[NFBJ] FW: Lighthouse newsletter and 2 personal articles

Sun Dec 18 01:52:22 UTC 2022

Hi all,

I’m not sure I ever-or at least recently-forwarded this monthly newsletter from the Lighthouse (see below). Hope some of you find it interesting or helpful. Also, attached please find a recent interview I had with the Bina magazine and an excerpt of a memoir Lauren Lieberman wrote which talks about our Shabbaton/Kosher Camp Abilities 3 years ago. Let’s hope we get to do another one some time in the near future…

Enjoy and a freilichin Chanukah!

From: Lighthouse Guild Family Support <familysupport at lighthouseguild.org> 
Sent: Friday, December 16, 2022 10:31 AM
To: Rachel Bodek <rybodek at gmail.com>
Subject: Family Support Network December News Brief

 <https://lighthouseguild.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0498dc09f619cf957587ebb7f&id=f3c5efa88a&e=f912e9e9b8> 

December 2022

Happy New Year from Lighthouse Guild!

As you continue preparing for the holidays and planning winter break activities, we hope you have a chance to relax and spend some time with your families. While we await the new year, check out these activities, events, and resources for families, parents, and professionals.

Lighthouse Guild National Tele-Support Network*

*Special thanks to Delta Gamma Foundation, Janssen Global Services LLC, and Lavelle Fund for the Blind for their generous support of Lighthouse Guild’s National Tele-Support Network.

Coping with vision loss can be challenging, but you don’t have to face it alone. Our Tele-Support program offers groups for all ages to share their feelings and frustrations, advice on coping with vision loss, share technology and resources, and help find solutions to the obstacles they encounter. For more information or to register, visit our  <https://lighthouseguild.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0498dc09f619cf957587ebb7f&id=23b910df22&e=f912e9e9b8> website.

 <https://lighthouseguild.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0498dc09f619cf957587ebb7f&id=da7d7fb176&e=f912e9e9b8> Monthly Tele-Support Talks

When: The third Monday of each month at 8:30 PM EDT 
Join us on for a discussion with experts in the field of vision loss. Topics are related to support children, teens, and families with vision loss. All are welcome to join - FREE! 

Monday, January 16, 2023, 8:30 - 9:30 PM EDT
Create a Sensory Room on a Budget
Sensory rooms benefit children in many ways, including allowing for independent movement, soothing troubled behaviors, and expanding communication opportunities. Creating an effective sensory space doesn’t have to be expensive or require an entire room of your house. Learn more about the benefits of sensory rooms and tips to help you build sensory areas to fit any space or budget!

About the Speaker
Amber Bobnar is the founder and administrator of Wonderbaby.org, a website dedicated to supporting parents and caregivers of children who are blind or visually impaired, with or without additional disabilities. She lives with her husband and seventeen-year-old son, Ivan, in Massachusetts. Ivan, who was born blind and multiply disabled, attends the Kennedy Day School, a private special needs school for children with medical complexities housed in Franciscan Children’s Hospital.

 <https://lighthouseguild.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0498dc09f619cf957587ebb7f&id=746e888d2b&e=f912e9e9b8> Register Today! 

If You Missed a Tele-Support Presentation, No Worries
Check out our  <https://lighthouseguild.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0498dc09f619cf957587ebb7f&id=08c05979da&e=f912e9e9b8> Tele-Support Presentations Library, you can access and listen to previously recorded presentations from experts in various fields anytime and anywhere!

 <https://lighthouseguild.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0498dc09f619cf957587ebb7f&id=63aa80961a&e=f912e9e9b8> Virtual Book Club for Individuals with Vision Loss 
Lighthouse Guild and Reader’s Digest Partners for Sight Virtual Book Club for Individuals with Vision Loss
When: First Thursday of every month at 11 AM EST
Join us for a lively discussion about book characters and storylines from the comfort of your own home. Each month, the group selects books that are available through a variety of audiobook platforms. Membership in our virtual book club includes a complimentary one-year subscription to Reader’s Digest “Select Editions” large-type books. Members will receive 5 volumes, each of which contains two abridged best-selling books. 

If you are new to audio books or have trouble accessing them, we can help! For more information, contact Carly Feldstein at  <mailto:feldsteinc at lighthouseguild.org> feldsteinc at lighthouseguild.org or 212-769-6344.

 <https://lighthouseguild.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0498dc09f619cf957587ebb7f&id=14c4b2d999&e=f912e9e9b8> Register Today! 

About Tech 

 <https://lighthouseguild.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0498dc09f619cf957587ebb7f&id=d4b977fe48&e=f912e9e9b8> Featured Technology for People with Vision Loss <https://lighthouseguild.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0498dc09f619cf957587ebb7f&id=8631e72386&e=f912e9e9b8>  
Lighthouse Guild experts compiled a list of some of the latest assistive technologies that can help people with vision loss with everyday tasks.

 <https://lighthouseguild.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0498dc09f619cf957587ebb7f&id=f501b24340&e=f912e9e9b8> Alexa Has a Bilingual Mode
Alexa’s bilingual mode assists blind and low vision individuals who are learning English to get tasks done in Spanish. It can also enable parents to ask questions and translate terms. 

