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LightHouse News

Sign Up Now for Employment Immersion Sessions for October, January

09/30/2016 LightHouse Staff

Join the many LightHouse students who have found work through the LightHouse Employment Immersion Program. The program is for people who are blind or have low vision, from any background, seeking any job.

“Blind people forget that employers need them. We—the blind—have vast skill sets. We are scientists, artists, journalists, you name it. Often our blindness has nothing to do with our careers, except that it can make us stronger, and hiring us adds a diverse voice in the workplace. I remind my students that they truly are assets to any company. It’s not just a line we feed the students; it’s a reality Employment Immersion helps them discover.”
—Employment Immersion Program Leader Kate Williams

The next Employment Immersion sessions are scheduled as follows:

Where: The LightHouse Building, 1155 Market St., 10th Floor, 94103

When:
October 11 through November 10, 2016
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

January 10 through February 9, 2017
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

To learn more, contact Employment Immersion Coordinator Wanda Pearson at WPearson@old.lighthouse-sf.org or call 415-694-7359.

LightHouse News

LightHouse’s 5-week Keyboarding Class, beginning October 3

09/30/2016 LightHouse Staff

LightHouse’s 5-week Keyboarding Class teaches students how to use the computer keyboard correctly for effective AT (Assistive Technology) Computing using the latest screen reader and/or magnification software.

This keyboarding class will focus on touch typing techniques, listening skills and the accuracy and speed that are necessary for competitive employment and academic advancement. Students will attend weekly classes and instructor-guided lab practices.

Where: the LightHouse Building, 1155 Market St., 10th floor, San Francisco, 94103
When: 15 classes from October 3 through November 4, 2016
Dates of classes: Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the following dates: October 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 14, 17, 19, 21, 24, 26, 28 and 31 and November 2 and 4
LightHouse Instructors: Christina Daniels, Shen Kuan and Jeff Buckwalter
Cost: $1,125.00 per student. You may qualify for partial or full scholarship if you are 55 or older and not currently working with the Department of Rehabilitation or the Veterans Administration.

Space is limited, so sign up now.

For more information or to sign up, please contact Shen Kuan at 415-694-7312 or skuan@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

LightHouse News

Thank You to Our Community Partners

09/30/2016 LightHouse Staff

The LightHouse wishes to thank its devoted friends and community partners who have recently shown their support by providing significant funds to help our programs go further and reach higher:

The Alcon Foundation – for Enchanted Hills Camp
The Annunziata Sanguinetti Foundation – for Community Services (SF Youth only) and Enchanted Hills Camp Scholarships
Jennison Assuncion – for Technology Training
Lisa Carvalho and David Mager – for the Campaign for a 21^st Century LightHouse and General Support
Simon Cherry – For youth scholarships to Enchanted Hills Camp
Core Financial Corporation – to support Yoga at our Changing Vision Changing Life immersion sessions
Delta Gamma Fraternity/UC Davis – Delta Chi Chapter – for Enchanted Hills Camp
Joan Dove – for the Campaign for a 21^st Century LightHouse
The Fong’s Initiative – for the Campaign for a 21^st Century LightHouse
Francis North Foundation – for Enchanted Hills Camp
Elizabeth Freer and Michael Headley – for the Campaign for a 21^st Century LightHouse
Genentech – for Changing Vision Changing Life programs
Herbst Foundation – for the Herbst 10th Floor Reception and Community Learning Center
Mark Cavagnero Associates – for the Campaign for a 21^st Century LightHouse
Mutual of America – for the Campaign for a 21^st Century LightHouse
Rotary Club of Napa – for Enchanted Hills Camp through Cycle for Sight 2016
Salesforce – for the Campaign for a 21^st Century LightHouse and General Support
Michele Spitz – for Superfest and to underwrite tickets to cultural events
Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute – for the Campaign for a 21^st Century LightHouse
Todd Stevenot and Anne Sandbach – for the Campaign for a 21^st Century LightHouse
Toyota Partner Robot Group – for the Innovation Lab Sponsored by Toyota

LightHouse News

October 6 Through 8: Explore Street Art and Design Along San Francisco’s Market Street with the LightHouse’s New Free Tactile Map

09/29/2016 LightHouse Staff

LightHouse for the Blind has teamed up with a special partner to introduce an accessible element into one of San Francisco’s most intriguing new design-focused city art projects: introducing the Market Street Prototyping Festival Tactile Map. Join us October 7th at 5 p.m. to learn to use the map, and then go out and explore Market Street (RSVP to solsen@old.lighthouse-sf.org).

