Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Inc.

#GratitudePost | We thank the Montes Family McDonald’s for supporting our annual White Cane Day Walk! In addition to sponsoring our White Cane Day, McDonald’s helps feed our blind and visually impaired program participants from babies to seniors on a weekly basis. The Montes Family has also been instrumental in helping us become a recipient of a recent McDonald’s Golden Grant Award! Thank you, from all of us at Miami Lighthouse for the Blind. ?? Together, we prove it's possible to see without sight! ???? #MiamiLighthouse #CommunityLeaders Melissa Montes Blanco, Kristina Montes Hood Pictured, is the Montes Family McDonald's serving lunch to our participants of our annual White Cane Day Walk, celebrating independence for the blind. #MiamiLeaders #ComunityLeaders #SupportingtheBlind #BlindnessAwareness #ThankYou #McDonalds #WhiteCaneDayWalk?

Join us in congratulating Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS), recently recognized as a "School System of Distinction" by Cognia, a Global Leader in School Accreditation. Our Miami Lighthouse Academy is proud to be a part of M-DCPS, our collaboration ensures students can achieve learning excellence despite their vision impairment! ?? Pictured, is Mari Tere Rojas, the chair of the M-DCPS Board of Directors during her visit to our Miami Lighthouse Academy, where she joined us in our annual White Cane Day Walk to celebrate independence for the blind. ?? Together, we prove it's possible to see without sight! ?? To learn more about our Miami Lighthouse Academy for children ages 2 to 2nd grade, visit MiamiLighthouseAcademy.com. Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade/Monroe Jose L. Dotres, Ed.D. Florida Division of Blind Services Robert L. Doyle III, MPA, PMP James Haj The Children's Trust of Miami-Dade County The Florida Department of Education #MiamiLeaders #ComunityLeaders #SupportingtheBlind #BlindnessAwareness #SchoolfortheBlind #MiamiLighthouseAcademy #MiamiLighthouse #MiamiSchools?

Another beautiful White Cane Day at Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Inc. where we celebrated the incredible achievements of individuals who are blind or visually impaired ?? The white cane is a powerful tool of independence and empowerment, and I’m grateful to be part of this special day! #WhiteCaneDay2024 #District5 #LittleHavana

?? Happy White Cane Safety Day! Since 1964, the United States has celebrated October 15th as a national observance to recognize the achievements of people who are blind or visually impaired. The white cane: a symbol of blindness and a tool for independence! Contribute to our venerable mission and donate to Miami Lighthouse today ?? Together, we prove it's possible to see without sight! #MiamiLighthouse Through education, training, research, and vision enhancement, Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired provides hope, confidence, and independence to visually impaired and blind people of all ages, with our life changing community services and programs. Donate link- https://lnkd.in/evu8hnE #CommunityLeaders #SupportingtheBlind #MiamiLeaders #MiamiNonProfits #BlindnessAwareness #ItsPossibletoSeeWithoutSight #WhiteCane #WhiteCaneSafetyDay #WhiteCaneDay

White Cane Day at Miami Lighthouse for the Blind is tomorrow! Read more in this WPLG Local 10 article by Mayte Padron- https://lnkd.in/ezMbQBP9 RSVP at https://lnkd.in/ekyXMUUk

Thank you Trader Joe's for supporting our families experiencing food insecurity. ??????? Their weekly donations help feed our blind and visually impaired program participants from babies to seniors. If one Miami Lighthouse family is hurting, we all feel it. The closeness of our community is what distinguishes Miami Lighthouse. We thank Trader Joe’s for providing many of our families, 87% of whom reside in zip codes defined as poverty zones, healthy meals. Together, we prove it's possible to see without sight! ?? #MiamiLighthouse #CommunityLeaders #MiamiNonProfit #SupportingtheBlind #BlindnessaAwareness #MiamiLeaders #GratitudePost #TraderJoes

The first two weeks of October are Disability History and Awareness Weeks, and we at Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired celebrate our history with Helen Keller, the American author, disability rights advocate, political activist and lecturer, who is a symbol of courage for her triumph over the challenges of being deaf and blind. When Helen Keller visited Miami the late 1920's, Keller's activist fire and personal energy were clearly evident when she exhorted the Lions "knights for the blind." Her call to action inspired a dedicated group of Floridians to work together to found the Florida Association of Workers for the Blind, the organization which soon became the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Keller also returned to Miami Lighthouse in 1955 to celebrate her 75th Birthday and our organization's 25th anniversary. ?? To learn more about our history and connection with Helen Keller, visit this PDF https://lnkd.in/efrZmfq2 ?? For an in-depth look at our history, visit our website here https://lnkd.in/eRHZeJR Together, we prove it's possible to see without sight! ???? #MiamiLighthouse #CommunityLeaders #HelenKeller #DisabilityHistory #DisabilityAwareness #BlindnessAwareness #BlindnessAwarenessMonth #MiamiLeaders #CommunityLeaders #SupportingtheBlind

