(SANDS POINT, N.Y.) – During the Monday, April 27 meeting of the Nassau County Legislature, Nassau County Legislature Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D – Glen Cove) invited representatives and clients from the Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youths and Adults to highlight services the organization provides through their Sands Point residential program.
Formed by an act of Congress in 1968 and constructed in 1973, the Comprehensive Vocational Rehabilitation Program (CVRP) brings participants from across the country to Sands Point, where they receive individualized training in adaptive technology, vocational services, orientation and mobility, communication, and independent living. The Helen Keller National Center is the only national program providing comprehensive vocational rehabilitation services to youth over age 16 and working-age adults and seniors over age 55 with combined hearing and vision loss.
“Sands Point is home to the only facility like this in America, and people come to Nassau County from all over the nation to receive these services,” Minority Leader DeRiggi-Whitton said. “It is something we should really be very proud to have here, and we can all support their continued success by promoting the program and providing opportunities for these outstanding men and women to gain hands-on workforce experiences. Thank you to Joseph Melillo, the National Employer and Business Relations director for Helen Keller National Center, for your incredible stewardship of this program.”
PHOTO CREDIT – Photo by Peter M. Budraitis