Over the past two years, RDPFS has awarded more that $1 million to various organizations serving the blind and visually impaired. Much of our grant money goes towards supporting direct services to those most in need. We also support innovative programs designed to improve lives and foster independence. Here are some of our grant recipients and the muchneeded services they're involved with:

AWARE, Mohegan Lake, NY

Anne Yeadon, the Director of AWARE, is currently focusing her tireless energy on creating "the next generation of participatory website environments for the visually impaired." And Partners for Sight is helping in the funding. An exciting new userfriendly website, currently in the pilot stage, will provide self-help information and increase awareness of services and resources available to those with visual disabilities. It will also be geared for use by family members, friends & professionals.

Enrichment Audio Resource Services, Inc. (E.A.R.S. for EYES), NY, NY

This innovative program, delivering low vision services via easy-to-use audio tapes, first came to our attention three years ago. We liked the fact that anyone contacting E.A.R.S. could receive immediate help and not be put on a waiting list. Our most recent grant is helping to develop the E.A.R.S. Low Vision Support Group Directory and website. By reaching out to these established support groups, Director Tom McCarville believes they can more efficiently deliver their audio services to those who can benefit most. E.A.R.S. for EYES continues to expand and now has a presence in 44 states.

Visions Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired, New York, NY

The Children’s Vision Rehabilitation and Occupational Therapy project is targeted to the special needs of children with multiple disabilities. Some who are blind or visually impaired receive rehabilitation training in school, but there is often no home transfer of these skills. Without additional training and therapy, these children are at risk of not reaching their full potential. With the help of Partners for Sight, VISIONS can ensure that blind children, particularly those with multiple disabilities, receive the services they need.

The Associated Blind (TAB), New York, NY

TAB’s mission is to help those with no or low vision achieve self-reliance and financial independence through mainstream employment. In October 2000, TAB launched eSight Careers Network, Inc., an online community where people with disabilities share careerbuilding experiences and learn from each other. In just a few years the network has grown to over 4,000 registered members in 1,200 US cities, helping them pursue lifelong learning and skill-building opportunities, while they manage their own careers. Vocational rehab counselors, job placement specialists, career development facilitators, and employers interested in workforce diversity use the eSight Careers Network as well.

Perkins School for the Blind, Watertown, MA

Grant monies support the Regional Training Project for Vision Professionals. Teachers working with blind and visually disabled students have significant needs for ongoing in-service training. Caseloads are large and complex. They must train and support general education teachers, meet the demands of standardized testing, assist with educational planning, and provide specialized instruction, including Braille and other literacy strategies. They also advise and train other members of the child’s core educational team. Many are itinerant teachers working on a contractual basis with few opportunities for peer learning and networking. Building on the success of recent pilot programs, Perkins will conduct a series of training programs throughout New England this fall to address these needs.

American Foundation for the Blind, New York, NY

Last year we funded an AFB initiative to increase the number and availability of Braille transcribers to ensure blind students had equal access to instructional materials. AFB’s lead role in addressing this critical shortage is vitally important to Braille readers in the US. This year, we're funding AFB’s Technology Student Internship program, providing four blind students with practical work experience and real life role models. Over the summer, the interns will work on a project evaluating assistive technology.

National Braille Press, Boston, MA

In our previous newsletter, we mentioned that RDPFS was the lead funder of NBP's ReadBooks! Because Braille Matters program. Our support was pivotal to their reaching almost 6,000 families, providing Braille materials to young readers, educating parents and teachers, and promoting Braille as the means to achieve literacy. Now, a new initiative, Explore It! Tactile Graphics for Blind Kids,aims to cultivate abstract thinking in blind children by introducing specialized tactile materials at critical developmental stages.

The Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD

Wilmer Eye Institute Lions Low Vision Center is a treatment program serving nearly 1,200 patients annually. Taking a 3-pronged approach of evaluation, personalized training and home visitation, a multidisciplinary team of doctors, social workers and rehabilitation specialists works closely with the patient, family, friends, referring doctor, and community services to provide low vision evaluation, technology and care.

Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI), Boston, MA

The Vision Rehabilitation Center of MEEI was founded in 1985, and currently serves approximately 2,400 patients per year. In 2003, MEEI expanded its rehabilitation services for patients with vision loss by launching SECOND LOOK. The program offers a wide variety of new technology products for low-vision and legally blind patients in a hospital-based Vision Rehabilitation Center.

National Association for the Visually Handicapped, New York, NY

Dr. Lorraine Marchi, Founder and CEO of NAVH, shares our philosophy that impaired vision does not have to result in an impaired lifestyle. A tireless advocate for the “hard of seeing,” Dr. Marchi asked us to support NAVH’s Homebound Program, a division of its Senior Outreach Program. For those elderly unable or unwilling to leave their home, an NAVH staff member will visit one-on-one to offer personalized attention and training in the use of independent living aids. This encourages them to use their remaining vision to maintain productive lifestyles.

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