t is with great sadness and a heavy heart we share the passing of our dear friend and 2017 Holman Prizewinner, Ojok Simon. On July 25, Ojok passed away in his home of Gulu, Uganda and is survived by his loving wife and five children.  

Ojok Simon was one of three recipients of the very first Holman Prize in 2017. For those who may not know about the Holman Prize: each year LightHouse awards three blind people worldwide $25,000 to achieve an ambition over a 12-month period. Ojok’s ambition was to train other blind Ugandans to support themselves and their families by becoming beekeepers like him. In Ojok’s Holman Prize pitch video, he talks about his childhood and growing up in rural Uganda – how he was not able to go out in the bush to hunt for wild honey like his brothers, and how he eventually trained himself to safely and successfully  become a beekeeper. You can hear Ojok tell his story to the Holman Prize team in this YouTube video. 

During his Holman Prize year, Ojok achieved his goal and trained over 50 blind people to become successful beekeepers. He was a mentor and leader in the blind community in Gulu. His legacy, HIVE Uganda, is a thriving organization today.  

Those who had the privilege of meeting and knowing Ojok have very kind words to say about him. 

Fellow 2017 Holman Prizewinner, Ahmet Ustunel, wanted to share this about his friend: 

“I am so sorry for our loss. It was great to get to know Ojok. Although we only spent a few days together in San Francisco during the Holman Prize orientation, it was enough time to become good friends with him. We kept in touch for the last four years. I’ll always remember him as a fun, happy, positive and generous person. My first memory of Ojok was the two of us running together towards the ocean. It was his first time seeing the Pacific Ocean. It was so great to be part of that moment and share his joy.” 

Fellow 2017 Holman Prizewinner and friend, Penny Melville-Brown, shares her sense of loss and sympathies: 

“I am very staggered to learn of Ojok’s passing.  I have been in contact with him just recently about beekeeping as we also have bees here in Hampshire, UK.  We have been looking for ways that English beekeepers could learn from and support his activities in Uganda where he has been a leading light in training other blind people in this ancient craft, giving them more personal and financial independence.  

“I was honored to have spent time with him in San Francisco in 2017 when we were just setting out on our Holman adventures and, then again in 2018, when we each gave presentations about our achievements and successes to the gala dinner. He had certainly used his prize to improve the lives of many other blind men and women in his country while also spreading his vigor, humor and determination to an international audience. It was a delight to have known him and I’m glad that my book captures just a glimpse of his wonderful personality. He was a fabulous force of nature, an inspiration to everyone (whether a beekeeper or blind person). I am proud to have known him, been a peripheral part of his world and a shadow of his burning passion to change life for others with visual impairment. He is a huge loss to the international blind and beekeeping communities. My heart goes out to his family and friends who will be mourning this gaping hole in their lives.” 

Holman Prize judge and former LightHouse Board member, Hoby Wedler, remembers Ojok fondly: 

“Ojok was a true leader in the blindness world and had a joy of life that was infectious. I vividly recall his enthusiasm, charismatic nature, and excitement for his Holman Prize opportunity.” 

LightHouse and the Holman Prize alumni send their deepest condolences to Ojok’s loved ones. We are proud to have known and worked with Ojok Simon, to have watched his achievements with HIVE Uganda, and to honor his life, his legacy, and his leadership in the blind community.  

To read more about Ojok and his time with LightHouse as a Holman Prizewinner, here are links to a June 2017 LightHouse interview with Ojok shortly after he was announced as a winner and an August 2017 LightHouse interview with Ojok when he was nearing the end of his Holman Prize year.

Please note: an online giving fund is being set up to support Ojok’s family. We will share more information on this in the coming weeks.

Election Day is November 8 and it’s a midterm election. Federally, Californians will elect members of Congress. Statewide, they’ll elect a Governor, members of the California State Legislature and other statewide offices. Plus, there will be various local elections. This is the first election affected by the redistricting that followed the 2020 census.
 
LightHouse wants to make sure you’re informed, so on August 25^th, representatives from the San Francisco Department of Elections will hold a virtual info session to discuss the next election. This information session is open to anyone and contains information for voters throughout California.

Information will be provided in English, Chinese and Spanish on the following topics:

• Redistricting and how this impacts voters.
• General Information about the November General Election
• Accessible Voting information materials
• Emergency Ballot Delivery Program.

Join us and learn how you can improve your voting experience this November.

Topic: San Francisco Department of Elections Info Session
Date: Thursday, August 25
Time: Noon to 1:00 pm
Virtual Location: Zoom
RSVP: To Sabrina Bolus at SBolus@old.lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7607.

By Deanna Contreras
Marketing and Communications for PG&E
 
Editor’s Note: This article chronicles the discovery of Native American artifacts found at Enchanted Hills Campgrounds after the 2017 wildfires

While working to restore power and remove hazardous trees after the 2017 Nuns Fire, a PG&E forester found what turned out to be ancient artifacts in the mountains west of Napa that shed new light on the region’s rich cultural history.

Following protocol, the forester immediately halted work in the area and notified PG&E’s cultural resource specialists, who are a dedicated team of in-house archaeologists. “We work with all lines of business here at PG&E to protect the landscape where people before us resided,” said Jennifer Darcangelo, one of 15 on-staff PG&E archaeologists and PG&E’s Tribal and Cultural Resources Land Consultant.
 
Now, four years later, those artifacts will help educate children and adults who are blind, Deafblind or have low vision about the past.
 
On Thursday, August 4, PG&E and consultant partners, Far Western Anthropological Resource Group, delivered the artifacts to Enchanted Hills Camp, a program space run and owned by LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

“This is a very momentous occasion to have these artifacts available to the blind community to learn and celebrate our history. We thank our friends at PG&E for doing this and providing the funding and support for something like this,” said Tony Fletcher, Senior Director of Enchanted Hills Camp and Retreat.
 
