When one walks into the Lighthouse, they walk into a place of acceptance and understanding. We employ people from countries all over the world and from all different backgrounds. Countries such as Ethiopia, Vietnam, Laos, the Philippines, China, Ukraine, Poland, Great Britain, and many more are represented. This is because blindness affects people from all different backgrounds and cultures. Not only do we employ people who are blind, but our workforce is comprised of individuals who are deaf, sighted, DeafBlind, visually impaired, and blind with other disabilities. Employee ages range from their early 20s to their late 70s. Here at the Lighthouse we affirm our diversity and recognize the value that it adds to our organization.
Lighthouse production workers who work on the Entrenching Tool (E-Tool)
People tend to think about diversity in terms of ethnicity or race. We like to think about diversity at the Lighthouse in many different ways. Production Worker Feleceia Gordon thinks, “Diversity is a melting pot of knowledge. We can all learn from each other.” In this sense, diversity includes people’s knowledge, skills, education, experience, background, disabilities, ethnicity, gender, age, and even sexual orientation. “Diversity adds to the work culture and it’s great to be in an organization that embraces it,” says Development and Public Relations Director Shawn Dobbs.
Next time you visit the Lighthouse, stop and communicate with one of our employees. You will be surprised at the expansive knowledge, experience, and culture that we all add to the workplace.
