Helen Keller Services

A milestone for Long Island families!

This morning, we broke ground in Islandia on the first of two new Helen Keller Services Children's Learning Center locations coming to Long Island. The Islandia preschool opens in Fall 2026 and will serve children ages 3 to 5 with disabilities and complex developmental needs, bringing nearly four decades of expertise from our Brooklyn program directly to Suffolk County families. A second location in Plainview, Nassau County, will follow.

Thank you to everyone who joined us to mark this milestone: Mayor Allan M. Dorman, Village of Islandia; Rory Whelan, Suffolk County Deputy Commissioner of Economic Development and Planning, representing County Executive Ed Romaine; Suffolk County Legislator Trish Bergin; State Senator Monica Martinez's office, who presented a Certificate of Recognition; Board Chairman Larry Kinitsky; Board member Al Adelman; our HKS leadership team and program staff; and the community partners, local businesses, and organizations who turned out in support.

Thank you also to News 12 Long Island for covering this milestone. Catch the story on this evening's news.

Learn more: www.helenkeller.org/clclongisland

Image descriptions in comments.

Building Bridges, State by State!

This spring, governors in Kansas, North Carolina, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania each signed official proclamations recognizing DeafBlind Awareness Week, affirming their states' commitment to greater inclusion, accessibility, and visibility for the DeafBlind community. Kansas, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania specifically named this year's theme, Connected by Touch: Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges, as the foundation of how touch connects the DeafBlind community to the world around them.

From a signing ceremony in Topeka surrounded by DeafBlind Kansans and their families, to a proclamation honoring Helen Keller's century-old legacy in New Jersey, each state's story adds something new to this year's observance.

Read the full recap on our blog, with a link to every official proclamation: https://www.helenkeller.org/deafblind-awareness-week-proclamations/

Is your state, city, or community next? Share your proclamation with your HKNC Regional Representative and we will add it to the growing list on this year's landing page.

Visit www.helenkeller.org/dbaw2026 for the full campaign, including this week's free webinars and online courses.

Governors of Kansas, North Carolina, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania Sign Proclamations Recognizing DeafBlind Awareness Week Kansas, North Carolina, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania governors issue proclamations honoring DeafBlind Awareness Week, naming HKNC's 2026 theme "Connected by Touch."

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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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

This week is Vision Rehabilitation Week (June 8-14), and we're proud to recognize the dedicated team at Helen Keller Services for the Blind who make this work possible every day.

Nearly 20 million people in the US live with blindness or low vision. Vision rehabilitation gives them the skills, tools, and training to navigate their communities, pursue careers, and maintain independence at every stage of life.

HKSB provides orientation and mobility training, independent living skills, assistive technology, low vision clinical services, employment services, and job placement support, helping young people, adults, and seniors across the New York City metro area live, work, and thrive on their own terms.

To our O&M specialists, rehabilitation teachers, assistive technology trainers, low vision doctors, and everyone on the HKSB team: thank you for the work you do year-round.

Learn more about HKSB's programs and services at www.helenkeller.org.

ID: A low-angle view of a person from the waist down walking across a city crosswalk. They wear dark jeans and black sneakers and hold a white. Yellow tactile paving with raised domes fills the foreground. The HKSB logo appears in the upper right corner.

A Powerful Moment from Kansas!

On May 29, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly signed an official proclamation recognizing June 25–July 1, 2026 as DeafBlind Awareness Week in the State of Kansas. The proclamation ceremony was coordinated by HKNC's Great Plains Regional Representative Beth Jordan, joined by Michele McClain, along with four DeafBlind Kansans, their family members, and Robert Cooper, Director of the Kansas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

The signed proclamation reflects the 2026 DBAW campaign theme, Connected by Touch: Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges, and affirms Kansas's commitment to greater inclusion, accessibility, and visibility for DeafBlind individuals across the state.

Kansas is one of several states recognizing DeafBlind Awareness Week this year. North Carolina and New Jersey have also issued official proclamations, with more on the way. We will be sharing those in the days ahead.

Each year, HKNC develops a proclamation template that organizations, advocates, and DeafBlind individuals across the country can use to request recognition from their governors, mayors, and local officials. These grassroots efforts are what turn a national observance into local action, and we are deeply grateful to everyone working to make DeafBlind Awareness Week visible in their communities.

If your state, city, or community has issued a proclamation, we want to hear from you. Send us a copy and we will share it on our DBAW 2026 landing page so the country can see how recognition is growing.

Visit helenkeller.org/dbaw2026 to learn more and explore campaign resources.

Fun Fact: The Governor's desk was made by students at the Kansas School for the Deaf several decades ago.

Image Description: Four DeafBlind Kansans and their family members stand behind Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, who is seated at a large wooden desk holding the signed proclamation honoring DeafBlind Awareness Week. Also present are Robert Cooper, Director of the Kansas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, CoNavigators, and HKNC staff members Michele McClain and Beth Jordan. Everyone is smiling. Three of the women are holding white canes, and one man is wearing a monocular device on his eyeglasses. An American flag and a Kansas flag are in the background.

Yesterday, the HKS Children's Learning Center Long Island team was at Smithtown Festival Day, hosted by the Greater Smithtown Chamber of Commerce, and the community showed up.

Islandia Principal David DeJong, HKSB Associate Executive Director Liz Meade, and HKS Major Gifts Officer & Manager of Special Events Monica Godfrey-Lehrer represented the CLC, meeting families, answering questions, and connecting with neighbors throughout the day.

The Helen Keller Services Children's Learning Center is a specialized preschool for children ages 3 to 5 with complex developmental needs, opening two new Long Island locations in 2026, in Islandia and Plainview.

Thank you to the Greater Smithtown Chamber of Commerce for a wonderful Smithtown Festival Day, and to everyone who stopped by to say hello.

Learn more: www.helenkeller.org/CLCLongIsland

ID: Three people stand behind a blue tablecloth-covered table at an outdoor community festival booth. The table displays brochures, branded items, and a QR code sign. Behind them, two vertical banners promote the HKS Children's Learning Center Long Island locations. A white event tent is visible overhead. The table cover reads "HKS Children's Learning Center" and "HelenKeller.org/CLCLongIsland." The Helen Keller Services logo appears at the bottom of the image.

| Smithtown Chamber of Commerce

The 2026 DeafBlind Awareness Week campaign is live. HKNC is proud to unveil this year's poster and theme, "Connected by Touch: Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges," with six national partner organizations joining in a joint proclamation recognizing the week: American Association of the DeafBlind, ADARA, The Charge Syndrome Foundation, National Center On Deafblindness, National Family Association for DeafBlind, and Usher Syndrome Coalition.

This year's theme highlights the fundamental role of touch in communication, connection, and access for DeafBlind individuals. The official campaign poster is available for download, and the DBAW 2026 landing page is packed with ways to get involved: two webinars, four free online courses available throughout June, and a growing list of community events happening across the country.

Read the full announcement: https://www.helenkeller.org/helen-keller-national-center-unveils-2026-deafblind-awareness-week-poster/

Helen Keller National Center Unveils 2026 DeafBlind Awareness Week Poster 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.