AURORA of Central New York, Inc.

Name

AURORA of Central New York, Inc.

Legal name

AURORA of Central New York, Inc.

Website

https://auroraofcny.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1917

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Rehabilitation Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists (621340), Educational Support Services (61171), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093)

akta.pro primary industry

Deaf/Hard of Hearing & Vision Services (Audiology, Interpreting, Orientation & Mobility) (EDAJAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Vision & Hearing Early Intervention Services (EDACAFAN), Sign Language Learning Programs (ASL/BSL, etc.) (EDAMAFAM)

Keywords

• Vision rehabilitation services
• Hearing loss support
• Interpreter referral services
• Assistive aids devices
• Deaf blind services

Headquarters

HQ city

Syracuse

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropic Support: The organization relies heavily on charitable donations from individuals, corporations, and community organizations. 100% of donations go directly to AURORA programs. Recent donations include $5,000 from Acadia Insurance.
2. Government and Foundation Grants: Funded through partnerships with government agencies (Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped, NYSCB, Acces VR, OPWDD, NYS Office for Aging) and foundations (United Ways, Flora Bernice Smith Foundation, Gifford Foundation, Mother Cabrini Health Foundation awarded ~$150,000).
3. Program Fees (ASL Classes and Services): ASL Classes offered at $150 (sale) / $200 (original) for a six-week session. Event tickets and sponsorships provide additional revenue.
4. Event Sponsorships and Tickets: Annual gala (Evening for the Eyes and Ears) with sponsorship tiers from $500 (Bronze) to $7,000 (Music & Production), and individual tickets at $150.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

AURORA of Central New York delivers rehabilitation, advocacy, and interpreter services for individuals who are blind, visually impaired, Deaf, hard of hearing, late-deafened, or Deaf-blind across a 13-county Central New York region. Core programming includes vision rehabilitation, deaf services, hard of hearing services, child and youth services, professional sign language interpreter referral, ASL instruction, adaptive aids and devices, and outreach and education. Services are delivered through in-home visits, center-based programs in Syracuse, and community locations.

Product overview

AURORA of Central New York, Inc. is a non-profit organization providing a comprehensive suite of rehabilitation, support, and educational services for people who are blind, visually impaired, Deaf, hard of hearing, late-deafened, and Deaf-blind. Rather than a single unified product, the organization operates as a service portfolio consisting of Vision Services, Deaf Services, Hard of Hearing Services, and Child & Youth Services as core program areas, supplemented by the Marjorie Clere Interpreter Referral Service for sign language interpretation across 13 counties, Advocacy & Awareness Training programs, and an Aids & Devices retail component offering adaptive equipment. The organization also runs community programs including the Bedtime Book Series for literacy and ASL Classes for language instruction. Founded in 1917, the services are delivered through in-home, center-based, and community settings across Central New York.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Marjorie Clere Interpreter Referral Service (MCIRS): Provides organizations and business entities with skilled Sign Language interpreters, including ASL, Signed English, Grassroots, oral and tactile signing. Has been in existence since 1979.
• Children's Hearing Aid Program (CHAP)
• Bedtime Book Series

Products and services

• Marjorie Clere Interpreter Referral Service (MCIRS) Provides organizations and businesses with skilled Sign Language interpreters for a 13-county area across Central New York. Services include ASL, Signed English, Grassroots, oral and tactile (Deaf/Blind) signing, as well as Deaf interpreters, available 24/7/365 since 1979.
• Vision Services Comprehensive vision rehabilitation services for blind and visually impaired individuals including falls safety assessment, functional vision assessment, instructional services, low vision eye care, orientation and mobility training, social work, and support groups.
• Deaf Services Full range of services for individuals who are Deaf, severely hard of hearing, or Deaf-blind including community education and advocacy, Deaf events, employment training and job placement, and social work services.
• Hard of Hearing Services Individualized support, instruction and equipment for individuals with mild-to-severe hearing loss, including the Children's Hearing Aid Program (CHAP), hearing aid cleanings, performance checks, and training in aids and devices.
• Child & Youth Services Services for blind, visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing, or DeafBlind children and youth including the Bedtime Book Series, Children's Hearing Aid Program (CHAP), pre-vocational and work experience training, and socialization groups.
• ASL Classes American Sign Language instruction for all levels from beginners to advanced, taught by Deaf instructors. Classes are offered in six-week sessions via Zoom with self-paced online videos and lessons, led by experienced ASL instructor Grace Cogan.
• Aids & Devices A range of adaptive aids and devices for individuals with vision or hearing loss, offered below market price. Products include white canes, portable digital magnifiers, illuminated optical magnifiers (Optelec PowerMag+), Cocoons sunglasses, amplified telephones (Clarity), Pocket Talker personal amplifiers, frame-free dome magnifiers, and wearable magnifying glasses.
• Advocacy & Awareness Training Training programs including American Sign Language instruction, Blind Immersion Experiences for workplace empathy building, Deaf That presentations, and Provider Sensitivity Trainings for service personnel, first responders, and employers.
• Outreach & Education Premier resource and clearinghouse for information on vision and hearing loss, offering free preliminary vision and hearing screenings, informational forums, in-service presentations, low vision functional assessments, patient education, referrals to community resources, speakers bureau, and training on aids and devices.
• Bedtime Book Series An innovative literacy initiative providing stories in both spoken English and American Sign Language, bringing together Deaf and hearing communities. Stories are read and signed at libraries throughout Onondaga County, with QR-coded bookmarks providing access to online versions of the story hours.
• Low Vision Eye Center Eye center providing comprehensive low vision examinations, having served 125 patients with low vision exams. Part of a collaborative partnership with Liberty Resources.

