There are several answers to this question:

Choose one activity to try at a time

• Decide if this will be an old favorite with new twists or a brand new activity.
• Be prepared to make some changes (adaptations)

Be Patient with Yourself

• Learning a new activity or a new way of doing a familiar activity will take time. If you try a new activity, you may find you have more patience with it than learning new ways to do an old favorite.
• Be easy on yourself--it's more important to have fun and enjoy yourself.
• There can be a number of alternative choices when adapting or modifying an activity. Try to allow enough time to experiment and find the best adaptation for you.

Connect with others who have similar recreational and leisure interests

• Networking with others can help you develop your skills and provide support while you are learning.

• For a new activity, you may want to join a small class or find a teacher to teach you one-on-one. Consider joining a senior group, church clubs or circles; see if your local craft or yarn stores have any recommendations for local classes or teachers; check the Adult Education classes through your local school district, and check out Grange or 4H Clubs.? Contact a local agency serving persons with vision impairments and see if they are offering arts, crafts or recreational activities, or have a listing of such activities in your community.

How to Adapt an Activity

1. List the steps that make up the activity
2. List the steps that you CAN do
3. List any parts of the activity that you're unable to do because of your vision loss
4. What equipment or tools are needed?
5. What time frame do you have, and how long is the task likely to take?
6. Do others need to be involved? A friend or a group?
7. What sensory clues do you have with this activity?? In terms of vision: contrast, lighting, size, colors?? In terms of hearing: auditory signals, recordings, volume?
In terms of touch: raised marks/labels, texture changes, hot/cold clues?

Points to Remember:

• When you adapt something, keep it simple, easy to do, and easy to maintain
• Be patient: relearning is not necessarily easier than learning for the first time
• Organize your work area and all the equipment
• If you have low vision, use task lighting (such as a gooseneck lamp), low vision devices and contrast, as appropriate
• Explore our Sources of Products for Independent Living section. These resources can sometimes save you time and money.
• If you need to ask for help, ask for the least amount of help you need. Remember it is your activity…if your helper wants to do it too, let him/her have their own project to complete but not to take over your activity!