New & Noteworthy
Hartford Foundation Awards Nearly $240,000 in Grants to Assist Individuals with Visual Impairments
Eighteen nonprofits awarded grants from the Foundation’s John E. Blair Fund
According to Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute, almost 20 million Americans, or eight percent of the U.S. population, have visual impairments. From poor vision to blindness, visual impairment is one of the leading causes of loss of independence for people aged 65 and older.
UR Community Cares is committed to supporting individuals who are blind or have low vision. Through its Manchester-based UR Vision Resources program, the organization provides complimentary vision support services, connects individuals to essential resources, and offers technology training to promote independence and improve quality of life. Additionally, they created the UR Vision Station to maintain a comprehensive inventory of assistive vision devices, ensuring participants have access to the tools they need to thrive.
Thanks to a $15,000 grant from the John E. Blair Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, UR Community Cares is expanding its UR Vision Resources program. The grant will support the purchase of essential adaptive equipment, such as a LyriQ Assistive Text-to-Speech Reader with Keypad, anti-theft sensors/devices for the UR Vision Center, and community events with presentations from the Helen Keller Center.
“Individuals who are blind or have low vision are eager to access information and acquire new skills,” UR Community Cares Co-Founder Michelle Puzzo. “Through our UR Vision Resources program, we are proud to provide a dedicated space that fosters learning, independence, and community connection. This grant will enable us to expand social, educational, and technology-based opportunities for individuals who are blind or have low vision. We are deeply grateful to the Foundation for their generous support and commitment to accessibility and inclusion."
UR Community Cares is one of 18 agencies to receive grant awards totaling $237,000 over one year to support a variety of projects that serve individuals with visual impairments throughout the Foundation’s 29-town region. The Foundation has an extensive history of providing organizations with grants through the Blair Fund. This year, the Foundation launched a competitive grant opportunity through the fund.
The grants include ten that are focused on program expansion or enhancement, which will strengthen and grow existing programs. Six grants were awarded to support the purchase of adaptive equipment and other small capital costs to benefit people with visual impairments. Additionally, two grants cover operating support for organizations whose missions and primary programming are to assist individuals with visual impairments.
“The Hartford Foundation is grateful to be able to support such impactful organizations through the John E. Blair Fund,” said Hartford Foundation Community Impact Officer Bria Muwanguzi. “These grants help to enhance accessibility and empower individuals with visual impairments, fostering independence and community connection.”
2025 John E. Blair Fund at the Hartford Foundation Grant Recipients:
| Organization Name | Project Name | Project Description | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arts for Learning Connecticut | Breaking Free - Kinesthetic Arts Integration at the CT Institute for the Blind, Oak Hill | Breaking Free is a specialized, movement-based arts learning program designed to serve 30 students with blindness or visual impairmentsÑand other physical, cognitive, and developmental disabilitiesÑthrough an intensive, inclusive arts residency model. Implemented over 8 weeks, the program will provide 64 in-school sessions, delivering approximately 90 minutes of kinesthetic arts instruction per classroom per week. The students served by this program attend the CT Institute for the Blind (Oak Hill). Grant funds will be support teaching artist fees, evaluation, and overhead. | $10,000.00 |
| Communication Advocacy Network | Emergency Support for DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing Blind Consumers | CAN is requesting funding to support Deaf/Blind customers whose needs exceed the Bureau of Educational Services for the Blinds allotment of $10,000 per state fiscal year. Services can include special interpreting needs, transportation to medical appointment or grocery shopping, and other basic needs. Grant funds would be used primarily to support transportation services and include SSP pay, mileage, and administrative fees. | $15,000.00 |
| Connecticut Radio Information System | General Operating Support | CRIS is requesting operating support for fiscal year 2025. This year's goal of CRIS is to: enhance knowledge, improve literacy, promote independence, increase inclusion and accessibility, and prevent isolation for 62,262 people who are unable to read due to blindness or a print disability, and increase by 550 the number of people who have access to CRIS RadioÕs family of services (Total 62,812). Grant funds would be used to support the transition of 2 audio assistants from part-time to full-time to accommodate increased programmatic demands and overhead. | $30,000.00 |
