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LightHouse News

Cohort-Based Learning at the LightHouse Supports Individual Growth, Creating a Community and Providing a Base for Success

Sign Up Now – Classes in San Francisco Begin November 11

Webster defines the noun “cohort” as a group of people banded together – working together as a unit. The LightHouse has successfully facilitated cohort based learning for the past three years and on November 4 we will offer our next cohort-based classes for 8-10 blind or low vision students. During these classes you’ll learn be exposed to a hundred valuable techniques, tools and attitudes that are practical ways to deal with changing vision, in an atmosphere of learning and pure enjoyment.

We start with weekly Changing Vision Changing Life classes that include individual and group training. After a few weeks concurrent Computer Keyboarding and Cooking Basics classes begin. Individual orientation and mobility instruction will also be incorporated. Participating in all the classes immerses the student in an atmosphere of accomplishment and progress, emphasizing the key component of working and learning with and from fellow blind and low vision classmates.

During the two-month period, cohort peers who continue the sequence of classes together benefit from the following: training from instructors and guest mentors as well as learning from each other; adjustment to change in their lives with support from their peers; and finding kindred spirits while learning new skills, creating community and moving forward. While it is not mandatory to participate in all facets, it is strongly recommended – priority registration will be provided to those who make a commitment to the full training.

All classes will be facilitated at the LightHouse Headquarters, 214 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco.

Changing Vision Changing Life
November 11 to December 18, 9:30 to 12:30
Tuesdays & Thursdays (no class on Thanksgiving)
Changing Vision, Changing Life is a 6-week class for blind and visually impaired adults who are seeking basic, yet essential daily living skills to live confidently at home and in the community. Each week topics such as tactile/non-visual skills, organizational skills, time management, use of adaptive aids, low vision strategies and accessing print materials provide students with solutions and strategies. In addition, each class session will include a discussion component, addressing both successes and challenges involved in incorporating the material presented in the teaching segments into each participant’s daily life.

Keyboard Training
November 17 to December 19, 9:30 a.m. to Noon
Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays
Having efficient keyboarding skills is necessary for all computer users to be effective in both personal and professional use. LightHouse students new to keyboarding learn to type by touch using the QWERTY keyboard layout. Talking Typer Teacher (TTT), a program which employs synthesized speech, is the software tool used by the Access Technology Specialists to facilitate the class. Keyboard familiarity, typing accuracy and comfortable speed will be emphasized. As students learn the keyboard, weekly practical assignments are given to increase proficiency. Guided practice during lab time provides students time to gain keyboard fluency to type shopping lists; to-do lists; simple letters and email correspondences.

Cooking Basics – San Francisco
November 20 to December 18, 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Thursdays. Also Friday, December 12, 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.
In this five-week class, students will learn low vision and blind strategies and techniques for all aspects of meal preparation, from grocery shopping to hands-on skills and safety training, food labeling and organization and use of kitchen equipment. Students will prepare healthy and delicious recipes and/or meals in each class, along with learning all aspects of kitchen clean up strategies.

To find out more about upcoming classes and fees, including the variety of options available for funding, please contact Debbie Bacon, Rehabilitation Counselor at 415-694-7357 or dbacon@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

Group of LightHouse students stand in a circle, chatting

LightHouse News

Learn the New UEB Braille in Special November 22nd Workshop

The National Certification in Unified English Braille workshop is designed to assist both professionals and consumers to become familiar with the Unified English Braille (UEB) code and to prepare to become certified in its use. As of 2016, UEB will be the United States’ official literary braille standard as adopted by the Braille Authority of North America (BANA).

When: Saturday, November 22, 2014 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Where: LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters
RSVP: By Wednesday, November 12

This workshop will consist of two sections–an overview of the changes in Literary Braille which are contained in UEB and test preparation for the National Certification in Unified English Braille exam. Participants will have the opportunity to interact with materials produced in UEB including specific comparisons with Literary Braille and potential strategies as to how to effectively make the transition to UEB.

Breakfast and check in will begin at 8:00 a.m. and the day will conclude at 4:00 p.m. Lunch will be provided by the Northern California Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (Northern California AER).

Each participant is requested to bring his or her own Perkins braillewriter, slate and stylus, or any electronic note taker that can utilize 6-key entry.

