BALANCE FOR BLIND ADULTS
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : d*********t@b********a.o*g
Mission Statement
An open world for persons who are blind or living with sight loss.
About This Cause
About us BALANCE for Blind Adults (BALANCE) is a registered charity providing services and support to people in the City of Toronto who are blind or living with low vision. For more than 35 years, BALANCE has helped people with vision loss gain the skills needed to feel confident and achieve independence at work, home, and out in the community. We envision an open world for persons who are blind or living with sight loss. What makes our organization unique is our ability to individualize services and provide longer-term support for clients whose needs are complex and extend beyond their vision impairment. BALANCE is governed by a diverse, voluntary Board of Directors, many of whom have lived experience of sight loss or have a family member with sight loss (see attached list of board members). We are a member of VisionServe Alliance, an international organization supporting and serving member organizations providing services to blind persons in North America. We are also a long-time member of the Ontario Community Support Association and accredited by the Canadian Centre for Accreditation. Our Clients BALANCE’s clients are amongst the most vulnerable within the vision-impaired community; almost half (48%) of our clients last year had no functional vision, as compared to 10% of people with sight loss in Canada and world-wide. Many of our clients live with additional challenges, including physical and mental health conditions, social isolation, speaking English as a second language and limited financial means. Last year, 83% of our clients were unemployed, 44% were on social assistance, and 43% lived alone. More than half of our clients are aged 50 years and over (55%) and 60% are female. Since the start of the COVID-19, we have noted a marked rise in the incidence of reported anxiety and depression and an increase in extreme social isolation adversely impacting Health and further deterring the use of available resources. Our Programs and Services BALANCE provides a range of community, educational and rehabilitative programs and services that are focused on facilitating clients’ connection to community resources, enabling clients’ confidence with independent mobility, and improving computer technology skills to foster independence and wellness, leading to equity in their overall health care. To read more about the programs and services we offer please log on to our website - https://www.balancefba.org/