The Palmetto Vision Alliance is on a relentless mission to advance eye care for all South Carolinians and combat the alarming spike in blindness and vision loss before it cripples our healthcare system. The window to combat this trend is rapidly narrowing as our communities race towards a point in time in 2030 when the number of blind and visually impaired people in South Carolina will double from its current level.
We understand that collaboration alone cannot solve this looming crisis. That’s why we champion research studies and analyses that can help our partners better address the challenges the blind and visually impaired community faces and spark the change our communities need. It will take an intentional effort of social, moral, intellectual, relational, and financial capital from all of our stakeholders to make these changes happen.
To better understand our communities’ needs, we are turning to the people who know them best – the people living and working there every day. Over the course of the next 12-18 months, the PVA will conduct a series of community conversations throughout the state to better understand the hopes, dreams, goals, needs, and opportunities of the blind and visually impaired throughout South Carolina. When those conversations conclude, our leadership team will synthesize the insights received to identify patterns, themes, and common goals with the intent of creating an Advocacy Agenda that will make those goals reality.
As we undertake this work, we know that it is important to acknowledge the distinct roles of each PVA member. Not all PVA members are participating in this advocacy agenda due to advocacy restrictions within their organizations. We respect the decision of every PVA member entity to decide for themselves whether and how much to be involved in this work. The PVA as a collective does not represent any of its members specifically in its advocacy work. Each member may decide whether to sign on to this agenda and whether or not they can support it. We do not want this advocacy and public policy process to limit or hinder any organization that wishes to be a part of the Palmetto Vision Alliance and our mission.