Congratulations and best wishes to one of our city’s premier institutions, the Chicago Lighthouse, which officially celebrates its 120th anniversary Saturday with a festive sold-out gala at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Since it was founded on the West Side in 1906, the organization has been a dynamic innovator, providing far-reaching services to individuals who are blind, visually impaired, disabled and veterans.
One of the most comprehensive social service organizations in America, it assists more than 50,000 people every year through 40 game-changing programs in education, employment training and placement, vision care and independent living and advocacy.
It also has an exclusive contract to manufacture clocks for the U.S. government, houses one of the oldest low-vision clinics in the country, and has been a trendsetter in establishing a social business enterprise, specifically in customer service centers, where veterans and people with disabilities are trained and hired.
In fact, the Chicago Lighthouse’s efforts have buttressed its reputation as a visionary in disability employment.
Most recently, it established the Foglia Residences, the country’s first income-qualifying residential development designed for people with visual impairments, which was partly financed through low-income housing tax credits.
The Chicago Lighthouse’s clients, who hail from all backgrounds, ages, ethnicities and economic strata, reflect the city’s rich diversity. Moreover, it never turns away anyone who needs care.
All Chicago area residents should give a shout-out to this amazing organization and wish it many more years of success as it strives to build a world that is accessible to everyone.
Dominic Calabrese, adjunct professor, Columbia College Chicago
Don’t shield Big Oil and gas from accountability
Congress is considering bills proposed by U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to shield large oil and gas companies from taking responsibility for environmental damages caused by their emissions. Why do our elected representatives feel that these very wealthy corporations need preemptive immunity? If they are innocent of wrongdoing, their phalanx of lawyers will certainly exonerate them. Still, some of our public servants at the state and federal levels are trying to deny these companies a chance to prove that their pursuit of profits has not injured or disadvantaged the rest of us. If our elected representatives are convinced that Big Oil and gas are blameless, they should give them their day in court.
If corporations are people, then they, like all Americans, should have to argue their case before a judge or jury. When tobacco companies were forced to do this, the results were illuminating. Let the legal system do its job, ferreting out the truth and, where appropriate, holding those who cause harm accountable. No individual, corporate or otherwise, is above the law.
Edward Schortman, Granville, Ohio
Cartoon copy
The headline on an Associated Press story in Sunday’s Sun-Times read, “Male coyote swam 2 miles to Alcatraz.” All it needed was a line that said, “Just missed Road Runner who had taken the last ferry to the mainland.”
Meep! Meep!
Gary Fox, Mount Prospect