Congratulations to Longtime Lighthouse Employee Greg Polman on His Retirement

Over 42 years of employment at The Chicago Lighthouse, Greg Polman held many roles. He has managed 14 programs, including the Employment Services and Adult Living Skills programs. He has written and managed city, state and federal grants and contracts, and for the past 10 years, as Senior Vice President of Public Policy, Greg managed the Illinois Instructional Materials Center (IIMC) and advocated for improved accessibility for people with disabilities in Chicago and throughout the state.

It is without question that Greg, who officially retired from The Lighthouse on July 15, has contributed significantly to the independence and well-being of literally thousands of people who are blind, visually impaired and otherwise disabled.

Blind since he was 17, Greg received a Bachelor of Arts from Southwestern Minnesota State University and a Master of Arts from Southern Illinois University, at a time long before accommodations for people with disabilities were mandated or readily available.

Greg joined The Lighthouse in 1983 after working for the State of Illinois as a rehabilitation counselor, providing counseling and guidance to individuals with disabilities as they pursued their educational and employment goals. At The Lighthouse, his first role was starting up an accessible technology center that would help clients with visual impairments learn to use equipment like the newly emerging computer interfaces for employment. At the same time, he worked with many companies throughout Chicago to develop programs to accommodate more employees with disabilities.

When the Americans with Disabilities Act became law in 1990, Greg, who had once dreamed of becoming an attorney, turned his attention to public policy. For 35 years, he has advocated throughout Chicago on behalf of the disability community for accommodations such as curb cuts to facilitate wheelchair access, Braille signage at CTA bus stops, improving accessibility at Chicago’s airports, and joined in the successful lawsuit against the City of Chicago to require more accessible pedestrian signals at its intersections. He has served on several of the city’s work groups, including as co-chair of the Service Delivery Committee of the Chicago Cook Workforce Innovation Board and chair of the RTA Transit Access Citizens Advisory Board.

In recognition of these professional achievements, as well as his volunteer work as co-chair of the Chicago Workforce Investment Board, chair of the Statewide Rehabilitation Council, and position on the Mayor’s Task Force for Employment for People with Disabilities, Greg was recently awarded the 2025 Mary McCann Award from the Illinois Council of the Blind in recognition of his lifetime of work advocating for people with disabilities.

At a retirement ceremony for Greg (and his guide dog Turner), The Lighthouse presented Greg with an Apple Watch Pro (and free assistive technology consulting to get it going), as a modern and accessible twist on the traditional retirement gift of a gold watch. There were also many heartfelt speeches, but one tribute summed it up best: “You served this community in more than many ways. Your legend and impact lives on.”