| Coventry Lake Community Rowing | Supporting PR3 Blind Rowers for the 2024 US Rowing Regional & National Championships | Coventry Lake Community Rowing is asking for support to expand their adaptive rowing program and to support participation in the US Regional and National Rowing Championship for their vision impaired participants. CLCR is also requesting funding for an adaptive boat. Currently the boat being borrowed is for adult sized males and the participants are much smaller than that. Grant funds would be used to purchase the adaptive boat to ensure equitable training and competition, travel and entry fees for Regionals & Nationals, and expand adaptive coaching development to strengthen future training. | $15,000.00 |
| HARC, Inc. | Staff Training and Home Enhancement Planning for Visually Impaired Individuals with Disabilities | HARC is requesting support for a planning study and implementation of new assistive technology for vision impaired individuals. As noted by the ALICE reports that ~ 45% of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities have visual impairment. The program will include and internal capacity-building planning study, staff training to support visually impaired individuals effectively, integration of assistive technology, and residential home adaptions. The project will support 259 individuals, 68 in group homes and 191 in day programs. Grant funds will support adaptive technology, training, consultant, salaries, and benefits. | $14,000.00 |
| Hartford Stage | Assistive Listening System | Hartford Stage is requesting funding to purchase and install a new assistive listening system for the John W. Huntington Theater. Assistive listening systems improve the theatre-going experience for patrons with vision/hearing impairments by providing access (free with the purchase of a ticket) to individual headsets connected to receivers that transmit enhanced audio and/or live audio description during performances. Hartford StageÕs current assistive listening system was installed in 2010. The swift technological advances of the last decade mean it no longer functions reliably (audio quality is compromised) and our technicians are unable to purchase backwards-compatible parts to replace dysfunctional equipment with. Grant funding would be used for equipment, accessories and installation. | $12,000.00 |
| Lions Low Vision Centers 23B | Low Vision Devices for Distribution to Low Vision Clients | The Lions Clubs of Connecticut operate Low Vision Centers to provide rehabilitation services to individuals with impaired vision. Upon recommendation of an Occupational Therapist, the Lions Low Vision Center provides vision devices with no charge to the client. Grant funding would partially support the purchase of the vision devices. | $10,000.00 |
| Marlborough Cooperative Nursery School | MCNS COOP Enhancement 2025 | MCNS is seeking to add equipment to its playground to enhance the experience of its students, especially the two boys with visual disabilities. MCNS would add a magnifying station, a musical fence, a seesaw, and new steps leading to the playground. Playground is open to all children of Marlborough. Grant funds would be used to purchase equipment and new railroad ties for the steps. | $3,000.00 |
| National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut | To support the Calypso program | NFB-CT is seeking support for their Calypso Program, which supplies adaptive technology and technology training for people with vision impairments who are members of NFB-CT. Adaptive technology requested includes smart watches, computers with adaptive features, etc., and the necessary training. Training can include the use adaptive technology such as JAWS (Job Access With Speech), a screen reader, developed for computer users whose vision loss prevents them from seeing screens. Grant funding will be used to purchase equipment and training. | $10,000.00 |
| New Horizons, Inc. | Adaptive Sporting Equipment - New Horizons Village | New Horizons seeks support to make its recreational activities inclusive to individuals of all abilities. Blind/low vision residents have expressed an interest in getting more involved in activities such as boccia ball and pickle ball. Grant funding would be used to purchase adaptive low vision/blind sporting and recreating equipment. | $1,000.00 |
| Oak Hill | Blind Services Program Support at Oak Hill | Oak Hill is requesting support to expand the Blind Services Support program. Oak Hill will purchase cutting-edge assistive technology and adaptive equipment solutions, provide one-on-one assistive technology evaluations, as well as provide consultation and training, all for individuals who are blind or visually impaired (BVI) and caregivers. The equipment will be added to a lending library, available for use by people with vision impairments. Grant funds will be used for salaries, equipment and program expenses. | $20,000.00 |
| Richmond Memorial Library | E-audiobooks: Using the Spoken Word to Share the Love of Reading | Richmond Memorial Library is requesting support for the purchase of a subscription that allows for three years of access to Blackstone Unlimited, an eaudiobook platform available through Blackstone Publishing. This eaudiobook platform would be available to any Marlborough resident with a library card. Grant funding will support the purchase of the three year subscription. | $12,000.00 |
