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LightHouse News: Quarterly Edition
Clicking on any of the article titles in the table of contents will take you directly to the article you choose.
Note: The LightHouse will be closed from December 25, 2009 through January 3, 2010.
LightHouse News Table of Contents:Sidebar Items:
-Adaptations Featured Item: Talking Bathroom Scale-Swap Shop-Save the Date: Friends of Charlie Fundraiser-LightHouse Board of Directors
-New Addresses for LightHouse of Marin and the North Coast
Please let us know what you think! To submit
feedback about this newsletter, please send an email to publications@lighthouse-sf.org.
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 Transitions at the LightHouse
Executive Director Transition
After nearly two decades of
service, LightHouse Executive Director/CEO, Anita
Aaron, will be joining the
team at partner organization World Institute on Disability (WID) as their CEO
in early 2010. In her time as LightHouse CEO, Anita
has grown the organization exponentially, helping us reach thousands of
individuals with vision loss annually throughout Northern California.
She has also worked tirelessly on local, state and national levels to advocate
for the independence, self-reliance and full community participation of
individuals who are blind or visually impaired. We will miss Anita!
But we want all of you to know that she is leaving the LightHouse in good stead
and in capable hands.
"I would not have been able to make the decision for change
without the knowledge that the LightHouse is philosophically strong,
financially sound and managed by a group of seasoned executives with 70 years
combined experience with the agency," said Aaron
regarding her decision to leave the Lighthouse top leadership role.
We will continue carrying out our programs, services and
other key activities with the same focus on excellence as we would under Anita's
leadership. Further, she will remain a part of our community, serving as a
continued resource for us and supporter of our programs. Tony Fletcher,
LightHouse Chief Operations Officer, will serve as our interim Executive
Director/CEO while our Board of Directors launches a search for Anita's
successor. We look forward to keeping you apprised of our progress. Thank you
for your ongoing support of the LightHouse!
We Say Goodbye to our Radio
Reading Service
Broadcast Services for the Blind
began on October 7, 1977. On January 1, 1989 it merged with the LightHouse, and
we began broadcasting the local newspapers and other material through our Radio
Reading Service. At the time, it was the only option for those who are blind to
get their local news.
A lot has changed since 1989,
including advances in technology that have enabled blind and visually impaired
individuals to get their information online. In addition to mainstream
technology like podcasts and social forums like Facebook that are accessible to
users with vision loss, today the blind community can also access NFB Newsline,
an interactive telephone service that offers over 300 publications on-demand.
These advances, coupled with the recent shift from analog to digital
television, have significantly lowered the demand for our Radio Reading
Service.
Therefore, effective January 1,
2010, our Radio Reading Service program will cease operations. We believe this
transition to new technologies is a positive move for the community we serve.
We are deeply grateful for the tireless, longstanding support of our dedicated
readers, who have donated their time, energy and talents over the years. And,
we are creating opportunities for our volunteers to stay connected with us,
such as producing segments for podcasts, assisting in the realm of alternative
formats, managing content on our website or helping with special projects or
events throughout the year.
New Career Opportunity: Contract
Management Training
The LightHouse for the Blind and
Visually Impaired is seeking motivated, legally blind individuals to join its
Contract Management Support (CMS) training program.
Training includes core courses
required to establish a foundation in Contract Management. This is a 10-week
program and consists of four online courses and one on-site class. Tuition is
free to participants who are eligible for this training.
Candidates must be legally blind
U.S. citizens and proficient in using adaptive technology such as Zoomtext
and/or JAWS. They must have a Bachelor's degree or 24 semester hours in a
combination of the following fields:
accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, economics, industrial
management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management.
For more information please
contact Sam Rodriguez, Assistant Director Business Services, at 415-694-7360 or
send resume to srodriguez@lighthouse-sf.org.
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Healthcare Reform: Using
your voice for change
Recently the National Council on
Disability (NCD) released a report entitled "The Current State of Health Care
for People with Disabilities," which highlights health care disparities that
people with disabilities experience, as well as provides recommendations for
addressing these disparities. Key findings conclude that individuals with
disabilities disproportionately face barriers such as the following in
accessing healthcare:
-Stereotypes medical providers may
have about treating people with disabilities
-Lack of appropriate provider
training
-Limited medical facility
accessibility and lack of examination equipment that can be used by people with
diverse disabilities
-Lack of sign language
interpreters and materials in formats that are accessible to people who are blind
or have visual impairments
-Gaps in health care insurance
coverage that limit or prevent access to needed prescription drugs, durable
medical equipment, specialist care and physical and vision rehabilitation
services
-Inadequate transportation,
limited personal assistance services and patchwork financial assistance for
people with low incomes.
