Meeting the Diabetes Management Needs of Older People with Vision Loss

Kim Ladd, RN, CDCES, CPHQ, has been a Registered Nurse for over 20 years. She is also a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES), a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ), and a Master Trainer for the Stanford University-developed Diabetes Self-Management Program and the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program. Kim’s passion for preventing diabetes and its complications through education stems from first-hand experience.

She and many of her family members have diabetes. After having taught diabetes management in the home health and community settings for years, five years ago she began working at a state blind and vision impairment agency. Her role there involves empowering vision-impaired clients to independently manage their diabetes and other chronic diseases with the use of adaptive techniques, low vision aids, accessible devices and problem-solving.

Pris Rogers is the co-lead on VisionAware and a steering committee member of the National Aging and Vision Loss Coalition. She is also special advisor to the American Foundation for the Blind on aging and vision loss. She has her master's in gerontology and Ph.D. in aging and vision loss.
She is the former director of several agencies for the blind.  She also served as Bureau Chief of Client Services for the Florida Division of Blind Services and as Commissioner of the Department for the Blind in Kentucky. Pris has authored articles and books on vision and aging loss and spoken had national conferences over her over 40 years in the field.

Neva Fairchild has over 20 years of professional experience in the field of vision loss and a lifetime of experience living with low vision. She was diagnosed at an early age with Cone Rod Degeneration, a rare genetic eye condition. Prior to joining AFB, Neva was a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor and Employment Assistance Specialist with the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services, and a Vocational Evaluator with the Dallas Lighthouse for the Blind.

Neva serves in numerous leadership roles, ranging from international to local in scope, with organizations such as the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired and the National Rehabilitation Association. 

Neva holds a bachelor's in Rehabilitation Science and a master's in Rehabilitation Counseling Psychology from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Her expertise in adult learning and psychology paired with an extensive knowledge of applied solutions, techniques, and tools for adapting to low vision, enables her to add valuable and practical insights in a variety of settings.