Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youths and Adults

06/17/2026

SAVE THE DATE 🌟

Join us on June 23 at 7 PM EST for a special Town Hall!

We’ll share key advocacy updates, what’s ahead, and meaningful ways YOU can take action for yourself or your DeafBlind loved one. We’ll also kick off DeafBlind Awareness Week (June 25–July 1)!

Let’s come together to learn, celebrate, connect, and continue “Building Bridges and Breaking Barriers.” 💛

🗓️ June 23 | 7 pm EST | Registration coming soon

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[Image description: Yellow background with bold black text reading “Save the Date.” Header says “Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges” with the NFADB logo in the top left corner. Text reads: Tuesday, June 23, 7 PM EST. Join us for a special Town Hall featuring advocacy updates, next steps, and community engagement ahead of DeafBlind Awareness Week June 25 – July 1. Registration coming soon!]

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06/15/2026

We have joined with Helen Keller Services to promote Deafblind Awareness Week, June 25 - July 1, 2026, to help expand public understanding of DeafBlindness, promoting accessible communication and inclusive practices, elevating the voices and contributions of DeafBlind individuals, and strengthening partnerships across education, employment, healthcare, and community systems.

This year's theme is: Connected by Touch: Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges.

We want to hear from you! Share your story and tell us what this theme means to you at https://bit.ly/CHARGEAwarenessForm

06/04/2026

HKNC has unveiled the 2026 DBAW poster, joined by a national coalition. This year's theme, "Connected by Touch: Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges," highlights how touch enables connection for the DeafBlind community.

05/21/2026

05/13/2026

05/13/2026

Last month, Joseph Melillo, HKNC's National Employer & Business Relations Specialist, was joined by HKNC participants Justin Gaines and Anthony D'Artui for a presentation to the Nassau County Legislature. 19 of 22 legislators were in attendance.

The visit was arranged by Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, whose district includes HKNC's Sands Point campus. Legislators learned about Justin's and Anthony's training in HKNC's Comprehensive Vocational Rehabilitation Program, their career trajectories, and their workplace accommodations.

Joseph presented on HKNC's mission and the employer partnerships that connect participants to careers in their communities. HKNC's vocational team designs individualized training plans built around each participant's skills, interests, and career goals, placing participants at community worksites matched to their objectives. On-site coaching, workplace accommodation planning, and job search preparation, including resume development, interview readiness, and professional self-advocacy, equip participants to transition to employment independently.

We thank Legislator DeRiggi-Whitton for the invitation and look forward to continuing this conversation with Nassau County legislators about employment opportunities for individuals who are DeafBlind.

Image description: Three men stand side by side inside the Peter J. Schmitt Legislative Chamber at Nassau County. On the left, Anthony D'Artui wears a blue and white checkered short-sleeve shirt and dark sunglasses and holds a white cane. In the center, Joseph Melillo wears a gray blazer over a light blue shirt. On the right, Justin Gaines wears a black polo shirt and holds a white cane at his side. The HKNC logo appears in the lower right corner of the image.

| Delia DeRiggi-Whitton - Nassau County Legislator

05/06/2026

Happy ASL Interpreter Appreciation Day!

Today we're celebrating the incredible ASL interpreters at Helen Keller National Center who make communication access possible for our entire community, every single day.

Through visual and tactile ASL, you ensure that our participants and staff can connect, collaborate, and engage fully, whether in training sessions, workplace settings, meetings, or community events.

To our interpreting team: your skill, dedication, and presence make a real difference. Thank you for everything you do for HKNC and the DeafBlind community.

ID: An HKNC interpreter and a participant sit facing each other, with their hands connected in tactile ASL communication. The HKNC logo appears in the upper left corner, and bold white text across the bottom reads "Happy ASL Interpreter Appreciation Day."

04/28/2026

Last week, our Helen Keller National Center Regional Representatives came together at our headquarters in Sands Point for their bi-annual group meeting.

For individuals who are DeafBlind, their families, and the agencies that serve them, an HKNC Regional Representative is an advocate and a life-long point of contact to specialized services and resources. Through 11 regional offices covering all 50 states and U.S. territories, they provide consultation, advocacy, training, and referrals. They also work alongside HKNC's DeafBlind Employment Specialists, who provide individualized career planning, job readiness training, placement, and ongoing job retention support directly in people's home communities.

Whether partnering with vocational rehabilitation counselors, schools, healthcare providers, or employers, our regional reps are often the first point of contact for anyone seeking specialized DeafBlind services in their area.

Find your regional representative at www.helenkeller.org/hknc/regional-network.

Image Description: Group photo of Helen Keller National Center Regional Representatives and senior leadership at HKNC headquarters in Sands Point, NY.

04/14/2026

HKNC's Scott Davert reports from CSUN 2026 with a DeafBlind perspective on Hapware's Aleye wristband, the NAVI-FLIP phone pouch, Glide navigation, and more.

04/08/2026

What happens when the people who build assistive technology spend a day in the same room as the people who actually use it?

That's Tech Blitz.

On May 21, 2026 at Helen Keller National Center in Sands Point, NY, the blind, DeafBlind, and low vision community will come together with leading developers, rehabilitation professionals, educators, and employers for a day of hands-on demos and real conversations.

Attendees get to explore the latest assistive technology firsthand, put questions directly to the people designing these products, and find tools that address real challenges in education, employment, and independent living.

Vendors and sponsors get something harder to find anywhere else: direct access to the community their technology is built for, alongside the rehab specialists, vocational counselors, and educators who influence adoption decisions across schools, agencies, and workplaces every day.

Full accessibility support on-site throughout the day, including ASL interpreters, tactile interpreters, and accessibility specialists.

Learn more: www.helenkeller.org/techblitz2026
Vendor and sponsor opportunities: https://www.helenkeller.org/tech-blitz-2026-sponsorship-opportunities/
Vendor inquiries: [email protected]

Image Description:
A promotional graphic for Helen Keller Services Tech Blitz 2026. A single photo from a previous event shows two women at a demo station, one wearing low vision glasses and smiling as they explore the Tatum Robotics T1 tactile fingerspelling robotic system. The image has a dark navy blue overlay. At the top, the Helen Keller Services logo. In the center, "TECH BLITZ" in large white text, the date May 21, 2026, and the tagline "Assistive Technology Showcase & Demo Day." The Tech Blitz logo appears near the bottom, along with the URL HelenKeller.org/TechBlitz2026.