ABOUT AWARE

AWARE's Mission

Associates for World Action in Rehabilitation and Education (AWARE) is a registered 501 (c)(3) nonprofit public charity founded in 1990. Our mission is to provide information, resources, and education that can increase independence and enhance quality of life for individuals with vision loss.

AWARE is committed to increasing the visibility of organizations and resources that address the unmet needs of people who are blind or have low vision.

The Challenge Today

An estimated 314 million people in the world today are blind or have low vision (World Health Organization, 2009). In the United States alone, the American Foundation for the Blind estimates that approximately 21 million people of all ages have "difficulty seeing," even with glasses and contact lenses.

Among U.S. adults, the National Eye Institute and the American Foundation for the Blind estimate that 4.5 to 5.5 million people aged 40 and older are blind, have low vision, or experience age-related vision loss.

Although estimates of adult blindness and vision impairment may vary, one factor remains consistent: The majority of these individuals do not have regular access to vision rehabilitation services.

Adults who are blind or have low vision may be unaware that such services exist, may be rural-based and not in easy reach of services, or may not reach out for vision rehabilitation services for a variety of reasons: family responsibilities, poor health, limited mobility, lack of transportation, or reluctance to leave home. This growing "hidden majority" attempts to manage on their own, as best they can.

AWARE's Accomplishments

AWARE's accomplishments include:

Establishing the first post-graduate training program in vision rehabilitation therapy (VRT) and orientation and mobility (O&M) in Central and Eastern Europe. The program is currently sustained by the Academy of Special Education in Warsaw, Poland.
Publishing the first of its kind train-the-trainer manual: New Independence! For Older Persons with Vision Loss in Long-Term Care Facilities – for use by personnel working with older persons in long-term care.
Adapting New Independence! for the Royal National Institute of Blind People in the United Kingdom to enhance British legislation to better meet the needs of older adults with vision loss.
Educating hundreds of national and international social service and health care workers, via our train-the-trainer workshops and publications, on issues surrounding vision loss and rehabilitation.

Through these pioneering efforts, AWARE has become a well-recognized, highly respected, and reputable source of vision rehabilitation information that supports the safety, independent living, and quality of life needs of adults with vision loss.

AWARE's Funding

AWARE is made possible entirely through generous donations from individual donors and foundations. AWARE would like to recognize the following for their support: