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Arts and Entertainment

LightHouse News

White Elephant Gift Exchange on Saturday, December 20

Have you ever received a gift you didn’t want or had no use for? Here’s your opportunity to unload that cringe-worthy dust collector in a fun and humorous way. Join the LightHouse Youth Program as we celebrate the holidays at our Annual White Elephant party.

For those unfamiliar, a White Elephant party is a fun holiday gift giving party where participants bring humorous and inexpensive gifts to exchange. White elephant gifts are usually tacky, gaudy, inexpensive and of course, silly. The funnier and more absurd, the better. The best part of the game is “stealing” gifts from other participants. For more information about the rules of the game, see below.

Who: Blind and Low Vision Youth, ages 8 to 24
What: White Elephant Gift Exchange
When: Saturday December 20, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Where: LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters
Waiver: Each participant must submit a LightHouse Youth Program waiver form, if they have not done so for a previous outing
Please RSVP by December 17.

Festive treats will be made by our cooking class scheduled before the White Elephant party. Potluck contributions will be greatly appreciated.

Each youth who wishes to participate in the gift exchange must bring one gift valued at no more than $10. Gifts should be tasteful and non-offensive, however, the more outrageous and/or funny the gift, the more fun we will have.

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

White Elephant Rules

1. Each participant must bring one wrapped gift that does not exceed $10 and place it with other gifts on a designated table.

2. Pass around a hat with numbered pieces of paper (one number for participant), and have each guest draw a number to determine order.

3. The person who draws “1” gets first pick from the pile, making sure to describe the gift to other participants.

4. Once opened, the person who draws number “2” starts the second round. They can either choose to “steal” the first person’s gift or open an unwrapped gift from the pile.

5. Once number “2” has gone the person who drew “3” repeats the same process of choosing to “steel” an opened or unwrap an unopened gift.

6. Gifts can be exchanged 3 times per round, and gifts cannot be stolen back from the person who stole from you.

7. Game continues in this fashion until all gifts have been opened.

LightHouse News

Find Your Musical Self – LightHouse Youth Music 101

Join LightHouse youth as we explore the world of music. Participants will have the opportunity to listen to, learn about and create their own musical expression amongst a range of musical genres and instruments.

An experienced musician will provide a monthly intensive and fun study focusing on a theme or instrument. Youth will have the opportunity to demo their own skills, and try the new genera or instrument. At the end of each lesson there will be a jam session using simple household items re-envisioned to demonstrate musical themes and instrumentations.

 2015 Winter and Spring Music 101 Schedule:

January 10: Damned Drumming (Drums)
February 14: Getty for Guitars (String Instruments)
March 14: Wind Winders (Wind Instruments)
April 11: Keyboard Craziness (Piano and Keyboards)
May 9: Dangerous DJ (Electronic sound)

Who: Blind and Low Vision Youth
What: Music Appreciation 101
When: 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., second Saturday of the month
Where: LightHouse Headquarters located at 214 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102
Waiver: Each participant must submit a LightHouse Youth Program waiver if they have not done so for a previous outing or event.
Cost: FREE for low vision and blind youth
Classes will be limited to 8 participants, and all participants must RSVP.

For more information and to RSVP, contact Jamey Gump, Youth Services Coordinator, at (415) 694-7372 or jgump@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

LightHouse News

LightHouse Creates Braille Guides for “The Hottest Contemporary Art Show of the Year”

Artist Ai Weiwei’s @Large installation at Alcatraz

The long anticipated exhibition by Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei called @Large opened on September 27 in the bleak prison buildings of the Bay Area’s popular tourist destination, Alcatraz. The exhibition was organized by the FOR-SITE Foundation, in partnership with the National Park Service. One piece, made entirely from Legos (the children’s toy) and entitled Trace, features images of 176 people who as of June were either in prison or exiled due to their political beliefs and affiliations.

We were honored to be included in this important project when the exhibit’s organizers engaged us to create braille programs of the exhibition. The exhibit and these programs are available at the site and are free with the cost of the ferry ride to Alcatraz.