PG&E and Far Western also delivered replicas for the students to touch and feel, as well as an educational book about the excavation and artifacts both in print and Braille. Since the artifacts were found on land privately-owned by Enchanted Hills Camp and Retreat, they belong to the camp.

“The collection will live here rather than an academic or museum setting. It will be used in different ways. Parts will be used in a touch box, where we made replicas that students can handle, with Braille tags explaining what they were used for. We also are going to have a collection in a display case, with a resource guide in Braille that explains and describes the findings and gives information about the Wappo Tribe,” said Dr. Eric Wohlgemuth of Far Western Anthropological Research Group. “This is an unparalleled opportunity for students who are blind or have low vision to learn about archaeology in a tactile way.” added Dr. Wohlgemuth.
 
The camp is nestled in the forest of Mount Veeder, traditional territory of the Mishewal Wappo Tribe.

“I’m happy to be working with this group, this camp, that is caring for the land and has good stewardship and respect for the land,” said Scott Gabaldon, Chairman of the Mishewal Wappo Tribe of Alexander Valley.

Artifacts uncovered include tools for cutting, scraping and griding, spearpoints, arrowheads, animal bones, and beads made from ocean shells; all items that indicate a portion of the site was used as a family summer camp about 200-400 years ago.

“This treasure trove of Native American artifacts, that were here long before we were a camp, can be used to teach our students about history,” said Tony.
 
In addition, as the archaeologists dug deeper, they came upon an exciting find: a larger obsidian dart point that was used with an atlatl (spear-thrower), estimated between 750 to 920 years old.
 
“Archaeological resources are not renewable. Once a site is disturbed, it can’t be put back the way it was, but we can learn from it. We think the students will use this to learn about the past and the area they live in, a community that we care about too,” added Jennifer.

Caring for our planet is crucial and learning how to take proper care of our local environment is the first step towards a cleaner Earth. However, it can sometimes be confusing identifying which materials can be recycled or composted and which are landfill. Well friends, we have a solution for your waste management problem!
 
LightHouse is pleased to announce that in collaboration with the San Francisco Department of Environment, we will be hosting an educational training session on waste management for our staff and community members on August 24 at 1:00 PM. This training will be a virtual event hosted via Zoom

The training will focus on waste management and will include the “what, where, how, and why” for handling your everyday waste streams of recycling, compost, and landfill. This training will be beneficial to all LightHouse staff and students – not only when at 1155 Market St., but in your everyday travels and at home as well. Please download the Waste Management training document and accessible Waste Management PowerPoint presentation. Together, we can learn best practices in caring for our local environment.
 
Topic: Waste Management Training
Date: August 24, 2022
Time: 1:00 PM Pacific Time
Virtual Location: Zoom Meeting Link for Waste Management Training

It is with great pleasure we share an excerpt of a recent article from the San Francisco Chronicle highlighting longtime friend and former LightHouse Board member, Jerry Kuns. “Blind in S.F.: How one man learned to ‘see’ San Francisco,” is written by Carl Nolte and shared with his permission below:

“Jerry Kuns has a special feeling for San Francisco, a city he cannot see. Kuns, who is totally blind, lives in a bright and cheerful house just above Noe Valley and just below Twin Peaks. He goes for a walk through the city every day with friends, and once a week or so he walks along Ocean Beach from the zoo to the Cliff House and back — “about 6 miles round trip,” he says. “I know San Francisco,” he said the other afternoon. “It is my city.”

“He used to lead sighted people on tours of the city — listening to what they told him they could see and then offering his sense of the city. “I still show off San Francisco any time I get the chance,” he said. For a while, he ran a small tour business as kind of a sideline. He billed himself as Jose and called it Jose Can You See Blind Guided Walking Tours.

“Kuns is part educator, part entrepreneur, part salesman and part tactile artist, and he lives life on his own terms. He is a tall lean man with unruly gray hair and a Vandyke beard. He recently turned 80. “An octogenarian,” he said with a wry smile. “

To continue reading “Blind in S.F.: how one man learned to ‘see’ San Francisco” by Carl Nolte, click here.

It may already be August, but the summer fun continues for us here at Adaptations with the announcement of a brand-new product available in-store and online. We are excited to introduce the BlindShell Classic 2 – a talking smartphone designed specifically for those who are blind or have low vision!

The BlindShell Classic 2 is the ultimate in accessible cell phones. It will clearly speak all numbers and menu options in the voice setting of your choosing. The keys are thoughtfully designed with raised symbols that are easily discerned from one another by touch. This phone is based on the Android platform and contains several accessible built-in apps designed with blind users in mind. For users who are new to, or struggle with, touchscreen devices, the tactile buttons and spoken feedback makes the BlindShell Classic 2 the perfect device!

One of the BlindShell Classic 2’s greatest features are its ability to download a popular visual interpreting app called Aira. Aira connects the user to a sighted agent capable of using the BlindShell Classic 2’s camera to see the caller’s environment. Need to read a document or find out what’s on a restaurant menu? Are you hunting for the entrance to an unfamiliar place? Did you receive a card in the mail but can’t make out who it came from or what it says? Now, a live on-demand visual interpreting subscription can be yours with just the press of a few buttons! The sky is the limit, and we can’t wait to see how many new ways our Adaptations shoppers will find to make use of this tremendous feature.

Order your BlindShell Classic 2 in red or in black today for $489 from Adaptations.org. You may also place an order by phone or connect with one of our knowledgeable staff members by calling 888-400-8933.

Happy shopping!