Regional Centers - Huntsville
This center covers Madison, Marshall, Jackson, Limestone and DeKalb
Counties. Most of our services are free to residents of Alabama who have
a diagnosed vision or hearing loss of at least 25%, and for children
with a diagnosed developmental delay.
Children's services
The earlier children learn, the better. Some experts estimate that up
to 80% of the skills learned in a lifetime are learned in the first
five years. That's why we place so much emphasis on helping families,
and encourage families to come forward with their concerns as early as
possible.
The most important issue is the acquisition of language. Without
language skills, we are isolated, cut off from the rest of the world.
Language is the key. And, just as for sighted and hearing children, the
early acquisition of language skills typically means a higher level of
comprehension.
Everyone around your child can be a teacher. Brothers, sisters,
grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, caretakers. Infants and toddlers
will soak up language and information from every source. Regional Center
staff members can show you how to make this happen. It may take more
time, more creativity to communicate with a child who is blind or deaf,
but the rewards of making that effort are incalculable.
For children and families, we offer the following services:
- General information
- Early intervention service coordination
- Referrals for services such as
assistive technology, audiology, counseling, healthcare, nutrition,
nursing, occupational and physical therapy, social work, special
instruction, speech/language pathology, transportation and vision
services
- Evaluation and ongoing assessment of child
- Technical assistance for
community agencies such as daycare centers, preschools and schools,
including technology demonstrations
- American Sign Language classes for families
- Participation in Individual
Family Service Plan(IFSP)/Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings for
developing child and family goals
Adult services
The Huntsville Regional Center offers a variety of services for our
clients. We serve as a primary source for referrals to all kinds of
resources in the area for people who are deaf and blind. We can tell you
everything from where to find a special piece of adaptive equipment to
how to get transportation to the store or the doctor.
For people who are deaf, interpreter services are an important aspect
of our program. AIDB interpreters can be found in the business world,
the healthcare field, in courts, churches, schools and clubs.
We offer Braille services, transliterating important documents into
Braille for our clients or providing area businesses with Braille
translations of their literature or restaurant menus. We also make
presentations to students, businesses, educators and civic and community
groups. This makes issues facing our clients easier to understand, and
forges stronger ties to the rest of the world.
As we age, many of us experience a loss of vision or hearing.
Adjusting to these changes can be difficult unless we're aware of the
many resources our community offers to help. Making connections between
our older clients and these resources is an important part of our
services. In addition, we have many classes and services to meet the
needs of Huntsville's seniors with sensory loss.
Services we offer to deaf/hard of hearing adult and senior clients include:
- Information and referral services
- Client advocacy
- Personal adjustment training
- Technical assistance to community agencies and schools
- Sign language classes
- American Sign Language interpreters
- Resource lending library
- Quarterly newsletter, The Sensory Scoop
Services for blind/visually impaired clients include:
- Information and referral services
- Client advocacy
- Personal adjustment counseling
- Adaptive computer and assistive technology training
- Volunteer reading service for blind clients
- Recreational opportunities for blind clients
- Volunteer grocery shopping assistance program
- Resource lending library
Services for the community include:
- Resource for projects, papers, and reports for elementary through graduate school
- Resource lending library
- Community education
Become an Ambassador
Over the years, we have reached out to thousands of people. While our
services are free, they often make an invaluable contribution to the
individual's quality of life. In appreciation, many families ask what
they can do to help.
There is a place for you to make a contribution of your time and
energy. Other families who may be in the same situation you were years
ago can use your informal support and encouragement. If you have special
skills in ASL or braille, you can help other clients. Or you can help
us by talking to other people about deafness or blindness and what we do
at AIDB. We call these volunteers "Ambassadors," because they go out
into the world as living proof of our focus on abilities. To become an
Ambassador, call us. It's one way to return the gifts others have given
you.
How can we help you? Click here to email us. Or contact us at:
Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind
Huntsville Regional Center
Karla Smith
600 St. Clair Ave, Bldg. 2
Huntsville, Alabama 35801
256-539-7881 (voice/TDD)
256-532-0942 (fax)