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Clicking on any of the article titles in the table of contents will take you directly to the article you choose.
 LightHouse News Table of Contents:Sidebar Items:-News From Adaptations, the LightHouse Store
-USA Drug Discount Cards Available Through Community
Action Network
-Swap Shop
-Free Bay Area Screenings for "The Eyes of Me"
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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1. Mike May to Join US Delegation to 2010 Olympic
Winter Games in Vancouver
LightHouse Honorary Board member Mike May will join the US
Delegation to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver
from February 12th through February 15th. The delegation will attend the
Opening Ceremony, meet with U.S.
athletes, attend events and meet with other dignitaries and leaders from around
the world.
Delegation to the
Opening Ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games
Eric Shinseki, Department of Veterans Affairs
Secretary, Head of Delegation
David Jacobson, U.S. Ambassador
to Canada
Lisa Jackson, Administrator
of the Environmental Protection Agency
Kareem Dale, Special Assistant
to the President for Disability Policy
Jim Martinson, Vietnam Veteran, 1992 Paralympic gold
medalist, Downhill Skiing
Mike May, 1984 Paralympic bronze medalist, Alpine
Skiing
Bonnie St. John, 1984 Paralympic silver medalist and 2-time
bronze medalist, Slalom and Giant Slalom
Melissa Stockwell, Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran, 2008 Summer Paralympic swimmer
To see the full list of US Delegations for all the Olympic
Winter Game Ceremonies, visit
http://lighthouse-sf.org/news/2010/02/mike-may-olympic-delegation.php.
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2. Friends of Charlie Fundraiser: February 27th
The LightHouse will host the annual Friends of Charlie
benefit for Enchanted Hills Camp (EHC) on Saturday February 27, 2010 at the Twin Peaks Tavern in San
Francisco.
This summer EHC will be marking its 60th anniversary. We
hope we can count on you to send Charlie and his good friends to EHC in 2010
and help us celebrate this important milestone in EHC's history.
Friends of Charlie started in 2004, when a few people raised
money to send their friend Charlie Wilson, who was losing his vision, to
Enchanted Hills Camp for the first time. Of that first camp session, Charlie
said, "I told some people when I came back that it was one of the best
weeks I spent in my life and I will never forget it."
As the seniors that make up Charlie's group of
friends grew, so too did the support for this fun and inspiring event. Over the
last five years, Friends of Charlie has become one of the premiere fundraisers
for EHC, raising $9,000 last year!
Please consider supporting Friends of Charlie by donating raffle or silent
auction items, providing a donation in support of the event or joining us on
the 27th.
For more information about Friends of Charlie, please contact Jennifer
Yeagley at the LightHouse at (415) 694-7333 or email jyeagley@lighthouse-sf.org.
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3. LightHouse
Technology Seminar:
March 5th Get a Good Look at Video Magnifiers
March 5, 2010
1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
At the LightHouse for the Blind
214 Van Ness Avenue,
San Francisco, CA
94102
The Vision Loss Resource Center at the LightHouse presents this Technology Seminar on video magnifiers. Video magnifiers are ideal for low vision reading. With the
touch of a button, you can enlarge words in a newspaper, bestseller, or grocery
list. Text becomes crisp and bright and can appear in various colors!
Learn about the Pebble Hand Held, the Sapphire Portable, the
Mano Portable, and the Graduate PC Based Portable and many more! Many of these video magnifiers are available at Adaptations, the LightHouse store, which will feature special day-of-event discounts.
To participate:
Listen via live audio stream
Listen via free tele-conferencing service
Come in person see the product demos!
Accommodations are
available upon request.
RSVP and get details at 1-888-400-8933 or rsvp@lighthouse-sf.org.
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4. Blindness
Organizations and Arizona State University Resolve Litigation Over Kindle
The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the American
Council of the Blind (ACB), and Arizona
State University (ASU), announced a
settlement agreement resolving litigation filed by NFB and ACB
against the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR)
and ASU.
