Lighting the path to employment

Getting a job is a major hurdle for blind people, but Lighthouse Central Florida is working to change that.

Lighthouse President and CEO Lee Nasehi and the staff at Lighthouse have been working on a project to employ the visually impaired — a group that has a 70 percent unemployment rate, Nasehi said.

Six months ago, they brought in Russ Hauck, former executive director of the National Simulation Center, to get it running.

"We want to start our own lines of business that we will own and operate, that will employ vision-impaired people," Hauck said.

Lighthouse Central Florida Vision Rehabilitation Resources is the only non-profit agency offering free professional rehabilitation services in Central Florida. Serving about 1,000 people each year, it helps those with vision loss learn new ways to approach tasks and daily living, in everything from discerning salt and pepper to using computer programs.

For many years, the organization has helped connect its clients with existing employers, but by the end of the year, it hopes to become one of those employers.

Employees would provide services and produce office supplies and other products for federal and state governments, with jobs available for a range of skill and interest levels.

They're referring to the new project as Lighthouse Works! and are currently seeking a new building to facilitate the growth and change it will bring.

Program Services Director Lee Van Eepoel said they brought Hauck on board to explore the development of new industries, to market their new vocational and employment services and to do major higher level job development, meeting and building relationships with area employers so they can identify potential job placement opportunities on a larger scale. Hauck is a Navy veteran and former mayor of Altamonte Springs. His experience with politics and legislation has helped Lighthouse Works! progress quickly.

"We're all scrambling to learn and educate ourselves, and now we're rolling out these new vocational programs. At the same time, Russ has been making progress with the products we plan to potentially pursue for industries," she said.

"Agency-wide, we're turning the page and starting a whole new adventure. This is the most exciting thing that I think has ever happened in our field since I've been here."

Lighthouse's satellite office in Avalon Park is currently the hub of employment services. Lighthouse was given an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act contract stimulus award through Florida's division of blind services in March, which pays for job development, placement specialists and job readiness training.

"For us, it's all about employing people," Nasehi said.