2022 Change Makers Transcripts

Jack Fox: 0:00

Welcome to Change Makers , a podcast from APH. We’re talking to people from around the world who are creating positive change in the lives of people who are blind or have low vision. Here’s your host.

Sara Brown: 0:15

Hello and welcome to Change Makers . I’m APHs Public Relations Manager, Sara Brown . And today we’re looking back over everything that’s happened this past year and what we’re looking for towards 2023. It’s coming up quick. I’ve got three very special people here to talk about APH APH products and how things are going in Washington DC as it pertains to APH, I have APHs president, Dr . Craig Meador, APHS, vice President and Chief Officer of Innovation and Strategy, Anne Durham, and APH is Vice President of Impact and Outreach, Paul Schroeder. Hello Craig, Anne and Paul, and welcome to Change Makers .

Dr. Craig Meador: 0:59

Thanks , Sara. Thank you, Sara.

Sara Brown: 1:02

So this podcast is about looking back over the past year and looking forward, but first up, looking back over the past year, what are some of the highs you would like to mention from your respective departments?

Dr. Craig Meador: 1:16

Well, 2022 , um, I, I think 2022 was kind of the beginning of the return to normalcy. Uh, it didn’t quite start out that way. You know, we had had that fit and start back in ’21 where we thought we’re bringing everyone back. And then we had the COVID flare , and then everything went quiet for a while . And then January , uh, we just went all in on, we were gonna go to conferences and, and , uh, so that was, I , I think that was our , our turning point where we just decided we were going to just reengage with both , jump in with both feet, reengage in the world and , uh, kind of c be damned. Uh , not necessarily taking , uh, being foolish, but definitely taking some calculated risks with, with our, with our , uh, activity and with our engagement. And , uh, sure enough, we we’re set off to go to CES the first week of January , and I think we lost the entire team to COVID. And so I went solo <laugh>, we didn’t even set up our booth and, and , uh, but it was just a weird surrealistic experience in beginning to the , uh, start of 2022. Cuz the first couple of conferences we were at were pretty much , um, let’s see, we went CES and then CEC and then ATIA and all of those started out really light. All of those had attendance that was way below normal. And , um, it was just kind of testing the water, so to speak. But as the year went on, we, we, it felt like reality or things came back , uh, uh, reality we were familiar with and , and , um, which was very reassuring. So that, that , that was just my introduction to 2022. Um, and I, I think as a company, not that we were dormant during those two years of COVID, cuz we weren’t, but I think it was exciting because we finally got to put , um, our plan that we had been working for two years. We finally got to unveil that and got to roll out a lot of , um, um, I , I don’t know , it was, for lack of a better analogy, as kind like the debutantes ball. You know, we , we had been doing our work for two years and now we finally got the show up , um, already for the show. And, and there we were.

Anne Durham: 3:54

I think that was probably the most exciting thing for me , um, was to be able to connect with the field again. Um , because being away from everybody, you know , um, and we did everything that we could really to connect with the field , uh, through Zoom and , um, sometimes just through the mail, you know, whatever we could do to , to stay connected with teachers and with students , uh, we tried to do during Covid , but there’s just nothing like in person there . There’s nothing like being able to sit there and just have these long conversations and really hear about what’s happening in classrooms and , um, you know, the , the , uh, the challenges that teachers are facing. And they have changed so much since before covid, we had so much to learn about , um, what’s going on in their environments and, and how their world is changed. And we need to adapt , uh, to that so that we can support them better. And , and again, there’s just nothing like in person. People will tell you things. They’ll be much more honest with you when you’re in person. Um, and , um, you know, they will tell you exactly how they feel about how you’re doing when you’re in person for sure. And , um, uh, I , I can’t, I can’t even begin to express that. For me, that has to be the highlight of this year was, was to be back in person with everybody. To be able to show them what we’ve been working on, to hear their honest opinions about that, to hear what they really need, what students really need. Um , that’s been so eye opening and so important to our work and, and so grateful for everybody who has , um, showed up and talked to us and been honest. Um, it’s shaping the way that we are going to move forward for sure. And , um, that’s, you know, of all the things that we’ve done and we’ve done an awful lot this year. That’s probably the most important thing.

Paul Schroeder: 5:33

Sara, this is, this is Paul Schroeder and , and , uh, in the impact and outreach department, of course, the annual meeting, the in-person Annual Meeting, which of course I suppose technically is fiscal ’23, but that certainly does loom as a great large accomplishment. Wonderful. All the things that, that Anne and Craig have said about seeing people. And , um, we had some wonderful presentations from, from our own team and also from, from folks outside , uh, uh, just the exceptional keynote speech , uh, by M. Leona Godin. And , um, some interesting presentations from, from people who , who haven’t necessarily been at APH meetings in the past , um, talking about demographics , uh, work that’s going on , uh, to, to look carefully at , um, older individuals with vision loss and, and understand those demographics. And also looking at , uh, the other side of the students in eligibility under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and some of the challenges there. That was a lot of fun. The other thing for me , uh, was to see that we are continuing to , uh, have great support from from Congress for our appropriation. It took a little while this past year, we didn’t get the final bill until the middle of March, so it was six months into the fiscal year. Uh , but we did see a nice increase and , uh, we’ve, we’ve continued to see , um, some in some , some good increases from Congress and we, you know , very much appreciate that that shows the support for what we’re doing , uh, here at APH. We’re , of course, we’ll talk some more about this, but we’re waiting for the next appropriations bill again. Uh , we’re a little bit late or Congress is a little bit late, but we hope that’ll happen at the end of this year.

Sara Brown: 7:22

Okay. And going towards the building, there’s a lot of noise in those hallways right now. Can you talk about the current renovations that are underway?

Dr. Craig Meador: 7:32

Well, this , um, was another piece of the surrealism or , uh, uh, the new reality is surrealism. Um , we have been in planning stage on this building for almost two complete years. We started a lot of energy during covid , uh, high board level engagement. We have, we’ve been having weekly building meetings and weekly museum committee meetings that at , at times have as many as 20 people in, in both of those meetings. And so it’s a lot of voices speaking into , uh, what is to become. And for those who are joining this podcast and are unaware of the changes we’re talking about, we are about ready to go through, which will be a a $40 plus million renovation at APH when it’s all said and done. And what that means is our buildings for those who’ve been to APH, you know , uh, our , our buildings are , um, it’s a huge complex. It is a , uh, there’s been 14 additions over 150 some years, the last big edition being done in the seventies , uh, seventies. And I think there’s a one section done in the early eighties, the back warehouse. But, but the main part of the building where we exist, and most of what I say we exist, most of our front end offices in the museum exist. I is this old 1953 structure. And it, like every building that was built almost 80 years ago, 70 years ago, if I can do my math right , um, it has shown a lot of wear and tear, and it has been fixed as needed, but it’s way overdue for a large overhaul. And so, while we were in the process of planning for this building , uh, of course this was the time when, when the , uh, uh, right before this building time and kind of what, what set this all in motion, even though we were talking about it before, is when AFB trusted us to steward the Helen Keller Archives. So we brought the archives into our museum collection on loan , um, and it just became a, a driver for building this new museum configuration. And as we started moving through the building process and the museum process, what became very apparent , uh, as Anne and uh, uh, Marge Kaiser on our board and, and Jo Haas, who is , uh, uh, part of the museum development team leading that effort, really started to come together with this idea that it couldn’t just be a museum. In fact, it had to be more of an experience and it had to be the most accessible experience that was out there for something of this nature, which required us to do a lot of conversations. Paul led groups and led groups, Mike Hudson, our museum director, led groups , um, we’ve, we’ve heard from multiple committees. And then we actually reached out and hired consultants who specialized an accessibility to bring that voice into this planning process. So two years, I , I tell a long story here to get to a very short point, but , uh, two years of planning and four weeks ago we began with the interior demolition work. So we are have easily a two , two full years of construction ahead of us during wish time . The entire front of the building will be taken down, all the walls of the front of the building will come down, all that will be left are floors and , uh, the interior structures, a whole new museum will be built on the front of our building, extending us out towards Frankfort Avenue. And , um, it’s just gonna be a completely different and amazing facility when everything is done. And I’m, I’m quite excited about it because one of the things that , um, never felt right about APH APH does amazing work we have done. We are producing amazing products with partners. Uh, we’ve had amazing success. And yet when you step into our building, it’s a very lack , uh, it’s kind of lackluster. I mean, it , it has served its purpose. And , and not that we need some grand opulence , um, magnificent structure to, to feel our worth. But when this new building is built in, people will come see this building and will come into that building. We’ll say, there is something really amazing and magical happening here. And for those who know APH and have , have been to APH and have worked with us as partners all these years, they already feel that. They feel that even without the building being there, but for the, the , uh, uneducated public , uh, right now, our building is, is something you wanna steer away from <laugh> . I mean, it’s, it’s, it’s a pretty flat type structure. It doesn’t really, it’s not a , uh, doesn’t give off these vibes of welcome. Um, and you know, one of our, our big taglines is “Welcome Everyone.” And yet we have this building that basically says, you know, “don’t bother us if you , if you don’t have business here, please go the other way.” So the new building will be a very welcoming building. It will be the centerpiece of Frankfort Avenue. It will , uh, draw a lot of attention to itself and really will harp into the work that is being done, not only in APH, but being done by APH throughout the country. And I , I think it’ll be a show place that will , uh, make the entire field , uh, very proud of our history and , uh, also the tradition and education of , uh, uh, blindness and working with low vision students both in schools and in the workplace. So it’s, it’s gonna be a real show stopper. So we’re excited about that, but it’s been a long time and, but we’ve started. So that’s, that’s exciting.

Sara Brown: 14:06

And, and Craig mentioned products. Can you talk about some of the products that came out this year and some of the products that are on the horizon for next year? It’s quite exciting for next year.

Anne Durham: 14:16

Yeah, and I’ll, I’ll try to make this brief, but you know, Sara, we had more than 40 new catalog products come out last year, so, you know, I don’t want us to be here all day. But, you know, just for some quick highlights, you know, and some of those product items we’re looking at UEB updates, which are really important. And we have so many , um, braille products at APH that’s taking us while to get there, but we’re getting closer and closer all the time to getting those braille products updated to UEB. And so several of those , uh, were u updates this year. But then we also had a lot of good core products , um, added to our catalog this year. Like the CVI Companion Guide Kit, the Submersible Audio Light Sensor, that’s one we’ve been waiting for for a while that came out this year. The In My Backyard Tactile Theme Pack , the Telling Time , flip Over Concept book, the Caterpillar book, all of those were some really fun things that came out. Um, I think the text-to-speech for Chameleon, that was, although that’s not a new product, that was an addition , uh, to the Chameleon, that’s , uh, you know, for us at APH that’s got a whole product team working on it just to get those kinds of software enhancements. Um, that’s really important though, I think. And , uh, we definitely saw the response come through that that was , um, an enhancement that really mattered to students. So , um, that was a big project that , um, that was a release that happened this year that was important. And , um, you know, along the lines of enhancements when we added the Code Jumper puzzles, we’ve had a really good response to that. So , um, you know, I think that that , that works just like a product as well. Um, I also kind of wanted to mention that the Guidelines and Games for Teaching Efficient Braille Reading that came out from APH Press this year was the first time we’ve been ever been able to make an APH press book available on federal quota. Um , which is , was really exciting because we know that teachers need those kinds of resources. And just in the first month we , uh, had like 400 copies of that book purchase, which shows that teachers are very hungry for that kind of information. So we’re really happy that we’re gonna be able to start doing that with a lot of the APH press books for teachers and hope to see some more of that next year for sure. So, and, and I know when we’re looking at next year, everybody’s number one question is, Polly , “when are we gonna see Polly ?” So I’m happy to say that that should be in the spring around April sometime that Polly will be out. And if you’re just hearing about Polly for the first time, which I doubt anyone listening to this podcast is at this point. But Polly is an early braille teaching device, an electronic device , uh, that is wifi enabled and will help young children learn and reinforce braille concepts in a very fun, gamified way. And , um, we’re really excited. We’ve got a , a long waiting list. People are anxious to see this device come out, and that should be happening in the spring, and we’ll have a number of new other learning products coming out next year. Uh , a lot around math. Uh , I know sports courts is one that we should be seeing come out, and people have been very excited about that, a way to represent those , uh, different kinds of sports courts and a , in a tactile way. And another thing that we’re really trying to focus on is providing more materials for our Spanish language learners. And , uh, and we’re working on that and hope to see , uh, several products out for Spanish language learners next year. So we’re just super busy , um, at APH and our product development departments. We have a lot of technology that’s being developed in the background too, new technology, and , uh, you know, some of that may come out next year, it’s gonna be kind of close , um, on the border there. But , uh, yeah, just very busy with a lot of new things and, you know, just stay tuned because, you know, we always involve , uh, everybody , uh, in the development and the testing in all of these products. So it’s never really any big secret what we’re working on. And , uh, we need everybody’s feedback and input.

Sara Brown: 17:57

That’s really exciting. And one thing I’d like to say too , um, this is just a question I just thought of, but I think I’ll take anybody’s input. Can you talk about how it felt for time to acknowledge Polly as one of the best inventions of 2022? Is this the first time an APH product has, has received that honor?

Anne Durham: 18:17

I think it’s the first time for time, yes. Um , yes, yes. But not unusual for APH to receive , um, honors of distinction? No , I think we’ve gotten several CES awards and FCC awards and , and things like that, but it was, it was nice to see it in time and , and , um, you know, anytime that we get an award like that, it’s an opportunity for us to tell the rest of the world how important these learning materials are to students and how important accessibility is to students. So , um, yes, very excited, but not in a way of like, look how great we are. It’s just like, what a great opportunity this is to talk about the work that we do, which we already know is very important, I would say.

Sara Brown: 19:00

All right . So Paul, we’re up to you. Yeah . Can you talk about some of the stuff that’s happened in Washington this year?

Paul Schroeder: 19:06

Well, of course I mentioned appropriations and , uh, the increase and , and that of course, the Department of Education. Uh , we haven’t talked a lot about this on the podcast, but I’ve been very impressed with the work coming out of the office for special education and rehabilitative services. That’s OSS as we know it in the field. And OSEP is the special education programs part of that. And there’s been a , a lot of interest in trying to , uh, up update some activities. Of course, we haven’t reauthorized the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act since 2004. So that’s, that’s something that’s long awaited not gonna happen anytime soon. But the department is doing its best, I think, to try to , uh, update some of the guidance and technical assistance that it offers a lot of interest in things like discipline. And looking at section 5 0 4 , uh, which is of course the part of the Rehabilitation Act that’s , uh, got non-discrimination in anyone receiving a federal , uh, federal funds. Um, and does have some importance in the special education area because many kids are served under 5 0 4. Uh , so the department is trying to look at some of these, these issues. We talked a little bit at the annual meeting about the need for updated guidance. Uh, the department hasn’t done guidance on , uh, blindness and low vision issues since 2000. So that even came out before the reauthorization of idea, which had some important provisions like the National Instructional Materials accessibility standard for textbook files. So , um, there’s, you know, we don’t know whether the department will , uh, undertake an effort to update the guidance, but we had a really good conversation about it. And the department itself had some staff at APH who were listening, did a listening session and have , uh, since that and done a listening session through the Connect Center as well, to get input from the field about the interests and needs and issues , uh, facing students who are blind or low vision with or without other disabilities . So a lot of good stuff happening , uh, in that regard. The other thing, of course I’ll mention is we , um, I don’t know if people knew this, we just had an election. It was very quiet, nobody really talked about it, but we , we had a midterm election. Uh , Congress will change next year in an important way. The, the house , uh, the House of Representatives, one body of Congress will be under the control of Republicans with a very narrow majority, similar to the very narrow majority of the Democrats have these last two years. And the Senate will stay under Democrat control. So , um, Congress is itself is gonna be forced to , uh, try to work together. Uh , we’ll see , uh, that hasn’t worked super well over the last few years, several years. Uh , but maybe, maybe things will change. I hope so. Um , it certainly makes our job more challenging when Congress can’t get itself together to work on appropriations bills , uh, as these create a lot of challenges for people waiting to see what the final number is going to be , um, for the appropriation. And that’s frustrating for us. It’s frustrating for our exofficio trustees. It’s really frustrating for everybody. And , um, we, we , we do, we do hope for the, for some level of cooperation, perhaps next year , uh, to make, to make things a little bit easier in the appropriations world. But to come back to , uh, the department, I am very excited about the leadership at the Department of Education, at the secretary level, and at the , uh, level of , uh, the folks that , uh, we work with on special education issues. It’s, it’s a , it’s a very , uh, it’s a group with a lot of strong knowledge about education issues and, and a great deal of interest, even in APH, we got to have a , a meeting with the acting assistant secretary , uh, back , uh, a month or so ago. And, and , uh, Katie Neas is her name, she was very engaged and very interested, not only in , uh, braille and issues of that nature, but also in textbook accessibility and, and what could be done to improve , uh, the use of IMUS files and, and things of that nature , uh, to make textbooks more available. So I , I really look forward to , uh, working with that group , uh, certainly for the next two years and , and maybe beyond, if , if , uh, if they , if they stick around.

Sara Brown: 23:36

You all have already said what you hope to see for APH overall the next year. So I’m gonna ask the last and final question. Is there anything else you all wanna discuss? Is there anything you all wanna talk about, or, you know, expand a little bit more on whether it’s looking back at 2022 or looking ahead to 2023?

Paul Schroeder: 23:55

Yeah, this is Paul again. I’m gonna say one real quick thing. I’d be remiss if I didn’t, because it’s always something that we need to remind our listeners, and that is you are , uh, the individuals that really have the power , uh, to tell the story about why APH matters, the services and , and products that we provide, why those matters to students. And of course, telling those stories to members of Congress and their staff and those offices is so important. Mm-hmm . <affirmative> , uh, for, not only for the APH appropriation, but really in a larger way, telling the story of why educating blind students matters and why it’s so important to make sure the blind students have the materials they need, whether they come from APH or they come from another source. And so I hope that listeners will , uh, check in with us if they have questions. If they want to know who to work with in Congress, I’m always happy to give that information to them. Uh, if they want to , uh, call an office or send a note, talking about the importance of education and ensuring supports for blind students , uh, that is, is very meaningful and very important , um, over the next, certainly over the first six months of the next year, while Congress is getting itself organized and starting to work on appropriations. That’d be an excellent time , uh, to communicate that, that those messages.

Anne Durham: 25:21

You know , Sara, I wanted to say too, I think sometimes it’s hard to measure it a year by like, you know, what product came out or what were the big successes, because sometimes it’s just how hard have you been pushing that rock up the hill? Mm-hmm . You know, I think for, you know, for one, one particular effort that we’ve really been pushing that rock hard up the hill this year has been the dynamic tact device. And not just us at APH, but all of the partners that have been involved in that all across the field. And there’s been a lot of rock pushing. And, you know, at times we’ve seen , um, some, some victories, little victories here and there. Uh , you know, one of those was the announcement of our partnership , um, between Humanwear and , um, the National Federation of the Blind, which was announced at NBS convention at summer, and also again, at, at our annual meeting. And another one I think was the adoption of the eBRF, which took a number of international organizations to agree to that is a huge, huge accomplishment. Mm-hmm . <affirmative> to get everybody on the same page. And now Daisy is going to take over that standard, another huge accomplishment because that electronic braille standard will make multi-line braille navigable for everybody. And , um, and also applied to so many other things. And, you know, so those like little, little victories, but they’re , there’s , it’s still pushing the rock up the hill. And I think next year, as you know, the , the prototypes come out and we start our field testing, and then we eventually see these communities start to build, build around software development, and then by the end of the year, we start training teachers how to use them. Again, that’s still more pushing the rock up the hill. It’s not the big launch yet, but these are all really important things that are gonna be happening. And, and part of a really important effort that’s going to take not just APH, but everybody in the field working together to accomplish something that we’ve all been waiting for for decades. And , um, and again, kind of hard to measure a year , um, you know, by some of those marks, but, but certainly something that I think everybody would deserves a big group hug for. I think in this, over this past year, for sure ,

Dr. Craig Meador: 27:20

Uh, we , we talked about the kind of the getting back to normal, you know, the readjustment to society, so to speak. Um , and the one, we had a couple, I had a couple big a-has , uh, having been with this company now seven years, and that is the one that Anne has already has spoke to, and Paul has as well, is the company that came out of COVID, was not the company that went into Covid mm-hmm . <affirmative> , uh, we changed because the world forced changed upon us, and we were an early adopter to that change. Um, and, you know, a lot of that was through our online presence, through the increase of the services we were providing, we saw the growth of the high, we saw the growth of outreach, we saw the growth of regional programs, we saw the growth of the Connect Center , um, uh, the partnerships that were formed, not only with universities, but with Humanware, with NFB , um, and , and many , uh, NTSC and , uh, a number of other programs that have started. All of that wasn’t happening pre COVID. So when, when we got to the big showcase conference of the summer, which was a er, I was quite taken back by how many APH people were there at the conference. I think we made up one fifth of the conference, <laugh> . And at first I was like , uh, I was being Scrooge McDuck . I’m like, going, “who’s paying for all this?” And, but the reality was is , um, or the awareness, the big aha after I had time to settle down and, and , um, I , um, I’m fortunate to have a lot of good people in my life that tell me to basically chill and, and just step back, look at what’s happening, take it in and chill and wait to form an opinion. And , uh, after I got off, I get beyond my early freak out . You really start to realize that we have become such an integral part even more what we were before COVID into the way people work. Um, and I , that’s, that’s not , that is a humble acknowledgement that people have asked us to partner with them, and that carries a lot of responsibility . And , and so we have created an expectation within the field, within communities that APH will be there to be a partner to help address the needs of these , um, from , from the big players down to the small players as APH wants to partner. And services has been our biggest growth product over the last two years. So what that means is, as a company, we’ve gotta be responsive to that. Now, now that a lot of that has happened organically, it’s time to get sy get mm-hmm . <affirmative> and create a systematic approach that really starts to look at who we are as a company and where we need to go for the next three to five years so that we can be even do, or what is be a better steward of people’s trust and do a better job with the resources we have so that we can help continue to help other agencies, programs, companies, partners, have success and grow as well as we will see. And if we do that right, then we will see APH grow and flourish. Um, and what we have found is , as Paul mentioned to and I , I don’t think this was any accident , um, but I think it was , uh, a careful cultivation of the resources in Washington. We, you know, we’ve always had good support from the, from Osers and Department of Ed , but these past two years, because we came forward with solutions at a time crisis, I, I really feel like there is just big wide open arms in , in DC uh , for the initiatives we’re putting forward , uh, for the work we are doing. And , um, I just feel like we, we’ve, we’ve always had strong support, but I, it, I think this is at an all-time high, and I think that speaks to the work that, that has , uh, all the prep work that’s been done during Covid and , and the good work that we’re doing. So that’s a lot of responsibility. It’s a lot of self-awareness, and it’s a lot of , uh, like I said, we, we’ve got to create the system that allows us to be very intentional with our efforts and our resources. So I’m looking forward to that. We’re beginning that work very quickly, very soon. Uh, but I, I think what people have seen over the last two years will just start to grow and to multiply. Um, and I’m excited about that. It’s, it’s scary. It’s a big challenge, but , uh, I , I think it’s gonna have some big, big implications , um, as we move through this.

Anne Durham: 32:31

I think that , um, a lot of our partners are coming out of COVID different as well, and it’s almost like we see a whole resing of where everyone wants to be, needs to be and, and how, how they’re going to serve. And I feel a new energy that’s, that’s evolving out of this and a new commitment. And I am so excited about next year and, and how we’re all gonna work together and how we’re gonna move forward together. Um, I think that, again, being back in person, just bringing this full sparkle , bringing back in person, in addition to be able to listen to each other, you get to plot together, right? You get to say, okay, how can we mix this up differently? How can we, how can we work together? How can we collaborate together differently? And there’s been a lot of that , um, a lot of those kinds of conversations with our partners and a lot of new enthusiasm. And I think we’re all coming out of this better and stronger and with bigger ideas and, and a renewed sense of what’s possible. And , um, and , and I think we’re, I , I think we’re gonna see some really awesome things happen in 23. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, you know, I’m excited.

Sara Brown: 33:44

Okay. Well, thank you all so much for joining me today on Change Makers.

Anne Durham: 33:50

You’re Welcome. Thank you, Sara. Thanks a lot,

Sara Brown: 33:54

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Change Makers . I hope you have enjoyed listening about all the exciting things that have happened this year and our plan to happen next year. Thank you again for your support, for listening to Change Makers , and we will see you next year.

Jack Fox: 0:00

Welcome to Change Makers , a podcast from APH. We’re talking to people from around the world who are creating positive change in the lives of people who are blind or have low vision. Here’s your host.

Sara Brown: 0:15

Hello and welcome to Change Makers . I’m APHs Public Relations Manager, Sara Brown , and today we’re getting ready for the holidays and spending time with loved ones. But what do you do when it’s clear your loved one is having vision issues? It’s not the end of the world. And some simple tweaks can make the holidays accessible to keep those traditions alive. We’ll also discuss how to handle difficult conversations and what resources are available. Up first we have Melisa Matthews here. Melisa is the Digital Content Manager for FamilyConnect, which is a part of the APH ConnectCenter. She’s here to talk about keeping traditions alive and how to make those accessible. Hello, Melisa and welcome to Change Makers .

Melisa Matthews: 0:57

Thank you. I’m so excited to share lots of wonderful ideas this time of year.

Sara Brown: 1:03

Can you, can you explain your position with FamilyConnect and what it is that you do and the Service FamilyConnect provides?

Melisa Matthews: 1:11

Absolutely. FamilyConnect. Um , my role is really to help find families and resources and information that will help not only the families, but professionals and students thrive. On our website, you’ll find resources such as webinars, blogs, lots of information. So similar to everything that I shared here. There would be a blog or an article written for all these wonderful ideas, and it’s just a face that families can come and find connection beyond what they have at their local area. We offer a parent connect, which is an opportunity for parents to join a webinar and share thoughts, concerns, successes in an open and a space environment. So my role is really, I feel, to provide information that can support the family as well as their child, but really empowering parents, um, to know that they’re not alone as they raise their child who might be blind or low vision.

Sara Brown: 2:17

So this podcast is about aging loved ones and we’re talking about traditions. Can you talk about some popular holiday traditions that families can continue if there is an individual member who might be blind or low vision ?

Melisa Matthews: 2:32

Absolutely. Um, so I’ve got six old traditions that I’m sure are carried on from generation to generation. Um, so the first one, a lot of families this time of year we’ll bake cookies. Um, it’s not only something fun and something messy, um, to get your hands involved in, but it’s a great way to share, um, inexpensive gifts with friends and family as well. So some things to consider, um, especially as ovens and other things may become a bit of a challenge, is trying to do some no bake cookies or puppy chow. That’s another one that’s pretty easy and lots and lots and lots of flavors. So there’s like mint or lemon or cookies. And cream also is another fun option. I personally really, really like sugar cookies. You can do lots of fun shapes and I also enjoy the royal icing as another way to provide a texture. I’ve seen several cookies that you can actually with the royal icing because it does stiffen after you, um , let it dry, you could actually braille the cookies. So that’s kind of a , a new and a fun thing to do with baking cookies. Another option, um, as a lot of people will decorate gingerbread houses, then there are a ton of different ways to do gingerbread houses. Um, I know Costco and a couple other places have not only pre-cut, but they’re already built for you. Um, so that does help. But again, providing lots of textures using hand on her hand, um , and decorating the sides and the roof of the house before you build it will kind of help so that it doesn’t fall down. Um , is another fun activity. This time of year, a lot of families will also do kind of an ugly sweater contest or an evening with ugly sweaters. And I would just encourage families to allow the person, um, who is low vision or losing vision or even the child to explore Joanne’s or Michaels with lots of different textures, lots of different fabrics, and allow them to decorate their sweater. There’s some really great fabric glue, um, as an option or using Velcro, um, and using hand under hand to kind of help those who are familiar and aware of sewing, just to again, provide that independent but with a little bit of support. Um, so this time of year volunteering is also a great opportunity that a lot of families will take time to set aside to support and help others who are in need. Operation Christmas Child is a great opportunity to, um, encourage your loved one who may be losing their vision or a child to help pick out items to be placed into a shoebox and that gets shipped out as well as possibly reaching out to a school or another organization to adopt a family or a child who would need a little extra this time of year. I know for a lot of kids and some older adults, as they lose their vision, they are concerned that they aren’t providing enough back to their own community. And food pantries are a great place to help this time of year simply stocking shelves. I know some also offer delivery services, so decorating a paper bag for an elderly person who is not able to get out of the house, those are all easy, simple ideas to volunteer this time of year. Another big tradition is obviously that big meal that we all gather around for. So providing that recipe in either large print or braille would help make that accessible to your left one as well as possibly writing and permanent marker in larger print on either the measuring spoons or the cups as well as using a food chopper. And there are some amazing starter safety knife kits that are serrated and they’re plastic, and they’re a great way to start those knife skills, whether you are a young person or an older person who is losing some of their vision and for safety reasons, that’s just something to consider. Um, and when it comes to children, allowing that extra chat time for your child to get their hands messy, a great way to help, um, your loved one. Also setting the table is to explain where everything goes, and this could be creating a simple tactile place map where the plate would go, the salad plate, where the water would go, a napkin and the silverware, allowing your child or adult loved one to set the table. Another great tradition this time of year is reading the Night Before Christmas or another special holiday story. So when sharing these stories, it’s really important to take the time and allow your child or your loved one to really enjoy the story. And a way that you can do this and make it more accessible is providing some of those items in a realistic form. So for the example of the night before Christmas, maybe you would like to provide some snow or some shaved ice and a bell, maybe a small figurine of a sleigh and some auditory sounds of hooves clamping, and then maybe something cherry flavored, um , to represent the cherry on his nose or potentially a stone or part of a brick that would represent the chimney. This you would present while you were sharing the story with the group and your loved ones, and allow that time for your child or an adult to really enjoy those additional pieces of the story as it’s brought to life. So this time of year , as you may be considering some new traditions, here are some things that you can consider adding to this year, a game night. I know as many of us consider purchasing games, um, for the holiday season, a game night is a great opportunity if you can provide them in braille or large print. There’s a couple great websites, MaxiAids as well as 64 Ounce has some adapted games such as Apples to Apples, Clue, Exploding Kittens. That’s an amazing fun one. Sequence Cards Against Humanity. There’s also Monopoly or jumbo Braille, um , playing cards, Checkers and things of that nature. So it’s a really fun opportunity to be inclusive and adapt small but important opportunities for your loved ones to participate. And don’t forget to bring the snacks to share as you invite everyone over for a fun game night. Another popular one. This time of year as lots of houses get decorated with the lights, and many of them actually connect to local radio stations. So one way you can potentially, um, work with someone who has a house that is connected to a radio, reach out to them and ask them if you’re able to kind of walk around the house and map that out for your loved one, allow, um , the opportunity to potentially touch some of the decorations, obviously with the House permission as well. But this would be an opportunity that when a light show is going, you can kind of explain to your loved one what’s actually lining up, how are the colors changing as it plays with the music. Another favorite one for us this time of year is to make an ornament. And there are so many ways to use simple things such as mints or pony beads that you can create. Put them within a metal cookie cutter and put them in the oven and they melt to create really amazing fun ornaments. Another opportunity, um, to kind of create different ornaments is with Salto . It’s a simple recipe and you roll it out just like cookies, and then you cut them into shapes. And once they cool, they can be painted. So this is a great opportunity to kind of include your loved ones with, um, creating something this season. One of the big popular ones that came out a couple years ago are hot coco bombs. This is the new Crave, and it’s so fun to make. So you need simply a mold, um , melting chocolate and whatever you’re gonna put inside of the hot coco bomb, that could be cocoa powder, mini marshmallows, mints . You simply melt the chocolate and you can do this in the microwave. And once the mold is, um, you have that poured into the mold, it may get a little bit messy, but using that descriptive language to help your loved one or your child know before it’s dripping completely out of the mold and how to turn that, placing that in the fridge, it will harden. Once you pop them out, you can place the top on a plate that you’ve warmed up in the microwave to kind of allow the edge to melt a little bit, and it becomes the glue for the hot coco. This is always a fun one to create and use on those cold days or the night before, a big celebration. And finally, a new one that we are definitely adding to our list this year is a movie night. So there are amazing audio descriptions through Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney, as well as lots of other places that offer audio descriptive movies. So this’ll be an amazing opportunity for our family together , create a popcorn bar with all of the fixing and just enjoy a quiet night before a lot of the holiday bustle.

Sara Brown: 12:26

My last question, is there anything else you would like to say, whether it be about FamilyConnect or holiday traditions this holiday season?

Melisa Matthews: 12:35

Yeah, absolutely. I think as far as FamilyConnect, I mean, we are continuing to grow and reach families and professionals through social media and stuff, so that’s a great, um, space to kind of find us and connect with us. As far as traditions, I think the biggest thing I can tell families is including your child just takes a little extra time and maybe a little creative thinking, but there’s no reason and no limitations to your child being a part of all of your traditions that you have. And it’s exciting to see them as they take on these traditions and they ask for them year after year. You’ll realize the power of taking the time and explaining things pays off in the long run.

Sara Brown: 13:21

Okay, Melisa, that was awesome. And it just takes a little bit of extra time and it makes all the difference in the world. Thank you so much for joining me today on Change Makers .

Melisa Matthews: 13:31

You are so welcome. It was an absolute pleasure. Thank you again.

Sara Brown: 13:41

Up next, we have APH’s Digital Content Manager for VisionAware, which is also a part of the APH ConnectCenter. Katie Frederick. Hello Katie and welcome to Change Makers .

Katie Frederick: 13:54

Thank you. Thank you for having me. It’s great to be here today.

Sara Brown: 13:57

Can you talk about what Services VisionAware provides?

Katie Frederick: 14:02

Sure. So VisionAware is a comprehensive website that has really, um , been around for several years now and has been part of the APH ConnectCenter for about the past four to five years. And we have a host of resources on our site . So we have everything from blogs that are written by our volunteer peer advisors to living with vision loss, you know, personal people are , people share their personal stories. We have, um, resources on, you know, diabetes, living with that, managing that. Um, we also have a section on the site that talks about some of the most common eye conditions for people who may be losing their vision. So maybe something like age related macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy, ret , pigmentosa, those types of things. Um, we have a whole section on the website about your eye condition and, and tips, tips for managing that as well. Among other things, I mean, we could spend a whole, there could be a whole podcast just about VisionAware. Um, we also have on our site, um, another resource that, and I think we’re gonna talk about this a little bit later, but it’s really great, is our getting started with Low Vision Guide. And this is something that we put out a couple of years ago. It’s, it’s available on the website as a , as a PDF file. So you can read it, you know, on your computer or your phone or you know, tablet if you wish. Or we also have print copies available at APH that we can ship to you. So if you’re interested in a , in a print copy book, we can mail that out as well. And, um, that’s just a really comprehensive, very basic, you know, getting started guide for people, for individuals and families that might be facing the vision, um, you know, might be adjusting to vision, vision loss, or vision changes.

Sara Brown: 16:11

Now, what do you suggest when, what do you suggest one does when they see, when they visit this holiday season and see their aging loved ones? Should they make changes now, or just try to have that sit down with the loved one and have those difficult conversations?

Katie Frederick: 16:29

I think it really depends on the situation and the, um, you know, the , obviously we want everyone to be, you know , to be, stay safe and live independently in their home as if they can. Um, you know, I think each person handles vision changes or, or losing their vision differently. And so there are some, you know, stages of that process. So it just depends, I think , on, on where the, the person is, you know, kind of in , in their journey. Um, you know, and , and what what the family feels is best. I don’t know that there’s, there’s not, you know, a , a right or wrong answer. I think it just depends on, you know, on the situation at hand . Um , and I , you know , one of the resources that we have here is our, um , information and referral line, which is staffed by two people who are blind as well. And so that’s another resource where people can, you know, call in and , and talk to others who are blind or low vision and, you know, get their perspective on, on things as well.

Sara Brown: 17:32

What are some things you can do if the aging loved one refuses to acknowledge they’re having issues? That’s a hard, that’s so hard for everybody involved.

Katie Frederick: 17:45

It really is, you know, and I think, um, you know, again, each person, um , comes to terms with, with this in their own way and in their own time. Um, you know, for some people it’s, they, you know, they might think, oh my gosh, you know, my my life is, is over. I can’t do anything anymore. I’m , I’m helpless. But, you know, one of the things that we offer on VisionAware is a , a list of support groups and resources and just, you know, connecting with others who are in similar situations. Um, we, we recently also posted a , a personal story about someone who is , you know, living with glaucoma. And for them it was, you know, they didn’t feel, they felt like they were all alone until they found a support group of, of individuals who were going through the same thing. And they expressed how beneficial it was to them to, you know, make that connection and to meet others who were facing the same challenges that they were. So, um, you know, just when, when people are already , you know, getting out there, getting them connected to services , whether that’s through, you know , a state, older individuals who are blind program connected to, um, you know, some of the other great resources that are out there, um, the, you know, Hadley Institute offers some free workshops that people may want to look into as well as, you know, again, the, the story and , and blogs and resources that we have here on, on VisionAware.

Sara Brown: 19:15

Okay . And how do you , how should one handle it if they refuse to seek assistance? What are some quick and easy ways you can make sure that their home is more accessible?

Katie Frederick: 19:27

Sure. So in, um, again, and are getting started guide that I referenced earlier, um, one of the sections is about, you know, home modifications. So, um, you know, a big factor, um, can be something as, you know, simple as lighting. Um, you know, maybe it’s reducing glare by using adjustable window coverings or, you know, blinds or shades. Um , maybe it’s, you know, arranging furniture so that there’s, you know, reduced glare on, on the TV or a , or a computer monitor. Um, there’s, you know, lots of different, you know, lamps that you can use a gooseneck lamps, um, that, that might need brighter lights . You know, there are also some products, um, APH for example, sells a product called the Color Star, and that is a handheld device that you can hold it up to something and it will tell you what, what colors it sees. Um , so this could be used to help people, you know, recognize clothing or other items in the home. There’s all , I mean, there are , there are, you know, things that you can do around, um, stairs and stairways. So making sure that, you know, again, they’re well lit. You can, um, you can mark the leading the edge of the first and last steps with, you know, something like bright paint or reflecting tape that would contrast with the step. You can use brightly colored, you know, runners or walking, uh , to mark the walking areas.

Sara Brown: 21:08

Talk a little bit more about that getting, starting Getting Started Guide you just mentioned. What can you say about that?

Katie Frederick: 21:16

Yes , so again, this is, this is really, um, a resource that thanks to a , a grant from the Readers Digest Partners for Site Foundation was, um, put together a few years ago prior to, to me joining the team. But it’s a great resource, and again, as I, you know, look through it’s, it just, you know, is looking through in preparation for the , this podcast, but it just has, you know, really everything from, you know, home modifications to, and in that section, you know, again, covering things like, you know, the lighting and the stairways and tips for the kitchen. Um, it talks about, you know, getting, having that low vision exam, what, what that involves, um, transportation, you know, how do you get around if you’ve been diagnosed with, with blindness or low vision. Um, and then we also have our, you know, links to our, our vision of our website that I’ve, you know, again, which is part of the ConnectCenter and just has a lot of, you know, really good information, um, written more from the , from the personal perspective. Um, but again, the , the getting started, um , toolkit or guide is something that we have on the website as a digital PDF file, or it can also be, um, you can also request a copy or copies of the booklet to be, um , sent to you in the mail, and we are happy to do that as well. Um, but it’s really great for highlighting just some of those few basic items that you may want to know about around the home as well.

Sara Brown: 22:57

Okay . And the final question I’d like to ask that I’d just like to ask everybody, is there anything else you would like to say, whether it be about VisionAware services that, um , that are provided or how to handle those difficult conversations with loved ones?

Katie Frederick: 23:12

Um, I think just, you know, um, giving giving VisionAware .org a, a perusal, um, you know, we have everything. We have a , a wealth of information on the site, um, and we have, you know, things like, you know, some, some articles and resources on, you know, what, what do family members, you know, what do you need to know, um, you know, how can you help people adjusting to vision loss and vision changes? So, um, it , it really is a good resource not only for people who are or maybe experiencing blindness or, or low vision, but also, you know, family members, caregivers, and friends as well. There’s so much to cover. Um, you know, there just really are, um, you know, I think when people are, you know, sometimes you’re just, it’s just overwhelmed and, and unsure where to start. And that’s where, you know, using something like the, the ConnectCenter Information Referral Line can come in handy and, and help, you know, really help, um , kind of understand where, you know, where the, where to start. But on VisionAware, we do have a section that says, you know, after the diagnosis and it really, you know, lays out, you know, what to do, you know, what can I do next? Or, you know, how do I, you know, how do I get started? So, um, we have a lot of, a lot of good information that may be very helpful to people. I would also like to mention that the American Printing House for the Blind sells a book, um, that is called The Aging and Vision Loss. It’s, it’s a handbook for Families, and that is a product that is sold through the American Printing House for the Blind. And we do have some excerpts from that on VisionAware, but the handbook is available for purchase from APH as well, if that may be something that maybe of , of benefit to, to families as they go through the process.

Sara Brown: 25:23

Okay. Katie, thank you so much for joining me today on Change Makers .

Katie Frederick: 25:28

Yes, you are welcome. Thank you for having me and letting me talk a little bit about VisionAware.

Sara Brown: 25:37

Now we have APHs Information and Referral Services Coordinator, Alan Lovell here to talk about the calls that the I&R hotline receives during this time of year for assistance. Hello, Alan , and welcome to Change Makers .

