• Guide dog training
• Rehabilitation Centre
• Princesse Paola Adult Residential Centre
• Sheltered Workshops
• Social services
• Special support service
• Culture

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Origins

Léonard Simonon himself was confronted with blindness and he moved to Ghlin, in 1885, where he opened a private school for blind children. In addition to a basic education, the children were trained for jobs that they were capable of doing.

The school was short of funds. Léonard Simonon called for public donations to support of the Institut Spécial pour Aveugles de Ghlin, later named the Institut Provincial, After years of work, the initiative led to the foundation of "Les Amis des Aveugles", a non-profit association - A.S.B.L. - in 1929.   

Right after the Second World War, the non-profit organisation moved to the provincial domain, "Le Château de la Barrière". It set up activities and provided, material and financial aid to support former students in integrating into society and the world of work. It founded a guide dog training centre, as well as a home for the blind who were victims of occupational accidents and war.

Les Amis des Aveugles et Malvoyants in Flanders

In the 1950s, the association increased its offering in Wallonia and expanded to Flanders. It created an orthoptic centre for the rehabilitation of residual visual function in people with impaired vision. It is currently the rehabilitation centre.

During the following decades, the remit of charity evolved constantly, as demonstrated by the enlargement of services and building construction. In 1966, the first wing of the "Princesse Paola" home was built. The sheltered workshop, currently named "Adapted Work Company", moved into a new building in 1974.

In the early 1990s, the board of directors at the charity took the decision to branch out into Flanders, where many of its donors live. It acquired a farm with several hectares of land in Koksijde and opened a second Guide Dog Training Centre.