A group of young people from Chicago who are blind and/or visually impaired were treated to a post-holiday shopping spree at Macy’s on State Street.
The outing, organized and sponsored by The Chicago Lighthouse, served as a lesson in fun and learning for the group of young adults who found had a joyful day shopping.
The Chicago Lighthouse is a social service organization that serves blind, visually impaired and disabled people in the Chicago area.
Everyone was given a $200 gift card to spend throughout the store as part of the event.
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“I live to shop,” said Kaitlyn Ryan who had her seeing eye dog, Irish with her. “I found some knives for my new apartment.”
The goal of the shopping spree was to build independence, according to Jaret Bozigian, a mobility specialist with Chicago Lighthouse.
“We want to make sure they are having fun, but are also focused about what is going on and being safe,” Bozigian said. “A lot of them have had mobility training in school. They have learned to use the cane or dog. So this is just building on that.”
