Globally, it is estimated that 1.3 billion people live with some form of distance or near vision impairment. Prejudice about blindness is widespread; blind people do not have equal access to education and the labor market. Social entrepreneur Andreas Heinecke was determined to do something about it. He founded Dialogue in the Dark—in which blind people lead the audience in small groups through a set of real-life scenarios in total darkness to share this experience.
The Philadelphia Orchestra creates and shares music of the highest caliber for people of all ages and backgrounds, and is actively involved in community outreach activities. Matías Tarnopolsky was appointed president and chief executive officer of the Orchestra in 2018.
India has the largest blind population in the world. Eight million people are totally blind, 55 million are visually impaired and 80% are either preventable or curable. The Sankara Eye Foundation brings quality and timely eye care to the doorsteps of rural India through its award-winning Gift of Vision outreach program.
Dr. Albert C. Barnes believed that art had the power to improve minds and transform lives. The Barnes Foundation’s diverse educational programs are based on his teachings and one-of-a-kind collections—both his art holdings in Philadelphia and the rare trees, flowers and other plants at the Barnes Arboretum.
Carlos Pereira is the CEO and founder of Livox, and the father of an 11-year-old girl with cerebral palsy caused by a medical error. Since discovering his daughter’s impairment, empowering people with disabilities has become Carlos’s passion, from which he created several initiatives to improve the lives of disabled people. He founded the software company Livox that enables non-verbal people to communicate and learn via tablets and smartphones. The software interprets the user’s movements through intelligent algorithms that adapt to motor, cognitive and visual disabilities.
Do we inhabit a multiverse? Do we have free will? Does evolution have an address? Are we are immortal? Was the universe created? What is love?
The Templeton Foundation is optimistic about the power of science and other discovery-oriented disciplines to advance our understanding of life’s greatest questions.