November 27, 2003 | Read Time: 1 minute
VisionConnection, a new Web site, provides information about vision impairment, its prevention, and vision rehabilitation — all in a format that makes it easy for people who are blind or have limited sight to gain access to the material.
Forty vision organizations from around the world worked together to develop the site, led by Lighthouse International, in New York, which founded the site, and the Royal National Institute of the Blind, in London.
Visitors to VisionConnection can customize the way the site is presented in order to best meet their vision needs. The site features easy-to-read fonts, and people with partial sight can select from several sizes of typeface and several reverse-contrast options, such as white text on a black background. VisionConnection is designed to work with screen readers used by blind people, and provides written descriptions of images that appear on the site.
The site’s Help Near You feature allows visitors to the site to search a database of more than 5,000 vision-rehabilitation services, low-vision clinics, support groups, and educational, governmental, and financial resources available worldwide. VisionConnection also offers a special section for social workers and vision-care professionals.
The site features frequently updated news stories, real-time stock quotes, and a section that has discussion forums, tips on accessible travel, and links to online games that people with impaired vision can play.
“In addition to being a valuable information resource,” says Barbara Silverstone, president of Lighthouse International, “this site represents a vehicle to independence, bringing together millions of people throughout the world who share the same interests and face the same challenges.”
To get there: Go to http://www.visionconnection.org.
