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LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Imapired

Charting a New Path: Earle Baum Center and LightHouse Unite

Charting a New Path: Earle Baum Center and LightHouse Unite

Today, we are thrilled to announce a significant milestone in the history of LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Earle Baum Center of the Blind. Earle Baum Center is officially joining the LightHouse community, bringing together two esteemed organizations whose missions align: Creating opportunity and independence for people who are blind and low vision.

One of the country’s leading service providers for blind and low vision people, LightHouse offers programs including workforce development, services specifically for people who are DeafBlind, and the Little Learners program working with families of young children experiencing visual impairments.

Earle Baum Center, named for a blind farmer and advocate for the blind Earle Baum, is a pillar of service for the blind and visually impaired communities in Sonoma, Napa, Lake, Mendocino, and other Northern California counties. LightHouse plans to foster and expand the deep legacy of the Earle Baum Center developed during its 24 years serving clients.

“LightHouse’s partnership with the Earle Baum Center means we’ll be able to provide contiguous services to the blind and low vision community from Silicon Valley all the way to the Oregon border,” said LightHouse Chief Executive Officer Sharon Giovanazzo.

“It has been an absolute honor to work with Northern California’s visually impaired residents at the Earle Baum Center,” said Kati Aho, Earle Baum Center’s director of operations. “I’m so excited to continue that work — and for the opportunities for sustainability, innovation, and expansion — as part of this partnership with LightHouse.”

LightHouse Welcomes New Chief Executive Officer, Sharon Giovinazzo!

LightHouse Welcomes New Chief Executive Officer, Sharon Giovinazzo!

Sharon Giovinazzo

We are excited to announce that Sharon Giovinazzo has been named as our new  Chief Executive Officer and will be joining us in this role on October 25.

Sharon Giovinazzo brings more than two decades of experience leading organizations dedicated to advocating for and serving the needs of the blind and visually impaired. She will join LightHouse after serving as President and CEO of the World Services for the Blind.

“I am honored to join the leadership team at LightHouse as its new CEO,” said Sharon Giovinazzo. “This organization has a long and successful track record of driving and achieving independence, equality and self-reliance for the community. This commitment to a focused driven mission, impact and success mirrors my own values, and I look forward to working with a dynamic team to advance the organization’s priorities and expand its reach.”

In her new role as CEO of LightHouse, Giovinazzo will be responsible for leading the organization’s dedicated team of blindness advocates, educators, and professionals while growing the value of the organization to its members, donors, sponsors, partners, and other stakeholders. She will drive efforts to promote the independence and equality of the community, while strengthening the organization and its programs.

“We’re pleased that Sharon will join us as CEO of LightHouse,” said Dr Sharon Sacks, LightHouse Board Chair. “Her strategic drive and her long, distinguished career advocating for and guiding the community make her the perfect choice to lead the LightHouse into the next phase of its development. We’re thrilled to welcome her aboard.”

Giovinazzo brings extensive experience in organizational management, strategic planning, community impact, public policy and advocacy. Prior to her role as President and CEO of the World Services for the Blind, she served for nearly a decade in various roles for the Raleigh Lions Clinic for the Blind (RLCB) where she assisted in the development and implementation of the agency’s $34 million budget, including determining staffing and operational needs and expenditures.

Prior to that, during her tenure with National Industries for the Blind (NIB), Giovinazzo is credited with providing the leadership for cultivating and understanding the AbilityOne programs with Congress, Federal Executive Branch Agencies, consumer and commercial organizations concerned with disability policy. Throughout her career, Sharon has been an advocate for public policy in legislative affairs and regulations. Prior to the NIB, she held positions with the Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CABVI) in Utica, NY; was appointed Chair to the State Rehabilitation Council in 2006 and supervised the operations of a DEPMEDS training facility with the US Army.

Sharon Giovinazzo holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Services Management from SUNY Empire State College and a dual master’s as an MSW and an MBA. Additionally, she holds a Certificate of Management in Business Administration from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.

We look forward to welcoming Sharon Giovinazzo to LightHouse  next month!

Come and plant some trees at Enchanted Hills Camp

Come and plant some trees at Enchanted Hills Camp

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr Day on Monday, January 17, LightHouse and Enchanted Hills Camp in Napa are hosting a special tree-planting event! We have an ambitious goal of planting 1,000 trees and shrubs over the course of the weekend and would love your help.

We have places available on Saturday, January 15 and Sunday, January 16, and tree-planting will be from 9 am – 2:30 pm. RSVPs are required for each volunteer (not each household.) You can sign up to volunteer at:

Lunch will be provided to all volunteers who RSVP.

Unfortunately, we cannot provide transportation for this event.

A few requirements:

  • All volunteers are required to be age 14 or over
  • All volunteers are required to show proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have a negative COVID19 test taken within the past 72 hours.
    • If you are fully vaccinated, we strongly recommend getting tested within 72 hours of arrival.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to volunteer@lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7320.

We look forward to a great weekend and to seeing you and your green thumbs at Enchanted Hills Camp on this upcoming long weekend!

Industry Leading HR and Payroll Company ADP Works with LightHouse to Enhance Accessibility of Products to Blind Users

The LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired of San Francisco and blind LightHouse staff members reached an agreement with the Professional Employer Organization ADP TotalSource® to enhance the accessibility and usability of the ADP Workforce Now® solution to LightHouse staff who are blind or have low vision and use screen-reading software to access digital content.

LightHouse, a 120-year-old nonprofit which supports and promotes the independence, equality, and self-reliance of people who are blind or have low vision in northern California, uses ADP TotalSource products for its human resources and payroll needs.

ADP is working with a leading web accessibility expert to help enhance the accessibility of its Workforce Now solution for the blind or those who have low vision. The group will audit the ADP Workforce Now web and mobile applications to help ensure they conform to the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), version 2.1, Level AA.

ADP is also rolling out an enhanced policy that reaffirms its commitment to accessibility and outlines its procedures for incorporating accessibility into the development and testing lifecycle for its solutions.  ADP will also provide enhanced training to ADP TotalSource associates to ensure a deeper level of service that will help them provide greater technical assistance to individuals who use screen readers to access ADP Workforce Now.

LightHouse’s CEO, Bryan Bashin, said, “This agreement is a major commitment by ADP TotalSource to building an accessible workplace environment for LightHouse’s blind employees, managers and executives to participate efficiently alongside their sighted peers. We expect that this commitment represents an important step towards bringing an accessible workplace environment to any blind employee in the vast workforce ADP TotalSource serves.”

“I am pleased that this work will result in my having greater access to essential human resources and payroll functionality, and I am excited that many other blind and visually impaired users of ADP’s services will also benefit from these changes,” said Frank Welte, Senior Accessible Media and Braille Specialist at LightHouse.

“We are delighted that ADP has committed to the on-going accessibility of its products, through the implementation of an Accessibility Policy that will incorporate accessibility into development and testing of its products,” said DRA Senior Staff Attorney Meredith Weaver.

“At ADP we highly value digital inclusion and are committed to ensuring our solutions are accessible to our clients and their employees, including those who are blind or visually impaired. We have taken substantial measures to provide quality user experiences and we will continue to evolve our solutions to meet digital access needs,” said Bob Lockett, Chief Diversity and Talent Officer, ADP.

About LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired of San Francisco

Headquartered in San Francisco, California, LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired provides education, training, advocacy, and community for blind individuals in California and around the world. Founded and based in San Francisco since 1902, the LightHouse is one of the largest and most established comprehensive blindness organizations in North America, with a wide variety of programs to suit a wide variety of needs, as well as a rich network of blindness advocates and professionals. Visit www.lighthouse-sf.org for more information.