Register for the workshop here. Cost is $25 for blind consumers, $50 for students or $150 for professionals in the blindness field. A certificate of completion will be provided to those requesting continuing education credits.

For more information, please contact Lisamaria Martinez at 415-431-1481 or info@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

LightHouse News

LightHouse’s Kate Williams Awarded Prestigious Purpose Prize

Kate Williams of LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired Wins The Purpose Prize® 2014 for Work that’s Changing the World

Kate Williams
On October 28, in Tempe, Arizona, Encore.org honored the achievements of six outstanding Americans, including LightHouse Employment Immersion Program Leader Kate Williams, with prizes from $25,000 to $100,000, awarded to recognize and support their ongoing efforts. The awards ceremony was held at the Tempe Center for the Arts in Tempe, Arizona.

Before joining the LightHouse, Williams worked for decades in human resources as a recruiter. When she began to lose her vision, she worried about losing her career and her independence; she now uses the adaptive technology that kept her in the workforce to help the blind find jobs, at a pace that exceeds many conventional employment job-placement programs. For her dedication and creative leadership by example, Williams was awarded a $25,000 Purpose Prize. Kate is perhaps the first winner of the Purpose Prize with a disability.

Watch a video about Kate and the Purpose Prize.

Kate said, “I am honored and moved at The Purpose Prize award, granted in recognition of my work helping blind jobseekers find employment,” Williams said. “Although the program has garnered over 1.5 million annually in salaries, and saved taxpayers literally millions of dollars in benefits, the real joy is receiving a phone call from a graduate announcing they have accepted a job offer. Seeing peoples’ lives change as a result of securing employment, and watching them grow in self-sufficiency and independence is the real reward.”

LightHouse CEO Bryan Bashin is very proud of Williams and the Employment Immersion Program. The success rate of the program ranks highest in California and climbs steadily higher as the program grows. One of the goals of the program is to encourage Bay Area employers to recognize the value of hiring blind and disabled employees. Studies have shown that blind workers increase diversity, increase productivity and improve stability through reduced job turn over.

Now in its ninth year, The Purpose Prize is the nation’s only large-scale investment in people over the age of 60 who are combining their life skills and experience for the social good. Created in 2005 by Encore.org (then called Civic Ventures), the prize aims to recognize social innovators with the drive to be a part of the solution to some of society’s most pressing challenges – and the wisdom to know how to do it. Their work showcases the enormous, and too-often overlooked, value of long experience, and soundly disproves the notion that innovation is solely the province of the young.

Emmy-award winning journalist Jane Pauley and 2013 Purpose Prize winner Ysabel Duron emceed the event, which included hundreds of Encore leaders and the Purpose Prize winners. Twenty-four jurors – leaders in business, politics, media and the nonprofit sector – chose the six winners of The Purpose Prize. An additional 30 Purpose Prize fellows were selected from a pool of nearly 800 nominees. Jurors include Sherry Lansing, former CEO of Paramount; David Bornstein, author and New York Times columnist; Eric Liu, author and founder of Citizen University; and Sree Sreenivasan, Chief Digital Officer for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

“Kate Williams and the 2014 winners of The Purpose Prize have applied their significant talents to address poverty, community health, disaster relief and disabilities,” said Eunice Lin Nichols, director of the Purpose Prize. “Despite their superficial differences, these extraordinary individuals share the belief that the work they are doing now ranks among their most significant accomplishments, impacting thousands of people, across the U.S. and the world.”

“Encore.org is proud to recognize their achievements. They stand as powerful examples for the millions of Americans who believe that leveraging their life experience in order to make a difference – big or small, across communities, continents and generations – is a vital responsibility,” Nichols said.

If you or someone you know is interested in finding employment or returning to the workplace, contact Kate Williams at kwilliams@old.lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7324.

Read more about Kate.

Read more about the Purpose Prize.

 

 

LightHouse News

Scholarships Available – New Opportunities for Careers in Rehabilitation of the Blind

1 Commenton Scholarships Available – New Opportunities for Careers in Rehabilitation of the Blind

Scholarships are now available!

The Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness at Louisiana Tech University is excited to announce that along with its O&M program, it has expanded its training and is launching a brand new concentration in Rehabilitation Teaching for the Blind.

