Miami Lighthouse for the Blind

It’s Possible to See Without Sight™

[Miami Lighthouse for the Blind @Miamilighthouse]

With summer weather comes water play! With a special treat for students, thanks to @AzucarIceCream, to celebrate an amazing school year! 🍦

Our Miami Lighthouse Academy students had a blast splashing around on water day! We thank Azucar Ice Cream for stopping by to provide our little ones with delicious ice cream 🥰.

Water play, under the guidance of our instructors and TVI, is a fun and refreshing tactile activity for our students with visual impairment. 👓💦

Miami Lighthouse Academy offers-
✓ APPLE accredited free VPK for children who are sighted
✓ inclusive preschool for students with visual impairments
✓ Kindergarten and 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and now 4th Grade for students who are visually impaired
✓ Included transportation and therapies for students

Learn more, register your child, or book an Academy tour here ➜ https://t.co/gOZyK6CqwI

Our Academy is a fully accredited Gold Seal Quality Care Program provider, and is made possible with support from: @childrenstrust @ELCMDM @MDCPS @EducationFL 🙏

Together, we prove it's possible to see without sight!™ 💙 #MiamiLighthouseAcademy

#MiamiLighthouse #VisualImpairment #InclusiveClassrooms #WaterPlay

[Miami Lighthouse for the Blind @Miamilighthouse]

Last Night, Miami Lighthouse for the Blind President & CEO Virginia Jacko joined community leaders at the Griffin Catalyst VIP Dinner, hosted by @FWC26Miami, accompanied by @NSUFlorida Professor and Chair François Sainfort, PhD.

The FIFA World Cup 2026™ Miami Host Committee supports our Miami Lighthouse Blind Soccer program, which first launched in 2025 with funding from a @childrenstrust Innovation Grant. With the support of our community, we started with the first and only blind soccer curriculum for early learners ages 1 to 4, and kept growing! Today, we celebrate teaching the skills of blind soccer to over 100 children and young adults. 👏⚽

Together, we prove it's possible to see without sight!™ 💙 #MiamiLighthouse #BlindSoccer

To learn more about FIFA's support of Miami Lighthouse Blind Soccer by @USSParentHQ, visit ➜ https://t.co/v5BDQ1ErBI

To learn more and to contribute to Miami Lighthouse Blind Soccer, visit ➜ https://t.co/wzOZuHjqvn

#CommunityLeaders #MiamiLeaders #Inclusion #FIFAWorldCup

[Miami Lighthouse for the Blind @Miamilighthouse]

At the Miami Lighthouse Academy Elementary Award Assembly, students from Kindergarten to 3rd grade were recognized for their successful school year, with reports of over 90% of students showing major academic gains! 🎓👏

10 years ago, Miami Lighthouse Academy was founded in partnership with Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and now we are pleased to announce the expansion of Miami Lighthouse Academy to 4th grade!

Instructors Pictured: Natali Timothee, Kisses Cabuquit, Mary Camacho, TVI Michael Berger, TA Yasmin Fundora

Miami Lighthouse Academy offers-
✓ APPLE accredited free VPK for children who are sighted
✓ inclusive preschool for students with visual impairments
✓ Kindergarten and 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and now 4th Grade for students who are visually impaired
✓ Included transportation and therapies for students

Learn more, register your child, or book an Academy tour here ➜ https://t.co/gOZyK6CqwI

Together, we prove it's possible to see without sight!™ 💙 #MiamiLighthouseAcademy

Our Academy is a fully accredited Gold Seal Quality Care Program provider, and is made possible with support from: @childrenstrust, @ELCMDM , @MDCPS, @EducationFL🙏

#MiamiLighthouse #VisualImpairment #InclusiveClassrooms #EarlyElementary

[Miami Lighthouse for the Blind @Miamilighthouse]

Miami Lighthouse Blind Soccer launched in 2025 with funding from a Children's Trust Innovation Grant to create the first and only blind soccer curriculum for early learners ages 1 to 4. Today, we are proud to have taught the skills of blind soccer to over 100 children and young adults! 👏⚽

Miami Lighthouse Blind Soccer is a community effort, supported by the Children’s Trust, community leaders, and most recently, the FIFA World Cup 2026™ @FWC26Miami.

