The Lighthouse has secured funding for our first-ever retreat at Enchanted Hills dedicated exclusively to those interested in gaining new tools and tactics for finding or advancing employment. On September 6th, 40 community members will join a diverse group of presenters, coaches, employers and HR professionals to learn in a concentrated way how to find and win your next job. The program will be completely turnkey - we'll pick you up in the bay area, put you up in our cozy Upper Camp, and take care of all meals and incidentals. Along the way you will meet many active blind jobseekers, employed blind professionals and hiring experts who can give you the straight talk about how people really get hired.

We've chosen to have this three-day retreat at Enchanted Hills because the beautiful natural setting will allow for informal, unstructured conversations and fun along with the focused employment workshops. September usually has the best weather of the entire year, and our swimming pool, nature trails and evening campfires will round out the program by enabling much networking time.

When:  September 6th - 9th, 2011
Who should attend: All clients of the Department of Rehabilitation who are in job search mode and all present and former Lighthouse Employment Immersion participants.  
Fees:  This program is entirely free of charge

What I need to know about the Employment Summit:
This is a very full series of seminars about improving your chances and opportunities for finding and keeping a job. We'll explore strategies for achieving the whole spectrum of employment, from blue collar, industrial and service positions to advanced professional ones.

Are you certain you have turned over every rock in your job search? How do you make yourself and your skills stand out above the rest? Here are just some of the topics that are in the works for the seminar schedule:

· Job Development on your own
· Blue Collar Bliss
· Work-life Balance
· Actively Networking - leaving no rock unturned
· Developing a Relationship with your new employer
· Frank Tech Talk - What skills do people really need to compete for and maintain employment?
· Speed Interviewing - What makes me stand out?  

Space is limited to forty participants. To secure your space if you are new to our program, please email us a simple paragraph of interest.  Indicate your DOR counselor's name and e-mail address, and, if you have one, your most recent resume.

Email your interest in reserving space to Kathy Abrahamson at kabrahamson@lighthouse-sf.org. We'll fill the retreat on a first-come, first served basis, so act now to take the next powerful step in your employment future.


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Roberto Gonzalez, Alternate Media Technology Specialist at Berkeley City College, talks to the group about challenges he faced during the job interview process

Our new Jobsite Conversation Series has attracted many participants and has become one of our most popular initiatives.  More than 100 blind jobseekers have now visited blind employees doing jobs as diverse as program management, law, massage therapy, adaptive technology and many more. We usually spend two hours with the employee and thier supervisor, and we always include - yes - a free lunch and networking to make the day even more useful. This yearlong series is the result of a generous grant from the BlackRock Foundation.

Our next visit will take place on Wednesday August 3. We will meet with Anita Aaron, former LightHouse CEO and now CEO of the World Institute on Disability. The following Wednesday, August 10, we will meet with Lucy Greco, the Assistive Technology Specialist for the Assistive Technology Teaching & Learning Center at U.C. Berkeley.

We will continue with regular Wednesday field visits through the end of year, so if you are a jobseeker and would like to meet and learn from some of the Bay Area's most successful blind professionals, we invite you to come along with us on a visit. To sign up for our event email list, and to sign up for each individual event, please contact Rich Russo at 415-694-7352 or rrusso@lighthouse-sf.org.


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When: August 3, Wednesday, 1:00 to 4:00 pm. (1:00 to 2:00 p.m. will be an overview of accessible GPS products for all and 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. will be specific product training.)

Where: At the LightHouse conference room in the Ed Roberts Center
3075 Adeline Street, Berkeley, above the Ashby BART station.

First come, first served. To sign up, email Jamie@SenderoGroup.com.


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Photo of a Smartphone

So you bought a smartphone. Now what do you do with it? If you have an Android or iPhone, come hear about the coolest accessible applications available for your phone.

When: August 16, 2011, Presentations: 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. PDT
Where: LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters

The LightHouse Technology Seminar series continues with a discussion of applications for the Apple and Android platforms. The agenda will include a conversation about GPS for the smartphone, Optical Character Recognition, book reading applications and more.  

