About 314 million people are visually impaired worldwide; 45 million of them are blind. Without intervention, this number is expected to increase to 75 million people who are blind by 2020.- World Health Organization
About 87% of the world's visually impaired live in developing countries. -World Health Organization
Ability Beyond the
Horizon seeks to train residents of developing nations to be
orientation and mobility specialists, who, in turn, can teach
independent travel skills to those with visual impairment.
Research has shown that teaching independent travel to those with
visual impairment improves self confidence, increases independence, and
allows for learning new skills essential to daily living. This
relieves much of the burden of care from the family and community,
improving overall quality of life.
Ability Beyond the Horizon is a United States
501(c)(3) tax exempt not-for-profit organization.
When a member of the family goes blind, it impacts the whole community. Not only is one member of the family often no longer gaining income, but they now require someone with sight to care for them, usually another family member. This often removes two income earning individuals from the family. This family is now not able to contribute to the community like they once were.
When an individual loses his or her sight, there are key interventions required to allow him or her to regain employment, as well as the quality of life enjoyed before the loss of sight. Arguably the most important of these interventions is the teaching of orientation and mobility (O&M). Simply stated, O&M is the teaching of blind and visually impaired people how to travel safely and independently within their environment, be it home, school, or community.
Without this ability, you cannot be employed, you cannot make your way to your kitchen to prepare food, and you cannot contribute to the family and community. O&M is a fundamental skill for everyone with a visual impairment, and it is one sorely lacking in developing countries. If these people cannot work, and they must be cared for by family members, the economic impact can be devastating. They cannot get jobs to relieve this burdent without orientation and mobility training. You must be able to move and travel, to work.
Ability Beyond the Horizon sends orientation and mobility specialists to communities in developing nations around the world to provide training and equipment, such as long canes, and monoculars, to staff in the communities already working with people with visual impairment. This is at no charge to the community or individual. However, receiving canes is not the whole answer, that is like giving someone a toolset and expecting that they can now build a house! You must have training.
Once our specialists leave the community, people with visual impairment will continue to be trained by the people we taught during our stay with the community in how to travel safely. These will be people who already work with blindness in their communities. Who best to teach independence in your culture and community, than someone who lives within your community? They know the languages and the customs, and will naturally be culturally sensitive, and in tune with the individual's REAL needs. With this critical skill of O&M, we believe that blind people in developing nations will have an ESSENTIAL tool on their path to gaining self confidence, independence, and employment.
We are now accepting applications to work with your community. Would you like us to send a specialist to train your staff in the techniques of orientation and mobility? Are you an orientation and mobility specialist, and would like to volunteer your time to changing the world? Do you have another way you'd like to get involved? Then contact us! We'd love to hear from you.