Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Services for People with Visual Impairments: A permanent visual impairment is one of the greatest physical threats to a person’s independence and is cited frequently as the greatest health-related fear for Americans. Severe visual impairments in the United States are expected to grow from now until the year 2050 at a rate faster than that of both domestic cancer deaths and HIV diagnoses. There is greatly diminished access to interventions for people with visual impairments and limited financial resources. Prevention Services: A child’s visual capabilities account for 80% of what he or she learns. Meanwhile, one in four students has an unidentified vision challenge and one in four people diagnosed with a learning disability experience some degree of visual impairment. Children with diminished and uncorrected abilities to see cannot meet early learning benchmarks – including the ability to read at grade level by the end of third grade.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Counseling Services
Counseling services are provided by caseworkers and a certified vision rehabilitation therapist. A primary counseling focus is to help people who lose much of, or all of, their vision adjust to the changes in their lives.
Low Vision Care Services
The agency’s Low Vision Care services include functional exams by an optometrist who specializes in helping people with severe vision loss and a variety of assistive devices for purchase. Both of its locations also have a store with devices that assist people with visual impairments conduct daily activities.
Guided Transport Services - Access to Medical Services and Food
The agency has provided its guided transport services for its clients with vision loss since the 1970s. This service provide access to medical care, groceries, and agency services that counteract isolation and improve quality of life. Approximately 65% of the agency's clients are ages 65 and up, and approximately 85% are from low-income households.
The guided transport services are “door-through-door,” which means that the agency's specially-trained drivers guide clients from their homes and into their destinations. When it is necessary, drivers provide additional assistance – such as helping to read paperwork or carrying bags into clients’ homes.
Life Skills Education - Including Vision Rehabilitation
Sights for Hope's life skills education services are provided in group and one-on-one sessions and empower people with visual impairments to increase their self-sufficiency.
Rehabilitative Skills: Clients learn how to use their existing vision most effectively and how to apply specific functional techniques. All sessions are presented by vision rehabilitation therapist (VRT) certified by the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation & Education Professionals (ACVREP).
Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Skills: Clients learn how to understand their surroundings and how to navigate between familiar locations. All sessions are presented O&M specialist who are ACVREP-certified.
Technology Skills: Clients explore present-day and emerging technologies that improve their quality of life.
Elemental Skills: Clients learn critical non-physical skills of daily life.
Skills Education for Youth: Our Camp I CAN! summer program is held annually for kids ages 7-13.
Community Education Programs
Sights for Hope's community education programs for preschool children, students, adults, and professionals promote eye health, eye safety, and inclusion of people with visual impairments. Its C. Well Bunny Goes to School presentation introduces preschool children to basic concepts about eye health and safety. During some of his adventures, C. Well is joined by friends Dr. Optical and Miss Illusion. The Low Vision Road Show shows audiences the specialized services that are available to people affected by vision loss. The Eyes in the Library presentation encourages students to discover the similarities and differences between human and animal eyes. The Doing Things Differently presentation helps professionals interact effectively in their workplaces with visually impaired patients, customers, and clients.
Vision Screenings for Pre-K children - Empowering Successful Learners
Sights for Hope conducts thousands of free vision screenings for children ages 0-6 and refers hundreds of children for additional care by medical professionals. When a child finds their vision improved, they literally are able to see a new world of possibilities.
Screeners use the state-of-the-art Spot vision screening equipment by Welch Allyn, a camera-like device which uses a non-invasive laser to take a reading of the child’s visual acuity. The equipment is extremely accurate in determining eye conditions including near and farsightedness; astigmatism; strabismus; and amblyopia, a condition that can lead to blindness if not detected and treated early enough in a child’s life. The SPOT equipment also is especially effective to use for children who are autistic or have other disabilities or language problems. The parent or guardian of a child referred for medical care receives computer printing of the screening results that can be shared with an eye care professional.
Peer Support Groups
The agency offers a variety of peer support groups for its clients with permanent vision loss. Support Groups give clients opportunities to express needs and concerns, participate in problem solving, and share resources in environments of openness, respect, encouragement, and trust.
Socialization and Recreation Activities
The agency's socialization and recreation activities help clients with vision loss remain active, execute skills and techniques that they have learned, connect with those who face similar challenges, and avoid the harmful effects of isolation.
