Calendar

The week's events

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Apr 7
Apr 8(2 events)

9:30 am: Sensory Development for Independent Travel

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Apr 8

Sensory Development for Independent Travel

On April 8, 2019, the LighHouse Training Department will host a new class: Sensory Development for Independent Travel. The class facilitator, Sarah McIntyre, Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Specialist, will focus on auditory development and exploration of different types of canes and cane tips.
What will you learn? Sarah will introduce auditory training, including sound identification, localization and alignment; judging distances using sound; and beginning echolocation. These skills are vital to confident and efficient travel as an individual who is blind or low vision, especially in unfamiliar environments. Students wanting to develop the confidence and efficiency in transitioning from a visually-dependent traveler to an independent traveler applying additional sensory skills for travel are encouraged to register.
The class will be held at the LightHouse for the Blind Headquarters in the Fitness Room, 1155 Market Street from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM. There will be a one hour break for lunch, students should plan to bring their own lunch. To ensure effective student-to-instructor ratio, attendance is limited.
Participation Eligibility Criteria: This class is specifically designed for students who have been totally (or near totally) blind from birth (or a very young age) and, who have had a minimum of 6 hours of O&M training (please bring your cane with you). Students with known or suspected hearing loss are eligible and may benefit substantially from the program. The cost of the class is $150.00. DOR, VA and Regional Center Counselors who are interested in referring a consumer, please send authorizations to the LightHouse at 1referral@lighthouse-sf.org. Partial scholarship funding may be available for non-Department of Rehabilitation (DOR)/ Veterans Administration VIST Program/Regional Center students age 55+ (living in the counties of San Francisco, Alameda, San Mateo, Contra Costa or Marin). For those eligible, there is a $20 fee that must be paid prior to the class. This fee is only refundable with a 48-hour cancellation prior to the class start. Please contact Briana at bkusuma@lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7335 to sign up for the class and let her know if you will be receiving an authorization from your counselor to participate, or you are seeking eligibility for partial scholarship. The registration deadline is April 4th. If you are unable to attend this workshop, upcoming workshop dates for 2019 include: June 17, August 13, and October 21.

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1:00 pm: Guest Speaker Series: Leigh Cooper, All About Freewill.com

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Apr 8

Guest Speaker Series: Leigh Cooper, All About Freewill.com
Monday, April 8, 1-2 PM

A will is a legal document that spells out your wishes for after you’re gone. It’s something everyone should have, even if you don’t feel like you have an “estate” or something to pass on. LightHouse has partnered with a company to offer free will writing software to our community. FreeWill.com makes it easy to make a plan for your future and, if you choose, for the future of LightHouse. LightHouse grant writer Leigh Cooper will share the ins and outs of using the service and and field your questions. To RSVP, contact Adult Program Coordinator Serena Olsen at solsen@lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7316.

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Apr 9
Apr 10(1 event)

1:00 pm: Community Teach: All about Pottery with Jessica

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Apr 10

Volunteer Jessica Phrogus joins us for a six-week series on the basics of working with clay to craft your very own works of functional and other art and pottery. We’ll provide the supplies, you just bring your imagination, creativity, and willingness to get a little hands-on and a little dirty. Jessica loves clay and the creative process of shaping art from our imagination and brings 30+ years’ experience teaching classes in the Bay Area. Stop by for one class or the whole series. There is no cost to participate. RSVP to Adult Program Coordinator Serena Olsen at solsen@lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7316.
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Apr 11(2 events)

10:00 am: Knitting

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Apr 11

Every week, our knitters gather to share their purls of wisdom and get in the loop on each other’s latest project, and usually end up in stitches spinning yarns. Whether you knit for pleasure, distraction or just practical economics, or you’ve never done it before and want to give it a try, there’s always room for another loom. Learn, refine, or teach a skill that makes your gift-giving budget lighter weight or support a student-led altruistic project like knitting chemo caps, beanies for babies, lap blankets or other creative applications.

For more info, needle Adult Program Coordinator Serena Olsen at solsen@lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7316.

