Service Organizations
National Service Organizations
- American Council of the Blind general information including recent issues of The Braille Forum (Washington, DC). Go here for a list of ACB Affiliated Organizations - ACB Radio
- American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), a U.S. nonprofit organization enabling blind or visually impaired people to achieve equality and access. Provides information and referrals about living with visual impairment. Helen Keller devoted over 40 years of her life to AFB.
- American Printing House For The Blind, Inc. APH promotes the independence of blind and visually impaired persons by providing special media, tools, and materials needed for education and life.
- Blinded Veterans Association: To promote the welfare of blinded veterans so that, notwithstanding their disabilities, they may take their rightful place in the community and work with their fellow citizens toward the creation of a peaceful world.
- Council of Citizens with Low Vision: An Affiliate of the American Council of the Blind
- The Council of Schools for the Blind (COSB) is a consortium of specialized schools in Canada and the United States whose major goal is improving the quality of services to children who are blind and visually impaired.
- Envision is a private, not-for-profit agency uniquely combining employment opportunities with rehabilitation services. Anyone who is legally to totally blind is eligible
- Guiding Eyes for the Blind one of the foremost guide dog training schools in the country (Yorktown Heights, NY)
- Helen Keller Services for the Blind For over 123 years, Helen Keller Services for the Blind (HKSB) has been a pioneer in the field of blindness rehabilitation. One of the oldest, continuously operated not-for-profit rehabilitation agencies in the United States, HKSB provides unparalleled resources for blind, visually impaired and developmentally disabled people, giving them the tools to achieve their goals during every phase of their lives.
- Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths & Adults (HKNC) Authorized by an Act of Congress in 1967, HKNC is the only organization of its kind—providing training and resources exclusively to people age 16 and over who have combined vision and hearing loss. Students travel from across the country to our headquarters in Sands Point, New York, for on-campus training in assistive technology.
- Learning Ally: formerly Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, a nonprofit volunteer organization, is the nation's educational library serving people who cannot effectively read standard print because of visual impairment, dyslexia, or other physical disability.Learning Ally 20 Roszel Road, Princeton, NJ 08540, (800) 221-4792
- The Lighthouse Guild Lighthouse Guild is the leading not-for-profit vision + healthcare organization, with a long-standing heritage of addressing the needs of people who are blind or visually impaired, including those with multiple disabilities or chronic medical conditions.
- National Association for Parents of the Visually Impaired (NAPVI)
- National Braille Press: Nonprofit braille printing and publishing house offering low-cost braille books and magazines. Free catalogues in print or braille.
National Braille Press, 88 St. Stephen Street, Boston, MA 02115
Phone: (617) 266-6160 Toll-free: (800) 548-7323 Fax: (617) 437-0456 - National Council on Disability (NCD)
- National Federation of the Blind: With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind is the largest and most influential membership organization of blind people in the United States. The NFB improves blind people’s lives through advocacy, education, research, technology, and programs encouraging independence and self-confidence. (Baltimore, MD)
- The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped Website NLS administers a free library program of braille and recorded materials circulated to eligible borrowers through a network of cooperating libraries.
- National Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision at Mississippi State
- NOAH : The National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation
1530 Locust Street #29 Philadelphia, PA 19102-4415
215-545-2322 800-473-2310
Email: [email protected]
Internationally Focused Service Organizations
- Foundation Fighting Blindness a world renowned national eye research organization that funds retinal degenerative disease research at over 50 prominent institutions in the United States and foreign countries.
- The Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) is the only international membership organization dedicated to rendering all possible support and assistance to the professionals who work in all phases of education and rehabilitation of blind and visually impaired children and adults. Our membership is comprised of more than 4,200 professionals who provide services to people with visual impairments.
- International Council for 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. This website includes information that is relevant not only to ICEVI in general, but, most importantly, to the activities that take place in the seven regions of ICEVI.
- Lions Clubs. Serving the blind and visually impaired to learn independent living skills or job training skills that considered their individual visual impairments.
- Lions International Headquarters
- Lions World Services for the Blind (LWSB)
- Orbis International - US is a nonprofit humanitarian organization dedicated to blindness prevention and treatment in developing countries.
Technology Service Organizations
- Baruch College - Computer Center for Visually Impaired People
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.
Computer Center for Visually Impaired People
Baruch College, CUNY
151 East 25th Street, room 648
NY, N.Y. 10010
Phone: (646) 312-1420 Fax: (646) 312-1421
Email: Karen Gourgey, Ed.D, Director
[email protected] - Equal Access to Software & info.: E A S I Provider of Online Training on Accessible Information Technology for Persons with Disabilities reaching more than 4,000 people in over 3 dozen countries since 1993
- The National Center to Improve Practice (NCIP) promotes the effective use of technology to enhance educational outcomes for students with sensory, cognitive, physical and social/emotional disabilities.
- Trace Development and Research Center The mission of the Center is: "To advance the ability of people with disabilities to achieve their life objectives through the use of communication, computer and information technologies."
- Visually Impaired Pittsburgh Area Computer Enthusiasts! Motivated by the need to learn and a desire to share their specialized knowledge, a small group of visually impaired computer users in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania formed VIPACE! (Visually Impaired Pittsburgh Area Computer Enthusiasts) in 1988.
