Financial Assistance for People Who
Are Blind or Visually
Impaired
This list is not intended to be a complete listing of all
organizations which provide financial assistance, nor is it intended to be an
endorsement of any organization or publication.
Medical
American Academy of Ophthalmology
PO Box 7424, 655 Beach Street
San Francisco, CA 94120
(415) 561-8500
Sponsors the National Eye Care Project which offers financial assistance to the
elderly for eye care.
Eye Bank for Sight Restoration
210 East 64th Street
New York City, NY 10021
(212) 980-6700
Collects and distributes healthy donated corneas.
Hermundslie Foundation
3762 N. Harrison Road
Tucson, AZ 85749
(602) 749-2982
Provides funding for eye research through the Minnesota Society for the
Prevention of Blindness & Preservation of Hearing 674 Transfer Road, St.
Paul, MN 55114-1402 (612) 645-2546.
Knights Templar Eye Foundation
PO Box 579
Springfield, IL 62705-0579
(217) 523-3838
Provides funding for eye treatment, surgery and hospitalization for needy
persons.
New Eyes for the Needy
PO Box 332, 549 Milburn Avenue
Short Hills, NJ 07078
(201) 376-4903
Provides eyeglasses for those who cannot afford to buy them.
Adaptive Equipment & Technology
American Foundation for the Blind
11 Penn Plaza, Suite 300
New York, NY 10001
(212) 502-7600 or (800) 232-5463
Administers a low interest loan program for the purchase of the Kurzweil
"Personal Reader".
Braille Institute of America, Inc
741 North Vermont Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90029
(213) 663-1111
Provides financial subsidies for the purchase of electronic equipment needed to
enhance employability.
California Council of the Blind
3919 Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91505
(800) 221-6359
Provides low interest equipment loans to the blind for special equipment needed
to enhance employability.
Telesensory Corp.
520 Almanor Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94086-3533
(800) 227-8418
Offers a program that subsidizes the financing of the purchase of the Optacon
II.
Educational Scholarships
American Council of the Blind
1155 15th Street, NW, Suite 720
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 467-5081 or (800) 424-8666
Provides scholarships annually to post-secondary students who are blind. Also
publishes a listing of other scholarships available to students who are blind or
visually impaired.
Federal & State Agencies
Social Security Administration
Baltimore, MD 21228
There are two programs under Social Security that may be helpful to people who
meet the legal definition of blindness:
1. Benefits based on earnings in work covered by Social
Security if one has sufficient time in such work to make one eligible; and
2. Supplemental Security Income payable to people who are aged, blind or
disabled and who have very little in the way of income and resources. Disabled
and blind children may benefit from the programs.
Call 1-800-772- 1213 between 7:00am and 7:00pm weekdays,
or write or visit the Social Security office nearest you.
Many state governments provide a variety of programs and
services to the blind and visually impaired such as low interest mortgage loans,
property tax credits and a variety of other financial assistance. Survey your
local government agency for specific information in your state.
Many local vocational rehabilitation offices provide
financial assistance for adapted equipment and may also be able to identify
other organizations who provide assistance. Survey your local office for
detailed information.
Other Organizations
Lions Clubs International
300 22nd Street
Oak Brook, IL 60570
(312) 571-5466
Local chapter of Lions Clubs may provide financial assistance to individuals.
Survey the national office (listed above) for the location of your nearest local
chapter.
Opportunities for the Blind, Inc.
PO Box 510
Leonardtown, MD 20650
(800) 884-1990
Provides financial assistance for career-oriented purposes such as graduate
school tuition assistance, vocational grants, job counseling/placement services,
aids and appliances.
Publications
Financial Aid for the Disabled and Their Families,
1992-1994
by Gail Ann Schlachter & R. David Weber
(ISBN 0-918276-05-5)
$35.00 plus shipping & handling. Send orders to: Reference Service Press,
1100 Industrial Road, Suite 9, San Carlos, CA 94070.
Smiling Interface
PO Box 2793
Church Street Station
New York City, NY 10008-2792
(415) 864-2220
Publishes a bi-monthly newsletter, "Financing Assistive Technology"
which is available in print, cassette, diskette, fax or E-mail. A one year
subscription is $39 for individuals and $45 for organizations. Call for a sample
issue.
View Site Map
|
|
|
|
|
