New England Vision Connection

Navigating vision loss brings unique challenges, but it also opens doors to new strategies, tools, and perspectives for living a full, vibrant life. Join us for an empowering evening of discussion, practical insights, and community connection.

Beyond the Diagnosis: Living Your Best Life with Vision Loss

What to Expect
This session moves past the initial diagnosis to focus on practical strategies and positive approaches for everyday life. Together, we will explore key areas for personal growth and independence:

• Travel & Mobility: Discover tips, technologies, and resources for navigating your world safely and confidently.
• Health & Daily Living: Learn actionable daily habits and adaptive approaches to maintain wellness and autonomy.
• Mental Wellness & Resilience: Connect with others sharing similar journeys and explore tools to maintain emotional well-being and a positive outlook.

Speakers

• Ally Echevarria is the owner of Travel Beyond Sight LLC and an experienced international traveler with more than 30 years of exploring the world. Her travels have taken many forms—from backpacking and train journeys and multiple study-abroad experiences to relaxing Viking cruises and everything in between.
  
  With a lifelong passion for travel, Ally loves sharing the knowledge, practical experience, and confidence she has gained along the way. Through Travel Beyond Sight, she now brings that passion to creating thoughtful, inclusive travel experiences designed for blind and visually impaired travelers, helping others experience the discovery, connection, and adventure that make travel so rewarding.
  
  
• Michael “TubiakManiak” Tubiak is a visually impaired BMX racer, athlete, and the founder of Low Vision BMX Racing. Diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa at 14, Michael has never allowed vision loss to define what he can accomplish. A lifelong athlete and adventure seeker, he created the Low Vision BMX Racing Experience to show that with the right mindset, support, and determination, anything is possible. His mission is to inspire others, break down barriers, and bring the excitement of BMX racing to people of all abilities.
  
  

• Speaker: Nicole Ross, OD, MSc, FAAO, DAAO(LV) is an attending optometrist at NECO Center for Eye Care, Commonwealth; the Perkins School for the Blind; and the Carroll Center for the Blind. She teaches Low Vision Rehabilitation and Advanced Ocular Disease classes at NECO and is currently a PhD candidate at Northeastern University. Her research interests include ocular structure-function relationships, epidemiology of vision impairment, evidence-based clinical practice and translational research in vision testing and enhancement technologies.
  
  

• Speaker: Darya Iranmanesh is a 23-year-old graduate student from Lexington, MA. She is partially blind due to the LCA5 mutation. Darya has been a speaker for Massachusetts-based program Understanding Our Differences, which brings disabled speakers into elementary schools to educate students. She has also participated in other advocacy efforts over the years. Darya completed her bachelor’s degree in public health at UMass Amherst at the age of 19 and holds a master’s in public health from Boston University. She is completing her final year of her master’s in social work at Simmons University.

Whether you are navigating vision loss yourself or supporting a loved one, this event offers a supportive environment to ask questions, share experiences, and discover valuable community resources.

Registration & Inquiries
Please register below so we can account for food and seating. For more information, please contact Lisa Leger at Lleger@FightingBlindness.org.

Please fill out the for below to register: