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LightHouse News

Join Us April 30 to Learn the Latest about Independent Travel, plus More New Topics set for LightHouse Connect Evenings

If you read our eNews you know that we’ve recently featured workshops on low and high-tech ways of reading and how to get started using a computer. These high-dosage sessions provide a lot of information in a short amount of time. We’re on a roll and have three more workshops full of ways to keep you independent and thriving. Check out the schedule:

Travel How You Want
When: Thursday, April 30, 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Where: LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters
Light refreshments will be served
Learn all the different ways you can travel independently from home to school or work, going out shopping or to a restaurant, visiting friends and even getting out on the hiking trails.

Just Call Me: A Workshop on Dumb and Smart Phones
When: Thursday, May 28, 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Where: LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters
Light refreshments will be served
Do you know which phone is right for you? Do you really need one of those newfangled smart phones? What are your choices when it comes to smart phones?

Braille is for Everyone, Yes, Even You
When: Thursday, June 25, 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Where: LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters
Light refreshments will be served
An empowering workshop introducing you to braille and showing ways you can incorporate it into your daily life such as labeling, organizing your home or reading a book without your eyes.

For more information and to RSVP to any of these workshops please call Beth Berenson at 415-431-1481 or email at info@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

LightHouse News

Family Fun Night with the LightHouse Youth Program

Three youth playing “cotton ball scoop” - a timed game where they had to move cotton balls, using just a spoon in their mouths, from one bowl to another bowl that is placed on a team-mates head. Each player is given 5 minutes to move as many as they can. The team with the most cotton balls at the end of 5 minutes wins.In early March members of our Youth Program and their families from around the Bay Area gathered to participate in the first Family Game Night of 2015. The evening was filled with good old-fashioned fun that had each family working as a team. There was a mummy race, a paper airplane throwing contest, a frozen t-shirt race, a cotton ball scoop race, Tactile Twister and more. The evening finished up with families facing off in the egg drop competition.

If you’d like to learn about LightHouse Youth programs or be included in the next Youth Leaders Summit, as a student or as a mentor, please contact Jamey Gump, Youth services Coordinator, at 415-694-7372 or jgump@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

Did you know we have a Youth Program eNewsletter? If you are a blind or a low vision youth, or the parent of someone who is blind or low vision, you need to sign up for it! This is the email that will tell you all about the LightHouse social, recreational and educational outings and adventures we offer each month, just for blind and low vision youth. You’ll also hear about scholarship and other youth related educational and leadership opportunities. To sign up for our Youth Program Newsletter, or for more information about the program, please contact Jamey Gump, Youth services Coordinator, at 415-694-7372 or jgump@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

LightHouse News

LightHouse Students Honor Loved Ones with Memorial Quilt

Molly Irish holds a rainbow square of the Memory QuiltEach week students and friends of the LightHouse are fulfilling a long-standing desire to honor those from the LightHouse family that we’ve lost. LightHouse Students Janice Leong, Elisa Serafini, Liz Klein, Diep “Marie” Vuong along with Molly Irish, LightHouse Community Services Coordinator have begun work on the Memory Quilt, which will memorialize LightHouse students, teachers and volunteers who have passed on.

Molly told us, “A couple of years ago the students and I were talking about what we could do to commemorate the people we have been connected to here at the LightHouse, who have passed on. We have a list of about 50 people who have passed in the last 20 years. It will take a few months to finish.”

Each square of the quilt features hand-stitched concentric squares of fabric, each square a different color. White clouds will be sewn onto the quilt and the names of all those honored will be written on the clouds. When it is done, the quilt will proudly hang at our San Francisco Headquarters office for all to reflect on and enjoy. A braille list of names will be available.

You are warmly invited to help us make the Memory Quilt. The group meets Tuesdays from 10:00 a.m. to noon at LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters. For more information contact Molly Irish at mpearson@old.lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7320.

LightHouse News

A Few Spots Left in Enchanted Hills Camp Sessions

We still have a few openings for blind and low vision campers in our Summer 2015 sessions. This summer we’ll offer the most loved traditional camp activities you won’t want to miss, such as hiking, swimming, boating, nature programs, arts and crafts and more. We also have fresh sessions such as Music Academy, a new science-rich track during teen session and our very first Horse Camp (see below).

