The Vision Education and Rehabilitation Center (VERC), held a blindness awareness event at the Florida State College at Jacksonville’s downtown campus Thursday.
VERC provides help to adults and high school students with blindness. Through specialized training, the students learn skills to gain independence at home and at work. Krista Waters and her service dog Darrow were there helping VERC.
“To not only help the sighted population get a better idea what it’s like for people like us, but to help the newly blind understand that they are just as capable as they were prior to losing their vision,” said Darrow.
The VERC services are free to students and include training from the Florida Division of Blind Services and FSCJ.
About 350 students receive training each year from VERC each year, which has been located at FSCJ’s downtown campus since 1982.
More information about the program is available on FSCJ’s website.