American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)               

            11 Penn Plaza, Suite 300                                  Western Regional Office

            New York, NY  10001                                    111 Pine St., Ste. 725

            (800) AFB-LINE                                             San Francisco, CA  94111

            (800) 232-5463                                               (415) 392-4845

            Website:   http://www.afb.org/

            e-mail:  afbinfo@afb.org  

            *Publishes AFB News (2x/year), Access World (technology), DOTS for Braille Literacy (3x/year) (See “DOTS for Braille Literacy” for subscription information) and Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness (bi-monthly).  Develops and provides programs and services for persons who are blind or visually impaired in the areas of public education, social and technological research, consultation and referrals, and governmental relations.  Maintains a library on nonmedical aspects of visual impairment.  Sells publications in print, on cassette, and in braille.  AFB's National Technology Center is a centralized resource on adaptive technology.  The AFB legislative information network presents details on legislation and regulations of concern to blind and visually impaired persons.  The Careers and Technology Information Bank is a national data and networking resource on the competitive employment of persons who are blind or visually impaired.  CareerConnect (888) 824-2184 provides advice on finding, landing, and holding onto a job.  Braille Bug website (www.afb.org/braillebug) provides fun activities for sighted children to learn about braille.

 

American Printing House for the Blind (APH)        

            1839 Frankfort Ave.                                         FAX:  (502) 899-2274

            Louisville, KY  40206-0085                             Website:  http://www.aph.org/

            (502) 895-2405                                               e-mail:  info@aph.org

            (800) 223-1839

            *Publishes APH Slate (2x/year).  Official source of educational texts (primary through secondary level) for students who are visually impaired in the United States and its possessions.  Maintains the Central Catalog, which is a listing of textbooks available in large print, braille, and recorded format that are produced by APH, by volunteers, and by commercial companies.  Engages in educational and technical research in these three formats and manufactures and sells assistive devices.  Also produces recreational and religious literature in special format.

 

Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER)

            206 N. Washington St., Suite 320

            Alexandria, VA  22314

            (703) 836-6060

            (703) 548-1884                                               Website: http://www.aerbvi.org/

            *Publishes AER Report (bimonthly), Job Exchange (monthly), and RE:view (quarterly).  Dedicated to the advancement of education, guidance, and vocational rehabilitation of children and adults who are blind or visually impaired.  Maintains job exchange services and a speakers' bureau.  Offers continuing-education seminars.

 

Braille Institute of America                          

741 N. Vermont Ave.                                       FAX:  (323) 663-0867

            Los Angeles, CA  90029                                  Website: http://www.brailleinstitute.org/

            (323) 663-1111                                      

            (800) BRAILLE                                                                      

            *Counseling services, library services, catalogue of books available for purchase (call Press Dept. or visit website), visual aids consultations, public education on visual impairment, more than 200 enrichment and independence classes for visually impaired adults.

            *Expectations  --  Anthology of children's literature published annually and available to children, schools and libraries. Available at no charge.

*DOTS FOR TOTS:  a series of multisensory storybooks designed specifically for visually impaired preschoolers as part of both our Special Collection and Partners in Literacy programs. Each kit combines print and basic braille so parents can help their blind children begin their journey into reading.  Each kit includes:

·        A popular picture book with uncontracted (grade 1) braille overlays

·        A descriptive audiotape of the story  (**need to have special tape player to play them.  Must subscribe to the Braille Library)

·        Hard-plastic toys that represent characters or objects in the story

            *Special Collection: The Braille Special Collection seeks to increase braille literacy by offering blind children the opportunity to order a variety of books throughout the year, free of charge, to create a special library of their own. Any visually impaired child who is living in the United States or Canada and is between the ages of 3 and 18 is eligible for the Braille Special Collection program.  Please note: the Special Collection is a program designed for individual children and can only be sent to a child's HOME. As subscribers, children and their parents receive:

·        A print-and-braille catalog of approximately 10 titles in each of 3 different age ranges.

·        They may select 4 fiction or nonfiction titles three times a year.

·        Titles include picture books, classic and newly released chapter books, Newbery Award winners, popular series and young adult novels. Nonfiction includes how-to books, cookbooks and reference materials.