State Service Organizations
- Associated Services for the Blind & Visually Impaired is located in historic Center City, Philadelphia. Our many divisions serve the local Philadelphia and Delaware Valley areas and beyond.
- Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ABVI)–Goodwill Industries of Greater Rochester, Inc. ABVI–Goodwill provides the most diverse and comprehensive range of programs and services for people who are blind and visually impaired between Buffalo and New York City.
- he Blind Center of Nevada offers programs and activities, both on and off-site, that encourage independence and improve the quality of life for individuals with visual limitations.
- Blind Childrens Center: is a non-profit organization available to blind and partially sighted children regardless of race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, religion, or ability to pay. Founded in 1938, the Center is a project of the Southern California Delta Gammas. The Blind Childrens Center operates without state or federal assistance.
- Blind Industries and Services of Maryland is leading the way to greater opportunity for Maryland citizens who are blind or visually impaired. Through the diverse skills and dedication of our exceptional team, our nationally recognized resource center serves over 2000 individuals each year with innovative rehabilitation and training programs that put people on the road to independence.
- Boston Foundation For Sight: Their mission is to advance the development of sight-restoring contact lens devices for people visually disabled by corneal diseases and to make them available to all who can benefit from their use regardless of their ability to pay or where they live.
The Boston Foundation For Sight
464 Hillside Ave., Suite 205
Needham, MA 02494
Tel: Main: (781)-726-7337 Appt: (781)-726-7333 Fax: 781-726-7310
Email: [email protected] - The Carroll Center for the Blind: The Carroll Center for the Blind, located in Newton, Massachusetts, is a private, non–profit agency which serves persons of all ages who are blind or visually impaired. Throughout its 68–year history, the Center has pioneered innovative methods for blind persons to gain independence in their homes, in class settings, and in their work places.
The Carroll Center for the Blind
770 Centre Street
Newton, MA 02458
Telephone: (617) 969-6200 (800) 852-3131
Fax: (617) 969-6204 - The Chicago Lighthouse: Founded in 1906, The Chicago Lighthouse is one of the nation’s most comprehensive social service agencies. Housed under its roof are the nation’s oldest low vision clinic; one of the few remaining clock manufacturing facilities in the U.S.; a nationally acclaimed school for children who are blind with multi-disabilities; a VA program serving veterans in all 50 states; and a radio station. The agency provided education, referral and direct services to more than 70,000 people in fiscal year 2007.
The Chicago Lighthouse
1850 West Roosevelt Road Chicago, IL 60608-1298
Tel: (312) 666-1331 * Fax: (312) 243-8539 * TDD: (312) 666-8874 - Cleveland Sight Center (CSC) is a multi-faceted private agency founded in 1906 providing educational, rehabilitative, preventative and support services for 10,000 people in the greater Cleveland area who are blind or visually impaired. We offer specific programs and services, as well as an infinite number of resources, social clubs, recreational activities, and more. These programs are available to residents in Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties, and to part of Medina County.
- The Clovernook Center, Cincinnati Ohio Mission: Provide individualized training and opportunities for people who are visually impaired, particularly those with additional disabilities, to enable the attainment of an optimal quality of life.
Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired - Cincinnati
7000 Hamilton Avenue
Cincinnati , Ohio 45231
513-522-3860 - Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind Since 1900, Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind has been dedicated to helping the blind or visually impaired population of the greater Washington region overcome the challenges of vision loss.
- Connecticut Council of the Blind (CCB) is a representative organization composed primarily of legally blind individuals. It is an affiliate of the American Council of the Blind.
- Florida Division of Blind Services - If you need assistance now and live in Florida, call 1-800-342-1828 for immediate help.
- Iowa Educational Services for the Blind & Visually Impairedprovides direct educational services to children and youth with visual impairments in the state of Iowa
- Kentucky Office for the Blind: The mission of the Kentucky Office for the Blind is to provide opportunities for employment and independence to individuals with visual disabilities.
- LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired-San Francisco Founded in 1902, San Francisco’s LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired promotes the independence, equality and self-reliance of people who are blind or have low vision
- The Massachusetts Association for the Blind is based in Brookline, MA. They are a non-profit agency serving children and adults with visual and other disabilities.
- New York State Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped The New York State Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped (CBVH) provides vocational rehabilitation and other direct services to blind and visually impaired New York State residents, including children, adults, and elderly persons.
- Oak Hill Connecticut's Largest Provider of Services for the Disabled. It provides a full range of services to people with disabilities. We help all ages, from newborns to seniors. And our experienced staff covers the needs of every intellectual, developmental and physical disability.
- St. Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired provides the full range of vision rehabilitation and education services to children and adults.
- Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitation The DARS Division for Blind Services (DBS) assists blind or visually impaired individuals and their families. Depending upon their goals and needs, DBS offers services to help regain independence or find a job.
Guide Dog Service Organizations
- Guide Dogs for the Blind, Inc., provides skilled dogs and training in their use free of charge. California and Oregon campuses.
- Leader Dogs for the Blind Founded by three Detroit-area Lions Clubs members in 1939, Leader Dogs for the Blind empowers people who are blind, visually impaired or Deaf-Blind with skills for a lifetime of independent travel, opening doors that may seem to have closed with the loss of sight.