DIRECT ASSISTANCE TO BLIND INDIVIDUALS

The American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults tries to do exactly what its name implies—that is, take Action. Often, when there is a need, the help is needed at once. Emergencies require action, not paperwork. When the Action Fund can help, it tries to do so immediately and without red tape.

Consider the following situations:

—Hurricanes Hugo and Andrew damage and destroy the homes of blind individuals in North and South Carolina and Florida; Hugo devastates a school for blind children in Jamaica.

—A child is totally blind. Suddenly his hearing starts to fail, also. The family has no medical insurance, and the father is out of work. Surgery to save the boy's hearing is needed, and it is needed immediately. The family has looked for help but has run into red tape and bureaucratic delays. The surgery won't wait.

—An 82-year-old blind woman in Massachusetts lacks the money to pay for a telephone lifeline which enables her to continue living in her own home.

—A blind couple with young blind children have fallen behind in their mortgage payments because the father has been unable to work. They face foreclosure and loss of their home.

—Two blind children are counting on being able to attend summer camp. But their parents have had problems and, at the last minute, they can't come up with the money.

—Fire destroys all the personal belongings, furniture, appliances, and kitchen utensils of a blind woman in Arizona who also is further disabled by having the use of only one hand. Her specially modified equipment—a one-handed Braillewriter and one-handed typewriter are also destroyed. She is unemployed and lives on very limited income.

—A man living in Georgia is diabetic. He has recently been blinded. He has no job. The family has no food in the house. The power company is about to turn off the electricity because he has been unable to pay his bills.

—A mentally retarded blind woman in her seventies has been living independently and taking care of herself for a number of years. She was issued a credit card by a large department store chain. She bought and charged a few small items. She did not understand the payment system. Finance charges, far in excess of the things she bought, built up. She thought the bills were wrong, since they were for so much more than what she had purchased. So, she did not pay them. The finance charges continued to build. She began to make payments, but by this time the bill had grown to nearly seventeen hundred dollars, and she was told that (at the rate she was able to pay) she would be 106 years old before the bill was paid off. She received increasingly frequent and nasty telephone calls and letters from the store's credit department. They threatened to have her into court as a debtor. She was confused and frightened.

—A multiply handicapped blind child was killed in a school bus accident. After her death her parents (also blind) adopted another multiply handicapped child, and have devoted themselves to reaching out to help parents of other such children. They used their personal resources to create a support network, which grew to over 500 participants. Then they ran out of money to keep their program going by themselves.

—A blind man has been out of work for an extended period. He has six children, and he needs winter clothing for them. He keeps hoping to get help from the Social Security Administration, but there have been administrative snarl-ups, and no money has come.

—A deaf-blind individual needs specialized computer equipment to enable her to communicate with others. It is expensive, and the government rehabilitation program in her area says it doesn't have the money to help. She has a good education and was formerly employed in a professional position. She thinks this equipment would enable her to become employed again and that she would be able to help other deaf-blind people, but she has to have the equipment.

—A deaf-blind mother has a young deaf son. There is a device she can purchase that would signal her by vibration to tell her that the doorbell is ringing, but she lacks the money to buy it.

—A blind mother needs legal assistance to retain custody of her child. Local officials want to take the child away because they don't believe a blind person can care for a child.

—An elderly blind woman worked all of her life in a sheltered workshop—most of the time at less than minimum wage. Even so, she saved all she could, and when she retired she was able to purchase a tiny house. But she has been unable to keep it in good repair. The roof leaks badly and the ceilings and floor have been damaged. A handyman has been found who has volunteered to do the work without charge, but materials must be purchased, and there is no money.

—A blind individual has severe asthma. His doctors tell him that he must move to a drier climate. He has relatives who can help some, but he still does not have enough resources to make the move.

In each of these situations the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults was able to give direct financial assistance, and to give it immediately upon learning of the need. The Action Fund is also often able to provide know-how, technical assistance, and people to help smooth the way and get the job done. Sometimes this kind of help can be almost as important as direct financial aid. Even so, there are some problems that can only be solved by providing the money to meet the need.

Updated February 13, 2002