Category Archive

LightHouse News

Singer Stevie Wonder Visits LightHouse

On August 13th legendary singer Stevie Wonder dropped by the LightHouse for the Blind with his friend Mike May. He perused Adaptations, the LightHouse’s store of useful items for the blind, met CEO Bryan Bashin and sang a few songs with our clients.

“Stevie greeted many staff and program participants. A client requested if Stevie could sing them something, and to our astonishment he gave us an a capella rendition of ‘You Are the Sunshine in my Life.’ It gave us all goose bumps to hear his resonating voice in our little kitchen. Needless to say, we were dazzled by the two hours Stevie spent with Lighthouse employees and clients,” said Bryan.From left to right, Mike May, Stevie Wonder, Bryan Bashin

 

Come to LightHouse Paralympic Viewing Party on September 7

Join the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired for a Paralympic viewing party in our brand-new Accessible Video Conference Center.

  • Chow down on pizza!
  • Swig some beer!
  • Kick back with friends while watching highlights of the 2012 London Paralympics on our giant, state-of-the-art monitors.
  • Listen to the professional commentary provided by the broadcasters on our amazing surround-sound audio system.

Where: LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters
When: Friday, September 7 from 6 until 8:00 p.m.

RSVP to Lisamaria Martinez at info@old.lighthouse-sf.org now to save your spot – and your slice of pizza!

Photos of Paralympic athletes from left to right: runner Blake Leeper, goalball player Jen Armbruster and runner Jarryd Wallace

Accessible Video Conference Center Ready to Launch

In March the LightHouse was awarded a generous $50,000 grant from the California Communications Access Foundation to construct an Accessible Video Conference Center in our San Francisco headquarters. The Center has been designed to accommodate the unique disability needs of blind, low-vision, deaf-blind and hearing-impaired individuals and will be available for community events and trainings.

The room build-out is just about complete and includes new giant viewing screens that can be raised or lowered to accommodate a low vision audience, surround sound speakers and the ability to use FM wireless headsets that provide video description for both a blind audience and people with hearing loss. All of this controlled by a PC based computer system that can be run by blind and sighted staff alike.

For years we’ve been asked by blind and sighted professionals, family members and clients if there might be a way for them to experience our seminar presentations. With the help of this grant, the Center can now provide video as well as audio coverage, allowing a much broader community to benefit from the technology seminars we’re already producing.

In addition the Lighthouse will test new technologies with partner Smith-Kettlewell that will allow users streaming video from anywhere on the Internet to link with video description provided by individuals, organizations and professionals. The new video description system has the potential to revolutionize the quantity and timeliness of video description available to blind people who would benefit from it in education, cultural materials and pure entertainment.

We are excited about the possibilities this new Center will offer and can’t wait for you to experience it. Here are some photos from this “work in progress.”

LightHouse Information Technology Manager Brian Hardy installs audio conduit

LightHouse Information Technology Technician Ken Cheung using a drill to hang one of the surround-sound speakers in the Center

Join us for Free Tech Seminar “I Can’t See, but I Can Read” on September 20

About to go back to school? Are you a teacher or student? Learn about the latest in reading technology at our free tech seminar.

Where: LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters
When: Thursday, September 20 from 1 to 3:00 p.m.

Come to the next LightHouse Tech Seminar and learn about eBook readers and Digital Talking Book players, including Kindle, Nook, Victor Reader Stream, iBooks, NLS, Bookshare, Learning Ally, Blio and Audible.com.

Join us for this free seminar in person, via webcast, audio stream or conference call. Space is limited. Please RSVP to rsvp@old.lighthouse-sf.org or via voice mail at 415-694-7326.  

Save the Date! Photography Exhibition Fundraiser for the LightHouse on September 15

If you’re looking for a cool thing to do in San Francisco on a Saturday night, don’t miss this event/exhibition:

What: Against the Grain-New Perspectives on Bay Area Photography
When: September 15, from 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Where: ArtZone-461 Gallery, 461 Valencia Street, San Francisco

LightHouse for the Blind invites you to Against the Grain – a photography exhibit and silent auction showcasing Bay Area photographers and photography, some of the photos are taken with photo booths, you can get photo booths from MyBoogieBooth. All proceeds from the event will benefit LightHouse for the Blind. All art will be available for purchase via silent auction. The suggested donation at the door is $10-20. Must be 21 and over to attend.

