20/200 Fellowship, Inc.

Mission Statement

To advance the independence of persons who are blind or visually impaired by providing a one-stop resource and education center wherein planning, activities and training are driven by a team of sighted and visually impaired persons dedicated to promoting personal and professional independence and advancement.

Vision Statement

What we do:
The 20/200 Fellowship, Inc. will offer support, assistance and advocacy to residents of the Treasure Coast whose lives are affected, either directly or indirectly, by vision loss or blindness.

How we do it:
The 20/200 Fellowship offers support, assistance and advocacy through the strength of the programs we offer and through our commitment to serving the needs and choices of the blind and visually impaired of the Treasure Coast. The resource center provides information and education enabling the consumers to make informed choices and decisions. The technology lab provides hands-on opportunities for consumers to develop skills with adaptive equipment while the “Low-Vision Depot” offers patrons the chance to experiment with unfamiliar low-vision aids prior to purchase. These essential services are made available regardless of ability to pay and are available for as long as an individual’s needs exist.

What we stand for:
With a focus on the needs and choices of the consumer the 20/200 Fellowship promotes independent living through its mission and advocates for equal accessibility to services, aids, information and opportunity for persons who are blind or visually impaired.

What is our goal:
Recognizing the escalating growth in the population of blind and visually impaired persons the 20/200 Fellowship is committed to developing the resources and programs necessary to meet the increasing demand. The Fellowship will become the Treasure Coast’s best source of blindness information.

Plan to meet these goals:
The Fellowship will expand and enhance its services to respond to the needs of persons who are blind or visually impaired. To successfully meet this challenge the Fellowship will raise funds through community support, philanthropy and grants.

History

The roots of the 20/200 Fellowship, Inc. can be traced to 1996, when a group of blind and visually impaired persons from Martin and St. Lucie Counties, under the leadership of Brenda-Ann Gillis (who was herself blind as the result of Retinitis Pigmentosa), recognized the need for improved resource accessibility for the blind and visually impaired on the Treasure Coast. This group teamed up with sighted Treasure Coast residents to establish the foundation from which the 20/200 Fellowship would grow.

By 1999, the seeds of the Fellowship began to germinate with the realization of the initial goals: the incorporation of a non-profit resource center designed by and for blind and visually impaired residents of the Treasure Coast, the acquisition of a building from which the Resource Center would blossom, and the initiation of the 501 (c) (3) charitable organization tax exemption process. In April of 2002, with the completed renovations of the building, the 20/200 Fellowship opened its doors to serve the public, providing the local community with meeting space, blindness information, volunteer services, access to adaptive technology and so much more.

Since its inception the 20/200 Fellowship has been committed to its mission of promoting independence and advancement for those who are visually impaired. Departing from more conventional methodologies, the Fellowship promotes and nurtures a new and fresh approach to blindness education -- an approach in which skills, tricks and tips are taught by peers who have firsthand knowledge of the obstacles the blind or visually impaired consumer confronts.

Blindness education, however, is not limited to visually impaired persons, and neither is the scope of our mission. The Fellowship is committed to promoting public awareness of issues related to vision loss, and our mission is enhanced by branching beyond the borders of our facility and into the Treasure Coast Community. To foster an environment of collaboration, openness and understanding while avoiding duplication of services already offered in our community, the Fellowship has established relationships with area consumer groups, businesses, organizations, local schools, state agencies and other non-profit service providers. With its fresh approach to blindness education and training, the 20/200 Fellowship is positively affecting the lives of area residents impacted (either directly or indirectly) by vision loss.

During the past 5 years, the Fellowship:

• Purchased, renovated and opened a facility in Pt. Salerno
• Provided services to over 600 persons in our community, free of charge
• Opened a technology lab where consumers learn the latest in adaptive technology.
• Initiated consumer networking programs
• Enfranchised consumers by providing voting machine tutorials
• Established a “low-vision depot” where consumers can experience varied magnifiers and CCTVs (Closed Circuit TVs)
• Empowered visually impaired children and their sighted siblings with after school and summer camp programs
• Increased consumer independence through our volunteer program
• Collaborated with area agencies to create unique learning experiences for our community

As we progress through our first decade, the Fellowship continues to branch out into the community, with new programs, activities and technology. Our founders’ dedication to promoting personal independence and advancement for persons who are visually impaired is the continual guiding force that drives the Fellowship to enhance the entire Treasure Coast community.