Westmoreland County Blind Association adding kitchen, sensory room for adult clients

Financial contributions leveraged by a state tax credit program will help the Westmoreland County Blind Association renovate part of its South Greensburg center to better meet the needs of the disabled adults it serves.

The organization this week was awarded $46,500 through Pennsylvania’s Neighborhood Assistance Program. Three area financial institutions and a local insurance provider each will receive a tax credit for chipping in some of the funding.

Work on the 3,500-square-foot renovation is about 60% complete and could be finished in February, according to Tim Miller, executive director of the association. The organization works with area residents who have impaired sight or are intellectually or visually challenged.

Taking up the south end of the 62,000-square-foot facility, the majority of the renovated space will be devoted to the association’s adult training program, which teaches basic life and household skills to clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

“We’ll have a kitchen where they can learn kitchen skills,” Miller said, “and there will be a sensory room where somebody can lay back if they’re having a bad day or a behavioral issue.”

The construction project also includes a new entrance, handicapped-accessible restrooms, a conference room and an office where clients can be examined by Dr. Chris Cakanac as part of the association’s low vision clinic.

The Blind Association secured about $200,000 toward the expected project cost of more than $500,000. It turned to to area foundations to supplement the Neighborhood Assistance funds provided by S&T Bank, Mid Penn Bank, First National Bank and Greensburg-based Insurance Services.

As a possible followup, Miller would like to add a deck where clients could enjoy activities outdoors during warmer months.

Over the past decade, the adult training program has grown from a handful of clients to more than 30. In addition, the Blind Association provides employment for clients in textile manufacturing and document destruction programs.

Between staff and clients, including those employed in manufacturing operations, as many as 170 people spend time inside the Blind Association building on a given day.

“The good thing is, with the pandemic, our building is big enough where we can be socially distanced,” Miller said. “We had to scale back on some staff. We’re being as safe as we can.”