What a camp! Our Children’s camp concluded on Friday, June 16, 2023. During each week of camp, students participated in several outings, providing them with opportunities to integrate into the community and practice independent travel skills. Our summer camp for children ages 6-13 offered an opportunity for children to apply skills they have practiced and…
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We’re excited to announce that Lighthouse of Collier has been awarded FULL Accreditation through the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) Accreditation Program. The mission of the AER Accreditation Program is to advance excellence in the field of blindness and low vision services by ensuring that: organizations and specialized…
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Our 13th Annual Benefit “Celebrating LIGHThouse” on November 9th was a tremendous success! We were able to raise over $100,000 towards our programs and services that directly benefit the visually impaired community within Collier County. As always, our annual event wouldn’t be a success without your help by spreading the word about how important Lighthouse of…
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Making a Difference article published in Florida Weekly (Naples edition) on 10/20/22.
Video with audio descriptions Lighthouse of Collier has moved, but not too far away from the previous spot! We are at the same Horseshoe Square address, but now we are on the 1st floor (Suite 101). The entrance is on the West side of the building (left side) and we have a green awning. Our…
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Lighthouse of Collier has moved, but not too far away. To celebrate, we invite you to join us for an Open House on March 9 from 5 – 7 p.m. to come by and see our new home! Light refreshments will be served. We are now located at the same Horseshoe Square address on the…
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It has been worth the wait! Lighthouse of Collier has moved as of 2-1-22, but not too far away from the previous spot! We are at our the same Horseshoe Square address, but now we are on the 1st floor (Suite 101). The entrance is on the West side of the building (left side) and…
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This annual event will be held October 15th from 10:00-12:00. Clients and their families and friends are encouraged to participate in a short walk up and down 5th Avenue. The goal of White Cane Safety Day is to bring public awareness about the White Cane Law and to recognize the white cane as a tool…
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Clients and their families and friends are invited to participate in a short walk on 5th Avenue to promote White Cane Safety Day and recognize the white cane as a tool of independence for blind and visually impaired pedestrians in our communities. Clients are encouraged to bring their white canes, but extra canes will be…
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Annie is an 82-year-old woman living with dry macular degeneration. For the past nine months, she has been regularly attending the adjustment to blindness support group at Lighthouse of Collier. In that time, Annie has grown from a passive listener to a regular participant, confident in her ability to contribute to the group conversation.
When joining the group, Annie did not have a mobile phone and had no interest in owning one. However, after several months of listening to group members discuss the various tasks that a smart phone can accomplish, Annie started believing she could learn to use one. She spent the next month or so asking questions about which phone she should purchase. Soon after, she bought an iPhone and began scheduling weekly assistive technology lessons.
Four months later, Annie grew able to effectively use Siri and voiceover to send and receive text messages, answer and end phone calls, make a phone call, listen to voicemail messages, make and receive a FaceTime call, check the time and weather, and set alarms and timers. Since purchasing her iPhone, Annie reported feeling safer and much more independent. She feels more connected with her children and grandchildren and no longer feels isolated when home alone. In fact, Annie declared that without the encouragement and support of her group she would never in her wildest dreams have considered getting an iPhone. She feels immensely fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet other people who understand what it is like living with vision loss, and refers to them as her “Lighthouse family.”
