Passing of a Chicago Disability Advocate, Bill Jurek

Chicago - Sad to report the recent passing of Bill Jurek, former staff announcer at NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 and longtime contributor to WLIT FM 93.9 and many other Chicago radio stations. Jurek, who was 67, died Sunday after a long illness. He most recently was program manager of CRIS Radio and host of “The Beacon,” a syndicated public-affairs program on disability advocacy. 

After losing his vision in 1995, Mr. Jurek became a spokesman and mentor for people who are blind. “Bill was a great talent, a gifted speaker and a kind and good man,” said Dominic Calabrese, senior vice president of the Chicago Lighthouse.

110th Anniversary of the Chicago Lighthouse, video interview with Dr. Janet Szlyk

Celebrating its 110th anniversary this year, The Chicago Lighthouse is changing lives through its comprehensive community of care for people who are blind, visually impaired, disabled and Veterans. They are expanding their Seniors Program which will include classes in exercise, cooking, art and more. The organization strives to rehabilitate, educate and employ.

The Chicago Lighthouse  850 W. Roosevelt Rd., Chicago IL

Chicago Lighthouse Scholarship 2016-17 application is posted - Deadline: April 1, 2016

This is for college and graduate students.

The Chicago Lighthouse is pleased to announce that we have posted the current 2016-17 scholarship application form on our updated website! We have created an accessible word document application form that can be downloaded.

The Chicago Lighthouse has a proud history of awarding scholarships to students who are totally blind, visually impaired, and those with an additional documented disability. Last year we awarded over $80,000 scholarships to 39 students pursuing a diverse spectrum of degrees and  programs.

Attached you will find a copy of the word document application form, but you may also find it here on our Chicago Lighthouse Scholarship page: http://chicagolighthouse.org/program/lighthouse-scholarship/

. If you have any questions, you may contact the Scholarship Coordinator at:

Maureen Reid

Job Placement Counselor | Scholarship Coordinator  | Employment Services

Phone: 312.666.1331 Ext. 3655

Fax: 312.243.8539

www.chicagolighthouse.org

The Chicago Lighthouse 'Clock Factory' featured on PBS

Chicago Lighthouse clocks and the amazing people who make them were profiled on a feature segment that aired recently on “In the Loop” on WYCC, Channel 20, the local PBS affiliate in Chicago. Reporter Mario Tharpe conducted insightful interviews with several staff members of Chicago Lighthouse Industries.

YouTube produced by chicagolighthouse

The Chicago Lighthouse is a world-renowned social service organization serving the blind, visually impaired, disabled and Veteran communities.

Legal Clinic at the Chicago Lighthouse for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired

nice article on the legal clinic at the Chicago Lighthouse for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired. TY to all that shared!

Paul Rink, director of the legal clinic at the Chicago Lighthouse for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired, with a typewriter that prints Braille. | Neil Steinberg/Sun-Times

WRITTEN BY NEIL STEINBERG | Chicago Sun Times | June 21, 2015

Sandy Studnicka, who is legally blind, went to a job fair for people with disabilities and was hired by a bank. There she worked at a computer terminal, where problematic accounts would come up in red. But she can’t see the color red. Four months later the bank fired her.

“They found me at a disability job fair and let me go because I’m disabled,” said Studnicka, who turned for help to a unique resource, the legal clinic at the Chicago Lighthouse for People Who are Blind or Visually Impaired. They persuaded the bank to double the severance package initially offered to Studnicka, who now works at the Lighthouse.

The organization is 109 years old, though it has a modern, sprawling facility at 1850 W. Roosevelt, offering a wide range of services from child day care to a clock factory employing blind workers to a store offering white canes and Braille greeting cards. On the second floor, in a plain cinderblock room, the Arthur & Esther Kane Legal Clinic, the only entity in the country geared specifically to helping clients who have trouble seeing.

Navigating the legal system can be frustrating enough for those who can see. Now consider the stumbling blocks facing the blind.

“Everything’s in print,” said Paul Rink, a lawyer and the clinic’s director.

“People can’t read their documents,” added Carol Anderson, the clinic’s second attorney. “They don’t know what documents they have. We know how to handle those situations. We help reading and organizing their documents, and explain their documents to them.”

Rink and Anderson are both blind. The clinic has a sighted administrative assistant, Cacia Sit, who helps read and organize legal papers, as well as interns, though finding volunteers can be a challenge.

“They’re not beating down our doors to come help us,” said Rink. “But we have managed to get the number that we needed, most of the time.”

The volunteers help sift through the papers their clients bring in.

“A lot of mail, and they’re not always sure what’s important and what’s not,” said Sit. 

