Living Well with Sight Loss: Join Our Free Eight-Session Zoom Course

An eight-session Zoom course | 22 September – 10 November 2026

Dear Members and Friends,

 

You are cordially invited to register for the Living Well with Sight Loss course. You can choose to attend just one session, or register for the full eight-session series.

 

Attendance is free, and preference will be given to Retina South Africa members, their family members, and caregivers. Anyone who registers and attends more than five sessions will receive a certificate of attendance and completion.

What the course is — and what it is not

Living Well with Sight Loss is a practical course. The aim is that you go home from every session with suggestions you can use: tools, contacts, habits and next steps that help you live well, and live better, with sight loss.

 

This is not an awareness campaign about vision loss. It is not a lecture on what you have lost. It is about what you can do next — how to move, work, read, use technology, look after your remaining vision, and rebuild confidence.

 

Each Tuesday evening stands on its own, with its own topic and its own speakers. You’re welcome to join the whole series or only the evenings that are useful to you. Places are limited so that sessions stay informal and interactive.

 

How the evenings work

When: Tuesdays, 22 September to 10 November 2026. Sessions start at 18:00 and run about an hour and a half, sometimes a little shorter or longer.

 

Where: On Zoom, via an easy-access registration link. Join from home.

 

Format: A panel of three or four speakers offering practical insights, with time for audience questions. Each session is facilitated by a member of Retina South Africa who speaks from lived experience of vision loss.

 

Who it’s for: Anyone living with retinal vision loss, whether newly diagnosed or long-standing, as well as family members and caregivers who want practical ways to offer support.

 

The eight sessions at a glance

• 22 September — Living Without Fear
• 29 September — Know Your Eyes, Protect Your Eyes
• 6 October — Moving Beyond Sight
• 13 October — Moving with Confidence
• 20 October — The World in Your Pocket
• 27 October — Employment and Empowerment
• 3 November — Seeing Differently, Living Fully
• 10 November — Reading with Low or No Vision

How to register

Register for each session you’d like to attend — places are restricted. Use the registration link on that session’s listing below, or email headoffice@retinasa.org.za with the session name in the subject line.

 

Session 1 of 8: Living Without Fear

Step forward with courage and hope

 

Date: Tuesday, 22 September 2026

Time: 18:00

Where: Zoom — Click here to register

 

Facilitator: Lauren Jonas, Retina South Africa Board member and trained peer counsellor living with optic atrophy

This opening session explores practical tools and coping strategies to help you navigate life after a diagnosis of progressive vision loss. You’ll look at ways to manage grief, anxiety and isolation, and at how to rebuild confidence, resilience and the freedom to live without fear.

 

Speakers:

• Jill Pedersen — Social Worker. A qualified and seasoned social worker with many years of experience in individual, couples and family counselling. Her topic: “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to your courage.”
• Prof Neil Butkow — Wits University academic and Lifeline trainer and facilitator. Living with retinitis pigmentosa (RP).
• Claudette Medefindt — Head of Science, Retina South Africa. Trained peer counsellor living with RP. She will speak on cyclical grief and parental guilt, then show — from her work as a yoga instructor — how breath can regulate the vagus nerve and ease stress.
• Karla Rossouw — Retina South Africa Board member living with Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis (LCA). Topic: finding the new you after vision loss.

The Zoom meeting link will be sent with confirmation of your registration. Places are limited so the meeting stays informal and interactive. Email headoffice@retinasa.org.za if the registration link doesn’t open on your device.

 

Session 2 of 8: Know Your Eyes — Protect Your Eyes

Understand retinal degeneration — and the everyday choices that protect remaining vision

 

Date: Tuesday, 29 September 2026

Time: 18:00 (about 60–90 minutes)

Where: Zoom — Click here to register

 

Lead: Claudette Medefindt, Head of Science, Retina South Africa, living with Retinitis Pigmentosa

Join Claudette Medefindt to hear about life with retinitis pigmentosa and to explore the research, the obstacles and the latest progress in retinal degeneration. The session also covers lifestyle choices that can help protect vision — food, sleep, light protection and more — plus a look at promising clinical trials.

