The Austrian Association Supporting the Blind and Visually Impaired
As Austria’s largest self-help organization for people with visual impairments, we have been supporting around 5,000 regular members for more than 90 years.
Profile
- Founding: Founded in 1935 by the blind student Jakob Wald – the organization celebrates its 90th anniversary in 2025.
- Legal form: Non-profit association, politically independent and non-denominational.
- Board: Dr Elmar Fürst and Mag. Klaus Höckner.
- Staff: Around 55 full-time employees and 450 volunteers are dedicated to supporting people who are visually impaired or blind.
Funding
We finance our work almost entirely through private donations, which have been tax-deductible since 2009.
Since 2001, we have also held the Austrian Seal of Quality for Donations.
Locations
- The headquarters of the Austrian Association Supporting the Blind and Visually Impaired is located in Vienna’s 20th district at Jägerstraße 36, near Wallensteinplatz.
- Our second location is in the 21st district at Schlosshofer Straße 2–6 on the second floor, which is easy to reach via Floridsdorf Railway Station.
- Our Linz location for our members in Upper Austria is situated at Anzengruberstraße 6, just a short distance from Linz Central Railway Station.
- In Graz you will find us at Petersgasse 87, close to the “Schulzentrum St. Peter” stop.
Our work
Under the motto “We see the world a little differently”, we work for people who are visually impaired or blind in the following areas:
- Free counselling for our visually impaired and blind members
- A diverse, accessible leisure programme for people of all ages
- Raising public awareness of the challenges faced by people who are visually impaired or blind
- Representing the interests of visually impaired and blind people on committees
- Training courses and workshops for various target groups
- Through Access Austria, advising public and private stakeholders on improving accessibility