9th Helen Keller World Conference

The Ninth Helen Keller World Conference will be held in Uganda this year, from October 22nd -27th. An international event held every five years, the conference is used as a platform for discussing issues concerning Deaf-Blindness as a critical agenda in development and human rights. In 2005 the conference was held in Finland, and in 2014 Japan will host the event. This is the first Helen Keller Conference to be held on the African continent. Read more about this year's conference.

Save the Date for White Cane Day!

Save the date to celebrate National White Cane Day on Thursday, October 15th at 10am. Join the Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. in celebrating White Cane Safety Day at the Mt. Baker Light Rail Station. An annual event, White Cane Safety Day celebrates the independence of blind and Deaf-Blind individuals.

We are excited to have Sound Transit as a sponsor of this year's event, and will spotlight light rail's accessibility features during our walk at the Mt. Baker Light Rail Station. The Mt. Baker Station is located on the west side of the three-way intersection of Rainier Avenue S, 23rd Avenue S, and S McClellan Street. View Map.

Alphapointe Creates 15 Jobs

Fellow National Industries for the Blind member Alphapointe Association for the Blind created 15 new jobs in the Kansas City area. The unemployment rate for individuals who are blind in the United States is 70% during good economic times, making these new jobs in the Kansas City area particularly valuable. Watch a local news broadcast featuring Alphapointe.

Peggy Martinez on 94.9 KUOW Radio

Peggy Martinez, who teaches in the computer lab at the Seattle Lighthouse, was a guest on 94.9 KUOW's Weekday radio program on August 19th. Born with low vision, Peggy discussed how she experiences the city, and talked about the challenges and blessings of her daily life. Listen to the program.

Lives Enriched and Businesses Benefited - A Community Celebrates!

The Department of Services for the Blind (DSB) and several Seattle businesses will come together on September 16th, 2009, to celebrate a two-year successful partnership that has enhanced the employability of Washingtonians who are blind or have low vision. The partnership, titled "Supervised Internship Program" (SIP) was designed to give newly-trained blind individuals the opportunity to apply thier skills in a real-world setting in thier preferred field of work, while offering free labor to businesses to help with thier bottom lines.

November of 2007 marked the first of the SIP placements. Presently, the list has grown to twenty internships, represending a variety of jobs, including:

• Accounting Assistant, The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. - Seattle
• Administrative Assistant, The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. - Seattle
• Engish Tutor for and After-School program, Horn of Africa
• Maintenance Crew Worker, Seattle Housing Authority at Rainier Vista
• Administrative Assistant, Seattle Housing Authority at Rainier Vista
• Patron Assistant for Access Technology and Website Access, Seattle Public Library LEAP
• Food Service Worker, Dennis's Cafe
• Administrative Assistant, Washington Biomedical and Biotechnology Association
• Floral Assistant, KC's Flowers
• Aide to Teacher of the Visually Impaired, Bow Lake Elementary School
• Receptionist / Customer Service Agent, Seattle Housing Authority at Yesler Terrace
• Children's Violin Instructor, Arts in Motion
• Counselor Assistant, Redmond WorkSource
• Assistive Technology Instructional Assistant, Seattle Central Community College

Everyone appears to benefit from this internship program. SIP participants show and report increased self-confidence, as one totally-blind intern noted, "This experience gave me the confidence to know that even though I'd done this work as a sighted person, I know now I can increase my skills and still be part of the community despite my blindness and public percentions".

Businesses have appreciated the helping hand. Arts in Motion Executive Director Denise Mimura stated, "[Our intern] is wonderful...Thanks for the assistance. We all enjoy her presence and assistance".

Lighthouse President Kirk Adams at the Blind Baby Jamboree

Last Saturday, August 8th, I was privileged to serve on a panel of blind adults at the first ever Washington State Blind Baby Jamboree. Held at the Washington State School for the Blind in Vancouver, WA, the jamboree brought together twelve families with blind children ages birth to three. The kids are living with a variety of visual conditions, and several had additional severe disabilities.

Their parents and sighted siblings were there to learn about eye conditions and how to set up environments and routines that would help their blind family members flourish and grow.

The panel on Saturday evening included me and for other blind adults who fielded questions from parents about the experiences of growing blind. Many of the parents had no previous exposure to blind people other than their small children, and they welcomed this opportunity to ask questions from the practical to the philosophical: What did your parents do when you were a child that helped you to become independent? What was the most challenging think about being a blind student and how did you overcome it? If you could restore your sight today, would you?

Sunday morning saw the parents gathering to learn about literacy and how to start preparing their kids to become readers of large print or braille. The instructors talked about sequencing, patterns, letting the kids feel and touch huge varieties of objects and textures to develop the ability to distinguish between various objects and eventually to read braille.

We discussed creating a braille rich environment, to try and give blind kids the same early exposure to braille as sighted kids get to print. It's a very big challenge indeed if you take a look around and notice all the print that is in our world. Cindy, one of the instructors, commented that sighted kids can identify McDonald's Golden Arches long before they can read a printed word. What is the equivalent symbol recognition going to be for a blind child? It is up to the parents to create these special tactile symbols with meaning for their child.

For instance, a version of the popular children's book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie was customized to be more accessible for blind children. On each page, objects were glued that related to the story, not least of child was a real chocolate chip cookie. Also represented was a paper cup for drinking a glass of milk, the top of a milk bottle, a straw, a paintbrush to represent the brook, a sponge for washing up and a cozy mouse bed made of a small box with blanket and pillow.

I am hoping to be invited back again for next year's Blind Baby Jamboree and am hoping the original dozen wonderful families are joined by many others. Hats off to those parents who spent last weekend devoted to the love and support of their blind kids!

Kirk Adams, President and CEO, Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc.

New Device Helps People Who are Deaf-Blind Communicate with Anyone

A new device lets people who are Deaf-Blind converse with anyone. Robert Steppler is interviewed by the Seattle Times and discusses his experience with the new portable DeafBlind Communicator. Read the article to learn more.

Lighthouse Sponsors Blinded Veterans Association 64th Conference

The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. is pleased to sponsor the Blinded Veterans Association 64th Conference. President Kirk Adams and Director of Communications Melanie Wimmenauer will attend the 64th Blinded Veterans Association in Portland, OR August 17-23. For more information visit the Blinded Veterans Association webpage.

Lighthouse Machinist Harry Pike Speaks at Tech Expo 2009

Lighthouse machinist Harry Pike attended and was a feature speaker at Tech Expo 2009 presented by Cimtech, held at the Museum of Flight on August 5th 2009. Harry spoke about his work at the Lighthouse, and the audience watched a video that showed him in action, performing set-up on and operating an OKUMA computer numeric controlled (CNC) milling machine as a machinist who is blind. The audience consisted of representatives from aerospace manufacturers (including programmers, machinists, design engineers, and managers) and they were amazed! Way to go, Harry!

King County Has Options for Voters with Disabilities

King County now votes entirely by mail and it's important that voters who need assistance know their options. King County operates three accessible voting centers designed for voters who need assistance casting their ballot. Each center is operated by trained staff and offer equipment to make voting accessible for everyone. The touch screen accessible voting unit has lap paddle and sip-and-puff devices, an audio option, and large and high contrast font features to aid voters.

How do you plan to cast your ballot? If you are interested in using an accessible voting unit, plan your trip now. King County's accessible voting centers are located at the Elections office in Renton, Union Station in Seattle, and Bellevue City Hall. Locations are accessible by public transportation and parking is available. For more information on accessible voting for the August 18 election, please call 206-296-VOTE (8683) or visit www.kingcounty.gov/elections.