Vision Enhancement Yearly Scholarship Aids Sight Loss Students

eSight is pleased to announce a new scholarship program in partnership with the CNIB Foundation, a non-profit organization driven to change what it means to be blind today. The scholarship will award five students living with sight loss, with eSight eyewear to help significantly enhance their vision making it easier to achieve their academic goals.

The CNIB Foundation is a national not-for-profit organization that empowers people impacted by blindness to live the lives they choose. Funded by charitable donations and enabled by the selfless contributions of volunteers, our innovative programs and powerful advocacy drive change in communities from coast to coast to coast.

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With eSight 3 technology, students will have enhanced vision to achieve their dreams. eSight is set to empower students who struggle with vision loss through a brand-new post-secondary scholarship in partnership with CNIB. The company will give five students eSight 3 medical devices, starting this fall. eSight is a leading vision-platform organization with a simple but profound promise: provide individuals with the vision to do more through enhanced vision. eSight provides the most advanced and versatile assistive device available for those with visual impairments and is compatible with more than 20 eye conditions including macular degeneration, Stargardt disease, diabetic retinopathy and optic nerve hypoplasia. eSight 3 is registered with the FDA and EUDAMED and is inspected by Health Canada.

"With our advanced vision-enhancing technology, students can now take more control of their academic and professional lives," said Robert Vaters, eSight President and Chief Executive Officer. "CNIB's scholarship program has always been a valuable resource in helping bridge the disability gap for Canadian students living with low vision. We're proud to be a part of something so special and help more students with their education and following employment."

Program Details and Eligibility

Every year, the CNIB Foundation's scholarship program awards scholarships to students who are blind or partially sighted in recognition of their academic achievements and aspirations. Typically, scholarships range from $1,000 to $5,000. This year, the organization is partnering with eSight to award five students who are highly motivated and have demonstrated personal achievements with eSight devices.

To be eligible for the scholarship, students must be:

• Complete an eSight evaluation to ensure the device could be a fit.
• Canadian citizens or have held landed immigrant status for one year prior to the date of application.
• Pursuing a post-secondary diploma, degree, skilled trades certificate or apprenticeship program in the fall of 2020.
• The scholarship recipients will be chosen based on an essay, two reference letters from a teacher or school volunteer and/or supervisor, and interim transcript.

Students Using eSight

eSight eyewear has supported many students over the years to complete school by helping them read textbooks, see the board from across the room, and to learn trades that require fine motor skills. In fact, three students who utilize eSight graduated from post-secondary programs this year alone including:

• Drue Collins who dreams of helping others with art therapy.
• Rahma Ali who used eSight to participate in a Harvard hack-a-thon.
• Jesse Johnson who helped create hospital equipment during Covid-19.

eSight users typically live with serious eye conditions such as macular degeneration, Stargardt's disease, diabetic retinopathy, optic nerve hypoplasia and more. A typical eSight user has a visual acuity range from 20/60 to 20/800 but some users live with up to 20/1800.

Insights, Analysis, and Developments

Attribution/Source(s): This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by eSight and CNIB Foundation and published on 2020/06/03, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity.