From Camps to Community: Kaylie’s Story at NewView Oklahoma

When Kaylie first started college, she was doing fine but she also knew something was missing. “I just needed some extra skills,” she says. “I wasn’t sure where to get those resources.

That search led her online, and eventually to NewView Oklahoma.

Kaylie has lived with optic nerve atrophy since birth, a hereditary condition affecting communication between the eye and the brain. After discovering the Keys to Work Camp online, she started in July 2025. By January, she was back for our three-month VR VISION program – our Vocational Rehabilitation service.

The two programs complement each other well, and for Kaylie, both have been transformative.

“My Keys to Work experience almost feels like an introduction to what VISION VR was going to be.” During those two weeks at Keys to Work, participants take part in group exercises, hear from guest speakers daily, and get an introductory taste of orientation, mobility (O&M) and occupational therapy (OT) skills. VISION VR, by contrast, is three months of focused, immersive skill-building. “It is just diving deeper into those skills,” Kaylie says.

The growth Kaylie has experienced spans both the practical and the personal. She has refined everyday skills like budgeting, cooking, and cleaning, finding more effective ways to approach them. She’s also gained confidence navigating the world around her and polished her braille skills, adding more layers of independence to her toolkit.

But perhaps the most unexpected gain has been community.

“I feel that I’ve really built a support group at NewView, and that’s something I’m never going to forget.”

“The staff,” she continued. “Are consistently helpful, understanding, and goal oriented.”

That forward-thinking energy, shared by staff and students alike, is part of what makes these programs feel like more than just training. It’s community.