Formerly San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind and Vision Impaired

As Connie Morrell carefully peeled a cucumber using an adaptive tool, she said, “I would never dream I could do this.”

After losing 85 percent of her vision, Connie said everyday life began to feel more limited and uncertain. That started to change when she completed the Texas Workforce Commission’s Senior Keys to Independence Program at Vibrant Works’ Center for Independence.

During the weeklong program, Connie joined other participants with vision loss to learn practical skills for everyday life. In the kitchen, she practiced tasks such as chopping lettuce and peeling vegetables, learning how small adaptations can make familiar routines feel possible again.

Participants also explored assistive technology and took part in orientation and mobility training, including safely crossing sidewalks and navigating community spaces using white canes.

By the end of the week, Connie said she was seeing things differently.

“I’ve learned so much. I thought I had to give up sewing and reading,” she said. “But now I know I can work around it. I’m no longer afraid to try.”

Vibrant Works hosted National Industries for the Blind’s 2026 Joint Continuous Process Improvement and Engineering Forum on April 14-15, welcoming more than 30 attendees for two days of collaboration and learning.

The forum focused on operational excellence, productivity engineering, technical training, procurement, compliance and artificial intelligence. Guests also toured Vibrant Works facilities and saw how innovation, accessibility and continuous improvement support our mission to empower people with vision loss to live, work and thrive.

Thank you to the staff, presenters and guests who helped make the forum a success. We were honored to welcome leaders from across the NIB network and share the important work happening across our organization.

Vibrant Works is proud to partner with Okeenea to offer Evelity, an indoor wayfinding app, at both of our San Antonio locations: 310 Eads Ave. and 2305 Roosevelt Ave.

In this video, Vibrant Works President and CEO Cindy Watson shares how Evelity helps employees, guests and visitors navigate our buildings with greater confidence and independence. The app works like an indoor GPS on a smartphone, allowing users to search for a destination, review their route and follow step-by-step directions using audio instructions, on-screen guidance or vibration-based cues.

By making our spaces easier to navigate, Evelity helps create a more accessible, inclusive and welcoming experience for everyone who moves through our buildings.

Experience “Chicago: The Musical” with live audio description at the Majestic Theatre on May 2 at 2 p.m.

Set in the razzle-dazzle world of the 1920s, the award-winning musical brings its iconic story, choreography and songs to the stage, while live audio description provides real-time narration to help make the performance more accessible for guests who are blind or visually impaired.

To access the service, stop by Guest Services, located to the left as you enter the theater lobby, to check out a receiver and over-the-ear hook earphones. A valid ID is required.

Don't miss this incredible performance!

What inspired you to join the Vibrant Works board?

I have been fortunate to be involved with nonprofit organizations, in one form or another, since I was in middle school. My concern for people in need in our community developed early while watching the best role model I had: my mother. She taught children who were deaf at Sunshine Cottage in the 1960s and later, in the 1970s, helped develop a graduate program in deaf education administration at Trinity University.

After retiring in 2021 from a rewarding 31-year career with the FBI, I wanted to get involved in nonprofit work. Vibrant Works was introduced to me by Executive Board member Tom Stringfellow.

I have also been involved with other nonprofits, including the United Way federal fundraising campaign, Habitat for Humanity and 10 years as director of the San Antonio FBI Charity Golf Tournament, which supported college education for children of FBI agents who passed away in the line of duty.

I look forward to helping Vibrant Works as a board member.