The selected references can help you make the most of your sight. The list provides examples of what resources are available. Any legally blind (vision of 20/200 or worse in the better seeing eye) person in need can apply for SSI or SSDI at the nearest Social Security Office. In Maine, legally blind individuals may receive a real estate tax exemption of up to $4,000 through their local town office. ID Cards for those without a driver’s license are available at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
American Academy of Ophthalmology
P.O. Box 7424
San Francisco, CA 94120-7424
(415) 561-8500
https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/low-vision
American Council of the Blind
115515th Street, N.W, Suite 1004
Washington, DC 20005
(800) 424-8666
(202) 467-5081
www.acb.org
Offers a wide variety of services to visually impaired persons with emphasis on employment opportunities. Publishes the Braille Forum.
American Foundation for the Blind
11 Penn Plaza, Suite 30
New York, NY 10001
1-800-232-5463
www.afb.org
Offers consultation services to eye care, rehabilitation, and education professionals. Serves as a national clearinghouse for information about blindness and visual impairment. Provides referrals to low vision centers.
American Macular Degeneration Foundation
PO Box 515
Northampton, MA 01061
(413) 587-9475
Associated Services for the Blind
919 Walnut Street, 2nd Floor
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107
215-627-0600
Offers personal adjustment to blindness training and orientation and mobility training. Provides materials in Braille. Offers computer training using adaptive devices. Provides subscriptions (for a nominal fee) to magazines such as: Family Circle, Fortune, Smithsonian, Science News, and others.
Association for Education & Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired
4600 Duke Street, Suite 430
P.O. Box 22397
Alexandria, VA 22304
1-877-492-2708
Includes educators, rehabilitators, administrators, and parents of blind children, agencies, schools, and others interested in the education, guidance, vocational rehabilitation, or occupational placement of the blind and partially-sighted. Cooperates with colleges and universities in conferences and workshops. Conducts certification programs and maintains job exchange services. Works with state and national governments on legislation affecting services to blind and visually impaired individuals.
The Iris Network
189 Park Avenue
Portland, ME 04102
1-800-715-0097
Non-profit agency with an18 bed residential program for the blind, a 4 to 16 week rehabilitation program on site and local community rehabilitation services. Computer access training and career development are available. Also provides Maine AIRS, an audio program of various Maine newspapers read over the stations of Maine Public Television.
State Of Maine Department of Labor
Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired
2 Anthony Avenue, 73 SHS
Augusta, ME 04333-0073
207-624-5191
Provides education services for children, vocational rehabilitation and independent living services.
Association for Macular Diseases
212-605-3719
Quarterly newsletter, seminars
Blinded Veterans Association
477 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
1-800-669-7079
www.bva.org
Links veterans with services, rehabilitation training and other benefits and helps them find jobs. Offers spouses and dependent children of blinded veterans a chance to continue their education through a scholarship program.
Council of Citizens with Low Vision International
1-800-733-2258
Serves as an advocacy group for the visually impaired. Provides information on low vision technology. Offers scholarship. Publishes the CCLV News.
The Foundation Fighting Blindness
Executive Plaza I, Suite 800
11350 McCormick Road
Hunt Valley, MD 21031
1-888-394-3937
National research organization.
The Lighthouse, Inc.
36-20 Northern Blvd.
Long Island City, NY 11101
1-800-826-4200
Leading resource on vision impairment and adaptive products, enabling people who are blind or have partial sight to lead independent lives.
Macular Degeneration Partnership
1-888-430-9898
Free information and research updates, monthly on-line newsletter.
National Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments, Inc.
P. O.Box317
Watertown, MA 02471-0317
1-800-562-6265
(617) 972-7441
Offers emotional support for parents of blind or visually impaired children. Provides information, training and assistance, and help in understanding and using available resources. Publishes Awareness, a quarterly newsletter.
