BCLC History

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 the 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 visually impaired children overcome the many obstacles they 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, that provides direct services in 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 alongside sighted children. And then 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.

The mission is clear - to help blind children reach the same destination as sighted children: independent adult living. This can only be achieved by stimulating each child's natural desire to learn and explore. Happily, it's a destination BCLC students arrive at time and again.