“It’s much harder when you’re blind, you have to have people read your mail to you, and not everyone is good at that.”

The clinic is free. “We’re open to anybody who’s blind or visually impaired,” said Anderson.

It was founded 10 years ago by retired Cook County Circuit Judge Nicholas Pomaro, who called it “the best thing I’ve ever done.”

“People are just so grateful for even the smallest bit of assistance,” he told the Tribune in 2008.

The blind face all the legal woes confronting sighted people, but also tend to encounter more than their share of certain troubles, such as discrimination in housing and employment — only 25 percent of blind people in the United States have jobs.

“We do a lot of Social Security help,” said Sit.

Before coming to the Lighthouse, Rink worked for Continental Bank for 20 years, then joined the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission. Anderson went to University of Chicago Law School before she became blind, not long after graduation. Rink graduated from Northwestern University Law School and passed the bar, on his first try, while being totally blind since birth.

Many sighted students have trouble completing law school. How did Rink manage it?

“My mother read me at least half of my textbooks,” he said. “And half were recorded by Recording for the Blind.”

Later he used an Optacon, a cumbersome device that transfers text into raised bumps, one letter at a time.

“It was slow and very laborious,” he said. “Then in the ’90s, the computer came out. I always had good computer equipment.”

He joined the Lighthouse clinic in 2010, after he retired.

The clinic primarily focuses on basic legal work: writing letters, filling out forms.

“We don’t take cases to court,” said Anderson. “We give preliminary advice. We write documents and do limited work before administrative agencies.”

If more complex legal work is required, the Lighthouse will refer clients to law firms that do pro bono assistance. Rink named several prominent firms they work with then, showing lawyerly caution, decided it best not to mention the firms specifically.

“We have a number of firms that help us, and I hate to exclude any,” he said.

The clinic helps about 170 clients a year.

“We try to take people within a week or two,” said Anderson.

To reach the clinic, call (312) 666-1331, Ext. 3112.

Follow Neil Steinberg on Twitter:@NeilSteinberg

http://chicago.suntimes.com/neil-steinberg/7/71/708927/chicago-lighthouse-kane-legal-clinic

National Association of Parents of Children with Visual Impairments Conference July 10-12, 2015 in Chicago

# as posted by the Lighthouse Guild.

NAPVI National Family Conference 2015

We are organizing a phenomenal conference program for you and your family. The conference welcomes parents of children of all ages with visual impairments, blindness, and additional disabilities including siblings, extended family and friends.

Raising a Child with Visual Impairments
• Interactive sessions and panel discussions to address parents’ needs
• Networking with other families and professionals

• Day program for children of all ages, including sports, recreation and arts activities
• Fun for the whole family with special receptions and events

Full Program Schedule Sponsors & Exhibitors

Location:Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind1850 W Roosevelt Road, Chicago, IL

Conference Hotel
Chicago Marriott at Medical District /UIC
The NAPVI discount room rate is $169/night, located in Chicago’s “Little Italy” that boasts over 50 restaurants and bars within walking distance. Book Hotel – discount rate extended to 6/15

Age Groups		Registration Fee
Adult (19+)		$110
Child (4-18)		$35
Age 3 & Under		Free

Register Online	Register by Mail
	* Download form and complete with Adobe Reader

Funding Sources for Parents

For more information contact Susan LaVenture, Executive Director NAPVI at napvi@lighthouseguild.org or 800-562-6265.

Lighthouse Guild800-284-4422
info@lighthouseguild.org
15 West 65th Street
New York, NY 10023
111 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022

The Chicago Lighthouse for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired Wins Veterans Employment Leadership Award

Citing its innovative practices in employing Veterans and servicemembers, The Chicago Lighthouse was given a special VELA (Veterans Employment Leadership Award) on May 27th, 2015.

Accepting the honor was Angela Kearney, human resources generalist who assists in recruiting Veterans for employment opportunities in call centers managed by The Lighthouse.

The award also saluted the agency for "recognizing the value and talent that Veterans bring to the workplace" and for "providing inspired leadership through a long-term commitment and partnerships with federal and state Veterans employment programs."

Lighthouse President and CEO Dr. Janet Szlyk congratulated Ms. Kearney and her colleagues in the human resources department for this "amazing honor!" Dr. Szlyk noted that in just a few years, The Lighthouse has gone from employing one Veteran to nearly 70 and is fully committed to recruiting more.

The Chicago Lighthouse for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
1850 West Roosevelt Road
Chicago, IL 60608-1298

http://chicagolighthouse.org/

Hours: Monday through Friday 8:00am-5:00pm
Tel: (312) 666-1331
Fax: (312) 243-8539
TDD: (312) 666-8874