The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc.

Our Technology Training Center (TTC) is designed specifically to serve DeafBlind adults and meet a glaring need in the DeafBlind community: a chronic lack of access to current information and technology.  Full participation in society requires access to information and communication with others.  Information through radio, television, newspapers, libraries, and casual conversation is often inaccessible to DeafBlind individuals, leaving them isolated and marginalized in society.  Computers and assistive technology are a critical tool in the inclusion of DeafBlind people in the workplace and society.

Orientation and Mobility instructors assist blind and Deaf-Blind individuals in learning skills to travel independently and safely.  Skills instruction includes white cane travel, bus and street route planning, electronic travel aid training, and supplemental guide dog training.

The Annual DeafBlind Retreat is part of our nationally recognized DeafBlind Program that has provided employment, services, and support to DeafBlind individuals for the past 40 years.  While everyday life presents barriers for Deaf-Blind individuals, the retreat offers a welcoming community of peers and friends who truly understand the experience of living with a dual disability.  The retreat provides DeafBlind individuals with an opportunity to learn new independent living skills, network with service providers, and establish relationships that provide peer support throughout the year.  For many, the retreat marks the beginning of a whole new life of choices and possibilities, engaged in a community that cares.

The objective for The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. School Tours Program has been to educate children in the fifth grade, the future leaders and employers of our community, in understanding and appreciating the capabilities of people who are blind, DeafBlind, and blind with other disabilities. Our program goal is that these children will grow into adults and make up a society that will promote independence and self-sufficiency of this vibrant community.

The Accessibility Program exists to provide the necessary equipment, human supports, information, technology and training in the appropriate formats to meet our employees’ needs while at work.

The Lighthouse Braille Literacy Program instructor meets with students once a week, expecting intense personal study of braille from the students. This is experimental in that other programs meet more frequently with students. This model allows for less staff time, and this process will assess the ability of students to learn braille and signifigantly improve braille skills from instructor directed self-study. This aspect of braille training will be an evaluated factor also, which can easily be transferred to other braille training programs, significantly saving on staff time, participant training time, and overall program cost.

We currently do pre-, mid-, and post-term assessments. Assessments will be done with students who have completed the entire Braille Training Program and have continued using their braille skills; within 3 month, 1 year, and annually thereafter to establish the value of Braille reading and writing ability in regard to upward mobility, job duty expansion, enrollment in community education programs, and personal life satisfaction. This information will assist in evaluating the effect of braille training for Lighthouse employees which will be transferable to what can be expected outcomes in similar braille training programs.

The Computer Training Program (CTP) exists to increase and support the independence, self-sufficiency, and upward mobility of adults who are blind and low vision in the workplace through appropriate training and access to computer technology.

The course of study is highly individualized, and emphasizes computer and assistive technology tools to be used in the workplace. Class structures are primarily 1:1 instructor led, with occasional group classes.

The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. is the largest employer of DeafBlind people in North America. The Lighthouse hires freelance ASL interpreters to meet the needs of DeafBlind employees in the Lighthouse facilities and at Lighthouse events. All interpreters provided are qualified with specialized knowledge and experience in interpreting with DeafBlind people, and adhere to the Code of Professional Conduct (code of ethics) with the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID). Our Interpreting Services also contracts with qualified spoken language interpreters for employees who require a language other than spoken English.

The purpose of the Supported Employment Program is to empower blind or DeafBlind adults who also have a developmental or intellectual disability to become more independent in the work environment by providing training and services that help foster independence in the areas of vocational training, mobility, communication, social skills, and independent living skills.

The Supported Employment Program (SEP) provides job support and training for approximately twenty-one blind or Deaf-Blind individuals with developmental disabilities. Supported employees are usually referred by the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) – Division of Developmental Disabilities, the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, or the Department of Services for the Blind.

Supported employees perform a wide variety of jobs throughout the Lighthouse, including assembling, sorting, labeling, packing, and manufacturing items for federal customers. Most supported employees work from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. All employees receive at least minimum wage and qualify for benefits depending on hours worked, including paid time off (PTO), and 403(b). Each SEP employee is assigned a job coach who provides instruction, guidance, and support to help that individual succeed in his or her position.