This listing is compiled by the Vision Loss Resource Center at the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired. It is compiled weekly as a service to the blind and visually impaired community of Northern California. If you have a meeting or event information that would be appropriate for inclusion in this list, please email info@lighthouse-sf.org. This list will be updated every Friday. Information for each Friday’s listing must be submitted by the Wednesday prior to publication.

Download it here:

northern-ca-entertainment-recreation-listing.3.12.10

This week’s highlights are

-LightHouse yoga, dance and self-defense classes

-Art Education for the Blind focus group at SFMOMA

Contact Robert Leslie Newman 2010-contest@nfb-writers-division.org

Adult contests are open to all entrants eighteen years and over. Youth poetry and fiction entries will be divided into three categories: grades first through sixth grade, seventh and eighth grades and ninth through twelfth grades.

All contest winners will be announced at the Writers’ Division business meeting during the NFB national convention to be held in Dallas, Texas, the first week of July, 2010. In addition to being announced during the business meeting they will appear on the Writers’ Division website, www.nfb-writers-division.org shortly after convention adjournment.

The deadline is April 1, 2010. For more details, go to www.nfb-writers-division.org.

“I believe in treating individuals as individuals, in meeting them where they begin their blindness journey and providing state-of-the-art services that best address their personalized needs,” Bashin said. “I’m honored to step into the chief leadership role at the LightHouse and look forward to continuing the work that I have been passionate about throughout my career – promoting equality and full community participation for people who are blind or visually impaired.”

Bashin joins the LightHouse with strong support from various sectors of the community the LightHouse touches. LightHouse donor, former Board Vice President and subject of the book Crashing Through: From Blindness to Sight, Mike May, says that under Bashin’s leadership, the LightHouse will not only be able to maintain its distinction as a leading service provider and advocate of the blind community, but also be “infused with innovation.”

“I got to know Bryan when I joined the Board of the Society for the Blind [in Sacramento, where Bryan served as Executive Director]. He did amazing things with the Society both in terms of building the organization [and] in terms of the attitudes and participatory techniques he implemented. He demonstrated skills as a strong manager of people and money,” said May.

Bashin brings to the LightHouse a unique blend of professional experiences that include Executive Editor for the Center for Science and Reporting, Assistant Regional Commissioner for the United States Department of Education – Rehabilitation Services, Expert Witness on rehabilitation and economic aspects of employment of the blind and Executive Director of Society for the Blind in Sacramento. At the Society, fundraising income grew by 300 percent over four years under Bashin’s leadership. Additionally, he spearheaded technological and access enhancements that bolstered programs and created employment opportunities for blind and visually impaired professionals. In joining the LightHouse team, Bashin follows in the footsteps of Anita Shafer Aaron who served as CEO for nearly 20 years. Bashin will continue Aaron’s strong programmatic focus and advocacy for the rights of persons who are blind or visually impaired.

Long-time consumer and LightHouse Board member Margie Donovan believes that Bashin will continue to strengthen the role of the LightHouse in serving the blind community in Northern California and beyond. “Bryan will be a welcomed leader, forging new pathways in services to LightHouse clients,” said Donovan.

Currently, the LightHouse serves thousands of individuals annually through a combination of vision rehabilitation, education, recreation and employment services. Further, our accessible web-site and on-line networks serve as a critical resource for blind and visually impaired individuals across the region and beyond. Our advocacy on behalf of individuals with vision loss in areas of employment, transportation, healthcare and technology has an immeasurable reach across the state, touching the lives of not just the blind community, but the community as a whole as we promote equality and accessibility. We welcome Bryan Bashin as he joins us in strengthening who we are today and helping us define the future of the LightHouse.

Truce  is the story of her vision loss.

NYTheatre.com calls it “Sublimely theatrical, hyper-sensual, and hilarious,
TRUCE is oriented to emotions through sound and touch that might cause a seeing person to marvel”.

The poster above reads Truce and shows  Marilee with the left side of her face showing. The angle is from slightly below chest level, looking up. She is holding her folded cane up at shoulder level, with her hand wrapped around it. We see the grip, the loop and the end with a marshmallow tip. It is a colorful photo and Marilee’s make-up and hair style convey passion

Get details and show times.

