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Patient Support Program: Opening New Worlds
Moran’s Patient Support Program offers unique arts experiences for those with low vision.
Wearing a pale blue glove, Mary House gently touched a 14th-century sculpture of the Hindu god Ganesha.
“I can’t see it, but I can feel it,” she said, standing in the dim light of the second floor of the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA).
House and other Utahns with vision loss visited the museum for a springtime touch tour organized by the Moran Eye Center’s Patient Support Program.
At 85, House has age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness for Americans
55 and older. In her right eye, she’s legally blind; in her left, vision loss has been slower. For people like House with low vision, experiencing the arts can feel increasingly difficult, whether in museums or theaters.
That can change when people simply ask for support, according to program director Lisa Ord, PhD, LCSW.
“Our team steps in after medical doctors have done as much as they can, but someone is still losing vision or has gone blind,” said Ord. “We can help people learn to live life so they can function independently, do the things they want, and enjoy life. There’s so much more to pick up through other senses.”
At UMFA, guides challenged the group to experience art using their gloved hands as tools. What was the sculpture made of? How did it feel different in one place than another? What might the details signify about who or what the art represented? Then, they deepened the visitors’ understanding of objects, such as a marble sarcophagus from the Roman Empire, by giving them more context and detail about what they couldn’t see.
Walter Draper, 81, who lost his vision last year from giant cell arteritis, said the museum experience was different than he expected.
“I was hesitant to come, but my wife encouraged me,” he said. “I thought it was silly that someone who can’t see should come to an art exhibit.”
In the end, having the art explained while interacting with other people with visual impairments was “great,” he said.
“It opens new worlds for him,” said his wife, Kathy. “It’s nice to see other people have gone through this and are succeeding.”
OPERATIC EXPERIENCE
The Patient Support Program’s annual partnership with Utah Opera offers another one-of-a-kind art sensory experience through its Blind and Visually Impaired Night.
In 2024, Utah Opera treated Moran patients with low vision and their human and guide dog companions to a full-dress rehearsal of Massenet’s lavish Thaïs, orchestrated especially for them.
The evening included a lecture by Opera Education Manager Kevin Nakatani, who vividly described the story, staging, composer, costuming, and sets and invited guests to touch a selection of props and costume fabric samples. He also gave audience members a choice of braille or large-print supertitle scripts or headphones for descriptive audio.
Moran patient Liam Gallop, 87, was part of that audience. Gallop began to lose his vision to glaucoma several years ago. He quickly joined Moran’s patient support group.
“I enjoyed the camaraderie and found it informative and rewarding,” said Gallop. “I’ve been to several of the opera rehearsals over the years. I could feel the somber atmosphere as the monks sang the opening scene in this one. It was extraordinary.”
The show also provided a training opportunity for guide dogs.
“It’s great to see how much people enjoy these hands-on experiences,” Ord said. “This year, thanks to the guide dogs, we also had the pleasure of spying the occasional wagging tail in the aisle.”
Learn More
Scan to make an appointment or learn more about the Patient Support Program, including its professionally moderated support groups and vision rehabilitation services.