Structured Discovery Cane Travel (SDCT) and Structured Discovery Rehabilitation have been demonstrated to be among the most innovative and effective forms of rehabilitation training for individuals who are blind or visually impaired. Louisiana Tech University has operated its Orientation and Mobility program on this model successfully for 18 years, with upwards of 90% successful employment and employer satisfaction rates.

Scholarships are now available for qualified individuals seeking one of the following degree paths:

  • Master of Arts in Industrial/Organizational Psychology with Concentration in Orientation and Mobility
  • Master of Arts in Counseling and Guidance with Concentration in Rehabilitation Teaching for the Blind
  • Orientation and Mobility Graduate Certification

Why apply?

  •  The field of educating and rehabilitating children and adults who are blind is deeply rewarding and life-changing.
  • The job market is wide open; currently, we receive four times the number of employer requests than we have graduates to provide.
  • Training occurs on campus in Ruston, Louisiana, and can be completed in as little as one year.
  • No prior background or experience in blindness is necessary—we’ll teach you everything you need to know.
  • Scholarships are provided on a competitive basis to qualified persons and can cover costs for attending the university.
  • Scholarship also support travel to conferences, trainings, and field-based experiences at Structured Discovery training programs.

Who can Apply?

Individuals must already possess a Bachelor’s (B.A.) degree from an accredited university, have a grade point average of 2.5 and obtain a minimum of 287 (Verbal and Quantitative) on the Graduate Records Examination (GRE). Individuals must also be willing to attend courses on campus in Ruston, Louisiana on a full-time basis.

What’s the Catch?

  • Payback through service is required. Agreement to receive scholarship funding requires commitment for you to work in the field of rehabilitation for two years for each year of scholarship support you obtain.
  • Scholarships cover at least tuition and fees but may cover living and travel costs as well.
  • You have to move to Ruston, work hard, study harder, and have the heart to be an O&M or Rehabilitation Teacher of blind persons.

Where do I get started?

  • For program details, visit: www.pdrib.com.
  • Send an email for more information to: dreed@latech.edu.
  • Or contact Edward Bell, Director, Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness Louisiana Tech University to discuss your application: 318-257-4554 or ebell@latech.edu.

 

LightHouse News

Reasons Why You Should Learn Braille

LightHouse braille student Geneice Hawkins became blind six years ago. She began learning braille four years ago but due to health reasons, was unable to hone and practice her braille skills. Now she has returned to the classroom, relearning and revisiting those familiar dots and cells. She uses braille to label medications, herbs and spices and other household items, and much more. “I love to read and use audio books when I’m multi-tasking, like cooking or washing dishes. But I was inspired to get back to studying braille,” she told us, “by the birth of my nieces and more recently my 20-month-old granddaughter. She loves to be read to and is always walking around with a book in her hand. I really want to be able to read to her and to my nieces.

Despite the fantastic access technology available to most folks who are blind, braille, even basic braille, is eminently useful for essential everyday activities such as household labeling, writing notes, calendaring appointments, creating grocery lists as well as using computers and smart phones with refreshable braille displays.

If you are blind or low vision and would like to find out how you can learn braille, contact LightHouse braille instructor Divina Fontanilla Carslon at dfontanilla@old.lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7367.

Student Geneice Hawkins works with LightHouse braille instructor Divina Fontanilla Carlson

LightHouse News

Staff Profile: Christina Daniels, Accessible Technology Specialist and Music Aficionado

“LightHouse is a place I’ve wanted to work at for a long time,” Christina Daniels, our Access Technology Specialist, said when asked what made her consider working for us.

After graduating from our Employment Immersion program, Christina, an experienced accessible technology instructor, got her foot in the LightHouse door when she was hired as receptionist for the LightHouse in May, 2013. By hiring Christina we gained an important ally.

Employment Immersion was not Christina’s first introduction to LightHouse. A Bay Area native, and high school graduate of Ygnacio Valley in Concord, Christina first came to the LightHouse to receive low-vision cooking training from our instructor, the late David Baioni. “It was David’s class that piqued my interest in establishing a career in helping blind people such as myself live passionately.” Little did Christina know that she would one day call LightHouse home.

