After more than a year of virtual learning, the students at Wayfinder’s Special Education School are back in the classroom—and very happy to be there. Nancy Berger, school principal, reports that students are blossoming. Our Special Education School enrolls children and youth, ages 5 to 22, who are visually impaired or have moderate-to-severe disabilities. Keriel,…
“Can the Tooth Fairy find me here?” James, age 6, was worried. He lost his first tooth while staying at The Cottage, Wayfinder’s shelter for children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse and neglect. James had come to The Cottage because his mother, who was struggling with drug addiction, neglected him….
The Year: 1958 The People: Actress and musician, Jayne Mansfield and children from Foundation for the Junior Blind (now Wayfinder Family Services). The Moment: Jayne Mansfield greets guests at a holiday party for children with visual impairments.
Did you know? Many of the children in our residential programs call Wayfinder home during the holiday season. Thanks to your support, our young residents can enjoy these special Wayfinder moments: A Gift from Santa Just two days before Christmas, 5-year-old Sharon was removed from her home due to extreme neglect and placed in The…
The Year: circa 1964 The People: Norm Kaplan, founder of Foundation for the Junior Blind, which is now Wayfinder; a client of the organization; and famed actress June Lockhart, who was an early member of the Honorary Board of Directors The Moment: A celebration of White Cane Day.
#WayfinderInternship @Cleanlogic Wayfinder is so grateful to companies like Cleanlogic! They partner with our Transition Services program to provide meaningful internships to teens and young adults who are blind or visually impaired. Debbie (center) interned at Cleanlogic this summer. “Despite the barriers I’ve encountered as a visually impaired individual, I have acquired the skills and…
Shane Aguilera got an early start on his achievements. At age 2, he began playing the piano. He started competing in the Wayfinder Paralympics (previously named the Junior Blind Olympics) when he was just 6 years old. He added guitar-playing to his talents, as well as composing his own music. And he released a solo…
Wayfinder received a grant from the Anthem Blue Cross Foundation to empower its members to participate in the National Fitness Challenge, an initiative founded by the United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA). Check out these Wayfinder Moments from the past few months of the #AnthemFitnessChallenge! Read the rest of our New Heights newsletter.
Congratulations to Jon, a recent graduate of Wayfinder’s Hatlen Center in San Pablo, Calif. The Hatlen Center is an immersive residential program for adults with vision loss, who gain skills to live independently. After seven months in the program, Jon was ready to take his final exam. He chose to travel by himself to meet…
Wayfinder partners with Cal State Los Angeles to train the next generation of teachers of the visually impaired in the ExCel Academy. Student teachers gain valuable, hands-on experience with a broad array of children who have varying levels of sight and additional disabilities. In fall semester 2018, Cal State L.A. faculty and Wayfinder staff supervised…
