Our History

Original Purpose: 1918

With Canada’s social safety net still decades in the future, and many blind veterans returning from World War I, CNIB is incorporated and sets out to meet basic but urgent needs – by providing food, clothing and sheltered residences.

In its inaugural year, CNIB has 27 employees serving 1,521 people who are blind, mostly out of Toronto, although two itinerant “home teachers” provide rehabilitation training in other parts of Canada.

In the 1920s, CNIB starts a job placement program with limited success, but its own factories, broom shops and concession stands flourish. Right from the beginning, the fledgling organization recognizes the importance of prevention, appointing a special nurse responsible for vision health and sight preservation.

Serving more than 17,000 clients, CNIB at mid-century is starting to come into its own.

Its offices, vocational centres and residences are found in major Canadian cities, making programs more readily available and giving people with vision loss greater visibility in the community. Prevention is still a priority and a formalized research program has become a new initiative.

CNIB has achieved significant success in advocacy with the 1930 Blind Voters Act (allowing a blind person to vote with the assistance of a sighted person) and legislation around mandatory eye drops to prevent disease in newborns. In 1956, the organization helps sponsor a course for blind computer programmers.

With innovations such as this, it is not surprising that CNIB is becoming well-known on the international stage, and is assisting other vision loss organizations in the developing world.

Current Purpose: 2008

In 2008, CNIB is committed to research, public education and vision health for more than 800,000 people in Canada with significant vision loss – and all Canadians. The organization challenges conventional attitudes about vision loss and strives to educate Canadians about preventing eye disease.

CNIB is active in every region of the country, with 1,100 staff and over 10,000 volunteers providing programs and services for people of all ages. Gone are the residences and workshops of the past; today’s CNIB helps people to maintain independence, enjoy a good quality of life and succeed in just about every career.

Building on past successes, CNIB is a world leader in accessible technology, including its innovative consumer products, DAISY talking books and award-winning digital library. With the approaching crisis in age-related vision loss, CNIB is working harder than ever to meet Canada’s vision health needs.

“People who are losing their sight are often hit by depression, confusion and doubt. Insecurities about their future can be overwhelming. These people need a lifeline, somewhere they can turn to for support. CNIB is that lifeline. The services available at CNIB offer immense reassurance that life goes on after losing your vision. So much is available through CNIB that even people who are legally blind, like myself, can begin to realize that their condition is no more than a nuisance. What people need to know is that vision loss does not mean a loss of insight.”

Craig Oliver,
CTV Chief Political Correspondent and Co-Host, Question Period

CNIB, one of Canada’s oldest and most respected charities, celebrates 90 remarkable years in 2008. Since 1918, CNIB has been dedicated to independence and self-determination for Canadians with vision loss. Today it is Canada’s primary provider of vision support services and also works to safeguard the vision health of all Canadians.