The National Eye Institute has designated February as Low Vision Awareness Month, and The Guild for Human Services can point with pride to a number of recent initiatives to meet the needs of our visually impaired population.
In the last year, The Guild launched four different projects to assist individuals with low vision:
- In fall 2018, The Guild completed construction of a 6,400-square-foot playground designed to promote the physical, psychological, intellectual and social well-being of our 85 students and 55 adult residents. This modern and accessible play space was financed in part through a generous grant from the Belmont Savings Bank Foundation and a restricted gift designated to support individuals with low vision as well as orientation and mobility challenges.
- This spring, the Guild will launch a newly redesigned website providing an improved user interface and new content for The Guild community. In part, this website seeks to ease navigation for users with low vision and is being designed to comply with the strictest Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. The forthcoming website will feature interactive videos, a continually updated blog and detailed information about the services offered through The Guild School and adult residential program.
- The Guild has contracted with Artists for Humanity to create wayfinding murals and other design elements that will make it easier for those with impaired vision to find their way around the school. The interior design enhancements are expected to be installed this spring.
- The Guild is researching and investing in state-of-the-art assistive and augmentative technologies to improve and enhance the functional abilities of students with low vision.