Nina Mason Pulliam's personal experience with blindness inspired her dedication of resources and leadership skills to help those with vision problems. She was a Prevent Blindness America board member and a vision-screening volunteer for Prevent Blindness Indiana. Under her direction, The Indianapolis Star established the Fund for the Blind in Indiana with proceeds coming from the annual Indiana-Kentucky All-Star high-school basketball series. In addition, Mrs. Pulliam was a long-time supporter of the Indiana School for the Blind. In 1998, the school received one of the Trust's first legacy grants, $500,000 to renovate the library that is named in memory of Mrs. Pulliam.

The Trust continues to be inspired by Mrs. Pulliam's personal dedication and generosity to organizations that serve sight impaired and blind children and adults and work to prevent vision problems from occurring. Like so many other grantees of the Trust, collaboration is key to the success and effectiveness of the seven grantees profiled here.

Vision Screening and Preservation

The Amblyopia Foundation of America/Prevent Blindness America-Arizona Division Phoenix, Arizona

The Amblyopia Foundation of America (AFA) and Prevent Blindness America-Arizona Division (PBA) collaborate to reduce the cost and expand the effectiveness of vision screening for elementary school children in Arizona. Established in 2003, AFA developed computer-technology tools to assess children's vision as they play a two-minute video game. Test results assess amblyopia (commonly known as lazy eye),

The Trust provided support for the collaborative project in 2004 with a $200,000 two-year grant. Grant funds allowed AFA and PBA to screen 8,000 children in the Wilson, Creighton and Alhambra school districts, as well as the Thomas J. Pappas School for homeless children. The computerized test reduces the average cost to screen a child's vision from $10 to less than $2.50. In 2007, AFA and PBA plan to screen the vision of 100,000 children in Maricopa County with an ultimate goal to utilize this test nationally.

For more information about The Amblyopia Foundation of America, call 602-791-7140 or visit www.amblyopia-foundation.org
For more information about Prevent Blindness America-Arizona Division, call 623-879-7465 or visit www.pbaaz.org

Arizona Foundation for the Eye, Phoenix, Arizona

Founded in 1998, Arizona Foundation for the Eye (AFE) serves primarily low-income, medically underserved, ethnic minority persons with diabetes. AFE serves as a community resource for information about vision and helps national coalitions identify and address unmet eye care needs in Arizona. Approximately 17 million people in the United States have diabetes. Many with the disease will develop diabetic retinopathy, an eye disorder that damages the small blood vessels in the retina.

In 2002, a $111,400 Trust grant assisted AFE launch its Arizona Telemedicine Ophthalmic Program in collaboration with Mountain Park Health Center in south Phoenix and the University of Arizona. The Trust continued its support of the agency and project with a $232,000 grant in 2004. The program provides diabetic retinopathy screenings for high-risk patients. Such testing can detect early signs of diabetic retinopathy and prevent potentially irreversible vision loss and blindness.

For more information about Arizona Foundation for the Eye, call (602) 251-3400 or visit www.raceforsight.com

The Eye Care Community Outreach (ECCO) Program is the first major collaborative effort between the Indiana University (IU) School of Optometry, IU School of Medicine's Department of Ophthalmology and Prevent Blindness Indiana. The program identifies and coordinates the resources of Indianapolis health centers, hospitals, schools, day care and youth centers, churches, and other community organizations to deliver free eye care services for medically underserved men, women and children. Moreover, it assures that all individuals who undergo vision screening receive complete follow-up care.

Since the Trust funded the ECCO program in 2003, it has established partnerships with 83 different community agencies. As a result, thousands of Hoosier children and adults have received vision screenings. Subsequently, a large number of these clients have obtained vision health care that included donated or discounted eye exams, eyeglass fittings and ophthalmic surgeries. Because many clients need other health-related services, ECCO provides referrals to many social- and medical-service organizations for specialized treatment.

