Podcast Summary: Hadley Presents – "Getting Organized After Vision Loss" (January 1, 2026)

Host: Ricky Enger
Guests: Tiffany Mpofu, Lisa Salinger
Episode Focus: Practical, real-world tips for organizing your environment after experiencing vision loss—how to create systems that promote safety, independence, and confidence.

Main Theme

This episode explores how individuals with vision loss can manage organization challenges at home, promote autonomy, and enhance safety. The conversation delivers accessible, relatable techniques and encouragement for listeners at any stage of their organizing journey.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Organization is Even More Important with Vision Loss

• Ricky's Opening Thought: Organization often ends up a New Year's resolution, even though everyone knows it helps life run smoother.
• Vision Loss Impact:
  • Losing the ability to "glance around the room" makes established systems even more critical.
  • Items that "feel" the same can be indistinguishable (toothpaste vs. ointments, canned goods, etc.)
  • Lisa: “Organization takes longer. If I buy canned goods and spices from the store, I can't just chuck them at a shelf. They've got to be labeled first.” [03:50]
• Tiffany: Organization not only helps you find things, but supports confidence and safety:

  "Being organized, it aids to being safe in your environment, right? ... Using sharp knives, instead of putting them in the dishwater, that can cause, like, injury, put them on the back of the faucet until it's time for them, you know, to clean them and then put them away." [04:55]

2. Organizing When Sharing Spaces

• Challenge: Shared living spaces require more communication and collaboration.
• Tiffany's Advice:

  “Just having that conversation and saying it's really helpful … if people move stuff from where I've put it, I'm not able to look over and see where you've put it. It's essentially gone for me now.” [06:38]

• Emphasis on explaining why consistency matters to non-visually impaired cohabitants.

3. Psychological Perspective and Getting Started

• Acknowledge Progress: Don’t focus on what’s left undone—celebrate what is organized.
• Prioritize Safety: Start with areas that have the biggest impact on safety, like medicine, knives, and walkways.
• Start Small: 15 minutes a day—one drawer or shelf at a time.

  “Be kind to yourself, it's easy to get overwhelmed.” [08:12]

• Use Help/Assistants: If needed, enlist help, either paid or a friend/family member. It doesn't all need to happen at once.

4. Practical Tips for Organization

• Routine & Memory Supports:
  • Use routines and mental notes.
  • Say locations aloud to reinforce memory:

    “Saying it out loud, it sounds strange, but it helps cement in your mind where it is. ... You're hearing it and you're placing it.” [09:32]

• Don’t Over-rely on Memory:
  • Lisa’s “Layouts” file—a document with remote and appliance button layouts.
  • Tactile markers (bumps, rubber bands, stickers) on appliances and other items.
• Housing Systems:
  • Bins, baskets, containers—sort items by category, not perfection.
  • Use whatever tactile or labeling system works for you (e.g., rubber bands, tactile stickers, color coding, large print, or braille).
  • It doesn’t have to be “Martha Stewart-worthy!”

5. Room-by-Room Strategies

Kitchen [14:10]

• Lisa: Group utensils by size/type in separate containers.
• Tiffany:
  • Assign specific cabinets by item (mixing bowls, bakeware, appliances, spices, glassware).
  • Spices: Common ones nearby, others grouped by use or salt content.
  • Organize by accessibility/height.
• Technology Helper:
  • Use apps like Seeing AI or magnifiers to read spice or freezer labels.
  • Ricky: “...if I'm not sure... I'll pull out a tech tool if the corn and the peas feel similar.” [17:09]

Closet [17:44]

• Organizing Garments:
  • Sort by item type (shirts, pants, dresses).
  • Use tactile tags, color identifiers, or even technological tags with voice descriptions.
  • Labels for shoes (Tiffany’s Velcro dot system to distinguish colors).
  • Texture or type of hanger (wire for some items, plastic for others).
  • Lisa prefers hanging to folding for easy access and label reading.

Bathroom [21:56]

• Shampoo/Conditioner Identification:
  • Notch one bottle, use rubber bands, or rough up one lid.
  • Some brands offer braille labeling.
• Linen Closet & Medicines:
  • Group items by use case and access frequency.
  • Use baskets or shelves for types (burns, lotions, regular-use meds).
  • Over-the-counter meds: Distinguish with initial braille letters or tactile labels.
  • Prescription meds: Many pharmacies offer talking labels.
  • Organize by “where you’ll use it”—location-based systems can help.

Documents and Important Papers [26:43]

• Physical Organization:
  • Filing systems: Color folders, large-print or braille labels, index cards.
  • Location matters: Important docs in easy-to-access spots, less-used in secondary spots.
• Digital Files:
  • Store as much as possible digitally using clear folder/filename conventions.
  • Even inaccessible PDFs can be renamed to something meaningful.
  • Manuals/tools: Store together in labeled bags (e.g., Ziploc with a tactile label).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Lisa, on labeling and time investment:

  “Would you rather take a little time labeling, or would you rather take a little time rummaging around and fussing? ... Labeling is actually better.” [04:01]

• Tiffany, on confidence and independence:

  “It feels great when I can just put my hand on something and it's right there.” [04:55]

• Ricky, on personalization:

  “Don’t get caught up in having a system that is Martha Stewart worthy or whatever. It just needs to be a system that you understand.” [13:06]

• Lisa, on memory aids:

  “I have a file called Layouts, and it’s the layout of my TV remote and the remote for this, that and the other thing… Don’t just rely on your memory because unfortunately it’s kind of the law that at the time when you need it most, it might fail you.” [10:53]

• Tiffany, on shoe mix-ups:

  “I have the same shoe, but two different colors, one black and the other one is navy blue. ... my husband's like, ah, you might want to check your shoes... So from that point, what I've done is I've put like a Velcro sticker on the inside of my shoe for my blue ones and then my black ones don't have anything.” [20:29]

• Lisa, on prioritizing what's practical:

  “You could have prescription medicines here, you could have over the counters that you use all the time here, and you could have things that you only need occasionally in another place.” [24:46]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:01 – Episode intro & setting the scene for organization
• 03:50 – Challenges unique to vision loss (labeling, safety, confidence)
• 06:38 – Strategies for shared living and communicating organizational needs
• 08:12 – Encouragement, starting small, using helpers
• 09:32 – Memory techniques and the value of routines
• 10:53 – Relying on labeling, file systems for appliances, tactile markers
• 13:06 – Systems: bins, baskets, tactile/print/braille, and personalization
• 14:10 – Kitchen: Organizing utensils, appliances, tech for labels
• 17:44 – Closet: Color identifiers, garment grouping, shoe identification tricks
• 21:56 – Bathroom: Marking toiletries, organizing medicines, vanity systems
• 26:43 – Documents: Filing systems, digital organization, labeling manuals
• 31:45 – Final encouragement, Hadley resources, labeling workshops

Closing Thoughts

• There’s no single “right” way to organize. The best system is the one you’ll use and that makes sense to you in your daily routine.
• Adapt and iterate. Organization is ongoing and should evolve as your needs change.
• Hadley can help. Listeners are encouraged to contact Hadley for brainstorming, troubleshooting, or to access labeling workshops (“There is indeed something for everyone.” [31:56])

Resources & Contacts:
For support or suggestions regarding vision loss organization, email podcast@HadleyHelps.org or call 847-784-2870. Check show notes for links to Hadley labeling workshops and additional resources.