Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Inc.

Alexander learns braille in Miami Lighthouse Academy preschool, in preparation for Kindergarten! ?? #Literacy #BrailleLiteracy Our Miami Lighthouse Academy preschool is open for enrollment for children who are sighted and those with any visual impairment, ages 1-4. ???? Enroll your preschool – 3rd grade student in our Miami Lighthouse Academy, a nationally accredited school with small class sizes, a tactile learning curriculum, and special attention to each child's unique needs. Of the many things that makes our school a perfect choice for your sighted child is that our VPK program as part of our preschool, is an all-day program! While the state's rule is that VPK providers must provide 3 hours of VPK, at Miami Lighthouse Academy we provide a full school day (8:35AM-2:05PM)?to our pre-k students. All of our classes, from toddlers to third grade, have Florida Certified classroom teachers as well as certified Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVI's). Our school is a Florida Gold Seal and nationally Accredited Professional Preschool Learning Environment, an "Apple Accredited" inclusive early learning program. Our scores from the national Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) exceed the national average in emotional support and executive functioning skills! Our program develops empathy, leadership, and social skills through social-emotional learning using the Conscious Discipline approach in the classroom to prepare your child for the future! To learn more and enroll your child, visit https://lnkd.in/exq8K8XH, or call our Academy Director, Mara at 786-362-7483. Together, we prove #ItsPossibleToSeeWithoutSight ?? #MiamiLighthouseAcademy #NowEnrolling Miami-Dade County Public Schools Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade/Monroe The Florida Department of Education The Children's Trust of Miami-Dade County #MiamiLighthouse #SupporttheBlind #MiamiLeaders #CommunityLeaders #LowVision #BlindServices #AccessibleEducation #SchoolfortheBlind #FloridaVPK #MiamiLeaders

This past weekend we had the delight to host the South Florida Braille Challenge at our Miami Lighthouse for the Blind campus. The Braille Challenge happens each year and is sponsored by the Florida Instructional Materials Center for the Visually Impaired as well as the Braille Institute. We applaud our students who participated, including Isaac, who won 1st place in the Apprentice level! ?? The Braille Challenge?is a national program of the Braille Institute?hosted by regional schools and agencies that serve blind and visually impaired children. It is the only national braille literacy competition of its kind in the country and is specifically designed to challenge and reward blind students for their study of braille, which is essential to their future academic and employment success. Pictured, includes footage of our Miami Lighthouse Academy Braille Challenge participants with their teachers and parents, including little Alexander and Angelo?receiving their Certificates of Participation for the Pre-Braille level, and our Apprentice-level 1st place winner, Isaac. ?? Together, we prove it's possible to see without sight! ?? #MiamiLighthouseAcademy #MiamiSchools Florida Division of Blind Services Miami-Dade County Public Schools Broward County Public Schools Braille Institute of America #BrailleChallenge #ItsPossibletoSeeWithoutSight #BrailleLiteracy #SupporttheBlind

A welcome visit! We hosted 8th graders from the The Jewish Leadership Academy, giving them a firsthand look at what we do here at Miami Lighthouse — on this visit they learned the valuable skill of how to assist and guide individuals who are blind or visually impaired. ?? As part of the session, students were blindfolded and practiced guiding one another, giving a greater understanding of how the visually impaired and blind see the world. We extend special thanks to our expert Orientation and Mobility instructor, Samly Melendez, who led the session. She carefully taught our visitors each step to guiding a blind person, using techniques like the “clock method”.??? The "clock method" is a technique used to guide people who are blind or visually impaired by describing the location of objects in relation to a clock face, where 12 o'clock is directly in front and 6 o'clock is closest to them, allowing them to mentally picture where things are situated in their environment. Together, we prove it's possible to see without sight!?????? #MiamiLighthouse #EmpathyInAction #MiamiLeaders #SupporttheBlind #CommunityImpact #BlindAwareness #CommunityLearning #CommunityLeaders #OrientationAndMobility #JewishLeadershipAcademy #GratitudePost #ItsPossibletoSeeWithoutSight?