The lawsuit arose from the university's participation in a pilot program
using the Kindle DX, a dedicated device for reading electronic books, or
e-books, developed by Amazon.com, Inc. The NFB and ACB
alleged that the Kindle DX was inaccessible to blind students and thus violated
federal law. ABOR
and ASU denied and continue to deny any
violations of the law.
The settlement agreement among the parties was reached in
light of several factors, including: (1) ASU's
commitment to providing access to all programs and facilities for students with
disabilities, including students who are blind or have low vision; (2) the fact
that the pilot program will end in the Spring of 2010; (3) Amazon
and others are making improvements to and progress in the accessibility of
e-book readers; and (4) the university's agreement that should ASU
deploy e-book readers in future classes over the next two years, it will strive
to use devices that are accessible to the blind.
The United States Department of Justice is also a party to
the agreement,which does not involve the payment of any damages or attorney's
fees or costs. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind,
said: "The National Federation of the Blind is pleased with this
settlement, which we believe will help to ensure that new technologies create
new opportunities for blind students rather than new barriers."
Mitch Pomerantz, President of the American
Council of the Blind, expressed support by commenting: "I believe this
settlement between Arizona
State University
and the two major national consumer-advocacy organizations of blind and
visually impaired persons will encourage the industry to develop fully
accessible e-book readers in the near future."
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5. Evening and Weekend
Events at the LightHouse
Thursday Evening Yoga
6:00 pm - 7:25 pm
This class is designed for a more energetic practice than
Wednesday's class and combines a sequence of poses (asanas) from B.K.S. Iyengar
and Ashtanga yoga poses. We focus on the
synchronization of the breath with movement.
We will be offering Standing, Seated (on mat), Forward and
Back Bending postures that are the "fundamental root" of Yoga. Perfect for the
beginner or experienced student who wants to learn more about what Yoga is and
how they can take these poses with them into other Yoga classes.
Instructor: Nancy Yates
Cost: $50 for five weeks, or $11 per session. Scholarships
are available.
Monthly Saturday Yoga
Workshop
3:30 - 5:30 p.m.Special Thematic Workshops each month given on the second
Saturday of each month.
Instructor: Nancy Yates and
Gabbriella Yates.
Self-Defense Workshop:
Saturday, February 27th, 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The LightHouse is proud to host The Mega Program:
Self-Defense for the Visually Impaired. This program was developed specifically
for the visually impaired. It began in London, England,
and has been featured on the BBC radio program InTouch. Every workshop will
cover physical techniques along with discussion of laws and self-defense theory
that specifically affect the blind/visually impaired community.
The series of workshops will cover:
Threat Recognition - Mental State - Body Posturing - Tonal
Indication
Substance Abuse - Threat Analysis
- How serious is the threat?
Threat Response - The Law - Common Sense in self-defense
Involvements with the police - Witness Statement
Recording an Incident - How do people perceive you?
How do you want people to perceive you?
Principles of aggressive behavior - Physical self-defense
techniques
Cost: There is a suggested donation of $5
Location for all events: The LightHouse, 214
Van Ness Avenue, San
Francisco
For more information about all classes, contact Philip from
the LightHouse. Call 415-694-7372 or email pkum@lighthouse-sf.org.
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6. General Motors
Working With NFB to Make Electric Cars Louder
General Motors announced that it's working with the National
Federation of the Blind on technology to make sure that near-silent electric
cars and hybrids don't sneak up on unsuspecting walkers or runners.
This is potentially a growing problem as the nation switches
to battery-powered cars as an alternative to high-priced gasoline. A
bill that would direct the Transportation Department to regulate a solution, the
Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act was
introduced in Congress earlier this year.
One study already points to dangers. Walkers and bicyclists
are being struck at a greater rate by hybrid vehicles than by conventional
cars, concluded the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
in September.
"I've had probably 25 blind people in the country tell
me they've almost been hit by these cars," says NFB President Marc Maurer.
Vehicles brushed up against some or crushed their white canes, he says.