Apprentice at AFI/Discovery Channel SilverDocs Documentary Festival

Deadline for applications: March 12, 2010

VSA invites emerging filmmakers with disabilities, ages 18 to 30, from
around the world who are interested in expanding their education and
knowledge of documentary filmmaking to apply to be an apprentice at the
renowned AFI-Discovery Channel SILVERDOCS Documentary Film Festival and International Documentary Conference from June 22 27, 2010.

AFI-Discovery Channel SILVERDOCS Documentary Film Festival and
International Documentary Conference offers numerous opportunities for
apprentices to be introduced to the most current trends in documentary
filmmaking. Sessions, panels, master classes, small group discussions with
industry leaders, and networking events will offer a select group of
emerging filmmakers the opportunity to hone their skills, increase their
knowledge base, and develop their network of professional contacts.
SILVERDOCS staff will create a customized learning experience for each VSA
Apprentice under the tutelage of AFI Silver¹s Education Coordinator, Matt
Boratenski.

Attendance at the entire conference is required. The official language for
the conference is English and if necessary, accommodations will be made
for American Sign Language. In order to fully participate, applicants must
be able to speak, read, and write English fluently.

The selected VSA Apprentices will have the following expenses covered by
VSA and AFI:

Conference registration, room, and board
Round-trip economy class or coach travel to and from Silver Spring,
Maryland, including ground transportation
Travel, room, and board for a personal care assistant, if required
Reasonable accommodation for the apprentice¹s disability

More information can be found at:<http://www.vsarts. org/x6042. xml>.

Learn about the Pebble Hand Held, the Sapphire Portable, the Mano Portable, and the Graduate PC Based Portable and many more!

Many of these video magnifiers are available at Adaptations, the LightHouse store

If you are not a subscriber, you can sign up to receive the LightHouse monthly email newsletter, LightHouse News. Click here to sign up for LightHouse News: http://visitor.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?m=1102117926249&p=oi

James Castle: A Retrospective (through April 25)
Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive

Born profoundly deaf, James Castle (1899–1977) was a prodigious artist who, without formal training, created a remarkable and vast body of work over the course of his life in rural Idaho. His drawings, cardboard constructions, paintings, and, even books of drawn text became his chief means of communicating with the world. Despite the barrenness of Castle’s surroundings and the solitary quality of his life, his works lack any sense of loneliness, pain, or worry. On the contrary, making art for Castle was clearly an act of confident pleasure and curiosity, an act in which he immersed his full awareness. This retrospective is the first comprehensive museum exhibition of his drawings, books, and paper constructions. For more about the exhibition visit: http://www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/exhibition/castle

*Staff and Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired e-news subscribers should identify themselves as staff or e-news subscribers with the Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired at the BAM/PFA admissions desk (2626 Bancroft Way) to obtain 2 for 1 admission through April 25.

Admission is $8 adults (18-64); $5 for seniors, disabled persons, and young adults, and non-UC Berkeley students; and free for children (12 and under), BAM/PFA members, and UC Berkeley students, staff, and faculty.

Upcoming Public Programs (free with gallery admission):

Saturday, March 6, 1:30 p.m.
Sign Language–Interpreted Tour: Patricia Lessard

Expert American Sign Language interpreter Patricia Lessard, who is a specialist in interpreting visual art, will work with a student from UC Berkeley’s graduate program in art practice to present a uniquely informative gallery tour of the work of this singular American artist.

Thursday, March 18, noon
Gallery Talk: Jacqueline Crist and Ann Percy
Two of the foremost experts on the art and life of James Castle join forces to offer their insights on selected works in the exhibition, and the stories behind them.

*Sign language interpretation will be provided by Patricia Lessard.

Sunday, April 18, 3 p.m.

Gallery Talk: Constructing Castle with Brenda Brueggemann and Katherine Sherwood
Bringing together two educator-practitioners who have long focused on James Castle, this program will highlight visual and linguistic elements in his work that contribute to a deeper understanding of his artistic output as a whole.

*Sign language interpretation will be provided by Patricia Lessard.

For general information about BAM/PFA including access and house visit: http://www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/visit