Between Thursday, October 6th and Sunday, October 8th, Market Street will be transformed. Imagine installations all along the wide sidewalks and broad pathways, each with its own engaging purpose – whether it’s to pique your interest, make you laugh, calm you down, or just plain fascinate. That’s the job of the Market Street Prototyping Festival, an annual fair which takes over more than a mile of San Francisco’s iconic main drag each year to give pedestrians something a whole new glimpse into the potential of engaging design. Produced by San Francisco Planning and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the sidewalks between 7th Street and the Embarcadero will be filled with temporary installations ranging from performance spaces and relaxation zones to dynamic art pieces and more.

Our free map, which covers three festival districts – Central Market, Retail Heart, and Embarcadero – shows, through tactile lines and symbols, all the different attractions of the festival. The maps are made with tactile, braille, high-contrast ink print, and large print text in order to be universally accessible.

To get a free copy of our map, email Esmeralda Soto at esoto@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

As part of the weekend, our community services team will also be hosting map orientations and walking explorations of the festival for those 18 years and older. These tours will help blind and low vision individuals get acquainted with our map standards and develop a comfort level with using our maps as an effective wayfinding tool.

To sign up to explore the new Market Street art and design installations with the LightHouse, email Serena Olsen at solsen@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

More about the Market Street Prototyping Festival:

Established in 2015, the Market Street Prototyping Festival (MSPF) is using community-led design to make Market Street more a vibrant and engaging destination for the people that live, work and play along its path. An equal partnership between Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and the San Francisco Planning Department, the Prototyping Festival was born out of their shared desire to make Market Street a more vibrant, connected destination; one that brings together different people, communities, and neighborhoods.

This year, over 100 local citizens and organizations submitted ideas for how to improve Market Street’s street life. Thirty of these ideas were selected to become temporary design installations (prototypes), which are breathing newfound joy into Market Street during this three-day festival. After the festival, several prototypes will be further considered for permanent installation under the city’s Better Market Street initiative.

This festival is more than public art; it’s a new way of thinking about urban design. These ideas will help shape the future of this legendary street, and set a model for how our city engages the community in the civic process.

Join the LightHouse to take in the festival October 6, 7 and 8. Email esoto@old.lighthouse-sf.org for more info.

LightHouse News

October Youth Employment Series (YES) Workshop

09/26/2016 LightHouse Staff

Photo: YES Academy students raise their arms in happy unison while seated in a MUNI F-Line heritage streetcar.

Would you like to be a YES Protégé?
We are currently seeking protégés for the Youth Employment Series (YES). Protégés will benefit from vocational and blindness skills training, meaningful work and volunteer opportunities, as well as career-specific mentorships with the working blind. This informative monthly series will provide transition-aged youth who are blind or have low vision with vital skills that will help them become more successful as they pursue their academic and employment dreams.

The October YES workshop is Making Advocacy Awesome!
When: Saturday, October 8, 2016, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Where: the new LightHouse Building, 1155 Market St., 10th Floor, San Francisco, 94103.
Who: Candidates must be transition aged students ages 14 to 26 who are blind or have low vision. They must be eligible for transitional rehabilitation services, deemed legally blind by a physician or accredited agency, and able to fulfill the training and work required by the program.

Is There a Cost to Attend the YES Workshops?
The cost to attend one of the LightHouse Youth Employment Series workshops is $175 per day-long workshop. In addition to the day’s activities and curriculum, students will receive a light breakfast, lunch and refreshments throughout the day. Department of Rehabilitation authorizations or other payment source must be secured before students will be eligible to participate.

If you have any questions or wish to apply, please contact Youth Services Coordinator Richie Flores at rflores@old.lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7328.