Complex historical and structural
factors have contributed to the health and health care inequities people with
disabilities experience. The NCD's report recommends a series of considerations
in health care reform, addressing the needs of individuals with disabilities,
in four broad categories: research; professional education, training and
technical assistance; monitoring, oversight and accountability; and improving
systemic access to health care services and programs.
You can read the full report at
www.ncd.gov.
The NCD report will play an
important role in shaping the dialogue on health care reform, ensuring that the
needs of individuals with disabilities do not slip through the cracks of this
complex process. An additional critical component of this dialogue is more
personal - individual stories from those who have experienced health care
disparities must inform the direction our leaders take in creating systemic
change.
Stories like Jessie Lorenz's: "I
was born in a small mountain town called Durango, which is located in the
southwest part of Colorado. Soon after my birth, doctors discovered that I had
Glaucoma. In the first 24 months of my life I had 21 eye surgeries. Ultimately,
Glaucoma ravaged my eyes. I now wear bilateral prosthetics. Translated, this
means that I have two fake eyes. My family had to absorb the costs of my
medical care because my father made too much money to qualify as poor. But my
family didn't qualify as rich. There was no public option to provide medical
care; so, my family had to learn to parent a child with permanent vision loss
and absorb upwards of $30,000 in medical bills."
Lorenz, former Director of Public
Policy and Information at the LightHouse, has learned firsthand that her voice
can be a powerful change-agent. Telling her story has helped her work toward
accessing better healthcare as an individual, and she knows that her voice
combined with that of others who have faced health care barriers, can create a
movement toward positive changes in the health care system.
The LightHouse is currently
working in partnership with several other organizations that are developing
health care access proposals. These proposals, spearheaded by agencies such as
the World Institute on Disability and
California Foundation for Independent Living Centers, Inc. (www.disabilityhealthcoalition.org), will influence the promulgation of
policies resulting from healthcare reform and will be positioned to inform
operations in the carrying out of these policies.
We want to give you the
opportunity to tell us your health care stories so that we may pass them on to
these partner organizations for their use in shaping their proposals. In this
way, your voice truly can help create broad, systemic change.
To tell us your story, email
healthcare@lighthouse-sf.org. To frame your story, you may consider answering
the following questions:
-What barriers have you faced in
accessing health care?
-How has this affected your
overall health and that of your family?
-What changes would you like to
see in the health care system?
In addition to telling your story,
you can get involved in health care reform by staying informed. To read a side-by-side
comparison of the major healthcare proposals go to
www.kff.org/healthreform/sidebyside.cfm#. You can also reach out to lawmakers
directly to let them know where you stand in the health care debate. For
clickable links to your elected officials and instructions on how to contact
them, visit http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml.
We must all
take responsibility for creating the change we wish to see in the world. Take
the first step by contacting us today.
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Insights 2009 - Our 20th
Exhibition!
PHOTO:
Artist Marilee Talkington speaks to the Artists' Day group about her piece, the
sound sculpture, "Worm Hole"
Insights Exhibition Is
Extended through January 15th! Note: City Hall will be closed December 25th and January 1st, 2010. Audio tours will not be available during the LightHouse closure (December 25 - January 3, 2010).
2009 marked the 20th year the LightHouse has presented the Insights
Art Exhibition, a professional, juried exhibition of artwork by blind and
visually impaired artists.
In addition to promoting the
artwork of the artists chosen, Insights offers those that participate
opportunities to connect and share resources with each other through activities
such as the Artists' Day panel discussion (see link, below) and Artists' Tour (where
artists tour the exhibition together and present their work to one another).
Insights strengthens ties between these visually impaired community members,
inspiring them and enriching their lives.
"I wanted to let you and everyone at The
LightHouse know how much I enjoyed Artists' Day. Everything was done so well.
As a new artist I gained an insight into the way other people work and was
really inspired to continue to find new forms and to 'Create in Faith' as Ketra
[Oberlander, panelist for Artists' Day] put it. Thank you again for this great
experience."
-Mathew Schreiber, Insights 2009
artist
To hear the complete Artists' Day
panel discussion, go to: http://www.lighthouse-sf.org/events/insights/artist-day.php
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Thanks go to the following
supporters of Insights 2009:
Sponsors
National Endowment for the Arts, San Francisco Foundation, Walter and Elise Haas Fund, Safeway, Acoustiguide
and Cobb Wines.
