Joel recommends:

Of the many Internet-based resources devoted to low vision and blindness issues, there are two that are directly concerned with vision loss resulting from retinal degeneration that I have found especially helpful.

The MD Support Website offers a rich array of basic information about Macular Degeneration, the top cause of legal blindness in older American adults today, in a clear format that's easy for the low vision visitor to navigate. It has sections with medical explanation, graphical illustrations of the effects of retinal degeneration, lists of pertinent books and reference materials, personal experience articles, and helpful advice, as well as an up-to-date array of links to other vital sources of information and services.

Perhaps most importantly for those seeking someone to talk to, it maintains a discussion forum that can either be used online or subscribed to as an email list for informative discussion and vital group support from others who share the challenge of the MD experience.

The RP List , to which I subscribe, is an email-based forum that has been my comfort and my primary source of education about Retinitis Pigmentosa for nearly a decade. There are hundreds of subscribers, primarily living in the U.S. but also chiming in from places as widespread as England, India, and Argentina. Not all those registered subscribers are active, of course, and the list generates enough daily messages to feel vital but not so many as to be overwhelming, as can happen with some popular mailing lists. by subscribing to this list, you can learn about every new event in RP research from responsible news sources, discuss practical, social, and emotional challenges with others, benefit from the expertise of scientific and medical professionals, and discover a wealth of links to information, products, and services. Highly recommended. Subscribe, "lurk" for a few days or weeks, then jump in and participate.

To subscribe to the RP List: send an email with a blank subject line to: listserv@maelstrom.stjohns.edu . In the message area, type: subscribe rplist (your name, without the parentheses)

J.D.

http://www.dixonvision.com/rplist/
The Retinal Degeneration Mailing List

http://www.mdsupport.org
The Macular Degeneration Support site

http://www.blindness.org/
Website of The Foundation Fighting Blindness. The Foundation is in the forefront of nonprofits that fund cutting-edge research and publish information about research, eye care, and low vision adaptation.

http://www.mdsupport.org/portal/ht ml
The Macular Degeneration Portal, which contains descriptions and links to the predominant Macular Degeneration organizations.

http://members.home.net/dabneyadfm
A retinal degeneration site based in Scotland.

http://www.choroideremia.org
Asite about Choroideremia (related to retinal degeneration) research

http://www.homebiz101.com/haven/
A site built and maintained by retired journalist Dorothy Stiefel, with information, support, and links to other responsible sources.

http://blindness.about.com/
Planet Arrington E-Zine- a site that mixes RP and low vision information with dialogues and even creative writing

http://members.aol.com/danlrob/MDpeople/thrueyes.html
Through Our Eyes -- A Gallery of Personal Visual Perceptions

http://www.lighthouse.org/low_vision_defined_page2.htm
What the world looks like to people with low vision

http://www.cast.org/bobby/
Bobby - Web sites of the test for Web site accesibility

http://www.w3.org/WAI/
European-based international organization that promotes and monitors Web site accessibilty