Month: March 2021

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Blog News

How the American Rescue Plan Act Affects Your Nonprofit

VSA will continue to research and share updates on the ARPA as more info becomes available. Several items to note as of now, 1) The deadline to apply for the PPP loan has NOT been extended beyond March 31st, 2) Be aware of the new extension of COBRA coverage (see below), 3) the new Charitable Incentive bill.

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Paycheck Protection Program

Adds $7.25 billion for the Paycheck Protection ProgramExpands PPP eligibility to charitable nonprofits that operate at multiple locations and employ not more than 500 employees per physical locationExpands PPP eligibility to other types of nonprofits, but with a 300-emplyee limit per locationNo changes to Second Draw PPP loans eligibility. PPP application deadline is Mar. 31, 2021 unless extended by Congress(Section 5001)

Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL)

Includes $15 billion for the Targeted EIDL Advance program instructs SBA to spend $10 billion in payments to covered entities that did not receive full amounts to which they were entitledAllocates remaining $5 billion to covered entities that have suffered an economic loss of at least 50% and have 10 or fewer employees(Section 5002)

Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC)

Extends the Employee Retention Tax Credit through Dec. 31, 2021(Section 9651)Paid Leave Tax Credits for EmployersExtends through Sept. 30, 2021 the refundable payroll tax credits for paid sick and family leave originally established in theFamilies First Coronavirus Response Act and voluntarily provided by employersIncreases the amount of wages for which an employer may claim the paid family credit in a year from $10,000 to $12,000 per employeeExpands leave to cover obtaining vaccinations and any resulting injury or illness related to vaccination(Section 9641)

Charitable Giving Incentives

The new law does not expand incentives for charitable giving, but on Tuesday, March 9, Senators and Representatives introduced the Universal Giving Pandemic Response and Recovery Act, 618 and H.R 1704. If enacted, the legislation would allow taxpayers who claim the standard deduction, rather than itemizing deductions, on their tax returns to take a deduction for charitable giving valued at up to one-third of the standard deduction (around $4,000 for an individual filer and $8,000 for married joint filers). This added giving incentive would be available for tax years 2021 and 2022. Read the full article from Candid

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News

VisionServe Alliance Announces Two Spring Academic Scholarship Recipients

St. Louis, Missouri—March 22, 2021 – VisionServe Alliance announces two new recipients of its annual academic scholarship: Alison Clougherty, Co-Founder of BEST in Nashville, TN, and Melisa Matthews, a Blind Low Vision Specialist with VIPS in Louisville, KY.

VSA’s annual academic scholarship is available to employees of its member organizations whose annual budget is $1.5 million or less to support continuing education, ACVREP certification, or a degree in vision related specialties or nonprofit management.

“We are thrilled to be able to help these two women pursue the education they need to serve young children with impaired sight,” notes VisionServe Alliance President, Lee Nasehi. “VSA is able to do this thanks to the generous donations of its members who pay it forward!”

Melisa Matthews with VIPS

“After completing the certification, I intend to continue to serve children ages birth to three who have blindness or low vision,” says Melisa Matthews. “I will use the knowledge gained from this program to better support the children and their families. The knowledge will help me support families to better understand and prepare them for the transition from our program to the school districts that will continue their services. The classes completed will help me gain and understand more how to help serve the children. These classes will help me to set appropriate goals and supportive strategies to the children I serve.”

For Alison Clougherty, her mission is personal. “I have recently cofounded a nonprofit in Tennessee that will provide parent support, direct early intervention and advocacy for families of blind and visually impaired children in our state, ages birth to 5. My son was born blind, so I learned first-hand where the gaps are in our state early intervention system. I want to help other families like mine through in-person home visits, advocacy and the creation of comprehensive and robust services.”

  • Alison with her son
  • Alison with BEST Co-Founder, Stacy Cornwall

VisionServe welcomes additional donations to the VSA Scholarship fund to support applicants for the next application window which will open this summer.

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Events

Q2 AVLNC Quarterly Coalition Meeting

quarterly meeting of the avlnc

The Aging and Vision Loss National Coalition (AVLNC) is gathering for the quarterly meeting in April to set goals for Q2. Join the AVLNC on April 7th at 4 pm ET to be part of the one-year plan and get involved with the aging and vision loss efforts. Register to attend the AVLNC Quarterly Meeting. 

Agenda

  • Brief overview of AVLNC: How new members can get additional info; AVLNC structure
  • Q1 Accomplishments
  • Q2 Objectives w/ discussion

To take a deeper dive into data-driven science, the latest updates, and the great need for data in our field, join the Data & Research committee one hour before the full coalition meeting for the first in a series on data.

