"I redefined my life"
Listen in as Kara shares how she found new ways to express herself in her love of visual art, and redefining a meaningful life.
Hadley
I Redefined My Life
Presented by Douglas Walker
Douglas: Hello, and welcome to the Insights and Sound Bites podcast, where people facing vision loss share insights about what has helped them cope and adjust.
Voice 1: You cannot do this alone. You need people who are experiencing the same thing.
Voice 2: Probably the hardest part was just navigating through the emotions of it.
Douglas: My name is Douglas Walker. It’s easy to define who we are with what we do in life. Today we’ll hear from Kara. Kara will share with us how she found new ways to express herself and her love of visual art. And redefine meaning in her life.
Kara: Hi, my name is Kara Snyder and I am from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
I have been a type one diabetic since I was seven, then sometime when I was in my twenties, that's when my vision changes really ramped up and I had a number of detached retinas. The left eye is even after the two retinal attachments, so I lost vision totally in that eye. So, then I was still able to drive with one good eye, but then as soon as that right eye started to have the detached retina, I developed cornea issues. And then that is what impaired my vision with that eye. So, I'm legally blind in the right eye.
I work primarily as a visual artist which is funny, but I've always been a visual. I was an arts administrator and then did visual art for fun on the side. But then once I started losing vision, I realized, wait a minute, I really want to be a full-time artist. And so interestingly enough, as the vision started to fade, that's when I really launched my visual art career. I entered into a number of juried groups and began exhibiting in the Pittsburgh region.
Because the loss of my visual art at the time when I lost vision, I was freaking out. And I thought, oh my God, that's my livelihood. It's my life. It's the thing I love the most.
I had to go through a period of uncertainty, what was perceived as down and dark and depressing. But it was like I grappling to find my feet again. Because the markers I used in my life to define myself or define meaning often were based in a visual interpretation of the world. So, when that became lost to me, it really made me redefine what constitutes meaning in my life if I don't have the visual. It helped me to point to my relationships.
And I realized just because I lost vision doesn't mean I'm not going to call my mom and have conversations with her. I'm not going to not go to her kitchen table and drink coffee just because this change in my physical being occurred. So, once I realized there was such deep meaning in those moments, it made me redefined my sense of being in the world.
But it was really a very basic human need to know how do I proceed in my life with this huge change? And I had some key people in my life who were very supportive. One friend in particular, who really, it was almost like a drill sergeant. You don't give up because just because you think you can't paint doesn't mean you can't paint anymore.
So I was like, what am I waiting for? So I just started to experiment with painting. So I'm not saying it was a perfect seamless bounce back into happiness. It's up and down, up and down.
I still grieve the loss of being able to see others' artwork, other people's artwork, because that was a huge joy for me. It's a loss. But I was able to use that whole recipe of finding meaning and use it for my art, because I used that dialogue sitting at the coffee table with my mom metaphor to then bring it over into my art.
Douglas: Was there something that someone said to you or something that happened along the way that made all the difference in the world in helping you adjust to living with vision loss?
We‘d love to hear from you if you’d like to share with us, just leave us a message on our Insights & Sound Bites voicemail by calling, 847-512-4867. Or, you can use your smartphone or computer and email us a recording to podcast@Hadley.edu. Again, my name is Douglas Walker. Take care and I’ll see you next time.
All Episodes
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Episode 41
Living with low vision meant Karen was constantly explaining to others what she can and can't see. Then she found a tool that has made a big difference.
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Episode 40
Having to give up the car keys was traumatic for Eugenia. She worried about becoming isolated until she found a new way.
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Episode 39
This week, hear how rediscovering a favorite activity helped Celia find balance as she adjusts to vision loss.
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Episode 38
Denise can struggle with the slow but continuous loss of vision she's facing. But she's found a way to pick herself up on a bad day.
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Episode 37
Listen in as Vanessa shares what has helped keep her from feeling hopeless and defeated due to vision loss.
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Episode 36
Stacy shares with us how being honest about her vision loss with her friends and coworkers has made all the difference in the world.
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Episode 35
For many, having to give up the car keys due to vision loss is traumatic. Deb felt it too. Then, during a call to arrange transportation for herself, a new door opened.
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Episode 34
Listen in as Anne describes how a question posed to her shifted her perspective for living with vision loss.
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Episode 33
This week, William shares how learning to continue with his favorite hobby, even with vision loss, has been therapeutic—and uplifting. Here's the link to his website https://www.blindtruths.org/
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Episode 32
This week Angela shares how she struggled to get around due to vision loss, how she tried to hide it from others, and what helped her.
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Episode 31
This week we hear from Appreciate. She found that a Facebook group, The International Blind Cafe, gave her a source of comfort and encouragement.
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Episode 30
Marian's inner voice had her living in fear. Listen in as she shares how she redirected that voice to be more helpful for her.
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Episode 29
This week Dorrie shares how technology has made all the difference for her in living with vision loss.
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Episode 28
Today we hear from Ed who shares how the source of hope for him has changed with time.
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Episode 27
Listen in as Cindy shares how advice from her son helped her adjust to her new normal.
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Episode 26
Listen in as Tim recalls a conversation with a store clerk and how it helped him adjust to life with vision loss.
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Episode 25
Listen in as Alice shares a boyfriend's advice from many years ago. Words that give her hope, even today.
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Episode 24
Listen in as Bill shares how a chance encounter changed his perspective on vision loss.
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Episode 23
Listen in as Ruth shares how her frustration and impatience turned around with just one phone call.
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Episode 22
Listen in as Sam shares how he struggled trying to hide his vision loss-and how he finally turned the corner.
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Episode 21
Listen in as Eugenia describes how her own determination and the support of friends helped her keep moving forward.
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Episode 20
Listen in as Zenobia shares how she found the support and strength she needed.
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Episode 19
Listen in and be inspired as Saras explains how changing her perspective to, "Why NOT me?" helped her tap into her strengths.
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Episode 18
Sheri shares with us how the love for her horses helped her find purpose and peace.
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Episode 17
Kendra shares with us how a visit to a low vision center gave her more than she ever expected.
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Episode 16
Listen to Carol's story as she shares how owning her changing vision gave her the drive to discover useful resources and realize that it's important—and okay—to ask for help when she needs it.
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Episode 15
Listen in as Chuck shares how he found hope in a chance encounter.
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Episode 13
Listen in as Leah shares how it finally clicked for her—the realization that she's not alone.
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Episode 12
Hear how Axel set one goal at a time and slowly took the steps to rebuild his skills, reengage in his art, and reestablish his emotional well being.
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Episode 11
Gregory shares how finding a mentor made all the difference in the world to him, and his entire family.
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Episode 10
Listen in as we hear from Sarah. For her, hearing a blind architect's story changed her perspective on what was possible.
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Episode 9
Listen in as Tom shares how leaning on his faith helps him adjust to vision loss.
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Episode 8
Pat shares with us the choices she made when faced with a visual impairment.
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Episode 7
Darryl shares with us how a referral to a low vision specialist was where his life with vision loss began to turn around.
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Episode 6
Annie shares with us the steps she took to work through her depression by seeking help from a mental health professional.
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Episode 5
Sharon shares with us how she worked through the isolation and found people just like her to get the support she needed.
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Episode 4
Hannah shares with us how she had to give herself permission to grieve her vision loss in order to reach acceptance.
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Episode 3
Randy's search for help led him into a whole new way of thinking.
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Episode 1
Larry shares how he found strength in his core beliefs to get him through the shock of his initial diagnosis.
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Episode 2
Ruth shares how her mother's advice, "Knock the T Off Can't," helped her.