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
2025 HAVIN Insight Expo
That’s right, our annual, signature event is coming soon! And pre-registration is open.
Date: Saturday, April 5, 2025,
Time: 9 AM to 2 PM
Location:
Health 1 Building – University of Houston central campus
4401 Martin Luther King Blvd
Houston, TX 77204.
This year’s theme is Life After Vision Loss… We’re All in this Together
Our keynote speaker this year is Tricia Waechter of Blind Girl Designs.
Cost: $11 per person
Attendees who pre-register are guaranteed a lite breakfast, box lunch, and will be entered into a drawing for door prizes.
Onsite registration will also be available on the day of the event.
*Those who register on the day of the event are not eligible for door prizes. Also, breakfast and box lunches will be available to these attendees while supplies last.
The deadline to pre-register is Friday, March 21, 2025, by 5 PM.
Volunteers for the Insight Expo
We thank you for your interest in volunteering, but we are fortunate enough to have sufficient volunteers already registered to assist us for the 2025 HAVIN Insight Expo.
Community Calendar
Want to know what the HAVIN groups and organizations have planned for the coming months? Great news! The Lighthouse of Houston has a
community calendar for the blind and visually impaired
showing these activities. This shows not only activities from those affiliated with HAVIN, but other groups and organizations as well.
HAVIN’s Previous Zoom Workshop: Visions of Unique Perspectives
This was held on Saturday, February 15, 2025 and featured our HAVIN members Naomi Panarella, Ron Graham, and Victoria Hillard. They discussed their individual journeys into vision loss. They discussed the challenges faced, helpful resources they have found, and reflected on the importance of community.
If you miss it, here’s the link on our YouTube channel.
Latest News from HAVIN
HAVIN 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.
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