Sign up online using one of the applications on the Enchanted Hills page of our website. For a hard copy of the application, please contact Taccarra Burrell at ehc@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

LightHouse News

Cycle for Sight Spotlight – Gena Harper

GenaHarper


Please support Gena Harper in this year’s Cycle for Sight by sponsoring her ride.

We are thrilled to have LightHouse Board member and 2011 U.S. National Para-cycling Team member Gena Harper riding again in Cycle for Sight.

Gena is no stranger to triumph in the face of challenge. She was born with limited vision but this did not stop her from becoming Senior Vice President-Wealth Management, and Senior Investment Management Consultant at Morgan Stanley and one of the few blind people in the U. S. investment industry to win a bronze medal in the National Handicapped Ski Championships.

With her strong commitment to volunteerism and philanthropy, Gena is also a champion for Enchanted Hills Camp. She met her husband Mike May at Enchanted Hills Camp, and they married last year under the redwoods at Enchanted Hills Chapel. She got her cycling start as a tandem rider at Cycle for Sight four years ago. This year she will ride the 25 mile route with her son.

Her words of wisdom to blind cyclists? “Just do it. Get a partner and make it happen. There’s always a way. Work hard and be creative!”

Go Gena! Come out to Cycle for Sight in Napa and watch Gena fly by to her next challenge. Support her in this year’s Cycle for Sight by sponsoring her ride. Simply go to our donation page and select Cycle for Sight as your giving designation. You’ll want to put Gena’s name in the “I want my donation to be dedicated:” field.

LightHouse News

This Saturday: Job Resource Fair for SF Youth 16-24 on April 11

The San Francisco Summer Jobs + Youth Resource Fair is here. 

If you are a San Francisco youth, aged 16-24, you can learn interviewing skills, update your resume and interview with top employers such as Starbucks, Target, Levi’s and more.

When: April 11, 2015, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Where: Moscone Center – South, 747 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA

RSVP for the event at 2015sfsummerjobs.eventbrite.com.

Find a Doorway partner to set up your job interview at http://sfsummerjobs.org/resources/doorways-2/.

Questions? Email sfsj@uwba.org.

Moscone Center is wheelchair accessible. Assistive listening devices will be available at the event. To request any other reasonable accommodations, please contact info@kennedyevents.com at least 72 hours in advance to help ensure availability.

LightHouse News

Access Day – High Style: The Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection

The Legion of Honor is hosting an Access Day to view the following exhibition:

High Style: The Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection
Where: Legion of Honor Museum, San Francisco
Access Viewing Day:  Monday, May 4, 2015
Exhibition Dates: March 14, 2015 – July 19, 2015

Benefits of Access Day
– Admission by appointment
– Reduced crowds and discounted fees
– Free for each member and one guest

Non-members: $5 per person; some free tickets available for those with financial need (make request on reservation form in link below)

Access Features

  1. Extra blue parking spaces at the Legion of Honor
  2. Maps with parking and transportation information
  3. Extra seating inside and outside the exhibition
  4. Portable large-print editions of exhibition labels
  5. Docent-led tours
  6. Verbal description tours at 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon

 

Available upon request (see form in link below)

  1. Wheelchairs and folding stools
  2. American Sign Language interpretation (please request at least two weeks in advance)
  3. Materials in alternative formats for study in advance of visit
  4. Assistive listening devices

Click here for the reservation form.  Please print the reservation form out and send the form (with check, if necessary) to:

Access Program
de Young
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive
San Francisco, CA 94118

For other requests, please contact the Access Program at access@famsf.org or 415-750-7645.

LightHouse News

Bay to Breakers Blind Centipede – Looking for Participants

The San Francisco chapter of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is organizing a group to participate in the world-famous Bay to Breakers foot race. Bay to Breakers is one of San Francisco’s premier events. Participants dress up in creative costumes and run/walk a 12 km course through the city. For fun, some participants bind themselves together in what is known as a “centipede,” and dress up in a creative theme. Examples include runners with chairs strapped to their backs pretending to be a roller coaster, runners holding cardboard cut-outs painted as a MUNI bus, and other similar themes.

This year, NFB San Francisco are going to assemble as a blind centipede. They have built a harness contraption made of nimble plastic pipes and hoses that will allow a group of blind people to all move together in perfect synchronicity through the race course. It will be a fun and informative example of what blind people can do when they work together and apply a little bit of ingenuity.

Would you like to participate?

