Volume 41, Number 1 Winter 2022
A magazine for parents and teachers of blind children published by
the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults in partnership
with the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children.
Deborah Kent Stein, Editor
ISSN-0883-3419
Copyright © 2022 American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults
For more information
about blindness and children contact:
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place, Baltimore, MD 21230 • 410-659-9314
https://nfb.org/nopbc • [email protected] • [email protected]
FEATURE
Safety and Support
by Carlton Anne Cook Walker
EARLY CHILDHOOD
Sleep in Blind Children: A Mystery
by Carla Keirns
TRAVEL
The Road Back: Rebuilding Travel Confidence after COVID
by Michelle Chacon and Tabitha Mitchell
FUN AND GAMES
Making Foam Stickers to Illustrate Tactile Pictures
by Andrea Cataquiz
Board Games for Braille Readers
by Erin Jepsen
GROWING UP
Feeling Pretty
by Brittany Savage
THE COLLEGE PERSPECTIVE
The Old Rules Don't Apply: What You Need to Know about Transitioning to College
by Carol Castellano
Allyship and Advocacy
by Kinshuk Tella
The Power of Popular Kitchen Tools
by Lindsay Kerr and Nina Marranca
TESTING THE LIMITS
Three, Two, One—Halt! The Pleasures and Benefits of Horseback Riding for People Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision
by Suzanne Ament
Forward Momentum: My Adventures in the Boxing Ring
by Dustin Cather
ADVOCACY
Empowering an Empire, an Interview with Lachi
by Lizzy Muhammad Park
Camp Is for Everyone: Navigating Accommodations for Blind and Low-vision Kids at Summer Camps
by Carlton Anne Cook Walker and Carla Keirns
REVIEW
Just Human: Disability Wisdom, Respect, and Inclusion
by Arielle Silverman
Reviewed by Kristin Witucki
WHAT'S HAPPENING?
Do You Know What a Difference the Action Fund Can Make?
Summer Programs
Announcements
by John Berggren
The 2022 Convention of the National Federation of the Blind will take place in New Orleans, Louisiana, July 5 to July 10, at the New Orleans Marriott at 555 Canal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70130. You can reserve a room now at the Marriott by calling 800-654-3990, ensuring you'll be in our headquarters hotel. If you wish to stay in our overflow hotel directly across Canal Street, call 855-516-1090 to book a room at the Sheraton New Orleans.
The nightly rate for both the Marriott and the Sheraton is $109 for singles and doubles. Triples and quads can be booked for $119 per night. You should also anticipate the combined sales tax and tourism support rate of 16.2 percent, and note there is a hotel occupancy fee of $3.00 per night.
Both hotels will take a deposit of the first night's room rate, taxes, and fees and will require a credit card or a personal check. If you use a credit card, the deposit will be charged against your card immediately. If a reservation is cancelled before Monday, June 1, 2022, half of the deposit will be returned. Refunds will not be issued for cancellations made beyond that date.
The hotels sit astride the storied Canal Street at 555 and 500 Canal Street respectively, only blocks from the mighty Mississippi River and even closer to the historic French Quarter. Both hotels offer a range of dining options as well as twenty-four-hour fitness centers. You'll find a rooftop pool at the Marriott while the Sheraton features a Starbucks in its atrium lobby.
The schedule for the 2022 convention is:
Tuesday, July 5: Seminar Day
Wednesday, July 6: Registration and Resolutions Day
Thursday, July 7: Board Meeting and Division Day
Friday, July 8: Opening Session
Saturday, July 9: Business Session
Sunday, July 10: Banquet Day and Adjournment
The health of our members is of paramount importance as we plan for our first in-person convention in three years. Both of our convention hotels are committed to ensuring the safety of guests and have implemented cleaning protocols and elevated practices to deliver on this commitment. The National Federation of the Blind will continually monitor masking policies, vaccination requirements, and other health guidelines that may apply to our convention. Updates will be shared with members throughout the months leading up to convention, so members can plan accordingly.
Are you the parent of a blind/low-vision child? Don’t know where to turn? Have you ever wondered what your child will be capable of when he or she grows up? Are you concerned that your child’s future will be limited by blindness or low vision? Do you have questions about how to parent a blind child? We are here for you.
Founded in 1983, the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC), a proud division of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), is a membership organization of families, friends, and educators of blind children. We have thousands of members in all fifty states plus Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico.
We have a very inclusive definition of blindness which includes children who have some usable vision. Instead of focusing on what the child can or cannot see, we focus on the child and what she or he wants to be.
NOPBC is for families, educators, and friends of blind children, including those who have some usable vision. We welcome all families of blind children, and many of our children have both blindness and other disabilities.
We help families and blind children themselves maximize the child’s abilities and opportunities; we hold high expectations for all of our children, regardless of any additional disabilities they may have.
As a division of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the largest and most influential organization of blind people in the world, the NOPBC is well informed about the societal, legislative, and technological issues that affect blind people. We enjoy the resources, support, and expertise of fifty thousand blind people who can serve as mentors and role models for us and our children. When we as parents join the NOPBC, our children belong to the Federation family.
The NOPBC:
Most states have an NOPBC affiliate chapter. You can find your state chapter at http://www.nopbc.org. If your state does not have a chapter and you would like to start one, please contact us. We may be able to offer training and other assistance to start a state NOPBC chapter.
We have been where you are, and we want to support you and your blind child. We know that blindness does not define your child's future. We can connect you with other families and blind adults who can serve as positive mentors and role models. They can teach you the attitudes and techniques that will enable your child to become independent and to succeed in life.
The NOPBC offers hope, encouragement, information, and resources for parents, families, and educators of blind children. NOPBC provides:
We offer a wide variety of programs, activities, and training to families, children, and youth. One of our most exciting activities is our annual conference. Every year since it was established, the NOPBC has conducted an annual conference for parents and teachers of blind children as part of the national convention of the NFB. This conference has grown to include five exciting days of workshops, training sessions, activities for all family members, including sighted siblings, and countless opportunities to meet blind adults and other families and children from around the country.
Contact Us:
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
[email protected]
www.nopbc.org
by Carlton Anne Cook Walker
My name is Carlton Anne Cook Walker, and I am the mother of a blind young adult, Anna Catherine. I have the honor of serving as President of the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC), a proud division of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). In addition to serving as president of the NOPBC, I am certified as a Teacher of Students with Blindness/Low Vision. I am also an attorney with my own solo law practice as well as an advocacy firm, Blindness Education and Advocacy Resources (BEAR). As you might guess, that name came from the fact that I'm a Momma Bear.
Of all my roles, that of parent is most important to me, and it will always be so. Our family has been involved with the NFB and the NOPBC since 2006. Without the NFB and its Parents' Division, the NOPBC, I would not have had the information I needed to be an effective parent for Anna Catherine—in early childhood, through the school years, and now that she is a young adult. What has made all the difference is the education from and support of my fellow Federationists—those whom I met through the Parents' Division and, of course, blind adults I have come to know from throughout the country. My Federation family has taught me how to provide Anna Catherine with the tools and skills she needed to become the successful blind adult she has the right to be.
Our children's well-being is of paramount importance to us as parents. I was drawn to and became active in the Federation because of the high quality of support, resources, and wisdom available and because of the high expectations infused throughout Federation philosophy.
In December 2020, we learned that some individuals in our Federation did not share our principles. We learned that some individuals chose to harm others, including minors, for their own selfish purposes. We learned that our trust in some individuals was misplaced. We discovered that we had to find healing for those who were harmed, prevent future harm, and rebuild the trust that was broken by those harmful individuals who are now banned from our organization.
Below, you will find links to an array of important documents. The first of these documents is the current NFB Code of Conduct. This Code of Conduct memorializes the minimum expectations we hold for one another. An FAQ (frequently asked questions) about the Code of Conduct follows. The documents under the heading "Safety and Support Initiatives of the National Federation of the Blind" represent the results of our process of rooting out evil behavior and forging a path forward.
These topics are not easy ones. Sadly, the NFB is not the only organization that has had to face these deep concerns. Confronting these topics in terms of our children is excruciatingly painful and difficult, but we owe it to our children to do so. Our children deserve our best. They deserve the benefits of Federation knowledge and philosophy; they deserve parents, educators, and community members with high expectations; and they deserve to be safe in all environments in which they find themselves. They also deserve to learn to identify harmful behavior, to develop the confidence to reject harmful behavior, and to be believed and supported if they do report such behavior.
We in the NFB and the NOPBC stand ready to support you, your blind child, your family, and your community. We welcome you as you are, and we offer ourselves to help every blind child achieve their dreams.
December 16, 2020: Open Letter of Apology: https://www.nfb.org/blog/open-letter-apology-president-riccobono
January 4, 2021: January Presidential Release: https://www.nfb.org/resources/publications-and-media/presidential-releases
January 4, 2021: Partnership with RAINN: https://www.nfb.org/about-us/press-room/national-federation-blind-announces-partnership-rainn
February 2021: When Survivors Lead: Introducing the Survivor Task Force, Braille Monitor, https://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm21/bm2102/bm210207.htm
April 15, 2021: Open Letter on Safety and Support Progress: https://nfb.org/blog/open-letter-safety-and-support-progress
June 6, 2021: Tonya Baña to answer questions from the community. Access the recording: Open Call with Tonya Baña Audio: https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/2021-07/Open-Tonya-Bana-MP3.mp3 | Transcript: https://nfb.org/programs-services/safety-support/june-6-open-call-tonya-bana-transcript
June 10, 2021: 2021 June Board Resolution to Establish Fund to Support Survivors under Our Code of Conduct: https://nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention/2021-june-board-resolution-establish-fundsupport-survivors-under
June 26, 2021: Special Committee's Interim Report (PDF): https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/2021-06/Special-Committee-Report-with-Addendum-20210620.pdf
Special Committee's Interim Report (MP3): https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/202107/special_
committee_report_on_sexual_misconduct_and_the_nfbs_response.mp3
June 28, 2021 Climate Assessment Report completed by RAINN: https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/2021-06/RAINN_NFB_Climate-Assessmen_2021_Report.pdf
June 29, 2021: Statement of the NFB Board of Directors Regarding the Interim Report of the Special Committee: https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/2021-06/RAINN_NFB_ClimateAssessment_2021_Report.pdf
July 22, 2021: NFB Board of Directors Statement Regarding NFB’s Constitution and Code of Conduct: https://nfb.org/blog/nfb-board-directors-statement-regarding-nfbs-constitution-and-code-conduct?fbclid=IwAR3kaOxIGu9VXlC2eGO2uEg_36H5uGgVTsxmdxcDgJvcokkEhLGNJimBp6I
November 11, 2021: Special Committee's Final Report (PDF): https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/2021-12/NFB-Special-Committee-Final-Report-2021.PDF
Special Committee's Final Report (MP3): https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/2021-12/NFB-Special-Committee-Final-Report-2021-audio.mp3
December 8, 2021: Statement of the NFB Board of Directors Regarding the Final Report of the Special Committee: https://nfb.org/blog/statement-nfb-board-directors-regarding-final-report-special-committee
Raising Expectations Every Day: The Challenge of the Federation's Community Standards, Braille Monitor, February 2022: https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm22/bm2202/bm220201.htm
by Carla Keirns
Reprinted from Braille Monitor, Volume 64, Number 10, November 2021
From the Editor: Carla Keirns is a doctor of internal medicine and a professor at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. She is active in the Missouri affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind, and she serves on the board of the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC).
My baby was a great sleeper. Like normal babies, he needed milk every two to three hours initially. But as he got bigger, he could eat more at once, and by eight weeks he was sleeping a block of six hours most nights. By four to five months it had gotten to nine to eleven hours.
Babies normally sleep short segments throughout the day and a longer period at night. They do their own thing. As they get older, toddlers and preschoolers gradually transition to consolidated sleep at night and one nap during the day, and by kindergarten most children stop napping.
We hit a snag when my son turned two. We moved across the country from New York to Kansas City. Strange men came and packed up everything we owned into a big truck and took it away. Mommy and Daddy each took a car and drove fourteen hundred miles. Our little boy came with me, and we broke up the drive by stopping to see family along the way.
When we got to our new home, it was full of boxes. The following Monday our son started at a new day care. He was not having it. He was stressed and overwhelmed by the move, the week-long cross-country drive, and the new childcare. He didn't understand what was happening. He cried every day at day care drop-off for three weeks. On the third day he cried so hard and for so long that he threw up several times. The staff called me to pick him up, and after that he was fine.
He also regressed in sleep. He started waking up every three hours again for a cuddle, milk, and maybe some lullabies. We had twenty-two different renditions of "Twinkle, Twinkle" on my phone. After a while he went back to sleep.
But the situation didn't really get better. Within two months he gradually shifted. He did start sleeping longer than three hours at a stretch, but only on weekends from 3:00 to 9:00 a.m. He was up until 2:00 to 3:00 a.m. every night, and it was hard to awaken him at 7:00 for preschool. He napped two to three hours after lunch, and then he was up until 3:00 a.m. again.
I talked to his pediatrician, and she said that all little kids have sleep problems. "But it's all behavioral," she told me. "Kids don't have organic sleep disorders." She gave me a list of sleep rules for kids to encourage good habits:
It helped. He started falling asleep at 2:00 a.m. instead of 3:00 a.m.
When I asked his doctor again, I got the same list. His teacher gave me the list. The "sleep guru" at school had some great advice about limiting his nap time so he would be more tired—and yes, the list.
I asked about seeing a sleep medicine specialist, but the pediatric sleep doctors at our local children's hospital won't see children unless their pediatricians refer them. Parent referrals are not accepted.
One night I was on call for the hospital and was on the phone with a colleague who is the father of four now-grown children. While we were talking about a patient, my son came up and asked me something. My colleague said, "That's a very awake three-year-old."
I said, "Yeah, he's like that every night—dancing on the bed at 2:00 a.m. like it's the middle of the day."
I asked his eye doctor if it could be related to his eyes. He has albinism, an eye condition that causes photophobia because the irises and whites of his eyes are missing a pigment layer that acts like blackout curtains in your eyes. His eyes literally leak light through structures that are supposed to block it out. His doctor shrugged and said he had never heard that.
I asked his pediatrician about melatonin, and she said there is not enough data on its use with kids. She couldn't recommend it.
We were referred to behavioral medicine. More recommendations about routine, behavior, following directions, and play therapy were given. It made no difference. Were we doing it wrong? He was still up past midnight every night, usually until 1:00 or 2:00 a.m., even with strict routines in place.
A full year passed—with no answers. I was desperate. Our son's sleep issues were ruining my health and threatening my job.
I started searching the medical literature. I had done this before, trying to figure out if melatonin was safe to use. I found a lot of confusing and scary studies, particularly from Europe and Australia, about possible links between melatonin and developmental disorders. This time I started my search with circadian rhythm and albinism. There were thousands of studies—in mice. Albino mice have been standard lab animals for medical and psychological research for decades, and they are known to have abnormal sleep cycles.
But I didn't have a mouse. I had a little boy. There was only a handful of studies, less than ten or so involving children. One of the most on point was nearly forty years old. Conducted at a school for the blind in South Africa, it documented sleep problems. The kids with albinism had suppressed melatonin. The hormone that tells the body to go to sleep was missing. It was suppressed because the children got too much light.
The connection between light and sleep is why you are told to dim the lights before bedtime, to avoid screen time within an hour of sleep, and to make sure your bedroom is dark. It is also why people who work evening and especially night shifts have a difficult time sleeping. Exposure to bright light, particularly full-spectrum sunlight, resets the body's circadian rhythm. But if you have albinism or aniridia, even indoor light can be very bright for you. It's as though the lights in the living room were tricking my son's brain into thinking it was the middle of the day. It's not just that he wouldn't sleep; he wasn't tired. The fact that he wasn't tired until five hours in the dark made sense.
I started giving melatonin to my almost four-year-old. Within a week it was clear we were on the right track. Within two weeks he was going to sleep by ten p.m. It took a couple more weeks to get the dose and timing right, and then he was asleep by 9 p.m. The angels started singing, or maybe it was just a hallucination from my sleep-deprived brain.
I went back and asked his pediatrician about melatonin. Again, "not enough data in kids" was her reply. "I can't recommend it, but if it's working for you, give it a try."
I asked for a referral to sleep medicine; she sent one. They called. "The clinic is very busy," they told me. It was summer. We were given an appointment for the following March. Then we got a call in January; they had a conflict and would need to move us to May. We waited. I gave him melatonin in his milk every night at bedtime. It was life-changing.
We finally got to see the sleep doctor thirty-four months after my son started staying up until 3:00 a.m. every night, and twelve months after I started him on melatonin on my own. I told the doctor our story. He laughed and said, "You figured it out. What do you need me for?"
"I'm not a pediatrician. Is it safe? How much should I give him? Does he need to take breaks? How will I know if he doesn't need it anymore?"
The doctor was knowledgeable and kind. He answered all my questions in about fifteen minutes. As long as our son got his melatonin, we all slept happily ever after. If we ran out, we felt it that night. When he decided he didn't like the raspberry or grape liquids anymore, it took a few months and lots of trial and error to find something else he would take. Gummies? Nope. Dissolving tablets? Unh uh. Chocolate? You would have thought, but I could only find it hard-candy coated, and my kid would not try it. Finally, one of his teachers said there were flavorless capsules at the health-food store. We were set again.
When we went for follow-up, I told the sleep doctor that I saw inquiries about this problem at least once a month in the parents of blind kids and albinism Facebook groups. At the meetings of NOAH (National Organization for Albinism and Hyperpigmentation), I asked the scientific experts on albinism if they knew anything about sleep issues. They shrugged and looked at each other. Nope. But the audience members, adults with albinism and their parents, started telling their own stories—lots of them.
We went back to see the sleep doctor for routine follow-up. I said we should study the problem. He said he had a handful of similar patients. I said, "How many?" He said, "Maybe ten." I said, "You know that visual impairment serious enough to require special education is a less than 1/1000 diagnosis in kids? Maybe more like 1/2000? (These numbers come from special-education enrollments and are known to be undercounts—by how much no one knows.) Even in his practice, they are over-represented. This is the problem with rare diseases. The small numbers distributed throughout the country mask the extent and seriousness of the problem.
We finally agreed to try to gather information. Our sleep doctor recruited colleagues in sleep medicine and ophthalmology. I asked for help from a friend who is a sleep researcher. We worked with our local preschool for blind children, where lots of parents reported sleep struggles. We asked for help from the National Federation of the Blind and NOAH. They reviewed our survey and agreed to share it with their members.
Eighty-nine percent of kids with visual impairments whose parents completed our survey reported sleep scores consistent with a diagnosable sleep disorder. Boom! Thanks to all of you and to a group of doctors and professionals in Kansas City who listen to moms! Now we have some answers for those sleep-deprived kids and their families and some guidance for their pediatricians. Thank you, David Ingram, José Cruz, and Erin Stahl!
What can you expect if you see a doctor for sleep problems? Sleep is a complicated and essential process to keep us healthy and restore the brain and body for the next day. Sleep problems lead to more attention and behavior problems, injuries, mental health problems, and obesity. In adults, there is evidence that sleep issues and lack of adequate sleep contribute to diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attacks, and possibly Alzheimer's disease.
Recommendations vary, but most experts suggest a medical evaluation if sleep problems last longer than two to four weeks. This is especially true if the change is severe or sudden, if there are other concerning symptoms, or if more straightforward advice isn't helping.
A careful sleep history is critical to making sense of sleep problems.
There may be many more questions, because the evaluation of the likely cause determines the next steps. A doctor may order tests for iron levels, levels of vitamin D and other vitamins, levels of hormones such as cortisol, thyroid tests, or tests for any medical condition they think might be the underlying problem. Kids with neurological or hormonal/endocrine diagnoses are known to be more likely to have sleep disorders, as are kids with developmental delays and disabilities. Some children will be recommended for an overnight sleep study, where brain waves, oxygen levels, breathing, and body movements are tracked. The brain waves are followed through the night to be sure the child is progressing normally through the early and deeper levels of sleep, entering restful stage 4 sleep, and re-emerging into rapid eye movement or REM sleep when we dream. It is normal to progress through stages 1 to 4 and back to 1 in sixty to ninety minutes, with some variation by age. Over the course of the night the REM periods will become longer, which is why there are more dreams in the second half of the night. It is normal for most of the body's muscles to be paralyzed during sleep, except for the diaphragm that controls breathing and "smooth muscle," such as those in the internal organs and blood vessels. If this mechanism doesn't work, a person could act out their dreams physically and hurt themselves.
"Restless leg syndrome" (RLS) is a common condition in adults and children associated with low iron levels, though in kids it presents with more of a pattern of poor sleep and overall body movements. Low iron in kids can be due to a number of factors, and it needs its own evaluation. One cause we missed in my own son is too much milk intake. The cells that absorb iron in the intestines are the same ones that absorb calcium, so they can compete with each other.
The recommendations following evaluation may include changes in diet and medications such as melatonin. The doctor may recommend the use of a light box for thirty to sixty minutes in the morning. A light box is a special artificial light that gives the full spectrum of wavelengths to mimic the sun. Sleep apnea may be treated with surgery to relieve airway obstructions or with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP).
All those people who gave us the list of sleep tips were not wrong. Those tips are excellent advice for anyone. They just won't fix the problem if you have an undiagnosed or untreated medical reason for sleep problems. Have a regular bedtime routine. Wind down in the evening: no caffeine for at least six hours before bed, no vigorous exercise for two hours, and ideally no screen time for one to two hours. A bath, a snack, and/or a bedtime story can be helpful. Keep the bedroom cool and comfortable, and ideally keep it for sleep, with play, study, and electronics in other rooms of the house.
For people who are blind or visually impaired, light is probably key—with some of us getting no light to anchor our body's internal clocks (causing non-24) and others getting too much and confusing them. By the time he was six, my little boy could explain that "lights in the house trick my brain and make it think it's the middle of the day so I'm not tired at bedtime."
This article is a summary of my longer paper on the topic. The full paper is available via "open access." It is free for anyone to read here:
https://journals.healio.com/doi/10.3928/01913913-20210623-01?fbclid=IwAR089Zhk3NK0qmmh-P0Ntnd_WBTIxsFNRwRc4u05DupCxgWFPFLDC5sq0N8
National Institute for Child Health and Human Development on Sleep
https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/sleep
Centers for Disease Control: "Do Your Children Get Enough Sleep?”
https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/infographic/children-sleep.htm
Mayo Clinic Health System: "Is Your Child Getting Enough Sleep?"
https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/is-your-child-getting-enough-sleep
HealthyChildren.org, A website of the American Academy of Pediatrics: “Healthy Sleep Habits”
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/sleep/Pages/healthy-sleep-habits-how-many-hours-does-your-child-need.aspx
American Family Physician: “Common Sleep Disorders in Children”
https://www.afp.org/afp/2014/0301/p368.html
by Michelle Chacon and Tabitha Mitchell
From the Editor: During a year of virtual classes, blind students had limited opportunities to practice their mobility skills. Now, as the world opens up again, they may be reluctant to venture out and travel independently again. In this article Michelle Chacon and Tabitha Mitchell discuss the issues surrounding independent travel after the lockdown. Michelle Chacon is an orientation and mobility (O&M) instructor, and Tabitha Mitchell is the parent of a blind daughter. This article is based on a workshop that was presented by the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children at the 2021 NFB National Convention.
Michelle Chacon: I'm an orientation and mobility specialist, and I'm a blind adult myself. I have grown-up children who are sighted, and we've all survived our year at home during the pandemic.
Getting out after being at home can be very tricky. I work in a public school district with lots of families who were eager to get their kids back into school, because they felt that's the setting where they benefited most. I've also worked with families that were quite fearful of going back. They had a lot of anxiety about how the schools would keep students from getting sick. So we have quite a spectrum of needs and approaches. We had to do our best to meet families where they were. I believe the best help for students is having strong support at home.
First of all, how to get out the door? Kids had to get used to wearing masks in public places. They had to learn to social distance. We're used to approaching people when we have questions. We're used to going into stores and navigating through the aisles. Now, there are all those lines on the floor, telling us to go this way and not to go that way. If you don't have anyone with you to explain it all, it can be very confusing.
Despite these challenges, we want to get our students comfortable using their canes again. We need to get them comfortable with heading out the door and walking in their neighborhood again. They need to walk the streets, visit the park, and maybe stop in at a convenience store. The mall can be a little unnerving for families when they are first starting to go out again.
Some people can't wait to get out again. They look forward to being with friends and being out there doing things. But a lot of individuals don't like the change, going from being quiet at home to being in the middle of a lot of activity. It can be quite a challenge!
One of my students went back to school right away. The school was about 25 percent filled, with the rest of the students still attending remotely. The corridors were pretty empty! This kiddo was really excited to be back with his friends, and he adjusted very well.
I had other students who felt ready to go back to school, but their parents were terrified. The kids struggled with remote learning, but we made it work. We were able to schedule some outings toward the end of the year. They had the chance to be with friends at the park or to meet at an ice cream store with outdoor seating. We worked hard to bring down the anxiety level, to show kids that their friends were still their friends.
Overall, we tried to convey the message that our students could still get out and do things, but we needed a variety of approaches. In some cases we had to take baby steps. In other cases kids got right back into the swing of things. Be sure you can listen to your children's or students' anxieties and try to face your own.
I would love to hear from teachers and parents who are here on Zoom. How have you managed to get back into community functions? What have been your concerns? What can we do to make it all a better transition?
Tabitha Mitchell: Hello, I'm Tabitha. I'm an NOPBC board member. My youngest child, my fifteen-year-old daughter is blind. I just dropped her off for an O&M session, and that's thrilling.
One piece of advice I have for parents is to go back to the IEP. Try to get your child's O&M instruction bulked up a lot for ESY (Extended School Year) in the summer. My daughter had been in the house for months; she had hardly been out. She has LCA (Leber congenital amaurosis) with potential kidney complications. She felt that she had a bit more of a high-risk profile than the rest of us.
I am a public health professional, and I was able to calm a lot of my daughter's anxiety by assuring her that she could use a full-blown respirator. It's not much harder to breathe through than a standard mask. Lots of people wear them every day for eight- or ten-hour shifts on the job. That calmed her nerves and really got her rolling! When we had the opportunity to get her back into O&M through the ESY over the summer, she didn't hesitate. She was ready to pick up her cane and get out there.
I've noticed that a lot of kids are unsure what to do. They know they'll have to touch a lot of things when they're out, and they worry about exposure to COVID. The other day my daughter went into Target, using the respirator. We revisited the universal precautions about handwashing that she'd been hearing all year. Once we were able to have that family dialog, she was much more comfortable. When the O&M instructor asked, "Hey, you want to go to McDonald's next week?" she was totally fine with that. We need to find out where our kids have trepidations and figure out how to work through them.
Michelle: One thing you can do is put together a little travel kit with wipes and hand sanitizer. Kids can learn to use hand sanitizer after they've touched something. They can use wipes in the restroom.
Before the pandemic travel routes might be quite involved, taking a couple of hours. Now they may be down to just an hour or so until kids and parents are comfortable. We need to recognize when it's time to quit.
Tabitha: We discovered that our daughter experienced a lot of fatigue from holding her cane when she resumed O&M instruction. She doesn't use her cane at home. She literally had not touched the cane in months! It created a very interesting situation! I felt as if I were going back to our early years, having to remind her, "Have you got your cane? Don't forget your cane!" It was pretty strange! The cane has always been kind of an extension of her body, but now there were times when she would grumble about taking it with her.
I think the hybrid model at school helped us. They had her at school two days on and two days off. Fridays were at-home days for everyone. The nature of that hybrid modeling put the cane back in her hand intermittently, not for a full day.
I knew we had to get her out so she could get past the fatigue from having the cane in her hand again. I began to take her with me when I ran errands. It required her to walk to the car. She could get used to the weight of the cane again.
Michelle: Those little outings are very important! Even a walk around the block can help. You go through the list of what you have with you when you go out the door, and of course you ask, "Have you got your cane?" Bit by bit you can extend the length of time you're out there. If parents have a cane at home for themselves, they can bring it when they go out with the little ones.
One thing you can do is use the structured discovery method to explore the yard. In an apartment building you can experiment with travel in the building itself. You can go downstairs to check the mail or visit the laundry room.
In my family we played a game around structured discovery. We have a lot of spare canes around, and we all put on learning shades. We'd walk around the yard and see what we could find. We did it with the mindset that we were entertaining ourselves.
Tabitha: A scavenger hunt is always fun—going around the neighborhood. You can even have one in the back yard, setting up items to find. You can have a sound scavenger hunt, listening for things in the environment. These are all things you can do to wake up those travel skills, get them up and ready to go.
One thing that was important for us was the addition of the mask. It doesn't block your ears, but it is another thing to work through. In my line of work it's called personal protective equipment. It takes a bit of time to get used to it. One issue is volume. People have to speak a little more loudly and clearly with the mask. In the classroom teachers will prompt the kids; they'll say, "You need to speak up, you're wearing a mask."
It was a different story when my daughter was out for O&M lessons. When she had to talk to someone—for instance, asking for information in a store—she had to remember to speak up. Sometimes I'd remind her, "You have to speak up when you're wearing that mask." How did you work through that with your students, especially the younger ones?
Michelle: I'm very glad you asked about this! When you're wearing a mask, I think you already might feel a bit self-conscious. My voice is rather soft. It doesn't always carry well, and if people have some degree of hearing loss they don't always hear me. Even people without a hearing loss sometimes say, "What?" and ask me to repeat things. When I have a mask on I feel like I'm yelling at the top of my lungs.
When I work with young children, it can be hard to hear their voices when they're wearing their masks. We had to practice using our outdoor voices. We did some role-playing on our route or going through our activities. Practicing ahead of time is very helpful.
Tabitha: Do you have any words of wisdom we can pass along to parents regarding the IEP process when it comes to O&M in the time of COVID? We used COVID as an opportunity, pointing out that our daughter hadn't been able to use her cane for a year or more. It worked to our advantage. I stated the obvious: "She has not used her cane for this period of time because we have been following COVID restrictions. She has lost skills, and we need some remediation." When she finally resumed O&M it was a remediation. They based her IEP on where she was now, not on where she left off a year ago.
