For the first time in 32 years, Erie County is the setting for the annual National Federation of the Blind Convention in Pennsylvania.
The conference kicked off on Thursday at the Ambassador Conference Center and runs through Sunday.
The event features an exhibit hall with vendors sharing technology, devices and services to improve quality of life for the visually impaired.
There’s also an information session for seniors to help them retain independence in their homes.
Additional sessions will be held with guidance for parents of blind children and guide dog owners, to name a few.
Vision loss is a low-incidence disability so this convention provides a unique opportunity for people to find peer support.
“It’s so important in that sense to be able to connect with other people who have walked the walk and can talk the talk to share ideas, to share experiences, to share successes and to share failures,” said Lynn Heitz, president of the National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania.