1071 Morrison Drive
Charleston, SC 29403
843-723-6915
843-577-4312 (Fax)
www.aftbsc.org
E-mail: aftb@aftbsc.org

The Association for the Blind (AFTB) provides support and services for people with visual needs.

Programs include:

• Living Well with Partial Vision: Comprehensive individualized in-home vision rehabilitation that helps those experiencing vision loss to achieve or maintain independence. Participants learn to use adaptive techniques and assistive devices to take care of themselves and their homes while maximizing the use of their remaining vision. Treatment is led by South Carolina’s only Certified Low Vision Therapist, who specially trains all of the program’s Occupational Therapists.
• ReFocus: Offers eye exams, eye glasses and follow-up services for un- or under-insured individuals who live on less than 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. AFTB works with local outreach organizations and generous eye care professionals to offer this program at little to no cost.
• Computer Training: Legally blind individuals are taught specialized talking and magnification software programs for the blind at no cost. Through collaboration with the SC Commission for the Blind, graduates receive a rebuilt computer with the assistive software they have learned pre-installed.
• Low Vision Aids Rental Program: For those who need a Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) but cannot afford the expense, AFTB offers CCTVs for a low monthly rental fee.
• Social Events and Advocacy: Throughout the year, several social, educational, cultural and recreational events are offered to visually impaired members whose activities are often limited due to lack of transportation and/or lack of financial means. Annual Holiday Luncheons, Low Vision Fairs, Spoleto Festival musical performances, overnight fishing trips, and family festivals are just a few of the events offered.
• Scholarships for the Care of Guide Dogs: AFTB offers assistance with veterinary care and grooming for qualified guide dog users.

1447 East Main Street
Spartanburg, SC 29307
864-585-1778 (Voice)
864-585-2617 (TTY)
864-585-2611 (Fax)
www.dcmp.org
E-mail: info@dcmp.org

The DCMP is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and administered by the National Association of the Deaf. Services provided include:

• Free-loan accessible (captioned and described) educational videos (streamed from the DCMP website or available on DVD) for K-12 students with vision or hearing loss. Teachers, parents, family members, and other adults who work with qualifying students may register for a free lending account.
• Clearinghouse of accessibility information focusing on the educational use of captioned and described video.
• Training resources for captioning and description service vendors, including a registry of "U.S. Department of Education-approved" captioning and description vendors.
• Gateway to information from a number of partner/collaborator organizations associated with the fields of vision and hearing loss.

Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults
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

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

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.

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

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

P.O. Box 81
Savannah, GA 31401-4021
912-236-4473
www.sabinc.org
E-mail: jking@sabinc.org (Jim King, Executive Director)  

Savannah Association for the Blind, Incorporated (SAB) is a private, nonprofit agency serving the general public in southeastern Georgia and coastal South Carolina. The mission of Savannah Association for the Blind, Inc. is to provide rehabilitation services designed to help blind and visually impaired individuals in all walks of life function independently in their homes and in the community.

Programs and services include:

• Low Vision examinations conducted by a licensed optometrist who prescribes highly specialized low vision aids to maximize the use of residual vision. As appropriate, practical applications for these low vision aids are incorporated in the training provided in the other components.
• Orientation and Mobility instruction helps each individual learn to travel with others using the sighted guide technique and to travel independently using a white cane.
• Communication Skills enhances independence through braille, audio recorders, large print, typing, computer skills, writing checks, and balancing a checkbook.
• Social Services assures a firm foundation for independent living through individualized counseling, group counseling, family counseling, and self-advocacy training.
• Senior Day Services provide supports for elderly individuals, (and their families, if present), who do not function fully independently, but who do not need 24-hour nursing care.

P.O. Box 2467
1430 Confederate Avenue
Columbia, SC 29202-0079
800-922-2222 (Toll free)
803-898-8731
803-898-8852 (Fax)
www.sccb.state.sc.us
E-mail: publicinfo@sccb.sc.gov

The mission of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind is to provide quality, individualized vocational rehabilitation services, independent living services, and prevention of blindness services to blind and visually impaired consumers leading to competitive employment and social and economic independence.

1410 Boston Avenue
P.O. Box 15
West Columbia, SC 29171-0015
800-832-7526 (Toll free)
803-896-6500
803-896-6553 (TTY)
www.scvrd.net
E-mail: Contact South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department

P.O. Box 1923
Irmo, SC 29063
803-627-8847
803-782-4236
www.tvisc.org
E-mail: info@tvisc.org

TVI was founded as a non-profit corporation on June 24, 2010, in response to a state-wide need for a private entity to assist in providing a variety of services for individuals who are visually impaired or blind.

TVI staff includes certified teachers who specialize in early childhood education, reading, visual impairment, O&M, special education and rehabilitation. Services include pre-school, educational, senior, and low vision.

www.va.gov 
Contact the VA

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: 
Use this search feature to locate VA facility-related information quickly and accurately.

Fact Sheets about VA Services:
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:
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):
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