DID YOU KNOW?
- Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth has quietly focused for 86 years on “empowering and enhancing the lives of local citizens who are blind or who have low vision.”
- The Fort Worth nonprofit was founded during the Great Depression in 1935 by Willie Fay Lewis, who was sent to Fort Worth by the Texas Commission for the Blind. On the outside, the Lighthouse’s warehouse on 912 W. Broadway Ave. seems like any other office building in the area, but inside multilayered production, operations abound.
- In 1973, Robert W. Mosteller was named president of the Lighthouse. Under his leadership, the Lighthouse’s operations transformed from manufacturing mops and brooms to manufacturing shipping containers and military products.
- In 1952, the nonprofit moved from its original location at 1710 Washington St. to 912 W. Broadway Ave., where it has been for nearly 70 years. The nonprofit’s production needs grew and so did their need for workers, prompting the move.
- In 2008, Platt L. Allen, III was named president of Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth.
Fort Worth is painted in murals — more than 175, to be exact. Not one, though, is accessible for visually impaired residents.
The Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth plans to change that. The nonprofit is commissioning a mural featuring tactile elements so blind residents can partake in this growing culture of art.
Fort Worth muralist Kristen Soble and the Lighthouse are partnering to bring the creation to life. The mural’s exact design and intention are still in the early planning stages, but Lisa Fellers, Lighthouse’s head of development, said it will implement “a little history, training, education, awareness and beautification of the area.”
“There is a lot we can do with it,” said Soble, a Weatherford native who was recently named Fort Worth Magazine’s Best Artist. “There’s this aspect of wanting this mural to teach the blind something. At Lighthouse for the Blind, they teach them how to navigate their world and how to work using their skills. So, part of this wall, we’ve discussed, will be part of their education process.”
Soble has been doing murals professionally since 2016. Her clients include the Fort Worth Zoo, Caliber Collision, Near Southside, Inc., Locavore and Anytime Fitness.
Lighthouse’s mural is intended to be for both sighted viewers and visually impaired residents. Soble has reached out to contractors and sculptors. She wants viewers to “feel joy and passion and creativity.”
Work on the mural is set to begin Sept. 23, said Curtis Rhodes, the communications and content creator at the Lighthouse. Eventually, the organization will use the mural as a part of its orientation and mobility training for the blind.
A second, much smaller, mural will be painted on the front side of the Lighthouse’s building. The second mural will be funded by the North Texas Giving Day event, which focuses on providing funding for nonprofit organizations. The second mural will be geared toward the sighted public.
“This is Fort Worth’s best-hidden secret,” Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth President Platt L. Allen, III said. “It is hard to get a community to care about an issue that only affects 2% of people.”
An estimated 702,500 Texans are blind, according to the National Federation of the Blind. The statutory definition of “legally blind” is that central visual acuity must be 20/200 or less in the better eye with the best possible correction or that the visual field must be twenty degrees or less,” according to the federation.
Tarrant’s largest employer of the blind
Lighthouse’s workforce is 51% blind or visually impaired, making it one of the largest employers of sight-impaired residents in Tarrant County. The nonprofit organization has 62 workers who work on 120 products.
The Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth was founded by Willie Fay Lewis in 1935. The nonprofit moved to its current location at 912 W. Broadway Ave. in 1952. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
The Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth commissioned a mural for the blind on West Broadway Avenue and South Adams Street. Muralist Kristen Soble will design the mural which will include tactile components for the blind. The work on the mural is set to begin on Sept. 23, after the summer heat, Rhodes said. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
Since its founding in 1935, the Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth has landed contracts with federal clients and other businesses. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth receptionist Ronnie Bellomy welcomes visitors and workers at the front desk. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
Colored lines on the floor help visually impaired workers find different offices in the building. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
Platt L. Allen, III became the Chief Executive Officer at the Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth in 2008. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
Each of the colors leads to a different office, guiding workers and visitors to thor specific destinations. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
Head of Sales and Business Development Sean McNeill worked in the military for 14 years and elsewhere for 11 years before coming to the nonprofit. He said that the Lighthouse gets 500 contract requests per month but only accepts about 10 per month. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
McNeill’s business card has braille poked into it for accessibility to the blind and the visually impaired. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
The nonprofit’s impaired vision simulator helps sighted people see through the eyes of visually impaired and blind people. The simulators allow sighted people to experience different visual impairments. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
The Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth has a business contract with Swiss Flex, a noveleyewear frame system manufacturer in more than 50 countries. Together, the two create innovative eyeglasses. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
Juanita Montes, a worker at the Lighthouse, has been working at the warehouse for 30 years, she said. She is from Zacatecas, Mexico. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
Adhesive is used to place cardboard on foam products making it easier to stack and store them. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
Juana Montes plasters adhesive on cardboard pieces used to hold the foam products in place. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
Montes, a worker at the Lighthouse stacks pieces of foam that have been attached to cardboard. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
Wrapped pallets of foam products are shrink-wrapped and stacked at the warehouse. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
As stacks of paper produced at the Lighthouse move down the assembly line, a machine sticks a label and barcode on the product. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
The five-person assembly line is one of the numerous projects the Lighthouse has in the works. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
The COVID pandemic has made it harder for the Lighthouse’s employees to schedule transportation. Some workers get to the warehouse as early as 5 a.m., because of public transportation changes, Rhodes said. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
One worker at the LIghthouse fills boxes with paper while another worker seals the boxes. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
Justin Martinez works among 62 employees at the Lighthouse. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
Justin Martinez, a worker at the Lighthouse fills boxes with paper that will eventually make its way to one of the many clients the nonprofit is in contract with. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
