New Hempstead, NY
As part of their programs for the blind, VISIONS has realized a major goal in the building of the first residential rehabilitation center for the blind in New York State.
The center is designed to enable the newly blind to focus intensively on adjusting to blindness while learning independent living and job skills, all in a residential setting with the support of other adults with vision loss. The new building is now the hub of VISIONS’ 37-acre Rockland County camp.
The easy to navigate plan of the 18,000-square-foot new building reflects the two parts of the program, with the training and residential facilities in separate one and two-story wings. Where the two wings intersect is the main gathering space – a double height dining room. The training wing includes a computer center, classrooms, a gym, a therapy room, and a training kitchen, as well as a commercial kitchen and offices. The residential wing contains bedrooms and a suite for 30 residents and two staff bedrooms, as well as two lounges.
The center provides a safe and secure environment for the blind, while still providing a training site. There was a clear goal to not make the building “over-adapted”.
Photography by Elliott Kaufman