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The Hatlen Center, A Program of Junior Blind

General Information

The Hatlen Center, A Program of Junior Blind
2430 Road 20 #B112
San Pablo, CA 94806-5005
(510) 234 4984
https://www.wayfinderfamily.org/program/the-hatlen-center

Brief Description

The Hatlen Center is the first transition program and was founded in 1972 by Dr. Philip Hatlen, retired Supt. of Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
The Hatlen Center is a residential program that teaches people who are blind or visually impaired to live independently by actually living independently. Since 1972, the Center's learn-by-doing apartment setting has helped to empower generations of visually impaired people to take charge of their own lives.
The Hatlen Center is located in a 76-unit apartment complex in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Center rents office/classroom space from the management, and the students live in eight, two-bedroom apartments. Each student has his/her own bedroom, and shares the dining room, kitchen, living room, and bathroom with a roommate.

Staff

Patricia Maffei, Program Director, pmaffei@juniorblind.org, 510 234 4984

Erin Foley, Program Director, efoley@juniorblind.org, 510 234 4984

Arif Syed, Coordinator of Computer/Technology Center, asyed@juniorblind.org, 510 234 4984

Faith Dunham-Sims, Orientation & Mobility Instructor and Job Readiness Instructor

Jenna Whitelaw, Orientation & Mobility Instructor

Joyce Lerner, Living Skills and Orientation & Mobility Instructor

Lee Staub, Orientation & Mobility Instructor

Samir Shaibi, Living Skills Instructor

Rachel Feinberg, Assistive Technology and Braille Instructor

Services Offered

  • Counseling
    • Provides assertiveness training and referrals to community services. Refers for other counseling/social work services.

  • Employment/Job Training
    • Provides prevocational evaluation and training, career/skill counseling, follow-up service. Places students in part-time volunteer and/or paid positions.

  • Recreation Services
    • Offers camping, skiing, sea kayaking, shopping, hiking, regular informal exercise program, jogging, swimming, and yoga.

  • Daily Living Skills/Independent Living Skills Training
    • Performs broad evaluations and provides training in the following skills in client's apartment and in the community: cooking, cleaning, care of clothing, financial management and bill paying, orientation and mobility, adaptive technology, transition to college, housing, pre-vocationl skills.

  • Computer Training/Assistive Technology
    • Offers training in the use of other adaptive technology.

  • Information and Referral
    • Provides extensive information and referral services via telephone.

  • Travel/Orientation and Mobility
    • Provides orientation and mobility training.

  • Health
    • Refers for medical services, assists in obtaining low vision evaluations and services, fosters medical awareness through evaluations.

  • Braille and Reading Instruction
    • Offers braille instruction to its students.