Calendar

LightHouse will be closed on Monday, May 27 for the Memorial Day holiday.

The week's events

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Mar 31(1 event)

8:30 am: Two-Day Storytelling Workshop with Author M. Leona Godin (in-person)

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Mar 31

Where: Lighthouse HQ, 1155 Market, San Francisco, 11th Floor
Cost: $100

Saturday, March 30 & Sunday, March 31

During this intensive weekend workshop, writer and performer Leona Godin will guide students through writing and performance exercises to craft personal narratives. We’ll consider creative non-fiction for the page and for the stage, for example the personal essay, Moth-style storytelling, and memoir. Students will also be encouraged to prepare a short piece for performance during the public story slam Saturday afternoon.

About the Instructor: Dr. M. Leona Godin is the author of There Plant Eyes: A Personal and Cultural History of Blindness (Pantheon, 2021), and the founder of Aromatica Poetica, an arts and culture laboratory for the advancement of smell and taste. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Playboy, O Magazine, Literary Hub, and others. Her storytelling appearances include: RISK!; Story Collider; The MOTH Mainstage; TALE; and Turn Me Into Gold (Back Pocket Media). Her first storytelling solo show, “SIGHTED PEOPLE SUCK!,” Debuted at Under St. Marks Theater in November 2023 and she’s currently performing “Becoming Blind (as a Bat)” at Olfactory Art Keller. As a New York Public Library 2023-24 Diamonstein-Spielvogel Fellow, she’s working on a series of essays about image description and photography.

Saturday Schedule:
• 10:00 AM: check-in, introductions, and notes on short, personal narrative. Beginning, middle, and end, sure, but what else makes a compelling story? How do you make the personal universal? We’ll talk about elements that can guide your choices when crafting a story. What’s the difference between an anecdote and a story? A premise and a story? How do I show, not tell?
• 12:00 PM: Lunch
• 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM: Writing is a solitary business, except when it’s not! Oftentimes authors are called upon to read their work. This may present some challenges to some newly low-vision writers. However, whether you are a seasoned public reader or brand-new, whether you’ll be reading your own work or asking someone else to read for you, we’ll talk about how to select and prepare an excerpt. For those who would like to try their hand at Moth-style storytelling, we’ll talk about how to remain loose while still being mindful of the time. Storytelling in front of a live audience is also a great way to gain reader fans. We’ll listen to and discuss some examples.
• 4:00 - 6:00 PM: Storytelling Slam (see below)
• 6:30 PM: Dinner

Sunday Schedule:
• 8:30 AM: Breakfast
• 9:00 AM: Spinning out the story. We’ll consider strategies for connecting stories to create longer narratives. We’ll discuss nonfiction forms such as the lyric essay and memoir and consider how different genres allow different facets of a story to emerge. We’ll also talk about publishing: how to submit your work; where to submit your work; how not to be crushed by disappointment. And finally, we’ll talk about how to develop a sustainable and sustaining daily writing practice.
• 11:30 AM: Pack up and check out of rooms
• 12:00 PM: Lunch
• 1:00 PM: Workshop ends

RSVP online for Two-Day Storytelling Workshop with Author M. Leona Godin or to Sabrina Bolus at SBolus@lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7607.
Apr 1(3 events)

9:00 am: Introduction to Mind/Body Meditation at Earle Baum Center (online)

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Apr 1

Meditation truly is a way to nurture oneself. It provides a sacred time to pause, destress and realign oneself with one’s true inner dialogue. There is no wrong or right way to meditate and it is very simple! Meditation stimulates the brains parasympathetic nervous system, the “rest and reset” system in our body. In pausing together we can find abundance in our stillness, and relaxation in the permission to let go.

Meditation class at EBC is presented by Patricia Jefferson, Vision Rehabilitation Instructor, who has a lifelong passion for meditation along with emerging meditation coach, Mini Sage.

Meditation class at EBC is presented by Patricia Jefferson, Vision Rehabilitation Instructor, who has a lifelong passion for meditation along with emerging meditation coach, Mini Sage. For more information, contact Patricia Jefferson at jefferson@earlebaum.org or 707-479-832,

9:30 am: The Business of Blindness: Coffee with Mike (online)

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Apr 1

What does it mean to be blind or low vision? Mike Cole, a veteran of all things blindness, leads this call-in forum to discuss the day-to-day ins and outs of blindness—from daily living in your home environment to navigating the vast expanse of bureaucracies.

