Welcome to Philly Phorum
The Philly Phorum provides a virtual platform for professionals serving the blind and low vision community in Philadelphia and surrounding areas to showcase services and other resources. The goal of Philly Phorum is to ensure that all professionals in the local community are aware of opportunities for individuals with low vision or blindness. This Philly Phorum will allow professionals in the community to connect and collaborate to provide a robust array of resources for individuals and their families.
Founding Members
- Lora Swatko – Blind Institute of Technology
- Beth Deering – VisionLink
- Karla McCaney – VisionLink
- Ranjoo Prasad, OD – Wills Eye Hospital
- Michelle Glaze – Foundation Fighting Blindness
Next Philly Phorum September 15, 2025
Philly Phorum Recorded Sessions
Professional Resources
- Dr. Ranjoo Prasad, Wills Eye Hospital, rkprasad17@gmail.com
- Lora Swatko, Blind Institute of Technology, lora.swatko@blindit.org
- Beth Deering VisionLink, beth.deering@visionlinkphl.org
- Dr. Erin Kenny, Salus University, ekenny@salus.edu
- Trisha Ebel, Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey, tebel@vlanj.org
- Alexander Shay, Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services, alshay@pa.gov
- Thomas Diagostino, TechOWL, thomas.diagostino@temple.edu
- Cait Prior, Legal Clinic for the Disabled, cprior@lcdphila.org
- Sylvia Purnell, VisionLink, sylvia.purnell@visionlinkphl.org
- Alex Cohen, Accessible Pharmacy Services, acohen2@wcupa.edu, andy@accessiblepharmacy.com
- Bethany Johnson, Overbrook School for the Blind, bethany.johnson@obs.org
- Lauren Scarpa, Bestwork Industries for the Blind, lscarpa@bestworkindustries.org
- Pamela McGonigle, United States Association of Blind Athletes, pamela.mcgonigle@obs.org
- John Orr, Art-Reach, jorr@art-reach.org
- Aimee Thrasher-Hanson, Free Library of Philadelphia, thrasher-hansona@freelibrary.org
- Margaret McKenna, Pennsylvania Client Assistance Program, margaret@equalemployment.org
- Julie McNair, Pennsylvania Link to Aging and Disability Resources, Julie.McNair@pcaCares.org
- Amy Raphael, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), araphael@septa.org
