Lighthouse For The Blind Chicago

‘every Day Is Something Different’: Chicago Lighthouse Call Center Gives The Visually Impaired A Job Chance To Serve The Community

EDITOR’S NOTE: Computer screens shown in this story contained training materials. No actual patient screens were viewed.

CHICAGO — On Chicago’s Near West Side, at the headquarters of one well-known non profit group, there is a lot of activity — and a lot of happiness.

People who once wondered what they would do for work, today have good jobs and are contributing to their community. As CBS 2’s Jim Williams shows us, perhaps you talked to them on the phone and didn’t know it.

Michael Hansen had a big question when he was younger:

“How I was going to be gainfully employed as a person who was blind or visually impaired?” he said.

Blind since birth, Hansen feared the odds were not in his favor.

“The statistics for unemployment for people who are blind or visually impaired, able-bodied people who are blind and visually impaired, without any other disabilities, is somewhere between 70% and 80%,” he said.

But today, Hansen is not only gainfully employed, he loves his job and his co-workers.

“I’m able to contribute. It’s something to do every day. It’s income,” Hansen said. “The second is I get to help people. I get to help the patients who are on my phone.”

Working at a call center, run by Chicago Lighthouse, the longtime non-profit which serves the blind and visually-impaired.

Employees, like Keianna Parker, master this technology to do their jobs.

Take A Virtual Tour Of Our Seattle Facility

While our individual and school tours have been cancelled for the meantime, we invite you to visit our corporate headquarters and manufacturing facility in Seattle with this JAWS audio-described video tour!

2501 S. Plum Street | Seattle, WA 98144Fax: 329-3397

Our Mission:We empower people who are blind, DeafBlind, and blind with other disabilities by creating diverse, sustainable, and meaningful employment opportunities.

Quality Objectives:The quality objectives have been established to define, describe and ensure that the Business Management Policy is fulfilled. The Lighthouse establishes specific annual quality objectives designed to continually improve customer satisfaction through the improvement of the Business Management System. Actual Objectives are defined in the BMS Review Meeting.

Chicago Lighthouse Industries And China

Chicago Lighthouse Industries is a manufacturing facility that employs people who are blind or visually impaired. It has grown from a workshop environment in the early years to a professional manufacturer in the last three decades.

The Chicago Lighthouse was awarded a contract with the Federal Government in 1977 to produce wall clocks. A year later, Chicago Lighthouse Industries was officially initiated. The wall clocks are sold to several departments of the Federal Government, including the Department of Defense, and to and through various commercial entities.

On February 2, 2005, The Chicago Lighthouse was featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal. The article by Michael J. McCarthy covered how the Lighthouse Industries was coping with competition from foreign countries like China.

“The clock is ticking for The Chicago Lighthouse,” writes McCarthy, “which faces heavy new competition from China. In the past four years, U.S. imports of wall clocks — most of them from China — have increased by 24%, totaling $121 million in 2003.”

“But China isn’t cleaning Chicago Lighthouse’s clock just yet,” adds McCarthy. “The company’s sales have actually crept up a bit in recent years amid a push to make its clocks available to corporations and the general public.”

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The Chicago Lighthouse Company Rankings

The Chicago Lighthouse is ranked #31 on the Best Hospitality Companies to Work For in Illinois list. Zippia’s Best Places to Work lists provide unbiased, data-based evaluations of companies. Rankings are based on government and proprietary data on salaries, company financial health, and employee diversity.

The Chicago Lighthouse Store Is An Adaptive Technology Resource Center For The Blind Visually Impaired And Disabled

Framework

The Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind store was conceived as an adaptive technology resource center for the blind, visually impaired, and disabled. The flagship store, for the newly renovated Lighthouse complex would showcase products that can improve the quality of life for its target population.

Design Solution

The store contained specialized products to meet the low vision needs of the customer. Special attention was given to the display fixtures such as high-contrast colors for the background surfaces to maximize the product silhouettes for the visually impaired. Focused and descriptive signage was geared to meet the low vision needs, along with braille symbols allowing the target audience to familiarize themselves with the products. Informational murals describe the valuable work being performed at their production facilities. The flooring offers high-contrast navigational paths so customers can easily traverse the accessible store interior.

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Roadshows Are Temporarily On Hold Due To Covid

ABOUT THE ROADSHOW: The Low Vision Products Road Show welcomes the public to experience state of the art technology such as CCTVs, portable reading devices, GPS, and many more including independent living aids, lighting, and much sunwear. Test each product and receive training from our expert staff who can advise on the right tools to improve your daily life. Absolutely free! Everyone is invited and can come at anytime between 10:30 am 3 pm. Chicago Lighthouse staff will demonstrate, explain, and let you try the variety of products available for help with school, work, or daily life.

• Independent Living talking clocks & watches, kitchen items, large button phones, and sunglasses of all types including the new fit-over models.
• Computer Aids Large print keyboards, accessibility software for magnification or speech, new speech to text dictation programs.
• Technology Reading devices such as the new Prodigi from Humanware that magnifies and even reads text aloud. Portable and hand-held video magnifiers, from 2x to 20x, to read and write anywhere!

Please note, we are not able to sell a magnifying glass at Low Vision Shows.

For information or more details about future shows call 1-800-919-3375 or email luke.scriven@chicagolighthouse.org.

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The Chicago Lighthouse For People Who Are Blind Or Visually Impaired

Category:Phone number:Location:* this business has multiple locationsNearest Transportation Stop:Disability Aware Features:

• Hires or would like to hire qualified individuals with disabilities
• Offer products or services for people with disabilities
• Physically accessible
• Volunteer opportunities for people with disabilities
• Website is 508 Compatible or Accessible for Assistive Technology

Disability Awareness:

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Chicago Lighthouse For People Who Are Blind Or Visually Impaired

The Chicago Lighthouse is well regarded nationally as a model agency for the wide range of programs provided to make a comprehensive, wrap-around menu of services that address an individual’s changing needs across a lifetime. Through world-class programs in rehabilitation, education, employment and independent living, we improve the quality of life for individuals of all ages every single day.

Eligibility Requirements: Persons who are blind or visually impaired.

Housed under our roof are the nation’s oldest and most prominent Low Vision Clinic one of the few clock manufacturing facilities left in the U.S. in which our visually impaired workers produce clocks that are distributed around the world a nationally acclaimed school for children with multi-disabilities an innovative Legal Clinic to assist people who are blind in combating discrimination and a VA program to assist veterans in all 50 states.

Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.

Chicago Lighthouse For The Blind

Notes

The Chicago Lighthouse works as an advocate through its comprehensive range of programs and direct services for children, youth and adults who are blind or visually impaired. The programs provide a spectrum of needs to achieve independence such as employment, education, orientation and mobility and clinical services. The Lighthouse goal is to provide jobs, choices and opportunities, enabling increased independence and self-sufficiency.

Established in 1906, The Lighthouse has evolved from providing basic food, clothing and shelter assistance into a premier advocate for individuals who are blind or visually impaired, providing avenues for independence.

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Blind Man’s Favorite Activity At Chicago Lighthouse Was Suspended Due To Covid

May 25, 2021 / 7:30 AM / CBS Chicago

CHICAGO — Tough money choices caused by the pandemic are having real impacts on real people. One woman reached out to CBS 2 about a shuttered service that helped her brother, who is blind.

Morning Insider Lauren Victory shares what’s behind the loss of a beloved, one-of-a-kind program.

Michael Thomas is content sorting beads, but you can find his true happiness at Chicago Lighthouse where he’s participated in an adult day program for the legally blind and developmentally disabled since 1996.

“We like to write things down, hang with each other,” said Michael of the friends he’s made there.

He also enjoys his job as a janitor.

“I do garbage. Sometimes my friends, like Tommy, ain’t there and my mom don’t know, but I take the elevator by myself to go upstairs to do that garbage,” said Michael, who is 46 years old.

The program gives him purpose and gives mom Gladys Thomas, rest.

“I’ll be 73 years old in July. I enjoy that free time,” said Gladys, who has filled the last 14 months with walks and other attempts to entertain her adult son.

The pandemic forced the Chicago Lighthouse adult day program to temporarily shut down for safety.

“Here we’re thinking, once most of them get vaccinated, they’re gonna open back up, and here we get this letter,” Gladys said.

The letter announced her son’s favorite daytime activity is cancelled for good “due to unanticipated outcomes.”

