Opening Doors: Helen Keller National Center Unveils The Walters-Smithdas Legacy Atrium
A newly reimagined atrium at Helen Keller National Center honors Barbara Walters and Dr. Robert J. Smithdas, whose decades-long friendship demonstrated that the most meaningful connections happen when we reach across boundaries with patience and respect to understand and celebrate our differences.
On Monday, November 17, Helen Keller Services unveiled the Walters-Smithdas Legacy Atrium at the Helen Keller National Center in Sands Point, New York. The ribbon cutting ceremony drew elected officials, design partners, community leaders, and supporters to celebrate a space that honors an extraordinary friendship while setting a new standard for accessible design.
WABC New York covered the ceremony, airing segments that evening and several times on Tuesday morning, bringing the story of Barbara Walters, Dr. Robert J. Smithdas, and Helen Keller National Center’s mission to broader audiences across the region.
WABC New York Coverage of Walters-Smithdas Legacy Atrium Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
News Anchor:
All right. A special honor last night for groundbreaking journalist Barbara Walters and her work helping people with disabilities.
Yeah. A ribbon cutting was held on the Barbara Walters and Dr. Robert Smithdas Legacy Atrium at the Helen Keller National Center in Sands Point on Long Island.
Both of them had a friendship that spanned back to 1967. A long time friendship. The doctor helped change federal law and the public perception of what people who can’t see or hear are capable of. He was the co-founder of this Center for DeafBlind Youths and Adults.
Sue Ruzenski:
This is really about the legacy of Barbara Walters and Bob Smithdas. They are truly the model of connection. People from different worlds coming together and really understanding one another. Making that connection.
News Anchor:
Making that connection. The atrium will serve as the entrance to the Helen Keller National Center, which provides services to people who are DeafBlind, including workforce development programs, rehabilitation services, and more.
Barbara Walters’ Estate made a contribution to the Helen Keller Center after her death in 2022.
Honoring an Extraordinary Bond
This newly reimagined space, made possible through a generous gift from the Estate of Barbara Walters, now serves as the welcoming entrance to the National Center’s headquarters—a place where DeafBlind youths and adults from across the country come to build skills, find community, and chart pathways to independence.
The atrium celebrates the extraordinary friendship between award-winning broadcast journalist Barbara Walters and Dr. Robert J. Smithdas, whose connection spanned decades and demonstrated that the most meaningful relationships happen when we reach across boundaries with patience and respect to understand and celebrate our differences.
Barbara Walters and Dr. Robert J. Smithdas
Barbara Walters first interviewed Dr. Robert J. Smithdas in 1967 on the Today Show, focusing on his advocacy and work with the DeafBlind community. Twenty-five years later, in a second interview with Smithdas and his wife Michelle, Walters famously called him “the most memorable interview of my career”—a statement she repeated throughout her decades in journalism.
What began as a professional encounter blossomed into a remarkable friendship. In 2023, Walters’ estate made a $1 million contribution to help advance Helen Keller Services’ critical work enabling individuals who are blind, DeafBlind or have low vision to live, work and thrive. That transformational gift made the Walters-Smithdas Legacy Atrium possible.
“Dr. Smithdas dedicated his life to breaking down barriers and opening doors for others. His vision helped establish Helen Keller National Center as a place of hope and empowerment for thousands of individuals who are DeafBlind,” said Sue Ruzenski, CEO of Helen Keller Services. “Barbara Walters understood that power—she used her influential platform to champion Bob and bring awareness to the DeafBlind community. This atrium, designed with direct input from the DeafBlind community, stands as a lasting tribute to their friendship. It reminds us that accessibility extends beyond physical spaces to the spaces within each of us, and the connections we choose to build with one another.”
Designing with Intention and Community Input
This renovation represents one of the most significant transformations of the Helen Keller National Center campus since the original buildings were constructed in 1976. What makes this project truly remarkable is the collaborative design process—a genuine team effort between Gensler architects Siobhan Barry and Santiago Rivera, Helen Keller Services professionals, and members of the DeafBlind community.
The atrium was thoughtfully designed with functionality and accessibility as the primary focus to create a space that is tactilely aesthetic and conducive to the array of communication preferences used by individuals who are DeafBlind. Reclaimed, sustainably harvested wood panels bring warmth and texture while providing acoustic properties. At the ceiling’s high point, feature fabric panels add both beauty and acoustic enhancement. Within the wood panels, a “walking museum” allows historical items to be displayed for all to experience. The reception area was reimagined as a 360° accessible welcome area at the center of the space, and adjustable lighting throughout creates the right environment for every visitor. The result is a timeless, welcoming space where touch opens new worlds of experience and connection.
Voices from the Community
The ribbon cutting ceremony brought together elected officials, supporters, design partners, community leaders, and members of Helen Keller Services staff who make our mission possible every day. We were grateful for the presence of Mayor Peter Forman, who presented a proclamation from Sands Point, to Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena and Councilwoman Mariann Dalimonte, to Mayor Nora Haagenson of Baxter Estates, and to New York State Senator Monica R. Martinez for their recognition.
Most powerfully, we were honored to have former HKNC participants Elizabeth Schmaltz and Dr. Francis Casale join us for the ceremony, sharing reflections on how the National Center has transformed lives.
“To all the DeafBlind individuals out there, we are not living in the dark. The Helen Keller National Center has the light,” said Elizabeth Schmaltz. “If it wasn’t for Helen Keller National Center, I would not be here. This experience changed my life—I found my identity, I found my purpose.”
Dr. Francis Casale reflected on his decades of connection to HKNC: “I was invited to go all over the world to speak, teach, and work with DeafBlind people to help them get the respect they deserved. It all brought me back to Bob [Smithdas], my inspiration. Bob was one of the founders of the Helen Keller National Center—he’s what brought us all together. God bless Helen Keller National Center. Here, we have a place for DeafBlind people to grow, be independent, get jobs and live full lives. This is where the transformation happens.”
A Legacy of Opening Doors
The atrium honors what Walters and Smithdas showed us through their decades-long friendship: that the most meaningful connections happen when we reach across boundaries with patience and respect to understand and celebrate our differences.
This space provides access to awareness, understanding, and opportunities for community-building among DeafBlind participants, professionals, supporters, corporate partners, and community members—a physical embodiment of the connections Barbara and Bob championed.
As Sue Ruzenski reflected during the ceremony, “As we stand together in this beautiful, inclusive space, let us remember that the atrium is more than just a structure. It is a promise to continue breaking barriers, building bridges, and nurturing the aspirations of every individual who enters. Let it be filled with learning, laughter, and new possibilities, as Dr. Smithdas and Barbara Walters would have wished.”
To everyone who joined us for this celebration—thank you for being part of a moment that honors two extraordinary lives, celebrates the power of connection, welcomes a future of possibility, and reminds us of what we can accomplish together.
To learn more about Helen Keller Services, visit www.helenkeller.org.
Event Photos
