Deborah T. Costa, M.S., Coordinator, Suffolk County Rehabilitation Services
Deborah Costa has been with Helen Keller Services for the Blind for more than 15 years and is currently the coordinator for all rehabilitation services provided by HKSB in Suffolk County, Long Island. These rehabilitation teaching services includes daily living skills; a volunteer program; social services; and the Huntington Senior Recreation Center. In addition, Costa is an orientation and mobility teacher.
Costa has spearheaded numerous programs at HKSB including the Children’s Saturday Program (CSP) and the Pre-Vocational Training Program for Teens (PVTP). CSP, a program that runs for eight Saturdays each spring and fall, is designed to instill self-confidence in children, ages 8-12, who are blind or visually impaired. Children are able to develop and cultivate socialization skills in a recreational environment with activities such as computer training, horseback riding and educational fieldtrips. PVTP, in collaboration with the New York State Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped, is a program that focuses on vocational assessment and job readiness skills for teens preparing for adulthood.
While at HKSB, Costa has also worked as the Director of Camp Helen Keller and as a job-training specialist. Previously, she was employed in the publishing world as a customer service representative at Preferred Seating, a data coordinator for Time, Inc. and an assistant features editor for Datamation Magazine.
Costa received her Master of Science in Orientation and Mobility Therapy from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Queens College.
