Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired

09/09/2025

Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services invites you to their next workshop:

Accessibility Features on Your Devices
📅 Thursday, September 11
🕙 10:00–11:00 AM
📍 Arts & Crafts Room, Cambridge Senior Center (806 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA)

Learn how to use accessibility features on your devices to make technology easier—and explore special tools that support people with disabilities. Presented in partnership with the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

✅ Open to all skill levels
👥 Free and open to the community

Questions? Contact Colin Barr at colin.barr@eldercare.org or 617-628-2601 ext. 1007.

This program is funded by the Massachusetts Broadband Institute at MassTech under the Digital Equity Partnership Program, with support from the Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative and AgeSpan.

[Image description: Promotional poster for a Technology Help and Skills Workshop by Somerville Cambridge Elder Services, showing four attendees using smartphones and tablets at a table. Event date is Thursday, Sept. 11 in Cambridge, MA.]

09/08/2025

Thank you MetroWest Daily News for featuring MABVI's Executive Director, Jen Harnish, in this photo story!

09/04/2025

MABVI’s Executive Director, Jennifer Harnish, visited our Brookline Access Technology Program with Jennie Segel, Executive Director of the Shapiro Family Foundation, at the Brookline Senior center with Jen and Ashley and Jen’s new dog Daisy.

[Image Description: Three individuals and a guide dog in an office setting, one standing with a guide dog, another holding documents, and the third seated at a desk.]

08/21/2025

See you there! We'll be at the Mattapan Branch of the Boston Public Library on August 28th for their 16 and 1/2th Birthday Summer Bash from 12-4! Come say hi and check out their event!

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4fIbzqV

[Image description: Promotional poster for the Mattapan Branch's 16 and 1/2 Birthday Summer Bash on August 28, from 12-4 PM, highlighting excitement to celebrate with the community at the Mattapan Library, including logos for MAB Community Services and the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

08/21/2025

Many thanks to Dedham Savings for their support of MABVI's Peer Empowerment (PEP) Groups!

The Dedham Savings Community Foundation has awarded a grant to MAB Community Services in Town of Canton. Grant funds will be used to develop a new Peer Empowerment Program (PEP) at the Canton Senior Center, an initiative for individuals aging into visual impairment. Learn more: http://bit.ly/4oKasuZ

08/16/2025

Program Highlight: Volunteer Support

For over 60 years, MABVI volunteers have provided confidential, reliable support that helps people who are blind or visually impaired lead the full, rich lives they want to live. Volunteers are matched one-to-one with clients and assist with activities such as reading, shopping, clerical work, or enjoying a walk in the park. They may also serve as sighted guides for fitness and community activities, opening new opportunities and connections.

Every volunteer is interviewed, screened, background-checked, and trained by MABVI’s experienced staff. This program has a proud history, with early supporters including Helen Keller, Julia Ward Howe, and Edward Everett Hale, and today includes more than 300 volunteers across Massachusetts.

Click here to learn more about MABVI's Volunteer Program: https://www.mabvi.org/services/volunteer-support/

[Image description: Two individuals walking dogs on a paved path in a park, one wearing a Coast Guard sweatshirt.]

08/15/2025

Big accessibility update in Metro West! Natick Center Station is newly accessible, and our Executive Director, Dr. Jennifer Harnish, spoke with a reporter about this fantastic improvement in accessible public transportation in Massachusetts.

Read the full story here: https://bit.ly/4oFulDJ

[Image description: View of a suburban train station with empty platforms and multiple tracks, featuring a modern accessibility ramp and nearby residential buildings under a cloudy sky.]

On Monday afternoon, elected officials and accessibility advocates convened in Natick to celebrate the grand opening of the new, fully-accessible Natick Center station on the Framingham-Worcester Line. Before the new platforms opened last month, Natick Center had been among the MBTA’s busiest stat...

08/12/2025

We’re hiring a Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist (COMS) in the Greater Boston area!

This in-person, community-based role offers:

Professional development opportunities
Supportive, mission-driven team environment
Medical, Dental, Vision, 403(b), generous earned time package and more available to full and part time employees!

Requirements:

ACVREP Certification in Orientation & Mobility
Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation

Apply today and help make independence possible: https://bit.ly/4mdpHuM

[Image description: Promotional image for MAB Community Services featuring three individuals walking outdoors. Text promotes a Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist position to assist those with visual impairments, including details on the role and an invitation to apply today with the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired logo displayed.]

07/25/2025

Many thanks to our partners at the Consumer Technology Association Foundation for generously supporting MABVI’s Access Technology Training Program since its launch in 2017!

The CTA Foundation has helped MABVI close the digital divide for older adults with visual disabilities. The latest $20,000 grant will help MABVI deliver technology training to underserved communities across Boston, New Bedford, and the North Shore.

To learn more about MABVI’s Access Technology Training Program, please visit: https://mabvi.org/services/.

[Image description: A person demonstrates how to read a printed document to another person wearing smart glasses. Both are pointing to a sheet of paper on a table. In the bottom, there is a graphic that reads “Thank you! Consumer Technology Association™ Foundation”].

07/11/2025

We are so grateful to The Boston Foundation! Since 1976, your presence, advice, and belief in MAB's mission has fueled our ability to empower people with disabilities to live their best lives. Your most recent $75,000 Safety Net grant supports MABVI’s Greater Boston vision rehabilitation services, which help older adults enjoy safe, full, and independent lives. Thank you for your leadership and partnership!
https://www.mabvi.org/services/rehabilitation/

Photo: Darlene DeVita Photography

[Image description: A vision rehabilitation specialist shows a client how to use an assistive app on a tablet. They are seated at a table with a magnifier nearby. Text overlay at the bottom says, “Thank you!” next to The Boston Foundation’s logo.]

07/08/2025

Recently, we hosted an event to introduce MABVI's new Executive Director, Jennifer Harnish, PhD. to the MABVI community! We are so grateful to the wonderful community members who were able to attend, and had so much fun sharing more about some of MABVI's programs, including a demonstration of some Meta glasses led by our Access Tech Staff!

[Image Descriptions: Photo 1: The Honorable Margaret R. Guzman, who is a MAB Board Member, and Jim Murphy, BSCB (Bay State Council of the Blind) Photo 2: Attendees learned more about MABVI's Access Technology Program. Photo 3: Lauren Thamel, OD, Vision Source of Worcester and Spencer Photo 4: MABVI staff brought technology tools including Meta glasses for everyone to try.]

06/30/2025

As we celebrate Pride Month, let's take a moment to recognize and honor the importance of this time in our community.

Pride is a time to celebrate diverse identities, share joy, and reflect on the strength and resilience of LGBTQ+ individuals. It is also a time to remember that Pride began as a protest—and for many, that spirit of resistance continues to be vital today. Through celebration, we affirm that everyone deserves to live in a world where they are safe, accepted, and valued for who they are.

At MABVI, we strive every day to be a community where all people feel seen, supported, and affirmed. We are proud of the work we do together to build an inclusive environment—and we know there is always more to learn and more ways to grow.

Thank you for partnering with us in this work and for being part of a community that champions equity, inclusion, and belonging.

[Image description: Graphic with the text 'Pride is Every Day' alongside a colorful rainbow ribbon design, with the logo of MABVI at the bottom.]