Alan Lovell: 25:53

Thanks, Sara. Thank you for having me.

Sara Brown: 25:56

So this part of the podcast is about the I&R hotline, also known as the information and referral hotline. Can you explain what this hotline does and the services it provides?

Alan Lovell: 26:09

Yeah , yeah , absolutely. The Information and Referral hotline is a phone number that has actually been around for, oh gosh, at this point, probably almost 50 years. Uh , initially it was started by the American Foundation for the Blind, and in 2018, APH adopted it among other services that make up the APH ConnectCenter. Um , it is a phone line that people can call to find out answers to questions regarding low vision and blindness, and, uh , perhaps where an individual is in life, um, when they have to experience this for the first time. So if we think about, uh , someone who is losing sight or has traumatically lost sight and new to all this, then they can call us to find out, well, what’s next? How do I continue with life?

Sara Brown: 27:06

Okay . And just off just out of curiosity, what are some of the most common questions or topics discussed on the I&R line?

Alan Lovell: 27:16

Well, um, we, boy, we get a lot of different calls and questions, uh, you know, so it’s difficult to outline them all, but the most common are, uh , calls from folks who are calling for someone like a family member who, as we mentioned earlier, we were talking about someone who’s clearly different from the last time you saw them. Maybe the last time you saw ’em was the last Christmas. Um, and, and someone is now dealing with low vision. We get folks who are calling for that person. Um, grandma, grandpa, my aunt, my aunt or uncle, whomever it is, they’re, they’re losing sight. They are in denial. They don’t want anybody to help them. They’re headstrong . They’re , uh , still living in their own home. And I think that they’re afraid that if we address the situation, that people are going to perceive them as unable to live independently anymore. And people don’t wanna leave their home. Obviously, when you know someone, an elderly person gets macular degeneration, um, it’s, it comes on later in life. And unless you’ve known a blind person or a low vision person, you don’t have a frame of reference. So the most common types of calls that we get are those, what do we do? Um, grandma is not that old in all other areas of her life, she’s perfectly capable, but she’s just struggling to read or she’s struggling to, you know, see what she’s doing in the kitchen. And I keep using the grandma situation, but it can be anyone. Um , that’s the most common type of call that we get. Um, but of course, we provide information, um, from birth throughout the entirety of life. So you might get someone who has visited another, uh , portion of their family, and the situation is a child, a child who’s living in a , perhaps a rural area who’s educational needs aren’t being met. Uh , how do they find resources, um, so that this kid is being taught what he needs to be taught in school, uh, whether the expanded core curriculum is being taught, whether they have a dedicated teacher of the visually impaired, and if they don’t, where do they find them, you know? So, uh, you will get all of those questions throughout the holiday season in the remainder of the year. But again, the holidays is when families get together, and if someone hasn’t seen another in a long time, it’s more obvious to that person. There’s been changes since the last time we saw them. Maybe their immediate family doesn’t notice because they’re with them all the time. Um, maybe someone in the family has a, um, a specific interest, uh, in, in life with a disability, and, uh, has, has the wherewithal to ask the right questions when perhaps a , a closer family member doesn’t, doesn’t have the words to use or, um, the ability to advocate when they don’t know exactly what they’re advocating for. So, uh , we are happy to help those folks In all of these situations. Uh , do remember, we, we provide information for the entirety of life birth, uh, through, through the entirety of life

Sara Brown: 30:56

During the holidays. Do you, does the I&R line notice any uptick during or after the holidays?

Alan Lovell: 31:04

Yeah, you know, it’s so true that it does. Um, and, and it’s because, you know, uh , people or families are getting together, right? The kids might be traveling to visit mom or dad or the grandparents, and they hadn’t seen them in a while , and suddenly they notice grandma’s not seeing so well, uh, you know, that , that grandma hasn’t told us that she is struggling to read her mail or can’t read the recipe, or she didn’t make the mashed potatoes the same way she has all the years before. Uh, that’s, we do. We get a lot of people calling out of concern for loved ones at this time of year, um, when they realize things aren’t the same. And so, what’s next? What do we do? How can this person stay in their home or maintain their independence? Um , people have preconceived notions about low vision or blindness, and initially they might call us with an idea they formed in their own mind about, well, grandma’s blind, now she’s gotta have to live in a home. And they’ll call and ask the question where, uh , what, what nursing homes are available specifically for blind people? And then we’ll have to follow up with questions like, well, okay, what’s the actual situation? Who are you calling for? What, uh , is going on? And we’ll explain to them, blindness doesn’t mean that it’s the end of life. Um, if a person’s lost sight due to some eye disease, the , the eye disease that affects the aging the most is macular degeneration. It’s the most common. Um, and we’ll talk about what services, hands on services are available to teach someone to adapt to life with low vision or blindness. And it , you know, in every state there are services available. Um, and so we talk to them about where these services are, how to, uh , get ahold of them. But oftentimes in the meantime, we will, um, fill in while they are going through the process of getting registered, uh , talk to them about, you know, what’s their current experience with low vision , how are they faring? What, what’s their biggest set of needs? And we, uh , can talk to them about quick fixes or quick techniques that suddenly give them back something they, some, some independence they have felt like they have lost. So, um, you know, the directory of services that is a part of the APH ConnectCenter is where we go, uh , to search by someone’s location to see, you know, exactly if, if it’s rehab services or if they’re looking for information on their eye disease or support groups, that’s where we can go to find out information, um, that, that we can provide to these individuals or their families. And, and , and also those of us who work in the ConnectCenter are in a position where we can, uh , empathize where we have worked in the field for a long time, we’ve, uh , built up a knowledge base of the services that are out there, or just the, you know, simple techniques in life that make life possible after blindness. So, um, you know, it’s, it’s very common to hear from, uh , quite a bit more people this time of the year, as I mentioned.

Sara Brown: 34:39

And is there anything else you’d like to say about the in R line or its services it provides or just how to handle aging loved ones when you see them this holiday season?

Alan Lovell: 34:50

Well, yes, if you, uh, experience a loved one who is clearly struggling in life, uh, because of a visual deficit or blindness, um, it is not the end of the world. It is traumatic. There’s no question. It is far more traumatic for a person who has been able to see their whole life and lose sight at a midpoint, uh , than someone, let’s say, who was born blind. It’s a much different experience, but it is not the end of the world. It’s just a matter of learning to adapt. There is technology and, um, resources available that there’s , there’s more available now than there ever has been. And those of us who are low vision or blind, uh , we’re still fully thriving, contributing members of society. So we would invite you to call our information and referral services, uh , our hotline, the phone number is (800) 232-5463, but we’re just one part of the APH ConnectCenter. You can go to APH ConnectCenter .org , uh , and find our, our web platforms where we curate information on, um, topics specific to adults and seniors or families with children who are low vision and blind or, uh , job and career seekers. There’s all sorts of information out there. I mean, if you put in any search, uh , term on our website, you are likely to yield articles that speak to exactly the , the situation that you need information on. Um , but if you call our phone number, we’re here Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM Eastern, and you know, we’ve been there. We’ve, we’ve worked in the field a long time, and if we don’t have an answer for your unique situation, um , by golly, we will find one. That’s our job. We’ll search outside of the, um, information we’ve already got and reach out to the , the folks that we work with and know well. Um , it’s amazing what networking, um, yields, you know, so much information. Uh, you know, a lot of times I’ve been surprised that I was actually able to find a resource, uh, in a particularly , you know, a very unique type situation or, uh , individuals who work in a field, uh , blind individuals who are working in a field that nobody ever thought they would be. Um, we never rule anything or anyone out, um , when it comes to unique resources.

Sara Brown: 37:51

Okay. Alan , thank you so much for joining me today on Change Makers .

Alan Lovell: 37:56

Thank you for having me, and happy holidays to everyone. I know we’re about to it . Hank Thanksgiving this weekend.

Sara Brown: 38:04

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Change Makers . I’ve put links to the APH ConnectCenter, VisionAware, the I&R hotline, as well as FamilyConnect in the show notes. As always, be sure to look for ways you can be a change maker this week.

Jack Fox: 0:00

Welcome to Change Makers , a podcast from APH. We’re talking to people from around the world who are creating positive change in the lives of people who are blind or have low vision. Here’s your host.

Sara Brown: 0:16

Hello and welcome to Change Makers . I’m APH’s Public Relations Manager, Sara Brown. And today we’re talking about all things books. That means coloring books, Braille Tales, APH press, and the process of braille textbooks . We’ll also gonna talk to APH partner PlayAbility Toys, and we’ll hear their history, larn more about the partnership with APH and hear about some of their best selling toys up. First we have APH’s Tactile Literacy Product Manager, Karen Poppe. Hello, Karen, and welcome to Change Makers .

Karen Poppe: 0:50

Hi, Sara.

Sara Brown: 0:50

Can you talk to us about some of the benefits of coloring for students and adults who are blind or low vision ?

Karen Poppe: 0:58

Um, coloring is always a fun topic to talk about, and as one might expect. The benefits of coloring activities are many, and this probably won’t be a complete list, but some of the obvious benefits to coloring are the following. So, coloring activities allow self-expression and creativity, and as we are all aware, there’s not a right or wrong way to color. It’s perfectly okay to color outside the lines as we’ve always heard. . Um , additionally, a child’s fine motor and hand skills are strengthened and developed during coloring activities. And so, for example, coloring requires the child to say, firmly grasp a small crayon or marker and hold the coloring page stationary as they color. Um, sensory efficiency skills such as discriminating between various textures are enhanced during coloring activities. And coloring is obviously a very inclusive activity and invites social interaction and engagement with site peers and family, family members. Uh, coloring also provides immediate visual and tactile feedback. So, so essentially the results of one’s own design are instantly available and can be enjoyed immediately. Coloring activity , support, choice making , and independent thinking and in turn builds self confidence . And lastly, coloring is an activity that we enjoy regardless of age or visual acuity. And for example, my, my mom who’s 85 years old, she still loves to color, so we’re never too old to enjoy that, enjoy coloring.

Sara Brown: 2:35

What’s an example of an APH product that can be used for coloring activities?

Karen Poppe: 2:41

Um, APH offers , um, it’s titled Color-by-Texture Marking Mats, and we’ve had it available for several years now, and obviously you can search and learn more about it on our website. Um, the kit includes an assortment of textured mats and it encourages students to , um, I guess the operative word here is independently select texture embellishments for their own personal artwork and coloring pages. So the primary goal of this product is to invite technical learners to be active participants in art activities and to, to allow them and empower them with , um, making choices based on their own personal preference of texture and or color. So as a field evaluator, the , uh, kit clarified years ago , uh, they said students are giving greater control over their coloring by allowing them to pick a texture. So the kit is especially ideal for promoting shared art experiences within a variety of instructional settings with sighted peers, whether that’s in a classroom or at a home setting.

Sara Brown: 3:49

Now, there’s the Color-by-Texture Marking Mats. What are those components and how do they make coloring tasks more accessible and fun ?

Karen Poppe: 4:00

Oh , good question. Um, okay , so the primary component of the kit, which if you see that on our website, is a very , um, interesting, cool assortment of eight blue translucent, and they’re very rigid, durable vinyl mats. With very interesting textures, including, I believe there’s a rough coarse texture, a wavy pattern , um, a bold, bumpy texture, a mat with diagonal stripes. There’s a small bumpy pattern, a zigzag design and a crosshatch pattern, so a pretty eclectic assortment there. Um, the design of one of the eight mats was directly inspired by field evaluators who required , uh, or requested a single mat that we call fun shapes. And it includes , um, raised shapes such as , um, a star , a sun , a smiley face that can be transferred to a coloring page by rubbing on top of it and making more of an embossed relief on the coloring page . The kit also comes with a non-skid tray that provides a stable working platform during coloring and keeps the textured mat securely positioned under and aligned with the coloring page of the student is coloring. So this tray has a black border or a frame to assist students with low vision and field evaluators of the kit indicated that the tray was especially helpful for students with limited fine motor control. Other kit accessories include a set of raised line tactile coloring pages, a box of crayons with braille labels and instruction booklet, both in print and braille versions, and a convenient storage and carrying box. So an extra bonus to those texture mark mats is that they provide auditory feedback when the child rubs the crayon across the textured surface of the mat. And this auditory feedback is very motivating for some students during these coloring , coloring activities.

Sara Brown: 5:58

What types of coloring pages are provided and can those coloring pages be purchased separately from the kit?

Karen Poppe: 6:05

There’s quite a few coloring pages. There’s a package of 25 coloring pages, and they all incorporate , um, pretty large blank areas or vacant areas that capture a rub texture or pattern. And the raised lines of each coloring page are both tactile and visual, so you, you can feel it. And, and then there’s usually a black outline that complements the tactile part . So the types of coloring pages the service mattering and includes , um, simple raise line images of commonplace objects or animals such as an apple balloons, a butterfly fish, there’s an ice cream cone, and a pumpkin, and a teddy bear, and different types of trees and , and much more. Um, the child can essentially , uh, for use purposes place one of the coloring pages on top of the selected texture mat . They might choose on their own and color with a crayon to transfer a desired texture, whether that’s bumpy zag wavy to the coloring page. Now, some students even like to add a label or a short sentence or even a story they can build to their coloring pages using a braille writer . If additional coloring pages are needed, the replacement package of the 25 coloring page or starter kit can be purchased separately, and they too are available with federal quota of funds.

Sara Brown: 7:27

Does the Color-by-Texture Marking Mats, do those come with crayons?

Karen Poppe: 7:32

Yeah , we were very selective in the type we included, and it does include a box of triangular shaped crayon, Crayola brand crayons so that there’s a flat area for applying. We include clear adhesive backed braille color name labels, and those are provided and can be applied directly to the flat side of the crayon. So we also include a print cheat sheet , um, for those who may not be a avail , uh, familiar with braille so they know which label to put on which crayon. And I just want to encourage you to please experiment with the use of other types of crayons. I know I tend to, I’ve encountered , uh, these twistable crayola crayons that I like a lot because they’re less prone to breakage and it may be e easier for some students to actually hold. So those are commercially available and easily acquired at art stores or , um, drug stores and so forth that you might have in your area.

Sara Brown: 8:26

And what are some of the coloring techniques used with these mats?

Karen Poppe: 8:31

Um, well just keep in mind, you don’t have to only use the textured mats in combination with provided coloring pages. Uh , certainly feel free to experiment with different types of paper for open-ended coloring activities. Uh , keep in mind too that there’s not a right or wrong side of the textured coloring mat. Um, try using both sides of a textured mat , and what you’ll find is it will generate different embossed effects, such as a large bumpy pattern versus a recessed honeycomb pattern that is accommodated by just a single textured mat . Um, you might also experiment with different rubbing techniques. For example, vigorously rub or rake a crown or the texture or glide or press the crayon within the grooves of the wavy or diagonal stripe texture, or just merely trace around the individual bumps of a given mat to have that transfer and become embossed on the coloring page.

Sara Brown: 9:25

Now, this is really important. Talk about why textures captured in the coloring mats are so important for tactile .

Karen Poppe: 9:35

Yeah, and it’s probably not real obvious, but it is very important that tactile readers have lots of exposure to a lot of different types of textures and become familiar with the terminology and vocabulary related to these textures. So many of the texture plates included in Color-by-Texture Marking Mats mimic similar textures encountered, encountered in many displays. So textures are frequently used in obviously tactile maps, grAPH’s, and many tactile diagrams because the texture marking maps provided upon context for early acquisition of important tactile discrimination skills. Specific goals of expanded core curriculum or BCC are supported, including recreation and leisure, sensory efficiency and social interaction.

Sara Brown: 10:25

Can the coloring mats be used for other art activities and applications?

Karen Poppe: 10:31

Oh , almost, Yeah. This , this is important to know because there’s , they’re very versatile and most definitely you can use it for other purposes. So, for example, consider using texture coloring mats to create tactile greeting cards, book covers, personal stationary or other things you might think of. Um, adapt commercial coloring books or pages by tracing important lines of a graphic with puff paint or glue. And once dry, the raised lines provided a discernible boundary for coloring using the textured mats. Another fun use is to place heavy gauge foil. Um, and we do include , um, we , we sell heavy gauge foil at aph, and it’s also included with a tactical graphics kit. So you want to , um, place that foil on top of a selected textured mat and rub the toil later with just your finger or crayon to transfer that texture to the foil. Of course, consider using the texture plate in combination with other coloring pages provided by aph , as we include in , um, the lots of dots coloring series or the building on patterns, coloring pages. And another fun option is to press modeling clay or Playdoh onto the textured mats or transfer the textures to clay sculptures that they might be , um, designing in art , art classes.

Sara Brown: 11:49

How can teachers and parents create their own coloring pages for their students and children?

Karen Poppe: 11:55

Oh, and I’m sure a lot of people already do, but , um, just for some additional ideas , um, consider downloading , um, some free coloring pages from APH’s Tactical Graphic Image Library. We call it , um, by the acronym TGIL. And many , uh, of those coloring pages are duplicates are both files. The coloring pages pages are duplicates of ones we’ve already included in Color-by-Texture Marking Mats Kit. And if you have access to a brown bosser, for example, you can emboss some of the coloring pages featured on that TGIL. Another idea is to possibly trace the black lines of any commercial coloring page with a serrated spur wheel , or probably more familiar to you as a sewing wheel , um, in combination with a rubber drawing pad to provide some tactile boundaries for coloring. And remember, you’ll, you’ll need to tool the coloring page from the reverse side of the sheet if you’re using this method. And remember too, that you can create a tactile border with inexpensive glue or puff paint for that matter.

Sara Brown: 12:55

Are there any other products that you would like to mention that accommodate coloring activities?

Karen Poppe: 13:01

Okay , this , I’m probably not going to list all of them , but a few things you might consider. APH now offers another Color-by-Texture Coloring Packet with circus themed raise line coloring pages , um, an upcoming podcasts, um , you’re likely to hear more about , um, some products like Lots of Dots Coloring Series and the Paint Pot Palette kits. So maybe stay tuned to some of those , um, offerings and descriptions. Also, consider using APH’s other drawing materials such as Quick Draw Paper, which is pretty much like a , a compressed sponge paper that can be used with water based markers to facilitate a variety of coloring tasks. So if the child draws on that a paper, whatever they draw will raise instantly, which is kind of cool. And APH’s TactileDoodle is also very easy for children to use to draw pictures of all kinds on tactile drilling film. And you can actually color the drawing film with crayons. So keep that in mind and experiment with placing one of the texture mats under the film. While coloring the drawing. Film can be sort of like a canvas for the teacher or student to create their own coloring sheets. Really, you know, in summary, really the options are just limited by one’s creativity and in short, you know, just be creative and have fun coloring no matter what your age. Thanks, Sara.

Sara Brown: 14:22

Is there anything else you’d like to say about coloring activities for children?

Karen Poppe: 14:26

Um , just if anybody has any questions related to the information shared, certainly reach out to me. Um , my email address is Kpoppe@aph .org .

Sara Brown: 14:40

Okay, Karen, thank you so much for joining me today on Change Makers .

Karen Poppe: 14:43

Thanks, Sara.

Sara Brown: 14:46

Now we’re learning about Braille Tales, a really cool program that encourages literacy for everybody. We have APH’s Prison Braille Coordinator and Braille Tales Administrator, Christine Genovely here to talk a bit more about this really cool program. Hello Christine, and welcome to Change Makers .

Christine Genovely: 15:04

Thanks for having me.

Sara Brown: 15:06

Can you remind listeners about the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and what it provides?

Christine Genovely: 15:14

Yes. So the Dolly Parton Imagination Library is actually , um, a program run out of Tennessee that provides , um, free books to children all over the country from ages zero to six. Um, and then where we come in is that we have , um, a partnership with them to make those books more accessible to people that are blind or visually impaired. Um, so we have taken the books that Dolly Parton puts out. We put clear braille labels over the pages , um, so they are now accessible to both blind and sighted readers. And then we send those out to two families every other month , um, until the child turns six years old.

Sara Brown: 16:08

And Braille Tales is part of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Describe the books a person will receive. It’s really inclusive. And are there any new books to the lineup ?

Christine Genovely: 16:20

Yes. Um, so the books that , uh, are sent out through the Braille Tales programs are mass marketed children’s books. They’re current releases , um, new books that you could find anywhere at any, any bookstore. Um, they are taken in their printed state. Um, and then we will manually apply clear braille labels over each page so that the book is accessible for both , uh, blind and cited readers. So they are print/braille books. Um, and we do that in an attempt to be as inclusive as possible , um, as we do get a lot of people in the program who are, for example, they’re , uh, the parent is cited , but the child is blind, So , uh, that’s our, our most common dynamic. And the child can learn their alphabet , um, feeling the braille on each page, but the parent is still able to read along. But we also get quite a few participants in the program that have the opposite dynamic. It’s it’s parents who are blind or visually impaired, and children who are cited . And we want them to be able to have the exact same , um, experience reading these books with their children so the parents are able to read and then the children can follow along , um, on the, on the print print side of the book. So we, we include both still to make sure that we can reach as many types of families as possible.

Sara Brown: 18:03

And talk to us about how often the books change and when there’ll be some new ones coming out?

Christine Genovely: 18:10

Yes , so we , um, we, we order our books for the coming year. So we order them basically an entire fiscal year at a time. Um, we haven’t picked out next year’s, next fiscal year’s books yet, Excuse me. Um , tripping over those words. Um , but that’ll be coming up in the next couple months , um, where we will get those chosen. The rest of the books for this year are pudgy, whereas Your Nose, “The Little Engine that Could” and “Play with Clay.” We have three more books , um, in this fiscal year being sent out. Um, but like I said, we, we haven’t chosen for next year yet.

Sara Brown: 18:57

Books and Talking books are a part of the DPIL. Correct? Can you talk about the talking books and how they’re a part of this Braille Tales and the Dolly Parton Imagination Library ?

Christine Genovely: 19:12

Um, so the audio books actually , um, are produced in higher numbers than the , um, the physical Braille Tales books. Uh , so as I’ve mentioned previously, the Braille Tales books go out , um, every other month. So they get six books a year to each family. Um, but the audio books , they will actually record , um, either older titles or titles from other publishings. So there are other stories on , um, or available through the Audio Books program. It’s not inclusive of only the Braille Tales books.

Sara Brown: 19:51

And how can someone sign up to receive Braille Tales for their child?

Christine Genovely: 19:56

Yes, we would love to have you. That’s first and foremost. Um, what you need to do is go to our website, and that is aph.org/ braille hyphen tales. Um, on that webpage, one of the first things you’ll see is apply for , um, this program. Go ahead and fill out that application online, and we will get you submitted and approved and into the program. And then you’ll receive a book , um, you know, at the next mailing, depending on , um, when you apply. It’ll just come whenever the next mailing goes out, but it’s, it’s a very easy application. Shouldn’t take more than a couple minutes, and we’d love to get you in the program.

Sara Brown: 20:43

And is there anything else you would like to say about Braille Tales or the Dolly Parton Imagination Library?

Christine Genovely: 20:50

Well, we are , um, hoping to actually expand a little bit more into bilingual books. That’s kind of an exciting , um, uh, new thing happening. We want to be able to include a little bit more , uh, diversity there. So English and Spanish is, is gonna be our most likely , um, offering. Um, and it’ll, it will be based on, you know, the books that we can acquire since we’re still having supply chain issues. But we are hoping to add , um, a little more diversity and be a little more inclusive in that , um, department as well.

Sara Brown: 21:32

All right . Thank you so much, Christine, for joining us today on Change Makers .

Christine Genovely: 21:36

No problem. Thanks for having me.

Sara Brown: 21:44

Now we’re gonna learn more about the Talking Book Studio. We have APH’s Studio Director, Maggie Davis, here to talk about its history, notable voices, and the Described and Caption Media Program. Hello Maggie, and welcome to Change Makers . Can you talk about the Talking Book Studio and its history? It’s very, it’s very, very rich.

Maggie Davis: 22:06

Yes, it is. Um, I’ve only been around here for about eight years and , uh, the studio goes back much further , um, to the 1930s. Um, shortly after , um, the National Library Service established its , um, Talking Book Program. Um, the APH Studio has been producing audiobooks for the National Library since then. Um, through all of the changes in technology. Um, we started off , uh, recording on records , um, and switched to cassettes , um, a couple of decades in, and then we went fully digital in 2012. Um, we record all kinds of books, nonfiction, fiction , um, for the National Library Service. Um, and these are provided then free of charge to , um, those who aren’t able to , uh, access print books . So, you know, blind, visually impaired , uh, but also , um, certain physical handicaps. Uh , if you can’t hold a book , um, you know, all kinds of disabilities, it’s the main point is to make books accessible and audio is the best way to do that. Um, so we’ve been producing those , uh, since the 30s, and it’s a very rich history, as you said.

Sara Brown: 23:36

And what does the Talking Book Studio do?

Maggie Davis: 23:40

Um, well, we receive our , uh, book assignments from the National Library Service, and we cast them appropriately. We have a cast of about 15 , um, voice talent , uh, variety of people from here in Louisville. Um, a few , um, news personalities , Um, some of our local Shakespearean actors , um, and all of our voice actors have been doing this for years and years and are incredibly talented. Um, I have some people who’ve been here 40 plus years , um, uh, recording books and , uh, they clearly love what they do, and they really, it’s, it’s an honor to work with such talented people. Um, so we receive those books from the National Library and these narrators , uh, record them. We then take them and edit them to create the audio books , and then they are made accessible through that , um, service from the National Library. Um, it’s pretty straightforward, . That’s, that’s , that’s the gist of it. Um , Oh, go ahead. We also , um, just recently began , um, branching out from just doing the talking books for the National Library. Um, we also now are recording audio description for , uh, the Digital Caption Media Program. This is a , a new venture for us , um, and it’s been a pretty seamless transition. Um, basically they send us videos, they send us scripts, we record them, and we make that , uh, audio accessible for viewers of educational video.

Sara Brown: 25:34

And I just had a question pop into my mind. The narrators super popular, and some are almost at a , almost a cult status. And there’s a few that come to mind when you’re out there listening, and you can hear them in airports and even in the beginning of this podcast. And one notable narrator is Jack Fox. Can you talk about him or just some of the narrators?

Maggie Davis: 25:57

Yes. He, he is a joy to work with , um, and an even bigger joy to listen to. His voice is like melting chocolate. Um, he , uh, in addition to recording books with us, which he’s done for years and years and years, he has also , um, recorded , um, the Moving Sidewalk warning at the Louisville Airport, and I believe you can hear it in airports across the country as well. Um, he had a , a role in , um, Del Toro’s , uh, what is it called, “The Shape of Water” film from a few years back. He is the, like , uh, voice of the facility, I think. Um, yeah, he, he is a man of many talents and his voice can be heard all over the place.

Sara Brown: 26:45

Are talking books still being produced?

Maggie Davis: 26:49

Yes, they are . Um, we produce about two to 300 titles a year , uh, just here at APH. And I know there are a handful of other studios producing those talking books throughout the country as well.

Sara Brown: 27:03

How can someone get a talking book?

Maggie Davis: 27:06

Um, so these are all recorded for the National Library Service, so if you need to access them , um, you go through them. Um, I think you can sign up online even. It’s pretty straightforward. Um, a lot of people qualify , um, for this free service , um, I believe you need to just be like verified by either a health professional , um, maybe even a librarian. And then you have full access to this huge library of material.

Sara Brown: 27:39

Now there’s the Described and Captioned media program. Can you talk about APH’s participation in that program?

Maggie Davis: 27:48

Sure. Um, I briefly mentioned them a little bit earlier, but , um, this is a new venture for us. Um, it , it is a great service. They are producing educational videos with , uh, audio description, making it accessible for those who can’t see what’s going on in the video. Um, so it’s describing , um, like the logo that pops up, it’s describing the action that’s going on that you wouldn’t be able to be able to just hear. Um, they take the videos, they have script writers , and then they send that script to us. We produce the audio for them. Um, and it, you know, it’s already nicely edited because our , uh, technicians are in the studio with our narrators. Um, so that nice clean audio is then sent off and edited into the videos, and that education material is made available in an accessible format.

Sara Brown: 28:46

Is there anything else you would like to say about the Talking Book Studio or the Described and Captioned Media Program?

Maggie Davis: 28:54

Um, just that it is a true honor , um, to be involved in the Talking Book Studio. It has such a rich history , um, which I’ve, I’ve only, you know, been around for a fraction of , um, on the hardest days when you’re just recording a very dull book or maybe juggling a whole lot of dull meetings or anything like that. Uh, the big takeaway is that we are making accessibility possible. We are taking this material and producing it so that those who can’t access it can. Um, the main point of the studio, I think now we’re branching out from just doing talking books, is that audio is a huge avenue for accessibility. Um, if you are, you know, newly diagnosed with , um, vision loss or a visual impairment , um, audio is already there, already accessible. I mean, obviously braille has a huge value. Um , but for those who maybe come to visual impairment later in life, audio is, is there and it’s, you can access it. It’s not something you have to learn. Um, so it is a great opportunity to make many, many things accessible , um, beyond just talking books beyond these educational videos. Um, it’s, you know, menus at restaurants , um, uh, instructional pamphlets, that sort of thing can all be made accessible through audio as well. Um, so it’s, yeah, it’s a , it’s a huge honor to be involved in something that is so universally accessible and that the mission, you know, is, is , is really just to make all of this information, all of this material available to everyone.

Sara Brown: 30:56

Thank you so much, Maggie, for joining us today on Change Makers .

Maggie Davis: 31:00

Thank you for having me.

Sara Brown: 31:02

Up next is APH’s Press Director Heather Spence. She’s here to talk about APH Press overall, what books are in the works, and who can access those books. Hello, Heather and welcome to Change Makers .

Heather Spence: 31:15

Hi, Sara, Thanks for having me.

Sara Brown: 31:18

So, talk to us about APH Press. What type of books are published?

Heather Spence: 31:25

Sure. Um, a APH Press publishes educational content , um, including textbooks for teacher preparation programs in the field of blindness and low vision. And, you know, we really try to support teachers, families, and other professionals in the field. Um, so we are a scholarly press, and our mission is similar to APH’s overall mission, and that is to empower people who are blind or low vision by publishing informative, well-researched and innovative texts , which allow people of all abilities to maximize their potential in society. So the audience of our books , um, includes people who are blind or low vision their families, and then the professionals who support them. So for the most part, our authors are practitioners , um, people who have , who have years of direct experience , um, working with clients or students or educating future professionals at colleges and universities. Um, so we are the leading publisher in the field of blindness and low vision. So we, we publish top educational materials on topics ranging from anywhere from books on CVI and Orientation and Mobility, to aging and access technology. So we really have a little bit of everything. Um, the press is really widely known or widely recognized as the publisher of the Award-Winning Foundation series , which is the leading university textbooks , um, on blindness and low vision used by special education and vision rehabilitation programs in the United States and abroad.

Sara Brown: 33:12

And what books have been published this year?

Heather Spence: 33:16

So this year we published the second edition of “Guidelines and Games for Teaching Efficient Braille Reading.” So this is a fun smaller book that offers unique ideas for adapting a general reading program , um, to the needs of braille readers. So , um, Sally Mangold was one of the original authors of the original book. Um, so the book does emphasize the Mangold reading program, and it was updated to reflect advances in technology , um, that have made braille more accessible in a digital format. So things such as refreshable, braille devices, digital note takers, and translation software. So the authors have also incorporated new re research on teaching braille literacy as well as current best practices for teachers. So the activities and games in this book , um, are designed to enhance the traditional teaching of braille. Um, so, you know, really working on reading skills from preschool level through grade three. And if you’re familiar with the original book , um, chapter six was a full of all kinds of games and activities, and we did keep those. Um, all of the original games that were from the first book are still in the book, but we have added some new ones. Um, so, and the exciting thing about this book is it is available for purchase with federal quota funds. So this is the first APH Press book that’s available on quota. So that was really exciting.

Sara Brown: 34:54

And what books are in the works for next year? Can you give a , a tease or a brief description?

Heather Spence: 34:59

Sure. We have two books , um, planned to be released in 2023, and the first one will be the fourth edition of , um, Foundations of Orientation and Mobility. And, you know, this is the classic reference in textbooks for O&M professionals and students in O&M programs. Um, so it’s a a two volume text , um, and it contains contributions from over 50 of the leading scholars, teachers, and practitioners in the field. Um, so this new addition is gonna address topics such as teaching methodologies, sensory motor functioning , um, working with both children and adults, and then navigating complex intersections. Um, also with this new addition , there’s gonna be an emphasis on the many new technologies and apps that are available to children and adults , um, who are blind or low vision to help them just navigate their world. And then the other , um, book that we’re working on is, it’s a brand new guide for itinerate teachers. Um , so this will be a smaller book, not as comprehensive as itinerate teaching Tick Tricks of the Trade. Um, so an “Itinerate Teacher’s Guide to an Effective and Efficient School Year” will be a guidebook geared more towards beginning itinerate teachers, and it’s based on the author’s years of experience refining her systems and practices for efficient and effective teaching. So in the book, the book will establish guiding principles and cover topics such as organization, the expanded core curriculum, and then also working with students with multiple disabilities. So we’re excited for both of these books to be out next year.

Sara Brown: 36:54

Can anyone access APH Press books or is it just for specific individuals?

Heather Spence: 37:01

Anyone can access them.

Sara Brown: 37:03

And my last question, is there anything else about APH Press you want to share?

Heather Spence: 37:09

Sure. Um, I would just like to say that we’re always looking for ideas for new books or recommendations from the field on existing books that might need to be updated. Um, so I encourage anyone to reach out to us at press@aph.org, and that is press@aph .org to share your ideas. Um, and we’re also , um, trying to recruit new peer reviewers. So if you’re interested in being a peer reviewer for any of our books , um, just email me and let me know, you know, what your experience is and your area of expertise. We would be happy to add you to our list of peer reviewers.

Sara Brown: 37:53

Thank you so much for joining me today on Changemakers Heather.

Heather Spence: 37:58

Um , thanks so much for having me, Sara.

Michael Haynes: 38:02

Up next, we’re talking to APH’s Accessible Texts and Textbooks Manager Michael Haynes . Hello Michael, and welcome to Change Makers . Thanks so much. Glad to be here with you.

Sara Brown: 38:16

So talk about the process to make a textbook accessible?

Michael Haynes: 38:22

Sure. Well, our department , uh, I can say we make textbooks , textbooks accessible in basically three different ways, large print braille and digital and efiles for braille. Uh , you know , we’re basically taking prepared book edit files based on the original book, whatever they’re requesting. We send it to an outsource. Uh , oftentimes we use publisher provided files through the NIMAC, which are called NIS files. These are good clean files that we use . Uh , we send that to transcribers. They’ll carefully prepare, proofread the braille text using the appropriate codes , uh, UAV or NEMIS music code, you know, and in case for music books , um, alongside, they’ll also prepare the necessary tactical graphics. Uh , some can be collage still , which is more of a graphic process, but a lot of them are done electronically Now. Um , the finished files, graphics and braille, they’re returned to APH, qc, by our in-house editors and graphic designers. And they’re set to production for embossing and graphic production finding , and then they’re shipped. We try to get the first set of three volumes out to production within about 30 days , uh, which is pretty impressive concern that a , uh, full, a large braille book could take upwards of 18 months to produce, you know, larger, you know , pre-calculus or large math or science books. Uh , 60 volume books are not unheard of for a hard copy large print. We sent similar edit files from, based on the original book to our outsource for a first proof . They apply styles and formatting , uh, using low vision readability guidelines when they return to us here in our department at APH QC in-house by editors, and then sets production for printing and binding. And we, again, we also offer electronic versions of both braille and large print. We offer fully formatted braille files as a ebrf at the small cost $25 downloadable through the Louis catalog, which can then be embossed by the user on their end. They can also get basically non formatted braille for free , uh, requested from us through the NIMAC. We just take it, we convert it into a quick braille file and they can request it and use it on their end as well. And finally, large print e-files. Uh , we use the same files that we create for the print version of the book, and enhancements are added that can be used by screen reader to access the info. Those are currently available is PDFs , uh, helping to move into pubs also in the near future. So quite a few, you know , an array of possibilities.

Sara Brown: 41:05

Wow. They sure are. So talk about some of the books that you are making accessible. Is it just strictly textbooks or is it all types of books?

Michael Haynes: 41:16

Okay . Basically the only books that our department , uh, Accessible Tests and Textbooks is permitted to produce an accessible format are , um, core curriculum materials for students grades and grades K through 12 . So that would be textbooks, which would also include workbooks and consumables and like, and also trade books and paperbacks, you know, novels, you know , used in a , a , you know , literary setting and classroom. A few digital textbooks. We’ve done a few that were customized, you know, sent over online, you know , as electronic versions. Uh , we do not accept , uh, teachers additions and , um, college level materials are accepted, provided that a high school student is using them , you know , like for an AP course. But we do not take on things like just your standard magazines and, and newspapers or things like that .

Sara Brown: 42:08

Okay . And about how many textbooks do , do you do a year?

Michael Haynes: 42:13

Well , uh, in a given year, it’s , it’s kinda unpredictable how many we might end up receiving. Um , it’s influenced by many factors, you know, adoption years and budgets and new books series coming online and whatnot . Um, just as an example, the last five years for our large print, we’ve averaged about 138 new title requests per year. Uh , but say last year, for example, alone , 2022 , we had 2 25 new title requests. So you can see that the , the variance from one year to another can be quite big, but the average is , is kind of consistent. Uh , incidentally for braille last five years, we averaged about 136 new requests per year, which I didn’t even realize was as close to the , the large print count , uh, on average. But this year specifically , we had 101 . So, you know, there’s some definitely peaks and valleys, but let’s say just, you know , between a hundred , 150 is a good ballpark .

Sara Brown: 43:15

And , uh, recently at the Annual Meeting , uh, APH President, Dr . Craig Meador shared some really cool stats about the Accessible Texts and Textbooks. And it said you all had, what, 101 new braille textbooks with a total of braille pages. What is that 1,036,235 ? Can you talk about that? Just those numbers and those figures?

Michael Haynes: 43:42

Sure, I’ll do the best I can. Uh , sometimes even they’re not , uh, totally clear to us, you know, without seeing ’em in , uh, all the context . But I could tell you that , uh, excuse me . Uh , yes, the 101, So like I just mentioned, that’s the total of new requests that we got in for that particular year , uh, versus 58 in the previous year . So that’s pretty straightforward. Now it says total braille pages, it’s over a million , uh, just like under total large type pages, that’s also over a million. Um , that doesn’t include just the , um, new pages that we , uh, transcribed or that we converted in large print. Those also, as I understand it, they include reprints and multiple copies of, say, new titles that we’ve got. So that’s more of an all inclusive number, those total pages that you see.

Sara Brown: 44:42

Okay, well that’s still really, that’s, I mean, what 101 new braille textbooks compared to 58 last year. That’s, that’s a huge increase. So that’s awesome to hear. Now, to do all of that, I, I’m gonna expect you have a pretty big team. How many people are on the team for accessible textbooks?

Michael Haynes: 45:01

All right , Well , uh, besides myself and Jane , our director and Terri , uh, Brutscher our administrative assistant, we have one coordinator each for our braille and large print processes who , uh, kinda oversee the daily , um, underpinnings of those processes. And then we have two in-house braille editors and one contracted on the outside to do QC work. Uh , three typographics editors that work in house . And we have an additional editor who QCs the work of invoicing and taking care of volumes, page counts, make sure those tally up correctly. Uh , with large print, we simply have one in-house editor , uh, providing most of QC work. Uh , a couple of us, including the coordinator , uh, for large print will also help out as needed. Uh , of course, that said, we cannot go on without mentioning our large amount of help on the outside. We have a large team of, we have a team of what, four , four large print editors proofing textbooks at , uh, KCIW, Kentucky Correctional Institute for Women. Uh , we also utilize a number of correctional facilities , uh, I think seven over the last year. We hope to increase that again, this current year for transcription of braille and graphics creation. In addition to many other individual transcriber contractors that we hire , um, you know, in house ideally we provide primarily the QC work for all the process. We let most of the large print conversion and braille trans, we let that happen on the , the outside with our outsources as much as possible. But all in all , in house we’ve got about , uh, about 13 our inhouse team .

Sara Brown: 46:50

And one last question that I always like to ask, is there anything else you wanna share about accessible textbooks?

Michael Haynes: 46:59

Yeah , I’d just like to say we produce some of the highest quality accessible textbooks available across, you know , all the formats that I mentioned in the beginning , uh, really as I understand it , even lower cost and through many other providers making similar type , uh, articles for students. You know , um, all of our editors are certified in braille and or accessibility competencies, so that definitely gives us a leg up. Um , you know , with the new Louis site in place, it’s really easy than ever to order our books quickly and easily, You know , especially books we’ve already produced , um, at your cart, done, you can get it shipped as quickly as you want. Uh , you know, file downloads are , uh, uh, more readily available, easier to download as I understand. Uh , of course, the file download means instant access . You don’t have to wait for the hard copy to be print and or in embossed and bound and , you know, you get it in , you know, really short amount of time. And , uh, Jane Thompson , who started this department over 22 years ago , uh, you know , the goal was , uh, used to be called accessible textbook , uh, or textbook initiative and collaboration. And again, it was to develop something that was superior to the textbooks and how they were up to that time . And it has been extremely successful. We see nothing but improvements over time , you know , applications that we use , software, the materials used to create, to make the books in the back, you know, production tools , uh, production lead time is improved , Uh, you know , nice in part to some , you know, savvy on the production department. But , uh, of course we also have one of our graphics editors here in our department that matche , or that matches the Graphic Information Library Database. Uh, so yeah , that’s an enormously popular resource. So we just , uh, we keep moving forward, you know, we’ve had to adapt times, you know, and , you know, with the , uh, the on slot of, you know, the digital era and, you know, we’re trying to make the do best we can, you know, between trying to juggle between, you know , stuff that’s hard media and embossed and print versus digital. It’s not the easiest thing to mesh and to make everything accessible, you know, it’s just all the more challenging. But we think we’re , uh, we , we still think , still think we’re in a good spot, you know, they’re ups and downs, but we’re , uh, we’re moving forward.

