Coming to a Neighborhood Near You

Coming to a Neighborhood Near You

For the majority of older adults that Braille Institute serves, transportation alternatives are limited or prohibitively expensive. They want—and need—vision rehabilitation services closer to their homes. We’re meeting this need by opening our first prototype Braille Institute Neighborhood Center in Laguna Hills, California.
This new center adds an additional service location for Orange County, California, which is home to more than 3 million residents. The location was selected for its proximity to more than 25 senior centers, assisted and independent living facilities, and 55+ communities.

“People are excited for us to be here,” says Gloria Coulston, Braille Institute Orange County Executive Director. “We used to pick people up by bus and drive them to our Anaheim Center, but traffic and distance made it a daylong trip that was difficult.”

At the Neighborhood Center, students learn daily living skills, receive personalized technology training, sign up for our library, and learn ways to maximize their remaining vision so they can stay healthy and happy. All Neighborhood Center services are free, as is the case for all of Braille Institute. Given the enthusiastic response already, we hope to establish more Braille Institute Neighborhood Centers in the future.

“I’m really happy that the Neighborhood Center opened so close to where I live. It has given me the opportunity to relearn things I was very familiar with, but in different ways.”

—Beatrice S.