AFB, along with Cabell Huntington Hospital Foundation (based in Huntington, West Virginia), has received a $77,000 grant from the James H. and Alice Teubert Charitable Trust to conduct research on access to quality care for hospital patients who are blind or visually impaired.
Under the grant, AFB will design, develop, and execute the program and develop best practices that can improve access and experiences for visually impaired patients in hospital settings. The results of the project will be made available to all 3,000 hospital staff and include tips on communicating with blind or visually impaired patients, providing community resources, helping patients access written materials, and assisting patients with vision loss. Additionally, AFB will provide materials in alternative formats, including braille, large print, and e-text, so patients or hospital staff with vision loss can easily access them. The materials will also be available for other hospitals to purchase.
“What a great partnership to promote inclusion and awareness for those we serve,” says Bradley Burck, vice president of the Cabell Huntington Hospital Foundation. “The driving idea behind this is that we could create a national model for other health care institutions to follow to improve the patient experience.”
