lighthouse for the blind illuminations newsletter · 2014. 11. 3. · illuminations newsletter...

Illuminations Newsletter Volume 14 October, 2014

Summer Camp students with staff and the new Lighthouse van The Lighthouse acquired an additional vehicle resulting from a proposal submitted to a local foundation for $10,000.00. Delray Motors in Delray Beach, Florida pledged to provide the vehicle and donate the balance, which ended up being an additional $10,864.00. The van came in very handy transporting summer campers on daily field trips! See page 12.

Illuminations v14 (561) 586-5600 www.lighthousepalmbeaches.org 1

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In this issue: Summer Camp 2014 with the New Lighthouse Van, Page 1 Message from Mary Allen, Director, White Cane Safety Day and Open House, Page 3 Highlights from Focus Group, Page 5 Partnership for Aging Donation, Page 6 Summer Camp 2014 Photos, Page 7 Summer Camp and Transition Program, Page 8 Rehab 101: Learning to Type, Page 9 Technology Corner: Technology Orientation, Page 11 Welcome to New Staff, Page 11 Delray Motors Donation, Page 12 2014 FTI Consulting Great Charity Challenge, Page 13 Rotary Tandem Bicycle Donation, Page 13 Lighthouse Ladies KDW Fishing Tournament, Page 14 Music for the Mind, Page 15 Book Club Update, Page 15 Sip and Shop Event, Page 16

Message from Mary Allen, Director It certainly has been an exciting and busy year! As you read the 2014 edition of the Illuminations Newsletter, you will learn about many of the wonderful programs and services provided by the Lighthouse for the Blind of the Palm Beaches. We have highlighted some of the events, functions and fundraising activities benefitting the Lighthouse.

We are grateful to our many supporters and with their help; we will continue to assist persons with vision loss in achieving their educational, vocational and personal goals.

Thank you,

Mary Allen Director of Vision Services



White Cane Safety Day and Open House

We celebrated White Cane Safety Day and also had an Open House at the Lighthouse on October 17, 2014. More than 130 people attended this event! Activities included information about this important symbol of independence, as well as how the Lighthouse helps people with visual impairments become independent. Community agencies present included the Lions Clubs, Talking Book Library, Division of Blind Services, Veterans Administration, Palm Tran Connection, Braille Club, Dog Guide Handlers, NFB, FCB, Puppy Raisers from Southeastern Guide Dogs and World Access for the Blind. Thank you to all of the participating agencies and volunteers. Pictured below from left to right: Palm Beach County Commissioner Hal R. Valeche, District 1; Lighthouse for the Blind of the Palm Beaches Director of Vision Service Mary Allen; and Lighthouse Adjustment to Blindness coordinator Cathy-Alice Koyanagi).



White Cane Safety Day and Open House 2014 Photos



Highlights from Focus Group The Focus Group is a social club for adults that meets once a month at the Lighthouse. In September, Samantha Howell with the Area Agency on Aging presented information on the SHINE Program. Valuable information concerning Medicare and health insurance coverage for seniors and the disabled was provided. The October meeting was cancelled in preparation for White Cane Awareness Day, which was attended by many of our Focus Group participants. Pictured below is a photo of Lighthouse participants holding hurricane survival kits assembled by children during our “Survivor” themed Summer Camp. The campers created a list of necessary items in the event of a hurricane. They shopped for supplies at Home Depot and the Dollar Tree. They put together survival kits to give to some of the Lighthouse adult participants. The adults then wrote a thank you letter to the Summer Campers.

Focus Group is gearing up for its annual Thanksgiving celebration which will take place on November 7, 2014 at the Lighthouse. We are looking forward to another delicious meal prepared by the Braille Club volunteers and a day of fellowship. On December 5, 2014, Focus Group will celebrate the holidays with the beautiful voices of Women of Note, an acappella



chorus. A presentation is scheduled with Tomas Boyton, Transportation Advocate regarding Palm Tran Connection’s new contract and expected changes for the coming year. Focus Group offers Lighthouse participants an opportunity to socialize, learn more about community services and benefits, and even make practical crafts! Meetings take place the first Friday of the month at the Lighthouse. If you are interested in joining, please call 561-586-5600 for details.

