IL - Illinois Vision Services

www.adaptiveadventures.org [3]
E-mail: info@adaptiveadventures.org [4]

Adaptive Adventures - Evergreen
P.O. Box 2245
Evergreen, CO 80437
303/877-679-2770
303-670-8290 (Fax)

Adaptive Adventures - Chicago
2616 Wilmette Ave.
Wilmette, IL 60091
866-679-2770 (Toll free)
847-251-8445

Adaptive Adventures is a mobile, non resort-based organization that "brings programs to people" as opposed to "bringing people to programs."

Their programs offer opportunities for people with physical disabilities including, but not limited to: amputations, paraplegia, quadriplegia, birth defects, cerebral palsy, head injuries, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, strokes, and visual impairments.

c/o Jim Hynan
8100 Foster Lane #310
Niles, IL 60714-1159
312-409-1605
www.absf.org [10]
E-mail: ABSF@absf.org [11]  

ABSF was founded in 1971 and is a non-profit tax-exempt national organization chartered in the State of Illinois. The purpose of ABSF is to provide an educational skiing program that is open to any blind or visually impaired person in the hope of providing both physical and psychological therapeutic value. Has a newsletter, membership information, and event schedule.

20 North Wacker Drive, Suite 2234
Chicago, IL 60606
312-578-8760
www.asrs.org [14]
E-mail: jill.blim@asrs.org [15]

The mission of the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) is to provide a collegial open forum for education, to advance the understanding and treatment of vitreoretinal diseases, and to enhance the ability of its members to provide the highest quality of patient care.

Find a Retina Specialist

ASRS also provides a Retina Specialist Locator [16] search function that allows you to search by country, state, and province.

17 North State Street, Suite 1050
Chicago, IL 60602
312-236-0808
www.blindserviceassociation.org [21]

Founded in 1924, Blind Service Association provides reading and recording services free of charge to its clients, in addition to a number of other educational, recreational, and support programs for visually impaired people of all ages.

P.O. Box 7105
Springfield, IL 62704
800-564-7525 (Toll free)
217-546-7111
www.cancerinplainenglish.com [25]

CancerInPlainEnglish.com provides cancer information in an easy-to-understand audio CD format. The audio CDs are designed to help people make better-informed treatment decisions and give patients and their loved ones a better understanding of their cancer type.

The audio CDs are narrated by Dr. Osvaldo Wesly, a well-respected cancer specialist who has been treating and helping those with cancer for over 21 years. Dr. Wesly covers a range of topics, including detecting cancer, cancer statistics, risk factors, and treatment options.

8038 MacIntosh Lane
Rockford, IL 61107
800-545-0080 (Toll free)
815-332-6820 (TDD/TTY)
815-332-6800
www.rockfordcenter.org [29]
E-mail: info@rockfordcenter.org [30]

The Center for Sight and Hearing has served northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin since 1962 and specializes in helping individuals with a vision and/or hearing loss to be independent.

Services are provided to persons of all ages and skill levels:

• Rehabilitation Teaching
• Orientation and Mobility training
• Assistive technology training
• Employment services
• Counseling
• New Visions, a group learning experience to develop coping and independence skills
• Grade I or II braille literacy classes
• Low Vision Services
• Speechreading
• Sign Language
• Social/Recreation Program
• Simple Solutions, a technology and assistive device service, has products for individuals, professionals or others to try on site, loan, or buy
• Short term or consultation services

1850 West Roosevelt Road
Chicago, IL 60608-1298
312-666-1331
312-243-8539 (Fax)
312-666-8874 (TDD)
www.chicagolighthouse.org [34]

The Chicago Lighthouse National HelpDesk
312-997-3651 (Voice/Relay)
888-825-0080 (Voice/Relay)
National HelpDesk web site [35]

The Chicago Lighthouse Low Vision Clinic
312-997-3686
312-666-8874 (Fax)

Additional programs and services include:

• Assistive Technology
• Children's Programs
• Chicago Lighthouse Industries
• Deaf-Blind Program
• Employment Services
• Independent Living
• Kane Legal Center
• Low Vision Rehabilitation Service
• Seniors Initiative
• Assistive Devices Store

1950 Edwardsville Club Plaza
Edwardsville, IL 62025
618-656-3199
618-656-EYES
618-656-3099 (Fax)
www.visionsource-edwardsville.com [38]
E-mail: clinic@visionsource-edwardsville.com [39]

Offers a variety of vision care services, including low vision examinations and devices.

