Community Education and Advocacy

Cleveland Sight Center’s Education and Advocacy team provides information and training to the public to:

1. Increase participant understanding of the tools and support that is available to individuals who are visually impaired.
2. Equip participants with the knowledge needed to appropriately interact, serve, and live alongside of individuals who are visually impaired.

Presentations and trainings are available to people who have vision loss, senior centers, assisted living facilities, educators, medical professionals and facilities, emergency responders, customer service representatives, caregivers or anyone who works with any segment of the general public.

To learn more about any of these programs, contact us at 216-791-8118 or info@clevelandsightcenter.org.

Current Presentation Topics​

Check out the current presentations we offer below:

• Blindness Basics: Best practices for engaging and serving an individual who is visually impaired
• Working with Students who are Visually Impaired
• Working with Students with Multiple Disabilities
• Private and Public School Presentation Requests
• Virtual Trainings

Organizations We've Partnered With

• Intercontinental Hotel Cleveland 
• MetroHealth Medical Center
• PSS Innovations
• University Circle Police Department
• Euclid Public Library
• Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Authority

Meet Our Team:

Alicia Howerton, Manager of External and Government Relations: Alicia Howerton serves as Cleveland Sight Center’s Strategic Partnerships Manager and is a Cleveland native who has been visually impaired for over 40 years.

She first became involved with Cleveland Sight Center as a client, receiving training in orientation and mobility with a white cane, daily living tasks and eventually, computers skills so that she could reenter the workforce after caring for her children. She developed excellent computer skills and was later hired by Cleveland Sight Center to teach others how to adjust to vision-loss tactically and strategically. Alicia is a remarkable advocate for those with vision loss and acts as Cleveland Sight Center’s primary spokesperson to schools, universities, community groups and elected officials. 

Tom Sawyer, Outreach Specialist: Tom has been an assistive technology resource at CSC since 2008. In his role as an outreach specialist, he educates the community about the programs and services CSC provides as well as the technology and tools available to those who have low vision. He is always looking for opportunities to tell people about the many ways we offer help.