A Journey Through Lighthouse – “Value”

“Value”

“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value” – Albert Einstein 

Value is defined as “something to consider with respect to worth, excellence, usefulness or importance.”

But what does it mean to value a person with an intellectual disability in the workplace? Is it to see what they can do to contribute to your business? Or is it to see them for who they really are as a human being and encourage them to use their gifts? The former seems to be the norm these days, where a person can be seen as a “body” filling a role to get the job done. A drone in the game of life, a consumer that only eats, sleeps, works and repeats. 

The latter probably should be the go-to observation of a member of society. A person who thinks, feels and actually sees that their contribution to the workplace has meaning, and brings them joy and sense of purpose while learning something new and earning a paycheck.

Unfortunately, People with ID are marginalized by the general public, and looked at as inferior. 

Lighthouse wants to change that way of thinking. 

To show the world the stigma that people with ID are “helpless” and “can’t do anything”, is wrong. Because all of us at Lighthouse have seen the challenges that have been met by the people we serve with Intellectual Disabilities. We have seen them take leaps and bounds over those challenges and cheered them on the entire time. But like with any other person on the planet, sometimes, the only thing holding us back is – other people.

If we can show the world that people with ID are also just – people – maybe we can finally progress as a society that accepts differences with an open mind and heart.

We value each and every one of the participants that show up to Lighthouse every day. They display their excellence, they are useful and greatly important to Lighthouse as an Organization. Our only mission from the very beginning was to lend them a helping hand along the way. They are individuals with dreams, like you. They deserve to be honored, recognized and valued in their community.

Will you help us show them value by spreading the word, making a donation or volunteering at Lighthouse? We invite you to come and take a tour of our building so you can see first-hand how valuable these individuals truly are!