U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Southwestern Blind Rehabilitation Center (SAVAHCS)

Rehabilitation Agency

Southern Arizona VA Health Care System

3601 South Sixth Avenue

Tucson, AZ 85723

ronald.arlt@med.va.gov

Phone #1: (520) 629-4643 (Local)

Phone #2: (520) 629-4642 (Fax)

Ronald A Arlt, Clinical Director, (520) 629-4643, ronald.arlt@med.va.gov

Ellen T Lee, Assistant Clinical Director, (520) 629-4643, Ellen.lee@va.gov

General Information

Established: 1994.

Mission: The mission of the Southwestern Blind Rehabilitation Center is to address the expressed needs of individuals with vision loss through participation in a comprehensive, individualized rehabilitation program so they may successfully reintegrate back into their community and family environments..

Auspices of organization: Public: Federal.

County/District where located: Pima County.

Geographic area served: Southwestern United States of America.

Eligibility requirements: Legally blind veteran.

Ages served: 18 and above.

Hours of operation: Mon.-Fri. 7:30 AM-4:00 PM. The facility is operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Accessibility: In accordance with federal guidelines. Transportation available to and from facility.

Budget: $224,000

Clients served annually: 330

# of Staff: 55.

Staff description: Orientation & Mobility Specialists, Rehab Teachers, Low Vision Specialists, Computer Instructors, Manual Skills Instructors, Optometrist, Psychologist, Nursing, Recreation Coordinator, Dietician, Physician, Research, Diabetic Educator

Fee structure: In accordance with Department of Veterans Affairs Eligibility Guidelines.

Services Offered

Community Outreach Programs

Does outreach through Visual Impairment Services Teams located at local DVA facilities.

Computer Training Computer operating systems Optical character recognition systems Screen magnification systems Speech output systems Training for instructors Video magnifier/CCTV Word processing

Provides computer training.

Counseling

Provides counseling and specialized services to veterans attending the program, family and peer counseling, and community integration support.

Health/Medical

Provides medical and eye care.

Information and Referral

Provides awareness training and referral services.

Library Services

Maintains a library and talking book service.

Low Vision Services

Provides low vision evaluation and follow-up. Prescribes and supplies low vision devices.

Orientation and Mobility

Provides orientation and mobility training.

Recreation Services

Provides recreational services to program participants.

Rehabilitation Services

Provides residential services to visually impaired veterans of all ages, including assessments, evaluations, and training in the skills of daily living, low vision, orientation and mobility, manual skills and computer access. Also issues aids and appliances that are deemed necessary for people who are the blind. Provides blind rehabilitation training in a residential facility.

Services for Seniors Assistive technology training Braille instruction Counseling services Daily living skills training Famly/caregiver services Independent travel training Low vision device prescription/training Low vision evaluation/eye examinations Recreation activities Support groups

Has a residential in-patient program that provides comprehensive adjustment to blindness training.

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