 

Speakers:

• An ophthalmologist A clear explanation of inherited retinal conditions.
• Noelen Kinsley — genetic counsellor. A registered genetic counsellor who will explain why genetic counselling is part of multidisciplinary support for people with inherited retinal disorders (IRD), sharing her experience and the role of genetic testing in reaching a comprehensive diagnosis.
• Claudette Medefindt — Head of Science, Retina SA. Lifestyle choices to protect vision: food, movement, stress management and screen time, plus a showcase of some of the most promising clinical trials.

The Zoom meeting link will be sent with confirmation of your registration. Places are limited so the meeting stays informal and interactive. Email headoffice@retinasa.org.za if the registration link doesn’t open on your device.

 

Session 3 of 8: Moving Beyond Sight

Exploring para sport — and how to get involved

 

Date: Tuesday, 6 October 2026

Time: 18:00 (about 60–90 minutes)

Where: Zoom — Click here to register

 

Lead: Linsay Engelbrecht, para cyclist and Commonwealth Games triathlete (2022)

 

Linsay Engelbrecht is the current B3 South African lawn bowls champion and will represent South Africa at the World Blind Bowls Championship in New Zealand in January 2027. She and fellow visually impaired sportspeople will discuss what opportunities exist, how to get involved, and what local support is available.

 

You’ll leave with:

• A realistic picture of para sport pathways in South Africa
• How to take the first step, even if you’ve never played sport
• Who to contact for local support and clubs

The Zoom meeting link will be sent with confirmation of your registration. Places are limited so the meeting stays informal and interactive. Email headoffice@retinasa.org.za if the registration link doesn’t open on your device.

 

Session 4 of 8: Moving with Confidence

Canes, guide dogs and mobility training — what is available and how to access it

 

Date: Tuesday, 13 October 2026

Time: 18:00 (about 60–90 minutes)

Where: Zoom — Click here to register

 

Lead: Mariza Jürgens, Deputy Chair of Retina South Africa and Head of Marketing and Fundraising

 

Mariza lives with severe sight loss due to cone-rod dystrophy and is a powerful voice in global disability advocacy. This session helps you understand the tools and training available if your vision is changing, whether you’re newly diagnosed or have lived with vision loss for years. You’ll hear from practitioners, a guide-dog specialist, a national support organisation, and someone with lived experience.

 

Speakers:

• Elizabeth Louw — Guide Dogs South Africa. Long-cane mobility training: how a long cane helps you move safely and independently, when to consider training, and how and where to apply.
• Peter van Niekerk — Guide Dogs South Africa, a guide-dog user himself. When to consider a guide dog, how the assessment works, and the practical differences between travelling with a cane and travelling with a dog.
• Lindiwe Maredi — Retina South Africa. How Retina SA can help you find a mobility trainer closer to where you live, anywhere in the country, plus other resources and options if you live far from any trainer.
• Claudette Medefindt — living with RP. The simple symbol cane: when it’s useful, how practical it is to keep with you, and a demonstration of it in action.

Whether you’re exploring options for the first time or want to refresh your knowledge, this session is for you. You’ll leave with clear next steps and contact details for support in South Africa.

 

The Zoom meeting link will be sent with confirmation of your registration. Places are limited so the meeting stays informal and interactive. Email headoffice@retinasa.org.za if the registration link doesn’t open on your device.

 

Session 5 of 8: The World in Your Pocket

Assistive technology, AI and the tools that can change your day — today

 

Date: Tuesday, 20 October 2026

Time: 18:00 (about 60–90 minutes)

Where: Zoom — Click here to register

 

Lead: Manny Moodley, CEO of Retina South Africa

This workshop looks at how assistive devices and technology have changed the way blind and visually impaired people engage with the world, and how that technology can help you now. Whether you’ve lived with low vision or blindness for years, or have just been diagnosed, there are tools that can help at school, university, work and home. Low-tech, high-tech, all-tech: what is the best solution for you, and how do you get hold of it?

