Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youths and Adults

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Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youths and Adults

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The Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youths and Adults was created by an Act of Congress

We are the only Comprehensive National Vocational and Rehabilitation Program to provide services exclusively to youth and adults who have combined vision and hearing loss.

10/22/2026

Congratulations to HapWare! ALEYE has been named one of TIME's Best Inventions of 2026 in the Accessibility category.

ALEYE is a wristband that translates facial expressions, gestures, and body language into vibration patterns, making nonverbal communication accessible to people who are blind, have low vision, or are DeafBlind.

HKNC has been part of ALEYE's journey from the start. Scott Davert, our Lead Research and Training Specialist, has tested the device since one of its earliest prototypes and highlighted it in his coverage of the CSUN Assistive Technology Conference, a mention the HapWare team credits with helping build momentum toward this award.

Every demo and every bit of honest feedback from DeafBlind testers helped shape ALEYE. That’s what technology built with the community looks like, and we’re proud to have been part of it.

Learn more at www.hapware.com

Image description: White graphic with the black-and-green HapWare logo and a photo of two people embracing. A man wearing glasses and a burgundy shirt has a black-and-yellow wristband on his wrist. A blonde woman in a cream jacket wraps her arms around him. Text reads: “Big recognition. Personal connection. Award-winning ALEYE by HapWare. Making Communication Universally Accessible.

10/21/2026

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, a time to recognize the talent and contributions of workers with disabilities. Today we’re sharing the story of Julian.

He starts his workday around 4:00 AM with the first of two buses. He clocks in around 5:40 for warehouse shifts that are physically demanding. Some mornings he uses ACCESS paratransit, and coworkers, neighbors, and friends sometimes give him a ride. “It’s honestly not bad,” he says.

Julian has worked for Amazon since 2020, first at Amazon Fresh and now in warehouse operations. He is DeafBlind, and his safety vest reads DEAF across the back, with a line underneath asking coworkers to tap his shoulder. A few of them have learned some basic ASL. “People are good about that.” Today he has a 401(k), manages his own rent and bills, and takes care of his dog.

He found his job through Helen Keller National Center’s California Community Service Program and his regional representative, Chad Metcalf, who provided training, guidance, and ongoing employment support. His advice to other DeafBlind job seekers is direct: “Make them aware of your accommodation needs.”

Julian’s story is a powerful reminder of what is possible when accessibility, training, and opportunity come together. Through his own resilience, he has built a life filled with purpose, stability, and pride.

Image description:
Two side-by-side photos of Julian, a man with short, dark hair, wearing a bright yellow safety vest over a rust-colored long-sleeve shirt. He’s standing in a room with lockers and black chairs. On the left, he faces the camera with a slight smile. On the right, he faces away, showing the back of his vest, which reads DEAF in large black letters with “Tap me on the shoulder for help” printed below. A navy band across the bottom reads “National Disability Employment Awareness Month” in red and “Spotlight: Julian” in large white letters, with the Helen Keller National Center logo in the lower right.

10/15/2026

Today is White Cane Safety Day. It was first proclaimed in 1964 to recognize the white cane as a symbol of independence, mobility, and empowerment for people who are blind, have low vision, or are DeafBlind.

A white cane is far more than a mobility tool. It’s how someone commutes to a job, gets to class, shops for groceries, visits friends, and travels somewhere new with confidence.

That confidence is learned, and it can begin in the earliest years. Orientation and Mobility (O&M) training teaches cane technique, route planning, safe street crossings, public transportation, and travel through unfamiliar places. At Helen Keller Services for the Blind, O&M instructors work with children, young people, adults, and seniors across the New York City metro area. At the Helen Keller National Center, O&M is a core part of the Comprehensive Vocational Rehabilitation Program, which prepares DeafBlind adults for employment and independent living.

Independent travel opens the door to work, education, and full access to community life. This White Cane Safety Day, we celebrate everyone who travels with a cane and the skill and determination behind every step.

Learn more at www.helenkeller.org

Image description: A smiling young boy in a gray sweatsuit walks down a hallway, holding a white cane with a red tip in one hand and an adult’s hand in the other. Text reads “White Cane Safety Day” in white letters on a navy block. The Helen Keller Services logo appears in the lower left corner.

