Ulli’s Story

In 1984, when Ulli was wrapping up her studies during medical school in Austria, she acquired a case of Uveitis in both eyes, leaving her legally blind and preventing her from completing a residency program in Dermatology. This would not be her only experience with Uveitis, as several other episodes have followed. Her most recent diagnosis was in 2018, with each appearance robbing her of more of her vision. Unfortunately, the fear of future occurrences remains.

A New Approach to Daily Living

In 2010, Ulli followed her husband to New York City, where he had accepted a job offer sometime earlier, and they became permanent residents. Ulli didn’t waste any time contacting the New York State Commission for the Blind and Lighthouse Guild. What followed was a pleasant surprise. Ulli said, “The support and assistance I received from Lighthouse Guild was immediate.” She recalled a vision rehabilitation therapist arriving at her home with several small handheld technology devices. She was introduced to a CCTV (closed-circuit television) and equipped with a handheld monocular, magnifiers, goggles, and other small household gadgets to make daily life in her home safer. In addition, she has been provided with classes, workshops, seminars, and webinars that offer the opportunity to learn about new technology, how to manage her finances, how to organize and locate items in her home, how to prepare meals, slice bread or an onion, how to navigate herself in her home and an intense mobility training that made her feel safe enough to navigate the city with confidence.

Because of vision rehabilitation training and the assistance of specific technological devices, Ulli can now enjoy various hobbies more than before. For example, she loves preparing meals with new recipes, especially Mediterranean and Austrian dishes, cakes, and pastries. She’s an enthusiastic listener to audiobooks on BARD and loves traveling with her husband and on her own. 

First, a monocular, and now primarily her smartphone, allows her to have a clearer vision, and she can enjoy her visits to the museums even more. Her visits have inspired her to write a blog, “Zoom In Museums”,where she shares her firsthand experiences regarding the museums’ accessibility, large print materials, audio guide accessibility, map availability, and the ease of navigating each museum she visits. She hopes to inspire other visually impaired individuals to venture out to visit them. She also publishes a monthly newsletter listing a calendar of verbal descriptions programs museums offer. 

Her vision care is being managed by Low Vision Specialist Dr. Susan Weinstein, who Ulli said, “She’s focused on my issues and needs and makes me feel valued as a patient. She’s always friendly, attentive, helpful, has a great bedside manner, and does an excellent job figuring out what’s most helpful for me. I’m very happy that I’m in her capable hands.”

Embracing Technology

Ulli has become a huge fan of the Technology Center at Lighthouse Guild and expressed her appreciation for the knowledge and expertise of Chief Technology Officer Dr. Bryan Wolynski. She credits Wolynski for being instrumental in assisting her in deciding the most appropriate devices to purchase for her vision needs. Ulli said, “Dr. Wolynski is also incredible at technology networking, and his monthly Tech Talks and workshops are always insightful, extremely valuable, and helpful to us in our daily lives.” 

A Supporter of Vision Research

It’s no surprise, given her studies and interest in medicine, that Ulli’s favorite program at Lighthouse Guild is its Research Center. Ulli said, “I very much value and cherish the work taking place in the Research Center at Lighthouse Guild under the guidance of Chief Research Officer Dr. William Seiple and Director of Research Operations Fernanda Garcia-Pina. Participating in their research projects allows me to learn about new apps and technology devices that can help a visually impaired person.” Ulli participated in the Research Center’s recent study published in ARVO’s January edition of Transitional Vision Science & Technology, which revealed that individuals with vision loss express high satisfaction when using artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.Ulli said, “I think it’s great what they’re doing in the research center, and I truly appreciate their great work.”

A Word of Advice from Ulli

For anyone with a visual impairment and needing care, Ulli said, “I suggest they contact Lighthouse Guild and share specific details about their situation, and there will always be someone at Lighthouse Guild that can help them. The programs there also offer an opportunity to meet other people with similar disabilities and they can learn from others shared experiences.”