Helen Keller National Center partners with Pennsylvania’s Office of Developmental Programs to bring specialized DeafBlind support directly to local communities. This innovative five-day immersion program empowers support teams with personalized strategies, ensuring DeafBlind individuals with intellectual disabilities can achieve greater independence in their home environments.

Helen Keller National Center (HKNC) announced a significant expansion of its DeafBlind Immersion Experience (DBIE) program through a strategic partnership with the Pennsylvania Office of Developmental Programs (ODP). This collaboration brings specialized training and support to teams serving DeafBlind individuals with intellectual disabilities across the Commonwealth.

The DBIE program offers a comprehensive, person-centered approach in which the DeafBlind individual and their support team engage in an immersive experience to explore the individual’s preferences, needs, and current supports. Insights gained during this process inform tailored staff training, resulting in deliverables such as a Personal Learning Profile, Communication Profile, and recommended goals and strategies aimed at further developing the individual’s skills to support progress toward their personal and/or employment goals. Through this partnership, identified individuals throughout Pennsylvania will receive customized services directly within their home and community.

“This collaboration with Pennsylvania’s ODP demonstrates our commitment to creating pathways to independence for DeafBlind individuals with complex support needs, regardless of where they live,” said Tammie Christian, Coordinator of HKNC’s DeafBlind Immersion Experience. “By bringing our expertise directly to support teams across Pennsylvania, we’re helping transform daily experiences and enhance quality of life for these individuals.”

The immersive DBIE program spans five days, beginning with four days of observation, team interaction, and rapport building with the DeafBlind individual and their circle of support. The week culminates in a comprehensive training day for the support team, family members, and community partners, where participants learn both general DeafBlind support strategies and individualized approaches tailored to the person’s specific communication preferences, environmental needs, and support networks.

Last week, HKNC specialists and ODP conducted an immersion experience with Shadowfax Corporation. This marks the first of several planned immersion experiences throughout Pennsylvania as part of the expanded partnership with ODP.

The DBIE program benefits various support professionals including job coaches, habilitation specialists, program managers, behavior specialists, teachers, paraprofessionals, transition counselors, families, and developmental disability providers. Through this collaborative approach, participants gain valuable skills in alternative communication systems, environmental modifications, person-centered planning, and adaptive strategies for daily living and vocational activities.

For more information about the DeafBlind Immersion Experience or to explore partnership opportunities, visit www.helenkeller.org/hknc/deafblind-immersion-experience or contact Tammie Christian, Coordinator of the DeafBlind Immersion Experience, at tchristian@helenkeller.org.

About Helen Keller National Center
The Helen Keller National Center (HKNC) is the nation’s only comprehensive vocational and rehabilitation program exclusively serving individuals who are DeafBlind or have combined hearing and vision loss. Through our main campus in Sands Point, New York, and a network of 11 regional offices across the United States, HKNC empowers DeafBlind individuals to achieve their full potential. Our renowned Comprehensive Vocational Rehabilitation Program (CVRP) provides participants with personalized training in adaptive technology, communication skills, orientation and mobility, and independent living, complemented by vital support services including audiology, low vision, rehabilitation counseling, medical, and professional interpreting.

About Helen Keller Services
Helen Keller Services’ (HKS) is a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to enable individuals who are blind, DeafBlind, have low vision or combined hearing and vision loss to live, work and thrive in their community of choice. HKS offers services and programs through two divisions: Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youths and Adults and Helen Keller Services for the Blind. For more information, visit www.HelenKeller.org.

About Shadowfax Corporation
Shadowfax Corporation is a private, non-profit human services agency founded in 1985 that empowers individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism throughout York County, Pennsylvania. Beginning with just 12 individuals in four homes, the organization has grown significantly and now supports approximately 60 individuals in 20 residential homes and over 135 people across various day services including supported employment, community participation, prevocational training, and life skills development. For more information, please call 223-232-4300 or visit shadowfax.org.