About Disability Rights Advocates

DRA is one of the leading non-profit disability rights legal centers in the nation. With offices in Berkeley and New York City, DRA’s mission is to advance equal rights and opportunities for people with all types of disabilities nationwide. To advance that mission, DRA regularly advocates for greater access to modern technology. DRA has negotiated access improvements to several types of popular technologies including audio described content on HBO Max. For more information, visit www.dralegal.org.

About ADP

Designing better ways to work through cutting-edge products, premium services and exceptional experiences that enable people to reach their full potential.  HR, Talent, Time Management, Benefits and Payroll.  Informed by data and designed for people.  Learn more at ADP.com

 

 

Ring in the Season with the EHC Alumni Holiday Concert on December 10

Ring in the Season with the EHC Alumni Holiday Concert on December 10

For the second year in a row friends and supporters of Enchanted Hills Camp wish to show their appreciation for the LightHouse community by hosting a free virtual EHC Alumni holiday concert. Musicians who have attended camp sessions, music camp or been a camp counselor or volunteer will join LightHouse and EHC staffers to celebrate the spirit of EHC past, present and future.

Camp Director Tony Fletcher says, “Our virtual concert was so well-received last year that the performers wanted to return. These concerts are important for people who want to share their work and it’s the musicians’ way of saying thank you for donating on Giving Tuesday.”

Says Rachel Grider, who is blind, about EHC, “I worked as a counselor during the summer of 2013. It was an unforgettable experience to work with so many fantastic colleagues and campers. I saw firsthand the difference camp made in the lives of campers as they participated in activities and formed friendships. It is a pleasure for me to help camp by performing in this concert.”

Other featured EHC alumni performers include Derek and Shane Dittmar (shanedittmar.com), Marina Sandoval-Lintz (marianasandovaldiaz.com) and Masceo Williams (masceo.net).

When: Friday, December 10 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm Pacific
Where: Enchanted Hills Camp Facebook page, no Facebook account is necessary to view the live-streamed concert

We can’t wait to share holiday music with you on the 10th!

Get your Adaptations holiday shopping done before the Winter Break

Get your Adaptations holiday shopping done before the Winter Break

Happy holidays from everyone’s favorite blindness accessibility store, Adaptations! With the end-of-the-year holidays just weeks away, you’ll want to head on over to Adaptations.org to make those last-minute holiday purchases. Dazzle your loved ones with tactile and Braille holiday cards, designed and produced in-house by LightHouse’s MAD Lab and sold exclusively at our store. Scroll through our Braille calendars and planners for the new year and be sure to check out the Adaptations Discount Corner for special deals on a variety of blindness products. But you’ll want to hurry, as the days are counting down to the LightHouse organization-wide Winter Break.

While we invite all our shoppers to order during the LightHouse Winter Break. Our last day to ship physical items in 2021 will be Wednesday, December 22. Orders received by Monday, December 20 will ship on Wednesday, December 22. Any Items ordered between December 21 and January 2 will ship after LightHouse returns on January 3. Feel free to shop within the break period to secure your must-have items, just note that there will be a slight hold on shipping until our return in January. We thank you for your business and wish every one of our customers a very special, happy, and healthy holiday season!

Assistant Facilities Manager

POSITION:                            Assistant Facilities Manager

REPORTS TO:                     Associate Director of Facilities

STATUS:                               Non- Exempt

Application Deadline:        Open until filled

JOB PURPOSE:

LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, headquartered in downtown San Francisco, is looking for a full time Assistant Facilities Manager to fill a valued role in our growing organization in San Francisco, CA.

Under the Assistant Director of Facilities supervision, the Assistant Facilities Manager oversees the operations of staff and custodial coordination’s on floors 1-11 of the 1155 LightHouse Building, as well as the common building areas that include the main lobby and garage. In addition, this position provides support to the Facilities and Events departments. Under direct supervision of the Assistant Director, the Assistant Facilities Manager will assist with overseeing all needed onsite coordination and facilities related requests. This position will assist with the set up and break down and coordination of janitorial services for event spaces, work in tandem with the Director of Rehab to coordinate and schedule needed janitorial maintenance in the student residences, report safety concerns, supervise and ensure the janitorial cages and supply closet spaces are being kept maintained, cleaned and orderly; manage and coordinate special janitorial projects, (i.e., carpet cleaning and stair maintenance).