A visually impaired worker seals a box of paper handled at the Lighthouse. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
Roughly 51% of the workers at the Lighthouse are blind or visually impaired, Rhodes said. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
A group of visually impaired workers creates, stickers and packages boxes of paper in an assembly-line-like fashion. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
The Lighthouse packages paper products. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
A machine at the warehouse is used to prepare and package the military padding paper produced at the Lighthouse. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
The assembly line-like machine spools the padding paper through and pastes a bottom and top paper that seal the padding. The prepped padding paper is then bagged and boxed before shipment. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
A padding paper used for military airdrops is produced at the warehouse, Rhodes said. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
The Lighthouse’s “star pads” are used by the military. “I don’t know what exactly they use them for,” Rhodes said. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
“These foam pads are used for shipping products,” Rhodes said. “You can probably ship, like, keyboards.” (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
The Lighthouse makes military-use padding. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
The Lighthouse produces a foam product that is used by the U.S. military, Rhodes said. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
Hundreds of pallets are ready for storage and shipping at the Lighthouse. Some of the Lighthouse’s largest clients include the U.S. military. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
A baler compactor is located in the shipping area of the warehouse. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
Adult diapers produced at the Lighthouse are loaded on trailers and delivered to clients. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
While the Lighthouse does what it can to make every job accessible to the blind and visually impaired, sighted workers exclusively use machinery and forklifts, said Rhodes. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
Pallets of a product are wrapped in shrink-wrap. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
The Lighthouse began producing mops and brooms in the 1930s and 1940s, but it has since then begun contracting with local and state businesses and federal agencies, too. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
Of the Lighthouse’s 62 employees, 51% are visually impaired or blind. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
The Lighthouse’s warehouse has multiple workrooms where packaging, manufacturing and shipping take place. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
The Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth is one of the largest employers of the blind and visually impaired in Tarrant County, Curtis Rhodes, the communications and content creator for the Lighthouse, said. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
Boxes of zip-ties are ready for shipping to Lighthouse clients. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
The Mighty Max Cart, an all-terrain utility cart, is one of the 120 products handled at the Lighthouse. The cart and the containers for the cart are packaged and shipped from the warehouse. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
A target practice cardboard is another of the 120 products made at the Lighthouse. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
The lunchroom was recently relocated and redone. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
Six identical microwaves are located in the warehouse’s lunchroom. The idea behind the microwaves being identical is that they are easy to remember and there is not much variation in the appliances the workers use. “Once you learn to use one, you can use them all. They’re identical,” Rhodes said. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
Magnifiers can be found in the advanced technology room. The magnifiers help workers read documents. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
The warehouse’s advanced technology room has been closed since the beginning of the COVID pandemic in March of 2020. The Lighthouse is hoping to reimplement the room when more workers return to the warehouse, Rhodes said. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
The warehouse’s advanced technology room is equipped with tools used to help blind or visually impaired workers. Braille translators can be found in the A.I. room. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
The Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth is partnering with Fort Worth ISD on a project named ‘Mission Optical.’ The partnership between the district, the nonprofit and local optometrists will provide discounted eye exams to students and provide manufacturing jobs to the blind and visually impaired community. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
The Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth has been located at 912 W. Broadway Ave. since 1952. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
A second mural geared toward the general public will be commissioned at the Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth’s warehouse. The mural will be funded by donors on North Texas Giving Day, Lisa Fellers, the head of development at the Lighthouse, said. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)
The Lighthouse packages and ships paper products, adult diapers, cushioning cardboard used in military airdrops, foam pads used by the military, containers for the Mighty Max Cart, a multipurpose cart, target practice cardboard cutouts and eyeglasses in partnership with SwissFlex.
The nonprofit receives 500 contract requests a month but the Lighthouse only takes on about 10 contracts out of the bunch, Sean McNeill, the head of sales and business development, said.
“Sometimes the requests we receive don’t fit our workforce,” McNeill said. “We only accept products that we know we can produce.”
‘Mission Optical’
Future plans for the Lighthouse for the Blind include “Mission Optical,” an effort to provide discounted eye exams for students and provide free glasses made by the nonprofit organization. Lighthouse is partnering with Fort Worth ISD and local optometrists for the endeavour, which also will create eyeglass production jobs for the blind and visually impaired.
“There is such a need for affordable glasses,” Fellers said. “It (the need for glasses) affects their education and how they see the blackboard and literacy and on and on and on.”
Optometrists participating in the program agreed to provide $40 exams.
“The student and their family will only be paying for the exam and the rest is free and donated,” Fellers said.
An estimated 63,357 students in the U.S. are blind, according to the Nation Federation of the Blind’s study.
The eyeglass line has been operating at a low level because of the pandemic, but Rhodes hopes Mission Optical will ramp up its production as life starts to normalize.
Lighthouse hopes that Mission Optical and their mural for the blind appeal to the public and donors and shine a light on blind residents in the community. The Lighthouse will hold a focus group with Soble, some visually impaired workers and their board of directors where they will formulate ideas targeting their fundraising appeal.
“We’re adding that (the tactile component of the mural) on for our clients and as another attractive aspect for our donors,” Rhodes said. “Yes, they love the art, but we also want to take that (the mural’s purpose) further.”
Cristian ArguetaSoto is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at cristian.arguetasoto@fortworthreport.org or via Twitter.
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