Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind (CLB) is an organization founded to help the blind or visually impaired population of the greater Washington, D.C., region, including the deafblind community, deal with the challenges of vision loss. The goal of CLB is to try to help people who are blind or visually impaired to remain independent, active and productive in society.
Since 1900, Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind has aimed to help the blind or visually impaired population of the greater Washington region to deal with the challenges of vision loss. [1] Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind was founded on May 17, 1900, by Francis R. Cleveland, an attorney from Connecticut, and H. R. W. Miles, a graduate of the Perkins Institute for the Blind, in an effort to establish a presence for the blind community in the U.S. Capital.
Since 2005 Tony Cancelosi serves as president and CEO. [2]
Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind's programs and services include training and consultation in assistive technology, employment marketing, skills training, career placement services, low vision care, and counseling and rehabilitation services. [3]
CLB provides programs and services to people of all ages who are blind or visually impaired, regardless of their ability to pay. Programs include children's services, independent living and older adult programs. CLB provides services to the more than 20,000 blind and low vision individuals in the Washington metropolitan area. [4] In 2006, CLB's assistive technology staff trained more than 400 people in 83 cities across the United States in the use of assistive technology.
Eleven government contracts are managed by CLB and employs also blind members of greater D.C. [5]
Specific programs offered by CLB include:
On September 10, 2011, CLB held its first annual Light the Way 5K, which was a fundraising event to raise funds to support their programs and services [11] The event was held at Nationals Park and opening remarks were given by Washington, D.C. council members Tommy Wells and Mary Cheh as well as Mark Lerner, principal owner of the Washington Nationals. [12] The event attracted over 600 walking or running participants including participants who were blind and were accompanied by a sighted guide. [13]
The second annual Light the Way 5K was held on September 29, 2012, once again at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. [14] Major sponsors of the event included Safeway [15] and the Washington Nationals. [16] The third annual Light the Way 5K was held on September 28, 2013, [17] with the introduction of a kids' race on the warning track led by Screech covering the area the Presidents Race.
On May 10, 2013, CLB held its first annual Shot in the Dark Golf & Dinner Classic. [18] The event was held at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Maryland, and included a 9-hole night golf tournament with glow in the dark golf balls. Prior to golf and dinner, there was a golf workshop for blind golfers led by champion blind golfers, Bruce Hooper, Phil Blackwell, and Mario Tobia. During dinner, Steve Buckhantz and Andy Pollin hosted the entertainment which included stand-up comedians and musical acts. [19]
Audio description, (AD) also referred to as a video description, described video, or more precisely visual description, is a form of narration used to provide information surrounding key visual elements in a media work for the benefit of blind and visually impaired consumers. These narrations are typically placed during natural pauses in the audio, and sometimes overlap dialogue if deemed necessary. Occasionally when a film briefly has subtitled dialogue in a different language, such as Greedo's confrontation with Han Solo in the 1977 film Star Wars: A New Hope, the narrator will read out the dialogue in character.
CLB may refer to:
TheChicago Lighthouse is a non-profit organization located in Chicago, Illinois.
Skilcraft, often stylized as SKILCRAFT, is the registered trade name of the National Industries for the Blind (NIB). Products made by Skilcraft are created largely by visually impaired or severely disabled individuals. Products bearing the Skilcraft brand are commonly used in United States federal government institutions, including the United States Postal Service. They are also commonly sold in U.S. military base exchanges and commissaries.
The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) is an American non-profit organization for people with vision loss. AFB's objectives include conducting research to advance change, promoting knowledge and understanding, and shaping policies and practices.
Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment, is a medical definition primarily measured based on an individual's better eye visual acuity; in the absence of treatment such as corrective eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment– visual impairment may cause the individual difficulties with normal daily tasks including reading and walking. Low vision is a functional definition of visual impairment that is chronic, uncorrectable with treatment or conventional corrective lenses, and impacts daily living. As such low vision can be used as a disability metric and varies based on an individual's experience, environmental demands, accommodations, and access to services. The American Academy of Ophthalmology defines visual impairment as the best-corrected visual acuity of less than 20/40 in the better eye, and the World Health Organization defines it as a presenting acuity of less than 6/12 in the better eye. The term blindness is used for complete or nearly complete vision loss. In addition to the various permanent conditions, fleeting temporary vision impairment, amaurosis fugax, may occur, and may indicate serious medical problems. The abbreviation VIP is sometimes used for Visually Impaired Person, Persons or People.
