My Visit to Guide Dogs for the Blind and Enchanted Hills

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit two venerable blindness institutions in Northern California. On July 2nd, my wife Ros and I visited the Guide Dogs for the Blind campus in San Rafael, California. The next day we drove to Enchanted Hills Camp near Napa.

Our visit to the guide dog school was my second as I had visited the school seven or eight years ago. A number of Lighthouse employees received their dogs from Guide Dogs for the Blind from either their California or Oregon campus. The Lighthouse recently formed a partnership with Guide Dogs for the Blind. Their new Northwest regional staff person, Carrie Skym, maintains office hours at the Seattle Lighthouse facility. Carrie works with Guide Dogs for the Blind alumni, local puppy raisers, and also gives Guide Dogs for the Blind graduates working here at the Lighthouse some extra refresher courses. The San Rafael Guide Dogs for the Blind campus was much as I remembered it, but our tour guide Aerial Gilbert took us into some places not on the regular tour. We were able to visit the student dormitory and the veterinary clinic. Of course, the best part of the tour was petting a puppy. The little guy we got to spend some time with was named Nandi, and he is on track to become a guide dog and partner for a blind adult some time in the future.

We learned of upcoming plans to raise both the dormitory and administration buildings, swap their spots, and build brand new facilities. I especially appreciated Guide Dogs for the Blind's emphasis on the partnership between a guide dog and a blind person, and how this partnership enables blind people to lead independent and self-sufficient lives. This philosophy perfectly aligns with the Lighthouse mission.

As I mentioned, my wife and I were also able to visit the Enchanted Hills Camp and join in their 60th year anniversary celebration. The new San Francisco Lighthouse CEO Brian Bashin welcomed us and hosted a brief celebration program. I learned that Rose Resnick, the founder of Enchanted Hills Camp, had moved to California from New York state in the 1940's. Rose had grown up as a blind child attending a camp for blind kids in New York. In California, she learned there were no such opportunities for blind kids. So, she got to work.

Rose held camps in 1947, 1948, and 1949 in other locations. One of her original 1947 campers was at the celebration my wife and I attended! Rose worked with a few other folks to raise $40,000, and purchased a boys camp in the hills near Napa that was some 280 acres. The camp has been held every summer at Enchanted Hills since 1950. There are a wide variety of camp sessions, for young kids, teens, adults, Deaf-Blind people, etc.

The lasting impression I took away from my visit was what a strong community had grown up around the camp. There were campers and volunteers there representing every decade from the 1940's on. There were lots of people who had met their significant other or spouse at camp and people whose weddings were performed at the lower chapel in the woods - successful blind adults who had some of their first tastes of independence as little kids at camp.

These two visits gave me an opportunity to see what other organizations are doing to enhance opportunities for blind people to be independent, self-sufficient, and successful. My time at Guide Dogs for the Blind and Enchanted Hills reaffirmed for me that The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. is doing important work and that we are helping change lives for the better.

- Kirk Adams, President and CEO

News from the Government Relations Department at The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc.

Life is always interesting in the Government Relations Department! I am finding that increasing my position as Vice President of Governmental Affairs to full-time definitely helps the Lighthouse be more responsive to fast moving policy issues and requests.

In the last few years, the Lighthouse has been involved with several key federal initiatives on a national level. The Lighthouse has been involved with the modernization of the JWOD Act, put forth a request for funding for safe travel training for blind and Deaf-Blind individuals, and has been involved with the effort to improve access to technology for individuals with disabilities. Well, a recent revised and quite reasonable JWOD Act was just introduced into the House, the Lighthouse will soon be receiving and putting to use the travel training funding we are receiving through Senator Murray's efforts, and we were thrilled to hear recently about the unanimous passage of the Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act by the Senate. Thunderous ovations go out to Mark Richert at the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) and Eric Bridges of American Council of the Blind (ACB), and to all the many advocates in the blind, Deaf, Deaf-Blind, and Disabled communities for their resolve in getting this through the House and the Senate. We are still waiting to hear the decision from the Air Force on the Boeing NewGen Tanker, another issue that the Lighthouse is involved in.

The coming year might have us a little closer to home as we work on ways to bring the Lighthouse's high quality products to the state. Mark Landreneau continues his involvement with transportation planners, and we continue to build our relationships with public officials in Spokane.

Our Government Relations staff is small, just Mark Landreneau and myself, but our team is HUGE (we are like the Verizon commercial with all those people behind us). Thanks to our dedicated fellow Lighthouse employees, we have great sources of engaging speakers and advocates to help us out on our legislative visits and our public policy work. Will try to keep you posted as Government Relations at the Lighthouse marches on!

- Paula Hoffman, Vice President of Governmental Affairs