When: Sunday, May 17 starting at 8:00 a.m.
Where: San Francisco
Cost: $54

If you are interested in joining in, or for more information, please contact Tim Elder by phone at 925-784-0512 or by email at eldert@uchastings.edu.

 

LightHouse News

Attention Parents – Register Now – In Two Weeks Your Child Could Be Looking at a Career in STEM

The LightHouse encourages school-aged students and their families to attend this important event organized in part by LightHouse Board President Josh Miele.

The great jobs of tomorrow will be in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). But people with disabilities are currently underrepresented in these fields despite recent advances in the accessibility of information technology and other tools used by working professionals.

The STEM Career Showcase for Students with Disabilities is an educational event where attendees meet role models with disabilities who have thriving careers in STEM fields. Hear from different speakers, meet other students and families, and learn from interactive science demonstrations. Students will leave with a better understanding of the many professional possibilities available and the inspiration to pursue STEM careers.

When: Tuesday, April 14, 2015, 1 to 3:00 p.m.
Where: The Lawrence Hall of Science, 1 Centennial Drive, Berkeley, CA 94720
No cost to register. Pre-registration is required.

The goal of this family event is to offer youth with various types of disabilities, the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the many professional possibilities in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and the inspiration and strategies to pursue them. After an inspiring keynote speaker and a lively panel of STEM role models, students can interact with different science and math activities, learn about 3D printing, and meet the Lawrence Hall of Science’s animal ambassadors. Members from the STEM community and STEM professionals will be available to speak with younger students about science, engineering, and technology-related careers.

LightHouse Board President Josh Miele featured in Lawrence Hall of Science Program for Scientists-To-Be
A panel of STEM role models with disabilities will discuss such topics as the evolving landscape of STEM fields, overcoming the stigma associated with disabilities and learning the skills required for a successful academic and professional career.

Speakers include the following:

  • Dr. Joshua Miele, President of the Lighthouse Board of Directors and Associate Director of the Smith-Kettlewell Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Blindness and Low-Vision, will share his professional journey in the technology field as well as facilitate an interactive panel.
  • Ronit Ovadia, a healthcare professional working in the area of prenatal genetics counseling and a 2005 National Federation for the Blind scholarship winner.
  • Alex Ghenis, a Fellow at World Institute on Disability, who studies climate change’s potential impacts on people with disabilities.
  • College students with disabilities will share tips for making a smooth transition from high school to college.

How do I register? Go to http://www.lawrencehallofscience.org/visit/events/STEMshowcase
How do I find out more? Contact Sherry Hsi at sherryh@berkeley.edu or 510-643-7827, or Emily Arnold at emarnold@berkeley.edu or 510-643-9019.

 

 

 

 

LightHouse News

LightHouse Gets Fit – Come Work Out With Us at Fitness SF

LightHouse staff stand in front of Fitness SF signIn an effort to bring more fitness opportunities to the blind and low vision community, LightHouse is partnering with Fitness SF to make working out easier and accessible for all.

We all know that being active is a vital component to a healthy life. Going to the gym can be one of the easiest ways to incorporate strength, endurance and cardio components into your exercise regime, but the gym can be an uncomfortable place when you are blind. The challenges come from the awkwardness of navigating through a gym crowded with people and exercise equipment. Additionally many exercise machines are based on inaccessible touch screens, and those machines that are more blind-friendly can still be intimidating to a blind person who is unfamiliar with them. While many gyms offer a one-time tour of the facilities for new members, this typically is not enough for a blind person to get comfortable with the layout of the space and the use of the equipment.

Fitness SF, with six locations all over the Bay Area, including one within walking distance of LightHouse headquarters in San Francisco, is truly committed to working with the LightHouse to make their gyms accessible and welcoming to the blind and low vision community. LightHouse students are invited to go to Fitness SF’s mid-market location to get individualized attention to help make their workout safe, accessible, effective and fun!

Director of Community Services Lisamaria Martinez says, “I’m excited to work with Fitness SF. They are dedicated to working with us and truly understanding the needs of blind people who go to the gym. You don’t typically get this type of willingness to work with a blind individual, let alone an entire community of blind people.”

Group personal training is at 4 pm on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. RSVP and membership are required for those sessions. Please contact Amber Sherrard at ASherrard@old.lighthouse-sf.org or (415) 694-7353 for more information about membership and classes.