You can participate in one of the following ways:

· Tune in via live audio stream on our website
· Dial in with our telephone conferencing service
· Attend in person and talk to the presenters after the seminar

RSVP to 415-694-7326 or rsvp@lighthouse-sf.org. Conference call and live stream instructions will be provided with RSVP.


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Nearly 40 LightHouse staff as well as several participants from our Blind Leaders program spent four information-packed days at the 2011 American Council of the Blind (ACB) national convention at the John Ascuaga Nugget Hotel.

LightHouse Information and Resources Coordinator Beth Berenson sits in the chartered bus that took us to the convention, next to LightHouse Social Worker Linda Porelle

This 50th anniversary ACB convention provided an exceptional and unique opportunity to drive to a concentrated center of information about what's new in blindness. Never before has an overwhelming majority of LightHouse staff, including teachers, managers and administrators, attended a large national blindness consumer convention. Our large presence was noticed by many conventioneers;  no blindness agency in the United States had more participants at the ACB convention, than did the Lighthouse.

We relished the chance to meet 1200 successful professional working blind adults, blind parents, advocates and aspiring leaders all in one place. Staff participated in four full days of workshops and seminars as well as showroom exhibitions that provided demonstrations of the latest assistive technology. Additionally, employees had the chance to bond and learn more about each other outside of their day to day work structure.

LightHouse CEO Bryan Bashin listens to the ACB Convention opening general session with LightHouse Rehabilitation and Employment Associate Alex Galeczka and hundreds of other attendees

Said LightHouse social worker Linda Porell, "I enjoyed watching LightHouse colleagues enthusiastically sample classes and workshops. The opportunities for camaraderie that the trip presented were, perhaps, an unexpected, but definitely a welcome, enrichment to our busy LightHouse schedule."

And Blind Leader Jessa Drury said, "A national convention offers a unique opportunity to meet individuals from other parts of the country. Learning what others are doing can be inspirational."

There were many workshops and meetings to attend, about topics ranging from how the 21st Century Communications Act affects the Deaf-Blind to a self defense class for blind and low vision participants.

One of the highlights of the convention was our own presentation on the BART Mapping/Smartpen project. Director of Access to Information Services Greg Kehret talked with great enthusiasm about the ground-breaking work we are doing in collaboration with Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute. Audience members learned how information gathered on critical landmarks in 43 BART stations has been used to create a tactile wayfinding tool that is readable with a device called a Smartpen.

Greg Kehret addresses audience during BART Mapping/Smartpen presentation

Example of the tactile symbols that appear on our BART tactile maps

LightHouse Receptionist Gilberto Melendez holds up a Smartpen

In addition to the presentation, LightHouse maintained a busy table in the Exhibit Hall, where we produced close to 125 personalized neighborhood tactile/Braille maps on demand. The LightHouse has technology that enables us to produce a tactile and Braille map of just about any address in the United States. If you are interested in a map please contact Information and Resources Specialist Frank Welte at 415-694-7363 or info@lighthouse-sf.org.

Convention attendee examines LightHouse BART tactile map at our exhibit table

LightHouse Braille Production Coordinator and tactile cartographer Greeta Ahart prepares a personalized neighborhood tactile map for convention attendee at our exhibit table

Greg Kehret speaks to attendee at our exhibit table

The ACB convention was a natural training opportunity that fostered new ideas about how to teach, about workshops we can facilitate and new ways to engage the greater blind and low vision community. LightHouse Braille Production Coordinator and tactile cartographer Greeta Ahart said, "The convention was a laboratory for ideas."

LightHouse Donor Relations Coordinator Lisamaria Martinez summed it up by saying, "I always find it so energizing to be at a convention for the blind. There is so much to learn and so much to gain when there are hundreds of blind people all around you who are devoted to changing what it means to be blind."


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DOR Director Tony Sauer talks with LightHouse CEO Bryan Bashin and members of the Employment Immersion Program

 

Tony Sauer has been Director of the Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) since his appointment by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2007, and this month was reappointed by Governor Brown to lead the DOR in his administration. Director Sauer has been a wheelchair user since his late teens and has a wealth of employment and administrative experience gained over 40 working years.

