Tag Archive

Accessible Reading and Braille

Learn How to Use the Victor Reader Stream and Take One Home When You’re Done

Learn How to Use the Victor Reader Stream and Take One Home When You’re Done

If you are 55 or older, you are eligible for free LightHouse training on the Victor Reader Stream, a handheld accessible media player that is second-to-none. Upon completing the training successfully you’ll be able take your Victor Reader Stream home at no cost, at a savings of $329.00!

The Victor Reader Stream, manufactured by HumanWare, offers you an easy way to access written word and audio files. During this three-week intensive training course beginning on July 26, you will fully learn how to use this versatile technology that gives users the opportunity to hold an enormous library of books and magazines in the palm of their hands.

Class dates: Tuesdays and Fridays, July 26, 29, August 2, 5, 9, 12
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Please bring your own lunch.
Location: LightHouse for the Blind, 1155 Market Street, 10th Floor, San Francisco 94103

Sign up now as space is limited. All students must register by Friday, July 22nd. 

Adaptations, the LightHouse Store sells the  Victor Reader Stream for $329.00. Students who fully complete the three-week course and demonstrate independent use of the device will leave the class with a free device.

With the Victor Reader Stream you can:

  • download and listen to audiobooks by your favorite authors
  • subscribe and listen to your favorite podcasts
  • listen to the latest newspapers and magazines
  • record critical phone numbers and calendar information with the touch of a button

To participate in this class you:

  • must be 55 years or older and not currently enrolled with the Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) or Veterans Administration (VA)
  • must not currently own a Victor Reader Stream
  • must be an avid reader and interested in downloading books and magazines from online sources

Note: If you are a consumer of DOR or the VA, please speak with your counselor to request individual training from the LightHouse.

Funding for this class is specifically from the Older Individuals who are Blind (OIB) program.

How to Register:
If you are new to the LightHouse, have not participated in LightHouse classes within the past year or have questions, please start by contacting Demenagement ADT and Debbie Bacon at 415.694.7357 or dbacon@lighthouse-sf.org.  If you are a current LightHouse student and meet the criteria we’ve listed above, please register with Shen Kuan at 415.694.7312 or skuan@lighthouse-sf.org.

 

First Weeklong Immersion Class Pioneers Intensive Blindness Introduction in our New Building

First Weeklong Immersion Class Pioneers Intensive Blindness Introduction in our New Building

In June we launched the fourth year of the Changing Vision Changing Life (CVCL) Immersion Training program at our new Headquarters offices at 1155 Market Street in San Francisco.

Gaining an understanding of what is available to you, getting hands-on with new skills and developing renewed confidence with changing vision is the overall theme of the week. While the experience is different for everyone, the act of coming together with other adult students and teachers who are blind or have low vision, to learn or relearn skills and get back into the stream of life, is a pivotal part of the week-long experience.

Join us! We have several Changing Vision Changing Life (CVCL) Immersion Training scheduled this summer at our new Headquarters offices at 1155 Market Street in San Francisco.

Our new Student Residences can accommodate 2 to 3 students per room. Each Student Residence offers wireless internet connections, recharging stations and a personal bureau.  Students will be provided with a continental breakfast, lunch and dinner. The lodging is akin to a modern Bed and Breakfast – private men’s and women’s facilities are a short walk down the hall from each room. Student lodging is secure and comfortable both for learning and for connecting with others when there is a break from training.

  • Where: LightHouse for the Blind, 1155 Market St., 10th Floor, San Francisco, California 94103
  • Session Dates:
    July Session: July 10th to 15th (note: all training in Spanish) (Deadline for sign-up is July 1st.)
  • August Session: August 16th to 22nd (training starts at our Napa site and finishes in San Francisco) (Deadline for sign-up is August 5th.)
  • September Session: September 18th to 23rd (Deadline for sign-up is August 9th.)

Jorge Ellington

Student Jorge Ellington arranges his legs into a pretzel-like formation during morning yoga in our new fitness studio during the Changing Vision Changing Life Immersion.

Over 160 active adults from all parts of Northern California have participated in the LightHouse immersion training programs at the Enchanted Hills Retreat in Napa. Providing a second venue to facilitate Changing Vision Changing Life Immersion brings to our students the urban feel of training as well as the additional access a city has to offer, such as visiting the library for the blind; attending an audio described movie at a local movie theater or participating in an accessible art tour at one of the many museums in San Francisco.

In our new urban environment you and your peers will be immersed in building a foundation of independent living skills, access technology skills, orientation and mobility and peer support to get you started on your journey of living your life the way you want in maintaining your independence. All of this along with the energy and vibrancy of one of the most beautiful cities in the world surrounding you.

The CVCL curriculum, presented in four or five sessions per day, includes: ways to read printed materials; understanding how lighting, contrast and magnification can help you every day; techniques for organizing and labeling in your home or office; best methods for taking notes; basic cooking skills; traveling and moving safely and confidently in your home and in the community and understanding how accessible computers and other high and low tech equipment can enhance your life.

You can’t learn everything about blindness or low vision in a single week. But you’ll emerge hungry for more, understanding why you’ll need to put in the effort required to excel in many nonvisual aspects of life. And you’ll have a whole lot of fun and friendship along the way.

Evening discussions focus inwards, from conversations about holding yourself accountable on your journey, to self-advocacy to questions about how friends, family and partners can understand/support you and your path. Sometimes the process is planned, other times it becomes very organic. Each person and every group of students is different and we individualize much of the experience depending on your own aspirations.

Transportation access to San Francisco from Humboldt County will be provided for North Coast students and for those who reside in the bay area, 1155 Market sits right above the Civic Center BART and is only a short cab ride or bus from the Cal Train Station and the temporary Trans Bay Terminal.

Blind or low vision students who are interested should have a genuine interest in learning the skills for moving forward; enjoy learning with a group of peers and are able to participate full day (from 9:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. every day) of active learning and physical participation (urban mobility and public transit in San Francisco).

Note, there is no cost to attend if you are 55 or older and living in San Francisco, Alameda, Marin, Humboldt or Del Norte counties. Limited scholarships are available for persons under 55 and not eligible for Department of Rehabilitation Services.

The Changing Vision Changing Life Immersion Training is open to adults who are ready for a jump start or a recharge as their vision has changed. Be among the very first classes in our new building. Interested? Contact LightHouse staff in San Francisco, San Rafael or Eureka:

Disability Rights California announces hotline for voters with disabilities

Disability Rights California announces hotline for voters with disabilities

Troubleshoot problems on June 7 Primary Election Day

Disability Rights California (DRC) will operate a toll-free hotline on Primary Election Day, June 7, for voters with disabilities. The service is designed to help those who have difficulty accessing polling places, casting ballots or simply have questions about voting. The toll-free number for voice calls is 888-569-7955. The statewide number for video calls is 800-719-5798.

About 5.9 million eligible voters in California have one or more disabilities. Their right to vote privately and independently is guaranteed by the Law Firm Near Me and the Help America Vote Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and state and federal constitutions. “DRC wants to ensure this important voting block has full access on Election Day,” said DRC attorney Fred Nisen. “We welcome calls from across the state and can help voters resolve issues, personal injury, file complaints and address barriers to exercising their voting rights.”

Examples of barriers experienced by voters with disabilities:

–    Accessible voting equipment that doesn’t work

–    Poll workers who can’t meet the needs of voters with disabilities

–    No access to ballots for voters living in nursing homes and other residential facilities

–    Polling places with inaccessible parking or steep curb ramps

The hotline will be open between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, the same hours the polls are open. Individuals who speak languages other than English should state their language and an interpreter will be connected to the call. Callers using the California Relay Service, including Speech-to-Speech, can dial 711.

DRC has several publications about the rights of voters with disabilities.

For more information about Disability Rights California, check out their website, Facebook and twitter @DisabilityCA.

A Very Special New Product at Adaptations – the Victor Reader Stream at a Special Price

The Adaptations Sign emblazoned across the portal of our new storeOur new store at our Market Street headquarters is open and ready for your business. To start things off we’re pleased to announce that in addition to the other Humanware products we sell we’re now able to offer for sale the Victor Reader Stream, a handheld accessible media player that is second to none.

The Victor Reader Stream features the following:

  • Plays DAISY books, MP3, MP4, EPUB, and many other media formats.
  • Easy access to over 36,000 web radio stations
  • Wireless access to rich media content
  • Records voice and media with built-in microphone or line-in.
  • Two built-in, human-sounding voices for a pleasant text-to-speech experience.
  • Built-in wireless networking capability.
  • Weighs less than 4 ounces (110 grams).