The main work site for this position is at the LightHouse Building in San Francisco. However, the Assistant Facilities Manager may collaborate on janitorial concerns and the use of satellite space for other locations as needed per Manager’s request.

Diversity and Inclusion: LightHouse intentionally and actively works to minimize barriers to employment faced by many marginalized groups. As a result, we welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds and abilities, including but not limited to applicants who possess various disabilities, racial and ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientation, gender identities, and ages. 

QUALIFICATIONS:

Education or equivalent:

A BA degree in related field preferred. Supervisor, Managerial or comparable experience required in related field.

Required Experience:

2-4 years of supervisorial experience with a preferred minimum of 5 years of hands-on janitorial experience. Knowledge of waste management requirements (landfill, compost, recycling), and custodial or grounds maintenance. Previous experience overseeing custodial work; Meeting and training staff; Maintaining a high standard of safety; cleanliness, and efficiency. Knowledge and experience as a hiring manager and compliance in the workplace. Knowledge of working within a high-rise building or managing multiple building floors; vendor management; workorder navigation and task delegation; site or building walk-throughs and assessments; event assist/ setup/breakdown; and office space restoration and reset. A demonstrated history of performing minor maintenance repairs in restrooms and buildings, i.e., replace light bulbs, correct placement of ceiling tile, replacing batteries in automatic fixtures, etc. This position must be customer service-centric with an understanding of LightHouse Mission Statements and our Core Values.

Other:

  • History of reliability and good attendance in the workplace.
  • Knowledge of basic computer and technology skills.
  • Experience with Calendaring, Microsoft Office, Word, Excel, as well other Software Applications.
  • Strong organization and prioritization/time management skills that ensure timely completion of assigned projects.
  • Positive attitude and strong work ethic.
  • Ability to work in a fast-paced environment under constantly changing priorities and demands.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

  • Ability to lift and transport up to 30 pounds regularly, with occasional transporting up to approximately 50 pounds may be required.
  • Physical mobility and endurance to perform tasks while standing or walking for long periods of time (four hours or more).
  • Ability to safely and properly use cleaning tools, chemicals, and equipment.
  • Solid physical endurance sufficient for occasional prolonged standing, bending, stooping, and stretching.
  • Manual dexterity sufficient to manipulate equipment.
  • Ability and willingness to work with exposure to environmental conditions.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

Assistant Facilities Manager duties are the following:

  • Post-COVID environment;
    • Will collaborate with Facilities to create and implement virus sanitization measures per established lighthouse protocols and CDC guidelines.
    • Training staff in anti-viral techniques and education on the Covid virus including new and developing state and local health orders.
    • Scheduling frequent and repeated touch-point cleanings.
  • Will be expected to work occasional evenings to observe and supervise evening staff. In addition, the Assistant Facilities Manager will be expected to work on occasional weekends and work overtime as needed.
  • Must be flexible and reliable.
  • Be willing to be on call for emergencies and perform janitorial duties when needed.
  • Coordinate the scheduling of any last minute, unforeseen changes in staff attendance.
  • Keep inventory and oversee the organization of janitorial supplies in cages, closets, janitorial bins, and other needed office supplies on floors 9-11.
  • Office Supply Procurement; Receive and place orders for 1155 office supplies for all departments.
  • Handle incoming and outgoing mail, excluding departmental packages.
  • Coordinate all janitorial staff work schedules including approving all vacation and sick time as well as time sheet corrections and payroll approvals on ADP for each pay period.
  • Coordinate staff one on one check-ins and team meetings.
  • Schedule quarterly trainings with supervision from the Assistant Facility Director.
  • Respond promptly and coordinate the execution of all janitorial request and work orders.
  • Remain in direct communication with the janitorial team, Management, as well as Security and Property Management through telephone calls, texts and /or email.
  • Expected to participate in all Fire, Life Safety Trainings, and act as an active member of the Fire, Life Safety Team.
  • Expected to assist in the hiring process; employee relations; documentation and disciplinary actions.
  • Assist with employee evaluations and employee KPI’s.
  • Expected to collaborate with Management on ways to implement procedures, improve janitorial operations, inventory, safety, and workflow.
  • Manage and oversee janitorial checklists as well as create, edit, and distribute any other necessary janitorial documents using basic computer programs i.e., word, excel, PowerPoint.
  • Work closely with the building engineer to perform miscellaneous building maintenance requests i.e., changing out lights, batteries, etc.
  • Perform equipment checks.
  • Remain in compliance with all safety and security policies and procedures.
  • Demonstrate a commitment to overall program excellence and professionalism and setting expectation for reporting staff to follow.
  • Must focus on customer service while communicating with staff and interacting with tenants and individuals in the building.
  • Be aware of janitorial scope of work (i.e., what is and what is not within the scope of work).
  • Work closely with Director of Programs and Rehab to coordinate guest and staff residential stays.

