BVA is pleased to announce the reception of a Reader’s Digest Partners For Sight (RDPFS) grant to support the Association’s Ambassador Program. Consisting of a national network of trained volunteers, the Ambassador Program provides information about benefits and services available to veterans and connects them with resources they can access through BVA, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and local communities. The RDPFS grant will help BVA further build the program through the development of an Ambassador Success Kit with marketing and communication materials. It will also help strengthen the program’s computer infrastructure.

In the United States, 120,000 veterans are blind and more than a million live with low vision, according to VA estimates. They are eligible for VA and BVA services and could benefit from them. Despite a multitude of such benefits and services offered through VA’s Blind Rehabilitation Service, only a small number (34,000 veterans who are legally blind and 29,000 with low vision) are currently receiving them. This disparity exists because most veterans are either unaware of the programs entirely or incorrectly assume they are not eligible for assistance because their vision loss is not service connected.

The BVA Ambassador Program helps to bridge the gap between these veterans and VA. This is accomplished by recruiting a national network of trained volunteers to serve as peer mentors and advocates for veterans adjusting to sight loss. 

RDPFS is dedicated to improving the lives of blind and visually impaired people. They believe these individuals should have the tools and resources necessary to lead independent, productive lives. Through their support of non-profit organizations that share this philosophy, they are making the world easier to navigate for thousands of people, every day.