Partners
NCDB brings together the resources of four agencies with histories of expertise in the field of deafblindness: Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youth and Adults; Perkins School for the Blind; the Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities at the University of Montana; and Accessible Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Systems (ATLAS) at the University of Kansas.
Helen Keller National Center
Sands Point, NY
The Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youths and Adults (HKNC) provides vocational and rehabilitation services exclusively to youths and adults who are deafblind. A residential-based training program, located at HKNC's headquarters in Sands Point, NY, provides evaluation, vocational and rehabilitation training, and assistance in locating employment, housing, and community resources in clients' home states. Field services include 11 regional offices and numerous affiliated agencies. The agency also offers a wide variety of professional development learning opportunities through online courses, in-person training, webinars, and conferences.
Perkins School for the Blind
Watertown, MA
Since its founding in 1829, Perkins School for the Blind has been a national and international leader and resource providing education and services to infants, toddlers, children, youth, and young adults who are blind, deafblind, or visually impaired. It is also home to the Samuel P. Hayes Research Library, which houses a substantial collection of information on blindness and deafblindness. Perkins' services and strategies impact more than 500,000 individuals each year in the U.S. and countries across the world.
Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities
Missoula, MT
The Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities (RIIC) at the University of Montana has a wealth of experience on improving transition outcomes for individuals with disabilities. Their transition activities are unique in that they promote customized employment strategies, the use of Social Security work incentives, transition planning for middle school students, collaborative funding across agencies to create individually-driven employment supports, self-employment as vocational experience or post-school outcome, and self-determination.
Accessible Teaching, Learning, & Assessment Systems
Lawrence, KS
Accessible Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Systems (ATLAS) at the University of Kansas is a nationally recognized research center specializing in assessment development and administration, psychometrics, accessibility, curriculum and instruction, and professional development. ATLAS implements projects with more than $22 million in annual revenue from grants and contracts, including both general and alternate large-scale operational assessments, one of which is the Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) alternate assessment system for students with significant cognitive disabilities.