Maurer says he believes electric cars of the future will
need to be equipped with a forward-directed sound device that operates without
interruption while the car is in motion. All
electric vehicles will have to make roughly the same artificial noise, he says,
so that blind people will be able to distinguish them as moving vehicles
GM already is equipping its new Chevrolet Volt
extended-range electric car with a driver-activated warning system. The car
will emit a short audible horn pulse about as loud as the ring of a telephone
when the driver pulls back on the turn-signal switch.
"We want to make sure it is something friendly and not
startling," says Volt's chief engineer, Andrew
Farah. He says they already believed the sound had to be "clearly
automotive" in nature. And the
collaboration with the federation is aimed at seeing if something more is
needed.
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7. Earthquake
Preparedness Information from the LightHouse of the North Coast
The LightHouse of the North
Coast fared well during the
January earthquake, registering 6.5 on the Richter scale, off the
coast of Humboldt County.
For those in Humboldt County who incurred
earthquake damages exceeding $10,000, Assessor
Linda A. Hill is receiving applications
for Calamity Reassessment at the Humboldt County Assessor's office, 825
Fifth Street, Room 300, Eureka, California 95501 and 707-445-7663. The
re-assessment of property damaged not by the fault of the property owner is
made possible by the California Revenue & Taxation Code Section 170 and the
Humboldt County Ordinance 2305. An
on-line PDF version of the form is available at http://co.humboldt.ca.us/ or contact
the LightHouse and we will e-mail you a text version.
For local road information in the case of high winds, contact the
Road Maintenance Division at 707-445-7421 with office hours Monday through
Thursday. For state highway information, Caltrans has a toll-free number
1-800-427-7623 and on-line presence at www.dot.ca.gov.
The American Red Cross
offers Disaster Education presentations and is seeking volunteers for
their Disaster Awareness Teams who are
on-call to respond to Humboldt County
disasters, including tsunamis of which the North Coast has a history. The
last tsunami struck the North Coast as recently as 1964.
The Eureka Chapter of the Red Cross can be reached at
707-443-4521.The Del Norte Chapter can be reached at
707-464-2277. The Red Cross advises making a household plan even
for pets, having an out-of-state contact for emergencies, deciding where to
meet after a disaster, choosing safe places in each room and determining
escape routes.
For people with disabilities, the Red Cross advises
personalizing the disaster plan. For more information, visit www.prepare.org.
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8. LightHouse Support
Group Information
The LightHouse hosts support group meetings in San Francisco, Marin and the North Coast. These meetings are open to members of the public who are blind or visually impaired.
Peer-Led Vision Loss Support Group
Open to individuals living with vision loss.
Second and fourth Saturdays of each month
1:00 - 3:00 pm
At the LightHouse
214 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102
For more information contact Philip Kum at 415-694-7372 or pkum@lighthouse-sf.org.
Practical Tips
for Men Adjusting to Vision Loss
This is a group for men who are experiencing vision loss. Topics
include magnification, strategies for completing daily and household
tasks.
Every First Tuesday of each month
10:00 - 11:30 am.
At the Lighthouse of Marin (at the Whistlestop)
930 Tamalpais, San Rafael, CA 94901
Call Jeff Carlson at (415) 258-8496 ext. #1 to register.
New Meeting Time and Location for Del Norte Support Group
Family, friends and service providers of people who are blind or visually impaired are also welcome.
Second Wednesday of every month
10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
(Feb.10, March 10, April 14
& May 12)
At the Del Norte Senior
Center, Conference Room
1765 Northcrest Drive
Crescent City, CA
95531
707-464-3069
For more information contact Roger Eakin at 707-464-3590.
For more information about support groups in the North Coast, email northcoastinfo@lighthouse-sf.org.
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Monthly Edition
February 2010
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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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News from Adaptations, the LightHouse Store
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Clearance Items!Visit Adaptations and browse our clearance section! Find talking watches, magnifiers, sunglasses, games and more. Clearance discounts available in-store only. New Store HoursStarting April 2010, Adaptations, the Lighthouse Store will not be open on Saturdays. Customers may purchase items over the phone by calling 1-888-400-8933 or online at http://store.lighthouse-sf.org. Braille and Large Print Valentine's Day Cards! Designed by LightHouse staff and proven to brighten your day, these innovative cards have a Braille and large print message inside and feature covers that are both tactilely and visually appealing. Examples of messages: -The greatest treasures are those invisible to the eye but found by the heart. -The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart. -The human heart feels things the eyes cannot see, and knows what the mind cannot understand. ~ Robert Valett Happy Valentine's Day! Note: Cards are available in-store only.