·        For preschool through third grade, we include a printed text output of the braille books that are ordered.

*Partners in Literacy:  A cost-effective program designed especially for teachers and librarians to help them build a library of braille materials. Based on our popular Braille Special Collection program, our "Partners in Literacy" program is designed especially to meet the needs of professionals working with blind and visually impaired children. Now teachers, school district administrators and librarians may order up to 25 braille books a year from our new online catalog for $150. We will accept new subscriptions throughout the year, but all must be renewed once a year in February.

 

Braille Institute Youth Services – Orange County

            527 North Dale Avenue

            Anaheim, CA  92801

            714-821-5000 Ext. 2123

            Career and Youth Services Coordinator:  John Zamora

            *Parents' Group—The Orange County Center's Youth Program offers an evening Parents' Group for families with children who are blind or visually impaired. The group meets on a Wednesday evening every other month from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Childcare and Spanish interpretation is available during the meeting. 

 

Brailled Books For Young Children (for lending and/or purchase)--See Seedlings; American Action Fund;  American Printing House for the Blind (APH);  Blindskills,Inc.;  Braille Institute Press;  Braille International; Braille Resource & Literacy Center;  Braille Superstore; Clovernook Home and School for the Blind--Juvenile Braille Monthly;  I Can See Books;   Louis Braille Center;  Massachusetts Association for the Blind;  ReadBooks! Program; Seeing Hands;  Volunteer Braille Services;  Volunteers for the Visually Handicapped;  National Braille Press, and Hilton/Perkins School for the Blind

 

Blind Babies Foundation

            1200 Gough Street

            San Francisco, CA  94109

            (415) 771-5464

            Website: http://blindbabies.typepad.com/

            *Provides direct services to infants and preschool children who are blind, visually impaired, or multihandicapped and visually impaired and their families in Northern California.  Also provides information, training, and consultation to medical and education professionals who work with young children with visual impairments.  Projects include:  a comprehensive registry of visual impairments among preschool children and a bibliography of writings in pediatric ophthalmology.

* Getting There – Early Mobility Skills – good video made by BBF

 

Blind Children's Center                                            

            4120 Marathon Street                                        Website: http://www.blindcntr.org/        

            Los Angeles, CA  90029                                    e-mail:  info@blindcntr.org        

            (323) 664-2153                                                 

            Info & Referral-- in CA:  (800) 222-3567  

                                    in USA:  (800) 222-3566           

*Free center-based program for children with visual impairments, including Mommy and Daddy and Me classes for infants and toddlers, preschool classes, and parent groups in English and Spanish.  Multi-disciplinary staff includes a Teacher of the Visually Impaired, an Orientation and Mobility Specialist, a Speech-Language Pathologist, and Occupational Therapists.  Has many useful publications for sale.

 

Blind Children's Learning Center

            18542 #B Vanderlip Ave.

            Santa Ana, CA  92705

            (714) 573-8888

            Website: http://www.blindkids.org/

            *Home-based services for birth to three; state accredited reverse-mainstream center-based program for ages 6 months to 6 years;  continued direct services to students, K-12, in their public schools;  parent support group;  counseling services.  Comprehensive center-based program includes occupational therapy, orientation and mobility, vision enhancement program, speech therapy, and technology training and support.  BCLC collaborates with the Southern California College of Optometry in providing screening and eye care for children with low vision.

 

California Association for Parents of Children With Visual Impairments

            22478 Longeway Road

            Sonora, CA  95370

            Contact:  Anne Ward (209) 586-2652

                            Carlos Martinez (323) 664-2153

            Email:  pierce@sonnet.com

            Website: http://www.spedex.com/napvi/chapters.html

            *Family membership is $25/year – Members receive quarterly newsletter and invitations to upcoming meetings and events.

 

California School for the Blind

            500 Walnut Ave.

            Fremont, CA  94536

            (510) 794-3800

            Website: http://www.csb-cde.ca.gov/

*In addition to being a residential program, CSB offers outreach consultative services, including technology training and assessment (To request an appointment please call Jim Carreon or at x312 or x237.)  Technology curriculum guides available online.  Or for a free CD containing all Technology Curriculum Guides, training files and practice exercises, call x312.

