Envision Dallas

For people who are blind or vision impaired, meeting basic needs and fulfilling lifelong goals takes courage and hard work — as well as champions and advocates who see them as people first.

Envision Dallas has been striving to improve quality of life through employment, outreach, rehabilitation, education, and research for decades and plans to expand on that legacy when it moves into a new, larger facility in 2024.

About 150,000 North Texans are blind or visually impaired. Envision Dallas offers services that can mean the difference between unemployment and meaningful work, assisted living and living independently, dropping out of school and excelling in college, and a sense of isolation and a sense of belonging. 

The organization’s origin traces back to the founding of Dallas Lighthouse for the Blind in 1931. In 2020, the organization was renamed when it became part of the Envision family, with its headquarters in Wichita, Kansas. 

The organization operates under the belief that people who are blind or visually impaired deserve a voice. 

Vision loss can lead to significant gaps in educational achievement and employment opportunities. The unemployment rate for people who are blind or visually impaired is 70% worldwide. In North Texas, no other organization matches Envision Dallas’s comprehensive array of services, programs, and employment opportunities.

Today, the Envision Dallas organization serves thousands annually, providing:

• Employment opportunities for over 100 people who are blind or visually impaired
• SOS (Serving Our Seniors) outreach program that includes discussions on low vision technology tools, adaptive kitchen tools, home safety techniques, and organization and labeling
• Group and one-on-one courses in our assistive technology lab.
• Orientation and mobility training with a certified specialist

Envision Dallas’s programs have exceeded our current facility’s capacity, restricting our ability to deliver more crucial programs and services. 

With the move to a new 210,000-square-foot building in Farmer’s Branch in the spring of 2024, we will be able to provide even more opportunities and support. 

These efforts will include the following:

• Additional equipment and workstations in the organization’s manufacturing facility and call center to provide up to 300 new job opportunities for people who are blind or visually impaired.
• An Early Childhood Development Center that will offer comprehensive learning experiences and inclusive space for children who are blind or visually impaired and typically sighted.
• Expansion of the Gigi and Carl Allen Family Vision Rehabilitation Center will serve all ages with assistive technology training, support, and occupational therapy services, regardless of ability to pay. 
• A Workforce Innovation Center that helps ready people for knowledge-based jobs.
• More frequent programs to include occupational therapy workshops, assistive technology training classes, art classes, support group events, and more. 

All of this ensures that Envision Dallas can meet the needs of people who are blind or visually impaired in North Texas from birth through career opportunities and beyond.

To learn more about Envision Dallas and our work to improve the quality of life for people who are blind or visually impaired, visit www.envisionus.com/dallas. To learn how you can help support Envision Dallas, visit www.envisionus.com/dallas/dallas-growth.