I urge other parents not to feel odd about using the negative. That's where we are. At our IEP meeting I emphasized our negative reality. We were able to use my daughter's COVID loss to get O&M instruction over the ESY session, and we also got more minutes into her IEP for the upcoming year.
Michelle: A lot of our students have benefited from compensatory time to address these areas. They had lost the opportunity to be out there gaining independence during the pandemic. It's very important to spend time getting them back to where they were before COVID. Parents, you are powerful, and you are the best advocates for your children. Your children need to become strong advocates for themselves. We're trying to get our kids ready for adulthood. Building good orientation and mobility skills is part of that picture. Everybody needs to be able to navigate, whether it's on foot or in a wheelchair.
Tabitha: It's very easy for us as parents to get caught up in the minutiae of the IEP process. We get caught up in the grades and the classes, with making sure our kids get their materials in accessible formats. It's easy for us to let O&M fall to the O&M instructor without checking in. We just assume they're doing what they need to do.
Emmy has always been a very independent cane traveler. We've always done structured discovery activities at home. When she was little we were never bashful about getting her out of the grocery cart and letting her walk with her cane at Costco or the supermarket. Now that she's fifteen college is not an abstraction any more.
For years we didn't use a bus system because we lived in rural Virginia. Two years ago we moved to Hawaii. It's fantastic that now we have bus service. The bus runs right by our house! It's exciting that we can make the bus a normal part of Emmy's life. I regret that we didn't spend more time on public transportation when she was younger. In Virginia we did work on how to use Uber, and she learned to use the app. We practiced a lot during COVID, when social distancing was a requirement. She learned to use the Maps app, found out what she could do with it and what she couldn't. All of this helped keep O&M in her brain.
Even now though, with college in Emmy's future, I feel we're not where we need to be with O&M. We sometimes joke about our reality. People ask me what we're doing today, and I say, "Learning to cross the road." She's going to be in college in three more years, and she's just learning to cross at an intersection! That's problematic! We need to keep these gaps in mind. We need to help our kids get caught up on the opportunities they missed when things shut down.
Michelle: Absolutely! I agree one hundred percent! The confidence factor is key. If kids have confidence, then they're willing to try new things. They're willing to get out and explore and learn where a new restaurant is. We need to support them and find opportunities wherever we can. It's so important to get our kids there, feeling comfortable and confident!
by Andrea Cataquiz
From the Editor: Andrea Cataquiz is a high school senior from Illinois. Last summer she attended the NFB STEM EQ program, which focused on spatial thinking. In this article she shares her ideas on using easily available crafts materials to make pictures that everyone can enjoy.
I have heard that all work and no play is not good for people and their health. I want to share with you my experiences with a fun activity—making my own foam stickers.
When I was growing up I liked stickers, and I still like them. I hope that children today still enjoy this fun activity. Making and using stickers is an activity that parents and teachers can enjoy doing with children.
Before you get started I suggest you have a trash bin or a plastic bag nearby, because this craft is a little messy. Here is a list of other things you will need.
If you or whoever you plan to do this activity with is confident with their drawing skills, the stencils may not be needed.
First, take a sticky foam sheet and place it on a stable flat surface. It may help your orientation if the foam sheet is parallel to you. If you want your sticker to be a specific color, choose foam of the color you prefer. If the color of the sticker doesn't matter, just use any sheet.
Next, draw or trace a shape onto the sheet of sticky foam with your pen or pencil. Make sure to trace on the soft foam side of the adhesive sheet. Push down firmly so you can feel the lines that you are making. Just be careful not to break your pencil by pushing down excessively hard.
Take your scissors and carefully cut along the lines that you made with your pen or pencil. Congratulations, you have made your first homemade foam sticker!
Foam stickers are very accessible for people who are blind or have low vision because we can feel the shape of the sticker. Some ready-made plastic stickers have details that can be touched, and I quite enjoy those. However, a lot of stickers are flat. Worse yet, many stickers are simply squares or circles of plastic with pictures printed on them. Tactilely there is nothing interesting about them.
When I'm not busy, I like to make pictures with my foam stickers. I cut out several shapes that I think will work together in a scene. For example, I might cut out some animals. Then I arrange the stickers in a way that makes sense to me. I attempt to tell a little story. Sometimes I try to immortalize a memory by recreating some important details with my foam sheets. I also like to add grass and trees to some of my pictures using the stencils that I have.
If you have a tactile drawing board, you can choose which details to draw and which details to create with stickers. These drawing boards are fun tools for work and play. When you put paper on the designated drawing side of the board, you can feel the lines you make as you draw with a pen or pencil.
From stickers to drawing and everything in between, a lot of fun craft projects are available to blind individuals. It's just a matter of a person's interests and how they navigate any issues they come across. Making stickers is only one of many fun activities that we can do independently to pass the time. I hope you will enjoy making your own foam stickers. You can find all sorts of unique uses for this little skill.
by Erin Jepsen
From the Editor: When I was ten years old my grandfather adapted the board game Sorry so I could play it with my sighted friends and relatives. He added a wooden frame beneath the board and drilled a hole in each playing square. Flipped upside down, the game pieces fit neatly into the holes so they didn't move around when touched. The flat side of each piece was labeled with Dymo tape to indicate the color: b for blue, y for yellow, r for red, and g for green. More Dymo tape labeled the slides, and the cards were Brailled.
My grandfather's Sorry! game is one example of the countless ways that standard board games can be made accessible for blind players. In this article Erin Jepsen explains how she has adapted board games to ensure that everyone in her family can play.
As my children have entered teenager hood, our family has discovered anew the joy of playing board games. Although the pandemic contributed a little to this hobby, we were never particularly out-and-about types to begin with. I'd say the pandemic just led to more of what we were already doing.
When we sit down to a game, of course everyone wants to be able to play, and just teaming up with a sighted player won't do at all. These games need to be fully accessible for everyone. I've spent years digging around on the internet to find accessible games, and when that resource was exhausted, retrofitting classic games myself. I have a wealth of tips and tricks to share!
Fortunately, many of the most common and well-loved games exist already in an accessible format. Some, such as Braille Monopoly and Braille Scrabble, are a little costly, but they are worth the expense! Of course, a deck of cards is a must-have, as well as card games such as Uno. Sets of chess and checkers with tactile boards can be found in several places; differences in the shape of the pieces allow players to distinguish white from black. Another fun find was a Rubik's Cube with tactile markings on each side. For teachers who have access to Quota Funds, APH (American Printing House for the Blind) offers tactile kits for retrofitting books and games.
Some games don't need any adaptation. They can be played just as they are by both blind and sighted players. Mancala is one such game that our family enjoys. Another one the kids liked when they were younger was Trouble. We used a separate die, since the one inside the bubble can't be touched, and we found some household items to use as tokens, but the tactile board was great right out of the box. Some other games for younger kids include Hi Ho Cherry-O, Don't Break the Ice, Cootie, and Honeybee Tree. For older kids, wooden or metal brain teasers are almost all accessible by touch, and they're very challenging!
Games such as Unblock my Car or 15-Puzzle are also really popular at our house (with some Braille numbers added, of course!)
By nature, I'm a "maker," so I generally have piles of craft supplies lying around at any given time. Being familiar with the fabric stores and craft stores in town has come in handy. Several key elements of board games need to be addressed when retrofitting. These include information given by colors; information given by text; information on spatial areas, such as the game board; and playing pieces. I'll talk about each of these and give examples of games that have worked well for our family.
One of the first games I adapted was Candyland, which uses six different colors on cards, on the board, and on the tokens (or pawns or people or whatever you like to call them). For colors, it works well to choose different textures. Keep the textures the same color as the original item for the ease of the sighted players.
To adapt Candyland I used red fleece, orange burlap, yellow cotton, green satin, blue corduroy, and purple velvet. These fabrics all came from the fabric store. When I adapted Splendor years later, I used blue foam stickers, green plastic bumps, red corrugated cardboard, black construction paper, and yellow felt (white was left smooth). All these textures are available in the American Printing House Textures Kit. In some games colors aren't very important to game play, or they can simply be memorized after playing the game a few times. The color groups in Monopoly are a good example.
Hooray for Braille! There's one problem, though: Braille requires space, and most text on game boards is really small, to fit it all in. For this reason, we use a lot of abbreviations. For instance, in Settlers of Catan, we mark the development cards with a letter or two and have the full description written elsewhere. For the property cards in Monopoly (I never bought the fancy pro version), the vital information is the rent prices. If we need longer pages of info, a page Brailled on the Perkins is fine, such as for the building costs in Settlers of Catan.
The tools we have used most are the Perkins Brailler and a labeler. Personally, I like a slate and stylus and some clear Dymo label tape the best. You can also buy a handheld labeler that will work.
For labeling the development cards in Splendor that have a lot of information on them, I got some sheets of clear Braille labels. It worked great to write the Braille labels, cut them out, and stick them onto the cards. I Brailled the cards in The Great Dalmuti the same way. Using this method, no Braille shows through from the back of the cards, tempting sighted siblings to cheat!
I've also tried using other clear label stickers, such as the Avery labels that office supply stores sell. Although you can Braille them, they are lightweight and thin, which means that the Braille doesn't hold up very well after multiple readings. I have used colored card stock to make Braille labels quite successfully, gluing the labels on or taping them on with double-sided tape. A good source for tape, tactile stickers, and textured paper is the scrapbook section at a craft store.
Another method for reading text on games, especially rules or paragraphs of text, is to make use of a phone app. My favorite is Seeing AI. Seeing AI scans the text and reads it aloud or sends it to me in an email. Because I'm a Braille transcriber, and I have my own embosser, I can send the text document to my computer, transcribe it into Braille, and then emboss it in hard copy to go with the game. I know that a lot of families don't have this option, but they might be able to ask a teacher at school to do the embossing.
The playing board is the basis for play, and in our experience it's the trickiest part of the game for blind players to navigate. Sighted players may grow impatient when the blind player's hands are exploring the board. Blind players may have trouble locating information, or may accidentally cause game pieces to move. We have had varying degrees of success in retrofitting boards. With some games, it ends up being easier to leave the board alone and ask another player to move the pieces around. Obviously, this is a practical concession, but it's not true access, and it enables the other players to cheat, too! So although we have used this technique with games such as Sorry or Chutes and Ladders, it's far from ideal!
Some boards work well with pretty minimal tactile markings. On our own Monopoly board, a raised line between each property and a Braille abbreviation marking the name of each were enough. For Pente, which uses a simple grid, we substituted some raised-line graph paper and played inside the squares instead of on the corners. (We used small washers to replace one set of stones. More on tokens later.)
Some games, however, call for tactile game boards. This is especially true for games such as Carcassonne or Settlers of Catan, in which the tiles come together to form the playing board. For Carcassonne, I dug into my craft supplies and made tactile pieces: foam sticker cities, puffy paint roads, ribbon rivers and jewels for shield markers. I also put Velcro on the back of each tile and made a felt playing mat, so pieces would stay put when touched. I used the Velcro and felt mat technique for keeping Quirkle pieces in place, too.
For a game as complicated as Settlers of Catan, we went all fancy. My son 3D printed new tiles with raised symbols, a hollow place to hold the number chits (also 3D printed with Braille), and flat spots to hold the settlements, cities, and roads. He made some little resource tokens as well, to be exchanged for resource cards during play. Not every family has a lovely nerdy fifteen-year-old with a 3D printer like I do, but there are plenty of ways to use Braille labels and craft supplies to mark the Catan tiles. Tape, Velcro, or magnet can hold the chits in place.
Speaking of magnets, magnetic strips are easily available in craft stores. Braille labels on magnetic strips can be used to make wonderful, easily moveable words or numbers. Most paper-sized white boards are magnetic. If you're feeling adventurous, go to the building supply store and get a 9-inch flat tin shingle. I put masking tape around the edges, though, because they're a bit sharp. With magnets, I made a fridge poetry set that included our family names, pets, and favorite foods. I made a Yahtzee score card with removable numbers. I also made a math teaching board, but that probably doesn't belong here in a fun-and-games article, does it? Anyway, magnets are a handy way to hold moveable items in place long enough to read them tactually. They easily can be repositioned as needed.
Many games use color to differentiate the pieces designated to each player. A quick and easy way to get around this problem and make the pieces tactile is to swap pieces out from different games. Another method we have used a lot is to find little objects around the house or buy them at a craft store or hardware store. We have used washers, bolts, nuts, wire nuts (for electrical wiring), pompoms, wooden blocks, M&Ms, uncooked pasta of various shapes, hardened Play-Doh, and math manipulatives—basically anything that's the right size and quantity.
I know this seems like a lot of information to throw at you. Remember, I haven't done all these projects at one time, but here and there over the years. Also, I like to craft and build. If that's not your wheelhouse, maybe you have a friend or a grandparent or a child who does enjoy making things. This article is meant to be a jumping-off point for thinking about access and making games accessible for all players, regardless of vision level. The main point is to think about including everyone in the fun!
Obviously, I can't mention every game out there, so if there's one you enjoy and want to retrofit, go for it! It's worth taking time for some gluing and Brailling to watch the whole family enjoying a game together. You might even show a newly blinded adult friend that he doesn't have to relinquish his favorite card games, as I did at a convention one time. Recreation and social time are fundamental needs, and blind players don't ever have to be excluded—not as long as there's some labeling tape nearby!
Note: All games and brand names of items are copyrighted, and no money was made from the mention of them.
American Printing House for the Blind
http://aph.org
Braille Bookstore
http://www.braillebookstore.com/Toys-and-Games
Independent Living
https://independentliving.com/vision/games-education/
Tactile Rubik's Cube
https://amazon.com/dp/B07FDMRRBC
American Thermoform
https://americanthermoform.com/product-category/braille-labels/
Braille Labeler
http://www.braillebookstore.com/Handheld-Braille-Labeler.1
Labeling Tape
http://www.braillebookstore.com/Clear-Labeling-Tape.1
by Brittany Savage
From the Editor: Brittany Savage lives in Littleton, Colorado, where she is a full-time nanny for two six-year-old boys. She also works as a part-time consultant with Mary Kay Cosmetics. In this article she recounts her journey to independence and explains how the use of makeup became part of her life.
When I was seven years old, I was diagnosed with a form of RP (retinitis pigmentosa) that includes cone-rod dystrophy. My family lived in a tiny town in rural Virginia, where I was the only blind student within five school districts. My mother was a special education teacher, so she knew the ins and outs of the school system. Even with that advantage, though, it was very hard for me to get the services I needed. For a while, I had a classroom aide who read me the material the teacher put on the board. A TVI (teacher of the visually impaired) came to see me once a month. I simply wasn't learning the blindness skills I needed in order to succeed at school.
In 2003, when I was in seventh grade, my family enrolled me at the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind (VSDB) in Staunton, Virginia. Finally, I got the Braille and cane travel I badly needed. For the first time, I experienced a classroom where everything was fully accessible. VSDB had more Braille books than I had seen in my entire life, and my O&M instructors were outstanding. I even had the chance to work at the Dixie Movie Theater and the local Shakespeare Theater through the school's job studies program.
However, attending a residential school definitely had its downsides. The town of Staunton was very pedestrian friendly, but in order to go off campus, students had to earn a pass by getting good grades and performing chores. As students, we didn't have the freedom that was available to typical teens living at home with their families. Furthermore, we were cut off from a lot of the teen culture that surrounded our sighted peers. One thing I never learned at VSDB was how to apply makeup.