 

Center for the Partially Sighted                          South Bay Branch: (3rd Thurs. of every month)

            12301 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 600                       3537 Torrance Blvd., Suite 18

            Los Angeles, CA  90025                                  Torrance, CA  90503

            (310) 458-3501                                               (310) 540-7500

            Website: http://www.low-vision.org/                  ΰ(CALL 458-3501 FOR APPT.) ί 

            fax:  (310) 458-8179 or (310) 576-2749

            *comprehensive vision rehabilitation services;  vision care services to visually impaired children and adults.  Low vision optometry, counseling, support groups, special programs, store (products for independent living), loans of low power magnifiers to test in the home, free publications, reports, links and other resources -->see website<-- also for information about low vision.

 

Council of Families with Visual Impairment

            c/o American Council of the Blind

            1155 15th Street, NW, Suite 720                    

            Washington, D. C.  20005                                     

            (800) 424-8666                                                      

             Website:  http://www.acb.org/                                                                              

            *provides support and information for parents of blind and visually impaired children; holds and annual conference and publishes a newsletter; has state affiliates.

 

Guide Dogs of America

            13445 Glenoaks Boulevard

            Sylmar, CA  91342

            (818) 362-5834

            Website: http://www.guidedogsofamerica.org/

 

Guide Dogs for the Blind, Inc.

            P.O. Box 1200

            San Rafael, California  94915

            (415) 479-4000

            Website: http://www.guidedogs.com/

 

Junior Blind of America (previously Foundation for the Junior Blind)

            5300 Angeles Vista Blvd.

            Los Angeles, CA  90043

            (213) 295-4555

            (800) 352-2290

            Website: http://www.fjb.org/

            * Infant-Family Program This program provides specialized in-home services for children who are multiplydisabled-blind from birth through three years of age.

* Special Education School This on-campus school offers highly individualized instruction for children and teens with visual impairments and muiltiple disabilities from ages three through twenty-two.

            * Children's Residential Program This program is a residential group living experience for forty children and teens with visual impairments and multiple disabilities from ages five through twenty-one.

*Student Transition and Enrichment Program (STEP)
Launched in 2002, the Student Transition and Enrichment Program (STEP) is a new initiative in Southern California for teens and young adults ages 16 to 22 who are blind or visually impaired. STEP assists young people to identify areas of work and career interest and teaches them the necessary skills to achieve their professional goals.

            *Visions: Adventures in Learning This program provides enriching recreational and educational experiences for teens who are blind or visually impaired from California and across the USA.

            *Camp Bloomfield This program provides a forty-acre summer and year-round residential camp in the mountains overlooking Malibu for children and teens who are blind or visually impaired from California and across the USA.

 

National Association for Parents of Children With Visual Impairments, Inc. (NAPVI)

            P. O. Box 317

            Watertown, MA  02272-0317                         FAX:  (617) 972-7444

            (617) 972-7441                                               Website: http://www.spedex.com/napvi/

            (800) 562-6265

            *provides peer support, information, and services to parents of students with visual impairments;  operates a national clearinghouse for information, education, and referral;  publishes newsletter Awareness. 

 

Optometric Center of Fullerton, Southern California College of Optometry

            2575 Yorba Linda Blvd.

            Fullerton, CA  92631

            (714) 449-7430

            Website: http://www.scco.edu/

            *provides vision therapy services

 

Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

            1100 West 45th Street

            Austin, Texas  78756-3494

            (512) 206-9215   (to order)

            Website: http://www.tsbvi.edu/

            *many good resource materials for students, parents, and professionals. 

Newsletters:  The Spectacle (for parents), WAZZUP (from "Intro to Work" students)

            TSBVI is a partner with independent school districts in Texas to provide instructional and related services to students, aged 6-21, who are blind, deaf-blind, or visually impaired, including those with additional disabilities. 

            TSBVI outreach specialists offer INSITE training, a 5 or 6-day training on INSITE, a home-based curriculum for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.

            Newsletter:  SEE/HEAR (quarterly) for parents and professionals with information on topics related to the education of students who are blind, visually impaired, and deafblind.

 

United States Association of Blind Athletes

            33 N. Institute St.

            Colorado Springs, CO  80903

            (719) 630-0422

            Website: http://www.usaba.org/