On Thursday, September 11, 2025 Foundation for Blind Children’s New Horizons Senior Program planned a trip to the Arrowhead Town Center in Glendale, AZ. Employing some creative transportation options, seniors gathered at the mall. We had a total of 18 seniors and a great support staff. We were all ready to witness what the mall had to offer.
Exploring the Mall
We began near the food court. No, no, no food yet! We found elevators to other levels and made our way. Our seniors used their canes, asked good questions and used other senses to take in the surroundings.
Seniors asked how you could tell what store you entered. They learned that the entrances to the stores often have distinct tactile markings and are easily discoverable.
How Tech can Help
Some members of our group had the Ray-Ban Meta glasses, and we discussed how useful they might be in a mall. We found signage, sale posters, and so much more. Technology is always developing and evolving. We are pleased that seniors are learning which technology is useful for them.
We visited several stores and bought chocolate and tested all the wonderful fragrances at Bath and Body Worx. So many things to take note of and they were doing just that. They were using other senses to navigate and becoming comfortable with vision loss.
Building Community
We have so many comedians in our group. Their stories make us burst out in hilarity. One of our seniors was sharing that when she was first blinded, she and her husband went to a doctor appointment. She has given her name and began to walk back to find a chair. She wasn’t sure, but thought she was in front of an open seat. She turned and sat right on a man. She said “Wouldn’t you think he would say, “Hi, I’m sitting here. No,, he said nothing.” she said. She asked her husband if there was any damage and he stated that he thought children would be out of the question. We have to learn to laugh at some situations and this senior exemplifies her adjustment to blindness.
While experiencing what this mall has to offer, I heard so many conversations (not that I was eavesdropping, just looking around). Seniors were sharing tips and tricks on how to accomplish particular tasks. They shared details about their pets, their family members and they laughed. I love the sound of laughter. Our resident tech guy, Robert, shared his thoughts on the new AI apps and glasses. It’s exciting to see the growth and the willingness to continue experiencing life.
We are building a community and seniors are reaching out to New Horizons and to one another. A winning combination. When you couple learning with a belief in blind people, the momentum pushes you forward. Blindness is something you learn to navigate life through. Being informed and finding the support that encourages, empowers and builds you up is the goal of New Horizons.