Sara Brown: 49:35

All right , Michael, thank you so much for joining me today on Change Makers .

Michael Haynes: 49:38

Absolutely.

Sara Brown: 49:43

Now we’re talking to product developer for PlayAbility Toys/Nurture Smart Products. Joyce Lopez. Hello Joyce, and welcome to Change Makers .

Joyce Lopez: 49:52

Thank you very much. It’s my pleasure to be here.

Sara Brown: 49:55

Can you talk about PlayAbility Toys and what the company is?

Joyce Lopez: 50:01

Okay. PlayAbility Toys is a company that specializes in toys for kids with special needs. It didn’t start off that way, but um, when I joined the company way back in 2003 , um, these two men came to the toy company where I was working and pitched an idea, two ideas, which were not mainstream enough for the company I worked for, but soon after I joined them because one of the items was this interesting fabric ball with six ribs on it. And it was extremely lightweight. I think we were putting a balloon in it. And, but phrase , one of the men, one of the two men actually created the ball for a child that was born without eyes. And this woman contacted him and requested a ball that would not roll away from her child that would make noise so he could track it, and was extremely lightweight and had absolutely no batteries or electrical anything. And this was really an amazing ingenious ball that he created and came up with. And soon after, I ended up joining these two men and we went from just a couple of ideas that they had to a company , and Bud and I had connections with the special needs world. I was, my mom was d and he used to cycle for the blind . And within months, I would say the toys that we talked about were all for kids with special needs. And that’s how that came about. In fact, the first time we went to toys there , I had to request in their catalog that they add a new category that was Toys for Kids. It was special needs. There wasn’t a category. We were the first company to be listed under that category. So I can tell you more about that first Toy Fair Cheat Lifter , but that’s how the company got started.

Sara Brown: 52:27

And talk about that first Toy Fair .

Joyce Lopez: 52:30

We had contacted, by the way the ball Bud Fraze had taken this ball. He was invited to the Helen Keller Institute in New York, and he entered a room with, you know, a bunch of kids in there and he threw the ball and the kids were able to track this ball simply because it had wrinkle material in the ribs. And that was enough for them to track it, ball it , and keep rolling away from them . And that’s when we knew there was something really special about this ball . We contacted APH and my contact was Tristan. And the first time we went to toys , we didn’t have a lot of items, but we did have some really cool toys for kids with special needs. And there was a speaker and they were talking specifically, I’m not sure if it was Tristan or it could have been someone else about our company. And here’s this little tiny company amongst these huge companies with these, you know, elaborate display of toys. And we had these quirky toys that really people wouldn’t understand unless they knew about them . After one of the, after that conference or um, after the conference where someone showed our ball and a couple of other items, our booth was flooded. I’m telling you, it was flooded with people and we did so well with just a few items. It was so funny. But we knew there was something special about this company at Toy . Mm-hmm.

Sara Brown: 54:11

PlayAbility Toys has always had a focus on special needs toys. Can you talk a little bit more about that?

Joyce Lopez: 54:20

Yes. We knew that with just a , it was mainly Bud and I developing these toys, and we knew we , we weren’t gonna be able to compete with the mass market with , um, standard mainstream toys. And that’s when we started focusing just on special needs. I came out with a game called See It and Sign it , teaching Kids Sign Language. And we were, Bud and I were invited to the Marvin, I believe it is, School for, for Severely Handicapped Children in , um, Nevada . And that was such just a , after we were there, we knew this is all we wanted to do. It’s just come up with toys or items that would help kids with special needs . And after that visit, we came out with such a simple toy called the Buddy Dog. And people would look at this dog and think, Hmm , you know, it’s not like their standard plush toy, but it was a fabric dog with these enormous black and white eyes. It had crinkle material, it had , um, a tail you could pull, you know, get your finger in there and pull and it would vibrate. It had different textures and sensations on this dog. It was, it’s great for a typical child, but for a kid with special needs, it was just so amazing to see them play with this dog. And , um, soon after that, we came out with a few other items, but then I started working a little bit more with Tristan. And um, actually Bud Fraze had moved to Arizona, where I’m in California. So he moved to Arizona and he met a woman who taught Art to the Blind , and she wanted a tray to keep all her paints and paint brushes all in one place. And she wanted braille tiles, so the kids knew what colors they were using. And we came out with the Paint Pot Palette, which is a , a item for American Printing House. And , uh, we have a few more items for APH, but most of them focus on toys for APH or just , um, kids , kids with special needs. And now we’ve moved into a different category, which you can talk about either .

Sara Brown: 57:04

And APH and PlayAbility Toys are partners. So talk about your partnership with APH. It sounds like it began really early.

Joyce Lopez: 57:14

It started early on with the , the ball. And Tristan wanted it to be exclusive to American Printing House in , in their exclusive colors. So we came out with three sizes, a 14 inch, which I believe is the red and yellow , red body of the ball with yellow , um, yellow ribs. And then the next one up is an 18 inch, I believe that one is the blue with the yellow ribs, and then the 30 inch, which is black with yellow ribs. So we created these exclusively for American Printing House. And after that , um, we came up with another item, the one I mentioned, the Paint Pot Palette. And that is also sold exclusively through American Printing House. And it’s a great item because it does, like I said, it has braille tiles that you can switch out. It has little paint pots that you can keep all your paint in. Um, it has a place for all your paint brushes, and it also has , um, grail instructions as well as printed instructions . So that item is fantastic. And then another item that I came up with from a friend of mine who was blind , I used to babysit his , um, his dogs when they went on vacation, but he had mentioned real world , real , real world colors and how blind kids don’t really learn that early on. So I thought about that for actually a couple of years. And then I contacted Tristan and told her about it. And I came up with the , um, the Paint by Number Safari. That’s what we ended up calling it. And our first book, which includes raised artwork line , raised line artwork , and it has fun facts for each animal and included 10 animals, fun facts , and also braille and printed. And we, we ended up doing a series of five bucks . So there’s , uh, let me see here . So we have the rainforest, which was first under the sea, backyard creatures, desert creatures, and endangered speech species is the last one. And you can use the paints from the Paint Pot Palette. You can use crayons , you can use markers. And they’re just amazing books that describe each animal. And we include just fun facts that make it not just a painting , um, activity, but also a learning activity.

Sara Brown: 59:59

And PlayAbility Toys has partnered with APH for many products. Can you talk about some of the best selling products?

Joyce Lopez: 1:00:06

Well, I think that the best selling products, we don’t have a lot with APH, but it’s , um, Paint Pot Palette, the Pant By Number series, and the , um, balls, the Rib-It-Balls. We call ’em the Jacob Balls .

Sara Brown: 1:00:23

And is there anything else you’d like to add?

Joyce Lopez: 1:00:27

In addition to the Toys for Kids with special needs, Martin Fox, who’s the president of the company , um, we have another company called Nurture Smart, and we work closely with Child Life Specialists for , for every item that we create , um, we get their input. What they wanted were toys that were up to hospital standards for NICU rooms and for kids who are, you know , have long hospital stays. And they needed items that were sturdy, easy to remove if there’s an emergency, easy to disinfect. Cause a lot of these mainstream items are , for example, our first item was a grid mobile. A lot of the mobiles in the market just do not meet hospital standards. You can’t clean them. They’ll have some fabric on there , they’re difficult to attach to the crib and remove an emergency. So the crib mobile that the first one we came out with can actually pivot that out of the way from the crib. So if needed, the nurses or doctors can get right to the baby and it’s 100% cleanable. There’s no fabric. It attaches to the crib really easily. It has , um, a mirror so the baby can see. It has all the, the bells and whistles that the hospital child life specialists want . And the second one was a junior version of that . And we get so much input, again from parents and hospital , um, child life specialists, they wanted the ability to record a voice or music. So we call it the recording play, and you can report the parents or grandparents can record their voices. They can read a book, and then the baby gets to hear their parents’ voices. Um, and it’s a slightly smaller, but it’s , um, also packed with just wonderful features, cleanability, disinfect. Um , and then the next item we came out with , for example, is a lightweight collapsible crib gym , which again, is 100% , uh, this disinfect lightweight and you can actually put it in the crib. I don’t think there’s another mobile that you can just put in the crib with the baby. And our newest side we’re coming out with is a crib mirror. And of course, there’s, or a baby mirror, there’s tons of mirrors out there, but ours, again, meets hospital standards. Um , yeah, so that is a really exciting part of the , the company and that’s where we focus a lot of our attention on these days.

Sara Brown: 1:03:21

Wow, that’s so interesting to think about because, you know, it does make sense if I hear that they wanna mobile, but there are standards, this , the , the , this infection standards and very strict standards. Yeah, and that’s the thing, and it’s , when you were talking, I’m thinking, Okay, well, most mobiles I’ve seen are plus, and they’ve got a stuff bear or something hanging from it. And I’m like, “ok, I don’t think that could” now that like , just making me think. I know that wouldn’t be allowed in there. So Yeah, right. It’s Just those little things, you know,

Joyce Lopez: 1:03:52

And we take the time, for example, when we get a prototype or we have an idea, I go right to Stanford Children’s Hospital and I have contacts there and Marty Fox and um, Matt Barber who are in Arizona, they have contacts at their end and we get input and we just spend so much time perfecting our ideas, our prototypes, our samples to meet exactly their , um, requirements. So it’s very different from any other mainstream toy company. Yeah . By the way, I was telling you about New York Toy Fair, and we were the first company who requested a listing of , um, Toys for Kids with Special Needs. Well , now the last time , I haven’t been in a long time because our items are more specialized, so we go to Child Life Specialist concert , uh, conventions and things like that. But after people saw how popular we were, anyone who had any toy that rattled or did anything or had textures was listed under there. So it’s almost like it got washed out that category. So yeah , I thought that was interesting.

Sara Brown: 1:05:12

That is interesting. And I guess anybody that’s like, “well, mine has, you know, mine makes noise though , right ? It could be, this could be special needs. It , it rattles or it chimes.” Or Right , exactly . Crinkles . So I guess you could put that on day . It covers all of them . Yeah .

Joyce Lopez: 1:05:26

I didn’t even know if that category is in there anymore, but I , I just thought that was pretty

Sara Brown: 1:05:31

Interesting. Wow . Okay. Well, Joyce, thank you so very much for joining. You’re very welcome . Joining today on Change Makers

Joyce Lopez: 1:05:37

. Thank you.

Sara Brown: 1:05:39

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Change Makers . I’ve put links to all the products and services mentioned in the show notes. As always, be sure to look for ways you can be a change maker this week.

Jack Fox: 0:00

Welcome to Change Makers , a podcast from APH. We’re talking to people from around the world who are creating positive change in the lives of people who are blind or have low vision. Here’s your host.

Sara Brown: 0:15

Hello and welcome to Change Makers . I’m APH’s Public Relations Manager, Sara Brown. And today we are smashing stereotypes. We’re gonna learn where blind and low vision stereotypes originated, and how damaging they are. We’ll hear from a panel of individuals who are blind or low vision as they talk about stereotypes, public interaction, and anything else they wanna say about how damaging stereotypes can be. After that, we’ll hear some potential gift ideas for the upcoming holidays up. First, we have APH’s Museum Director Micheal Hudson here to talk about the history of blind and low vision stereotypes. Hello Michael, and welcome to Change Makers .

Micheal Hudson: 0:54

Thanks, Sara.

Sara Brown: 0:56

So can you talk about some of the stereotypes you’ve heard and how they originated?

Micheal Hudson: 1:01

Sure. I think, I think one of the most shocking ones , um, is this idea that people who have disabilities have them because they’ve been cursed by God or, or, you know, something their family has done, has brought down the wrath of the Almighty upon them, and that, that somehow they deserve , uh, to be punished. Um , and so it , this, this is something that really dates back to the, you know, 15th, 16th, 17th centuries , um, um, where, you know, if you , you had a disability, it was almost like you were considered to be , you know, you deserve to have the disability either because something you did or something your family did, which is, you know, so, you know, it’s so opposite of the way we think about things now.

Sara Brown: 1:47

Talk about the stereotype that individuals who are blind are low vision , have special gifts , um, like a sixth sense?

Micheal Hudson: 1:56

Right? So there is actually a, there in, in medieval Japan, there was literally an order of Japanese nuns, and they were thought of like, as oracles like, that somehow rather, the loss of one sense vision had given you special insight into the supernatural, right? And of course, there’s no basis , uh, in fact for any, you know , uh, losing one one sense, you know, making you, you know, have a another sense that would be augmented. But that also applies to hearing, you know, because a , uh, you’re , you’re not using, using your visual cortex, a lot of your, your , your attention span gets dedicated instead of to sight , it gets dedicated to hearing. So it’s not that you can hear better, it’s that you are, you are more practiced at concentrating on only the sounds that you are , you’re able to hear and then interpreting them. And so you’re actually able to make, you’re actually able to understand what you hear better because you practice more at it. Like anything else that we do in life, when we practice something or we concentrate very much on it without being distracted by vision, we start to be able to use our hearing better. But that doesn’t mean your actual hearing is better. It’s your ability to use what you hear is better. And a lot of times when someone who is cited sees that kind of skill being used, they attribute it to, you know, some kind of super supernatural hearing, right? But it’s not, it’s just, it’s just using what you have more effectively.

Sara Brown: 3:48

What about individuals who are blind in low vision that see only darkness and nothing else? Talk about that stereotype.

Micheal Hudson: 3:55

I think that’s something that most of our visitors to the American Printing House are surprised about. Um, you know , uh, the , the , the , the truth is that the fastest growing population of people that are blind or low vision in the United States are over the age of 40, You know, and they’re suffering from , uh, conditions that come about usually as a result of aging, like glaucoma or macular degeneration. And those are not usually, you know , uh, cataracts, they don’t take your vision overnight, right? They slowly, but gradually your vision degrades. And so over your lifetime, you have a long range of vision loss, and it, it might actually end in total, total, total vision loss. But actually the percentage of people who are blind in the United States, who are, who have no usable vision, you know, they can’t tell light from day. They, they , they , even if the print is really large, they can’t read it. That’s really small, very small percentage. It’s very rare. Much more common is someone somewhere on the spectrum as you describe it, of between, you know, having, you know, being in total darkness and, and actually with, you know, with glasses and with large print, they’re actually still able to read.

Sara Brown: 5:12

Now, most people assume people who are blind or vision are proficient in braille and own a a guide dog. Is that true?

Micheal Hudson: 5:21

Neither of those is true. Um, remember that the again, the population of blind people in the United States is , uh, the largest, the fastest growing percentage of them loses their vision after the age of 40. And so , uh, the older you are, the harder it is to, to get good braille skills. It’s not that you can’t learn braille and use it, you know, in simple ways, like to mark your, your microwave oven or, or use it to, in your pantry to mark your pants suit , but you’re probably not gonna be reading “Gone with the Wind.” Now, there are plenty of people who lose their vision later in life, and do, are able to master braille . But the , it’s like anything if, if , if you’re over the age of 40 and I wanted you to learn German it , for most of us, it would be hard. And then on the dog guide front, only 3% of people that are blind in the United States use a dog guide. So why is it, why is it so few people use a guide dog? It’s because a guide dog places some pretty , uh, it’s first off, a guide dog is amazing in what it can do. Um, it’s, it’s gonna allow you to go into a lot of environments, unfamiliar environments that a cane user is gonna have a little more , um, challenge encountering. But a dog guide moves pretty fast. Um, and even though they’re gonna try and match the dog’s gate to your gate, if you are not a fast walker, a guide dog is probably gonna be too much for you. So that’s why a lot of little kids and a lot of older people can’t use guide dogs. They walk too fast too . A guide dog is not like a long can , you can’t just fault him up and put him in your pocket and he’s fine, right? He, he or she requires grooming and feeding and care and , uh, you know, there are some limitations on how you can use some dog guides. You know, they’re foldable. Yeah, you can put ’em in small places, but you can’t always fold ’em away and just put ’em away like you can a cane. So a dog guide, while, you know, a really great way of, of , of getting around , uh, puts a lot of constraints upon the user. And, and so it’s a pretty small proportion of people that are blind that actually find that, that that works for them, that that’s the ideal way for them to , to get around.

Sara Brown: 7:32

Sadly, there’s the myth that blind and low individuals can’t work or hold a job. Can you talk about that stereotype?

Micheal Hudson: 7:40

Yeah. I find that, you know, amusing , uh, as you do as well, because we work every day with dozens and dozens of people that are blind , uh, many of whom are doing their job better than I am. Uh, and so, you know, I think, I think one of the things that we have to face in the field that we’re in is that far too many people who are blind or low vision are unemployed or underemployed. Um, and , uh, you know, the old as the old sagas, you know, overeducated and underemployed. And , and that is something that, you know, we all need to be working on as a society. But, but still we are surrounded by all kinds of people who come to work every day and do their job and, you know, get their pay and , uh, and , you know, have, you know, have prepared themselves, have gone to school and gotten the degree they needed to do their job, and they’re out there doing their job. Yeah. So , um, if , anybody’s at fault in the employment issue on people that are blind and low vision, it’s society for believing, you know, being too prone to believe that people can’t do things rather than giving them a chance to prove that they can.

Sara Brown: 8:56

How about individuals who are blind or low vision cannot access print and handwritten materials?

Micheal Hudson: 9:02

So there was a guy named Raymond Kewell, who back in the 1980s , uh, maybe , maybe actually maybe started working on it in the seventies, but he came up with this machine. Uh , so, you know, everybody I guess now is familiar with optical character recognition. Uh , but if you’re not, basically Raymond Kewell invented OCR for reader blind readers to , to give them independence from needing somebody to translate the , a book into braille or to record it. So basically you shoot a camera at the print, it goes into your computer, and the computer then reads it out loud to you. Um, but it , you know, now it’s even more sophisticated and it , you know, you scan, you can scan a document and it turns it into , uh, it , it could turn it into print that could then be turned into braille, or it could be read to you in audio, you could save it in your computer and, and , and you don’t need anybody else. And your cell phone is smart enough to do it. Um, um, they, you know, you , you , you need nothing more than your cell phone and, and takes a picture and reads it , reads print out to you and makes you, can make you totally independent of , uh, um, um, to, to turn print into a readable format for yourself. Yeah. And that’s available in everybody’s pocket, right? It’s not anything special. It’s not anything that costs extra.

Sara Brown: 10:23

We’ve talked about a lot of the stereotypes. Just talk about overall how damaging they are to someone who is blind or low vision?

Micheal Hudson: 10:32

Yeah. Imagine, no matter who you are, imagine, you know, somebody looks at you and they immediately make a negative judgment on you before they know anything about you. And you know, historically, that has happened to all sorts of people, right? Depending on maybe your gender, maybe your ethnicity , um, maybe your disability. And, and they don’t give you a chance. They don’t try to find out anything more about you. They decide, you know, what you’re able to do, not based on your merit, but based on some story that they heard sometimes somewhere , uh, you know, back when, you know, 10 years ago or 20 years ago or something their dad told ’em or whatever. I mean, that is no way, I mean, that there’s no way our society can move forward if, if , if you are judged that way without being, you know, even giving it a chance to prove your merit. Um , and so that, that’s a , that’s a real heavy blow to somebody seeking a job. Um, you know, you submit your resume and your resume looks great, and they bring you in for the interview, and they take one look at you and they decide you can’t do the job before they ask their first question. Um, and so, you know, stereotypes can be incredibly damaging , uh, to all of us, to all of us. Um, because I guarantee you, no matter who you are , uh, there are stereotypes about you and what you’re capable or not capable of doing. And I , they’re very , they could just be very damaging.

Sara Brown: 12:12

And what are some ways the blind and low vision community can break down those myths?

Micheal Hudson: 12:18

Oh my gosh, that’s a hard question because when someone is willing to make a judgment, negative judgment about you, just based on some physical characteristic, how can you, how can we, we, as the community overcome those? You know, obviously in the Museum, our goal is to demystify blindness and, and make people , uh, deal with our neighbors with disabilities as just another characteristic, you know, just like , uh, you know, the color of their hair or the timber , uh, uh, pitch of their voice. Um , but it’s going to take society really. You know, we talk about Models of Disability, and the Medical Model is one where, you know, people who have disabilities are the broken ones and need to be quote unquote “fixed.” And then there’s a Social Model of Disability where it’s society who places these barriers in front of people, not, not the disability, it’s society. And that’s, that’s really what we big we need to address. We need to start. And , and , and I always have needed to deal with people as individuals and judge them on their merits. And but to, to , to ask the question, what can the blind community to do, do that? We just need to continue to find partners in job environments who are willing to work with us so that we can, we can show, you know, one situation at a time, how a person can be successful.

Sara Brown: 13:50

Okay. Micheal, thank you so much for joining me today on Change Makers .

Micheal Hudson: 13:53

Thanks, Sara.

Sara Brown: 13:57

Now we have a panel of individuals who are blind or low vision here to talk about stereotypes they faced. We have Paul Ferrara, Communications Accessibility Editor; Marissa Slaughter, senior grant writer; and Richard Rueda, Digital Content Manager for the Connect Center; And Katie Frederick , Digital Content Manager for Vision Aware . Hello, Paul, Marissa, Richard, and Katie , and welcome to Change Makers . Thank you. Thank

Panel of Individuals: 14:23

You, thank you. Thank you.

Sara Brown: 14:26

Can you tell us about yourselves and the work that you do for APH?

Paul Ferrara: 14:30

So I , Sure , I’ll go first. My name’s Paul Ferrara. I am the Communications Accessibility Editor, which basically just means that things that are sent out, I check them for accessibility. I do stuff for the web team and website testing. And you may have heard me on this podcast doing partners with Paul Segments and just some other random hosting of webinars and stuff, especially for high tech products.

Marissa Slaughter: 14:58

Um , my name is Marissa Slaughter. I am the Senior Grant Writer at APH. Um, that essentially means that I seek funding for all of our different programs, and I write lots of fancy letters and , uh, hopefully get money for our programs and then have to report on those and how we spent the money and just , uh, telling people about all of our excellence stuff we have going on here at APH.

Richard Rueda: 15:26

Hello . Uh , I’m Richard Rueda, Digital Content Manager here with the APH Connect Center, and I run a Career Connect , uh, and for the past two years , uh, managing all the tools and resources for job seekers , uh, transition age teens and young adults entering the workforce for the first time. Uh , and really excited to be here and , and share , uh, out on this podcast.

Katie Frederick: 15:52

Hello, I am Katie Frederick, and I am the Digital Content Manager for Vision Aware , which is part of the APH Connect Center. And we focus on providing resources for adults and professionals who work with people who are blind or low vision . And I’ve been with APH for about a year now, and happy to be here on the podcast.

Sara Brown: 16:14

Can you talk about some of the stereotypes you, you have faced over the course of your life?

Richard Rueda: 16:21

This is Richard, I’ll , I’ll jump right in. Um, when I think of stereotypes and, and just the , the , my own interactions and, and the reason why I do what I do is , uh, I always bring it back to the high unemployment rate of blind of individuals, young and old, that , uh, so many people are unemployed or underemployed who are blind because there have been stereotypes that in general, blind people can’t do things that are perceived to be visual, or that because it’s visual from the sighted perspective, we can’t do things. And I think that’s why career connect and , and all these resources and APAs exist to help , uh, mitigate that, to help remove those barriers and to demonstrate and illustrate to the world that, hey, look, not only do we have products and services, but we have blind people who are working in all levels from leadership , uh, and up and on down, and who are doing things that often side of people don’t think we can do. And I think, uh, that’s why these programs and services exist. A nd, and as a job seeker myself, uh, growing into, um, getting my first job in high school, going to fast food restaurants and getting my feet wet and asking for an application and having these people giving me blank looks thinking a nd hesitant about giving me an application because I was l ow vision, Um, I’ve encountered that many a times as a younger kid. So I think, again, that’s why I do what I do and we do what we do to bring out the best of what we’ve got to offer.

Paul Ferrara: 17:47

Yes, this is Paul. And this, this topic made me think of something that I guess maybe I chose to forget, I don’t know. But , um, I’ll , I’ll go to an even deeper level. Uh, in college I had a couple really, really good friends. And these guys, you know, they, I don’t wanna say they didn’t think about the blindness part, but it was just a , it was a characteristic. And then there was one day that one of those friends was talking to somebody else who was an acquaintance of ours, and the guy made a comment like, It’s really nice all the things you do for Paul. And I remember my friend just went to the guy and said, You really don’t get it, do you? He’s, he’s my best friend that I’ve got here at this college. And the guy just looked at him like he was from another planet. He, he didn’t know what to say, he didn’t know how to react to that. And I don’t know that there’s a single word to describe that stereotype. It’s almost as if you are not at the same level as, as a regularly sighted person, a non-disabled person. Doing something for someone with a disability is kind of a, a nice thing to do. Your , you’re good deed for the day when you do it long term for somebody, you know, that makes you somehow some kind of a special person, and that’s a stereotype on them and on you. And it was, I just couldn’t believe how shocked I was. Cause it was somebody that I had a lot of respect for, even though I wasn’t super close with them, I was just amazed at the level of disregard to me as a human being and to him and to our having a friendship. It was just very striking in a very bad way.

Marissa Slaughter: 19:26

Yeah. To play off of what Paul was saying , um, for me, I think personally, it is always astounding to people to find out that I go for a hike or go out to a new restaurant with my friends or go on a date or go to a museum. Like anything that quote unquote normal people do on a, you know, daily basis. It just is always surprising the people I run into that a blind person does these things and doesn’t just sit, you know, in their rocking chair at home in the dark. Like, it’s just, they just think that we don’t do anything and just don’t, don’t can’t, or don’t want to do any , um, you know, the average stuff that everybody else does.

Sara Brown: 20:19

Have you all ever experienced somebody coming up to you and just saying the most craziest stereotypes you’ve ever heard? Or literally just putting their foot in their mouth? What are some of the things that you’ve heard that people have come up , up and said to you?

Richard Rueda: 20:36

Well, it depends on the con context. This is Richard. I’ll just say really quick. Sorry, Katie. That , uh, I get that a lot when I go get customer service at the store and , and unnamed businesses, I will , they will say, Well, where’s your mom? How’d you get here? And I’m like, Well , uh, I got here, didn’t I? Or, or when I had to go to DMV to fill out paperwork , uh, well, where’s your person who’s gonna help you fill out the paperwork? And so I , I just have to be polite, tactful and graceful, but firm saying, Well, I’ve made it here. Um , I’m looking for assistance. No one came with me. Um , I might be angry, I might be upset, but in the public, you’re , you’re trying to be polite, you’re trying to be tactful, graceful and trying to educate them all in one . And it’s, for me, you know , that’s my experience. It’s not easy, but that’s what you do.

Katie Frederick: 21:20

I think this is Katie , to go off of what Richard said, I think the, you know, trying to, to say things with a smile , um, but also adding, you know, adding in that piece of, of that education piece about , um, you know, just talking through it, helping people understand, you know, I think a lot of people don’t understand things like, yes, you know, people who are blind of a vision can use services like Lyft and Uber and things to get around thanks to, you know, ac you know, technology on our iPhones and smartphones and things that enable us to have many of much access that we do. I know , you know, even for me, I’ve explained to different family members, you know, how I navigate new environments , um, things like, you know, airports using services like IRA and things like that, that just really open up the world to me personally. And I think a lot of people just, you know, they don’t understand, but once, once we explain and kind of demonstrate and show how that works , um, people just, they don’t know what they don’t know. And so, you know, yes, educating is sometimes challenging, but it’s, it’s also really an opportunity for us to, to interact and, and share our experiences and help help others understand our lives. Because yes, we, you know, those of us on this podcast are , are blind or low vision and we, we might do some things a little bit differently, but we still live, you know, we, we live our lives and do things that most people do every day . You know , get up, go to work and, and have our lives outside of work as well.

Paul Ferrara: 22:53

And this is Paul. And there really is a difference between curiosity, somebody who will tell you, I don’t know, can you explain this to me? And someone who makes a negative assumption, and I’m much happier to, to educate someone who just says, Look, can you tell me how this works? Uh, how , how are you able to do that? You know, they don’t know what voiceover is, they don’t know what a screen reader is, They don’t know what any of those things are. So you’re doing something, it could be anything on your phone, for instance, since that’s usually out and people see it and they have ones that look just like yours and you’re able to do things with it, and they just look at it, you’re somehow, some way you’re accomplishing this stuff on this phone. How are you doing that? You know, things like that , uh, really make a big difference. If, if , if someone comes in with an attitude of, I don’t know , but I’d like to know. It’s, it’s so much, so much better and so much easier than the other.

Sara Brown: 23:52

And sadly, there’s that myth that individuals who are blind or low vision can’t work or hold a job. Can you talk about that stereotype and what resources are out there to help individuals find gainful employment?

Richard Rueda: 24:07

I think every day in , in the Career Connect space, we’re , we’re always looking at how do we not only influence and motivate job seekers and those who are newly blinded and wanting to go into get a job. And , uh, we also want to educate , uh, employers and , and make awareness , uh, not just through October when it’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month, but year round that , um, blind people can work. And we demonstrate that in every way possible through our media, through our webinars, through our in-person conferences, and in every way we can. Uh, we, we just wanna maximize and, and motivate the public that wine people can work in here are myths and here are how we bust them and here’s how we do our jobs. And , uh, those accommodations are met through a variety of means. The rehabilitation services through applying people just picking up and going out there and applying for jobs. Is it easy? No, it’s not, but I think those are just some of the things we look at the career space and , and try to break down those, the ableism, if you will, stereotypes,

Katie Frederick: 25:16

And this is Katie on , on Vision Aware . We do have a little bit about employment, but our, the main focus of, of Vision Aware is to really help adults who maybe they’ve lost vision later in life or maybe they’ve lost vision while they’re working. And so, you know, our goal with, with Vision Aware is really to explain that, okay, yes, you, you may have lost your vision, Your vision may be changing , um, but there’s still so much you can do. So, you know, so many role models out there, you can connect with , uh, support groups and things to help get you on, you know, on a path to success. Um, just because you lose your vision or your vision changes does not mean that your life is over and you really , um, you know, again, just try to break down the , the stereotypes of, of , you know, taking the , the fear out of losing, losing vision or , or changing vision and saying, you know, yes, it can be scary and you do need to grieve and go through that process, but you know, we are here for you. We have our, our information referral line where people can call in and get support that way as well. And then we have our great resources , um, on all of our sites in the Connect Center for Families with Family Connect and job seekers with Career Connect and the adults population with Vision Aware.

Sara Brown: 26:31

How can the blind and low vision community break these myths?

Katie Frederick: 26:35

This is Katie. I would say just, you know, for, for those of us who are blind or low vision to keep, keep on, you know, getting out there and educating and keep, keep, you know, setting those, those missed straight and, and you know, smashing, smashing those stereotypes, educating , um, you know, putting out, you know , one of the things that the , again, that we try to do with our Connect Center information, our , our blogs and our, our webinars and our various resources is to really show, you know, yes, living with, with blindness or low vision every day is not always awesome. But, you know, a lot of days , um, you know, we, we do, we do everything else that , that people who without, you know, with Sight do. And so, you know, continuing to, to share that and , um, you know, promote, get out in about, be active in the community , um, I think that’s, that’s a really key thing to do as well to, to, you know, work with, with Cited , um, whether it’s in, you know, a church activity or some other community involvement, just again, because the more that people see us out and about and, you know, participating in activities, the more that they come to understand us as people. And then, you know, to Paul’s example earlier, the , the blindness or the low vision is just kind of a, well, “this is, this is Katie, this is Paul, they’re my friend, and oh yeah, they’re , you know, they might be blind or low vision.”

Marissa Slaughter: 27:59

So this is Marissa. Um, one thing that I really try to stress with my friends, family, people that I meet , um, is exactly what Katie is saying about, you know, just being Marissa out in the community and doing my thing. But I want people to understand that there are still barriers that exist in society without pitying me. So there’s a way that you can understand that, yeah, I have to take Uber to do anything that I wanna do and it costs a lot of money. And if I wanna go to the next town over, I probably can’t because it’s gonna be too expensive. And there were issues during covid of getting tests and accessible tests and drive-through testing sites and all that stuff. Like, it’s a lot, but I need people to understand. I don’t, I don’t want your emotional pity for it. I just want you to understand that there’s still work to do, and it’s not just up to aph and me and Katie and Richard and Paul and other blind people. Yes, it’s us , up to us to be , um, good advocates, self-advocates and advocating for what we need and, and what our rights are. But it’s also up to our sighted community members to help us with that and be good , um, allies, I guess is the , the best word. So , um, you know, you can understand that there are difficulties, but also understand that we can do something about that if we all work together.

Paul Ferrara: 29:41

Yeah . Is Paul. And then I’d say it’s really important to make those as clear as we can make them. Like Mrs said, right , We’re not looking for you , sorry for us. We’re looking for you to understand the problem so we can, we can fix it. I’ve found that cuz I’m doing accessibility work, I’ve been able to develop relationships with people that are involved in accessibility in other groups, other organizations, just by pointing out things, asking questions. And , uh, that’s been very helpful. And then the other thing I would say too is that the one thing that you do have some control over is you need to prepare as best you can for a new job or a promotion or learning new skills. And you , you can, you can make those , uh, you can make the preparation worthwhile so that, that you have control over some of those things yourself and as much of that as you can do, it’s just better when it’s depending on you as opposed to depending on somebody else. And this is Richard. I really can’t say anything different from what colleagues have just said. I think it goes back to , uh, what was said earlier by Paul and others. You , uh, you’re being seen every day as a blind person interacting in the world, in whatever it is you’re doing, whether it’s through the lens of curiosity and people genuinely wanting to know how you do things or through emotional pity or other judgments . And it’s, and again, it’s on us to educate that person, meet them where they’re at, and , and , and , and try your best to diplomatically , uh, you know, get across that hey, blind people are productive members of society. We all are interdependent, sighted or blind. We all try to help each other out in , in the greater scheme of things. On a , on a more global level. Uh , people can get involved, they can be activists, they can be advocates or allies. As Marissa said, you can get involved in the blindness movement if, should you desire , uh, acb , NFB or or other policy oriented groups, afb , they’re out there aph and, and know that these are allies who are advancing , um, progress for blindness in all aspects of life, from daily living to rehabilitation, to employment. Um, knowing that these programs exist will help break down those barriers and illustrate, and once again, blind people are productive members of society.

Sara Brown: 32:13

And did you wanna go over some proper etiquette a person can display when interacting with an individual who was blind or low vision?

Katie Frederick: 32:21

I think for me, this is Katie. The first and foremost thing for me is just , um, if you’re not sure how to help someone or you don’t know, you know what to say, please, please ask. And don’t assume , um, I’ve, you know, a lot of people will try to grab my cane or, you know, interact with my, with my guide dog when I’ve had a guide dog in the past. And that’s, that can be both disorienting and could cause injury. Um, if , if we’re trying to get somewhere , um, if I’m trying to use those, you know, the, the dog or the cane to, you know, they, those , um, tools, although one is, you know, very cute and, and furry , um, is, you know, I need, I need that my dog or Kane to, to focus and help me get where I’m going. So , um, I think, you know, again, for me, the biggest one is just asking first. Um, and sometimes, you know, people who are blind or low vision, if, if they, you know, turn down the help , um, you know, if we turn down help sometimes we just need to do some exploring on our own and , and figure things out. And sometimes we will have questions or want the help. So , um, you know, asking, asking first is always a good rule of thumb , um, for me that I really appreciate when people offer that. First,

Marissa Slaughter: 33:42

This is Marissa. Um, a good thing to also keep in mind is if there , if you meet a blind person who is with a sighted person, still talk to the blind person. Like they’re an actual independent being. Yes .

Paul Ferrara: 34:00

Oh , I’ve got stories about that. .

Katie Frederick: 34:01

Absolutely.

Paul Ferrara: 34:02

We could go on past the podcast,

Katie Frederick: 34:04

Right ? Oh my gosh.

Marissa Slaughter: 34:05

At dinner a couple nights ago I was with my friend and the guy sitting next to us looked at my friend and said, “Oh, what did she get? That looks really good.” And because my friend knows me, she didn’t say anything. And I turned around and looked at him and I was like, “Oh, I got a burger. It’s great. Thanks. Like, thanks for asking.” And the look on his face was like, you know, like, “Oh, I just, I just messed up.” But it’s, it’s that kind of thing. Like, don’t, don’t treat us like we’re invisible just because we can’t see it doesn’t work like that.

Richard Rueda: 34:48

This is Richard. I I just wanna add to that, and I think we all get it . Words matter. Be aware of the words you say and how you interact with us. Be yourself, be relaxed , uh, and , and treat us like you would treat anybody else. Um, obviously I’m not gonna take your car keys just yet and drive away, but still gonna be your friends , still gonna be your colleague and do things , uh, words matter, be yourself. Um , you don’t have to avoid, did you see that on TV last night? Mm-hmm. , you don’t have to avoid those words. We get it. It’s no big deal. So again, just be yourself and be a cognizant of the words you use in , in terms of not having to avoid the sees and looks and , and those types of things.

Sara Brown: 35:29

Is there anything else you would like to say about this topic?

Paul Ferrara: 35:33

This is Paul. I mean, this is a universal human problem. It’s not just a problem that we deal with. I mean, right ? Everybody is stereotyped , uh, where you’re from, what you wear, who you support or don’t support, what , what you’re into, what you’re not into. It’s a , it’s a universal human problem and we’re far from the only ones that that deal with it. And sometimes we’re, we’re guilty of it as well. Uh, so it just brings about the need to listen and, you know, the fact of the matter is , um, you never wanna have to say something like this, but I’ve dealt with people in the past who said to me, you know , I didn’t know whether to help you or not. The last person I tried to help was a jerk and did this or did that. You know, And I’ve been in situations where I know the people that they that they were trying to help and yeah , yes, they were probably a jerk. So , um, it , it doesn’t help the rest of us out. No, it doesn’t. Yeah , it doesn’t, But you know, it , it also just proves that we’re human and some of us are jerks that can’t see, and some of us are jerks that can see, and you just have to deal with people as individuals and , um, the , the blindness disability, the whatever is there, and it’s not gonna change the character. You know, you have , you just have to deal with the human being and , um, that, that takes a lot of work. The thing I would add to that, and this is Richard, is that, and I wanted to say this earlier, not all blind people see the same, you know, some are low vision, some can see from the side , some can’t see it all, but we all feel and hear and and experience life differently through what ever vision we have. And I think that’s what’s important to see because it’s not a black and white thing. Uh , often when I was growing up, when I had vision, more vision wearing bifocals and hearing a cane confused the heck out of people, and I had to explain, well, I can’t see bus signs. I can see the bus coming. So understanding that we all see different and , and be , be graceful about that to the people you’re interacting with.

Katie Frederick: 37:40

This is Katie. I think to my, in my colleagues’ points about, you know, we’re all, we’re all human. Um, we are all, you know, we can all listen and learn to and from each other. And I think, you know, that’s what I am , you know, want to see more of is just, you know, the questions. It’s, you know, it’s a chance to learn and to listen and, you know, there are things that, that, you know, we can, we can all learn from each other as a, as as humans. And , um, you know, I think just being open , um, not, you know, not being afraid to approach someone who may , um, look different or be traveling with a guide dog or Kane and, and just saying, Hi, you know, I’m, I’m so and so , Is there anything I can do to help you? Or, you know, are , are you doing okay? Is there any assistance you need? Um, just not being , um, being , being open to, to approaching people and, and , um, having conversations.

Sara Brown: 38:40

Thank you so much for joining me today on Change Makers .

Panel of Individuals: 38:44

Thank you. Thank you,

Paul Ferrara: 38:46

Thank you.

Sara Brown: 38:51

Now we’re gonna preview the holidays with some great gift ideas from APH. It’s that time of year again where you might start thinking about what to give people for the upcoming holidays. And we’ve got some suggestions for children and adults. I’m APH’s Public Relations Manager, Sara Brown .

Paul Ferrara: 39:10

I’m Paul Ferrara, the Communications Accessibility Editor for APH.

Sara Brown: 39:13

And here are some of our suggestions. I’m going with children and the first one I chose is the Paint by Numbers Coloring Book. This series has raised Line Coloring books that you can choose from, and they include the Tropical Rainforest Under the Sea, Backyard Creatures and Desert Creatures. These coloring books have embossed lines that make it easy to trace the subjects with your fingers, and then you follow up with a crayon or a colored pencil or a paintbrush. This action makes it easier for beginning and intermediate artists to learn and improve their skills and the paint by numbers. Coloring books are currently $45. Another toy for children that I like is the Hop-a-Dot Mat. This mat helps students learn braille while being physically involved and active. Hop-a-Dot Mat encourages young Braille readers to acquire and demonstrate their knowledge of the Braille cell configuration. Braille alphabet letters, one cell contractions and numbers all through movement. The Hop-a-Dot Mat is currently $240. Another gift to keep kids active and adults too is the Rib-It-Ball. This ball is 18 inches and these Rib-It-Ball are really fun. They’re easy to grab. They have high contrast ribbing and the crinkly fabric in the ribs add an auditory component as well. The Rib-It-Ball Ball is currently $41. And my last gift idea for children is the BrailleBuzz. This is a really cool product from APH. It’s educational and it’s fine. And when you can get a little bit of learning in a in in the Playtime for Children, everybody wins the BrailleBuzz promotes early literacy skills and encourages young learners to practice braille characters and phonics. This is a great tool for young braille learners, ages two through five and it helps the user practice with Braille characters phonics, similar to a variety of audio based toys that teach print writing . The BrailleBuzz resembles a cartoon Bumblebee and it really does encourage little ones with audio feedback. There’s a friendly recorded human voice and fun sounds that are paired with a Perkins style keyboard designed with little ones in mind. And the BrailleBuzz is currently $99.

