Criss Cole Rehabilitation Center

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Criss Cole Rehabilitation Center

The Criss Cole Rehabilitation Center serves Texans who are legally blind in an adult residential reha

nsive vocational and independent living training to adult Texans who are blind, the majority newly blinded. Located in Austin, the center provides intensive, comprehensive training in areas such as orientation and mobility, Braille, communication skills, home and personal management, technology and career guidance. Other services include social, psychological, and vocational evaluations. The average trainee completes the program in 3 to 6 months. To participate in Center activities, clients must be eligible for VR programs, legally blind, able to move independently, willing to attend classes, and be able to demonstrate progress in training activities. Each year 500 to 600 clients participate in CCRC activities. The Center supports all aspects of the Texas Division for Blind Services programs by delivering services, training clients for the Business Enterprises Program, and training agency staff. The Center and the School for the Blind have a close working relationship, sharing certain resources and working jointly with the multiply handicapped. Through grant money from the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults, a deaf-blind project has also been established at the Center.

03/03/2025

CCRC is thrilled to be participating in this event with our partners at HAVIN. See all of you on April 5 in the great city of Houston!

2025 HAVIN Insight Expo Sponsored by the University of Houston College of Optometry. Our theme is "Life after vision loss...We're all in this together." Keynote address by Tricia Waechter, Blind Girl Designs. Date: Saturday, April 5, 2025 Time: 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM (CST) Location: Health 1 Building -...

13/02/2025

Sharing from our partners at the American foundation for the blind. See below for information on how to apply for these competitive and valuable scholarships!

The American Foundation for the Blind is proud to support the next generation of leaders through the AFB Scholars Program, offering substantial financial assistance to students who are blind. This scholarship is more than just financial aid—it’s an investment in your future, your aspirations, and your potential to make an impact. Take the next step in your academic journey and gain the resources to achieve your academic dreams. Applications for the AFB Scholars Program are now open: www.afb.org/scholarships. Apply by March 21, 2025.

07/02/2025

Happy Friday, CCRC friends! we're just beginning to plan our summer GEAR Up program for young adults, and we could not be more excited to brainstorm new ways to make this summer a fun and rewarding learning experience. If you are between the ages of 18 and 22, have a visual impairment, and an open case with TWC, we'd love to see you this summer. Stay tuned for more details! If you have questions, call our admissions coordinator, Joni Martinez, at (512) 340-4695.

31/01/2025

As we near the end of Braille Literacy Month, we invite you to share your Braille stories with us. How do you use Braille at home? Do you remember what it was like when you first learned Braille? Does your loved one use Braille, and you're still wondering how they get words out of all those little dots? Feel free to drop your Braille story in the comments!

28/01/2025

As we celebrate Braille Literacy Month, one of our students has taken on the project of designing a Braille-rich environment for one of our common rooms. Welcome to Rhonda’s Poetry Corner! Ms. Ronda Johnson, a CCRC student and accomplished author, created a space in the corner of our main lounge where students can take a moment to readd a poem in Braille to re-center for the day, or even write one themselves. Ms. Johnson is an advocate for words in all their forms, and hopes to promote Braille and a love of reading to all who visit CCRC. As Ms. Johnson’s fellow prose pioneer louis Braille said, “Braille is knowledge, and knowledge is power.”

15/10/2024

So happy to be here with our Houston family celebrating the accomplishments of the blind community at Houston White Cane Safety Day! Come by and see us at the University of Houston Student Center, second floor. Just follow the music!

09/10/2024

Today marked the first event in our Random Acts of Blindness series! Throughout the fall, our students will be traveling to nonprofit organizations in the Austin area to volunteer their time and talent. Today, we were privileged to partner with Caritas of Austin, whose mission is to create opportunities for housing and community for people experiencing homelessness. Our students, using the non-visual techniques they are learning at CCRC, did meal prep for Caritas' daily lunches, which feed up to 300 people daily. Thanks to kitchen manager Cynthia, volunteer coordinator Hanna, and chefs Sebastian and Annie for your hospitality!
(Image Description: The following 15 photos are set up in 4 parts, for each of the four student workstations. The first workstation has students chopping cantaloupe and pineapple for a fruit salad. One student uses a Roger pen hearing device to talk to Chef Cynthia. The second workstation has students chopping onions, cilantro, and peppers. The third workstation has students prepping zucchini and bell peppers on large, flat commercial cutting boards. The fourth table shows one student and two staff members packaging baked goods, first cookies and then dinner rolls, and loading the trays onto a speed-rack to be transported to the kitchen. The final two pictures are group photos of staff and students. Be my Eyes describes their facial expressions as "celebratory" which was very accurate!)

07/10/2024

Thank you to our partners at Capital Metro for including us in their focus group this morning. Together, we can make Austin a more a accessible place to travel, work, and enjoy!

03/10/2024

Calling all job-seekers! Our partners at the National Federation of the Blind will be hosting a virtual job fair on October 22. No transportation? No problem! The event is completely online via an accessible platform. See below for details.

29/09/2024

Having a wonderful time supporting our friends at UnboredRoom for their inclusion prom! Our amazing student volunteer has assisted with braille, monitoring sensory room, and will be helping with the painting station this evening. So thrilled to be part of inclusion in action!

27/09/2024

: Congratulations to our September 2024 graduates! Every month, we host graduation for students who have completed their program, a program which is rigorous, transformative and, we hope, enjoyable.

Address

4800 N. Lamar Boulevard

78756

Opening Hours

Monday	08:00 - 17:00
Tuesday	08:00 - 17:00
Wednesday	08:00 - 17:00
Thursday	08:00 - 17:00
Friday	08:00 - 17:00

Telephone

512-377-0300

Website

http://www.twc.state.tx.us/jobseekers/criss-cole-rehabilitation-center

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Our Story

The Criss Cole Rehabilitation Center (CCRC) was built, staffed, and opened in two stages during the 1970-1972 and 1973-1974 bienniums as the first residential rehabilitation program owned by the Texas State Commission for the Blind. The Center was developed to assist individuals who are legally blind once they’ve completed educational programs offered by the state's public schools. The Center offers intensive vocational and independent living training to adult Texans who are blind or deafblind, the majority newly blinded. Located in Austin, the center provides intensive, comprehensive training in areas such as orientation and mobility, Braille, communication skills, home and personal management, technology and career guidance. Other services include social, psychological, and vocational evaluations. The average trainee completes the program in 3 to 6 months. To participate in Center activities, clients must be eligible for VR programs, legally blind, able to move independently, willing to attend classes, and be able to demonstrate progress in training activities. Each year 500 to 600 clients participate in CCRC activities. The Center supports all aspects of the Texas Blind Services Division programs by delivering services, training clients for the Business Enterprises Program, and training agency staff. The Center and the Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired have a close working relationship, sharing certain resources and working jointly with the multiply handicapped. Through grant money from the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults, a deaf-blind program has also been established at the Center.