Fall 2006

George Jacobson, President Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind

One of the foundations of self-sufficiency is the ability to access gainful employment and a meaningful career. Today, the Seattle Lighthouse team is working together to create new skilled employment opportunities for career advancement.

The first part of fulfilling our mission is creating more jobs at the Lighthouse open to blind and Deaf-Blind individuals. In the last year, we have added nineteen blind and Deaf-Blind staff to our roster. Today, the Lighthouse employs over one hundred and seventy people who are blind, Deaf-Blind, and blind with other disabilities. In the year ahead, we intend to add even more.

One of the unique things about the Seattle Lighthouse is the diversity of our population --- here, people who are blind, Deaf-Blind, sighted, hearing, Deaf, and developmentally disabled all work together. This diverse population directly translates to the need for diverse communication modes and supports. Ensuring each new employee’s unique needs are met is a key part of growing job opportunities here.

When an employee first comes on board, we have staff on hand to support them as they orient themselves to the Lighthouse. This can include blindness awareness trainings for sighted staff, assistive technology assessment and equipment, Deaf-Blind job support, interpreting services, job coaches for supported employees, and human resources staff support for all employees.

As we increase the number of job opportunities at the Lighthouse, we also work to build the foundations for upward mobility. Our goal is to increase opportunities for blind and Deaf-Blind people to develop skills and have the chance to advance their careers --- whether in skilled machine shop work, information technology, program coordination, skills instruction, or management.

We currently employ twenty-two blind and Deaf-Blind individuals in administrative, technical, and supervisory positions such as human resources coordinator, general manager of administration, IT business analyst, e-commerce coordinator, government affairs specialist, and independent living skills instructor. This is a great start, and we hope to provide even more opportunities for career advancement in the future.

In this edition of Horizons, you will learn about some of the training programs and supports that are helping to advance people with visual disabilities.

As always, we want to thank the generous and dedicated people in our community who are supporting the Lighthouse in growing new opportunities for people with visual disabilities. Your support is making more skilled jobs available to individuals who are blind and Deaf-Blind with each passing year.

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