Who We Are...What We Do...

Well after 6 loooong months and tons of paper work Beautifully Blind Inc. has finally received its 501(c)3 designation! In this waiting period Beautifully Blind Inc. has been focused on letting the world know who we are as people, in this blog we will tell you who we are as a business.

Beautifully Blind Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that provides grants for assistive technology and optic atrophy research. Beautifully Blind Inc. also provides confidential emotional support to those who have lost or are losing their eyesight and their families.

Applications for assistive technology will need to be supported by an assistive technology assessment establishing the requested product meets the client needs. Applications must be accompanied with a recommendation letter from a third party such as a welfare worker, social worker, or a group that supports the blind or similar that can verify the need and financial status. Persons eligible to apply must have a family income less than $50,000.00 and cash assets less than $20,000.00. Previous grant recipients are not assured of future funding. To ensure the grant is used for the intended purpose, grants service will pay the product supplier directly and deliver the product to the recipient via in person at the Annual Gala or mail rather than providing cash grants. Grant applicants must be legally blind and a resident of the United States. The application will be available starting January 1 of every year that funding is available. The deadline to apply will be June 1 of every year that funding is available. Applications for 2011 will be available soon on the website www.beautifullyblind.org.

Optic atrophy or damage to the optic nerve is a widespread eye condition that affects many people across the world. According to the National Institutes of Health, optic atrophy is tissue death of the nerve; ultimately causing permanent blindness. There are many causes that can result in a person being inflicted with this life altering eye condition. Such causes can include but are not limited to poor blood flow, trauma, shock, glaucoma, brain disorders, and sometimes genetics (National Institutes of Health, 2010). If not controlled, optic atrophy can not only diminish a person’s vision, but also the ability to have light perception. There is no current treatment for optic atrophy due to its irreversible nature. Due to the lack of treatment options that are readily available to people with optic atrophy, research is crucial in order for sight to be restored. Currently, in the United States there are several researchers/scientists whose mission is to find methods to rejuvenate the optic nerve. Such research includes stem cells, gene therapy, and implants. The awarded grants from Beautifully Blind Inc. will allow the organization to assist in these research efforts through financial contributions. Beautifully Blind Inc. will award financial assistance to organizations that are making strides in trying to find treatment for optic atrophy. Research will create understanding, and understanding will hopefully one day lead to a cure. Organizations applying for a grant must qualify under section 501(c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code. The organization must have a proposed plan of action and there needs to be a level of collaboration/partnership with others for the benefit of advancing optic atrophy research.

When facing a big loss, such as one’s eyesight, there is a lot of adjustment that a person must make in their daily life. When going through this major adjustment, it can be beneficial to have a person to talk to about your feelings, thoughts, and experiences. Dear Robin is an option where visitors to the Beautifully Blind Inc.’s website have the opportunity to ask questions or make comments. Confidentiality is held to the highest for individuals who choose to write in to the Dear Robin section. Dear Robin serves as a tool to help blind/visually impaired individuals and/or their families cope with vision loss. Visitors have the option to write in through the website, therefore, their information is kept private.

Beautifully Blind Inc. is ready to take on blindness full speed ahead! We want to help in leveling the playing field in all aspects of life of those that are visually impaired. If there is assistive technology that can aid in an individuals life and will make a difference in them becoming self sufficient and independent we want to be able to provide it. Please help and support us by telling your friends, family and communities about us. We are on Facebook at www.facebook.com/beautifullyblind as well as on twitter @BlindBeautiful.

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." Helen Keller