The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. is a private, not-for-profit social enterprise providing employment, support, and training opportunities for people who are blind, DeafBlind, and blind with other disabilities. The Lighthouse has provided employment and support to people who are blind since 1918.
Starting as a social organization called the Seattle Association of the Blind in 1914, people who were blind and their friends and family members at that time began to attract the attention of local officials regarding education, transportation, employment, and economic matters related to people who were blind. Another pressing issue was informing the general public about prejudices and misunderstandings toward people who were blind. In the advent of World War I, many recently-blinded veterans were returning home to the Pacific Northwest with virtually no opportunities for employment, and a group of socially prominent women in the community helped to establish a workshop in 1916, where people who were blind could make jigsaw puzzles and baskets by hand. In 1918, the organization incorporated and began a long journey of creating and innovating employment opportunities for people who are blind.
In 1972 the Lighthouse hired its first DeafBlind employee, which eventually grew into one of the most comprehensive DeafBlind programs in the United States. In 1978 the Lighthouse held the first DeafBlind Retreat, a week-long event in a beautiful location balanced with community building, self-discovery, and experiencing the DeafBlind way with DeafBlind participants and qualified volunteer-interpreters. In addition to being the foremost employer of DeafBlind individuals in the U.S., the Lighthouse also employs staff American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters to facilitate communication between employees who are DeafBlind and their coworkers.