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Vision Impaired

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A - F

  1. Associations
    Includes those at state, national and international level.
    • Australian Sites :
      • Blind Citizens Australia [BCA]
        ‘The united voice of blind and vision-impaired Australians. Our mission is to achieve equity and equality by our empowerment, by promoting positive community attitudes, and by striving for high quality and accessible services which meet our needs.’
      • Fred Hollows Foundation, The
      • Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind
        ‘Australia’s premier provider of educational services to children with hearing and/or vision impairment.’ Their Internet Resources lists a wide range and scope of internet resources related to the vision impaired.
      • Seeing Eye Dogs Australia
        ‘Seeing Eye Dogs Australia provides Australians who are blind or vision impaired with the opportunity to participate as active members of the community.’
      • Vision 2020 Australia
        ‘Vision 2020 Australia is a partnership of over 50 organisations from the eye health and vision care sector working together to eliminate avoidable blindness and improve vision care.’
      • State Bodies :
        • Association for the Blind of WA
          Also includes Guide Dogs WA. Information, publications, personal stories and more.
        • Blind Citizens Australia
          Victorian group that co-ordinates activities, support and representations for visually handicapped people. Branches, consultants, equipment, other links, etc..
        • CanDo4Kids
          ‘We provide a range of community services to South Australian children and young people who have sensory impairments.’
        • Guide Dogs NSW/ACT
          Guide Dogs and much, much more in the vision impairment field.
        • Guide Dogs Victoria
          Guide Dogs and much, much more in the vision impairment field.
        • Queensland Blind Association
          Information and multiple directories covering topics from ‘Adaptive Technology’ to ‘Queensland Support Groups.’
        • Royal Society for the Blind [RSB], The
          ‘Providing services to South Australians who have a severe vision impairment. These services are delivered by a professional, committed and highly qualified team supported by volunteers, drawn from all age groups and walks of life.’
    • International Sites :
      • Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians
        Working ‘to increase awareness of rights and responsibilities, so blind, deaf-blind and partially sighted individuals can have equal access to the benefits and opportunities of society.’
      • American Foundation for the Blind
        A literally vast array of information grouped under 4 main headings plus a search engine. If something needs to be covered then you will probably find it here.
      • Canadian National Institute for the Blind
        Extensive information, resources and more. In both English and French.
      • Fighting Blindness [Ireland]
        ‘Fighting Blindness is totally committed to finding treatments and cures for all forms of blindness and related sensory loss through the promotion of research, to supporting those who are affected by degenerative blinding conditions and to providing information to all interested parties.’
      • National Federation of the Blind
        ‘The National Federation of the Blind is the largest and most influential membership organization of blind people in the United States. The NFB improves blind people’s lives through advocacy, education, research, technology, and programs encouraging independence and self-confidence.’
      • Royal National Institute of the Blind
        A major UK organisation in this area. A vast array of information and resources.
      • Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind
        ‘The Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind is New Zealand's primary provider of vision-related services to blind, deafblind and vision-impaired people.’
      • Sightsavers International
        ‘Sightsavers works to combat blindness in developing countries, restoring sight through specialist treatment and eye care. We also support people who are irreversibly blind by providing education, counselling and training.’
      • World Blind Union [WBU]
        ‘The only organisation entitled to speak on behalf of blind and partially sighted persons of the world, representing 162 million blind and visually impaired persons from about 600 different organisations in 158 countries.’
  2. Children’s Sites
    Sites geared to children of all ages rather than to adults and professionals.
    • Feelix Library
      ‘Vision Australia has a unique braille book library developed specifically for children who are blind or vision impaired aged from birth to six. The library, known as "Feelix", makes picture books accessible for the first time to children who are blind or vision impaired so that they can have fun with the same stories as their friends.’
    • Recreation
      Information for South Australian children and their families about a range of activities in which they can be involved.
    • RNIB Teenagers
      ‘If you’re 11 to 16 years old and have a sight problem, this site is for you.’ UK Based.
  3. Education Sites
    Sites geared to all aspects of education and schooling. You should also check other relevant state/territory links on the main Special Education page.

