This domain was first established on 16 May 2021. It will be further developed.
However, we thought it was important to post some minor history of The Recovering Sight Foundation (RSF), who we are, and what our mission is.
We began as a ministry within our church, Holy Comforter, an Anglican church located in Sumter, South Carolina. Initial donors were parishioners, friends, and local organizations. Since transportation for a blind person is a major problem, members of our church provided rides to those, living in Sumter, who had none available.
In early 2005 we applied to the Internal Revenue Service to become a 501C3 non-profit foundation. The IRS granted us that status in September 2005. We are registered with the Secretary of State and the IRS.
Our mission was somewhat patterned after the Department of Veteran Affairs Blind Rehab model, which is to train an individual on a device and give it to them.
At that time our focus was to train blind individuals on how to use a computer and give it to them. We used Dell computers and a screen reading software called JAWS (Job Access With Speech), produced by Freedom Scientific. It allows individuals to read text on a computer screen through a set of speakers. The trainee could hear the letters as they typed, review and spell check what they had written, and make any necessary changes. It allowed them to access websites, send/receive emails, and produce word documents. They were also provided a printer/scanner, which allowed them to read their mail using software called Text Cloner. Text Cloner is an optical reading software.
The printer allowed them to print their documents and do other simple things, such as addressing their own envelopes. This equipment and software provided them with a sense of independence, dignity, and confidence that is missing for blind individuals, who, of course, cannot read and write. The task of cutting, copying, and pasting was a dream.
Several students have used their skills to obtain jobs, assist in community activities, and in many other ways. Some have even gone to college. Most use them for everyday activities such as homemaking and banking. Our first student, Debra Canty, was, and still is the President of the local chapter of the National Federation of the blind. She is also, on the board of the South Carolina NFB and is a member of the legislative group of advocates to our congressional members of the U.S. Congress. Additionally, she is on the RSF board.
Two stories are posted, below. One gives a brief history of the inspiration to begin our mission, and the second one seems to encapsulate many of the seventeen testimonies we have received. Portions of some of their stories may be posted at a future date.