SEQUIM — The ability to see doesn’t define a person, nor does it dictate what is possible, yet learning to navigate and continue life without sight can be an arduous process.
Nationally, about 1.3 million people are legally blind, according to the National Federation of the Blind, and an estimated 24,000 people within Clallam County have some degree of vision loss that’s not correctable, said Kyle Parrish, president of the federation’s Clallam County chapter.
“That’s a big number for this size community,” he said.
In hopes of helping and connecting those experiencing varying degrees of blindness, the Clallam County National Federation of the Blind is hosting its fourth annual Vision Loss Fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday. Admission is free.
Although held in Sequim at Olympic Medical Services Building’s conference Room A, 850 N. Fifth Ave., the fair aims to serve the entire county.
“Helping people . . . that’s what it’s all about,” Parrish said. “The goal is to inform people living with low or total blindness that there’s life after blindness.”
Parrish is able to assist those adapting to blindness from a personal perspective. He lost his vision nearly 50 years ago at age 15.
“I was very angry for a lot of years,” he said.
Despite his anger, Parrish said, he learned from mistakes, adjusted and didn’t let his lack of sight restrict his life or future.
“Blindness doesn’t define a person,” he said. “It’s just something we have, but we’re whole people.”
Many of the individuals with uncorrectable vision loss are “devastated,” Parrish said, and often don’t want to leave their home because they’re afraid.
“It’s sad,” but joining a group like the Clallam County National Federation of the Blind can open doors by helping people regain even the simplest skills, such as dialing a phone, he said.
Attendees of the Vision Loss Fair will be introduced to adaptive aids and specialized training locally available, and many are free.
More than 10 service providers — from the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library and the state Department of Services for the Blind to a guide dog expert — will be on hand.
Topics for discussion include independent living with vision loss, independent mobility, low-vision aids, public transportation, audio books and library services.
“There are so many things available, but you have to find out about them,” said Albert Chovit, a Clallam County National Federation of the Blind board member.
Like many visually impaired people in Sequim and the surrounding county, Chovit has lost most of his ability to see because of age-related macular degeneration.
Macular degeneration affects about 13 million Americans, according to the National Federation of the Blind, and as baby boomers age, it’s anticipated the number of visually impaired Americans will double within the next 30 years.
Recognizing an increasing demand, the local chapter channels a lot of its efforts toward helping older individuals with macular degeneration that have been sighted their entire lives to transition, explained Lois Chovit, Albert Chovit’s wife and fellow Clallam County National Federation of the Blind board member.
“The number of people with age-related macular degeneration will only grow,” Parrish said. “It could become a real epidemic.”
To help prepare and continue to make Sequim a safe city for everyone, Parrish is in communication with the city’s Public Works Department to improve pedestrian safety.
“Sequim has become a lot better, but there are still things we can do to improve,” he said, such as upgrading the audible traffic signals.
The Clallam County National Federation of the Blind meets from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. on the first Saturday of every month at Bell Creek Bar & Grill, 707 E. Washington St.
Those who want to order lunch should arrive at noon.
All interested people are welcome to the meetings whether they have normal, little or no vision.
For more information, call 360-582-6931 or email nfbclallamcounty@gmail.com.
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Alana Linderoth is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach her at alinderoth@sequimgazette.com.