Program Office: Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA)

CFDA Number: 84.904A
Program Type: Direct appropriation
Also Known As: HKNC, Helen Keller National Center for Youths and Adults Who Are Deaf-Blind

The center provides services on a national basis to individuals who are deaf-blind, their families, and service providers through a national headquarters center with a residential training and rehabilitation facility and a network of 10 regional field offices. The National Center and regional field offices provide referral, employment and independent living skills training, counseling, and transition assistance for individuals who are deafblind, and technical assistance and training for service providers. In FY 2010, the center served 72 adult training clients and provided specialized short-term training to 26 clients at its headquarters programs. In addition, the center reported that in FY 2010 regional programs served 1,478 consumers, 441 families, and 881 organizations and agency service providers, with a broad spectrum of services, including consultation, referral, training, and individualized services related to independent living and employment.

The program provides training and counseling to individual consumers and training and technical assistance to service providers. The program also supports short-term training for youths in high school, a service project for elderly deaf-blind persons, a national parent and family services project, and an international internship program for professionals in the field of deafblindness.