The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. is a private, not-for-profit social enterprise providing employment, support, and training opportunities for people who are blind, DeafBlind, and blind with other disabilities. The Lighthouse has provided employment and support to people who are blind in our community since 1918.
Our philosophy maintains that each employee be provided with whatever supports are necessary for success in the workplace. Supports include an in-house sign language interpreting department to ensure effective communication for employees who are DeafBlind, staff mobility instructors to teach independent travel with a white cane or dog guide, and over 100 computer workstations adapted for use by individuals who are visually impaired.
Our Mission:
“We empower people who are blind, DeafBlind, and blind with other disabilities by creating diverse, sustainable, and meaningful employment opportunities.”
Our Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Statement:
We are dedicated to strengthening our mission by eliminating barriers to employment and services. We are committed to individuals from a spectrum of backgrounds, cultures, identities, and abilities to authentically guide our diversity, equity, and inclusion practices. We celebrate these diverse perspectives. We pledge to make these values central to our hiring practices, upward mobility initiatives, and to the development of our leadership, business lines, programs, and community services.
Creating and Enhancing Opportunities at The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc.
The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. currently employs over 480 individuals, more than 270 of whom are blind, DeafBlind, or blind with other disabilities. Lighthouse employees have access to a wide range of career opportunities and comprehensive training programs allowing them to create products and provide services of outstanding quality for our customers.
Lighthouse employees make aerospace parts, office products, and a myriad of other machined products for customers such as The Boeing Company and the Federal Government. We also provide managed services like appointment setting, quality assurance, account reconciliation, contract close out, and other administrative services for customers like the U.S. Navy and the Defense Contract Management Agency.
In addition to providing employment opportunities, the Lighthouse offers a wide range of programs and services for employees who are blind and DeafBlind. Computer training classes, braille courses, our acclaimed DeafBlind Retreat, and DeafBlind Community Classes as well as a program to educate elementary school students about blindness are just a few of the employee and community services we offer.
At the Lighthouse, our work extends beyond producing products and providing services of outstanding quality. In the next few years, we will grow to employ over 500 people who are blind in livable wage jobs, and help lower the unemployment rate of skilled people who are blind in communities across the nation.
Our Business Management Policy:
The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. maintains a business management system based on the principle of continual improvement. This system supports our mission to empower people who are blind, DeafBlind, and blind with other disabilities by creating diverse, sustainable, and meaningful employment opportunities. Senior Leadership and all employees are committed to:
- meeting or exceeding customer requirements and ensuring the satisfaction of all interested parties.
- conserving energy and improving energy efficiency.
- preventing pollution and maintaining regulatory compliance.
- conserving natural resources by reusing and recycling materials.
The Business Management Policy is available and maintained as documented information, is communicated, understood, and applied within the organization, and is available to relevant interested parties as appropriate.