A new way of seeing

Five-year-old Andrew Harmon’s world became 75 times bigger in December.

For the first time, he could see the spikes in the wheels in his toy cars. He could watch when his parents scratched their faces, instead of just seeing their forms. He could watch TV from across the living room instead of two feet away. He is learning to write letters and color inside the lines before he starts kindergarten in the fall.

All of these changes came as a result of the Electronic Video Magnifier (EVM). Andrew, who has low vision, now has an EVM in his Homewood home thanks to a grant to Sight Savers America from the Junior League of Birmingham.

“This machine opens up a whole new world for these children,” said Chad Nichols, Sight Savers COO. “It allows them to gain a new independence.”

The EVM at Andrew’s home will not only help him but also his mother, Shambra, and younger brother, who are visually impaired. Andrew’s father, Nathan, is legally blind.

The grant to Sight Savers for EVMs and other vision needs of children in the greater Birmingham area is one of nine projects totaling $349,000 from the Beeson Community Fund, which was announced by the Junior League on Feb. 4.

Other grant recipients are Oasis Counseling for Women and Children’s Child/Adolescent Therapy; YWCA Central Alabama’s Court Advocacy Program; Junior League of Birmingham’s Kitchen for the Kids Mobile Kitchen; McWane Science Center’s Birmingham Children’s Museum; The Literacy Council; The Woodlawn Foundation, Inc.; Childcare Resources to assist with the Supplemental Child Care Program; and Children’s Aid Society.