Image of event flyer consisting of words artistically placed on a red background

Photography has never been more accessible than it is now, in the digital age. From high-end DSLRs to the most basic smart phones, there is a camera for every skill level and an unlimited number of ways to share the photos we take. This gives us many new creative options but also presents us with a new challenge: how do we distinguish ourselves as artists in an age where practically everyone is a photographer? How do we go against the grain in a world oversaturated with imagery? This show explores that theme and challenges artists to bring a unique eye to the people, places and events we see every day.

 

Thank You Bo!

Former U.S. Marine and firefighter Roberto “Bo” Diaz lost his vision in a line-of-duty injury. Bo recently volunteered at Enchanted Hills Camp where he taught young campers to use their spatial awareness and body positioning to shoot their arrows accurately.

LightHouse Transit Access Volunteer Day

Are you an expert on a Muni or Samtrans route? We need your help. The LightHouse is developing “strip maps” which will present concise transit information about selected transit routes in Braille and large print. We are looking for volunteers who will ride or drive along selected Muni or Samtrans bus routes, and take notes, taking inventory of things such as:

  • bus stop locations (whether stop is on island or street and if mid-block, nearside corner, far side corner)
  • how stops are identified (sign pole, bench, shelter)
  • turns in the route (e.g. left, right and cardinal direction of travel)
  • intermodal connections and transfer points (e.g. BART station)

We are also looking for individuals who can help with the task of entering this information into our bus route database.

When: Saturday, August 18, 2012, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Where: LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters

Come to the LightHouse to help collect transit information that will increase the independence of blind and visually impaired Bay Area residents. The ideal volunteer should be familiar with specific Muni or Samtrans lines. Knowledge of way finding products such as Sendero GPS or Trekker is a plus. Training will be provided prior to the transit excursions.

Those interested in volunteering please contact Frank Welte at 415-694-73663 or email fwelte@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

Overview and Purpose
Maps are an integral aspect of daily life in our society, conveying essential information about the world we live in. Having access to that information is necessary to participate in society and gives people the ability to do what they couldn’t do before: If newly blind or learning a neighborhood from scratch, having access to maps is a real asset. But for blind people, obtaining maps has been difficult and expensive. However, the LightHouse is making significant change in this area by developing accessible transit maps to enhance the ability of blind and visually impaired individuals to effectively use public transit in the Bay Area. We are developing, and will distribute, “strip maps” which will present concise information about selected transit routes in Braille and large print. The strip maps will be developed for BART, Muni, SamTrans and Caltrain routes.

The optimal candidate might be a Bay Area resident who is familiar with specific Muni or Samtrans bus lines, or who is experienced with the use of way finding products, such as Sendero GPS, but anybody who is interested is welcome to help.  Volunteers will be trained prior to their transit excursions.

For more information about this opportunity or to become a volunteer, call Frank Welte at (415) 694-7363 or send Email to fwelte@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

New Look and Feel for Adaptations Blindness Products Store

What does it take to make a good thing even better? Some rethinking – what we used to call thinking out of the box. In this case we’re talking about our store, Adaptations – often the first place people go when they’ve begun to experience low vision. We’ve added new and exciting inventory and made the store more inviting, comfortable and accessible. Come see for yourself!

The Store is Easier to Shop In
We’ve made changes to the store’s physical space. We’ve moved furniture out of the way to make more room for comfortable and independent shopping, especially for those in wheelchairs. There are additional products arranged on our walls so that customers can see and touch them more easily. In addition, we’ve moved the registers to the right as you walk in, again to open up the space up for wheelchairs.

The Store is More Fun to Shop In and We Carry More Fun Things
We’re now carrying cool electronics such as the iClarity Micro Bluetooth Speaker and the PenFriend; musical instruments for all ages such as acoustic guitar packages by Takamine and Fender and the Casio 61-key Keyboard with VoicePad; and products for our four-legged friends such as 48-ounce Collapsible Port-a-Bowls.

