Photo: Close-up of a flame being used to solder wire.

The LightHouse is holding its first-ever soldering workshop for people who are blind or have low vision.

Soldering is an essential skill for prototyping and building electronics. While many blind people can solder with skill and safety, working with delicate components and high-temperature molten solder can be daunting for beginners.

Who: Adults 18 and up who are blind or have low vision.
When: Friday, November 4 through Sunday, November 6, 2016.
Attendees are welcome to check-in as early as 3:00 p.m. on Friday, November 4. The program begins at 5:00 p.m. that day and lasts through noon on Sunday, November 6.
Where: the LightHouse Building, 1155 Market St., 10th floor, San Francisco, 94103.
Cost: $300 which includes overnight accommodations in our new Student Residences and material fees.
Deadline to apply is Friday, October 28. Payment secures your spot.

During this weekend-long workshop, attendees will be offered a unique opportunity to learn non-visual soldering techniques from some of the most skilled and experienced blind solderers in the world. In addition to gaining hands-on experience with a soldering iron, students will finish the workshop with an understanding of the metallurgy behind the use of flux and solder, as well as a strong foundation in the practical aspects of electronics soldering.

Students will be guided in building their own accessible continuity tester – one of the most fundamental and flexible tools for electronics work without vision. Workshop tuition includes the basic tools needed for soldering, with the continuity tester, soldering station, and other tools yours to keep at the conclusion of the workshop.

This workshop will be facilitated by Dr. Joshua Miele, Associate Director of the Smith-Kettlewell Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Low Vision and Blindness, Creative Director of LightHouse Labs, and founder of the Blind Arduino Project. Our team of highly-qualified soldering instructors all have decades of experience building electronics and teaching non-visual soldering techniques to students with a broad range of experience.

For more information or to apply to the first-ever LightHouse soldering workshop, contact Director of Community Services Lisamaria Martinez via email at info@lighthouse-sf.org or by phone at 415-431-1481.