Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults
National Office Headquarters:
141 Middle Neck Road
Sands Point, NY 11050-1218
Switchboard hours: 8 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
516-944-8900 (Voice)
516-944-8908 (VP)
516-944-8637 (TTY)
516-944-7302 (Fax)
E-mail: hkncinfo@hknc.org

Regional Representative contact information: www.hknc.org/FieldServicesREGREPADD.htm

The Center provides services to youth and adults who are deaf-blind according to the definition of deaf-blindness in the Helen Keller Act. The national center in New York and regional offices that serve each state provide advocacy, support groups, information, and services to people who have both a vision and a hearing loss.

The mission of the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults (HKNC) is to enable each person who is deaf-blind to live and work in his or her community of choice. Authorized by an Act of Congress in 1967, the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults is a national rehabilitation program serving youth and adults who are deaf-blind.

www.ndab.org
E-mail: klarson@dia.net

The North Dakota Association of the Blind (NDAB) strives to enhance the way of life for persons who are visually impaired, to improve their opportunities for employment, and to create public awareness about persons with sight loss.

Serices and resources include:

• Summer Camp
• Family Adjustment Seminar
• Sports and Recreation
• College Scholarship Fund
• Financial Support
• The Promoter newsletter
• NDAB Support Network
• Area Vision Support Groups

Vocational Rehabilitation
Prairie Hills Plaza
1237 West Divide Avenue, Suite 1B
Bismark, ND 58501-1208
800-755-2745 (Toll free)
701-328-8950
701-328-8968 (TDD)
701-328-8969 (Fax)
www.nd.gov/dhs

Vision Services

www.nd.gov/dhs/services/disabilities/vs.html
Office and contact information: www.nd.gov/dhs/services/disabilities/vr/contact.html 

Services North Dakotans age 55 and older who have vision impairments. Provides training, accommodation, and support in daily living activities to individuals with visual impairments so they can maintain independence in their home environment. Offices are located in the following regions: Bismark, Devil's Lake, Dickinson, Fargo, Grand Forks, Jamestown, Minot, and Williston.

Services for the visually impaired include:

• Orientation and mobility training
• Communication skills training
• Activities of daily living training
• Low vision screening/services
• Assistive technology devices
• Counseling, support groups, and referral
• Community integration
• Help with management of secondary disabilities
• Transportation
• Readers and guides

500 Stanford Road
Grand Forks, ND 58203
800-421-1181 (Toll free)
701-795-2700
701-795-2727 (Fax)
www.ndvisionservices.com/services/index.html
E-mail: www.ndvisionservices.com/contact  

Individuals with visual impairments experience varying degrees of need for professional services depending upon age, lifestyle, community characteristics, and their own unique visual functioning. The goal of North Dakota Vision Services/School for the Blind (NDVS/SB) is to assist individuals in reaching their personal goals through assessment and training. Instructional areas for adult services include:

• Adaptive Aids
• Adjustment with Vision Loss Discussions
• Braille
• Daily Living Skills 
• Orientation and Mobility
• Technology 
• Vocational/Career

2200 University Avenue West, Suite 200
Saint Paul, MN 55114
800-871-8780 (Toll free)
651-203-2200
651-203-2203 (Fax)
www.thelowvisioncenter.com
E-mail: lowvisionstore@yahoo.com

The Low Vision Store carries a full line of daily living products and reading machines for people who are blind or have low vision. They cover the five-state area of North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa and will do free in-house demonstrations for all reading machines.

www.va.gov 
Contact the VA

The mission of the Veterans' Healthcare System (VHA) is to serve the needs of America's veterans by providing primary care, specialized care, and related medical and social support services. Approximately a quarter of the nation's population -- approximately 70 million people -- are potentially eligible for VA benefits and services because they are veterans, family members or survivors of veterans.

Facilities Locator Home Page: 
Use this search feature to locate VA facility-related information quickly and accurately.

Fact Sheets about VA Services:
Use this search feature to locate VA News Releases and Fact Sheets on topics that include health care and benefits.

Services for Blind and Visually Impaired Veterans:
The mission of the VA Blind Rehabilitation Service is to coordinate a healthcare service delivery system that provides a continuum of care for blinded veterans extending from their home environment to the local VA facility and to the appropriate rehabilitation setting.

Visual Impairment Service Team (VIST):
The Visual Impairment Service Team (VIST) Coordinator serves as the initial contact person for getting help with vision loss. VIST Coordinators are located at local VA Medical Centers across the country. They work to ensure that veterans with visual impairments receive appropriate benefits and services.

The VIST Coordinator is a case manager who has major responsibility for the coordination of all services for legally blind veterans and their families. Duties include providing and/or arranging for the provision of appropriate treatment plans and programs in order to enhance a blinded veteran's functioning level.

Other duties include identifying new cases of blindness, providing professional counseling, resolving problems, arranging annual healthcare reviews, and conducting education programs relating to blindness.

Services for blind and visually impaired veterans include:

• Orientation and Mobility
• Independent Living Skills
• Manual Skills
• Visual Skills and Low Vision Services
• Computer Access Training
• Physical Conditioning
• Recreation
• Adjustment to Blindness
• Family Program