Lighthouse History

Lighthouse Louisiana History

The Louisiana Commission for the Blind, made up of blind individuals and their friends, began meeting at 1336 Camp Street in 1915.  The goal was to provide meaningful employment for the blind. 

The Louisiana Commission for the Blind became chartered in 1920 and in 1957, the Lighthouse amended the charter, formally changing its name to The Lighthouse for the Blind in New Orleans.               

With the hiring of Bill Price in 1996, formerly with Signature Works, as the new President, The Lighthouse moved from a low tech to a high tech manufacturing facility, placing it in line with other industries of its type.  The Lighthouse became a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility that is driven by the production of new, high volume, commercially competitive products. While under the direction of Mr. Price, services grew to include the blind and visually impaired, hard of hearing and deaf, and individuals with other disabilities. Also, the Lighthouse began working with the government on service contracts.  

The Lighthouse expanded its operations in Louisiana by purchasing a facility in Baton Rouge in 2010.  The main goals of this expansion were to relocate the cup machines moved to Mississippi in 2005 back to Louisiana and to provide services and jobs in the Baton Rouge area. 

With this expansion into Baton Rouge, the division in Gulfport, MS, service contract employees in Harahan, Bossier City, and Biloxi, MS, and the vast array of programs and services provided to help people with different types of disabilities - it became apparent that the “for the Blind in New Orleans” part of our name needed to be reviewed.  As a result, our new name became “Lighthouse Louisiana.”

Each year the Lighthouse continues evolving to meet the needs of the blind and visually impaired, hard of hearing and deaf, and individuals with other disabilities - by creating jobs, developing new programs, and providing quality products.  The Lighthouse has a proud history and a bright future.