Other Duties: 

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

The Assistant Facilities Manager will be expected to follow directions from state, local government, and public health officials regarding the wearing of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE). As a result, this job may be required to be performed using a mask and gloves for the protection of this employee, the janitorial staff, and all Lighthouse employees. The Assistant Facilities Manager will ensure that all members of the Janitorial staff are always wearing PPE during their workday.

LightHouse is an equal opportunity employer.  LightHouse policy and the law prohibit discrimination and harassment based on an individual’s race, ancestry, religion or religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), color, age (40 and over), sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin (including language use restrictions), marital status, medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics), physical or mental disability (including HIV and AIDS), military or veteran status, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions, denial of Family and Medical Care leave, height and weight, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local laws, regulations, or ordinances.  Our policy and the law prohibit co-workers, third parties, supervisors, and managers from engaging in such conduct.

LightHouse personnel are employed on an at-will basis.  Employment at-will means that the employment relationship may be terminated, with or without cause and with or without advance notice at any time by the employee or the Agency.

We strive to maintain a scent-free environment and a drug-free workplace.  Employees are expected to behave in accordance with these objectives.

All employees at LightHouse are hired for an indefinite and unspecified duration and consequently, no employee is guaranteed employment for a specified length of time. Employment is at the mutual consent of the employee and LightHouse. Accordingly, either the employee or LightHouse can terminate the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause (“employment at will”).

How to Apply:

After reviewing the complete Job Description located at our website at: https://lighthouse-sf.org/about/careers/, please complete an application as well as a cover letter and résumé as word processing document attachments, (no PDFs please).

 

Please submit them to hr@lighthouse-sf.org. Please include the job title in the subject line. We will not consider videos or hyperlinks to online profiles. Due to time constraints, we will only respond to complete submissions. Thanks for your understanding.

Giving Tuesday is Here! Help Make Enchanted Hills Camp More Accessible and Sustainable.

Giving Tuesday is Here! Help Make Enchanted Hills Camp More Accessible and Sustainable.

Please join LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired and Enchanted Hills Camp on Tuesday, November 30 for Giving Tuesday, and help us meet our accessibility and sustainability goals!

This year the funds we raise on Giving Tuesday will go towards the purchase of two wheelchair accessible electric vehicle shuttles for Enchanted Hills Camp as a part of our larger vision to make EHC fully accessible and carbon neutral by 2030. The shuttles will be charged on site by our own solar array.

Donations will also go towards camperships to send 40 kids who are blind or have low vision to Enchanted Hills Camp next year.

Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving that kicks off the charitable season and end-of-year giving, and harnesses the generosity of people from around the world to bring about real change to the communities they know and love.

