A community reception held Tuesday afternoon at the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind (AIDB) Regional Center in Mobile was a mere tick of the clock. What it represents, however, is a legacy of 150 years of service by the Talladega-based agency which serves those who are sensory challenged.

“AIDB kicked off its 150th anniversary on the Alabama School for the Deaf campus and now takes its celebration statewide,” agency leader Dr. Terry Graham said in a statement. “We are excited to celebrate with the individuals and communities that have contributed to AIDB’s successes and those that will shape and ensure an additional 150 years — and more — of continued service to Alabamians with hearing and/or vision loss.”

Jessica Ross, AIDB assistant director of public relations said the first reception was held in Tuscumbia during the annual Helen Keller Festival, one was staged at the Alabama School for the Deaf campus in Talladega and the fourth and final will take place Nov. 5 at the regional center in Tuscaloosa.

“A lot of people think AIDB is just in Talladega. We have locations across the state,” Ross said. “We touch all 67 counties.”

AIDB regional centers are located in Mobile, Dothan, Montgomery, Talladega, Tuscaloosa, Tuscumbia, Huntsville, Auburn and Birmingham. All operate health, evaluation and outreach programs that are provide free to Alabama residents who have a diagnosed vision or hearing loss of at least 25 percent, and for children with a diagnosed developmental delay.

One of the programs the Mobile Regional Center offers to the deaf and blind in Baldwin, Mobile, Escambia, Washington, Conecuh, Monroe and Clarke counties is Kinderprep, an effort to ready children for their first formal educational experience.

Children ages 3 to 5 years are provided learning in a school-like environment in order to prepare them for kindergarten so they may reach their full potential by the time they enter school on a full-time basis.

AIDB officials say the first five years of development is crucial, particularly for those who have special challenges. AIDB not only helps children acquire early language skills, staffers teach their loved ones how to assist in the process.

“We are involved in getting that family ready for potential challenges they may face,” Ross said. Each regional center is an important tool in providing outreach, particularly in rural areas of the state, she added.

Among the other AIDB programs and services available at regional centers such as Mobile are early intervention; speech, physical and occupational therapy; evaluation and assessment of each child; parent support groups; American Sign Language classes for families; parenting classes for deaf parents; a resource lending library; equipment referrals; interpreter services for deaf people; Braille textbooks through the Talladega library resource center in coordination with local school systems; blindness support and educational groups led by vision specialists; educational presentations to students, business and community groups; and an adaptive technology laboratory where the latest technology can be tested by those who need it.

Ross said, “Heaven forbid you lose your vision, but you can come in and test drive those devices and see what works for you, and that’s so important. Technology is really the great equalizer. It levels the playing field.”

She noted AIDB programs and services aren’t just for those who have been deaf or blind all their life. Senior citizens and others who developed sight or hearing problems late in life are also eligible to receive AIDB services.

“Older individuals who acquired loss through old age — we can help them adapt,” she said. “The major misconception we hear is we only serve children. We serve thousands of adults, just in southwest Alabama.”

AIDB operates the Alabama School for the Deaf, Alabama School for the Blind, Helen Keller School of Alabama, Gentry Technical Facility and Alabama Industries for the Blind. The agency served 13,716 individuals and their families during the 2007-07 fiscal year through its five Talladega campuses and the statewide network of regional centers.

Ross said 95 percent of the agency’s operational budget is funded by the state, while the remainder comes from private and corporate donations. But with tough economic times upon us, it is unknown if AIDB might be affected.

“We do the best with what we’re given,” she said. “We’ve been fortunate. We don’t charge our students tuition.”

Those who would like to help by a donating to the agency are certainly welcome to do so, Ross said. The AIDB Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, accepts contributions online at www.aidb.org, or you may send a check to the support arm at P.O. Box 698, Talladega, AL 35161. All donations are tax exempt, and you may specify that your money be earmarked for the Mobile Regional Center.

To learn more about AIDB and its local impact, visit www.aidb.org, or call (251) 432-7777 (voice/TTY).