Contributors
Dmitri Belser
Fred and Bonnie Jean Bertetta
Charles Blackwell
Neil H. Brandt
Lonnie M. Brown
Beverly R. Brunker
Mari Cardenas
George A. Covington
Anabella Denisoff
Virginia Knepper Doyle and John
Doyle
Lewis J. Feldman
Fior d'Italia
Nancy and Joe Foss
Amey Garber and Richard Lesnick
Barbara L. Gray
George and Catherine Griffin
Susan Gustafson
HBKhomes Team, Century 21 Realty Alliance
Bobby Hightower
Rosemary and Daniel Kaplan
Lynn and Dennis Kelleher
Susan Kitazawa
Local Kitchen and Wine Merchant
John H. Maxson
Marcos Monzon
Oola Restaurant
Kay Pratt
Schug Winery
Lidia and Joseph Vinal
Joseph and Margaret Ward
Gary and Yaffa Weinstein
Sofia Widjaja
R.A. Zitting
An updated list of all Insights
2009 donors can be found on our website at:
http://www.lighthouse-sf.org/events/insights/supporters.php.
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Dine at Pasta Pomodoro and Support the LightHouse!
Pasta Pomodoro invites you and your friends, family, neighbors, colleagues and anyone else you
know to dine with them while giving back to the LightHouse this holiday season. Through January 2, 2010, Pasta Pomodoro will donate 20%
of the cost of your bill to the LightHouse!
NOTE: The downloadable coupon is
in PDF format and may not be accessible to screen reader users. You can access a
text version of the coupon here, but you must present the coupon in its original
format in order for the LightHouse to receive the proceeds. Click here for the plain text version of the coupon.
San Francisco Locations:
North Beach
655 Union St., San Francisco, CA (415) 399-0300
Cow
Hollow
1875 Union St., San Francisco, CA (415) 771-7900
Laurel
Village
3611 California St., San Francisco, CA (415) 920-9904
Noe
Valley
4000 24th St., San Francisco, CA (415)
920-9904
Marin Locations:
Mill
Valley
205 Redwood Hwy Frontage Rd., Mill Valley, CA (415)
388-1692
San Rafael
421 3rd St., San Rafael, CA (415)
256-2401
Novato
140 Vintage Way, Novato, CA (415)
899-1861
East Bay Locations:
Pleasant Hill
45C Crescent Drive, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 (925)
363-9641
El Cerrito
El Cerrito Bart Plaza, 5040 El Cerrito Plaza #E1,
El Cerrito, CA 94530 (510) 225-0128
San Ramon | Bishop Ranch
146
Sunset Drive #A-3, San Ramon, CA 94583 (925) 867-1407
Union City
32216
Dyer Street, Union City, CA 94587 (510) 429-1991
Vallejo
163 Plaza
Drive, Vallejo, CA 94591 (707) 557-6100
Emeryville | Bay Street
5614
Shellmound Street #236, Emeryville, CA 94608 (510)
923-1173
Rockridge
5500 College Avenue, Oakland, CA 94618 (510)
923-0900
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Are you (or someone you know) becoming less active due to vision loss?
Studies have shown that older
people who remain active live healthier, less isolated lives than those who are
not active.
Through our Vision Rehabilitation
training, we teach seniors who are losing vision how to keep doing the things
that keep them healthy. Our specialists show seniors with impaired vision how
to be safe in the home and kitchen. They evaluate home lighting, discuss aids
that make daunting tasks manageable, teach the best ways to get around in the
outside world, and more.
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Support the Long Term Health of Our Community by Investing in the LightHouse!
LightHouse training is a key
component to keeping seniors with low vision as healthy as possible. We make
this training available to all seniors who live in the areas we serve,
regardless of their ability to pay.
We receive funding for these
services from generous supporters, supporters like you. By investing in the
LightHouse you help us provide these services for those who need them now. But
you also ensure we will be here in the future to serve those who may begin to
lose their vision as they get older. With your help we will be there for those
who are important to you - your family, your friends, perhaps you yourself.
Please consider supporting our work by giving today.
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January 2010 LightHouse
Calendar
Education and Recreation Program: For prerecorded monthly information on the
Education and Recreation Program, call 415-694-7325 or email
mpearson@lighthouse-sf.org. For reservations, call Molly Irish at 415-694-7320.
Classes Begin January 4
Town Hall
January 6, 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Dinner and Bingo
January 15, 5:00-8:00 p.m.