The opening night of the “Women’s Gallery” art show at the Milander Center for the Arts was a great success. Artists Nora Delabat and Grisel Diaz, participants in our SGA program, represented Miami Lighthouse with their impressive artworks. ???? You still have time to visit this collective exhibit #HonoringWomen open March 7th through April 11th! Congratulations, artists! And we thank Aaron Hill, our Miami Lighthouse Supervisor of Fine Arts & Art Education for leading these incredible artists to this opportunity to present their artworks. ?? Together, we prove it's possible to see without sight! ?? #MiamiLighthouse #Artists #BlindArtists #VisuallyImpaired #AccessibleArts To learn more about our SGA Program, visit https://lnkd.in/eGu6aP-U #Congratulations #AccessibleArt #ArtInclusivity #MiamiLighthouseSGA #SupportSeniors #CommunityLeaders #MiamiLeaders

#InthePress ?? Exceptional Parent Magazine recently published an article titled "Blindness is Not the Obstacle" written by Miami Lighthouse’s very own Senior Assistive Technology Specialist, Oseas De Leon. Blinded at the age of three, Oseas transformed challenges into opportunities by embracing education, independence, and a passion for soccer. Today, he proudly represents the U.S. Men's Blind Soccer Team and is committed to empowering others with visual disabilities through his work at Miami Lighthouse. Oseas contributes significantly to our Comprehensive Soccer Initiative, teaching blind children as young as one years old how to play the game. His love for soccer started at a young age with the support of his parents and now he is able to share that passion through our program. #ExceptionalParents Oseas's story exemplifies Miami Lighthouse’s mission to transform lives through opportunities and education. Learn more about his story in the article here: https://lnkd.in/eNNXbVtA Thank you, Oseas for sharing your story, inspiring us all, and helping us prove it's possible to see without sight! ??? #MiamiLighthouse #BlindSoccer EXCEPTIONAL PARENT MAGAZINE U.S. Association of Blind Athletes - USABA oseas de leon #BlindnessIsNotTheObstacle #SupporttheBlind #EPMagazine #Accessibility #AccessibleSports #AccessibilityforAll #MiamiLeaders #CommunityLeaders #DisabledandStrong

???? This Women's History Month, we celebrate the vital role that Helen Keller played in the founding of Miami Lighthouse for the Blind. Today, in our lobby at Miami Lighthouse hangs this historic letter from Hellen Keller to Dolly Gamble, encouraging her to start Miami Lighthouse for the Blind. ? In The American Foundation for the Blind archives, are more pieces of history, letters between Helen Keller and Dolly Gamble just like this one. Dolly Gamble is the blind activist who enlisted the Miami Lions and Miami Rotary clubs to help the blind achieve independence in the late 1920's and it is from their efforts, that the first-of-its-kind Florida Association of Workers for the Blind, which would later be renamed Miami Lighthouse for the Blind, was born. ? Together, we prove it's possible to see without sight! ????? #MiamiLighthouse #WomensHistoryMonth Rotary Club of Miami Lions Clubs International #CommunityLeaders #SupportingtheBlind #MiamiLeaders #HelenKeller #History #ItsPossibletoSeeWithoutSight #WomeninLeadership #Changemakers

#GratitudePost | 300 national employees from UiPath Americas got together with volunteers from the Lions Club to help solve food insecurity among the blind and visually impaired at Miami Lighthouse, in a food packing event that resulted in 200 food bags for youth and seniors packed in less than an hour. ???? “More than eighty percent of our blind and visually impaired students and seniors are low income and face food insecurity on a daily basis. Thanks to all UiPath employees and Lions Club Hunger Relief Committee for participating in Miami Lighthouse’s biggest food packing event ever and for helping solve food insecurity among our blind and visually impaired program participants.” – Virginia Jacko, President and CEO, Miami Lighthouse for the Blind Learn more in the Local 10 News article by Mayte Padron here- https://lnkd.in/eWCxJzyD Together, we prove it's possible to see without sight! ?? #MiamiLighthouse #SupporttheBlind Lions Clubs International #MiamiLeaders #CommunityLeaders #UiPath #LionsClub #ThankYou #Solving #FoodInsecurity

