Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER)

1703 N. Beauregard Street, Suite 440
Alexandria, VA 22311
877-492-2708 (Toll free)
703-671-4500
703-671-6391 (Fax)
www.aerbvi.org
Contact AER

The Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) is the only international membership organization dedicated to providing support and assistance to the professionals who work in all phases of education and rehabilitation with adults and children who are blind or have low vision. Membership is comprised of more than 4,000 professionals who provide services to people with visual impairments.

The Low Vision Rehabilitation Division[all links on this page open in new window] and the Orientation and Mobility Division offer on-line courses for professionals.

For a list of United States chapters of AER, see AER Chapters, state by state.

Blind SA

Postal Address:
Private Bag X9005
Crown Mines, Johannesburg, 2025
Gauteng, South Africa

Physical Address:
102-104 Eighth Avenue
Mayfair, 2092
Gauteng, South Africa
+27 (0)11-839-1793
+27 (0)11-839-1217 (Fax)
www.blindsa.org.za
E-mail contact

The purpose of Blind SA is to do whatever is necessary or conducive to improve the quality of life of blind South Africans so that they in turn may play their full part in the socio-economic life of the country.

Programs and services for members include assistive devices, free braille magazines, free braille instruction, and a newsletter.

The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) is the global organization leading international efforts in blindness prevention, including mobilization of resources. IAPB member organizations include academic institutions, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), service organizations, and corporations dedicated to the prevention of blindness. IAPB is aligned with the World Health Organization's Programme for Prevention of Blindness and together they coordinate the Vision 2020: The Right to Sight campaign.

The International Centre for Eye Health (ICEH) is a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for the Prevention of Blindness. The aim of ICEH is to facilitate a reduction in blindness with a particular emphasis on low income countries. ICEH conducts research into prevention and treatment of the major causes of blindness, provides education in Community Eye Health - both in the UK and outside the UK - and disseminates information to health workers worldwide through the development and distribution of teaching and learning materials.

The International Council for the Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI) is a global association of individuals and organizations that promotes equal access to appropriate education for all children and youth with visual impairment so that they may achieve their full potential. ICEVI is the publisher of The Educator. The ICEVI web site contains links and information about international visual impairment issues across the life span.

For information specifically about children, click on 'publications' and then on any issue of The Educator, a newsletter that focuses on school-aged children.

The International Eye Foundation (IEF) addresses cataract, trachoma, "river blindness," and childhood blindness; reducing the cost of eye care; and creating a network of highly efficient, productive and self-sustaining eye hospitals that treat all persons including the poor.

IEF's SightReach Prevention works in Africa with the National Onchocerciasis Programs in Malawi and Cameroon to eliminate "river blindness," a parasitic disease affecting 17.6 million people.

Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of blindness in children in the developing world. IEF's childhood blindness and vitamin A deficiency control initiatives distribute vitamin A capsules which cost less than 5 cents to thousands of children.

IEF's SightReach Management program helps eye hospitals become more productive and dramatically increases the number of people served, lowers costs, and increases revenue while providing all patients, including the poorest, with the same level of care.

IEF's SightReach Surgical helps ophthalmologists in over 35 developing developing countries puchase new equipment, instruments and medical supplies at greatly reduced prices.

Lions Clubs International: SightFirst Initiatives[all links open in new window]: Lions are recognized worldwide for their service to the blind and visually impaired. This service began when Helen Keller challenged the Lions to become "knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness" during the association's 1925 international convention. The Lions SightFirst program funds eye hospitals and eye care programs through approximately 45,000 clubs in 197 regions throughout the world. Lions Clubs International is a member of the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and established World Sight Day, now celebrated worldwide by IAPB and its member organizations.

Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB)
105 Judd Street
London WC1H 9NE
England, UK
+44 20 7388 1266
+44 20 7388 2034 Fax
www.rnib.org.uk
E-mail: helpline@rnib.org.uk  

The RNIB [all links on this page open in a new window]offers information, support and advice to over two million people in the UK with sight problems.

The RNIB's research library is Europe's largest, most comprehensive, and diverse collection of print and electronic materials covering all aspects of partial sight and blindness. Some materials are also available in braille and audio formatsl. You can search the online catalog for items in the collection.

The RNIB's online shop sells a variety of accessible products, such as clocks, games, lighting, talking book players, telephones, and publications.

The Tiresias web site [link opens in new window]
provides in-depth information on assistive devices for people with visual disabilities, current and future research, technical information, disability organizations and agencies, sources of research, funding, publications, standards, and legislation.

Royal National Institute of the Blind
105 Judd Street
London WC1H 9NE
England, UK
Dr. John Gill, OBE, FIEE
+44 20 7391 2244
+44 20 7391 2318 (Fax)
www.tiresias.org [link opens in new window]

E-mail: john.gill@rnib.org.uk

Vision 2020: the Right to Sight is a global initiative which aims to eliminate avoidable blindness by the year 2020, and was jointly launched by the World Health Organization and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) member organizations involved in eye care and prevention of blindness.

The World Blind Union (WBU) "... is the only organization entitled to speak on behalf of blind and partially sighted persons of the world, representing 180 million blind and visually impaired persons from about 600 different organizations in 158 countries."

WBU is divided into six regions, each with a constitution of its own. Together the regions form the World Blind Union. The WBU is a non-political, non-religious, non-governmental, and non-profit-making organization. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) is the United Nations specialized agency for health, established on April 7, 1948.

WHO's objective is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. Health is defined in WHO's constitution as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

WHO's Prevention of Blindness and Deafness team (PBD) develops strategies for prevention and control of blindness, deafness and hearing impairment. Team members, together with many partners in the field, including NGOs and WHO collaborating centres, work with governments and country-based teams to support the implementation of national strategies for prevention of blindness.

In addition to facilitating ongoing strategic planning, the PBD team co-ordinates the collection and dissemination at national, regional, and global data that reflect the burden of visual and hearing impairment and the implementation of programme strategies.

The World Ophthalmology Congress (WOC) provides a comprehensive country-specific listing of non-profit organizations working in the field of international eye care, rehabilitation, and prevention of blindness. The WOC meets every two years, bringing together the International Council of Ophthalmology and the Federation of Ophthalmology Societies, which are responsible for setting standards and training ophthalmologists worldwide.