Thanks to your generous support, VISIONS/Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired serves over 3,500 blind and visually impaired persons annually.  Here are some of the programs that your gift helps to support:

The Families at Camp program at Vacation Camp for the Blind hosted 32 blind children and their families for Summer 2006.  The blind children, many of whom had multiple disabilities, received vision rehabilitation and orientation & mobility training.  Support groups were offered for the parents/caregivers and for sighted siblings.  All of the family members participated together in activities that included adaptations to enable the blind children to fully take part along with everyone else.  Families gained support and information while their children learned to become more independent.

Vision rehabilitation training enabled youth, adults, and seniors with vision loss to be independent by learning a variety of skills and techniques that enabled them to manage in their homes and travel safely.  Participants learned to use a prescribed long cane to navigate through their neighborhoods and acquired orientation skills to determine their location and the best route to take.  Vision rehabilitation professionals taught how to perform everyday tasks and make the necessary adaptations to their living space.  For people who are blind, independence can be as simple as preparing their own meals or as complex as traveling the New York City subway system.  Over 12,000 hours of service were provided in 2006 for 664 individuals.

Adapted educational programs at VISIONS at Selis Manor offered 580 people who are visually impaired the opportunity for lifelong learning in 2006.  From blind high school students participating in the after school program to blind seniors attending Senior Speak Out, VISIONS offered programs that enabled people with vision loss to enrich their lives and learn new skills.  Computer classes were among the most popular offered.  The newly renovated Computer Center has eight adapted computer stations with screen enlargement software for participants with some residual sight and text to voice software for those who are totally blind.  All registration and class materials were provided in Braille, large print, and on audiotape.

Your investment allows VISIONS to offer these and other vital programs for people of all ages who are blind or visually impaired.  Eighty-eight cents of every dollar is spent on programs with only 12 cents spent on administration and fund raising.  Thank you for your support!