The AIDB Foundation Creating Limitless Legacies!

Dalton Amos loves spending time with his friends, playing the guitar or keyboard, dreaming of one day building a career around music. At a recent Ronnie Milsap concert he presented the notes blind musician with a recording of his own music and was inspired by Milsap's story. Dalton is one of many students exploring their limitless artistic passion in the Landreth Music Center at Alabama School for the Blind (ASB)-thanks to gifts to the AIDB Foundation.

Over 35 years ago, a few little toddlers with hearing and vision loss, like DeRell and Jamie, led the way in providing that early intervention and comuntiy services would change AIDB's future. A $1 million W.K. Kellogg grant through the AIDB Foundation funded the creation of a network of regional centers throughout Alabama and developed an incomparable footprint for serving individuals of any age who are deaf, blind or deafblind in the community where they choose to live, work and play.

Across the state of Alabama, our deaf, blind, deafblind and multidisabled neighbors learn how to live a life without limits with the help of Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind. For these nearly 25,000 individuals, however, realizing their fullest potential also depends on the financial support of the AIDB Foundation.

Making the Impossible Possible

Since 1980, the AIDB Foundation has raised private funds to supplement an appropriation from the Alabama Legislature for educational services. “AIDB cannot charge tuition or room and board, or benefit from local tax support,” said AIDB President Dr. John Mascia. “State funding covers the basics – but our programs and services far exceed the basics. Through Foundation funds we are able to build new facilities, provide our students and consumers with the most innovative technology and deliver on our promise of limitless opportunities.”

Through the support of the AIDB Foundation, a woman who is deafblind can manage her home independently; a blind 17-year-old can fulfill his dream of becoming an engineer; or parents of a deaf toddler can think about their daughter’s future with hope and optimism. These individual achievements are the hallmarks of AIDB – and the legacies of the AIDB Foundation.

Changing Lives

Across AIDB’s five campuses in Talladega, eight Regional Centers, throughout the state, and outreach programs, AIDB Foundation-funded projects have changed the lives of countless students and adults. “Among ourselves, we often say, this building or this service would not have been possible if not for our donors and the AIDB Foundation,” said Dr. Mascia. “We cannot begin to express our gratitude to those who have joined us in our mission.” Following are just a few examples of the lasting legacies established by the AIDB Foundation.