10/09/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Helen Keller National Center in Sands Point for the 2026 AccessAbility Awards.

As the afternoon made clear, accessibility is not a privilege. It is a fundamental right.

Congratulations to this year’s honorees: Canon U.S.A., Dot Inc., The Indianapolis Public Library Michigan Road Branch, OXO, and Rylo. Through groundbreaking technology, universal design, and a library that puts accessibility into daily practice, each is making life more accessible for people who are blind, have low vision, or are DeafBlind, and for the broader disability community. Because no two people’s needs are the same, their work begins by listening to the people it serves.

We were honored to have Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena and New York State Assemblyman Daniel Norber present citations to the honorees. Thank you as well to the honoree teams who traveled to be with us, and to the HKS staff and interpreters who made the afternoon possible.

Learn more about this year’s honorees: www.helenkeller.org/2026-accessability-awards

Image description:
A group photo at the 2026 AccessAbility Awards at the Helen Keller National Center. Two screens behind the group read “Welcome to the 2026 AccessAbility Awards: Celebrating organizations advancing accessibility for people who are blind, DeafBlind, or have low vision,” above the logos of Canon, Dot, The Indianapolis Public Library, OXO, and Rylo. From left: Helen Keller Services Accessibility Specialist Megan Dausch with her yellow Labrador guide dog; three representatives of the 2026 AccessAbility Award honorees; Sue Ruzenski, CEO of Helen Keller Services; Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena; two more honoree representatives; and New York State Assemblyman Daniel Norber.

Canon USA Dot Inc. Indianapolis Public Library Rylo OXO

10/07/2026

One week until our 6th Annual NDEAM Webinar, held in recognition of National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Ashley Benton, Director of Field Services at Helen Keller National Center, has a message for you in ASL.

Join us Wednesday, October 14, from 2:00 to 3:30 PM ET. The webinar is free and fully accessible, with ASL interpretation, spoken English interpretation, live captions, audio description, and transcripts.

Four national leaders will share their professional stories, along with practical strategies for hiring, retaining, and advancing employees with disabilities, including individuals who are DeafBlind, blind, or have low vision. New this year: spotlight conversations with each speaker, followed by live Q&A.

Read the full speaker bios and register: https://www.helenkeller.org/events/ndeam-webinar-2026/

Video transcript:
Hi everyone. I'm Ashley Benton, the Director of Field Services at Helen Keller National Center. October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Helen Keller Services invites you to join us for our 6th annual NDEAM webinar. This will be held on Wednesday, October 14th from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM EST. Four national leaders will share their best practices, career strategies, and professional stories representing the values and talents individuals who are DeafBlind, blind, or have low vision bring to the workforce. New this year, we'll have spotlight conversations with each speaker, followed by a live question and answer session. This webinar is for VR professionals, service providers, employers, educators, and the entire disability community. This webinar is free and fully accessible. Register today. We hope to see you there.

10/07/2026

Among this year's five AccessAbility Award recipients is OXO, honored for a decades-long commitment to universal design in everyday household products.

It started with a peeler. Since then, OXO has designed tools to work for the widest range of people. Angled measuring cups, one-handed POP containers, locking tongs, and jar openers made for limited hand strength are all intuitive, comfortable, and low effort by design.

OXO tests its products with members of the disability community, including through Day Undefined, and has a long relationship with the Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. The result is design that serves people with arthritis, limited grip strength, or dexterity challenges, and works better for everyone.

Congratulations to everyone at OXO who has carried this commitment forward for more than 35 years. We look forward to celebrating with you at the AccessAbility Awards on October 9.

Meet all five 2026 recipients at www.helenkeller.org/2026-accessability-awards

Image description:
A graphic announcing OXO as a 2026 AccessAbility Award recipient, featuring a large black OXO vegetable peeler lying diagonally across a wooden tabletop. It has a ridged handle marked with the OXO logo, and its metal blade points toward the top right corner. The Helen Keller Services logo sits in the top left, above the words "AccessAbility Award" in large white text and "2026 Recipient." Below, a white panel holds the OXO logo, white letters inside a red oval.

| OXO

10/06/2026

Helen Keller Services is proud to recognize Rylo, formerly Nagish, as one of five 2026 AccessAbility Award recipients, honored for building private, real-time communication technology for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community.

