Dear Mr. Chairman Helmer and other members of the committee,
My name is Maria Borst. I am a junior in high school, a Girl Scout Ambassador, and a concerned constituent from Falls Church. I am writing to you today in strong support of HJ51, which is a resolution of great importance for all Virginians, especially those with low vision. My mom is one of those Virginians, as she has a genetic disorder called Usher Syndrome, which is the leading cause of combined deafness and blindness. Because of this, my mom is progressively losing her vision. Each year, she loses more and more of her sight, and with that comes new challenges that threaten her independence and her safety. One of the most significant challenges that she has come to face is something so simple that I can almost guarantee that none of you think about it in your daily lives: stairs. Unmarked stairs pose a significant risk for people with low vision, creating a huge accessibility and public safety issue. People with low vision lose clarity in their vision, causing a blurred effect in their sight. To them, stairs with no clear markings between steps may appear as slides. This can be very dangerous, and is a major safety hazard for the approximately 178,000 Virginians who are visually impaired. Additionally, due to the rapidly aging population, the low vision community is expected to double between 2020 and 2030. People with low vision deserve better. My mom deserves better. No one should have to worry about something as simple as using the stairs. Even for those who are not visually impaired, unmarked staircases increase chances of tripping and falling, especially for people who are on their phones. According to the National Safety Council, more than 1 million injuries are caused by stairway falls each year in the U.S. Stairway accidents are the second leading cause of injury. From distracted teens to senior citizens and visually-impaired individuals, everybody is affected. With our current design, everyone is at risk?While my focus is mainly on the low vision community, this is something that can benefit all Virginians. It really will help everybody, especially my mom, who is my inspiration. Her vision is getting worse and worse every day, and I would love for her to be able to see actual change before she is fully blind. With no current treatment or cure available for vision loss, you have the power to make a change that will keep her safe and increase the quality of her life now.
Dear Mr. Chairman Helmer and other members of the committee, My name is Maria Borst. I am a junior in high school, a Girl Scout Ambassador, and a concerned constituent from Falls Church. I am writing to you today in strong support of HJ51, which is a resolution of great importance for all Virginians, especially those with low vision. My mom is one of those Virginians, as she has a genetic disorder called Usher Syndrome, which is the leading cause of combined deafness and blindness. Because of this, my mom is progressively losing her vision. Each year, she loses more and more of her sight, and with that comes new challenges that threaten her independence and her safety. One of the most significant challenges that she has come to face is something so simple that I can almost guarantee that none of you think about it in your daily lives: stairs. Unmarked stairs pose a significant risk for people with low vision, creating a huge accessibility and public safety issue. People with low vision lose clarity in their vision, causing a blurred effect in their sight. To them, stairs with no clear markings between steps may appear as slides. This can be very dangerous, and is a major safety hazard for the approximately 178,000 Virginians who are visually impaired. Additionally, due to the rapidly aging population, the low vision community is expected to double between 2020 and 2030. People with low vision deserve better. My mom deserves better. No one should have to worry about something as simple as using the stairs. Even for those who are not visually impaired, unmarked staircases increase chances of tripping and falling, especially for people who are on their phones. According to the National Safety Council, more than 1 million injuries are caused by stairway falls each year in the U.S. Stairway accidents are the second leading cause of injury. From distracted teens to senior citizens and visually-impaired individuals, everybody is affected. With our current design, everyone is at risk?While my focus is mainly on the low vision community, this is something that can benefit all Virginians. It really will help everybody, especially my mom, who is my inspiration. Her vision is getting worse and worse every day, and I would love for her to be able to see actual change before she is fully blind. With no current treatment or cure available for vision loss, you have the power to make a change that will keep her safe and increase the quality of her life now.