After I graduated from VSDB, I attended a community college in Virginia. Eventually, I returned home to my small town, where I was constantly frustrated by the lack of transportation. I had nowhere to use the independent travel skills I had learned at VSDB.
I'd been at home for about two years when a friend told me that the Colorado Center for the Blind (CCB) was hiring counselors to work with blind children at a summer program. I was hired as a counselor, and I went to Littleton, Colorado, in the summer of 2014.
My experience at the CCB transformed my life. Before the kids arrived all of the counselors went through two weeks of training under learning shades. We traveled all over the Denver area using the light rail system. At first I was very scared of being on my own without a sighted person to help me. I realized I needed more intensive training so I could become truly independent.
When the summer program was over, I entered the adult training program at the CCB. I mastered the skills I needed—Braille, technology, and cane travel—and felt a level of confidence I had never known before. But when I went home to Virginia, I was more frustrated than ever by the lack of transportation in my small town.
I worked as a counselor at the CCB for the next two summers, but I desperately needed a full-time job.
Finally. I made up my mind to find work in the Denver area, come what may. Without any job prospects, I packed up and moved to Colorado. I worked at the CCB'S summer youth program again, but this time I was determined to stay on.
Hunting for a job was discouraging at best. After months of sending out résumés and knocking on doors, my spirits sagged. Then, when I was ready to give up and retreat back to Virginia, one of the CCB staff members asked me if I would like to work as a live-in nanny for her five-month-old son. I jumped at the chance! I also found a part-time job with a company called True Independence. I transcribe restaurant menus and other materials into Braille.
Two years ago I took part in a marathon called the Six-Dot Dash that was hosted by the CCB. A number of vendors signed up, and I met a rep from Mary Kay Cosmetics. With a little encouragement I signed up for what Mary Kay calls "a pampering session."
Never before had anyone taught me how to apply makeup or explained what makeup could do for me. In that first session I learned so much that I wanted to go farther. I signed up to train as a Mary Kay consultant.
Through the training I learned more than I ever could have imagined about skin care. I learned which colors go together and which work best for people with different complexions and hair colors. My instructors were very creative in their approach to teaching. Together we figured out ways for me to understand color combinations and to apply makeup by touch.
Kids usually learn about makeup as preteens from their mothers and their friends. I learned when I was almost thirty years old, and I was thrilled! I became more conscious of my appearance than I ever had been before. When I started wearing makeup, I also developed an interest in fashion. I began to pay closer attention to my wardrobe. When I knew I looked my best, I began to feel better about myself.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Mary Kay consultants began to host virtual makeup sessions. I started by tag-teaming with my director. Sometimes I used Aira to check color combinations and other visual aspects of my work. (Aira is a service that allows a sighted assistant to provide visual information to a blind person by using the camera of a smartphone.) I work with some blind clients, but most of my clients are sighted.
I feel it's important for parents of blind children to let them try using makeup. Parents have a tendency to apply makeup for the child, but the child needs to learn by doing. Explain how the makeup should be applied. If it isn't done right the first time, try not to get frustrated. Kids do best when they can learn at their own pace in an environment where they feel emotionally safe. We all learn new skills by trial and error, and applying makeup is no exception.
YouTube is a great resource for instruction on applying makeup. If you visit Mary Kay Cosmetics on YouTube, you will find lots of videos with excellent verbal instruction.
Please feel free to contact me at 804-832-5439 or [email protected]. I would love to hear from you.
by Carol Castellano
From the Editor: Carol Castellano is the author of four books, including Making It Work and Getting Ready for College Begins in Third Grade. In this article, based on her NOPBC workshop at the 2021 NFB National Convention, she shares her thoughts about how parents and teachers can help blind young people prepare for the enormous transition from high school to college.
As you probably know, college is very different from high school. Perhaps the biggest difference is in the level of freedom students have. At college there are very few rules. Students make their own decisions—good or bad—about what they will study and how they will behave. Parents are no longer in the loop. The kids are suddenly responsible for themselves. Parents are often surprised to learn they don't get information on grades, even if their child has stopped going to class or is flunking out, unless the student officially grants permission for the college to share such things.
"Don’t Call Mom!”
My daughter Serena lived away from home while she attended Manhattanville College just north of New York City. Here's how I found out that she was truly in college.
One day during the first week of school Serena called and said, "Mom, I got invited to a party at a senior's apartment off campus."
I said, "Oh? That's nice."
"I haven't decided whether I'm going or not," she said. "People will be drinking, and I'll have to get a ride with someone. I won't know if they drink."
Trying hard not to be a helicopter mom, I said, "How are you leaning?"
She said, "I don't know yet." Then we went on to other topics.
About three weeks into the semester she called and said, "Mom, my roommate's going to have a guy sleep over."
"What kind of guy?" I said. "Is this a friend guy who's going to sleep on the floor? Or is it a boyfriend guy who's going to sleep in the bed with your roommate?"
At that point my son, who is three years younger than my daughter, grabbed the phone and said, "Serena! When you have questions like this, you don't call Mom! You call me!"
Today both of my kids tell me with a wink that Serena didn't go to the party and that the guy never slept over. I've decided to believe them. College sure calls for a whole new set of skills for kids and parents alike!
Picture an IEP meeting. A cast of thousands sits around a table. A seventy-five-page document lies in front of each person. Social workers, psychologists, and teachers give dramatic readings about how your child is doing in school and all their flaws that still need to be corrected. Discussions and even arguments ensue over the fifty or so goals and objectives written into the document. Every person in attendance must provide a signature, including parents, who, of course, don't always want to sign.
Fast forward to college. There's no more IEP. The IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), which the IEP comes from, no longer applies. There is no more team formulating a plan, and there's no long list of materials, techniques, and modifications to be employed, all in the hope of student success. At college it's all up to the student.
Entering the college environment requires a whole set of skills, some of which will be new to your child. Building these skills early will enable your child to make the transition smoothly.
Academic Skills: This category includes study skills, note-taking ability, technology skills, and work ethic. These are skills the successful high school student is already developing. Make sure your son or daughter is independent in these areas.
A Word about Note-taking: Sometimes blind college students are assigned a fellow student to serve as a note-taker in class. I don't think there's any blindness-related reason why our kids can't take their own notes! If there are other extenuating circumstances such as an additional disability, the situation might be different. But if sighted kids are learning to take notes, blind kids should be learning that skill as well.
A note-taker may be appropriate for blind students in certain limited circumstances. In a class that involves lots of diagrams and inaccessible PowerPoint presentations, for example, a note-taker can copy the diagram and turn it into a tactile format.
Research Skills: There are two important aspects of research skills for blind students. The first is the ability to use technology independently to do online searches and explore websites. Make sure your child has the tech skills to do all of the assignments and tasks that classmates are able to do. The second is the ability to use a live reader. The blind person directs the human reader regarding what to read and when and where to start and stop reading.
The ability to use human readers is a very important skill for our kids to develop. Although blind students enjoy accessible materials much of the time, that isn't always the case. Sometimes items aren't available in accessible formats. Sometimes they are available, but they don't arrive in time. Some research materials, such as back issues of journals or original letters and documents, may not yet have been digitized. Even if materials are accessible, technology can crash. It's necessary to have backup methods to get the job done. Giving practice in using readers now ensures that your child will not have to try to learn it in an emergency situation in college.
Time Management: Time management skills really could be called self-discipline skills. At college, students are responsible for their own learning. There are usually a lot of reading assignments, problem sets, and papers to complete. Students plan their own program for each semester and schedule how they will spend their time. Then they actually have to follow the schedule!
In their planning, students have to think about which courses they are required to take and which courses they'd like to take. Then they have to decide how early in the morning they want to get up. Often that's what determines which courses they decide to take! Not many people want to get up and out for an eight-o'clock class.
After they make all these decisions, students have to register for classes. Registration involves going online the 'second the registration process opens and racing against time—and other students—for a place in the class. It might require the student to talk a professor into letting him or her into a particular class. That requires being able to self-advocate and speak up appropriately.
A college schedule usually does not involve having classes all day long. It looks as though there is a lot of free time during the day. But during that so-called free time, students are expected to get all their reading, studying, and other assignments done. It's imperative that our kids learn to manage their time.
In addition to studying and completing homework, students have to get to classes on time. They have to get to meals and appointments with professors. They have to build in time for taking showers and doing laundry. To manage all of this, our kids have to know how long things actually take.
For many kids in high school, someone gets them up, someone prepares their breakfast, and somebody gets them out the door to catch the bus. Kids really may not know how long it takes to do these things on their own.
This is an area where you can prepare your child while they're still at home. They can set their own alarm for getting up. They can learn how long getting dressed and eating breakfast actually take. You might let them decide when to take a shower or do their laundry, and see how that goes.
Also give time-management practice in academic areas. When your child has a long-term assignment such as a research paper, there may be interim dates for different phases of the project. Teach them how to keep track of the dates when various sections are due and how to create a schedule and plan which parts of the project they're going to do when. In college, the professor will probably announce the final date when the paper is due, and that's the last time the project will be mentioned. Students will be on their own to get the work done.
Maybe your kid is a natural, one of those lucky mortals who were born with a day planner in their heads. All too often, though, kids find out the hard way that they need better skills in this area. The more they practice at home, the better prepared they'll be when they head off to college.
Create an independence plan at home: We want our kids to master age-appropriate tasks. Think about the things you were able to do when you were the age your child is now. Did you have chores? Does your child know how to do those tasks?
Suppose your child's chore is taking out the garbage. You're always reminding them, "Have you checked the garbage?" or, "Hey, the garbage is full. You better take it out." When they leave home you won't be there to remind them about the things that need to be done. The goal is for them to remember without needing a reminder. Maybe they could set an alarm in their phone that would remind them to check that garbage each night. This would then be a method they could also apply to other tasks.
The few rules and enormous freedom of college is a huge change for most students. Any experience we give them with planning, self-management, and self-discipline will help them make this adjustment successfully.
In the first weeks at college your child is going to meet a lot of people—in orientation groups, in the dorm lounge, in class, in the dining hall. Good social interaction skills can lead to positive outcomes when meeting a roommate, going to a party, conversing in the dining hall, or interacting with professors. Here are some tips for successful social interaction.
Positions and Postures: Having relaxed positions and postures can be very helpful to social interaction. Teach some informal ways to sit and stand so your child looks relaxed and approachable. If your child has any mannerisms that aren't socially appropriate, now is the time to work on getting rid of them. It's also important for our children to develop the habit of facing the person who is speaking and speaking with appropriate volume.
Social Understanding: Social understanding is the ability to understand and interpret what is said and to respond appropriately for the situation. It includes an appreciation of other people's feelings and state of mind—what are they feeling? What are they thinking? Why are they saying what they say? What do they really mean?
People with good social understanding get the social scene. They can tell what a person meant beyond the words that were spoken, and they can react appropriately. For example, someone might say, "Beautiful day, isn't it?" when rain is pouring down. That comment requires a different response from the one a person might give if the words were straightforward. Notice whether your child gets those distinctions. The more your child understands these things, the easier it will be for them to make friends.
Conversation Skills: My advice to kids is to try to be interesting when they speak and interested when they listen. If we focus on the other person, we have a better chance of responding with something that keeps the conversation going. Our kids also need to recognize when a conversation is coming to a close. We don't want them talking on and on when others are trying to get away. Again, the more they understand the social scene, the more they will become a true part of it.
Make sure your child recognizes when an overture to conversation has been made and knows how to respond in a way that keeps the conversation going. For example, give your child practice in thinking of something relevant to say beyond a one-syllable response. Observe with your child what happens when people are talking to each other. Point out when conversation openings occur.
Does your child know how to initiate a conversation and how to ask questions that will move the conversation forward? For example, if your child asks, "Did you see the game last night?" the other person might just answer yes or no, and the conversation sputters. On the other hand, if your child asks, "What did you think of the game last night?" there's a better chance that the conversation can get going.
It's also helpful for our children to learn to extend an indefinite invitation. Suppose they meet someone they really enjoy talking with. They might say, "Hey, we should get together after class sometime." If the other person is interested, they might say, "Sure—are you free Tuesday?" If the other person isn't really interested, they might just say, "Yeah, let's do that sometime." That way any embarrassment is avoided. This has nothing to do with blindness. I'm sure all of us have used this technique at one time or another.
Roommates: Often blind students are counseled not to have a roommate. It's argued that they have so much equipment they'll be better off in a single room. Unless all students get single rooms, I feel that our kids can benefit from the challenges and the fun of having a roommate.
A sighted roommate will almost certainly expect to have to take care of a roommate who is blind—lead them around, take them to lunch, do their laundry, pick them up after class. Our kids need to have a spiel practiced and ready that can open a conversation about blindness in a comfortable, matter-of-fact way and put the roommate at ease. For example, they might say, “Most people don't know any blind people and so don't know how we find our way places and get around. I use a cane—some people use a dog—and I have this really cool GPS app ..."
This skill will be invaluable later in life, when our kids go on job interviews and enter the workforce. People usually have no idea how blind people accomplish tasks and live their lives, but they tend to be uncomfortable about asking questions. If our kids are comfortable with their blindness and the tools and techniques they use, they can subtly educate others and show that it's okay to talk about blindness openly.
Our kids certainly need to let their roommate know that they will not need to be taken care of. For that to be true, though, they need to know how to do things independently. It all goes back to being able to do age-appropriate tasks.
Dorm Etiquette: Students who live in a dormitory live with others at very close quarters. They need to know how to respect other people's space and belongings. They need to know how to keep their stuff organized and out of the way. They need to know how to plug things in, change batteries, and clean up a spill if their drink gets knocked over.
Blind kids sometimes don't realize that they should turn the lights on in their dorm room, especially at night. Since sighted people generally expect a person to turn lights on, it could be very disconcerting for a roommate to come into a dark room and find someone there.
Our kids also need to know about shades on windows. They need to know that if the lights are on and the shades are up, people can see into the room, especially at night.
Another important thing our kids need to know when they live in a dorm is the location of the exit doors. We want them to be able to get out of the building in case of an emergency.
Managing Clothes: The way we present ourselves affects how others perceive us. You can help your child understand how physical appearance and manner can pave the way to acceptance and friendship at college.
At college students have to manage their own wardrobe—matching outfits, doing laundry, and choosing what to wear for various occasions. Whether they're deeply concerned or completely indifferent to fashion and style, it's important for our kids to be aware that what they wear says something about who they are, and they need to understand what kind of statement they make with their clothing choices. They can make their own decisions about who they are and how they want to present themselves, as long as they know that they're doing it. We want our kids to have the information, understand the scene, and make conscious choices.
One of the greatest gifts parents can give their blind kids is training and practice in independent movement and travel. Gauge your child's skills. Are they age appropriate? Does your child have the same level of independence in movement and travel as sighted peers?
Sometimes we parents are the greatest impediments to our children's independent travel. We're afraid—afraid they're going to get lost, or hurt, or kidnapped! I work with parents of teenagers all the time, and this comes up a lot. In the abstract most parents of blind kids believe their children are independent or will be independent someday, but in the meantime the kids haven't yet learned to cross the street. We may be afraid, but we must not let our fear keep our children from becoming independent!
Give your child practice in getting places independently. If your child is in middle school or high school and still has an aide walking him or her from class to class, start to wean the aide away. We don't want college to be the first time your child has ever walked alone!