National Society to Prevent Blindness
500 East Remington RoadSchaumburg, IL 601731-800-331-2020www.preventblindness.org
Educational materials on blindness
Resources for Rehabilitation33 Bedford Street, Suite 19A
Lexington, MA 02420
(781)862-6455
www.rfr.org
Offers training programs for public and professionals on coping with low vision. Publishes books and materials related to low vision.
United States Department of Veteran’s Affairs
Low Vision Benefits:877-222-8387
Some hospitals offer limited visual aids and training. The closest regional low vision/blind rehabilitation center is located in West Haven, CT.
Vision Community Services, A Division of the Massachusetts Association for the Blind
23A Elm Street
Watertown, MA 02472
(617) 926-4232
Provides resources locally, nationally and internationally. Offers a wide variety of cooking equipment, recreational, and household items. Catalog is available in large print, audiocassette, or computer disk.
VISIONS/Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired
500 Greenwich Street, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10013-1354
1-888-245-8333
www.visionsvcb.org
Offers free services to adults over age 55 and teens with severe vision problems. Services include self-help study kits, counseling, vision rehabilitations training, consumer workshops, and an information center. Provides volunteer and overnight camp services for blind and visually impaired adults and elders and parents of blind children.
Large Print Materials
Amazon
Type “large print books” in search site window for more than 7,000 titles
American Bible Society
1865 Broadway
New York, NY 10023
1-800-322-4253
Bible in large print and on cassette
American Printing House for the Blind
1839 Frankfort Avenue
PO Box 6085
Louisville, KY 40206-0085
1-800-223-1839
Promotes independence of blind and visually impaired persons by providing special media, tools, and materials needed for education and life. Audio- cassettes of Newsweek and Reader’s Digest are available at no charge to eligible blind U.S. citizens living at home or abroad.
Braille Circulating Library, Inc.
2700 Stuart Avenue
Richmond, VA 23220
(804) 359-3771
(804) 359-3743
Loans- Braille materials talking books, audiocassettes, and large print Christian materials.
Christian Book
508-977-5000
Fiction, music, videos, Bibles, eBooks
Christian Record Services, Inc.
4444 South 52nd Street
P.O. Box 6097
Lincoln, NE 68516
(402) 488-0981
Provides a lending library of books in Braille, large print materials, and cassette tapes. Provides referrals to local low vision specialists and support groups.
Dar-us-Salam Publications
713-722-0419
Qur’an on audiotape or CD-ROM in Arabic
Doubleday Large Print Book Club
800-688-4442
Jewish Braille Institute International
110E. 30th Street
New York, NY 10016
1-800-433-1531
Provides talking books, Braille and large-print books, a circulating library and a public education program. Offers counseling and referrals to low vision care.
Horizons for the Blind
1-815-444-8800
Print and braille books on crafts, plants, gardening, and cookbooks
Lutheran Library for the Blind
1-800-433-3954
4,00 large-print, audio and Braille books and magazines
Maine State Library
Outreach Services
1-800-762-7106
Loans large print and talking books as well as descriptive videos. Books by mail are available in some communities.
National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
Library of Congress
1291 Taylor Street NW
Washington, DC 20542
202-707-5100
This national library service loans recorded books and magazines on cassettes and disks that persons with low vision can play on adapted equipment, which it likewise loans to registered patrons at no charge.
New York Times/Large Type Weekly
229 W. 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036
1-800-631-2580
http://homedelivery.nytimes.com/HDS/LargeTypeWeeklyHome.do?mode=ChooseCountry.LargeTypeWeekly
Offers subscriptions to the New York Times in a 16 point font.
