It was December 1954 when a group of volunteers and members of the Lions Club of America led the charge to establish a nonprofit that would provide services and programs for people who are blind or have low vision. Society for the Blind was formed.
Today, 70 years later, Society for the Blind is in a 20,000-square-foot building in Midtown Sacramento. The building is nationally recognized and the only rehabilitative teaching center in a 27-county region of Northern California (half the Golden State) to serve people who are blind or low vision.
“Our board is incredibly engaged and committed,” says Shari. “We have a team of 40 highly-qualified staff who provide client-centered, professional training for our clients. We meet our clients where they are and create a personalized training plan. They have confidence they are learning the skills they need to enhance their lives.” Shari proudly shares that nearly half of the staff are blind or have low vision, and that several current staff were once clients at Society.
Each year, more than 5,000 men, women and children participate in Society for the Blind classes at the teaching center, in-home training sessions and community workshops. “We refer to those we serve in our clinic as ‘patients’ and those served in all our other programs as ‘clients,’ explains Shari.
Patients and clients of the Society find their way to the nonprofit through a variety of ways, including referrals from the California State Department of Rehabilitation, word of mouth, primary care physicians, schools and vision professionals.
Longtime partners of Society for the Blind include VSP and the UC Davis Eye Center. Shari is grateful for the support of these two corporate and healthcare institutions. And, she proudly shares that the Society now has two fulltime optometrists who specialize in low-vision eye care and two occupational therapists. “There is so much technology available today that benefits our clients,” adds Shari. “We are committed to matching our patients and clients with the technology that can best serve them.”
Shari explains that there is both an emotional component and a physical component that those served experience when they begin to receive services and participate in programs. Shari notes that fear is often present, and that patients and clients are often rediscovering themselves as they experience positive results from Society programs and services.
Conservatively, 10 percent of the population experiences vision loss or blindness. About 85 percent of those coming to the Society are low-income. Many people and employers underestimate the intelligence of a vision-impaired person, explains Shari, neglecting to recognize that a person with vision loss is a person first, and that vision loss does not define a person.
The average client at Society participates in programs and services for about two years. The four core classes clients take are: Orientation and Mobility, Assistive Technology, Braille and Independent Living Skills. “Braille is especially critical for children so they can learn to read, write and communicate,” notes Shari. The four leading causes of vision loss and blindness are Glaucoma, Age-related macular degeneration, Cataracts and Diabetic Retinopathy. Shari added that many of their clients ages 30 to 50 have diabetic retinopathy resulting from diabetes.
To mark its 70th Anniversary, Society for the Blind launched its $1 million Vision Forward Initiative. They plan to renovate a portion of the second floor to create a resource and learning center. “We want to position ourselves to be able to meet the growing demand and continue to offer state-of-the-art services for clients of all ages. The Vision Forward Initiative is our commitment to serving the capital region for the next 70 years,” says Shari.
