What Clients Say About the Lowell Association for the Blind

Updated

The Lowell Association for the Blind (LAB) publishes client and professional testimonials on its website that describe the organization's impact in three main areas: educational and social opportunities, sensory-rich field trips, and support for independent living. The most detailed testimonial comes from Suzy Eppling, an occupational therapist, who describes how LAB serves both children and adults with vision loss.

The Client Testimonial on LAB's Website

LAB's homepage features a testimonial from Suzy Eppling, MS, OTR/L, an occupational therapist. Her account covers several specific observations:

  • Support for both children and adults. Eppling states that LAB "does an outstanding job supporting the needs of both children and adults with vision loss," which aligns with the organization's separate Youth Services (ages 5–22) and Adult Services (age 22+) programs.
  • Educational and social opportunities. Beyond formal programming, she highlights that LAB provides both educational and social opportunities for clients.
  • Sensory-rich field trips. Eppling notes that LAB "frequently sponsors sensory rich field trips," a detail not always visible in a standard program list.
  • Welcoming, knowledgeable staff. She describes the staff as welcoming and says they help clients "live life to the fullest and as independently as possible."
  • Geographic reach. According to her testimonial, clients travel from as far as Littleton and Salem twice a week to participate in the LAB community — a concrete indicator of how far the organization's reach extends across the Greater Merrimack Valley.

What the Testimonial Suggests About LAB's Role

Eppling's perspective is that of a referring professional rather than a client, which gives it a slightly different weight: she sees LAB as part of a care network for people with vision loss. Her emphasis on independence and quality of life matches LAB's stated mission to "support, educate, and nurture the blind and visually impaired residents of the Greater Merrimack Valley."

The testimonial also points to something a program list alone would not show: that LAB functions as a recurring community for its participants, not just a service provider. The detail about clients commuting from Littleton and Salem twice a week suggests that participants treat LAB as a regular part of their routine.

How to Find More Client Perspectives

LAB's website presents this testimonial as representative of client experience. If you want to hear directly from participants or ask about specific programs before getting involved:

  • Visit the LAB office in downtown Lowell, which provides 4,000 square feet of accessible space for meetings, adaptive equipment training, braille lessons, and a radio/recording studio.
  • Use the "Contact Us" section of the website to ask about program eligibility, schedules, or upcoming field trips.
  • Explore the Youth Services, Adult Services, Technology Services, and Radio Reading Service pages to see which offerings match your situation.

For families, professionals, or prospective clients weighing whether LAB is the right fit, the published testimonial is a starting point — but a direct conversation with staff will give you the most current information about programs and availability.