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LightHouse News

We’ve got the Coolest Braille Instructor – And You Can Learn Braille from Her at Any Age

The following is one in a series of LightHouse staff profiles –Ed.

Divina Fontanilla Carlson and her guide dog, Syracuse
LightHouse Braille Instructor Divina Fontanilla Carlson never backs down from a challenge; whether overcoming personal obstacles or doggedly helping her students defy their own perceptions of their limitations. Every time she works with a new braille student she demonstrates her zeal for success. She told us, “some of my students have tried learning braille before and have given up but I don’t let them do that. I am persistent. When they work with me they are eventually able to read braille fluently. Some of them have read more braille books than me and I read a lot.”

Divina grew up in the Philippines with nine brothers and sisters. Six out of the ten children, including Divina, have low vision. Despite the lack of accommodation in the Philippines, she earned her Associates of Arts degree. After this Divina and her family moved to the Bay Area where they thrived in the more blind-friendly environment here in the states.

After moving here, Divina worked with San Francisco Vocational Services for job placement training and at the same time worked as a part time stock clerk. In order to get more job experience, she volunteered as a receptionist at a local blindness center. In 1993, she was hired as receptionist and program assistant at the Rose Resnick Center for the Blind. That year the Rose Resnick Center merged with LightHouse for the Blind and after the merger, Divina’s job description expanded to include processing LightHouse store mail orders,   coordinating low vision clinic appointments and streamlining our taxi voucher program.

LightHouse Rehabilitation Director Kathy Abrahamson recognized in Divina a compelling desire to help the blind gain the specific skills they need to thrive, so Kathy asked Divina to become a braille instructor, a job she still loves doing ten years later. As she continued to shine at the LightHouse, she decided to step up her game by getting her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology at San Francisco State University.

One of the ideas Divina works hard to counter is the idea that braille is obsolete. She says, “Most people think braille is unnecessary, what with the availability of technology and audio sources of literature and information. But reading braille is still a critically important skill for blind people to have to be independent and live rich lives.” As examples she notes that braille labels relay more information than simple bump-dots; reading a book in braille rather than listening to it with earphones is freeing in loud environments such as on a BART train and reviewing brailled notes during a meeting is easier and more graceful than listening to them through an earpiece.

In addition to being an inspiring braille instructor, Divina continues to support the Changing Vision Changing Life training class as a technology trainer specializing in keyboarding, adaptive software and iPhone lessons. Furthermore, she is fluent in Tagalog and works closely with our clients and students who have English as a second language, teaching them basic technology like Dolphin’s “Guide” software and introductory braille. Divina also works part time as a braillist at the Library for the Blind in the San Francisco Main Library.

When Divina isn’t teaching braille or working at the library, she loves to dine out, exploring cuisines from around the world, as well as cooking healthy foods in inventive ways. Balancing her love of food, she is also an avid outdoors woman. Early on, working with the LightHouse encouraged her to explore all sorts of activities she never thought she could enjoy because of her blindness. She river rafts, canoes, rides horseback, climbs and camps. She particularly loves tandem mountain biking. When she’s not rocketing over boulders and clambering over redwood roots, she’s relaxing and listening to talking books. She also loves traveling, particularly to places that are tropical, like Hawaii and Mexico.

Last year LightHouse Social Worker Jeff Carlson and Divina tied the knot and the two live in the culturally diverse Western Edition district of San Francisco. Divina loves the Bay Area, saying “the countless opportunities in our area are rich and should not be missed by anyone. There is no excuse. Go out and live your life!” If you are blind or low vision and would like to find out how you can learn braille with Divina, contact her at DFontanilla@old.lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7367.

LightHouse News

LightHouse Youth Attend NFB Convention

1 Commenton LightHouse Youth Attend NFB Convention

Last month the LightHouse Youth Program traveled with ten participants on the field trip of a lifetime, all the way to Orlando and the six-day National Federation of the Blind (NFB) National Convention.

