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LightHouse News

Holman Prize for Blind Ambition 2020 – Applications open January 15

01/14/2020 LightHouse Staff

Are you blind or visually impaired? Will you be over the age of 18 on October 1, 2020? Creative and entrepreneurial, with ambitious, far-reaching dreams? Submissions for the Holman Prize, LightHouse for the Blind’s annual competition to win up to $25,000 for blind adventurers and creators to complete their most ambitious projects, are open January 15!

How to Apply to the Holman Prize? The initial application is a 90 second YouTube video describing the project, what the prize money would fund and a brief application form. Semifinalists will later be asked to provide in-depth written proposals. Later, finalists will be interviewed by LightHouse staff in order to select a winner. All the information you need, including terms and conditions, can be found here: holmanprize.org.

Now in its fourth year, the San Francisco LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired’s Holman Prize for Blind Ambition is an international competition that is awarded annually to three blind individuals who wish to push their limits. It is named for James Holman, a nineteenth century blind explorer and author, who was the most prolific traveler before the era of modern transportation.

Past winners have completed feats like traversing the Bosporus Straight via solo kayak, hosting the first conference in Mexico for blind children and their families led by blind professionals, and creating an app to enable blind citizen scientists to participate in the search for exoplanets by listening to space. Our nine winners so far have come from five countries on four continents and have all found unique ways to forever change the world’s perception of blindness.

We all know ambitious blind people. Please spread the word about the Holman Prize to encourage your blind friends and associates to apply. Copy this announcement and send to your network and join our social media community for updates:

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

A big idea, a quick application form and a 90 second pitch video are all you need to apply. For inspiration here is the YouTube Playlist of 2019 Holman Prize Finalists

Application information is available here: holmanprize.org/apply. If you have any questions, please contact us at holman@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

Applications close March 15 at 5 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.

Photo by Sarika Dagar

LightHouse News

LightHouse Remembers Cathy Skivers (1925-2019)

12/20/2019 LightHouse Staff 1 Comment

Dear LightHouse Family,

Last week we learned of the passing of Cathy Skivers, one of the longest-lived and most influential leaders in the California blindness community. I’ve known Cathy for more than 20 years, and in that time we developed a special respect and love for one another. I worked especially closely with her 18 years ago as she played a key part in assembling the Blind Alliance for Rehab Change, which eventually succeeded in passing SB105, creating a specialized division within the Department of Rehabilitation for the blind and deaf. Cathy followed with interest the growth and expansion of LightHouse, and even in her 90s attended the Braille Challenge here.

A photo of young Cathy Skivers — A photo of a young Cathy Skivers

In 2018 LightHouse awarded Cathy one of its highest honors, the Newel Perry Award. We simply couldn’t think of another Californian who had devoted fully 70 years in activism on behalf of the blind. Read the full text of the program accompanying the award, below.

I had the honor of speaking with Cathy just a few days before she passed. Cathy repeated the wish she often expressed to me, that she promised Dr. Perry at the end of his life that she would work to unify the factionalism in the California blindness community. She urged me and LightHouse to continue our work to be a place open and welcoming to all blind people of all ideologies and perspectives. It’s a charge LightHouse will continue to champion as we inherit part of this great woman’s legacy.

Sincerely,

Bryan Bashin, CEO
LightHouse for the Blind

P.S. We are privileged to have in the archives an interview Cathy gave to several LightHouse employees about her longstanding relationship with California blindness leader Newel Perry. You can can download the interview here or listen to it below.

THE NEWEL PERRY AWARD

For nearly 60 years, Newel Perry originated, organized and led the blindness movement in California and beyond. Dr. Perry became blind as a child in rural northern California in the 1870s, was the first blind graduate of Berkeley High School in 1892, went on to academic distinction at UC Berkeley and eventually earned a doctorate in advanced mathematics in Germany. Nearly all of the pivotal blind legislation in the first half of the 20^th century in California was the result of Perry and his followers who eventually established the California Council of the Blind in 1934.

In 2018, LightHouse’s awarded the Newel Perry Award to Cathy, one of the few living people who worked directly with Dr. Perry and continued his work for another 70 years. Cathy came to California from Missouri in 1948, in part after reading the articles of Dr. Perry as a young girl. Upon arriving, Dr. Perry helped her get her first job and then the two began a lifelong collaboration to help blind people gain the support they needed to succeed in life.