Random House Large Print
Customer Service
400 Halm Road
Westminster, MD 21157
1-800-726-0600
www.randomhouse.com/largeprint/
Reader’s Digest Large Type Publications
P.O. Box 241
Mount Morris, IL 61054
1-800-807-2780www.rd.com
Thorndike and GK Hall Large Print Books
PO Box 159
Thorndike, ME 04986
1-800-877-4253
Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
PO Box 1230
West Seneca, NY 14224
1-800-955-9659
http://www.ulverscroft.com/home.php?countryCode=US
Walker and Company
435 Hudson Street
New York, NY 19914
1-800-289-2553
www.walkerbooks.com
Large print books on Judaism and Christianity
Xavier Society for the Blind
154 E. 23rd Street
New York, NY 10010-4595
(212) 473-7800
http://www.xaviersocietyfortheblind.org
Serves as the National Catholic Press and Lending Library for the visually impaired.
Audiotapes and Audio Media
Audbile.com
Owned by Amazon, an on-line service to download audiobooks to an computer, MP3 player or smart phone
AudioBooks Online
RR1 Box 60Richmond, VA 05477-9702(802) 434-5550www.audiobooksonline.com
Choice Magazine Listening
85 Channel Drive
Port Washington, NY 11050
(516) 883-8280
www.choicemagazinelistening.org
Offers selected articles from popular print magazines on special-speed, 4-track audiocassette, available through the Library of Congress. Provides free service nationwide to eligible persons.
The Jewish Guild for the Blind
15 West 65th Street
New York, NY 10023-6601
(212) 769-6200
Offers services to blind and visually impaired children, adults, and the elderly, some of whom are multi-handicapped. Free audio lending library and a national radio reading service.
Maine InfoNet Download Library
Downloadable audiobooks and ebooks are available with a library card from any public library in the state.
Recorded Books, Inc.
270 Skipjack Road
Prince Frederick, MD 20678
1-800-638-1304
Tools for Independent Living
Abledata
8455 Colesville Road, Suite 935
Silver Spring, MD20910
1-800-346-2742
Products and information on technology and rehabilitation equipment.
Ai Squared
802-362-3612
Computer software
Ann Morris Enterprises
890 Fams Court
East Meadow, NY 11554
1-800-454-3175
Low Vision Aids
Beyond Sight
303-795-6455
Computer adaptive equipment and low vision products
Big Type Company
4701 W. Mill Road
Milwaukee, WI 53218
1-800-933-1711
Large print calendars, address books, check registers
Carolyn’s Low Vision Products
1415 57th Avenue West
Bradenton, FL 34207
1-800-648-2266
Dolphin Computer Access, LLC
100 South Ellsworth Avenue, 4th Floor
San Mateo, CA 94401
(605) 348-7401
Products to assist the visually disabled with computer use.
Enhanced Vision Systems
800-44-9476
CCTVs
Freedom Scientific
800-444-4443
Computer software
Gold Violin
877-648-8400
Independent living devices.
G.W. Micro
725 Airport North Office Park
Fort Wayne, IN 46825
(219) 489-3671
Computer solutions for the visually impaired.
Independent Living Aids, Inc.
27 East Mall
Plainview, NY11803-4404
1-800-537-2118
Resource of aids that assist in making every day living easier- timepieces, telephones, cooking tools, magnifiers & reading machines, sound amplifiers, personal care products, games, hobbies, special computer software, etc.
Innovative Rehabilitation Technologies, Inc.
800-322-4784
Computer software, CCTVs
LS&S Group, Inc.
Po Box 673
Northbrook, IL 60065
Specializes in products for the visually and hearing impaired- clocks, watches, telephones, CCTVs, computers and accessories, kitchen aids, bath & shower aids, lamps, magnifiers, magnifying mirrors, etc.
MagniSight, Inc.
800-753-4767
CCTVs
Maxi Aids
Po Box 3209
Farmingdale, NY 11735
1-800-522-6294
MONS International
6595 Roswell Road, Suite 224
Atlanta, GA 30328
1-800-541-7903
Low vision devices
NoIR Medical Technologies
6155 Pontiac Trail
South Lyon, MI 48178
1-800-521-9746
Tinted glasses.
PulseData/HumanWare
800-722-3393
Braille software
ShopLowVision.com
Low vision aides
Telesensory
800-804-8004
CCTVs