Caseworker Services
Sights for Hope's caseworkers guide clients with vision loss to services that meet their goals, monitor client progress, arrange for one-on-one instruction, make referrals, and provide counseling as necessary.
Caseworkers also conduct home visits, during which they can help clients read mail, write checks, manage finances, complete forms, and perform basic home repairs to ensure safety.
Public Service Opportunities
Our Lehigh Valley Sights for Hope Lions Club empowers clients to serve their communities.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
VisionServe Alliance 2019
Pennsylvania Association for the Blind (PAB) 1928
External reviews

Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Percentage of clients with visual impairments who reside outside of assisted living
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Seniors, Older adults, People with vision impairments, Low-income people, Working poor
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Percentage of clients with visual impairments who improve or maintain their overall quality of life
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Seniors, Older adults, People with vision impairments, Working poor, Low-income people
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Percentage of clients with visual impairments who improve or maintain their ability to perform daily activities
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Seniors, Older adults, People with vision impairments, Working poor, Low-income people
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Sights for Hope blends a service tradition inspired directly by Helen Keller in 1928 with contemporary practices to provide people with visual impairments the skills, supports, and solutions that advance their self-sufficiency. Its services, which are provided at little or no cost, include life skills education, specialized technologies, individualized support services, free vision screenings for children, and prevention education programs.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Our services for people with visual impairments promote the accomplishment of daily tasks, increased access to medical services and food supplies, enhanced personal wellness, and extended self-sufficiency. Our free vision screenings for children stimulate success in school and our community education programs advocate for eye health and safety.
Our primary service categories are as follows:
Life Skills Education: Group and one-on-one sessions that teach vision rehabilitation, orientation and mobility, adaptive use of technology, and elemental life skills.
Support Services: Services for clients – including casework support, guided transportation, peer support groups, personal counseling, social activities, and recreational activities – that improve their quality of life and their access to food and medical care.
Technology Solutions: Functional low vision exams and individualized consultations performed to match clients and patients with the assistive devices and technologies that best meet their needs.
Prevention Services: Free vision screenings for children that promote school success and education programs that advocate eye health and safety.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Services for Lehigh and Northampton counties are provided from Sights for Hope's Lehigh Valley Services Center in Allentown, PA. Services for Monroe County are provided from its Monroe Services Center near Stroudsburg, PA. Sights for Hope has approximately 25 staff positions and approximately 50 services volunteers. Sights for Hope is funded through contributions, grants, government service contracts, revenue from sales of devices and assistive technologies, event revenue, and the affiliated Sights for Hope Endowment Foundation.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
An analysis of agency service data and client surveys reflect our impact.
A total of 96% of our clients maintain or improve their level of independence.
A total of 94% of our clients reside outside of assisted living.
A total of 95% of our clients who improve or maintain their overall quality of life.
A total of 92% improve or maintain their ability to perform daily activities.
Every dollar we spent on services for people with visual impairments in our 2020-2021 service year represents $36.37 spent on assisted living in Pennsylvania.
Nearly 1,300 guided transport rides – which provide increased access to medical care, food and other critical services – are completed in a typical year.
More than 9,500 children who receive free vision screenings and/or participate in education programs during a typical year. Approximately 10% of children screened are referred for additional care.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Paper surveys, other,
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve,
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
Our staff, Our board, Our funders,
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time,
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
SIGHTS FOR HOPE
Board of directorsas of 08/03/2022
Mr. Michael Wambaugh
Air Products and Chemicals (Retired)
Term: 2021 - 2023
Linwood Gehris
Affiliated Financial Planners
Martin Lang, CPA
Lang, Faylor & Chomo CPA
Lucille Piggott-Prawl
Disability Rights Pennsylvania
Michael Wambaugh
Air Products and Chemicals, Retired
Ross Ramaley, Esq.
Gross McGinley Attorneys at Law
Fred Folland
Hop Energy, Retired
Steven Savino
Lehigh University
Kate Raymond
PPL Corporation
Devin Darby, MS, OTR/L
Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network
Janet Salek
Educator for the Visually Impaired, Retired
DaWayne Cleckley
Strategic Arc Limited
Gary Dvorshak
Sights for Hope Client
Daniel Lombardo
Richard B. Ryon Insurance
Michael Savage
Savage Financial Group and Tannersville Lions Club
Paul Miller
Active Learning Centers and Lehigh Valley Martial Arts
Deborah Lillegard
Pennsylvania Lions District 14-K
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? No -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data