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Eye and Health Care

LightHouse News

New – Body Flow Yoga and Meditation with Sally Mitchell

When: Every Tuesday, 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Where: LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters

Sally Mitchell is a professional, caring and thoughtful yoga teacher, massage therapist and chi running instructor, based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She creates a safe, supportive and nurturing environment in all her classes and sessions, allowing her clients to feel at ease. Her intention is to help people to balance their energy in their bodies and minds, through natural movement, deep relaxation and meditation. She will teach you how to move your body with greater ease, while also experiencing a deeper sense of self-awareness, openness and confidence.

Having worked with a variety of clients, including office workers, athletes, dancers, and people with disabilities, she is sensitive to her clients’ different needs. Sally is the founder, owner and sole practitioner at Body Flows Movement and Wellness Center in San Francisco, providing yoga and massage services to individuals, corporations and non-profit organizations. Please RSVP to Molly Irish 415-694-7320 or mpearson@lighthouse-sf.org.

LightHouse Podcasts

LightHouse News – Summer 2013

Newsletter of the LightHouse for the Blind & Visually Impaired

Employment Immersion New Hires, Superfest 2013, Enchanted Hills Camp Pool Party & Open House, New Staff BJ Epstein and Connie Conley-Jung, and more…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

LightHouse News

LightHouse Now Offering Counseling and Psychotherapy from Someone who Walks the Walk

Connie Conley-Jung
Why should you consider therapy at the LightHouse?

Well, first, because we’ve hired one of the best practitioners in the field. And also because in some instances working with a therapist who deeply understands blindness and low vision can yield quicker and stronger results than working with practitioners unfamiliar with what our community experiences every day. Whether reaching your life goals requires a short or a long-term approach, the LightHouse is uniquely positioned to respond with expertise and sensitivity.

We now offer counseling, psychotherapy and consultation for people of all ages who are blind or visually impaired and/or their family members. Individual, couples, family and group services can help to promote healthier emotional development, social participation and the ability to talk about and understand feelings, in a safe, confidential setting.

Meet LightHouse Therapist Connie Conley-Jung
Dr. Connie Conley-Jung is a licensed clinical psychologist who has recently joined our staff. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology. She has a Master’s degree in Special Education with an emphasis in Learning Disabilities from San Francisco State University and a B.A. in Human Biology from Stanford University. Her lifelong experience as a visually impaired person, in addition to her professional experiences in educational and community nonprofit settings, enable Dr. Conley-Jung to share her clinical expertise and extensive knowledge of resources with clients and colleagues alike. Dr. Conley-Jung is committed to helping LightHouse clients of all ages achieve their goals and sustain an improved quality of life and overall wellbeing.

For more information about counseling and psychological services at the LightHouse, please contact Dr. Connie Conley-Jung via email at cjung@lighthouse-sf.org or by phone 415-694-7307.

Many Sources of Support
Fees vary by service. You may be surprised that many insurance programs actively support family and individual therapy and may be able to pay for some or all of the treatment costs. Currently Dr. Conley-Jung accepts private insurance, Medicare, Alameda County Medi-Cal, UnitedHealthCare Military and Veterans (formerly TriCare), Victims of Crime, private pay, and Department of Rehabilitation referrals). Actual coverage may vary, so please contact Dr. Conley-Jung to discuss. Payment arrangements and fee adjustments may be available for those who demonstrate a financial need.

LightHouse News

Counseling and Psychological Services Now Being Offered at LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters

LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired announces the addition of Dr. Connie Conley-Jung, a licensed clinical psychologist and former special education teacher to our staff. Dr. Conley-Jung has over 20 years of experience serving children, adolescents and adults seeking support and assistance with a wide range of psychological, relationship, school, or employment-related issues. Her lifelong experience as a visually impaired person, in addition to her professional experience in educational and community nonprofit settings, enables Dr. Conley-Jung to share with all of us her extensive clinical expertise and knowledge of resources. Dr. Conley-Jung looks forward to helping LightHouse clients of all ages achieve their goals and sustain an improved quality of life and overall wellbeing.

Dr. Conley-Jung accepts private insurance, Medicare, Alameda County Medi-Cal, UnitedHealthCare Military and Veterans (formerly TriCare), Victims of Crime, private pay, and Department of Rehabilitation referrals.

