Vision Services displays renovated adaptive classroom
Paul Paterra/Observer-Reporter
Among those at Friday’s open house at Vision Service of Washington-Greene were, from left, Donna Shanaberger, director of training and support services; Megan Luisi, executive director; Linda Lucas, director of prevention, screening and education, and Michael Lucas, driver.
Paul Paterra/Observer-Reporter
Donna Shanaberger, director of training and support services, stands in the assistive technology training area at Vision Services of Washington-Greene.
Paul Paterra/Observer-Reporter
The newly renovated classroom at Vision Services of Washington-Greene
Vision Services of Washington-Greene showed off its newly renovated adaptive classroom Friday with an open house.
The fully adaptable, handicap-accessible classroom was funded by a grant through the Washington County Community Foundation.
Megan Luisi, Vision Services of Washington-Greene executive director, explained that the company originally applied for the grant in 2018 for an extended school-year program for visually-impaired children.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic scuttled those plans.
“We transitioned the grant to this classroom so when we get the program going, we’ll have a dedicated space for kids to come in here and learn,” Luisi said. “The grant for us has been really wonderful. Being a nonprofit, it’s not always easy to have the funds to build programs.”
The classroom is equipped with eight student desks that can be adjusted to accommodate wheelchairs. There also is a large instructor table, storage and a touch-screen smart board for presentations.
A small seating area allows for one-on-one conversations, and lighting can be dimmed for those bothered by glare, plus the matte finish on the floor reduces glare for those who rely on peripheral vision.
Brightly colored chairs provide a higher contrast for better visibility. Each desk has an iPad stand with an LED desk light.
Luisi added that the grant also helped with renovations to the kitchen and laundry room, which are used by youth transitioning to adulthood.
The space also is available to be rented for private meetings, trainings, classes or certificate programs.
Vision Services of Washington-Greene aids and assists the visually impaired, and helps with their education, training, and employment. It also promotes the interests of the visually impaired and creates awareness around prevention of unnecessary blindness.
Services provided include transportation, support, education, visual screenings and a low-cost optical department. There are 103 clients at the facility at 566 E. Maiden St. in Washington.
“Our goal is to make those people who are facing visual impairment or who already have visual impairment happier, healthier and more independent,” Luisi said.