Conklin Davis Center Aims For July 1 Opening

Daytona Beach, FL – The merger between two non-profit agencies offering services for the blind happened in January, and CEO Ronee David of the now-named Conklin Davis Center for the Visually Impaired, said she looks forward to welcoming more than 50 employees when the Center opens, potentially July 1. During a presentation at yesterday’s Volusia County Council (VCC) meeting, David, who has been the director of the Center for the Visually Impaired for almost 30 years, says the merger has created the largest blind services campus in the country. "It’s a 42-acre campus and it houses the state’s Division of Blind Services district office, the largest braille and talking book library in the world, the Rehab Center for the Blind, and now the Conklin Davis Center, which is the merged agency." David said she and Nancy Epps, who has been on the Board of Directors for the Conklin Center prior to the merger, have worked for almost a year to get the residential program back. The state terminated its contract with the Center in March 2020 due to unaddressed issues, removing about 60 percent of the agency’s funding. When the Conklin Davis Center for the Visually Impaired does open, David looks forward to those in need coming back for the programs to help them be independent. "We have a couple of new programs. One of them is an entrepreneurial program. That’s to help the visually impaired learn to work in e-commerce. We have contracted with a local restaurant who will be running our kitchen where some of our students will be able to work." If you’d like to learn more about the center, whether you need the services or you’d like to help, visit conklincenter.org or their Facebook page.