Comprehensive Sources of Information for Persons with a Vision Impairment

c/o Access Media Group LLC
960 Grand Avenue
San Diego, CA 92109
858-454-2145
www.allaboutvision.com [2]

AllAboutVision.com was launched in January 2000 to provide consumers with an independent source of trustworthy information on eye health and vision correction options. The web site contains information about eye conditions, problems, diseases, and clinical trials [3].

American Foundation for the Blind [7]
11 Penn Plaza, Suite 300
New York, NY 10001
800-232-5463 (800-AFB-LINE)
212-502-7600
212-502-7777 (Fax)
E-mail: afbinfo@afb.net [8]

AFB Center on Vision Loss [9]
11030 Ables Lane
Dallas, TX 75229
214-352-7222
E-mail: dallas@afb.net [10]

AFB TECH [11]
949 3rd Avenue, Suite 200
Huntington, WV 25701
304-523-8651
E-mail: AFBTECH@afb.net [12]

Find Vision Rehabilitation Services and Support Groups

The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) provides a 'Where Can I Find…' [13] database of services in the United States and Canada. The database includes extensive resources, including computer training, rehabilitation services, volunteer services, employment and job training, support groups, and many other helpful areas.

In addition, the American Foundation for the Blind 

• Provides services to, and acts as an information clearinghouse for, people who are blind or visually impaired and their families, professionals, organizations, schools, and corporations
• Stimulates research and mounts program initiatives to improve services to blind or visually impaired people
• Publishes a wide variety of professional, reference, and consumer books and videos.

1703 North Beauregard Street, Suite 440
Alexandria, VA 22311
877-492-2708 (Toll free)
703-671-4500
703-671-6391 (Fax)
www.aerbvi.org [19]
Contact AER [20]

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 [21] and the Orientation and Mobility Division [22] offer on-line courses for professionals.

For a list of United States chapters of AER, see AER Chapters, state by state [23].

Blindskills, Inc. [27]
P.O. Box 5181
Salem, OR 97304-0181
800-860-4224 (Toll free)
503-581-4224
503-581-0178 (Fax)
E-mail: info@blindskills.com [28]

The mission of Blindskills, Inc. [27] is to disseminate resources and information to blind and visually impaired people and their families. Blindskills addresses this mission through its toll-free help line, web site, and bi-monthly publication, DIALOGUE: A World of ideas for Visually Impaired People of All Ages [29], which is available in five formats. Blindskills, Inc. also provides a toll-free number that can be used by anyone in the United States or Canada. 

741 North Vermont Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90029
323-663-1111
www.brailleinstitute.org [35]
E-mail: la@brailleinstitute.org [36]
Office locations: Contact Braille Institute [37]

The Braille Institute offers services to help people with limited or no vision lead independent and enriched lives. All programs are free of charge and include the following services:

• An in-home Child Development Program for parents of blind infants and toddlers
• Youth and Career Services
• Counseling and Support Services
• Adaptation to Sight Loss classes
• Low Vision consultations

For adults who can't attend a regional center, many classes are offered in community locations throughout Southern California. Mobile Solutions vehicles travel throughout Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Bernardino, and Riverside Counties. Vistas, the retail store, has many practical, adaptive items for sale.

This Directory [41] from The American Foundation for the Blind is available as a book and as an searchable online database. It includes:

• Information on more than 1,500 organizations, agencies, and product manufacturers
• State-by-state and province by province listings of organizations Descriptions of services, legislation and key agencies in the blindness field
• Expanded information on assistive products and their distributors
• Updated web site and e-mail addresses

Lighthouse International [44]
111 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1202
800-829-0500 (Toll free)
212-821-9200
212-821-9713 (TDD)
E-mail: info@lighthouse.org [45]

In addition to providing rehabilitation, low vision, and a wide range of vision rehabilitation services, Lighthouse International produces VisionConnection.org [46], a one-stop, accessible resource on vision impairment and vision rehabilitation for people who are blind or have low vision, the professionals who work with them, the family and friends who support them, and anyone looking for the latest information on prevention, research, and treatment.