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G - L

  1. General Sites & Portals - :
    • Australian Sites :
      • Disability Information and Resource Centre
        Information on disability issues. EnableNet is no longer being funded and has now closed, but redirects visitors to this site.
      • Retina Australia
        ‘Provides scientific research and support to people and families affected by retinal degenerative diseases.’
    • International Sites :
      • Andrew Heiskell Braille & Talking Book Library
        Yes, it is in New York and No, you can’t borrow from it. However, its listings may make you more aware of just what is available and what is perceived to be of good quality.
      • Blind Links, Welcome to
        Has a significant range of links grouped in directories from Adaptive Technology to WWW & Homepages.
      • Deafblindness Web Resource Page, A
        Annotated links to a vast range of information.
      • Links to Vision Related Web Sites
        Extensive links listing, some peculiar to the US [e.g. schools], others of value irrespective of where you are.
      • SERI Vision Impairment Resources
        Covers not only resources but information, links to organisations and more. The home page of SERI also provides links to other fields covering children with specific needs and disabilities.
      • Tiresias
        ‘This site is for professionals who work in the field of visual disabilities and for all people who have an interest in solving the problems faced by people with disabilities.’
  2. Government Agencies & Bodies
    This includes those at both state and federal level and includes both agencies and government-related groups.
    • Disability Online [Victoria]
      ‘Information for people with a disability, their families and carers.’
    • Vision Australia
      ‘Vision Australia is the largest provider of blindness and low vision services in Australia, enabling more than 41 000 children and adult clients to live the lives they choose.’

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M - R

  1. Magazines & Journals
    Includes both online and print versions.
    • Blind World Magazine
      ‘Welcome to Blind World, where the world keeps up-to-date with the latest news and goings-on in the blind and visually-impaired communities. Blind World is a Free online magazine’
    • EP Magazine
      Covers all areas of disability including vision. Need to register.
    • Insight Magazine
      ‘The premier magazine providing inspirational and practical information on the education of children and young people, including those with additional or complex needs.’ [UK, Fee-based]
    • Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness [JVIB]
      Issues since 1998 are available online, in large print as well.
    • Special Child
      ‘An online publication dedicated to parents of children with special needs.’ Covers a range of special needs not just vision.
  2. Parental Involvement, Information & Support
    Includes support for parents as well as providing them with information and assistance.
    • Books and Web Sites for Parents …
      ‘For parents of blind and visually handicapped children.’ Multiple annotated links.
    • Children’s Services
      ‘Vision Australia provides training and resources for families to help children who are blind or vision impaired to increase their choices and reach their full potential in life.’
    • Peer Support Groups
      ‘Support groups exist to ensure that people who have vision loss or who have been newly diagnosed with a vision impairment have the opportunity to meet with others who may be experiencing similar feelings. Groups are held throughout Australia.’
    • V.I. Guide
      ‘A guide to internet resources about visual impairments for parents [Parenting] and teachers.’
  3. Resources :
    • About Sight Loss …
      [Changing the Way We Think About Blindness]
      Answering your questions about sight loss through a series of questions and related responses. From the Royal National Institute of the Blind [UK].
    • Blind-Gamers
      ‘This page is devoted to games specifically designed for vision-impaired and blind players.’ All are Free.
    • Blindness Resource Centre
      US institute with links in a series of directories. Also has an extensive Online Resources listing broken into sections, as well as resources on other disabilities.
    • Electronic Braille Book Library, The International
      ‘Contains over 1 000 titles; the largest collection of electronic Braille [e-Braille] books in the world. Here you will find books and other writings that span the galaxy of time and centuries.’
    • Fact Sheets
      These cover a wide range of areas. Some are peculiar to the UK setting but many provide worthwhile information.
    • Hear A Book Service
      ‘Production & supply of recorded books for people with Print Disabilities.’ Based in Tasmania.
    • Information For and About the Blind
      ‘Selected articles available on the web written especially for and about the blind and visually impaired.’
    • Louis Database
      [Of Accessible Materials for People who are Blind or Visually Impaired]
      ‘The American Printing House for the Blind maintains and promotes the Louis Database. Louis contains information on nearly 200 000 titles in accessible formats including braille, large print, sound recording, and electronic files.’ Note : this is US and Fee-based [though not onerous].
    • Low Vision Gateway
      ‘The Low Vision Gateway to the Internet is your starting point to the world’s resources for vision loss, vision-impairment, blindness, low vision aids, …’
    • Statewide Vision Resource Centre
      ‘The aim of the Statewide Vision Resource Centre is to promote an understanding of the educational needs of students who are blind or have low vision, provide professional development to school communities and provide students with text books in their preferred format.’ Based in Melbourne, their Support Networks listing is peculiarly Australian in nature.
    • Tasmanian Living Technology
      ‘The Tasmanian Living Technology page contains information and reviews of the latest adaptive technology software and hardware designed to help low vision users. We work with the Tasmanian Education Department and many of the articles are useful for teachers working in special education.’
    • Vision Impairment Resources
      Includes books, mailing lists, links to other resources and some links to educational information [mostly US].
    • Read ’Em and Speak !
      ‘All of the sites and resources to which Read ’Em and Speak is linked are either intrinsically speech and braille-friendly, or have been extensively re-indexed locally so as to ensure easy and immediate access by the blind/VI cybernaut.’
  4. Resources for Professionals :
    • Caring for Patients who are Blind or have Low Vision
      ‘People who are blind or have low vision have special needs for interpreting their environment. By following simple guidelines you can help make their hospital stay as easy and as comfortable as possible.’
    • “DAISY” :
      • Open XML to DAISY XML Translator
        ‘The Free, downloadable add-in for Microsoft Word enables the translation of millions of Open XML documents into DAISY XML, the lingua franca of the globally-accepted Digital Access Information SYstem [DAISY] standard for digital talking books.’
      • The DAISY Consortium
        ‘The DAISY Consortium was formed in May, 1996 by talking book libraries to lead the worldwide transition from analog to Digital Talking Books. DAISY denotes the Digital Accessible Information SYstem. Members of the Consortium actively promote the DAISY Standard for Digital Talking Books because it promises to revolutionize the reading experience for people who have reading disabilities.’
    • Neurological Eye Simulator
      ‘It simulates interactive eye motion and allows various neurological pathologies to be simulated. It requires the Macromedia Shockwave plug-in 6.0 or later.’
    • Teaching Students With Sensory Impairments
      [Strategies for Mainstream Teachers]
      ‘This project is the result of an international, collaborative effort among educators in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, who work with students with vision or hearing impairments.’

