About Us

The Bucks County Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired was founded in 1945 in response to an increasing number of blinded veterans returning from World War II. This was the same year that organized rehabilitation programs for blind persons began nationwide. In 1949, the BCABVI incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Its first offices were in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. It has undergone many changes throughout its history.

In 1968, the BCABVI moved its present location in Newtown. We began operating rehabilitation and social programs 5 days per week at this center. In 1983, a prevention of blindness program was added and we started screening preschool children for vision and hearing problems. In 1995, a low-vision equipment loan program was initiated for people who could not afford to purchase the equipment and whose insurance might not pay for it.

Through a grant from the Verizon Foundation in 2005, we purchased computers and software that enables us to provide access technology instruction to our clients. Each station is equipped with both synthetic speech and magnification software. This technology has helped open doors that were closed to visually impaired people and provides them with new and meaningful professional and personal opportunities.

2005 was a turning point for the BCABVI in another area. With funding from the Newtown Lions Club, we purchased the equipment for a low vision clinic and began providing low vision examinations for people referred by their doctors. We began working with Vision Rehab Services to provide occupational therapy and low vision rehabilitation services to clients. This was a huge step forward in helping people live well with low vision.

We are very proud of the changes we help our clients make in their lives. We start by helping them change their perceptions about their own limitations. Whether it is an older adult trying to live alone after vision loss, a young adult who needs training with access technology to obtain employment, or a family member trying to cope with the challenges brought on by vision loss in a loved one, we are there to help with these critical life changes.

The BCABVI began with the foresight of its founders who, having no means of predicting the vast changes to occur in the years ahead, charted a course for the BCABVI that has remained true and constant since 1945. They defined a mission – a sense of purpose and identity – that endures and remains relevant in the 21st century.