Joe Biden wins Hawaii presidential primary delayed by virus

The Latest: 2 positives for virus in latest EPL testing

2020 has been an unprecedented year for everyone, including us at Northeast Sight Services.
				But we, like many organizations, have taken the precautions necessary to protect our staff and those we serve (many of whom are the most at-risk for contracting COVID-19), all while being innovative and flexible enough to continue the essential services our local community needs.
				We&rsquo;ve seen this as an opportunity to experience what is often a reality for most of our clients. Social isolation and the daily existence of quarantining for us is new &#8211; the product of the current pandemic sweeping our nation. With this has brought an incredible amount of growing pains for our society &#8211; such as how we get groceries and other necessary items in a safe and easy way, how we avoid depression when we aren&rsquo;t able to be with our friends and family, and how to care for our needs when things are not easily accessible.
				This situation is a powerful reminder of what those who live with blindness and visual impairment experience throughout their lives, on a daily basis. Having vision loss can make life extremely challenging and isolating &#8211; with many of our clients not being able to get out into the community on a regular basis. Statistics stand behind the consequences of this type of lifestyle, as they show that living in isolation leads to depression, a loss of independence and a decline in quality of life.
				Since 1918, Northeast Sight Services has stood behind its mission to help blind and visually impaired individuals achieve the best possible quality of life by providing compassionate services &#8211; working hard every day to combat the realities of those living with low vision.
				For us, 2020 and this pandemic has furthered our resolve to provide just that. Because it&rsquo;s proven just how important it is (and we are) to our clients. We&rsquo;ve always known that our clients rely on and appreciate our group programming for the chance to interact with others. Now, we can really see for ourselves how essential it is to have a network of people to support us. We also realize that when essential items are not as accessible as we&rsquo;re used to, it becomes a barrier for life as we know it.
				This has forced us to once again evolve as an organization &#8211; something we have done many times throughout the past century. But truthfully, providing this type of help has been challenging at this time. As many of our clients are seniors with pre-existing health conditions, we&rsquo;ve made keeping our distance a priority. But it has given us a chance to develop different and innovative ways to help our clients, like virtual programs that bring their social and educational needs right to their home. Thankfully, we have had great success in this area and expect that this will undoubtedly change the face of our services in a positive way for years to come.
				I think it&rsquo;s clear that we&rsquo;ve all been affected and are dealing with this pandemic in different ways &#8211; but I think we can all learn a thing or two from those whose reality is so similar to what we&rsquo;re all experiencing for (hopefully) just a short time.
				To learn more about what we provide on a year-round basis (and in response to the pandemic), check out our website at www.northeastsight.org.

Their view: Continuing to serve our clients while learning much from the pandemic