Hawaii’s deaf and blind residents will soon have a centralized place to meet and share resources.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie on Thursday signed a bill appropriating $400,000 to establish and operate a deaf and blind service center.

State Rep. John Mizuno, who introduced the bill, says scattered services make access a very daunting task. He says a service center has been a dream for the deaf and blind community for decades.

The center will provide a central location for services and professionals such as vocational and financial specialists, counselors and audiologists.