In 2012, the LightHouse implemented a program to help mitigate the high unemployment rate (62 percent) for career age blind and low vision adults. In January 2012, we held the first Employment Immersion class with a goal to help the Bay Area blind and low vision community get the skills and confidence they need to be successful in the job world. Since then we’ve taught 137 jobseekers, and each year our graduates earn a combined $1,723,000 in annual salaries. This is a particularly satisfying accomplishment because every one of our hires had been fighting years and sometimes decades of unemployment, and the overwhelming majority have been on SSI or SSDI.
Next Employment Immersion Session Starts October 27
We’re very proud of all our students and have several successes to report on in the coming months. The next Employment Immersion session will run every Tuesday and Thursday from Tuesday, October 27 through Thursday, November 19 at the LightHouse office at the Ed Roberts Campus in Berkeley. For more information, please contact Kate Williams at kwilliams@lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7324.
