‘I do anything I want to do.’ New kitchen helps the visually impaired learn to cook

At the Society for the Blind’s new teaching kitchen on S Street in midtown, instructor Debra Pendleton, 68, opens up a whole new world of possibilities to visually challenged or blind seniors. She teaches them how to cook safely and confidently.

They get excited as she - legally blind herself - shows them how to slice meat without cutting themselves and gives tips on how to tell when hot water reaches a boiling point.

One of her biggest lessons is working an oven without getting burned.

Her new classroom is a significant upgrade. For 21 years, the society taught nonvisual skills out of a small bay not wider than a hallway as part of the society’s senior IMPACT project. Now, says Pendleton, she has nearly 500 square feet to prepare and serve.

The next step is to fully equip it.

The society hopes the Book of Dreams readers will help fund the $5,000 needed to outfit the classroom. The list of their needs is long – everything from several tabletop grills, air fryers, instapots, cookie sheets and electric kitchen kettles to food storage containers, professional knives, flatware, bowls and coffee mugs.

A big need is for 100 to 150 hot liquid level indicators that beep when sensors show the cup is filled. In addition, they are hoping to buy items for cleaning and replace an old washer and dryer.

Shari Roeseler, the society’s executive director, says the kitchen expansion is designed to meet increased demand.

“We had about 110 more new people come in for services in 2019 than we have projected.”

It is not totally surprising, she said.

“For folks of 65 and over, vision loss is a common part of aging, plus three of the four leading causes of blindness affect people over 65,” she said. “Most who come here have age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma or cataracts.”

“So many people loved cooking, and stopped in the last several years as their vision went downhill,” she explained. “One of our seniors who had stopped cooking as a result gained weight, eating a lot of microwaved and canned food. They were afraid of the kitchen. Going through this program, they reclaimed their kitchen skills, their weight has dropped, and they now go to the grocery store.”

Another client singed her clothing at home trying to cook at the stove, and had great fear of going near a stove again, until she came to the society for lessons on how to approach the task safely, Pendleton said.

On a recent morning, several visually impaired seniors prepared a meal of “shake and bake” chicken, Rice-A-Roni, steamed broccoli and air-fried french fries. The group worked around the kitchen with ease and control, with gentle guidance from Pendleton.

Teresa Chow, 71, a retired administrative staffer at University of California at Davis, has completed two weeks of classes. She has glaucoma and lost her peripheral vision.

“I had become very, very antisocial,” she said. “Coming here I learned a lot of things. People are very positive. They gave me hope, and now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

She was especially grateful for learning how to properly reach for her cup at a restaurant without tipping it over.

Rada Mileusnic, 60, lost her corneas over the years - a byproduct of having spinal meningitis as a child. For much of her life, she had everything done for her by family.

“But little by little, I am learning I can do things. Like this morning, I poured coffee. It’s getting easier and easier,” she said.

Terry MacDonald, 70, who retired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Wanda Thomas, 71, a retired daycare operator, serve as mentors in the program. They both lost their sight to retinitis pigmentosa.

Said MacDonald, “I tell my story to them about my condition, so they might relate to it or not. I tell them you can do everything you ever did, but maybe differently. You learn a lot of gadgets… I got introduced to the new air fryer. I didn’t know it was that simple to use. I’m going to get one.”

Thomas says the world will open up to those who learn what the society offers.

“I do anything I want to do because I learned the tools they gave me to help me through life…. I can go on with life and not let it stagnate me at all,” she said. “Everything they taught is great. All we have to do is keep practicing.”

And by the way, she says she makes great turkey dressing and wonderful pies.

The request

Needed: Funds to purchase supplies and equipment for the Society for the Blind’s new teaching kitchen on S Street.

Cost: $5,000