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LightHouse News

Major LightHouse for the Blind Expansion to Serve the Blind and Visually Impaired of the East Bay

08/10/2016 LightHouse Staff

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Bryan Bashin, CEO
510.725.1549
bbashin@old.lighthouse-sf.org

Scott Blanks, Sr. Director, Programs
510.499.2362
sblanks@old.lighthouse-sf.org

(SAN FRANCISCO, CA) LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Northern California’s oldest and largest nonprofit serving the blind, today announced a major initiative to aid hundreds of East Bay blind and visually impaired students affected by the scheduled closure of the Oakland Lions Center for the Blind.

“This week we’re signing a long-term lease to quadruple the size of our Alameda County office, effective August 31, 2016, the announced date of the Lions Center closure” said LightHouse CEO Bryan Bashin. Throughout its 114-year history the LightHouse, though headquartered in San Francisco, has served students mostly from the nine-county Bay Area outside of San Francisco proper. Recognizing the unmet needs in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, the LightHouse first opened a satellite office at Berkeley’s Ed Roberts Campus in 2011, providing employment, tech skills and mobility training. In 2014 the California Department of Rehabilitation awarded the LightHouse a key contract to serve older blind adults in Alameda County. Today’s announced expansion will allow the organization to support up to 30 teachers for working-age blind and visually impaired people in Alameda County, where most LightHouse students live.

The new Ed Roberts Campus training facility will complement the greatly expanded teaching capacity of LightHouse’s new 40,000 square-foot Market Street headquarters in San Francisco, opened just three months ago. The Ed Roberts Campus, built directly on top of Berkeley’s Ashby BART station, houses a renowned group of disability organizations in a safe and transit-friendly location. Nearly a dozen progressive disability organizations have discovered that the Ed Roberts campus is an ideal place to gather people with disabilities, and their friends and family.

Shortly after the Lions Center closes, the expanded LightHouse staff will take up the slack by teaching braille, adaptive computer skills, personal and home management, how to find employment and Orientation and Mobility to hundreds of students throughout the east bay.

“While we’re sorry the chaos around the Lions Center closure has affected several hundred blind students in the east bay,” Bashin said, “the new extra capacity of the LightHouse and its 100+ employees will provide them services and to fulfill our organization’s core mission to train and empower all of the region’s visually-impaired residents.

The LightHouse has chosen to announce its new expanded Berkeley office in advance of the Lions publicized closure to allow time for current Lions students to plan for a seamless continuation of their studies in September. Displaced blind students, rehabilitation counselors and concerned families can contact the LightHouse directly to arrange for uninterrupted training. Former students of the Lions Center for the Blind are welcome to continue their studies at any LightHouse facility. To make arrangements please contact LightHouse Rehabilitation Counselor Debbie Bacon at 415.694.7357, or email her at dbacon@LightHouse-sf.org.

About the LightHouse
LightHouse for the Blind is one of the nation’s strongest organizations serving the blind. With six locations throughout northern California, the LightHouse now serves 3,000 people annually. A vital community of innovation, mentorship and community since 1902, LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired is the place where people who are blind or have low vision come to learn skills and gain confidence. LightHouse staff, senior management and Board of Directors are either blind themselves or have significant professional experience in the blindness field, a unique strength of the organization for decades. LightHouse Employment Immersion program participants earn a collective $2.5 million annually, the most successful blindness employment program in California.

LightHouse News

Victor Reader Stream (VRS) 101 – A Class for Those who Already Own a New (2nd Generation) Victor Reader Stream

08/06/2016 LightHouse Staff 1 Comment

Do you own a New Generation Victor Reader Stream (VRS), but not not know how to use it? Let the LightHouse ensure that you become “victorious” in the use of this technology.

LightHouse Access Technology Trainer, Jeff Buckwalter, will facilitate a two-week intensive training course on Tuesdays and Fridays in September for students who have not yet taken a VRS class from us before.

When: Tuesdays and Fridays, September 13, 16, 20 and 23.Time: 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Location: The LightHouse Building, 1155 Market St., 10th Floor, San Francisco, 94103

Cost: There is a $450.00 fee for this training but you may qualify for partial or full scholarship if you are not already working with the Department of Rehabilitation or the Veterans Administration.

