Port & Porter is partnering up with the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH) in support to their awareness drive.

The Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH), formerly known as the Singapore Association for the Blind (SAB), is the national voluntary welfare organization for the visually impaired. Founded in 1951, the association is affiliated to the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) and is an approved Institution of a Public Character (IPC).

SAVH’s vision is to promote the needs, interests, and aspirations of the visually handicapped while its mission is to help the visually handicapped help themselves by acquiring new skills and gaining self-reliance to cope with the integration into society.

The Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH) is a charitable organization for the blind in Singapore, having said that, they have these objectives to fulfill – such as:

• To serve as an Association for the visually handicapped
• To promote the welfare of the visually handicapped in the Republic of Singapore
• To facilitate and encourage greater participation of the visually handicapped in the administration of their affairs and activities and in the management of the Association
• To work towards the abolition of architectural, attitudinal, social, cultural, educational, employment and any other barriers that prevent the total integration and equal treatment of the visually handicapped in the community
• To encourage eye-care and safety and research in the prevention and cure of blindness and related diseases
• To do any or all such other things as are incidental or conducive to the attainment of the above objects and shall include the appeal for funds in aid of the visually handicapped

They provide services to Singaporeans and permanent residents of all ages. An eye expert or ophthalmologist must certify them as having low vision (partial sight) or blindness. People who are born blind, as well as those who have lost their eyesight due to aging, accidents, or conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, tumors, eye infection, and others, fall into this category.

Clients have access to the whole spectrum of services offered by the Association, including eye care, rehabilitation, training, and counseling, which are all provided at no cost to them. They are also eligible for subsidies to acquire assistive equipment, but only if they meet certain criteria.

SAVH has been continuously serving the needs of our over 4,000 visually impaired clients for the past 65 years by offering an array of thorough rehabilitation and after-care programs to strengthen and equip them with fundamental life skills so that they may become self-sufficient. Clients range in age from babies to the elderly. The total number of registered clients was 4,175, as on December 22, 2020.