Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Low vision is a vision problem that makes it hard to do everyday activities. It can’t be fixed with glasses, contact lenses, or other standard treatments like medicine or surgery. Currently there are over 2.9million Americans living with low vision and blindness. Experts expect this number to increase by 72% by 2030 as our population ages. 14% of the population over age 65 have low vision. Only 2% of patients with visual impairment seek vision rehabilitation due to barriers including; awareness, difficulty accessing services and training, the costs of care and devices, and anxiety and depression. Due to a care gap in our current system, patients with low vision are often not referred to vision rehabilitation services. This is due to a lack of easy referral pathways, a shortage of vision rehabilitation providers and a lack of awareness.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Community Outreach
Hope Vision Foundation provides community events to raise awareness about low vision and blindness, increase the ability of community members to intact comfortably with people disabled by vision loss and provider skills, tools and resources to people with vision loss and their care partners.
Vision Education and Outreach
Education
We provide education to patients, family members, eye care professionals and the community through our website, educational materials, and outreach events.
Outreach
We are fortunate to have a very experienced outreach team. Outreach events are great for community centers, senior centers, retirement communities or assisted living homes. We provide staff inservice events to discuss how to care for patients with vision loss. We also provide vision screening and device demos. These are important in helping people to see how vision rehabilitation and adaptive aides may improve their quality of life.
Where we work
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Our Sustainable Development Goals
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Goals & Strategy
Learn 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?
Hope Vision Foundation is empowering people with vision loss and their caregivers to live their best lives. We do this through three main lines of effort. Increase Awareness. Empower through Education. Build Resources.
Increase Awareness. Most patients with low vision see an optometrist or ophthalmologist regularly. Hope Vision Foundation aims to engage directly with eye care practices and professionals to encourage them to refer patients to vision rehabilitation and discuss benefits of vision rehabilitation on patient quality of life. Another group of community professionals that regularly witness the impact of vision loss are caregivers. Whether they are professional caregivers working in assisted living, home health or family acting as care partners, we aim to work with them to provide them the knowledge, support, and resources they need. By increasing community awareness of vision loss as an invisible disability Hope Vision aims to help people feel confident and prepared to interact with people with vision loss.
Empower through Education. Hope Vision Foundation aims to improve understanding of vision loss. For most people understanding their condition is the first step to taking charge of their new reality. Normalizing the adjustment process, which is similar to the grief reaction is critical. Then we share the many tools, adaptive techniques, and devices available to help people living with vision impairment live their best lives. Caregivers are a specific focus area for us because it is often the caregiver who is seeking assistance on behalf of the person with vision loss early on.
Build Resources. Most communities across the US do not have well developed comprehensive vision rehabilitation resources. Hope Vision Foundation aims to Increase the number of vision rehabilitation providers. We also strive to increase access to devices and vision adaptive aids.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Increase Awareness.
Enhance the ability of people with low vision to lead independent, active lives.
Create a supportive website and blog to provide information and links to resources
Connect people to resources and facilitate DSB referrals
Listen to our low vision and blind community to determine needs and drive services
Social Support - Create connections and community that supports those with visual impairment
Empower through Education - Increase the understanding of the needs of those with low vision and blindness through education.
Provide Community Based Workshops with Vendor/Resource Fairs
Quarterly mini-Workshops (Online and Face to Face)
Carepartner Workbook
Professional Caregiver Guidebook
Creation of online classes to facilitate remote learning
Caregiver and eye care workers - onboarding class
Build Resources - Provide services to low vision persons through evaluation, treatment and provision of low vision aids.
Identify. Provide community vision screening fairs.
Access - Improve Provider referral rates to Vision Rehabilitation by working with community Ophthalmologists and Optometrists.
Treatment - Work with Occupational Therapists to improve comfort with vision rehabilitation skills
Adaptive Aid support - Stand up a small online store where people can donate, buy or request a device.
Partnerships - Lions Clubs and other community partners to develop a device lending library
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Hope Vision Foundation has an extremely experienced team that includes people with vision loss, vision rehabilitation specialists and ophthalmologists.
We are well connected with other organizations serving those with disabilities and the elderly in our area.
We are engaged on social media and locally with people with vision loss and organizations serving those with vision loss.
We have researched and developed a business plan that will create a self sustaining vision rehabilitation service network in our area that can be broadened and expanded to other regions as we grow and increase our financial backing.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
What we have done!
Increase Awareness.
- Spoken at the Washington Eyecare Professionals Association Annual meeting.
- Provided several local talks at Lions Club, Kiwanis and Healthcare Provider meeting.
- Had booths at County Aging and Disability Fairs.
Empower through Education.
- Hope Vision Foundation has educational materials on the website.
- We have provided several educational talks at libraries and community centers.
- We hosted our first Annual Caregiver Workshop in February 2020
- We have created a free resource for Emergency and Disaster Preparedness for people with vision impairment.
- We have started an online course collection at www.school-of-vision.teachable.com
- Presented to the Aging and Disability Resources group in Pierce county. 2021
- Presented at the Pierce County Health Care Providers Meeting. 2021
Build Resources.
- We have started collecting used and donated vision aids for a lending library.
- We have partnered with the Lions Club in Olympia who has an existing low vision lending library.
What is next?
In order to maintain and increase our impact Hope Vision Foundation is looking to partner with organizations with similar goals. We plan to hire a consulting fundraising and grant writing specialist to obtain the funds needed to realize our vision.
Hope Vision Foundation is working on expanding our online and in person education course that we hope to make a requirement for caregivers and those working in eye care offices to improve awareness. We are working with local colleges and schools to get training on caring for people with vision loss to students.
In 2022 we plan to host at least three vision workshops that includes special sections on technology and rights of people with disabilities. We are also planning on publishing a Guide for People with vision loss and their caregivers.
Hope Vision Foundation plans to hire vision rehabilitation providers to grow the treatment capability and capacity in Washington State. In order to do this we need to secure community support and grants to cover the cost of providing this resource.
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
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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.
Hope Vision Foundation
Board of directorsas of 12/15/2021
Dr. Erin Seefeldt
Madigan Army Medical Center
Term: 2017 - 2022
Patrick Munson
Madigan Army Medical Center
Erin Rumer
David Rumer
Linda Wilder
Don Felthouse
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? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable -
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? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
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
No data
Gender identity
No data
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 08/19/2020GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.