[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15633]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     MIAMI LIGHTHOUSE FOR THE BLIND

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise tonight to 
recognize and encourage continued support for the Miami Lighthouse for 
the Blind.
  Founded in 1931 in Little Havana in my congressional district, the 
Miami Lighthouse is invaluable to my south Florida community. Most of 
us take our vision for granted; but for the millions of vision-impaired 
Americans, even performing everyday tasks can become a challenge. The 
Miami Lighthouse is a resource for the visually impaired of south 
Florida, providing not only the tools and the training that they need, 
but also a loving and supportive community.
  I have recently had the privilege of visiting the Miami Lighthouse 
for the Blind and participating in their children's summer camp 
program. As I toured this state-of-the-art facility, I saw firsthand 
the wonderful impact this organization has had in the lives of the 
children, adults, and seniors that it serves.
  Miami Lighthouse is truly helping people of all ages regain their 
independence. Their innovative programs cover everything from 
employment training to computer usage to daily skills like cooking and 
grocery shopping. Miami Lighthouse also offers programs to build a 
supportive community where awareness and support are always available. 
They offer play dates for blind babies, summer camps for children, and 
social groups for seniors. Every child at the Miami Lighthouse summer 
camp showed me that the work Miami Lighthouse is doing has a 
significant impact on their future and on their quality of life.
  Miami Lighthouse truly goes beyond treatment and rehabilitation; they 
bring the visually impaired closer to our community. But as those at 
Miami Lighthouse will tell you, incidences of vision loss are on the 
rise. Over the past 5 years, Mr. Speaker, the number of program 
participants at the Miami Lighthouse has risen dramatically, and this 
is a trend that extends across the country.
  We as a Nation must dedicate the time and the resources to prevent 
blindness and its related conditions. Early detection is the key to 
fighting vision loss; and effective, accessible screening programs must 
be the cornerstone. Centers like the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind are 
leading the way. Its Heiken Children's Vision Program provides school 
children in Miami with eye exams and prescription glasses at no cost to 
families. Thanks to this program, hundreds of students now have an 
easier time reading and seeing the blackboard in class and have a 
chance for a brighter future.
  I thank each and every one of the caring staff and the many 
volunteers at Miami Lighthouse. It is through your commitment that so 
many vision-impaired individuals in our community can live happy, 
active lives. I look forward to again visiting the Miami Lighthouse for 
the Blind in the future and learning of all of its latest successes.

                          ____________________