This is a philanthropic movement that connects diverse groups of individuals, communities and organizations around the world for one common purpose: to celebrate and encourage giving. LightHouse joined the Giving Tuesday movement in 2016 and continues to receive many very generous gifts from our diverse group of donors, volunteers, staff, board members and friends.

Please take part in this year’s Giving Tuesday on (or before) November 30 and consider a gift to Enchanted Hills Camp for the Blind. We sincerely thank Waymo for jump starting our 2021 Giving Tuesday with a very generous donation of $10,000.

Donate here to support LightHouse and Enchanted Hills Camp.

How TMAP Reinvigorated How Angela Reynolds Serves Students

How TMAP Reinvigorated How Angela Reynolds Serves Students

Since 2016, LightHouse’s Media and Accessible Design Laboratory (MAD Lab) has been continuously developing their innovative Tactile Maps Automated Production (TMAP) software and perfecting its outcoming product. TMAP, a tool to generate tactile street maps, has grown since its early days and has become a widely used Orientation & Mobility (O&M) tool among O&M instructors and blind and low vision travelers. The expansion of TMAP is due to MAD Lab’s reliable presence at O&M conferences, webinars, and various blindness podcasts and presentations.

We are proud to announce that TMAP has made its way across the world! We chatted with O&M instructor Angela Reynolds of the Orientation and Mobility Association of Australia (OMAA) about her experience with TMAP.

How did you discover TMAP?

“I heard Greg Kehret [Director of LightHouse’s MAD Lab] talking about TMAP on Kassy Maloney’s podcast ‘A Step Forward’ in February this year. I thought it sounded like a great practical resource and immediately created an account and started experimenting with it.”

What was your experience/relationship with tactile maps before discovering TMAP?

“I commenced working as an O&M in 2001. Early in my career, I had access to PIAF [Pictures in a Flash] machines in the offices I worked in so I would create tactile maps when required. For the last 15 years I’ve worked in a country region in northeast Victoria, and I’ve worked from home, our office is a three-hour drive away. This means I don’t have a PIAF machine or any type of embosser at my disposal. If I need a tactile map, I have to be very organized and create and order the map at least three weeks in advance to ensure I had it in time for the O&M session. At times, I have to admit, it was difficult to be this organized or predict the need for a map this far ahead. Sometimes during a session, it would become clear that a client would benefit from a map to increase their spatial understanding of a travel route, but I simply couldn’t get the map created in time for the next session.

“To address these gaps, I crafted my own maps. I used a variety of materials to do this such as cardboard strips pasted onto cardboard to create street maps. Often clients would assist by creating the braille labels so it would be a collaborative process. Other times I’d create a quick map when we were on the go during an O&M session by using a magnetic board and magnetic strips and symbols that I’d created, often embellished with Wiki Stix, foam stick on symbols and tactile dots. I’ve made maps out of lollies [candy] with children and larger street maps out of cut out pieces of wood, sandpaper and felt.

“I think maps are so important to develop spatial understanding so people can start to create a mental map of the areas they’re travelling through, so I pursued many options to create maps, however it was time-consuming because of how long it took to create a map.”

How has having a TMAP account affected your work?

“I’ve been so excited to discover TMAP! It has filled some major barriers that I was experiencing with my capacity to provide good quality and timely maps to clients. I’m very impressed with how easy it is to use, the ability to set a scale to provide a big picture map or a more detailed smaller view of an area, the north compass rose, the key and the embedded braille, braille, did I mention braille?! The braille is a major game changer. The other aspect of TMAP to create tactile maps is how quickly I can create a map, it’s so fast and I can quickly download it to my computer and email it through to another staff member and request them to put it through the PIAF machine for me.

“Since I’ve had access to TMAP is has reinvigorated my passion for tactile maps. It’s also resulted in me revisiting and thinking about the development of foundational O&M skills and how to teach tactile mapping skills to both children and adults. Map reading is a learnt skill, and the skills of tactile mapping are learnt in a graded and methodical way.  Even with the emergence of GPS technology there remains a strong need for tactile maps to increase spatial skill development, mental mapping and to use as a tool for enhanced and accessible learning of travel routes and environments.

