About Us

Our History:

The Center for Deaf-Blind Persons, Inc. first opened its doors on January 10, 1985, in a donated space at St. John’s Center (St. John’s School for the Deaf) with seed money from the Wisconsin Council of the Blind. The Center’s founder, Ruth Silver an individual with the dual sensory loss along with dedicated volunteers began providing much needed training and social opportunities to individuals with dual sensory loss. Presently the Center located in West Allis continues the founder’s vision of providing training and social outlets for individuals with the dual sensory loss.

Mission Statement:

The Center is the only agency in Wisconsin specializing in services for persons who are totally deaf and blind or who have varying degrees of dual sensory loss. The agency’s mission is to provide services needed to minimize the devastating effects of a combined vision and hearing loss upon the individual and family. The Center is able to offer the support and skills training needed to assist clients to live independent productive lives.

Goal:

To assist individuals with the dual hearing-vision loss live independent, productive, and fulfilled lives.

Population Served: 

  • Deaf and losing vision,
  • blind and losing hearing,
  • losing both hearing and vision simultaneously
  • totally deaf and blind.

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Meet Our Staff

Joan M. Schneider

Joan M. Schneider

Executive Director

For more information about Joan

Lisa Crissey

Lisa Crissey

Deaf-Blind Services Employment Specialist | WISH Coordinator

For more information about Lisa

Dannette Kaslow

Dannette Kaslow

Specialist, Deaf-Blind Services iCanConnect Assessor/Trainer

Email Dannette:
 dkaslow@deaf-blind.org

For more information about Dannette

Deanne Lautenbach

Deanne Lautenbach

Specialist, Deaf-Blind Services iCanConnect Assessor/Trainer

For more information about Deanne