The Foundation for Blind Children

What The Foundation for Blind Children does

The Foundation for Blind Children (FBC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1952 in Phoenix, Arizona, providing education, rehabilitation, and support services to individuals with vision loss from infancy through senior years. It serves more than 2,000 people annually through three Phoenix-metro campuses (Central/Moyes, East/Floye Steele in Chandler, West/Swift) and an itinerant team that partners with 44+ school districts and charter schools across the region. The service portfolio spans Early Intervention, Preschool and Elementary programs, Itinerant Services, Recreation and Empowerment (SHARP), College and Career Readiness, Adult Comprehensive Training, the New Horizons senior program, and a Research Department.

The organization's core technology assets sit in the Arizona Instructional Resource Center (AIRC) — the nation's largest braille and large print catalog, serving clients across 39 states and Canada, and the home of the largest prison braille program. AIRC supports Braille on Demand, a 48-hour custom transcription service, and operates a Perkins Brailler Repair Service through a state-prison partnership. FBC also runs the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Low Vision Clinic in partnership with ViewFinder Low Vision Resource Center, providing prescriptive magnification devices and comprehensive low-vision assessments. The technology base is assistive and operational rather than software-platform or AI-driven.

Revenue is a hybrid of philanthropic and programmatic sources: individual and corporate donations, planned giving, the Arizona Charitable Tax Credit, Federal Quota Program funds under U.S. Code Title 20 Chapter 6, and school district per-student library service fees for the AIRC. Services to individuals are primarily free of charge, with a subscription model applied only to the school-district library billing. Jared Kittelson became the eighth CEO in the organization's history on July 1, 2024, leading a staff of 100+ across the three campuses.

Name

The Foundation for Blind Children

Legal name

Foundation for Blind Children

Website

https://seeitourway.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Foundation for Blind Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1952 in Phoenix, Arizona that delivers education, rehabilitation, and assistive-technology services to more than 2,000 individuals with vision loss, from infancy through senior years, across three campuses and 44+ school district partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vision Rehabilitation and Disability Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Child Care Services (6244), Child and Youth Services (624110), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Deaf/Hard of Hearing & Vision Services (Audiology, Interpreting, Orientation & Mobility) (EDAJAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Vision & Hearing Early Intervention Services (EDACAFAN), Vision Impairment & Blind/Low-Vision Inclusive Childcare (HSAAAIAK)

Keywords

• Visual impairment services
• Braille transcription
• Accessible education
• Vision rehabilitation
• Assistive technology services

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible charitable donations from individuals supporting FBC's mission and programs
2. Arizona Charitable Tax Credit: Dollar-for-dollar state income tax credit up to $506 for individuals and $1,009 for couples filing jointly
3. Corporate Giving: Corporate donations and matching gift programs from employer partnerships
4. Planned Giving: Legacy gifts through wills, trusts, and beneficiary designations
5. Federal Quota Program: Annual census funding from U.S. Code Title 20, Chapter 6 for educational materials for blind and low vision students
6. School District Services: Annual library service fee per student for textbook provision, billed to student's school district

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Foundation for Blind Children provides education, rehabilitation, and support services for individuals with visual impairments from birth through senior years. Its offerings include center-based preschool and elementary education, itinerant school support, adult independent living training, a low vision clinic, and accessible materials production (braille and large print) through the Arizona Instructional Resource Center, including a Braille on Demand transcription service and a prison braille program.

Product overview

The Foundation for Blind Children offers a comprehensive suite of education, rehabilitation, and support services for individuals with visual impairments from birth through senior years. The organization's service portfolio centers on Early Intervention Programs for infants and toddlers, Pre K-12 Educational Services (including center-based preschool and elementary programs plus itinerant school support), and Youth Development Programs featuring recreation activities and career/college readiness training. Adult Services include comprehensive training and the New Horizons senior program. A distinguishing feature is the Arizona Instructional Resource Center (AIRC), which provides braille and large print materials through services like Braille on Demand and a Prison Braille Program. The organization also operates a Low Vision Clinic in partnership with the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust and maintains a Research Department. The portfolio is organized as distinct programs serving different life stages rather than a unified software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Early Intervention Program
• Family Education and Support Program
• Preschool and Elementary Program
• Itinerant Services
• Recreation and Empowerment (SHARP)
• Independence, Career, and College Readiness Programs
• Adult Comprehensive Training Program
• New Horizons Senior Program
• Arizona Instructional Resource Center (AIRC)
• Braille on Demand
• Prison Braille Program
• Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Low Vision Clinic
• Research Department