Over the next three generations, Cathy helped hundreds of blind Californians believe in themselves, find jobs and live independently. Her longtime advocacy eventually helped her get elected president of the California Council of the Blind, its first female president in 63 years. Cathy served on state and national boards throughout her life, and she counted as her second proudest achievement the passage of SB105, establishing a specialized division for the blind within the Department of Rehabilitation. Her proudest accomplishment, she said, were her five sons, who she raised as a single parent while working for the IRS. Cathy continued to be moved by the promise she made to Dr. Perry at the end of his life, to work to find a way to unite all blind organizations for greatest effectiveness.

LightHouse News

Adaptations Online Store Now Open

11/15/2019 LightHouse Staff

Just in time for holiday shopping, LightHouse for the Blind’s Adaptations Store is launching its new online store. Now you can shop 24/7 at www.adaptations.org and have our products sent directly to your door.

We are opening with a SALE!

Visitors save 10% at checkout when they use code LH10. In addition, now you can take 20% off the cost of TMAP orders on the site when you use code TMAP20 at checkout.

Discount codes are valid through December 20, 2019.

You can always contact Adaptations directly to talk with an expert for ordering and product guidance at 1-888-400-8933 or adaptations@old.lighthouse-sf.org. Our brick and mortar store in San Francisco is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and the second Saturday of each month from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Adaptations blindness technology store has been a brick and mortar operation since 1993. Nationwide demand for our popular items and unique line of LightHouse products has prompted us to go online.

LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired provides education, training, advocacy and community for blind individuals in California and around the world. Founded in 1902, the LightHouse is one of the largest and most established comprehensive blindness organizations in North America, with a wide variety of programs, as well as a rich network of blindness advocates and professionals.

To support the LightHouse click here.

LightHouse News

Welcome to Windows 10

11/05/2019 LightHouse Staff 4 Comments

Come join the LightHouse access tech team as we explore features and functions of Windows 10, yes Windows 10.

Do you have concerns, are you skeptical, do you wonder why you can’t stick with Windows 7 instead of learning a new operating system? The time has come to make the transition and we will help to allay your concerns and share our knowledge of the differences between Windows 7 and Windows 10. We will point out some of the new features of Windows 10, explore similarities and differences between the two operating systems and explain why the transition has become necessary.

You must be an enrolled LightHouse student to participate. To sign up for the class, contact Shen Kuan at 415-694-7312 or skuan@old.lighthouse-sf.org This class is free to participants through support from the City of San Francisco’s SF Connected program.

LightHouse News

During the month of November – enjoy a very special blind wine tasting at One Market

10/29/2019 Andrea Ogarrio

Attention lovers of good wine and food. Throughout November, the celebrated San Francisco destination restaurant One Market is fundraising for LightHouse. For only $15.00 you can enjoy a blind wine tasting of three terrific wines, with all proceeds to benefit LightHouse for the Blind.

When: Throughout the month of November, 2019.
Where: One Market Restaurant, 1 Market Street, San Francisco, CA, 415.777.5577, onemarket.com.
Just let your server know you are interested in the Wine Tasting benefiting LightHouse for the Blind.

Created by Chef Bradley Ogden and restaurateur, and Managing Partner, Michael Dellar in 1993, One Market Restaurant has become a standard for sophisticated dining in San Francisco. For the past 14 years One Market has offered the award-winning farm-to-table cuisine of Chef/Partner Mark Dommen. One Market also boasts one of the city’s most impressive wine lists curated by Sommelier and Wine Director Tonya Pitts.

LightHouse News

Ed Wong Brings Career Advice and Bread to the LightHouse

10/29/2019 Christina Daniels 3 Comments

LightHouse Employment Specialist Ed Wong explains that he “took the total San Francisco route” when it came to his education. Born in San Francisco, Ed went to City College of San Francisco and San Francisco State University where he received a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

Ed has a lot of experience working in job placement, but once worked a very different side of the field. During the late 1990s dot-com bubble, when investors poured money into a flurry of internet startups, Ed worked at a now-defunct website called HotJobs where people could search online for jobs. He worked with companies who wanted to place their job advertisements on the website.

