Braille Institute Santa Barbara is offering more than 80 free, life-enhancing and life-changing classes this winter to anyone in the Tri-County area facing the challenges of vision loss.

The Center for Demographic Research has found there are more than 3,000 visually impaired people living on Santa Barbara’s South Coast and more than 13,000 in Ventura County.

From self-defense to technology tools, Braille Institute Santa Barbara offers its current session of educational, social and recreational classes now through April 7. Classes are held at the center, 2031 De La Vina St. and in other locations in the community.

“Thousands of our neighbors experience unique challenges every day related to vision loss. These neighbors can join our classes at any time to discover ways to maintain their independence while gaining confidence in their own abilities,” said Michael Lazarovits, executive director.

Winter classes range from iPhone use, cooking, and safe transportation, to creative arts, physical education, sculpture and literature. At Braille Institute, students can learn anything from ceramics, to the latest mainstream and accessible technologies, to reading braille.

For all classes, the goal is to restore self-confidence and enable people who are blind or visually impaired to comfortably execute familiar tasks in a new way.

Following are some highlights of classes and programs offered:

» Kitchen Confidence: Regain confidence in the kitchen. Beginning and intermediate Kitchen Confidence classes mix lessons in cooking and food preparation with curriculum covering educational benefits on proper nutrition and tips to use technology to help in the kitchen.

» Connection Pointe: Braille Institute Santa Barbara is home to a technology center that offers free instruction on all of the latest mainstream and adaptive technologies in small classes, one-on-one consultations or in the home.

» Brownbag Men’s and Women’s Support Group: People who are experiencing vision loss are welcome to join our support groups. A men’s group is held every Wednesday during lunch while the women’s support group meets every Friday during lunch, both at Braille Institute Santa Barbara.

In addition to the full adult class schedule, Braille Institute offers free in-home consultations, as well as one-on-one low vision rehabilitation, technology instruction, a youth program and access to an award-winning audio and braille library.

Braille holds classes year-round with sessions in fall, winter, spring and summer. Class schedules are available at BrailleInstitute.org/SantaBarbara.

For more class registration information or to get a Braille Institute student referral form, contact Phillis Castagna, 682-6222 ext. 8302.

— Angel Pacheco/Juliana Minsky for Braille Institute Santa Barbara.