 

Recently, Director Sauer brought his unique perspective to our Employment Immersion class meeting at our Ed Roberts office in Berkeley. At the end of his back-and-forth with a round table of 16 blind jobseekers, Sauer spent time coaching them on having the positive attitude and the canny realism to get ahead in one's employment.  We thought Sauer's words were compelling enough to share them with you. Click here to listen to Director Sauer's recommendations to our blind jobseekers.

 

Director Sauer told the group in part that he needed the services and support of the Department of Rehabilitation as a teenager, following a disabling motorcycle racing accident. He said, "With guidance from my vocational counselor, my career began in the construction trades as a successfully self-employed cabinet maker. As I became interested in furthering access and independence for persons with disabilities, I adopted this field as my life's work. After much experience, education, and being a dedicated advocate, I have the privledge of leading the DOR, a great organization that really makes a difference in people's lives."  Additionally, he provided insight to what he knows DOR can provide toward employment support.

 

The LightHouse thanks Director Sauer for spending the afternoon with this first group of jobseekers and for listening and providing support based on his personal experience.

We want to share a bit more about our Spring 2011 Cycle for Sight event. Rotary Club of Napa held their annual Cycle for Sight Fundraiser, a day of riding, good food, wine and music that offered three scenic 50, 25, and 15 mile courses that wind among the hills and vineyards of the Napa Valley. Among the 2,000 riders were approximately 40 blind/sighted teams riding in support of the LightHouse and Enchanted Hills Camp!

Adaptations Store Manager Sam Rodriguez, his wife Laura and their now 22 month old son Sammy (in attached bike trailer) ride in Cycle for Sight.

We are so grateful to Napa Rotary for their generous contribution of $25,000 to continue our unique sessions at Enchanted Hills Camp.

In addition, a handful of dedicated Team LightHouse fundraisers successfully brought in an additional $10,000. In particular, concerted efforts were made by the following dedicated camp supporters (in alphabetical order):
Roger Acuna
Margie Donovan
Tony Fletcher
Darren Gresham
Nick Helms and his family
Sean Mcgee, his family, and his tandem pilot, Cate Brett.

We thank the Rotary Club of Napa and our individual fundraisers for their hard work and dedication.

 
On July 18, LightHouse supporter and former Board member Leslie Sheppard hosted a well-attended dinner fundraiser to honor the memory of Charlie Wilson.

Charlie Wilson and Tony Fletcher

In 2001, a 72-year-old Charlie came to the LightHouse because he had begun to lose his sight and, temporarily, his joie de vivre. The following year his friends rallied and raised the money to send him to Enchanted Hills. Charlie came back from camp with many stories and a big smile, and he attended year after year until his passing in spring 2010.

The dinner honoring Charlie's memory was held at 2223 Restaurant in San Francisco who offered a delicious three-course dinner with wine pairings. Enchanted Hills Camp Director Tony Fletcher said, "This evening captured the essence of Charlie, which means community, bringing his friends together to enjoy each other's company, keeping our sense of humor despite life's challenges and watching after one another. Enchanted Hills truly benefited Charlie's well being while he adjusted to blindness. He left us (passed away) so soon after the last fundraiser, and that left an emptiness that was assuaged by this gathering."

2223 Restaurant has generously donated almost $1300.00 (a percentage of the proceeds of each meal served) to the LightHouse to help send seniors like Charlie to camp. We thank 2223 and Leslie Sheppard for offering this lovely tribute to our good friend Charlie Wilson.

Lisa Carvalho

Glendale, California native Lisa Maria Carvalho obtained her law degree at UC Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall) in 1992. She is a partner in the San Francisco office of the law firm of Reed Smith LLP, where she practices management-side employment litigation and counseling, and also has experience in trusts and estates litigation and fiduciary counseling. Lisa is the Northern California Market Chair of the firm's global Women's Initiative Network. As an ethnic minority partner, she also participates in the firm's Diversity initiative.