Several years later, Ed became a job recruiter for the Human Resources Department of the City and County of San Francisco where he worked to fill positions at that agency. This is when Ed first heard about the LightHouse. One of Ed’s projects was to recruit people with disabilities to fill jobs. “LightHouse was the organization that gave me the most qualified candidates,” he beams.

Because of the work San Francisco’s Human Resources Department was doing with LightHouse, Ed began learning about the blindness community. Getting to know blind jobseekers with different work histories made him better at his job. “I learned to speak with different hiring managers about hiring people with disabilities,” he elaborates.

Ed recently joined the LightHouse team as an Employment Specialist and works with LightHouse students who are looking for jobs. Besides teaching the fundamentals of resume writing and job interviewing skills, Ed also serves as a career mentor. He understands that being unemployed is frustrating. “A lot of people identify their worth with employment and it’s detrimental when they aren’t employed,” he remarks. One thing Ed does is work with students on crafting their “elevator pitch”, that is, a 30-second summary of the work experience and skills they bring to a job. “When they get good at that pitch, they just exude confidence,” he declares. While Ed serves as a guide, each student must take an active role in their job search. “I’m here to help, but students also have to search for their own positions.”

Ed has been married nearly twenty years and has two teenage sons. “One of the challenges I have right now is helping them navigate high school,” he explains. Luckily, he and his sons have time to enjoy fun things like Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and savory Chinese pancakes at House of Pancakes on Taraval in San Francisco.

Another thing Ed enjoys doing is feeding his coworkers. “My mother-in-law’s good friend works at a bakery. The owner invited me to take the bread that isn’t going to be sold.” So once a week, Ed brings freshly baked bread for his fellow LightHouse staff to enjoy.

Ed describes how his work with students at LightHouse has impacted him: “Once you place a person in a job and see where it takes them, it’s an overwhelming feeling of joy and fulfillment.”

Want to learn more about LightHouse’s employment programs? Visit our Employment Immersion Programs page, or contact Wanda Pearson at 415-694-7359 or eiteam@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

LightHouse News

LightHouse Observes White Cane Day with Mayor London Breed

10/16/2019 LightHouse Staff 1 Comment

On Tuesday, October 15, LightHouse celebrated White Cane Day. Eighty-seven LightHouse ambassadors, visitors and staff gathered to talk about the white cane as a tool for blind independence. San Francisco Mayor London Breed joined us and talked about San Francisco’s commitment to making the city a great place for seniors and people with disabilities to live and work. After her remarks, LightHouse received an official proclamation from the Mayor’s Office declaring October 15, 2019 as White Cane Day. Afterwards, the LightHouse group marched to City Hall to create awareness about the white cane and blind pedestrian safety.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed holds a tactile map of the White Cane Day route to City Hall. Photo by Caitlin O’Malior.

The event was highlighted in the San Francisco Chronicle and profiled on ABC7’s evening news broadcast.

LightHouse O&M instructors, some wearing Safe Streets t-shirts.

LightHouse celebrates White Cane Day on steps of San Francisco City Hall. — LightHouse friends, many wearing “my cane is my right-of-way” t-shirts, stand on the steps in front of San Francisco’s City Hall holding the LightHouse banner. Photo by Sarika Dagar.

Many White Cane Day participants wore t-shirts designed in partnership with the Vision Zero SF Safe Streets project. Vision Zero SF is committed to eliminating traffic fatalities by 2024 in San Francisco, by educating the public about traffic safety and adopting policy changes that will save lives. The t-shirts come in orange, black and white. The front of the shirts show two blind pedestrians drawn in outline in a crosswalk, using their canes. A car is stopped outside the crosswalk at a stop sign. Words, above, read “My cane is my right-of-way.” On the back of the shirts, it reads, “My Cane is my right-of-way.” in English, Spanish, Chinese and Tagalog.

In celebration of White Cane Awareness Month, white canes are 10% off at our Adaptations Store for walk-in customers for the entire month of October! Visit us at on the 10th floor of 1155 Market in San Francisco. Store hours are Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. We’re also open on the second Saturday, October 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

LightHouse Alternate Media Specialist Caitlin O’Malior shows Mayor London Breed and her staff a tactile map.