Knowing how to get information for him or herself is another important travel skill. Get your child in the habit of figuring things out. Knowing how to ask good questions about directions to get the information you need and taking mobility notes are other good skills to have.
We have to get good training for our kids, give them lots of opportunities to practice, and then let them go. They can't build competence and confidence unless we let them get out there and do things. And, for the parents who need to hear this, work toward defeating your fear!
As I mentioned earlier, the laws pertaining to students with disabilities change completely after high school. In college, IDEA is out and the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act are in. These are antidiscrimination laws, and they prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability. In terms of college, the laws give the person with a disability the right to access to classes, programs, and activities.
The laws offer access to "otherwise qualified individuals," meaning if you meet all the other criteria for the program, you cannot be kept out only on the basis of your disability. The ADA says that students with disabilities must be judged for college admission on the same basis as other students and may not be denied entrance just on the basis of their disability. Colleges do not have to accept every student with a disability who applies. However, they cannot deny admission of an "otherwise qualified" student solely on the basis of disability.
Colleges expect all of the students they accept—including students with disabilities—to be able to handle course requirements. The college does not have to alter content or change academic expectations in ways that would affect the nature of the course.
Reasonable Accommodations: The ADA requires the college to provide "reasonable accommodation" if needed to make classes, programs, and activities accessible.
Reasonable accommodations are intended to level the playing field so that students have equal opportunity to learn the material and to show that they have mastered the knowledge. Some typical accommodations for blind students include early course enrollment, early access to the list of books and readings, materials in alternative formats, reader service, and individual testing.
Reasonable accommodation means that the college has to provide access, but it does not necessarily have to provide access in the exact way the student desires. For instance, the student does not have a right to a particular piece of technology they might want.
Rights and Responsibilities: Students have the right to access to the full learning, extracurricular, and recreational environment. They have the right to have accommodations provided in a timely fashion. They have the right not to be discriminated against because of their disability, including the right not to be restricted by the negative ideas or stereotypes others might have about people with their particular disability. This is very important for blind people!
Students have the right to decline services they don't want. They have the right to appeal decisions made by the disabled students’ services on campus.
Students also have a set of responsibilities. To receive accommodations in college, students with disabilities must contact the person or office involved with disability services and let them know that they have a disability and would like to receive accommodations. They also have to let the college know in a timely manner so that the college has time to put accommodations in place. Some people don't want to disclose that they have a disability. They don't have to, but if they want accommodations, disclosure is required.
Don't choose a college on the basis of its disability services! That's probably contrary to other advice you have heard. You may even have heard that disability services is the most important factor to consider when choosing a college and that student success depends on it. Please remember that blind people went to college for many decades before disability services existed. They managed to study and learn along with everyone else.
I think our kids need to be empowered to decide what they want in a college on the same basis as everyone else. Do they want a small college, a medium-sized college, or a big university? Do they want to be in the city, in the suburbs, or out in the country? Does the college have the program they want to study? Is it a good match for their talents and interests? Would they be happy spending four years there? You can easily find dozens of lists of questions like these online.
Visit the college if you possibly can. When we were visiting colleges, we found some campuses where people were clearly uncomfortable around my daughter. When she walked down the path and went through a door, people were falling all over themselves with nervousness and fear, and staring at us with horror. What blind person would be comfortable in that atmosphere?
On other campuses, people seemed to take blindness in stride. My daughter ended up choosing a school that truly valued diversity. They seemed to be so used to people with cultural differences that Serena's difference was easily accepted and welcome. Everyone involved—the people we saw on campus and our family—felt quite comfortable.
To recap, first find a college that you like, and then look into disability services. These services can be one of the characteristics you consider, but don't let them be the most important. Instead, empower your child by saying, "Your interests and aptitudes come first. We'll figure out the rest."
I'm going to close with my favorite memory from when my daughter was in college. We went up to visit her and drop a few things off, and we had a very pleasant time together. Later we were outside on the quad on a lovely spring evening, and Serena said, "So Mom, are we done?" I said, "Yeah, I guess we are. Why?" She said, "I want to go and meet my friends."
She hugged me and my husband good-bye and off she went, her long hair waving in the breeze as she ran up the path. It was such a wonderful moment for me! It meant that our daughter was empowered; our daughter was free. I wish that for you and for every one of your children!
Editor's Note: Carol Castellano is working on a book about preparing blind kids to go off to college. She would welcome talking to readers about your experiences and concerns. You can reach her at [email protected].
From the Editor: Kinshuk Tella is a junior at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he is majoring in geology and environmental science. At the 2021 NFB National Convention he was awarded an Oracle Scholarship valued at $8,000, given to a blind student in a STEM field.
I'm sure many blind students can relate to my journey into a STEM field (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Like many blind high school seniors, I researched colleges, visited campuses, and talked to professors and disability service officers. By the last semester of my high school experience, I had narrowed my search down to two schools: The Ohio State University and Miami University.
To make my final decision, I visited Miami University and met with the head of the environmental science department. I'll call him Dr. S. My parents and I sat in Dr. S.'s office, talking about my interest in the natural sciences and earth science. I explained that I wanted to do research and explore various possibilities for my career path.
Dr. S. recognized my interest, and he was enthusiastic about having me enroll. He told me about a wonderful program he organized, taking undergraduate and graduate students to Zimbabwe. The students worked on hydrogeological projects to help local communities. I was sold! I couldn't wait to go to Zimbabwe with this guy!
Eventually, however, I had to bring up the issue of disability accommodations. At that time I was in a very different place in my life regarding my blindness from where I am now. I did not even own a cane, let alone use one! In a first encounter it was not obvious that I'm blind. Dr. S. was not aware of my blindness until I raised the topic myself. I had to discuss the access barriers I might encounter as a blind student in my major and explain how accommodations would make it possible for me to complete my coursework.
As soon as I mentioned blindness accommodations, the conversation shifted. Dr. S. explained that the school offered a less demanding degree in my field. I could earn a degree that involved less fieldwork, less research, and fewer presentations. There was no further talk about Zimbabwe.
As I listened to Dr. S., I didn't fully realize what was happening. Later, though, on the drive home, I started to ponder. Dr. S. was enthusiastic about the Zimbabwe trip when he wanted to encourage me to enroll at the university. Why did he suddenly change gears and start talking to me about easier options? I realized the change happened because I had revealed my disability.
Despite these concerns, I decided to enroll at Miami University. On my first day on campus I realized I had to take control of my education. I deserved a proper education like everybody else in my class, and to receive that education I had to advocate for myself. I had to work on building relationships. I had to learn to talk to my professors, to engage with them on many levels. Through my efforts at self-advocacy, I even managed to change Dr. S.'s mind about my potential. He is now one of my advisors, and he has written numerous references for me. With his help and the support of the department, I have been able to travel and present my research on several occasions. Last summer, I worked in San Diego for a power company. I worked on issues around compliance with environmental regulations. I'm now on track to earn a masters and a doctoral degree.
Geoscience is a tough field, and it gets harder and harder every semester. For a blind student, studying in a STEM field 'is very challenging because STEM subjects are taught very visually. There are endless labs and group projects that involve creating charts and diagrams. I remind myself that every field has its challenges, and what matters is to follow your passion.
The field of geoscience is the least diverse of all the STEM fields—and STEM is incredibly non-diverse to begin with. I live with the intersection of two minorities—I am blind, and I am South Asian. Living and working as a dual minority really takes a toll on you!
One of the most important things I've learned from my experiences is that allyship is your best friend. It's not only important to have allies, but to have allies who are active on your behalf. Active allies are those who understand your experiences. Not only can they help you directly, but they can model how others should treat you. One person who really understands you can make all the difference! Your ally can be a professor, an advisor, or even a peer. That person can be a model for others, showing others how to serve you better.
I have learned that proactivity and frequency of contact are vital when I communicate with professors and disability services coordinators. I arrange my first meetings with them even before I register for class. We talk about how the class is run and how I can get access to all of the course material.
It isn't enough for me to communicate with the professor and disability coordinator once or twice at the beginning of the semester. Throughout the course, I make sure to have frequent communication. We talk about labs and assignments. We discuss how my studies are going and ways my access can be improved.
Working out accommodations can be incredibly difficult sometimes! Right now I'm taking a structural geology course where the labs are based on straight-up mapping. It's very difficult for me to navigate my assignments nonvisually! We take it lab by lab and find solutions to each problem as it arises. It may take an extra week or two for me to complete the work, but I make sure I get the lab done.
If you're a person who is considered diverse in a STEM field, you often have to work harder than others to get the same results. Furthermore, you have to carry a lot of responsibilities. You may discover that you want to be an advocate for other people on your campus and beyond.
I have learned a great deal by advocating through NFB and through organizations on campus. People in underrepresented groups often are asked to serve on committees to help make the school more equitable and accessible. When work on one committee is completed, another committee pops up. If you're not careful, you may find yourself spending more time on committees than you spend on your academic work. This is where self-care comes into play. You can only serve other people when you take good care of yourself.
I'm learning all the time how to advocate for myself and how to advocate for other people as well. I truly feel that the NFB is a great community of mentors and peers, dedicated to supporting everyone. By working together, we can take control of our lives.
by Lindsay Kerr and Nina Marranca
Reprinted from the Blog of the National Association of Blind Students.
From the Editor: Lindsay Kerr is studying at San Francisco State University to become a teacher of blind and low-vision students. Her love of personal and professional accessibility extends to the kitchen. Nina Marranca is completing two bachelor's degrees, working full-time for a national nonprofit, and applying to graduate programs in clinical psychology. Cooking is one of Nina's hobbies, and she loves to try out new recipes. In this article Lindsay and Nina offer tips and tricks for the nonvisual use of popular appliances that make cooking quick and easy.
There comes a time for us as college students when we find ourselves living on our own. One of the key facets of living independently is meal preparation. We want to share our experience with three tools that we find helpful in prepping meals independently in a college dorm or apartment. These are the Insta Pot, air fryer, and Crock Pot. We are going to explain how these tools can be used independently by students who are blind or have low vision. With some smart buying and a bit of modification, these tools are a fantastic addition to traditional large kitchen appliances.
Before we go into the tips that have worked for us, we thought we would explain what got us into using the Insta Pot, air fryer, and Crock Pot. One evening Nina happened to be searching through YouTube for easy dinners to make, and she came across the Six Sisters Stuff YouTube channel. On this channel, they often post demonstrations of easy recipes and how-to videos for the Insta Pot, Crock Pot, and air fryer. After watching their YouTube videos on how to use the Insta Pot, Nina realized how easy and time-saving it would be to use this tool to make soups, meat, and steamed vegetables. After she found the YouTube channel, she also found the Six Sisters Stuff website, where they post easy-to-follow recipes. The Six Sisters website and YouTube channel have become her go-to for how best to use the Insta Pot, air fryer, and Crock Pot.
In addition to the Six Sisters recipes, we have heard good things about Skinnytaste, Drizzle Me Skinny, and Lexi's Clean Kitchen. Of course, there are a multitude of good websites and videos online that serve this purpose. We encourage you to explore online and find some recipe creators you enjoy. It can make experimentation in the kitchen much more fun.
When you are looking to purchase a new kitchen appliance, there are several things to keep in mind. We generally avoid touchscreen appliances, as they are usually inaccessible. However, some blind and low-vision users use touchscreens with Bluetooth connectivity or decent color contrast.
We generally search for appliances with raised buttons or dials. We have found it easy to label these models. Flat-button displays also can be labeled in the manners we will describe below. Finding a workable model mostly comes down to personal preference. It's very helpful to get your hands on the various models before you make a purchase.
Two low-tech options that can make devices such as the Insta Pot, air fryer, and Crock Pot accessible are Bump Dots and Braille labels. We use both of these tools on the Insta Pot Duo Crisp in order to identify commonly used buttons. The Insta Pot Duo is an Insta Pot and air fryer combined. The Insta Pot Duo Crisp is great for someone who has a small kitchen. The air fryer components fit inside the Insta Pot itself when it's not in use. We put bump dots on the start, pressure, and air fry buttons. We also put plus on the temperature side and minus on the time side. If you want to, you could use Braille labels in place of the bump dots.
Bump Dots and Braille labels will work just as well when it comes to using the Crock Pot. You can place them on the commonly used buttons such as Start, Low, Medium, and High. We like this method because it is low-cost and can be used to modify appliances you already own.
Apps that provide visual access can be helpful with the use of these kitchen devices. These apps include Aira, Seeing AI, and Be My Eyes. All three of these apps can be used with the Insta Pot, air fryer, and Crock Pot by placing your phone's camera in view of the LCD display. With Seeing AI it is best to use the Short Text channel because you do not have to worry about lining up your phone to find given text. This is helpful when you encounter a new display message, or when you are familiarizing yourself with a new appliance. However, many people find that this method is not ideal for regular use.
Although we have shared some great tips on how you can use these popular kitchen tools, we have one caution regarding the Insta Pot. Most Insta Pot models have a steam-release button. You either have to turn this button or push down on it, depending on the model of Insta Pot you are using. When dealing with the steam-release button, we usually use tongs or a large kitchen spoon to find it and press it down. We use tongs or a large spoon because we do not want to burn our hands when we release the pressure in the Insta Pot. Some Insta Pots also have a spout on the exhaust valve, so the steam that is released does not go straight up in the air. Do not let this aspect deter you from using this very handy appliance. It is helpful to familiarize yourself with how the valve operates before you cook.
Happy cooking!
by Suzanne Ament
From the Editor: Suzanne Ament is a professor of Russian history at Radford University in Radford, Virginia. In this article she shares her lifelong love of horseback riding and explains how blind riders can participate in every aspect of this activity.
A chilly winter day in Washington, DC; the rumble of the rolling door of the box stall; the fuzzy coat of Muscleman—these are my memories of my first riding lesson when I was eight years old.
Last summer, more than fifty years later, Dante and I turn right at letter A. We come down the center line of the arena, listening for the callers at X in the center and C at the far end. We have to halt precisely at X and in line with C. Three, two, one—halt!
The crowd around the arena cheers! It turns out the halt scored a 9—an unheard-of score in the world of most dressage riders.
I am a professor of Russian history, and I have been legally blind since birth due to a progressive retinal condition called LCA (Leber congenital amaurosis). For the first twenty years of my life, I could see fairly well in bright light. At school, I read large print close-up with a bright lamp on my desk. On sunny days my vision helped me avoid other horses and jump through courses in an outdoor ring. On shady trails, however, I relied on verbal guidance.
Over the years, my sight dwindled to light perception. Today I use screen readers and a dog guide. When I navigate a dressage arena, I do so with the help of "living letters." When I ride less formally I place a radio at either end of the arena. Sometimes I set a radio on a bucket in the middle to help me orient myself.
For blind and low-vision people of all ages, riding is fun, beneficial, and absolutely doable! By sharing my thoughts and experiences, I want to encourage more blind people to try riding as an activity.
A few things hold true, whether you are sighted or blind. First, you should like the idea of riding and enjoy being around horses. Granted, you may have to work up to feeling really confident, but a basic interest should be there from the beginning. You also have to be okay with getting a bit dirty, and you have to like the smells of the stable, or at least tolerate them. Finally, you must have a desire to bond with an animal.
