Helen Keller Services for the Blind
Encyclopedia
Helen Keller Services for the Blind is an American
organization that helps the blind
develop independence
.
Services for the Blind's mission has been to help individuals of all ages who are blind
or visually impaired, and who may have additional disabilities, develop independence and to participate actively in their communities. Headquartered in Brooklyn, the agency has additional rehabilitation sites in Hempstead
and Huntington
, Long Island and operates the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults in Sands Point, New York
.
a local drug store in Brooklyn
where he was shot. Total blindness resulted and Eben Morford went for training at the New York Institute for the Education of the Blind. A few years passed and when he completed his studies he saw that there was almost no opportunities for employment for blind people.
In 1886 Morford gathered a small group of blind men and women together to try to help others like themselves. They rented a frame house on 96 Lexington Avenue and on October 1, 1893 the Industrial Home for Blind Men opened its doors. Eben Morford was the superintendent and by 1894 seventeen blind men lived in the home. Ten were employed producing 416 cane seats, 28 hair mattresses and 4,500 brooms.
Within two years, on April 25, 1895, The Industrial Home for the Blind of the City of Brooklyn (IHB) was incorporated. Morford spent 30 years directing the Home. In 1906 he participated in a study on the needs of people who were blind in New York State. This helped inaugurate The New York State Commission for the Blind. In 1917 services for people who were deaf-blind were established. Also that year Morford employed a young Peter J. Salmon, who was legally blind. Eben Morford died January 27, 1928. That year over 600 people who were blind or deaf-blind were served by IHB.
In 1943, on the 50th Anniversary, Helen Keller visited IHB.
During the 1950s, services were established in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. In 1952 IHB established a Braille
and Large Print Library to make sure that textbooks were available for children who were blind and mainstreamed within their local schools. In 1953 a summer day camp was opened to encourage participation in sports, music and drama. In 1952, Dr. George Hellinger opened the first Low Vision Eye Service within a blindness agency. The purpose of this Service is the optimization of remaining vision of legally blind individuals through the use of optical aids
In 1967 IHB opened a pre-school for children.
During the 1960s, IHB initiated the federally funded Anne Sullivan Macy Service for people who were deaf-blind. IHB received the grant based on its long standing commitment to this special population. Soon after, Dr. Peter J. Salmon, Louis J. Bettica and others advocated for a national center to serve all Americans who were deaf-blind. In 1967 the Helen Keller National Center (HKNC) was established by a unanimous act of Congress and IHB was chosen to operate the program which provided comprehensive rehabilitation training for people with a severe dual sensory loss or impairment.
In 1983 IHB established a day treatment program for adults who are developmentally disabled and who were also blind or deaf-blind.
In 1985, the Board of Trustees decided to change the name of The Industrial Home for the Blind (IHB) to Helen Keller Services for the Blind (HKSB).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
organization that helps 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...
develop independence
Independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....
.
Agency Mission
Since 1893, Helen KellerHelen Keller
Helen Adams Keller was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree....
Services for the Blind's mission has been to help individuals of all ages who are 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...
or visually impaired, and who may have additional disabilities, develop independence and to participate actively in their communities. Headquartered in Brooklyn, the agency has additional rehabilitation sites in Hempstead
Hempstead (village), New York
Hempstead is a village located in the town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 53,891 at the 2010 census.Hofstra University is located on the border between Hempstead and Uniondale.-Foundation:...
and Huntington
Huntington, New York
The Town of Huntington is one of ten towns in Suffolk County, New York, USA. Founded in 1653, it is located on the north shore of Long Island in northwestern Suffolk County, with Long Island Sound to its north and Nassau County adjacent to the west. Huntington is part of the New York metropolitan...
, Long Island and operates the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults in Sands Point, New York
Sands Point, New York
Sands Point is a village located at the northernmost tip of the Cow Neck Peninsula on the North Shore of Long Island in Nassau County, New York. As of the United States 2010 Census, the village population was 2,675. The Incorporated Village of Sands Point is in the Town of North...
.
a local drug store in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
where he was shot. Total blindness resulted and Eben Morford went for training at the New York Institute for the Education of the Blind. A few years passed and when he completed his studies he saw that there was almost no opportunities for employment for blind people.
In 1886 Morford gathered a small group of blind men and women together to try to help others like themselves. They rented a frame house on 96 Lexington Avenue and on October 1, 1893 the Industrial Home for Blind Men opened its doors. Eben Morford was the superintendent and by 1894 seventeen blind men lived in the home. Ten were employed producing 416 cane seats, 28 hair mattresses and 4,500 brooms.
Within two years, on April 25, 1895, The Industrial Home for the Blind of the City of Brooklyn (IHB) was incorporated. Morford spent 30 years directing the Home. In 1906 he participated in a study on the needs of people who were blind in New York State. This helped inaugurate The New York State Commission for the Blind. In 1917 services for people who were deaf-blind were established. Also that year Morford employed a young Peter J. Salmon, who was legally blind. Eben Morford died January 27, 1928. That year over 600 people who were blind or deaf-blind were served by IHB.
In 1943, on the 50th Anniversary, Helen Keller visited IHB.
During the 1950s, services were established in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. In 1952 IHB established a Braille
Braille
The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two...
and Large Print Library to make sure that textbooks were available for children who were blind and mainstreamed within their local schools. In 1953 a summer day camp was opened to encourage participation in sports, music and drama. In 1952, Dr. George Hellinger opened the first Low Vision Eye Service within a blindness agency. The purpose of this Service is the optimization of remaining vision of legally blind individuals through the use of optical aids
In 1967 IHB opened a pre-school for children.
During the 1960s, IHB initiated the federally funded Anne Sullivan Macy Service for people who were deaf-blind. IHB received the grant based on its long standing commitment to this special population. Soon after, Dr. Peter J. Salmon, Louis J. Bettica and others advocated for a national center to serve all Americans who were deaf-blind. In 1967 the Helen Keller National Center (HKNC) was established by a unanimous act of Congress and IHB was chosen to operate the program which provided comprehensive rehabilitation training for people with a severe dual sensory loss or impairment.
In 1983 IHB established a day treatment program for adults who are developmentally disabled and who were also blind or deaf-blind.
In 1985, the Board of Trustees decided to change the name of The Industrial Home for the Blind (IHB) to Helen Keller Services for the Blind (HKSB).
Services
Today, Helen Keller Services for the Blind's programs include:- Comprehensive Rehabilitation Services – training in safe travel, daily living skills, and Braille, as well as social support, for approximately 2,000 clients each year;
- Low Vision Clinics – optometrists teaching clients how to maximize residual vision by using specialized lighting, lenses and magnifiers;
- Children’s Learning Center – educational and therapeutic services for young children, birth to age five, who are blind and/or multi-handicapped, with a resource center for families;
- Vocational Assessment and Job Placement – full spectrum of employment services for adults seeking work in a variety of career areas;
- Assistive Technology Centers – assessment and training in the use of adaptive software for computers, with keyboarding instruction when necessary;
- Preschool Vision Screening Program – screens nearly 25,000 children a year for eye disorders that may lead to permanent visual impairment if not detected and treated;
- Camp Helen Keller – six-week summer day camp for children ages 4–15;
- Children’s Saturday Program – recreational, educational, and vocational activities for children during the school year;
- Louis Anzalone Braille Center – produces textbooks in Braille and large-print for students in grades K-12;
- Senior Centers – group activities and social services for individuals over the age of 55;
- Day Treatment Program – educational and therapeutic services for adults who are blind and have additional developmental disabilities;
- Individualized Residential Alternative (IRA) – community residence for six Day Treatment clients.