Overbrook School for the Blind has been educating students for 187 years, and we still love what we do!

Greetings and Welcome to our School!

We’re so glad you “landed” here to visit our website.  As you enjoy the various pages and links that follow, I hope you feel the same way that we want everyone to feel if they step through the threshold of our doors -- that they are a welcome friend of the School and its students. If we don’t honor our guests in that manner, then we’ve dishonored our students.  If this website is a largely reflects the welcoming place that I know our students want our School to be, then we’ve hit the mark.

We recognize that no matter what we include on our website that highlights the achievements, joys and challenges that our students confront and overcome, there will be lingering questions you may have, especially if you’re a parent who’s considering whether The Overbrook School for the Blind might be the right placement for your child.  I hope you feel comfortable calling upon us to talk more about what the School might be able to offer you and your child. Again, thank you for visiting our new website.  There will be many more “new” things in the future, so please visit often.

Regards,
Todd Reeves

Getting to Know Overbrook School for the Blind

Overbrook School for the Blind (OSB) prepares our students—all of whom are blind, visually impaired or living with other challenges—to have the greatest opportunity to experience active and fulfilling lives. Ours is a school where compassion, dedication, expertise and instructional excellence are immediately evident. At OSB, teams of highly-qualified teachers and specialists work seamlessly to create a caring, can-do environment. Each and every day, our historic 26-acre campus in the Overbrook Farms section of West Philadelphia, is bustling with activity as our students work, play, and in some cases, live in an extraordinary set of integrated buildings that have been adapted to meet the multiple needs of our students.

Founded in 1832, OSB serves approximately 200 students (ages 5 through 21) on campus. Our Early Intervention Outreach program (birth through age three) provides at-home guidance and care to the parents of 175 additional families. Rounding out its programmatic footprint, OSB's International Program reaches thousands of children and adults in Southeast Asia and China by training teachers and administrators how to instruct additional teachers to work with the blind and the visually impaired.

The Mission of Overbrook School for the Blind 

The Mission of Overbrook School for the Blind is to develop and deliver education that enhances the options available for persons with visual impairments, including those with additional challenges, so that they have the greatest opportunity to experience active and fulfilling lives.

The Vision of Overbrook School for the Blind 

The Vision of Overbrook School for the Blind is to inspire individuals with visual impairment, including those with additional challenges, to achieve their highest potential; to share our culture that embraces their abilities; to be a dynamic and leading educational organization; and to use our expertise to positively influence our students, families, partners and peers, regionally, nationally and internationally.