For more information or to make an appointment, please contact Dr. Conley-Jung at 415-694-7307 or cjung@lighthouse-sf.org.

The Counseling and Psychological Services program at the LightHouse can help to:

  • support healthy adjustment to blindness and visual impairment across the lifespan
  • encourage greater social participation within and outside the blindness/visually impaired community
  • remove potential barriers to academic success, gainful employment and job retention
  • promote a healthier, more active lifestyle
  • expand and strengthen social, professional and familial support systems
  • improve self-esteem and confidence.

Clinical Services may include:

  • Periodic and ongoing workshops and support groups to address specific aspects of mental health and wellbeing
  • Individual peer counseling and psychotherapy
  • Life coaching for developmental life cycle transitions and adjustments
  • Resource referrals to internal and external community services and organizations
  • Assistance with navigating different and oftentimes multiple service systems (medical, financial, educational, occupational, human services, etc.)
LightHouse News

Walmart Now Offers ScripTalk Talking Prescription Containers

Walmart now offers ScripTalk Talking Prescription Containers with prescriptions filled by Walmart to mail order customers across the country and at 33 in-store locations. For more information, including how to order by phone from anywhere in the U.S. and a list of in-store locations, please click here.

Want to order right now? Call Walmart toll free at 1-888-227-3403.

LightHouse News

Free Eye Exam for Students

The Low Vision Clinic at California School for the Blind in Fremont is having an Eye Health examination day on Wednesday, April 17, open to all students. Optometry doctors, residents, and interns from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Optometry will be examining students.

Please note: This clinic is for students who cannot benefit from a Low Vision exam. Typically these students have light perception or no light perception.  The examination will include evaluating the health of students’ eyes, sockets, and polishing prostheses if needed. Each appointment will last for approximately 30 minutes.

There is no fee for this examination, and it is expected to be popular, so you’ll want to apply right away. For application paperwork or questions, contact Stephanie Herlich, Coordinator, Low Vision Services at California School for the Blind, 510-794-3800 x228, 510-794-3813 (fax).

LightHouse News

New Look and Feel for Adaptations Blindness Products Store

2 Commentson New Look and Feel for Adaptations Blindness Products Store

What does it take to make a good thing even better? Some rethinking – what we used to call thinking out of the box. In this case we’re talking about our store, Adaptations – often the first place people go when they’ve begun to experience low vision. We’ve added new and exciting inventory and made the store more inviting, comfortable and accessible. Come see for yourself!

The Store is Easier to Shop In
We’ve made changes to the store’s physical space. We’ve moved furniture out of the way to make more room for comfortable and independent shopping, especially for those in wheelchairs. There are additional products arranged on our walls so that customers can see and touch them more easily. In addition, we’ve moved the registers to the right as you walk in, again to open up the space up for wheelchairs.

The Store is More Fun to Shop In and We Carry More Fun Things
We’re now carrying cool electronics such as the iClarity Micro Bluetooth Speaker and the PenFriend; musical instruments for all ages such as acoustic guitar packages by Takamine and Fender and the Casio 61-key Keyboard with VoicePad; and products for our four-legged friends such as 48-ounce Collapsible Port-a-Bowls.

And you can now demo Apple TV – we’ve hung a 32-inch flat screen TV to demonstrate Apple TV works. We’re streaming iTunes and YouTube videos, iPhone and VoiceOver demonstrations, tutorials, concerts, nature programs, etc.
A view of the new store, showing floor displays and two walls covered in merchandise
Apple Products Available
We’re proud to announce that Adaptations has become an authorized seller of certain Apple products, including the iPod Nano and the new Shuffle with Voiceover. Our outstanding store staff will demo them with you in our less overwhelming, more supportive and experiential environment, so that you can make a more informed decision about what will work for you.

Onsite Store-Only Items
In wanting to pass along the greatest savings to our customers, as well as keep our products relevant, varied and exciting, we are purchasing items that are either limited in quantity and/or are temporarily offered at a significant savings and making them available to you. So, like Trader Joe’s, once these items are gone, they’re gone.