If you don’t know all that the VRS can do, here are just a few things you will learn how to do in this class: access an enormous library of books and magazines in the palm of your hands; download and listen to audiobooks by your favorite authors; subscribe and listen to your favorite podcasts; listen to the latest newspapers and magazines; record critical phone numbers and calendar information with the touch of a button as well as accessing and reading text and audio files.

This class is open only to persons who currently own a New (2nd) Generation Victor Reader Stream and have not taken a VRS class from us before. If you are an active client of the Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) or the Veterans Administration (VA), contact your case worker for eligibility and to sign up. If you are 55 and older living in the counties of San Francisco, Alameda or Marin, you may be eligible to take this class at no charge.

Contact Shen Kuan at 415-694-7312 or skuan@old.lighthouse-sf.org to sign up.

LightHouse News

Would You Like to Know More about LightHouse Services or Take a Tour of the New LightHouse? Talk to Esmeralda Soto, our new Information Concierge.

08/05/2016 LightHouse Staff

The LightHouse has established a new helpful point of contact when you first enter the organization. Our new Information Concierge, Esmeralda Soto, who has worked for the LightHouse for over two years, will now be available to take your questions in person or over the phone Monday through Friday.

Esmeralda is blind herself and knows about the many programs and services at the LightHouse not generally known to the community. If you have questions about LightHouse services or general questions about blindness, give Esmeralda a call. She may be able to talk with you right then and there, or she will schedule an appointment with you for a later phone or in-person conversation.

Information Concierge Hours
Monday through Friday: 9:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Call Esmeralda at 415-694-7323 or email your questions to info@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

Tour the new LightHouse offices
We’d love to show you our headquarters offices.

Designed with the abilities of blind and low vision people in mind, the new headquarters shows the latest subtle thinking about how to create a warm, welcoming and knowable space, easy to navigate and fun to work inside. The new offices feature a dedicated accessible fitness room, a blindness skills training kitchen, a blind technology demo lab and a volunteer center, all just 15 steps from a BART and MUNI station.

We have tours available without an appointment every Tuesday and Thursday from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. (Please sign-in by 9:45.) Or schedule an appointment with Esmeralda Soto at 415-694-7323.

LightHouse News

Just Across the Street – Explore the Sound Commons Exhibit with a Sighted Guide on Saturday, August 13

08/05/2016 LightHouse Staff 1 Comment

PHOTO: LightHouse staffers Justine Harris-Richburgh and Christina Daniels use mallets to play wooden xylophones at the Exploratorium’s “Sound Commons” exhibition.

“Sound Commons” is a new Exploratorium art installation at UN Plaza, located right in our front yard. On Saturday, August 13 a group of LightHouse volunteers from Oracle will give guided tours of this tactile and interactive exhibition just across the street from the new LightHouse building.

If you’d like to check out this fabulous exhibition on August 13, email volunteer@old.lighthouse-sf.org or call our volunteer reservation line at 415-694-7320.

When: Saturday, August 13, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Where: LightHouse for the Blind, 1155 Market Street, 10^th Floor, San Francisco, 94103

From the Exploratorium website: “[Across the street from the LightHouse you can experience] the ringing of chimes and other harmonics when you visit Sound Commons, an interactive, sound-based installation designed to encourage playful social activity in this challenging public space…Three long Echo Tubes, looking like exposed ductwork, will create surprising echoes and other sound effects as people clap and talk into them. Another experience will inspire quietude: a bed of gravel embedded with sound-sensors will challenge users to walk as quietly as possible and score them on their tip-toeing skill.

Read the entire article.

LightHouse News

Our Volunteers Want to Read Your Mail During Our Off the Page Event on Saturday, August 13

08/05/2016 LightHouse Staff

Do you need an extra set of eyes to get you through a stack of mail, magazines or newsprint? On Saturday, August 13, the LightHouse is hosting an Off the Page Volunteer Event, the first of many. This month’s Off the Page event will be presented by volunteers from Oracle.

