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LightHouse News

Financial Support Offered for Online Program in Visual Impairments

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West Virginia University announces the nationwide availability of its online graduate program for teaching certification in visual impairments and/or a master’s degree in special education: low vision/blindness.

A federally funded project is now available to provide financial support for students who are completing requirements to become certified in visual impairments through reimbursement of all tuition and fees. To qualify, students must complete courses with a grade of A or B and promise to work in the field for two years for each year of program support upon completion.

WVU also offers TAECH grant loans for individuals who agree to work in a high-need school system for a period of four years after completion. Participants must apply for the program by the application deadline of August 1, 2011,

All courses in this program are offered entirely online through live, interactive class sessions, as well as other web-based learning activities. Both in-state and out-of-state students pay the low resident tuition rates through a special agreement with the Southern Regional Education Board’s Electronic Campus.

All field and practicum experiences are completed in the student’s local community, in the job setting if s/he works with students with visual impairments or in an appropriate classroom, under the supervision of a qualified practitioner with online support from a university supervisor.

This program is tailored to the requirements for teaching certification in West Virginia, but it meets all national standards in this area of specialization. Individuals who work or plan to work in states other than WV should contact their state education agency to determine if this program will meet requirements for certification in visual impairments in that state.

WVU has over 25 years of excellence in preparing special education personnel, has earned national awards for its innovative uses of distance education technologies and is fully accredited by the National Council on Accreditation of Teacher Education.

WVU has a decade of experience in online course and program delivery and employs faculty specially selected for their content expertise and extensive classroom experience, as well as their effectiveness in supporting adult learning.

To request a brochure with detailed information about the program and an application form, please contact sped@mail.wvu.edu or 304-293-7143.

LightHouse News

Public Encouraged to Attend JetBlue Accessibility Hearing

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On Friday, July 22, there will be a hearing on the disability access case against JetBlue Airways at the federal courthouse in San Francisco. The hearing is open to the public and will be held at 9:30 a.m. at 450 Golden Gate Avenue in courtroom A on the 15th floor.

Brought by the California Council of the Blind and three blind JetBlue customers, the case is about access barriers on JetBlue’s website and the inaccessibility of JetBlue’s airport check-in kiosks to people with visual impairments.

JetBlue has designed its website in a way that prevents blind customers from independently and privately accessing information and using the site’s features. JetBlue’s airport kiosks cannot be used by blind customers because the machines do not have audio output or an accessible means to input information.

JetBlue is asking United States District Court Magistrate Judge Joseph Spero to dismiss the case, arguing that California’s disability civil rights laws do not apply to JetBlue’s website or kiosks. According to JetBlue, only the United States Department of Transportation has jurisdiction to consider the access needs of blind JetBlue customers.

During the hearing, lawyers for CCB and the blind JetBlue customers will explain why California’s civil rights laws protect the state’s citizens with visual impairments from discrimination, including inaccessible airline websites and kiosks.

CCB and the individual JetBlue customers are being represented by Linda Dardarian of the Oakland civil rights firm Goldstein, Demchak, Baller, Borgen and Dardarian and the Law Office of Lainey Feingold. Linda will be presenting the argument to the court on July 22.

Those interested in attending the hearing can either go directly to the courthouse or meet at the Civic Center BART station at 8:30 a.m. Anyone who wants to meet at the BART station should send an email to LF@LFLegal.com. People can also contact Rachel Brill in Linda Dardarian’s office at 510-763-9800 for more information.

Additional details are available at http://lflegal.com/2011/06/jetblue-hearing.

LightHouse News

This Wednesday – Jobsite Conversation Series

Join us this Wednesday, July 20, for the next visit in our Jobsite Conversation series. We will visit San Francisco City Hall and chat with Jonathan Lyens, who serves as a Fiscal & Policy Assistant in the Office of Public Policy and Finance for San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee.

Jonathan has also worked in the administration of former Mayor Gavin Newsom. He joined the Mayor’s office in December of 2007 after working for two years in the Bay Area non-profit sector. Jonathan has worked on numerous political campaigns at the local, state and federal levels. He serves on the board of directors of the Richmond District Neighborhood Center and is a member of the San Francisco FDR Democratic Club for people with disabilities. He holds a Master’s in Public Administration from East Carolina University.

