|
|
Adult Services
Adult Services are designed to enable blind
and visually impaired individuals to regain independent living skills,
allowing them to maintain meaningful roles in their family, community, work
and/or school.
All classes are available in English,
Spanish and Creole. Instruction and training at work and in the home is
also provided to ensure practical skill use in everyday situations.
Clients meet with a counselor or social
worker and are orientated within a small group class to discuss available
classes and services. We emphasize using one’s own life experiences to
regain skills using remaining vision and other senses. Social workers act
as advocates and information providers and teach the skill of
self-advocacy.
Contact a social worker
Orientation and Mobility
O&M services allow the individual gain
better spatial awareness and travel independence. Our instructors provide
thorough training for:
-
Cane skills
-
Moving safely within the home and stores
-
Effective use of public transportation
i.e.: Busses, metro-rail
Proper training from our
university-trained, certified instructors builds confidence and
independence for an individual maneuvering in a sighted-world.
For more information, please contact
Orientation and Mobility
Personal Management
Personal management instruction aims for individuals of
all ages to remain independent. Personal Management offers:
- Home skills, kitchen safety, basic meal preparation,
all taught from on-site facilities including working washers and dryers,
stove-top ranges, ovens, and cooking utensils
- Grocery shopping, organization of one’s home,
personal affairs, and other tasks that must often be re-learned are
taught by our personal management instructors
- Make-up and grooming, personal hygiene, clothing
selection and other similar skills restore a sense of personal style and
identity

- Money identification, telephone dialing,
phone/internet shopping and banking, and the use of talking clocks and
calculators return control over finances and daily schedules
- Writing guides, check writing templates, Braille and
various labeling techniques provide options for handling the many
reading and writing tasks associated with a busy schedule. Use of the
Talking Books program introduces one avenue of enjoying leisure time.
For more information, please contact
Sarah
Clark.
Computer and Technology Training
-
Growing advances in technology allow an visually
impaired individual to lead a more independent life, therefore it is
necessary to have the proper training to learn, and in many cases
re-learn the skills needed to utilize what is available.
-
Miami Lighthouse has computers adapted to provide
either enlarged images or speech output of the information on the
screen, and can be used for basic word-processing and e-mail. We are
also equipped with computers using JAWS (Java Application with Sound)
software, a program that reads allowed virtually every keystroke on
the computer, allowing the user to listen to emails and other
documents, and navigate computer programs as a sighted person might.
-
Small talking note-takers make it possible to remember
appointments, and get quick access to telephone numbers and personal
information.

-
Learning to use computers with speech or large print
access offers blind and visually impaired individuals an avenue for
which further employment and education are made possible
Other special equipment such as Braille note-takers and
laptop devices also enable greater flexibility on a daily working basis.
Similar to a PDA, these devices allow the user web access, access to a
calendar, contacts, notes, documents and much more. Learning to use this
puts the world literally at your fingertips.
For more information please contact
Bill
Rivera.
Employment Opportunities
Miami Lighthouse helps analyze a blind or visually
impaired individual’s skills and interests to assist in the search for
employment. Increasing one’s personal independence allows for greater
opportunities in the work environment.
- Job placement and on-the-job assistance is given in
conjunction with the Florida Division of Blind Services
- Job readiness classes, work evaluation, and
assistance with job finding are still more of the services offered by
DBS
- Already employed? We can help you with the job you
have, if loss of vision is an issue for you.
- Are you an employer? We can help you retain the
valued employee for whom loss of vision has become an issue.
Social Group Activities

Social Group Activities offer leisure
activities that also aid in perfecting one’s blindness skills. Ceramics
and Arts and Crafts improve dexterity, necessary for Braille
comprehension. Field trips to local parks, malls and other areas of
interest, group discussions, language classes, and exercise classes are
also available, and are offered free of charge.
For more information, please contact
Nelba
Gonzalez.
Low Vision Services
A wide array of magnifiers and other
devices can assist with specific tasks. These include:
-
Handheld magnifiers
-
Closed-circuit television read/write
systems
-
Miniature spotting scopes
-
Specialized lighthouse
-
Text and product code scanners/readers
-
Accessible cell phones
-
Bold line markers
Miami Lighthouse instructors will assist in
the selection of these devices to fit your needs, and provide training in
their use.
Diabetes Education
Loss of vision increases the challenge of managing and
understanding diabetes, a complex condition that often leads to vision
loss.
Talking devices that enable independent monitoring of blood sugar levels
and special insulin delivery devices can help you manage your condition.
Miami Lighthouse also provides information about meal plans, exercise, and
personal health care.
For more information on
Adult Services, please call.
Copyright © 2003-2009 Miami
Lighthouse for the Blind. All rights reserved. Terms
and conditions.
This web site was designed and developed by BizSolutions,
Inc.
|
|