Agencies and Organizations

The Carroll Center for the Blind offers a wide variety of services to people of all ages who are blind or visually impaired.  Services are available both at the Carroll Center and in the community.  Services provided include:

The Rehabilitation Program provides support and intensive training in daily living, travel and communication skills for adults with recent vision loss so they can live independently.  Vocational transition and readiness programs are available for young adults.  Mini courses for elders are also available.

The Computer Training Services Program instructs blind and low vision persons to independently use the best speech, large print and/or braille access software and hardware as well as the use of iOS devices and other technologies. Instruction is also available for professionals.  Training takes place at the Carroll Center’s Technology Center, at the home, office or classroom of the client, or online through the Carroll Tech Distance Learning program.

The Community Mobility Department teaches safe travel skills to individuals of all ages at home, work or school. They also provide in-home diabetes management and rehabilitation teaching.

The Educational Services Program provides school consultation services, student evaluation and professional development courses, and itinerant teachers of the visually impaired who deliver direct instruction.

Job Placement Services offers resources, support and guidance for those seeking employment, or who need worksite adaptations or consultation in order to remain on the job.

Summer Programs are offered to youth ages 8-22 from June-August       including: the Youth-In-Transition Program, focus on social development and independent living readiness; the Real World of Work Program emphasizes work experience in the community; Transition to College provides college-bound youth with advanced skill training in computers and daily living; and Carroll Kids /Teens provides academic enrichment opportunities for school-age children.

Outdoor Recreational Programs include sailing, hiking, canoeing, skiing, and tandem biking.   Adaptive techniques are taught with the help of trained volunteers, and participants can enjoy local and overnight trips throughout New England.

The Carroll Store sells a wide range of adaptive devices and products such as white canes, magnifiers, talking and braille watches, kitchen items, clocks, labeling supplies and much more.

Accessibility Services Team provides website evaluation in three areas: evaluate and test websites and web-based applications to determine how accessible they are to users of assistive technology, work with educational institutions to train them on how to effectively deliver online sources, and test and recommend improvements for the accessibility of devices and products for companies.

A Division of The Media Access Group at WGBH

One Guest Street
Boston, MA 02135
Phone: (617) 300-3600
Fax: (617) 300-1020
Email: access@wgbh.org
Web: access.wgbh.org

For more than 40 years, the Media Access Group at WGBH has been providing accessible media services to the millions of Americans who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or visually impaired. We invented captioning and video descriptions for television, and today we apply those services to movies, the web, museums, educational institutions, theme parks, and other venues.

Learning Ally provides a lending library of educational books on CD and recording services for people with print disabilities.

(See Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired)

MABVI provides assistance to people coping with sight loss whether they are declared legally blind or not. Comprehensive low vision exams are provided by affiliated low vision optometrists in Springfield, Holyoke, Worcester, Whitinsville, Wellesley, Wayland, Hyannis and Salem. Vision rehabilitation is provided by licensed occupational therapists in consumers’ homes or at the low vision center in Worcester. MABVI operates 34 peer led support groups for visually impaired people throughout Massachusetts. Task-oriented volunteer services in Eastern and Central Massachusetts include reading mail and shopping. In Central Massachusetts, medical transportation can be provided. MABVI also provides case management for visually impaired elders living in the City of Boston.

MAB Community Services offers a variety of additional programs and services to several populations. The Ivy Street School is a residential and day educational program for adolescents with brain injuries and other neurological difficulties. Adult Disability Services provides day and residential services for disabled adults in community settings throughout Greater Boston.

Provides orientation and mobility and low vision services to adults with intellectual disabilities and vision loss, including vision impairment, legal blindness, and deaf blindness.  Services, training and resources are available to adults in the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Service’s (DDS) Southeast Region. Referrals are made by DDS Service Coordinators or MCB Case Managers.

For orientation and mobility and low vision services statewide for adults with intellectual disabilities who are served by DDS, including registration for the American Printing House for the Blind Federal Quota Account, please contact:  Lisa.DiBonaventura@state.ma.us