Calendar

This fall LightHouse is pleased to announce our new Audio Academy, an ongoing series of immersive courses to teach employable skills in the field of audio engineering and production. For our first course, we are partnering with the Illinois-based, blind-run I See Music, the only school in the nation that offers a comprehensive audio education curriculum for blind and low vision learners. “Intro to DJing” will be a 3-day intensive workshop which will host a small group of students in our dorm-style residences for two nights for an immersive, high-value learning experience. The course will introduce students to the software Deejay Pro and teach students the basics of a fully accessible and non-visual DJ method. See full course details below. The workshop will also include a comprehensive discussion of the vocational opportunities in the DJ field from Byron Hardin, founder and CEO of I See Music,.Come, spend the weekend with your fellow audio heads, and learn the skills needed for competitive employment in the music and entertainment industry. What is Audio Academy? Back in the days of analog, being a blind radio disc jockey, record producer or even a house engineer was not out of the question. But with the turn of the century and the turn to digital, the industry traded knobs, buttons and sliders for inaccessible graphic user interfaces on screens. For several years, the accessibility of the audio industry screeched to a halt. Today, the landscape is greatly improved: industry leaders like Apple, AVID, Algoriddim and Native Instruments have made commitments to accessibility, and blind individuals can finally operate the tools of the trade to become studio owners, radio producers and musicians in a competitive working environment. LightHouse Audio Academy will continue over the course of the year with talks, informal gatherings and more immersive weekends (each weekend will focus on a different topic, software or hardware application). Please note: all who are interested in the workshop must fill out our brief application form. For more information email communications@lighthouse-sf.org.

LHAA 101: Intro to DJing Workshop
When: Friday, Nov. 9 at 9 a.m. - Sunday Nov. 11 at 5 p.m. (3 days, 2 nights)
Where: LightHouse for the Blind offices and residences - 1155 Market Street., San Francisco, CA 94103
Who: For all blind and low vision students Fee: $800, (includes 2-night overnight stay, breakfast and lunch for 3 days)
Prerequisites: Ability to navigate with VoiceOver on Mac OS
Equipment: Apple workstations will be provided to students for the weekend if necessary, but bringing your own computer (Mac OS or iPad only) and Deejay Pro-compatable DJ controller is recommended.

Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) is now offering an Orientation & Mobility Immersion Program! Our week long program is designed to develop those O&M skills most relevant to guide dog mobility. Students will work with specially trained O&M specialists at one of our partner organizations and will be instructed on various techniques such as:

• Increasing awareness of the environmental information available to a guide dog traveler.
• Developing an understanding of how to use auditory information like traffic sounds to remain oriented and to achieve correct alignment during general travel and street crossings.
• Using auditory information to analyze different types of intersections and determine the best time to initiate street crossings.
• Developing the ability to estimate the distance walked relative to the time taken (time-distance estimation).

Students will also participate in exercises to help simulate travel with a guide dog (Juno exercises) and learn to apply their sensory awareness and travel skills in a practical way. First time students will get to participate in Juno exercises with a guide dog instructor followed by an experience walk with a guide dog on the same route.

For more information, or to apply for a future program please visit us at guidedogs.com or contact Danielle Velken, Outreach, O&M Program Coordinator at dvelken@guidedogs.com | 415-492-4121 | 800-295-4050 ext 4121 (Toll Free)