A sighted child who is reading at a basic level should be able to understand common words and answer simple questions about the information presented. They should also have enough fluency to get through the material in a timely manner. Over the course of a child's education, these foundations are built on to teach higher levels of math, science, and comprehension skills. Children who are blind not only have the education disadvantage of not being able to see: they also miss out on the very fundamental parts of early and advanced education if not provided with the necessary tools.
Christian Record Services for the Blind is a non-profit organization that serves people who are legally blind and visually impaired. "Christian Record Services for the Blind is an international organization serving blind and visually impaired individuals in approximately 70 countries worldwide and employs about 15 people." It is a ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church but services blind people regardless of beliefs.
The Lighthouse of Houston is a private, non-profit education and service center dedicated to assisting blind and visually impaired people in the Houston, Texas metropolitan area to live independently. The Lighthouse serves approximately 9,000 people each year and is a member agency of the United Way of Greater Houston.
The Cleveland Sight Center (CSC) is a non-profit organization that provides services to individuals who are blind or visually impaired. Founded in 1906, it is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) and serves around 10,000 clients annually in Northeast Ohio. The organization also has radio-reading and community outreach programs that benefit a larger number of individuals.
B1 is a medical-based Paralympic classification for blind sport. Athletes in this classification are totally or almost totally blind. It is used by a number of blind sports including blind tennis, para-alpine skiing, para-Nordic skiing, blind cricket, blind golf, five-a-side football, goalball and judo. Some other sports, including adaptive rowing, athletics and swimming, have equivalents to this class.
Disability golf classification is used for deaf golf, blind golf, amputee golf, golf for mentally disabled people, paraplegic golf and other forms of golf involving people with disabilities.
Lighthouse Guild is an American charitable organization, based in New York City, devoted to vision rehabilitation and advocacy for the blind. Its mission statement is "To overcome vision impairment for people of all ages through worldwide leadership in rehabilitation services, education, research, prevention and advocacy."
Dark dining is the act of eating a meal without seeing the food that is being eaten. The basic concept is that the removal of vision enhances the other senses and increases gastronomic pleasure. Since 1999, specialised dark restaurants have opened in many parts of the world.
OrCam devices such as OrCam MyEye are portable, artificial vision devices that allow visually impaired people to understand text and identify objects through audio feedback, describing what they are unable to see.
The LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired is a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization, and is the oldest and largest of its kind in Northern California.
Sally Rogow was an American educator who developed programs to assist other teachers in schooling the visually impaired. After completing her education with a bachelor's and two master's degrees in the United States, as well as a teaching stint at the Michigan School for the Blind, Rogow moved to Canada where she earned a doctorate in special education. She was hired by the University of British Columbia to develop a normal school program for educators of those with multiple handicaps or visual impairment. Launching the program in 1971, Rogow directed it until 1995, publishing numerous works on teaching people with disabilities.
Anne Lesley Corn is an American educator, author, researcher, and advocate for those with low vision or blindness. Corn herself has low vision—she is legally blind—and her personal experience has informed and inspired her research and advocacy.
George Wurtzel is an American artist, craftsman, and blind woodworking instructor. He has taught classes in woodworking at the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired's Enchanted Hills Camp in Napa County, California and owned a furniture studio in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with a new shop set to open in 2019 in Greeneville, Tennessee.
Judy Castle Scott is an advocate and activist known for her work to improve the living conditions of the visually impaired. Blind herself, she worked for several public and private organizations dedicated to the cause, and served as the director of the American Foundation for the Blind, retiring in 2015. Over the course of her career, Scott has been the recipient of various accolades, including being inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame.