An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Lighthouse for the Blind hosts 433rd AW tour

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Minnie Jones
  • 433rd Airlift Wing
Joint Base San Antonio - Lackland --  The San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind hosted a tour of their headquarters building to 433rd Airlift Wing members July 22.

The Lighthouse is a non-profit organization, whose mission is to provide rehabilitation services and employment opportunities that enable the blind and visually impaired individuals to live high quality, independent lives.

The tour was designed to showcase the Lighthouse's facility and to increase military awareness of the vital programs and services they provide to the deaf and blind community.

"We do more than just sell products and provide services, said  Command Sgt. Maj.(ret.) Terry L. Braddock, director of sales/Base Supply Center and military liaison for SALB. "We (the Lighthouse) also provide jobs. Our military veterans have challenges; our wounded warriors have challenges - the vision impaired have challenges as well - the employee rate for these men and women is over 75 percent, we provide services here to better support them."

The SALB employes more than 500 individuals. Nationally, the Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. is among the largest employers of blind people and the foremost employer of deaf and blind people in the United States.

Guests were able to tour the 60,000 square feet manufacturing and rehabilitation facility on Roosevelt Avenue and observed firsthand the Deaf-blind program that provides training to both vision and hearing-impaired individuals, affording them to live independent and productive lives.

The SALB manufactures more than 80 products, including highlighters, mechanical pencils, pens, helmet chin-straps for the Army and Marines, spill kits and the Army's Combat Shirt. In addition to the main building, the Lighthouse owns an 8,000 square feet facility on Eads Avenue where they produce the floor boards and insulation blankets for Boeing's KC-135 airplanes and another building on Southcross Boulevard where absorbent pads are produced.