Sights for Hope Stands Among State Leaders in Rehabilitative and Preventive Services

By Sights for Hope Team |
Stone archway with “Pennsylvania” inscribed, featuring carved figures and columns. The sky above is blue with scattered clouds, evoking a majestic tone.

Despite being in just three Pennsylvania counties, Sights for Hope has established itself as one of the state’s leaders in rehabilitative and preventive services against visual impairments and blindness.

Data from the Pennsylvania Association for the Blind (PAB), which supports services in 66 of the state’s 67 counties, shows that Sights for Hope provided nearly 10% of PAB-funded services in 2023-2024. Philadelphia County is the only county not associated with PAB.

Sights for Hope accounted for 9% of all people with visual impairments and blindness receiving rehabilitative services, 8% of all pre-kindergarten children who received free vision screenings, and more than 15% of the children who were educated about eye health and safety.

“Results such as these further substantiate the pride we take in our work at Sights for Hope,” said Dennis Zehner, Sights for Hope’s Executive Director and CEO. “Our team is one of tenacious, resilient, creative, and restless overachievers who personify the essence of service to others, and the people of the Lehigh Valley and Monroe County benefit from their efforts every day.”

Sights for Hope has been a PAB member since 1928. Sights for Hope receives funding for some of its services through annual contracts with PAB. PAB is the only statewide private nonprofit organization in the United States that provides services for people who are blind or visually impaired and prevention programs for the general population. Zehner is a member of the PAB Board of Directors.

Sights for Hope empowers people to overcome the challenges of vision loss and promotes healthy eyesight throughout Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley and Monroe County. Sights for Hope educates people with limited or no vision about adaptive skills, improves their access to essential services, boosts their confidence and emotional well-being, and helps them obtain assistive devices. Sights for Hope also connects pre-kindergarten children to eye care and teaches people how to keep their eyes strong and safe. Founded in 1928, Sights for Hope is a member of the Pennsylvania Association for the Blind (PAB) and the national VisionServe Alliance.

Image: Stone archway with “Pennsylvania” inscribed, featuring carved figures and columns. The sky above is blue with scattered clouds, evoking a majestic tone.