Your Stories, Your Words: The Lighthouse is…The Power of Belief

The Chicago Lighthouse has been part of my life since I was not even six months old. I was a “Birth-to-Three baby” to start, and later benefited from employment services that helped me find a job at The Lighthouse. Most recently, I served on the leadership team in the Accessible UI Health Customer Care Center.

As an adult, I worked in the UI Health Customer Care Center from 2017 to 2024 (including as a Team Lead for almost three years). In September 2024, I left The Lighthouse to become the Director of AppleVis, an online resource for people who are blind, deafblind, or have low vision and use Apple products and services.

Today, my heart remains with The Lighthouse. I am a volunteer for The Lighthouse’s Seniors Program, where I help teach iPhone and iPad classes. You can also see me at various events and functions throughout the year.

Why? Because The Lighthouse believes in people, and when you believe in someone, it fundamentally changes everything. When instructors and early intervention teachers in the Birth to Three Program believe in the children that they’re caring for and their families, they help parents see beyond their child’s visual impairment to a world of what’s possible. When teachers and therapists and paraprofessionals in the Children’s Development Center believe in the students, they help each child see their unique potential. When Employment Services counselors believe in their clients, they see a person who wants to work and be a part of their community.

Outcomes are better when you believe in the people you serve. That is what The Lighthouse did for me, and that is what The Lighthouse means to me.

— Michael Hansen, client, former employee, and volunteer