Voice & Vision Blog

Focus on Light this Holiday Season

Written by Valerie Melroy on December 20, 2024.

This year, the start of Hanukkah and Christmas Day coincide, which happens approximately only every 30 years. Both of these religious holidays are special for those who celebrate them, and some people celebrate both! Let’s explore a few similarities between Hanukkah and Christmas: Hanukkah commemorates the celebration of the great miracle when a one-day supply of oil to provide light lasted eight days as the Jewish people rededicated the Temple over 2,100 years ago. Christmas remembers...

Go Out and Touch Some Grass!

Written by Robert Karchnyak on October 25, 2024.

On Saturday, September 28th, we gathered in the parking lot of John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge. Many residents of Philly and its surrounding suburbs consider it a treasured sanctuary. A chance for an urban dweller to, “go out and touch some grass.” There has been a fair amount of research that shows a correlation between time spent in nature and an overall reduction of stress. Birding happens to be the perfect activity to put that correlation to the test. It grants you the opportunity to...

Using Communication to Drive Care: Supporting Your Loved One with a Disability in a Medical Crisis

Written by Maria Miller on August 6, 2024.

Photos of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Device sample pictures.

Supporting your loved one with communication challenges can be a daily stress: caregivers use strategies to meet basic needs, grow social skills, and encourage authentic relationships. Sustaining everyone’s mental health is also a key consideration, because when a person struggles with communication, their behavior can reflect their frustration and complicate fruitful interactions. Patience and knowledge of the person’s communication style are always necessary. During a health crisis,...

All It Takes Is One Person

Written by Leesa Forst on May 24, 2024.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Since its establishment in 1949, Mental Health Awareness Month has brought awareness to the challenges faced by millions of individuals living with mental health conditions and to celebrate recovery. As President Biden (2024) stated, it is also a time “…we recognize the bravery and resilience of the tens of millions of Americans living with mental health conditions, and we show our gratitude for the dedicated mental health professionals and devoted loved...

MORE THAN BULL’S-EYE RASH AND JOINT PAIN: LYME DISEASE AND NEUROPSYCHIATRIC SYMPTOMS

Written by Susan Benzie on May 17, 2024.

May is both Lyme Disease Awareness Month and Mental Health Awareness Month. What is the connection? The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 476,000 people are diagnosed with Lyme Disease each year in the US. In 2022, the states with the highest number of Lyme disease cases were New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. The Pennsylvania Department of Health recently alerted individuals, providers, and caregivers that reported Lyme disease cases have increased this spring and...

Paris: Hearing Voices Conference

Written by Mary Angela Yancy on January 17, 2024.

Thirty years ago, I minored in French as an undergraduate at Temple University. I have been dreaming of visiting France for decades. I decided to pursue an opportunity to lead a workshop at the 2023 World Hearing Voices Congress in Paris. However, I did not know how to fund this endeavor. About the same time my workshop proposal was accepted, a local organization awarded me a scholarship so I could go to Paris in October 2023. The blessing of being able to give a presentation on an...

The Power of Gratitude in Your Life

Written by Olga Antonyuk on November 22, 2023.

November is National Gratitude Month. What is the meaning of Thanksgiving, gratitude, or giving thanks in your life? What does it look like for us today? The simple act of giving thanks can easily be overlooked in a world often bustling with the pursuit of progress and success. However, expressing gratitude is a powerful exercise that can benefit our well-being and the relationships we cherish. At its core, giving thanks is about acknowledging the positive aspects of our lives, big or...

The Role of Peer Support in Suicide Prevention

Written by Mary Angela Yancy on September 22, 2023.

“Hardship often prepares ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.” CS Lewis (38 Quotes for People in Recovery, 2023). Confronted with overwhelming circumstances, many people have struggled with depression and thoughts of ending their life. Their life experience, however, can be a brilliant light of hope for others in the midst of darkness. The Suicide Prevention Resource Center welcomes insight from individuals with lived experience. Leah Harris, MA, a suicide attempt...

Accomplishments Fiscal Year 22/23

Written by Valerie Melroy on August 11, 2023.

Voice and Vision is honored to have impacted the lives of thousands of people in Fiscal Year 22/23 through all our programs, a podcast, Help and Hope Guide, and social media. The impact was accomplished through the work of wonderful employees, board members, volunteers, consultants, partners, funders, and donors. Thank you to everyone who makes our work a success! Let’s celebrate each other as we move into Fiscal Year 23/24. Here are a few of the highlights from fiscal year 22/23: ...

Awareness. Appreciation. Honor.

Written by Valerie Melroy on May 26, 2023.

May is a month with over 100 celebrations, some for a day, a week, and some for the month. Here are a few: National Blessing Day, Wordsmith Day, World Hand Hygiene Day, Brain Injury Awareness Week, Deaf Awareness Week, Sign Language Week, National Anxiety Month, National Blood Pressure Month, and Older Americans Month. The 100+ are focused on categories such as awareness, children, culture, education, food, health, history, religion, and more. Two of the many month-long celebrations are...

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