 <https://lighthouseguild.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0498dc09f619cf957587ebb7f&id=5a2d2d76eb&e=f912e9e9b8> Chromebook Accessibility: Sticky Keys, Zoom and Voice Typing
Chromebooks have some awesome accessibility elements! Have you tried the “Sticky Keys” feature?

 <https://lighthouseguild.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0498dc09f619cf957587ebb7f&id=4fe17bb4a5&e=f912e9e9b8> Braille Bug
Designed by American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), Braille Bug is a collaborative channel of AFB’s web site created to educate sighted children about braille, and promote literacy with all children, sighted and visually impaired. Designed for children grades 3-6. 

 <https://lighthouseguild.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0498dc09f619cf957587ebb7f&id=d7504cca7c&e=f912e9e9b8> The Baby Einstein Curiosity Clutch Sensory Toy
This sensory toy aids parents to inform babies and toddlers to colors, sounds, shapes, and textures and helps develop their knowledge of cause and effect. Little hands and minds are active and involved as they hold, press, twist, pop, and interact with the various activities on this infant fidget toy. It fosters fine motor skills and cause-and-effect models through active two-handed play while also promoting the senses with high-contrast patterns and rattle sounds. 

Fun for the Whole Family

 <https://lighthouseguild.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0498dc09f619cf957587ebb7f&id=cdc3e2d591&e=f912e9e9b8> Get a Letter for Your Braille Reader from Santa
This holiday season, Braille Works is delivering braille letters on behalf of Santa to bring happiness to pupils throughout the United States. As the Braille Works site states, “At the same time, a letter in braille is a great way to encourage and develop their braille reading skills.” Parents, teachers, and friends may arrange for these cards to be sent at no cost, including the postmark “from the North Pole!” 

 <https://lighthouseguild.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0498dc09f619cf957587ebb7f&id=06f023cf80&e=f912e9e9b8> Gingerbread Man Braille Design
This gingerbread man braille design is a fantastic winter activity to exercise braille skills. 

 <https://lighthouseguild.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0498dc09f619cf957587ebb7f&id=6a23fa5556&e=f912e9e9b8> iBug Night at the Virtual Movies
Join iBug on Fridays at 7:30 PM for a pre-movie social and movie viewing. The movies are audio track (no video) with audio description. 

Resources for Parents, Students & Professionals

 <https://lighthouseguild.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0498dc09f619cf957587ebb7f&id=7441fca35d&e=f912e9e9b8> Lighthouse Guild Scholarship Application is Open!
Each year, Lighthouse Guild offers scholarships to outstanding college-bound and graduate students who are legally blind from across the United States. The scholarship amount varies from year to year. In 2022, ten college bound scholarships, and five graduate scholarships were awarded, with each recipient receiving $10,000 in unrestricted funds. That is, you can use it for your tuition, room and board, books, supplies, or travel. The deadline to apply is March 31, 2023. Questions? Contact Fernanda Garcia-Piña at  <mailto:garciaf at lighthouseguild.org> garciaf at lighthouseguild.org 

 <https://lighthouseguild.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0498dc09f619cf957587ebb7f&id=1bc2a02a81&e=f912e9e9b8> 2023 NextGen Leaders Program
Disability: IN’s NextGen Leaders Program consists of a six-month mentorship program for college students and recent graduates with disabilities. The program connects NextGen Leaders to experienced professionals from corporate companies, creating supportive relationships to navigate the job search, Application deadline is Friday, January 6, 2023.

 <https://lighthouseguild.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0498dc09f619cf957587ebb7f&id=cb4132a4c5&e=f912e9e9b8> Perkins School for the Blind: Compass Program
A nine-month virtual program for college aspiring high school students with visual impairment, designed to help them proactively explore and develop a plan for building academic and blindness skills needed to reach post-secondary goals. For more information on cost or funding options, email  <mailto:CollegeSuccess at Perkins.org> CollegeSuccess at Perkins.org or call 617-972-7573.

 <https://lighthouseguild.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0498dc09f619cf957587ebb7f&id=cd9ac31d08&e=f912e9e9b8> Career Launch Tech Bootcamp
Virtual technology bootcamp sessions designed to teach blind and visually impaired participants, ages 18+ on how to use access technology to effectively and efficiently optimize productivity of the tools most commonly used in the workplace: Google Workspace and Microsoft Suite.

 <https://lighthouseguild.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0498dc09f619cf957587ebb7f&id=07f82fb35a&e=f912e9e9b8> Accessible Periodic Table Options
Explore accessible digital period tables that work best for you and your students. 

Share Your Feedback with Us!

As we continue planning for 2023, we would like your feedback to help us better meet your needs. To complete a two-question survey,  <https://lighthouseguild.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0498dc09f619cf957587ebb7f&id=8459d58370&e=f912e9e9b8> click here. All responses are anonymous. Thank you in advance!

Stay tuned for future resources and tips to help you and your family! A special thank you to Nancy Doyle, New York State Certified Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI) for working with us on the resources we share with you.

Maggie Walters, MPH, CHES                                          
Director, Outreach & Support Programs  

Lighthouse Guild
250 West 64th Street
New York, NY 10023

Let's stay connected 

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