Skip to Content

Center for the Visually Impaired

General Information

Center for the Visually Impaired
739 West Peachtree Street, N.W.
Atlanta, GA 30308
(404) 875 9011
http://www.cviga.org

Brief Description

The Center for the Visually Impaired (CVI) is Georgia's largest comprehensive, fully accredited, private facility providing rehabilitation services for individuals of all ages who are blind or visually impaired. Since 1962, the Center has grown to serve as a model of innovative services for people who have a wide range of vision impairments from low vision to total blindness.

The mission of the Center for the Visually Impaired is to offer comprehensive services to promote independence with dignity and the preservation of self worth for individuals of all ages who are blind or visually impaired. Specialized services are customized to meet the individual's personal goals toward adjustment to vision loss.
VisAbility is CVI's nonprofit, accessible, retail shop that serves people of all ages with vision loss. The only store of its kind in the Southeast, VisAbility provides immediate access to low vision aids, assistive technology, and other adaptive devices. VisAbility is located on the first floor of CVI's Midtown Atlanta facility.

Services Offered

  • Counseling
    • Offers individual, group, and family counseling, consultation, referral.

  • Employment/Job Training
    • Provides vocational counseling and evaluation, work adjustment training, job exploration, internship opportunities, job development and placement.

  • Daily Living Skills/Independent Living Skills Training
    • Provides personalized instruction to clients to develop skills that lead to independence. Classes include communication, activities of daily living, orientation and mobility, computer use. Services are offered both at the Center and in the community.

  • Computer Training/Assistive Technology
    • Provides individualized assistive technology instruction for all ages, from school-age youth in the STARS program, to pre-employment training in our Rehabilitation Services program, to basic training for personal use in our services for seniors. Technology classes offer up-to-date instruction in the latest standard and adaptive software and equipment. Instruction is tailored to the individual whether he or she is a beginning or advanced computer user.

  • Information and Referral
    • Callers to CVI are provided information about a wide variety of resources available in the greater Atlanta area. When requested, referrals are made to partner agencies and programs.

  • Low Vision Services
    • Maintains the Florence Maxwell Low Vision Clinic, which provides low vision evaluation and follow-up with vision rehabilitation and offers training in the proper use of low vision devices.

  • Community Outreach Programs
    • Maintains a comprehensive listing (InfoLink) of activities and opportunities for individuals who are visually impaired and their family members. InfoLink is distributed via phone and e-mail. Staff attend community health fairs, facilitate educational programs for social service providers, offer workshops for family members on vision loss, etc.

  • Travel/Orientation and Mobility
    • Provides orientation and mobility training.

  • Assistive Products
    • The non-profit VisAbility Store offers visual aids, devices, toys and games that are useful and appropriate for children and adults with vision loss. Purchases may be made on-line and in the store. Volunteers are available to help demonstrate products.

  • Braille and Reading Instruction
    • The Center's certified braille instructor teaches clients to read and write braille with a variety of devices. Instruction in musical notation and mathematical notation is also available.

  • Support Groups
    • The Center's clients and their families have access to individual, group and family counseling, which can be a crucial part of the process of adjusting to vision loss. Many group sessions are open to the public.