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LightHouse News

Sign Up by Oct. 11 for Jobsite Series Visit to Guide Dogs

Each week the LightHouse is coordinating a group of individuals to meet with their employed counterparts working for the Bay Area’s leading businesses and institutions.

Our next jobsite excursion will take place on Wednesday, October 12th. We will be visiting Theresa Duncan, the Alumni Association Director at Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Theresa has been legally blind since birth and travels independently throughout the U.S. and Canada with the help of her Guide Dog, Dario. Theresa holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from the University of California Riverside and a master’s degree in special education with an emphasis in blind rehabilitation from San Francisco State University.

With over 15 years of experience in blind rehabilitation, Theresa is truly an expert in her field. Beyond her role at Guide Dogs, she currently sits on the Board of Directors for the California Transcribers and Educators for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Northern California Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Please RSVP by Tuesday, October 11th, as space is limited.

To register for the Jobsite Conversation Series, or to find out more about it, please contact:

Rich Russo
Community Services Program Assistant
(415) 694-7352
rrusso@old.lighthouse-sf.org

LightHouse News

Support Chris Downey’s Ride!

LighHouse Blind Cycle Challenge on Sunday, October 23, 2011.

Cycle with or support LightHouse Board Member and Vice President Chris Downey and his tandem captains on an ambitious ride from LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters to the LightHouse at the southern tip of Point Reyes. Chris aims to raise $10,000 for LightHouse programs, including Enchanted Hills Camp in Napa, CA.

Amount:

For more information, go to http://lbvi.staging.wpengine.com.com/supportchris/.

Christopher Downey, RA, (www.arch4blind.com) is an architect, planner and consultant who lost his sight in 2008.  Today, he is dedicated to creating more helpful and enriching environments for the blind and visually impaired. Whether working as a planning and programming team member or as a client representative, he draws on his unique perspective as a seasoned architect. His 20-year career has encompassed a broad range of award-winning projects, from custom residences to the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth, MN, and MIT’s Rotch Architectural Library. Chris joined the LightHouse Board in 2009.

LightHouse News

Join Us for ‘Sound Letters to San Francisco’

The LightHouse is collaborating on a series of activities for the Adult Recreation Program with Siobhán Clancy, artist-in-residence with the National Council for the Blind of Ireland. Activities will take place on October 10, 17 and 24 (Mondays) at the LightHouse, and the public is welcome to attend.

Titled “Sound Letters to San Francisco,” the collaboration will include an introduction to sound art and creative recording methods, an interactive presentation of previous projects in Ireland, a discussion on work in progress with the Lighthouse, and the development of a proposal for future partnership on an art piece for the Please Touch Community Garden.

The proposed schedule for each day is as follows:

October 10, 2011 (1:00–2:30 p.m.)
• Introductions and Sample Recording (1:00–2:00 p.m.)
• Tour of Please Touch Garden (2:00–2:30 p.m.)

October 17, 2011 (1:00–3:00 p.m.)
• Recorded and broadcast presentation on previous artworks made by Siobhán Clancy in collaboration with people from NCBI (1:00–1:30 p.m.)
• Discussion on work in progress with the LightHouse (1:30–2:00 p.m.)
• Recording Activities (2:00–3:00 p.m.)

October 24, 2011 (1:00–3:00 p.m.)
• Completion of Recording Activities (1:00–2:00 p.m.)
• Discussion on future collaborations between Siobhán Clancy and the LightHouse (2:00–2:30 p.m.)
• Wrap Up (2:30–3:00 p.m.)

To find out more about Please Touch Community Garden, go to http://pleasetouchgarden.tumblr.com.

LightHouse News

Can You Hear Me Now? Technology Seminar October 6

Join the LightHouse for the next technology seminar and learn about cell phones that are accessible for the blind and visually impaired.

When: Thursday, October 6, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Where: LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters

Find out if a smartphone or a basic phone is right for you. Do you want to join the iPhone craze?  Or maybe you would prefer to use the Sprint Sanyo Vero smartphone or the Verizon Haven basic phone?

Assistive Technology Consultant Peter Cantisani and representatives from Sprint and Verizon will present and answer questions. You can participate in one of the following ways:

  • Tune in via live audio stream on our website
  • Dial in with our telephone conferencing service
    • Attend in person and talk to the presenters after the seminar.

RSVP to 415-694-7326 or rsvp@old.lighthouse-sf.org. Conference call and live stream instructions will be provided with RSVP.

LightHouse News

Ski for Light 2012 Invites Applications

Are you a blind or visually impaired adult who cross-country skis or is interested in learning the sport? If your answer is yes, join other active adults from across the U.S. and around the world for Ski for Light 2012.

The 2012 Ski for Light International Week will be held from Sunday, February 5 through Sunday, February 12, 2012, in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. The annual event attracts recreational cross-country skiers from beginners to advanced participants.

Skiers and guides come from every adult age group and occupation. Blind participants are paired with a sighted instructor/guide who assists with skills, technique and endurance while describing the countryside and enjoying the trails. Two sets of parallel tracks are set in the snow, with the skier and guide deciding together how far, how long and on what kind of terrain they will ski.

Many attendees report that the confidence, new skills and friendships they develop are experiences of a lifetime that continue to pay many dividends when they return home.

Participants will stay at the Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in downtown Provo and ski at the Soldier Hollow cross-country ski area in nearby Midway. Soldier Hollow was the cross-country skiing venue for the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Applications for International Week are still being considered pending space availability. Full payment is due by December 15, 2011.