Jonathan has also arranged a tour for us of City Hall with Ellen Schumer, long-time head of the City Hall docent program. Lunch will be provided.

Sign up now! Space is limited so please RSVP by Tuesday, July 19. Contact contact Rich Russo at 415-694-7352 or rrusso@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

If you are a jobseeker and would like to meet and learn from some of the Bay Area’s most successful blind professionals, we invite you to join us.  Please contact Rich Russo at 415-694-7352 or rrusso@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

LightHouse News

Learn About SFSU Rehabilitation Counseling Program at Meetings in July, August

The Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling Training Program (RCTP) at San Francisco State University prepares professionals to provide counseling services to individuals with a wide array of disabilities and chronic illnesses.

The RCTP degree prepares students to work directly with clients or in supervisory positions in nonprofit and for-profit agencies, including such settings as schools, colleges and universities; the Department of Rehabilitation; the Veteran’s Administration; mental health agencies; and a wide array of community-based organizations.

The RCTP will be accepting applications for the fall 2012 semester in January 2012. Please visit the department website in late summer to view the 2012 application, deadline and directions. In the meantime, please consider attending a Rehabilitation Counseling Information Meeting to learn more about the program. Meetings will be held on the following dates:

Wednesday, July 27 from noon to 1 p.m.
Thursday, July 28 from 6 to 7 p.m.
Wednesday, August 17 from noon to 1 p.m.
Thursday, August 18 from 6 to 7 p.m.

Location: Burk Hall 312, SFSU Main Campus

Please RSVP to rehabilitationcouns@gmail.com with your name and the date when you plan to attend. If you have immediate questions, please contact Dr. Julie Chronister at jchronis@sfsu.edu.

To request accommodations for this meeting, please contact the SFSU Disability Programs and Resources Center at dprc@sfsu.edu; phone: 415-338-2472; or TTY: 415-338-2472. You may also visit http://www.sfsu.edu/~dprc/student.html.

Directions to the campus and a campus map can be found here.

For more information about the program, please go to http://counseling.sfsu.edu/ and http://counseling.sfsu.edu/rehabCoun.aspx. Please also visit the Rehabilitation Student Association website.

LightHouse News

Dinner and Fundraiser for Enchanted Hills Camp

Charlie Wilson with Camp Director Tony Fletcher

Join us for an evening of fabulous food and wine as we honor the memory of Charlie Wilson, who passed away last year.

Monday, July 18, 2011
Wine and cheese reception: 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Three-course dinner with wine pairings at 7:00 p.m.

2223 Restaurant
2223 Market Street between Sanchez and Noe, in San Francisco
Wine provided by A Cellar Full of Noise
Tickets are $75.00 each. Part of the proceeds of this fundraiser will be used to send blind seniors to Enchanted Hills Camp in Napa.

Click here to learn more or purchase tickets!

LightHouse News

Public Commentary Needed – Obtaining Accessible Instructional Materials While in College and Graduate School

On July 11 and 12, 2011, members of the Advisory Commission on Accessible Instructional Materials in Postsecondary Education for Students with Disabilities (AIM Commission) will convene for their fourth in-person meeting. AIM Commission members are interested in gathering public commentary on stakeholders’ personal experiences related to obtaining instructional materials in the postsecondary environment.

The meeting and public hearing are open to the public and press.

Attend the meetings in person or online, or submit your commentary by phone or email. Additional details regarding the meeting and public hearing are as follows:

The meeting will be held at the Sheraton Seattle in Seattle, Washington in conjunction with the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) annual conference.  AIM Commission members will review and discuss a draft of the AIM Commission’s report that will be submitted to Congress in the fall of 2011. On the evening of Tuesday, July 12, 2011, AIM Commission members will hold a public commentary session for all interested stakeholders, including students, Disability Service/ADA Coordinators, faculty, and other members of the university community.

WHERE: The Sheraton Seattle, 1400 6th Avenue, Seattle, Washington  98101

MEETING DATES:
Commission Meeting: July 11-12, 2011
Public Hearing: July 12, 2011

MEETING TIMES:

July 11: The open commission meeting will occur from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (PDT)

July 12: The open commission meeting will occur from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (PDT)

July 12: The public hearing will take place from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (PDT)

Participants who wish to comment at the public hearing in person or via telephone are encouraged to register in advance by calling Janet Gronneberg at the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) at 781-245-2212 (voice) or 781- 245-9320 (TTY) or by emailing her at jgronneberg@cast.org by June 30, 2011.

