Perkins School For The Blind

The mission of Perkins School for the Blind is to provide education and services that build productive, meaningful lives for children and adults around the world who are blind, deafblind, or visually impaired with or without other disabilities. Founded in 1829, Perkins School for the Blind is the first school for the blind in the U.S. The School's heritage incorporates heroes and heroines, including Anne Sullivan, Helen Keller, and Laura Bridgman, students who possessed will and determination and their teachers who believed in the inherent capacity of every child to learn. Perkins has been and continues to be a source of inspiration and opportunity for people who are blind, deafblind, and blind with multiple disabilities.

Today Perkins is renowned as a center of excellence in the field of blindness education. Perkins offers programs and services including on-campus education at the elementary and secondary levels, outreach to public school students and adults, pre-school programs, training for teachers of the vision impaired, and a library that distributes Braille and talking books to over 20,000 patrons. On the international level, the Hilton/Perkins Program trains teachers for the vision impaired and develops new schools and service programs in 55 developing countries. All work at Perkins is guided by clear and consistent values:

* Every child can learn;

* No child should be denied the opportunity to achieve his or her potential;

* Parents and family members play a key role as advocates and teachers.