Eye Health Organizations

The following organizations provide eye health-related information to the public. You may find it useful to contact one or more of these organizations for request information. These organizations also may be able to refer you to resources in your area. Inclusion in this list does not imply endorsement by VisionRx.com.

Directory of Organizations for Parents and Teachers of Children with Visual Impairments

Institute for Families of Blind Children
P.O. Box 54700
Mail Stop 111
Los Angeles, CA 90054-0700
(213) 669-4649
o Offers support and information to families of blind children. Provides direct counseling support to families at no cost after a diagnosis is made. Offers a nationwide telephone counseling service. Publishes Retinoblastoma Support News and Parent to Parent as well as the books My Fake Eye, the Story of My Prosthesis and My New Glasses: A Book for Parents and Children. Videos are available.

Lighthouse National Center for Vision and Child Development
111 E. 59th Street
New York, NY 10022
1-800-829-0500
(212) 821-9200
(212) 821-9713 (TDD)
mbeck@lighthouse.org
http://www.lighthouse.org
o Develops print and audio-visual products about vision and child development for families, professionals and the general public. Establishes connections between families, the vision care system, special education programs, and health and education networks. Offers individualized training programs, internships and student training. Conducts applied and theoretical research.

National Association for Parents of the Visually Impaired
P.O. Box 317
Watertown, MA 02272-0317
1-800-562-6265
(617) 972-7441
http://www.spedex.com/NAPVI/index.htm
o 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 Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities
P.O. Box 1492
Washington, DC 20013-1492
1-800-695-0285
(202) 884-8200
nichcy@aed.org
http://www.nichcy.org
o Serves as a national information and referral clearinghouse on special education and disability- related issues. Provides information on local, state or national disability groups for parents and professionals. Emphasizes parent group information. Offers personal responses to public inquiries. Provides prepackaged information to frequently asked questions. Publishes News Digest and Transition Summary, reports on current practices that assist people with disabilities. Gives technical assistance to parent and professional groups.

National Parent-to-Parent Support and Information System
P.O. Box 907
Blue Ridge, GA 30513
1-800-651-1151
(706) 632-8822
Judd103u@wonder.cm.cdc.gov
http://www.nppsis.org
o Coordinates a database of children with special needs or rare disorders. Assists parents interested in networking with other families.

ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
1920 Association Drive
Reston, VA 20191
1-800-328-0272 (V/TTY)
ericec@cec.sped.org
http://ericec.org/
o Provides resources to educators of children who have disabilities and/or are gifted. Offers information from the ERIC database of educational materials, answers to general questions about disabilities and gifted education, and referrals to other organizations with information on disabilities or giftedness. Distributes special searches available for teachers of blind and deaf-blind students. One of 16 federally-funded clearinghouses in the ERIC system, a nationwide information network sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, National Library of Education.

Low-Vision Gateway
http://www.lowvision.org
o Provides information and resources for people with low vision and their families. Contains links to information on low-vision specialists, low-vision aids, organizations that provide support and assistance, and resources for parents and teachers. Sponsored by The Internet Low-Vision Society and the Low-Vision Centers of Indiana.