1845 East Hovey Avenue
Normal, IL 61761
309-452-3088
800-890-1180 (Toll free)
www.envisionamerica.com [42]  
E-mail: envision@envisionamerica.com [43]

En-Vision America, Inc. provides high-tech products aimed at solving problems for people with visual impairments, including voice-enabled products such as i.d. mate OMNI, the talking bar code reader, and ScripTalk, the talking pharmaceutical reader.

A Low Vision Superstore
8430 Gross Point Road
Suite 106
Skokie, IL 60077
888-612-9094 (Toll free)
847-612-9094
www.eyecanseeclearly.com [49]
E-mail contact [50]

Offers a wide range of low vision products and devices: kitchen items, clocks, timers, canes, lighting, clocks and watches, magnification solutions, electronic video magnifiers, and CCTVs.

A Residence for Blind and Visually Impaired Adults
5527 North Maplewood
Chicago, IL 60625
773-989-9800
773-989-4889 (Fax)
www.friedmanplace.org [53]
E-mail: heddy@friedmanplace.org [54]  

Friedman Place is a non-profit Supportive Living Community for blind and visually impaired adults in Chicago. Our building has been designed with the needs of the blind and visually impaired in mind. Each resident has a private studio or one-bedroom apartment, with a kitchenette and bathroom. A full range of services and activities is provided so that residents' days are healthy, dignified, and stimulating.

180 North Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60601-7463
312-236-8569
312-236-8128 (Fax)
www.guildfortheblind.org [57]
E-mail: info@guildfortheblind.org [58]
Additional contacts [59]

The Guild for the Blind serves individuals who are blind or visually impaired, including those with new vision loss. The Guild strives to promote positive attitudes about visual impairment and to assist its members in achieving dignity and independence at home, in the workplace, and in the community.

Programs and services include:

• Vision Rehabilitation: New Visions is a series of four workshops for seniors to better understand, cope with, and more easily manage daily life activities impacted by vision loss.
• Adaptive Technology Services
• Career Services
• Daily Living Product Store
• Low Vision Lab
• Information and Referral Services

700 Elm Street
Winnetka, IL 60093-0299
800-323-4238 (Toll free)
847-446-9916 (Fax)
www.hadley.edu [62]
E-mail: info@hadley.edu [63]

The Hadley School for the Blind offers more than 90 tuition-free distance education courses to blind or visually impaired individuals, their families and professionals working in the blindness field. The four study areas include Adult Continuing Education, High School, Family Education, and Professional Education.

The mission of The Hadley School is to promote independent living through lifelong, distance education programs for blind people and their families.

Meet Don Golembiewski, M.A, CVRT, Director of Outreach at the Hadley School for the Blind. [64]

Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults [68]
National Office Headquarters:
141 Middle Neck Road
Sands Point, NY 11050-1218
Switchboard hours: 8 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
516-944-8900 (Voice)
516-944-8908 (VP)
516-944-8637 (TTY)
516-944-7302 (Fax)
E-mail: hkncinfo@hknc.org [69]

Regional Representative contact information: www.hknc.org/FieldServicesREGREPADD.htm [70]

The Center provides services to youth and adults who are deaf-blind according to the definition of deaf-blindness in the Helen Keller Act. The national center in New York and regional offices that serve each state provide advocacy, support groups, information, and services to people who have both a vision and a hearing loss.

The mission of the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults (HKNC) is to enable each person who is deaf-blind to live and work in his or her community of choice. Authorized by an Act of Congress in 1967, the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults is a national rehabilitation program serving youth and adults who are deaf-blind.

Horizons for the Blind [122]
2 North Williams Street
Crystal Lake, IL 60014-4401
800-318-2000 (Toll free)
815-444-8800 (Voice and TDD)
815-444-8830 (Fax)
E-mail: mail@horizons-blind.org [123]

Horizons for the Blind is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people who are blind or visually impaired by increasing accessibility to consumer products and services, education, recreation, and the cultural arts.

Horizons has become a leading provider of braille, large print, and audio transcription services to the business community, specializing in partnering with companies to provide accessible billing and financial statements, newsletters, restaurant menus, hotel directories, and user manuals for cell phones and other electronic equipment.

Horizons also processes over 25,000 billing statements per month in braille, large print, and audio for financial institutions, utility companies, communications companies and others.