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USA Drug Discount Card Available
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USA Drug Discount Cards Available through Community Action
Network
The Community Action
Network has USA Drug Discount Cards that can
be used for prescription medicine at pharmacies. The cards are distributed
through Community Action Network, an outreach
program sponsored by the National Benefit Builders, Inc. The cards have no
expiration date, are reusable, cover the entire family and there is no limit to
the quantity of cards that can be ordered. While anyone can use the cards, the
discount has vast potential benefit to the uninsured and underinsured.
The cards can be distributed at consumer events, local
assistance offices, and through any venue that reaches those in need. We
encourage you to share this information with your state agencies and partner
organizations that work directly with the public. For additional information or
to order the cards, please contact Linda Grinthal, Outreach Coordinator,
Community Action Network at 973-551-4936 or by
E-mail at LGrinthal@NBBicard.com.
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For Sale:
P 1000 Talking Thermostat
www.talkingthermostats.com
Works fine, I upgraded my heating system and needed to
upgrade my thermostat as well. Includes a CD with electronic manuals, also have
print manual. New unit lists for $129.95, will sell mine for $30. E-mail Pete
at pdevasto@comcast.net or call (408)
536-3330.
For Sale:
Pac Mate QX420
The PAC Mate QX420 is a
portable computing device that allows access to the Internet, e-mail, word
processing, Windows media player, and many additional programs. Can synchronize
the PAC Mate to desktop or laptop PC. More
info at www.freedomscientific.com
Here is what comes in the box:
Pac Mate portable device with a QWERTY keyboard and a 20
cell refreshable braille display; PAC Mate
software 4.1 including Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Internet Explorer, ActiveSync,
and Windows Media Player; Carrying case with shoulder strap; AC
power adapter; USB cable; 512MB compact flash card (can accept compact flash
cards for Ethernet, wireless Internet, and Bluetooth); built in infrared sensor
for data transfer; compatible with talking GPS software from Freedom Scientific;
manual, quick reference guide, and original CD's;
Original price: $3,000. Selling for $1,000, plus shipping
(pick up in San Francisco).
Email if you are interested: mgrossman13@yahoo.com or call
415-566-3171.
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Free Screenings for "The Eyes of Me" Documentary
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The film "The Eyes of Me" offers an up-close look at four
teens who have lost their sight. Set in Austin,
TX, this film follows their high school
experiences of dating, academic responsibilities, fitting in, family problems
and preparing for college over the course of one dynamic year.
San Francisco
Main Public Library, Koret Auditorium
100 Larkin Street, San Francisco,
CA
(Nearest BART station is Civic
Center; metered street parking is
also available).
Tuesday, February
16th, 2010
Doors Open @ 5:15pm
Screening @ 5:45pm
Post-screening discussion will follow.
Please note: the film is 1 hour.
In San Francisco,
the film will be shown with audio description (for the entire audience).
Oakland Asian
Cultural Center
2nd floor of the Pacific
Renaissance Plaza
in Oakland's Chinatown 388 Ninth
Street, Second Floor, Suite 290
(between Franklin and Webster)
Wednesday, February
24th, 2010
Light Reception @ 6:00pm
Screening @ 6:30pm
Post-screening discussion will follow.
Pay Parking is available underground in the Pacific
Renaissance Plaza
(enter on Webster or Franklin). Street parking is also available- please note: metered
parking has recently changed and ends at 6pm
in Oakland. Nearest BART
stations are: 12th Street @
Broadway OR Lake Merritt.
For the Oakland
screening, the film is closed-captioned and audio description is available. To
request audio description, email sara_smith@itvs.org
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