Children with visual impairment and multiple disabilities rely on adults with the commitment and special skills to help them learn. Perkins International works with families, teachers, schools, doctors, hospitals, community leaders, universities and governments to make education accessible to all children—wherever they are and whatever their ability. Perkins believes every child can learn, and we can show you how.
More than 6 million children live with visual impairment and multiple disabilities. Perkins International changes the landscape of education services to fit children, helping them learn and thrive. In partnership with governments and civil society, we set new standards for what is possible—for children with multiple disabilities and for our world.
Supporting children to learn
For a child with multiple disabilities, the journey to education may begin at home, in an orphanage, in a hospital, in a community program or at school. Perkins starts where children are so that no child is invisible or excluded.
For 100 years, Perkins has been training leaders and educators who change the world for children in 93 countries. Perkins International provides a wide range of opportunities for professionals and family members to learn about the most effective ways to help children achieve their full potential in life.
For a child with multiple disabilities to learn and thrive, families, schools, hospitals, communities and governments must all work together. Perkins sets the standards and builds the networks that sustain and strengthen teaching, learning and community life.
Thanh Trinh Thi ThuResearcher at the National Center for Special Education, at The Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences, ELP graduate – Class of 2020
“At Perkins, the belief is all children can learn, no matter their disability.”
In the Central and Eastern Europe region, children with visual impairments and multiple disabilities are 47 times more likely to be put in institutional care than children without disabilities.