Henry Louis Hilgartner was considered the "founding father" of the Travis County Association for the Blind. he received his M.D. degree at the University of Maryland in 1889. He did advanced study in Baltimore, New York, and Vienna before he moved to Austin, Texas, in July 1891. In 1893 he was appointed oculist for the Texas School for the Blind. After receiving his bachelor of science degree from the University of Texas in 1896, he became surgeon of the Texas Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat Hospital (later Texas Sanitarium). During World War I Hilgartner served as eye, ear, nose, and throat surgeon and examiner for the United States School of Military Aeronautics. Commonly known as the Austin Lighthouse, the [Travis County] Association for the Blind was founded in 1934 eventually shortening its name to Travis Association for the Blind. At its start, the organization employed blind people to produce woven mats and canning peaches. During
World War II the United States government took advantage of the newly legislated
Wagner-O'Day Act of 1938 and began purchasing mops produced at the Austin Lighthouse. In 1971, under the leadership of
United States Senator Jacob Javits of
New York the act was amended to include all individuals with severe disabilities, becoming the
Javits–Wagner–O'Day Act (JWOD). Over the years, the Austin Lighthouse has manufactured a number of different sewing products, bottled and packaged 200+ different skin care products, and warehoused/distributed items for the military and state government customers. Major League Baseball player
"Prince" Oana worked for Travis Association for the Blind during seven years in the late 1950s and early 1960s because of
cataracts in both eyes. Today, the Austin Lighthouse is composed of three main divisions; distribution, manufacturing, and training/education. The distribution division has approximately 800,000 sqft of warehouse space, receiving, sorting, identifying, laundering, repairing, labeling, packaging, and distributing items for the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard. In the manufacturing division, a variety of skincare products are produced, as well as textiles, notebook binders, award plaques, and others. The Training and Education Services division provides skill-enhancing training, adaptive equipment, and employment searching services to blind and visually impaired customers. == Products ==