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low vision

Our Vision, Our Mission, and Our Values

Our Vision, Our Mission, and Our Values

Our Vision

A world where blind and low vision people flourish.

Our Mission

To promote independence, community, and equity created by and with blind and low vision people.

A room full of seated and standing attendees applaud at LightHouse Day 2023.

Our Values

Blindness Positivity:
We take pride in our ability to navigate our lives as blind and low vision people.

Disability Justice:
We recognize the inherent worth of every person and commit to advancing equity and interdependency.

Family walking outside
Mom, Dad, outside smiling and walking on a sunny day with their daughters: one child is in a stroller; two sisters are walking next to Mom and Dad.

Inclusion:
We believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to belong and live to their full potential, encompassing their identities, backgrounds, and abilities.

Excellence:
We provide the highest-quality services and products and we continuously learn, improve, and innovate.

Blind employees work on the assembly line at LightHouse Sirkin Center in Alameda
A LightHouse Eco employee wearing safety gear packs Skilcraft pump spray packs into boxes for shipping.

Empowerment:
We encourage self-determination, independence, and autonomy.

Compassion:
We make efforts to understand one another and we treat every person with dignity and respect.

Getting Started

Getting Started

Have you or someone you know recently been diagnosed as legally blind?

LightHouse is here to support you wherever you are in your changing vision.

Am I “Blind”? Am I “Visually Impaired?”

Of the 285 million people in the world who are blind or have low vision, only a relatively small percentage have no light perception. For everyone else, blindness is a gradation. Some people see quite clearly, in certain light conditions. Others see only shapes and colors.

For some, their field of vision is complex and hard to explain. The diversity of these extra functions is what makes blindness particularly confusing to the unacquainted observer.

For those with changing vision, the daunting part is not usually the fear of darkness, but the fear of admitting that you’re different.

Who qualifies for LightHouse services?

LightHouse is based in the San Francisco Bay Area and we serve the greater Bay Area and north to the Oregon border. If you are outside of our geographic area, please still give us a call and we can connect you to a service provider in your area.

If you have a blind or visually impaired child between the ages of 0 to 3, you are eligible for LightHouse Little Learners. Little Learners serves the California Central Valley and the Greater Bay Area.
If you have both vision and hearing loss, our Deafblind program serves all of California.

What types of programs do you offer?

Access Technology

Learn how to use technology, like smart phones and computers, using accessible technology through one-on-one training.

Community Services

Throughout the year, we host outings, classes, recreational activities, and events for community members who are blind or have low vision of all ages to learn, connect, and thrive.

Deafblind Program

The Deafblind Program provides training, resources and support to persons who have both vision and hearing loss. The goal of the program is to ensure that deaf-blind individuals have access to information and the skills needed to live independent and productive lives. As part of this goal, the LightHouse operates the FCC program to ensure deaf-blind individuals receive free equipment and training to suit their needs.

Enchanted Hills Camp

Founded in 1950 by Rose Resnick, Enchanted Hills now holds not only our annual summer camp sessions, but also hosts classes, workshops, retreats and seminars in a beautiful setting high atop Napa’s Mount Veeder.

Independent Living Skills

Independent Living Skills include training in orientation and mobility, braille, cooking, and other independent living skills. Instruction methods include one-on-one, group, ongoing, and immersive options.

Little Learners

Launch in 2021, the LightHouse Little Learners program is here to help families with children aged birth to three who are blind, Deafblind have low vision, or a neurological visual impairment.

Volunteer Services

Volunteers

Youth Programs

The LightHouse offers a diverse array of outings, social events, and personal/professional development opportunities for young adult and high school-aged youth.

How do I get started?

To get started, email info@lighthouse-sf.org or call 415 – 694 – 7323.

 

LightHouse Little Learners Turns One!

LightHouse Little Learners Turns One!

Last fall, LightHouse proudly introduced our newest department to our community, LightHouse Little Learners! It took a whole year of blood, sweat and tears to establish this wonderful team and fulfil a long-held organizational goal to offer services to the littlest members of the blind and low vision population and their families.
 
From onboarding our first Little Learner and their family, to exploring Enchanted Hills Camp at our first Little Learners Family Camp session this summer, it has been a busy twelve months! Today, Little Learners is currently serving 87 children throughout the Bay Area and Central Valley, with our youngest Little Learner being a newborn baby of just two days old! Since the start of our program last autumn, we have served a total of 147 babies and toddlers – and counting!
 
“It’s hard to believe that the Little Learners program has reached its one-year anniversary!” says Pam Chapin, LightHouse Little Learners Program Director. “Over the year, families have participated in specialized services with our highly experienced Early Childhood Blind and Low Vision Specialists in their homes and communities, have created wonderful memories and friendships at Enchanted Hills Camp, and have learned together through Playgroups and family gatherings at local venues.
 
“Little Learners has provided trainings and created partnerships with local Regional Centers, Education Agencies, Infant Programs, and medical providers to help identify children who are blind, have low vision, and cerebral visual impairment, and to help families access appropriate early learning services. 
 
“We look back with pride at all that this team has accomplished and with gratitude for the support and collaboration provided by every department at LightHouse.  We are honored to be part of each family’s journey and excited to grow into the future!”
 
