Dallas Lighthouse

ABOUT US

Michael Orfinik
President

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Harry P. McClintock III
Chair

Doug Douglas, Jr.
Vice Chair

Linda Turner
Treasurer

Bill Brabson

Marcel Brunel

Patrick Dougherty

Ed Edson

O. Wade Hampton

Philip R. "Rusty" Rice

Van Williamson

History and Purpose

The Dallas Lighthouse for the Blind is celebrating over 75 years as a resource for the blind and visually impaired population in the Dallas area. Besides employment, through the years the Dallas Lighthouse has offered an array of services, including temporary residences, Braille training, senior adult day services, and job training. Our service area encompasses eleven counties in North Texas. Overall, this population represents over 96,000 persons who are blind or visually impaired. Significantly, the Dallas Lighthouse for the Blind is positioned to serve one-third of the blind and visually impaired population in the state of Texas!

Since its founding, the Lighthouse has been dedicated to providing hope and opportunity to blind and visually impaired persons. It is vital to note that, historically, of the disabled population who are able to work, approximately 80% desire employment. However, only 32% of legally blind working-aged Americans are employed. Our philosophy is that all people should have the opportunity to become responsible, productive members of society, regardless of their sight ability. With that in mind, throughout its history, the Lighthouse has provided skills training and employment, as well as social and educational experiences for blind and visually impaired individuals. No longer a sheltered workshop, the Industrial Division of the Dallas Lighthouse is now a modern 50,000-sf plant that churns out over $9 million of products annually for government and military use. More than 82% of our direct labor workforce is blind, making the Dallas Lighthouse the largest employer of blind persons in this metropolitan region. And, our workforce is paid competitive wages, including benefits and incentives.

The Community Outreach (Rehabilitation Division) of the Dallas Lighthouse focuses on training and education for the blind and visually impaired. Orientation and Mobility training includes instruction in cane travel and public transportation. The service area of the Dallas Lighthouse includes about 44,000 people, 18 years and older, who are blind or visually impaired. Since many of these individuals want to live self-sufficient lives, employment or training for employment is vital to them. In an attempt to meet this growing need, our Technology Lab at the Dallas Lighthouse implements the latest adaptive software specifically for use by blind individuals. Orientation and Mobility Training is an integral part of all programs, as our clients must maneuver skillfully and without trepidation in order to travel independently within the social and business communities. Further, life skills such as money management and interpersonal communication are taught, developing our clients’ confidence and self esteem - the qualities necessary for healthy, successful living.

True of many organizations today, the aging population has presented us with different challenges and opportunities for service. The needs of the senior adult population have come to the forefront, driven primarily by the volume of individuals who experience vision loss later in life, whether from cataracts, macular degeneration, diabetes, or simply due to living longer. We provide seminars on “Adapting to Vision Changes” and we make visits to the homes of seniors to instruct them on the use of simple adaptive techniques and assistive devices to help them maintain their independence, despite vision challenges.

The Dallas Lighthouse for the Blind | 4245 Office Parkway | Dallas, TX 75204 | 214-821-2375
The Dallas Lighthouse for the Blind is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.