About Sights for Hope

Sights for Hope transforms the lives of people with visual impairments and blindness by removing barriers to independence and well-being. Our services provide the skills, supports, and solutions that advance their self-sufficiency and quality of life. We carry forward a tradition inspired by Helen Keller nearly a century ago throughout Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley and Monroe County, and most of our services are provided at no cost. Founded in 1928, Sights for Hope is a member of the Pennsylvania Association for the Blind (PAB) and the VisionServe Alliance.

Our Mission Statement

  • To provide people with visual impairments the skills, supports, and solutions that advance their self-sufficiency.

Our Vision Statement

  • To transform the lives of people with visual impairments by removing the barriers to their independence and success.

Our Values

  • Independence: We champion every individual’s right to control their life and pursue their personal success.
  • Impact: We advance solutions specifically for the people we serve and challenge ourselves to make our communities stronger.
  • Dignity: We demonstrate a person-first mindset toward those we serve and honor their strengths.
  • Character: We listen, pursue all that is possible, carry ourselves with sincerity and humility, and are inclusive without bias.
 
 

Our Three Pillars

We have identified three pillars to articulate our work.

  • Skills: We teach adaptive skills to accomplish daily life activities.
  • Supports: We provide supports that counter the effects of visual impairments and blindness and we increase access to medical care, healthy food, and other essential needs.
  • Solutions: We advance solutions that enhance sight capabilities.

Our Constituents

  • We have 535 active clients as of June 2025, and we serve approximately 100 additional patients annually.
  • More than 49% of our clients live below or near the federal poverty line.
  • More than 81% of our clients are ages 55 and older more than 63% of our clients are ages 65 and older.
  • More than 70% of our clients are diagnosed with Macular Degeneration, Glaucoma, Diabetic Retinopathy, Cataracts, or Retinits Pigmentosa.
  • We perform vision screenings on approximately 6,000 children ages 0-6 annually, and more than 13% of them have an impairment of some kind.
  • Most of our children’s screening events in a typical year are held at preschools, at daycare centers, and during kindergarten registration and orientation events.

See Also

Our Commitment to Diversity

Our Major Champions