Other members of the LightHouse Little Learners team shared their thoughts and reflections over the year:
 
“My favorite memory so far has been the garden party the East Bay team hosted on the patio at Ed Roberts campus.  It was so wonderful to have our Little Learners and their families come and have fun on the beautiful campus!” – Elizabeth Basillo, Regional Coordinator
 
“The most memorable thing for me has been the warm reception we got from the entire staff of the LightHouse. It was very touching and made me feel that we were considered an important part of the agency.” –  Jeri Hart, Blind and Low Vision Specialist
 
“I am a strong believer in that ‘Actions Speaks Louder Than Words!’ The most impressive thing that stands out to me about LightHouse is the amount of staff it has who are blind and/or have a visual impairment throughout the organization! This warms my heart as a parent of an individual with significant special needs! This fact speaks tons about the organization and its mission!!” – Araceli AVina, Blind and Low Vision Specialists
 
We couldn’t be more proud to celebrate our first year of LightHouse Little Learners and look forward to many more. For questions, inquiries, or to find out more information about the Little Learners program, contact littlelearners@lighthouse-sf.org. You may also reach the Little Learners team by phone at 415-694-7657, by video phone at 415-255-5906, or visit the LightHouse website.

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!

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.

Giving Tuesday is Coming! Tuesday After Thanksgiving You Can Make EHC More Inclusive

Giving Tuesday is Coming! Tuesday After Thanksgiving You Can Make EHC More Inclusive

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.

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.

Blind Chemist Hoby Wedler Leads first “Cooking with Community Class” for Youth

Blind Chemist Hoby Wedler Leads first “Cooking with Community Class” for Youth

Calling all cooks and aspiring cooks in middle and high school who are blind or have low vision: LightHouse Youth Programs is pleased to announce a new class: Cooking Creates Community. This happens the second Saturday of the month from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm. This monthly virtual cooking lesson and conversation will be led by LightHouse staff and a rotating guest mentor who is blind or has low vision and who has a passion for cooking, baking or anything food-related.

This class is a chance for blind and low vision students to connect with their peers and learn some basic independent cooking skills at home from cool mentors who will answer student questions and share advice.

Those who sign up for the program will be emailed the list of equipment and supplies needed, along with the recipe and the Zoom link they’ll use for that month’s event. As a bonus, for students who sign up by the fourth of each month, LightHouse’s Youth team will mail the ingredients for that month’s recipe directly to them, on the house.

For the October 9 class, blind chemist Dr. Hoby Wedler, who has worked with LightHouse Youth in the past, will share his secrets to the best mashed potatoes. By walking students through his simple recipe and a conversation about how he chooses his seasonings, students will learn to make a dish that can be added to most meals. Sign up by October fourth to get ingredients as well as Hoby’s new line of seasoning, Happy Paprika, that they can try with this dish.

The first class will be Saturday, October 9 from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm.

The classes to round out the year are Saturday, November 13 and Saturday, December 11.

RSVP to Jamey Gump at JGump@lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7372.

Celebrate Disability Culture at Palo Alto Art Center In-Person or Virtually

Celebrate Disability Culture at Palo Alto Art Center In-Person or Virtually

You’re invited to The Art of Disability Culture: Artists with Disabilities Dispelling Myths, Dissolving Barriers, and Disrupting Prejudice, running September 11 through December 11 at the Palo Alto Art Center in Palo Alto California. This exhibit celebrates the “diverse, personal, and infinitely varied disability experience.”

There are several blind people among the 20 artists whose work is featured in the exhibit: From tactile paintings created during the height of the pandemic by Catherine Lecce-Chong, to an audio comic by Chad Allen, to ceramics by Don Katz, to a site-specific environmental installation by Jennifer Justice, to a healing labyrinth installation by Maia Scott, to a large-scale sculpture made from discarded materials by Matthaus Lam.

The exhibition will feature audio description which will be available for all works of art onsite and on the website. There will also be Braille  labels. Public programs will include American Sign Language interpretation and live captioning and social narratives will be available online for visitors with autism. The art center is also wheelchair accessible.

There are two free public programs both with in-person and virtual options. The programs will include American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation and live captioning. The Palo Alto Art Center facility is fully wheelchair accessible.

Friday Night at the Art Center Opening reception
September 17 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Join us onsite or virtually for this unique hybrid and accessible celebration of The Art of Disability Culture. This event will feature in-person and virtual exhibition walkthroughs, a chance to hear from exhibiting artists, hands-on art activities, a spoken word performance by award-winning author Joy Elan, and a specialty cocktail (Reasonable Accommodation) and bar provided by the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation.

Event will be hosted onsite and online. Register for the September 17 Art of Disability Culture event.

Community Day Celebration
Sunday, October 10, 2021, noon to 4:00 pm  

Learn more about The Art of Disability Culture exhibition in this unique hybrid community day celebration. Participate in exhibition walkthroughs with the curator; enjoy hands-on art activities; an introduction by Northern California’s only stuttering female comedian Nina G; gallery activities; Canine Companions, a performance by Bay Area native, African, Indigenous, Deaf, Disabled, Producer, Choreographer, Actor, and Dancer Antoine Hunter; and Mozzeria, the Deaf-owned Neapolitan pizza truck.

Event will be hosted onsite and online; online registration links: Register for the October 0 Art of Disability Culture event.