“Due to the maps being sourced via Open Street Maps I find that the resulting maps are accurate and can really add value to the development of the conceptual understanding of the shapes of roads. And the TMAP software is working well in Australia and the fact that it’s free is also so exciting.”

How have your clients responded to working with TMAP?

“I have been providing services to a lady for a number of years on and off. She lost her vision due to retinoblastoma when she was 17 months old. She is an avid map lover and often requests maps from me so she can increase her spatial understanding of the areas she travels. Prior to TMAP, I had been crafting cardboard street maps and trying to put them together to create a big picture of the two towns she travels in regularly. Each map took me about 2 hours to make and there were issues with scale when we put them together. I am no cartographer! She was doing the braille labels and we’d stick them on together. Ultimately, I couldn’t keep up with her requests for maps, she wanted more, and I didn’t have enough time in my day to make the maps. This year when I discovered TMAP I was able to pump out multiple tactile maps for her so quickly and we spent several hours excitedly going over the maps together. This is also the other aspect that I really love about TMAP tactile maps, is the ability to sit down and share the experience of reading and looking at a map. She had the Braille version, and I had the text version and we read the map together in a really natural way. It felt accessible to both of us. Through TMAP, she learned that the street she has lived on for 25 years had a pronounced curve, it was curved like the shape of a horseshoe or the print letter U. She had always thought her street was straight.”

Since LightHouse chatted with Angela, she presented a paper at the Orientation & Mobility Association of Australasia online Symposium in Australia back in September. Our MAD Lab director, Greg Kehret, joined Angela for a joint presentation about TMAP. There has been a very positive response following the presentation, and several more O&Ms in Australia have created their own TMAP accounts and are starting to experiment and create tactile maps for their clients, as well. Nothing fills our hearts and fuels our ambition and dedication more than hearing feedback like Angela’s. LightHouse is thrilled to see MAD Lab’s services are vastly expanding and positively changing the lives of blind and low vision individuals worldwide. “I often highly recommend TMAP to other O&M’s,” Angela tells us.

Don’t have a local embosser but still want TMAPs for you or your students? No problem. LightHouse can produce the maps and mail them to you. Order online at Adaptations.org or call 1-888-400-8933.

LightHouse Public Board Meeting: Thursday November 4, 5:30pm – 8:30pm Via Zoom

LightHouse Public Board Meeting: Thursday November 4, 5:30pm – 8:30pm Via Zoom

Members of the public are invited to attend this meeting of the Board of Directors of San Francisco’s LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, during which thirty minutes will be reserved for public comment. In an effort to provide a fair and equitable speaking opportunity for all members of the public, up to three minutes will be provided for each person’s questions or comments. At this meeting, the Board welcomes Board nominations, questions, and comments from the public on the operations and services of the LightHouse. As time is limited, members of the public are asked to sign up to speak no later than 5:00 PM the day before the meeting by email.

Contact information for the LightHouse is provided at the end of this notice.

Members of the public who would like to speak are encouraged to sign up early, as the 30-minute public comment session can accommodate no more than 10 speakers.

Board Member Nominations

Members of the public can bring potential Board candidates to the attention of the Board’s Nominations committee at this meeting (by email: include no more than 500 words describing why the potential Board candidate should be considered).  The Board will review and evaluate each potential Board candidate in addition to those made by the LightHouse staff and other members of the Board, using the Board nomination and selection guidelines at https://lighthouse-sf.org/about/board-of-directors-nomination-guidelines/.

Board of Directors Meeting Agenda

A typical LightHouse Board meeting usually includes Executive and staff reports, Board Committee reports, and an Executive Session (which is closed to the public).  A meeting agenda can be obtained upon request by email three business days prior to the meeting.

Contact Information

To request agendas, sign up for public comment or to write about prospective Board nominees please contact us at the below address:

Board-request@lighthouse-sf.org

Administrative Office Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.