There are many styles or disciplines of horseback riding. I ride with an English saddle and practice dressage. Other options include riding with a western or (cowboy) saddle, riding on trails, riding in an arena, working on the flat, or jumping fences. Several other styles and options are also available. Your location and the instructors who are available may help determine the riding style you choose, but your personal preference can also play a role.
Dressage in its basic form is fundamental to all of the riding disciplines. Dressage involves having the horse and rider balanced and working together. At its more advanced levels, dressage is sometimes called horse ballet, as horse and rider can perform some beautiful movements together. The Lipizzaner performance at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna is one of the better known forms of the dressage ideal.
I still ride at a fairly basic level, working in an arena of 20 by 40 meters. Riders at higher levels work in arenas that are 20 by 60 meters. A dressage "test" gives the rider instructions to be followed in sequence around the arena.
The arena is marked with letters, some posted on the rail. A and C are in the middle of the short sides, for example, or imaginary in space. X is the center of the arena. The test tells the rider where to make figures such as circles, loops, or serpentines. It tells the rider at what gait to perform: for example, "Pick up the canter between M and C." It also tells the rider to perform certain changes in a gait: "Extended canter down the long side," or "Leg yield from the center line to H." In competition the rider receives marks as these various movements are judged.
Although certainly not the only doable form of riding, dressage offers an excellent opportunity for a developing blind rider. The space is well defined, and there are no obstacles. As one improves, the level of difficulty can become more challenging. A blind person who cannot see the letters can use living letters, people who stand behind the letters and call them out regularly as the rider moves toward them. The rider can also use other sounds. I put radios at A and C when no one is available to call them out.
Some blind riders choose to ride at a "therapeutic riding center," often associated with and certified by an organization such as PATH (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemen). Instructors at these centers work with riders who have all types of disability. If blindness is a rider's only disability, they can easily ride at a regular barn, as long as the instructor is open-minded, interested in keeping open communication, and willing to think out of the box. One advantage to therapeutic centers is that they often have many volunteers who can serve as living letters.
I have come across some instructors who did not want to allow me to ride, but many others have been eager for the chance. One insisted that her insurance required me to stay on a "lunge line." The instructor keeps the horse on a long line and stands in the middle of the ring. After a few lessons she saw that I could ride well independently, and she quietly disconnected the lunge line.
In general, all riders are required to sign liability waivers. This should not be seen as a blindness issue. If a barn is organized and instructors are competent, there is no difference between a sighted rider's risk and that of a blind rider. In fact, blind riders may learn to handle balance more quickly than some sighted riders do. If a sighted rider becomes distracted and looks around, they may inadvertently communicate signals to the horse even by the smallest movement.
Other barriers to my own riding have been a lack of transportation or the expense of transport. These factors, of course, are influenced by where you live and where you have the opportunity to ride.
Why do I think more blind people should ride? For one thing, I want everyone to have the chance to have as much fun as I have had over my life. There are multiple reasons why equestrian sport is beneficial. Being around a horse teaches you to be in the moment and to assess what is around you in the present. It builds confidence in dealing with something that is alive and bigger than you are. If the horse moves next to you, you have to be aware and move with it, keep your feet clear, maintain your hold on the lead rope, or steady the horse with your voice. When riding the horse, you have to maintain balance as it moves. This in turn will help your overall balance, core strength, and muscle strength throughout your body. You need to be able to use your legs, hands, and seat independently, all helping you communicate with your horse.
Sometimes blind people are tentative about moving, but you cannot be tentative with horses. On the ground and on horseback, you need to show the horse what you want.
Something about being on the back of a creature much larger than you are and still being able to work with it and control it gives a sense of power. Blind people can't drive cars (at least not yet), so riding is a bit like having a car to drive—although there is much more negotiation involved. Horses basically look out for themselves, and they do not understand that you are blind. They require guidance from the rider as to what to do, where to go, and how fast or slowly to go there.
As one trainer explained to me, "Horses have to want to work for you. If they didn't want to, they just wouldn't." When you understand this, you begin to build a bond that allows you to ask the horse to work with you and pay attention to you. At the same time you learn to pay attention to the horse and its needs.
Working with tack (the saddle, bridle, and other equipment used in riding) can improve a rider's fine motor skills. For your comfort and the comfort of the horse, you don't want bits to be backwards or cheek pieces twisted. Getting the tack right can even be a matter of safety. What you do does make a difference. In the beginning you will need some assistance, and sometimes it doesn't hurt to double check things. That is true for everyone. As a blind person you can learn to groom, tack up, and ride your horse independently.
Riding can give you skills, physical development, and confidence that can carry into the rest of your life. One friend who knew me in many settings said, "I've never seen you as confident as when you are around the horses."
Although I have not achieved any great accolades for riding, being around horses, caring for them, grooming them, and riding them acts as a sort of therapy for me. The day may have been rough, but once I am at the barn, everything fades away save for that bond and the things I do to maintain it.
Here's hoping a few of you out there might give riding a try and find as much enjoyment as I have.
Editor’s Note: If you would like to learn more, please feel free to contact Suzanne Ament at [email protected].
by Dustin Cather
From the Editor: Boxing may not sound like the ideal sport for anyone, blind or sighted, but for Dustin Cather it has been an exciting challenge. Dustin serves on the board of the NFB of Illinois, and he is the youth and employment coordinator at Blind Services Association in Chicago.
I grew up in the town of Pekin, Illinois, a rural community in the center of the state. I had low vision all through school, but I managed pretty well using large print. I even took driver's education, but it turned out I didn’t have enough vision to get my license.
When I was twenty-one I noticed that I was losing even more vision. I was still trying to function as a fully sighted guy when I connected with the NFB in 2017. Finally I realized that it was okay to be blind and understood that I could be successful in life, if I learned blindness techniques. I started to use a cane, and I began to study Braille.
The martial arts fascinated me when I was growing up. I loved to watch wrestling and boxing matches, and I would study the strategies used by professional fighters. That fascination stayed with me as I got older. When the pandemic lockdown eased up in June of 2020, I decided I was ready to try something I'd dreamed of all my life. I found a gym where I could get some boxing experience firsthand.
At first I felt a bit hesitant about trying to box with a live opponent. The gym had a full-sized ring, and it was pretty intimidating. I started out by going to the gym to lift weights and work out. I had a pair of boxing gloves, and sometimes I'd try hitting a punching bag. I observed people going into the ring and sparring, and more and more I wanted to try it myself.
Eventually, I found a terrific coach named Arturo. He had been a professional boxer, and he had trained world champions in his native Mexico. Arturo had no issues about working with me as a blind boxer. We began meeting for weekly private lessons to develop my technique.
After a couple of months, I started taking group classes to work on fitness and conditioning. Sometimes at the end of class people would get into the ring to do some sparring. Sparring mimics real boxing, and theoretically nobody gets hurt. It's a way to practice the moves you might use in an actual boxing match. We wear headgear and mouth guards and throw a lot of punches.
To my relief nobody at the gym seemed to be put off by my blindness. When I walked in with my cane, no one ever told me I shouldn't spar. People were very respectful. However, some of my sparring partners admitted that getting beaten up by a blind guy would be a humbling experience.
Whether you're blind or sighted, it takes a lot of guts to get into the ring. If you're blind, though, you have some particular challenges. Typically a boxer watches their opponent and sees when punches are coming so they can block them. It's hard to block punches when you can't see what your opponent is up to. I put my hands up to guard my face, but my opponent can spot pockets of opportunity. I've never been knocked out, but I've sure been rattled a few times!
Because I can't see my opponent's moves, I have to be the aggressor. Arturo taught me to apply pressure to my opponent and build forward momentum. I keep in close range, "working from inside," as boxers put it. Working from inside places me at risk, but it also gives me some advantages. Rather than trying to adjust to my opponent, I make my opponent adjust to me.
I don't know whether I'll get more seriously involved in boxing. There are plenty of other sports I can enjoy that won't subject me to such a pounding. But I'm very glad I finally put on my gloves and stepped into the ring. Real experience with boxing is part of living the life I want!
by Lizzy Muhammad Park
From the Editor: Lizzy Muhammad Park is the host of Scene Change, the monthly podcast of the NFB Performing Arts Division. This article is based on her interview with singer and songwriter Lachi, whose latest release, "Say the Word," which deals with disability and disability pride. You can find this interview and much more at www.nfb-pad.org.
Lizzy Muhammad Park: I'm the vice president of the National Federation of the Blind Performing Arts Division and the host of Scene Change. Today I'm interviewing a professional. She is professionally managed, she has lots of songs out, she is a novelist, she is an award-nominated songwriter, and she is a diversity and inclusion advocate. Welcome to our show, Lachi! Who is Lachi the artist?
Lachi: The first thing I'm going to do is describe how I look. I thought this was going to be video, and I think everyone should know how dressed up I got. I'm wearing a pink shirt, a gold necklace with a musical note on it, another necklace with a butterfly, and gold bracelets. I'm wearing pink eye shadow and eyeliner. I have long black hair, and I'm wearing red lipstick. I am a Black woman, and I'm sitting in my chair in my living room.
I am a loud and proud blind woman. I write songs about my experience. I write songs about empowerment and about knowing who you are and being as strong as you can be, being the boss you were put on this earth to be.
A lot of my songs started out with me attempting to empower myself. I started out as a pretty shy kid, not really knowing how and where to fit in because of my blindness. In that solitude I harnessed my music and my writing and my love for performance. The only time anyone saw me shine was when I performed.
Eventually, I tried to go along the narrow road and get a day job, but my spirit was just too big for the desk. Now here I am in New York City, doing what I can to show people, not only in the disability community but in the entertainment industry, that folks can lead with what they once assumed was adversity. They can lead with it and it can be their platform, it can be what makes people listen to them. It can be what makes them sell whatever they need to sell. It happened for me. I'm amazed at how much my acceptance of my blindness has really brought me out.
Lizzy: You definitely have to come to a convention sometime and perform for us!
You said that performing was your time to shine. Do you remember your first performance?
Lachi: My first ever performance was in the third grade. I had never played an actual piano before, but I was hit with the random spirit. I went to the front of the class and kind of doodled around on the piano, and I started playing chords. I played for twenty-five or thirty seconds. I had never said a word before that in school. When I was done playing the teacher said, "Wow! That was really good! Have you ever played the piano before?" I said, "Not really."
The teacher called my mother and told her I had to get into music, and she told her where the nearest Yamaha store was. That was the next place my mom and I went.
That was the first time I got feedback that was "Wow! You are amazing!" Up to that point we were just dealing with social workers, hearing, "Which school will she need to go to?" "Which bus will she need to get on?" No one knew what to do with me. But in that moment someone knew exactly what to do, and here I am now, still doing music.
Lizzy: Would you say that's where your path began, that day you played those chords?
Lachi: My path to professional music started when I met a guitar player who was totally blind. He played the guitar and I sang. The two of us got together right after I graduated from NYU (New York University). We started playing around town, and eventually we went down to South by Southwest to play. South by Southwest is a big annual festival in Austin, Texas, that celebrates the convergence of the tech, film, and music industries. I wrote to a bunch of record companies and told them I was going to be playing there, and I said I'd love for them to come hear me. Funnily enough, someone came. They said, "I love what you are doing! Take my card. Call me when you come back to New York." It turned out he worked at a sub-label under the recording company EMI. We met several times, and eventually, I got signed. That began my path toward music as a profession, as opposed to music as a hobby.
Lizzy: But you didn't start out at NYU studying music, did you?
Lachi: I started out at UNC (University of North Carolina). My dad was an accountant. He said, "You're not going to do music for a career. You're good at math." I studied math and economics and business and management. While I was at UNC I joined the Glee Club, and I even started my own a cappella groups. Music allowed me to make friends and feel confident, which was something I hadn't felt before.
While I was at UNC, I started playing the piano every Saturday night. Folks would gather for my piano concerts, and eventually those concerts grew into Piano Nights. It became a rowdy weekly thing. Finally, people started saying, "Why aren't you pursuing music?” “Why are you in my economics class?"
Finally, I went to my counsellor. His name was Paul Cole. I said, "I want to pursue music. I want to move to New York, but I want to be smart." He said, "So move to New York." I tell people about him all the time. It turned out he played in a Beatles cover band at night! He said, "Go for your dreams," and I moved to New York.
Lizzy: Did you work any jobs before getting into music?
Lachi: While I was signed to EMI I was working. I was trying to juggle working for the City of New York and eventually working for the US Army Corps of Engineers while I was trying to tour and do shows. I was having a really tough time juggling all of that. Folks at the Corps would come to my shows, and then they'd see me at my desk, and they just didn't get it!
Finally, I sat down with my supervisors, and they said, "Here's the trajectory. Next year you'll get a raise, and in two years you'll get this raise, and in another year you'll be a Level 8 . . .," I thought, my whole life is mapped out. I have health care. I have PTO. Why would I ever leave this job?
But I didn't have the brain space to do my job and music. Whatever runs me was pointing me toward music. I had to take a leap and say to myself, I'll have to figure out health care. I'll have to figure out how to keep paying New York rent. I have to figure out how to do what I need to do.
Lizzy: I can tell you really have fun with your music. What's a day in the studio like for you?
Lachi: There are several scenarios. Sometimes there's me in the studio by myself, which is how it's been since COVID. Sometimes there's me doing vocals in someone else's studio. Then sometimes there's someone else doing vocals in my studio. No matter what the situation is, I am a lighthearted goofball in the studio. I don't care if I'm with a Sony producer or a seven-year-old who's going to be the next big star—I love to be that person who's having fun and allowing a twelve-hour session to feel like two hours.
When I'm behind the knobs I don't need to look at the keys, and I don't need to look at the screen—I can barely see it anyway. I'm all about shortcuts. Sometimes people come into the studio and say, "Wow! I can't believe you can navigate with shortcuts and presets for all those crazy tricks you use!" I say, "I'm a producer who knows how to use Pro Tools. That's what a producer who knows Pro Tools does." Any good producer uses shortcuts and doesn't look at the keys.
In my songwriting and performing I have fun, too. In my music I talk about heartbreak, but I have fun as well.
Lizzy: Can you share some of your audio production technology secrets?
Lachi: I like Pro Tools because it has a much smaller learning curve than some of the other programs out there. It's the universal software that most people use. Pro Tools works with a lot of accessible software. I use all of the keyboard shortcuts. I'm also all about pre-sets. If there's a way to pre-set the track you would like for a bass instrument, any kind of effects you want to create, you can pre-set a lot of those options so you don't have to keep starting it up and trying to find everything. It's a pain to make all your presets, but it's the most worth-it thing.
Another thing I encourage folks to do is to label all of your tracks. Label all the sections and the areas of your tracks—for instance, the chorus, the pre-chorus, the verse. Automation is a blind person's friend. If you can push a button and everything happens, and you know it will, that's really helpful!
Lizzy: I imagine you faced some sort of injustice that made you want to work toward equality and raise awareness.
Lachi: One experience that stands out for me happened while I was working for the federal government. My parents were immigrants, and I grew up in a neighborhood where not a lot of people looked like me. I was almost spoiled by a false sense of white privilege. Because I have low vision, I was almost literally colorblind. I could see enough to know what people look like, but I didn't have the mechanism to behave one way with white people and another way with people of color.