When: Saturday, August 13, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Where: LightHouse for the Blind, 1155 Market Street, 10^th Floor, San Francisco, 94103

At the new LightHouse building we have cozy, closed-door reading rooms available so that you and a vetted volunteer can go through your mail or paperwork privately. Refreshments will be available. This is a great way to potentially schedule additional reading time with a volunteer ongoing.

There are four slots available on August 13, so be sure to RSVP soon before they’re all filled up. Email 1altruism@old.lighthouse-sf.org (please put the words, “Off The Page” in the subject line) or call our volunteer reservation line at 415-694-7646.

LightHouse News

The LightHouse is Hiring!

08/04/2016 LightHouse Staff

The LightHouse not only provides blindness skills training and relevant services, but also access to employment, education, government, information, recreation, transportation and the environment. In support of these initiatives, there are often openings for diverse and interactive candidates.

Right now we have the following job openings.

Grant Writer
Access Technology Specialist
Adaptations Blindness Product Specialist
Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist (Part-time)

Please go to our Careers page to learn more about these positions. Please check this page often and feel free to share posts with others who may be interested.

LightHouse News

Next Mind’s Eye Therapy Group Series Starting in September

08/04/2016 LightHouse Staff

PHOTO: Rachel Longan

LightHouse for the Blind’s Counseling and Psychological Services program is offering the next Mind’s Eye therapy group beginning September 7. This group is intended for individuals who are moving forward in their lives with recent changes in their vision. Group facilitator, Rachel Longan, has thoughtfully designed Mind’s Eye for adults who are navigating this very personal journey.

When: Wednesday mornings, from September 7 through November 16, 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Where: The new LightHouse Building, 1155 Market St., 10th Floor, San Francisco, 94103

Sudden or actively progressive vision changes can affect many aspects of a person’s life. Group participants are able to process their experiences in a safe and understanding setting.

Ms. Longan incorporates a variety of techniques and experiential exercises into each session. Some of the topics the group is covering include new challenges in relationships, social participation, and emotional factors commonly associated with adjusting to vision changes.

Please be aware that this is not a drop-in group – there is a registration process and a nominal fee for participating in this group. People who are interested in enrolling in the group are urged to contact Ms. Longan at 415-694-7302 or email her at rlongan@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

About the Therapist
Rachel Longan has over 10 years of experience conducting support groups in a variety of settings. Rachel herself has low vision and has designed and facilitated the Mind’s Eye group specifically for individuals experiencing recent changes in their vision.

Ms. Longan has guest lectured at the International Conference on Costello Syndrome and at UC Berkeley. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, conducts a parent group for the City of Berkeley, and has a private psychotherapy practice also in Berkeley.

LightHouse News

Yes You Can – Enchanted Hills Campers Become Accessibility “Makers”

08/04/2016 LightHouse Staff

By Josh Miele, Associate Director of Technology Research and Development, Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Low Vision and Blindness at Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute

PHOTO: STEM session student Rose McDougald plugs wire into an Arduino board.

Not everyone gets excited about building robots, but the students who are blind or have low vision that I worked with last week at the Enchanted Hills STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Camp definitely do. While most mainstream schools offer robotics clubs, programming classes, or electronics workshops, they often don’t know how to support participation by kids with visual disabilities. This workshop was part of The Blind Arduino Project – a larger effort to teach students and teachers about accessible electronics techniques, encouraging the participation of blind students in mainstream STEM-learning opportunities.

STEM session students Sergio Ramirez, left, and Lachlan Ryan give the thumbs while working on an Arduino board.

The sessions I taught at STEM Camp introduced blind kids to building robots and other electronic devices with Arduino – an inexpensive microprocessor that makes it extremely easy to design and build powerful automated gadgets with amazing capabilities. In a hands-on workshop, the students learned non-visual techniques for identifying electronic components, tracing wires and navigating the multitude of connections on an Arduino board. The kids learned about what Arduino can do, how to wire up sensors, speakers and motors, and even how to write their own programs to control the devices. But the most important thing they learned was that blind people can make stuff with Arduino. These young blind makers are now excited to bring that knowledge to school in the fall, ready to help their teachers make electronics learning accessible.

