The Lighthouse of Houston is a private, nonprofit education and service center dedicated to assisting blind and visually impaired people to live independently. The Lighthouse serves approximately 5, 000 people each year and is a member agency of the United Way of Greater Houston. The primary goal of the Lighthouse of Houston is direct service to the individual. This includes not only providing direct service, but a continual commitment to improving the quality and relevance of this service. All other organizational activities and functions are in support of this primary focus and have as their goal the development and dissemination of better service designs and interventions in order to enhance the optimal functioning of the individual.