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St. Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired

General Information

St. Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired
8770 Manchester Rd
Saint Louis, MO 63144
314-968-9000
bwendling@slsbvi.org
https://slsbvi.org/

Brief Description

Founded in 1911 and organized for the purpose of carrying on programs in support of the prevention of blindness and for educational, benevolent, and charitable activities for, and on behalf of blind individuals, the Society currently serves more than 1,500 individuals annually. Over the years, the programs and services have evolved to primarily serve older adults who are newly blind or visually impaired through community, home based, and agency services. Most recently, the Society has expanded into providing services to school age students in local school districts in Illinois and Missouri.

The Society is the only agency of its kind serving the Saint Louis area, and the second oldest of its kind west of the Mississippi River.

Services Offered

  • Counseling
    • Offers individual adjustment counseling, support groups, and family education.

  • Professional Training
    • Offers internships to graduate students in orientation and mobility, social work, and art therapy. Offers low vision and in-service training to colleges, universities, schools, and hospitals.

  • Recreation Services
    • Offers weekly leisure groups, craft and ceramics classes. Provides in-home and on-site recreation services, such as trips to MUNY opera, symphonies, baseball games.

  • Daily Living Skills/Independent Living Skills Training
    • Provides training in independent living skills for individuals, primarily in the home setting. Some group cooking classes.

  • Information and Referral
    • Provides referrals to community resources, state programs, and employment services.

  • Assessment
    • Provides social and adaptive living assessments, braille assessments and other assessments for community services as needed. Evaluates for appropriate large-print/speech programs.

  • Computer Training/Assistive Technology
    • Individualized one-on-one assessment, demonstration and training in a variety of adaptive software and aids.

  • Assistive Products
    • Distributes low vision devices and adaptive ADL equipment. Products for sale on site.

  • Low Vision Services
    • Provides low vision evaluation and follow-up through low vision clinic and home visits. Has loan program for magnifiers and CCTVs. Maintains and distributes over 200 different magnifiers in inventory.

  • Travel/Orientation and Mobility
    • Provides training and instruction for safe and independent travel in home, neighborhood and community. Training in public transportation, white cane and sighted guide.

  • Braille and Reading Instruction
    • Offers braille instruction.

  • Support Groups
    • Offers an eight-week closed-ended support group several times a year, as well as Family Education Evening several times a year.

  • Consultation/Technical Program Assistance
    • Provides consulting services to health care professionals, nursing facilities, and others. Makes teachers of the visually impaired students and orientation and mobility instructors, available for contractual services within 60-mile radius of St. Louis.

  • Health
    • Offers public education program for schools, health fairs, and health agencies. Provides eyeglasses/prostheses for medically indigent.