Overview
Focus on the future
Our services and programs provide young people with the technology, training and other resources they need to build the lives they dream of. Not only will teens and young adults gain practical skills for academic success and job readiness, but they will develop a growth mindset that allows them to feel less limited by their vision and more confident about their future.
How it Works
Programs for Teens & Young Adults
No matter where you’re starting or where you want to go, HKSB has the services and programs to help you get there.
Pre-Vocational Training
This five-day program orients students to career possibilities through identification of their individual skills, abilities and interests.
Orientation to Work
A 12-week summer program that provides hands-on work experience through supported internships.
College Bound & Beyond
For high school students considering college, this after-school college-readiness program provided SAT and standardized test prep and additional services to support academic success.
Teen Tech Program
Providing assistive technology training for high school students, this program gives participants the tools and skills they need to succeed both at school and at work.
Voices From the Community
I enrolled in the SAT program at Helen Keller Services for the Blind this past year and saw tremendous changes to my SAT score.
Cindy Liu
Spotlight on Work Readiness
Through HKSB’s Pre-Vocational Training and Orientation to Work programs, young people are given the opportunity to explore career opportunities that match their skills, interests and goals. In the five-day Pre-Vocational Training, students learn about different career possibilities — and they learn about themselves. They identify their particular skills, abilities and interests; find out how to communicate their value, needs and preferences to others; and discover ways to overcome vision-related challenges in the workplace.
HKSB’s 12-week summer program gives low vision teens a taste of the world of work. Our placement specialists work individually with students, ages 15-21, helping them to find internships that match their interests; coaching them through applications and interviews; and providing on-site support when they’re on the job. Students learn firsthand what it takes to work in a given field on a day-to-day basis, building marketable skills and enhancing their resumes in the process.
Students have the opportunity to:
- Explore career options
- Take field trips to work sites
- Define their goals and create a plan to achieve them
- Interact with—and learn from—people who know firsthand the challenges they face
- Try out the latest in assistive technology
- Learn how to write a resume and a cover letter
- Build their interviewing skills
- Get real-world experience through a part-time summer internship
- Explore their strengths and weaknesses
Academic Success
High school students gain skills for academic success and college readiness
HKSB’s College Bound and Beyond Program is a college readiness program for New York City high school students with vision loss. Through this initiative, HKSB seeks to help leverage student potential to enroll in higher institutions and ultimately obtain economic stability. The SAT Prep component of this initiative is the first of its kind dedicated solely to students that are blind or have low vision. In addition to SAT prep courses, this program offers 9th and 10th grade transition programming, including workshops, as well as individualized tutoring in core subjects that equips students with the skills needed to succeed in high school and provide a framework for the road to college.
Teen Tech Program is an intensive, interactive, learning experience in assisted technology. It focuses on advanced skills in Windows, Word, Outlook, Excel, Powerpoint, and internet.
College Bound & Beyond
- SAT and standardized testing prep courses
- 9th- and 10th-grade transition programming
- Services provided in-person and virtually through the agency’s Brooklyn office
Teen Tech Program
- Assistive technology training for 9th- through 12th-graders
- Microsoft Windows Office and operating system training
- Accessing the internet
- Accessing and sending email
Related News & Stories
Success Story
Shevone’s Story