Closed for Martin Luther King Day
January 18
Adult Weekend and Evening Program: Contact Philip Kum at 415-694-7372 or
email pkum@lighthouse-sf.org.
ONGOING EVENTS
Peer-to-Peer Support Group
January 9 and 23, 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Hatha Yoga Class
January 7, 14, 21 and 28, 6:00-7:25 p.m.
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February 2010 LightHouse
Calendar
Annual Friends of Charlie Fundraiser for Enchanted Hills Camp
February 27, 2010 at Twin Peaks Tavern
401 Castro Street (at Market), San Francisco
Education and Recreation Program: For prerecorded monthly information on the
Education and Recreation Program, call 415-694-7325 or email
mpearson@lighthouse-sf.org. For reservations, call Molly Irish at 415-694-7320.
Town Hall
February 3, 2:00-3:00 p.m.
No Classes in observance of Presidents' Day
February 15
Dinner and Bingo
February 19, 5:00-8:00 p.m.
Adult Weekend and Evening Program: Contact Philip Kum at 415-694-7372 or
email pkum@lighthouse-sf.org.
ONGOING EVENTS
Peer-to-Peer Support Group
February 13 and 27, 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Hatha Yoga Class
February 4, 11, 18 and 25, 6:00-7:25 p.m.
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March 2010 LightHouse
Calendar
Education and Recreation Program: For prerecorded monthly information on the
Education and Recreation Program, call 415-694-7325 or email
mpearson@lighthouse-sf.org. For reservations, call Molly Irish at 415-694-7320.
Town Hall
March 3, 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Dinner and Bingo
March 19, 5:00-8:00 p.m.
Annual Day Trip to an Indian Casino
March 26
Adult Weekend and Evening Program: Contact Philip Kum at 415-694-7372 or
email pkum@lighthouse-sf.org.
ONGOING EVENTS
Peer-to-Peer Support Group
March 13 and 27, 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Hatha Yoga Class
March 4, 11, 18 and 25, 6:00-7:25 p.m.
Vision Loss Resource Center: To RSVP for programs or for additional information,
please call 888-400-8933 or email info@lighthouse-sf.org.
Magnification Seminar
March 5, 1:00-3:00 p.m.
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Quarterly Edition
December 2009
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The LightHouse relies on the support of donors to make a difference
in the lives of thousands of blind, deaf-blind and visually impaired
individuals each year. Please donate now.
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Adaptations
Featured Item
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This 64mm (2.5") Magnabrite Light Gathering Magnifier with
round wood base provides pre-focused 4x
magnification and helps to minimize eye fatigue. Made of solid optical-grade
acrylic, it glides over almost any surface. Can be useful for viewing maps, faxes
and other general applications. Now only $32!
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Save the Date:
Friends of Charlie
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Annual Friends of Charlie Fundraiser for
Enchanted Hills Camp
February 27, 2010
Twin Peaks Tavern 401 Castro
Street San Francisco
Stay tuned to
for more details!
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For Sale:
Victor Reader Stream Digital Talking Book Player. Like new. Used only 5
times. Latest software installed (Version 3.0.3). Will include 4 GB SDHC card
free (used a few times). Original box included with all original accessories
(earphones, power supply, USB cables, case, and User Guide CD). More info at:
http://snipurl.com/t5w2r
Current retail price
is $349 plus tax and shipping. Asking $239 plus shipping or pick up in the East
Bay. Contact Dianne at max.millner@gmail.com or call 510
394-5051.
To submit a Swap Shop listing for adaptive equipment, please email publications@lighthouse-sf.org or call 415-431-1481.
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LightHouse Board
of Directors
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Todd Stevenot, President
Gil Johnson, Immediate Past
President
Carl Janson, Vice President
Arthur Beato, Vice President
Joshua A. Miele, Ph.D., Vice
President
Joseph Chan, Treasurer
Leslie Murphy, Secretary
Brad "Rocky" Bertetta
David Chan
Stephen Dobbs
Margie Donovan
Chris Downey
Rebecca Handler
Dana Hooper
Kathleen Knox
Jerry Kuns
Gary Schnitzer
Jordana Welles
Keith Williams
Anita Shafer Aaron
Executive Director/CEO
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New Locations
in Marin and
North Coast
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LightHouse of Marin
at the Whistlestop Senior Center
930 Tamalpais Ave.
San Rafael, CA 94901
415-258-8496
415-431-4572 TTY
LightHouse of the North Coast
at the Humboldt Senior Resource
Center
1910 California Street, Third Floor
Eureka, CA 95501
707-268-5646
707-268-5655 TTY
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