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S - Z

  1. Technology, Vision - :
    • “Low Technology”
      Includes aspects such audio and large print, braille, et..
      • Audio Books and Large Print Suppliers
        A listing of links, many Australian, under both headings.
      • Braille :
        • Braille [1]
          Links grouped under multiple directories including ‘Fact Sheets’, ‘General Information’, ‘Instruction’, ‘Transcription’, ‘Books & Magazines’ and ‘Other Indexes’.
        • Braille [2]
          An extensive array of information about all aspects of Braille and its usage.
        • Braille Resources
          Includes an introduction to Braille, a list of companies for Braille products [mostly US], information on other tactile applications and resources & organisations.
      • Technology Information Sheets
        ‘Find out about technology for people with sight problems and download the technology information sheets.’ A range of sheets is provided of which What is a Reading Aid ? is one example, while Using a Computer Without Vision is another.
    • “High Technology”
      Includes areas such as software, technical equipment, etc..
      • Access Technology
        [For Students with Vision Impairments]
        ‘Products and support available for students with vision impairments - includes computer access [voice, enlargement, braille, scanning etc.], calculators, curriculum support materials [dictionaries, e-text, atlases, literacy tools etc.], electronic magnification devices and more.’
      • Adaptive Technology
        Provides a very brief description of several formats and then links to suppliers. Most are international.
      • Adaptive Technology Links
        A range of briefly annotated links covering suppliers, information and specific technology from books to high tech materials.
      • Assistive Technology - General
        A range of annotated links to sources of both information and technology.
      • Assistive Technology Options
        Links to information on a range of technology from audio players & recorders via computers & calculators to lighting & magnifiers. Some is high tech, others low tech.
      • Checklist for Adaptive Technology Choices
        ‘The following checklist can form the basis of initial investigations and discussions. Careful consultation, assessment and planning is necessary in order to achieve successful selection and introduction of technology.’
      • Suppliers of Assistive Technology
        There is a mix of both Australian and international suppliers. Contact details or web sites are provided.
      • TVI
        ‘Technologies for the Visually Impaired Inc. offers an exciting array of adaptive devices, software and accessories specifically designed for use by blind or visually impaired individuals.’
      • Technology for Students With Vision Impairments
        ‘Th[is] is a summary of some of the technology options for students with a vision impairment.’ Links and information regarding software, tutorials, advice, etc., related to computer usage and skills.
      • Trekker
        ‘A revolutionary system that uses GPS and digital maps to help blind persons find their way in urban and rural areas. Trekker users can pinpoint exactly where they are, learn about area attractions, and find out how to get to specific destinations. GPS lets them know their location, anywhere in the world, with continually growing precision.’ Fits in the palm of their hand.
      • Software : check the Educational Software page for listings of software for this area.
  2. Tools, Techniques & Strategies
    Primarily designed for teachers and other educational personnel, but also usable by parents.
  3. Vision Information
    This includes information both on eyes as well as diseases and conditions related to loss of vision.
    • Diseases & Conditions :
      • Common Eye Conditions
        ‘Simple guides designed to help you understand more about your eye condition. Our information on individual eye conditions is medically checked and is designed to be as useful as possible.’
      • Eye Conditions
        ‘There is [ ] no typical eye condition. Blindness and vision impairment may come in many forms. The most common causes of blindness and vision impairment among Australians however, are age related - with age related macular degeneration, cataracts and glaucoma being the most common causes of blindness and vision impairment.’
      • Eye Diseases and Conditions
        Covers diseases from Albinism to Usher’s Syndrome. Multiple links are provided for each section.
      • Vision Disorders in Children
        ‘Find out here about [ ] Vision impairments that affect at least 15 out of 100 people … yet, frequently go unrecognized and untreated.’
    • The Eye & How it Works
      Includes information on vision for different levels of development.

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