Partnership for Aging Donation for Time Telling Devices On August 8, 2014, Mary Allen, Director of Blind Services, for the Lighthouse for the Blind of the Palm Beaches was on hand to accept a $1000 check from the Partnership for Aging (pictured below) for talking time telling devices. “Dispensing a talking time telling device would give so many blind and visually impaired seniors increased independence,” said Allen. Mike Penn, Vice President Business Development Stable Solutions FLA, LLC, and representative for the Partnership for Aging was part of the dispensation committee. The Lighthouse was chosen for the work they do with the elderly that have vision loss or blindness. “The time telling devices will benefit the greatest number of people possible with the limited funds provided,” said Penn.



LITE Club and Transition Program 2014 The 2014 Summer Transition Program and the LITE Club Summer Camps were a tremendous success! Our enrollment in both programs doubled since last summer. The ‘Ready to Work’ Transition participants had paid work experiences and they learned other valuable life skills. They also experienced ‘college week’ where they stayed in dorm like hotels, learned about budgeting, shopped and cooked their meals, visited area colleges, received travel training in commercial areas, rode the Tri Rail, etc. The LITE Club Summer Camp for the younger kids also addresses important life skills, along with great fun and activities. Both camps are for participants in our five county area. The Transition group went to the Brevard Zoo in October to kayak and explore the zoo. They fed giraffes and learned about many animals. Most of all, they had a blast together. Pictures shown below:



Rehab 101

Do you have independent living skills questions? Our Vision Rehabilitation Therapists; Diane, Genie and Amanda (Pictured above from left to right) are ready to provide answers. We encourage Illumination readers to submit questions by email, phone or mail. We will respond to your questions in our newsletter. We will provide advice to you about adaptations, aids and appliances, technology, as well as creative and innovative solutions for daily living. Please send questions to: [email protected].

Four Things to Keep In Mind As You Learn To Type! Are you learning to type? Are you doing this at home or through the keyboarding classes offered at the Lighthouse? Whichever way you are learning, here are 4 things to keep in mind which will help you.

The right mindset plays a part in how quickly you learn, how much information you are able to take in and how you look at your errors. Are you learning to type because you want to or because someone said it was a good idea? Did you set a time frame in which you want to master typing; or are you just moseying along? Do you get frustrated when you make errors, or do you look at the errors as an opportunity to improve? Do you try to develop sentences using the letters you are weak at locating? People who set goals and time frames to reach their goals, learn because they want to. It is important to look at mistakes as an opportunity to improve.

Your technique matters. Do you use the touch typing technique or are you trying to type with only 1 or 2 fingers? With the touch typing technique each key has a certain finger that should be used to hit the key. Using the



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proper technique will make learning to type much easier and will help increase your typing speed. Explore touch typing technique programs or call the Lighthouse if you are interested in training.

Check your posture. Are your feet flat on the floor? Are you sitting up straight with your back against the back of the chair? Are your arms properly supported by the table and your wrists resting on a wrist support cushion? Is your head resting back on the chair? Posture is often overlooked when it comes to learning to type. Poor posture takes a toll on your muscles, and can affect your energy levels and accuracy as well. Good posture will keep up your energy levels and also allow your fingers to rest in the correct position. Keeping the correct posture allows you to type faster, more accurately and will help prevent injury. Wrist support cushions can be purchased at any office supply store and really do make a difference in how your hands feel. Practice, practice and more practice! Touch typing is about mind and finger memory skills, which means that you will need time to adjust to the techniques that you are learning. The best and quickest way to do this is through repetition. Doing the same exercise over and over again will ingrain those techniques into your mind and your fingers. As you learn new key locations try to develop, memorize and type sentences using those new keys. Type them at least 3 times each perfectly before moving onto the next new keys. If you do this, your next lesson will be easier since lessons are usually built upon the techniques taught in the previous lessons. So the next time you sit down at your computer please think about these 4 things and hopefully you will not only feel physically and mentally better but you will see a vast improvement in your typing skills. By: Amanda Cary, CVRT, Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapist



Technology Corner: Technology Orientation Seminar Are you or someone you know interested in learning more about using computers, smart phones or other accessible devices, but not sure where to start? The technology orientation is available to people with visual impairments who are interested in learning about accessible computing technologies. If you are interested to know options for accessible computing, then this orientation is for you! This is a group overview and it is the first step towards gaining technological independence. Please contact the Lighthouse to enroll for this or any other services. Pictured below are participants and guide dogs from the White Cane Day 2014 Event along with Anne Hatton, Technology Training Specialist in the Lighthouse Computer Lab.

