Programs & Services

The Blind Children's Learning Center provides a full-range of programs and services to assist blind, visually impaired, and blind/deaf children, birth to 21 years of age and their families.

The core programs are Infant Family Focus, Early Childhood Center, Youth Outreach and Counseling. Comprehensive services that start as early as possible and continue through high school include: Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Orientation and Mobility, Braille instruction, Nursing, specialized vision services, social opportunities and Adaptive Technology.

The journey begins with our Infant Family Focus program, which provides direct services in the home to teach new parents the unique developmental needs of their blind baby. The journey then continues with our Early Childhood Center, where visually impaired preschool aged children learn alongside their sighted peers. And finally, the Youth Outreach program provides the advocacy, coaching and training needed to ensure these children's success in public schools.

The results of this progressive method speak for themselves:

• Many babies who were not expected to live productive lives - including those with multiple handicaps - have learned to walk, talk, and thrive.
• The vast majority of BCLC's Early Childhood Center graduates have mastered the skills needed for successful mainstreaming into public school Kindergarten.
• Despite a 70% unemployment rate among blind individuals, many BCLC graduates have successful careers.

These results were achieved by stimulating each child's natural desire to learn and explore. The mission is clear - to help blind children reach the same destination as sighted children: independent adult living.