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Helen Keller Services

General Information

Helen Keller Services
180 Livingston St
Brooklyn, NY 11201
718-522-2122
info@helenkeller.org
https://helenkeller.org/

Brief Description

HKS offers services and programs through two divisions: Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults and Helen Keller Services for the Blind. Helen Keller National Center is the only comprehensive national program that provides vocational and independent living skills training exclusively to youths and adults with combined vision and hearing loss. Helen Keller Services for the Blind is a comprehensive rehabilitation program serving individuals of all ages who are blind or visually impaired, and who may have additional disabilities, living in the New York Metropolitan Area.

Services Offered

  • Counseling
    • Offers counseling in adjustment to blindness.

  • Travel/Orientation and Mobility
    • Offers instruction in safe travel using a cane.

  • Braille and Reading Instruction
    • Offers braille instruction, remedial literacy training, and instruction in how to use low vision devices.

  • Computer Training/Assistive Technology
    • Provides assessment and training in the use of adaptive software for computers; keyboarding instruction when necessary.

  • Employment/Job Training
    • Offers a full spectrum of employment services for adults, including vocational assessment, job readiness training, work experience internships, and job placement.

  • Low Vision Services
    • Optometrists with expertise in low vision work with clients in our Low Vision Eye Service to maximize residual vision through the use of specialized lenses, magnifiers, and low-glare lighting. The Eye Service centers are located in Brooklyn, Hempstead, Sands Point, and Huntington NY.

  • Daily Living Skills/Independent Living Skills Training
    • Helps clients maintain independence after becoming blind or visually impaired by training clients in the areas of safe travel, daily living skills (i.e., cooking and cleaning), communications, and personal care. Most training is done one-to-one in the client's home or workplace. Day Habilitation Program offers habilitation and recreational services to individuals who are visually impaired and have a developmental disability.

  • Housing Services
    • Maintains the Individualized Residential Alternative (IRA), a group home for six clients who are blind and have additional disabilities.

  • Professional Training
    • HKNC offers unparalleled professional development opportunities for people who work with deaf-blind individuals. Our staff conducts professional seminars at our headquarters in Sands Point, New York, and offers customized training across the country through both on-site and online programs.