Lighthouse Guild

04/23/2026

Our volunteers don’t wear capes (at least not that we’ve seen). Some come from our corporate partners. Some just show up because they want to give back. But all of them are our heroes. Every day of the year our volunteers show up — reading, teaching, guiding, or just being there for our community.

Happy National Volunteer Week to the people who make Lighthouse Guild what it is. We see you, we appreciate you, and we wouldn't be the same without you.

National Volunteer Week may be coming to an end, but the appreciation doesn't stop here. 🎉 We can't wait to see our incredible volunteers face to face at our 2026 Volunteer Recognition Night next week!

🧡

04/22/2026

We’re still feeling inspired after this weekend’s incredible performance of Patterns by AXIS Dance Company at Lincoln Center. 💫

Through our growing collaboration with Lincoln Center, members of the blind and low vision community at Lighthouse Guild were welcomed with early access seating and real-time audio description to the performance — helping ensure a more inclusive and meaningful experience for everyone.

One attendee with low vision, but totally new to audio description, told us she was moved to tears by the performance combined with the additional audio – a true testament to the power of accessibility.

Thank you to the Lincoln Center team for your shared commitment to making the arts within reach our community. We’re excited for what’s ahead!

04/15/2026

So excited to have Nev Schulman on our bike Tour team! Nev will be riding a tandem bike with our very own Jeremy Morak. The practicing has begun! Want to join the team? Check the link in bio!

04/08/2026

NPR recently covered Lighthouse Guild President & CEO Thomas Panek running the NYC Half Marathon using smart glasses that provide real‑time audio guidance, and allowed for real-time coaching from legendary ultramarathoner Scott Jurek.

Running is just one example of how Lighthouse Guild is thinking about access and independence in practical, everyday ways — sports included.

🎧 Listen to the NPR story here:
👉

The glasses allowed human coach, ultra-marathoner Scott Jurek, to watch the race through Panek's sight line, allowing him to provide coaching and guidance from his home in Colorado.

04/02/2026

Our incredible star Kiana Glanton is at it again! Watch Kiana and her daughter Kali featured in a Spectrum commercial using the accessible Spectrum Access App – a free smartphone app that provides audio descriptions for blind and visually impaired users to help follow along during their favorite shows.

Way to go Kiana and Kali – continue to be a voice for our community and accessibility for all.

03/27/2026

Veronica came to the U.S. from Ghana at 38. She spent decades working to give her three children the education she never had. They became successful professionals in medicine, architecture and technology.

Then she lost her vision — and then her job and her home.

At 57, she walked into Lighthouse Guild and decided it was finally her turn to shine. Four years later, she passed her final GED exam — Science, the subject she feared most — with a college-ready score.

Yesterday, the same children she sacrificed everything for watched her receive her diploma.🎓

Veronica is one of six graduates from Lighthouse Guild's GED program — the largest class in the program's history. Each of them earned their High School Equivalency diploma through a program built from the ground up for students who are blind or have low vision.

Congratulations Veronica, Amanda, Frdous, Jamie, Vanessa, and Johnine. May this moment be the start of your next chapter. 👏

03/25/2026

Terrell is BACK on Team Lighthouse Guild at the 2026 Five Boro Bike Tour!

Why? Because this team, this ride, is more than just 40 miles through NYC. It’s a chance to prove that
he’s UNSTOPPABLE.

He was inspired to get on a bike for the first time last year, after losing his
vision, and he never looked back.

You can join Terrell and the rest of our incredible team! Click the link in bio and pedal for a purpose this year!

03/23/2026

♂️✨ Thomas Panek ran the NYC Half Marathon last Sunday using AI-powered Meta smart glasses — and last night, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir covered why it matters.

13.1 miles through New York City. Real-time audio descriptions of his surroundings. Live coaching from ultramarathoner Scott Jurek via WhatsApp. Hearing the finish line before he crossed it.

This is what Lighthouse Guild AI was built to show that technology shaped by the blind and low vision community performs differently, because it's designed by the people who actually need it.

Grateful to ABC World News for telling this important story!

https://amp.abcnews.com/video/131311841/?fromLive=true

Blind runner Thomas Panek finished the United Airlines New York Half Marathon last weekend, assisted by AI glasses co-developed by Lighthouse Guild and Meta.

03/15/2026

History. Made.

This morning, Lighthouse Guild CEO Thomas Panek crossed the finish line of the NYC Half Marathon — 13.1 miles through the streets of New York City, supported by Meta smart glasses providing real-time audio navigation the entire way.

Landmark call-outs as he moved through the city. Live performance stats. Environmental alerts. And — in a first for any race — remote coaching from legendary ultramarathoner Scott Jurek, delivered straight through the glasses as Thomas ran.

Thomas ran alongside NYRR Board Member and Achilles International guide Jed Laskowitz. But today, he had something he has never had on a course before: real-time, AI-powered situational awareness across every mile.

This was the debut of Lighthouse Guild AI — our new initiative to co-develop adaptive technology with leading partners. Meta is our first.

What worked today isn't a prototype -- it's a preview. The same technology that navigated Thomas through 13.1 miles of unpredictable urban terrain is the technology that will help someone navigate a grocery store, cross a busy intersection, or avoid obstacles along their path.

The race is done. But the work starts now!

03/15/2026

What a morning! Thomas took down the NYC Half, aided by his Meta glasses and proudly crossing the finish line with NYRR and Achilles volunteer Jed Laskowitz.

Thomas has run many marathons, but none quite like this! Stay tuned for more

03/14/2026

Something BIG is happening tomorrow.

Thomas Panek, Lighthouse Guild President and CEO, an accomplished marathon runner with over 20 races behind him, is taking on the NYC Half Marathon, again.

But this time it will be different. How? Follow along with us tomorrow to find out!

03/12/2026

John Elliott spoke with Kevin and Lenise, two participants in Lighthouse Guild’s Tech Pals program — where younger people with vision loss are paired with older adults who share the same lived experience to teach technology, answer questions, and form lasting bonds

Through Tech Pals, Kevin helped Lenise build new tech skills, boost her confidence, and gain more independence. What makes it powerful isn’t just the technology — it’s the trust, empathy, and shared understanding that only comes from learning from someone who’s walked the same path.