SUNY optometry student develops art program for blind adults

New York-Shaista Vally, a second-year student at SUNY College of Optometry, has developed the SUNY Blind Art Program, a unique new art workshop for blind and visually impaired adults that will launch this summer at the college’s midtown Manhattan campus.

Supported by a grant from the Optometric Center of New York, the Blind Art Program is a four-session tactile art workshop that will be conducted on Saturdays in the college’s new Center for Student Life and Learning. The course is designed specifically for adults with no previous art experience. Many of Vally’s fellow SUNY students will act as artist assistants during the workshop to help participants with their projects.

Participants must be willing and able to participate in all four workshops. The program is free and available for visually impaired or blind adults who are 18 years or older. Interested persons can contact Vally at svally@sunyopt.edu.