Lisa learned of the LightHouse from LightHouse Board Vice President Josh Miele - their sons play on the same Little League team. Lisa believes that given her leadership and professional experience, she has a lot to contribute to our Board, even as she becomes personally enriched by what the LightHouse community can teach her and her family as they address her mother's progressing macular degeneration.

Lisa lives in Berkeley with her husband, Dave Mager, and her sons Luke (10) and Flynn (7-and-a-half).  Beyond her professional life, Lisa enjoys food and wine, Craftsman architecture and design, and Macanese history and ethnography.

Bill Hemenger

Photo of Bill Hemenger

"I love this city. It has given me so much-professionally and personally. The opportunity to give back to San Francisco would be my greatest honor".
-Bill Hemenger

William (Bill) Hemenger earned his Bachelor's degree in business in 1991 from Northwood University. Upon graduating, he worked in sales in the Midwest and east coast, before moving to San Francisco in 1997, and focused on helping smaller software companies grow and prosper. Learning how to build a successful business despite limited resources, tight budgets, and skeletal crews proved to be an invaluable experience time and time again. He is currently with Acxiom Corporation, helping to grow their Health Care division.

Bill has long been involved in one particular aspect of blindness: raising guide dog puppies. As a boy in Michigan his family raised a series of dog guides, an invaluable help to Leader Dogs there. Bill and his partner Franke live in San Francisco with, of course, their two rescue dogs, Greta and Lucy, and have settled happily intotheir San Francisco home. Bill is very active in San Francisco politics, himself making a bid for district 8 supervisor in 2010.

Carol Tereszkiewicz

Dr. Carol Tereszkiewicz

Carol Tereszkiewicz is a native New Yorker, who graduated from medical school with honors from University of California, San Francisco. She worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Medical Group, and was a Lecturer at MIT and at Harvard Clinical Assistant Professor, teaching residents and students. She is currently practicing medicine at Kaiser San Rafael. This year she received the award of Best Clinical Care in San Rafael Downtown for the control of her panel of patients' risk factors of Diabetes, Hypertension and Cholesterol. She has worked as a Clinical Assistant Professor at UCSF for years, teaching medical students.

Dr. Tereszkiewicz' son is visually impaired with Congenital Nystagmus, and she has become an expert on his vision. She fought for him to have full access in school and taught him the skills to advocate for himself and others.

She has been involved with the LightHouse since her son was a third-grader and began to attend Enchanted Hills Camp. She has volunteered as a physician at the camp. She appreciates how the Lighthouse has helped her son and would like to see it play an even greater role in transition programs and camps for high school and college age students.

Dr. Tereszkiewicz joined the LightHouse Board in 2011, ready to give her energy and knowledge to help the LightHouse achieve its goals.

Do you know a business or landlord who might like to donate a parking spot for our vehicle? There are tax advantages for doing so.

Photo of our new 30-passenger bus

 
We're looking for parking within a mile of our San Francisco headquarters or within a half-mile of any BART stop in the East Bay. If you can help, please contact Jerry Bernstein at 415-694-7359 or jbernstein@lighthouse-sf.org.

LightHouse volunteer Bob Fitch and client James Macchi  walk up to the front of the California Academy of Sciences

 
Our Personal Services Program, where we match volunteers with visually impaired people to accomplish a variety of tasks, is thriving. We would love to have you on board to participate. If you would like to assist someone, or if you would like to be paired with one of our Personal Services Volunteers, call LightHouse Volunteer Coordinator Don M. Franklin at 415-694-7371 or email him at dmfranklin@lighthouse-sf.org.

Blind Leader Josh Governor uses a video magnifier to read an operating manual

Adaptations, the LightHouse store provides a full line of hand-held magnifiers to assist with spot reading. But many times, hand held magnification isn't enough. To provide you with assistance in finding possible alternate solutions, Adaptations and our low vision training services can help.
 
That's because there is really no substitute for holding a device in your hand and checking it out directly rather than reading about it in some catalog. Each month, on the first and third Monday, an Adaptations store associate will host a free one hour overview and demonstration of our twelve desk-top and hand-held video magnification systems. During this hour you will learn how magnification and contrast may enhance your useable vision through the use of video magnification.
 
