Retinitis Pigmentosa International (RPI or RP International) is an international, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization

Non-profit organization

Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

 that is committed to focusing world attention on eye problems. RP International promotes research, public awareness, education, and human services for victims of degenerative eye diseases.

Vision Awards and Eyes of Christmas

RPI presents and organizes the Vision Awards annually from Hollywood, which raises funds for RP International and is dedicated to honoring individuals and companies who have illustrated exceptional "vision, foresight and insight" in the creative arts, related technologies and medical research. The event also highlights scientific landmarks in adult stem cell transplants, microchip implants and pharmaceuticals. In 2006, the Vision Awards took special note of adult stem cell research by honoring a patient who was able to regain sight thanks to the LSU technique after more than 20 years of blindness.

The "Eyes of Christmas" is a television program in which the blind and visually impaired people can "watch" holiday shows by hearing descriptive narrations of the shows. The program is aired on a variety of cable networks and independent television stations, and features celebrities presenting holiday music, memories and films over the 12 days leading up to Christmas.

TheatreVision

TheatreVision is a program, created by RP International, that makes films accessible to the visually challenged. It allows incorporating a special soundtrack for feature films that runs concurrently with the dialogue of the picture. The track provides a "descriptive narration" of what is being shown on the screen, so that those without sight can still experience the wonderful medium of motion pictures. Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump is a 1994 American epic comedy-drama romance film based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright and Gary Sinise...

was the first film to be completed in this format, making its TheatreVision debut before a visually challenged audience. These formatted films are being made available to the unsighted through select neighborhood theatres, as well as through libraries, charitable organizations, special screenings and schools for the blind.

Many TheatreVision presentations are audio described by celebrities, often who have a connection to the film. The Disney film Tarzan (1999 film)

Tarzan (1999 film)

Tarzan is a 1999 American animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures on June 18, 1999...

 was described by actor Tony Goldwyn

Tony Goldwyn

Anthony Howard "Tony" Goldwyn is an American actor and director. He portrayed the villain Carl Bruner in Ghost, Colonel Bagley in The Last Samurai, and the voice of the title character of the Disney animated Tarzan.-Early life:...

, who also performed the voice of the lead character in the film itself, and Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...

 performed the description for Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. TheatreVision has also prepared special presentations for television, often providing live descriptions of the annual Academy Awards

Academy Awards

An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...

, and notably describing the classic film It's a Wonderful Life

It's a Wonderful Life

It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmas drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern....

for NBC's traditional annual broadcast of the film (with the descriptive audio carried on the SAP (Second Audio Program) channel), with the narrative description performed by former president George H. W. Bush

George H. W. Bush

George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...

.

About the Founder

Helen Harris is the founder of RPI and also a longtime activist for the blind

Blindness

Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...

 and vision impaired. Years ago, Helen Harris, then a housewife, painter, and young mother, learned that she was slowly going blind from the degenerative blinding disease, retinitis pigmentosa

Retinitis pigmentosa

Retinitis pigmentosa is a group of genetic eye conditions that leads to incurable blindness. In the progression of symptoms for RP, night blindness generally precedes tunnel vision by years or even decades. Many people with RP do not become legally blind until their 40s or 50s and retain some...

. She soon learned that two of her three sons had inherited her disease. In 1973, she began RP International to provide support and counsel to those who suffer from retinitis pigmentosa and other degenerative eye diseases, and to find a cure for those diseases.

See also

• Retinitis pigmentosa
  Retinitis pigmentosa
  Retinitis pigmentosa is a group of genetic eye conditions that leads to incurable blindness. In the progression of symptoms for RP, night blindness generally precedes tunnel vision by years or even decades. Many people with RP do not become legally blind until their 40s or 50s and retain some...
  
  
• Macular degeneration
  Macular degeneration
  Age-related macular degeneration is a medical condition which usually affects older adults and results in a loss of vision in the center of the visual field because of damage to the retina. It occurs in “dry” and “wet” forms. It is a major cause of blindness and visual impairment in older adults...
  
  
• Stem cells
• Eye disease