One of the aims of the Blind Arduino Project is to design devices to solve real-world accessibility challenges. Few experiences are more empowering than recognizing a barrier, designing a solution and building it yourself. For me, the greatest pleasure of the workshop came when two STEM students approached me with an idea. They had noticed that there were no audio indicators on the camp’s archery targets. They asked, “Could we use an Arduino to make a customizable beeper so we can hear where the target is?”

As a blind scientist who has built a career on finding creative technology solutions to accessibility challenges, this question thrilled me. These kids had a problem and they had independently designed and proposed a solution. After only a few hours of experience working with Arduino they were already using it to solve their own accessibility problems. Give them a few more years of experience and who knows what problems they will be ready to attack? What could be more personally and professionally satisfying than that?

“Yes, you definitely can,” I told them. “I’ll be right here if you need help.”

Beginning in October, Josh Miele is starting a Blind Arduino Monthly Meetup (BAMM) that will convene at the new LightHouse Building.

Read more about BAMM.

https://old.lighthouse-sf.org/blog/blind-arduino-monthly-meetup-bamm/

LightHouse News

Changing Vision Changing Life II – A New Addition to Our Immersion Training

08/04/2016 LightHouse Staff

PHOTO: Cooking Instructor Sydney Ferrario preps food with students.

Are you ready to kick your skills up a notch? We’ve added a brand-new session to our Changing Vision Changing Life Series of small group trainings: The Changing Vision Changing Life (CVCL) II Immersion.

This motivating six-day overnight session is designed for students who may have participated in CVCL instruction in the past and are now focused on practicing the skills they’ve learned in a more intensive and structured manner.

Note: You don’t need to have attended a previous CVCL session to attend this one. However, you need to have had some basic training in Orientation and Mobility, independent living skills and/or access technology.

This session is great for students who are currently training in all of the areas above and can benefit from multiple days of one-on-one and small group instruction.

In this session, students will work on all of the following:

Access Technology, including

Computer training (Mac or PC) – using the software you are currently learning
Smart Phone Training – Apple or Android
Tablet Training – Apple or Android

Peer Group Support – Moving Forward
Advocacy – Taking Control
Orientation and Mobility Training 1:1
Introduction to Braille
Smart Cooking for Independence
Low Vision Training – Using your Tools to Your Benefit
Physical and Recreational Exploration to Enhance Mobility

When: This session will run from Sunday, September 18 (arrival at 3:30 p.m.) through Friday, September 23 (leave at 10:30 a.m.)

Where: The session will be held in our headquarters building at 1155 Market St., 10^th Floor in San Francisco. Participants will stay overnight throughout the week in our Student Residences.

Cost: There is a $1300 fee for this training but you may qualify for partial or full scholarship if you are not already working with the Department of Rehabilitation or the Veterans Administration.

To find out if this session is the best fit for you please contact Debbie Bacon at dbacon@old.lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-357.

LightHouse News

Blind Arduino Monthly Meetup (BAMM)

08/03/2016 LightHouse Staff

Interested in joining a hands-on group of blind and sighted Arduino makers for collaborative teaching, designing and building? We are thrilled to announce the Blind Arduino Monthly Meetup (BAMM) beginning on October 8, and meeting every second Saturday of the month thereafter at the new LightHouse Building in San Francisco.

Who: Makers of any age. Children are welcome, but must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Where: LightHouse for the Blind, 1155 Market St., 10th Floor, San Francisco, 94103
When: Every second Saturday of the month.
The first meeting is Saturday, October 8.

Arduino is a widely popular microprocessor platform being used by makers, educators, designers, researchers, entrepreneurs and others to prototype and build robots and other powerful electromechanical devices. The Blind Arduino Project is led by Dr. Joshua Miele, and is a collaboration between the LightHouse and Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute to support blind makers who want to build things with Arduino.

Join us and be part of BAMM – the Bay Area’s regular in-person gathering of the Blind Arduino community. Spend an afternoon with us making, learning and connecting. Bring a project, a problem or just your curiosity and willingness to learn and help.