Malawi Solar Lights
Visually Impaired Preschool Society, Kentucky (VIPS)

Charity Overview

Recently the mother of a three-year-old, who receives in-home services and now attends the VIPS Summer Enrichment Programme, told ICAP Energy she did not know where her family would be without VIPS. She said, “VIPS was there from the beginning, to answer all of our questions and to make us feel at ease with our child’s situation. I am so grateful that VIPS is here to help my child.”

In addition to outreach services and the summer programme, VIPS also operates a full-time preschool, a two-day Toddler Programme, a Parent/Infant class and a Braille Reading Pals program.

Project Summary

ICAP Energy in Louisville, Kentucky supported VIPS on Charity Day 2009. The donation funds their most important work: valuable one-on-one time between teachers and the blind and visually impaired children they serve. VIPS is the only agency in Kentucky that provides education and early intervention services to blind and visually impaired children, from birth to five years old.

The average cost for VIPS to send a highly-trained, certified teacher of the visually impaired into a child’s home/daycare/preschool for one visit is $175/hour. It is during these valuable sessions that the children are taught basic life skills such as sensory integration (receiving and processing information); exploration, socialisation, orientation and mobility (moving around in one’s space). During these sessions, VIPS teachers also instruct the parents/daycare providers/teachers how to teach these children so that they may progress when VIPS is not present.