Horizons provides braille, large print, and audiocassette instruction in crafts; plants and gardening; recipes; knitting; crocheting; and sewing needles and craft supplies.

Horizons has also created Directions For Me [124], a one-stop source for accessible packaging information, including preparation instructions, ingredient lists, and nutrition labels for many common grocery, health, and beauty products.

Division of Rehabilitation Service
400 West Lawrence Avenue
P.O. Box 19429
Springfield, IL 62794-9429
800-843-6154 (Customers)
800-447-6404 (TTY)
800-804-3833 (Providers)
www.dhs.state.il.us/ors [129]

Services for People Who are Blind or Visually Impaired [130]

Programs and services include:

• Vocational Rehabilitation Program
• Community-Based Instructional Program
• Older Blind Program
• Illinois Center for Rehabilitation and Education-Wood
• Business Enterprise Program for the Blind

3241 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60616-3878
877-949-EYES (3937) (Toll free)
312-949-7255
312-949-7660 (Fax)
Web site
[134]E-mail: info@iei.ico.edu [135]

The Low Vision Rehabilitation Service at the Illinois Eye Institute is dedicated to patients who are visually disabled and cannot be managed through medical or surgical treatment. The goal of the service is to help patients attain the highest level of independent living possible given their visual limitations.

Patient services include:

• Evaluation of partially sighted and visually disabled patients
• Counseling and social services to help patients deal with the emotional trauma of vision loss and take advantage of applicable community resources
• Optical correction for partially sighted patients using specially designed optical systems
• Orientation and mobility training, including individualized adaptive training for daily living tasks.

90 Bridge Street, Suite 100
Westbrook, ME 04092
207-857-9001
207-857-9199 (Fax)
www.itnamerica.org [138]
Send E-mail to ITNAmerica [139]

ITNAmerica is a national non-profit organization that provides transportation to seniors and adults with visual impairments. ITNAmerica provides rides with door-through-door, arm-through-arm service and allows older people to trade their own cars to pay for rides and enables volunteer drivers to store transportation credits for their own future transportation needs.

ITNAmerica's affiliate communities include Charleston, SC; Chicago, IL; Portland, ME; Orlando, Sarasota, FL; Los Angeles, San Diego, Monterey CA; Lexington, KY; Enfield, Middlesex, Middletown, and Fairfield County, CT; the Quad Cities of IA; Cincinnati, OH; Las Vegas, NV; Racine, WI; St. Charles, Kansas City MO; Westchester County, NY; Boston, Framingham MA

2160 South First Avenue
Maywood, IL 60153
708-216-3833
888-LUHS-888 (888-584-7888) (Toll free)
Low Vision/Vision Rehabilitation Services [142]

2960 Stanton Street
Springfield, IL 62703
217-529-1611
217-529-6975 (Fax)
www.marybryanthome.org [145]
E-mail: mbha@springnet1.com [146]

The Mary Bryant Home is a certified supportive living facility for men and women who are blind or visually impaired, offering residents a safe, secure and well-maintained environment in home-like surroundings in which they can live independent lives. Support services, including healthcare, transportation, meals, and housekeeping services are available.

9541 Church Circle Drive
Belleville, IL 62223-1000
314-241-3400 Ext. 6444
618-394-6438 (Fax)
www.mindseyeradio.org [149]

Since 1973, the Minds Eye Information Service in the St. Louis Metro Area has provided free and verbatim readings of over 100 magazines, newspapers, books, and retail ads to people who are unable to read convential print, due to blindness, low vision, or a physical disability, sic as Parkinson's Disease or paralysis.

2905 West Garden Street
Peoria, IL 61605
309-637-3693
309-494-9656
309-494-9656 (Fax)
E-mail: peoriablindcenter@gmail.com [152]
No web site at present

Services include socialization, an educational program, talking computer, talking reader, low vision reading visual aids for sale, social services, support, and choir. Fees: $10.00 per year.

Low Vision Rehabilitation, Inc.
17049 Harlem Avenue
Tinley Park, IL 60477
708-407-6370
708 407-6371
708-429-3167 (Fax)
www.seewhateyesee.org [155]

See What Eye See provides low vision rehabilitation services to facilitate independence and safety in the home and in the community in order for adults with low vision to sustain their quality of life.

