Welcome to the home of the
Houston Area Visually Impaired Network (HAVIN).
HAVIN is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization comprised of various volunteer groups and organizations from across Houston that serve the information, resource, and support needs of the blind and visually impaired. Our vision is to educate, provide peer support, and unify the blind and visually impaired community in the Greater Houston area.
Our mission is to provide training, education, workshops, seminars, and mentorship to the blind and visually impaired Community, providing skills and resources to help individuals live full and independent lives.
Because we are blind and visually impaired ourselves, we understand how large in area Houston is and the challenges this poses to the many people from across our great city who are also blind and visually impaired. Our goal when starting HAVIN was to try to make it a little smaller for us, at least once a year, for those of us who are blind and visually impaired. To do this, we bring together the various support groups and nonprofit organizations that serve the blind and visually impaired community and make up HAVIN to host at least one event a year, the annual Insight Expo. While its not practical to come to each of our group’s individual meetings, it is possible for us to come together for that one day a year and bring unity to our community.
That is how we started, but we have grown to do so much more than that today. Read below for the latest news and information about HAVIN. There are also links to our “About Us” page above, and “Our Groups,” if you want to find out about our history, or to contact one of the groups that comprise HAVIN.
Make a Donation to HAVIN
Even though we are a dedicated group of volunteers working collectively to serve our community, we still have expenses and rely on the generosity of donors to help us meet our financial obligations. If you would like to make a tax-exempt donation to support the work of HAVIN, know that it is much appreciated.
Secure donations can be made through Square using a debit or credit card at this link:
However, if Zelle, PayPal, or the Cash app are your preferred methods of donating, we also have accounts set up on each of those platforms to receive payments.
For Zelle and PayPal, send donations to
for the Cash app, our Cashtag is $HAVINTX
Save The Date: The 2026 HAVIN Insight Expo will be Saturday, April 11, 2026
However you mark your calendar, it’s time to do so. Mark down Saturday, April 11, 2026 for our signature event, the HAVIN Insight Expo. It will be at our usual sponsoring location, the University of Houston College of Optometry.
We are already busy planning for this event, and we hope you are, too!
Register for the next HAVIN Zoom event, Holiday Fun with HAVIN
Jingle those bells and light up them trees because it’s time for Christmas! Join HAVIN for a holiday social on Zoom.
That’s right, forget the stress and work, it’s time to relax and have some fun.
You’re invited to join HAVIN for a fun Virtual Holiday Celebration, Holiday Fun with HAVIN.
We’ve had a great 2025 here at HAVIN, but the year’s not over yet. We hope you make plans to join us on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 5: PM, Central time, for one final Zoom gathering this year!
It’s that festive holiday season, so grab a mug of hot chocolate, eggnog, or whatever you wish and connect with your HAVIN friends. Join us for some fun games and activities we have in store for you.
What: Holiday Fun with HAVIN
When: Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025
Time: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM (CST)
Where: Zoom platform
☃️ 🎄 What to Expect:
- Festive Holiday Games and Trivia
- Opportunities to Connect and Socialize with Friends
- Exciting Door Prizes
Don’t miss out on this exciting virtual holiday gathering with your friends at HAVIN.
Registration closes at 5:00 PM on Friday, December 12, 2025. All attendees who pre-register will be entered for our ever popular door prize.
Announcing the 2024-2026 HAVIN Executive Board
Following our annual business meeting on Monday, Dec. 1, HAVIN is proud to introduce the Executive Officers who will lead us for the next two years!
Congratulations to the 2024-2026 Biennium Team:
- President: Ron Graham
- Vice President: Naomi Panarella
- Secretary: Stacie Gallegos
- Treasurer: Foster Brown
We’re all excited to serve and bring great ideas to connect and strengthen our community!
HAVIN in the News
We want to share an interview KTRK, Houston’s ABC affiliate, conducted with HAVIN President Ron Graham during coverage of the White Cane Safety Day that was held at the University of Houston on Monday, October 20, 2025.
The news report is actually about the event, but Nick wanted to include an exhibitor in his report. Ron was there exhibiting for HAVIN, and the rest simply took off from there.
Note: the video starts playing when the page loads so you will need to unmute it to listen to the interview since it is muted by default. Screen reader users will need to search for the word “mute” as soon as the page loads, and then toggle off the mute by hitting the space bar .
Alternatively, the text of the web page has all the text of the report.
HAVIN Happenings
Want to know what HAVIN and our groups and organizations have planned for the coming months? Great news!
We now have the monthly HAVIN Happenings newsletter that comes out at the beginning of each month. If you’re not already on the mailing list, send an email to
And we’ll get you added to the HAVIN email list.
The Lighthouse of Houston also has a
community calendar for the blind and visually impaired
showing many of these activities. This shows not only activities from those affiliated with HAVIN, but other groups and organizations as well.
Get in Touch with HAVIN
If you want to reach us, our email is:
HAVIN also has a dedicated phone number. Contact us at (713) 570-6968.
Follow us on social media – We’re on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: @HAVINTX
Or through your local group or organization email list.
2025 HAVIN Insight Expo
This year’s HAVIN Insight Expo was held on Saturday, April 5, 2025 at our sponsor’s site, the University of Houston College of Optometry. . Our theme was Life After Vision Loss… We’re All in this Together
The keynote speaker this year was Tricia Waechter of Blind Girl Designs and we greatly appreciate her for sharing her powerful and empowering message.
If you missed the 2025 HAVIN Insight Expo, you can catch the recording on our
Recognizing our sponsors and supporters
We appreciate everybody who has donated to support HAVIN. In just the past year alone, there has been an abundant number of charitable donations to HAVIN, and we want you all to know how grateful we are for these. This includes several individuals, as well as businesses. If you are one of the many individuals who have donated to HAVIN, thank you.
We would like to acknowledge the official sponsor of our annual Insight Expo,
The University of Houston College of Optometry
who have been part of HAVIN since our launch and have graciously hosted all of our Insight Expos.
Additionally, we would like to thank the following sponsors for helping us through charitable grants.
Houston Delta Gamma Foundation
WalMart Local Community Grants Team and WalMart Facility # 3579 in Kingwood
And, finally, HAVIN would like to say thank you to the following businesses for supporting us as we have delivered our programming and as we have expanded our operations and service.
Hear how we began
If you would like to learn more and hear our president telling more about the formation of HAVIN, check out this interview with Chelsea Nguyen at Sight Into Sound studios.
Follow HAVIN on Social Media
We are on Twitter and Instagram: @HAVINTX
Also be sure to follow us on Facebook: (20+) Houston Area Visually Impaired Network – HAVIN | Facebook