LowBrowse™ [47]

Lighthouse International has announced a new add-on software tool that will enable millions of people worldwide with low vision to access previously inaccessible web pages. LowBrowse™ enables people with moderate or severe low vision to both view web pages as the original web author intended and read the text on those pages tailored to their own visual needs. The program runs in conjunction with the Mozilla Firefox browser, is offered at no charge, and is available for download via the Firefox add-on site. LowBrowse will work with Mozilla, IE and Mac.

Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision (RRTC)
P.O. Drawer 6189
Mississippi State, MS 39762
662-325-2001
662-325-8989 (Fax)
662-325-8693 (TDD)

Find Vision Rehabilitation and Low Vision Information

The mission of the RRTC is to enhance employment and independent living outcomes for individuals who are blind or visually impaired through research, training, education, and dissemination.

The Information and Referral Resource Project [50] provides information and network links by state on the following topics: low vision services, organizations, products, publications, radio reading services, rehabilitation and blindness resources, sports and recreation.

The Business Enterprise Program [51] is a training and entrepreneurial program that teaches individuals who are blind or have low vision to manage and run businesses, most often vending operations, including snack bars and cafeterias in schools, corporate offices, and Federal and state facilities.

Project H.I.R.E. (Hip, Independent and Ready for Employment) [52] is conducting empirical research on transition services that lead to competitive employment outcomes for transition-age individuals with blindness or other visual impairments.

[55]National Association for Visually Handicapped (NAVH) [56] (NAVH) assists clients in locating services and resources in their area, which are appropriate for the visually impaired. These services and resources include low vision services, eye care specialists, state agencies and nonprofits committed to serving the visually impaired, and emotional support services. Some information on international services is also available.

NAVH New York City
22 West 21st Street 6th Floor
New York, NY 10010
888-205-5951
212-255 2804
212-727 2931 Fax
E-mail: staff@navh.org [57]

NAVH San Francisco
507 Polk Street, Suite 420
San Francisco, CA 94102
888-205-5951
415-775-NAVH (6284)
415-346-9593 Fax
E-mail: staffca@navh.org [58]

NAVH's mission is to help the "hard of seeing" worldwide cope with the psychological effects of visual impairment and to provide low vision services, visual aids and training to anyone in need of these services.

NAVH's Low Vision Aids Catalog [59] offers magnifiers, light bulbs, lamps, clocks and watches, writing aids, electronic devices, and other products. NAVH's large print free-by-mail library [60] offers over 9,000 titles and is accessible to anyone in the United States.

National Federation of the Blind [63]
1800 Johnson Street
Baltimore, MD 21230
410-659-9314
410-685-5653 (Fax)

"The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight. The real problem is the misunderstanding and lack of information that exist."

With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is the largest membership organization of blind people in the United States. The NFB works to improve blind people's lives through advocacy, education, research, technology, and programs that encourage independence and self-confidence. The NFB has affiliates in all 50 states plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, and over 700 local chapters. In January 2004, the NFB opened the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, the first research and training center in the United States for the blind led by the blind. To find the local chapter in your area, go to State Affiliates of the NFB [64].

Programs and services include:

• The International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind [65]
• NFB-NEWSLINE® [66]
• NFB-LINK® [67]
• Jacobus tenBroek Library [68]
• NFB Scholarship Program [69]
• Braille Readers Are Leaders Program [70]
• Braille Is Beautiful [71]
• NFB ShareBraille [72]
• Possibilities Fair for Seniors [73]

105 Judd Street
London WC1H 9NE
England, UK
+44 20 7388 1266
+44 20 7388 2034 (Fax)
www.rnib.org.uk [78]
E-mail: helpline@rnib.org.uk [79]  

The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) 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 formats. You can search the online catalog [80] for items in the collection.

The RNIB's online shop [81] sells a variety of accessible products, such as clocks, games, lighting, talking book players, telephones, and publications.