At the One Game, One Future Clinic hosted by @FWC26Miami at Miami Lighthouse for the Blind's on-campus mini-pitch, our community came together to celebrate this awesome inclusive sport, with community leaders such as Rodney Barreto, Scott Richey, @JamesRHaj1, @thomasaabraham, and Commissioner @commescalona present to support our venerable mission.

We thank @childrenstrust, @USABA, @FWC26Miami, the Anthony Abraham foundation, as well as @miamischools and @educationfl, for supporting our blind soccer program. 🙏

Together, we prove it's possible to see without sight!™ 💙 #MiamiLighthouse #BlindSoccer

🗞️ To learn more about FIFA's support of Miami Lighthouse Blind Soccer, visit ➜ https://t.co/v5BDQ1ErBI

🕶️ To learn more and to contribute to Miami Lighthouse Blind Soccer, visit ➜ https://t.co/wzOZuHjqvn

#CommunityLeaders #MiamiLeaders #Inclusion

[Miami Lighthouse for the Blind @Miamilighthouse]

Miami Lighthouse Academy Pre-K Graduation 🎓 Some of these students will commence to their local community schools, and those with a vision disability will move forward to our Miami Lighthouse Academy Kindergarten this fall. We are so proud of these shining stars! 🌟

#News 10 years ago, Miami Lighthouse Academy was founded in partnership with Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and today, we celebrate the expansion of Miami Lighthouse Academy to 4th grade!

Miami Lighthouse Academy offers-
• APPLE accredited free VPK for children who are sighted
• inclusive preschool for students with visual impairments
• Kindergarten and 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and now 4th Grade for students who are visually impaired
• Included transportation and therapies for students

Learn more, register your child, or book an Academy tour here ➜ https://t.co/gOZyK6CYmg

Our Academy is a fully accredited Gold Seal Quality Care Program provider, and is made possible with support from: @childrenstrust, @ELCMDM, @MDCPS, @EducationFL 🙏

Together, we prove it's possible to see without sight!™ 💙 #MiamiLighthouseAcademy

#MiamiLighthouse #VisualImpairment #InclusiveClassrooms #VPK #EarlyElementary #Kindergarten #MiamiSchools

[Miami Lighthouse for the Blind @Miamilighthouse]

👁️ Today, a team of the best in the industry from the Miami Lighthouse CVI Collaborative Center presented the findings of their ongoing, first-of-its-kind research at the Envision and VisionServe Alliance 2026 Conference in Columbus, Ohio. 👏

During the past two years, Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired has collaborated with the University of Miami Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Nova Southeastern University , and Nicklaus Children Hospital to address the number one cause of bilateral visual impairment in children in the developed world, Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI).

🧠 Also referred to as Cerebral Visual Impairment, CVI is a vision disorder resulting from damage to the brain central visual pathways and/or the cortex involved in visual processing. CVI accounts for 18% of childhood blindness in the United States.

This research is crucial as less than 20% of patients with CVI are receiving an accurate diagnosis.

Learn more in our article in the Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, here ➜ https://t.co/Oddg2s45MB

To learn more about our CVI Collaborative Center, visit ➜ https://t.co/VK1V8mnlx2

Together, we prove it's possible to see without sight™! 💙 @BascomPalmerEye @NSUMDCollege @DGF_Tweets @NSUFlorida @HuizengaCollege @Nicklaus4Kids @VisionServeA @Envision_U

#MiamiLighthouse #VisionServeAlliance #BascomPalmer #CommunityLeaders #CVIResearch

[Miami Lighthouse for the Blind @Miamilighthouse]

Today, Miami Lighthouse for the Blind Chief Program Officer Carol Brady-Simmons received the Cathy Holden Excellence in Managerial Leadership Award at the VisionServe Alliance Envision 2026 Conference! Congratulations, Carol! 🏆

Nominated by Miami Lighthouse President & CEO Virginia Jacko, Virginia writes, “I nominated Carol because her 37 years with Miami Lighthouse has empowered many thousands of Miamians affected by uncorrectable vision loss, far exceeding her peers and colleagues. As Chief Program Officer, Carol now oversees 37,000 program participants annually." 👏

Learn more about Carol and her award on the VisionServe Alliance website here ➜ https://t.co/X0Hirpv9wF