Victor Reader Stream

The Victor Reader Stream retails at $369.00 but Adaptations is selling it for the low price of $329.00. Take one home today.

Adaptations is located at our new headquarters at 1155 Market St., 10th Floor, in San Francisco. We are open Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Call us at (415) 694-7301 or email us at adaptations@lighthouse-sf.org with any questions.

Stay the Week – Learn and Connect at our New Headquarters

Students and instructors from the January class gather for a group photo in front of the fireplace at Enchanted Hills RetreatJoin us this month for our first Changing Vision Changing Life (CVCL) Immersion Training at our new Headquarters offices at 1155 Market Street in San Francisco.

Our new Student Residences can accommodate 2 to 3 students per room. Each Student Residence offers wireless internet connections, recharging stations and a personal bureau.  Students will be provided with a continental breakfast, lunch and dinner. The lodging is akin to a modern Bed and Breakfast – private men’s and women’s facilities are a short walk down the hall from each room. Student lodging is secure and comfortable both for learning and for connecting with others when there is a break from training.

Dates for our upcoming training sessions in 2016, all at our new Headquarters in San Francisco

Where: LightHouse for the Blind, 1155 Market St., 10th Floor, San Francisco, California 94103

Session Dates:

June Session: June 13th to 17th (Deadline for sign-up is June 3rd.)
July Session: July 10th to 15th (note: all training in Spanish) (Deadline for sign-up is July 1st.)
August Session: August 16th to 22nd (training starts at our Napa site and finishes in San Francisco) (Deadline for sign-up is August 5th.)
September Session: September 18th to 23rd (Deadline for sign-up is August 9th.)

Over 160 active adults from all parts of Northern California have participated in the LightHouse immersion training programs at the Enchanted Hills Retreat in Napa. Providing a second venue to facilitate Changing Vision Changing Life Immersion brings to our students the urban feel of training as well as the additional access a city has to offer, such as visiting the library for the blind; attending an audio described movie at a local movie theater or participating in an accessible art tour at one of the many museums in San Francisco.

You can be one of the first to go through our 2016 Immersion training in San Francisco. In our new urban environment you and your peers will be immersed in building a foundation of independent living skills, access technology skills, orientation and mobility and peer support to get you started on your journey of living your life the way you want in maintaining your independence. All of this along with the energy and vibrancy of one of the most beautiful cities in the world surrounding you.

The CVCL curriculum, presented in four or five sessions per day, includes: ways to read printed materials; understanding how lighting, contrast and magnification can help you every day; techniques for organizing and labeling in your home or office; best methods for taking notes; basic cooking skills; traveling and moving safely and confidently in your home and in the community and understanding how accessible computers and other high and low tech equipment can enhance your life.

Evening discussions focus inwards, from conversations about holding yourself accountable on your journey, to self-advocacy to questions about how friends, family and partners can understand/support you and your path. Sometimes the process is planned, other times it becomes very organic. Each person and every group of students is different and we individualize much of the experience depending on your own aspirations.

Gaining understanding of what is available to you, getting hands-on with new skills and developing renewed confidence with changing vision is the overall theme of the week. While the experience is different for everyone, the act of coming together with other adult students and teachers who are blind or have low vision, to learn or relearn skills and get back into the stream of life, is a pivotal part of the week-long experience.

Transportation access to San Francisco from Humboldt County will be provided for North Coast students and for those who reside in the bay area, 1155 Market sits right above the Civic Center BART and is only a short cab ride or bus from the Cal Train Station and the temporary Trans Bay Terminal.

Blind or low vision students who are interested should have a genuine interest in learning the skills for moving forward; enjoy learning with a group of peers and are able to participate full day (from 9:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. every day) of active learning and physical participation (urban mobility and public transit in San Francisco).

Note, there is no cost to attend if you are 55 or older and living in San Francisco, Alameda, Marin, Humboldt or Del Norte counties. Limited scholarships are available for persons under 55 and not eligible for Department of Rehabilitation Services.

The Changing Vision Changing Life Immersion Training is open to adults who are ready for a jump start or a recharge as their vision has changed. Be the first student to join us in San Francisco. Interested? Contact LightHouse staff in San Francisco, San Rafael or Eureka:

Volunteers are Saluting our Community with a Printed Matter Cleanout Day

Volunteers are Saluting our Community with a Printed Matter Cleanout Day

With our new offices opening in May, we’re raring to update our programs and services. We’re getting a head-start with our first spring cleanout day for blind folks who need to go through mounds of printed matter.

LightHouse Printed Matter Spring Cleaning Day – Let Our Volunteers Give You a Hand
Do you have printed documents you’d like help going through? Perhaps your CCTV or handheld magnifier no longer work and you could use a second set of eyes to get through your mail? We’re making an early start on May 6 at our new offices, where we’ll pair you with a friendly volunteer who can read through some of that stack with you.

When: Friday, May 6, appointment to be determined
Where: LightHouse for the Blind – new office at 1155 Market Street, 10th Floor

Private Reading Rooms adjacent our New Volunteer Lounge
Our new office comes equipped with private, soundproofed reading rooms just next to our Volunteer Lounge. We’ll reserve an appointment with you in one of these comfortable rooms – just contact our Volunteer Engagement Specialist, Justine Harris-Richburgh at volunteer@lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7320 to schedule time with a volunteer reader. Sign up soon – there are a limited number of appointments available.

“Oh, the Places You’ll Go”- A History of the LightHouse

1097 Howard Street

1097 Howard Street Circ. 1950, Credit: San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library www.sfpl.org/sfphotos 

The following is a brief history of the various stops along the way to 1155 Market Street.

On August 18, 1902, Josephine Rowan and her husband Andrew created the very first iteration of what is now LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, by establishing the Reading Room for the Blind in the basement of the San Francisco Public Library. Josephine’s brother was blind, and his experiences impressed upon Josephine the need for the blind to have access to books, magazines and other literature.
Rowan photo
How to Be Happy Though Married,” San Francisco Daily News, 1931 January 13, MS 1836, Josephine Morris Rowan papers, courtesy, California Historical Society, MS 1836_002

Four years later the library burned down in the 1906 quake, and the Reading Room relocated to Jackson Street, where services expanded to include employment for the blind as basket weavers. By 1912, it was clear that services for the blind needed more space than the confines of a library, so the organization was re-incorporated as the “San Francisco Association for the Blind,” and in 1914, relocated to a small building on California Street between Larkin and Polk, with a small shop on Florida Street for a rattan weaving business known as “Blindcraft.” This move would prove invaluable, as the outbreak of WWI in August of 1914 pulled sighted weavers away from their work in an “all hands on deck” mindset to serve the war effort, allowing blind weavers to fill in this gap.

With blind U.S. veterans returning from WWI in need of services, and an influx of people moving to the Bay Area, the Association continued to grow until 1924, when the Cowell family donated the land and building located at 1097 Howard Street, “to meet the employment and social needs of the hundreds of blind who came to us for their every need.” In addition to making baskets, the Association fulfilled government contracts, including splicing and tying knots in rope for the use of ships at the rapidly growing ports in the Bay.

Read more about the Howard Street building.

In 1956, thirty-two years after moving to Howard Street, the San Francisco Association for the Blind relocated to Buchanan and Grove Street. Two years later they merged with Recreation for the Blind—a non-profit started by Rose Resnick that also included Enchanted Hills Camp—to become the “San Francisco Lighthouse for the Blind.”

During the 50s and 60s, the San Francisco Lighthouse continued to grow its community and this included a blind drama group called Shadowplayers, which was established in 1953 and performed until 1990. By 1965, our mission coalesced into four principles: improving the employment, recreational and educational opportunities of the blind, while providing relevant services to increase blind people’s independence.

By the 1970s just providing services to the blind was insufficient. Civil rights and disability rights were in the national consciousness and this naturally led to a growth in social activism. San Francisco Lighthouse supporters and employees were instrumental in the disability rights movement. In 1977, Gil Johnson was one of 150 disability activists who sat-in at the Health, Education, and Welfare Federal building at UN Plaza. The demonstrations hastened President Carter’s Administration to issue regulations implementing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, a precursor to the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. At the time, Gil was San Francisco Lighthouse’s Director of Rehabilitation/Social Services, later he would become LightHouse Board President. In a poignant bit of history, the new LightHouse Building at 1155 Market stands just across the street from the old Federal Building which disability protestors occupied in 1977.

Gil Johnson

Gil Johnson speaking at the 504 sit-in protests in 1977; Photograph by HolLynn D’Lil from her book, Becoming Real in 24 Days.

