Beyond the Campus

From its beginning, Perkins forged a commitment to bringing educational services, independence, and literacy to people who are blind and deafblind. That commitment continues to the present day with many programs that serve people of all ages and situations in life, in the United States and around the world.

The school offers a variety of programs and services designed to reach people who may never live or go to school on campus. Outreach Services provides an array of programs and services to individuals who are blind or visually impaired of all ages, from infants to senior citizens. These include social and recreational programs, itinerant services, a low vision clinic and consultation and social service for the growing population of elders with vision impairments.

Perkins’ Educational Partnerships Program provides a foundation for educational success later, assisting these youngest children and their families with learning skills, activities of daily living, and motor and cognitive development.

TheNew England Center Deafblind Project, sponsored by Perkins and funded by the U.S. Department of Education, provides information, workshops, consultations, and in-service training at local, state, and regional levels.

Perkins collaborates with several Boston-area universities to provide Teacher Training to professionals and teachers of students with visual impairments.

The Perkins Training Center offers conferences, workshops, and other in-service training to parents and professionals who work with people who are blind, visualy impaired, deafblind, or have multiple disabilities with vision impairments.

The International Program, funded by a generous grant from the Hilton Foundation, provides training, consultation, and technical expertise to help parents, teachers, and professional organizations understand and meet the educational and developmental needs of children with deafblindness or blindness with other disabilites, both domestically and internationally. Each year, a handful of educators from nations with few services for children who are deafblind, are invited to spend an intensive academic year on the Perkins campus as part of its Educational Leadership Program.

Yet another way of bringing the expertise of Perkins’ staff to many is through Perkins Publications, which produces books for educators, families, and children.