Welcome to Blindness Support Services
Breaking News!
Individuals blind/visually impaired carry signs to promote pedestrian safety, while opposing distracted driving.
Recipients of services offered through Blindness Support Services, along with their instructors walk city streets to protest against distracted driving.
BSS STAFF AND CLIENTS WALK TO RAISE AWARENESS OF DISTRACTED DRIVERS
It is estimated that at least 23% of all car accidents each year involve cell phone use. BSS walked the streets of Riverside to promote awareness and alert drivers to pay attention to pedestrian traffic.
Descriptive Movie Presentations
Every third Thursday we host descriptive movie presentations for blind and visually impaired audiences.
There is a $3.00 donation and a variety of snacks are available for purchase.
Movie Times are at:
- 9:30 a.m. – Drama/Action Feature
- 1:30 p.m. – Animation Feature
Safety Presentation
On the first Friday of every month we have a Safety Presentation Meeting. This event is free to the public and is presented to keep everyone safety minded at home and in the work place. They meet at 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon.
Adjustment to Blindness Peer Support Group for Spanish Speaking Blind Patrons
Free to the public. We have an Adjustment to Blindness Peer Support Group where you can come and discuss the issues about being blind. This group is for the people who speak Spanish. They meet on the second Friday of each month at 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon.
Adjustment to Blindness Peer Support Group
The Adjustment to Blindness Peer Support Group meets on the third Friday of every month at 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon. This is where you can come in and discuss some of the issues about being Blind. This group meeting is free to the public.
Come to our Apple Devices Club!
We have an Apple Devices Club that meets on the third Friday of every month. It’s free to our Blind patrons and don’t forget to bring your I-Pad, I-Pod, or your I-Phone. We meet from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. There are many innovations to aid people who are blind. There are Apps for that and we will show you how to use them.
We Have A Braille Club
We have a Braille club that meets on the last Friday of the month. It is a lot of fun. Come on in and be a part of this club. We will have phrases printed in Large Braille, Grade One Braille, and Grade Two Braille. Come and be a part of this club to maintain and increase the fluency of your Braille reading skills. We meet from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon.
Braille Club Rewards
Participants earn free entry to one Descriptive Video of their choice after attending four consecutive Braille Club meetings or reading 20 unique braille strips at your designated level.
Invite your Braille Reading friends to come and improve their skill with monthly practice.
BSS Students have priority on space available but every Braille Reader is welcome.
Remember to sign in so your participation is documented and you get credit for your accomplishments.
For more information on these events, you can contact us at: (951) 341-9244.
Our History!
BSS was incorporated in May 1992, to provide innovative approaches to achieving independence and self-reliance for blind and visually impaired residents of Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, San Diego and Los Angeles Counties in Southern California.
Since incorporation, BSS has provided services to many blind and visually impaired consumers, their families and friends from local and surrounding communities.
The agency has successfully administered grants from Weingart and PacifiCare Foundations, Rohr Industries, the California Council of the Blind, Bank of America, Allstate, and the Community Foundation of Riverside County.
It has also successfully administered local city and county government contracts from 1992 to the present. In 1999, BSS received a three-year grant from the California Endowment to address the barriers to adequate healthcare that people with visual impairments encounter on a regular basis.
We are now partnering with Molina Healthcare, Western University of Health Sciences, Center for Disability Issues and the Health Professions, as well as, Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP), a public entity.
In 1996, BSS formed a unique partnership between the community and private sector in providing a 120 unit apartment complex in the City of Riverside. This action created affordable housing for consumers with low to moderate income.
Today, Blindness Support Services continues to expand its support and opportunities to the community by listening to the people and organizations that it is involved with. This combined with providing individual attention to each person and their unique situation, has brought us to where we are today.
Most importantly, it has allowed us to help so many down their own road to independence.
If you would like more information, please contact us at our main office by calling (951) 341-9244.