Resources, Links, and more....
American Foundation for the Blind
949 3rd Avenue - Suite 200
Huntington, WV 25701
The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) is a national nonprofit that expands possibilities for people with vision loss.
AFB's priorities include broadening access to technology; elevating the quality of information and tools for the professionals who serve people with vision loss; and promoting independent and healthy living for people with vision loss by providing them and their families with relevant and timely resources. AFB's work in these areas is supported by the strong presence the organization maintains in Washington, DC, ensuring the rights and interests of people with vision loss are represented in our nation's public policies.
Helen Keller Services for the Blind
57 Willoughby Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 522-2122
Fax: (718) 935-9463
Helen Keller Services for the Blind offers a wide range of services and programs for people of all ages who are blind or have vision impairments. Thousands of people in the New York metropolitan area and in Nassau and Suffolk Counties take advantage of these services every year.
National Federation of the Blind
200 East Wells Street
at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, MD 21230
Phone: 410-659-9314
“The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight. The real problem is the misunderstanding and lack of information which exist. If a blind person has proper training and opportunity, blindness is only a physical nuisance.”
The National Federation of the Blind is the largest organization of the blind in America. Interested sighted persons also join. Founded in 1940, the Federation has grown to include over 50,000 members.
American Council of the Blind
2200 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 650
Arlington, VA 22201
Phone: (202) 467-5081
(800) 424-8666
The American Council of the Blind is the nation's leading membership organization of blind and visually impaired people. It was founded in 1961 and incorporated in the District of Columbia.
Services: Countless numbers of blind and sighted people benefit from these and other ACB services:
• Toll-free information and referral on all aspects of blindness
• Scholarship assistance to blind/visually impaired post-secondary students
• Public education and awareness training
• Support to consumer advocates and legal assistance on matters relating to blindness
• Leadership and legislative training
• Consulting with industry regarding employment of blind and visually impaired individuals
• Governmental monitoring, consultation and advocacy including the "Washington Connection," a national legislative hotline
• Annual national convention
National Association for Visually Handicapped
NAVH New York
22 West 21st Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10010
Phone: +1 (212) 889-3141
FAX: +1 (212) 727-2931
NAVH is a national health organization solely devoted to serving individuals who currently have visual impairments as well as those who have eye diseases that could lead to serious visual deficiencies. NAVH has been the leader for over 55 years in advocating and providing services for those with low vision.
The NAVH mission is to foster self-esteem, independence and dignity by providing the “hard of seeing” with services, visual aids and the knowledge that their impaired vision need not prevent them from leading normal lives, and to provide them with guidance and information about available assistance that will enable them to fully participate in society.
Foundation Fighting Blindness, Inc.
11435 Cronhill Drive
Owings Mills, MD 21117-2220
Toll Free: (800) 683-5555
TDD: (800) 683-5551
The urgent mission of the Foundation Fighting Blindness, Inc. is to drive the research that will provide preventions, treatments and cures for people affected by retinitis pigmentosa (RP), macular degeneration, Usher syndrome, and the entire spectrum of retinal degenerative diseases.
In 1971, The Foundation Fighting Blindness was founded as the National Retinitis Pigmentosa Foundation, Inc., and our mission was to encourage research on RP, a little-known disease at that time. What our founders didn’t know was that the complexity of genetic causes would lead to the study of a wider range of blinding diseases with common causes — diseases such as macular degeneration and Usher's Syndrome. In 1994, our mission formally expanded, and our name changed to The Foundation Fighting Blindness.
The Blinded Veterans Association
477 H STREET
NORTHWEST WASHINGTON, DC 20001-2694
PHONE: 202-371-8880
FAX: 202-371-8258
E-MAIL:BVA@BVA.ORG
The Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) is an organization of blinded veterans helping blinded veterans. Through our service programs, regional groups, resources, and advocacy before the legislative and executive branches of government, we hope to make life better for blinded veterans. We also hope to be there with encouragement and support. There is no charge for any BVA service and membership is not a prerequisite to obtain help. All legally blinded veterans are also eligible for BVA’s assistance whether they become blind during or after active duty military service.
