Eyes and Lows
Eyes and Lows
Podcast Description
#Eyes and Lows is a space for honest conversations about the experiences within the blind, low vision community and people with disabilities. Hosted by Dr. Brittany McLemore, Director of Vocal Point (formerly GaRRS), this podcast brings together personal stories, lived experiences, and expert insights to shed light on the often-overlooked emotional journey of these individuals.Each episode dives into topics like grief, identity, resilience, relationships, self-advocacy, and more. Whether you’re newly blind, have low vision, living with a disability, a caregiver, or an ally, Eyes and Lows offers connection, understanding, and encouragement.You’re not alone. Let’s talk about it — the highs, the lows, and everything in between.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast explores a variety of important topics related to vision loss and disability, including grief, identity, resilience, relationships, self-advocacy, and emotional challenges. Specific episodes, such as Keith Bailey’s journey with autism and Janice Barrocas' work with the newly blind, highlight unique experiences and coping strategies while also offering constructive advice for both individuals with disabilities and their caregivers.
Eyes and Lows is a space for honest conversations about the experiences within the blind, low vision community and people with disabilities. Hosted by Dr. Brittany Walker, Director of Vocal Point (formerly GaRRS), this podcast brings together personal stories, lived experiences, and expert insights to shed light on the often-overlooked emotional journey of these individuals.
In each episode, you’ll hear people share how they navigated new terrain, found their footing, adapted in creative ways, and discovered strengths they didn’t know they had. You’ll meet guests who offer practical ideas. Hard-earned wisdom and honest reflections about everyday life with vision loss. Maybe you’re adjusting to changes yourself. Maybe you’re supporting someone close to you. Or maybe you’re simply looking for voices and experiences that resonate. Wherever you are on your path, you are not alone.
Let’s talk about it — the highs, the lows, and everything in between.
Eyes and Lows with Dr. Ann Wagner
In this episode, Dr. Walker speaks with Dr. Ann Wagner, a board-certified clinical psychologist who spent 26 years working with veterans experiencing PTSD and trauma-related challenges. Dr. Wagner also shares her lived experience of blindness from retinitis pigmentosa, bringing together professional insight and personal perspective as she explores grief, anxiety, adjustment, resilience, and the emotional reality of vision loss.The conversation focuses on how people can adapt to blindness without denying the difficult parts, why grief is a natural part of vision loss, and how community, language, and compassionate support can make the adjustment process feel less isolating. Dr. Wagner also offers thoughtful insight into relationships, asking for help, and practicing self-compassion.
Key Topics
- Dr. Ann Wagner’s background as a clinical psychologist and her lived experience with retinitis pigmentosa
- Growing up in a family with blindness and learning independence through a supportive “figure it out” culture
- How family support, social expectations, and stigma can shape emotional adjustment
- Why narrative therapy and the social model of disability can be deeply validating
- The role of therapy, state services, and accommodations in supporting adjustment to vision loss
- Why grief is a central part of progressive vision loss, including grief for time, independence, identity, and imagined futures
- The Tuttle and Tuttle phases of adjustment and why acceptance cannot be rushed
- How helplessness and grief can point to core values, not just distress
- The importance of community, especially for people who feel isolated or are the only one they know with vision loss
- How naming relationship dilemmas can help couples balance support, independence, and “help by not helping”
About Dr. Ann Wagner
- Board-certified clinical psychologist
- 26 years working with veterans experiencing PTSD and trauma-related challenges
- Retired from the VA in 2023
- Currently focused on consulting and invited speaking
- Lives with blindness caused by retinitis pigmentosa
- Serves on the Mental Health Advisory Council for the Foundation Fighting Blindness
- Email:[email protected]
Vocal Point (Home of the Georgia Radio Reading Service) is a 501c3 organization that exists to improve the quality of life for people who are blind, visually impaired, or have difficulty with the printed word.
- Learn more at Vocal Point at Seevp.org To support our podcast and programs, donate here: https://connect.clickandpledge.com/Organization/seevp/
- Credits
- Host: Brittany McLemore
- Recording and Engineering: Patrick Roy
- Credits
Disclaimer
This podcast’s information is provided for general reference and was obtained from publicly accessible sources. The Podcast Collaborative neither produces nor verifies the content, accuracy, or suitability of this podcast. Views and opinions belong solely to the podcast creators and guests.
For a complete disclaimer, please see our Full Disclaimer on the archive page. The Podcast Collaborative bears no responsibility for the podcast’s themes, language, or overall content. Listener discretion is advised. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy for more details.