St. Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired

the st. louis society the st. louis society for the blind &for the blind &

visually impaired visually impaired

THEY ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THOSE WHO ARE LIVING WITH VISION LOSS AND WELCOME YOU TO ACCESS SOME OR ALL OF THE SPECIALIZED SERVICES THEY PROVIDE.

For more than 111 years, St. Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired has been enhancing independence, empowering individuals, and enriching lives. Located in Brentwood, MO, the Board, and staff believe in a community where vision loss is not a barrier to a full life.

Society’s main services include Assistive Technology, Low Vision Medical Exams, Occupational Therapy, Orientation and Mobility, Social Work, Support Groups, and Transportation, which occur in the agency, community, and in the client’s homes. Their primary service area includes St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Jefferson County and St. Charles County.

A new transportation program is fulfilling the needs for those who rely on others to drive. Their clients not only receive transportation to Society for appointments and programming, but also to other medical appointments, grocery shopping, the post office, the bank or just to meet friends for lunch.

In 2021, they added a bilingual staff person to interpret for their Spanish speaking clients and to translate their documents into Spanish. Society serves all, without regard to documentation. They offer client assistance to those without insurance and their Minority Advisory Board has made a concerted effort to reach out to all minorities so they can learn about the opportunity to use their services. THEIR HISTORY

After a study on the needs of the blind in St. Louis, Society was founded on December 28, 1911, as the Missouri Association for the Blind. Workshops were held to help the blind find jobs and live a productive, happy life. Their evolution continued:

•1915 Began teaching Braille in client’s homes •1930 Name change adopted to St. Louis Society for the Blind •1986 Added “Visually Impaired” to their name to recognize that the majority of individuals served are not totally blind •1989 Established the Leslie & Robert Drews Low Vision Clinic •2011 Society celebrated 100 years of service and developed new logo and tagline •2019 Laura Park-Leach was hired as the 11th President and CEO •2020 The Assistive Technology Center opened •2021 Opened the Sight Solutions Shop, for in-person and online shopping

No appointment is needed to come to the Sight Solutions Shop which has many inexpensive aids that can make life easier for people living with vision loss. They are open Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 4:30 pm. and offer Open Houses on occasion if someone needs to come at night or on the weekend. You’ll find them on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Follow them!

314.968.9000

8770 Brentwood Blvd., Brentwood, MO 63144 slsbvi.org