Tuesday, January 25, 2011

3rd Annual Sensory Art Contest


The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. is excited to sponsor its third annual juried Sensory Art Contest. The contest is open to ALL artists within the state of Washington. The winning art pieces will be displayed at an art show held in conjunction with the Josephine L. Taylor Leadership Institute (JLTLI) Conference held in Seattle on March 11-12. Winning pieces will then be donated and sold at the Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind Foundation’s annual Redefining Vision Auction on May 21, 2011.


Exhibit Eligibility:
  • This juried art exhibit is open to all persons age 14 and up throughout the state of Washington.
  • All artwork exhibited must be a form of “sensory” art, excluding visual art. This would include sculptures, quilts, pottery, jewelry, and other tactile arts.
  • Artwork must be original.
  • One (1) entry per applicant will be accepted.
If you have a question about eligibility of an item, please contact Robert Hanna at 206-436-2149 or email rhanna@seattlelh.org.


Judging:

The works of art chosen will be viewed by a panel of experts and prizes will be awarded. It is expected that the winning pieces will be donated to Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind Foundation and will be exhibited for sale at the Redefining Vision Dinner and Auction on May 21, 2011. Proceeds from the sale of the art will go to the Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind Foundation in support of their mission.


Submission deadline:

Artwork must be delivered to Seattle Lighthouse no later than Friday, February 25, 2011. Artists must complete the artist profile and artist procurement form attached. These may be submitted via email as attachments to Robert Hanna at rhanna@seattlelh.org.


Please ship artwork to:

The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc.
P.O. Box 14959
Seattle WA 98114

Or arrange delivery of artwork to The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. at:
2501 South Plum Street
Seattle WA 98144

Winner notification:

Notification of the judging results will be made to the artists no later than Monday March 7, 2011.

All materials used in artwork must be self-funded. The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. will not provide funds to spend on the projects.

Winning submissions will be donated to the Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind Foundation to be exhibited for sale at the annual Seattle Lighthouse Redefining Vision Dinner and Auction on April 10th, 2010. Proceeds from the sale of artwork at the auction directly support the Lighthouse mission of creating and enhancing opportunities for independence and self-sufficiently of people who are blind, Deaf-Blind, and blind with other disabilities. Your generous donation of time and talent sustains and expands existing programs and new opportunities for blind and Deaf-Blind individuals in our community. The Lighthouse art show is also an excellent way to showcase your talent, with donated artworks featured in the auction catalogue and in Lighthouse publications that reach over 5,000 community members and local residents annually.


About JLTLI:

The purpose of the Josephine L. Taylor Leadership Institute (JLTLI) is to improve the quality of programming and services to blind and visually impaired children, adults, and their families. The Institute is designed to provide a forum in which leadership personnel and emerging leaders from the blindness field can come together to increase and share their knowledge and expertise. In addition, the JLTLI affords opportunities to network, share common concerns and innovative strategies, as well as learn about what projects American Federation of the Blind (AFB) personnel and others in the field have undertaken to improve quality of life for people with visual impairments.

Lighthouse Participates in DSB Supervised Internship Program

The Washington State Department of Services for the Blind (DSB) offers a Supervised Internship Program (SIP) through its Orientation and Training Center for blind and visually impaired individuals. Designed to provide Orientation and Training Center graduates with career choices and exposure, in addition to the blindness skills and confidence they develop, SIP places individuals in internship opportunities that meet their career interests.


Since the program’s inception in 2007, the Lighthouse has hosted internships for six SIP participants, including positions in manufacturing, accounting, administration, and a placement within our Braille Training Program and Computer Training Program. The Lighthouse’s Braille Training Program Instructor, Julie Brannon, is also employed by DSB and is the SIP Program Coordinator. SIP encourages confidence on the job for individuals loosing their vision or newly blind, and builds professional skills for individuals who have minimal work experience. The Lighthouse enjoys participating in the program and collaborating with DSB, providing the opportunity for individuals to utilize the professional skills they are learning in a workplace environment. Julie mentions that in addition to the Lighthouse, SIP internship providers also include but are not limited to King 5 News, the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library, Starbucks, the University of Washington, Seattle Central Community College, and the Seattle Housing Authority.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Lighthouse Receives Employees Community Fund of Boeing Puget Sound Grant for Braille Computer Equipment

The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc.'s Computer Training Program (CTP) is designed to increase and support independence, self-sufficiency, and upward mobility in the workplace for blind adults through appropriate training and access to computer technology. In order for our employees to succeed in the workplace, we provide comprehensive training and support for each individual. This support and training provides increased access for blind and visually impaired employees, and increases the opportunity for upward mobility in the workplace.

The CTP is designed expressly to serve blind and visually impaired adults and meet a glaring need in the blind community: a chronic lack of access to current information. In the United States, 70% of blind adults are unemployed. Increased exposure and training on adaptive technologies through programs such as the CTP opens up more job opportunities to adults who are blind, which results in greater independence and social integration.

In September of 2010, the Lighthouse received a grant from the Employees Community Fund of Boeing Puget Sound to purchase new computer equipment. This grant, valued at $34,970, is funding the purchase of ten new refreshable braille displays that will be used as equipment upgrades for the CTP at Seattle Lighthouse. We received the displays at the end of December, and the equipment is installed and in the CTP for a great beginning in 2011!

"The braille displays previously used in the CTP were more than a decade old and did not meet the needs of program participants and restricted the types of instruction that we were able to provide," states Lighthouse President and CEO Kirk Adams. "The new braille displays reflect current technology, and the skills learned through coursework in the CTP utilizing the new equipment will become more transferable to independent living, job roles, and opportunities for upward mobility."

Before the purchase of the displays with the grant from the Employees Community Fund of Boeing Puget Sound, our antiquated equipment was not meeting the needs of program participants and was restricting the types of instruction that could be provided by the program. With the purchase of new braille displays, CTP instructors are able to offer instruction on various types of braille displays, choosing which display resembles what the employee will be using on a regular basis. This allows employees to quickly transition from CTP coursework to becoming fluent and confident braille display users, allowing for increased access and upward mobility in the workplace.

Thank you Employees Community Fund of Boeing Puget Sound, for your support of the Lighthouse and our Computer Training Program.