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Quick links to their description below:
| Organizations
and Support Groups |
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Vision & Vocational Services
(formerly
known as the Vision Center of Central Ohio)
((614) 294-5571
www.visioncenter.org
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The
Vision & Vocational Services recently changed it
name. Previously, it was called the Vision Center of Central Ohio.
It is a non-profit organization which has been in
business since 1927. They
provide comprehensive rehabilitation
services to persons with disabilities.
These services include: adjustment to vision loss, a low vision clinic, and
employment services. Most Vision Center clients first get signed up
with either with The Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired or the
Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation and are then referred by those
counselors to receive services. The Vision Center is located at 1393
North High Street Columbus, Ohio 43201. Feel free to call them for
more information (614-294-5571), or visit their web site at www.visioncenter.org
to read more about the variety of services offered and find out how to
receive these services. |
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Individuals who call are paired with a
trained volunteer for one-on-one support. Groups are
also being formed around the Central Ohio area for people
who would prefer support groups rather than one-on-one
support. Counseling directed at family members of
blind individuals is also available. In addition to
counseling, volunteers can also provide information on
services that a lot of people might not know about.
Share the Vision can help individuals find out about
services from the Franklin County Area Office on Aging,
Medicare and Medicaid benefits, transportation issues, etc. |
| Educational Opportunities |
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The Hadley School for the Blind is a
correspondence school offering a wide variety of subjects.
You or a sighted family member can learn Braille. You
can take courses to earn a G.E.D. Or, you can just
take courses in subject areas that have always interested
you just for fun. |
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For computer users who are interested
in taking courses via the Internet, a great Web site to
visit is www.accesstechnologyinstitute.com. In
addition to the educational courses offered, this site lists
a wide variety of resources that might be of interest to
blind and visually impaired computer users. |
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This organization would like to help
blind and visually impaired people in the Columbus area get
the most out of their movie-going experience. They providing
live audio description at a local theater to at least one
first-run movie per month. You can contact them to be added
to a calling list so that you will be informed about each
upcoming audio described event by Accessible Arts. |
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WGBH works closely with movie producers
to provide audio description for major Hollywood movie
releases. If a theater is outfitted with their MoPIX system,
you will be able to enjoy the movie soon after it is
released to theaters. Once the movie is released on video,
you can buy them (at the regular retail
price with no extra cost for the audio description) directly
from DVS. Also, you can rent them from most Block Buster
video stores. Many public libraries have copies that you can
also borrow. Contact DVS for more information or to request
a catalog of movies available with audio description. |
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"Dialogue" magazine is
available on tape, in Braille, and in large print. This
magazine is great for general reading as well as for finding
out about a variety of resources. People who enjoy writing
poetry and fiction stories can submit items for this
magazine that is published quarterly. Either contact your
NLS library or call Blindskills, Inc. to request a trial
copy. |
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“Newsreel” is a magazine on tape
produced here in Columbus. The articles are submitted from
some of the subscribers, and the magazine is assembled and
sent out by the Newsreel staff. The articles and can range
from people introducing themselves, telling jokes or reading
other humorous material, starting a discussion about a topic
of interest to blind people, sharing "how to"
information, sharing recipes, etc. There are different
subscription prices depending on whether you want to read
and return the magazine each month or keep each issue. |
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Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind
is a free monthly magazine published in Braille, audio
cassette (4-track), computer diskette, or you can have it
e-mailed to you each month. It contains reprinted articles
on popular topics such as health, travel, nature, careers,
etc. It also contains a few special sections that would be
of interest only to the visually impaired. This magazine is
a good general magazine for reading about all kinds of
topics but is also a good resource for the blind. |
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This service is sponsored in part by
the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), but you do not
have to be affiliated with NFB to enjoy this service. NFB
Newsline allows you to access over 90 newspapers nationwide.
Papers such as USA Today, The New York Times, The Chicago
Tribune, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The
Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, The Baltimore Sun,
and many lesser-known papers from smaller towns are all
available. |
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OHIO TELEPHONE READER
(614) 274-7650
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This service is sponsored by the
Central Ohio Radio Reading Service (CORRS), they have a
similar service to the NFB Newsline, but this service is
limited to a variety of Ohio newspapers. You can also access
the TV listings and the CORRS program schedule on this
service. |
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HOME READERS
(877) 814-7323
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For individuals who loved to peruse
catalogs when they had their vision and miss being able to
have access to "regular" catalogs now that they
can no longer see, Home Readers is a great resource. This is
a non-profit organization with volunteers who read from
catalogs onto cassette tapes. Many of the catalog companies
have endorsed this organization to offer their catalogs on
tape are free. However, Home Readers does have to charge $2
to $4 for some of the catalogs because the companies are not
yet willing to underwrite this service. A wide variety of
catalogs are available from Home Readers including clothing
catalogs, vitamin and nutritional supplement catalogs, food
and candy catalogs, pet supply catalogs, etc. Some of the
catalogs available include Lands' End, Blair Men's and Blair
Women's catalogs, Chadwick's of Boston, Avon, Radio Shack,
Puritan's Pride, Foster and Smith, Miles Kimball, Vermont
Country Store, Walter Drake, and Collector's Choice. Home
Readers also offers some magazines and cookbooks on tape. |
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PLAYBACK MARKETING
(888) 217-2312
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Playback Marketing is a unique catalog
which is for the visually impaired but does not sell
products necessarily just for the visually impaired. It is a
good catalog to use when in the market for gift giving
ideas. |
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BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED PRODUCTS
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There are a wide variety of catalogs
that sell products for the blind and visually impaired. The
ones listed here come in a variety of accessible formats and
also sell some items of general interest: Ann Morris
Enterprises (1-800) 454-3175; Jett Enterprises (1-800)
275-5553; and Speak to Me (1-800) 248-9565 |
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The Eyes2Eyes site covers a variety of forum topics.
It's creator wanted to develop a website that was developed for the visually
impaired which would encourage insight and personal growth. Data posted
to their sight is updated regularly. |
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to the Accessible Arts Home Page
Accessible Arts Inc.
P.O. Box 21514
Columbus, Ohio 43221-0514
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