Together, we prove it's possible to see without sight!™ 💙 #MiamiLighthouse #CommunityLeaders

#SupportingtheBlind #MiamiLeaders #MiamiProud

[Miami Lighthouse for the Blind @Miamilighthouse]

We're on our way! 🚚💨 The Florida Heiken Children's Vision Program provided 16,500 comprehensive eye exams and over 11,000 prescription eyeglasses, all at no cost, to underserved Florida children in need just last year. That's what we call "giving the gift of vision". 👓

🚚😎 @FlaPanthersCARE @FlaPanthers

The Florida Heiken Children's Vision Program is made possible with support from: @childrenstrust @CSCBroward @HealthyFla @lionsclubs @CollierCFFL @BaptistHealthSF @quantumfnd @ORCFoundation and other crucial organizations, private foundations, and donors. 🙏

Learn more online at https://t.co/Qwfdy8APjp

[Miami Lighthouse for the Blind @Miamilighthouse]

Land of the free, because of the brave ❤️🤍💙 #MemorialDay

On Memorial Day, a national holiday of remembrance and unity, Americans pause their activities and reflect, as we remember those who gave their lives for our freedom.

“How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes” – Maya Angelou

#Grateful #HonorandRemember #WeRemember

[Miami Lighthouse for the Blind @Miamilighthouse]

🥂🌟At Miami Lighthouse for the Blind's annual Music Under the Stars event, our community comes together to raise awareness and support our Florida Heiken Children's Vision Program, which provided 16,500 comprehensive eye exams and over 11,000 prescription eyeglasses all at no cost to underserved Florida children in need, just last year. This program truly provides the "Gift of Vision". 👓

A highlight of the event: incredible live musical performances by Alfonso Villalobos, award-winning singer-songwriter, internationally acclaimed jazz guitarist Leo Quintero, renowned jazz artist Jeff Zavac, Cuban-born vocalist Odelkis Savignon, emerging Miami talent Daliany Camacho, and Silvio Plata, Miami Lighthouse programs alumnus. 🎶

We thank our partners, the Miami Dade Optometric Physicians Association, and Miami-Dade Schools for their support. Together, we prove it's possible to see without sight!™ 💙 #MiamiLighthouse @MDCPS

The Florida Heiken Children's Vision Program is made possible with support from The Children's Trust, Florida Department of Health (DOH), Children's Services Council of Broward County, Lions Clubs International Foundation, Baptist Health Foundation, AD Henderson Foundation, Quantum Foundation, The Batchelor Family Foundation, Dunspaugh-Dalton Foundation, Collier Community Foundation, Ocean Reef Community Foundation, and other crucial private foundations and individual donors. 👁️🙏

@childrenstrust @HealthyFla @CSCBroward @lionsclubs @BaptistHealthSF @quantumfnd @CollierCFFL @ORCFoundation @DalianyCamacho @GringoAaronHill @Miamilighthouse

#CommunityLeaders #MiamiLeaders #MusicUndertheStars #SupportingtheBlind

[Miami Lighthouse for the Blind @Miamilighthouse]

Today is the 15th annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day, raising awareness and promoting digital inclusion for the more than 1 billion people worldwide living with disabilities. 🌐🤝

Since 2014, Miami Lighthouse has been a leader in Website Accessibility Auditing and an advisor to Presidential Campaigns and more than 300 businesses, advising both the 2020 presidential campaigns and 2022 mid-term election campaigns on website accessibility.

Using our copyrighted scorecard, our auditing team of assistive technology IT specialists, most of whom are blind, help businesses in all sectors to ensure accessibility for users with disabilities and compliance with WCAG v2.0/2.1.

📞 Request a Website Audit Today! Send us an email at [email protected] or call 305-856-4176.

Visit our website to learn more -https://t.co/4Xp40o6UkI

Together, we prove it's possible to see without sight!™ 💙 @sitecompliance

#MiamiLighthouse #AccessibilityAwareness #SupporttheBlind #ADACompliance

[Miami Lighthouse for the Blind @Miamilighthouse]

You can make a difference! Donate now ➜ https://t.co/jtsE74uoQz

[Miami Lighthouse for the Blind @Miamilighthouse]

This past weekend, the Miami Lighthouse Youth Music Program performed on the student stage at the South Beach Jazz Festival, and at the Power Access Honors and Awards Brunch, three of our student musicians received scholarship awards! 🎵👏

Congratulating: Justus Arison, Christa Pineda, and Facundo Chirino 🏆👏

We thank the South Beach Jazz Festival, our incredible team of instructors and musicians, and our community for supporting our talented students!

