A distinguished longtime board member and pioneer of rehabilitation services at the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired in San Francisco, there are few denizens of our community more respected and knowledgeable than Gil Johnson. Growing up as a confident, free-thinking young blind man and coming to the LightHouse during a pivotal moment …

More than 60 gracious donors showed up at the LightHouse headquarters to give blood at our 6th Annual Bay Area Blind Community Blood Drive this month. We collected 56 total units of blood, which helps approximately 168 patients in need. We also welcomed cameras from ABC7 News, who did a terrific little story about the drive which you can check out …

Over the weekend, Enchanted Hills Construction Manager George Wurtzel placed the last screw in the final hand-constructed and carved redwood benches that are the signature seating of Enchanted Hills’ new 120-person Redwood Grove Theater. It’s a project that has come to fruition over the last 10 years through patience, perseverance and unrivaled com…

Photo: The front of the Ed Roberts Campus. With the imminent closure of the Lions Center in Oakland, the LightHouse has stepped up to bring services to those who are blind or have low vision in the East Bay. To do this we’ll be expanding the services we offer at the Ed Roberts Campus in Berkeley. We sent out a press release earlier in the month and…

Few people alive today have lived through more Bay Area blindness history than Elmer Chapson. On October 8, 2015 Chapson was interviewed by LightHouse CEO Bryan Bashin in a wide-ranging oral history unusual in its breadth and content. Chapson spent ten years from 1935 to 1945 at the storied California School for the Blind in Berkeley and recounts a…

In October, 2010 Lighthouse CEO Bryan Bashin and Jernigan Institute Librarian Ed Mormon conducted a 180-minute interview with Bill Gerrey, a longtime participant and observer of the blind movement in northern California. Gerrey and his father are both blind, and his recollections stretch back to the fun and aspiration and the old California School …

On June 24, 2014 Lighthouse CEO Bryan Bashin conducted a 40 minute interview with Jim Kracht. Mr. Kracht, now a prominent tax attorney in Florida, was an intrepid young 7-year-old in 1957 when he spent the first of seven summers at Enchanted Hills in Napa. In this thoughtful interview, Mr. Kracht tells what it was like to experience cabin inspectio…

This extended conversation originally recorded on April 24, 2014 covers calendaring systems, contacts, and tactics for staying competitive by using high and low-tech tools and techniques. Each technique will help a blind executive with finding and using information quickly. Presented by Bryan Bashin, CEO of the Lighthouse for the Blind and Jessie L…

In July 2013 Lighthouse CEO Bryan Bashin conducted a wide-ranging interview with Bill Barker, a person with six decades of relationship with our organization. Bill passed on Saturday May 3, 2014 and this record may be the best modern recognition of his life and sensibility. The post Bill Barker – An Oral History appeared first on LightHouse for the…

On Feburary 9th, local author Cecilia Elkington Setty met with a gathering of Enchanted Hills Camp neighbors to speak about the fascinating history of Mt. Veeder and the original Mt. Veeder Resort which is now home to Enchanted Hills. Grape grower Cecelia Elkington Setty has published two books on Napa’s history. “The Mount Veeder Resort, A History…

A program featuring contemporary stories behind the front pages, some thought provoking articles and occasional poems, plays or short stories. Today’s theme is based on legacies real and imagined and we observe the season of the year and of course it is Valentine’s. The post Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – February 2014 appeared first on…

Newsletter of the LightHouse for the Blind & Visually Impaired Enchanted Hills Summer Music Academy, Cycle for Sight Registration, Chris Downey Appointed to California Commission on Disability Access, Braille Challenge, Employment Immersion Successes, and more… The post LightHouse News – Winter 2014 appeared first on LightHouse for the Blind and Vi…

A program featuring contemporary stories behind the front pages, some thought provoking articles and occasional poems, plays or short stories. This particular program is called Personal Favorites. If you’ve been listening over the years then you probably know what they are and may enjoy hearing them again. The post Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Readi…

A program featuring contemporary stories behind the front pages, some thought provoking articles and occasional poems, plays or short stories. This month we feature Holiday stories for the season. The post Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – December 2013 appeared first on LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.…

A program featuring contemporary stories behind the front pages, some thought provoking articles and occasional poems, plays or short stories. Today’s theme: Gratitude and Thanksgiving, that sort of thing. The post Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – November 2013 appeared first on LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.…

The latest Speaking Out for the Blind podcast focuses on how the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired is expanding independent travel in the San Francisco Bay Area. The agency’s brand-new Transit Orientation Guides help riders navigate the Bay Area’s complicated transit routes. Frank Welte, staff member with the LightHouse’s Access to Inf…

A program featuring contemporary stories behind the front pages, some thought provoking articles and occasional poems, plays or short stories. Today our theme is two-fold: Seasonal and Doing Things With A Passion The post Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – September 2013 appeared first on LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.…

The long anticipated continuation to Part 1. Though thousands of people have enjoyed staying at the LightHouse’s Enchanted Hills Camp since we acquired it in 1950, one woman has had a particularly special lifelong relationship with our property. Hope Sinclair’s father bought the land in 1927 and operated a boy’s camp there for more than 20 years. H…

A program featuring contemporary stories behind the front pages, some thought provoking articles and occasional poems, plays or short stories. “Working at it with a Passion” is our theme this time. The post Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – August 2013 appeared first on LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.…

Though thousands of people have enjoyed staying at the LightHouse’s Enchanted Hills Camp since we acquired it in 1950, one woman has had a particularly special lifelong relationship with our property. Hope Sinclair’s father bought the land in 1927 and operated a boy’s camp there for more than 20 years. Hope herself spent much of her girlhood at cam…

Newsletter of the LightHouse for the Blind & Visually Impaired Employment Immersion New Hires, Superfest 2013, Enchanted Hills Camp Pool Party & Open House, New Staff BJ Epstein and Connie Conley-Jung, and more… The post LightHouse News – Summer 2013 appeared first on LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.…

A program featuring contemporary stories behind the front pages, some thought provoking articles and occasional poems, plays or short stories. The post Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – July 2013 appeared first on LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.By LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired

A program featuring contemporary stories behind the front pages, some thought provoking articles and occasional poems, plays or short stories. Today: Factory on Wheels Delivers Hope, part 3 in our survey of SF Bay Area AM commercial radio stations, and more. The post Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – June 2013 appeared first on LightHouse …

A program featuring contemporary stories behind the front pages, some thought provoking articles and occasional poems, plays or short stories. Today’s theme: Opposite ends of the spectrum. The post Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – May 2013 appeared first on LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.…

A program featuring contemporary stories behind the front pages, some thought provoking articles and occasional poems, plays or short stories. Today’s theme: Feel good tidbits to brighten your day or evening. The post Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – April 2013 appeared first on LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.…

A program featuring contemporary stories behind the front pages, some thought provoking articles and occasional poems, plays or short stories. Today’s theme: Sidebar, and the recent 50 year history of radio in the San Francisco Bay Area. The post Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – March 2013 appeared first on LightHouse for the Blind and Vi…

Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – December 2012 The post Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – December 2012 appeared first on LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.By LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – November, 2012 The post Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – November, 2012 appeared first on LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.By LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – October 2012 The post Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – October 2012 appeared first on LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.By LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired

LightHouse News – Fall 2012 The post LightHouse News – Fall 2012 appeared first on LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.By LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – September 2012 The post Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – September 2012 appeared first on LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.By LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – Jul-Aug 2012 The post Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – Jul-Aug 2012 appeared first on LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.By LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired

KQED’s Quest recently rebroadcast a feature about our 2011 Chemistry Camp, which was held at Enchanted Hills Camp. The LightHouse offered the session in collaboration with the National Federation of the Blind of California, the California Association of Blind Students and the University of California, Davis Chemistry Department. Click here to liste…

Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – May 2012 The post Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – May 2012 appeared first on LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.By LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired

LightHouse News – Spring 2012 – Apr-Jun 2012 The post LightHouse News – Spring 2012 – Apr-Jun 2012 appeared first on LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.By LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – April 2012 The post Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – April 2012 appeared first on LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.By LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – March 2012 The post Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – March 2012 appeared first on LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.By LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – February 2012 The post Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – February 2012 appeared first on LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.By LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – January 2012 The post Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – January 2012 appeared first on LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.By LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired

LightHouse News – Winter 2012 – Jan-Mar 2012 The post LightHouse News – Winter 2012 – Jan-Mar 2012 appeared first on LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.By LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – December 2011 The post Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – December 2011 appeared first on LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.By LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired

The holiday season is fast approaching, and you’re wondering what accessible gifts to get for that special visually impaired or blind friend or family member. Or maybe you have been good this year and want to buy yourself a gift. Download the podcast and hear what people have to say about: Apple TV (and all things accessible from Apple) BraillePen …

Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – November 2011 The post Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – November 2011 appeared first on LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.By LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Learn about cell phones that are accessible for the blind and visually impaired. Find out if a smartphone or a basic phone is right for you. Do you want to join the iPhone craze? Or maybe you would prefer to use the Sprint Sanyo Vero smartphone or the Verizon Haven basic phone? Assistive Technology Consultant Peter Cantisani and representatives fro…

Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – October 2011 The post Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – October 2011 appeared first on LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.By LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired

LightHouse to Offer 22 Live-Stream Hours of Intensive Employment Retreat Starting Today! To listen to the stream, simply go to: http://lbvi.staging.wpengine.com.com/listen.m3u If you missed any part of our programming, note that all the sessions are being recorded and will be made available for download through our website at http://lbvi.staging.wp…

The LightHouse Technology Seminar series continues with a discussion of applications for the Apple and Android platforms. The agenda will include a conversation about GPS for the smartphone, book reading applications, ways to stream audio and more. Guest speakers include Peter Cantisani, author of the book “Twenty-Six Useful Apps for Blind iPhone U…

If you have an Android or iPhone, come hear about the coolest accessible applications available for your phone. Tune in: via live audio stream on our website via conference call 1 (641) 715-3300. Guest code 453058# Attend in person Guest speakers include Peter Cantisani, author of the book “Twenty-Six Useful Apps for Blind iPhone Users”, Sendero Gr…

Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – August 2011 The post Bill Barker’s Braille Radio Reading Room – August 2011 appeared first on LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.By LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired