LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
People who are blind or have low vision continue to experience discrimination and lack of access opportunity. LightHouse offers training, support, community and advocacy to promote blind independence and equality.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Blindness Skills Training
Training to help people who are blind learn new ways to accomplish everyday tasks like cooking, independent living skills and using a white cane to get around.
Access Technology
Tech training helps blind people use smartphones, computers and other tools to independently work, read, stay in touch with friends and access information.
Employment Immersion
Blind people gain employment, financial stability and independence with the help of Employment Immersion, which provides individual and group workshops focused on interview skills, networking and job search techniques.
Youth Enrichment Programs
Youth Enrichment offers career exploration and outdoor recreation to help students build independence skills, develop confidence, form positive relationships with blind peers and mentors, and prepare for college and employment.
Enchanted Hills Camp for the Blind
Founded in 1950, Enchanted Hills Camp provides quintessential camp experiences to people who are blind or have low vision.
Changing Vision, Changing Life
Changing Vision, Changing Life is LightHouse’s immersive basics course for people new to blindness, helping them jumpstart their blindness skills training in areas such as safe travel, technology and magnification, and daily living.
Community Services
A variety of community activities (yoga, fitness classes, museum tours, cooking classes, etc.) help adults who are blind or have low vision stay engaged and active.
Counseling and Psychological Services
Staffed by professionals who deeply understand blindness, LightHouse’s counseling program supports healthy emotional development, self-determination and goal-setting that leads to long-term, positive change.
Deaf-blind Program
LightHouse's Deaf-blind Program provides training, resources, communications equipment and recreation to people who are both vision- and hearing-impaired.
Media and Accessible Design Lab (MAD Lab)
LightHouse's Media and Accessible Design Lab (MAD Lab) specializes in tactile graphics, maps and other products that make the visual tactile and turn inaccessible experiences into inclusive ones.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
American Camp Association 2019
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
People with vision impairments
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Number of blind students served, not including EHC campers.
Hours of programing delivered
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
People with vision impairments
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Total hours of training, camps, information services, counseling, and other services. There is a dip in hours after 2017 due to 2017 Northern California wildfires, which reduced camp capacity.
Number of campers enrolled
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
People with vision impairments
Related Program
Enchanted Hills Camp for the Blind
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
2020 in-person camps were cancelled due to COVID-19. Virtual camp sessions kept many campers engaged during the summer.
Hours of volunteer service
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
There is a significant increase in volunteer hours in 2018 due to the outpouring of support we received for EHC after 2017 Northern California wildfires.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Nationwide, 56% of blind, working age adults are unemployed and 27% of blind adults live in poverty (both more than double what the general population experiences). LightHouse is addressing these issues through programs that increase access to employment, education, technology, recreation, transportation and the environment. We pursue the development of new technology, encourage innovation, and amplify the voices of blind individuals around the world. LightHouse is working for nothing less than to change the future for blind people and the wider community.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
LightHouse is expanding programs to serve a greater segment of the population. We are increasing communications through newsletters, social media and video. We are focusing more on data and evaluation, including tracking student outcomes and surveying students.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
LightHouse is governed by a 15-member volunteer board, with extensive expertise in a variety of fields, including law, technology, education and blindness. LightHouse’s senior management have years of experience in blindness services. LightHouse prioritizes blind leadership, and 50% of our Board of Directors and 43% of staff are blind, including the Board President, CEO and Senior Director of Programs. This level of blind leadership and staffing sets LightHouse apart in the field.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
LightHouse has implemented biannual student surveys to gauge student satisfaction, engagement and learning. These surveys not only provide useful data for us to share with stakeholders, they also inform decision making and help us better design programs. Next steps include rigorous program review related to performance indicators and continued improvement related to data collection and student surveys.
LightHouse launched an Access Technology department in 2017. This department is tasked with developing professional relationships with technology companies through consulting and other means, and providing tech training to blind students. This program continues to develop new service models and partnerships with tech companies.
To increase effective communications with stakeholders, LightHouse created a stand-alone communications depart in 2017, and continues to expand this department to increase focus on social media and electronic communications. Our next step includes the development of a Connections department, which will focus on outreach to potential students and community partners.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Board of directorsas of 06/07/2021
Ms. Sharon Sacks
California School for the Blind, Superintendent (retired)
Geoffrey Murry
Attorney, Ad Astra Law Firm
Jennison Asuncion
Digital Accessibility Manager, LinkedIn
Michael Dellar
Co-Founder, President & CEO, Lark Creek Restaurant Group
Michael Nuñez
Attorney, Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld, LLP
Luciana Profaca, Ph.D.
Chief Deputy (retired), California Department of Rehabilitation
Yue-Ting Siu, TVI, Ph.D.
Professor, San Francisco State University
Laura Allen
Accessibility Program Manager, Google
Michael Shebanek
Head of Accessibility, Facebook
Eric Mah
Financial professional (on sabbatical)
Joseph Chan
Chief Financial Officer (retired), Association of Bay Area Governments
Ahmet Ustunel
Teacher of the Visually Impaired, San Francisco Unified School District
Chris Downey
Architect for the Blind
Chancey Fleet
Assistive Technology Coordinator, New York Public Library
Dana Hooper
Executive Director, Life Services Alternatives
Julius Oatts
Pediatric Ophthalmologist, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, UCSF Medical Center
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data