When: First and third Mondays, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. (please RSVP)
Where: LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters
 
To RSVP for a demonstration, please call Adaptations at 888-400-8933.
 
Personalized Sessions Also Available
Would you like a one-on-one assessment to determine which kind of magnification is right for you? Make an appointment for a ninety minute session, where you and a trainer will match your vision with the tasks you hope to accomplish, your need for magnification and the attributes of both desk-top and hand-held video magnification systems. For an appointment and information regarding the fee for this service (some individuals 55 and better may be eligible for assistance), please contact Linda Porelle at 415-694-7315 or lporelle@lighthouse-sf.org.

Dr. Marlena Chu evaluates a patient during a low vision exam

 
Low Vision Evaluations
If you are new to low vision and you have useable vision (you can easily read the headlines of a news paper), but have never had a low vision evaluation, we encourage you to do so and can make sure you are connected with a low vision specialist in your area. A low vision specialist will provide you the evaluation that may enhance your useable vision. To set up an appointment, contact Alex Galeczka at 415-604-7318. This service is covered by most Medicare and Medi-Cal plans.

Looking for the perfect location for your wedding or family reunion? Look no further than beautiful, tranquil Enchanted Hills Retreat, in Napa, California. Just 25 minutes from downtown Napa, the camp is located on 311 acres on beautiful Mount Veeder.
 
Want to hold your meeting or conference in an idyllic setting? Consider Enchanted Hills Retreat. It's essential from time to time to unplug from our daily routine and seek out other venues that make it easier to connect with each other in a natural setting. Getting your group, team, or staff out of their familiar surroundings and into the more relaxed environment of Enchanted Hills Retreat can be a key element in reaching your shared goals. We provide the meeting rooms, beverage service, a delicious lunch and snacks, so you can stay focused on your work or play.
 
Enchanted Hills Offers: Low Ropes Course, Nature Trail, Healthy Menu Options, Special Diet Accommodation, Wi-Fi
 
Enchanted Hills Retreat is located on Mt. Veeder Road, nestled amid majestic coastal redwoods, douglas fir, madrone and tan oak trees. This peaceful setting has enhanced the programs of groups like yours for many years.
 
For information and availability, please contact our partner, United Camps Conferences and Retreats at 800-678-5102 and ask about reserving some or all of our retreat for your private use.

Brewing Class participant Marie removes the specialty grains after a 45-minute mash

We're always interested in showing our community how blind and low-vision alternative techniques can be used to enrich our lives, work and hobbies. Learn how to brew a batch of seasonal beer from scratch. This month-long, weekly course will take you from the beginning stages of safe beer brewing to the bottling process. Space is limited to the first 15 individuals. We will also schedule a group tour of San Francisco's World Famous Anchor Brewery.
 
The workshop will begin in either late August or early September in coordination with the harvest of the hops we planted in our Please Touch Community Garden. There will be three classes that begin at 6:00 p.m. on consecutive Thursdays. We will hold class at Rogue Ales Public House on the Sunday of the second week. The group will decide together when to schedule the Brewery tour. We will notify those eager to participate by the third week of August regarding the start of the workshop.
 
Cost to participate is $25. To sign-up, or for more information, please contact Rich Russo at 415-694-7352 or rrusso@lighthouse-sf.org.

Are you a young adult who loves to read? Come join our book club for young adults ages 12 and older.

The group, which began reading together several months ago, meets on the fourth Saturday of each month. The group is growing by leaps and bounds and we encourage you to join in on the fun.

Up next: Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld.

To sign up, call Brandon Young at 415-694-7372 or email him at byoung@lighthouse-sf.org.

Check out the Young Adult Lit Book Club Facebook page at http://on.fb.me/pQr4Np

By Kathy Abrahamson, LightHouse Director, Rehabilitation Services

"Living life is fun and we've just begun
To get our share of the world's delights,
high hopes we have for the future
And our goal's in sight!"
- Sister Sledge

Family is an integral component of success at the LightHouse. Families at the LightHouse come together in a myriad of ways. They come as participants, to grow, learn and play together and as teacher/facilitators providing mentorship and support to other families. No matter how you define your family, developing a community of family and friends who support you in your learning and in living life as a person who is blind or low vision is healthy and positive. Here are some examples of how family has impacted the consumers we serve.

For two years, LightHouse volunteer Teresa Vega has facilitated a popular living skills class in Spanish via the telephone called ¡Técnicas Sencillas Para Disfrutar Su Nueva Vida! But behind every great facilitator is a great supporter, in this instance, her mother Maria. As a family team they work together to ensure students get their weekly materials for class, but more importantly, when it's time for the last class, they come together with students and their families to facilitate discussion about ways to create a support system.

Teresa Vega stands with her mother Maria

When Juan de Leon came to the LightHouse Low Vision Clinic, he came to learn whether there were any techniques he could use to maximize his vision. He and his son left the LightHouse with a video magnifier from the LightHouse loan program, and the phone number of Vision Rehabilitation Specialist, Patty Quiñonez so that he could sign up for the upcoming ¡Técnicas Sencillas Para Disfrutar Su Nueva Vida! Juan joined and actively participated in the class and is now ready for Orientation and Mobility training and an introduction to Braille. Throughout this training, Sr. de Leon's family has remained interested and supportive. His son Jose recently noted how motivated his father is to continue with his rehabilitation and increase his independence.

Juan de Leon (in wheelchair) with his wife Brenda de Leon, daughter Jessica de Leon, Mercedes de Leon and son Jose de Leon.

This spring, long time residents of Humboldt County John and Betty McGuire headed to Enchanted Hills Camp for the Confident Living Program at Enchanted Hills for a week long workshop to learn more about communication strategies, technology and techniques for living with both hearing and vision loss. The LightHouse of the North Coast staff has been teachers and supporters of the couple. While John's vision has deteriorated over the past 8 years, John has received training on how to travel safely and remain independent in his home. More recently, both John and Betty found that their hearing loss had begun to impact their lives. They drove in the rain from Eureka to Enchanted Hills Camp, where they met others who were experiencing hearing loss and low vision. Soon, thanks to the stimulus funding we've received, John and Betty will receive the assistive listening devices they trained on during at the Confident Living session.

Confident Living program participants John and Betty McGuire with Laura Clark

Vision Rehabilitation Therapist Denise Vancil has been coming to camp for 24 years as a camper, counselor, volunteer and as a professional. Over the last five years, she and her husband, Ben Karpilow, also blind, bring their two children, Devin and Sophia and even Denise's mother Shari to enjoy camp as family. They make a point of being truly accessible (informally) to other families who come seeking support and knowledge about what is truly possible for their own blind or visually impaired children. The Vancil-Karpilow Family exudes joy, providing their fellow campers an irresistible reason to return each year!

Says Denise, "It's an opportunity for all of us to have summer fun in a place that I know how to get around. Devin loves the boats and the pool and Sophia loves the horses!"

There are many LightHouse family stories, many examples of how beneficial the encouragement of family members can be to any blind or low vision person in their life journey. While the LightHouse provides the training, we also enthusiastically encourage the support-circles of our students to learn right along side them...learning when to help and when not to; learning that 'letting go' doesn't mean not caring, in fact it is embracing their family member's new skills and new (and re-newed) life.

Going to Enchanted Hills camp has long included horseback riding, swimming, campfires, archery...and now, solar cooking! This summer's first family camp kicked off the summer season with the smell of blueberry cake, brownies and carrot cake coming from six solar ovens purchased with funds donated by The Rotary Club of Napa.

Catching the rays - six sun ovens sit in a row on the ground at Enchanted Hills Camp

Why Use Sun Ovens?
They are Fun to Use - It seems almost mysterious to put raw food into a black box and remove a moist, tender, sun cooked treat! In addition to creating a treat, campers in turn learn about the power of the sun, nature and the environment through a fun tasty object lesson.

They are Friendly to the Environment - The sun energizes food without hurting the environment. The air is not contaminated with smoke or greenhouse gases, and no fossil fuels or electricity are required.

They are Fossil Fuel Free - Harnessing the sun for cooking does not deplete the earth of its resources.

How does a Sun Oven work? The sun's rays are concentrated with one or more reflectors and collected in a black, well insulated box. This can create temperatures in the oven of 300-350 degrees on a hot sunny day, 175-250 degrees with partial sun and clouds. Since food is cooked slowly at relatively low temperature in a solar oven (as in a crock pot), food retains more of its flavor and vitamins and is, quite simply, delicious. It's easy to bake breads, cakes, stews and casseroles, using only the energy of the sun.

It's done - camp volunteer Phoebe Barkan and camper Travis Erdmann carefully pull the finished cake out of the oven

Travis Erdmann holds a just baked blueberry cake

Our camp staff has set up the Sun Oven 'kitchen' just behind the camp's kitchen, as this is one of the most consistently sunny places at camp. Each oven sits on the ground with its reflectors open to the sun. The ovens weigh only 21 pounds and fold up after use, so they can be moved around camp as needed.

This summer each camp session's participants have had their chance to enjoy using the Sun Ovens. Many thanks go to the Rotary Club of Napa for their generosity and for making a great new activity possible!

One of the ways the LightHouse supports Braille literacy and brings in a little income to support its programs is to emboss Braille menus for restaurants and other venues.

In the past the LightHouse has provided the occasional Braille menu to local restaurants.  But starting in 2007 we ramped up production when we were asked by Chevys to provide Braille menus for approximately 55 Chevys restaurants nationwide. A few months later, Chevys' owner Real Mex Restaurants hired us to make Braille menus for their other restaurants in the southwest: Acapulco, El Torito, and El Torito Grill. We now update their Braille menus twice a year.

Word has traveled and other restaurants have hired us to produce Braille menus for them. Last year Marie Callender's heard of the Real Mex work and contracted with LightHouse to provide menus for about 100 of their restaurants.

Some of the local restaurants that have our Brailled menus include The Grove, Stacks, Café Franco, the San Francisco Marriott and Angelina's in Berkeley.

But we're nowhere close to being done.  And that's where our community comes in.  

If you are a Braille reader and want a restaurant, museum or entertainment venue to offer Braille menus or programs, speak up! Express your request to the manager and ask them, "What's the best way for the LightHouse to contact you?" After all, at the Lighthouse we're in the solutions business.

Restaurants, businesses and government offices wishing to have us produce Braille are welcome to call Greg Kehret at 415-694-7349 or email him gkehret@lighthouse-sf.org.

LightHouse staff member Lisamaria Martinez reads the Brailled front cover of the Sunnyside Conservatory program.

Detect obstacles with a handy mobility enhancing device that fits in the palm of your hand! The two ounce ultrasonic Miniguide augments the travel information you get from other mobility aids such as the cane or guide dog with its ability to detect obstacles from 1.5 to 26 feet away. The Miniguide vibrates to indicate the distance to objects - the faster the vibration rate, the nearer the object. A single push button is used to switch the aid on or off and also change settings. It requires a single 123A battery.

Adaptations Store Associate Rachel Feinberg demonstrates the use of the Miniguide while also using her white cane

Cane and guide dog users have found that the Miniguide to be helpful in many ways, including:
· Avoiding obstacles such as parked cars, poles and street furniture.
· Detecting overhanging obstacles such as tree branches.
· Locating a person at a sales counter.
· Locating the end of a line.
· Locating doorways, gaps and determining if elevator doors are open.
· Navigating around tables, chairs and office environments.

Please note: The Miniguide is only intended as an accessory to more traditional aids such as the white cane and guide dog. The Miniguide is not a replacement for these primary aids; it should only be used as a secondary aid. Please read the instructions carefully. Children should only use the aid under adult supervision.

The Miniguide is available at Adaptations, the LightHouse Store for $369. To order over the phone or for more information, call 1-888-400-8933.
 