Lighthouse International
The Sol and Lillian Goldman Building
111 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1202
Tel (212) 821-9200 / (800) 829-0500
Founded in New York City in 1905, Lighthouse International is a leading non-profit organization dedicated to preserving vision and to providing critically needed vision and rehabilitation services to help people of all ages overcome the challenges of vision loss. Through clinical services, education, research, and advocacy, the Lighthouse enables people with low vision and blindness to enjoy safe, independent and productive lives.
The statistics are compelling: There are 161 million people worldwide who are visually impaired -- 37 million are blind and 124 million have low vision. Without intervention, the number of people with impaired vision could almost double by 2020.
In the US alone, 16.5 million people age 45 or older self-report some form of vision impairment even when wearing glasses or contacts. (Lighthouse National Survey on Vision Loss) By 2010, this figure will grow to 20 million.
National Industries for the Blind
1310 Braddock Place
Alexandria, VA, 22314
703-310-0500
Send a general email to communications@nib.org.
Seven out of ten working age Americans who are blind are not employed.
At National Industries for the Blind (NIB), it is our mission to enhance the opportunities for economic and personal independence of persons who are blind, primarily through creating, sustaining and improving employment. NIB and its associated agencies serve as the largest program responsible for the employment of people who are blind through the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act.
Our Agencies
NIB operates under the Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) Act and the AbilityOne Program, a federal purchasing program that enables people who are blind to work and provide products and services to federal and commercial customers. Like other businesses, NIB and its associated agencies around the country work to deliver quality products on time and at competitive rates. NIB mentors and supports its agencies through business development; product and service research and development; program management; distribution channel development and support; marketing; sales and contract administration.
Perkins School for the Blind
175 North Beacon Street
Watertown, MA 02472
Phone: 617-972-7583
Fax: 617-972-7334
Perkins School for the Blind is an innovative leader in serving people with visual impairments. Strong leadership from both staff and the Board of Trustees has created a legacy of education and discovery. We are always questioning how to best serve our students in the classroom, in the community and around the world. While Perkins is proud of all that has been achieved since 1832, we believe there is still much work to be done.
Today, in New England, around the nation and throughout the world, many people who are visually impaired are not receiving the services they need to be healthy and independent. Together we can raise awareness.
Lions World Services for the Blind
2811 Fair Park Boulevard
Little Rock, Arkansas 72204
Telephone: (501) 664-7100 or 1-800-248-0734
Lions World Services for the Blind was founded in 1947 by Roy Kumpe to serve people who are blind and visually impaired who needed to learn independent living skills or job training skills that considered the special requirements of their individual visual impairments. The goal of the rehabilitation center then, and today, is to prepare the individual who is blind or visually impaired to function independently in our "sighted" society.
The Computer Center for Visually Impaired People
Division of Continuing and Professional Studies
Baruch College, CUNY
1 Bernard Baruch Way, Box H-648
New York, NY 10010
(646) 312-1420
The mission of the CCVIP is to increase the freedom, independence, and productivity of people who are blind or visually impaired through the power of digital technology. We accomplish this through training, applied research, product testing and development, and community awareness initiatives.
The National Alliance of Blind Students
NABS, c/o Patricia Castillo
American Council of the Blind
1155 15th Street NW
Suite 1004
Washington DC, 20005
The National Alliance of Blind Students (NABS) is the student affiliate of the American Council of the Blind, the nation's leading consumer and advocacy organization of people who are blind or visually impaired. A group of students founded NABS in 1974 to acquire a greater voice in the workings of this organization.
NABS works to advance the equal opportunity and excellence in education for all blind and visually impaired high school, college and university students in the United States. In so doing, we encourage leadership in our own communities, network students to discuss issues of concern, and act to promote equal access where it is lacking.
The Seeing Eye
10 Washington Valley Rd.
P.O. Box 375
Morristown, NJ 07963
P: 973-539-4425
F: 973-539-0922
The Seeing Eye,® Inc., is the oldest existing dog guide school in the world. Twelve times a year, as many as 24 students at a time visit the Morristown, N.J., campus to discover the exhilarating experience of traveling with a Seeing Eye dog.
Space Camp for Interested Visually Impaired Students
West Virginia School for the Blind
P.O. Box 1034
Romney, WV 26757
Home: 304-822-4410
Office: 304-822-4883
FAX: 304-822-4898
How does the SCIVIS Week compare to a regular week at Space Camp?
