New York Association for the Blind
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| Motto | Vision + Health |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1906 |
| Legal status | Nonprofit |
| Purpose | Low-vision services and health care plans |
| Headquarters | New York, New York, USA |
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Region served
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United States |
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President & CEO
|
Alan R. Morse |
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Main organ
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Board of Directors |
| Website | LighthouseGuild.org |
Lighthouse Guild is an American charitable organization, based in New York City, devoted to vision rehabilitation and advocacy for the blind. Its mission statement is "To overcome vision impairment for people of all ages through worldwide leadership in rehabilitation services, education, research, prevention and advocacy."
Formerly known as Lighthouse International, it merged with The Jewish Guild for the Blind and as of January 2014 became known as Lighthouse Guild International, with the name eventually shortened to Lighthouse Guild.
During a trip to Florence, Italy, at the turn of the 20th century, sisters Winifred and Edith Holt learned of a free service that provided concert tickets to blind schoolchildren. Inspired by the notion, the sisters established the similar Lighthouse Free Ticket Bureau in New York City in 1903. The organization was incorporated in 1906 as The New York Association for the Blind and offered home counseling and instruction program for the visually impaired. An early meeting for the board and the public, including blind men and women, was held at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. Also in attendance were Secretary Miss Winifred Holt, Recording Secretary Miss Edith Holt, President Richard Watson Gilder, Vice-President Helen Keller, with honorary vice presidents Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler and Samuel Langhorne Clemens. The advisory board consisted of Dr. Felix Adler, Hon. Joseph H. Choate, His Eminence John Farley, Bishop David Greer, Dr. William H. Maxwell and Dr. Charles H. Parkhurst.
Winifred Holt also participated in founding the New York State Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped. In 1912, the association established a workshop on East 42nd Street where visually impaired men could manufacture marketable products, and the sisters opened their home to visually impaired women to create handcrafted items for sale, leading to the organization's motto, "Light Through Work."
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