When I worked for the federal government I had one experience that made me think, I'm Black, and I can't do certain things because of that. My supervisor asked me to do a certain task. It was four-thirty, and I was doing it and taking my time, because I assumed my supervisor would leave at five. But he stuck around until I finished at about five-thirty. I turned in my work and said, "Signed, sealed, and delivered!" He said, "Are you getting an attitude with me?"
The next day I delivered an envelope to a woman on another floor. When I got back to my desk I was called into the office. They told me the woman on the other floor said that I walked in angrily and dumped the folder on her desk.
Those two incidents back-to-back reminded me that not only am I Black, but I'm a Black woman. Society has the idea that when you see a Black woman, no matter what she does, she's being aggressive. It can be positive, like, "Hey, she's a boss!" or it can be seen as, "She's coming at me." As someone who has low vision I get in trouble a lot for doing things like not waving back at people or giving someone a weird look.
Lizzy: Are you a cane user?
Lachi: Right now I use it at night. One of my favorite things to do is put on heels and walk around at night with my cane. It gets people out of my way! It does make life easier!
If you're a white woman, you're stereotyped as a woman. If you're a Black woman, you're stereotyped as a Black person. If you are a blind Black woman, you're stereotyped as a blind person. You always get stereotyped as the less known of your minority identities.
When I worked for the government I had difficulty figuring out how to advocate for myself in terms of being blind because my blindness was invisible. Instead of people seeing that I had issues because of my blindness, they thought other things were going on.
Lizzy: I'm also a Black blind woman, but I'm seen as a blind person because I have a guide dog or I use a cane. I don't get accused of having attitude, but I get, "Oh wow! You're actually intelligent!" which is also infuriating. Are these the things that made you want to become an advocate?
Lachi: My last year at the Corps I had a lot of complications with my eyes. I realized I was going to get to a point where I couldn't pretend to be sighted any more. I had to advocate for myself and advocate for other people who were in my position.
When I was younger there weren't folks like me out there. There were Black singers, there were female actresses, and there were Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder. But I didn't see myself there. One day my manager, Larry Salzman, said, "Why do you keep your condition from the public? Why don't you celebrate it?" He didn't say it in an empowering way; he was more inquisitive. He said, "I'm motivated by you. I'm empowered by you. Why don't you do that for other people so they can go on their paths the way you go on your path?" That got me thinking that I didn't have anyone to do that for me. So that's why I'm here doing this.
Lizzy: Talk a bit about your music.
Lachi: It's kind of a progression. In my tone of voice and my lyrics and the power in singing my phrases, it's all a reflection of my own growth.
Lizzy: Tell us about what you're doing as a performing advocate?
Lachi: I love incorporating music into my advocacy. What I want to do is focus my advocacy into representation in the media, specifically music. We don't have any folks advocating for accessible venues, for accessible ProTools systems and digital audio workstations. There really isn't anybody going hard at this in a major way. When I talk to people about my advocacy, there's still a level of separation. That comes tumbling down when I perform. People get exactly what I meant, they get the real me. I love to incorporate my messages into my live performances so people can feel the genuineness and the authenticity that you get at my most divine; that's when I'm performing!
Lizzy: I think you would be a great person to join the Performing Arts Division. You talk about authenticity in music. That's what we do in all of the performing arts. We need someone who is a professional, who's doing this full-time, who's really pushing for accessibility in a professional way.
You talked about how you struggled in the past with self-acceptance and feeling confident around your blindness. How has that changed?
Lachi: There's the you when you speak to others, there's the you when you speak to yourself, there's the you when you speak to your mother. And there's some sort of core you. When I perform, those extra layers come down, and you're getting the core me.
I used to have issues with self-advocacy and self-acceptance and disclosure around my blindness. The music industry is rough. There isn't a place for advocacy. Sometimes I would walk into a room with a big Sony exec or a Universal guy, and I didn't want them to feel uncomfortable. I wanted them to see me for the talented young woman I was. I would keep my blindness hidden. But that meant I couldn't really do my work. I'd have these complicated situations where I was trying to advocate and wondering if they'd believe me, thinking maybe I shouldn't say anything at all. The turmoil that began when I was young sort of grew with me as I grew. Finally, I had to put a stop to it. It's a rough change because you have to figure out how to remain self-confident. You have to learn how not to approach things insecurely, even as you battle your insecurities.
The way I advocate, I walk into a room and say, "Hi, I'm blind. How are you?" Let's keep it fun, keep it light. I don't want it to be awkward when I say I need this or that. It's a fun positive joke, and we're all in on it.
Lizzy: Does it work to get rid of the weird vibes?
Lachi: It's scene setting. It sets the tone of, Hey, I'm strong enough to put my adversity out there. I'm looking at my adversity as strength, so do that with me. And folks do it. It rarely misfires.
I go to events by myself, with no guide, and I put myself through it. I figure, let's have fun and make it work. I appreciate when someone makes sure they have someone with them in those situations. What I do is overkill.
Lizzy: I'm glad you're sharing that it's possible to go to these events and meet people independently. Have you found things pretty accessible for you as a blind performer? If there are inaccessibilities, how do you work around them?
Lachi: A lot of software does not include accessibility natively. There are a lot of issues about DJ software and DJ phone ware. A lot of DJs DJ from their phone, but many of the apps are inaccessible. Then there's the stigma around being a performer with a disability. It's huge! People assume you're some kind of struggling musician on the corner, maybe with a guitar that has four strings. Actually, many of the musicians I've met have disabilities, often hidden ones. Many people have neurodiversities, but because of the stigma they choose not to disclose.
The music industry is still very old school. It's all about who you know, who you signed with, who produced your album. Old-school stigmas still survive. Biases are still strong, even though people are more careful how they talk about them. So I'm going to be the one that's loud! I'm saying, "I'M BLIND!" I walk into the room and get things done on behalf of people with disabilities.
Lizzy: Sex appeal is a big part of the music business. People with disabilities aren't usually thought of as attractive in that way. Is that part of the issue?
Lachi: I have a complicated relationship with that question. Looks were not my biggest concern growing up. I felt people should like my music for itself. But I wasn't happy with the response I was getting from the industry. Eventually I started to work on my looks and shape how I presented myself. I started with a few things, like my nails and my hair, and I got more attention. That boosted my confidence, and I focused even more on my presentation. The more I worked on my appearance, the better the response.
Before I started to work on how I looked, people infantilized me. It's not great that the shallowness of looks ends up showering you with positive reinforcement. But if you've got the tools, I say use them!
When musicians with disabilities land a big meeting with an agent or a record producer, too often the first thing they hear is, "We have no idea how we're going to market you." If you walk into an interview radiating confidence, they'll know where to put you.
Lizzy: Your music really speaks to your confidence. You have a lot of power bops, that's what I call them. What's your hope for the future?
Lachi: I'm on a mission to release songs that the average person can listen to and say, "Wow! That's me! I feel empowered by that song!"
I am tired of people thinking I am some kind of exception! I'm done with that! One in four people in this country has a disability! We are not exceptions, we're part of culture!
Lizzy: Tell us a little more about your journey and how you got here. How did you keep going?
Lachi: I believe it is an innate part of my being. I don't want to be underestimated because of my blindness. I used to live in a place of, I can do it despite my blindness. When I didn't get a role in the school play I worked on tech, and I got an award for being the best tech. When I applied to NYU, I got a rejection letter, and I thought, in spite of this, I'm still going to go to NYU.
When I moved to New York, my parents were set against it, and we had a huge fight. I had no money, and they weren't going to back me. I didn't have a place to stay, but I went anyway.
Over time my despite trip has changed in a beautiful way. Now I feel that everything I do is because of my blindness. The places I've performed are because of my blindness. I'm speaking to you because of my blindness. I've met amazing people because of my blindness. It's a beautiful paradigm shift, and I embrace every moment of it.
Lizzy: Thank you for coming! Come back any time. Thank you to the whole team! Lachi, how can people find you?
Lachi: You can find me on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Clubhouse. Look for @lachimusic, or you can log onto my website at lachimusic.com. I'm running a YouTube series called Off Beat where I'm documenting my journey from low vision to no vision. Please check it out at youtube.com/lachimusic.
by Carlton Anne Cook Walker and Carla Keirns
From the Editor: Singing around the campfire. Learning to paddle a canoe, tie a clove hitch, or design a computer game. Piling onto a bus to visit a theme park or children's museum. Since the late nineteenth century going to summer camp has been an exciting part of life for millions of children throughout the United States. Today, children can experience day camps and sleep-away camps; camps that focus on nature and the outdoors; sports and athletics; computers, math, science, chess, art, music, or practically any other area of interest you can think of. There are Scout camps, church camps, and camps for kids with disabilities or chronic health conditions.
Many organizations sponsor camps for blind children. These camps can provide wonderful opportunities for learning and fun. But suppose your blind child wants to go to computer camp or art camp? Suppose your child is hungry for an outdoor challenge that the camp for the blind doesn't provide? In this article NOPBC President Carlton Anne Cook Walker and NOPBC Board Member Carla Keirns suggest ways parents can ensure that their blind children can participate in summer camp along with their sighted peers.
Summer camp! It's a rite of passage for children and teens across the nation. Before the COVID-19 pandemic set in, about ten million (yes, million!) children and youth attended summer camps each year in the United States. Summer camp has become an integral part of our society, and we certainly want our blind children and youth to have access to the endless array of camps that welcome nondisabled children and youth.
Then, reality strikes.
We know all too well that many people shut down when they find out that a child is blind or has low vision. We know all too well that many people have low expectations for our children, and we know that these low expectations prevent our children from having the access and opportunities that their nondisabled peers enjoy. What do we need to know in order to advocate so our children can attend, enjoy, and be enriched by their attendance at both mainstream and disability-related summer camp programs?
Clearly, you don't want to go into a situation spouting legal precedents or threatening litigation. However, knowledge is power. By knowing and understanding the laws around disability-related discrimination, you can better plan and advocate for your child.
Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA): You may be very familiar with the IDEA; it is the law that created and governs IEPs (Individualized Education Plans). Most blind/low-vision children and youth qualify for IEPs, which are legal documents that govern the instruction and tools provided to disabled students who attend public school.
While the IDEA provides support for students at school, it is not limited to the school day. Federal law specifically provides that IEPs must ensure that students with disabilities will have the supports needed "to participate in extracurricular and other nonacademic activities" [20 U.S.C. section 20 U.S. Code § 1414 - Evaluations, eligibility determinations, individualized education programs, and educational placements.] The law applies to extracurricular and nonacademic activities provided by the local education agency (LEA, usually the school district) or activities specifically listed in the IEP (such as an educational summer camp your child attends as part of an Extended School Year (ESY) plan. Thus, the LEA must provide your child needed supports (including instruction, assistive technology, accommodations, and modifications) for activities offered by your public school or listed in the IEP.
Unfortunately, though, most camp opportunities do not fall under the IDEA. Only camps that are specifically mentioned in your child's IEP or that are run by your school district are subject to IEP supports. Please note that all district-sponsored summer camps, including "enrichment" camps, are included. However, LEAs are allowed to put in place nondiscriminatory qualifications for participation, such as requiring a particular level of skill at a sports or band camp.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (generally known as Section 504): This is another law that protects individuals with disabilities. It covers persons of all ages, including children and youth. We may be most familiar with Section 504 in the school setting; some children have 504 plans. Section 504 prohibits disability-related discrimination and requires organizations that receive federal funding to provide reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to participate in activities of that organization. Note that Section 504 does not require specialized instruction such as Braille instruction or instruction in the use of assistive technology.
Section 504 applies to all organizations that receive federal funding. Private organizations, including religious organizations, must comply with Section 504 if they receive federal funding. Common examples of federal funding in summer camps include federal program grants, camp scholarships funded through federal sources, furniture and equipment from the Federal Surplus Personal Property Donation Program, and meals supported by the (SFSP).
Americans with Disabilities Act: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is another federal law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities. It is very similar to Section 504, but its application to programs is not based on the receipt of federal funding. Instead, the ADA focuses on whether the program is a "public accommodation." Public accommodation is a rather broad term, and it may take some investigation to determine whether a particular camp program is a "public accommodation" or not. The law specifically excludes religious organizations and private clubs from ADA requirements; even if the religious organization or private club receives federal funding, the ADA does not apply.
State Antidiscrimination Laws: Many states have their own antidiscrimination laws. The content and application of these laws varies. Bloomberg Law has compiled a review of relevant state laws that prohibit disability-related discrimination. Here is the link to the website with disability laws state by state: https://www.accessibility.com/rules-and-regulations/united-states-disability-laws.
Only LEAs (public school districts) have to comply with the IDEA. If your child's IEP lists a program run by another organization, your child's LEA is still responsible for implementing the IEP, perhaps by providing equipment or Braille materials to be used in the outside camp.
The protections from discrimination that Section 504 and the ADA provide are very similar. Those protections are set forth below, and the individuals protected are similar. While there are legal differences, the most important difference for our purpose is what kind of organization is covered.
Here's the bottom line: So long as a camp must follow Section 504, the ADA, or both, your child will be protected from disability-related discrimination and will have the right to reasonable accommodations when attending the camp.
Who is Protected Under Section 504 and the ADA? Both Section 504 and the ADA provide protection from discrimination to "qualified individuals." Though there are minor differences in the definition of "qualified individual" under Section 504 and the ADA, the definitions are very similar. In order to be a "qualified individual" and receive the antidiscrimination protections of Section 504 and the ADA, the individual must:
Have a "physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more" major "life activities." This definition of "substantially limits" is considered before accommodations are considered. Thus, while a child may be able to read using Braille or enlarged print, the child would still be considered to have a disability in reading regular print materials due to blindness/low vision. Be "qualified" to engage in the activity so long as reasonable accommodations are provided. In other words, the individual has the right to have ACCESS to the program or activity through a reasonable accommodation. However, if the individual still cannot engage in the activity or program, even with reasonable accommodations in place, neither Section 504 nor the ADA require the organization to allow the disabled individual to participate.
What Protections Do Section 504 and the ADA Provide? Both Section 504 and the ADA prohibit covered organizations from acting in such a manner that qualified disabled individuals are excluded from participation in or are denied the benefits of programs and activities of the covered organization. These federal laws also prohibit disability-based discrimination.
Covered organizations may meet their legal obligations in several ways. First, the covered organization may choose to provide for accessibility from the start by installing ramps, adding Braille signage, and having Braille and large-print materials on hand. Alternatively, the covered organization may need to provide a qualified individual with disabilities "reasonable accommodations" so that the individual may participate in the relevant program or activity. At all times, these organizations must guard against overt and subtle discrimination based on disability.
"Reasonable Accommodations" under Section 504 and the ADA: What constitutes a "reasonable accommodation" varies, based on the accommodation that is requested/needed, the impact of that requested accommodation on the program or activity, and the financial resources of the covered organization.
A wide variety of provisions can be considered "reasonable accommodations." Accommodations related to blindness/low vision include:
False assumptions based on disability status pose major barriers to inclusion in programs and activities, including summer camps. Camp staff, administrators, and other campers may presume that our children's lack of 20/20 vision renders them helpless and "a liability risk." When these prejudices are used to prevent our children from attending a camp or engaging in certain camp activities, they constitute disability-related discrimination. Section 504 and the ADA both expressly prohibit disability-related discrimination.
