City Opens First Senior Center Geared To Help People With Vision Loss

By: Kafi Drexel

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The city opened on Tuesday its first-ever center specifically geared toward the needs of older New Yorkers with vision loss. NY1's Health reporter Kafi Drexel filed the following report.

The city's new center for the blind and visually impaired adult senior population in Chelsea is not only a first for the city, but advocates say it is a first for the nation. It has everything from specialized computer programming to Braille, fitness, arts, crafts, wellness programs and hot meals.

Run by VISIONS, it is one of 10 new senior centers that are part of the "Age-Friendly NYC" plan announced by Mayor Michael Bloomberg just over a year ago.

Sisters Domenica Diodati and Natalie Jordan, who are now both totally blind, say this gives them a place to be, compared to other senior programs where they can't always participate.

"I belonged to a senior center that didn't have anybody handicapped but myself at the time. I found at times it was very uncomfortable," said Jordan.

Officials and advocates back that sentiment up, saying it is critical to have new centers with fresh ideas to appeal to the growing elderly population throughout the city.

"The visually impaired cannot always fully participate in general senior centers. The equipment that they need is not always present. The staff they need as specialized is not always there," said Department for the Aging Commissioner Lilliam Barrios-Paoli.

"Our hope is 25 years from now, we will have this center, but blind seniors will be able to go to all the centers in the city because those centers will be universally accessible, regardless of what the disability is," said VISIONS Executive Director and CEO Nancy Miller.

Those behind the program and similar ones to come say what makes "Age-Friendly NYC" special is it comes after years of budget cuts with millions of dollars in new funding.

It has received about $5 million in new funding each year to help keep the city's system of more than 260 senior centers open, while supporting more new programs.

The city plans to open its first-ever senior center specifically dedicated to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender New Yorkers in February.