Events

Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired SC Merges with The Vision Institute

Published

1 year ago

September 29, 2023

Press Release

On August 1st, 2023, the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired South Carolina (ABVI), merged with The Vision Institute (TVI), to revolutionize services for individuals living with a visual impairment in South Carolina. This merger entails a blending of programs, people, ideas, and allows ABVI to serve individuals of all ages. The merger will also expand resources so that individuals who are blind or visually impaired throughout our state will have access to life-changing vision rehabilitation services regardless of location.

Vision rehabilitation services teach individuals the adaptive skills necessary to live safely and independently following vision loss. This training is critical as it helps people adjust to life with their disability. For children, this training often involves learning foundational skills that make accessing the curriculum in school a possibility. Fortunately, ABVI has acquired TVI’s powerhouse team of certified instructors with the goal that no child living with a visual impairment in our state will lack the resources they need to thrive.

“This merger could not have come at a better time,” says Joe Waring, Chair of ABVI’s Board of Directors. “The need for vision rehabilitation services is growing exponentially nationwide, and without efforts to expand access to these essential services, we could be facing a looming healthcare crisis.”

A 2022 study revealed more than 75,000 people over 65 in South Carolina reported vision impairments, and this number will only grow with the aging population. ABVI is eager to meet this growing need for independent living skills training by expanding access to its services statewide. ABVI will now operate out of facilities in the Lowcountry and Midlands, and they have a goal to have a location in the upstate in the next year. They also provide community-based, school-based, in-home and virtual services, statewide.

“With rates of vision loss expected to double this decade, especially in our aging community, our citizens need help. I applaud the merger of ABVI and TVI, which is a union of two wonderful charitable organizations coming together to provide more critical services to South Carolinians who are blind and visually impaired,” said Pamela Evette, Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina.