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The LightHouse launched the Employment Immersion Program early this year to help motivated blind and visually impaired jobseekers realize their goals of employment. The program fosters the belief that there is a job for everyone and strives to provide participants with information that will fill their "toolbox" with valuable resources.

In today's competitive job market, it is essential to craft a resume that stands apart from the hundreds that companies receive: one that compels a prospective employer to pick up the phone and invite the applicant to an interview.

We are pleased to announce a special event that is open to ALL serious blind and visually impaired jobseekers. We've arranged for members of Google's recruiting team to assist participants in crafting an effective resume.

This is a remarkable opportunity for blind jobseekers to hear directly from five Google recruiters about what really matters in your resume. Even better, we will break into small groups so that each of you will have the individual attention of a recruiter.

Who should attend?

• Individuals who are SERIOUS about their job search
• Individuals who would like to incorporate up-to-date trends into their resume
• Jobseekers who want to attract a potential employer with their resume
• Jobseekers who wish to network with other jobseekers
• Jobseekers who want to "rub elbows" with the Google team!

When: Thursday, December 15 from noon to 5:00 p.m.

Where:  LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters

You'll want to attend this workshop if you are a blind jobseeker going into any type of work, be it blue-collar, educational, social services, office work and, oh yes, even software engineering. Please note: Although the expertise will be provided by world-class Google recruiters, this is not a workshop just for those wishing to work at Google. Rather, the recruiters will help tune your resume for maximum effectiveness with any company.

Space is limited! We will close reservations when we've hit 80 registrants. Make your reservation by calling or emailing:

Kate Williams at 415-694-7325 or kwilliams@lighthouse-sf.org or

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Caption: Jobseeker Anna Muaswes speaks with Seattle Lighthouse CEO Kirk Adams

Caption: LightHouse Employment Immersion Program Leader Kate Williams speaks to jobseeker Joshua Saunders

Caption: Jobseeker Nicholle Santamaria speaks with Joe Xavier, Deputy Director at the California Department of Rehabilitation, Blind Field Services

From the Summit we have created a new online resource that provides over 20 hours of content for those new to jobseeking or for those who want a motivational boost to their search. The Summit presentations are now available to stream or download. Go to http://lighthouse-sf.org/employment-summit/ to get started.

Our presenters, many of them blind, talked about issues that blind and visually impaired job-seekers face as they look for employment, including how blind people get jobs (even in this economy); what employers are looking for when hiring and best ways to boost self-confidence and manage their work-life balance.

If you are blind or visually impaired and are ready to start looking for work in a systematic way, the LightHouse would love to partner with you. Our next Employment Immersion class will begin on January 3 and there is still time for you to reserve a place in the class. Please contact Kate Williams at kwilliams@lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7324 to learn more about our Employment Immersion Program. 

If you have never worked or are transitioning from school or college and want some work experience to learn what else you need to get that next great job, please contact Debbie Bacon about our Blind Leaders Program at dbacon@lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7357.

Finally, see the article below in our Community Events section for information on a support group that has been started for jobseekers.

Here are some comments from our participants:

"I sincerely and whole heartedly thank Bryan Bashin [and all the LightHouse staff]...for the amazing and inspirational [Employment Summit]...I have no words to describe how awesome [and well organized] it was."

--Farhang Dahmubed.

"I enjoyed Marty Nemko...When talking about choosing an occupation Marty pointed out to us how we should basically think outside of the box - consider other professions than what we've been accustomed to. Stacy Cervenka...covered several topics, all of which were uplifting and encouraging. I especially liked the part [of her presentation] on advocating and knowing our rights. Also making sure we have perfected our skills where we can stand with the best - sighted or blind."

--Ramona Herriford

"The speakers that I liked most were Theresa Duncan, Linda Porelle and Richard Rueda. What resonated with me most profoundly in their panel presentation on work-life balance was establishing the boundaries between both work and life...they made me realize that life is not all about work, but about having a little fun as well."

--Brian McCallan

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Recent visits have provided wonderful new opportunities for our Bay Area jobseekers to gain invaluable insights from some of the region's most successful blind professionals.

Caption: Jessie Lorenz, Executive Director of the Independent Living Resource Center

Caption: Theresa Duncun, Alumni Association Director at Guide Dogs for the Blind

Caption: Joe Hamilton, Access News Program Coordinator at Sacramento Society for the Blind

Caption: From left to right, Laurie Van Allen, Gena Harper, Jessa Drury, Lily Liang, George Gaboury, Amy Gac, Ruth Berger

On October 5, we met with Jessie Lorenz, Executive Director of the Independent Living Resource Center, who emphasized the relationship between professional success and following one's passion. Jessie's recent promotion to Executive Director is undisputable proof of this correlation.

The following week, Theresa Duncan, Alumni Association Director at Guide Dogs for the Blind, discussed the finer points of acquiring accessible technology through one's employer, a vital aspect to the career development of any visually impaired professional. She was also kind enough to give the group a tour of Guide Dogs' impressive Marin Campus.

We also met with Joe Hamilton, Access News Program Coordinator at Sacramento Society for the Blind, and discussions revolved around the unwavering determination needed to secure that first career-launching job. Joe spent the first seven months after college sending out 60 resumes a day before landing a job at an insurance company, and his career has been developing at a remarkable pace ever since.

Our most recent visit was with Gena Harper, LightHouse Board member and Senior Vice President-Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney.Gena spoke at length about the amount of energy, hard work and determination one must exude in order to foster a remarkable career, and as one of the most successful women in the world of finance, one can take Gena's advice to heart. She also divulged one of the key elements to her success: Don't take no for an answer. Gena never does, and it has truly paid dividends.

Stay tuned for the December e-news recap of our visit with Jim Barbour, Principal Systems Architect, at Yahoo!

Join Us for These Upcoming Visits!

November 30: Catherine Kudlick

Dr. Kudlick is Professor of History at UC Davis, where she teaches courses in European history, women's history, disability history and history of medicine. 

December 7: Sharon Sacks

Dr. Sacks is Director of Curriculum, Assessment and Staff Development at California School for the Blind

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Caption: Panel member Laura Bock speaks to the class

Caption: Panel member Ria Baylen listens to comments from the audience

The LightHouse has long taken the lead in ensuring persons who are blind and low vision and are hard of hearing or deaf receive the training and support they need. 

This past year, the State Department of Rehabilitation, Blind Field Services, granted the LightHouse funding through the American Reinvestment Act to increase the breadth of training to persons 55 and older AND the service providers who support and conduct blind and low vision skills training.

To increase the level of training, the LightHouse partnered with the Helen Keller National Center (HKNC), which has expertise in conducting the Confident Living Program: week-long and mini-intensive trainings for older adults with hearing and vision loss. Paige Berry, Coordinator of the Confident Living Programs for HKNC truly provided the perfect training, incorporating communication skills, technology training and emotional support for seniors with both hearing and low vision in Northern California. In addition, Sook Hee Choi, LightHouse Deaf-Blind Specialist and West Coast HKNC professional staff Cathy Kirscher and Anindya "Bapin" Bhattacharyya specifically conducted mini-intensive trainings with seniors who were deaf-blind in Fresno and Los Angeles.

Altogether, the LightHouse and Helen Keller staff facilitated two one-week trainings (San Francisco and Napa) dually training seniors with hearing and vision loss and service providers; two two-day intensive trainings (in Fresno and Los Angeles) for seniors who were deaf-blind; and the LightHouse also hosted a training for service providers.

In total, 38 persons who were deaf-blind or hard of hearing and low vision or blind, and 36 service providers from seven different organizations received training. On the last day of training, consumer panelists Laura Bock and Ria Baylen highlighted the training with their personal stories of living with low vision and hearing loss. Laura Bock, a longtime community activist in San Francisco, continues her passion in educating people about hearing and vision loss while Ria Baylen, who chose to have a cochlear implant, aspires to teach others Braille. Ria has been a longtime volunteer at the LightHouse and an intern at Lions Center for the Blind in Oakland.

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Interior: Kitchen, Windows/Screens, Fireplace

Master Bedroom Door, Carpet, Insulation

Exterior: Roof and Deck

To donate something to camp, please contact Camp Director Tony Fletcher at afletcher@lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7319. Hundreds of campers will thank you!

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Caption: Signs hanging from fence on the Grove Street side of the garden invite the public to the garden

Caption: Tomato, fava beans and hops arranged on a wood plank - fruits of the Please Touch Community Garden

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The LightHouse welcomes the following new staff and Board members:

Isabel Arreola, Associate, Adaptations, the LightHouse Store

Caption: Isabel Arreola holds an OttLite, on sale at Adaptations, the LightHouse Store

Learning that Isabel Arreola thinks of herself as "shy" is surprising, as she comes across as friendly and at ease whether talking one-on-one or in front of a crowd. Born in Mexico, Isabel and her family moved to the United States when she was five. Her parents hoped that doctors in the U.S. might be able to stay her deteriorating vision. Though this did not happen, she connected with instructors who were able to teach her specialized low vision skills that would open up the world of education to her.

With the encouragement of these teachers, she gained the confidence to complete high school and move on to college courses. When her vision further declined to the point where she couldn't read print, she learned to use technology such as text-to-speech software. She eventually got an Associate of Arts degree at Ventura Community College and transferred to California State University, Sacramento, where she is currently working on her degree in Recreation Therapy.

Isabel is excited to work at the LightHouse and says, "The spectrum of services at the LightHouse goes beyond any center in Northern California that I've been a part of - the depth that we focus on a person's whole life and [the way in which we] dedicate attention to areas that might be taken for granted are really pivotal to their success."

Debbie Bacon, Blind Leaders Program Coordinator

Caption: Debbie Bacon

We are pleased to announce that Debbie Bacon has been hired as the coordinator of our Blind Leaders Program, a key first-time employment effort to support blind workers as they learn how best to succeed at their first work experience. Debbie has over 25 years of experience working in the fields of education and training. She has had stints at Society for the Blind in Sacramento, the Kentucky School for the Blind and as Project Manager for the National Resource Center for Parents with Disabilities at Through the Looking Glass in Berkeley.

Debbie grew up as the only blind person in her small town, without access to blind mentors and adaptive technology. Through organizations such as National Federation of the Blind and the California Council of the Blind, she has met a variety of blind people, many of whom have been models for her. They have expanded her knowledge and experience by teaching her skills such as how to use a computer, how to use public transportation and how to find meaningful and valuable employment. This inspired her to educate blind youth "so they know what is out there in the world for them...and so their families know where to find access technology, how to advocate for their children and how to meet blind mentors for lifelong support."

As a blind, working mother of three adult children, Debbie strives to be a good role model. She says, "I have raised my children like any other parent. I've gone to parent-teacher meetings, helped with homework, taken them shopping at the mall - all the things that every parent does." She will use these experiences to inform the way she works with our Blind Leaders, combating the misconceptions they may have about the way blindness has affected their abilities. "Had I just settled for what someone told me I could do when I was a teenager, I would not be hiking with my kids in Yosemite or sitting at this desk in San Francisco. I want to change what it means to have a job. It is not just taking what comes first, what someone says you should do or what you appear to be good at; a job is a life experience that should be something you are proud of and that fully sustains your personal needs, and it is also something that can and will change over a lifetime."

Patrick Sampson, LightHouse Board

Caption: Patrick Sampson speaks with Blind Leaders Coordinator Debbie Bacon

Patrick grew up in Lake Oswego, Oregon, before attending Loyola Marymount University in Southern California for his undergraduate education. There he received a B.B.A. in Business with a double emphasis in Finance and Entrepreneurship. He now resides in San Francisco and works with his uncle at Sampson Investment Management in Danville, California.

Patrick brings a unique perspective to the already dynamic Board at the LightHouse. A self-proclaimed dream catalyst, Patrick hopes to leverage his growing financial expertise to foster social change both locally and globally. He is a former Division 1 soccer player (Lowe's Senior Class Award All-American finalist) and currently plays for the Olympic Club men's soccer team in San Francisco.

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The LightHouse, along with group facilitators Rachel Longan and Mark Chan, has started Eyeshare, a new East Bay Peer Support Group for individuals who are moving forward in their lives with changing vision. Modeled on our successful San Francisco On The Move! - Peer Support Group, topics will emerge organically from the individuals in attendance.

• Support others while getting support
• Share your strategies and achievements
• Set goals for your future

When: The second Saturday of the month through May 2012, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Where: LightHouse Office at the Ed Roberts Campus 3075 Adeline Street, Berkeley, CA (at Ashby BART)

Space is limited and registration is required.

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The LightHouse is developing accessible transit maps to enhance the ability of blind and visually impaired individuals to effectively use public transit in the Bay Area.

We are looking for volunteers who will ride select Muni or SamTrans bus routes and/or BART and Caltrain routes and take notes, inventorying things such as:

• bus stop location (whether stop is on island or street and if mid-block, near-side corner, far-side corner)
• how stop is identified (sign pole, bench, shelter)
• turns in the route (e.g., left, right and cardinal direction of travel)
• inter-modal connections and transfer points (e.g., BART station) 

Optimal candidates are Bay Area residents who are familiar with specific Muni or SamTrans bus lines, BART or Caltrain, but anybody who is interested should apply.

We are eager to get going on this project so if you feel you can contribute, please contact Volunteer Coordinator Don Franklin at 415-694-7371 or dmfranklin@lighthouse-sf.org. Volunteers will be trained prior to their transit excursions.

For additional information, contact Frank Welte at 415-694-7363 or fwelte@lighthouse-sf.org. To read more about the project, go to http://bit.ly/mappingvolunteer

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Caption: Exam-takers Serena Olsen, Marianne Haas, Vita Zavoli, Divina Fontanilla, Eric Mazariegos, Dexter Thomas and Nanako Yamada

Last month ten braille enthusiasts plowed through a rigorous six-hour examination that tested their skills in reading and writing braille. This is the first time the LightHouse has hosted the National Certification in Literary Braille (NCLB) exam. The exam stresses a high standard for braille literacy and certifies the test-takers' thorough knowledge of literary braille code, including proficiency in the use of a Braille Writer, the use of a slate and stylus, proofreading braille and the rules of braille.

LightHouse staff member Lisamaria Martinez, who is currently the only NCLB certified test administrator on the West Coast, administered the exam.

The exams have been sent to officials to be scored, and results should be available in six to eight weeks. We are honored to have been able to host this important test and wish all participants the best of luck! For more information on the test, please go to http://bit.ly/nclbtest 

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Do you get complaints about your meeting agendas, restaurant menus or technical manuals not being accessible? Are you concerned about complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)? Does your school workgroup want to be more inclusive for all disabilities? The LightHouse has the answer to your problems. 

The LightHouse can quickly produce text transcribed into braille, audio CDs, MP3 files and other accessible formats for your blind and low vision readers.

From six-page menus to 600-page software manuals, for over 25 years we've taken care of customers in the restaurant, information technology,  healthcare, government, and non-profit sectors. To learn more about how the LightHouse can provide you with print access at the speed of business, contact Greg Kehret at ais@lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7349.

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Caption: Sam Rodriquez models a pair of stylish filters

Introducing Solar3 contrast-enhancing filters! These wrap-around sunglasses are ideal for everyone, including contact lens wearers, younger patients and hip seniors, and are available in five lens tints: polarized gray, yellow, amber, orange and plum.

Solar3's are offered in a comfortable unisex, lightweight frame style and are designed to prevent discomfort due to intraocular glare. They are meant to be worn as 'wearalones', as opposed to fitting over your eyewear. Filters are scratch resistant and block 100% of UVA and UVB rays.

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If you can help us, please contact Don Franklin at dmfranklin@lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7371.

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Caption: Galileo, our 30-passenger bus

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

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"Ride and a Guide" pairs up small groups of three to seven individuals seeking to take to the highway for a day or weekend road trip with a volunteer driver. The group provides the agenda (and pays for the driver's base expenses), and the LightHouse will identify a volunteer to facilitate the transportation. Think of it as a rental car service with a driver. The possibilities are endless!

info@lighthouse-sf.org.

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

Our Personal Services Program, whereby 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.

 

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17. Sign Up for the LightHouse Fitness Partner Program

Caption: Silhouette of two people on a tandem bike

 

Sometimes all it takes to get people moving is a good partnership! We want to pair blind athletes with sighted guides for a wide variety of athletic endeavors - anything from working out at the gym to biking, to running the next half marathon.

 

You choose the event or activity. Anything from that weekly walk you've been meaning to schedule to finding a buddy to go to a rock climbing gym with.
 
If you are interested in becoming a Fitness Partner, or being paired with one, either visit our website page at http://bit.ly/lighthousefitness or contact LightHouse Volunteer Coordinator Don M. Franklin at 415-694-7371 or dmfranklin@lighthouse-sf.org.

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Caption: A cabin at Enchanted Hills Retreat

Caption: A flowing stream in the forest at Enchanted Hills Retreat

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.

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.
 
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

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George Gaboury and Dexter Thomas were so motivated by the September LightHouse Employment Summit that they have decided to launch a group, the Differently Able Excellence Network (DAEN) to keep the conversation and motivation going.

Read more about the group, which is open to all, here:

http://conta.cc/daengroup

For more information, or to join Differently Able Excellence Network, contact George Gaboury at 415-753-3892 / gabyland@sbcglobal.net or Dexter Thomas at 510-542-8511 / dex4jesus@sbcglobal.net.

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Are you falling asleep during the day? Do you ever feel like your sleep patterns are different than the rest of the world? If so, you may have a sleep problem related to your blindness. Would you like to help find a solution to this issue?

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Are you a blind or visually impaired adult who cross-country skis or is interested in learning the sport? If your answer is yes, join other active adults from across the U.S. and around the world for Ski for Light 2012.

The 2012 Ski for Light International Week will be held from Sunday, February 5 through Sunday, February 12, 2012, in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. The annual event attracts recreational cross-country skiers from beginners to advanced participants.

For more information, go to http://bit.ly/skiforlight2011

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