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Events

Data-Driven Science Webinar Series

Please join Dean VanNasdale, OD, PhD from Ohio State University for a webinar on data from the US Census, Behavioral Risk Factor Survey (BRFS), and the American Communities Survey on April 7th at 3 pm ET.  Analysis of this data allows us to obtain county-level prevalence data for vision loss, by age, ethnicity, and sex.  Understanding this data can assist with grant writing and creating a strong case for support when there are disparities in the need and the available vision rehabilitation services.  The presentation will last about 40 minutes, with an opportunity for questions and answers at the end. Register to attend the Data-driven Science webinar.

Dean VanNasdale headshot
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Uncategorized

Dean VanNasdale, OD, PhD Bio

Dean VanNasdale, OD, PhD, received his Doctor of Optometry degree from the Michigan College of Optometry at Ferris State University in 2003 and completed a cornea and contact lens residency at Indiana University in 2004. He received a Master of Science degree in Clinical Research and a PhD degree in Vision Science from Indiana University in 2011.

Dean VanNasdale headshot
A.J Zanyk Photography 2014

Dr. VanNasdale has a research focus in population health data analysis.  Using multiple, complementary datasets, he studies associations between health determinants and vision impairment on a local, county, state, and national scale.  The goal of this research is to improve insight into the underlying cause of vision impairment, identify common co-morbid conditions, and educate stakeholders on the magnitude of vision impairment.  This analysis helps quantify the impact of vision impairment, identify areas where resources are needed to reduce vision impairment, and inform policy development. 

Dr. VanNasdale also has a research focus in advanced retinal imaging and visual function, with an emphasis on normal aging changes and pathological changes associated with diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and traumatic brain injury.  Using specific light/tissue interactions, he studies novel biomarkers for sight threatening disease and identifies changes to the normally well-ordered retinal structure. The goal of this research is to distinguish normal aging changes from those related to sight-threatening pathology and to detect retinal damage earlier in the disease process, using both commercially available and laboratory-based instruments.

Dr. VanNasdale teaches Public Health and Environmental Vision to third year optometry students and is an instructor in the Contact Lens Services at Ohio State’s College of Optometry, where he also studies visual performance and complications associated with contact lens wear.  He holds leadership roles in academic and health advocacy organizations at the local, state, and national level.  In 2019, he was the recipient of the Outstanding Project Award by the Vision Care Section of the American Public Health Association Vision Care Section and in 2020 was the Distinguished Service Award recipient. 

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News

Cleanlogic’s Inspiration Foundation Supports 13 VSA Members Through Assistive Technology Grants

The Inspiration Foundation awarded 13 VisionServe Alliance members Assistive Technology Grants of up to $1,500 to help them keep their technology class rooms and remote training sessions up to date. The recipients used this funding to purchase a variety of equipment including braille displays, braille printers, a new laptop, phones for training, air pods, ear pods, headsets, Fusion software, tablets, handheld electronic magnifiers and more.

The Inspiration Foundation (a philanthropic division of Cleanlogic, a company offering quality bath and body accessories) created these grants to help nonprofit organizations purchase assistive technology equipment. The founder of Cleanlogic was inspired by his mom, who lost her sight when she was 7, but never let it stop her. Through her hard work, she became a passionate advocate, helping other blind and visually impaired individuals gain employment. The Inspiration Foundation’s Board believes that successful job placement and retention depends on strong technology skills and that independent living skills are augmented by technology.

VisionServe Alliance heartily thanks the Inspiration Foundation and Cleanlogic for their support!

2020 Assistive Technology Grant Recipients: 

Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired – Grand Rapids, Michigan 

Balance for Blind Adults – Toronto, Canada 

Community Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired – Stockton, CA 

Community Services for Sight – Sugarloaf, PA 

Computers for the Blind – Richardson, TX 

Earle Baum Center – Santa Rosa, CA 

In-Sight – Warwick, RI 

Lighthouse of Pinellas – Largo, FL 

Nu-Visions Center – Lewiston, PA 

San Diego Center for the Blind – San Diego, CA 

Savannah Association for the Blind – Savannah, GA 

The Vision Institute of South Carolina – Irmo, SC 

Valley Center for the Blind – Fresno, CA 

A volunteer with ABVI receiving training on Fusion JAWS and ZOOM Tech software
CCBVI patron uses an Orbit Writer Smartphone Companion braille keypad, which works with all smartphones and computers.
Community Services for Sight patron uses a tablet during a one-on-one training for applications to improve quality of life and promote independence. 
“Receiving this grant and purchasing this equipment has greatly improved the quality of our virtual programs. Prior to COVID all of our training was done in-person and so we had very little equipment for use when we had to transition to virtual programming. This equipment has enhanced the comfort of our staff, improved audio quality, and demonstrates to the training participants how their investment in similar equipment can also improve their experience.” – Chris Butler, Executive Director, In-Sight