Welcome to New Staff The Lighthouse for the Blind of the Palm Beaches welcomes staff members Marci Marcotte, JoAnne Chalom and Mark Gracey to the team. Marci Marcotte is working with our LITE Club children's program and transition program. JoAnne Chalom is a certified orientation and mobility specialist. Mark Gracey recently joined the team as a full-time Technology Training Specialist. Illuminations v14 (561) 586-5600 www.lighthousepalmbeaches.org 11


Delray Motors Donation for a Lighthouse Van Continued from page 1: On June 13th, Delray Motors, presented a check towards the purchase of a van to transport Lighthouse clients. (Pictured below: Left to right: Roy T. Young (Delray Motors), Mary Allen (Lighthouse Director), Marvin Tanck (Lighthouse President & CEO).

Following the check presentation of $10,864.81 from Delray Motors, Inc., to Lighthouse for the Blind of the Palm Beaches, Inc., Roy T. Young, President of Delray Motors, who is blind, received a lesson on how to use the accessibility features of the iPhone from Lighthouse Technology Training Specialist, Anne Hatton. (Pictured below: Anne Hatton instructs Roy T. Young).



2014 FTI Consulting Great Charity Challenge On February 3, 2014, the Lighthouse for the Blind of the Palm Beaches was awarded $100,000 for 4th place in the 2014 FTI Consulting Great Charity Challenge. Participants and staff sat on pins and needles awaiting their assigned equine trio to perform their jumps faster and more accurate then the team before. Everyone's heart skipped a beat when the last rider clipped the rail, but not before securing $100,000 for the Lighthouse. Congratulations to the Lighthouse and all of the lucky and deserving charities that benefited from the generosity of corporate sponsorship that raised $2.25 million dollars.

Rotary Tandem Bicycle Donation Congratulations to Kaitlyn Deverson, recipient of a brand new tandem bicycle, courtesy of the Rotary Club of West Palm Beach. Special thanks to Rotary member Kathi Kretzer for encouraging the club to provide a bicycle to a Lighthouse for the Blind of the Palm Beaches participant. Thanks to the twin design of the bicycle, Kaitlyn will now be able to enjoy the wind in her hair with a riding partner! (Pictured below from left to right: Kathi Kretzer, Ann Marie Deverson, Kaitlyn Deverson, Jennifer Breitinger).



Lighthouse Ladies KDW Fishing Tournament The 4th annual Lighthouse Ladies KDW Fishing Tournament, presented by Stingray Tackle, held on June 7, 2014, raised $17,061.00. Pictured below are tournament committee members and a picture of the awards party.

For more information: www.lighthousefishing.com.



http://www.lighthousefishing.com/

Music for the Mind The 3rd annual Music for the Mind concert, featuring David Crohan, was held at the Harriet Himmel Theater in West Palm Beach, FL on March 18, 2014. This year’s theme was “Beethoven and the Beatles”. The concert was presented by Kretzer Piano and was sponsored by NCCI (National Council on Compensation Insurance).

Book Club Update The Lighthouse Book Club continues to grow. Our main meeting is at the Lighthouse on the third Friday each month from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. We discuss a book we have all read in a digital format on a cartridge or downloaded from BARD. We have some new members and welcome other fellow book enthusiasts. In November we will have a potluck luncheon along with members from the Boot Up Club (Computer Club). RSVP’s are a must. Additional growth has occurred in the north counties. We have another Book Club that meets the fourth Thursday at the north branch of the Indian River Library in Sebastian from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Due to upcoming holiday conflicts, the Sebastian meetings will be adjusted to the third Thursday of November and December. At each location, books are chosen by the members and vary each month from light fluffy reading to deep philosophical studies; from modern best sellers to classic favorites; fiction and non-fiction. Some selections are short and some are long, but all generate a fascinating discussion each month. Please call the Lighthouse if you have questions or need more information. Illuminations v14 (561) 586-5600 www.lighthousepalmbeaches.org 15


Sip and Shop On April 22, 2014, J. McLaughlin, Palm Beach, hosted a special "Sip & Shop" experience. Customers enjoyed refreshments as they shopped and 15% of sales benefited the Lighthouse for the Blind of the Palm Beaches. (Pictured below from left to right: Page Ferrell and Allen Preston, Lighthouse Board Members, along with their guide dogs).

Please consider making a donation to the Lighthouse. For information, please contact us at 561-586-5600, [email protected], or go to www.lighthousepalmbeaches.org.

Illuminations is a publication from the Lighthouse for the Blind of the Palm Beaches. It is edited by Rachael Trinkowsky and Mary Allen.



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lighthouse for the blind illuminations newsletter · 2014. 11. 3. · illuminations newsletter...

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