Aging Leads & supports the National Aging and Vision Network, a national coalition dedicated to improving services to older persons with visual impairments. Consultation/Technical Assistance: Works with developers, manufacturers, and government to make products & services accessible & provides consultation & technical assistance to national, state, and local agencies & service groups. Conducts product evaluations in the area of assistive technology for persons with visual impairments & publishes them in AccessWorld. Education: Leadership & support to the AFB Textbooks and Instructional Materials Solutions Forum, a national coalition striving to ensure that visually impaired students receive texts & other instructional materials in alternate media at the same time that sighted students receive these texts & the National Agenda for the Education of Children & Youths with Visual Impairments, Including Those with Multiple Disabilities, a national effort of professionals and parents to improve educational services for students with disabilities.
Employment: Maintains the Careers & Technology Information Bank (CTIB), a database of information based on interviews with over 2,000 blind & visually impaired people about their jobs & the technology they use. CTIB may be used by consumers, employers, professionals, or parents to learn more about vocational possibilities for people who are blind or visually impaired & how to prepare for those vocations. AFB works to improve the quality of and increase funding for rehabilitation services that enable blind & visually impaired people to obtain employment & teaches rehabilitation workers about the availability of workplace technology, so that those they train are more valuable to employers. Through national public education efforts, AFB seeks to transform employer attitudes about visually impaired workers.
Information and Referral: Maintains a toll-free information line (800-232-5463) & a graphically rich website designed to be fully accessible to blind and visually impaired users. A great depth of information is available through the website, including comprehensive information on every aspect of blindness and visual impairment; a searchable database of nationwide services; message boards; community events; and announcements; guidelines of web accessibility; and the largest collection of Helen Keller memorabilia on the Internet.
Library: Maintains the M.C. Migel Library and Information Center that houses one of the largest collections of print materials related to nonmedical aspects of blindness & low vision in the world. It also includes the Helen Keller Archives, photo collections & a rare book collection. Bibliographies, fact sheets, resource lists & materials on a wide range of subjects are available in audio, Braille, and disk formats. Literacy Programs: Provides resources & training that enable those who work with people who are blind or visually impaired to become effective literacy instructors. They offer expertise in all areas of literacy, from Braille instruction to the use of magnification and other low vision devices and state-of-the-art assistive technology. Media Production: They produces materials in alternate formats (Braille, cassette/tape, large print, electronic forms). Professional Training: Conducts the Josephine L. Taylor Leadership Institute annually and produces a wide variety of professional training materials through AFB Press. Offers student internships in technology and other areas and conducts workshops and training sessions nationwide.
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