???? Miami Lighthouse Academy is a nationally accredited school with small class sizes, a tactile learning curriculum, and special attention to each child's unique needs. In addition to our unique inclusive Apple Accredited VPK Program & our early learner's program for ages 1-3 who are sighted as well as those who are visually impaired, our Academy also offers a Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade for students who are visually impaired. Our program develops empathy, leadership, and social skills through the Conscious Discipline approach for Social-Emotional Learning to prepare your child for the future!?Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) is a teaching method that helps students develop skills to manage emotions, set goals, and build relationships. It's also known as socio-emotional learning or social-emotional literacy. We are now accepting applications, so enroll your child at Miami Lighthouse Academy for an exclusive, inclusive academic experience! Learn more on our website -https://lnkd.in/exj88Q26 ???? Together, we prove it's possible to see without sight! ?? #MiamiLighthouse #MiamiLighthouseAcademy Miami-Dade County Public Schools Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade/Monroe The Children's Trust of Miami-Dade County The Florida Department of Education Florida Division of Blind Services #SchoolfortheBlind #MiamiLighthouse #CommunityLeaders #MiamiLeaders #InclusiveClassrooms #InclusiveEducation #InclusivityMatters #InclusiveElementary #InclusiveVPK #AccessibleLearning #VPK #VisualImpairment #MiamiSchools #Toddlers #SupporttheBlind #VisualImpairment #ItsPossibletoSeeWithoutSight

Miami Lighthouse Youth Music Program Superstars - three powerhouse alumni who turned talent into opportunity: Silvio Plata, Hannah Padilla, and Malena Kingston! Drop a comment to celebrate these incredible students! ???? Our 100% free, fully inclusive Youth Music Program for grades 5-12 is open for enrollment! Want to be part of something groundbreaking? Join us! We meet every other Saturday and also offer a 7-week summer camp, complete with meals and transportation. ?? At Miami Lighthouse, we don’t just teach music, we launch futures! Our fully inclusive, 100% free, Youth Music Program for grades 5-12 breaks barriers, opens doors, and paves the way to college scholarships, music careers, and beyond! ?? Whether blind, visually impaired, or sighted, our students gain proficiency on any instrument they choose, with performance opportunities, and hands-on experience in sound engineering with our expert staff. ? ?? And the proof? Our students don’t just play music, they make history! The bilingual children’s audiobook, “Four Magical Stories,” written and produced in our music program, was nominated for 'Best Latin Children's Album' at the 14th Annual Latin Grammy Awards in 2013. ? Music for ALL. No Limits. No Barriers. We’re here to make sure every student, sighted or blind, has a place in music. ?????????? Together, we prove it's possible to see without sight! ???? National Endowment for the Arts #MiamiLighthouse #YouthMusic For more information, contact Carol Brady-Simmons, our Chief Program Officer: ?? [email protected]? ?? 786-362-7480 Or visit our website - https://lnkd.in/esV5fV3Y #InclusiveMusic #MiamiLighthouseYouthMusic #MusicForAll #AccessibleMusic #TeenMusicProgram #MiddleSchoolMusicProgram #SummerCamp #MiamiMusic #MusicSummerCamp #TeenMusicGroup #LearnMusic #MiamiLeaders #CommunityLeaders #SupporttheBlind #SupportTeens #YesYouCan

Our Miami Lighthouse team members participated in the 10th Annual Superintendent’s 5k Challenge: Race for Education, promoting health and wellness in our community, with a portion of proceeds going to MDCPS schools. ??????????♀? Along with students, parents, children, teachers, and administrators representing over 200 public schools, our very own Blind Technology Instructor at Miami Lighthouse, Oseas de Leon, ran the marathon side by side with his guide and finished strong in just 38 minutes! ???? Oseas is a bona fide example of determination and resilience, showing the world that ‘It’s Possible to See without Sight’. We are immensely proud of him, and all of our incredible employees who represented Miami Lighthouse for the Blind with heart and spirit! ?? #CommunityLeaders #ItsPossibletoSeeWithoutSight #Superintendents5K #MiamiLighthouse Jose L. Dotres, Ed.D. Miami-Dade County Public Schools MDCPS Community #FNEIGives #Superintendent5K #StrongerTogether #EducationMatters #SupportOurSchools #MiamiSupT5K