inSight Out

Licensed counselor and certified rehabilitation counselor Janice Barrocas shares insider strategies for successfully navigating the vocational rehabilitation (VR) system for people with vision loss. She explains how this federal-state program helps with employment preparation and reveals practical tips including “magic words” that help prioritize your case, the importance of written communication over phone calls, and how to build confidence before seeking full-time employment.
Janice covers the types of services available (orientation and mobility training, daily living skills, technology training, adjustment counseling for disability), the individualized employment plan process, and how to handle workplace challenges after getting hired. She emphasizes that effective self-advocacy and persistence are key to success in an under-resourced system where services are “subject to availability.”
Janice Barrocas (LOPC, CRC) provides personal adjustment to vision loss counseling through her practice Adjusting to Vision Loss. You can visit her website here: https://www.adjustingtovisionloss.com/
Topics covered: vocational rehabilitation (VR) system, vision loss employment, disability services, self-advocacy, orientation and mobility training, assistive technology, vision rehabilitation therapy, individualized employment plan, federal disability programs, state rehabilitation services, adjustment counseling, job placement, workplace accommodations, independent living skills
ABOUT THE PODCAST
inSight Out is your podcast home for living well with vision loss. Host Matthew Reeves (LPC CRC NCC) is a legally-blind psychotherapist and rehabilitation counselor specializing in helping people thrive while living with disability. Matthew is licensed in Georgia and is a nationally certified rehabilitation counselor.
Please be sure to subscribe to catch every episode. And remember to share the show with others in the blind and low-vision community!
CONNECT WITH US
Podcast Home: https://insightoutpod.com
Talk to Us: https://speakpipe.com/insightoutpod
Email: mailto:insightoutpod@integralmhs.com
Watch on YouTube (with transcripts): youtube.com/@insightoutpod
Feed: https://www.insightoutpod.com/feed.xml
Reddit Community: https://www.reddit.com/r/inSightOut/
Social Media Handle: @insightoutpod
 
©Integral Mental Health Services, LLC

Nick Mendler, president of the Eye Spy Foundation, shares how receiving a retinitis pigmentosa diagnosis at 16 with only a pamphlet for guidance inspired him to create eyespy.org—a comprehensive digital resource platform for the blind and low vision community.
The Eye Spy Foundation launched eyespy.org as a one-stop digital hub containing over 900 resources for people with vision loss. Beyond the directory, Nick’s vision includes human navigators in major cities who can provide personalized support and local expertise. He emphasizes that while technology provides access to information, people still need human connection when facing life-changing circumstances like vision loss.
Learn more about the Foundation at http://www.eyespy.org/talks and reach Nick at nick@eyespy.org.
Topics covered: vision loss, retinitis pigmentosa, blindness resources, accessibility, digital platforms, low vision support, vocational rehabilitation, assistive technology, disability navigation, mental health support, eyespy.org, Eye Spy Foundation
ABOUT inSight Out
inSight Out is your podcast home for living well with vision loss. Host Matthew Reeves (LPC CRC NCC) is a legally-blind psychotherapist and rehabilitation counselor specializing in helping people thrive while living with disability. Matthew is licensed in Georgia and is a nationally certified rehabilitation counselor.
Please be sure to subscribe to catch every episode. And remember to share the show with others in the blind and low-vision community!
CONNECT WITH US
Podcast Home: https://insightoutpod.com
Talk to Us: https://speakpipe.com/insightoutpod
Email: mailto:insightoutpod@integralmhs.com
Watch on YouTube (with transcripts): youtube.com/@insightoutpod
Feed: https://www.insightoutpod.com/feed.xml
Reddit Community: https://www.reddit.com/r/inSightOut/
Social Media Handle: @insightoutpod
 
©Integral Mental Health Services, LLC

In this first episode, I’ll introduce myself and the inSight Out podcast…who I am, why I decided to create this show, and what I hope inSight Out will offer to the low and no vision community. So, unlike other episodes where I will help you get to know a variety of guests, this episode asks my longtime friend to help me tell my story to you, my new audience.
ABOUT THE PODCAST
Please be sure to subscribe to catch every episode. And remember to share the show with others in the blind and low-vision community!
inSight Out is your podcast home for living well with vision loss. Host Matthew Reeves (LPC CRC NCC) is a legally-blind psychotherapist and rehabilitation counselor specializing in helping people thrive while living with disability. Matthew is licensed in Georgia and is a nationally certified rehabilitation counselor.
CONNECT WITH US
Podcast Home: insightoutpod.com
Talk to Us: speakpipe.com/insightoutpod
Email: insightoutpod@integralmhs.com
Watch on YouTube (with transcript): youtube.com/@insightoutpod
Feed: https://www.insightoutpod.com/feed.xml
Reddit Community: https://www.reddit.com/r/inSightOut/
Social Media: @insightoutpod
©Integral Mental Health Services, LLC