As LightHouse’s morning receptionist, Christina’s light shined brightly as she ushered people in from the windy Van Ness Ave. corridor. “It’s great to see you Mrs. Wright, come on in and take a seat just to the right of the front door. I’ll let Debbie know you’re here.” Her smile and reassuring, pleasant voice welcomed morning students and clients to our office. Once LightHouse students learned that, in addition to being a jovial woman of confidence, Christina is also tech savvy, and a master at using accessibility software, our clients couldn’t resist asking her for help. “Christina, I can’t seem to open my email on my iPhone. What have I done?” Christina to the rescue.

Christina’s work was impressive and it didn’t take long for LightHouse to recognize this by offering her first a part-time and then a full time position as an Access Technology Specialist. Christina now helps students navigate braille displays connected to their computers, smart phone accessibility features, and accessibility software such as JAWS, Zoom Text, and Dolphin Guide for computers. She is fulfilling one of her life-long goals: working to help blind people thrive independently by using technology.

Christina works with LightHouse student Erik Ealy on his technology skills

When describing her approach to teaching accessibility technology, she emphatically states, “I don’t preach dogma; I listen first and then make suggestions to meet each person’s needs. People should dispel the ‘one size fits all’ mentality for blindness training. I urge my students not to focus on what others are doing, but instead concentrate on learning what is important to them personally. For some students this means learning how to access online bank accounts; for students entering the workforce, it means learning adaptive techniques to navigate around excel documents and create professional looking resumes.” Further hitting home the importance of individual learning, Christina stresses, “there are no wrong ways to learn, which is why I focus on the needs and desires of each student, and create a plan with the student to meet those needs.”

While Christina’s approach to teaching students makes her a superstar Access Technology teacher; her zeal for musical theater makes her a humming queen. “I love live theater, particularly musicals. Last year I visited Manhattan and saw twelve Broadway shows in seven days. I guess you could say I ‘went for broke.’” She fastidiously catalogues her massive collection of Broadway albums, programs, posters, signed photographs of actors, and other memorabilia. “Live theater is about being in the middle of art being made, talking with your neighbors during intermission, feeling the energy in the room. It’s about the orchestra tuning their instruments – first middle C on the piano, then the strings, then reeds, then brass, and finally a gentle drumming of the percussion instruments. Live theater is so much more than a visual experience; it’s an every-sense-and-emotion experience. Listening to theater at home is never ever as electrifying as witnessing it live.” Christina’s interest in theater leads her down dark alleys where she patiently waits to snag her favorite actors’ signatures and photo-ops, often catching them before they dash between exit door and town car. “You can’t get a picture with Idina Menzel while listening to an album in your home,” she laughs.

One of Christina’s favorite musicals is The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, a show that includes audience participation and actor improvisation, making a unique show at every performance. Christina rattles off another life goal: “One day I hope to have my own acting company, a company for blind actors to come and perfect their craft, then bring their shows live to a stage near you.”

Christina graduated with a degree in literature from San Francisco State University and though her career has led her to teaching technology, she still loves reading. “I often have two books going at once, one that’s erudite, and one that’s fluff. People think the blind don’t have access to good literature, or current literature, but many of my blind friends read more than my sighted friends. One of the prominent concerns I hear from students new to blindness is, ‘I won’t be able to read ever again.’ I immediately dispel that misinformation, providing my students with a dizzying but gratifying array of options to meet their needs. I’m blind and I read books and enjoy theater as thoroughly as any of my sighted friends. I just use alternative methods to get there.”

If you want to practice your spelling with Christina in case you happen to be picked as an audience participant at the next showing of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, or if you are eager to make technology your friend as you pursue a joyous life with low vision or blindness, be sure to contact Christina Daniels at CDaniels@old.lighthouse-sf.org or call 415-694-7315.

In a favorite stage door photo, Christina Daniels poses with the actors of the Million Dollar Quartet. From left to right Cody Slaughter (Elvis Presley), Derek Keeling (Johnny Cash), Martin Kaye (Jerry Lee Lewis), and Lee Ferris (Carl Perkins)

 

LightHouse News

Employment Immersion Graduate Scores Coveted Paid Internship

No stranger to Employment Immersion News, Vanessa Braasch embodies the “can do” spirit. Immediately following her participation in the March 2014 Employment Immersion Program, Vanessa secured a position with fashion retailer Uniqlo. It was not her ultimate career job choice, but it allowed her to have an income while seeking a position more closely aligned to her education and goals. When Employment Immersion Program Leader Kate Williams called with news about a one-year, paid Human Resources internship with the City and County of San Francisco, Vanessa thought it would be a great opportunity to put her BA in psychology to work and applied.