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5:30 pm: LightHouse Listenings: Music In the Dark with Ioana Gandrabur

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Apr 11

LightHouse continues its live listening party for ears only, LightHouse Listenings, on April 11 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at LightHouse Headquarters. Join us for an evening of live music in the dark with award-winning classical guitarist Ioana Gandrabur, as she incorporates music with lively interactive discussions about music, blindness, and non-visual entertainment.

Tickets are $5-$10 on Eventbrite by clicking this link.

When: Thursday, April 11, 2019 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.
Where: LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, 1155 Market St. 10th Floor, San Francisco
RSVP to Andrea Vecchione at avecchione@lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7311.

About the performer

Born in Bucharest, Romania, Ioana Gandrabur started playing piano at the age of five. At twelve she discovered the guitar and, feeling an immediate connection with this instrument, she began to study with Liviu Georgescu and Petre Fartatescu. After only two years she won the Romanian National Guitar Competition, becoming its youngest laureate to this day. At the age of 16, Ioana Gandrabur immigrated to Canada. She continued her studies at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal under the direction of Jean Vallières and graduated with honours. Then, receiving full scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service, she traveled to Germany for postgraduate studies at the Musikhochschule in Köln (germany) with Hubert Käppel, the Musikakademie in Basel (Switzerland) with Oscar Ghiglia and the Musikhochschule in Düsseldorf (Germany) with Joaquin Clerch. She received degrees from each of these schools. To learn even more, read the blog post on the LightHouse website.

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Read more: LightHouse Listenings: Music In the Dark with Ioana Gandrabur

Apr 12(2 events)

2:00 pm: Let's Go Hiking: Tilden Regional Park

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Apr 12

Let’s go hiking at Tilden Regional Park! We will meet at the Ed Roberts Campus at 3075 Adeline St. in Berkeley, just above Ashby BART station, 2:00 p.m. We’ll then take a bus to Tilden Park for a naturalist-led hike! We will return to the Ed Roberts Campus by 4:30 p.m.

Please RSVP by calling or emailing Amber Sherrard at asherrard@lighthouse-sf.org or (415)-694-7353.

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5:00 pm: YES: Meet, Lead, and Eat! Preparing Yourself for Life

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Apr 12 – Apr 14

Youth Employment Series (YES) Meet, Lead, and Eat! Preparing Yourself for Life

In April, join the LightHouse Youth Employment Series, YES, workshop emphasizing the importance of teamwork, leadership and living skills as youth collaborate with one another in interactive activities throughout the weekend to prepare for life after high school. During the Saturday portion of YES, students will gather with peers from all around the state for the 3rd annual Youth Institute as part of the CTEBVI annual conference in Burlingame, CA. Youth will have the opportunity to meet peers, connect with blind and low vision mentors, gain additional information on adaptive technology, knowing their rights, and advocacy, as well as peruse the Exhibit Hall with over 30 resources!

YES workshops are monthly weekend-long learning experiences emphasizing the vocational enrichment of low vision and blind youth, increasing and providing access to a multifaceted array of mentorship, employment readiness skills, and alternative accessible techniques. During the Sunday portion of the workshop, youth will take the skills they learned to the next level, applying their leadership and living skills in hands-on activities involving orientation and mobility, cooking, and technology use. The weekend is spent learning from blind and low vision mentors and engaging in creative hands-on activities which further support youth to explore and achieve their individualized and professional aspirations.

Workshop Learning Objectives:
1. Participants will expand their understanding of rights and responsibilities as blind and low vision youth as they explore options after high school and to prepare for their futures.
2. Transition age youth will receive information on advocacy and informed choice as they implement these concepts using interactive scenarios in different aspects of their lives from school and college, to independent living, to work.
3. Students will increase their knowledge and exposure to assistive technology options and learn how to maximize the technology they currently possess in different settings such as home, in school, and beyond.
4. The overnight nature of the YES workshop provide opportunities for students to refine their workplace readiness soft skills including effective social and professional communication and independent living all while building community with their blind and low vision peers and mentors.