 

Speakers:

• Manny Moodley — CEO, Retina South Africa. How technology and AI have improved accessibility and inclusivity, and what that means in daily life.
• Dr Ashley Subiah — Head of Business Development, Sensory Logixz. Practical assistive devices and how to choose what fits your needs.
• Ferdie Danzfuss — Lead Developer, Mobilica. Getting technical: apps, platforms and how to put them to work.

The Zoom meeting link will be sent with confirmation of your registration. Places are limited so the meeting stays informal and interactive. Email headoffice@retinasa.org.za if the registration link doesn’t open on your device.

 

Session 6 of 8: Employment & Empowerment

Workplace accommodations after a new or changing visual diagnosis

 

Date: Tuesday, 27 October 2026

Time: 18:00 (about 60–90 minutes)

Where: Zoom — Click here to register

 

Leads: Manny Moodley and Lidia Pretorius

A new or worsening visual impairment can make work harder — screens, reading, travel, lighting, or tasks you used to do without thinking. You still have rights.

 

Reasonable accommodation is a change to the job, tools or workplace that lets you do the work on an equal basis with others. It can include larger print or screen-reader software, better lighting, flexible hours, adjusted duties, or other practical support. Employers must consider this, though they don’t have to agree to something that would cause unjustifiable hardship.

 

When to raise it: as soon as the impairment is affecting how you do your job, or when you apply for a role and will need support to interview or to do the work. You don’t have to disclose at the first application if your low vision isn’t obvious — but you do need to disclose if you want accommodation. Timing is yours, and the law protects you against unfair discrimination because of disability.

 

Speakers:

• Manny Moodley — CEO, Retina South Africa, and admitted attorney. What you can ask for, when to speak up, and how the law works, in plain language.
• Lidia Pretorius — former Chief Director: Disability, Department of Social Development. A key contributor to South Africa’s 2016 White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Practical guidance on rights, process and what “reasonable accommodation” looks like at work.

 

The Zoom meeting link will be sent with confirmation of your registration. Places are limited so the meeting stays informal and interactive. Email headoffice@retinasa.org.za if the registration link doesn’t open on your device.

 

Session 7 of 8: Seeing Differently, Living Fully

AMD and diabetic eye disease explained — movement and living well with changing sight

 

Date: Tuesday, 3 November 2026

Time: 18:00 (about 60–90 minutes)

Where: Zoom — Click here to register

 

Lead: Caryl Baum, Chair of Retina South Africa

 

Caryl is a member of the Consumer Council of the South African National Council for the Blind, living her best life with age-related macular degeneration. She uses accessible technology to manage the emails and WhatsApp messages that come with leading a dynamic NPO.

 

Speakers:

• Dr Linette du Toit — ophthalmologist. The medical basics and treatments for wet and dry age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, and why regular visits to your eye-care professional matter.
• Petro Grove — occupational therapist, herself visually impaired. Her message: move it. “We all know how important movement is — but how do we do it if we cannot see, or are simply not motivated? The choice is yours: fall, or fall in love with movement.”
• Lois Strachan — author, podcaster and empowerment coach. Lois became blind at 21 due to diabetic retinopathy. She believes the only difference between the disability and non-disability communities is the tools and techniques we use. As an empowerment coach, she helps people grow beyond the obstacles that stop them reaching their potential. Find out more at loisstrachan.com.

 

The Zoom meeting link will be sent with confirmation of your registration. Places are limited so the meeting stays informal and interactive. Email headoffice@retinasa.org.za if the registration link doesn’t open on your device.

