“No one who is blind or has low vision is asking for special treatment. We want a chance to live up to our full potential.”Give Today
Dear Friend,
Thanks to your generous support, incredible stories of professional achievement unfold every day at the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB). Those stories often emerge when people gain the confidence to secure fulfilling jobs with salaries that make self-sufficiency possible. When you learn about Krystle Allen, I hope you will share my sense of pride in the AFB community that empowers these impressive individuals.
Krystle is the President of a nonprofit called Eyes Like Mine, Inc. She founded the organization 10 years ago to help the world understand the skills and abilities of people who are blind or have low vision. But Krystle wanted to expand what both she and her organization can do. She enrolled in an AFB program which, by her own telling, she emerged from with new skills and confidence.
“We’re all blessed with our one life and you should definitely use it with purpose,” Krystle said. “I started thinking about AFB’s theme of ‘endless possibilities,’ and thanks to the chance to network with other business leaders like myself through AFB, I realized that I should do even more by getting my college degree.”
This is the kind of personal advancement AFB helps people achieve with your partnership. And right now, there is an incredible opportunity for you to magnify your impact and help us fund this critical work.
Thanks to a generous challenge grant from our friends at the Gordon and Llura Gund Foundation, donations made by September 30 will be matched up to $250,000. That means your gift will be doubled!
As someone who is blind and knows well the barriers that stand in the way of career opportunity, I can attest that Krystle’s own story of success is more of an outlier than the norm. Over 55% of working age adults with significant vision loss are unfortunately not even engaged in the workforce. What AFB brings is a pathway to empowerment, creating the steps for success available to those who are blind or have low vision that dream of greater opportunity.
No one who is blind or has low vision is asking for special treatment. We want a chance to live up to our full potential. But we face long-standing misperceptions that people who are blind or have low vision can’t be successful at work, when the truth is that we’re ready, willing, and able to make meaningful contributions to the workforce.
Krystle is one of many examples of the people you can support. She took part in learning opportunities and mentorship for up-and-coming leaders who are blind or have low vision. And she continues to benefit from an ongoing network of alumni.
That network motivated Krystle to work toward a bachelor’s degree in Social Work with a minor in Disability Studies and Public Administration at Rutgers University. She also participated in two fellowship programs.
“The program made me feel empowered to go after these new opportunities and grow my skills,” Krystle said, “so I’m recognized for the person I am first, not as someone who is blind.”
Will you help us expand our ability to change the lives of more people like Krystle? Giving by September 30 will go twice as far, thanks to the generous challenge grant from the Gordon and Llura Gund Foundation.
With your support, we can achieve AFB’s goal of increasing employment rates among people who are blind or have low vision – not just in any job, but one that brings them financial security and fulfillment.
With gratitude,
Eric Bridges
President & CEO
The American Foundation for the Blind
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