Thank you to the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation for their $5,000 grant to support our Healthy Living initiative for blind and visually impaired clients aged 55 and over, providing nutrition education, healthy food access, and fitness programs. Together, we prove it's possible to see without sight! ???? #MiamiLighthouse #CommunityLeaders #GratitudePost #ThankYou #BlindnessAwareness #MiamiLeaders #BlindnessAwarenessMonth #VisualImpairment?

Virginia's Corner, 9th Edition ?? | As the 2024 United States Senate elections are approaching in 24 days, I visited each candidate’s website to find out more about them. I was disappointed. I had difficulty navigating most campaign’s website, which prompted me to have my IT team, most of whom are blind themselves, review all candidates’ websites. Prior to the upcoming Senate elections our organization will be sharing what we have found in what we hope will be a teachable moment, an opportunity to call attention to the fact that the blind and low vision are frequently forgotten. The Americans with Disabilities Act is the law that helps wheelchair users gain access to public buildings, but that isn’t all there is to it. It also guarantees people with all disabilities the right to equal access, including the blind and low vision– like me. This means access to digital and online media in addition to physical spaces. Nearly one month away from the Senate elections, it is disheartening to find that not one candidate’s website met the law’s requirements for total accessibility. More than 20 million Americans are blind or low vision – and many of them are voters who want to know more about candidates and their policies. If they can’t access campaign information, how are they supposed to make an informed vote? This is not the first time we’ve analyzed political candidates' websites to ensure equal access to American democracy. In 2019, when the first Democratic presidential debates were held in Miami, FL, our team audited each 2020 presidential candidate’s website and found that not one was fully accessible to the blind and low vision. With our counsel, this led to several candidates modifying their websites for total accessibility. This is a challenge not only for Senate candidates, but for businesses, academic institutions and other organizations alike. We hope that now that you are aware of this situation, you will take action. If needed, our organization is available as a resource and guide. Inclusiveness is not just a good thing, it’s the right thing and it’s the law. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions. Sincerely, Virginia Jacko President and CEO, Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Inc. Learn more about ADA Website Compliance on our website at https://lnkd.in/ejGRhmG7 Request a website audit by emailing [email protected] or call 305-856-4176. Learn more in these articles in TIME Magazine: 2020- https://lnkd.in/ePK_kwyU 2022- https://lnkd.in/e9RThcFh Together, we prove it's possible to see without sight! ?? #MiamiLighthouse #SupportingtheBlind #VirginiasCorner #ItsPossibletoSeeWithoutSight #CommunityLeaders #AccessibilityforAll #ElectionSeason #ADACompliance #AccessibleVoting

White Cane Day is on Tuesday October 15th at Miami Lighthouse for the Blind in Little Havana, Miami! ???? Put on your sneakers and help us raise funds! Join us at Miami Lighthouse on Tuesday, October 15th, starting at 8:30am as we celebrate National White Cane Day. Over 150 blind and visually impaired program participants will walk to raise awareness about White Cane Safety Laws. The walk, starting at Miami Lighthouse and continuing down SW 8th Street and back, will be escorted by City of Miami Fire, Police Departments, and Grand Marshals Miami- Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins, City of Miami Commissioner Miguel Angel Gabela and Billy the Marlin. Let's walk together for a great cause! Together, we prove it's possible to see without sight! #MiamiLighthouse The White Cane Day 2024 lunch sponsor is our local McDonald’s, the featured entertainment is the talented Miami Lighthouse Music Program, and there will be a raffle with prizes and giveaways! ?????? The event sponsors include Uber, Captain Awesome Charities, Humana, Verizon Tracfone, Vispero?, WLRN Public Media, 305 Hive, Tropical Financial Credit Union, Ambutech, McDonald's and others. Visit our website, MiamiLighthouse.org to sign up ??#MiamiLighthousefortheBlind #WhiteCaneDay #BlindnessAwareness #MiamiLeaders #BlindnessAwarenessMonth #VisualImpairment #CommunityLeaders #CommunityResources