Bay Area nonprofit helps people who are blind, raise guide dogs

SANTA ROSA, Calif. -- Every month here at ABC7, we feature an "Ally in Action" spotlighting someone who is making a difference in their community.

In honor of Disability Pride Month in July, we met a Bay Area man who lost most of his vision, but never lost sight of his purpose.

John Helzer was diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy back in 2018. He said he experienced almost complete loss of his vision in his right eye, and about 30% in his left eye. "It was very stressful," he said.

"At first, a lot of things went through my mind. Most importantly was how to support my family, how to continue working, and how to adapt to this change," he said.

He was laid off from his IT job during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"That's when it was recommended that I reach out to the state Department of Rehabilitation. I was able to receive a lot of training, coaching and skills on adapting," he said.

He joined Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired in San Francisco in 2024. Lighthouse San Francisco has been serving the community for more than 120 years.

"They have shown me that you can be successful working with vision loss, with using tools and skills that are taught by our instructors to ensure that we can return to the workforce and contribute," Helzer said.

Helzer is a dog lover and began raising puppies for guide dogs for the blind after joining Lighthouse San Francisco.

Helzer introduced us to Saffron, a puppy from Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael.

"We receive the dogs when they're approximately 2 to 3 months old, and we keep them and raise them until they're approximately 16 to 18 months old, when they return to guide dogs for formal guide dog training."

He said Lighthouse San Francisco gave him a sense of belonging to a community.

"I also believe in the mission of the lighthouse to serve the blind and low vision community. I believe that we can work anywhere if given the opportunity and given some accommodations, many of which are not significant, to allow us to contribute and be part of the workforce.