Topics that will be discussed in October include but are not limited to:

Instruction in self-advocacy, individual rights, self-determination skills, and the informed consent process, as well as peer mentoring
Learn about accommodations available to college students and those entering the workforce
Acquire and use blindness skills that will enrich life and help achieve ones goals, be more confident and learn how to advocate needs
Learn how to smoothly navigate through any system as a student transitioning into college from high school or from college to a career
Learn strategies that will help student make strong and positive first impressions
Learn how to develop, enhance and utilize ones network and relationship with peers and mentors

Additional Scheduled Workshops for Fall

Making Work Exciting
Saturday, November 12, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

LightHouse News

Explore Animals by Touch as LightHouse Youth, Their Families and Exploratorium go to the San Francisco Zoo

09/26/2016 LightHouse Staff

PHOTO: A large sign for the San Francisco Zoo, near its entrance.

On Sunday, October 16 LightHouse students and their families, aided by Exploratorium Staff and Youth staff, will have the chance to enjoy a hands-on experience at the San Francisco Zoo, in the Sculpture Learning Plaza.

The Sculpture Learning Plaza is an exciting, innovative and accessible addition to the Zoo. It has nearly 100 sculptures and reliefs that are meant to be explored by touch and illustrate the amazing array of adaptations from some of the world’s most unique species.

Who: Families with at least one person that is blind or has low vision. Immediate family members.
What: A day of interactive animal science and exploration at the San Francisco Zoo.
When: Sunday, October 16, 2016, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Where: The San Francisco Zoo, 1 Zoo Road, San Francisco, 94132
Cost: Free for LightHouse Youth. Additional family members may need to pay an entry fee.
Waiver: Each participant must complete a LightHouse Youth Program Application, if you have not done so already.
What to bring: good walking shoes, bag lunch or money for lunch, water bottle and warm layers of clothing. Please be sure to bring necessary adaptive equipment such as a cane or magnifier.

With our friends from the Exploratorium leading the way we will learn about the ecological threads that connect all living things.

The sculptures are made from a variety of construction materials providing realistic textures. Microscopic species, such as an amoeba, are enlarged to show detail, while other sculptures, like that of the salt water crocodile, are life-size to exhibit their impressive stature.

Read more about the Sculpture Learning Plaza.

If you would like more information or to RSVP for this event please contact Jamey Gump, Youth Services Coordinator, at 415-694-7372 or jgump@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

LightHouse News

Join the LightHouse For Its First-Ever Blind Soldering Workshop in November

09/22/2016 LightHouse Staff

Photo: Close-up of a flame being used to solder wire.

The LightHouse is holding its first-ever soldering workshop for people who are blind or have low vision.

Soldering is an essential skill for prototyping and building electronics. While many blind people can solder with skill and safety, working with delicate components and high-temperature molten solder can be daunting for beginners.

Who: Adults 18 and up who are blind or have low vision.
When: Friday, November 4 through Sunday, November 6, 2016.
Attendees are welcome to check-in as early as 3:00 p.m. on Friday, November 4. The program begins at 5:00 p.m. that day and lasts through noon on Sunday, November 6.
Where: the LightHouse Building, 1155 Market St., 10th floor, San Francisco, 94103.
Cost: $300 which includes overnight accommodations in our new Student Residences and material fees.
Deadline to apply is Friday, October 28. Payment secures your spot.

During this weekend-long workshop, attendees will be offered a unique opportunity to learn non-visual soldering techniques from some of the most skilled and experienced blind solderers in the world. In addition to gaining hands-on experience with a soldering iron, students will finish the workshop with an understanding of the metallurgy behind the use of flux and solder, as well as a strong foundation in the practical aspects of electronics soldering.

Students will be guided in building their own accessible continuity tester – one of the most fundamental and flexible tools for electronics work without vision. Workshop tuition includes the basic tools needed for soldering, with the continuity tester, soldering station, and other tools yours to keep at the conclusion of the workshop.

This workshop will be facilitated by Dr. Joshua Miele, Associate Director of the Smith-Kettlewell Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Low Vision and Blindness, Creative Director of LightHouse Labs, and founder of the Blind Arduino Project. Our team of highly-qualified soldering instructors all have decades of experience building electronics and teaching non-visual soldering techniques to students with a broad range of experience.

For more information or to apply to the first-ever LightHouse soldering workshop, contact Director of Community Services Lisamaria Martinez via email at info@old.lighthouse-sf.org or by phone at 415-431-1481.