 

Session 8 of 8: Reading with Low Vision or No Vision

Accessible formats, low-vision aids, braille and audio — so reading stays possible and enjoyable

 

Date: Tuesday, 10 November 2026

Time: 18:00 (about 60–90 minutes)

Where: Zoom — Click here to register

 

Facilitator: Lauren Jonas, dedicated peer counsellor based in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)

 

Vision loss does not mean the end of reading. Together we’ll look at accessible formats and audio resources that make reading possible and enjoyable. Lauren brings firsthand experience of living with a visual impairment and a practical, compassionate approach to peer support.

 

Speakers:

• A low-vision optometrist More than magnification: how low-vision optometrists enhance existing vision to assist with reading and other visual tasks.
• Pasha Alden — South African Library for the Blind, Makhanda (Grahamstown). One of South Africa’s leading providers and distributors of accessible literature for blind and visually impaired people.
• Ofentse Manyane — Braille Manager, Blind SA, living with RP. Passionate about braille as a fundamental tool for literacy, independence and dignity. His focus: promoting, teaching and preserving braille across South Africa. Topic: “The importance of teaching braille — and why braille matters.”
• Shannon Pretorius A whole other way of getting lost in fiction, imagination, discovery and learning, by downloading and using Audible books.

The Zoom meeting link will be sent with confirmation of your registration. Places are limited so the meeting stays informal and interactive. Email headoffice@retinasa.org.za if the registration link doesn’t open on your device.

 

Meet your facilitators

 

Claudette Medefindt – Lead Facilitator

 

Claudette Medefindt has been a full-time volunteer with Retina South Africa since 1980. She serves as National Secretary and Head of Science. Claudette is a retired Deputy President of Retina International and lectures locally and internationally on retinal conditions. She provides information, support and peer mentorship to newly diagnosed patients, and lives with retinitis pigmentosa.

 

Caryl Baum

 

Caryl Baum is a retired attorney who practised law for more than 40 years. She has been living with age-related macular degeneration for over a decade and now volunteers her time supporting Retina South Africa’s work. Caryl currently serves as Chairperson and represents Retina South Africa on the Consumer Committee of the South African Council for the Blind.

 

Mariza Jürgens

 

Mariza Jürgens serves as the Vice Chairperson of Retina South Africa, having previously held the position of Chairperson as well as Chair of the North Gauteng branch. Living with cone-rod dystrophy herself, she is a dedicated advocate for accessibility and support for persons with retinal conditions. She is also a member of the National Executive Committee of the South African National Council for the Blind, serves on the board of governors of Tape Aids for the Blind, and is a member of the World Health Organization’s Technical Advisory Group on Assistive Technology.

 

 

Lauren Jonas

 

Lauren is a Stakeholder Relations and Disability & Inclusion Consultant who envisions a world where inclusion is not an afterthought, but the foundation of every workplace and community. Through her work with both private companies and NGOs, she has helped create environments where every individual has the chance to thrive. Her mission is simple: give people the tools, remove the barriers, and watch them succeed.

 

Manny Moodley

 

Manny Moodley is an admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa and was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Retina South Africa in early 2025. He has been involved with the organisation for nearly three decades. Manny was diagnosed with Stargardt’s disease at the age of nine and joined Retina South Africa soon afterwards. Over the years, he has served the organisation in various leadership roles, including Chairperson from 2021 to 2025. He is also Vice-Chairperson of the Cape Town Society for the Blind and Vice Chair of Retina International’s Board of Directors.

 

Linsay Engelbrecht

 

Linsay Engelbrecht leads Special Events and Para Sport Development at Retina South Africa, where she plays a key role in creating inclusive, empowering opportunities for people living with visual impairments. A dedicated South African para triathlete, Linsay lives with Stargardt disease and brings both personal insight and professional passion to her work. She is deeply committed to breaking down barriers in sport, helping individuals who are blind or visually impaired take their first steps towards participation, confidence and achievement. Achievements: South African Paratriathlon Champion (2021), African Champion (2021).

 

Questions about the course? Email headoffice@retinasa.org.za or call our sharecall line on 0860 59 59 59.