Greater Detroit Agency for the Blind and Visually Impaired - Organizations and Resources of and for the Blind

Greater Detroit Agency
for the Blind and Visually Impaired
16625 Grand River Avenue
Detroit, MI 48227
313-272-3900
FAX: 313-272-6893
E-Mail:

Southeast Michigan's Resource Promoting Independence through Vision Rehabilitation

Organizations and Resources of and for the Blind

This page contains a listing of organizations and resources specializing in advocacy and general support services to help people who are blind or visually impaired lead independent and productive lives.

You may also find organizations of interest on our pages "Suppliers of Adaptive Technology" and "Literature Resources", among others.

Many organizations provide a variety of services, so it is often difficult to categorize resources. We encourage you to explore our web site to get a complete understanding of what we have available.

Thanks for visiting and, as always, we encourage you to e-mail us with suggestions of addional resources for our web site.

Table of Contents

North American Resources

American Council of the Blind
American Foundation for the Blind
American Health Assistance Foundation
Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER)
Blind Industries and Services of Maryland
Blind Related Links
Braille Institute
Canadian National Institute for the Blind
Clovernook Center for the Blind
Lighthouse International
Michigan Commission for the Blind
National Federation of the Blind

Resources Outside North America

Alliance for Equallity for Blind Canadians (AEBC)
Association of Blind Citizens of New Zealand (ABC NZ)
Royal National Institute of the Blind (United Kingdom)
Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind
Vision Australia

North American Resources

American Council of the Blind

The American Council of the Blind (ACB) is the nation's leading membership organization of blind and visually impaired people. It was founded in 1961 and incorporated in the District of Columbia.

American Health Assistance Foundation

The American Health Assistance Foundation is a nonprofit charitable organization that has dedicated over 30 years to funding research on age-related and degenerative diseases, educating the public about these diseases, and providing emergency financial assistance to Alzheimer's disease patients and their caregivers. Their web site includes links on glaucoma and macular degeneration.

American Foundation for the Blind

The American Foundation for the Blind is a national non-profit agency involved with development of public policy and the establishment of services for people who are blind or visually impaired. "The cause Helen Keller championed."

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

The Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) is an international membership organization dedicated to rendering all possible support and assistance to the professionals who work in all phases of education and rehabilitation of blind and visually impaired children and adults.

Blind Industries and Services of Maryland

The Mission of Blind Industries and Services of Maryland is to provide quality services, training, and stable employment opportunities to blind adults while maintaining their core values of Honesty,Integrity, Trust, Teamwork, Independence, Open Communication, Pride in Accomplishment, Personal and Professional Growth, Belief in the Capabilities of Blind People, Dignity and Self-Esteem.

Blind Related Links

The Blind Related Links web site contains a host of links to Internet resources of interest to the blind and visually impaired, arranged by category. Many of these links will be of interest to rehabilitation and related specialists as well.

Braille Institute

Braille Institute is a private, non profit organization providing free programs and services for Southern California residents who are blind or visually impaired.

Canadian National Institute for the Blind

The Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) is the principal source of services for the blind and visually impaired in Canada. CNIB provides talking book service, access to adaptive equipment and other services to visually impaired people in Canada. Their web site has a variety of information on CNIB and other services.

Clovernook Center for the Blind

The Clovernook Center is located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its mission is to provide individualized training and opportunities for people who are visually impaired, particularly those with additional disabilities, to enable the attainment of an optimal quality of life.

Lighthouse International

Lighthouse International is a leading resource worldwide on vision impairment and vision rehabilitation. Through its pioneering work in vision rehabilitation services, education, research and advocacy, Lighthouse International enables people of all ages who are blind or partially sighted to lead independent and productive lives.

Michigan Commission for the Blind

The Michigan Commission for the Blind, an agency within the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth, is dedicated to providing opportunities to blind and visually impaired individuals to achieve independence and employment. The commission’s programs and services include the Vocational Rehabilitation Program, Independent Living Program, Business Services, Youth Services, DeafBlind Services, and the Business Enterprise Program. Training and other services are provided in-home, at week-long Mini Adjustment Seminars around the state, and at the residential MCB Training Center in Kalamazoo. Services are funded by federal and state funding, and no fees are charged to those receiving services. For more information, call 1-800-292-4200 (voice) or 1-888-864-1212 (TTY) toll-free in Michigan.

National Federation of the Blind

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) was founded in 1940 with the goal of helping the blind to help themselves. Their web site has information on many of NFB's activities. NFB also operates a computer bulletin board system called NFB-Net.
Click here to make a Telnet connection to NFB-Net.
Click here for the web-based resources of the NFB-Net Bulletin Board.

Resources Outside North America

Alliance for Equality for Blind Canadians (AEBC)

The Alliance for Equallity for Blind Canadians is a democratically structured, registered Canadian Charity. The NFB:AE is the only organization in Canada specifically licensed by the federal government to serve primarily as a vehicle for public education about blindness throughout Canada.

Association of Blind Citizens of New Zealand (ABC NZ)

The Association of Blind Citizens of New Zealand ensures that blind and vision-impaired citizens speak for themselves with Government, service providers, and the community in general. They do this through communication, advocacy, and peer support.

Royal National Institute of Blind People

The Royal National Institute of Blind People is the principal source of services for the blind and visually impaired in the United Kingdom.

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.

Vision Australia

Vision Australia is a not-for-profit organization and Australia's leading provider of blindness and low vision services. They provide the equipment and training that enables people who are blind or have low vision to live their lives to the full.