Close to 24 million Americans report that they are blind or have trouble seeing even with corrective lenses – a number that is expected to double by 2050 based on this country’s aging population and the increasing prevalence of diseases that cause blindness. What’s more, the average unemployment rate for people who are visually impaired is a staggering 70 percent. Something needs to change. The Chicago Lighthouse is attempting to move the dial in key ways. First, they are at the cutting edge of technology that helps people who are blind and visually impaired realize their talents. Second, they are attempting to lift the stigma around blindness by providing hundreds of innovative job opportunities to people who are blind and visually impaired, proving that blindness should not be a barrier to employment. In 2016, the Chicago Lighthouse celebrated its 110th anniversary and the principles upon which it was founded – equality, independence, and dignity for all.