“It was a very competitive application process that included a 3-hour written aptitude exam; a group leadership problem solving competition; and two intensive panel interviews. I scored 40 out of 41 on the aptitude test, so I was hopeful, but when I did not hear any news right away, I thought I did not get the position. But they called a week later and offered me the internship. It sounds very exciting. I will be learning their software system and rotating through different positions – employee relations, working with unions, etc. – in order to learn all about HR. I am so excited to have the opportunity to keep striving, learning and growing, and it’s a generously paid internship that allows me to get off Social Security. They have been wonderful about working with me to provide accommodations as well.”

Earlier this year Vanessa said about our program, “I highly recommend the Employment Immersion class. You get a lot of information you would have trouble finding for yourself, such as how working affects your benefits. And the program taught me about some of the little things that can be really helpful to getting a job, like asking for the interviewer’s business card at the end of the interview so that you’ll have their contact information and can quickly send a thank you note. The lectures are not boring and it’s a fun environment.”

Vanessa will be eligible to apply for a permanent Personnel Analyst Trainee position in the civil service system after the successful completion of the structured intern program. Kate Williams notes, “I knew Vanessa was working the ‘night shift’ at Uniqlo. I thought her determination and desire to start a professional career might pay off – and it has. She has earned a highly coveted HR Analyst Internship with the City and County of San Francisco. We are so proud of her amazing accomplishment.”

 

For more information about our Employment Immersion Program, please contact Kate Williams at kwilliams@old.lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-324.

Vanessa Braasch

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

Planned Giving Seminar Truly Rocked

Last month a group of LightHouse supporters came together to hear a presentation by attorney Susan Dawson from Adler and Colvin entitled “Charitable Giving: Avoid the Chutes and Climb the Ladders”. Susan, in an unusual an highly effective tactic to make the somewhat dry material more engaging, emphasized each topic that she covered by playing an excerpt from a pop song that connected to the subject, adding a bit of beat and getting quite a few laughs. Who knew that that learning about tangible personal property, intangible personal property, substantiation and how appraisals affect tax liability could be so much fun?

Some of Susan’s key points were:

•Highly appreciated assets and assets held long-term (such as publically traded stock held for over one year) are more likely to provide advantageous tax benefits to the donor, often having income tax deductions and capital gains avoidance.

•The law that enables donors age 70 and 1/2 and over to give contributions to their favorite organization (such as LightHouse for the Blind) of up to $100,000 tax free is likely to be brought back by congress in the near future. Contributions of IRA benefits are especially advantageous, as IRAs are a terrible asset to leave to individual heirs as they are doubly taxed, and your heirs will only receive 15 cents on the dollar. The LightHouse is keeping informed on this issue, and will let you know if congress reinstates the authorization of IRA charitable contributions.

Other recommendations Susan made during her enlightening presentation: always be certain to use the correct legal name of an organization, as many charities have similar names (for the record, our correct and legal name is LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.) Better yet, include the organization’s EIN number (like a social security number for non-profits.) Our EIN is 94-1415317.

See the full presentation handout with many more details.

Charitable Giving to the LightHouse enables us to be leaders in the blind community, giving people a chance to learn skills, gain a community of peers and mentors, and live a life well lived. To discuss planned giving options, notify us of your intent or to make a gift, contact Jennifer Sachs at 415-694-7333 or fundraising@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

LightHouse News

Our First-Ever Retreat will Help Mixed Blind and Sighted Couples Explore and Grow

We are pleased to announce a very special weekend session at Enchanted Hills, where you and your sighted partner, spouse, significant other or the one person who is most involved with your life (like an adult son or daughter) can join others for a weekend of learning.

The session will run from Friday, November 14, 2:00 p.m. through Sunday, November 16, after brunch. The cost per couple is $150.00 and includes all meals. Space is limited to 14 couples. Priority registration will be given to students who have participated in our Changing Vision Changing Life Immersion Retreats. Please register by October 31. To learn more about the weekend and to register, please contact Debbie Bacon at dbacon@old.lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7357.