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 Services

Life Skills Education: Group and one-on-one sessions that teach vision rehabilitation, orientation and mobility, adaptive use of technology, and elemental life skills – including specialized programs for youth and families.
Support Services: Client-focused services including caseworker assistance, guided transportation, emotional support, and opportunities to connect with others who face similar challenges.
Technology Solutions: Functional low vision exams by a professional optometrist and individualized consultations performed to match clients and patients with the assistive devices that best meet their needs.
Prevention Services: Free vision screenings children ages 6 and under to identify sight conditions; partnerships that provide eye exams and glasses to advance school readiness; and community education programs that promote eye health, eye safety, and inclusion of people with visual impairments.

Our Constituents

We have 560 active clients through November 2024, and we serve nearly 100 additional patients annually.
Almost 49% of our clients live below or near the federal poverty line.
Almost 82% of our clients are ages 55 and older more than 64% of our clients are ages 65 and older.
More than 70% of our clients are diagnosed with Macular Degeneration, Glaucoma, Diabetic Reinopathy, Cataracts, or Retinits Pigmentosa.
We perform vision screenings on approximately 6,000 children ages 0-6 annually, and about 14% 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.