BPS' Diane Ditmars is Honored for Her Work

BPS' Diane Ditmars is Honored for Her Work

The Braille Monitor
June
2005
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BPS'
Diane Ditmars is Honored for Her Work
by Bill Hafer
From the Editor: In
a national education system in which so many blind students are shortchanged
day in and day out, it is sometimes hard to remember that in some lucky districts
truly excellent teachers willing to challenge their students and fight for their
right to learn are working every day with quiet dedication to enable blind students
to reach their full potential. All too often they are quite literally the unsung
heroes of our neck of the special education woods.
It is certainly our
duty to call attention to situations in which blind children face poor teaching,
discrimination, and injustice. But we have an equal responsibility to cheer
on excellent, dedicated teachers and make sure that they realize how deeply
we appreciate their commitment and skill.
At the 2004 NFB of Nebraska
convention the Nebraska Association of Blind Students honored two outstanding
teachers of blind students. Diane Ditmars and Meg Bradford both received Nebraska
Educator of the Blind Excellence Awards. On December 8, 2004, the Beatrice,
Nebraska, Daily Sun carried a story about Diane Ditmars. We are reprinting
it here because in her comments Ms. Ditmars demonstrates with great clarity
the attitudes and commitment to her students that make her an exemplary teacher
of blind students. Here is the story:
Imagine being in math class,
and the teacher goes to the board to lead the class through a problem. The teacher
is blocking the illustration on the board so all the class gets is this description:
"Draw a box. Now draw lines here, and there. Place letters at this point
and that point, and there it is."
For most students the teacher
using the pronouns "this," "that," "here," and
"there," among others, wouldn't be a problem because they could simply
look at the illustration when the teacher moved out of the way, but that wouldn't
be the case for a blind student.
"In the classroom,
pronouns and anything at a distance blind students miss," said Diane Ditmars,
Beatrice Public Schools vision resource teacher. That is where she comes in.
"It's daily problem-solving," she said of her job.
In recognition of the job
she does, Ditmars was awarded the Nebraska Educator of the Blind Excellence
Award. The award was presented in October at the tenth annual luncheon meeting
of the Nebraska Association of Blind Students, part of the state convention
of the National Federation of the Blind in Nebraska.
Ditmars said she has worked
with BPS since 1980, as a consultant for many years and now as a half‑time
employee of the district. "Many people do not realize the work that goes
on behind the scenes," she said. In addition to Ditmars, BPS also has Braillist
Karen Meints on staff to provide support for blind and low-vision students.
Ditmars said one of the
key challenges of her job is helping other people understand blindness. "People
understand it to be an incredible disability. It's an emotional thing for them
to think of being without their eyes," she said.
The reality is that there
are blind people in every field imaginable, Ditmars said, and as an educator
she looks for how it is possible for students to reach that level of independence.
"A blind student needs all the same information," Ditmars said. "If
you have all the information you need, you don't have a disability. For some
kids the only reason they miss information is because they can't see the board."
For younger students she
said she works more intensively, one on one, to help them learn and develop
the skills to adapt on their own. As the students get older, the job becomes
about providing support for both the students and their teachers, Ditmars said.
Support means finding ways to make sure blind students get the same information
that other students do, whether that is through printouts of what a teacher
might put on an overhead projector, getting Braille versions of worksheets and
tests made, or whatever else the situation requires.
She said each situation
has to take into account that student's need because most of the students have
some vision. "Most can see some light," Ditmars said, which can lead
to confusion because in some lighting situations a student may be able to read
visually like other students, but in others they can't. She said 20/200 vision
is legally blind, but that's not the same as totally blind.
Ditmars works with eight
students in Beatrice and students in Hebron and Marysville, as well as testing
other students to see if they are having vision problems. She said she considers
herself a vision resource teacher because she is a resource to blind students
and their parents and teachers.
"I love the students
I have. I wish I had more time for each one of them," Ditmars said. She
said she's been asked if it makes sense to have two educators working specifically
with such a small number of students. "It's a drop in the bucket compared
to what it would cost if that student went onto welfare for the rest of their
life because they don't have any skills," Ditmars said.
That's because, in the
end, her job is about providing the support blind and low‑vision students
need to learn to adapt in the classroom so that they will be able to adapt independently
when they move on into the world.
______________________________________________________________________________________
You can create a gift annuity
by transferring money or property to the National Federation of the Blind. In
turn, the NFB contracts to pay income for life to you or your spouse or loved
ones after your death. How much you and your heirs receive as income depends
on the amount of the gift and your age when payments begin. You will receive
a tax deduction for the full amount of your contribution, less the value of
the income the NFB pays to you or your heirs.
You would be wise to consult
an attorney or accountant when making such arrangements so that he or she can
assist you to calculate current IRS regulations and the earning potential of
your funds. The following example illustrates how a charitable gift annuity
can work to your advantage.
Mary Jones, age sixty-five,
decides to set up a charitable gift annuity by transferring $10,000 to the NFB.
In return, the NFB agrees to pay Mary a lifetime annuity of $750 per year, of
which $299 is tax-free. Mary is also allowed to claim a tax deduction of $4,044
in the year the NFB receives the $10,000 contribution.
For more information about
charitable gift annuities, contact the National Federation of the Blind, Special
Gifts, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230-4998, (410) 659-9314,
fax (410) 685-5653.
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