What AFB's new strategic direction means for our future

Group of children with various visual impairments

AFB has established a bold new strategic direction, which builds on the strengths of our proud legacy and propels us toward the future we've always imagined: a world of no limits.

A world of no limits means that people who are blind or visually impaired are working, going to school, and participating in community life, unhindered by barriers. It means advocating for revolutionary changes to the systems and beliefs that hold back the people we serve. We aren't there yet, but it's within our grasp — especially with advances in technology, education, and access that are making a world of no limits a real possibility.

"We must seize the moment," says Kirk Adams, president and CEO of AFB. "We're at a crossroads where we can choose new solutions to old problems. But if society chooses the status quo, people who are blind or visually impaired will continue to face barriers people who are sighted never will, despite having just as much talent and ambition."

AFB conducted a year-long strategic planning process, guided by a key question: What do we need to do to move our field forward to create a world of no limits?

What we learned provides an evidence-based course of action. Our new strategic imperative and supporting objectives will help us lead the field in building the knowledge and initiatives necessary to make the world more accessible for people who are blind or visually impaired.

AFB recognizes that the organizational changes we're undertaking may create some short-term uncertainty, which we'll make every effort to minimize by communicating clearly and consistently. But we also know that our new strategic plan will result in significant systemic and social improvements that will transform the lives of people who are blind or visually impaired.

"With a roadmap for change carefully plotted out using research, data, and evidence-based strategies, AFB is confident about the way forward," CEO Kirk Adams says. "Working together, we will knock down barriers and disrupt stodgy old ideas, driving seismic shifts in mindsets and ways of doing things to create a world of no limits."

Two children in a classroom