📣 There's a few spots left in our Youth Music Summer Program, open to ages 12-18! It's a free, inclusive music program for both the visually impaired and sighted to learn and practice guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, violin, viola, cello, and vocal skills, together! Transportation, snacks, and lunch are provided. Camp starts June 16th! To apply, visit https://t.co/veA0Ny4AVd and scan the QR code.

Together, we prove it's possible to see without sight!™ 💙 #MiamiLighthouse #YouthMusic

Images via: @SobeJazz, MasterWing Creative Agency

Our music program is made possible with support from: @childrenstrust @mbirdfoundation @NEAarts and more 💙

#MiamiLeaders #StudentMusicians #YouthMusicProgram #YouthMusic

[Miami Lighthouse for the Blind @Miamilighthouse]

Bascom Palmer Eye Institute (BPEI), a Miami Lighthouse CVI Collaborative Center partner, is the nation's number 1 hospital in ophthalmology. 👁️

Miami Lighthouse has a rich history with BPEI; in the late 1940's, Dr. Bascom Palmer served as Board President of Miami Lighthouse for the Blind, and Miami Lighthouse provided the land and funds to establish the world-renowned Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. 🤝

For nearly 100 years, Miami Lighthouse has served people of all ages with visual disabilities, relying on referrals from University of Miami’s Bascom Palmer physicians.

Throughout the year, as part of the residents’ rotation, we invite a new BPEI resident to spend a day of their rotation on site here at Miami Lighthouse.

Recently, we welcomed Dr. Hannah Cropp, a BPEI ophthalmology resident from Seattle, Yale graduate, and current UM medical student, to our campus. 👏

A highlight from Dr. Cropp's visit, we invited her to experience our unique inclusive Early Learning classroom, which consists of a mix of children with and without visual impairment: 60% are children with visual impairment and 40% are children without.

Our inclusive Early Learning classrooms include both VPK students and our Academy inclusion program's 3-4 year-old participants!

📸 Pictured, is Dr. Cropp during her campus tour, smiling for the camera on our patio with Miami Lighthouse President & CEO Virginia Jacko and Chief Program Officer Carol Brady-Simmons, and interacting in the classroom with an adorable early learner.

🍎 To learn more about our Academy and inclusion program, visit https://t.co/noeYDDTbLJ

👓 To learn more about our CVI Collaborative Center, visit https://t.co/VK1V8mmNHu

Together, we prove it's possible to see without sight™! 💙 @BascomPalmerEye @ELCMDM @childrenstrust

#MiamiLighthouse #MiamiLighthouseAcademy #InclusiveClassrooms #BPEI #CommunityLeaders

[Miami Lighthouse for the Blind @Miamilighthouse]

Our Florida Heiken Children’s Vision Program mobile eye care units provide free comprehensive eye exams and eyeglasses to financially disadvantaged children in need across the state of Florida. On a recent visit to Barton Elementary School, our Heiken team provided 35 students with free comprehensive eye exams, and of those students whose eyes were tested, 28 will receive free prescription glasses from Heiken. 👏🚚

Special guest Florida Representative Debra Tendrich @DebraForHouse stopped by to cheer on our Heiken team, optometrist Dr. Tanzila Rahman, optometric technician Carmen Arguijo, and Christian Fernandez, during their visit. Thank you, Representative Tendrich, for supporting Florida Heiken! 👁️👓

Supporting our Florida Heiken Children's Vision Program contributes to children's success, helping them gain the confidence of knowing that they can see well and participate in school and life like the rest of their classmates, despite their vision impairment.💙 @pbcsd @BartonChargers

We encourage Florida residents to reach out to their county's elected officials to urge them to support the Florida Heiken Children's Vision Program's continued funding! 📢

Learn more about our Heiken program ➜ https://t.co/Qwfdy8APjp

#MiamiLighthouse #FloridaHeiken #SupportKids #EyeHealth #CommunityLeaders

[Miami Lighthouse for the Blind @Miamilighthouse]

Miami Lighthouse for the Blind thanks the Ocean Reef Community Foundation for their support of our Florida Heiken Children’s Vision Program! 🏆👏

On May 7, 2026, Angela Vazquez, the Director of Florida Heiken, attended the Ocean Reef Community Foundation 2026 Grants Presentation to receive a $10,000 award from the Ocean Reef Community Foundation for Miami Lighthouse's Florida Heiken Program.

