As part of our long-standing history of government advocacy at the Lighthouse, Greg Szabo and Earnest Glover have been meeting with elected officials to advocate for issues that impact people who are blind and DeafBlind in the U.S.
Greg came to the Lighthouse in Spokane, Washington 10 years ago. Since then, he has been promoted to Director of Government and Public Relations. Greg has an eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa, which caused him to slowly lose his vision over time. Greg is now an advocate who meets with government officials to promote the needs of others who are blind and DeafBlind. He spends his time trying to get legislation passed that will help advance employment and transportation needs of those in the community.
“It’s still kind of shocking to me that I’m connected to members of Congress and reaching out to members of their staff. It’s really awesome!” he says. “I never dreamed that I’d be going to Capitol Hill and advocating for people who are blind.”
One of his main initiatives is looking at policies that affect the AbilityOne Program, which is a program the Lighthouse participates in, that provides products and services to the U.S. Government. He’s been to Capitol Hill several times and is building the relationships needed to advance legislation.
But Greg hasn’t been doing this work alone. Earnest Glover has been at the Lighthouse’s facility in Summerville, South Carolina since 2018. Earnest’s title is Marketing Assistant, but he also holds another role at the Lighthouse — advocating for people who are blind and low vision both locally and nationally.
Earnest joined National Industries for the Blind (NIB)’s Advocates for Leadership and Employment program in 2020. The Advocates program targets high-potential employees who are blind working at NIB associated agencies. Participants become part of a two-year training program where they learn about the legislative process and communicating our shared mission and outstanding work.
The government advocacy team at the Lighthouse will continue to connect with elected officials and advocate for initiatives that impact our community.
Greg Szabo, Director of Government & Public Relations