Things to Bring:
1. A notetaking device or implement (braille notetaker, pen and paper, slate and stylus, phone with keyboard, laptop, etc.). You will be asked to complete activities electronically.
2. Necessities you may need such as any orientation and mobility tools to travel safely, money for transportation to and from the workshop, or personal medication.

If you are interested in participating in the April YES Weekend Workshop, please:
1. Contact your Department of Rehabilitation counselor to discuss workshop attendance and authorization.
2. Confirm attendance with Ann Wai-Yee Kwong, Transition Program Specialist, by email at youth@lighthouse-sf.org or by phone at 415-694-7328. If you have any questions or would like to pay for your participation in the workshop, please contact youth@lighthouse-sf.org. Each workshop costs $950 to attend for the entire weekend. Please note, space for this program is limited to 16 students and workshop attendance must be confirmed one week prior. RSVP by April 8.

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Apr 13(1 event)

5:00 pm: YES: Meet, Lead, and Eat! Preparing Yourself for Life

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Apr 12 – Apr 14

Youth Employment Series (YES) Meet, Lead, and Eat! Preparing Yourself for Life

In April, join the LightHouse Youth Employment Series, YES, workshop emphasizing the importance of teamwork, leadership and living skills as youth collaborate with one another in interactive activities throughout the weekend to prepare for life after high school. During the Saturday portion of YES, students will gather with peers from all around the state for the 3rd annual Youth Institute as part of the CTEBVI annual conference in Burlingame, CA. Youth will have the opportunity to meet peers, connect with blind and low vision mentors, gain additional information on adaptive technology, knowing their rights, and advocacy, as well as peruse the Exhibit Hall with over 30 resources!

YES workshops are monthly weekend-long learning experiences emphasizing the vocational enrichment of low vision and blind youth, increasing and providing access to a multifaceted array of mentorship, employment readiness skills, and alternative accessible techniques. During the Sunday portion of the workshop, youth will take the skills they learned to the next level, applying their leadership and living skills in hands-on activities involving orientation and mobility, cooking, and technology use. The weekend is spent learning from blind and low vision mentors and engaging in creative hands-on activities which further support youth to explore and achieve their individualized and professional aspirations.

Workshop Learning Objectives:
1. Participants will expand their understanding of rights and responsibilities as blind and low vision youth as they explore options after high school and to prepare for their futures.
2. Transition age youth will receive information on advocacy and informed choice as they implement these concepts using interactive scenarios in different aspects of their lives from school and college, to independent living, to work.
3. Students will increase their knowledge and exposure to assistive technology options and learn how to maximize the technology they currently possess in different settings such as home, in school, and beyond.
4. The overnight nature of the YES workshop provide opportunities for students to refine their workplace readiness soft skills including effective social and professional communication and independent living all while building community with their blind and low vision peers and mentors.

Things to Bring:
1. A notetaking device or implement (braille notetaker, pen and paper, slate and stylus, phone with keyboard, laptop, etc.). You will be asked to complete activities electronically.
2. Necessities you may need such as any orientation and mobility tools to travel safely, money for transportation to and from the workshop, or personal medication.

If you are interested in participating in the April YES Weekend Workshop, please:
1. Contact your Department of Rehabilitation counselor to discuss workshop attendance and authorization.
2. Confirm attendance with Ann Wai-Yee Kwong, Transition Program Specialist, by email at youth@lighthouse-sf.org or by phone at 415-694-7328. If you have any questions or would like to pay for your participation in the workshop, please contact youth@lighthouse-sf.org. Each workshop costs $950 to attend for the entire weekend. Please note, space for this program is limited to 16 students and workshop attendance must be confirmed one week prior. RSVP by April 8.

Map LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired

The events for the upcoming week are read aloud on our event hotline every Friday, which can be accessed by calling 415-694-7325. For more information about visiting the Adaptations Store, head to our shop page.

The LightHouse is scent-free. Please abstain from wearing colognes, perfumes, or other scented products. Additionally, coffee must be securely lidded at all times and citrus should not be peeled on the premises. Thanks for supporting our efforts to respect chemical sensitivities!

SDS safety dataClick here for our cleaning product safety data sheets (SDS) and ingredient information.

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