LightHouse T-Shirts and More
Show your support for the LightHouse with by purchasing one of our LightHouse products. We are offering a whole range of items from stainless steel water bottles and coffee tumblers to embroidered hoodie sweatshirts and tees, to reusable nylon grocery bags and doggie poop bag dispensers for our dog guide owners. Don’t miss your opportunity to wear the LightHouse proudly!
LightHouse branded t-shirts and other merchandise flank one store wall
The Adaptations store is located at LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters. Hours are Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. You can reach our friendly store staff at our toll-free number, 1-888-400-8933.

LightHouse News

Telephone Survey on Medi-Cal

1 Commenton Telephone Survey on Medi-Cal

Are you a person living with a disability in California? Do you have Medi-Cal and not Medicare? Did you switch from regular Medi-Cal to a Medi-Cal Health Plan in the last 12 months? If you fit these criteria, researchers from UC Berkeley would like to interview you.

The interview is about your experiences with the changes in Medi-Cal and with your new Medi-Cal Health Plan. The interview will take up to one hour of your time. After you complete the interview, we will send you a $30 gift card to Target.

To see if you are eligible or to learn more about the study please call 1-800-509-8710 or email howsyourcare@berkeley.edu. Please provide your name, phone number and a good time to reach you. Participation in this survey is completely confidential. Your choice to participate will not affect your Medi-Cal benefits in any way.

LightHouse News

How to Order Walmart Talking Prescription Containers

1 Commenton How to Order Walmart Talking Prescription Containers

On June 8, Walmart announced that it is now providing ScripTalk Talking Prescription Containers free of charge to persons with visual impairments as part of a pilot program. The ScripTalk Talking Prescription program is being offered to customers across the country through Walmart mail order, and also at three Walmart stores.

Information you need to order Talking Prescription Containers from Walmart
To listen to the talking label provided by Walmart, you will need to first get a reading device from Envision America, the company that makes ScripTalk. The device is called the ScripTalk reader (or the ScripTalk machine) and is available free of charge to Walmart customers who are blind. You only need to order the device once: it will work with the Talking Prescription labels you receive repeatedly from Walmart. Contact En-Vision America at 800-890-1180 to order your free ScripTalk talking prescription  reader. Envision America will also be able to answer many questions regarding insurance coverage and costs and discounts for Walmart prescriptions.

After you talk to Envision America, you will need to call Walmart to order your prescription medication. The phone number for the Walmart Mail Order pharmacy is 1-800-273-3455 (1-800-2-REFILL). When you order your prescription tell them you want the Talking Prescription label (also known as the ScripTalk label). There is no extra charge for the label.

For those in the states of Alabama, Mississippi or Colorado, Walmart is currently also offering the Talking Prescription labels in the following three stores. As with mail order, you will need to contact both the Walmart store (for the prescription medication) and Envision America (for the ScripTalk reader (also called the ScripTalk machine)).

*214 Haynes St., Talladega, AL 35160 (256) 761-1681
*2270 W. Main St., Tupelo, MS 38801 (662) 844-4011
*601 Englewood Pkwy., Englewood, CO 80110 (303) 789-7209

If you have feedback about the Walmart Talking Prescription Container pilot, please write to the Law Office of Lainey Feingold at prescription.access@gdblegal.com or call 1-800-822-5000, the number for Linda Dardarian of the Oakland civil rights firm Goldstein, Demchak, Baller, Borgen and Dardarian.

LightHouse News

Walmart Mail Order Pharmacy Now Offers ScripTalk Talking Prescriptions

Walmart Mail Order Pharmacy is currently doing a pilot program with En-Vision America to offer ScripTalk Talking Prescriptions, which can be read with a small device called a ScripTalk Station.

The ScripTalk Station provides those who cannot read print a safe and easy way to access the information on their prescriptions. Simply press a button and place the special Talking Label over the reader. A pleasant, natural sounding voice speaks all the information printed on the label.

When you sign-up for the Walmart program, you’ll get a free ScripTalk reader and be able to take advantage of the low prices of Walmart Mail Service. Many private insurance companies and state Medicaid services will cover Walmart Mail Order.

For more information on how to enroll in this program and to get your free ScripTalk Station reader, please contact En-Vision America at 800-890-1180.