| TheaterWorks, Inc. | Audio Described Performances and Large Print Programs for Blind and Visually Impaired Individuals | TheaterWorks Hartford is requesting funding to provide audio description (AD) for 6 theatrical productions. AD is a narrative that describes visual elements in media and live events, making them more accessible to people who cannot see the visual components. AD narration is inserted during natural pauses in dialogue to explain essential visual details that cannot be understood from the audio alone. Additionally, TheaterWorks is seeking funding to provide large print programs for each production. Funds will be used to purchase equipment, an audio description professional and large print programs. | $14,000.00 |
| Vision Health International | Bringing the gift of sight to underserved patients in the Greater Hartford region | VHI has requested funding to support a one-day vision clinic. Volunteers, local healthcare professionals, and medical school students from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, provide standard of care, high-quality eye exams to each patient, patient education, eyeglass frames and prescription lensesÑwhen indicatedÑand sun and reader eyeglasses distribution. This pop-up clinic is held on a Saturday and patients receive their corrective lenses/glasses within one month. Patients who need surgical, non-cataract care are connected with referrals to local Ophthalmologists for continuing care. Further, patients who are identified to need cataract surgical care will receive referrals through collaboration with ASCRS FoundationÕs Operation Sight program. Grant funds will support coordinators, eye glasses, project supplies, program evaluation, patient outreach support, food, and overhead. | $8,000.00 |
| Windsor Locks Lions Charities, Inc. | Lions Eye Screenings | Windsor Locks Lions Charities request funding to replace an aging vision screener with a Welch Allyn Spot Vision Screener. The Lions annually performs vision screenings for children Pre-K to 5th grade at Windsor Locks elementary schools. In school year 24/25 437 students were screened with 74 referred for follow-up. The Lions are looking to expand the screenings to the senior community and to work with Social Services. Grant funds will be used to purchase equipment. | $8,000.00 |
| Summit Adaptive Sports, Inc. | Reach the Summit- Expanding Outdoor Sports for People with Vision Loss | Summit Adaptive Sports is seeking funding to enhance and expand current year-round programming for those that are blind or have vision impairment. The snow sports program is currently offering 1 Discovery Day (10 participants) to school age blind and vision impaired individuals. For the 2025-2026 winter season, Summit would like to expand this to all age groups by offering multiple discovery days (4) during the snow season. In addition to these Discovery Days the athletes would be offered the opportunity to come for additional lessons during the season so the individuals can build their skiing and snowboarding skills. Summit will expand the offerings for summer and fall 2025 and spring 2026, offering 6 demo days (approximately 10 -12 participants each) to include hiking, water paddle sports, biking and disc golf opportunities for the athletes. Grant funding will support staffing, ski lessons, equipment rentals, site rentals, high visibility shirts for volunteers, recruitment and onboarding, adaptive equipment, supplies for volunteers, and overhead. | $15,000.00 |
| UR Community Cares, Inc. | UR Vision Resources | UR Community Cares seeks support for an expansion of operations at the Manchester-based UR Community Tech Center to enhance accessibility and support for individuals with visual impairments. Key goals include the purchase of essential adaptive equipment such as a LyriQ Assistive Text-to-Speech Reader with Keypad, anti-theft sensors/devices for the Tech Center, hiring a program development professional and program coordinator, and presentations from the Helen Keller Center. Funding will support purchases of adaptive equipment, staffing, and contract accessibility specialists. | $15,000.00 |
| Hartford Artisans Weaving Center, Inc. | UR Vision Resources | The Weaving Center offers a year-round program. Based on their skills, experience and interests, artisans will create hand-woven fabrics which contribute to our finished product inventory. The program offers on-going weaving instruction, the use of a suitable loom, and all the weaving materials needed. When the weaving is complete, volunteers perform all finishing tasks. Artisans are paid a stipend for each piece they complete, unless they choose to donate their earnings to the Center, which a few opt to do. Currently the Weaving Center has 30 artisans with the plans to add at least 3 more in 2025. | $25,000 |
| $237,000.00 |
The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for Hartford and 28 surrounding towns. Through partnerships, the Foundation seeks to strengthen communities in Greater Hartford by putting philanthropy in action to dismantle structural racism and achieve equity in social and economic mobility. Made possible by the gifts of generous individuals, families and organizations, the Foundation has awarded grants of more than $1 billion since its founding in 1925. For more information, visit www.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888.