Imagine for a moment being a blind person in Orange County circa 1962. There are no services or support organizations. Transportation is scarce. Soon you find yourself in a world of isolation and dependence.

It was against this backdrop that six blind adults formed Blind Children's Learning Center - originally called Services for the Blind. They felt firsthand the critical needs of the blind, and so they turned to one another for support.

The founders quickly discovered that the key to helping a visually impaired person is to start working with them at a very young age. Equally important is the need for follow-through during the school years - to build confidence and tenacity. Only then can the visually impaired child overcome the many obstacles he or she will encounter along the way.

As a result of these insights, Blind Children's Learning Center developed a holistic approach that draws these children into the mainstream of life early and keeps them there. The journey begins with our Infant Family Focus program, which reaches into the home to teach new parents the unique developmental needs of their blind baby. It continues in our Early Childhood Center, where visually impaired preschool aged children learn right alongside sighted kids. And then the Youth Outreach program provides the advocacy, coaching and training needed to ensure these children's success in public schools.