Specialty Organizations: Blind and Low Vision

Organizations - Publications - Manufacturers and Distributors

Organizations

American Council of the Blind: ACB is a leading membership organization of blind and visually impaired people. With 51 state and regional affiliates and 20 national special interest and professional affiliates, the Council strives to improve the well-being of all blind and visually impaired people.
American Foundation for the Blind: AFB offers a wealth of information on blind and low vision issues.
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. The Center is located on a five-acre suburban campus, and provides individualized short-term programs that teach adaptive methods for living independently, using technology, seeking employment, performing successfully in school, and living a full and productive life."
Choice Magazine Listening: CML offers free audio tapes of outstanding articles, short stories and poetry selected from over 100 current magazines such as The New Yorker, Audubon, The Atlantic, National Geographic, Scientific American, Smithsonian, Gourmet, Travel and Leisure, Sports Illustrated, Foreign Affairs, Outside, The Wall Street Journal, Granta and Time - along with occasional material from other media sources. These free tapes are distributed throughout the U.S. six times a year with eight hours of outstanding articles, fiction and poetry read by professional voices. The unabridged articles are recorded on 4-track tapes to be played on the special tape players available free through the Library of Congress Talking Book Program.
Descriptive Video Service: Descriptive Video Service (DVS) from WGBH in Boston (see link below) is a national service that makes Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) television programs, Hollywood movies on video, and other visual media accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired. DVS provides narrated descriptions of the key visual elements without interfering with the audio or dialogue of a program or movie. The narration describes visual elements such as actions, settings, body language and graphics. DVS is broadcast free to viewers by more than 130 public television stations nationwide. To receive DVS on television, a viewer must have either a stereo TV or VCR with the Second Audio Program (S.A.P.) feature or S.A.P. adapter.
A Guide to Information and Resources Related to Technology for People with Visual Impairments
Guide Dog Users Inc.: Guide Dog Users Inc. (GDUI) is one of the largest organization of people interested in the dog as a working guide. The membership is international, with the bulk of members in the continental United States, but with members in Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, Brazil, Australia and Japan.
The Lighthouse International: The Lighthouse International is a non-profit organization that provides a wide range of resources, good and services for people with visual impairments including vision rehabilitation services, education, research and advocacy. Founded in 1905, the Lighthouse is also listed as a manufacturer/distributor of assistive products.
National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research: The National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (NAEVR) is a non-profit advocacy organization made up of a coalition of professional, consumer, and industry organizations involved in research in eye and vision disorders. NAEVR's ultimate goal is to achieve the best vision for all Americans through advocacy and public education for eye and vision research supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Eye Institute, and other Federal research entities.
NEADS - National Education for Assistance Dog Services
National Eye Institute: NEI, part of the National Institutes of Health, attempts to discover safe and effective methods to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases and disorders of the visual system. In this way, the Institute helps to prevent, reduce, and possibly even eliminate blindness and visual impairment.
National Federation of the Blind: Founded in 1940, the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is one of the U.S.'s largest and most influential membership organizations of blind persons. With 50,000 members, the NFB has affiliates in all fifty states plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, and over seven hundred local chapters. The purpose of the National Federation of the Blind is two-fold - to help blind persons achieve self-confidence and self-respect and to act as a vehicle for collective self-expression by the blind.
Parenting Special Children with Visual Impairments: Another great miningco.com site with links to many resources on blindness and low vision.
United States Association of Blind Athletes: The USABA trains 3,000 blind and visually impaired athletes in 9 sports - alpine and nordic skiing, goalball, judo, powerlifting, swimming, tandem cycling, track and field and wrestling. Since its founding in 1976, the USABA has reached over 100,000 blind individuals. During that time, the organization has emerged as more than just a world-class trainer of blind athletes, it has become a vocal champion of the abilitites of America's legally blind residents.
VISIONS: "VISIONS is a not-for-profit charitable rehabilitation and social service agency. It's purpose is to develop and implement programs to assist blind and visually impaired adults to lead independent and active lives in their homes and communities, and to educate the public to understand the capabilities and needs of blind and visually impaired adults so that they may be integrated into all aspects of community life."
WGBH Media Access Page: Check out the CPB/WGBH National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM); The Caption Center; and WGBH's Descriptive Video Service (DVS®) for visually impaired audiences.

Publications

The Braille Forum: The Braille Forum is the monthly magazine of the American Council of the Blind.
The Braille Monitor: The Braille Monitor is the leading publication of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). It is produced monthly and is available in large print, in Braille, on cassette tape, or in e-mail formats. The Braille Monitor is read by the blind, their friends and families, teachers, employers, rehabilitation workers, legislators, vendors of products for the blind, and anyone interested in learning more about blindness. The Braille Monitor covers the events and activities of the National Federation of the Blind and addresses the many issues and concerns of the blind.
Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness: The Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness (JVIB) is the international, interdisciplinary journal of record on blindness and visual impairment from the American Foundation for the Blind that publishes scholarship and information and serves as a forum for the exchange of ideas, airing of controversies, and discussion of issues. JVIB is a monthly publication that includes research articles, as well as shorter pieces of interest to practitioners and extensive news coverage about the field of visual impairment. The tables of contents are available on-line, but only a few articles can be viewed on the Web. Each issue includes a product evaluation section; click here to see a listing of product evaluation articles.
Voice of Vision: Voice of Vision is published quarterly by by GW Micro that contains information on GW Micro products and discussions of other issues relating to computer access for people who are blind or have low vision.

Manufacturers & Distributors

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Last modified: Mar 09, 2004, 11:03 EST