[il-talk] Fw: Article from Chicago Tribune News 2012 04 01

[Don Gillmore]

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From: NFB-NEWSLINE Online 
To: Donald Gillmore 
Sent: Sunday, April 01, 2012 9:00 AM
Subject: Article from Chicago Tribune News 2012 04 01


Chicago Lighthouse expands its reach. By Jeff Danna, Tribune reporter. A century-old Chicago institution for people with visual impairments has made Glenview its second home. . The Chicago Lighthouse officially opened the doors of its first suburban facility in January, but the nonprofit is scheduled to dedicate the new location this month. We've always wanted to expand," said Janet Szlyk, Lighthouse president and executive director. Founded in 1906, The Chicago Lighthouse has long called the city home while serving people from across the Chicago region. Thanks to a grant from the North Suburban Healthcare Foundation, the agency was able to open its Glenview facility in hopes of expanding its reach even farther. We decided we wanted to do something that would be meaningful in our community," said Beverley Kroll, foundation chairwoman. One key demographic the Lighthouse hopes to serve through its new location is the elderly, Szlyk said. As the population of the north suburbs ages, so could the number of people with vision impairments, she said. At the other end of the spectrum are younger people who statistically don't suffer vision loss to the same extent. But they might be looking for a little extra help getting through daily tasks like reading text on computer screens. Szlyk calls it "optimizing your sight. Like its city location, the Glenview Lighthouse will sell adaptive technology designed to aid people with low vision. The center will also offer many of the organization's other services, like psychological counseling, programs for children and seniors, and free legal aid for people dealing with issues like discrimination and personal injury claims. Szlyk said the Lighthouse's comprehensive model of care is somewhat unusual among groups serving the vision-impaired. In other places, people who are diagnosed with visual impairments would need to see multiple agencies to get the same care that many Lighthouse clients can get under one roof. That's what's really tough for people diagnosed with vision problems," Szlyk said. You have to find your way and navigate and try to pull a program together for yourself. Kroll said she has been impressed with The Chicago Lighthouse since her days as chairwoman of the board at the former Rush North Shore Hospital. The Chicago Lighthouse operated a program at the hospital, and she said she saw a lot of good come from it. When patients would read something, they would have tears in their eyes. They were so pleased," Kroll said. Last year, The Chicago Lighthouse served 77,000 people, Szlyk said. With the opening of the Glenview facility, officials hope to serve at least 28,000 more. Open houses to dedicate the new facility are scheduled for April 12 and April 15 at 222 Waukegan Road, Glenview. Guests must RSVP by calling 847-510-2055. For a schedule of events, go to chicagolighthouse.org/north. ---------- jdanna at tribune.com ct12 0067 120401 N S 0000000000 00003743. This article is provided to you as a courtesy of NFB-NEWSLINE® Online for your sole use. The content of this E-mail is protected under copyright law, and is not to be distributed in any manner to others; infringement of our non-dissemination agreement is strictly prohibited. Allowing someone to have access to this material is in violation of the Terms of Use agreement that you electronically signed when you signed up for NFB-NEWSLINE® Online. Please do not forward this E-mail or its attachments to any other person or disseminate it in any manner. Thank you. The NFB-NEWSLINE® Team.