SERVICES for all ages

ALL AGES

Receiving Sight Center Services

Whether you have been referred by your eye doctor, a friend or found us online, you must complete the initial registration process - then you will be connected with your case manager. It generally takes about 30 days to arrange for a home visit from your case manager. During this initial visit, they will be able to make a good determination about what, if any, vision you still have. Afterwards, your case manager will begin referring you to services offered through Cleveland Sight Center that will best serve you. For parents and guardians of children, teens and young adults ages 22 and under, initial contact will be with your Children’s Services case manager. For more information on Children's Services, contact Lorie Marsalis at (216) 791-8118, x286. Contact Children's Services via email.

Products to Improve your Vision

In many cases, specific optical products can improve your vision. Your case manager will help you determine if you need an eye exam, and will refer you to our Low Vision Clinic to schedule an appointment. During your appointment, you will receive an eye exam by one of our optometrists experienced in treating people with vision impairment. Following this exam, your vision can better be assessed and we will be able to advise what type of vision aids and appliances may be helpful to you.

Visual Aids & Appliances

Cleveland Sight Center offers an on-site store called "EYE-dea" Shop, which sells hundreds of visual aids and appliances. The shop is open every weekday from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, and carries a wide selection of items, including magnifiers, large print calendars, talking clocks, specialized lamps, and a variety of items to help with cooking, cleaning, sewing, and recreational activities. You can visit the shop in person, or you can shop online. Visit our EYE-dea Shop online store.

Books on Tape

Any book, including textbooks, by any author, on any subject that is not available commercially on tape, we can record for you. Just send the book to our Cleveland Sight Center Taping Service and one of our many reading volunteers will record it for you on audio cassette tape.

Braille Services

Those who are visually impaired or blind, and have learned to read and write Braille can request books to be transcribed in Braille. Our staff and volunteers will transcribe everything from elementary school picture books to complicated college texts. To contact our Braille Department, call (216) 791-8118, x301. Contact our Braille Department via email.

Talking Books

Available for people who are visually impaired or blind are pre-recorded tapes from the National Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. These tapes are provided free; however, they require a special tape player. Our Talking Books department can provide one for you. To contact our Talking Books Department, call (216) 791-8118, x250. Email our Talking Books department.

Radio Reading Service

Every day, you can listen to the top news stories, local and national, plus sports and entertainment, when you tune in to the Cleveland Sight Center Network. You will be provided with a special radio receiver, for a nominal annual fee, and you can listen to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, USA Today, national magazines, and specially produced radio programs. For young people, the Cleveland Sight Center Network airs a special program every Saturday morning.

Cleveland Sight Center Network is on the air Mondays through Fridays on a 24-hour, non-stop schedule and broadcasts between 10 am to 8 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

Recreation Services

Thanks to the volunteers and the staff of Recreation Services, you have the opportunity to enjoy many activities Cleveland Sight Center offers. To contact Recreation Services, please call (216) 791-8118, x226 or x227. Contact Recreation Services via email.

Highbrook Lodge

Highbrook Lodge is a place where people of all ages enjoy more than 60 acres of forest and countryside. Located in Chardon, Ohio, this camp is far enough away from the city to feel like the country, yet close enough to be less than a one-hour drive from the city of Cleveland.

To ensure the most rewarding camping experience, campers are organized by age groups – infants and their families, preteens, older teens, adults, and seniors. Campers participate in week long, as well as weekend sessions that focus on the special needs of clients who are visually impaired or blind.

All parts of the camp are accessible with paved walkways, reinforced rails and guide wires that connect the camp's cottages and recreation areas allowing campers the ability to move around independently. Inside the cottages are equipped with fully accessible showers and other amenities.

Crafts for Sale

Crafts for Sale is a program that blends hand/eye coordination with recreational therapy and even a little extra money in your pocket. Clients make handcrafted items and the finished products are often sold at craft shows throughout the area. You do not need to be an experienced crafter to become involved. A professional crafts instructor works side-by-side with clients, teaching and supervising the work.

Computer Training

A few years ago, a group of our clients formed a Computer Club in cooperation with Cleveland Sight Center and with the Cleveland Public Library for the Blind. Club members meet one Saturday each month, generally at the downtown Cleveland Public Library. Learn more about computer and job skill training.

Deaf-Blind Services

We have a special Deaf-Blind Services program that is affiliated with the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youth and Adults. Being part of this national network helps us keep abreast of new developments in this area.

Our deaf-blind coordinator provides an assessment of your needs and designs a plan of individualized treatment. Your coordinator will get to know your family, friends and any other people who have an impact on your life to give them the information and the skills they will need to help you. For more information on Deaf-Blind services, please call (216) 791-8118, x244. Contact Deaf-Blind services via email.

Guide Dogs

If you think you would like to have a guide dog, our staff professionals will help you first learn orientation and mobility skills using a cane. They will then provide you with a list of guide dog programs across the country. You may also want to talk to others who have guide dogs, as you make this decision. Cleveland Sight Center has no affiliation with any specific guide dog school.

Transportation

Transportation is available, but limited. For special events and activities at Cleveland Sight Center, group outings at Highbrook Lodge Camp, and in times of special need, Cleveland Sight Center drivers provide transportation in one of our vans. However, one of our goals is to help all of our clients become as independent as possible, and this means helping our clients learn how to use public transportation and others means of transportation.