Seeing Without Sight

Team Bat riding down a trail together

The only difference between sighted and blind people is vision. By providing "visual" tools to blind individuals, they are given a chance to blossom to their full potential.

Philosophy on Visual Impairment

World Access for the Blind operates with a NO LIMITS philosophy. Everyone, blind or not, should enjoy the freedom to seek and discover their strengths. Blindness should not deny ACCESS to opportunities that our WORLD has to offer.

It is not lack of vision, but lack of equal access to social acceptance and societal resources that impairs people. The value, integrity and competence of humanity lies not in the eyes, but in the mind and spirit.

Blind people and sighted people share more likenesses than differences. Blind people possess all the same basic psychological, social, and physical needs that all humans possess. They hold the same ambitions and dreams as others, and are nourished by the same hope and assurance that they will achieve these aspirations.

WORLD ACCESS FOR THE BLIND recognizes that society approaches most aspects of human existence from a visual viewpoint by making information and resources available almost exclusively to the eye. The societal infrastructure and the exchange of goods and services world wide are designed to optimize the functioning and enjoyment of sighted people. This can restrict the quality of life for most blind people, including freedom of choice, activity, and participation in the world community.

WORLD ACCESS FOR THE BLIND strives to improve the quality of interaction between blind and sighted by facilitating equal ACCESS to the world. To this end, we are developing and using a comprehensive approach to replace vision with other ways of seeing for those who have none, and to enhance vision for those who have little remaining. We are interested in more than just the meeting of minimal requirements for functioning and life satisfaction. We believe there should be NO LIMITS. Blind people can and do achieve the same QUALITY OF LIFE as people with sight when they have the same access to the same opportunities and resources. Many hold excellent jobs and engage competitively in activities of every sort.