Lighthouse Guild Receives $100,000 Grant for Technology
The donation from the Frances G. Scaife Foundation allows those with visual impairments to develop technological skills through Lighthouse Guild.
| 11 Feb 2025 | 02:58
A view of the Technology Center at Lighthouse Guild, which will receive $100,000 over the next four years (
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A client’s reaction after using a vision-assisting headset at Lighthouse Guild (
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Under a program dubbed “Tech Pals,” younger teachers, such as the one seen on the right, help older clients use accessibility features on a smartphone. (
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Lighthouse Guild said it had received a $100,000 grant to expand its programs to teach vital technological skills and provide training for visually impaired people. The donation unveiled on Feb. 5 comes from the Frances G. Scaife Foundation, a private foundation now based out of Palm Beach, Florida, which has been a long-time donor to Lighthouse Guild.
“We’re fortunate that Ms. Scaife has been a donor for over 20 years,” said Jaine Schmidt, Lighthouse Guild’s Chief Marketing Officer. The grant, alongside continued support from the New York State Commission for the Blind, and the Lavelle Fund for the Blind, allows for the launch of the Frannie Scaife Tech Training Initiative, Schmidt said. This initiative aims to put the proposals on the grant, received last month, into action.
“It will help make possible one-on-one work and group training sessions,” said Brian Dever, Chief Development Officer. Dever stressed that “independence, work, and education” are some of the most critical areas of Lighthouse Guild’s mission. Developing technological skills through accessibility is a great way to meet the goals.
One program at Lighthouse Guild, Tech Pals, features young people, ages 18 to 25, teaching older people how to use modern smartphone technology to access services like reading, navigation, even shopping. Both the young and old program participants are visually impaired, creating a shared understanding. The young people get the teaching experience, the older people get the knowledge to use their technology. “It makes a big impact on our clients’ lives,” said Schmidt.
Another program to benefit from the grant is the Tech-In sessions at Lighthouse Guild. The one on Feb. 12, on how to use Meta’s new Ray-Ban glasses, was overbooked, but a virtual workshop was scheduled for Feb. 18.
Other volunteer programs include tax prep for those with visual impairments, as well as a team representing Lighthouse Guild in the upcoming TD Five Boro Bike Tour. For that, the team will consist of groups of “sighted and unsighted” bikers riding tandem. “There is so much going on,” laughed Dever.
The hope through all these programs is not only to provide better quality of life to its clients, but also for Lighthouse Guild to share what it is learning with others. “Part of the goal,” said Schmidt, “is to get more training and accessibility in New York City, as well as all around the country.” She continues: “The more we collaborate as a group and as a team, the more we will accomplish, and the more people we can reach.”
The grant “will help make possible one-on-one work and group training sessions,” said Brian Dever, Lighthouse Guild’s Chief Development Officer.
