What does “mental health” mean to you? Is this different from “mental illness”? Some people also use the terms “mental flourishing”, “mental languishing”, “mental wellness”, and the list goes on. One step Extension professionals can use to reduce stigma and put the mental health conversation on the table is to clear up our understanding of terms. First, let’s consider “mental health”. This may make you think about depression, anxiety, or other common mental health struggles. Often when we...

I recently had a conversation with an official from an agency that educates, trains, and empowers blind and low vision individuals. We were discussing how to share the impact of two Mental Health First Aid courses that were offered to the staff at this agency. During the dialogue, this official shared that we must understand that most individuals who are blind or are low vision view this disability as a “random inconvenience.” I thought that was a very profound way to describe a disability...