Lighthouse of Collier received the Harvey Kapnick Award for program excellence from the Community Foundation of Collier County at the Celebration of Philanthropy on November 1, 2019.
Kathy is a young, working-age woman who went completely blind about eight years ago. She has been receiving services from the Lighthouse on and off for the past five years. The first four of those years, Kathy made minimal progress while she struggled with medical issues. However, over the past year her health has improved, making it possible for her to attend classes on a regular basis.
In that time, Kathy learned how to navigate a computer using only JAWS screen reading software and Windows keyboard commands. She is quick to grasp and retain new concepts with little assistance. In fact, she often troubleshoots a problem on her own. Kathy’s newly learned computer skills make it easy for her to attend remote classes the Lighthouse offers. She regularly attends the Tuesday coffee chat, independent living workshops, Wednesday support group, and history/book club, and meets for individual technology lessons.
Due to her preexisting health conditions, Kathy has not left home since the onset of the pandemic. She orders groceries online and participates in virtual doctors’ visits. Kathy stated that even though she is unable to venture out she has remained digitally connected with her Lighthouse friends. Since the Lighthouse moved to a remote learning platform, Kathy made more friends. They exchanged contact info and developed a much-needed support network for blind or visually impaired people isolated by self-quarantine.
Kathy’s goals are to master skills necessary to succeed in the workforce. She would love to work as an office assistant in an agency that serves people living with disability. Kathy’s ultimate personal goal is to live independently in her own home. Through hard work and sheer determination, Kathy will reach and exceed all her goals.
