LightHouse for the Blind invites our students, volunteers, staff and community members to a free screening of the documentary Cold Refuge. This film is presented as part of our 1155 Performance Salon series. Cold Refuge, by local documentary filmmaker Judy Irving, is about the physical, psychological and spiritual aspects of full immersion in the natural world: how, though it may seem counter-intuitive, swimming in cold water helps mitigate some of life’s most serious challenges.   The film’s diverse film subjects include a wheelchair-using, paralyzed swimmer who faces fear by diving ..read more

Saturday, May 4, is World Labyrinth Day! Come celebrate this peaceful holiday at Earle Baum Center of the Blind (EBC) in Santa Rosa. We invite the BVI community to enjoy EBC’s uniquely accessible Labyrinth, specifically designed by EBC staffer, Patricia Jefferson, to accommodate travelers using white canes, guide dogs, human guides and most wheelchairs. The path is a 39-inch-wide smooth concrete surface with a four-inch brick curb. In the center there is a Peace Pole as part of the right-side curb to orient the travelers.   The walk will be procession-style and there will be guides provid ..read more

It’s almost time for the next 1155 Performance Salon at LightHouse!   For April, we welcome talented comedians from Comedians with Disabilities Act. The Comedians with Disabilities Act is “a fabulous collection of comedians who have disabilities, both seen and unseen, and bring forth the humor they find in their experiences” (comedianswithdisabilitiesact.com/about).    These comedians will share their laugh-out-loud stories and sets; here’s a little about each! Mike Bucci Mike Bucci’s first comedy set was on the stage of the Punch Line in San Francisco and he’s been hooked ..read more

[See image gallery at lighthouse-sf.org] Spring was in the air last Saturday as the paths that wind around the green lawns and lush gardens of the Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) campus in San Rafael were filled with the toddling feet and happy paws of the 2nd Annual Spring Celebration attendees!   Together with our friends at GDB, we welcomed 33 families from all over the San Francisco Bay Area for a beautiful day of spring-themed crafts, guide puppy meet-and-greets, photoshoots with Sunny the Bunny and Glinda the Good Witch, and of course— an accessible beeping egg hunt ..read more

There’s a misconception that people who are blind or have low vision have better hearing than their sighted peers. That’s not true, but what is true is that blind people can be better attuned to their hearing with the right training. LightHouse is providing that training with the return of our online course The Language of Listening.   The course runs for six sessions in June, and we want to ensure everyone interested knows as soon as possible, so they can make time in their schedule for the course!   Course Description   The whistle of a teapot, or bubbles in a pot hint ..read more

LightHouse is proud to once again partner with Vision Zero SF to bring our community another public forum! On Wednesday, May 1, we will continue our insightful conversations around pedestrian safety. What does an ideal pedestrian-friendly city or community space look like? How can accessibility and inclusion for people who are visually impaired play a key factor in urban planning? We’ll be discussing the accessible measures San Francisco and other cities around the world are implementing to increase pedestrian safety, as well as dream designs for optimal pedestrian safe zones, neighborh ..read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  April 1, 2024 CONTACT: Summer Sanzo Dittmer 510.332.8087 | press@lighthouse-sf.org   LightHouse ECO and PRIDE Industries Announce Groundbreaking Collaboration, Set Precedent for Inclusive Employment SAN FRANCISCO, CA and ROSEVILLE, CA – In a groundbreaking collaboration, LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired and PRIDE Industries announce SKILCRAFT® cleaning concentrates, developed and manufactured by blind and low vision workers, are now available on the AbilityOne procurement list. Federal government and military facilities can now easily purchas ..read more

“Meet Me in the Kitchen,” is a five-week course designed to empower LightHouse students with the non-visual techniques needed to prepare and present delicious meals independently. This course is created and taught by Bobbi Pompey, an Independent Living Skills Specialist with a passion for cooking and teaching. Each week you will learn non-visual kitchen skills, general cooking tips and tricks, and prepare a snack or meal.   Skills You Will Learn Include: Organizing, labeling, and preparing your kitchen and workspace Measuring wet and dry ingredients Using knives, kitchen appliances, blin ..read more

Image looking down on Andrew climbing up a paraclimbing rock wall For over a year, LightHouse Community Services Coordinator, Andrew Martinez, has been organizing paraclimbing outings for the LightHouse community. Paraclimbing is adaptive rock-climbing for individuals with disabilities. Since LightHouse began joining ParaCliffHangers (a paraclimbing organization that helps set up accessible climbing routes at rock climbing gyms) a love for the sport has sparked within the blind and visually impaired Bay Area community.   “About a year and a half ago, I was playing goalball with ..read more

During the weekend of March 30 & 31, LightHouse welcomes Dr. M. Leona Godin, a writer and performer who is blind, to lead a two-day storytelling workshop and to host our next Performance Salon.   The workshop runs from March 30 to 31 and participants will stay overnight at the LightHouse Student Residences, on the 11th floor of our San Francisco headquarters. Workshop participants will also attend the Performance Salon.   The LightHouse Performance Salon on March 30 is a Story Slam. Come and listen to live storytelling from LightHouse students or put your name in the hat for ..read more