What we do
Advocating for quality inclusive education at the United Nations
Watch Daniela Gissara of Perkins School for the Blind, speak on the power of quality inclusive education at the United Nations COSP16 event.
Children with visual impairment and multiple disabilities rely on adults with the commitment and special skills to help them learn. Perkins School for the Blind 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. Together with local collaborators, Perkins is planning to expand current deep impact in a few sites to national-level transformation in 18 countries by 2030. Our goal is to rebuild a world that includes the 240 million children with disabilities, everywhere, from the start.
Perkins believes every child can learn, and we can show you how.
More than 240 million children live with disabilities around the world. Perkins’ international programs change the landscape of education services to fit children, helping them learn and define their own success. In partnership with governments and civil societies, we set new standards for what is possible—for children with disabilities and for our world.
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 almost 100 countries. We provide a wide range of opportunities for professionals and family members to learn how to help children unlock opportunities.
For a child with disabilities to learn and define their own success, 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 Thu Researcher 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.”
Close to home and around the globe, Perkins’ international programs are making a difference for children with visual impairments and multiple disabilities.
Perkins Project Pixan is building a foundation so that every child in Mexico has access to education that is both accessible and adapted for their needs.
In Serbia and Croatia, Perkins meets children where they are and provides access to quality education through our network of partner organizations, educators and parents.
Perkins in Armenia creates partnerships at all levels of the education system – with schools, families, government, NGO’s, orphanages, community based programs, university, and support centers for inclusion.
With our partners, Perkins is guiding the existing network in Jerusalem towards a national standard that supports children with multiple disabilities to learn and define their own success.
As a local NGO, Perkins India has trained the country’s leading multiple disability and vision impairment professionals.
In Bhutan, together with the Ministry of Education, Perkins is building an inclusive national education system from the ground up.
For 30 years, Perkins in Indonesia has focused on the intersection of school, family, community, and residential care.
Watch Daniela Gissara of Perkins School for the Blind, speak on the power of quality inclusive education at the United Nations COSP16 event.
Let’s have a conversation! Contact us today. We would love to explore how we can work together in your country.
Do you wish to be a part of our community that believes that every child can learn? Join our Perkins Global Community!