And you can now demo Apple TV – we’ve hung a 32-inch flat screen TV to demonstrate Apple TV works. We’re streaming iTunes and YouTube videos, iPhone and VoiceOver demonstrations, tutorials, concerts, nature programs, etc.
A view of the new store, showing floor displays and two walls covered in merchandise
Apple Products Available
We’re proud to announce that Adaptations has become an authorized seller of certain Apple products, including the iPod Nano and the new Shuffle with Voiceover. Our outstanding store staff will demo them with you in our less overwhelming, more supportive and experiential environment, so that you can make a more informed decision about what will work for you.

Onsite Store-Only Items
In wanting to pass along the greatest savings to our customers, as well as keep our products relevant, varied and exciting, we are purchasing items that are either limited in quantity and/or are temporarily offered at a significant savings and making them available to you. So, like Trader Joe’s, once these items are gone, they’re gone.

LightHouse T-Shirts and More
Show your support for the LightHouse with by purchasing one of our LightHouse products. We are offering a whole range of items from stainless steel water bottles and coffee tumblers to embroidered hoodie sweatshirts and tees, to reusable nylon grocery bags and doggie poop bag dispensers for our dog guide owners. Don’t miss your opportunity to wear the LightHouse proudly!
LightHouse branded t-shirts and other merchandise flank one store wall
The Adaptations store is located at LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters. Hours are Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. You can reach our friendly store staff at our toll-free number, 1-888-400-8933.

Napa Rotary’s Cycle for Sight Supports Camp in a Big Way

This Spring, Team LightHouse rode once again in Rotary Club of Napa’s annual Cycle for Sight bicycle event, which benefits our Enchanted Hills Camp. Close to 2500 participants rode singly and in tandem along one of three scenic 50-, 25-, and 15-mile courses that wind among the hills and vineyards of the Napa Valley, as well as enjoying the food and wine festival that followed the ride.

We want to express our immense gratitude to Rotary Club of Napa for choosing to support Enchanted Hills. This year’s Cycle for Sight ride resulted in a $30,000 contribution to camp. We want to honor and thank Justin Geissberger and his family who were responsible for raising $3000 of this total. In addition, we thank LightHouse Board member Margie Donovan for raising close to $2000 on her own to support camp. Gary Morris, who originally came to Cycle for Sight through his connection with Margie, has ridden in the event off and on for the last twenty years. He rode with Team LightHouse this year as pilot with Angel, one of the students from Santa Barbara County (see story below), as the stoker. He was excited to find that with Angel’s help, he broke his personal record for speed saying, “Let me tell you, this was the fastest I ever rode around the course.”
EHC Director Tony Fletcher pilots tandem with student from Santa Barbara County
LightHouse volunteer and tandem pilot Gary Morris and his stoker, Santa Barbara County student Angel, stop mid-ride to fix their bicycle chain. Gary stands smiling and with arms spread wide between Angel (left) and unidentified rider (photo by Sandra Caple)

Santa Barbarans Join Team LightHouse

This year, Enchanted Hills Retreat played host to twelve young blind students from Santa Barbara County who partnered with their teachers and volunteers to ride tandem in Cycle for Sight as part of Team LightHouse. The group of young athletes arrived Thursday before the ride and stayed in our comfortable cabins for four days and three nights, experiencing what amounted to a mini-camp session. They enjoyed outdoor activities including boating, swimming, archery and beep-ball, while on Friday, LightHouse volunteer Jerry Edwards instructed the group on the finer points of riding a tandem. After a delicious carbohydrate-rich dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, Camp Director Tony Fletcher led the group in an Earth Day-themed discussion that included topics such as the role Enchanted Hills plays in providing a natural sanctuary for animals that might not thrive in other areas in Napa and how we incorporate energy conservation into the camp routine.
Santa Barbara County students assemble to ride for Team LightHouse
The group rode on Saturday and then came back to Enchanted Hills where they spent a restful night reflecting on the day’s accomplishments. For many students it was the very first time they had attempted such a long bicycle ride and we are so glad to have provided them the opportunity to do so.
Santa Barbara county student shows off Team LightHouse t-shirt