This special week is coordinated by teachers of the visually impaired from all over the United States. Many adaptations are available this week that are not available during a normal week at Space Camp. Braille, large print, CCTV's, voice output on selected computers, visually impaired speakers, and support help from certified teachers of the visually impaired are just a few. Siblings or friends of visually impaired students are welcome to attend the same week. Discounted tuition is also available this week as a result of the group rate.
Prevent Blindness America
211 West Wacker Drive
Suite 1700
Chicago, Illinois 60606
1-800-331-2020
Our mission: to Prevent Blindness and Preserve Sight
Founded in 1908, Prevent Blindness America is the nation's leading volunteer eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting blindness and saving sight. Focused on promoting a continuum of vision care, Prevent Blindness America touches the lives of millions of people each year.
We screen. We check the eyes of millions of children and adults each year. Our vision screenings help preschoolers at risk of vision loss from lazy eye (amblyopia), school children who depend on good vision for learning, and adults threatened by glaucoma and other serious vision problems.
We educate. We get the word out on better eye health through brochures, fact sheets, public service announcements, newsletters, media campaigns, special events and the web. Every year more than 120 million people read, hear or see our messages about early detection of eye disease and prevention of accidents that can cause permanent loss of sight.
We advocate. We work with government officials at the state, local and national levels - building grassroots advocacy movements that will improve our nation's public health policies.
We support groundbreaking vision research. We support the work of scientists who will find tomorrow's cures for the eye diseases that threaten Americans with vision loss and blindness.
We train. We train and certify adult and children's vision screeners and screening instructors through the only national program of its kind, providing 20,000 vision screening personnel with the skills they need to help people in their communities.
We are in your community today. We improve the quality of life for hundreds of thousands through our community programs. Our website, www.preventblindness.org and our PBA Vision Health resource Center (1-800-331-2020) put us within reach of anyone with Internet access or a telephone.
Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired
7000 Hamilton Avenue
Cincinnati, Ohio 45231
(513) 522-3860
Our mission is to promote independence and foster the highest quality of life for people with visual impairments, including those with additional disabilities.
Clovernook was founded as a residence for blind women in 1903 and over the last century has evolved into a multi-faceted organization with an array of services and a skilled staff to address the needs of people with visual impairments.
Innovative programs including community living support and a youth initiative with a focus on developing the skills people with visual impairments need to become independent in the community. An array of employment services help individuals maximize their earning potential and job satisfaction, both on site in our manufacturing center and in the local job market.
The Carroll Center for the Blind
770 Centre Street
Newton, MA 02458
(617) 969-6200 | Toll-Free (800) 852-3131
FAX: 617-969-6204
The Carroll Center serves the needs of blind and visually-impaired persons by providing rehabilitation, skills training, and educational opportunities to achieve independence, self-sufficiency, and self-fulfillment and by educating the public regarding the potential of persons who are blind and visually-impaired.
Established in 1936, the Center has pioneered innovative methods for blind persons to gain independence in their homes, in class settings, and in their work places. New and evolving technologies, combined with time-tested adaptive methods, individualized instruction, and personalized therapies developed by the Carroll Center staff, have provided thousands of blind and vision impaired persons with diverse opportunities for success and independent living.
Technology
Sherlock Washington
SW Unlimited
Supplier of Low Vision Technology
Email: Sherlock@swunlimited.com
Phone: 732-290-1677
SW Unlimited has been in service since 1998 providing computer products to satisfy the needs of any individual and to simplify their life. Our company even provides products for people with special needs.
SW Unlimited also provides many services to corporations, large and small...
From large order discounts to the best personalized service around, SW Unlimited is the one stop shop for all of your computer needs!
SW Unlimited is dedicated to providing all customers with proven technology at affordable prices.
It is the mission of SW Unlimited to solve the hardware needs of all consumers, across the world, and to maintain a high standard of quality, customer service, and professionalism, when working with each individual business and consumer.
Entrepreneurial Services for the Visually Impaired
SBDC (Small Business Development Corp.)
The College of New Jersey
PO Box 7718
Ewing, NJ 08628
Phone: 609-771-2947
Web: www.tcnj.edu/~sbdc/
The New Jersey Small Business Development Centers network is committed to guiding aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners to create and expand their business enterprises which will in turn result in sustainable growth, job creation and statewide economic development and wealth.