Best known for his Bird’s Nest stadium designed for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Ai Weiwei is a controversial Chinese artist active in sculpture, installation, architecture, curating, photography and film. He has been highly critical of the Chinese government’s human rights record and corruption. He has investigated government cover-ups, in particular the Sichuan Schools Scandal following the collapse of thousands of school buildings in the earthquake of 2008 in Sichuan. Ai Weiwei has been imprisoned in China for alleged tax evasion, and although he is no longer in jail, the Chinese government holds his passport, making it impossible for him to travel internationally.

Because he is unable to leave China, the @Large exhibit, first conceived three years ago, has been put together remotely, with curators and artists following Ai Weiwei’s detailed instructions and plans.

@Large will be on display through April 2015. Reserve your ferry tickets now, as over 5,000 people a day are expected to make the voyage, and tickets sell out far in advance.

The LightHouse has years of experience making braille, large print, tactile and audio features for museums, government and cultural institutions to make their exhibitions accessible to the blind and low vision community. Do you need our experts in advanced blind design to improve the accessibility of your display or workplace? Contact our Access to Information Services Department at 415-694-7349 or AIS@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

@Large logoImage from @Large Exhibition

LightHouse News

Online Tickets now Available for Superfest Festival November 2

The longest running disability film festival, Superfest, is coming soon! Join us for the 2014 Superfest International Disability Film Festival on Sunday, November 2nd from 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the heart of San Francisco at the stunning Contemporary Jewish Museum.

With a panel of judges, all of whom are disabled, we’ve selected a cadre of groundbreaking short films from around the world about many different types of disabilities.

  • “The Interviewer” is sure to be a crowd pleaser, in just 13 minutes the filmmakers masterfully draws the audience into the unique experience of an individual with a cognitive disability.
  • In the nation’s drive to stamp out bullying in schools, “Restraint and Seclusion” shakes things up, revealing the untold story of institutional bullies who harm our most vulnerable disabled children.
  • “Krutch” is sure to raise eyebrows, as it shatters stereotypes about people with physical disabilities.
  • And of course, all films are fully audio described!

And don’t forget the after party from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Thirsty Bear on Howard Street near 3rd in San Francisco.

November 2 will be a Sunday to remember at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco because Superfest International Disability Film Festival is taking over. You won’t want to miss this family film festival (there are adult films too!), featuring shorts which take a look at disability in cinema. The festival runs from 12:00 to 5:30 p.m., and your ticket will include admission to the entire museum.

Buy your tickets at http://www.thecjm.org/programs/film-video-screenings/677-superfest-international-disability-film-festival

Find out more at the festival superfestfilm.com.

A man in a business suit sits in a chair. Scene from the film “The Interviewer.”

LightHouse News

2014 Disability Policy Summit and Ever Widening Circle

Co-Sponsored by LightHouse for the Blind
Independent Living Resource Center San Francisco
Center for Independent Living – Berkeley
California Foundation for Independent Living Centers

Join the World Institute on Disability, WID, on Thursday October 9, 2014, at its annual Disability Policy Summit and Ever Widening Circle gala . This event will take place at the universally designed and award-winning Ed Roberts Campus in Berkeley, California.

Read more about the summit and Ever Widening Circle here.

LightHouse News

2014 Disability Policy Summit and Ever Widening Circle

Co-Sponsored by LightHouse for the Blind
Independent Living Resource Center San Francisco
Center for Independent Living – Berkeley
California Foundation for Independent Living Centers

Join the World Institute on Disability, WID, on Thursday October 9, 2014, at its annual Disability Policy Summit and Ever Widening Circle gala . This event will take place at the universally designed and award-winning Ed Roberts Campus in Berkeley, California.

Read more about the summit and Ever Widening Circle here.