For more information about the Eye Care Community Outreach program, call (317) 321-1413 or visit www.opt.indiana.edu/ecco

Services for the Blind to Promote Self-Sufficiency

Foundation for Blind Children, Phoenix, Arizona

Founded in 1952, the Foundation for Blind Children (FBC) is a vital resource to Arizona families and children with blindness or low vision and serves over 2,000 individuals annually. FBC provides education, counseling, communication and technology access, and training at three Phoenix locations to assist visually impaired individuals acquire life skills and gain independence. During the past 10 years, the number of blind infants born in Arizona and those referred for services increased more than 300 percent, increasing the demand for services, particularly assistive technology training. From infancy, the blind or low-vision child and his or her family receive services designed to help the child excel.

Trust support began in 2000 to expand FBC's Assistive Technology Center in Phoenix and continued in 2004 with a $250,000 grant to enhance the Center further, establishing residential services for independent living skills and vocational training, and providing summer and after-school job programs. The Employment Service Program assists blind and visually impaired adults to prepare for and obtain employment. The Skill Mastery and Adjustment in Rehabilitation and Transition Program, in collaboration with the State of Arizona Vocational Rehabilitation Program, targets the rehabilitation needs of adults and youth.

With the help of FBC, blind and visually impaired individuals complete educational programs, acquire jobs, and integrate into their communities.

For more information about the Foundation for Blind Children, call (602)331-1470 or 1-800-FBC-4870 (1-800-322-4870) or visit www.the-fbc.org

Founded in 1915, Bosma Industries for the Blind (Bosma) helps blind and visually-impaired adults achieve vocational, economic, social and personal independence. Bosma provides a comprehensive menu of programs that includes vocational assessment, school-to-work training, employment placement, Bosma employment and the Bosma Rehabilitation Center. For the past several years, the board and executive leadership have strengthened the organization in order to reach more clients and increase integrated training and rehabilitation services.

The Trust has supported Bosma's mission since 2001, making its third capital grant earlier this year to help renovate a 52,000-square-foot office building and construct an adjoining 48,000-square-foot warehouse. This new facility consolidates all operations, including expanded rehabilitation services for the newly blind that will be offered in collaboration with Easter Seals Crossroads. By next summer, Bosma will have more than doubled the number of individuals it serves (235) and achieved its goal of helping clients lead self-sufficient lives.

For more information about Bosma Industries for the Blind, call (317) 684-0600 or 1-800-362-5463 or visit www.bosma.org

Reading Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Sun Sounds of Arizona, Tempe, Arizona

Sun Sounds of Arizona was founded in 1979 as a closed broadcast radio station where volunteers research and produce audio programs that feature the reading of print publications and electronic text (local and national newspapers, the internet, magazines, catalogs, newsletters, short stories and weekly grocery and retail store ads) for individuals who cannot read due to a visual, physical or learning disability. The agency broadcasts in English and Spanish in three formats: Sun Sounds Radio (a 24-hour broadcast of 30-minute and 60-minute audio programs that feature the reading of publications); Sun Dial (a 24-hour telephone and World Wide Web reading service);

In 2005, the Trust provided capital support to purchase backup equipment to avoid long-term interruptions in service and crippling expenses realized for emergency repairs.

For more information on Sun Sounds of Arizona, call (480) 774-8300 or visit www.sunsounds.org

Indiana Reading and Information Service (IRIS) Program, WFYI Teleplex, Indianapolis, Indiana

Founded in 1982, Indiana Reading and Information Services (IRIS) provides a 24-hour communications link for the print-impaired. Those who cannot read normal print due to blindness, low vision, physical impairments, learning disorders or illiteracy keep up to date with local news and information as presented by IRIS volunteer readers. Listeners can receive the program via radio broadcast (on WFYI's public radio station), dial-up service and the new streaming audio service through the World Wide Web. Participants can listen to 18 regional newspapers by telephone or tune

The Trust first funded IRIS in 1999 to expand the program statewide. Last year, a capital grant helped provide additional handicapped-accessible space for its broadcasting studio.

For more information about IRIS, call (317) 715-2004 or visit www.wfyi.org