Quantifiable outcome

• 125 patients received comprehensive low vision examinations at the Eye Center
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• Liberty Resources, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAURORA became an affiliated partner with Liberty Resources in 2017 to significantly expand service lines and integrate a total health and well-being approach to services for people of all ages with vision and hearing loss. The affiliation benefits all through mutual knowledge and resource sharing.
• Literacy Coalition of Onondaga CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports the Bedtime Book Series initiative, bringing the hearing and Deaf communities together to promote literacy and inclusion through story time at local libraries.
• Baldwinsville Lions ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with AURORA to host the Strides for Sight 5k Run/Walk, raising awareness about vision loss and essential services for people living with visual impairments in Central New York.
• Whole Me Inc.strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnering with NTID to create an ASL Internship program for NTID Interpreter students in their last year of coursework, building the interpreter pool in the area.
• National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnering with Whole Me Inc. and AURORA to create an ASL Internship program for interpreter students, building programming and support for new interpreters.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA): National consumer advocacy organization for people with hearing loss. Comparable to AURORA's Hard of Hearing and Deaf Services advocacy and awareness work because it shapes the same federal/state policy environment and shares educational mission, though it does not deliver direct clinical services.
• American Foundation for the Blind (AFB): National non-profit focused on advocacy, research, and policy for people with vision loss. Comparable to AURORA because it operates in the same mission space and coordinates on accessibility policy (e.g., pharmacy digital labels paralleling AURORA's Bill S1740 advocacy), but it does not deliver direct local rehabilitation services.

Direct peers

• VISIONS/Vacations for the Blind and Visually Impaired: NYC-based non-profit providing rehabilitation, social services, and vocational training for people who are blind or visually impaired. Comparable to AURORA's Vision Services, O&M training, and adaptive technology programs in scope and target population.
• Center for Hearing and Communication: Non-profit providing audiology, hearing aid, and communication services for people with hearing loss. Comparable to AURORA's Hard of Hearing Services and CHAP program because it offers similar clinical/assistive services and deaf-centered programs for the same hearing-loss population.

Regional players

• Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind: DC-area non-profit providing low vision exams, rehabilitation teaching, and employment services for blind individuals. Comparable to AURORA because of overlapping service lines (low vision care, assistive technology, vocational rehabilitation) for an identical customer segment, though it operates in a different region.
• Bosma Enterprises: Indiana-based non-profit providing rehabilitation, employment, and assistive technology services for people who are blind or visually impaired. Comparable to AURORA because of its vocational rehabilitation, aids and devices, and adaptive technology program mix serving a similar customer base.
• Perkins School for the Blind: Massachusetts-based non-profit providing education, rehabilitation, and assistive technology services for blind and deafblind individuals. Comparable to AURORA's Child & Youth Services and adaptive technology offerings because of overlapping educational/rehabilitation programs for children with sensory loss.
• Future In Sight (formerly NH Association for the Blind): New Hampshire non-profit delivering vision rehabilitation, assistive technology, and education services. Comparable to AURORA because of parallel vision rehabilitation service portfolio and similar regional non-profit operating model serving a non-urban state footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Lighthouse Guild: NYC-based non-profit providing integrated vision and hearing rehabilitation services, behavioral health, and education. Comparable to AURORA because it operates a similar mission-driven service portfolio targeting individuals with vision loss (and broader programs), competing for the same NY State government funding pools and donor base.
• Helen Keller Services for the Blind: Non-profit serving people who are blind, deaf, or deafblind across NY State and nationally. Comparable to AURORA because it delivers vocational rehabilitation, ASL interpreting, deaf-blind services, and assistive technology programs serving the same dual sensory-loss population.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AuroraofCNY

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AURORA of Central New York, Inc.