The Alliance on Aging and Vision Loss (AAVL) has been quite busy lately. This special-interest affiliate of ACB is focused on, as you might guess, issues of aging. We seem to be in a moment where these issues are in the minds of policymakers at all levels, so we are trying to take advantage, and advocate for issues that have relevance to seniors who are blind or who have low vision.
The area we are currently focusing our energies on is our Area Agencies on Aging Project. There are Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) in all communities of the U.S. They fund a variety of programs and services, such as Meals on Wheels. Through a questionnaire we developed, our members are contacting AAAs in different parts of the country to see how they are similar and how they differ from one another. We are also asking members and interested blind citizens to become members of Advisory Councils associated with the AAAs so that we can start to bring attention to the specialized needs of our community, and to help the agencies reach out more effectively to us. If you’d like to get involved with this project, visit https://www.aavl-blind-seniors.org/aavl-area-agencies-on-aging#main-content/, or contact Anisio Correia, [email protected] or (404) 539-4521.
ACB and AAVL are also well represented in the VisionServe Alliance (VSA). This coalition of organizations of and for people who are blind or have low vision is currently focused on issues of aging as well, so we are collaborating with them to help our advocacy efforts.
We have many other project ideas that are just waiting for you to join us. ACB’s special-interest affiliates have the age bases covered, from Students to Next Gen, to AAVL. Go to www.aavl-blind-seniors.org to check us out and get details on how to become a member, or call Kathy Gerhardt, AAVL treasurer, at (304) 283-7424 or [email protected]. If you join before Feb. 1, 2022, your name will be put into a drawing for a $100 cash prize. We look forward to your joining the fun.