The Lighthouse Rehabilitation Center provides vocational and independent living rehabilitation programs that increase the independence of individuals who are blind or visually impaired, as well as those with other disabilities. The Center's experienced staff has the capacity to provide a variety of training services to meet the needs of each individual, from basic life skills to advanced technical skills that will yield high level employment and full independence. Program services are provided to participants in a one-on-one or group setting and are coordinated based on the needs and interests of each individual.

Facts
The Center provides direct services to more than 1,200 individuals each year. Individuals who come to the Rehabilitation Center programs include

Individuals presently employed that require new skills and/or assistive technology to overcome recently developed visual impairments in order to remain actively employed; College students whose visual impairment necessitates the evaluation and training of assistive technology to succeed in the classroom; Persons with a visual impairment or other disability that are seeking employment opportunities; Seniors who wish to maintain their independence and activity levels.

Other Services

• The Low Vision Store offers a variety of low vision, Braille and talking products.
• Community Awareness provides imperative information to you, your family, business, and professional or business group about the types and common causes of blindness, how to provide assistance and interact with an individual with a visual impairment, resources available for the visually impaired, and the benefits of employing an individual with a visual impairment.
• Information and Referral identifies community resources available specifically related to vision loss, and a variety of additional resources such as housing, transportation, financial assistance, home care, and general health management.
• The Emma Freeman Memorial Scholarship is available to provide financial assistance to visually-impaired individuals pursuing an education at a two or four year college or university.

Eligibility & Fees

• The primary eligibility criteria applied to all programs of the Rehabilitiation Center is the presence of a visual impairment, generally defined as best corrected visual acuity of 20/70 or a visual field of 30 degrees or less. People with other disabilities may participate in the Rehabilitation Center vocational programs.
• The Seniors Program accepts individuals with low vision, which allows the program to reach individuals before they become severely visually impaired.
• There are no direct fees to the individual to participate in any program. Most participants are referred to the Rehabilitation Center for services by the Division for Blind Services (DBS), the Division of Rehabilitation Services, or the Texas Workforce Commission.
• Rehabilitation programs are supported in part through the generosity of donations by individuals, businesses and corporations, community groups and foundations.

Contact Information
For general information about the Rehabilitation Center, contact Vince Boyd at 210-531-1506.