The group included eight young people between the ages of 19 and 26, all from California. It was the first time on an airplane for some, the first time to travel to the east coast for many and the first time to a national convention for all.

Our primary goal was to introduce this group to opportunities the blind community can provide and for them to learn, with guidance from LightHouse staff, what a blindness convention is like. We were not surprised that the experience made a strong impression on the group – participant Julie Cabrera was “amazed by the forest of [white] canes in the convention hall”.

Here are some highlights of their visit:

• The young people started out the convention by spending a few hours volunteering for Second Harvest Food Bank, organizing and separating donations. They worked side by side with members of the Future Farmers of America, offering the chance to do good while providing positive examples of young blind people at work.

• After their volunteer stint the group went back to the convention hall and began attending various education and recreation themed seminars and break out groups. Right away they got to work, honing their decision-making skills by making their own choices about which seminars they wish to attend.

• LightHouse Red Cross Youth Group representatives Julie Cabrera and Priscilla Jimenez gave a presentation Community Service Division about our clubs’ and the accessible disaster preparedness booklet project.

• Often it is the case that folks who are blind find it challenging to meet others who are blind, so fostering these connections was a key goal for the group. While most of the young people knew each other beforehand, we encouraged them to introduce themselves to as many people at the convention as possible. To that end we facilitated a dinner with a number of convention attendees who had a strong relationship with the LightHouse such as Chemistry Camp leader Hoby Wedler and LightHouse Board members. To make the most of the opportunity, before meals were ordered the youth changed seats every five minutes in order to meet everyone at the table.

• In the evening the young people participated in break-out sessions with youth-oriented groups such as National Association of Blind Students (NABS).

All in all, the group had a wonderful time. It was immeasurably enriching to meet blind people from all around the country and to revel in the atmosphere of such a large meeting place. Said Micah Aveno, “I want to thank you again for giving me the opportunity to attend this year’s NFB Convention. I definitely learned a lot about the Federation, things that are available to the blind and about the blind community in general. I also learned a lot about myself and the different things I would like to pursue. Going to the convention has helped me give more serious thought to my educational and career goals.”

LightHouse Youth Coordinator Jamey Gump, Priscilla Jimenez, Eduardo Mendez, Daisy Soto, Micah Aveno, Julie Cabrera, Cody Meyer, Sherry Pablo, (adopted participant) Melissa Hadiyanto and Ahmed El Bialy

LightHouse News

Your Story About Blindness or Low Vision Is Fascinating to Others – Now You Can Record it for Everyone

Disability Visibility: Collecting Oral Histories from Americans with Disabilities

The Disability Visibility Project is a year-long grassroots campaign encouraging people with disabilities to record their stories in celebration of the upcoming 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 2015.

In partnership with Disability Visibility Project, StoryCorps in San Francisco will give residents the opportunity to record and archive their unique and powerful stories at StoryCorps’ recording studio on the sixth floor of the San Francisco Main Library. StoryCorps interviews are conducted between two people who know and care about each other. A trained facilitator guides the participants through the interview process. At the end of each 40-minute recording session, participants receive a copy of their interview. With their permission, a second copy is archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

How to Participate
Participants are encouraged to make reservations online with StoryCorps and mention the Disability Visibility Project in the “NOTES” section of the online form so their story will be tagged for this project. Check the StoryCorps’ website for more information on how to participate: https://storycorps.org/reservations/

LightHouse News

Last Spaces Available – Summer Music Academy at Enchanted Hills

For more than 60 years blind campers have made music at Enchanted Hills, from Rose Resnick’s expressive piano playing in the 1950s to synthesizers and digital recordings last summer. Now the LightHouse has partnered with the world’s leading company providing accessible music to bring a new summertime music academy to the redwoods.

Dancing Dots and its founder Bill McCann have developed software and procedures which allow blind musicians to read and emboss Braille and large-print music, to independently record performances and to achieve higher levels of critical listening. McCann has pioneered this specialized music academy in Canada and the U.S. and will join Enchanted Hills the week August 3, 2014 for a very special blind music academy limited to 20 students.

