To secure necessary funding and legislative support for our programs to assist people with visual impairments, the Lighthouse works closely with federal, state and local lawmakers.  This has become even more critical in tough economic times when budgets everywhere are being slashed and fewer resources are available.

One recent success story was the Lighthouse’s ability to secure additional state funding for its Illinois Instructional Materials Center (IIMC), which provides books for hundreds of visually impaired children across the state.  Money was needed for the IIMC to purchase books and other large print material after its budget had been cut by the governor. To get the process started, the agency’s PR staff initiated a letter writing campaign urging a boost in funding so blind children would have the same access to books as other youngsters.  The letters, which ran in such major papers as the Chicago Tribune, Springfield Journal Register and Champaign Gazette, served as an impetus for parents, community leaders and other supporters to write their own representatives asking for their support.  The campaign eventually took off and proved to be a success when state funding increased and blind or visually impaired students were able to obtain the books and large print material they needed.

For information on how to contact your state and federal representatives to express your thoughts on blindness/disability issues, call Dominic Calabrese, public relations director at the Lighthouse, at (312) 997-3662 or write dominic.calabrese@chicagolighthouse.org