Perkins School for the Blind

ADMISSIONS: Amy Fox Ferreira, Director of Admissions and Enrollment, 617-972-7476.

AGES/GRADES: Day students 3 to 22 years of age; Residential program for students with vision impairments, ages 12 to 22 years; Residential school for students with Deafblindness may enroll younger than 12 years based on individual student profile and social cohort, up to 22 years of age; Grades preschool through 12th grade (up to 22 years).

Overnight weekend, vacation, and summer programming available to students in public schools through Perkins Outreach Short Courses, ages 8 to 22 years

THERAPEUTIC SERVICES: Group and individual counseling, speech and language therapy (including AAC and Total Communication), occupational therapy, physical therapy, music therapy, BCBA consultation, consulting psychiatrist, clinical low vision, cortical/cerebral visual impairment center, audiology, person centered planning and transition support.

THERAPEUTIC ORIENTATION: Access to Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks including entry points and access skills; specialized instruction provided by teachers of students with vision impairment and teachers specialized in working with students with Deafblindness; Expanded Core Curriculum which includes compensatory skills/braille, sensory efficiency, assistive technology, orientation and mobility, social skills, recreation and leisure, independent living, self-determination and career education; individualize and small group instruction; integrated positive behavior strategies; and a culture of positive, communicative relationships with families.

POPULATION SERVED: Diverse population of students who are blind, visually impaired, deafblind, and deaf with additional disabilities; students may or may not have additional disabilities such as physical, developmental, social emotional, or learning disabilities.

766 APPROVED: Yes

COMMENTS:

The Perkins mission is to prepare children and young adults with the education, confidence and skills they need to realize their full potential. Using world-class resources, we offer individualized instruction through a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach. Our schools place a premium on transitioning students for success after leaving Perkins, facilitating a path toward meaningful engagement in their communities, employment or college.

Perkins’ expansive 38-acre campus reverberates every day with the energy, excitement and passion of learning. Educational excellence and best practices are the result of Perkins’ pioneering work, since 1829, in the field of blindness, combined with an openness toward change and new ideas.

Additional community programs and services include independent educational evaluations; Infant/Toddler Program; itinerant teachers in public and private schools; weekend and vacation short courses; transition services and programs; professional development and parental resources through perkinselearning.org, pathstoliteracy.org and perkins.org/cvi-now; Braille and Talking Book Library; Samuel P. Hayes Research Library; New England Eye Low Vision Clinic and Perkins Access for digital accessibility.

Visit their website: https://www.perkins.org/