This award will support eye exams with dilation plus prescription eyeglasses and medical referrals, as needed, for 700 at-risk children, ages 3 to 19 (pre-K to 12) in Homestead, during the 2026-2027 school year.

Ocean Reef Community Foundation have been integral partners since 2018. Thank you! 💙 @ORCFoundation

Learn more about our Heiken program here ➜ https://t.co/Qwfdy8APjp

#MiamiLighthouse #FloridaHeiken #SupportKids #EyeHealth #CommunityLeaders

[Miami Lighthouse for the Blind @Miamilighthouse]

🥂🌟At Miami Lighthouse for the Blind's annual Music Under the Stars event, our community comes together to raise awareness and support our Florida Heiken Children's Vision Program.

Florida Heiken provided 16,500 comprehensive eye exams and over 11,000 prescription eyeglasses to underserved Florida children in need, just last year, referred to our program after failing their school vision exam. Through our four mobile eyecare clinics and our Heiken network of optometrists, this Program truly provides the "Gift of Vision". 👓

A highlight of the event: incredible live musical performances by Alfonso Villalobos, award-winning singer-songwriter, internationally acclaimed jazz guitarist Leo Quintero, renowned jazz artist Jeff Zavac, Cuban-born vocalist Odelkis Savignon, emerging Miami talent Daliany Camacho, and a performer we are especially proud of, Silvio Plata, a Miami Lighthouse programs alumnus. 🎶

We thank our partners, the Miami Dade Optometric Physicians Association, and Miami-Dade Schools for their support. Together, we prove it's possible to see without sight!™ 💙 #MiamiLighthouse @MDCPS @childrenstrust @lionsclubs

#CommunityLeaders #MiamiLeaders #MusicUndertheStars #SupportingtheBlind

ALT: Photo slideshow featuring moments from the event 'Music Under the Stars' at Miami Lighthouse for the Blind.

[Miami Lighthouse for the Blind @Miamilighthouse]

🥂🌟 Last night Miami Lighthouse for the Blind celebrated our annual Music Under the Stars event, where our community comes together to raise awareness and support our Florida Heiken Children's Vision Program.

Florida Heiken provided 16,500 comprehensive eye exams and over 11,000 prescription eyeglasses to underserved Florida children in need, just last year, referred to our program after failing their school vision exam. Through our four mobile eyecare clinics and our Heiken network of optometrists, this Program truly provides the "Gift of Vision". 👓

A highlight of last night's event: incredible live musical performances by Alfonso Villalobos, award-winning singer-songwriter, internationally acclaimed jazz guitarist Leo Quintero, renowned jazz artist Jeff Zavac, Cuban-born vocalist Odelkis Savignon, emerging Miami talent Daliany Camacho, and a performer we are especially proud of, Silvio Plata, a Miami Lighthouse programs alumnus. 🎶

Silvio Plata first became a Miami Lighthouse client at just two months old and as he grew, our programs provided the support he needed, from early intervention, through our children’s programs and into in our teen programs. It was at Miami Lighthouse that Silvio learned to play the piano by our instructor Julio Fumero, and as he grew in our programs, he continued to receive one-on-one musical training with our instructors, and even had a special lesson with Miami Lighthouse guest Andrea Bocelli. 👏

Silvio's journey is a testament to how Miami Lighthouse for the Blind is a lifelong support system for individuals with visual impairment; we are proud to share that Silvio now goes on to pursue his law degree at @univmiami on a full scholarship, and he will be a voice instructor in our Youth Music Program this summer!

We thank our partners, the Miami Dade Optometric Physicians Association, and Miami-Dade Schools for their support. Together, we prove it's possible to see without sight!™ 💙 #MiamiLighthouse @mdcps @childrenstrust @DalianyCamacho

#CommunityLeaders #MiamiLeaders #MusicUndertheStars #SupportingtheBlind