Resources for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Vocational Rehabilitation Services

Each state has a vocational rehabilitation service. They vary in what they are called, but these state agencies can help a blind or visually impaired person with independent living skills, technology training, orientation, and mobility training, in some cases can even help pay for obtaining a degree so that you can work in a field of your choice.

Your goal in order to receive services with most of these agencies is to work or return to work, BUT many can provide services to increase independent living skills as well. The process to apply and be approved can take several months. It is helpful to have already met with an eye doctor and have the ability to send medical reports stating that you are legally blind to these agencies to expedite the process. Many states have will have a residential program where you can stay for several months and learn braille, orientation and mobility (O&M), cooking, and other independent living skills.

Orientation and Mobility is learning how to navigate the world as someone who is blind or visually impaired. An O&M instructor will teach many skills. You can obtain these services through state agencies, the Lighthouse for the Blind, or you can privately pay for these services. The website to find an O&M instructor is: https://www.acvrep.org/certifications/coms

There are several other agencies throughout the country that help the blind such as Lighthouse for the Blind, and the link below for the Printing House for the Blind you can search by state.

National Blindness Organizations

Organizations that provide a wide variety of services and resources through their websites:

The American Council of the Blind: www.ACB.org
The American Foundation for the Blind: www.AFB.org
The National Federation of the Blind: www.NFB.org
American Printing House for the Blind has a great search engine built into their website for state resources: www.APHConnectCenter.org

Independent Living

There are many low- and high-tech strategies to aid a blind or visually impaired person in living independently. Maxiaids and Independent Living Aids are two common websites in which you can purchase many low vision aids to make daily tasks easier.
www.maxiaids.com 
www.independentlivingaids.com

Assistive Technology

There are programs called screen readers that turn your computer or smart phone into a powerful tool for the blind. The two most common Windows-based programs are called JAWS and NVDA.

Freedom Scientific, who makes JAWS also makes a program called ZoomText that magnifies the screen for low vision: http://www.FreedomScientific.com

NVDA is a free open-source screen reading program as well: https://www.nvaccess.org/download/

All Apple products have a screen reader and magnifier called Voiceover built into the operating system. There are hundreds of applications for the iPhone for the blind and visually impaired to choose from. Android uses a program called Talk Back.

Reading Books

Having a library card can give you access to your public library’s audio book collection. In addition, the Library of Congress has the Talking Book program, and has hundreds of thousands of audio books to download. You need to register with your state Talking Book program by providing proof of legal blindness and then you can gain access to these audio books. https://www.loc.gov/nls/

Bookshare is a clearing house of scanned books that you can use a screen reader or Bookshare program to read. www.bookshare.org 

Learning Ally has a lot of audio books as well, focused primarily on textbooks. https://learningally.org