The Chicago Lighthouse was founded in 1906 by a group of women volunteers, both blind and sighted, working out of the basement of a doctor’s home offering clothing and food to Chicagoans who were blind, many of them homeless. Since then, the Chicago Lighthouse has evolved into the most comprehensive private rehabilitation and educational facility in the nation dedicated to assisting children, youth and adults who are blind, visually impaired or multi-disabled. 

Many programs were “firsts” in the Midwest: the first Low Vision Clinic, the first Center for Blind and Multi-Disabled Children, the first Adaptive Technology Center for computer users. For 103 years, the Lighthouse has been responding to the emerging needs of people living with blindness, now helping people across the nation as we begin another century of service.

Although other agencies around the country are called “Lighthouse for the Blind” they are not affiliated.  However, 85 blind service agencies belong to the umbrella organization National Industries for the Blind (NIB), which develops and facilitates contracts to the agencies producing products for the federal government.  The Chicago Lighthouse is well regarded nationally as a model agency, not only for its industries contracts, but also for the wide range of additional programs provided to make a comprehensive, wrap-around menu of services that address an individual’s changing needs across a lifetime.

To name a few of our flagship programs, the Lighthouse is a Chicago Public School Specialized Services program with 35 students who are blind with other severe disabilities.  Prior to school age, an early intervention program serves families with infants and toddlers in their home.  The Illinois Instructional Materials Center, a program of the State Board of Education, is run by the Lighthouse serving 4,000 students throughout the state who need Braille or large print classroom materials.  Youth Transition activities, including a scholarship program, focus on preparing high school and college students for higher education or the work place.  Vocational programs offer training and placement services for competitive employment, and job placement in manufacturing within Lighthouse Industries.  Technology services are a primary component of vocations programming, giving clients the latest in adaptive computer systems including a phone-in Help Desk.  Services that enhance independent living are the Kane Legal Clinic, Deaf-Blind Program, Assistive Devices Center, Veteran’s Administration Supply, and Chicagoland Radio Information Service (CRIS).  The Lighthouse also operates one of the largest and best Low Vision Rehabilitation Services in the country, serving patients at 8 locations throughout metropolitan Chicago.