If you are a serious blind musician or are thinking of entering the profession, this academy will introduce you to new ways you can write down your own music, read the works of others, and generally gain the capacity necessary to compete for and win employment in the music field.

Of course the Academy will be more than cool software and recording. Music professionals will join in to talk about what it’s like to be in the business, and participants will likely stay up into the evening improvising and jamming around the pool, campfire and our new redwood grove performance space.

The Enchanted Hills Music Academy will draw young motivated blind and visually-impaired participants from around the nation. Attendance will be limited to 20, so please make arrangements to apply for a place at your early convenience.

Imagine a week just to be a musician. One entire week to do nothing but eat, sleep and breathe music with time to play, sing, read, write, arrange, record and just jam. Where else can you hang out with fellow blind and low vision musicians and meet with a staff of people who are there to support you on your musical journey? And where else can you do it all in a place where there’s so much sun, a refreshing pool to jump into, hiking trails, good food and those enchanted trees that welcome you.

The Academy is open for blind and visually impaired musicians 14 to 25 years old that have the temperament and interest level in music to spend a week of the summer focusing exclusively on learning more about how to read, write, arrange and perform music.

When: August 3 through August 9, 2014
Where: Enchanted Hills Camp
Cost for the week, all-inclusive: $300
(Limited scholarships will be made available)

To sign up you must contact Taccarra Burrell at 451-694-7310 or ehc@old.lighthouse-sf.org no later than Monday, July 28.

(l to r) Counselor Matt Beard playing guitar to young campers Lochlan and Nick

LightHouse News

LightHouse Celebrates First Year of Immersion Training at Enchanted Hills

If you haven’t checked out the LightHouse’s introduction to blindness classes recently, you are in for a treat. You’ll notice that we’ve strengthened and innovated the way many people first deal with new vision loss. We’ve designed a way to give new LightHouse students an intense and concentrated 50 hours of skills training, confidence-building and mentorship, all in an efficient and fun-filled week. Our new ‘Changing Vision, Changing Life’ classes are now often held at our 311-acre country retreat in Napa County. These retreats are proving to be   a stimulating mini-vacation filled with some of the hardest and most-rewarding work many participants have done in a long time.

We’ve now completed a half-dozen such pioneering learning retreats involving about 100 students since our first bold experiment in 2013. We’ve learned a lot about how to deliver O&M and tech training in a way that is team-building, fun and demanding. During this month’s training, for example, ten students participated, the majority from our North Coast service area. The week was highlighted by personal successes in Orientation & Mobility, braille and most of all, connecting with others to find mentorship and support that will continue far past the retreat, encouraging students to get deeper training in blindness aspects important to them.

These spirited and effective retreats are now a hallmark of LightHouse training. The success of our first 100 students has persuaded us to keep offering the special retreats year round. You may also get a sense of the retreats in the accompanying photographs.

Our next Changing Vision Changing Life week-long immersion training is set for September 7 through 12. To attend, contact Rehabilitation Counselor Debbie Bacon at dbacon@old.lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7357.

If you or someone you know is wanting to work on deaf-blindness tech training, we also periodically offer a concurrent training at Enchanted Hills facilitated by Sook Hee Choi, our Deaf-Blind Specialist. Last month, for example, eight persons who are deaf-blind enjoyed intensive training on the new telecommunication equipment they received at no cost through our Deaf-Blind Telecommunication Program, funded by the Federal Communications Commission. For more information regarding this program, contact Sook Hee Choi at schoi@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

Here are some photos of the Immersion and Deaf-Blind Telecom trainings:

O & M Specialist Terry Wedler uses one of the tree-lined lanes at Enchanted Hills to train Elk, CA resident George Montag on cane techniques

Close up on O & M Specialist Terry Wedler training George Montag on cane techniques

Eureka photographer and retired Antique Dealer Bill Cody being introduced to Braille