The submission of written public testimony is also highly encouraged and can be submitted to AIMCommission@ed.gov.

The AIM Commission meeting and public hearing can be accessed remotely through the Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) webinar system. Please click on the link below that corresponds with the correct time and date of the meeting:

Monday, July 11 (8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. PDT): https://aimpsc.ilinc.com/join/yvbmysr

Tuesday, July 12 (8:30 a.m.-3:15 p.m. PDT): https://aimpsc.ilinc.com/join/bbmtzsh

Tuesday, July 12 (3:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m. PDT): https://aimpsc.ilinc.com/join/yvbmyjr

Established by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, the AIM Commission has brought together government leaders, representatives from the publishing industry, individuals with print disabilities, representatives from two- and four-year institutions of higher education and leaders in accessible technology. The AIM Commission is charged with studying the current state of accessible materials for students with disabilities in postsecondary education and making recommendations to the Secretary of Education and the relevant authorizing committees in Congress for improving access to and the distribution of instructional materials in accessible formats.

 

 

LightHouse News

Jobsite Conversation Series Takes Off!

Last week, the LightHouse launched its Jobsite Conversation Series by visiting with Roberto Gonzalez, the Alternate Media Technology Specialist at Berkeley City College.

Roberto studied Computer Sciences at UC Berkeley and has worked as an AT Specialist for nearly two decades at companies such as HumanWare, Alva and Adaptive Technology Services. He is an expert in the field, and we are thankful he found time in his busy schedule to let us visit and hear first-hand of the successes and insights he has gained as a blind professional.

Our blind jobseekers gathered a wealth of knowledge during our visit with Roberto. From implementing self-advocacy during the interview process to accessing adaptive technology in the workplace to enhancing collaborations with one’s sighted colleagues, Roberto’s first hand stories and insights were well received and greatly appreciated. The group also enjoyed Roberto’s sense of humor as he recalled some of the more lighthearted challenges he has encountered as a blind professional.

Our next visit will take place on Wednesday, June 29. We will visit Karla Gilbride, an attorney at Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), a non-profit legal center whose mission is to ensure dignity, equality and opportunity for people with all types of disabilities throughout the United States and worldwide.

In 2007, Karla received her law degree from Georgetown University.  Soon thereafter, she moved to Seattle where she obtained a clerkship role for a Federal Judge. In August of 2008, Karla moved to the Bay Area after securing her current position with DRA. Karla will soon be returning to Washington D.C. to work for a law firm that focuses on Civil Rights and Consumer Rights with an emphasis on class action law suits.

We are greatly looking forward to spending time with Karla and learning about the success she has enjoyed as a blind attorney.

Join us! If you are a job seeker and would like to meet and learn from some of the Bay Area’s most successful blind professionals, please contact Rich Russo at 415-694-7352 or rrusso@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

 

 

 

LightHouse News, Resources in the Community

Herb Levine Legacy Fund

The Independent Living Resource Center San Francisco (ILRCSF) has announced the establishment of an annual fund designed to foster grassroots disability rights activism in California.

Executive Director Herb Levine is retiring after more than 30 years of leadership in the Independent Living Movement and ILRCSF is honoring his legacy of service by making a sustained commitment to fostering grassroots projects that are in line with their mission of working to ensure that people with disabilities are full social and economic partners, both within their families and in a fully accessible community.

Guidelines for applicants:

  • Projects must be California-based
  • Applicants must submit a 1 to 2 page letter describing their proposed project, a short statement about their involvement in the IL Movement, and a detailed budget of up to $1,500.
  • Individuals with connections to Independent living Centers throughout California are strongly encouraged to apply, though applicants with no affiliation to an ILC will still be considered.

All applications must be received, annually, by July 9th, Herb’s birthday. Winners will be announced, annually, on the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, July 26th.

The establishment of the fund was made possible by a generous donation, and will need to be sustained by donations made to the Herb Levine Legacy Fund. Both applications and donations may be mailed to:

ILRCSF
RE: The Herb Levine Legacy Fund
649 Mission St, FL 3
San Francisco, CA 94105