LightHouse ambassadors Ana Maria Mendoza and Jorge Ellington in black and orange versions of the Safe Streets t-shirt. The shirts show person drawn in outline holding a white cane crossing a street. There is a car waiting outside the crosswalk. The sign reads “My cane is my right-of-\way”.

LightHouse volunteers Anthony Lee Harper and Robert Cortez pose with LightHouse Safe Streets Ambassador Wen Lin in the center.

A group stands in front of LightHouse headquarters waiting to cross Market Street.

The back of the White Cane Day t-shirt: It reads, “My Cane is My Right of Way” in English, Spanish, Chinese and Tagal

People with white canes getting ready to cross a street.

LightHouse News

Look for LightHouse on San Francisco Muni Buses

09/30/2019 Andrea Ogarrio

As part of LightHouse’s involvement in the Vision Zero SF campaign Safe Streets for Seniors, and to celebrate White Cane Day, LightHouse has put up bus tails (advertising appearing on the back of a bus) on Muni buses across San Francisco. The whimsical ad depicts drawn images of blind pedestrians using a white cane to cross the street. Next to the image it reads, “My cane is my right-of-way.”

The bus tails can be seen through the end of October on many buses that run to and from downtown San Francisco, including but not limited to the following bus lines:

7/7X, 38/38R, 1, 8/8BX, 49, 47, 9/9R, 39, 14R and 14X.

LightHouse News

Celebrate White Cane Day and meet Mayor London Breed

09/30/2019 Andrea Ogarrio 1 Comment

Calling all members of the blind community, friends and allies. Tuesday, October 15 is White Cane Day. Celebrate and promote safety awareness at LightHouse Headquarters as we meet Mayor London Breed and walk to City Hall. Bring your canes or dog guides and be seen.

When: Tuesday, October 15, 2019, 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Where: Meet at LightHouse Headquarters on the 10th floor.
Light refreshments will be served before the walk.

We’ll get things started with a 30-minute welcome meeting at LightHouse Headquarters on the 10th floor to talk about the importance of the white cane, LightHouse’s involvement with the Safe Streets for Seniors project and pedestrian safety in the city. San Francisco Mayor London Breed will be there to say hello.

At 10:30, we’ll leave LightHouse as a group and walk proudly to City Hall and back to create awareness and visibility around the white cane and blind pedestrians. Photos will be taken, and we’ll be giving away free Safe Streets t-shirts (now in white!) to wear as you walk.

Please RVSP directly to Briana Kusuma at bkusuma@old.lighthouse-sf.org or 415.694.7335. If you’d like a new Safe Streets t-shirt, be sure to give us your shirt size. Or wear one you already have.

1n 1964, at the urging of the National Federation of the Blind and other organizations, the United States Congress adopted a joint resolution designating October 15 of each year as White Cane Safety Day, recognizing that white canes enable blind people to travel safely and independently.

LightHouse News

San Francisco’s Market Street is being transformed and the city wants to hear from you

09/24/2019 LightHouse Staff 1 Comment

You’re invited to a community gathering on Thursday, October 3, to learn more about and give input to the Better Market Street project.

When: Thursday, October 3, 4:30 to 6:00 p.m.
Where: LightHouse Headquarters, 1155 Market St, 10th Floor

Better Market Street is the City’s multi-agency project to transform 2.2 miles of Market Street, from Octavia Boulevard to Stuart Street, enhancing safety and accessibility, improving transit performance, replacing aging infrastructure, and revitalizing the corridor’s streetscape.

The project is advancing toward approval this fall and in the coming months, team members from San Francisco Public Works and San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will be joining us for community meetings to provide updates on the project.

At our first meeting, we’ll hear an overview with an emphasis on the first phase of the project, Market Street between Eighth and Fifth streets, right in front of LightHouse Headquarters. The team will also discuss proposed transit stops and passenger drop-off zones, as much of these streetscape improvements may affect the travel of blind pedestrians. This meeting is a key one in which we all can give input.

Please join us at 1155 Market Street, 10th floor, on Thursday, Oct. 3, 4:30 to 6:00 p.m.

RSVP directly to Jennifer Blot of San Francisco Public Works: Jennifer.blot@sfdpw.org or 415-554-6993.