George Montag and Artist Tim Taubold of Ft. Bragg honing their tactile discrimination skills on coins - photo credit: Claire Lewis Photography

L to R, Tim Taubold, George Montag & Bill Cody winding down the evening with a rousing game of poker using large print and braille playing cards

Deaf-Blind Telecom training - Chris Sanchez training East Bay resident Cary Anne Rawson

Deaf-Blind Telecom training – Instructor Mussie Gebra tests a braille display

Deaf-Blind Telecom training - Sook Hee Choi, training East Bay resident Angela Palmer

LightHouse News

LightHouse Meeting Materials in Alternative Formats or Languages

We want to make sure everyone who attends a meeting or class at the LightHouse has access to the materials and content. When you attend LightHouse meetings:

  • Do you need a sign language interpreter or other assistance?
  • Do you need written materials in large print, braille or audio?
  • Is English your second language? Do you need one of our documents translated?
  • Do you need an interpreter who speaks your language present at one of our meetings?

We can help. You can request assistance by contacting us at 415-694-7322 or info@old.lighthouse-sf.org. We’ll need at least five (5) business days’ notice to provide reasonable accommodations. Securing Deaf-Blind interpreters could take longer although we will make every effort to arrange for assistance as soon as possible.

Fingers on braille

 

LightHouse News

A Few Openings Left in our Deaf-Blind Camp Session on August 10 through 14

The Deaf-Blind Session at Enchanted Hills Camp is for adults 18 years and older with dual sensory loss. Most of the campers use American Sign Language as their primary mode of communication.

When: Sunday, August 10 through Thursday, August 14

Read about last year’s Deaf-Blind Camp session here.

Please contact LightHouse Deaf-Blind Specialist Sook Hee Choi for more information. VP: (415) 431-4572 or schoi@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

 

hands signing into hands reading

LightHouse News

Donna Kazanjian Will Teach You Non-Visual Ways to Navigate the City

“I love seeing clients’ growth in independence and mobility,”  said Donna Kazanjian, LightHouse’s Rehabilitation Services Coordinator, when asked what she loves most about her job.

Donna was raised on a healthy diet of Ted Williams, haddock, chowda’ and the sparing use of the letter “R.” Boston, Massachusetts was an exciting town to grow up in, but it left her wanting more. After visiting her uncle in Pasadena, as a senior in high school, Donna always wanted to move to California

She finally landed in Southern California, where she finished her undergraduate degree and acquired her secondary teacher’s credentials. Shortly after graduation, she began teaching middle and high school English and history, honing her skills as a leader, teacher and mentor. Donna also worked in the building trades for over a decade receiving journey cards in both masonry and tile setting, one of few women do so at that time.

Two decades later she relocated to San Francisco and enrolled in a special education Master’s program at San Francisco State University, where she specialized in Orientation and Mobility for the blind.

Orientation training helps blind and low vision folks determine where they are and where they want to go, whether moving from one room to another or walking down to the local supermarket. Mobility training refers to learning how to move safely, efficiently, and effectively from one place to another, such as being able to walk without tripping or falling, cross streets, and use public transportation.

Donna told us, “I figured that Orientation and Mobility would be an outgrowth of the skills I learned as a teacher and crafts worker because I learned how to work with all kinds of people in many environments.”

In 1997, Donna joined the LightHouse team as an Orientation and Mobility instructor. She found herself working with a widely diverse population. For example, when she arrived at LightHouse AIDS was ravaging the city, causing many people to lose their sight and later their lives. Now AIDS related blindness is less common, and stands as a recent example of the changing demographics of the bay area blind population. Change and diversity are two things Donna loves about being an Orientation and Mobility instructor. “I love people’s stories, backgrounds, and diversity. In a single day I work with clients living in Nob Hill, the Mission and the Tenderloin.”