To buy online 24/7, visit the Adaptations website at www.adaptationsonline.com.

 
To accommodate after-work shoppers and our customers in the East Bay, we have increased the hours for our San Francisco store and opened a store branch in Berkeley.
 
Store Hours - In San Francisco
M-F 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Third Saturday of the month 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
 
Store Hours - at the Ed Roberts Campus
Tuesday and Friday 2:00 to 6:00 p.m.
The Ed Roberts Campus is at 3075 Adeline Street, Suite 110, Berkeley and is connected by pedestrian tunnel to the Ashby BART station.
 
To order over the phone or for more information, call 1-888-400-8933.
 
To buy online 24/7, visit the Adaptations website at www.adaptationsonline.com.

Do you live in Northern California and want to know about fun entertainment and recreation happenings throughout the region?  For a number of years Beth Berenson has put together a single centralized e-newsletter where each week events of interest can be learned about. Want to know what fun opportunities are happening on Saturday? Every Thursday Beth's list goes out to hundreds of Bay Area blind readers, who find little-known and unusual events to enjoy. To sign up, simply email Beth at bberenson@lighthouse-sf.org.

If you are blind or visually impaired, it is possible for you to work and continue receiving your disability benefits.

Please join the Lions Center for the Blind and representatives from the Social Security Administration for a benefits seminar as we address questions such as:

· How does SSI and SSDI work?
· What is a Trial Work Period, SGA or Extended Period of Eligibility?
· Can you keep your health Insurance benefit while you are working?
· How are your SSI/SSDI benefits affected if you're employed?
· and many more.

Topics to be covered include Social Security's "Ticket to Work" and other work incentive programs such as Impairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWE), Blind Work Expenses (BWE), Plan for Achieving Self Support (PASS) and Property Essential to Self Support (PESS), as well as eligibility factors for entitlement, and the application and appeals process.

Even if you don't meet the criteria for legal blindness, you may still qualify for benefits if you have a visual impairment that prevents you from working. This seminar may provide you information to help you succeed on the job.

Time will be allotted for questions and answers at the end of the session.

When: Monday, August 22, 2011, 10:00 a.m. to noon
Where: Lions Center for the Blind, 2115 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612
Please RSVP via email to Christine_Kaiser@lbcenter.org or by phone at
510-450-1580 x238.

Deadline to RSVP is August 15, 2011.

On May 31, 2011, Wells Fargo & Company (Wells Fargo) entered into a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice. The Agreement requires Wells Fargo to compensate (pay) certain individuals who experienced disability discrimination in violation of Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when trying to call Wells Fargo or Wachovia, visit one of Wells Fargo or Wachovia's banks or retail stores, or otherwise access Wells Fargo or Wachovia's services before May 31, 2011.
 
Any person who experienced disability-based discrimination that happened before May 31, 2011 in violation of Title III of the ADA based on something Wells Fargo or Wachovia did or didn't do may be eligible for compensation under this Settlement Agreement.  All types of disability discrimination can be claimed; for example, physical inaccessibility at bank branches, refusal by a bank branch to provide documents in alternate formats, policies that cause barriers to equal access by individuals with disabilities, and refusal to accept relay calls are just a few types of discrimination based on disability.  
 
The deadline to file a claim for compensation is January 29, 2012. If you or someone you know may be eligible, it is important that you or that person file a claim for compensation by January 29, 2012. No claims will be accepted after January 29, 2012.
 
You can begin the process of filing a claim by sending your name, address, email address, and day and evening telephone numbers by email to WFclaims@usdoj.gov or by leaving a message at 1-866-708-1273 (voice mail) or 1-866-544-5309 (TTY).
 
This claims process also helps us identify ADA violations to be fixed by Wells Fargo - i.e., physical inaccessibility at retail stores and policies that cause barriers to equal access by individuals with disabilities. Please visit www.ada.gov/wells_fargo/ for more information about the settlement or the claims process.
 
ACT QUICKLY! The time period for filing a claim, established by the settlement agreement, ends on January 29, 2012.