Do your research.
Discuss your plan with others, and include your child in the planning.
Make your plan.
In the end, you want your child to have a great camp experience. To accomplish this, camp staff need to believe in your child and in themselves.
Collaborate and problem-solve.
This is where your planning will really come in handy, because you have written down both the reasonable accommodation and its purpose. If the camp wants to reject certain reasonable accommodations, you can bring them back to the purpose of the request. For example, the purpose of an activity might be to read a passage and discuss it with peers. In this case, it is important that the child has access to the text, and merely hearing someone read it aloud won't be enough. In contrast, the purpose of the activity might be to list available activities for free period. In that case, it may be sufficient to read aloud to all the campers and refrain from providing any writing (either print or Braille) to any campers.
Help them recognize that your child will not be a liability, but a true asset to the camp community. Like every camper, your child has a lot to learn and a great deal to contribute.
by Arielle Silverman
Reviewed by Kristen Witucki
From the Editor: Kristin Witucki is the author of two novels for young adults, The Transcriber and Outside Myself. She lives in New Jersey, where she is a teacher of blind and visually-impaired students.
Just Human: The Quest for Disability Wisdom, Respect, and Inclusion
by Arielle Silverman
Available in electronic formats from disabilitywisdom.org/just-human-book
Available in hardcopy Braille from the author at [email protected]
Available from amazon.com in paperback and Kindle editions
Just Human is a beautifully crafted memoir that weaves stories from Arielle Silverman's life with relevant sociological and psychological scholarly wisdom about disability, marginalization, and inclusion. It is divided into eighteen chapters, which, as Silverman explains, "is symbolically linked to the Hebrew word chai, meaning ‘life’ or ‘living.’”
The first fourteen chapters center upon stories from Silverman's life and work, which she adeptly connects to broader experiences and findings from disability history or scholarly calls to action for social justice for all, but especially for disabled people. We learn about Silverman's early childhood, her gradual awakening to society's low expectations of blind students, her education, her relationships and marriage, and the ways in which she has given to the disability community as an adult. While Silverman clearly demonstrates that she has succeeded as a scholar, researcher, and mentor, she does not shy away from some of the negative experiences that helped her get there. As she awakens to social attitudes about disability, her humor, anger, wit, and determination show, making this a highly relatable book for disabled teens and adults and their allies.
As a fellow white blind writer in somewhat similar educational circumstances, I experienced moments of recognition as I read Silverman's childhood stories. Throughout my life, I've grappled with my own white privilege, even as I chafe against a society in which perpetually low expectations of blind people are often the norm. Like Silverman, I awakened to societal stigmas about disability during late elementary school. Like her, during middle school, I even met my first teacher who openly admitted that, if I hadn't done the work, I probably still would have gotten a good grade in the class—the B for Blind admission that can make an adolescent think, "Why bother? My job is not to inspire you." In short, while Silverman's stories were obviously individual and unique, I found the similarities with my own experiences so striking at times that the book was a homecoming.
The next three chapters of Just Human turn outward. Silverman's stories are no longer at the center; instead, she shifts to a more theoretical and equally engaging framework. She ruminates on the importance of listening to and validating students' concerns, a critical examination of the traditional views of "stimming" behaviors in the disability community, and her five stages of inclusion. These chapters build toward greater enlightenment and ultimately lead to an understanding of disability as a social construct and a shared experience toward which we all can hold responsibility as emancipators.
Silverman's eighteenth chapter brings the book to a close. It implies that more books and more great work will come from the mind and heart of this important blind researcher, educator, and author. Silverman's worries about "special" education as a distinct, sometimes problematic discipline in which learning can be more regimented, especially resonated with me as a teacher. Her views about the limitations for disabled people in the world of work are equally astute. "Recently, a disabled friend asked me if I thought every disabled person could work," she writes. "I said yes, in the ideal world, every human being can make a contribution to the public good. Can everyone put in a forty-hour workweek? No. Can everyone do work that is currently valued at a living wage? No, but that doesn't mean everyone cannot do something of value. Is everyone matched to the job that makes optimal use of their abilities and minimizes the impact of their impairments? That would be another emphatic no."
Just Human, as its title suggests, is not an inspirational story, though many elements of Silverman's thoughts and lived experiences do inspire. The book does not pit blindness against success or isolate the individual from their blind or Jewish communities. Though I don't know her personally, Arielle Silverman is a familiar, positive presence in the blindness community and beyond it. I presume that she has written her book much as she has lived her life, as a person who has found her own way. She acknowledges the privileges and the struggles of those who came before her who helped her to get where she is today. Her book concludes: "I don't know what will happen during my next two, perhaps even three or four more chais before it is time for my earthly existence to end. I try to have faith that, in the words of my favorite childhood superhero Martin Luther King, Jr., "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. Of course, the arc does not bend on its own. It is up to all of us to invest the labor of working toward the changes we wish to see. As I enter my third chai, my third generation of living, I hope all of you will remain invested with me."
Silverman's book leaves me feeling invested in my own work, and I can't wait to read what she thinks of next!
Future Reflections is published four times a year to provide you with information and inspiration. As you probably know, the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults publishes this unique magazine. Are you aware that the Action Fund also supports ShareBraille.org, a program that allows people to donate and obtain Braille books for free. The Action Fund also supports the Braille Book Fair at the National Convention of the National Federation of the Blind each summer. The Braille Book Fair allows blind children to browse through hundreds of donated Braille books and to pick out books for themselves in person.
"The book fair is looked forward to by many all year long. I personally remember being starved for books, and I had none that were my own. I used to wait for the library to send my Braille, and even if it came with Volume Three before Volume One, I was more than glad to get it. Books of my own were a fantasy that finally became a reality for me when I was in college. Our Book Fair at National Convention makes owning your own books a reality much sooner." — A Braille reader
To learn how to receive Braille books in the mail or to donate a Braille book of your own, visit ShareBraille.org. Find out how you can donate and receive Braille books, keeping them in circulation for years to come.
The work we do to encourage independent travel, excellence in education, and Braille literacy nationwide must be done. These programs are all made possible through your support. If you are in a position to do so, please help us make a difference by making a contribution. These programs are made possible through your generous support. Please help by giving a tax-deductible gift to the American Action Fund.
You can donate online by visiting our new webpage at actionfund.org or over the phone by calling 410-659-9315. You also can write a check to American Action Fund and mail it to 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, MD 21230.
Often the simplest and most significant way to make a charitable donation is to plan a legacy gift. It is easier than you may think. You can plan to give all or part of a bank account, insurance proceeds, investment assets, real estate, or a retirement account. You can even give a required minimum distribution from your IRA directly to charity and avoid taxes on the distribution. After taking care of your loved ones, you can bequeath a specific dollar amount or percentage of your estate to an organization whose mission is important to you. Your bequest carries with it the values and ideals that have been important to you throughout your lifetime and supports an organization whose mission you hold dear. In addition, planning for a legacy gift may reduce the total amount of your taxable estate, which can have a positive impact on any funds you have designated for your heirs.
The American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults Legacy Society honors and recognizes the generosity and the vision of special friends of the Action Fund who have chosen to leave a legacy through a will or other planned giving option.
If you wish to give part or all of an account, simply fill out a P.O.D. (payable on death) or T.O.D. (transfer on death) form. For pensions and insurance assets, simply designate a charity as a beneficiary. If you would like to leave a legacy to the American Action Fund in your will, simply include the following language:
"I give, devise, and bequeath unto the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults, 1800 Johnson Street, Suite 100, Baltimore, Maryland 21230, a Maryland nonprofit corporation, the sum of $______________ (or) _________ percent of my net estate" or "the following stocks and bonds: ____________________, to be used for its worthy purposes on behalf of blind persons."
If you have questions or would like more information, please reach out to Patti Chang at 410-659-9315. If you have included the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults in your will or have made some other provision for a future gift to us and would like to tell us about it, please contact Patti so we can recognize you as a member of our Legacy Society.
Legacy gifts provide for generations of blind children and adults. Please consider the American Action Fund in your future plans.
The NFB and its blindness training centers have long sponsored summer programs for blind children and teens. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of these programs had to be discontinued, while others were held virtually. Virtual programs allowed students to connect with peers and with blind adults, but no one pretended that sitting at a laptop provided the same learning opportunities as meeting in person.
We are thrilled to announce that many of our youth programs will be up and running again this summer. Below you will find information about programs that combine valuable learning with generous portions of fun.
NFB BELL® Academy
nfb.org/bell
Contact: [email protected]
Application in English: https://nfb.org/programs-services/nfb-bell-academy/'nfb-bell-academy-application
Application in Spanish: https://nfb.org/es/programs-services/nfb-bell-academy/nfb-bell-academy-application
The NFB BELL Academy provides children with instruction in Braille and nonvisual skills through fun, hands-on learning activities. BELL (Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning) is a nationwide (US and Puerto Rico) summer program that prepares blind and low-vision children to grow into confident, independent people who live the lives they want. Activities are provided in a day or residential setting, depending on location. In addition to Braille, crafts, games, and engaging projects, children learn vital independent living skills, interact with blind adult mentors, and enjoy field trips to sites related to the NFB BELL Academy curriculum. Through these activities and interactions, the children learn that blindness/low vision does not define them or their future. NFB BELL Academy typically runs Monday through Friday for six hours per day for two weeks.
Who Should Attend? Blind and low-vision children, ages four through twelve, who:
2022 NFB BELL Academy In-Home Edition
Dates: July 18-August 5, 2022
Application in English: https://nfb.org/programs-services/nfb-bell-academy/nfb-bell-academy-home-edition
Application in Spanish: https://nfb.org/programs-services/nfb-bell-academy/en-espanol-in-home
The National Federation of the Blind is offering one three-week virtual program of the BELL Academy In-Home Edition this summer. The program is designed to prepare blind and low-vision children to grow into confident and independent blind people by enhancing their education. Options are available for beginner, intermediate, and advanced Braille readers.
These residential programs for blind teens and children help students develop skills in cane travel, home management, technology, and more. Applicants to high school and college programs must have an open case with their state office of rehabilitation services to defray the cost.
BLIND, Inc. (Blindness: Living in New Dimensions)
https://www.blindinc.org
100 E. 22nd St., Minneapolis, MN, 55404
Contact: Michell Gip, Youth Services Coordinator, 612-872-0100
[email protected]
Buddy Program 2022
August 6-August 20, 2022
Ages 9-13
Cost: $700 (some funding may be available for those in need)
Application Deadline: April 30, 2022
Children will gain important blindness skills along with empowering attitudes about blindness while exploring the Twin Cities.
Blindness Skills: Buddies will work on Braille reading, cane travel, adaptive technology, independent living skills, and much more. They will enjoy an educational and recreational experiences with program counselors, most of whom are blind college students. They will learn to prepare meals and travel effectively on public transportation.
Confidence-building Activities: Activities in the Twin Cities may include visiting the Mall of America, exploring a museum, adaptive cycling, indoor rock climbing, and more. Buddies use the skills they are taught in the program while participating in these fun activities.
Come to gain blindness skills and leave with lifelong friends!
PREP 2022 (Postsecondary Readiness Empowerment Program)
June 11-July 31, 2022
Application Deadline: March 31, 2022
This exciting summer program is designed to prepare students to reach their personal, academic, and professional goals as they transition to adulthood. The PREP curriculum empowers blind youth as they learn the alternative techniques of blindness and develop the self-confidence needed to become successful adults.
Instruction: The core classes include Braille reading and writing, independent cane travel, adaptive technology, career exploration, and home management, which includes cooking, cleaning, and personal care, and other daily living skills. Students participate in regularly scheduled discussion groups designed to build confidence as they learn from blind peers and adults. PREP students live with fellow students and counselors in apartments. Counselors and instructors serve as successful and positive role models. Students shop for groceries, prepare meals, and clean their apartments as part of their home and personal management training. They learn to live independently while still in a supportive environment. Students develop problem-solving skills needed to take care of themselves and determine their own future.
World of Work: Students will create their professional profile, network, and gain hands-on experience through community projects. These opportunities will help them understand the professional development and the process of obtaining a job.
National Convention: In July PREP students will enjoy the opportunity of accompanying BLIND, Inc. staff students to attend the week-long NFB National Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana. PREP students will join hundreds of other high school and college students from around the country, learning about groundbreaking technology and attending meetings and seminars.
Confidence-building Activities: Throughout the summer the PREP students will participate in a variety of fun activities, including adaptive cycling, kayaking, rock climbing, and visiting amusement parks and shopping malls.
Colorado Center for the Blind (CCB)
https://cocenter.org/summer-application
Contact: Anahit LaBarre, 303-778-1130, Ext. 223
[email protected]
Session 1: June 10-July 1, 2022
Session 2: July 15-August 5, 2022
Eligibility: Legally blind students ages 14-21
Application Deadline: May 2, 2022
This three-week residential program will provide students with the tools they need to move forward in high school, college, or on the job. Students will:
Admission Requirements: Students must be:
Independent with basic self-care skills
College Scholarships for Students with Disabilities
https://www.affordablecollegesonline.org/financial-aid-and-scholarships/fully-accessible-guide-paying-college-students-disabilities
This website features a list of scholarships available to students with disabilities including autism, blindness, deafness, learning disabilities, and cerebral palsy. It also provides links to career quizzes, information about online universities, and much more.
Level Up Conferences
Contact: [email protected]
316-440-1525
Level Up High School Conference
Location: Wichita State University, 1845 Fairmount, Wichita, KS 67260
Date: June 19-25, 2022
Level Up Middle School Conference
Location: Butler Community College, 901 S. Haverhill Rd, El Dorado, KS 67042
Date: July 18-23, 2022
At these conferences blind and low-vision high-school and middle-school students will engage in technology labs, campus navigation, music, culinary arts, physical fitness, social activities, and more.
Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness (PDRIB)
Louisiana Tech University
www.pdrib.com
Contact: Edward Bell
[email protected]
318-257-4554
Scholarships are now available for individuals seeking one of the following degree paths:
Training occurs on campus in Ruston, Louisiana, and can be completed in as little as one year. Scholarships are provided on a competitive basis to qualified persons and can cover costs for attending the university, as well as travel to conferences and field-based experiences at structured discovery programs. Agreement to receive scholarship funding requires commitment to work in the field of rehabilitation for two years for each year of scholarship support obtained.
2022 Schneider Family Book Award Recipients
The American Library Association (ALA) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2022 Schneider Family Book Awards, which honor an author or illustrator for the artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences. Schneider Award recipients are selected in three categories: young children birth through grade school (age 0-8), middle grades (age 9-13), and teens (ages 14-18). Each winner will receive $5,000 and a framed plaque.
In My City Speaks, photographer Darren Lebeuf and paper artist Ashley Barron collaborate on the tale of a blind girl and her father as they journey throughout their city. The two enjoy many familiar stops along their journey to their final destination, a concert stage in the park.
Seedlings Braille Books for Children
2022 Book Angel Program
www.seedlings.org/bkangel2009.php
Blind children can sign up now to receive four free Braille books from Seedlings.
Free Braille Books for Teachers from Seedlings
www.seedlings.org/order.php
Teachers of the visually impaired can receive four free one-volume Braille books. Order online and use the code TVIP 22 as your purchase order number. In the checkout information, include the name of your school and address for Seedlings' records.
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