A Place for People Affected by Sight Loss Due to Stroke to Come Together

The Cause

Functional Vision Association of Canada (FVAC) is a new non-profit whose phase one goal is to raise awareness of sight loss due to stroke or other brain injury in adults, and create a space where people who've lost their sight in this way have the opportunity to meet others with a shared experience. While some organizations work with people who are blind or partially sighted, and other organizations work with people who've experienced brain injuries or stroke, there exists a gap in helping people who lose their sight due to brain injury or stroke. Because of this gap, many who experience a loss of their vision in this way feel isolated. They often have some usable, or functional vision, and therefore don't feel others understand their unique circumstances. In some cases, while they can't see well, and often qualify as legally blind, because there is nothing physically wrong with their eyes, they sometimes don't feel they fit in with the blind or partially sighted community.
The idea is to create a space where adults who've lost their sight due to stroke or other brain injury can gather to share experiences, feel less isolated, and hopefully share things they've learned that might help others accomplish tasks in their day to day lives.

Who Will it Benefit?

I believe this will benefit the people who've lost their sight through stroke or brain injury and possibly their families as well. Being able to feel less isolated or misunderstood can go a long way to helping a person's confidence and that in turn, can help their relationships with family and friends.
Regaining confidence and possibly learning new ways to perform a variety of daily tasks could also help a person who has experienced this type of sight loss rejoin the work force or find other ways of giving back in their community.