  

“I lost the will to do a lot of things,” says Envision Arts participant Linda Terrell, reflecting on how vision loss changed how she saw herself. “I just couldn’t do the things I had once done so easily.” Linda credits her involvement in group support — like Envision Arts — as playing an integral role in her mental health journey. In that creative community, she met others who understood what she was going through. She began to experiment, learn new techniques and see possibilities again.  

“Being involved with the blind or visually impaired community makes a difference on your mental health,” says Andy Hoffman, Envision ContactCall Center Manager. “You realize you’re not the only one going through this.”  

While professionals provide tools and training, the blind or visually impaired community often becomes the strongest support system. Peer groups, classes and social programs create space where people can share honestly, ask questions they might not ask anywhere else and celebrate milestones other people might not recognize.  

Envision recognizes this and responds by creating programs that rebuild confidence, strengthen community, and provide support at all stages of life and vision loss—caring for the whole person, not just their vision. Across Wichita and Dallas, Envision’s Adult and Youth Programs, along with the Training Independence Program and accessibility training, intentionally blend skill-building with community and connection, helping people rebuild confidence at their own pace. Participants are surrounded by people who understand what they’re going through and can say, “You’re not the only one.” In these spaces, someone might relearn how to cook safely, practice using a screen reader, or simply sit with a cup of coffee and talk openly about fear and frustration. Staff describe those breakthrough moments when a participant realizes they can still send a text to a grandchild, navigate a hallway on their own, or try a piece of art or cooking they thought was lost forever. Each small success helps and rebuilds confidence. As one staff member often tells participants, “You can be just as independent as you were when you had your vision. There’s just a different way to get it done.”  

By combining rehabilitation, technology training, peer support and creative outlets, Envision helps interrupt the mental-health challenges that  often accompany vision loss. Support doesn’t erase grief, but it can transform how someone moves through it. It replaces isolation with connection, uncertainty with small victories and self-doubt with capability. It reminds people that their life  still holds possibility, even as it changes shape.