O & M instruction requires focus, especially when listening to clients, coming up with relevant goals and building trusting relationships to ensure safe and effective mobility strategies. In this way, Donna says, “O & M instruction and the LightHouse are stepping stones to independence and a better life.” Just like school, clients graduate with newly acquired knowledge and move on to implementing skills that enrich their everyday lives.

Outside of the LightHouse, Donna has many interests. She started playing tennis at age 10, and is still an avid tennis player, frequenting tennis courts in Golden Gate Park, SF Tennis Club, Glen Park courts and the Castro tennis courts. “When I go on vacation, I take the rackets,” she exclaimed. Physical fitness is important to Donna and she is also a proud walkaholic, promenading through the winding streets around Bernal Heights and the downtown San Francisco grid. Her constitutionals to and from work are tracked by pedometer and are daily reminders of how important the mobility training she does is to the health of her students. Donna loves traveling, especially to Mexico and Palm Springs, where she can kick up her feet and soak up the sun. She also enjoys live theatre and the symphony.

If you are interested in learning more about Orientation and Mobility instruction, or perhaps even cracking open a bottle of Moxie, New England’s original soda elixir, contact Donna at DKazanjian@old.lighthouse-sf.org or call her at 415-694-7308.

Donna Kazanjian works with LightHouse client Karen Parsegian at a Muni underground station

LightHouse News

LightHouse Labs Holds First-Ever Blind Ideation Weekend

Founded in 2011, the LightHouse Labs team has held dozens of roundtables and advised inventors and large tech companies on the blind-worthiness of their inventions. LightHouse Labs meets monthly and has already influenced many startup and large tech firms in developing products and services of fundamental utility for our community.

As part of the Labs’ initiative to influence future innovation, key members gathered for a first-ever three-day Ideation Weekend at our Enchanted Hills Retreat. The LightHouse Labs core members – all blind – were assisted by an enormous donation of time and talent from Will Carey, an experienced executive from Palo Alto-based Ideo, and Jennifer Wood, who has begun volunteer service as LightHouse’s Innovation Officer.

During the productive weekend, the Labs team discussed more than 100 ideas of new products and services that might benefit the blind. The group then had the demanding task of winnowing the ideas those that would be most impactful and those which could be done in a couple of years. The winning ideas will now be submitted to university design, innovation and engineering departments to be developed as part of senior and graduate projects. But it all began this June when a couple-dozen passionate blind techies gave of their time and talent to help the LightHouse brainstorm a better future.

During a break in the brainy weekend some members of the think tank posed for a photo. From left to right they include: Back row: Brian Buhrow, Jim Barbour, Marc Sutton, Peter Cantisani, Mike May, Bryan Bashin, Scott Blanks Front row: James Kubel, Jennifer Wood, Josh Miele, Tim Elder and BJ Epstein

LightHouse News

Transit Trek Week for Youth and Teens

1 Commenton Transit Trek Week for Youth and Teens

The LightHouse will host a totally free Transit Trek week from Monday, August 4 through Friday, August 8.

If you are blind or low vision and between the ages of ten and nineteen and you’d like a week of adventure while learning and experiencing various public transportation routes in the San Francisco Bay Area, then you’re with us. Blind youth and LightHouse mobility instructors will take on a different destination adventure each day, such as riding BART to the International Airports in Oakland and San Francisco, MUNI to Golden Gate Park and CAL TRAIN to San Jose for lunch. The goals (besides lots of fun) include: accessing and gaining exposure to all forms of public transit including BART, Caltrain, MUNI and Sam Trans; honing cane travel skills and confidence, and most of all, developing the desire to travel with gusto and savvy.

Dates: Monday, August 4 through Friday, August 8, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day

Space is limited to 15 students, so sign up now. East Bay students will meet at the Ed Roberts Campus in Berkeley at 9:00 a.m. to travel to San Francisco and arrive by 9:30 a.m.

For more information and to register contact Debbie Bacon at dbacon@old.lighthouse-sf.org or Kathy Abrahamson at kabrahamson@old.lighthouse-sf.org.