Our Story

Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization which receives the majority (67%) of its funding from individual donations. Thanks to our donors, we help our program participants learn skills that allow them to manage their lives, and created a welcoming community in which they feel safe and supported.

A Story of Great Vision

For over 80 years, Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey has empowered people with vision loss or blindness to adapt, thrive, and lead an independent life. 

VLANJ traces its roots to Newark in 1943, when adults with vision loss created the New Jersey Association for the Blind, a social club for camaraderie and to challenge societal biases they faced.

Twelve years on and under the name NJ Foundation for the Blind, they opened a summer camp for blind women in Denville, a haven where campers could swim, boat, dance, and feel unfettered. The founders focused on women’s needs because they had fewer options for leading an independent life at that time.

Focusing on Essential Life Skills

It became evident over time that providing tools to promote independence was key to helping individuals with vision loss. In the 1990s, the nonprofit expanded its mission beyond providing care and focused on teaching essential life skills and providing health and wellness activities year-round. Technology classes were added so participants could harness the power of emerging technology.

In 2005, the organization made the decision to focus its mission on helping individuals with vision loss foster active, independent lives. To improve access to programs, they sold their large Diamond Spring Lodge property and decentralized the program model, opening additional program locations in two other counties.

The nonprofit’s reputation as a comprehensive, nonresidential vision rehabilitation program grew. In 2016, it adopted the name VLANJ to reflect more accurately what it is: an alliance of individuals, organizations and communities dedicated to helping adults who lose their sight learn to adapt and regain confidence and independence.

Focused on self-sufficiency, the nonprofit continued to evolve. They added occupational therapy, expanded technology training, and launched orientation and mobility (O&M) outings that boost participants’ skills and confidence in being out in the communities. The O&M outings also provide participants with practice in self-advocacy by having them talk with business owners and employees about how best to assist them.

During the pandemic, VLANJ effectively pivoted to online programming, which opened a new and well-received channel for making programs accessible. VLANJ also reduced barriers by offering stipends to cover travel costs to in-person programs for those who do not have access to paratransit services, and hiring a bilingual coordinator to serve people whose primary language is Spanish. Most recently, VLANJ created VLANJ@Home, to bring occupational therapists specializing in low-vision into people’s homes — a program covered by health insurance policies.

A New Phase of Growth

Today, VLANJ serves more than 200 adults with vision loss through on-site programs, community outreach, home-based services and virtual programs. VLANJ participants are each other’s biggest supporters, sharing their knowledge and camaraderie. Peer support groups as well as education forums with expert guest speakers are always in demand.

VLANJ remains the only day program of its kind for individuals with vision loss in New Jersey, providing unique state-of-the-art programming to promote the personal growth of adults with vision loss or blindness. Through every step of its over 80-year journey, VLANJ has always been ahead of its time.