TO PREPARE CHILDREN WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS TOWARDS A LIFE OF INDEPENDENCE THROUGH EARLY INTERVENTION, EDUCATION AND FAMILY SUPPORT.
Imagine being a blind person in Orange County in 1962. There were no services or support organizations. Transportation is scarce or non-existent. You are in a world of isolation and dependence.
It was against this backdrop that six blind adults formed the Blind Children’s Learning Center – originally called Services for the Blind, Inc.
The founders knew the critical needs of the blind and turned to one another for support, suggestions and solutions. The founders quickly discovered the key to helping visually impaired children was to start working with them at a very young age.
Equally important was the need for follow-through during their school years – to build confidence and self-esteem. Only then could visually impaired children overcome the many obstacles they would encounter as they grew and matured.
With this in mind, the Beyond Blindness developed a learning model that draws children into the mainstream of life early and begins teaching them the skills they will need throughout their lives.