Winter 2005

Gina Lewis at work making canteens

4:30 a.m. Gina Lewis starts her day getting ready to commute to her job as a production worker at the Seattle Lighthouse. She packs her breakfast, picks up her cane, and heads out to meet the transit van she’s called for.

“I take ACCESS transportation to work,” she explains. ACCESS is a paratransit program offered through King County Metro Transit under the Americans with Disabilities Act. “I use both ACCESS and buses,” she continues. “As I’ve lived my life over the years, I’ve realized that independence isn’t only taking buses. Independence is being able to make my own choice.”

Gina was born blind due to retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). An only child, she grew up in Tacoma where she attended public school. “I went to the public school system in Tacoma. In my fifth grade year, I started attending schools with the support of itinerant Braille teachers,” she recalls.

After graduating from Lincoln high school in 1972, Gina went to the Washington State Department of Services for the Blind (DSB) to learn independent living skills. She spent ten months there learning Braille skills, orientation and mobility, cooking, and other daily living skills. After her time at DSB, Gina arrived at the Lighthouse for the first time.

“I worked as a summer student at the Lighthouse,” she remembers. “After I left the Lighthouse, I attended Olympia Vocational Technical Institute. I went down there for their medical transcription program. I completed my associate’s degree as a medical assistant secretary.” Gina worked as a receptionist in educational school district 121 and briefly in phone sales before returning to the Lighthouse in 1978.

“For me, personally, this seems to be a place where I fit,” Gina says of the Lighthouse. “Working at the Lighthouse gives me a good reason to get up and out of the house.” Gina works in the production area making quality products such as canteens and mops for the federal government. She also sits on our Safety Committee. “We do whatever we can to make the Lighthouse a safe place to work. We’ve been able to accomplish a lot in the time I’ve been there.”

Besides working at the Lighthouse, Gina owns her own business. “I am the owner of Heart and Soul Braille and Taping,” she says. “I’ve Brailled the Lighthouse newsletter. I’ve Brailled church-oriented material and material for children’s centers. I’m working on something for the Seattle Aquarium.”

After work, Gina travels back home on either ACCESS or the bus. “I use my orientation and mobility skills wherever I go.” At home, she has an array of technology. “I have a computer at home with JAWS for Windows.” JAWS, which stands for Job Access with Speech, is a screen-reading program that voices the words on the computer screen. “I have an OPENBook scanner and a Duxbury Braille program, an Index D Braille embosser, and a print printer.”

An avid reader, she is also a Discovery Channel and radio enthusiast. “The last couple of years, I have really gotten into listening to the radio on the computer.” She loves using the computer to talk to other people. “I like to voice chat. With voice chat, I can talk to people all over the world. It’s a place where a whole lot of blind people hang out. It’s like having a whole bunch of people in my living room.”

Gina’s talents include musical ability and public speaking. “I play a lot of violin and the soprano recorder. I play at my church Monday and Wednesday evenings.” Gina also plays an integral role in the Seattle Lighthouse chapter of Toastmasters.

“I am vice president of public relations in Toastmasters,” she explains. “I get to talk about the Toastmasters club I belong to. Part of my job is talking to the media.” Gina plans to compete in upcoming Toastmasters competitions. “Someone will call on you and ask questions. It’s a way for people to learn to think on their feet. You have to say whatever comes to mind...I like the challenge.”

Gina also enjoys going to restaurants and good food. “I do some of my own cooking,” she declares. “My favorite thing to make is casseroles. I like to throw things together and see how they turn out. I like to visualize how it will taste and go from there.” She adds with a grin, “I bought a George Foreman grill and that has really revolutionized my cooking. One of the skills I learned in DSB is when you’re browning meat you time it and use your sense of smell.”

She uses different resources to take care of household chores and bill paying. “I have a friend help me read my mail. Sometimes I ask for things to be emailed. If it’s printed, I can scan it.” She uses the phone to pay bills. “That gives me a lot more control over what comes out of my bank account.”

While Gina uses many different resources in her daily life, she feels the key to independence is determining what options are best for her. She is a fervent advocate for choice in living independently. “Independence to me is when I can make my own choice and not worry about the way someone else says I have to do it.”

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