RSVP for The Business of Blindness online or contact Andrew Martinez at AMartinez@lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7642.

11:00 am: Tech Club @ Earle Baum Center: Apple Vision Pro (hybrid)

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Apr 1

LightHouse students are invited check out the Apple Vision Pro wearable, a mixed reality device, including accessibility features in an online or in-person demonstration at the Earle Baum Center. See how it integrates with the iPhone, iPad and Mac.

RSVP to Cathy Mulhern mulhern@earlebaum.org at or 707-206-8486.

Zoom information for the meeting:

Dial in number: 1-669-900-9128
Meeting ID:  349 007 8376 pound key

Participants code: press pound key
Passcode: 448 27333 pound key
You are now in the meeting

Or use this for the  Zoom link to the Earle Baum Apple Vision Pro demonstration.

Or enter Meeting ID: 349 007 8376 and passcode 448 27333
Apr 2
Apr 3
Apr 4(2 events)

11:00 am: EBC Vision Group at Earle Baum Center (hybrid)

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Apr 4

EBC Vision Group meets on EBC campus in Room 3 and via your phone on the first and third Thursday of the month.

In the instructor-led class we introduce ourselves to each other and share information or ask questions about our experiences with sight loss. Examples of topics of interest for our group discussion include accessible equipment such as the BTBL player or BARD, CTAP free phone services; NFB news line phone number services; shopping from catalogs such as Maxi aids and LSS for vision and hearing loss; food shopping online at local stores and arranging for deliveries.

The group may also discuss topics including how to remain independent in our homes; use of the latest adaptable technology and magnification devices such as hand-held optical lenses, and electronic portable and electronic desktop models. We may want to understand the local Paratransit system or ride share programs such as Uber or Lyft driver programs. In addition, we regularly review the schedule of other classes, activities and events available at EBC that may be of interest to our group members.

We welcome anyone with sight loss to attend our support groups, you do not need to be a current client of EBC. We value our connections with each other and the lively discussions. Each group is led by an EBC instructor.

Please contact our main office at 707-523-3222 for more information.

11:00 am: Museum of Craft & Design MAKE Art Activation (in-person)

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Apr 4

Nearly every month, the Museum of Craft and Design brings their Mobile Make Art programming direct to Lighthouse HQ, at 1155 Market, 11th floor in San Francisco, featuring projects inspired by their latest exhibition on view at their Third Street museum and adapted for eyes-free crafting. This season, two new exhibits will be on view, including one exploring robot assisted art and artworks from the Pacific Northwest. Visit each month’s MAKE activation to discover a new project every time.

RSVP to Maia Scott at MScott@lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7608.
Apr 5(1 event)

10:00 am: Seeing AI Training for Seniors 65+ at Earle Baum Center (in-person)

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Apr 5

Attention to Sonoma County Residents who have low vision and are 65 or older.

Interested in learning more about using Al apps on your iPhone or Android?

The Earle Baum Center is offering a free phone stand and two hours of training on how to use the Seeing Al App on iPhone and Android.

Cathy Mulhern will be teaching you how to use the Seeing Al App to:

    • Read mail
    • Read a bill
    • Read a letter on your own without someone else knowing your business
    • Identify what you have in the pantry (is the can beans or dog food?
    • Identify what currency you are handing a cashierCathy Mulhern will be teaching you how to use the Seeing Al App to:

What you need: Bring your phone and materials you want to be able to read and that you currently rely on others to read for you such as mail, a can of food etc.

Where: Earle Baum Center  at 4539 Occidental Rd, Santa Rosa, CA 95401

When: Fridays from 10:00 am to noon or 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm in Room 3.

Prerequisites:

  • Have Seeing Al app downloaded on iPhone or Android.
  • Know how to use Siri and have it set up for iPhone users.
  • Have not received a phone stand from Earle Baum Center.

RSVP: To Cathy Mulhern at 707-206-8486 by calling Monday – Friday between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm.
Apr 6

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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