| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Contact: Jocelyn Hunter Director of Communications (202) 454-6422, office jhunter@clb.org |
Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind’s Rehabilitation Team Partners with Emmaus Services for the Aging
Washington, D.C., February 28, 2012 – Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind (CLB), a century-plus old Washington, DC nonprofit, has revamped its Rehabilitation Services Department, and coupled with a growing population of persons who are blind or visually impaired, CLB has moved its Rehabilitation Services team to a larger space located at 1426 9th Street, NW, which is home to another Washington, DC non-profit, Emmaus Services for the Aging.
In this space, CLB’s rehabilitation services team will render multiple services to people living throughout the Greater Washington, DC Region who are blind or low vision. The location will feature an Independent Living Center with a full apartment and kitchen for teaching daily living skills and an Assistive Technology Lab for computer training classes. In February CLB will launch new innovative programs from this new location in Foundations of Adjustment to Blindness and Vision Loss, Orientation and Mobility Training and Career Development. It will also host support groups for DC teens and seniors who are blind or low vision.
CLB’s Director of Rehabilitation Services, Brandon Cox, M.A., Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist, said, “The mission of CLB’s Rehabilitation Department is to create quality and professional programs to allow residents of the Greater Washington Region to receive training locally and to meet the needs of consumers who are employed or unable to leave their home for an extended period as required by other programs currently available. Our partnership with Emmaus is the first step that will provide a foundation for future growth in our local programs and services.”
“This partnership connects CLB deeper into the community”, said Anthony J. Cancelosi, K.M. “It is an opportunity to serve even more people.”
According to Reverend Joe Williams, Executive Director of Emmaus, “Also, it allows the mission of two long standing organizations to demonstrate the power of collaboration on behalf of older adults living in the District of Columbia. Many seniors in the District of Columbia are experiencing poor health and nutrition, which is unsurprising as many of these seniors are living at or below the poverty level. With the rising cost of rent, utilities, food, and medical services, these seniors are finding their low income level inadequate, and increasingly encounter the challenges of selecting what they can afford among competing necessities.”
# # #
About Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind
CLB serves people of all ages, who are blind, low vision, and deaf-blind living in the Washington, D.C., area, with vision-health screenings, adaptive devices, support groups, retraining, and job counseling and placement.
17% of veterans are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with visual impairment. CLB partners with government and private agencies to retrain and employ these wounded warriors.
For more information, please visit our website at www.clb.org.
About Emmaus
For more than 30 years, Emmaus Services for the Aging has provided holistic, person-centered “safety-net” services for seniors in a community setting. Our mission is to build trust with seniors; providing support, advocacy and services which help them remain active, respected, independent and vital members of their community.