Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired South Carolina

Through Own Your Life, clients take classes geared towards maintaining and/or regaining independence. Classes include activities of daily living (ADL) training, computer training, assistive technology, group therapy and orientation and mobility. ADL classes include personal hygiene, medication management, overall health management, dressing oneself, cooking, kitchen safety, home and fire safety, home maintenance and more.

Empowering our clients with the skills needed to care for themselves on their own with the aid of low vision devices is life-changing. Through instruction in programs such as Own Your Life, clients can learn to perform daily tasks independently and safely and shift their perspective from dependency to empowerment through independence. The health, safety and quality of life of blind and visually impaired individuals can be compromised if they lack proper training to find new approaches for daily life.

We are also helping our clients enter or reenter the workforce.

Own Your Life has two tracks; Personal Enrichment to help individuals learn independent living skills and Employee Development for individuals seeking adaptive skills to join the workforce.

All clients are eligible for the Personal Enrichment track which focuses on developing, maintaining and/or regaining independence. Through this track our clients can take a variety of classes that encourage independent living including computer and assistive technology training, activities of daily living (ADL) training, braille, group therapy and other social opportunities. Clients are assessed before and after services are rendered to ensure the intended skill sets are reaching proficiency.

Through Employee Development, clients are learning the skills they need to gain or regain employment. Participants take the aforementioned classes as well as computer training, orientation and mobility and soft skills which includes resume building and interviewing practices.

Both tracks are individualized for each client.

We also offer Occupational Therapy services accepting both Medicaid and Medicare.

ABVI prides itself on its hardworking staff and instructors who are mission first oriented. Our core values are; 1. Mission First, 2. Courageously Innovative, 3. Works Smart, 4. Culture of Discipline and 5. Accountability. Working within our operating system with these core values in mind, helps our relatively small staff accomplish great traction.

We have worked with professionals across the country to develop a program, assessments and proficiency to best serve the blind and visually impaired in the Tri-County. We regularly step back from the business to take a big picture look at our services and make any necessary adjustments. We have a strong vision and Hedgehog Concept that keeps us focused.

We also have a new and improved funding model that helps ensure the sustainability of the programs we offer.

We have update our services for the blind and visually impaired in Charleston to allow for more individualized service plans (ISP). ISPs will allow us to focus more on each individuals needs and goals and to more efficiently and effectively give them the training they need.

We have opened a second training center in Ladson, SC, and we are offering almost all of our services virtually. Transportation is a major issues for the individuals we serve. Opening Ladson and going virtual helps our neighbors in Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester Counties access our services.

We have added Occupational Therapy services for clients accepting Medicaid and Medicare. We hope that our expansion will allow us to better serve individuals in rural parts of Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester Counties where medical and other center-based services are limited and transportation is problematic.

Since starting our vocation rehabilitation program, 80% of our graduates have been offered jobs. This is in a country where 70% of blind and visually impaired adults are unemployed, so we are excited about our early successes.