New National Low Vision Support Group Will Bring Information to Thousands
For the first time, Internet conferencing technology will bring much-needed information and support to the “unconnected” visually impaired.
Kansas City, MO (PRWEB) February 26, 2006 -- Thousands of visually impaired senior adults who have not had access to the resources of the Internet will have the opportunity to take part in an historical event on March 9. That is when retirement centers, senior organizations and libraries in 58 cities will log on to the Internet for the first live interactive presentation in a monthly series designed to bring information and support to people who are losing their eyesight from retinal disease.
This is the first of ten free monthly programs presenting information about retinal diseases and ways to live successfully with impaired vision. The National Low Vision Support Group (NLVSG) is a project of Macular Degeneration Support, the world’s leading service organization for the visually impaired. The NLVSG is funded by grants from the National Eye Institute and Genentech, Inc.
The series is part of a nationwide experiment using the new technology of Internet conferencing. The March 9 session will be an audio visual presentation titled “What Do I Have and How Did I Get It?” presented by Dan Roberts, visually-impaired author, educator and director of MD Support. It will be followed by questions and answers from the attendees, who are residents and guests of the sponsoring affiliates. Future sessions will cover virtually every aspect of living and coping with low vision, featuring presenters from the fields of research, rehabilitation, low vision products, and social service.
“Millions of senior adults are living with visual impairment in this country,” said Roberts, “and the majority of them are doing so without access to the Internet. Through Internet conferencing technology, we can now deliver to that “unconnected” population the same life-enhancing resources that many of us enjoy daily.”
With affiliates in more than 28 states so far, the project looks to be well on it’s way. The goal is to have at least one sponsoring location in every city where low vision people can go to find what they need. To learn about becoming a NLVSG affiliate, visit www.mdsupport.org/nsg/printflyer.html.
About Macular Degeneration Support, Inc. (MD Support)
MD Support is a worldwide non-profit public service organization incorporated in 1998 under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code. Its mission is to provide free information and support for people who are affected by macular degeneration and similar retinal diseases. MD Support is based on the Internet and also maintains a public awareness program for people who are without Internet access. Founding Director Dan Roberts and most of the organization's volunteers are visually-impaired themselves. Their work is supported and guided by a 12-member professional advisory board of leading doctors, rehabilitation specialists, and social workers. The organization's 650-page web site (www.mdsupport.org) receives nearly 3 million hits annually. MD Support was recognized for outstanding community service in 2004 by the American Optometric Association.
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