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving over 2,000 individuals annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American Printing House for the Blind (APH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFBC's Arizona Instructional Resource Center (AIRC) partners with APH to manage the Federal Quota Program census for Arizona, ensuring students with vision loss have access to educational materials.
• Dr. Carlos Grandela and ViewFinder Low Vision Resource CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to operate the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Low Vision Clinic, offering comprehensive low vision services including prescriptive magnification devices and daily living aids.
• Arizona State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFBC is partnering with ASU to start the first undergraduate degree in Special Education and Teachers of the Visually Impaired, supporting a new generation of teachers.
• Arizona Skin Cancer FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDonated shade structure for East Campus playground; provides free skin cancer screenings to vulnerable populations including visually impaired clients.
• Delta GammaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVolunteer organization supporting FBC events including the annual Sharing Feast for families and students.
• Phoenix Metro School DistrictscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFBC's itinerant team works with over 44 district and charter schools to provide vision-specific services to students.
• Douglas State PrisonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrison braille program where trained inmates produce braille materials; also runs Perkins Brailler Repair Service accepting orders nationwide.
• Shade IndustriesminorOthersBuilt shade structure at East Campus with shade cloth protecting against 97% of UV radiation.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Lighthouse Guild: National nonprofit providing comprehensive vision-loss services (education, rehabilitation, clinical, technology) across the lifespan. Operates a similar integrated service model and competes for the same donor and grant pools as FBC.
• Perkins School for the Blind: Historic New England–based school and international resource for blind/visually impaired students. Operates K-12 education, itinerant, and outreach services directly comparable to FBC's education programs, and serves as a content/training peer for educators of the visually impaired.
• Bosma Enterprises: Indiana-based nonprofit providing rehabilitation, training, and employment services for people who are blind or visually impaired. Comparable in adult services, vocational training, and assistive-technology offerings.
• Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. Pacific Northwest nonprofit offering employment, training, and assistive technology for individuals who are blind or low vision. Directly comparable in service mix (rehabilitation, employment, accessible products) and donor model.
• VISIONS Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired: New York–based nonprofit providing rehabilitation, education, social services, and recreation across the lifespan for blind/low-vision individuals. Closely mirrors FBC's cradle-to-grave programmatic structure and donor-base profile.

Broad incumbents

• Sightsavers: International nonprofit focused on prevention of blindness and disability inclusion across low- and middle-income countries. Competes with FBC for global health and disability donor dollars, though its operating model is more international and prevention-oriented.
• American Printing House for the Blind (APH): National nonprofit producing accessible educational materials and administering the Federal Quota Program that FBC partners with. While APH is both a partner and the broader industry incumbent in braille/large-print production, its scale and national reach make it a structural peer for AIRC.
• National Federation of the Blind (NFB): Largest nationwide advocacy and member-driven organization for the blind, with affiliated state chapters and program arms. Competes for donors and policy attention, though its model is more advocacy-and-membership oriented than FBC's direct-service model.

Regional players

• CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind): Canada's primary vision-loss service nonprofit, already a trans-border partner for FBC's AIRC distribution. Provides a peer benchmark for national-scale vision services delivery but in a different country/geography.
• Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired: California-based nonprofit delivering rehabilitation, education, and assistive technology for blind/low-vision individuals. Operates a similar lifespan service portfolio but is geographically non-overlapping with FBC's Arizona core.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FoundationforBlindChildren
• Xx.com/seeitourway

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Foundation for Blind Children