Rylo's AI-powered platform removes barriers to communication in personal, professional, and public settings, and it meets the highest regulatory and privacy standards.

What sets Rylo apart is who shapes the product. The team considers accessibility throughout design and development, tests and improves its products regularly, and builds in feedback from the Deaf, DeafBlind, hard-of-hearing, and speech-disabled communities it serves.

As Head of Community Matt Sherman put it, "the people who experience communication barriers firsthand should have a voice in shaping the solutions designed to address them."

Congratulations to Matt and the entire Rylo team. We look forward to celebrating with you at the AccessAbility Awards on October 9.

Meet all five 2026 recipients at www.helenkeller.org/2026-accessability-awards

Image description: A Helen Keller Services graphic set against a warm, softly lit photo of a tabletop. The Helen Keller Services logo sits in the top left, above the words "AccessAbility Award" in large white text and "2026 Recipient." Below, a white panel holds the Rylo logo, an orange symbol beside the word "Rylo." On the right, a smartphone in an orange case lies on a cream tablecloth. Its screen shows the Rylo app with a live caption reading "I'm so proud of you." An older person's hand rests on the table beside the phone, near a pair of round wooden salt and pepper shakers.

| Rylo

10/05/2026

The Michigan Road Branch of The Indianapolis Public Library is one of five 2026 Helen Keller Services AccessAbility Award recipients, recognized for showing what accessible employment and community access look like in practice.

At Michigan Road, DeafBlind employees and employees with disabilities have what they need to do their jobs and belong on the team. ASL interpretation covers trainings and team meetings, and social gatherings too. Everyday workplace technology is customized with its built-in accessibility features, and colleagues learn basic ASL so they can communicate directly.

That same commitment reaches patrons, with interpreters at a wide range of library events and staff ready to help with the accessibility features on the devices people use every day.

Congratulations to branch manager Bethany Allison and the entire Michigan Road team. We look forward to celebrating with you at the AccessAbility Awards on October 9.

Meet all five 2026 recipients at www.helenkeller.org/2026-accessability-awards

Image description: A graphic announcing The Indianapolis Public Library's Michigan Road Branch as a 2026 AccessAbility Award recipient. The Helen Keller Services logo sits in the top left, above the words "AccessAbility Award" in large white text and "2026 Recipient." Below, a white panel holds The Indianapolis Public Library logo in bright blue. In the background is the branch on a sunny day: a modern stone and glass building behind a lawn and trees, with a dark sign in the foreground reading "The Indianapolis Public Library, Michigan Road Branch.

10/05/2026

Helen Keller Services is proud to recognize Dot Inc. as one of five 2026 AccessAbility Award recipients, honored for advancing tactile access to digital information through Dot Pad X.

Maps, charts, diagrams, and images are often presented only visually. Dot Pad X combines multiline refreshable braille with tactile graphics in one portable device, so people who are blind and DeafBlind can explore that content through touch, from classroom materials and workplace documents to data visualizations.

With Dot Pad X, a person who is DeafBlind can explore what the icons on a smartphone look like, feel a tactile graph, or read a full page of braille without constantly panning a single-line display. The result is more independence in learning, work, and everyday life.

Members of our community have experienced the technology firsthand. The Dot team led a breakout session at Tech Blitz, the assistive technology showcase at Helen Keller National Center.

Congratulations to co-founders Eric Ju Yoon Kim and Ki Kwang Sung and the entire Dot team. We look forward to celebrating with you at the AccessAbility Awards on October 9.

Meet all five 2026 recipients at www.helenkeller.org/2026-accessability-awards

Image description: A Helen Keller Services graphic with a soft mauve background. White text reads "AccessAbility Award" and "2026 Recipient," with the Dot logo in a white box below. On the right, a young girl with dark braided pigtails and a white floral dress smiles broadly with her eyes squeezed shut. She holds up a Dot Pad, a black tablet with a large grid of tactile pins and a row of braille cells along the bottom.

09/30/2026

Helen Keller Services names Canon U.S.A., Dot Inc., The Indianapolis Public Library, OXO, and Rylo as its 2026 AccessAbility Award recipients.

Address

141 Middle Neck Road
Sands Point, NY
11050

Telephone

+15169448900

Website

http://www.hknc.org/

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