LightHouse News

Save the Date: Superfest on November 2, 2014

November 2 will be a Sunday to remember at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco because Superfest International Disability Film Festival is taking over. You won’t want to miss this family film festival (there are adult films too!), featuring shorts which take a look at disability in cinema. The festival runs from 12:00 – 5:30 p.m., and your ticket will include admission to the entire museum. Stay tuned for ticket sales and more information to come or visit superfestfilm.com.
Juggle and Cut

LightHouse News

LightHouse Community Rocks a Goodbye to Candlestick Park

As the LightHouse deepens its community connections the benefits are sometimes unexpected. Our local Community Benefit District, with deep roots in the cultural and entertainment institutions in our backyard, gifted us with 40 tickets to a remarkable event. Paul McCartney’s concert was the very last event at the venerable Candlestick Park, also the last place the Beatles ever performed together. The tunes were poignant and amazing, and 40 blind leaders and students from around the bay area joined in the historic concert. “It was a wonderful way to salute our community, all of whom help to build the programs and services we want to celebrate,” said Bryan Bashin, LightHouse CEO.

One concert goer was moved to write:

Last night’s Paul McCartney concert was such an amazing, historic and unforgettable experience! I had so much fun singing and dancing along to songs spanning from my childhood all the way to Sir Paul’s latest compositions.

Thank you so much for making the event possible for so many people! Without your generosity, I would not have been able to attend the show.

LightHouse News

Win Tickets to the Concert of a Lifetime

2 Commentson Win Tickets to the Concert of a Lifetime

Paul McCartney holding his bass guitar

The LightHouse is pleased to announce that we’re offering two very special drawings. We have tickets for Paul McCartney’s historic performance at Candlestick Park to give away to blind and low vision members of our community and their guests of choice. This is the last scheduled event at Candlestick and is sure to be a memorable experience.

When: Thursday, August 14, 8:00 p.m.
Where: Candlestick Park, San Francisco

There are two ways to win:

1. We have five pairs of tickets specifically for LightHouse clients or Enchanted Hills campers. If you qualify please email us your 20 to 200 word testimonial about your experiences at the LightHouse or at Camp. Send your testimonial, along with your first and last name and your phone number to: jsachs@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

2. If you aren’t a LightHouse student or Enchanted Hills camper, but are blind or low vision we have an additional five pairs of tickets to give away. To enter send an email to lhnews@old.lighthouse-sf.org. You must include your first and last name and your phone number in your email.

The drawing will take place on Wednesday, August 6 and winners will be notified by phone. You must be 18 years or older or be accompanied by an adult to attend.

LightHouse News

Help Blind Kids Take the Stage and Leave a Lasting Legacy in the Heart of Napa

Montage of campers playing musical instruments

Exciting changes are afoot at Enchanted Hills Camp for the Blind, and we’re hoping you will help us move more indoor programming into the glorious outdoors, under the magnificent redwoods.

In partnership with the Kiwanis Club of Napa, the LightHouse has been constructing a stage and terraced seating in the natural bowl of the redwood grove right next to the rustic cabins where boys and girls have slept for sixty years. For the first time Enchanted Hills Camp will be able to take its music, plays and skits outside – all kinds of fun that for years could only take place in a Spartan indoor room.

With a contribution, you can have your name, or the name of someone you love, imprinted on a plaque which will forever be affixed to the seating we will be building for this miniature theater. The new construction is stunning, both acoustically and visually. But we need your help to complete it!

Below are links to our donation page where you can designate your donation in the following ways:

For a donation of $1,000
We will permanently remember those close to you on one of our Premier Benches. These benches are closest to the stage.

For a donation of $500
We will permanently remember those close to you on one of our General Benches.

Note: Please email us at lhnews@old.lighthouse-sf.org with your 60-character plaque dedication wording.

Or just donate any amount to the Redwood Grove Bench Fund.


Watch this video and be inspired by the magic of Enchanted Hills Camp.

Enchanted Hills offers experiences like none other for blind or low vision campers. Chances to try new things, be creative, experience the power of nature and have chances to shine! The confidence and self-esteem that campers gain is priceless and makes a lasting impact in their lives. And you have an opportunity to be a part of it, create a legacy, and help blind kids take the stage.

Your gift today will make it possible for generations of visually impaired and blind campers to challenge themselves, share their talents and show off a little to new friends, family and the wider blind community.

P.S. Over the years, 25,000 blind campers and their families have enjoyed our unique camp, the first in the west dedicated to blindness. Won’t you take a moment to enrich the experiences of the next 25,000 campers?