Mark Pocan and Others Led Bipartisan Group to Pass Helen Keller National Center Reauthorization Act

According to a press release from Representative Mark Pocan (WI-02), yesterday he along with Tom Cole (OK-04), and Tom Suozzi (NY-03) led a bipartisan group of representatives to pass the “Helen Keller National Center Reauthorization Act,” which would reauthorize Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youth and Adults (HKNC) for five years through 2027.

HKNC provides vocational training and rehabilitation to the DeafBlind community across the United States. The HKNC Reauthorization Act passed the House yesterday and now heads to the Senate.

Since it was first authorized by Congress in 1967, HKNC has established national services with regional offices based in California, Florida, Louisiana, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New York, Arizona, and Washington. It has additionally created two Community Services programs in New York and California and has deployed 12 DeafBlind Employment Specialist positions across the country that provide additional assistance and support to DeafBlind people in Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Michigan/Ohio, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana, Illinois, Indiana, and Arkansas. HKNC has also deployed three Youth services Coordinators in Utah, New York, and Illinois. HKNC’s goal is to deploy 20 DeafBlind Employment Specialists (two in each region) and to establish two additional Community Service Programs.

HKNC is the only comprehensive national program that provides information, referral, support, and training exclusively to youths and adults who have combined vision and hearing loss. The Center also supports the families and professionals who work with the DeafBlind community.