YES Weekend Workshop (in-person)

When: Friday March 3 at 3:00 pm to Sunday, March 5 at noon

Where: LightHouse for the Blind Headquarters at 1155 Market Street in San Francisco

Who: Blind and low-vision students between the ages of 16 and 22

How do blind and low vision students access reading materials for both work and leisure? How does accessing reading materials tie into pre-employment preparedness skillsets? Join us this March for a workshop focused on all things literacy. Students who attend will not only gain resources and knowledge through exciting group activities, but will have the opportunity to assist with this year’s Northern California Braille Challenge, happening that weekend at LightHouse Headquarters. YES workshops are monthly weekend-long learning experiences for youth and young adults who are enthusiastic about realizing their dream careers, emphasizing the vocational enrichment of low vision and blind youth, providing access to a multifaceted array of mentorship, employment readiness skills, and alternative accessible techniques. Each YES workshop focuses on a specific theme and offers an array of self-advocacy, assistive technology, living skills, and soft skills curricula empowering students to strive toward future employment or post-secondary educational success. The weekend is spent learning from blind and low vision mentors, connecting with blind and low vision peers, and engaging in creative hands-on activities which further support youth to explore and achieve their individualized and professional goals.

Objectives:

• Students will have opportunities to network and practice work-readiness skills while volunteering during this year’s Braille Challenge event.
• Participants will discuss literature access resources, and hear from peers and professionals on valuable suggestions and strategies.
• Students will gain team-building and collaborative skillsets essential for workplace success during intergenerational group activities.
• The over-night nature of the YES workshop provides 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 note, pen, slate and stylus, phone with keyboard, laptop, etc.). You may 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 March YES Weekend Workshop, please:

1. Contact your Department of Rehabilitation counselor to discuss workshop attendance and authorization.
2. Confirm attendance with Daisy Soto, Youth Services Coordinator by email at DSoto@lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7328. If you have any questions or would like to pay for your participation in this workshop, contact DSoto@lighthouse-sf.org. Note: space for this program is limited and workshop attendance must be confirmed one week prior.

YES programs are, and will continue to be, in strict accordance with local, state and Center for Disease Control recommendations and guidelines.