Guiding Eyes For the Blind, Supporting People with Low Vision

2020-02-06 | By Orcam Staff

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Guiding Eyes For the Blind, Supporting People with Low Vision - OrCam

There are many associations and organizations that provide assistance for people with low vision. Some of them even operate on a global scale, available in many countries worldwide. There are others that are only available in specific countries. And there are even those who offer their services and assistance in specific cities or towns only. Guiding Eyes for the Blind is available in every region in the United States including Puerto Rico and even in Canada.

The Various Life Styles of People With Low Vision

A man with sunglasses sitting on a bench with his dog.


Every organization and association has a list of benefits and services that it offers to its members. When it comes to people with low vision, their needs and requirements can vary in a number of ways. One of the main differentiations in the needs of people with low vision is between those with guide animals and those without. Another differentiation is between those who live alone, with family or with professional assistance.

 

In addition, people with low vision who have jobs, have different types of needs than those who don’t. Those who have jobs usually require additional work-related assistance to complete tasks on their own.  Assistance that would not be necessary for those who don’t have jobs. If a person with low vision is employed at a workplace where they are the only person with low vision, they can potentially have more difficulties with accessibility. This creates mores need for assistance throughout their day. These requirements can be addressed in most cases with guide animals. The most common guide animal is the guide dog.

Guiding Eyes For The Blind – Helping People with Low Vision Obtain Guide Dogs

Guiding Eyes for The Blind logo


Regardless of a person with low vision’s lifestyle, guide animals are helpful in a number of ways. One way is the feeling that you are not alone and have a living being always by your side to help. The main benefit of a guide animal is safety and direction in navigating through city streets and buildings.

 

Guiding Eyes for the Blind, is one of the many organizations that helps people with low vision receive guide dogs. The guide dogs are bred, raised, and trained in Yorktown Heights and Patterson, NY. What makes this organization so unique is that this service is completely free of charge. This may sound like a small benefit to those who do not know how much it costs to raise a guide dog. An average of $50,000 is spent in the training and breeding of guide dogs. The organization raises these funds through donations.

Assistive Technology for Additional Guidance

Blind Woman uing assistive technology for reading


We live in an age where technology is being developed incredibly fast. It’s hard to keep up with the technologies and solutions that are currently available for use. Technology is being used in so many industries and sub-industries. Many categories and sub-categories have sprouted over time. Some of the most common ones are gaming, appliances, entertainment, robotics, and appliances. Assistive technology is a category that focuses on helping people with various needs live more independently.

 

When it comes to assistive technology, almost every category has produced life-changing devices that can help those who need them to live a completely different lifestyle than they did before. When it comes to assistive technology for low vision, a new revolutionary device called OrCam MyEye 2 is enabling a new level of independence that is helping people with low vision around the world improve their quality of life.