By GREGORY ZELLER //
A Long Island-based nonprofit with a famous name and a well-earned national reputation is leading its clients somewhere many have never been before: the kitchen.
Port Washington-based Helen Keller Services, which offers programs and services for deafblind individuals through its Helen Keller National Center for Deafblind Youths and Adults and Helen Keller Services for the Blind divisions, has opened a renovated Independent Living kitchen, designed specifically for use by people who are low-vision, blind or deafblind.
While the Helen Keller National Center has long offered fully-functional kitchen facilities for sensory-challenged users, the new-and-improved galley that debuted Aug. 28 with a special bagel-making session is a clear step up. Center officials fully gutted and renovated the previous kitchen, removing walls, installing seating areas, updating cabinets and countertops, upgrading appliances and even creating a new wheelchair-accessible cooking station.
Sam Silverman: Bagel baron.
During last week’s bagelicious debut, deafblind participants – including some who have traveled across the country for vocational rehabilitation – rolled dough, boiled and baked their breads and topped off their creations with classic coatings of sesame seeds, poppyseeds and homemade “everything” spice.
The kickoff event included a special guest: Sam “The Bagel Ambassador” Silverman, founder and CEO of Brooklyn-based BagelUp, a self-described “trade organization for the global bagel industry.”
Silverman – whose 2022 startup hosts New York City bagel tours, presents the annual New York BagelFest (a popular industry event for vendors and enthusiasts, coming Sept. 28 to Citi Field) and provides logistical support for the nationwide shipping of bagels and related merchandise – said he was impressed by the “very hands-on” work of the deafblind bagel-makers.
“This is a very tactile class,” Silverman noted during the Aug. 28 event. “They’re doing a fantastic job feeling the dough, getting the texture right, getting the shaping right.
“I think they’re well suited for it,” he added.
Hole-hearted: Love (and carbs) abound at the bagel-baking kitchen debut.
As with its less-advanced predecessor, the renovated kitchen will become an integral part of the Independent Living program, helping participants learn to safely navigate the space, cook for themselves and otherwise develop their sense of individuality.
The Independent Living program is actually a component of the HKNC’s cornerstone Comprehensive Vocational Rehabilitation Program, billed as “the sole vocational and rehabilitation program in the United States for deafblind individuals who seek to enhance their skills and achieve their personal and professional goals.”
The personalized program instructs participants with the use of assistive/adaptive technologies, vocational services, orientation and mobility exercises and independent-living training, with participants residing at the National Center for extended periods during schooling.
The big picture, according to Helen Keller National Center Independent Living Program Supervisor Maricar Marquez, is not only showing participants that they can perform one-off tasks like making bagels but instilling in them the important notion that they can accomplish anything they put their minds (and hands) to.
“This really is a great experience, using different tactile techniques and modifications,” Marquez noted. “It’s really great to get the deafblind perspective that they can be bakers.
“They can do things like this.”
