Life Skills, Lifestyles… Lives Changed!
Helen Keller described life as an adventure and from beginning to end we face many challenges in pursuit of our goals. Gentry, through a strong campus program and network of regional centers, helps individuals and families develop the life skills they need to achieve a quality lifestyle! At Gentry lives are changed!
The Gentry Program
Gentry is a full service education and rehabilitation facility. Established in 1968, our mission is to help clients achieve economic and personal independence through employment training, college preparation classes and independent living skills. Gentry creates customized programs for deaf, blind and general services students by exploring personal and professional goals and then using the latest technology and training methods available. Students leave here prepared for college, the workforce or to live independently.
Employment Training
Nothing is more empowering than the feeling of pride in earning your first paycheck. At Gentry you can experience the necessary tools and technologies needed to compete for the job of your choice. Career choices are only limited by your imagination! With the assistance of our job coaches you can gain hands on experience and confidence! Our graduates are now working at hospitals, daycare facilities, retail stores and in manufacturing plants. At Gentry you can earn your Alabama Certified Worker’s Certificate or your Career Readiness Certificate for WorkKeys. Gentry is an official testing site for the WorkKeys certificate. In a recent quarter completion ceremony, nine out of ten graduates seeking employment successfully found jobs!
College Prep
If earning a degree is your goal Gentry’s college prep program will help you advance your education. Our instructors will give you the academic foundation, time management and organizational skills that will serve you well during your college years and beyond. We help clients earn a General Education Diploma (GED), pass the Alabama High School Graduation Exit Exam or meet other college entrance requirements. Gentry students have gone on to attend colleges and universities throughout the country including numerous community colleges or universities such as Alabama, Auburn, Troy, Jacksonville State, Gallaudet or the National Technical Institute of the Deaf.
Independent Living Skills
Our independent Living Skills classes can help you gain confidence and independence. At Gentry we strive to ensure that you are prepared for the many challenges you encounter daily in managing your personal lifestyle. We provide hands on experience in household management operations such as meal planning and preparation, shopping, laundry, cleaning and finances. Many of our students practice their skills in our independent living apartments.
Assistive Technology Services
Whether it is job skills or personal management nothing quite levels the playing field like Assistive Technology. From high tech to low tech a vast array of devices and software are available to make life and work easier for deaf, blind and general services students. And our skilled and highly qualified staff stay abreast of all the latest developments and pass this knowledge along to our students, employers and other consumers statewide. Assistive Technology training can consist of one day evaluation and testing or more in-depth services.
A Statewide Effort
Many students choose to enroll on our Gentry campus in Talladega. Dormitory and recreation programs are available in a traditional residential campus environment. Some students live alone off campus and participate in educational programs and training on a daily basis. Still others are served in their home communities throughout the state.
Job coaching, counseling, assistive technology, orientation and mobility, interpreter services and sign language training are just a few of the outreach programs available through the coordinated efforts of Gentry and AIDB’s network of regional centers. Regional Centers also offer early intervention services for families with infants and toddlers experiencing hearing and vision loss. AIDB Regional Centers are located in Auburn, Birmingham, Dothan, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Talladega, Tuscaloosa and Tuscumbia.