• Columbia Lighthouse Opens Retail Store in Maryland
• NFB Training Institute Names First Executive Director

Columbia Lighthouse Opens Retail Store in Maryland

-- Visionary Store Sells Adaptive Devices and Offers Retail Training Program for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired --

Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind (CLB), a national nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting independence among individuals who are blind or visually impaired, opened its first retail store in Maryland.

The Visionary Store offers adaptive devices designed to promote independence among people who are blind or visually impaired. The store carries an assortment of products for the home and office, including canes, talking clocks, writing aids, Braille watches and games. The store also sells assistive technology software packages including speech and screen magnification software. Additionally, Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind offers an internship program at the Visionary Store for people with vision impairments to gain valuable workplace experience in a retail environment. This training program has received funding from a generous grant from the Verizon Foundation.

"We are very pleased to celebrate the grand opening of the Visionary Store," said Dale T. Otto, president and CEO of CLB. "Given the volume of consumers we serve in this region, we made a strategic decision to relocate our retail store from our headquarters in Washington, DC, to our training facility in Riverdale, MD. It also provides an ideal location for our retail training program."

Since 1900, the Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind has offered programs and services that enable individuals who are blind or visually impaired to obtain and maintain independence at home, school, work and in the community. CLB's programs and services include training and consultation in assistive technology, employment marketing skills training, career placement services, comprehensive low vision care and a wide range of rehabilitation services.

NFB Training Institute Names First Executive Director

National Federation of the Blind (NFB) president Dr. Marc Maurer announced that Dr. Betsy Zaborowski has been named as the first Executive Director of the NFB's new Research and Training Institute. The Institute is located in Baltimore, Maryland, next to Federation headquarters. Dr. Zaborowski, who is blind, will have responsibility for staffing, equipping, and executing the programs of the new facility.
"She brings the talent, experience and commitment required for such an important position," stated NFB president Marc Maurer. "She has seen firsthand what blind people can achieve, and she is a passionate supporter of the possibilities of blind people in this country," he said.

About the NFB
With more than 50,000 members and 700 local and state affiliates and chapters, the National Federation of the Blind, headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, is the largest and most influential membership organization of blind people in the United States. The NFB improves blind people's lives through advocacy, education, research, technology, and programs encouraging independence and self-confidence. It is the leading force in the blindness field today and the voice of the nation's blind.

About the NFB Research and Training Institute
Contributions from over 18,000 individuals, corporations, and foundations plus grants from the United States government and the State of Maryland have been received for the construction of the National Federation of the Blind Research and Training Institute. This new 170,000-square-foot facility, located in south Federal Hill, will be the nation's first center dedicated to the development of innovative technology, education, and training for the blind led by the blind. The Institute will celebrate its grand opening on January 30, 2004, starting at 5:30 p.m.