LightHouse News

HIMS Assistive Tech Demo Day Comes to LightHouse in October

09/15/2016 LightHouse Staff

HIMS has just announced its Demo Day at LightHouse for the Blind. Download the flyer here or read full text below:

Coming to San Francisco October 4, 2016!

Come learn about new advances in technology for low vision and blindness!

When: October 4, 2016 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Where: San Francisco Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired
1155 Market Street, 10th oor, San Francisco, CA 94103

What’s new at HIMS? Join Damian Pickering and Paul Stevenson for the latest braille and low vision product news. Stay for lunch on us. We welcome this opportunity to share our latest innovations. We would also love to hear your dream wishlist of features and products you’d like to see from HIMS.

Learn about and try Braille Notetakers, Braille Displays, DAISY Players/OCR Video Magnifiers/OCR and more

RSVP to Paul Stevenson by Monday, October 3rd by calling 888-520-4467 ext. 316 or emailing paul@hims-inc.com.

LightHouse News, Open Call

Meet Actiview, the Ultimate App for Movie Theater Accessibility

09/06/2016 LightHouse Staff 1 Comment

If you’ve been to one of the LightHouse’s film festivals, our party at Pixar, or even just watched a movie in one of the living rooms at the New LightHouse, you’ll know that we care about making films as accessible as possible, no matter what kind of vision you have. That’s one of the big reasons why, when a new company called Actiview showed up at the doors of our old office this spring, we knew it was something great.

Fast forward six months, and Actiview now runs their operation out of the LightHouse’s new Toyota Robotics Innovation Lab, building the next big thing in entertainment technology. We’ll post more about the tech behind Actiview soon – but first, we’d like to give you an exclusive preview.

Bay Area residents can try out Actiview for the first time this Saturday, September 10th. To request an invite, send Actiview an email by Thursday, September 8th.

Founded on the basic principle that everyone deserves easy access to entertainment, Actiview is a San Francisco-based startup that promises to set a new standard for moviegoing. With close captions and any available secondary audio tracks (descriptive and amplified) bundled into one clean, easy-to-use app, Actiview aims to do what DMA did for Pixar films, for all movies in any theater across the world. And they need your help.

Actiview has put together its first version of its audio description and closed captioning tools and wants to show theaters and studios how powerful this new tech can be for audiences. They’ve set up a special user testing opportunity this weekend for kids, families, and individuals with an interest in the app to come, watch Pixar’s “Up”, never before seen with audio description on the big screen, and have feedback recorded to further the app’s development. It’s your opportunity to tell Hollywood what accessible movies mean to you.

If you’d like to attend the (free) event on the morning of Saturday, September 10, email alex@actiview.co with your name, age, and the number of family members or friends you’d like to bring along while you test the app. If there’s enough space, we’ll put you on the list. Meet you at the movies!

LightHouse News

Donation Spotlight: Other Ways to Give

08/31/2016 LightHouse Staff

Photo: LightHouse student Angela Palmer (left) and LightHouse Deaf-Blind Specialist Sook Hee Choi.

Contributing a gift to the LightHouse helps provide unparalleled training and community for people of all ages who are blind. Your support is vital. To make a donation click here.

Another important aspect of LightHouse’s sustainability is Legacy Giving. We ask you to consider naming LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired as a beneficiary of your will or trust. A gift through your estate ensures that your commitment to LightHouse programs for people of all ages who are blind or have low vision will continue beyond your lifetime, and have a lasting impact on LightHouse’s work. For more information on leaving a legacy, click here.

Stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, especially those with long-term capital gains, are popular gift assets because they may generate multiple tax benefits. These benefits include a charitable income tax deduction of the stock, bond, or mutual fund’s market value on the date the asset is received by the LightHouse and no capital gains tax on the appreciation. Most stocks are transferred electronically. Talk to your accountant or financial adviser about the benefits such a gift may provide for you.

Have your stocks, bonds, or mutual funds depreciated? If these types of assets have gone down in value, you may find there is an advantage to selling the stock, bond or mutual fund, recognizing a loss, and then contributing the cash proceeds of the sale to LightHouse for the Blind. An accountant or financial adviser can help you determine the best option for you.

If you have questions or need our account info to transfer assets, you or your broker can contact us at 415.694.7333 or jsachs@old.lighthouse-sf.org.