219 East Cole Avenue
Wheaton, IL 60187
630-690-7115
630-690-9037 (Fax)
www.spectrios.org [158]

The Spectrios Institute for Low Vision (formerly the Deicke Center for Visual Rehabilitation) offers a comprehensive low vision program for people with vision loss. The Spectrios Institute's success is due to a comprehensive program of visual rehabilitation and a highly qualified and caring staff. The program includes:

• A rehabilitation counselor who assists each patient to understand their eye condition, to set visual goals and learn coping techniques.
• An evaluation by a low vision rehabilitation doctor, who determines the amount of useable sight a person has, prescribes appropriate optical devices, and develop their individual rehabilitation plan.
• A certified vision rehabilitation therapist who instructs each patient in the use of the prescribed devices and daily living skills.
• As part of the Spectrios program, every patient visits Eye Tec, the Spectrios program of high technology, where computer systems, talking devices and electronic reading machines are available for demonstration and training.
• Information on safe movement, mobility, and techniques used to walk independently are shared with each person.

TCRC Sight Center
111 West Washington Street, Suite 410
East Peoria, IL 61611
309-698-4001
www.tcrcorg.com [161]
E-mail: info@tcrcorg.com [162]

The TCRC Sight Center provides unique services for people who are blind or visually impaired in central Illinois that can help maintain independence and self-sufficiency. These services include:

• The Low Vision Clinic
• Computer Technology Specialist Program
• Certified Orientation and Mobility instruction
• Rehabilitative instruction
• Specialized aids and optical devices
• Other support services

University of Illinois Eye & Ear Infirmary
1855 W. Taylor Street M/C 648
Chicago, IL 60612
312-996-6590
www.agingeye.net [165]
E-mail: sjain@eyedigest.com [166]

A publication of the University of Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary that provides information on a wide range of eye diseases and disorders, including macular degeneration, diabetic eye disease, glaucoma, cataract, dry eye, and low vision.

Ophthalmology: Vision Rehabilitation Service
Grandview Medical Center
300 North Grandview Avenue, Suite F
Dubuque, IA 52001
563-589-0592
Web site [170]
E-mail: clinical-outreach@uiowa.edu [171]  

The new vision rehabilitation clinic complements services currently provided by University of Iowa's Specialty Eye Care - Retina Service and will provide treatment for patients with low vision, along with offering consultation, educational activities, and other support services for physicians in northeast Iowa, southwest Wisconsin, and northwest Illinois.

www.va.gov [174] 
Contact the VA [175]

The mission of the Veterans' Healthcare System (VHA) is to serve the needs of America's veterans by providing primary care, specialized care, and related medical and social support services. Approximately a quarter of the nation's population -- approximately 70 million people -- are potentially eligible for VA benefits and services because they are veterans, family members or survivors of veterans.

Facilities Locator Home Page [176]: 
Use this search feature to locate VA facility-related information quickly and accurately.

Fact Sheets about VA Services [177]:
Use this search feature to locate VA News Releases and Fact Sheets on topics that include health care and benefits.

Services for Blind and Visually Impaired Veterans [178]:
The mission of the VA Blind Rehabilitation Service is to coordinate a healthcare service delivery system that provides a continuum of care for blinded veterans extending from their home environment to the local VA facility and to the appropriate rehabilitation setting.

Visual Impairment Service Team (VIST) [179]:
The Visual Impairment Service Team (VIST) Coordinator serves as the initial contact person for getting help with vision loss. VIST Coordinators are located at local VA Medical Centers across the country. They work to ensure that veterans with visual impairments receive appropriate benefits and services.

The VIST Coordinator is a case manager who has major responsibility for the coordination of all services for legally blind veterans and their families. Duties include providing and/or arranging for the provision of appropriate treatment plans and programs in order to enhance a blinded veteran's functioning level.

Other duties include identifying new cases of blindness, providing professional counseling, resolving problems, arranging annual healthcare reviews, and conducting education programs relating to blindness.

Services for blind and visually impaired veterans include:

• Orientation and Mobility
• Independent Living Skills
• Manual Skills
• Visual Skills and Low Vision Services
• Computer Access Training
• Physical Conditioning
• Recreation
• Adjustment to Blindness
• Family Program

A Low Vision Resource Service
19950 South Governors Highway
Olympia Fields, IL 60461
708-747-3075
708-481-4852 (Fax)
www.visionrehab.com [183]
E-mail contact [184]

The mission of Vision Rehab is to provide convenient and cost-effective access to a complete range of low vision devices and services.