FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A National Institutes of Health study has found that although 94% of Americans aged 12 and older have good vision, the remaining six percent, or 14 million, are visually impaired or blind.
As of April 2023, a Broward County based organization has been helping sight impaired South Floridians for 50 years, including those who developed vision issues or who had genetically inherited disorders.
Until the day her son Joshmanny was born, Karina Rijo had no inkling anything was abnormal with his development.
“In the moment the baby was born it was a normal delivery then the nurses when they were cleaning him they noticed he wasn’t opening his eyes,” Rijo said.
She soon learned that along with several other health issues Joshmanny had a rare disorder that left him without eyes.
“I have never in my life heard of someone being born without eyes that was the first time I heard it,” Rijo said.
The hospital referred Rijo to the Lighthouse of Broward, a non-profit organization started in 1973 to provide assistance to the visually impaired and blind.
“It was just a small group of community leaders who had relatives and friends and neighbors who were blind or visually impaired and there were no resources, there was no special services and out of just the kindness of their hearts they created this incredible institution,” said Ellyn Drotzer, President and CEO of Lighthouse of Broward.
At the age of two months, Joshmanny began receiving services through the Lighthouse’s Bright Beginnings Early Intervention program.
“I think what our instruction brings for Joshmanny is a structured approach to learning fundamental milestones that most parents take for granted when raising their children,” Drotzer said.
Now, almost three years old, Joshmanny receives weekly home visits from a Lighthouse of Broward coordinator.
His mom is proud of the accomplishments her son has been able to make.
“We are progressing at a slow pace but we are progressing,” Rijo said.
Drotzer said the key to providing assistance is making sure people know the organization exists.
The Lighthouse of Broward now serves 2,600 people a year but there are an estimated 140,000 people in the county who are considered visually impaired or blind and could potentially benefit from services.
To learn more about Lighthouse of Broward, click here.