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At the Center, we offer many services to meet the needs of persons with different levels of vision and/or hearing loss. This range of loss is from mild to total. Services are for persons of all ages and level of skills.
The Center offers Professional Services to promote personal and social independence for persons served.
Rehabilitation teaching covers a wide number of areas to assist individuals to become independent. A few examples of these are daily living skills: such as grooming or cooking; reading and math skills for work or home use; or how to use a typewriter or computer keyboard. Assistive technology training to learn to use computers is available. Employment Services include use of technology for employment, development of job seeking skills and placement assistance for both the employer and job seeker. Counseling is available to help individuals learn to solve problems.
For persons experiencing a vision loss, we provide Orientation & Mobility training to help individuals travel better in their home, work place, or community. For persons who are experiencing a recent vision loss, we offer New Visions, a group learning experience to develop coping and independence skills. Grade I or II Braille literacy classes are also available.
Low Vision Services include a special examination to help individuals use their functional vision. A specially trained optometrist evaluates how well individuals see and how glare, lighting, background, and contrasts affect vision. Special lights, magnifiers, or glasses may be prescribed as well as training in their use.
For persons who experience a hearing loss, communication skills are improved through classes in Speechreading and/or Sign Language.
The Social/Recreation Program offers many scheduled events and activities that are available to all persons receiving services at the Center. The monthly recreation schedule is printed in Sights & Sounds, the Center's monthly newsletter.
Simple Solutions, our technology and assistive device service, has products for individuals, professionals or others to try on site, take for a short loan, or buy.
Short term or consultation services are available to provide assistance and information to improve decision making by individuals or those who assist them. The goal is twofold:
- To assist professionals in deafness, blindness, deafblindness, or related disciplines, employers and others to serve the targeted populations; and
- To provide direct service for individuals on a time limited basis in their home, work, or social environments.
To improve services for people who are deaf and hard of hearing we serve as an outreach site of the Midwest Center for Postsecondary Outreach. To improve services for persons, who are deafblind in the northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin areas, we are an affiliate of the Helen Keller National Center. Presentations and Tours of the Center are available. Sign language classes for the general public are offered. When you call the Center you may ask for Information and then receive a Referral for a Center service or to another resource.
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