Additional Help & Resources For Those With Low Vision

low vision resources

photo provided by Toby Bradbury

If what we can provide through state-of-the art technology is not what you are seeking, here is a list of organizations that may be of further help to you.

National Resources

  • Sight Savers America -This organization serves more than 30,000 eligible children each year.  This organization coordinates comprehensive eye care services for children and provides vision aids to those with severely impaired vision.  These products and services are provided regardless of the ability of the child’s family to pay for them, ensuring that all eligible children have the products and services needed to see well enough to succeed in school and in life.
  • U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs – Veterans of the US Armed Forces who are legally blind or suffering from impaired vision can get assistance from the Department of Veteran’s Affairs.  They will help provide medical treatment and rehabilitation, as well as connect you with resources to obtain products that will enhance and enable an independent lifestyle.  We all want to be independent, and as a veteran of our Armed Forces, you deserve to enjoy the country that you fought so hard for.
  • Enhanced Vision – Enhanced Vision is a leading developer of assistive technology for the visually impaired including Macular Degeneration, Glaucoma, Cataracts, Retinitis Pigementosa and Diabetic Retinopathy. Low vision assistive technology enables people to read, write and fully participate in life.

 

Your Local Arizona Resources

  • Arizona Blind & Deaf Children’s Foundation – Children who are blind or deaf are taught how to use adaptable technology by the Arizona Blind & Deaf Children’s Foundation. It also provides cultural enrichment and socialization programs, sports and recreation programs, and training in the foundational skills necessary to become a successful adult.
  • Arizona Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ACBVI) – ACBVI offers adaptive technology, rehabilitation, counseling, and recreational programs for adults who are blind, visually impaired, or diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease that will eventually impair their vision. ACBVI also runs the Adaptive Technology Arizona (ATAZ) program that focuses on training the staff of Arizona’s Vocational Rehabilitation One-Stop.
  • Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind – Founded in 1912, the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind provide education to all children with hearing or vision loss throughout the state of Arizona. The Arizona School for the Blind (ASB) in Tucson focuses on the unique educational needs of visually impaired students from pre-school through twelfth grade, and accepts students from 3 years of age up to 22 years of age.
  • The Southern Arizona Association for the Visually Impaired (SAAVI) – Founded in 1964 and serving more than 2,000 blind and visually impaired people each year, SAAVI helps youths, adults, and seniors to adjust to their impaired vision, rehabilitate, regain mobility and independence, and master adaptive technology. They also help with career training and job placement, as well as providing counseling and a wide range of social activities.
  • University of Arizona Disability Resources – The Disability Resource Center at the University of Arizona creates an educational environment that can be used equitably by all members of the university community. They are dedicated to the recruitment, transition, retention, and graduation of students regardless of disability, and to accommodating individual needs with the minimum amount of effort for the affected student. One way they are meeting the needs of the visually impaired students is to post class notes online where they can be easily accessed with adaptive technology, eliminating the need for note taking.