Visit www.sfl.org to learn more and to submit your application. Additional information can also be obtained by contacting Bob Hartt at bobmhartt@gmail.com or 703-845-3436.

LightHouse News

LightHouse Seeks Volunteers for Transit-Mapping Project

The LightHouse is seeking volunteers to gather detailed transit route information on BART, CalTrain, selected San Francisco Muni rail and bus routes and selected SamTrans bus routes.

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 might not have been able to do before.

If someone is newly blind or learning a neighborhood from scratch, having access to maps is a real asset. But for blind people, obtaining maps has historically been difficult and expensive.

The LightHouse is making significant changes 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” that 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 LightHouse is looking for volunteers who will ride selected Muni or SamTrans bus routes and/or BART and Caltrain routes and take notes, inventorying things such as:

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

Optimal candidates are Bay Area residents who are familiar with specific Muni or SamTrans bus lines, BART or Caltrain, but anybody who is interested should apply. We would like to obtain this transit line info by Friday, November 19. Volunteers will be trained prior to their transit excursions.

For more information about this opportunity, please call Frank Welte at 415-694-7363 or email fwelte@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

If you wish to volunteer for this project, please call Volunteer Coordinator Don Franklin at 415-694-7371 or email dmfranklin@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

LightHouse News

Braille Readers Are Leaders Contest

The National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, the National Association to Promote the Use of Braille (NAPUB), and the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) are pleased to announce the 29th annual Braille Readers Are Leaders contest for K–12 students. Registration is now open.

The contest encourages children around the country to be proud of their ability to read Braille and continually work to improve their skills. As in previous years, students will read as many Braille pages as they can in two months (November 1, 2011, through January 4, 2012) to compete for ribbons, cash prizes and an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2012 NFB national convention in Dallas, Texas.

For the third year, NAPUB and the NFB Jernigan Institute are also offering a contest for mature Braille readers. Adults will compete for cash prizes, national recognition and bragging rights!

Teams of two to five participants are welcome to compete in both the K–12 and adult contests again this year. Form your teams, get some interesting reading material and warm up your fingers! For detailed information about the K–12 and adult contests, please visit www.nfb.org/BRAL.

Seven Simple Steps
1. Register: Fill out the simple online form at http://www.nfb.org/BRAL to enter the contest.

2. Gather: Collect leisure reading material (books, magazines and whatever else you enjoy reading that has a title, author and date of publication).

3. Log it: Download the reading log at http://www.nfb.org/BRAL. Save it where you will be able to access it easily, or print it and keep a hard-copy log.

4. Read: Put your fingers to the paper.

5. Leader Board: Update your “Pages Read” on the Leader Board to compete for additional prizes.

6. Letters: Contestants competing for a special award in the K–12 contest must submit at least one letter of recommendation for each award.

7. Turn it in: Submit your reading log, special award documentation and final entry form no later than January 18, 2012, at http://www.nfb.org/BRAL. Mark your calendar with the important dates below.

Important Dates
October 1, 2011: Registration for the contest opens and continues through the end of the contest.

November 1, 2011: Contest begins, and participants start tracking their reading.

January 4, 2012: Louis Braille’s birthday marks the end of the contest and the last day participants can count their pages.

January 18, 2012: All documentation for the regular contest and special awards must be submitted to the NFB Jernigan Institute by midnight. This includes reading logs, letters of nomination and final entry forms.

March 2012: Prizes are mailed out.

Paper forms may be downloaded via http://www.nfb.org/BRAL or requested by e-mail, mail, telephone or fax from:

Braille Readers Are Leaders
200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, MD 21230
Phone: 410-659-9314, ext. 2312
Fax: 410-659-5129
BrailleReadersAreLeaders@nfb.org

LightHouse News

State Personnel Board Solicits Feedback on New Website

The California State Personnel Board has been working on redesigning its current employment assistance website, http://jobs.ca.gov. A prototype of the proposed new design is now available for review.

They are asking individuals (regardless of employment status with the state) to review the prototype, compare it to their current website and provide feedback on the proposed design. They are accepting feedback until October 9, 2011, at which point they will finalize the prototype and implement changes at the end of January 2012.

Follow the steps below to review the proposed design and submit your feedback:

Go to tdt.spb.ca.gov/jobs.

View the current webpage (left side) and the proposed webpage (right side). After reviewing the websites, please take a moment to complete the survey.

Please note that the new prototype is only a test/dummy site at this point and it does not contain live data. The current site will continue to be in production until the end of January 2012.

LightHouse News

State Rehabilitation Council Recruitment

The California State Rehabilitation Council (SRC), whose members represent the voice of consumers and other stakeholders in California’s rehabilitation system, is currently seeking to fill vacancies in the following categories:

  • One representative of disability advocacy groups representing individuals with physical, cognitive, sensory and mental disabilities and representatives of individuals who have difficulty representing themselves due to their disabilities;
  • One current or former vocational rehabilitation services applicant or recipient;
  • One representative of the California Department of Education.

The SRC works in partnership with the California Department of Rehabilitation to review, evaluate and advise the department regarding its specific and overall performance and effectiveness.

If you know anyone who may be interested, including yourself, please send the name(s) and contact information to the SRC Executive Officer, Melyssa Adams, at madams@dor.cagov. You can also reach Melyssa at 916-558-5868.