The grounds at Blind & Vision Rehab Services have been spruced up with the addition of a sensory garden created and designed by Matthew Scotti, a Mt. Lebanon Eagle Scout candidate. The garden, near the front entrance of the Homestead building, is a beautiful space for clients, visitors and staff to enjoy different types of flowers, herbs, a water fountain, wind chimes, and benches.

A sensory garden is a garden or other plot specifically created to be accessible and enjoyable to persons with a disability and provides individual and combined sensory opportunities that they may not normally experience.

Last summer, Matthew was a volunteer for our summer program for teenagers who are blind or vision impaired. His volunteer experience led to the idea for a sensory garden. He raised more than $2,500 for his Eagle Scout project, along with donations of topsoil, stones, and the water fountain. The 16-year-old will be a junior at Central Catholic High School in the fall. Matthew is a Life Scout with Boy Scout Troop 65 in Mt. Lebanon and expects to earn his Eagle Scout rank this fall.