AAVL was incorporated as a non-profit corporation in the District of Columbia in 1999 to become an affiliate member organization of ACB.  Its lead organizer and first President was Teddie Joy Remhild, a talented and energetic woman dedicated to enriching the lives of older people experiencing vision loss.  She was assisted by Oral Miller who had previously served as ACB’s President and Executive Director.  Their goal was to establish an organization focused on the needs of people dealing with sight loss later in life.  They realized these people often experience sight loss differently than people who were born with little or no sight or lost it when young.  They believed people experiencing late sight loss would benefit from an organization focused on their unique needs and experiences.

Since its formation, AAVL has provided many services and activities for its senior members.  These include the following:

• Continuous advocacy initiatives on behalf of older people with vision loss  including lobbying to insert blindness as a named concern under the Older Americans Act, work to help AAA’s to understand and assist people with low or no vision, and allying with other organizations seeking to improve the well-being of older people with vision loss
• Since 2017  a newsletter, the Hourglass, providing articles of interest for seniors losing sight
• Since 2019 a web site providing resource lists and other information to provide a one-stop resource center for seniors losing sight
• Since 2021 a  weekly support group for people to discuss concerns about aging and vision loss and support each other as they deal with this transition
• In 2021 a three-part podcast about fall prevention 
• Since 2022 a  monthly community call focused on topics of interest to AAVL members 
• Since 2024 a periodic call for AAVL members to discuss items of interest to them
• In 2024 a cookbook with recipes accessible to blind and sight impaired cooks

Since its inception AAVL has participated in the annual ACB conference and convention.  It has sponsored sessions on fall prevention, housing alternatives, end of life decisions, emergency preparations, signs of dementia, and resources available to seniors losing sight.

AAVL celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2024 during a two-hour Zoom gathering.  Folks shared their reflections and memories of the early years of AAVL and of its dynamic founder, Teddie Joy Remhild.  They also talked about all that AAVL is offering and their hopes for its future.

Starting in 2024 at the anniversary gathering and following at AAVL’s annual members meeting, AAVL has presented the Teddie Joy Remhild Service Award to the AAVL member its awards committee believes has done the most to benefit AAVL members.  The following are the award recipients;

• 2024 Jeff Thom for his significant and ongoing advocacy work and the substantial growth in AAVL membership he brought about during his term as AAVL President 
• 2025 Larry Johnson for his many years advocating on behalf of people with little or no sight and his contributions to AAVL including the three-part podcast on fall prevention
• 2026 Sandy Troiano for her organization and maintenance of the AAVL web site and her starting and ongoing facilitation of the weekly AAVL support group