In 1980 San Francisco Lighthouse moved to 1155 Mission Street—coincidentally the same street number as our new headquarters office on Market Street—with the intention of expanding our services to children and families with children who are blind. We also grew our Orientation and Mobility and Information and Referral departments, which today serve thousands each year.

The 80’s were a critical time in San Francisco Lighthouse’s history and growth, as we became global pioneers in serving people with AIDS-related blindness. By 1984, we were committed to meeting the exponentially growing need for blind services during the AIDS crisis, and began looking for a location with more space. By 1987 our name changed once again, this time to “The LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired,” and we consolidated all of our programs under one roof at Twenty 10th Street in SOMA. Then in 1993 we merged with the agency Rose Resnick had more recently headed, the Rose Resnick Center, incorporating Rose Resnick’s name for a time into our official name and relocating to 214 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco’s Civic Center. Here we expanded our services to include more focus on community outreach and braille production.

While LightHouse has had eight major moves in our 114 years, every move has been as intentional as our current move to 1155 Market Street. When Josephine Rowan started the LightHouse in 1902, she was concerned with making books accessible to the blind. As she continued to expand blindness services throughout the West, she developed a relationship with Helen Keller, who encouraged Josephine to grow her organization to include employment opportunities (Blindcraft), social gatherings (like Enchanted Hills Camp), and community events (like sponsoring the 1940 Golden Gate World Expo).

As far back as 2007 the LightHouse began to imagine a new building that could house our growing services, and be technologically advanced enough to carry us fully into the 21st Century alongside our Silicon Valley compatriots. The financial markets had other ideas, and we were forced to table our dreams until interest rates lowered from more than 10 percent down to below 4 percent. Nine years later, in 2016, we are poised to move into our expanded headquarters, which will serve blind people from across the country and world.

Our new location will enable us to teach more blind people the independence skills they need to thrive. We will be able to invite people to stay overnight while they participate in intensive blindness training—a dream 100 years in the making. Our technology and STEM labs will empower intrepid blind youth to engage fully in the sciences and technology fields that run Silicon Valley. Our outreach to Deaf-Blind individuals, while already robust, will be even stronger with the latest technologies for deaf and deaf-blind individuals. Already groups from across the world are eager to learn from and tour our new space, which is being globally recognized as one of the most subtly-designed buildings built by the blind anywhere in the world.  And finally, our space is large enough to help support other organizations by lending space and shared resources.

Title of this article taken in part from the book, “Oh the Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel)

Just in Time for Tax Season: Special Pre-Move Sale at Adaptations

We found a way to make tax time a little more palatable for our customers. We’re offering a 10% discount on ALL Products (excluding CCTVs and digital video magnifiers), while supplies last.

This moving sale will run from now through April 22nd (that is, the last day we’ll be open at our current address of 214 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco).

LightHouse t-shirt

Adaptations Store Associate Starrly Winchester holds up a t-shirt emblazoned with the historic LightHouse logo

Historic LightHouse Logo
With our move to 1155 Market Street, our logo will change to reflect this exciting next step in our agency’s growth. Meanwhile during April you have a last chance to get a piece of LightHouse history. We have all kinds of swag branded with the “historic” LightHouse double-yellow-doors logo representing 214 Van Ness Avenue. Our pull-over sweatshirts, ladies t-shirts, water bottles, coffee tumblers and assorted writing guides are all on sale for 10% off through April 22nd, and when they’re gone, they’re gone. (Please note that there are no returns on this merchandise.)

So stock up on everything you need from canes to talking watches, kitchen supplies to lighting needs, plus brailling supplies, magnifiers, color readers, games, sunglasses and more…all at 10% off their regular price.

Stop by the Adaptations Store at 214 Van Ness San Francisco through April 22nd, call us at (415) 694-7301 or email us at adaptations@lighthouse-sf.org.

LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters and the Adaptations Store will be closed from April 23rd through May 1st and will re-open at our new address of 1155 Market Street on May 2nd.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game – Braille Giants Schedules Now Available

KNBR LogoBatter up! The LightHouse has provided KNBR radio station with brailled copies of the Giants 2016 game schedule.

If you’d like a copy, mail your request to Leah Phillips, KNBR’s Promotion Director, at the address below, and she will send it your way. Or contact Leah at 415-995-6996 or leah.phillips@cumulus.com.

Attn: Leah Phillips
KNBR
750 Battery Street
San Francisco, CA 94111