Latest News Two Key Vision Organizations Connect People Who Are Blind Across an Ocean By Staff Monday, September 5, 2016 12:21 AM Mark Ackermann (l) and Lesley-Anne Alexander. NEW YORK—Lighthouse Guild, based here, and Royal National Institute of Blind People, based in London, have announced a collaborative effort to provide information, education and discussion opportunities related to blindness and low vision. The first project in this innovative international collaboration will allow the voices of young adults who are blind or visually impaired to be heard as they share a dialog on topics such as “Digital,” “Work” and “Travel.”To initiate the project, the two organizations will establish a joint virtual panel discussion, including three panelists from each organization. The panel discussion will be made available as a short, 10-minute "discussion starter" and broadcast across social media from which feedback and comments will be solicited. The feedback will become part of a one-hour program that will be made available as a broadcast, click-and-play online, as well as podcasts on the websites of Royal National Institute of Blind People and Lighthouse Guild."People of all ages who are blind or visually impaired can often feel voiceless in a world that is designed for those who are sighted,” said Mark Ackermann, executive vice president and chief operating officer of not-for-profit Lighthouse Guild. “This international collaboration will not only help make their voices heard, but it will offer them the opportunity to share experiences, empower each other and educate all of us."Lesley-Anne Alexander, chief executive officer of Royal National Institute of Blind People, said the goal of the collaboration is to create an exciting and valuable conversation between young blind and partially sighted people in the U.K. and U.S. focusing on topics relevant to them. “This is a first step in a collaboration in which we and Lighthouse Guild bring blind and partially sighted people together across the Atlantic," she added.