Friday, July 27, 2012

New Website Launches for People with Vision Disabilities


At Discovery World on Thursday, a consortium of Milwaukee-based organizations announced a new web portal for people with vision disabilities, and unveiled an accompanying weekend-long art exhibit.

The new site, Connections in Sight, offers resources and information on eye research for people with vision disabilities and their families.

The consortium hopes the new site will help people with vision disabilities maintain quality of life and find employment opportunities. Braille and recorded library materials, vision rehabilitation, communications training, orientation and mobility training, adaptive computer training, and support groups are available through the website. It is estimated that 60,000 residents of southeastern Wisconsin need vision support services.

The “Through the Lens of Others” art exhibit showcases the work of nine artists with vision disabilities, and opens at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin Eye Institute, 925 N. 87th St.

“Our art exhibition debunks the myth that people who are blind or low vision can’t see or lead productive lives. Most people with vision disabilities can in fact perceive some level of light and form,” said exhibit organizer Dena Fellows, director of marketing at Vision Forward Association. “People who are blind or low vision are able to produce not only intelligible art, but art that truly is inspired.”

The consortium includes Audio & Braille Literacy Enhancement (ABLE), Vision Forward Association, Beyond Vision, Center for Deaf-Blind Persons Inc., the Wisconsin Talking Book and Braille Library, and the Milwaukee County Office for Persons with Disabilities.