The question is: when? For now, it’s a one-of-a-kind loss.

Chicago Lighthouse For The Blind Jobs

relevancedate

• Remote in Chicago, IL 60612$17.00 – $19.50 an hourFull-time

• STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Call Center Agent will be responsible for providing high quality customer service assistance to inbound callers utilizing Illinois

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Bsc Supporting Offices And Warehouse Facilities

JBLM eExpress/Web Fulfillment

Bldg 2069 N Division STFort Lewis, WA 98433Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA, 98433-9500

Toll Free: 206-436-2258

The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc.3655 Pacific Hwy Ste BSan Diego, CA 92101

Toll Free: 914-7307

5303 Martin Road, Ofc 3322Redstone Arsenal, AL 35898

Fax: 329-3397

Our Mission:We empower people who are blind, DeafBlind, and blind with other disabilities by creating diverse, sustainable, and meaningful employment opportunities.

Quality Objectives:The quality objectives have been established to define, describe and ensure that the Business Management Policy is fulfilled. The Lighthouse establishes specific annual quality objectives designed to continually improve customer satisfaction through the improvement of the Business Management System. Actual Objectives are defined in the BMS Review Meeting.

Lighthouse Low Visionservices And Clinic

We have expanded our programs to enhance services for the Low Vision Community: Lighthouse Low Vision Rehabilitation Services, Low Vision Clinic, and our Low Vision Store.

Our Low Vision Store is not open for in-person visits, but store orders can be placed over the phone. Please call 436-2229 for inquiries.

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• The Chicago Lighthouse

Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of The Chicago Lighthouse, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about The Chicago Lighthouse. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at The Chicago Lighthouse. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by The Chicago Lighthouse. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of The Chicago Lighthouse and its employees or that of Zippia.

Abilityone Base Supply Centers

China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station, CA

Address:China Lake Naval Air Warfare CenterBldg. 1202 Blandy Ave., Room 1China Lake, CA 93555

Monday Friday 7:30 a.m. 4:00 p.m.

Main: 446-3051

Fallon Naval Air Station Fallon, NV

Address:4755 Pasture Rd., Bldg. 8Fallon, NV 89406

Monday Friday 7:30 a.m. 4:00 p.m.

Main: 426-2587

Ft Irwin Ft Irwin, CA

Address:

Monday Friday 8:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m.

Main: 386-4100

Fort Lewis Main Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA

Address:Fort Lewis, WA 98433

**Store is currently open, even though the parking lot is under construction.**

Monday Friday 9:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m.

Main: 393-2838

McChord Field Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA

Address:McChord AFB, WA 98438

Monday Friday 8:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m.

Main: 588-3535

North Fort Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA

Address:Fort Lewis, WA 98433

Monday Friday 9:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m.

Main: 212-3740

San Diego CA 92135

Phone: 914-7307

Pt. Loma San Diego, CA

Address:3655 Pacific Highway Ste BSan Diego, CA 92101

Monday Friday 9:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m.

Main: 501-3999

Seattle Coast Guard Seattle, WA

Address:AbilityOne Base Supply Center Seattle Coast Guard1519 Alaskan Way S

Monday Friday 7:00 a.m. 3:30 p.m.

Main: 973-4010

Naval Station Ventura County Port Hueneme, CA

Address:AbilityOne Base Supply Center Naval Station Ventura CountyBldg. 345Port Hueneme, CA 93042

Main: 619-241-4223

Naval Base San Diego Transportation San Diego, CA

Main: 378-4997

Hours: 6:00 AM 3:00 PM M-F

Address:

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Your Support Helps Change Lives

About The Chicago Lighthouse

The Chicago Lighthouse is a world-renowned social service organization serving the blind, visually impaired, disabled and Veteran communities with comprehensive vision care and support services. We offer 40 unique programs and services that help our clients optimize remaining vision, meet developmental and educational milestones, find employment and lead more independent lives.

Visit our website to learn more about our comprehensive offerings. Sign up for our newsletter for information about upcoming events and ways to get involved.

Become a Donor

Donors play a critical role in our community of care. Through the support of generous donors just like you, we serve 50,000 individuals annually. Help us continue to improve the quality of life for patients, clients and their families by making a donation online today!

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