Paul Ferrara: 41:33

Okay, Paul, that’s what I have for kids. What do you have for adults? I’ve got several things. My first one is probably my favorite APH product, including the high-tech stuff. This is definitely in the top three. It’s the InSights Art calendar. It’s a beautiful full color calendar. It features the artwork of visually impaired artists. Uh , it’s suitable for low vision or blind students or adults. And really anybody that likes unique artwork . It’s got months , days, holidays, and moon phases. They all appear in braille and in large print on the calendar, you can use it, I on a desktop, you can hang it on a wall, it’s ring bound , so you can fold the pages over more easily. The cost currently is $8 and I can tell you I’ve given this calendar out to family members for a number of years. They all love it, even though they’re not brail readers. They have typical vision. They love the artwork, they love the braille and print together. It’s a fantastic product and you literally can’t find anything else like it anywhere else. So I , I definitely love it, that’s why I’m leading off with it. Some other ideas, let’s talk about the Talking Cooking Thermometer. It’s a large display talking thermometer. You can use it for cooking, for gardening, for other hobbies, many other uses as well. It’s got a built-in island at the top that you can use to hang the thermometer with an easy reach. Currently the cost for it is $32. Very good practical product. Then there’s the walk run for fitness talking speedometer. It’s great for those who are active or those that are thinking about becoming more active. It pairs well with the Walk Run for fitness kit and that kit has a personal Guidewire system that can be set up in your backyard, a school, a park pretty much anywhere. Uh , if you’re running or walking with a human guide, you can use the Kit’s Adjustable Tether. It’s long enough to accommodate wheelchair users as well. The walk Run for fitness kit, currently the price is $193. My final gift idea today is the Pocket Braille Slate. And you know, if someone who’s blind that loves a slate and stylist, they love them, they’re devoted to them, and this is a fantastic one. It comes with a large handle stylist, it allows for four lines of brail writing , and that’s quite a bit. And currently the cost for it is just $12.

Sara Brown: 43:59

And those are just a few great gift ideas from American Printing House for the Blind that can be found on our website. And that’s aph. org. And we’ve put links to the Connect Center, Vision Aware and all those great holiday gifts you just heard in the show notes. So thank you so much for listening to this episode of Change Makers and as always, be sure to look for ways you can be a change maker this week.

Jack Fox: 0:00

Welcome to Change Makers , a podcast from APH. We’re talking to people from around the world who are creating positive change in the lives of people who are blind or have low vision. Here’s your host.

Sara Brown: 0:15

Hello and welcome to Change Makers . I’m APH’s Public Relations Manager, Sara Brown . And today we are recapping our 154th Annual Meeting held October 5 through the 7th at the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Louisville. Ex Officio Trustees, EOTs, census assistants, online ordering assistants, and other attendees came together to share ideas, news and inspiration. Have a listen as I take you through the InSights Art, Hall of Fame induces , and speak to just about anyone and everyone. Here’s a listen at some of the sounds from this year’s Annual Meeting.

Jay Wilson: 0:54

I’m Jay Wilson from the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Sara Brown: 0:56

Wonderful. Now, is this your first annual meeting?

Jay Wilson: 0:59

Uh , no. I’ve been to multiple. Well, it’s always, that’s the best part of APH is just the networking and reaching out to individuals from the different schools for the blind or different vendors and seeing all the products. So it’s great to be back in , in person.

Amy Parker: 1:12

I’m , I’m Amy Parker. I work at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon.

Sara Brown: 1:16

And can you tell us what’s it feel like to be back in person?

Amy Parker: 1:19

Oh, it’s a joy. It’s a joy to see people, how they’ve changed, how they’ve grown, to have conversations that maybe you wouldn’t have online or maybe just don’t have time. So seeing somebody and just sitting for a few minutes and hearing about what they’re doing is just, it’s just a joy.

Sara Brown: 1:36

And is there anything that you’re, you’ve learned over the course of a coup of these past few days that you know you’re gonna take back with you and try to implement? It’s

Amy Parker: 1:43

Just so good to be reminded of that inclusion mindset of being empowered. I loved Leona’s talk. It was just perfect in terms of how we see the world differently and how we can partner and ally with , with people wherever we are, wherever we’re living and working. We can do that work there and be a part of it.

Sara Brown: 2:05

And one final question. Is there anything you’re excited for that’s in the pipeline for next year? Or whether it’s new products, new services, any ideas, or a lot of people have said networking and facilitating that relationship in the new year . Is there anything you’re looking forward to for 2023?

Amy Parker: 2:21

Well, I just keep hearing good things about the Hive and it’s just a way to strengthen relationships. So I teach at the university, so we use those talks, we use the products, our students use them, but it’s just a real strengthener for our programs. The quality of the content is so good , um, that it’s just a relief and a joy to be able to work with The Hive. And Leanne and Amy Campbell, just wonderful.

Sara Brown: 2:49

Those are some great people you just mentioned. Okay, Amy, thank you so much for joining me today on Change Makers .

Amy Parker: 2:54

Thank you so much.

Dr. Antonio McGee: 2:56

I’m , uh, Dr. Antonio McGee. I’m a EOT for , Mississippi and work at Mississippi School for the Deaf and the Blind.

Sara Brown: 3:03

Wonderful. And now is this your first Annual Meeting?

Dr. Antonio McGee: 3:05

This is, I’ve only been a EOT for, well , in September, officially a year.

Sara Brown: 3:11

Congratulations on that one year anniversary. That’s awesome. So how does it feel to be at your first annual meeting?

Dr. Antonio McGee: 3:18

It’s great. It’s an opportunity to network , uh, more . Uh , we did attend a brief cohort of new EOT’s in April, but it’s opportunity to network more with , uh, people from around the United States and to get that, I guess, that message that we’ve been looking for and being more effective in serving our kids with visual impairments.

Sara Brown: 3:38

Wonderful. Antonio, thank you so much for coming on Change Makers and welcome to the team. Welcome to APH. Thanks . Welcome as an EOT.

Dr. Antonio McGee: 3:46

Right , Thank you.

Abby Hodge: 3:47

I’m Abby Hodge and I am with the Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation.

Sara Brown: 3:52

How does it feel for your first Annual Meeting?

: 3:54

It’s Nice. It’s very , um, very , um, very welcoming, very helpful. It feels nice to kind of connect with , um, people who make the products that you use every day with, I teach adults, so it’s really nice to kind of meet the people who create.

Greg Gerhart: 4:10

Hi, my name’s Greg Gerhart and I’m from Pennsylvania.

Sara Brown: 4:13

How does it feel being back in person for APH’s Annual Meeting?

Greg Gerhart: 4:16

Oh, it’s wonderful to make connections with, with new people, with people that you’ve met in virtual meetings, through social media, and come together and , uh, really enjoy all these sessions together. It’s been real, real fun time.

Sara Brown: 4:29

What’s the one takeaway you’re taking away from this Annual Meeting? Is there anything that you’re like, “I can’t wait to implement this at work?

Greg Gerhart: 4:37

Uh, I think all the developments that are coming , uh, there’s so many new, exciting developments that are in our field, and this just such a good opportunity to see where the future, what’s, what’s ahead in the future, and the exciting news and changes in our, I I work with students who are blind and visually impaired , um, with the Department of Education, and it’s just really neat to see what’s gonna be available for school age students in the future.

Sara Brown: 4:59

Gregory, thank you so very much for coming on today on Change Makers .

Abby Hodge: 5:03

Thank you.

James Caton: 5:04

Uh, James Caton , Superintendent at the Arkansas School for the Blind .

Sara Brown: 5:08

How does it feel to be back in person after two years of virtual?

James Caton: 5:11

It’s very exciting, you know, to see everybody and, you know, there’s just such a presence at APH and so it’s nice to be part of that again.

Sara Brown: 5:19

What has gotten you the most excited? What are you excited to implement when you go back to Arkansas?

James Caton: 5:25

Oh, all my notes that I’ve taken , so I would have to pull them out.

Sara Brown: 5:30

All right . And one last question. Is there anything else you’d like to say about your time here at Annual Meeting?

James Caton: 5:34

Well, I wish we had maybe another day or so, but , uh, we don’t, so it’ll come to an end , but , uh, I’ve really enjoyed it so

Sara Brown: 5:42

Far. All right . James, thank you so much for joining me today on Change Makers .

James Caton: 5:45

All Right.

Jill Dunway: 5:46

My name is Jill Dunway . I’m with the Center for Assistive Technology Training. We are a federally funded partnership between Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind and American Printing House for the Blind, and we are proud to be partners with APH.

Sara Brown: 5:58

And how does it feel to be back for our Annual Meeting?

Jill Dunway: 6:01

It’s great to be back in person. Virtual events are wonderful, but it’s really nice to get to connect face to face .

Sara Brown: 6:07

And is there anything that you’ve taken away from any of the, the sessions that you’ve attended that just have you super excited?

Jill Dunway: 6:13

Probably the thing that I’m most excited about is as a braille user myself and as a TVI is Polly. I think everybody’s super excited.

Sara Brown: 6:21

I think so too. That’s a big one. That’s a big one. And is there anything that you’ve taken from the sessions that you’re excited to implement when you go back home?

Jill Dunway: 6:29

Just a renewed dedication to our mission and what we do and how important it is that we serve our, our kids and teachers and parents and families.

Sara Brown: 6:38

Wonderful. Thank you so much for joining me today on Change Makers.

Jill Dunway: 6:41

Thank you.

Jay Wilson: 6:42

I’m Jay Wilson from the Indiana School for the Blind, individually impaired.

Sara Brown: 6:45

How Does it feel to be back in person? Well,

Jay Wilson: 6:47

It’s always, that’s the best part of APH is just the networking and reaching out to individuals from the different schools for the blind or different vendors and seeing all the products. So it’s great to be back in , in person.

Sara Brown: 6:58

Is there anything that you’re taking away from anything that you’ve learned here that you’re gonna take back and implement in your daily life back at , back in Indiana?

Jay Wilson: 7:04

Well, I think, yeah, I think all the, all the APH products, you , you can have a , get a hands on look in what they’re doing and some of the different things you’re doing, so then you can take that back to your staff.

Sara Brown: 7:13

Jay, thank you so very much for joining me today on Change Makers.

Jay Wilson: 7:15

Right, thank you.

Nancy Moulton: 7:17

My name’s Nancy Moton . I’m with Education Services for Blind and Visually Impaired Children through Catholic Charities, Maine .

Sara Brown: 7:23

How, how does it feel to be back in , in person and what’s got you most excited from the session?

Nancy Moulton: 7:30

Um, I’m loving being back in person, connecting with all of my colleagues across the country and seeing all the things that APH is working on.

Sara Brown: 7:37

Nancy, thank you so much. Thank You.

Robert Hair: 7:40

I’m Robert Hair, I’m the superintendent at the Maryland School for the Blind.

Sara Brown: 7:43

Is this your first Annual Meeting?

Robert Hair: 7:45

No, I’ve been many, many times probably for 25 years.

Sara Brown: 7:49

Oh, wow. Now, well , how does it feel to be back in person?

Robert Hair: 7:53

Oh , the , you , you can’t connect on the same level as when we’re in person, so we’re so glad to be back. Uh , we’ve missed all of our colleagues and , uh, spending that one to one time and group time together.

Sara Brown: 8:06

Now. Is there anything that you’ve taken away from the sessions that just has you so excited, so pumped and eager to implement or looking forward to next year?

Robert Hair: 8:14

Well , um, I thought the keynote speaker today was fantastic. Mm-hmm . . Um, and really understanding the sort of the intersectional is , is like issues of being blind or, or as well as all the other things that we were working on societally, like towards more , um, inclusivity and diversity and just changing your mindset. I thought it was a fantastic, fantastic presentation.

Sara Brown: 8:41

Thank you, Robert. Have a good rest of your time.

Robert Hair: 8:43

Okay.

Speaker 11: 8:44

I’m Cara Kennett from Indiana.

Sara Brown: 8:45

And is this your first Annual Meeting?

Cara Kennett: 8:47

This is my first Annual Meeting.

Sara Brown: 8:49

Okay. Now, how does it feel to be at your first APH Annual Meeting?

Cara Kennett: 8:52

Well, I think the, the theme is empowering. So it’s very empowering to learn new tools for my toolbox as well as take back and help , um, my employees with , um, giving them tools for their toolboxes so my students can be more successful.

Sara Brown: 9:04

And one last question. Is there anything you’re looking forward to, to implementing when you get back to work? Or is there anything you’re looking forward to, whether it’s products or services that you’ve seen in some of these sessions for next year?

Cara Kennett: 9:16

Um, absolutely. I think the expanded core curriculum is a huge push, so I’m gonna grab some tools for my toolbox to use that and take it back. And we’re gonna go from there.

Sara Brown: 9:24

Let me get you to introduce yourself.

Mata’afa Fa’atino Utuampu: 9:26

Hi, I’m Mata’afa Fa’atino Utuampu, I’m American Samoa.

Scott McCallum: 9:30

Hello, I’m Scott McCullum. I’m , uh, from the Washington State School for the Blind.

FAU: 9:35

Hi. So FAU TVI from American Samoa

Sara Brown: 9:38

Now, who’s been to APH’s Annual Meeting before? Have you all three been before or is this your first time ?

FAU: 9:43

This is my first time.

Sara Brown: 9:45

Okay. So for the first timers, how does it feel to be here in Louisville, Kentucky, seeing all the sites and sounds and being a part of peach’s annual meeting?

Mata’afa Fa’atino Utuampu: 9:54

Awesome. My , I I, it’s a great experience to be here meeting a lot of people. Um, having to have assistant that we, we never knew before, that we have a lot of assistant that can assist us back home with materials and products that we can use for our blind students.

Sara Brown: 10:11

Wonderful. And what’s been the coolest thing you’ve seen here so far at APS annual meeting or just here in Louisville, Kentucky?

FAU: 10:19

Um, I’m able to actually connect with the supporters or the consultants that we’ll be providing support for us at American Sam.

Sara Brown: 10:29

Awesome. Now we’ve got Scott McCallum and you’re a veteran here. Yeah . Talk about some of the things that you’ve seen and some of the, just the amazing things now that we’re back in person. It , I’ve , this is my first time in person, third time annual meeting, but it feels so good and I don’t even know what it was like before.

Scott McCallum: 10:46

Yeah . It’s just so wonderful to be here and get to meet people and , uh, make some new friends from American Samoa . And we’re starting a new program with APH, so that includes American Samoa and so I’m really excited to meet people from there. Um, honestly, there’s just this energy here and so yes, there’s lots of really cool products and services that we learn about, but the energy here and the connections we get to make with professionals who are all serving blind and low vision children around the, the world, really. It’s awesome.

Sara Brown: 11:11

It is awesome. It’s so wonderful just to be in person. That’s one thing I’m hearing a lot of is back in person watching this over Zoom. You can’t get that over zoom this , this feel and this electricity that we all have. Is there anything else anybody wants to say about APH’s Annual Meeting before we conclude?

Scott McCallum: 11:26

I wanna say here’s to new friends. We’re super excited to meet everybody here.

Mata’afa Fa’atino Utuampu: 11:31

I wanna say I’m glad to meet Scott. Uh , I know he will be a great help for us back home in American Samoa.

Sara Brown: 11:39

Anything else?

FAU: 11:39

Great to actually hear from the, the , the individuals who actually produce the products.

Sara Brown: 11:46

Wonderful. Okay. Thank you all so much for joining me today on Change Makers . Have a rest , Wonderful rest of your time. Thank you.

Scott McCallum: 11:54

Thank You.

Paige Challenger: 11:54

I’m Paige Challenger and I’m from Arkansas Educational Services for the Visually Impaired.

Sara Brown: 11:59

And this is your first APH Annual Meeting?

Paige Challenger: 12:01

Yes, it is.

Sara Brown: 12:02

Oh, wonderful. Well, how are you liking it so far?

Paige Challenger: 12:05

I , I like it. It’s very interesting. It’s great to be able to see product and hear the latest things going on.

Sara Brown: 12:10

And is there anything that you’ve learned that you’re just so excited for, whether it’s a product or a service that you’ve seen?

Paige Challenger: 12:16

Um, well what I really enjoyed was from the Michigan Department of Ed. That was , uh, the independent lessons li you know, and all I thought that was really interesting and, and I can’t wait to

Sara Brown: 12:27

Use it. Is there anything else you’d like to say about APH’s Annual Meeting or any products that you’ve seen that you’re just like super excited and can’t wait to see?

Paige Challenger: 12:34

The Polly? I can’t wait for that to come out and all . Um , a lot of us were talking about that in my group. You know, what we can see as , um, a useful tool for a beginning Braille to continue with braille just very useful and, and well rounded tool.

Sara Brown: 12:50

Paige , thank you so much for joining me on Change Makers today.

Paige Challenger: 12:52

Thank you.

Michelle Arakawa: 12:54

I’m Michelle Arakawa , I’m with the Hawaii Department of Education and I also have my teacher of visually impaired from Hawaii here.

Erika Hopper: 13:01

Hi, I’m Erika Hopper.

Sara Brown: 13:02

Okay. Welcome ladies. Can you talk about what it’s like and what you’re learning here at APH’s Annual Meeting?

Michelle Arakawa: 13:08

I’m learning much about how other states are doing amazing things and giving me ideas to take back to our state of how maybe we can connect with them or , um, really just reach out and use their resources too to help our program.

Santori Little: 13:23

My name is Santori Little and I’m with AIDB Center for Assisted Technology Treatment.

Sara Brown: 13:28

And is this your first Annual Meeting?

Santori Little: 13:30

It’s my very first Annual Meeting.

Sara Brown: 13:31

Well, how long have you been in the position in the field?

Santori Little: 13:34

I’ve been in the field about four years.

Sara Brown: 13:35

Wonderful. And this is your first Annual Meeting, so how does it feel to attend an APH Annual Meeting?

Santori Little: 13:41

It feels wonderful. Get to see all the things that we give students and their parents and even teachers. It is a great thing to see it because I’m really, really astonished by it

Sara Brown: 13:51

All. And is there anything that you’re, that you’ve learned that you’re gonna take away with you and implement when you get back home?

Santori Little: 13:56

Self-advocacy. So that’s a big thing for me. I am the same way. I want people to be able to do what they can do without having too much assistance, cuz it gives them a sense of confidence.

Sara Brown: 14:06

Is there anything that you’ve, from your sessions that you’ve attended, is there anything you’re looking forward to that’s coming in the future? Whether it’s a product, a service, or anything?

Santori Little: 14:16

I’m looking forward to the Mantis. I really like the Mantis because what I’ve learned today is not only just a reader for a young child, but it can also grow with the child as they grow.

Sara Brown: 14:26

So thank you so much for joining me today on Change Makers.

Santori Little: 14:28

Thank you. You have a great day.

Audrey Graves: 14:29

Hi, I’m a Audrey Graves. I’m with , uh, Nebraska Center for the Education of Children who are blind or visually impaired. I’m the director of programs.

Sara Brown: 14:37

Wonderful and welcome. Is this your first Annual Meeting?

Audrey Graves: 14:40

Oh, no. No. I’ve been to many of these. I love it every year.

Sara Brown: 14:43

Now. How does it feel to be back in person? I know this is my first and it feels awesome. So what about you? You’re a veteran here.

Audrey Graves: 14:49

It feels amazing. I mean, with COVID and with everything being virtual came with a lot of things that we learned on how to serve everyone. But to be in person, there’s nothing like it. This is the most welcoming group of professionals that I’ve ever been with. So I love it.

Sara Brown: 15:04

Now is there anything you’ve heard or learned in your sessions that you’ve attended that’s got you excited to implement when you get back home?

Audrey Graves: 15:12

Oh yeah, I mean here I get excited to see things such as the Polly. I think our students will love the Polly because it’s a game and it’s a learning game. Um , also went to a session with the Michigan. So lots of independent living , um, skills modules, also with the APH products that you can use with it. Um, I’m trying to think of everything else. I love , um, hearing from the APH Scholars because they always have fresh takes on everything we’re doing.

Sara Brown: 15:36

Audrey , thank you so much for joining me today on Change Makers .

Audrey Graves: 15:38

Thank you so much.

Jonathan Carley: 15:39

My name is Jonathan Carley from Des Moines, Iowa.

Sara Brown: 15:42

Is this your first Annual Meeting?

Jonathan Carley: 15:43

This is, yes.

Sara Brown: 15:44

So tell us about it. How’s it feel to be at an APH Annual Meeting?

Jonathan Carley: 15:47

Yeah. It feels great to be here. I’ve heard many stories throughout the years of people having positive experiences here. So this is my first time. Um, I was able to do the APH Museum Tour yesterday and it was great to see where all of that happens and all of our materials comes from. Um, yeah, so far so good. Just enjoying meeting everybody from around the country and hearing all the same stories that we have.

Sara Brown: 16:09

What are some of the things that you’re excited to, you know, implement when you go back to work, implement or just see coming, whether it’s in the pipeline, whether it’s new products or services, anything like that? What are you looking forward to?

Jonathan Carley: 16:21

Um, so, so far today I’ve learned about the Polly , um, and having conversations about how we can bring that to Iowa and how we can implement that with students. Um, but then the bigger one was about independent living skills and , um, from the Michigan um , independent living skills checklist and the modules they’ve created and kind of systematically how we can implement that across the board with many students. So lots of ideas going through my head at this point. All

Sara Brown: 16:44

Right . Well Jonathan , thank you so much for joining us today on Change Makers.

Jonathan Carley: 16:47

You bet. Thank you very much.

Yvonne Ali: 16:49

I’m Yvonne Ali , I’m EOT for the state of Missouri.

Sara Brown: 16:53

Okay. And you said you are retired now, but you’re here at our Annual Meeting?

Yvonne Ali: 16:58

Yes. I’m here to put a period on my working career to change to close the chapter. Uh , in the book and start a new one.

Sara Brown: 17:10

How long were you in the game?

Yvonne Ali: 17:11

20 years here. Wow. Years as an EOT. Um , prior to that I did a myriad of other things , uh, other industries, but I enjoyed this the most.

Sara Brown: 17:24

I see you stayed for 20 years, so hey, why not? Okay, so you put a period on it, you’re saying goodbye to your colleagues. How does that feel to to be for this to be done? This is it.

Yvonne Ali: 17:37

It’s actually wonderful because there are a lot of people that have either helped me or I’ve helped them. We’ve truly worked together. Um, there are other EOTs that I wanted to say goodbye to as well as other employee. There’s some APH folks that I love dearly and I wanted to come and personally say I appreciate you and um, best of luck .

Sara Brown: 18:09

All right . Is there anything you wanna say for, for those out there listening as your final appearance at APH’s Annual Meeting?

Yvonne Ali: 18:16

Yes, I think it’s important to realize that you don’t have to touch someone to touch them, and that’s what we do as, as trustees. Um, as those who work work for on the behalf of the students that we serve and that we do have the ability to touch lives. Uh , we may not get the opportunity to know that the people that we serve have have appreciated it. Um, but we do.

Sara Brown: 18:52

Well congratulations on the retirement. That’s huge. Enjoy, enjoy doing whatever you want, when you want and how you want. Okay, take care.

Yvonne Ali: 19:01

Absolutely. It’s liberating .

Sara Brown: 19:03

Thank you so much . Now we’re gonna shift from the roving interviews and visit the Insights Art exhibit. Multiple pieces of artwork were on display and for sale, I managed to speak with the InSights Art coordinator and an artist who had her work on display. We’re here at Insights Art and we’ve got the InSights Art Coordinator, Meg Outland here. Hello Meg.

Meg Outland: 19:33

Hi.

Sara Brown: 19:34

We’re back in person and you’ve got all these beautiful artworks. Talk to us about what it means and how it feels to be back in person, because it’s just a different type of feeling that you just can’t get over the computer screen.

Meg Outland: 19:45

So our last in-person ceremony was in 2019 and it’s been a very long time, so I’m very happy to see everybody , um, exploring the exhibit. And I’m also very excited because it’s my personal first time in person, so it just means a lot to me and to the folks that are here as well.

Sara Brown: 20:05

And there’s been a lot of comments , um, about seeing the work in person. What have some of the comments that you have you heard?

Meg Outland: 20:12

Um, I think a lot of people enjoy seeing such a variety of different mediums. We have a lot of canvases like acrylic paints, we have photography, we have sculptures, we have fiber art and tapestries. So it’s really fun to get such a mixture of different artists with various backgrounds.

Sara Brown: 20:31

Now is there any piece of artwork that’s like, “oh my gosh, this is, this is , this is so cool.” What have , what especially you , I know there’s something about what a , um, a a mayor purchased a piece?

Meg Outland: 20:40

Yes. So the Miami Mayor purchased an artwork in the gallery that’s called Savior Earth, the Sea Turtles. That was created by third grade students at the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind in Florida. And it is a big globe that was constructed with a hula hoop. And then there are a bunch of different little sea turtles swimming around it. And all of the sea turtles have tactile shell , uh, shells over the top. So those were created with bowls and it’s really cute. It’s four by four I believe. Mm-hmm . . So it’s a fairly large canvas.

Sara Brown: 21:09

Yes, it is most . All right . And is there anything else you wanna say about InSights Art for those out there listening that might not have been able to make it today or tomorrow, but are interested in coming next year?

Meg Outland: 21:21

As soon as Annual Meeting reps up, the entry form for the 2023 season will be online, so be sure to look out for that. Um, you can send a physical or digital entry, whichever is your preference, and I look forward to seeing everybody’s artworks

Sara Brown: 21:36

Wonderful. And we’ll be sure to put a link to in the show notes about how you can submit artwork for our next year’s 2023 Insights Art competition. All right , Meg , thank you so much.

Meg Outland: 21:45

Thank you.

Sara Brown: 21:46

I’m here with Kylie Sykes and for you Change Makers listeners , um, we’ve had Kylie on earlier this year talking about Insights Art about a month or two ago. Hello Kylie, how are you?

Kylie Sykes: 21:56

I’m fine, thank you. How are you?

Sara Brown: 21:58

Good, thank you. So how does it feel to see your work and all the other work here at InSights Art?

Kylie Sykes: 22:04

It feels wonderful to be able to be in the same spot as my artwork.

Sara Brown: 22:11

. Oh , good. Now what else are you seeing? Anything that you like or anything that’s inspiring you here at InSights Art?

Kylie Sykes: 22:18

Um, yes, I’ve seen quite a few different artworks that I’ve enjoyed.

Sara Brown: 22:25

And is there anything else you wanna say? Standing here at InSights Art, looking at all the artwork that you would, you know, care to share with someone who’s intimidated about pursuing art because they are blind or low vision?

Kylie Sykes: 22:37

The thing I will say is if you are blind or low vision, try , uh, see what you love. And then if you think that you’re not gonna like it, try it because you never know.

Sara Brown: 22:55

Thank you so much Kylie today for talking to me.

Kylie Sykes: 22:57

You’re welcome. Thank you for having me.

Sara Brown: 23:03

Now we’re gonna go from InSights Art to the special Award Ceremony. We’re gonna hear from the Navigator Award , Horizon Award and Louis Award winners. The Navigator Award recognizes creative and caring individuals who continually pursue new ideas that result in the , in the development of innovative products designed to improve the quality of life for people who are blind in low vision. This year’s winner was Vista’s Education Partners National Homework Hotline. Monique Coleman, President of Vista’s Education Partners and founder of the National Homework Hotline accepted the award and had this to say,

Monique Coleman: 23:44

This recognition to means a lot to me because as a teacher, the visually impaired in the field for many years, over 22, I’ve , uh, been deeply embedded to the APH and the products and services , uh, and programs it offers. And so to receive this recognition from this organization is truly special. And I’m extremely honored and grateful because it also means that the grassroots organizing that I have done, along with my colleagues, all volunteer driven all around the mission of supporting blind and low vision youth with meeting their educational needs at home with the support they need. Uh , just having that work being recognized on this stage and this platform is truly special. So I’m grateful for that.

Sara Brown: 24:30

The next award given was the Horizon Award, and this award recognizes creative and caring individuals who continually pursue new ideas that result in the development of innovative products designed to improve the quality of life for people who are blind and low vision. This year’s winner was the DAISY Consortium. I spoke with George Kersner, Chief Innovation Officer.

George Kersner: 24:55

Well , we’re, we’re deeply honored to receive this award from from APH. APH has always been a major player in the field. And , uh, this recognition and the understanding that American Printing House has joined the DAISY Consortium as a full member , uh, is just going to be very impactful to, to many people around the world. So we’re just delighted that APH is stepping up to the world stage to be a leader on standards and access to information.

Sara Brown: 25:36

The final award given out during the award ceremony was the Louis Award, This award named after Lou Louis Braille recognizes the impact and creativity of a product idea method or promotional effort that increased the availability or awareness of braille or tactile graphics. Christine Muse , creator of the McCall Braille Code accepted the award.

Christine Muse: 26:01

Uh , in all honesty, I’m still so surprised that I’m here. Um, I’m hugely honored at this. This is such a prestigious award, the Louie Award. It , you know, it’s not given out regularly. So to have my work recognized , um, by APH in that way was just incredible. And I’m really thankful that so many people see the importance in it that I did.

Sara Brown: 26:29

The next day was another special day of recognition. The Hall of Fame for Leaders and Legends in the Blindness Field is an honor that is organized by leaders in the field established in 2001. The award is dedicated to preserving, honoring, and promoting the tradition of excellence manifested by the specific individuals inducted into the Hall of Fame and through the history of outstanding services provided to people who are blind and low vision . This year’s inductee were Dr. Kay Farrell and Trisha Zorn-Hudson. I caught up with both ladies and here’s what they had to say about being among the 68 esteemed professionals who have shaped the history, philosophy, and knowledge and skills of the blindness field for the past 200 years. Well,

Dr. Kay Farrell: 27:20

It’s something I would never dream of. I had never dreamed of being inducted into the Hall of Fame. And to think that it’s happening while I’m still alive is just amazing.

Sara Brown: 27:30

And what does it feel like when you see your name up there with all the other legends? How does that, how does that make you feel, especially when you first started out in your career and now you’re on that you’re on that list? Well,

Dr. Kay Farrell: 27:41

I’m fortunate that I actually know about a third of the prior inductee. I’ve either met them or worked with them or something. So it’s neat to see their names up there and to think that I’m gonna join them is just blows me away.

Trisha Zorn-Hudson: 27:55

Oh, it is quite the honor. Um, very humbling. And , um, it’s quite the honor to be , um, recognized for , uh, my work and my accomplishments, not just professionally, but you know, in my , uh, former career as a sports athlete. And it’s , uh, something that, you know, you don’t anticipate or you don’t expect. So when it comes around, it’s quite , uh, surprising. And , um, you know, it’s what I’ve been doing , um, my whole life is, you know, trying to make an impact in people’s lives and every day who I meet. And , um, I think , uh, being inducted into the Hall of Fame here at the American Printing House for the Blind, it’s , um, something that’s going to be eternal and it’s going to be forever. And if people can see that and see what you know, I’ve done and overcome and broken barriers, then you know, that gives them hope.

Sara Brown: 28:54

And those were the wise words of Dr . K Farrell and Trisha Zorn-Hudson. As we conclude this Annual Meeting recap, I would just wanna say thank you to all who attended our Annual Meeting. We couldn’t do it without you, and we’re looking forward to seeing everyone again next year. If you’re interested in submitting a piece of artwork for Insights Art or nominating someone for the Hall of Fame, I’ve put links in the Show notes, so be sure to check that out. Thank you so much for listening to the special episode of Change Makers and as always, be sure to look for ways you can be a change maker this week.

Jack Fox: 0:00

Welcome to change makers , a podcast from APH . We’re talking to people from around the world who are creating positive change in the lives of people who are blind or have low vision. Here’s your host.

Sara Brown: 0:15

Hello, and welcome to change makers . I’m APH’s Public Relations Manager, Sara Brown . And today we’re learning about Canes Versus Guide Dogs. We’ll talk about the pros and cons of having a cane versus a guide dog, learn how the guide dogs are trained, and speak with t he guide dog owner about her experience. We’ll also preview our upcoming annual meeting, which is just a few weeks away up first. We have Kevin McCormack, Orientation and Mobility Specialist and Assistive Technology Consultant for the State of Kentucky. Hello, Kevin, and welcome to Change Makers.

Kevin McCormack: 0:52

Thank you. Glad to be here.

Sara Brown: 0:54

So you’re an O&M specialist. Can you talk about what that is and what that is that you do?

Kevin McCormack: 1:00

Sure. Um, as an O&M Specialist , um, I see myself as a coach for , uh, people who are blind or visually impaired. Those are most of our students are blind or visually impaired students. Um, uh, as far as, so as a coach in regard to , uh, movement and navigation and understanding ones , uh, where one is in space. Uh , so basically O&M meaning , uh, you know, that’s our short for orientation mobility. So O&M uh, is , uh, understanding where you are in your environment and your space as best as possible. And then the mobility part is the ability to move through that space as safely and efficiently as possible.

Sara Brown: 1:50

Are there any specific skills, one needs if they’re going to get a guide dog versus using a cane?

Kevin McCormack: 1:57

Well, I , in order to get a dog , um, all the , uh, the guide dog schools that I know of , um, will make sure that they will assure that you, the , their students have , um, as much orientation, mobility , uh, training as possible. So , um, as far as one versus the other, really the way I see it is you need a fair amount of orientation, mobility training to even get a , a guide dog. Um, now, as far as having a guide dog , uh, some just some specific things with that is that you have to be, you know, willing to live with the dog. Um, day in, day out, you have to be willing to train the dog , um, and take care of the dog. You know, as far as you have , you gotta clean after your dog and be on a regular routine with your dog. You have to be ready to be more social, usually with people, cuz people are gonna be interested in your dog and want to talk to my , there might be more likelihood that , uh, people will talk to you as a user more , uh, they wanna talk to your dog. So, you know, you got , you wanna be ready for that as well.

Sara Brown: 3:06

What are some of the basic core skills, one needs if they are going to use a cane and at what age should a child begin learning cane skills?

Kevin McCormack: 3:16

Core skills, and how in , in beginning to train in using a cane, you know, I’ve thought about this. I’m not, I don’t really think that there , I can’t really think of anything to , uh, to have in order to start training with the cane. Other maybe other than , uh, the fact that the person is able to be mobile in some way on their own. And that, that includes being in a wheelchair. Now , um, one thought I had in thinking about this question was , uh, perhaps the ability to hold a cane with the hand, but even then , um, most , uh, O&M specialist should be able to , uh, make adaptations that if you can’t use your hands for a , a , like a cane type device, they’ll make something else that will preview the space in front of you. Um, so that’s just to say that there, there are all sorts of possibilities for how to use a cane. And then I’m also defining cane is not like that single rod that you hold out in front of you, which is what most , uh, users use. Um, but it can be like a big rectangular shape. It can be something that straps around the waist and goes out in front of you. That’s, you know, also kind of a rectangular shape. Uh , but just the , the , the way it holds onto is a bit different. So as far as age , um, I similar to the , my , uh, other answer where there’s there really aren’t any , uh, prerequisites that I can think of as far as beginning to use a cane. So is it with a , um, with the age , um, if whenever the child begins to be mobile in some way or another , uh, I believe that they can begin , uh, getting familiar with the cane. So if we’re, if we’re talking a kid that’s just beginning to , uh, crawl or walk , uh, you know, like for example, hold hands with a parent and can move their legs, you know, and able to mobilize himself. You could even put a small cane in, in a hand or hold the hand and the cane, like the parent could, for example, just to begin getting , uh, accustomed to having something in the hand, having it out in front and it’s previewing that space. So I’m my thought is that there’s no limit on that either. There are a few different opinions though on that, but , uh, I think that earlier the better,

Sara Brown: 5:39

And when should you consider a, a guide dog?

Kevin McCormack: 5:44

Um , a lot of schools are , uh, guide dog training schools. They’ve moved down to 16 years old as far as the minimum age. Um, traditionally they’ve been at least 18 years old , uh, for training students. Um, but I think that the student needs to be able to show a lot of responsibility , uh, because they are going to have to, the expectation is that , uh, child, let’s say they’re 16 years old, that they’re able to take care of the dog on their own, not they could use some help , uh, if they want, but they need to have the ability to take care of that dog on their own , um, to be able to follow the routines that the dog needs , um, to be able to play with their dog , um, to be ready, to be so more sociable with the other people that are gonna wanna talk , uh, with them with the dog. But I even before 16, you , you know, if , uh, if the , the teachers that work with that student and the family , uh, believes that this , uh, kid is , uh, has, is showing some good maturity in their life, they can begin talking about getting a dog , um, you know, once they hit 16 or 18 or whatever the case may be with the guide dog school that they go to

Sara Brown: 7:00

What assessments are done, if a person’s gonna be a cane user versus what, what assessments are done, if the person’s gonna be, is gonna be utilizing a guide dog, what assessments are done?

Kevin McCormack: 7:13

Well, there, there are a few assessments out there that many O&M specialists use. Uh, and , and this was for any blind or visually impaired student that they work with. It’s not just to determine if they will need a cane or not. So some examples that I use a lot are the New Mexico school for the blind , um, uh, their O&M inventory and , uh, taps, which comes out of the Texas School for the Blind. Um, those are ones that I use, but something that we would look for as far as whether that student’s gonna use a cane or not is , uh, depth perception. Are they able to reliably detect when, for example, there’s a step down ahead of them. Um, can they visually detect that, you know, a hundred percent or 99.9 , 9% of the time? Um, even if it’s not contrasted, let’s say it’s all that gray, concrete color. There’s no like , uh, paint on the edge of the strip, you know, are they gonna reliably see that whether it’s bright outside or a little darker or very dark? Um, uh, so if that’s, that’s something we would want to observe, if, if they’re , uh, the students can visually detect that reliably or not. And if not, then I think that they would be a good candidate for learning how to use a cane. Now, as far as a guide dog is concerned , um, they , the student needs to have a , uh, good knowledge of orientation, mobility skills in order to even get a dog. One of the reasons for that and including using a cane, and one of the reasons is let’s say the dog is sick and they shouldn’t be going out. Um, then for you as the user, the , the guide dog user , um, for you to continue to do your daily routines to go out and do , uh, be as independent as you can, you’re gonna have to use your cane. And so , um, the, the guide dog , um, schools are going to make sure that if something happens to the dog, like if they get sick , um, that you’re not left out in the lurch like that you as the , the user can still , uh, be able to fend for yourself. So that’s just one of the reasons that having a good on and M uh , skills , uh, is important. Um, and assessment wise , I , I’m not aware there may be some, some official assessment on , uh, on that, but a lot of that also is dependent on the opinions of the, on M specialist and the family, and , uh, maybe other school or work , uh, people that work with them. And, and also to guide , uh, the dog guide school themselves, they’ll have a conversation about , um, the O&M abilities about, about this particular student. They’ll determine if they’re a good candidate for a dog or not.

Sara Brown: 10:16

Now, have you used any APH products when working with an individual to help hone their orientation and mobility skills?

Kevin McCormack: 10:26

Uh, yeah. Yeah, I’ve used some , uh, I would say the ones I’ve mostly used are , um, one , uh, called Tactile Town. That’s a , a really nice one , um, where you can really make some nice , uh, you know , Tactile , um, uh, Maps and, you know , make some intersections in little cities and have little cars , uh, roll around on the streets and kind of simulate some intersections with that. And , uh, similarly , uh, the Wheatley Tactile Diagramming Kit , um, that one’s a lot easier to bring with you smaller. Um, it’s quick and easy to make too. So I’ve probably used that the most of, of any of the APH products with my students

Sara Brown: 11:08

Guide dog or dog guide? I know we , we we’re , we use person first here, so is there any official way we should call it? Dog guide, guide dog? What term should we use?

Kevin McCormack: 11:24

All right . Um, I’ve, I’ve reached out to some , uh, guide dog schools. I haven’t heard back yet. Um, I wrote a , uh, paper a few years ago and the , uh, my advisor said guide dog. So I’m going with guide dog. That’s about the best I’ve heard. I can’t, I’ve been, I’ve actually looked a bit online for , um, the reason that , uh, it’s at least that my advisor said guide dog. Um , and I believe another friend of mine , uh, in Puerto Rico said guide dog as well. Um , so that’s what I’m going .

Sara Brown: 12:01

Is there anything you want our listeners to know or what they should think about if , if or when considering a dog guide or guide dog, whether or not that’s a good option?

Kevin McCormack: 12:13

Oh, sure. Um, yeah, definitely. Um, consider your level of your O&M training. Um, if you feel comfortable with , uh, traveling outside of your , uh, home environment , um, and you’re going to a work space , uh, the more Indi places you can go independently and safely as possible, the more likely it is that you’ll be a approved , uh, by a guide dog school , um, to get a dog. Um, and you, if you get a dog you’re getting a very, very well trained animal . Um, however, remember that you are still responsible, responsible for their continued training. So that’s going to take work. Um, uh, you know, they, obviously these dogs go through a year and a half or so of , of training, but it continues even with you. Um, so you just have to continue with that. And an example is if you need to teach the dog a route to your local , uh, store that’s near where you live, for example , um, you’re going to have to teach that dog, and you’re gonna have to teach them how , uh, to give positive feedback, how to even give negative feedback. Um, so that’s another , um, thing I would wanna say is that some people tend more toward , um, being very firm with their dog. Some people tend to be , uh, have a personality that’s almost wants to let the dog just take charge. Um, so just be careful that you’re not gonna go too far one way or the other. Um, I remember seeing , uh, a woman with their dog and she was , uh, way too firm, like to the point where , uh, people around were uncomfortable. The dog looked scared. That was too far. Um, however, if you’re the type of person that is more hesitant , um, you’re , you will probably have to change the ways that you talk and speak. Um, you’re gonna have to, because you gotta take charge of, of that dog and their training. Um, also, you know, most guy , uh, dog guide , I’m sorry, guide dog schools will be , uh, a good resource for you. So if you ever have any other questions , um, it’s not like you’re in this alone, you can always , uh, uh, call back, call them back and , um, they sometimes will even come into your , uh, home environment and help with whatever you need.

Sara Brown: 14:35

Thank you so much for joining me today on Change Makers.

Kevin McCormack: 14:38

Sure. Thank you. Thank you very much. Appreciate it.

Sara Brown: 14:42

Up next. We have Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist and Outreach Services and Community Engagement Manager at Leader Dogs for the Blind, Leslie Hoskins. Hello, Leslie , and welcome to Change Makers.

Leslie Hoskins: 14:54

Hi, thanks so much for having me. This is great.

Sara Brown: 14:57

You’re with Leader Dogs for the Blind. Can you talk about the organization and the impact that you make and that the organization makes?

Leslie Hoskins: 15:05

Yeah. Leader Dogs for the Blind, our mission is it to, is to empower people who are blind or visually impaired with lifelong skills for safe and independent daily travel. Uh , we do this by providing three different services. So we have our guide dog training, which of course is the one we’re most known for. We also have our orientation and mobility training, which is that white cane training. And then we have a teen summer camp that we put on for , uh, teens who are blind or visually impaired. All of these services are completely free, including room, board and airfare. So we actually fly people in from all over the U . S . and Canada to receive this training. Now , how we pick ’em up at the airport, we bring ’em to our residents. It’s kinda like staying in a hotel room , uh, and we provide this training and the impact is really so much more than traveling independently. Of course, that’s our number one goal is mobility. However, we’ve heard back from clients that they have increased confidence, they feel better about themselves than they’re traveling. They’re also traveling further. Um, we’ve also heard that they have increased health and wellness. So now that they’re able to travel independently, they’re getting out there and doing those exercise routes or traveling a little bit further and walking , uh, maybe to the gym or whatever it is to increase that wellness in health. Additionally, we’ve got increased employment cuz now maybe they can get to the bus stop to take them to that job interview or to , uh, campus, to further their education. And then of course, too , we hear back from support a network. So their family and friends of feeling, you know, peace of mind that their loved one is now able to get out and do things independently. And, and our clients are reconnected with the community. You know, they can be involved again. They can get out there and go places , uh, by themselves, which is what all of us should be able to do.

Sara Brown: 16:49

Nice. Very nice. And talk about the history of guide dogs?

Leslie Hoskins: 16:55

Yeah. You know, it kinda started out , um, from some of the wars and wounded veterans coming back and not having vision and needing resources and, and dogs and animals have always been used throughout history as kind of the support system. Dogs are incredibly intuitive. They’re incredibly smart. Um, and so they started training and, and a couple of different organizations were created. We were established in 1939. Um, and the reason we kind of got into this organization or got started is because , uh, we were started by three local lion club team members. And they had a friend who had applied for a guide dog at another organization and was denied. And so as lions members do, they don’t take things lightly and they’re very motivated and driven. And so they started their very own organization. And so we’ve been doing this for a long time. Um, and we’ve throughout the years, you know, tried different breeds of dogs. You know, I think every organization uses slightly different breeds, but it’s been a long process of trial and error and navigating. We used to , um, actually go to different shelters and evaluate dogs there to be guide dogs. And that’s kind of progressed into now we have actually our own breeding department and that’s incredibly successful and I know that we’re continuing to research and do science along the way. So , um, I think it’s still rather new in general in its field. And I’m excited to see where it goes.

Sara Brown: 18:18

Talk about the training a dog goes through, how do , how does it start? I mean, is it from day one? Is it maybe, you know, the dog’s parents and, you know, the dog’s lineage to determine when does it start? How do they graduate or complete their training?

Leslie Hoskins: 18:33

It starts so young. It’s really very interesting. You know, we do have our own breeding department, so we breed our dogs. Our dogs are actually born in volunteered homes. So we have host homes who , um, keep the host dogs are the breeding dogs and they’re born there and they come in around seven or eight weeks old , uh, for their first round of evaluations. But very early on as puppies , uh, they’re learning to sit before they can be picked up or to be fed and things like that. So it’s interesting to see the puppies. They’re not on campus for a long period of time, usually only a week to kinda go through these evaluations before then going to their puppy raiser. But even at that time, they’re starting to learn that, okay, if I sit, then they’ll give me my food or I have to sit first and then they’ll pick me up or do something with me. So , uh, very early on the training starts and then they spend this first year of their lives with a puppy razor . And the puppy raiser is really responsible for teaching them basic house manners and obedience, and then exposure. So exposing them to all types of different environments, including fairs and festivals and restaurants and train stations and grocery stores, all these places that our clients go on a daily basis. Um, so they spend that first year with the puppy raiser. The puppy raiser goes to monthly trainings and events and things like that to increase their skills. And then around their first birthday, they actually get like a happy birthday card. And then it’s got like a set of dates in which they have to return the puppy by . Um, so that’s always a very emotional time. One of the best things they ever heard from a puppy raiser is it’s not what you’re giving up, but it’s what you’re giving. You know, they get to see this whole process. And, and at that point, then they start working with our guide dog mobility instructors, and they have four months of formal training. And so it starts really small of just , uh, name recognition recall. And then gradually they’re starting to put the harness on their body to make sure there’s no body sensitivity issues. They start taking ’em out into different environments teaching. ’em how to stop at curbs, how to, you know, walk a straight line down the sidewalk , um, navigate around obstacles, all of those different things. So they start very small and they gradually kind of add on throughout those four months. And then their last little bit of training is actually that last month that they spend, you know, meeting their handler, their new person. Um, and they spend three weeks together, typically on campus in class kind of navigating that together,

Sara Brown: 20:55

Such as life, not all dogs make it, do they , what happens to the poor puppies that just, you know, just don’t make the cut, what happens to them?

Leslie Hoskins: 21:07

So we call them Career Change dogs. So , um, they just chose a different path in life is what we like to say. Um, but what it typically happens with a dog that’s Career Change, they can be career change for so many different things, medical issues, chronic ear infections, hip dysplasia. Those are things that come with an expense, usually a medication. And we don’t wanna pass that expense on to our clients. Um , and so they could be career change for that. They can be career change for soundness. Like, you know, if a siren is going off, you know, they might break down a little bit. Um , that’s not gonna make a good guide dog. They can be career change for body sensitivity. If they really hate the feeling about harness, that’s not gonna work out. Um , so typically when a dog is career change and they can be career changed at any point during the process, the first thing we do is try to evaluate them for another career. So we breed these dogs to be service animals. And our ideal would be that they are a service animal, hopefully a guide dog. But if not, maybe they’re gonna be , um, a bomb sniffing dog, or maybe they can be , uh, kind of an emotional support dog for children who are testifying in court, or maybe they can be , um, a dog that helps with like physical activities, like opening doors and things like that. So we partner with other organizations to try to find , um, a job, so to say , um, but sometimes they just don’t wanna be, and they’re meant to be a pet and that’s their lifestyle and that’s okay too. Um, and so typically we’ll call their puppy razor and say, Hey, Juno, didn’t make it. Are you interested in adopting the dog? Uh , sometimes they will. Sometimes they can’t for whatever reason, if not, we actually have a very, very long wait list of people who are interested in adopting these dogs. So no dog ever goes without a home. Every dog lives a full and happy life, but it is a really interesting process.

Sara Brown: 22:50

okay . It’s good to know. Thank you for that. . And so the dogs that do make the cut and graduate, how do they get partnered with their human? How does that relationship start or how what’s the process of that?

Leslie Hoskins: 23:04

I think it’s such a unique process. Um, I’m not a Guide Dog Mobility Instructor myself , however , um, being at Leader Dog for almost nine years and I’ve learned quite a bit and we just did a great webinar on this. And one of our Guide Dog Mobility instructors really broke it down for us, but there is so much that goes into that matching process of finding the perfect dog for somebody. They really have to learn as much as they possibly can about the client. So they’re taking into consideration how fast the person walks, if there’s any balance or gate issues. They’re looking at the environment in which they’re traveling, are they gonna be around , um, like farm animals? Are they a teacher gonna be around young students? Do they live in a real urban environment where there’s trains and buses and all sorts of sirens and things like that. Um, and then they also take a look at the dog. So as they’re, you know, training the dog for these four months, they’re seeing what environments the dog is most successful in or most comfortable in. Um, and then they really start to kind of match and, you know, it’s interesting. They say that there’s so much science behind it, cuz there really is. They’re taking in all this information, but then there’s that little bit of gut magic and experience that our guide dog mobility instructors really bring to it. And they’ll say, you know, that they have an idea of what dog is gonna be matched for the client and then they’ll meet the client and they’re like, Nope, that’s not gonna be it. And they’ll switch last minute. And it’s the right call almost 90% of the time. So , um, it’s always really fun to hear their perspective and their experiences with that. But most times they get it right. There are times when it doesn’t work out and we certainly do our best to correct those situations too.

Sara Brown: 24:36

Okay. So you’ve partnered a dog with the , their partner. How do you , how do you tell, is it just that a dog instantly can pick up on the, the , the , their partner’s cues or how can you tell a partnership’s gonna be successful?

Leslie Hoskins: 24:51

I think, you know, it’s watching and observing. We say it takes anywhere from six months to a year to really become a good guide dog team to work together, cuz it, you know, you can’t even say each one’s putting in 50%, the dog and the handler have to put in 100%. Um, they’re a team and they’re helping each other with every aspect and every task. Uh, so I think it does take a while , but one of the interesting things to observe during class is that bonding period. So it’s really important that the, the client and the dog bond, which is why they spend so much time together at the very beginning. Um, because typically the guide mobility instructors are the ones training the dog and then also instructing the clients . So they know all of these dogs. So it’s very confusing to the dog when all of a sudden, wait a minute, their person, their trainer, isn’t paying attention to them. And now they’re with this new person. Um, so it usually takes a couple days, couple weeks for that dog to realize like, “wait a minute, this new person’s kinda great. They’re giving me lots of treats and love and affection.” And I usually meet clients about the end of the , their second week of training. And uh , most times the , the bond has happened by that point. And the dog is constantly touching the hand, learn some way , whether it’s a paw on their foot or leading into them. Um , so you can really see that that bond is already starting to form so early, but I would say it takes a good six months to a year to see who’s gonna , uh, you know, really put in the time and effort.

Sara Brown: 26:15

Now there are a ton of animal lovers out there and for anyone interested, I feel like, you know, people would be interested in who either work with, or train the dogs. What’s the process to train future guide dogs. How does that go?

Leslie Hoskins: 26:33

Yeah. So to be a Guide Dog Mobility Instructor , um, it’s a three year apprenticeship through a certified kind of organization or guide dog organization. And so, because there’s so much to learn, they have to learn dogs and their behavior and um, their health and their training techniques. But then they also have to learn, you know, teaching and working with adults, adult learning, and they have to learn about blindness and how to, you know, provide human guide, how to interact with people who are blind or visually impaired. And so there’s a lot that goes into it. It’s a , it’s a hands on learning opportunity. And so this three years, they are actively working as leader, dog team members while they’re gaining this knowledge and experience. Um, and they do go through their own kind of blindfold experience to build some knowledge and background and empathy for our clients. So they kind of participate in the first week of guide dog class in which they’ll put on a blindfold and they’re issued their own guide dog and they have to wear a blindfold the entire time , um, to really get an idea of what that’s like for our clients. That’s so important to have an understanding and while it’s not fully the same, right, they can take their blindfolds off at the very end, but it helps them build these relationships and gives a little perspective into what our clients are experiencing. So it’s a pretty intense three year apprenticeship and our Guide Dog Mobility Instructors come to us with all kinds of backgrounds. Um, so it’s always quite fun. We had one person who came to us as a HR intern and kind of fell in love with watching the G DMIs has since then completed his three year apprenticeship and now is actually a supervisor in helping other apprentices. So it’s kinda fun to see where everybody comes from.

Sara Brown: 28:14

And my final question, is there anything else you’d like to add about Leader Dogs or guide dogs overall?

Leslie Hoskins: 28:21

Yeah, I think the biggest thing that we always wanna promote is that we’re more than guide dogs. You know, guide dogs is a huge piece of what we do, but we also offer that free orientation and mobility training and that’s available to anybody, whether or not they’re interested in a guide dog , um, as well as our summer teen camp. So those are some things that we’re super proud about. We also have a lot of new virtual things going on. We’ve got virtual learning resources, kind of like learning modules. We do monthly webinars where we share resources and really just trying to support our clients and educate as much as we can. Um, and the last thing that I’ll I’ll plug here that we’re super proud of is we have a new podcast called taking the lead by Leader Dogs for the Blind. And that’s a great opportunity to learn, not only just a little bit more about blindness in general, but specifically about guide dogs and Leader Dogs for the Blind. So , uh, you can find all of that at www.leaderdog.org.

Sara Brown: 29:13

Awesome. Thank you so much, Leslie , for joining me today on Change Makers.

Leslie Hoskins: 29:18

Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it .

Sara Brown: 29:26

Now we’re talking to APH’s Communications Associate Jessica Minneci. Jessica has a guide dog named Joyce, who is a yellow lab and always by her side. Hello, Jessica, and welcome to Change Makers.

Jessica Minneci: 29:39

Hi Sara. Thank you so much for having me.

Sara Brown: 29:42

And before we get started, do you care just to explain to people what it is that you do here at APH ?

Jessica Minneci: 29:50

As part of my job here at APH , I help edit our monthly newsletter APH news that goes out to our educational audience and consumers. I also do two employee newsletters. I help out with the weekly monitor and in touch, and I am also responsible for doing campaigns for our line of textbooks through press.

Sara Brown: 30:11

And can you tell us a little bit about Joyce?

Jessica Minneci: 30:15

Sure. So Joyce is six years old. She will be seven on October 18th. I can’t believe it we’ve been a team for five years. Uh, she is my first guide dog, and I couldn’t be happier with her. She’s a yellow Labrador and she is full of energy.

Sara Brown: 30:32

Can you talk about the process in being partnered with Joyce? Was there anything you had to do beforehand or any training you had to receive or, or even house prep?

Jessica Minneci: 30:42

I got Joyce through a school called Guide Dogs for the Blind. They are in San Rafael, California, and also in Boring, Oregon. They have two locations. Um, so I got Joyce during my junior year, right before my junior year of college. I had to do a lot to prepare, to have Joyce and to make sure that I myself was qualified to have and to own a guide dog. So GDB has a lot of different steps for applying. Um , first of course, you have to submit an application. Then they do a phone consultation where they ask you about your travel habits and about, you know, the type of dog that you’re looking for. Uh , GB has three breeds. They have Goldens, Labs and Lab Golden Crosses. So they talk to you about your personality and your lifestyle. Um, and then you have to submit some additional forms. So you have to submit a physician’s report and ophthalmologist report. And if you had orientation and mobility training, recently, you have to submit a report from your professional. And if applicable, you also have to submit a mental health report. And so after all of those forms have been submitted, they schedule time to come out and do a home visit where they talk to you again about your travel habits. And they do, what’s called a Juno walk, which is where the , um, representative from GDB holds a guide dog harness and puts it in the right position. So the right height for you and you hold onto the handle and you walk at the speed that you normally would so that they can assess pacing and make sure they have the correct dog for you when you get matched. Um, and you also have to demonstrate your orientation and mobility skills. So when I applied for Guide Dogs for the Blind, I was actually a freshman in college and , um, they came out to Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and I did a whole route. Um, I think there’s also specifications as to how long it has to be. And what types of intersections you need to cross. I believe one of them is with a traffic light. So you have to really prepare to make sure that your travel skills are on par and also make sure that your lifestyle, you have to have enough work for your dog, right? Your work , your dog’s not gonna sit at home all day, right. They need to work. So , um, people with a more active lifestyle will get a guide dog. Um, so after the home visit, they review everything and then you’ll get an approval notification from the school and a class date , I believe due to COVID 19. Um, and the fact that the kennels had to be closed for a little bit. I think the class date are pushed back. So it’s a longer wait . My weight was actually 10 months. Um, and then after that you go to class , um, I didn’t do a lot at home to prepare for choice because I wasn’t sure what type of breed I was going to get. I asked them , uh, to make it a surprise and I asked them to make the gender a surprise, because if you do it , if you ask them to do that, you’re more likely to get a better match for you. Um , and so I didn’t know, you know, I didn’t know what, how big my dog was if I was gonna need a bed or what kind of toys they’d like. So I just came into class and I , um, I went through class and I had a great time and then coming home that’s when I was able to prep my house and make sure that, you know, I actually took her to PetSmart and she picked out her own bed. Um , and , uh, we just played, played with different types of toys and figured out which ones were the best for her. Um, GDB does supply you with a lot of stuff that you will need. They do supply you with , um, some medication and Heartgard for the first year. And then they supply you of course, with her , um, her treat pouch and her harness and her leash and her gentle leader . So a lot of the equipment is given to you. They tell you when they tell you, when you go to training to pack like a giant suitcase so that you have everything you need when you come home.

Sara Brown: 34:54

Wow. So there’s a lot that goes on, but I didn’t even know about the size of the dog in conjunction with the harness in conjunction with your height, all of that is taken into account. That’s really interesting.

Jessica Minneci: 35:09

Yes. So , um, actually , um, so I have a shorter dog because it’s easier for me. Um, you can get a different harness handle , um, to fit your risk . There’s GDP offers two different types of harness handles. Um, if one doesn’t feel comfortable with you, you can comfortable, you can use another one. Um, so they really take into account your pacing, your lifestyle, your personality, the dog’s personality. So it’s a very rigorous process for them to match you with, with the correct dog. And that’s also why it’s important that you wait , um, because the right dog is just around the corner. Um, it’s also a really great school because they have two week training programs and the classes generally have six to eight students. And the ratio of students, her instructor is two to one, which is fantastic. It’s so individualized. And that helps you a lot when you’re in training to make sure, especially if it’s your first dog, that you’re getting all the support that you need.

Sara Brown: 36:09

So talk about when you first got Joyce, was there that getting to know you period that you two experienced?

Jessica Minneci: 36:17

Yes. Actually they say that the getting to know you period lasts about six months for a partnership. So partnership cements itself in six months. So when I first got Joyce , um, it was important that , um, if you have a bigger house that you give them, they’re freedom slowly. So for example, if you have, you know, a bedroom, a kitchen, and let’s say a living room, you’d give them free rain in your bedroom to show that you trust them. And, and if you trust them to go around and they don’t obviously chew anything, obviously they won’t because they’re trained, but there’s a trusting period. So once you trust them to do one room, then you add the rest of the house slowly. Um, so that they know your expectations when they’re off leash. Um, they also suggest too , when you’re getting to know them, that if you have to leave the house to do something small and you need to leave them alone, you leave them alone for like a short period of time and then a longer period of time. So that if you, you know, if you’re out for the day and there’s somewhere, you can’t go with your dog, that you know that when they, when you come back, you trust that they haven’t, you know, messed up the house or ran a mock or ate a bunch of food or something. Not that they would, but it’s all about building trust and also building affection between you and your dog. They actually, my instructor actually told me that I was being too professional when I was training with my dog, cuz I didn’t wanna mess up her training. So I was like, you know, forward, left and right learned all the commands, learned all the footwork. My instructor goes, you can love on your dog. She goes, you can give your dog a hug and verbal praise and play with her. And I was like, really? Cause I knew she was a mobility tool and I didn’t wanna mess up her training. She goes, you’re not gonna mess up her training. She goes, they want that bond. You know, they also tell you that the adjustment period is super important because when you get a guide dog they’re depending on what school you go to they’re between one and a half to two years old. So they are in a sense in dog years, they’re a teenager. So you have to set consistent expectations for them so that they know what you expect and that they also know that you are in charge.

Sara Brown: 38:36

This is a partnership. So talk about how you and Joyce work together?

Jessica Minneci: 38:42

Joyce and I have, I would call kind of like almost like a codependent relationship. I depend on her to lead me. She depends on me to give her love and give her food and play with her. So when we work together , um, she pulls on the harness and leads me. But I’m the one who tells her where she’s going. So I will memorize a route and I will tell her forward left or right. She’s the one that pulls me and then also pulls me around obstacles and stops at curbs and steps and finds the elevator, finds the outside door, finds the escalator. Um, so she depends on me to give directions. And I, I depend on her to lead me safely around an obstacle. It’s very different from using a cane because when you are using a cane, it’s all you, right? You are telling you, move the cane and tell it where to go. Right? The dog is the one who’s moving you. And also when you’re moving your cane around, you can’t see obstacles, right? So the cane bumps into stuff. Whereas with the dog, they just go around it. So with a cane, you are the one directing traffic and you are the one moving the cane, the cane hits obstacles. You go, you have to figure out how to go around it. The dog leads you. You tell her where to go and then she will stop or go around an obstacle. And that’s when you can say, okay, go around or go under , uh, not go under, go around or , um, stop or we’ll go a different way. So there’s a lot of , um, co-dependence in that relationship, it’s a beautiful bond. Um, just if you ever get the chance and to see a service dog team work together, I would highly advise just standing back and watching. It’s a really beautiful experience for the handler and for the dog.

Sara Brown: 40:49

You’re right. I’ve seen you in Joyce in action and Joyce is pulling you, but you tell her, go left, go, right. So I’ve heard the interaction that you have with Joyce and how Joyce takes to lead. But you’re telling her still, you know, which way to go.

Jessica Minneci: 41:04

Yeah. And I would, I would say too , another part of working together is some , some schools use food reward , um, for dogs when they , uh, do something positive. So it’s called positive reinforcement. So you might see me bend down to give her a treat. Um, and then she accepts it. So schools like the seeing eye , they don’t use food reward, but guide dogs who the blind does. And it just depends on how they’re trained and the training style. Um, so when you pick a school, sometimes that also depends on what school you go to. If you, you wanna be the handler that gives out food, then you pick a food reward school, if you don’t and you prefer just to have a dog that just does everything and you don’t have to carry food and get your fingers all sticky , then you go to a different school too. Um, so you know, picking a school is all about preference in a lot of different ways, but one way you’ll see teams working together is with food reward. And , um, I will tell you this, Joyce does not work without food

Sara Brown: 42:02

And just like you said, Joyce is a working dog, which means people should not try to stop and pet Joyce or talk to Joyce or interact with Joyce in any means. When they see that she’s working, what do you want people to know about guide dogs when they see one working?

Jessica Minneci: 42:17

So if an individual is talking to her, I will sometimes stop and turn to the individual and say, excuse me, can you not talk or make eye contact , eye contact with my dog, she’s working. And if they say, okay, and they walk, walk on, that’s great. If they don’t and they continue to make eye contact and , and talk to her, I just tell Joyce, good girl hop up. And we move on. Uh , sometimes if an individual is with a kid like at a grocery store, this is fun. So a grocery store and a kid is throwing a temper tantrum. Um, the parent will often say, oh, look at that doggie to like distract them. And they say, oh, you can go up and pet the doggie . And I’m just like, Nope . Nope . That’s not okay. So , um, if they get closer, close to me and I hear them approaching, I say , uh, hi , uh, just so you know, this dog is working, please do not pet or make eye contact with this dog. Sometimes they’ll back away. And sometimes they won’t. Um, and if they actually do come up and pet the dog, especially if it’s an adult, I will actually correct Joyce because if she gets into the touch and she wants it, I will actually give her a correction. And then the person steps back and goes, oh no, like I did something wrong. The dog is being corrected. Then they realize that they shouldn’t have done anything. Sometimes that’s the best you can do, because if you correct the dog, then people notice that this is not something that they should be doing. And the dog is getting punished. Now just for clarification, a correction is when you have the leash in your hand and you pull back on the collar . A lot of the times she, she has a Martingale collar, so it’s , um, part nylon part chain . And so the chain just, it doesn’t choke her, but it , it , it moves her back a little bit and , uh, makes her pay attention to me. And so , uh, that’s what a correction is. And so they’ll notice that or they’ll walk away and I will tell you, Sara, there was one time there was this very insistent adult. I tried to explain to them not to pet. I corrected Joyce . They still weren’t doing it. I was not having a good day. So I did slap their hand away. And I said, yeah, that’s this is not okay. And they were surprised . So , um, sometimes when you catch a handler on a bad day , um, that’s the most we’ll do, but we try so hard to calmly explain this to people. The best you can do for a working team is to not make eye contact, to not talk to the dog, not pet the dog. Don’t give treats to the dog. Don’t make barking sounds and to just ignore them all together and to talk to the handler as well. So for example, if someone is giving you directions and they say, come here, baby, follow me. No , you’re supposed to talk to the handler. That’s the best advice you can give is to talk to the handler, ignore the dog completely.

Sara Brown: 45:13

You had me at barking. What? So people really try barking at Joyce to get her attention really?

Jessica Minneci: 45:23

Oh yeah. Oh my gosh.

Sara Brown: 45:25

The most important thing seems to be, to talk to the owner of the guide dog. Don’t talk to the guide dog. Talk to the owner, respect the owner’s decision as to whether or not you can interact with the guide dog.

Jessica Minneci: 45:40

Yeah. So it also depends too. I will say it depends on the day the handler’s having, if they’re just in a grocery store and they wanna get home to make dinner, they’re tired from a long work day and people say, oh, can I pet your dog? The handlers are gonna say no. Um, it also depends too , on what kind of day the dog has had. So if I’m out in public and someone says, can I pet your dog? And Joyce has been distracted by one thing or another that day. I’m not gonna give her another thing to be distracted, to be distracted by. So I will say no. Um, a lot of the times you’re right. If I am at the office, Joyce is laying under my desk cuz I’m working. She’s, you know, she’s not really working if she’s laying under my desk so people can come and, and pet her. It just depends on the, the time of day and like how we’re feeling, how we’re doing. Um, so don’t get upset if we say no. Um, because that’s just, that’s our right to say no. Um, just like it is our right to, I’m gonna make a fun analogy. Um, here. So when I was in college , um, I had Joyce in a new class and um, the professor comes up to the front of the room and she says, just so you know, everybody , uh, we have a service animal in this class and she says, just like you wouldn’t touch a lady’s pregnant belly. You’re not supposed to pet a service dog while they’re working. The class was silent. Everybody was laughing after like a couple beats because it was just hilarious. And she said, it’s so deadpan, but it was so true. So again, it’s our right. It’s a lady’s right with a pregnant belly to tell you hands off . , it’s my right as a service dog handler to say hands off , because when all is said and done, she is a mobility aid . Um, that’s why she’s allowed everywhere with me. Um, so she keeps me safe. I keep her safe. So it is my right to say no. Um, sometimes though, if there’s a little kid and they’re learning about a service dog and they politely ask, cuz they know it’s a service animal, then I will say yes, because they’ve learned and they’re very polite. You will often find Sara that a lot of adults will pet my dog without asking. But a lot of kids are very polite and do ask the question.

Sara Brown: 47:56

So what do you want people to know about guide dogs or what do you want people to know when they see a guide dog working?

Jessica Minneci: 48:04

I’d like people to know that when they see a guide dog working, as I said before, leave them alone, talk to the handler. Also 95% of the time, there’s gonna be a sign on the dog’s harness that says, do not pet. And many people do not read that sign. So please read the sign. Um, also also another thing to note is that if you see a dog in a harness , um, odds are that they are a working dog. And if you see a dog in a , in a vest , um, a lot of the times that means that they are a guide dog in training. So it’s even more important if it’s a guide dog in training to not interact because they are learning how to go about the world and, and be socialized so that they don’t overreact when their handler goes somewhere. Um, so like with Guide Dogs for the Blind, I believe their puppy coats are green. Um, so that’s another thing to note. It’s actually funny at nine times outta 10, I get asked. So are you training that dog? I’m like, no, no she’s working. Um, she’s a guide dog she’s working. So it’s just important to be super cognizant of, of all of that. And um, again, to just always ask if you can pet the dog and also to note too , that we are not people to be avoided at all costs. You know, some people see people with differences and they’re like, oh my God, gotta steer clear that we like your questions. So if you come up to me and you say, hi, miss , like, can I ask you a question about your service dog and how they work? I’m trying to educate my kid. Of course, I’m gonna stop and answer your question. I love questions. As long as they’re not rude. And uh , people are polite and they have good questions. I do not mind educating others. I think it’s so important for kids today to be exposed to different things so that when they’re adults and they’re growing up, they know how to approach other people in other situations. So don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Sara Brown: 50:09

Okay, Jessica, thank you so much for joining me today on Change Makers.

Jessica Minneci: 50:13

Thank you so much for having me, Sara. This has been a blast.

Sara Brown: 50:20

Now we are shifting gears to talk about APH’s 154th Annual Meeting. It’s back, it’s in-person and it’s better than ever. And some things to expect include the insights art exhibit, a keynote from M. Leonna Gooden, empowering braille literacy with Polly, which is an APH braile device that’s coming to market soon. Updates from APH , press learn about the next generation desktop magnifier. Hear about the state of the company from APH president Craig Meador. We have the Hall of Fame Ceremony and so much more. We’re so excited. It’s in person, which is huge. After what two years of being virtual annual meeting will be held at the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Louisville on Wednesday, October 5th and runs through Friday, October 7th. If you’re interested in attending visit aph.org for more information, thank you so much for listening to this episode of Change Makers. I have put links to Leader Dogs for the Blind’s website and their podcast in the show notes as well as Ractile town and other APH products that assist with orientation and mobility. And you can also find a link that has all the information about our upcoming annual meeting. We hope to see you there as always be sure to look for ways you can be a change maker this week.

Jack Fox: 0:00

Welcome to Change Makers, a podcast from APH . We’re talking to people from around the world who are creating positive change in the lives of people who are blind or have low vision. Here’s your host.

Sara Brown: 0:16

Hello, and welcome to Change Makers. I’m APH’s Public Relations Manager, Sara Brown . And today we are previewing the upcoming 2022 InSights Art competition, held during APH’s Annual Meeting. We’ll learn more about the program and speak to an artist. After that, we’ll hear about the upcoming Helen caller symposium. Up first, we have visitor services and InSights Art coordinator, Meg Outland. Hello, Meg, and welcome to Change Makers.

Meg Outland: 0:46

Hi, thank you for having me.

Sara Brown: 0:48

Now, can you talk to us about InSights Art and what it is for those who might not be aware?

Meg Outland: 0:54

Yes. So , um, back in the early 1990s, APH started the InSights Art program and competition, which is an international art competition for students and adults who are blind or low vision. So back in the early 90s, there really wasn’t a lot of opportunity for artists who are blind or low vision. Um, it just really wasn’t. There weren’t many good programs. So APH wanted to create a program that would spark inspiration for folks who were blind or low vision , who are artistic and creative types of people. So we’ve been around ever since then

Sara Brown: 1:38

Talk about some of the work you’ve seen submitted for InSights Art in the past?

Meg Outland: 1:42

We received countless of entries each year. Um , we have artworks of all different kinds. Um, think maybe like crochet pieces. We actually received a , um, crochet blanket this year think 2D, artworks, like canvases , um, sketches drawings. And we also receive a lot of sculptures , um, throughout the American printing house for the blind. We have artworks that are hung up throughout the building. We have sculptures in folks offices. A lot of those that are hung up art , older artworks.

Sara Brown: 2:20

And I know you’re new, pretty new in your position, but can you talk about some of the products that are available for children who are blind or low vision that they could use to create art?

Meg Outland: 2:31

So, like I had mentioned earlier , um, InSights Art was created because there weren’t enough opportunities for artists who were blind or low vision. Um, so I’m really grateful that we exist , but additionally, that APH also creates products for artists. Um, one of my favorites that we actually featured on , um, our InSights Art Facebook group is the , um, Paint by Number Coloring Book Series. So , um, they have an aquatic one that has an octopus and a clownfish and a dolphin. And then they also have a safari one as well that features other safari critters, but these are paint by number coloring books. And they’re also tactile.

Sara Brown: 3:22

Is there anything else you’d like to add about InSights Art?

Meg Outland: 3:26

So this year is going to be our first year in-person doing an award ceremony since 2019, the past two years, 2020 and ’21 have all been digital. And I am really looking forward to meeting artists that I have not been able to meet before. I’ve been in contact with some people, but I am truly grateful that we are able to do an in person exhibit and ceremony and dinner. I think it’s really great that artists from around the country and even around the world can come together and meet one another and share their inspiration and share their artwork because they’re extremely talented. So I am very much looking forward to that and I encourage everybody who either is in Louisville at that point in time. It’s October 7 , um, come and check out the exhibit . Um, any employees at APH that wanna stop by and see the ceremony and visit the artists . I really encourage that as well. I think it’s gonna be a really exciting time.

Sara Brown: 4:30

Thank you so much, Meg, for joining me today on Change Makers.

Meg Outland: 4:33

Thank you.

Sara Brown: 4:35

And I have put a link in the show notes to InSights Art. That way you can get more information and learn how you can submit for next year’s art competition. Now we’re talking to insights, art artist , Kylie Sykes , hello, Kylie, and welcome to Change Makers.

Kylie Sykes: 4:54

Hello. Thank you.

Sara Brown: 4:56

Now, can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Kylie Sykes: 4:59

I’ve been going to the Braille Institute for a number of years, and I am involved in their art department specifically as both a volunteer and a student. And , um, to be honest, if it wasn’t for them, I would not be where I am today. So I am very, very thankful for everything that they have provided me.

Sara Brown: 5:30

Talk about how you got into art?

Kylie Sykes: 5:33

Sure. Um, I got into art because of , um, my love for , uh, creating pretty things. And , um, it was just something that I thought I would be able to do because of my visual issue . Um , I just thought that, Hey, you know, why don’t I get into , um, doing lot of rugs? And that’s what started my whole art industry basically is , um, my mom teaching me to do that when I was very young and , um, I’ve just, I’ve stuck with it. And since then, like I said , um, I have delved into a few other things, thanks to the Braille Institute, such as mosaics and , um, poetry. And I’m now a published poet as well.

Sara Brown: 6:45

Talk about the process that you take when you’re creating a rug?

Kylie Sykes: 6:49

Um, well , latch book is pretty simple , um, because I don’t get into the real involved ones. I stick to , um, the rugs that have guides with them or maps, if you will. Um, although some of them that I have done have not, and they’ve just been , um, the colors have just been printed on the canvas and I’ve, I have gotten way nervous with those, but I’ve done them and , um, I’ve pushed through and just gone with it.

Sara Brown: 7:31

How do you create art from start to finish? Can you just talk about that process?

Kylie Sykes: 7:36

Um, sure. I basically start with a canvas. Um, they’re different sizes, but normally I’ll do a 12 inch by 12 inch and , um, I use a special tool called a latch hook and , um, I , um, like I said, I follow a map , um, the map that comes in the kit with everything else and , um, the yarn is already precut, which is nice. And , um, it’s almost like , um, tying knots with a tool basically.

Sara Brown: 8:21

And is there anything else you’d like to say to an aspiring artist that might be a bit intimidated?

Kylie Sykes: 8:27

My advice is if you think you can’t do it, try it because you never know, it may be something that you will learn to love.

Sara Brown: 8:42

Thank you so much , Kylie for joining me today on Change Makers.

Kylie Sykes: 8:45

You’re very welcome.

Sara Brown: 8:52

Now we’re gonna take a quick look at a local Louisville event coming up in September. That’s Hidden Legacies of Helen Keller, a symposium that’s gonna happen on Saturday, September 17 through Sunday, September 18. We have APH’s Museum Director here, Micheal Hudson, to talk briefly about what you can expect from the two day event. Hello, Micheal, and welcome to Change Makers.

Micheal Hudson: 9:14

Thank you, Sara.

Sara Brown: 9:16

So talk about your role in this event and Helen Keller and what the event is?

Micheal Hudson: 9:21

Well, my job has been to, I’m kind of like the logistics guy . Um, we decided several years ago that to kind of, as our big announcement , uh, uh, that the American Foundation for the Blind Helen Keller Archive had arrived in Louisville. We wanted to do a history symposium and , um, originally we had scheduled it for , uh, her birthday this summer , um, in June. But if you remember back in , uh, January, as we were pulling everything together and getting our program , uh, situated the COVID was just deadly. And , uh, you know, Kentucky was in the midst of a , a big surge. And so we decided that we just weren’t ready to do it in June. And so we , we postponed it until September 17 and 18 , uh, this late, late this summer. And that’s really helped us a lot to , to pull, pull all our logistics together, to get all of our speakers. You know, it turns out Sara that planning one of these meetings. I have never done it before to plan a big history symposium. And so we’ve got 16 presenters coming in from , uh, all over the world. Uh, uh, we’re bringing, and I think the farthest away is , uh, Dr. Iain Hutchison is coming in from the University of Glasgow. Um , we have somebody coming in from Canada. We have , uh, Oklahoma and Massachusetts , uh, so all over the country. Uh , and , um, and the , the, the , the idea was that, you know, the AFB Helen Keller Archive was just this amazingly rich resource, and we wanna encourage , uh, researchers. And so we needed to let you know, kind of the , the history field , um, um, blindness advocates , um, disability advocates, disability, historians know that it was, it had moved from its home in New York down here to Kentucky. Um, and that we were set up to, to , to assist researchers to, to work with the collection. So we, we started recruiting a lot of people who are doing all kinds of different topics around the life of this amazing American woman, Helen Keller . Um , and we, we were also looking at, you know, there’s this thing in , in the disability community, you know, “nothing about us without us.” And so we wanted to make sure that we had all kinds of voices. We had young voices, we had veteran voices , um, you know, young authors, who’ve just written their first book. Um , we have a couple of those. We have people who are gonna be presenting in ASL. Uh, we have one , uh, presenter , uh, Cristina Hartmann very much looking forward to her presentation, which is gonna be in pro tactile. So pro tactile is it’s, uh, something that has largely come right out of the deafblind community, where a interpreter is behind, uh, Cristina , um, signing o nto her back telling her what, what is going on in the room, what she i s seeing. And then , uh, Cristina is communicating to the room using ASL, American Sign Language, and then another interpreter is speaking for her to t he, to the room. So just, just the accessibility, uh, part of this meeting is gonna be really exciting and educational. Um, you know, how people communicate, uh, historically o f course, Helen historically interpreted by doing what’s called manual sign language. U m, although she did really work hard trying to teach herself to speak, but unless you, unless you were around her a lot, it was, it was hard to understand what she was saying. So she usually, she had an interpreter as well. U m, but she would, she would, uh, manually speak into, uh, Anne Sullivan or later, Polly Thompson’s hand, and then they would speak for her. And then when someone would speak to Helen, they would be finger spelling into, into Helen’s hands. Um, and so you know, this kind of development of the way we communicate, um, is, i s, i s just as much a part of the meeting as, um, as the, the Hidden Legacy of H elen Keller. That’s the title of the, of the symposium hidden legacies.

Sara Brown: 14:06

So it’s a two day event talk about what people can expect. You just touched on Helen Keller, talk about the fee and where the symposium will be held?

Micheal Hudson: 14:16

Sure. So , um, so we are, co-sponsoring this with the Filson Historical Society here in Louisville, they have a brand new conference center. So right now they’re just really well set up to host a meeting like this. And although when we remodel our building, we will be able to host meetings like this right now we needed a partner. So we we’re , the meeting is actually over at the Filson Club, or the Filson Historical Society . And , um, it’s over two days. So on Saturday, September 17, there’s a full range of , uh, of , uh, symposium meeting , uh, conference sessions all day long. Uh, we’re gonna have lunch box lunch. And then , uh, the evening keynote , uh, speeches by Dr. Sanjay Gulati, uh , a child psychologist who works with deaf children. Um, who’s , who’s working on this thing called Language Deprivation. He’s studying the way that the brain develops , uh, in young children when , uh, when you have a disability , uh, uh, like Helen had , uh, uh, uh, either deafness or deaf blindness. And then on Sunday , uh, we’re gonna start the day out with a tour here at the American Printing House, and you’re gonna get a behind the scenes tour of the new AFB Helen Keller Archive space , um, as well as our braille floor and the , and the museum, and for a lot of people that may be the last time you get to see the museum before it closes. Um, and then in the afternoon, we’ll be back over at the Filson Club for the , the final session. So it’s a day and a half , uh, a packed , just jam packed full of, of sessions on all aspects of Helen’s life. Um, and you know, a lot of people think they know who Helen is and was because they’ve seen the miracle worker once, but you know, that, that, that play ends with her seven years old and she lives, you know, until 1968 travels all over the world and just does amazing things. And so we’re gonna explore all that. And so, yeah, there’s a , the, the registration fee. So, so the registration is, is free of charge to , uh, APH staff members and board members and members of the Filson Historical Society. And then for the general public it’s $75 , uh, for the full day, two days, and then $25 for students who are enrolled, enrolled students $25.

Sara Brown: 16:45

Is there anything else you’d like to say about this event?

Micheal Hudson: 16:47

Well, I’m just really excited about the diversity of our speakers , um, and the fact that we have, you know, representatives of a lot of different communities , uh, and, you know, Helen is she , she can be sometimes is his ambivalent figure to certain , uh, communities like the deaf community , um, because she was so influenced by Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, who’s this prominent oralist, oralist thought that, oh , deaf kids should be taught to read lips and should learn to speak. And in the 20th century, the deaf community really fought back against. And , uh, they, they , they fought to recover the right to use ASL , um, and to , uh, to , to control the way that they communicated. So , uh, you know, Helen is kind of an ambivalent figure to them. So it’s gonna be very interesting. We’re gonna have lots of scholars. Who’ve worked on this and from the deaf community and from the deafblind community is gonna be really , um, awesome to explore the way that Helen is seen by different communities.

Sara Brown: 17:53

All right , Micheal, thank you so much for joining me today on Change Makers.

Micheal Hudson: 17:57

Thank you, Sara. We’re looking forward to it.

Sara Brown: 18:00

It sounds like it’s gonna be a great event. And for you out there listening, I’ve put a link in the show notes so you can sign up in , join in on the symposium. Thank you very much for listening to this episode of Change Makers. I’ve put links in the Show Notes, so you can learn more about InSights Art, APH’s upcoming Annual Meeting, and the Helen Keller symposium. Have a great day, and remember to look for ways you can be a changemaker this week.

Jack Fox: 0:00

Welcome to Change Makers, a podcast from APH . We’re talking to people from around the world who are creating positive change in the lives of people who are blind or have low vision. Here’s your host.

Sara Brown: 0:13

Hello, and welcome to Change Makers. I’m APH’s Public Relations Manager, Sara Brown . And today we’re talking about ways you can ensure success for your child. Back to school season is underway and now’s the time people start to wonder what they can do to make sure their child has a great start. We’ll also learn about an upcoming Helen Keller symposium and have a check-in with Partners with Paul. Up first, we have APH’s ConnectCenter Director, Olaya Landa-Vialard here to give us some tips on what you can do to make sure your child has a great school season. Hello Olaya and welcome to Change Makers.

Olaya Landa-Vialard: 0:48

Oh, thank you so much, Sara. I’m always happy to be part of Change Makers. This is great.

Sara Brown: 0:54

Can you talk about some ways people can prepare their child for elementary, middle, and high school?

Olaya Landa-Vialard: 0:59

So, you know, when schools start getting ready to start, it’s always a really good idea. Um, if you can to , um, find out where your child is gonna be , uh, where their classroom’s gonna be , uh, who’s gonna be their teacher, so that you can reach out to them and maybe even take your child to the school ahead of time so that they can kind of get acquainted with their new area. Um , maybe even talk to your Orientation and Mobility Specialist to orient your child to the layout of the school and their classroom before the first day of school. If , if they’re especially, if this is like their first… Let’s say they’re in kindergarten or they’re in, pre-K going to kindergarten. Um, you know, after being, after being out for the summer, they may have forgotten some of the layout of the school if they, if they’ve been there before. And if they haven’t, this would be a really good introduction to the school and the layout so that they understand where the bathrooms are, where the cafeteria is, where the gym is, where their classroom is, where the main office is. So that if there’s an emergency, they know where to go , um, to make a phone call or to notify someone , uh, in the school of , of anything that , that may be happening , um, that, that the leadership in the school needs to know about. So knowing where those places are, the library , um, and of course, you know , the playground that’s very important in elementary school, the playground. So knowing where all those places are , um, the entrances and exits , um, is really important, making sure that they understand their , the , or like their classroom itself, not just the perimeter of the classroom, but have them go into the classroom. What’s in the middle of the classroom? Uh, because different classrooms are , are set up different ways. Um, some, some classrooms are set up like centers, some are set up in rows, some are set up in groups. So it just depends on how the classroom is set up and your child may have , you know, their child may have been in a classroom , um, that was set up one way and they’re going into a new setting that’s going and that they’re not gonna be familiar with. And if their memory is of the way their previous classroom was, they may not be able to find their way around independently from the, from the very beginning. So , um, we wanna make sure also that , um, the teacher allows the, the child to use his or her cane. And I know that sounds like, like “why, why would anybody not let their child use , you know, use the cane in the classroom?” But believe it or not, there are situations where a teacher , uh, will ask the , the child to not use their cane because the other kids might be tripping over it or, or what , or the , the student is still learning how to use it, but that’s not an excuse that cane is an extension of that , of them. And they need to be able to use that cane to get around in the classroom. It could be from one learning center to another. Um, it could be from, you know, from their desk to the door , um, sometimes and , uh, teachers expect their , the students to “park their canes in their cubby.” Um, if that is the case, then you wanna make sure that the child is familiar with the classroom before giving up that, that crucial tool that helps them orient themselves to the classroom and the , the desk and the chairs and the backpacks and all the things that are, that are in classrooms , um, these days. Right. Um, and, but hopefully you’re , you know, advocating and making sure that you express to the teacher how important the can is for their student or for their child to use in order to , for them to be safe as well, navigating that classroom, not, not only the other children, but them themselves need to also be safe. So that’s where the Orientation and Mobility Specialists can also come in , um, and help . And, and by the way, these suggestions are , um, are stuff that I know about just from being a teacher students with visual impairments, but it also comes from a book called , um, “Reach Out and Teach: Helping Your Child who is Visually Impaired Learn and Grow” by Kay Alicyn Ferrell. So a lot of these suggestions come from her book as well. Um , so it’s kind of , it’s backed up by, by the literature. Um, um, also if a teacher has , um, you know, centers or places in the classroom where she has the kids go like , um, a book center or library center or an art or writing center , um, ask , you know , talking to the teacher and making sure that the teacher includes some kind of a , an organizer or like a label in brail or large print, that’s always in the same part of the learning center. Like for example , um, there may be a label in braille on the right corner of every table. That way it’s a tactile clue. The student knows, or their child knows what , center they’re going to, what they’re working on. Um, it could be , um, it , it , it doesn’t have to always be in braille. It could be something like , ” let’s say the draw drawing center might have a crayon glued to the table on that right corner.” Um , a reading center might have a , a small book , um, glued to the table or placed or Velcro to the table and the top right corner. That way the student always knows where to look on on these tables to figure out where they are, what center they’re in. And so that helps a lot with independence. Self-advocacy self-determination that way they can do it themselves. They don’t need somebody to walk them to the different centers that may be going on , um, in the classroom. Um, but that’s like elementary school and, and , and some of those things still apply also to middle and high school, but there are a few more things , um, that parents should know to help make sure that their child is prepared for middle and or high school. Um, elementary school, typically we’re in one classroom . Um , the students are there, they get all their reading, writing, and math and ECC in the classroom, ECC , meaning Expanded Core Curriculum , um, like orientation and mobility. Um , that’s a big one , um, to , and braille instruction. That’s another big one. That’s all part of the Expanded Core Curriculum , um, outside of reading, writing, and math. Um, but when we’re talking about middle school and high school students start to leave the one classroom, you know, situation where they have to go to different classrooms for the different subjects that they’re, that they’re taking. So becoming familiar with the, with the class schedule and then taking their, taking some time to visit the school ahead of, before school starts and helping the child learn the routes or new routes to get from one class to another. Um, they could be new routes if this is the first time they’ve been in that middle school , um, or could be , um, just , um, um, not a , it like a review route, I guess. Um, if they’re going to different classrooms from, let’s say sixth grade to seventh grade , um, classroom that they hadn’t been to before. So they have the basic layout of the school, but they’re trying to find their new , um, their new classrooms. And so giving them that, that time in making sure that your child is prepared for middle and our high school, is that becoming familiar with those roots to get from one class to another. So asking for that time to visit before school starts is really, really helpful and will make those first days of class smoother , um, for, for their child and help foster that independence and self determination, for sure. So there’s a lot of little things there going on, but , um, but a lot of it is, you know, it , it , it’s , it’s front loading. It’s that preparation ahead of time before you have this influx of students coming to the school and then your child is trying to orient and get, get used to where they’re gonna be, or where’s supposed to be where , um, so it’s, it’s that front loading of time, maybe a week before school starts when teachers are on campus, but the students aren’t there yet. So it gives you that time to familiarize yourself with the student’s teacher with , um, you know, with the, where the classroom is with where , uh, with those routes that the student may have to take within this bigger building in middle school and high school comparatively bigger than, than what they were used to at the elementary school. So those are all, some things that, that a parent can do to help prepare their child for the beginning of school.

Sara Brown: 9:09

Great. Those are some really simple things that go a long way for a student returning to the classroom. Now, what can the family do to support children as they return to school?

Olaya Landa-Vialard: 9:20

Um, so for families , um, you know, you wanna make sure that you , um, find out who your child’s , um, TVI is their teacher, who their teacher or students with visual impairments is find out who their orientation and mobility specialist is. And see if you can get , uh, some time with them either by phone or , um, or, or actually asking for , um, an IEP meeting , um, before school starts and , and parents, you can do this. You can ask for an IEP meeting, even when school is not in session. Um, I, I, I used to be on a school campus as a TVI and as an educational diagnostician, and we would have meetings , um, the week or two before school started. Um, and so that is your right to do that. And in those meetings, you can make sure that your child supports are set up and ready to be deployed. So making sure that , um, their accommodations are, are ready to go , um, meaning do they have their books and braille, do they have their books in large print? Do they have access , um, not only access, but can they get and use their assistive technology devices like a CCTV , uh, a Brailer , um, a printer , um, the things that, that , uh, that other kids may not necessarily need for them to access their education, but your student, your child needs in order to access their education. At the same time that they’re sighted peers are accessing their education. So meeting early and making sure that these things are ready to go on day one is really important, but also knowing who is responsible for making sure that these accommodations modifications , um, and IEPs are, are being implemented and used so that you, as a parent can be double checking, communicate. Communication is key. When you have a student who is , who has low vision, or is blind , um, and communication with the people who are responsible for implementing these accommodations and modifications and making sure that, that the , that their , that your child has access to the, the same quality education that other kids in the school who don’t have, who are not blind, or who are not low vision , um, have access to. So that’s one of the things you can do. One of the other really important things. I mean, everything’s important, but this I think is, is , is , is exceptionally important. Um, when it comes to homework, knowing about the homework hotline for students who have low vision or blindness is really important for parents to know about , um, you know, I, we all need help with homework. Um, whether you are, whether you have a disability or not, and , um, our kids who are blind or low vision have the same needs that other kids do. Um , and I don’t know about, about any of you, but I know myself, I am not a math whiz. So when my daughter has homework, when it comes to math, I have to reach out to like homework hotline, places, or reach out to friends or family who are really good at math and who can help her. Um, but for our kids with low vision and blindness, there’s an actual national homework hotline out of , uh, VISTAS Education Partners and the website for the , for that service, which is a free service for , um, for students in kindergarten to 12th grade. Um, the website is http://www.vistaseducation.com/homeworkhotline/. And , um, again, it is a free service. You would , uh, you go to the website and there’s a form you fill out and then they match , um, your students needs to one of the volunteers that they have, who are volunteers that come from the STEM fields that come from the English fields like English , um, literature , uh, English, grammar, and writing , um, you name it, they have volunteers that will help , um, your child with their homework. So please take advantage of that. I think that is something that we , um, you know, we don’t think about at the right before school starts, but once school starts and that homework starts coming in , um, it , it , it , it , it really is helpful to know that there’s help there , um, by people who are in coming from those fields where your child has homework. And sometimes the people who are , um, who are volunteering are blind as well. You have a blind chemist that , um, serves as a volunteer to help with like kids with their chemistry, homework , um, mathematicians , um, as well. So please take advantage of that. It is free. Um, and , and I mean, I can’t, I can’t say that enough. Um, it is homework is one of the, one of the big struggles for our kiddos. And , um, and so having this available , um, which I came out of the pandemic really , um, was the , this need became even more apparent. And that’s how this was , uh, the homework hotline was developed. So please take advantage of that.

Sara Brown: 14:32

There’s the Family Peer Group through the ConnectCenter. Can you talk about what that service provides?

Olaya Landa-Vialard: 14:38

Sure. So the first Wednesday of every month at , um, 7:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, we have a Family Connect group that meets , um, with the , um, in conjunction or in collaboration with the Chicago Lighthouse. And , um, there is a , um, clinical psychologist who is also part of our, of our group calls. And it really is a parent meeting. It is not a webinar. It is not a training. It is a time for parents to come and to talk about any of the issues that they might be having any of the fears. They may have any of the successes that they’ve had , um, experiences to share , um, uh, share information about what has worked for them or what hasn’t worked for them. Um, and so it , it , it is not a , a webinar that is recorded. It is truly a safe space for parents to meet and find community. We have had parents from all over the world call in, and sometimes they just sit and listen to other parents. Sometimes they, they bring the issue that they may be having with their child or with their child’s school , to the group, and then the families help each other through whatever that issue is. Um, we, as the , at the ConnectCenter , um, we do have , um, team members who attend the meeting, but we do not participate in the meeting per se, because it is a parent meeting. Um, we are there for support. And what I mean by support, if a parent brings up information, let’s say which, which has happened in the past where , um, their child had been , um, had been deaf for the majority of their life. And all of a sudden they starting to lose their vision. So now their child is not only deaf, but they are deaf and blind. And so they, this has happened where they brought this up and like, you know, where do I go? What do I do? Who do I talk to? Like, is there anybody else who has a child who is deaf blind? And so we at the connect center who are there on the call are really there to be putting information in the chat for resources. So right away, we started putting information about state deafblind projects, about Helen Keller National Center , uh, about Perkins School , um, for the Blind and, and just, and on and on. And so , um, the meaning itself is, is run and led by the , by the parents who are on the call, but the team, the connect center team is just there purely for support. So we do not interrupt. We do not take over. We , you know, it is not our meeting. Um, and we have had so many parents thank us for having , um, this once a month , uh, opportunity for parents to connect with each other, because so many of them have told us that they have felt so alone. Um, they didn’t know anyone else who had a child with deafblindness or a child with CHARGE Syndrome or Usher syndrome, or a child with blindness or low vision. Um, and so really it has , um, blossomed from like two people attending to sometimes 15 people attending. So it fluctuates every month. Um, we have , uh, over the summer, we’ve only had one meeting , um, just because over the summer, it’s harder , uh, for people to, you know, to join the meetings because they’ve got their kids at home and, and , or are traveling, but we are getting ready to restart those again. Um, so we will have , um, the next one in, the first Wednesday in September, which would be September the 7th. Um, again, 7 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, and everyone is welcome. Please spread the word. Um, it , everyone is welcome from the United States and around the world. So , um, it , it , it has been a very beneficial , um, group meeting. Again, parents feel very safe to, to talk about whatever their issues are with the clinical psychologist there, he’s also there to support the families who might be going through , um, you know, there’s different stages of the grieving process. And , um, with like one that one parent in particular, who I mentioned before about , um, her child , um, basically just becoming deaf blind , you know, it , it , it’s emotional. It, it is, it can be, it can be a difficult thing to talk about, but having a clinical psychologist there really helps guide those discussions and really helps , um, you know, helps the family , um, um, get through that discussion. Um, and so we’re really, really excited and, and proud to be part of that , um, that group out of the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind

Sara Brown: 19:33

And how can families advocate for their child’s learning needs and tools they might need?

Olaya Landa-Vialard: 19:40

So , um, the way parents want, first of all, knowing your rights, you’ve got to know your rights of , of , of a , as a parent of a child with a disability , um, and knowing what to advocate for in an IEP. The biggest thing in an IEP you wanna advocate for is access. If you know your rights for yourself and your child to advocate for access, to make sure that their child had their materials at the same time that their cited peers have them, there is no sense. And , and a student starting school and they not get their materials in large print or in braille for two months. That means the sighted peers are two months ahead of that student. That is something that is unacceptable. And that goes against providing what is called FAPE, which is F A P E, which is a Free Appropriate Public Education. If your child is being denied FAPE, that is a problem. And that’s where you would , when you go to an IEP meeting, you advocate for FAPE always. And if you tell them that your child is being denied FAPE, they need to really, you can actually stop an IEP meeting and you can go to mediation and you can ask, talk to them about, Hey, why, why is my child’s access being delayed? And how can we fix this? Right. Um, and so that’s one, one of the things and , uh, to help advocate for your child’s needs. Um, the other is , um, advocating for access to and use of their assisted technology accommodations and modifications, or they can’t be successful. So they need to be able to use their , um, CCTV, their magnifier, their Brailer, their , um, their braille note taker, which now, you know, we have the , um, we have a , a Chameleon. Um, and then of course we have, we have different , um, types of magnifiers, like a Juno or a handheld magnifier, excuse me, magnifier , um, our , the students need to have access to that technology in their classroom. They should not be sent to another classroom, a smaller classroom that has less students in order to use that assistive technology or in order to receive their accommodations or modifications, because then that goes against, what’s called the least restrictive environment. Okay. So a , a restrictive environment is an environment that is outside of the classroom of their general education peers of their peers without disabilities. So we wanna make sure that that doesn’t happen, or if it has to happen that it only happens minimally. Right? So for example, if your child is still in the process of learning braille, they may go to a smaller classroom to get that braille instruction, because it’s more one on one , um, because they’re not gonna be in the classroom where everybody in the classroom is learning braille. Okay. So that is acceptable, but if they need to use a, a CCTV , um, or they need to use a particular kind of printer that should be in their general education classroom, it should not be in the library. It should not be in a resource room where they have to go and have access to it. Um, because again, then that that’s taking them out of their , their general environment and putting them into a more restrictive environment. So I’ll make sure as well as you are advocating for your child , um, by knowing your rights and knowing to advocate for their access in their classroom in so that they can receive a free, inappropriate public education, right. Receiving that FAPE, that they’re also receiving that in the least restrictive environment that they’re receiving it along with their cited peers to the maximum extent possible. Okay. And also knowing that, depending on what age they are , um, at the , at the age of 14, we should be starting to look at what is it that they wanna do after high school, so that we can start writing into the IEP those skills that they’re gonna need in order to either pursue the job they want after high school pursue , um, a vocational degree after high school, or pursue a four-year degree after high school. So there’s so many different things that we need to be thinking about from the time the child, your child turns 14 all the way to the time they graduate. You need to know what type of diploma that they are , um, that they are going to be receiving. Um, and that all, because that will determine if they’re gonna go on to a college, if they’re gonna go onto a vocational program, or if they’re gonna graduate and get a job , um, there’s just, there are different pathways for every student. So knowing that ahead of time, that at starting at 14 is when you start making these plans, because at that time is when they’re gonna start making , um, the schedule of classes that your child is going to need to be taking in order to graduate with whatever type of diploma that they are , um, actually going for. So that’s something that also you need to know about so that you can advocate for what it is your child needs to set them up for that success throughout school, and for when they graduate and exit and go onto whatever it is they’re gonna do post high school.

Sara Brown: 25:16

And one final question to you. Is there anything else you would like to add?

Olaya Landa-Vialard: 25:21

Um, well, again, you know , I think, you know, preparing your child, I is , is important and knowing how to advocate for your child is extremely important, because if you advocate for them, they learn how to advocate for themselves. That has to be , um, something that they will be doing their entire life. So advocating for them to have that same access that their sighted peers have is one of the most important things that you can do as a parent, but also one of the most important things you can do as a role model for your child to make sure that if they need something in the classroom, that they can also speak up for that because you are modeling that for them, right. Um, so, and preparing them and letting them know, you know, what, I’m here. Um , you wanna , you wanna be available to listen when they go to school and they come back because they’re gonna have issues. Every kid has issues. Um, sometimes our kids ha you know, they tend to have a few more than others, and we wanna make sure that you are there to listen and, and try to help sometimes try to help solve the problem. But other times they just want you to listen because they have something to say, what’s going on at school, how they feel. And that also helps lead to them, learning how to advocate for themselves. If they know that somebody is going to be listening to them. So being prepared to listen to them, being prepared and listening too, you can also, you know, it’s kind of like putting together a puzzle , you can start figuring out, okay, the , this is where I need to jump in. This is where I can, you know, let them handle the situation. Um, because again, that will lead to more self-determination and self-advocacy skills , um, for their, for , for themselves. Um, but really taking that time before school starts to meet with the school, to know what’s in your child, IEP um, I know those documents can be overwhelming, but really, and truly trying to break down and break through what is that, what it , what is it saying that my child is supposed to have? And how many minutes are they supposed to have it? And with who are they supposed to have these services, those out of all of those papers, those are the three things that I , I would love for parents to focus on. Um, so that those are the things that will help guide their advocacy for their, for their child. Um, again, there are lots and lots of pages to those IEP documents. I know I’ve seen them and they can be overwhelming, but looking at those, those, those last IEP pages that talk about what services they’re gonna get for how long, and by who those are the three things that I would really like parents to focus on in all of those pages, because that’s gonna give you that information that you need, and parents have all the power. I don’t think they realize how much power they have. Parents have all the power. If you , um, are in an IEP meeting and you don’t agree with , um, what has been said or what the plans are, you can disagree. And when you disagree on that last signature page and you check, no everything has to stop. The services do not stop that your child is getting, but the new, anything new that is in that IEP has to stop and they have to address your concerns. And so you have the ultimate power in these IEP meetings. So always remember that, and it is your right. This is your child to make sure it , that you agree with what’s going on. And if you don’t, and it’s also your right to make sure that no, you don’t agree and that you’re not forced to agree. And you don’t feel like you have to, that. You can have a say and say, wait a minute, I don’t agree with this. We need to discuss this further. It’s more than okay for you to do that. Um, so I think that’s really, that’s one of the final things I wanna leave with the families is that families have a lot more power than they think they have.

Sara Brown: 29:30

Thank you so much Olaya for joining me today on Change Makers.

Olaya Landa-Vialard: 29:35

Well , thank you for having me. I always love talking about this stuff.

Sara Brown: 29:39

And I put a link to the IEP program Olaya just mentioned in the Show Notes. Now we’re gonna take a quick look at a local Louisville event coming up in September. That’s Hidden Legacies of Helen Keller: A Symposium that’s gonna happen on Saturday, September 17, through Sunday, September 18. We have APH’s Museum Director here, Micheal Hudson, to talk briefly about what you can expect from the two day event. Hello, Micheal, and welcome to Change Makers.

Micheal Hudson: 30:06

Thank you, Sara.

Sara Brown: 30:08

So talk about your role in this event and Helen Keller and what the event is?

Micheal Hudson: 30:13

Well, my job has been to, I’m kind of like the logistics guy . Um, we decided several years ago that to kind of, as our big announcement , uh, uh, that the American Foundation for the Blind Helen Keller Archive had arrived in Louisville. We wanted to do a history symposium and , um, originally we had scheduled it for , uh, her birthday this summer , um, in June. But if you remember back in , uh, January, as we were pulling everything together and getting our program , uh, situated the COVID was just deadly. And , uh, you know, Kentucky was in the midst of a , a big surge. And so we decided that we just weren’t ready to do it in June. And so we , we postponed it until September 17 and 18 , uh, this late, late this summer. And that’s really helped us a lot to , to pull, pull all our logistics together, to get all of our speakers. You know, it turns out Sara that planning one of these meetings. I have never done it before to plan a big history symposium. And so we’ve got 16 presenters coming in from , uh, all over the world. Uh, uh, we’re bringing, and I think the farthest away is , uh, Dr. Iain Hutchison is coming in from the University of Glasgow. Um , we have somebody coming in from Canada. We have , uh, Oklahoma and Massachusetts , uh, so all over the country. Uh , and , um, and the , the, the , the idea was that, you know, the AFB Helen Keller Archive was just this amazingly rich resource, and we wanna encourage , uh, researchers. And so we needed to let you know, kind of the , the history field , um, um, blindness advocates , um, disability advocates, disability, historians know that it was, it had moved from its home in New York down here to Kentucky. Um, and that we were set up to, to , to assist researchers to, to work with the collection. So we, we started recruiting a lot of people who are doing all kinds of different topics around the life of this amazing American woman, Helen Keller . Um , and we, we were also looking at, you know, there’s this thing in , in the disability community, you know, “nothing about us without us.” And so we wanted to make sure that we had all kinds of voices. We had young voices, we had veteran voices , um, you know, young authors, who’ve just written their first book. Um , we have a couple of those. We have people who are gonna be presenting in ASL. Uh, we have one , uh, presenter , uh, Cristina Hartmann very much looking forward to her presentation, which is gonna be in pro tactile. So pro tactile is it’s, uh, something that has largely come right out of the deafblind community, where a interpreter is behind, uh, Cristina , um, signing o nto her back telling her what, what is going on in the room, what she i s seeing. And then , uh, Cristina is communicating to the room using ASL, American Sign Language, and then another interpreter is speaking for her to t he, to the room. So just, just the accessibility, uh, part of this meeting is gonna be really exciting and educational. U m, you know, how people communicate, uh, historically o f course, Helen historically interpreted by doing what’s called manual sign language. U m, although she did really work hard trying to teach herself to speak, but unless you, unless you were around her a lot, it was, it was hard to understand what she was saying. So she usually, she had an interpreter as well. U m, but she would, she would, uh, manually speak into, uh, Anne Sullivan or later, Polly Thompson’s hand, and then they would speak for her. And then when someone would speak to Helen, they would be finger spelling into, into Helen’s hands. U m, and so you know, this kind of development of the way we communicate, um, is, i s, i s just as much a part of the meeting as, um, as the, the Hidden Legacy of H elen Keller. That’s the title of the, of the symposium hidden legacies.

Sara Brown: 34:58

So it’s a two-day event, talk about what people can expect? You just touched on Helen Keller, talk about the fee and where the symposium will be held?

Micheal Hudson: 35:08

Sure. So , um, so we are, co-sponsoring this with the Filson Historical Society here in Louisville, they have a brand new conference center. So right now they’re just really well set up to host a meeting like this. And although when we remodel our building, we will be able to host meetings like this right now we needed a partner. So we we’re , the meeting is actually over at the Filson Club, or the Filson Historical Society . And , um, it’s over two days. So on Saturday, September 17, there’s a full range of , uh, of , uh, symposium meeting , uh, conference sessions all day long. Uh, we’re gonna have lunch box lunch. And then , uh, the evening keynote , uh, speeches by Dr. Sanjay Gulati, uh , a child psychologist who works with deaf children. Um, who’s , who’s working on this thing called Language Deprivation. He’s studying the way that the brain develops , uh, in young children when , uh, when you have a disability , uh, uh, like Helen had , uh, uh, uh, either deafness or deaf blindness. And then on Sunday , uh, we’re gonna start the day out with a tour here at the American Printing House, and you’re gonna get a behind the scenes tour of the new AFB Helen Keller Archive space , um, as well as our braille floor and the , and the museum, and for a lot of people that may be the last time you get to see the museum before it closes. Um, and then in the afternoon, we’ll be back over at the Filson Club for the , the final session. So it’s a day and a half , uh, a packed , just jam packed full of, of sessions on all aspects of Helen’s life. Um, and you know, a lot of people think they know who Helen is and was because they’ve seen the miracle worker once, but you know, that, that, that play ends with her seven years old and she lives, you know, until 1968 travels all over the world and just does amazing things. And so we’re gonna explore all that. And so, yeah, there’s a , the, the registration fee. So, so the registration is, is free of charge to , uh, APH staff members and board members and members of the Filson Historical Society. And then for the general public it’s $75 , uh, for the full day, two days, and then $25 for students who are enrolled, enrolled students $25.

Sara Brown: 37:37

Is there anything else you’d like to say about this event?

Micheal Hudson: 37:40

Well, I’m just really excited about the diversity of our speakers , um, and the fact that we have, you know, representatives of a lot of different communities , uh, and, you know, Helen is she , she can be sometimes is his ambivalent figure to certain , uh, communities like the deaf community , um, because she was so influenced by Dr . Alexander Graham Bell, who’s this prominent oralist, oralist thought that, oh , deaf kids should be taught to read lips and should learn to speak. And in the 20th century, the deaf community really fought back against. And , uh, they, they , they fought to recover the right to use ASL , um, and to , uh, to , to control the way that they communicated. So , uh, you know, Helen is kind of an ambivalent figure to them. So it’s gonna be very interesting. We’re gonna have lots of scholars. Who’ve worked on this and from the deaf community and from the deafblind community is gonna be really , um, awesome to explore the way that Helen is seen by different communities.

Sara Brown: 38:45

All right , Michael, thank you so much for joining me today on Change Makers.

Micheal Hudson: 38:49

Thank you, Sara. We’re looking forward to it .

Sara Brown: 38:52

It sounds like it’s gonna be a great event. And for you out there listening, I’ve put a link in the show notes, so you can sign up and join in on the symposium. Now we’re gonna check in with Partners with Paul. What’s the latest, Paul?

Paul Ferrara: 39:05

Thanks, Sara. And welcome back to this episode of Partners with Paul. This is a special episode today for two reasons. First of all, we are back live at APH recording this today, and then second of all, Mike Wood is with us again, how you doing Mike?

Mike Wood: 39:18

Doing well, Paul, how are you?

Paul Ferrara: 39:20

For those that may not know? Mike Wood is the Strategic Accounts Manager Education with Vispero, and he’s got big news for us today, right? Mike?

Mike Wood: 39:28

I do. I have really exciting news besides the fact of being here at APH , which is exciting in and of itself , uh, getting a tour of the Museum and seeing everybody live. Um, I have some exciting news to the fact that JAWS and ZoomText are now available for sale directly through the APH website. So this is exciting news. Uh , so you have JAWS student edition and ZoomText student edition available, and jaws of course, is your screen reader. And ZoomText is your screen magnifier.

Paul Ferrara: 39:56

And who’s gonna benefit most from this change?

Mike Wood: 39:59

So I find that Ex Officio Trustees , uh, and teachers that are ordering student additions of JAWS or ZoomText are gonna find this really helpful because previously you had to purchase by contacting customer service directly. Uh , now you can actually just go toph.org and go to the JAWS or ZoomText page and order a portal license right there. So if you’re doing this at, you know, late at night, early in the morning before APH opens, this gives you the flexibility to just go and order it directly, right there at APH.org.

Paul Ferrara: 40:31

It’s been a change. People have been asking for for a long time, a lot of work put in on everybody’s part, your team, our team. And we’re really happy that this has come about what about fusion? We get asked that question all the time is a fusion license gonna be next?

Mike Wood: 40:46

So fusion is definitely gonna be coming. Uh , it’s a work in progress. And right now you do offer an option for fusion on your website, but it’s not through the portal. And the thing that’s nice with the portal is that you can manage everything directly through that portal, which allows teachers and administrators to manage multiple student licenses, whether it be at the classroom level or at the district level. And so right now you can only do JAWS or ZoomText , uh, through the portal and soon, you know, not sure when I don’t have the exact timeline, but just know that it is in the works that we are gonna be adding infusion to that option at one point.

Paul Ferrara: 41:19

So it’s important to know that you still can get it, but you have to go through the old way. You have to speak with customer service, but you can get Fusion.

Mike Wood: 41:26

Correct? That is absolutely correct, Paul. Yep .

Paul Ferrara: 41:29

Can you talk to us a little bit about the ordering process and what happens when somebody places an order?

Mike Wood: 41:33

Yeah. So what happens is you can go to aph.org to place an order for JAWS student edition or ZoomText student edition . After you order it, you’re gonna receive an email with instructions on how to activate that license. Um, so once you get that email, the email is gonna have two links inside it . So one of those links is if you are activating the license yourself. So if you’re sitting on that laptop for that student, you’re logged in, you wanna activate it on that machine, you click that one link, then there’s a second link that will allow you to forward that license to another person so that they can activate it on their account. So if you are the Ex Officio Trustee, and you are ordering 10 licenses , uh, you can actually send those 10 licenses to 10 separate people, and then they would be the ones to activate it. So you wanna just make sure that you read the email closely and ensure that you’re activating the license on the correct account. So whether it’s for you, the student, or if you’re forwarding it off to maybe an it director and then the it department is going to install it on a student’s laptop,

Paul Ferrara: 42:37

But it’s still one order. If you wanted to order 10, you can order 10 at one time. Is that right?

Mike Wood: 42:41

Yeah . So you can multiple, you can order, excuse me, multiple licenses. Uh , and it’s just nice, cuz it’s all right now available through the website.

Paul Ferrara: 42:48

Perfect. And now sometimes folks are gonna need to know how to use the software that they ordered. Can you talk a little about some training options that are available?

Mike Wood: 42:56

Goodness. Yes . So over the last few years, there’s so much training. APH has done a fantastic job about having training available as well as us directly. So one of the links I wanna share is FreedomScientific.com/teachers. And if you go to that link , uh, it’s really neat because there’s actually teacher training modules available on there that will walk you through. So if you’re new to JAWS , uh, you wanna , you know, learn how to use. It might be a little terrifying at first, right? But this allows you to take it bit by bit step by step through these training modules, which is fantastic. Uh , there’s so much information available there , um, for new users and old users as well. So if you want to use or learn how to use JAWS with say ZoomText, or JAWS with teams, or you name it Google, you can go on there and find resources on how to do that.

Paul Ferrara: 43:46

Yeah . JAWS user myself. I can tell you that all that material is fantastic stuff. It’s been great having to hear Mike, thanks for joining us and Louisville very much. Appreciate it.

Mike Wood: 43:55

Hey, I’ve very much enjoyed it, Paul. Thank you. And one last thing I do wanna say is if you have students that you’re working with, definitely go on a FreedomScientific.com and go to Student of the Month. So FreedomScientific.com/studentofthemonth. And if they’re using our technology, you can enter them for this program. And I just love this program because it gets the, you know, kiddos excited. They get a $500 Amazon gift card if they’re selected. And so I wanna definitely make sure I, you know, share that information, but again, this has been a pleasure. It’s so good to see you live and in person Paul and I can’t thank you enough.

Paul Ferrara: 44:27

And they get a computer too. Don’t they get computers for the blind?

Mike Wood: 44:29

They can. Yeah . So that’s a separate, another great program Computers for the Blind. Fantastic. Um, they can sign up for that program and they can get an absolute free computer with the software already. Pre-installed on it for a one year license. And then from there they can, you know, work through APH to get a license moving forward.

Paul Ferrara: 44:48

Well, this has been great. And uh , wanna also mention real quick in the show notes, we’ve included the link to the blog post that we put out. And in that blog post, you have the link to the ZoomText page, the JAWS page and the training. So everything we’ve talked about is covered in that one blog post, and that’s gonna be found in the show notes. And , uh, so everything should be answered. If you have any more questions. cs@aph.org is also a great place to send an email and get those questions answered. Thanks again, Mike, and back to you, Sara.

Sara Brown: 45:24

Thanks so much, Paul. And thank you for listening to this episode of Change Makers. I’ve put links to the ConnectCenter, the IEP program Olaya mentioned, how to sign up for Hidden Legacies of Helen Keller: a Symposium and the blog post. Paul just mentioned as always be sure to look for ways you can be a change maker this week.

Jack Fox: 0:00

Welcome to Change Makers, a podcast from APH . We’re talking to people from around the world who are creating positive change in the lives of people who are blind or have low vision. Here’s your host.

Sara Brown: 0:15

Hello, and welcome to this episode of Change Makers. I’m APH’s Public Relations Manager, Sara Brown . And today we are learning about the amazing work done through APH Huntington. We have APH Huntington’s Senior Strategist Accessible Technology and Community Outreach. Lee Huffman here to talk about the origin of APH Huntington and how it’s meeting the needs of local residents. Hello Lee , and welcome to Change Makers.

Lee Huffman: 0:42

Good morning. Hello. Thank you for inviting me.

Sara Brown: 0:45

So tell us about your professional background and introduce yourself to the audience in case they’re not familiar with you or APH Huntington.

Lee Huffman: 0:54

Well, thank you, actually. Yes. Uh , my name is Lee Huffman, as you had said, and I have really a fairly new to APH. I’ve been with APH really, almost exactly two years last week. It’s two years. Exactly. And , um, began working with APH to really bring about , uh, some learnings about how it can better understand and learn to better serve rural populations. When , uh, I first be began, my career in the blindness field was about, well in 2005. I began working for the American Foundation for the Blind and I started , um, as I was new to the blindness business completely. And I was hired under a grant in Huntington, West Virginia, where one of the AFB offices was located and the grant was to determine best specifications for small visual displays. So I have low vision myself. I have a condition called Stargardt, which is a juvenile form of Macular Degeneration. And at the time that’s when cell phones were really getting popular. Everyone had one in all the different cell phone screens were different, some were more readable, some were less readable. And the grant was really to AFB to find the most readable specifics for small visual displays. And now we have, you know, retina displays on a phone. So things have changed. A lot. Screens have gotten a lot better. They’ve gotten a lot larger and much more readable. So that’s how I got started in the business. And after that transition to writing for AFP’s Access World Technology magazine, and after some time reviewing technology products of all different types , uh, for people who have low vision, I began , uh, as the editor in chief of Access World. And that was my last several years with the American Foundation for the Blind before transitioning over to, to APH to start APH Huntington.

Sara Brown: 2:35

Okay . Now talk to us about what APH Huntington is and how we got started?

Lee Huffman: 2:42

APH Huntington, really the overall, what people I think really should really understand is the goal of APH Huntington. It’s a new program of APH is to really, to, in , to learn about how to and learn about and how to best serve more rural communities, because there are challenges and in a rural community that don’t necessarily exist in a more metropolitan area like a Chicago, or New York, or Boston, or Houston, something like that , uh, that would have more resources. And so the overall goal is to bring the information , uh, which is like the educational knowledge of APH and also the knowledge of products and technology products to the rural area, and to infuse this area, to educate the folks in the community and to elevate the possibilities for people who are living here in this area who are blind or low vision. And so that can likely be replicated other places, really to have better outcomes, whether it be for education, employment, and life in general, even for people who have maybe retired , uh, to help them have better outcomes in their life based on infusion of information and all the resources that APH has to offer. So that was the overarching goal. And still it remains to this day and the work of APH Huntington began with the good maps indoor navigation. So the first idea that we had to bringing information to the area was with good maps, which is an arm of APH that brings indoor navigation to people who are blind and vision impaired and really to anybody through a smartphone app. So if your listeners aren’t familiar, what it is, they , uh, go in and they map a building , uh, height, weight , the spatial areas of a building. They can create digital maps and through a smartphone app, a person who’s blinded originally impaired can pull up the app on their phone and get walking directions to points of interest within a building. Whether that be a classroom, an office , uh, a restroom, a water fountain. If you’re in a mall, it can be a store. If you’re in an airport, it could be , uh, a gate that you’re going to, to catch a plane, or there , I know Good Maps currently is doing a lot of work in , uh, museums across the country to help people better understand how to navigate a museum and to better understand what is on display and how they can best interact with it. So that was the first , uh, we thing we did to bring more infusion of the, a , to the area and Good Maps mapped for buildings in Huntington to kind of get that initiative started. And when you have something like that, there has to be some training. And so we worked with the good map staff and myself to gather a cohort of folks to come in and receive training on how to use the good maps app . So when they go to, it was the Huntington downtown library, the YMCA, the local Cabell-Wayne Association of the Blind, which is a local nonprofit . We mapped their building. And also one of the Marshall University , uh, buildings, the Visual Arts Building downtown , uh, we mapped those four to kind of get started. And when we did the very first training, we of course interviewed people before and asked them about their smartphone usage and whether they used magnification to access information or speech output or both. And I was very surprised that we got a lot of good answers and we seen people like they would be ready, but when we got people into the room to download the Good Maps app, most everyone in the room we had about 2020. Some people couldn’t do it. They were not familiar enough with their phone to download an app. Many of them , someone else had set up their phone for them. They didn’t know passwords. And really we’re excited to learn about the technology completely understood what it could do for them, but did not have the , the skills , uh, with voiceover or through magnification to download an app or to use the app proficiently. Most of them , um, kind of disguised the fact during the interview that they were using their phone for very , uh, rudimentary tasks, making a call sometimes, sometimes placing a phone call and , um, or a text message. And that was really it. They said they had things like Facebook on their phone. I think that’s great. And they did, but they never really used the different aspects of it. So we learned very quickly that we had possibly gotten and in front of our skis with what we were looking to do in the community. We realized that we had to take a step back and kind of meet people where they were.

Sara Brown: 7:04

How has APH adapted its work to meet the needs of local BVI residents?

Lee Huffman: 7:10

The biggest, the biggest thing that APH Huntington has done is really kind of rethink where we meet the folks in our area. And so we realized that we had to take a step back and meet them where they are, and also that the community. So we really decided to invest in four main areas. And the first one was to create access technology trainings for some of the blind and vision impaired folks in the area to help get them up to speed on technology. I’ll go through these a little bit to explain them better. But the second thing we did, we created what we called the spark, which was where we were showing and demonstrating some of the technology that APH has to offer to some of the local TVIs and rehabilitation folks who never really get to see that type of , uh, technology. We also created a community speakers series to help educate and elevate the community’s knowledge of expectations and the capabilities of people who were blind and visually impaired. And then we created and presented most recently in April, late April of this year was the APH in fact , Full Living Summit. And so those were the four areas that we realized we needed to take a step back, meet people where they are and help elevate people to get them to the point of better users of technology. And to add the community have a better understanding about capabilities. So with the access tech trainings we had, and I cooperated with the Aaron Priest, who was the current , um, editor-in-chief of AFBs technology magazine. Who’s also local in Huntington, and we created six training sessions for folks who , uh, applied. And we did the first one. We , we had a training, we did six of them, one per month for six months. And the first one was on better cell phone usage. So we got their phones and we helped set them best for their level of vision in determining whether magnification was what they needed or , uh, speech output or using both and taught them to use , uh, the most appropriate hand gestures and how to do that proficiently. So they could use their phones better and talked about the different things that you could do with the phone, how to download a app, how to use a app, how to go through and do email and read email to help them get better at acquainted with their phones. We had one on smart speakers, whether it would be the Google home and the Amazon Alexa teaching them about what the capabilities are there. So they could learn to do that type of technology. We had one on Uber and Lyft, which was, we had to learn about the Uber app. They actually used the app, they called a car . We took some rides and learn to do that. And we talked about all the different things that they had questions about. We taught about the use of Microsoft Aeeing AI, which is a Microsoft developed app, which will be as a currency identifier. It’s a light detector. It reads short documents, it reads full page documents allowed. It will read QR codes or barcodes on products to tell you what they are and how that could really help them in their everyday life. And we talked about audio description for television to get them better accustomed to understanding what was available and how to, you know, best incorporate some of that into their life. Uh , that was one of the most important things that we did as long , uh, as well as the community speaker series, which we , um, the first one that we did, we brought folks in from APH , uh, some of these staff at the time, Melanie Peskoe Melissa Slaughter, Allen Lovell again, Aaron Priest from AFB participating. And we did a self-advocacy because I believe that’s, we thought that’s really where we needed to start to show people that, you know, there are blind and visually impaired, successfully working folks , uh, in professional fields. And we had them talk about their use of technology, the challenges that they’ve had in life and work and education, how they’ve overcome that. So the people in the audience could really get an understanding of, “Hey, we’re not alone. Maybe I can do what they’ve done. Maybe I can , uh, ex take a tackle a challenge the way they did,” and had some questions and answers at the end to give the people that are in our area, a better idea of how to handle some, some challenges and some situations that they may be facing and learn to best advocate for themselves. Uh , the second community speaker series we did was a partnership with the InSights Art program. The director at the time came to Huntington, and we had an installation of a InSights Art that had been collected over the years installed at the Huntington Museum of Art, which was fantastic. We had about 25 different types of pieces. There was art photography, there were crafts, all different types of things. And we had a reception and the director walked through each of the pieces for the attendees. And afterward we did a panel discussion with the museum curator, the InSights Art director, and of the artist and residence at the museum who also works with blind impaired folks on a , uh, pottery class every year or two. And so just to talk about the importance of, and the contributions of people who are blind and visually impaired to the arts, which many people were , uh, really unaware of, and didn’t really think that there was a lot of input from people with disabilities in the arts, which is obviously, you know , uh, not true at all. And the last thing that we really did most recently was the APH Huntington Impactful Living Summit. We had about 60 folks that attended, and these were people who were blind and visually impaired practitioners in the field. Uh , people who worked with rehabilitation, people who worked as TVI’s, some folks from the community where we had a day-long series of sessions. It was just like a small conference. We had exhibitors from our community, which were, of course, you know , APH had a , a booth, Vispero, which is a technology manufacturer for assisted technology, had a booth, our local Goodwill, the Independent Living Center , uh, American Foundation for the Blind had a booth to really bring together all the resources of our area to showcase those. Good Maps did a presentation on indoor navigation. We had another panel discussion with people who are blind or visually impaired. We had technology demonstrated as a presentation or a session that , uh, really enabled the folks to see what blind technology is like. Refreshable braille , uh, magnification devices, things they had never seen before. And the reason we did it was to, like I said, help educate and elevate the community because when the professionals in the area aren’t aware of the resources, they can’t share them with folks who need them. So these are the initiatives that we just completed , uh, as sort of taking a step back and really kind of reconfiguring what APH was doing in our area

Sara Brown: 13:32

And through your work to date , what learnings have come from working in this rural community?

Lee Huffman: 13:41

We have really learned a lot at APH, about the rural community, and we’ve really learned that culture plays a big role in outcomes for people who are blind and visually impaired. We’ve realized that there is a definitely a lack of access to information. There’s a lack of access to , uh, resources and a lack of access to role models for younger folks who are blind or visually impaired. Most folks , uh, we’ve worked with in the area were not aware of APH. They were not aware of our online webinars, any of the online content that we have . They were not aware of the Transition Hub, the ConnectCenter, the Information Referral Line that is, you know, the 800 number. They were not aware of the email and that they could get information free from APH , get their questions answered from information referral. They didn’t know that they could get instructional videos from the outreach team, had no idea any of these even existed and are now beginning to take advantage of them. Uh, role models are especially lacking in , in rural areas. For example, some of the students that I’ve had the opportunity to speak with didn’t ever consider really, I don’t believe working after high school or maybe after college, because they had never seen a visually impaired professional working in the working world ever. And didn’t have that as a role model to see locally until really we began working with APH . I had one of the students , uh, he was a 17-years-old and he was in the high school. And he just said to me, we were having a one on one conversation. And he said, “does it ever get better?” And I thought he meant his vision. And I said, “what do you mean?” And he said , “just the struggle of it.” And I said, “absolutely, it gets better. And here’s why when you develop your O and M orientation and mobility skills, the better you are at that. And the better you master the technology and the access technology that you need for your particular vision condition, the better off you will be. And all of the struggles that you’re currently having will fade away. Because once you master those two things, getting around, getting where you need to go independently and the technology and the access technology that you need to use a computer to use a smartphone to interact. When you can do those things, you can do anything.” And he had never been told that before. So I think the lack of role models is , is super , uh, important. Another thing that I’ve learned , uh, from speaking with students, one of the students in a middle school that I spoke with did not use a cane they needed to, they did not use technology and they needed to desperately, and the family didn’t support necessarily those types of things. They thought that using the cane and the student thought the same thing too, was a sign of , uh, weakness or a sign of vulnerability instead of seeing the cane as a sign of independence and opportunity. And didn’t really want their child using one, because they said, “well, if they need to walk somewhere, I’ll take them or I’ll walk them .” And when they went through their school day, either a fellow student or a staff member at the school would walk them from classroom to classroom, to the library, to the cafeteria, to the restroom and back to the parents when they picked them up after school. And so they were not learning to be independent. They were not using technology at all, and were struggling to do their schoolwork and that didn’t have to be. And I think that many times culturally, in a small rural area, there’s the mentality of “we’ll do it for you. Don’t worry. We’ll take care of it.” Instead of preparing young folks to be independent and placing the expectations on them, “that you will go to school,” “you will become a , an independent traveler.” “You will go to college or a trade school or something like that,” “or start a business,” “become an entrepreneur.” The expectations need to be raised. And what I’m learning too, is that some of the professionals in the area, because they don’t have the resources that they need, they haven’t seen role models. They have never seen a , a visually impaired professional have a hard time conveying that as an expectation to young students and the mindset of independence and future opportunities. I really feel, especially in a rural area, needs to be shifted. And so that’s one of , of the things that I’m particularly working to do in my role at APH Huntington is to help shift that mindset to independence, into , you know, mastering orientation and mobility skills and encouraging them to master the technology that they need to do whatever they need to do and what that can bring them in. So those are some of the things that I think especially a rural community has , um, as a culture. And I think that the biggest impact really that we can make at APH in this area is with younger students to get that mindset. And while they’re young, while it is much more challenging to work with a senior, someone who has lost vision possibly later in life, or has developed a situation where they allow either a sighted spouse or an adult child to sort of do things for them many times, what I found is they are intimidated by technology to the point where they won’t attempt it, where students usually, you know, younger folks are more excited by technology. Uh , we think that that’s really where the biggest opportunity and impact that we can make in the area is with students.

Sara Brown: 18:54

What local organizations have been your biggest ally for this work?

Lee Huffman: 18:58

We have had a lot of allies in Huntington in the surrounding area, and really we have not met with any opposition from any type of group. Everyone has been very welcoming and I wanna really sort , I start off by saying that really the ones that made it possible were three of the major donors that we’ve had over this timeframe. And our key donor has been the James H. and Alice Teubert Charitable Trust, who has been our, you know, cheerleader number one in the community to help us get started with APH Huntington and has encouraged others to do it as well. We have another funder who funded the speaker series and parts of the summit, and that was the Pallottine Foundation of Huntington. And also the Huntington Foundation, all three have been very generous supporters of our work and have allowed us to do everything that we’ve done so far, because for the past two years, everything that we’ve done has not come from funding from APH has been locally grant funded, which makes it even more special. I think because the area that we’re working in, number one believes in the work that we’re doing and believes in APH , that they have the ability, or it has the ability to really infuse the area with some good information that can improve the, the , the , the awareness for people in our area and outcomes. Uh , the other organizations that have been the best supporters of ours, number one, the Cabell-Wayne Association of the Blind has been fantastic. They are an organization who has about 500 folks on their rosters that they work to serve every year. And you think 500 people that sounds like a lot, but that’s just the ones they have on their role . So even in small rural areas, there are many more people who have vision loss than anyone even realizes or recognizes. We are currently partnering with them to do a needs assessment study for the area we are doing , uh, interviews with blind and vision impaired people to ask them about their experiences as a blind vision impaired person, the resources that they know about and what’s available to them, what they’ve used, what they feel is lacking to find what they feel needs to be done, which will help drive , uh, in the future, the work of not only APH Huntington, but other local organizations as well. We’re planning to share that with everyone in the community so that they can have that information. Uh , Marshall University has been a great supporter of ours as well. They were allowed us to use the Drinko Library to do one of our speakers series for the community. We had Micheal Hudson come from the museum at APH to do a presentation with , um, in cooperation with Women’s History months . So there was a big presentation about Helen Keller and the impact she’s had on the field. They were able to bring some of the touchable items from the APH Museum, for example, the different iterations of the white cane and how it’s changed over time. And our blind attendees were able to touch those and feel those and see how things have changed, tactile maps , uh, different types of note takers and how those have changed over time. We showed some APH current APH technology and some older devices, so they could see how even that has changed over time, which is really cool. So Marshall University has been a great supporter of ours, as well as the Huntington Museum of Art, where we did the installation of insights artwork and allowed us to use their facility to help , um, share the information about blind and vision impaired artists . They also hosted that , uh, through their Facebook page and , uh, their website where they had over, I believe over 1200 folks actually come through and physically see the art on display and visit , uh, the exhibit through the website. So it was really great to be able to have that extended virtual reach as well. And the Huntington Chamber of Commerce has been great. We joined the Huntington Chamber of Commerce and they have been strategic and their assistance to us in helping us get out information about what we’re doing and events we’re having , um, and have really been fantastic about that

Sara Brown: 22:39

Based on your work and learning, how will APH Huntington evolve going forward?

Lee Huffman: 22:46

The learning that we’re taking place, really an APH Huntington, which is the Huntington cap , which is Cabell and Wayne county areas of West Virginia, we’re right at the border of where West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky meet . So we’re extrapolating that these similar cultural situations are happening and just over the borders into the other states as well. And so we’re looking to take what we’ve learned and some of the , uh, trainings that we’ve done and move them across the border to Kentucky and Ohio and help some of those rural areas get on board with a lot of the APH information and technology that we’re sharing here. So that way they can do that as well. I’m also gonna be , uh, writing information and content for the connect center , uh, on APH’s website to talk about and to share what we’re doing here. So other areas , uh, the country who may be having the same situations, culturally, that we are, can learn from what we’re doing. So some of the blogs and articles will be appearing on the , uh, ConnectCenters pages. I’m also gonna be assisting the Outreach team with webinars and different types of promotional , uh, learnings through their work and demonstrations of assistive technology and helping with PR plan and prepare and facilitate some of those. And we’re really good to looking to create some more speaker series that we can bring folks in to really educate the community more because when you have a more educated community, they will become more inclusive and more understanding about people’s needs, who are blinded vision impaired. Uh , we’re working with many of the restaurants to encourage them to do braille menus, large print menus, and just to create a better environment also with the Marshall University and working with the chamber of commerce to help the folks in the area who are business leaders and have the opportunity to hire , uh, folks to consider most likely for the first time people who are blinded originally paired. Because what I believe will happen is once we have a couple of folks in the community who are blinded originally board paired, who are gainfully employed, that will really open , um, an opportunity for others to do the same thing just by getting one or two in strategic places , uh, just from what they’ve learned and how they can understand that there is accommodations that can be made very simply that screen readers and screen applications do even exist because most of them had no idea of any type of excessive technology and really look to really reshape the way people think about blindness and vision impairment in our area.

Sara Brown: 25:13

Is there anything else you’d like to add about APH Huntington?

Lee Huffman: 25:18

I believe what I really want people to know is that we are actively, you know, really investing in the rural community to learn here not only for PPH Huntington, but what we can learn here and extrapolate to other areas and help APH better serve them as well, because it’s really a hard area to get into and to learn about. And by the work we’re doing here, we really are looking to serve other areas better. And I think that we can absolutely do that by helping people understand that resources are available from APH and making them aware that these resources are available, they are free. And , uh, getting that into their hands, I think will really reshape things for rural communities across the country, not just Huntington.

Sara Brown: 25:59

Thank you so much Lee for joining us today on Change Makers.

Lee Huffman: 26:03

Thank you for having me.

Sara Brown: 26:04

And thank you very much for listening to this episode of Change Makers as always be sure to look for ways you can be a change maker this week.

Jack Fox: 0:00

Welcome to Change Makers, a podcast from APH . We’re talking to people from around the world who are creating positive change in the lives of people who are blind or have low vision. Here’s your host.

Sara Brown: 0:15

Hello, and welcome to Change Makers. I’m APH’s Public Relations Manager, Sara Brown . And today we’re getting a sneak peek at some upcoming products that’ll be available for purchase in the coming months. We’re excited to let the cat out of the bag and talk about two brand new products that are on the way. We’re happy to have APH’s Joe Hodge , Technical Product Manager, Tyler Maddox, Technical Innovations Product Manager, and Head of Global Technology Innovation, Greg Stilson. They’re all here to talk about what’s on the way. Hello, Greg Tyler and Joe, and welcome to Change Makers.

Joe Hodge: 0:51

Glad to be here.

Tyler Maddox and Greg Stilson: 0:53

So glad to be here . Thanks so much.

Sara Brown: 0:55

All right , so this question is for Tyler there’s word that APH may soon introduce a new desktop magnifier to the line of low vision solutions. What can you share about this new magnifier and its projected timeline for release and why should we all be excited?

Tyler Maddox: 1:10

Well, I can share that we’re now officially hard at work on developing a new desktop tablet magnifier. Um, we’re currently in the last parts of a contract, but with a company out of Toronto, Canada, called TrySight who will be our development partner on this journey. Um, and they bring with them a lot of new and innovative approaches to low vision technology and have some really unique solutions to modern problems that are faced by low vision students. And as you know, generally the desktop tablet magnifiers is really an exciting product line . So I’m really fired up to be working on this. Uh, we’ve had so many successes and changed so many lives with the Matt Connect, which is the current device and our desktop tablet magnifier product line. Uh, we’ve also learned a lot from that device, which has now been on the market since , uh , around 2016. So that makes it nearly six years old at this point. But you know, it’s still getting really compelling updates and features to this day. But needless to say , uh , this new desktop tablet magnifier is sort of a culmination of a lot of feedback, both positive and negative for features that teachers and students love, but also the pain points in low vision technology that we now have newer and better technologies to hopefully address those problems. So finally, to answer your question, Sara, I can share a few major goals that we’re working toward with this device. Um, one of which is we’re developing a magnification platform which will build transitional skills for low vision students and give them the same technical toolbox as their peers to make sure no one is marginalized in schools or looked over for careers based on the tools that they require to, to access the curriculum in the classroom. Right? Uh , two is solving some sticking points around ergonomics and making sure that students of all sizes are comfortable using this device. Uh , and three is making this device highly usable and intuitive for both teachers and students by providing incredible support features, user interfaces and teacher settings to meet the needs, needs of a variety of, of technical fluency. So obviously there’s gonna be a lot more to talk about with this device , uh , but I hope folks will stay tuned with this. Um, we’re, we’re sort of targeting , uh , late 2023 . So hopefully , uh , late 2023 is when you can see this device coming to market.

Sara Brown: 3:14

Wonderful. Okay. And Tyler , one more question to you, where does this new magnifier fit in the lineup of APH’s current magnifiers?

Tyler Maddox: 3:24

Uh , so I’ll quickly run through our low vision product line from most portable to least portable. Uh , we currently have four magnifiers, but are always, obviously investigating unfilled needs and the direction technology is moving. So I’m gonna go on a limb and say it won’t always be four, so stay tuned to that. But , uh , first we have the handheld magnifier, which is represented currently by the Video Mag HD. And this is a great solution for a really durable , uh , product that has great spot magnification. Next, we have our newest magnification product, which is the Juno, and this is another handheld magnifier with incredibly robust features in a small package that would serve the needs of, of middle to high grade students and professionals alike. And it comes with OTR and optical character recognition and text-to-speech and this awesome little barrel camera system , uh , and next is the aforementioned desktop tablet magnifier product currently represented by the Matt Connect. And I always think about this line of magnifiers as sort of a Swiss Army Knife of, of low vision and classroom related functionality, right. It , it , but it also just so happens to be portable. Uh, it generally just serves as a fantastic bridge device between handheld and stationary needs and can do a little bit of everything and do it all really well. And finally, we have our stationary desktop magnifier, which is currently represented by the Jupiter Portable Magnifier. Uh, this is sort of the power user device with powerful and devoted magnification features. Whereas the desktop tablet magnifier is sort of a Jack-of-all-trades. The Jupiter is more of a Jack of one trade, but it does that trade really exceptionally well.

Sara Brown: 4:56

Another new product that’s causing buzz in the field is a bracelet developed in partnership with HabitAware to curb the habit of eye pressing. Joe, can you talk about eye pressing and tell us about the need for such a bracelet?

Joe Hodge: 5:11

Yeah. Hey Sara. So I pressing , uh , so last year, about this time in may, we put out a survey , uh , in related to I pressing in relation to eye pressing. So what we found out was that the field has no products out there that reliably indicates to a user that they’re eye pressing that isn’t demeaning or that isn’t just something thrown together. So we took that feedback and we , uh , we looked around and we found a partner in HabitAware. That currently works with stemming behaviors, such as Trichotillomania , um, nail biting, et cetera . Uh , and they already have a bracelet that can detect these things. So what we have been talking with them is to take that bracelet and sort of look at , uh , the different motions that someone uses to eye press . So reasons that people , um, things that medical issues that eye pressing can cause is eye infections for one , uh, detached retina. And , uh, also it could lead to needing , um, implants. So the, what we wanted to do is find a way that just lets the individual know that they are actually eye pressing. And I love , uh , when we had HabitAware, talk at our Annual Meeting last year , uh, the , um, the word that they used that I loved is it gives the person a hug on their wrist when they are so for Trichotillomania, when they’re pulling their hair, it’s sort of a hug on the wrist to let them know that they’re doing it. And so what we want to do is when someone is pressing on their eye, they’ll get that notification and the user can determine whether or not they want to , uh , stop. Uh , and then, you know, on top of that, we’re looking at building an app that lets someone know , uh , for example, parent or teacher, how many times this , uh, this is happening throughout the day for the student. Uh, and the reasons that that is important is we got a lot of feedback in that someone might be reading braille or doing O&M and then they start eye pressing and it sort of just takes them away from , uh , that moment. And they, they kind of lose focus. So reasons that that can happen is that the , the reasons that people I press are that it just sort of feels good. Sometimes they, you know, it’s believed to have a little light perception. So you get like little sparkles of light , uh , and , uh , you know, kids kind of like that you , you sort of are seeing something. Um, and so it , it’s , it’s a , it’s a behavior that’s not necessarily bad. It’s just sort of, it can lead to problems if you’re , uh , doing it often enough. Um, so the, the, the bracelet itself, what we’re, where we’re at right now is we have started , uh , a study with HabitAware where we are , uh , observing folks who are eye pressing. So there’s different ways that you can eye press , you can use your thumbs or your fingers, or you can ball a fist and sort of rest against your eye. There’s , uh , just different methods in , uh, you know, one in a way that folks could actually I press . And I think the, the key is, is kind of looking at the data and sort of seeing how much people are actually, you know, what method they’re doing and, and designing an algorithm to the bracelet, that’s gonna detect that

Sara Brown: 8:36

And what are the next steps to bring this bracelet to market and the projected timeline for doing so?

Joe Hodge: 8:42

So that’s a great question building off of what I was just talking about with looking at the algorithm. If folks, what we’re wanting to do is get some participation out there from the field. So if you’re a teacher, parent or a blind or low vision user themselves that know that you eye press, if you could reach out to me at JHodge@aph .org , just send me an email. Uh , I would love to get you in the study and, you know, get some data points , uh, you know, from you and just kind of have a, either in person or a virtual sort of discussion and where we can kind of learn , um, different ways that someone may eye press , um, because we wanna get the algorithm, right. Uh, so we’re looking at probably , um, best case scenario , uh , 2023 release sometime around October. Um, it may take a little bit longer just depending on the study and, and what we, what we run into out there. But , uh , the good news is we , we believe we can get this done within about a year

Sara Brown: 9:46

And over to Greg. Are there any new products we can get excited about perhaps an update on the DTD and the EBRF?

Greg Stilson: 9:54

Absolutely. Yeah. So, so I think when we last talked, we kind of gave a 10,000 foot overview of what the Dynamic Tactile Device is. So just a quick reminder. So this is a device that is done sort of in a three-way partnership , um, with, with HumanWear and with Dot Incorporated. And actually we’re doing some consulting with the National Federation of the Blind as well. Um, really just, this is a tool that I would say not only the U.S., but internationally, the world has been, you know, really looking for is a tool that can create tactile graphics and standard braille on the same surface. And it’s often regarded as this “holy braille,” right? And we’ve heard a lot of promises from various companies throughout the years that we think we’ve solved the technology. And one of the things that we’ve been doing this year is what I call sort of our prove it tour. This is where we’ve been going around , uh, our, you know, here in the U.S., but also to, to other countries as well, and, and demonstrating the prototype technology and what this is, is basically, this is , um , some Dot technology that we’re using that , uh , can create examples of pretty common , uh , things you’d find in a textbook and our goal with the Dynamic Tactile Devices to basically create a tool that can recreate or to, to simulate the experience that a blind student gets , uh , when reading a textbook. And so when you think about reading a textbook, right, you’re reading formatted braille, but you’re also accessing tactile graphics, charts, and graphs, tables, everything like that. Right. And that’s kind of what led us to the need to create this new EBRF or Electronic Braille Ready File , uh , format is that the existing EBRF , uh , standard that was created, you know, several decades ago was created for a static embosser right. So you’re creating a , a file that can be embossed on paper. And when you emboss on paper, you’re creating a file that, or you’re , you’re embossing content on a specific size piece of paper. But the difference is, is that with, with tools like we have today with electronic tactile devices and things like that, that the resulting surface that your, your file or your document or whatever you’re using is going to be portrayed on , uh , can vary right from a single line display that can also vary in sizes from anywhere from like 12 to 40 characters, all the way to multiline , uh , devices. And, and we, we, we hope that, you know, down the road, we’re gonna see more multiline devices. We , we hope that we’re sort of unlocking the future as we, we progress here. But , um, you know, this is , uh , this is a really exciting initiative. It’s probably one of the most difficult initiatives. Uh , I know I will probably take on in my career , um, because we didn’t, you know, that one of the things that, that I always joke about is, you know, I I’ve designed technology before creating an entirely new braille standard is something that, that is completely new to me, but we are , uh , pretty far along in the EBRF standard , uh , development, we’re working with , uh , many organizations around the world , uh , including , uh , the National Federation of the Blind, American Council of the Blind. Um , CNIB in Canada, NELS in Canada , uh , RNIB Vision Australia, Austrian Association for the Blind, Dutch Visio . So I could… , The list goes on and on BANA and LS. Um, so the reality here is that we’re, we’re really getting in touch with all of these organizations ahead of time and saying, look, we’re, we’re looking to row this boat. Um, and we need as much help rowing it in one direction as we can. Um, the biggest thing we didn’t wanna see is every organization or every country doing their own version of an Electronic Braille Standard, because that doesn’t, that doesn’t help, you know, sharing of resources and things like that. So our dream here, and, and as we get closer, we are producing things like nonfunctional prototypes and this summer we’re, we’re really hoping to do some, some pretty serious user experience testing , uh , with both functional and nonfunctional prototypes. Um, but our, our, our goal here is to be able to release a device that has , um, its own applications, including a book reading application where a braille transcriber would be able to, you know, create a book or get a book from a publisher and, you know , uh , make the modifications, transcription, modifications that are necessary. And then as soon as a section of that book is done, rather than needing to emboss it , bind it, pack it , ship it, and here in the us , we ship free matter for the blind. So we often unfortunately get pushed to the back of the bus there. Um, so once a , uh , a book is shipped, it can take over a month to two months to even arrive at the doorstep of the student. Who’s gonna need it. It is, our, our dream is that once an EBRF is created or , uh , uh , a braille file is created , um, and transcribed and proofed at that point, they, the transcriber or the , the provider of that book would be able to just simply upload it to an online library or an online resource. And the student would be able to just get a notification on their dynamic tactical device and download it right to the device, or the student could have any single line display that has been updated to support , um, you know, various libraries and things like that, that support this, and they could do the same thing. So, you know, we wanna really take advantage of the connectivity and the new technology that’s available and try to really reduce what I’m calling the time to fingertips, which is the, you know, the , the , the moment that that book is done and ready to go. Uh , we wanna reduce that time to fingertips so that the kid has it in their hand, or the user has it in their hand , um, almost immediately. So, so that’s really where we are today. Um, we’re gonna be setting up regional testing , um , locations as well around the country and around various other locations , uh , internationally. Um, and if you do want get to get involved , um, there’s a , an email address we set up here at APH that is just simply DTD or dynamic, tactile device dtd@aph.org .

Sara Brown: 16:13

That’s so cool. I can’t wait to hear more about that. And just learning about the time it takes to get books printed, you know, whether it’s chapters or an entire book, and the , the time it takes to get from print to the student is so long. So this is really gonna change the game. It’s really exciting to hear. It’s so cool to hear an update about it. Yeah .

Greg Stilson: 16:30

And it’s, and just to mention Sara, like, it’s not , it’s not just the time. One thing that I didn’t even talk about is the cost, right? Like, you know, I asked , I asked the question to, to our tests and textbooks , uh , department. I said, give me an example of, you know, a , a STEM book, a science technology, engineering, math book, that kind of thing. Um, and I said, what, “what did that, what did that cost to produce?” Um , and they gave me an example of an algebra II book that was produced , uh , in 2021. It took , uh , 13 months to produce , uh , and cost over $30,000 to, to , to create now, granted that’s a one time creation cost. Um, but every time you have to emboss that book and package it and ship it, there’s a several thousand dollars , uh , cost on top of that, of , of shipping that, that reproduced book. Right. But that initial cost that , that from, you know, publisher copy to final braille copy was over $30,000 and took 13 months. Now , you think about that. That’s why we here at APH push as hard as we can to say, look, get your textbook orders in as early as possible, right. Because if it’s something that requires tactile graphics, if it requires a lot of , um, science, technology, engineering, and math content , um, that, that number just, you know, goes up and up and up. So we wanna make sure that people have enough time where they put the order in early enough that their student is actually being able to take advantage of the book, because I remember many times, I’m sure Joe does as well. I was in college and I was in a pre-calc class or a calc class. I don’t remember which one. Um, and I remember my, my book didn’t actually show up until the semester was over. And so those are the type of things that we’re trying to , um, to, to avoid or to, to benefit here when, when the EBRF and, and the Dynamic Tactical Device , uh , finally come to fruition.

Sara Brown: 18:25

Well , I’m , I’m sure there are many people waiting with bated breath for this to, to come out and change the game. It’s exciting. It’s really, it’s an exciting time at APH .

Greg Stilson: 18:36

It really is. Yep .

Sara Brown: 18:38

Tyler, Greg, and Joe, do you have anything else you’d like to say?

Greg Stilson: 18:42

The last thing I guess I will say is, you know, our team, the Global Technology Innovation team , um, you know, we, we focus , uh , a 100%, on technology needs for the users and , um, the users in our field. Uh, you know, we , we wanna make sure that, that the needs that you have are being met. So please don’t ever hesitate to, to reach out to our customer service team cs@aph .org . They are so good at making sure that any feature or product requests , um, get forwarded to our team. Um, because really what we, what we look at is need, right. Is there, is there a need for , uh , that is being unfulfilled right now? And that’s something that, that we’re super passionate about. We are , um, you know, we are, we are product designers for users, and that’s the number one thing I’ve told this team from the , the start is , um , you know, we need to fall in love with the problem and , uh , and come up with some, some really innovative solutions. So, like I said, email at CS@aph .org and , and be assured that those emails do, do reach our inboxes.

Sara Brown: 19:49

All right . Thank you, Greg Tyler and Joe for joining me today on Change Makers.

Greg Stilson, Joe Hodge and Tyler Maddox: 19:53

Thanks for having us. Thank You, Sarah . Thank you, Sara.

Sara Brown: 19:56

I’ll be sure to put those email addresses. They mentioned in the Show Notes. Now we’re talking to our friends at Thinkerbell Labs. APH partnered with Thinkerbell Labs to develop Polly, which will be available in the coming months. I have Thinkerbell Labs co-founder and CEO Dilip Ramesh, Thinkerbell Labs co-founder and CEOs Sanskriti Dawle, and APH’s Early Childhood Product Manager, Donna McClure-Rogers. They’re all here to talk about the new electronic library device. That’ll soon be available. Hello, Donna, Dilip and Sanskriti and welcome to Change Makers.

Dilip Ramesh: 20:34

Pleasure to be here . Thank you for having us .

Donna McClure-Rogers: 20:36

Thank you for having me today .

Sara Brown: 20:38

So Donna turning this interview over to you, talk to us about the need for an early electronic literary device?

Donna McClure-Rogers: 20:46

Sure. Um, yeah, we know that there are a lot of apps and games that exist for print readers, and none of , not a lot of those seem to be very accessible to our braille readers. So here at APH, we were looking for something that would assist our teachers and the field in bringing a device like that to our students. And we knew that we needed something that had a braille display , um, in the device in one unit. So that pairing the refreshable braille display would not be an obstacle for our general education teachers that may not be as experienced with it. Cause we know sometimes our little ones may have some difficulty getting those things set up , um , to get their lessons started. Uh , we also knew that , uh , there’s a shortage of teachers for the visually impaired within the United States. And so caseloads can be really high. And from being able to stretch yourself and provide enough practice time for kiddos can be very difficult. We know that teachers cannot spend the entire day with their brail readers in each classroom because they have other students that they need to work with. So this device , um, that we were looking for, we were hoping was going to be able to provide independent, interactive practice for our kiddos and just get them excited about learning braille, even when their teacher wasn’t present. Um , we also had some questions and requests from the field , uh , to kind of make a step beyond Braille Buzz and provide something that included contracted and, and , and uncontracted braille lessons and games, and also provide some spelling and vocabulary , uh , that would fit with the standards that were needed within the classroom.

Sara Brown: 22:53

APH has the new device coming soon and it’s called Polly. Polly was created after Thinkerbell Labs, product Annie, which is currently on the market in India. Talk to us about Polly and how it’s different from Annie.

Donna McClure-Rogers: 23:07

Well, Polly and Annie are very similar. Um, like you said , uh , Annie is localized to India and also has a setting for the UK. So we took what was already created and localized that to the United States. So Polly is going to be , um , quota eligible, of course, and it is going to be sold only in the United States. And it will , um, one major difference will be that it will include the interactive music that was recently released by Jack Hartman and provide a way for our braille readers to actually see letters and words as the song is progressing, just like the print readers will see on the video , um , as their classroom teachers are showing those videos to them, both devices are going to include Helios, which is an online platform that allows teachers to track progress and monitor what their students are doing , um, in their absence and maybe prepare for the next lesson when they do meet with their students. Um, Helios is also wonderful in that it would allow teachers to customize the order of lessons and make the children’s work with Polly fit with any braille curriculum that they might be using for the students. And teachers will also be able to create their own spelling lessons that will compliment what’s going on in the general ed classroom devices in are going to include , uh , phonics and just a section for free play in the Explorer area of the games menu. And these will also include , um, actual reinforcement lessons for uncontracted and contracted braille characters. And one of the other main draws for this device is the electronic slate. So we know that a lot of students are not really using the slate and stylist right now, but it is a very portable device that students can just slide in their pocket and carry around. So it’s not something big and cumbersome like the Perkins Brailler. And so we’re hoping that they will be able to utilize the electronic slate on this device, and that will provide them with interactive lessons and time to kind of learn how to use this with less frustration and get that feedback immediately as they’re working with it. Um, the games on these two devices are so much fun. Um, even adults are having a good time with these. So I know these are gonna be a great addition to our students , um, activities and exposure to this.

Sara Brown: 26:05

Can you talk about the meaning behind the name Polly and it’s association with the Annie name?

Donna McClure-Rogers: 26:10

Well, we wanted to kind of follow Thinkerbell’s lead on this one. Um, they named the “Annie” after Anne Sullivan , which was Helen Keller’s first teacher. And we thought that was such a wonderful way to introduce this to the market. And since Polly was gonna be so similar to Annie and was kind of the second version of Annie , uh , we found that Helen Keller had a second teacher whose name was Polly Thompson . And so we decided to go with the name Polly , uh , to stay with that idea.

Sara Brown: 26:50

And turning to Thinkerbell Labs. Can you let listeners know , um, just a little bit more about Thinkerbell Labs and its history?

Dilip Ramesh: 26:58

Hey sure. So , um, honesty goes back to about eight years ago. Yeah .

Sanskriti Dawle: 27:04

Wow.

Dilip Ramesh: 27:07

So I , it , it just something that started off as our technical project , um , it was when we were all engineering graduates and when we were learning about things like student, we were students. Yeah . Now we graduates when we , when we were learning about things like , uh , digital design and logic , uh , there was, there was this piece about , uh , seven segment display, which is basically any of these LEDs you might see on digital clocks or calculators , uh , which in which each digital is formed by having seven different segments of , uh , lights. And each of those statements are either turned on or turned off. And depending on a combination, you get the 10 digits, right. Uh , and very similar as well in concept you have six dots and you either raise them or lower them. And depending on , on which of them are raised, which of them are lowered, you get different combinations and letters and you found words with it. So we had a very rudimentary prototype, which we took to a conference in Montreal. And , uh , we were sort of fortunate to have some teachers for the visually impact attend that conference as well. It was a tech conference, but we also had some teachers attend that . And, you know , they were to opinion that there is a lot of scope for a product like this to bring some positive change and impact , uh , in education. So that is how we were , uh , a little inclined towards it . It fit all our , all our right , other right bills , right? So we are , uh , inclined towards technology for good , uh , working on something, using our skills to bring about large scale impact, solving some problem in a comprehensive way and not just a part of it. Uh , so these are the things that sort of bring us together and keep us together. And that is how it started. We started a , a , a formal company in 2016 , uh , two years after, you know , the product was conceptualized. And since then we wanna talk about how our journey has been.

Sanskriti Dawle: 29:03

Yeah. Uh , so first off, I actually wanted to , uh , appreciate you Donna, for bringing out the , uh , you know , the differences and similarities between Annie and Polly so beautifully. Uh , I, yeah, it it’s, I think it speaks volumes of , uh , how, how deep and , uh , natural the partnership , uh , with Thinkerbell Labs and APH’s. So thank you so much for that . I’m also , uh , adding to what Dilip said. Uh , I think , uh , well, as , as engineers, we bit of , you know , star in college , uh , wanting to make a difference in the world. And , uh , there’s , there’s a bit of, there’s a bit of a rude shock that you get. If you go out as a , uh , as an idealist in the world, trying to solve problems, when you realize that most problems don’t have easy solutions, you know, and most problems aren’t solvable , uh , even , um, with, with technology. And for me personally, I think the , uh, uh , the , the , the real light bulb moment was realizing that , uh , low braille literacy , uh , one, I mean, in India, it’s a very per pervasive issue and it is also pervasive across the globe. Right? And for me, that light bulb moment that really changed things was realizing that low literacy is a problem solvable by technology that , uh , children seem to like even the , uh , crude prototypes that we’re building. We , uh , and I remember in one of our very first , uh , the , you know , uh , prototype trial , uh , we had a teenager that was playing with “C D E F G,” just one braille letter that, that, you know, went , uh , that , that displayed different characters while , uh , playing the alphabet song , just “B, C , D E F G .” So I mean, you know, you know, how teenagers are, they’re very interested in anything. Uh , so for, for a teenager to play with something like that and to practice the alphabet, that, that , that was a big , um , yeah. As a computer scientist, I think that was a big moment for me when I decided that, that this has to be there in the world. And , uh, and , you know, if , if nobody else has done it, then I will , yeah .

Sara Brown: 31:19

APH partnered with Thinkerbell Labs for the development of Polly. Tell us about the importance of partnerships?

Dilip Ramesh: 31:26

Yep . So, I mean, this is a conversation we’ve sort of had going for quite some time, and we couldn’t be happier with how it’s progressed and stands today. From a very early stage, we’ve sort of , uh , kept an eye out for , uh , good partnerships because we, we all want this entire industry to grow, right? There’s , there’s no aspect of it where individual institutions can grow in silos. We can all grow only if the entire industry grows with us. So the only way of making that happen is by fostering good partnerships , uh , so much. So it’s sort of very deeply ingrained into how we think about , uh , you know , running a company , uh , building new products, because our first employee that we hired was actually for partnerships. So his entire role, Donna, you’ve met Avinash right ? So entire role is to look for partnerships across various domains to be product business, distribution technology , uh , or even thought leadership , uh , which we sort of ventured into of late in India, at least. So for any aspect of what we do here at Thinkable Labs, we look at partnership as one of the , uh , at , at , at the highest, with the highest regard and the same goes with APH as well, and partner with an organization as large APH’s and , and the legacy that it has. Uh , we are very thrilled about it. And we do have a lot of lofty long-term vision as well, visions as well. Uh , it’s not just Polly that we want to work together with. I think there’s a lot of scope with , uh , us, with innovation, working together, coming up with new technologies, new products to solve the new problems that keep coming up. There are new problems every day . And there are some old ones which need to be sold as well. And I think we are in a good place where , uh , there’s a good mix of skills from both sides coming together. Uh , we work to work well together as well. Uh , very evident in how, you know, on both sides , we’re looking forward to the weekly calls that we have. Yeah. I mean, obviously there are not always those smoothest calls. We have, we have hiccups as well, like every partnership does, but that’s, but then there’s always alignment on solving those problems and getting things done, which is , which has been very en enriching , uh , very enriching experience for all of us. And yeah, it’s been the highlight of my work for the last year and a half. At least it’s something I talk to , uh , with everybody, you know, anybody ask me what I do. I make sure to mention APH’s one of the big things that I do at Thinkerbell Labs. So it is been a matter of pride as well, best for me .

Sara Brown: 34:13

And can all of you all talk about your part in the creation of Polly?

Sanskriti Dawle: 34:19

Well , uh , I think , uh , personally for me, my , uh , input was primarily with Annie and seeing as Polly is the more , uh , contextualized version of , uh , Annie for , uh , a very , uh , well, a very different audience, so to speak . I have been mostly, you know , uh , sharing the team from sidelines as they sort of discover what makes it tick in a , you know , take one product and apply that innovation in, in a new market. And , uh , yeah, I would say my , my contribution, the creation of Polly has been more or less from , uh , trying to be a cheerleader for everyone. Just, just the , you know , uh , you know, dying with happiness as something. So, so , uh , uh , dream has actually come through .

Dilip Ramesh: 35:14

Oh yeah. I think you underplaying your , uh , contribution. So I , one aspect that , uh , sort of stood out for me when we were discussing how we should go about getting Annie to the United States was , uh , I think probably again goes back to how much weight the partnership actually holds, right? So we were all years in every conversation with APH asking them, how do you think we should go about it? What do you think is the best way to sell Annie there, to get Annie in the United States? And when they said, “Hey, look, I think rebranding it for the United States, adding certain features, which make it stand out from Annie will actually aid in this partnership going forward and us reaching people.” We are very quick to jump on that bandwagon said , “okay, that it’s new feature.” Yeah . Yeah. Whether it’s new features we could add. For example, I can think of the on indication piece that we added. Uh , a lot of these came up in conversation with Donna and her team, right . We’re talking to her, getting her insights , her inputs, and then taking it back to our team to see what we can do about it. It’s a lot of, it’s a lot of iterative process in this entire piece. So I would say , uh , a lot of it came from being open to different possibilities when we started approaching the entire distribution in United States piece . Yeah . Yeah. Happy with where we’ve come with it. Uh , I think if we had a very rigid approach, would’ve be in a much different place and maybe not have had the outcomes we’ve had so

Sanskriti Dawle: 36:44

Far, which, which brings me back to the partnership part really. Uh , I think when you’re actually trying to make change in the world , uh , that’s the only approach that will work totally . Um , it’s, it’s not a “winner takes all situation.” It’s how to make everybody win. And , uh , I’m, I’ve been very, very happy , uh , to see, to , you know, one to , to see the same sentiment reflected back at me from everyone APH as well.

Dilip Ramesh: 37:13

Yeah , I think we had this one conversation , uh , and was also in this call and we said, we looking at a partnership where we have a win, win , win . Uh , that means us Thinkerbell Labs, APH and also all of our customers and users out there who will be using volume . Right. The only way this entire piece entire , uh , all of us can win is if all three parties involved in it get a win for each of them. So that’s, that’s been, that’s how we are looking at this partnership. We’d love to hear from Donna , uh , on her .

Sanskriti Dawle: 37:45

Yeah , yeah , totally .

Donna McClure-Rogers: 37:48

Yeah. Well , um, I have really enjoyed working with Thinkerbell. Um, all of the people that work with this project are so creative. Um, I am so amazed at the stories that they come up with to, to get this content and make it interesting for our kiddos. I I’m just so excited about it, but mainly with my role , um, as the product manager with APH, it’s just to make sure that we are incorporating everything that has been asked of us by the field for an additional product , um , beyond Brail Buzz and as a former TVI. Um, you know, I, I, I kind of look at what my students needed when I walked in the classroom and the different things that I saw that they didn’t have , um, such as , um , especially, you know, something during center time when the class was basically broken up into smaller groups. And, you know, I saw the print readers just playing with tablets and having a really good time with these games. And, and so I knew that there, there was a need for this. And , um, when I’m looking at the content that is provided by thinker bell , um, you know, I have to kind of go through and test every lesson and make sure that , um, everything is coming through and the updates are working well. Um, just to make sure that this is something that’s going to create transferrable skills from Polly to using a refreshable braille display as , um , as the children grow and, and move through their technology journey , um , with braille and, you know, so I also helped to locate the , um, the voice of Polly. Um , we had to make sure that this was someone who was going to draw the students in and keep them interested , uh , like their most energetic teacher that they may have had , um , in the classroom . So we wanted that to be a reflection of, of their environment and , and kind of pull that in . But we also wanted to make sure that this could be something that , um, a print reader might be able to understand. And so we’ve worked together to make sure that lessons are understandable for young students and adults who are not familiar with braille. Um, so it’s, it takes a lot of time and , um, and effort, but this has been one of my most favorite products to work with , um, because well , one, it also reinforces my own braille skills, which is great. Um, that’s always a good thing to have. And , um, it also helps with understanding the , um , the needs for our kiddos and just making sure that everything is understandable and, and fits with what they might experience in life. And so , uh , it’s just been a wonderful journey. I’ve really had a wonderful time.

Sara Brown: 41:16

Thinker about labs was recently on Shark Tank India. Can you talk about what that was like in the outcome?

Sanskriti Dawle: 41:26

All right . So , um, why I hope you all , uh , see the episode it’s in Hindi, but , uh, I , I don’t think language will be a bad , you just have subtitles as well. It does have subtitles. And also for anyone working in the speed , like I’m presuming the audience , um , anyone working in this field , uh , it’s truly magical to watch my say that is , um , when we did, when we , uh , went on the show, when we knew we were gonna pitch at shark tank , uh , we, we, you know, we were brain storming. What’s the best way to get people to connect with something like braille literacy , um , or self learning or something like a S and why that is important, because the truth is , uh , you know, you know, it, it’s , it’s a, it’s a fairly niche segment.

Dilip Ramesh: 42:10

Yeah. And when you’re on national mainstream television, you need to pull a big one there. Right.

Sanskriti Dawle: 42:17

so , um , uh , I mean, even, even while , while , uh , fundraising, right. Uh , that’s, that’s always been , uh , our , uh , thing . So, so earlier I remember when we used to pitch , um , uh , we used to start the pitch in another language that the audience might not know, and then try and link that to how is it different when you comprehend everything that’s happening versus how left out you feel when, you know, you , you , you cannot and trying to use that to get people to empathize, because that was all we wanted out of the show , right? If you’re going on national TV, we just want more people to think about brail literacy. And , uh , uh , you know, I , I can’t remember who it was, but someone had , uh , the idea of, you know , uh , looking at all our students who who’d use Annie in the past and , uh , trying to get one of them to , uh , to actually demonstrate that on TV. So we got , uh , our star student patron who , uh , who was , uh , uh , you know, who was staying on any pre pandemic. And , uh , he’d also been using it during the pandemic. So , uh he’s um, well , uh , I , I think he could rule the world . He is , so smart. Uh , at 10 years of age, he is , uh , quite, quite , uh , intelligent and, and yeah, I , I think he’ll go places, but anyway, so talking about what Annie does and what Annie means to him has actually transformed. Uh , I think, I think, you know, I think it has transformed our whole business model because , uh , suddenly so many people know, people know about braille people know about literacy. People understand the importance of braille literacy and why technology is needed to leapfrog that gap because they connect with proclamation , they empathize with him. And I mean, I , I cannot begin to describe the far reaching impact that it has had in terms of people’s own psyche. Like if you, if you try and , uh , look for the episode on YouTube, you’ll see thousands and millions of comments from people saying, I understood what, what proclamation must be going through. And for, for someone to take that moment out of the day, to put themselves in his shoes and then realize the impact of the technology. I mean, I’m , I’m not going to , well , we did raise investment on the show, which was awesome. And I think it’s gonna grow the company even , uh , even further, right. Uh , but to me, the most precious part was everyone in the mainstream beam able to connect. And I I’ll give you one tiny example, right? Our a box has , um , an Annie , the charger and the stylus in it. Uh , so every time I fly somewhere , uh , I am stopped by airport security and I have to show them my braille business cards and , uh , some information the website to , to tell them that, okay, you know, you can trust me with carrying this stylist in my journey because I needed in my , at my destination to demo my product. So that used to add a solid 10 to 15 minutes to my airport security check, every single flight. And now when people see the, a box , they say, yay , Shark Tank, follow product there . This is the Shark T ank product. How do you have it? That is what has happened , uh , because the airport security check, everybody knows. Yeah . Yeah . that anything you wanna add ?

Dilip Ramesh: 45:41

Yeah. So I I’m from south India , not a native Hindi speaker, but the show was in Hindi and I had to sort of , uh , fight my way through it. for lack of better words , but it was a very, I mean, talking about , be us being on the show itself right. Was a little , uh , different because we had not done anything of the sort before , uh , go to a movies. I mean , a set , uh , of , of that scale and look at the , their processes of, you know , shooting a show of this sort , which was , which is very different, very interesting , uh , experience for us all. And I don’t think we were expecting the kind of storm that we ran into post that show, right. Because the shoot was about a couple of months, or I think a month and a half before it aired on TV. And , uh , so we did the shoot, we came back just a close friends and family knew about it. And a month later it , it went live and everybody just lost it . We get , we so overwhelmed with responses on all of our social media, all of our phones ringing all the time. I mean, he just didn’t stop for a long, long time. Yeah . Uh , but my biggest takeaway would be sort of the broadening of our outlook on how , uh , big we can think with , with this, how deep we can take this product and what sort of impact we can drive , uh , within our country. I think this, yeah, I made us look at the bigger picture and sort of, I feel like it made that picture also a little bigger environment than what it was earlier. Uh , we’ve got a lot of calls asking. I mean , uh , people asking to buy one nanny , which we don’t do in India, we do a lab like setup in special schools because we have a lot of special schools here. So we do this product called Annie smart class , but you typically have an email between five to 20 Annies in one classroom. And we then start getting a lot of requests saying, Hey, I want one for meetings at home. I want one for my niece, my nephew, and things like that. So now we’re looking at, you know, how can we bring Annie to the masses ? Uh , so these are very large. So the problems to be solved given the size of our country, the number of people in it, but , uh , us being on national TV and a lot of people knowing about, about us has definitely made it slightly easier . So really looking forward to how we can leverage this further and , and see what we can come up with in the next year or so.

Sanskriti Dawle: 48:16

I , I , I’d also like to add that. I mean, the point you said about people writing in to buy Annie’s on an individual basis. Uh , so we never really got into the consumer market, consumer electronics market in India thinking that, okay, if, if anyone does want to buy a specialized product like this, how will we even find them ? And what happened because of shark tankers, they started coming to us. They , they , they , you know, they became aware that such a product and they started coming to us. And , uh , I think, I think that’s , um, I mean, to be honest, still sort of figuring out the , the second or third order effects of this, but , uh , flipping that , uh , go to market strategy for anyone in the special education needs space, like having the market come to you , um, is, is I think , uh , going to be transformation in the way we approach , uh , special education needs. Uh , and I think, I think that’s, I mean, we’ve seen a great example in , uh , you know, the quota system at APH where there’s , uh , you know, decades of institutionalized , uh , structures that, that actually provide that , uh , that sort of visibility to the right technology, which I think we are with just at the beginning of those , uh , changes in India. Totally.

Dilip Ramesh: 49:32

Yeah. It’s a great start . And we are , we have taken the right steps.

Sanskriti Dawle: 49:36

Yeah.

Sara Brown: 49:38

Is there anything else you would like to say?

Donna McClure-Rogers: 49:41

I would just like to add that working with thinker bell has been one of the absolute best experiences I have had at APH . I think they are one of the best teams and one of the best vendors that we have ever had. And we are so thankful to have entered into this partnership, and we are looking forward to what comes out of this in the future. Um , because I know that, you know, we’re hoping to get a few other things , um, with them in the future. And, and we’re just really looking forward to what this is going to bring. And we are just so thankful to have you guys,

Dilip Ramesh: 50:23

You , you beat us to it .

Sanskriti Dawle: 50:25

maybe wanna talk about how great it’s been working with APH yeah . Uh , I think , I think we are a great model for long distance love.

Donna McClure-Rogers: 50:35

definitely. Yeah. I think, I think this really, this really shows , um, how remote access to the world is, is helping. And, and I think we can, we can thank the , the pandemic for that. And , uh , this, this has just been wonderful. We’ve been able to get so far with this and, you know, we’re so many miles apart. It’s just absolutely wonderful.

Sanskriti Dawle: 51:03

Yeah. I , I just , I just want to add, I mean, in, when we first started out in this field and we started starting, you know, who are the major players and stuff like that, everyone , um , every major player in the sector is at least a hundred years old Oh, well, I mean, so , so that sort of , uh , you know, we , we , we always had thought, okay, maybe we have to be like really big as a company to even think of , um, uh , approaching , uh , such large players, but , uh , APH themselves, you know, because they’re so well , they’re focused and driven about bringing the latest innovations. Yeah . Yeah . Um , so they’re, they’ve actually been scouting for , uh , things like this, and it’s been nothing short of a revelation in terms of what is possible , um , even in a very old organization. I mean, I think , uh , we have a lot to learn as a startup . Also, we we’ve actually instituted a lot of , uh , internal structural changes in the way we work because of, because we get to learn from an organization, like in terms of how to manage something and how to , how to have that organizational intelligence that, that translates beyond a single person, but becomes the core ethos of the , uh , company itself. Absolutely . That that’s something , uh , we’ve really, really , uh , we been inspired by , uh , APH about it .

Sara Brown: 52:26

Okay. Thank you so much. Donna, Sanskriti and Dilip for joining me today on Change Makers.

Sanskriti Dawle: 52:33

Thank you.

Speaker 7: 52:33

Thank you for having us.

Sara Brown: 52:38

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Change Makers. I hope you have enjoyed yourself. Don’t forget the check. The show notes for the email addresses mentioned earlier in this podcast. And while you’re in there, you’ll see a link where you can get on the waitlist for Polly, and there’s additional links in there for some educational videos that can be found on YouTube and be sure to check APH’s social media channels for updates on the DTD magnifier and Polly as always be sure to look for ways you can be a change maker this week.

Jack Fox: 0:00

Welcome to change makers , a podcast from APH . We’re talking to people from around the world who are creating positive change in the lives of people who are blind or have low vision. Here’s your host.

Sara Brown: 0:15

Hello, and welcome to Change Makers. I’m APH’s Public Relations Manager, Sara Brown . And today we’re learning about the National Prison Braille Network. We’re gonna learn about its history and the materials it produces. We’ll also talk about partnerships and we’ll talk about just how far a person can go in the National Prison Braille Network. Up first, we have APH’s National Prison braille Network, Senior Director Jayma Hawkins, and APH’s Vice President of Impact and Outreach. Paul Schroeder. Hello, Jayma and Paul, and welcome to Change Makers.

Jayma Hawkins: 0:47

Thank you.

Paul Schroeder: 0:48

Thank you.

Sara Brown: 0:49

So tell us about the National Prison Braille Network and its history?

Jayma Hawkins: 0:53

Um , prison Braille has been going on in the United States since 1960 for many years. There were no, there was no communication between the states. And as technology has grown , um, in 2000 American Printing House spearheaded , uh , a meeting group, a focus group of folks from different prison Braille programs throughout the country. That focus group started with about six to eight people and has grown over the years. The last one we had in person was in 2019 and we had 75 people and 23 states in the room

Sara Brown: 1:34

Talk about the materials that are created through the program and how those materials impact students who are blind or low vision?

Jayma Hawkins: 1:42

The materials that are created in Prison Braille Programs throughout the country vary due to their state needs and how the program is made up. Meaning what umbrella it lives under, under the structure of corrections. However, it can be large-print that they are braille textbooks, worksheets, tactile graphics, and digital files. And that has a huge impact on the education of blind and visually impaired children. Um, historically high school was the end of the road and in the last 20 years or so, we’re seeing more and more students graduate college, go on to live independent, productive lives. And so it has a huge impact for APH alone. The last statistics we had were also 2019 statistics and Prison Braille Programs throughout the country transcribed 56.2% of all textbooks that APH produced.

Paul Schroeder: 2:51

And Sara, if I could jump in, this is Paul. I think two things. One is it’s , it’s , it’s obvious, I think from Jaya’s answer, but it’s important for us to , to make clear just for anybody who isn’t familiar with the program that we are of talk of course, talking about , uh , individuals who are incarcerated, who are producing these materials. We’re not making these materials for , uh , blind people in prison who are reading braille or large print. This is individuals who are incarcerated , um , who are getting their certifications as braille transcribers with various codes and who are learning as well, how to do , uh , high quality , large print , uh , production , uh , who are making , uh , these materials available for APH or for state education agencies , uh , and , and perhaps for others as well. I think most people probably know that the prison system in our country has for many years , uh , been producing materials , um , uh , making things , um, uh , of , of , of all sorts. And , uh , as Jayma pointed out since 1960, there have been some , uh , prisons that have been producing , uh , Braille or large print material , uh , for, for students.

Sara Brown: 4:04

Now there’s a new website. Can you talk about how it supports those in the network?

Jayma Hawkins: 4:09

We’re really excited about the new website that you can go to www.npbn.org . It gives a general overview of all the programs that we offer. And it also allows for back and forth communication and questions from the field, this website, benefits ex-offenders. It benefits ex-offender, it benefits families of those incarcerated. It benefits, corrections officials and vision officials. Just a couple of the questions I have received are one was this week from warden in Oklahoma, that used to be the warden at another prison that had a Prison Braille Program. He’s found out a lot of it . His inmates are at this program at this prison and he wants to start a new program. So he went through our website.

Paul Schroeder: 5:01

This is , uh , Paul again. And, and I think that’s important, right? That , that one of the, the values that besides just knowing about the program and learning , um, what it can do is helping to find potentially , um, mm-hmm <affirmative> prison systems that might be able to produce material. So if you’re a education agency or someone else is looking to have transcript transcription done , um, this is a source. There is , um, I know it’s not the topic of today’s conversation, but there’s another , uh , side that APH offers. And that of course is the Louie , uh , website , uh, that is also a great source to find books. And a lot of the systems , uh , prison systems of course do , uh, ma uh , make books that are available , uh , in findable through Louie . And it’s one of the good ways to find those materials,

Jayma Hawkins: 5:50

Right? And the Louie , uh , database does exist on our website. There is a link to that. So it’s providing a lot of channels to get what you need.

Sara Brown: 6:01

Talk to us about the prison Braille forum at APH’s Annual Meeting, it’s coming up soon.

Jayma Hawkins: 6:06

We are really excited that the Prison Braille Forum is coming back to an in-person meeting as is APH’s Annual Meeting. Um, you earlier asked me about the National Prison Braille Network, and I let you know, it’s a group of folks from corrections. From visionside ex-offenders, some APH staff. So the Prison Braille Forum is a meeting place for all the parties within the network to come together to discuss mutual topics that are affecting one state or another state to seek solutions, to exchange information and have a good day of, you know, information exchange and fellowships. So it’s always a really good meeting and we are super excited to be back in person this year.

Paul Schroeder: 6:57

And if I might , uh, Jayma , I know one of the highlights of the forum , uh , certainly ones that I have participated in are , uh , presentations by ex offenders , uh, who have gone then producing materials have learned the codes. And , uh , uh , in many, in most instances now are , are doing transcription work , um , in their , um , post-release and those are always moving. Um, those presentations, because I think, you know, if you haven’t spent time , uh , around the stories of individuals who are incarcerated, they, they are very difficult and challenging stories oftentimes, but the opportunity to hear from somebody who has , uh, thrived you , uh , learning these programs and have found the value in producing braille and large print and knowing how important that has been to students , um , has really made a huge difference in people’s lives . And when you listen to individuals talk at the National Prison Braille Forum, um , rarely is there a dry eye in the house. It is an extraordinarily moving event .

Jayma Hawkins: 8:07

Paul , I couldn’t agree more. Um, we have two speakers scheduled for this year, but I’m not gonna let the cat out of the bag just yet. Okay. I’m gonna keep everyone in suspense until we open up registration.

Sara Brown: 8:21

Can you talk to us about the Braille Transcriber Apprentice Program and reentering society after an incarceration?

Jayma Hawkins: 8:29

The Braille Transcriber Apprentice Program, known as B-TAP was born out of the network. Okay. So the network is kind of our, our family here and the programs we are discussing have grown out of discussion of the network. And reentry was one of the big items over the last 10 to 15 years , uh , that I’ve been involved with the network and what can we do to help people who are released to keep them in our field and keep the expertise after the personal investment they’ve made to become experts in our field. So we created a reentry program, where, a select few are brought to APH for a two to six month apprenticeship. The mission of this program is to send them back into their home state with a computer braille software, a licensed cottage, Braille business, and their first contract for a book to do. Um, we also mentor them in a lot of other areas throughout their transition while they’re in Louisville, you know, bank accounts learning to live in the world they’re entering. Most of them have long sentences. So there are some that have never seen debit cards. They’ve never seen cell phones , they’ve never been on the internet. They don’t understand the importance of email communication. Um, so we really walk along beside that journey with them through their transition and hopefully send them home fully equipped as a good business person and a great transcriber.

Paul Schroeder: 10:12

And I think , and I think just echoing that point Jayma has, as of course. Many of these individuals, I suspect , um, uh , become incarcerated at fairly young ages often. Yes . And , um , have spent , uh , as you said, maybe didn’t even really get established as a , as a young adult or an adult very well. Um , I will tell you personally, I have, first of all, I have the pleasure of working with, with Jayma she’s part of my group. Um, and she is there , there is no one who I think could, could run this program , uh , the way and as effectively as she does. And a lot of that is really the personal time that Jayma puts in , uh , to work with these individuals and to provide that , uh , that scaffolding, that assistance , uh , that net , if you will , uh , that allows these individuals to begin to , um, learn how to function in society, learn all those. Um , some, some might say soft skills and, and some of even hard skills of financial , uh , management, shopping, and , uh , handling , uh , daily living. And, you know, it’s a , it’s an unappreciated part of this program. I think that, that we have someone like Jayma who puts in so much of her personal, emotional, and mental time , uh , to make it happen. So, you know , uh , I’ll , I’ll say hats off here on the podcast to you Jayma for that work, because I don’t think , um , these individuals, I , I think, you know , they might achieve success, but I don’t know if they would achieve success as quickly and as efficiently and effectively , um, as, as they do. Cause these are, these are also tough. These are tough individuals , um, who are, who are dedicated to getting their life together. Uh , they’ve spent time in prison. They’ve learned some important skills. Um, and you know, and I think there’s been a lot of success in the apprentice program. And a lot of it is because of Jayma and a lot of it is because of the individual’s own forward too .

Jayma Hawkins: 12:09

Thank you , Paul. That’s very kind of you to say, and yes, I, I, I learn as much as they do every single time and they have spent decades incarcerated. We see how things are changing so quickly out here from one year to the next can , you know, if you’ve been gone for 20 years, then it’s quite the culture shock. So they’ve all done very well. And as far as technology goes, by the time we’re finished, they’re a lot better at it than I am. I show them a few things. I show ’em how to turn it on and they show me the rest <laugh>

Paul Schroeder: 12:45

I had a chance to , uh , visit a program and I would recommend to our listeners, if you look on the website and you find a , a prison braille program nearby , um, you should take a visit , uh , if, if there’s an opportunity to do so. What, what was impressive to me? And I didn’t know what to expect going in. I’ll be honest with you. I’d never been in a prison. And I, I, you know, I didn’t know what to expect. Um, I was a little , um, uneasy, just cuz I didn’t know what to expect. And within five minutes of, of sitting this , this happened to be , uh , a women’s prison. Um, within five minutes of sitting with the , the individuals doing Braille or large print work, we, we were talking about issues that they were having, you know , uh , translation challenges in one case, I think they were doing a French textbook and , and they were joking about the fact that none of them knew French. Um , so some of them said they barely knew English. And, and so, but so we were, we were kind of laughing. We were talking about the, the , the issues around braille codes and, and some of the challenges with large print production. Um, you , you , it was very easy to forget that you were also sitting with incarcerated individuals because we were having a very in depth conversation about production of material and the expectations of students and how to make sure that they produced the top quality they could. And it was really a , a , a wonderful experience , um , to find these dedicated transcribers and producers . Um , probably just as dedicated as , as anyone who, who might not be incarcerated.

Sara Brown: 14:20

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Jayma Hawkins: 14:23

If I had to give an overall comment, I would say that whoever you are out there, if this sounds interesting to you, please visit our website and that will give you an over a general overview of all of the programs we offer, but it also gives you a contact us link that will shoot an email straight to us. And we answer within 24 hours, you know, and that can start the conversation.

Paul Schroeder: 14:56

And , and I would only add , uh , that first of all, this is such a , a terrific program that is for an individual, in my case, who is totally blind, who relies on braille and relied on braille as a student. Um, it is meaningful for me to know that there are these individuals who are producing material , uh , that I and others need in a , in a timely and accessible format. The other thing I would say is, we know we need transcribers and, and this is an excellent pool of well trained individuals who are dedicated to their craft and who have been tested , uh , over, over the years in , in terms of producing high quality , large print and Braille. And so as, as apprentices come through and , um, we, we , uh, uh , as , as that program is successful, we hope we will see these individuals turning into small business , uh , producers, if that’s what they want or joining in with other organizations, many have joined APH , of course, as transcribers. So there are great opportunities , uh , for production and materials and great opportunities for finding individuals to do transcription and production , um , in it from this , uh , Prison Braille Program.

Sara Brown: 16:09

All right . Jayma and Paul, thank you so much for coming on today.

Jayma Hawkins: 16:13

Thank you.

Paul Schroeder: 16:13

Absolutely.

Sara Brown: 16:15

And I’ve put links in the show notes to the National Prison Braille Network. So you can get a little bit more information. Now we have EOT Nancy Mothersele. She’s the Braille Coordinator for Aging and Disability Services, Bureau of Education Services for the Blind in Connecticut. Hello, Nancy, and welcome to Change Makers.

Nancy Mothersele: 16:38

Hi, Sara, thank you for having me.

Sara Brown: 16:40

Can you talk about why your state decided to start a program?

Nancy Mothersele: 16:44

Well , um, I took over as the Braille Coordinator back in 2006 and the previous Braille Coordinator had started actually three programs back in the late eighties, early nineties. Um, in three of the facilities men’s facilities in Connecticut, there was one in Cheshire, there was one in Suffield and one in Enfield. And , um, we have a Braille producing 501(c) volunteer program in Connecticut, down in Westport , um, Connecticut Braille Association, who had been working with the Bureau of Education Services for the Blind in trying to , um, get something, going with the inmates in Connecticut and start training them to do Braille because they were running out of transcriptionists. Cuz most of the transcriptionists that worked for Connecticut Braille were in their seventies and eighties had been doing it for a long, long time. And they were either , um, getting old or passing away and there was kind of a shortage. So what better, it would be to train inmates to do this and give them skills. So when I took over in 2006, all three programs were still in existence, but um, there was a bunch of , uh , staff changes. They closed a bunch , they closed some of the prisons, some of the blocks. So it ended up the only one that was still producing Braille was Cheshire. And then in late 2006, they closed two blocks in Cheshire and they transferred. I think at one point I had 32 transcriptionists and they moved 20 of them, 22 of them to different facilities where they couldn’t do Braille. So I just, I wanted to rebuild in like 2016, I went to APH , I went to the prison, Braille committee, went to the forum and asked for help cuz I wanted to rebuild Cheshire. What ended up happening was the commissioner of corrections said we can’t really do that because they’re in protective custody. There’s no way we can get the computers in there. So he offered us York , um, it’s a women’s facility, so nobody would be transferred. Nobody would go anywhere else. And whoever was in the program would stay in the program cuz it’s the only women’s facility. But I know that the whole reason this was started in the first place was to train new transcriptionists, to be able to get, you know, braille into the student’s hands. And why not do it locally in Connecticut? I mean, we do, I do have a lot of vendors that I outsource with and I send work to, but if we can train these participants in the program with these skills, give them a specialized skill, which is in great demand when they’re released and they could go and use it. And then they’re also giving back to the community. I mean, everybody that I talk to that’s been involved in the programs , um, has a great sense of humility and accomplishment and just feel really good that they learned something and are able to give back. So that’s really, I mean, you know, to give them the skills, it’s kind of a , a win-win situation. We get Braille produced in Connecticut in our facility and put it into the student’s hands and they’re learning specialized skills and they’re able to go on and progress and get more certifications and get out and use these skills when they transition back. And I know that, you know, they can either work for another vendor. They can start their own business and this can be done at home, which is really nice, you know? So it , I think it’s really, really important that that, that this has come about. And I think it’s a great program and it’s, it’s really grown over the years. So I mean, there are more states doing it. I think it’s just, it’s fantastic.

Sara Brown: 21:12

And what would you say to someone who’s considering building this kind of partnership?

Nancy Mothersele: 21:18

You you’ve gotta , um, it’s, it takes a while it’s not gonna happen overnight. Um, we choose participants that have five years or more on their sentences that have had no violations, no behavioral violations, no “tickets” as they call them. Um, and have a GED or high school diploma. Okay. And the reason we do that is it takes a while to get certified. It will take, you know, over a year to get your literary certification going through all the lessons and doing the manuscript. And that’s only one certification. So in order to really , um, advance your, your career, you need at least one other certification, whether it be in proofreading or formatting or whatever, and that just gives you a better resume and you’re more employable. But the important part is that you have to realize that everything is housed under the Department of Corrections. So the Department of Corrections is in charge. You know, you have to go by their rules, you have to, you know, work with them. And you have to understand that there are gonna be times where you can’t go into the program. It’s going to be shut down for whatever reason they’re gonna be on lockdown. I was supposed to go last Friday and I was getting ready to go down to , to go to the program to give instruction. And I got a phone call that they were shut down. They were on lockdown and that’s, that’s what it is. But it’s just really, really important that you build a really good partnership with the Department of Corrections and you understand your role. They have their role. And I, we wouldn’t be as successful with York as we are and been able to keep it going during the pandemic. If I didn’t have great partners, I have a great supervisor that runs the program. There there’s another woman from DOC Industries that is a salesperson, but she has like taken this program under her wing. So we all communicated during the pandemic and um, the other, the woman from industries and was driving up here. It’s, it’s like a 40 minute drive from York to my house. I was giving her things. She was bringing me things and she was bringing them back down to the prison. And even she couldn’t go in, but the supervisor Rhoda, would meet her outside and they’d exchange, whatever it was. So we were all emailing and phone calling and Anne was trekking back and forth between my house and York. And it’s just, it’s really important to have a good relationship, but you need to understand that it is under the Department of Corrections and you have to all get along.

Sara Brown: 24:07

Is there anything else you’d like to say about this program or what you’ve seen overall?

Nancy Mothersele: 24:12

I have seen since, since I started working with the, with the inmates and in these programs, I mean, I, I had 12 guys at Cheshire that , um, were released and there was only one that re-offended the other 12 were out doing Braille part-time. They’ve been very successful. They’ve been , uh , gotten full-time jobs and do braille. You know, part-time, I’ve seen a change in the women that I’ve been working with since 2017, 2018, just the , the confidence level and the pride that they have in producing the braille they’re producing. And I just think it’s, it’s just a great win-win situation for everybody. And, and I think that it’s, it’s very valuable.

Sara Brown: 25:02

All right , Nancy, thank you so much for joining us today on Change Makers.

Nancy Mothersele: 25:05

Thank you, Sara.

Sara Brown: 25:10

Now we have Anne Saint . She is the Sales and Marketing Manager for Connecticut’s Correctional Enterprises. Hello Anne, and welcome to ChangeMmakers.

Anne Saint: 25:20

Thank you. Thank you for having us with you today.

Sara Brown: 25:22

Can you talk about what correctional facility in which you work and how many are currently participating in the Prison Braille Program?

Anne Saint: 25:31

Uh , yes. Our Braille program is at York state prison in Niantic, Connecticut. It is a women’s facility. There are eight women that are certified in Braille Literacy from the National Library of Congress.

Sara Brown: 25:44

Talk about the process for an inmate to become certified, to participate in the National Prison Braille Network.

Anne Saint: 25:50

Yes, the women that come to work in the Braille unit must first have a GED or a high school diploma, and no infractions are been in trouble at the prison. There are 20 lessons that they start with to learn and they have to pass before they take a reading test. Once they take the reading test and it’s completed, they start their manuscript, which consists of 35 braille pages.

Sara Brown: 26:14

And just how far can a person go? What certifications can be obtained and how long is that process?

Anne Saint: 26:21

Okay. A person can go as far as they want. Once they’ve earned their literary certification, they can take a proofread exam. They can take a formatting exam. This is as far as we’ve come so far, cuz we started our Braille Program in June of 2018. So nobody’s taken any nemic or any graphic classes yet. Um , but to get these classes, usually the manuscript usually takes with the lessons and the manuscript about a year, some take a year and a half. Um, the proofread they give you , um, informing, they give you three months to do your exams and then they, they grade ’em after that. And sometimes that takes a couple of months to get the results back.

Sara Brown: 27:05

Now you’re in Connecticut. Can you talk about the Braille Program at your facility? You said earlier it started in 2018.

Anne Saint: 27:14

Yes. It started in 2018. Uh , our Braille Program has given the women a sense of accomplishment and confidence. Um, we’re bringing books for the students of Connecticut now. So we’re, we have an inter agency agreement with , uh , agent and disability who handles the blind , uh , portion of the state of Connecticut. So we’re very proud of the work we’re doing with them.

Sara Brown: 27:39

Is there anything else you’d like to say?

Anne Saint: 27:41

Oh yeah. We’re just proud to be part of this program. Uh , we feel a sense of pride and appreciation knowing we’re helping individuals who are blind and it’s, it’s been wonderful to watch the, the women grow as they learn from these experiences of learning braille. So it’s been challenging, but wonderful. And you just, you see that they’re into their work and they feel good about their self knowing that they’re gonna have a job when they get out.

Sara Brown: 28:09

Okay. Anne , thank you so much for joining me today on Change Makers.

Anne Saint: 28:13

Okay. Thank you very much for having me.

Sara Brown: 28:21

Now we’re gonna shift gears a bit and we’re gonna have Paul back to talk to us about what’s been going on in DC . It’s been a wild ride.

Paul Schroeder: 28:31

Hey Sara, it’s busy. Uh, the House of Representatives and as y’all know, there’s two bodies in Congress, the House and the Senate. The House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations. Those are the , the folks that make the decisions about money , um, have just moved forward. Most of the Appropriations bills, actually I think all of them now are, are through the Committee. And I’m pleased to say that in the bill that funds the American Printing house for the Blind , um , there is a $3 million increase to the APH funding level, which is at $40,400 , 310 I think. Um, and it , it would increase to $43,431 ,000 . The, that of course is just the first step. That’s the Committee in the House of Representatives that has , uh , recommended , uh , if you will, that funding level, the house has to pass it. And then the Senate has to pass its version and then the two have to agree. All of that’s supposed to happen before October 1st, Sara, it won’t happen before October 1st, just a little little , uh , in case anybody’s on the edge of their chair, not gonna happen. Um , hope. We’re hoping that it happens before the end of the year, cuz if it doesn’t get agreed to before the end of the year, this Congress is done and we have to start over again. <laugh> uh , with a brand new Congress starting in ’23 , um, many people will remember that the bill, the , the final funding didn’t get finished this year until March middle of March of, of uh , ’22. So it was almost six months, actually it was six months after it was due to be done. So we’re hoping it’s not gonna be that bad this year. Don’t know for sure the good news is , um, we’re on a good path with , um , with a nice increase from the house and we very much appreciate the hubs committee. We very much appreciate that. And if I could just babble on one more second on that , um, there’s something called Report Language that a committee passes and it’s, it’s, it’s , it’s a committee’s explanation of, “Hey, we gave you this money and here’s what we want you to do with it.” Um, and it’s, it’s, it has, it has, it has value. It is an indication of what Congress expects you to spend your money on. Um, and in that Report Language, they talk about something that I know we’ve talked a little bit about here, the Dynamic Tactile Device. The multiline braille device that we’re working on. And , uh , the House Committee in its report said, “we very much want APH to , um, use some of this funding to test and further develop that display.” So that was exciting for us because it means that we can , um, put the prototypes out into students and teachers hands during the next year and get some feedback on this really breakthrough important device. Uh , and we’re so excited that the , the House Committee, at least so far saw the value of it too, and , uh , wants us to use some of that extra funding for that purpose.

Sara Brown: 31:21

All right . A lot, a lot of stuff going on…

Paul Schroeder: 31:24

Yeah, and that’s the , that’s the Congress side. There is one thing over in Education I’ll mention too, just in case people wanna follow it. Um, the Department of Education is taking a look at something called Section 504. Now , uh , people who follow the ins and outs of, of Legal Rights and Civil Rights might know, might remember section 504, which was passed in 1973 , uh , provides for a prohibition on discrimination for , by anyone who receives federal funding. So federal funds, federal funds go almost everywhere in , in this country, right? To schools, to colleges, to communities, to transportation. So Section 5 04 says, if you get those federal funds, you can’t , um , discriminate against people with disabilities and there’s, there’s certain things you have to do, but what’s been a little bit unclear is how 504 , uh , works for Special Education. Um, many of your listeners of course know about the individuals with disabilities education act that establishes the individualized education plan. The IEP that that governs Special Ed services, but some students, including some of our students with, with , uh , blindness or low vision are funded are , are served under section 504 under this non-discrimination , um , fund , uh , uh , requirement. And the set of services that are required for them is not clear , uh , because 504 doesn’t really spell out that very, very effectively. So the department’s taking a look at how section 504 is being used in schools. And they’re starting to , um, gather input on that now. Uh , in fact, I think as we speak and , uh, over the summer, and then they’re gonna , they’re gonna be doing more input gathering. It’s not clear, they haven’t said for sure what they’re gonna do about it, whether they’re gonna put new regulations out or some other changes. But I think this is exciting. Um , because I think some of us have worried for a while that students served under a 504 , uh , designation, maybe don’t get as robust, a set of services as students under an IEP do. And it’s not clear what the services are. I’m gonna give you one small, but important example. And it’s, it’s something important to the American Printing House for the Blind and that’s , um, National Instructional Material, Accessibility Standard, Nimbus. Which is a, a type of digital file , uh, that publishers are required. Uh , schools are required to get from publishers when they purchase textbooks. They’re supposed to get these , uh , uh , a digital file in this Nimbus, the National, Instructional, Material, Accessibility Standard… not easy to say. Um, technically anything produced from those files is only supposed to be used for a student served under idea because the, the law that required this, this textbook , uh , structure is in idea, it’s an amendment to the Individuals of Disabilities Education Act passed in 2004. So a student under Section 504 is not necessarily supposed to have access to , uh , a Nimbus , uh , uh , a book produced from a Nimbus file. That’s really important to students with print disabilities, especially those of our students who are blind to low vision because the braille or large print or even digital file , uh , Nimbus is a major way to get those books produced in, in a format that the student can use is, is one of those Nimbus digital files. And if they’re served under 504, they’re not really supposed to have access to that. So , um, this is something we would very much like to see cleaned up. We think it’s a , uh , an unnecessary barrier. We know that nobody intended that to be the way it is. It’s simply the way that laws were written. And sometimes it’s hard to clean those things up. So , um , I don’t know if the department can do that, but I know people are asking for them to take a look at that when they look at section 504, to see if they can , um, uh , fix this problem, whew , so much going on so much going on very nerdy stuff, but, but really important. Uh , and , and , and again, really exciting about the appropriation , um , the Senate, we don’t know when they’re gonna decide. Uh, so if you have good, good friends over there in the United States Senate, please encourage them to work on <laugh> , uh , getting the appropriations done, especially for , uh , education , uh , which is where of course APH is , uh , our appropriation is found.

Sara Brown: 35:42

All right , Paul, thank you so much. And as always come on back and keep us updated on that.

Paul Schroeder: 35:47

Thanks for the opportunity, Sara. It’s always good to talk with you.

Sara Brown: 35:51

All right . That is all for this episode of Change Makers. I put a link to the National Prison Braille Network in the Show Notes. And again, thanks so much for listening as always be sure to look for ways you can be a change maker this week.

Jeff Fox: 0:00

Welcome to Change Makers, a podcast from APH . We’re talking to people from around the world who are creating positive change in the lives of people who are blind or have low vision. Here’s your host.

Sara Brown: 0:14

Hello, and welcome to Change Makers I’m APH’ Public Relations Manager, Sara Brown . And today we’re talking about acknowledging bias. We’ll learn what resources APH provides, and then we’ll learn about the things you can do to be aware of bias. Up first, we’re talking to APH’s ConnectCenter Information and Referral Services Coordinator, Alan Lovell. Hello, Alan , and welcome to Change Makers.

Alan Lovell: 0:39

Thanks, Sara. I appreciate you having me.

Sara Brown: 0:42

Can you talk about what the ConnectCenter is for those who aren’t aware?

Alan Lovell: 0:45

Mm-hmm <affirmative> I sure can. Uh , actually the ConnectCenter , uh , in 2018 is when the ConnectCenter officially started with APH. It is a grant funded grouping of resources , uh , that come in the form of websites and, and an information referral hotline that folks can call , uh, to find answers to any questions relating to low vision or blindness. If, if a person goes to our , uh , main landing page, our website , uh , www. aphconnectcenter .org , that links to all of the properties that make up the ConnectCenter. Um, they are VisionAware that is a site , um , specifically curated around adults and seniors. Uh , Family Connect is , uh , information for families of visually impaired or blind children. And APH CareerConnect , uh , which is for job seekers, folks who are , uh , blind or low vision. And , um, so we , uh , and my team in the ConnectCenter, curate information, blog, posts, articles, webinars , uh, and, and host various different groups , um, for job seekers and parents of low vision children , um, to go up on those sites and keep them fresh , uh, with information about, you know, how to in life , uh , especially if you’re a person who may be new to low vision.

Sara Brown: 2:18

Can you talk about the resources ConnectCenter provides regarding support groups for diversity and why they’re so important?

Alan Lovell: 2:26

Well, yes. Um , you know, the ConnectCenter, what kind of powers the ConnectCenter , uh , and , and the resources that I just spoke about the website is a national directory of services. So any of the sites, if you perform a search on any of the sites, or if you’re just sitting in the directory itself, you can search in your locale for, you know, any number of services , uh, like rehab services or, you know, information on your eye disease. Uh , but with that , um, you know, there , there are support groups that come in a lot of different forms. Uh , virtual, especially since COVID , um , the rehab , uh, the state services for the blind, usually host support groups. And what that does is brings folks together of all ages , um, you know, races , um, you know , any sort of specific to a person’s , uh , personality in life that they have that one thing in common though, where they can share their experiences with low vision or blindness and learn , uh , amongst others who have that thing in common. Um, and, and so when we talk to a person who is new, or perhaps just dealing with their visual impairment for the first time. Uh , we do our diligence to find a group, whether it’s local to them, or whether , um, you know, there are groups with specific , uh , specifics that meet , uh , this person’s sort of needs , uh , when they ask about what they want to talk about. And , um, so we don’t in many cases, host them ourselves, but we find them through our grouping of resources. You know, we reach out to our , uh , colleagues in the field , um, you know, search the web, scour the interwebs, if you will. Um , to , to find the appropriate group. And so that gives us a chance to , um, talk about what is weighing heavy on our minds as we deal with, with life, with issues with blindness. Um, and , and so we get confirmation almost on a daily basis. When we talk to folks who are , um, living their lives, they have no idea that there are resources available for them to, to learn skill sets that give them their independence back, that gives them outlets to , um, express themselves in the world. Whether it be through , um, work or education or their artistic outlets. It’s, it’s , it can be very freeing for folks to learn what is out there. So it , it’s very important it’s , especially these days that diversity is at the forefront of, of what we as an agency put out , uh, and, and how we serve those who need , um, who need us, who, who need the information that we’re here to sort of tell them about.

Sara Brown: 5:45

So someone’s coming to you all, that might be transgendered and, and have low vision, you know, what resources… So that’s you all putting out sort of like the call to find resources for that person?

Alan Lovell: 5:56

Yes. And I can think of a specific , um, phone call that I got not that long ago from a , uh , transgender female who was also blind now. And , um, she called to find , uh , of resources that sort of were in-line with what many of our callers need relating to their, their blindness. But the questions then ran to, well, I’m a trans female . Um, I’m running into trouble with how I present myself. Uh, not only am I a blind person having to sell myself , um, in a way that overpowers the negativity that comes with a , you know, preconceived notions over blindness , um, being, being a trans woman is, is another challenge. And in that type of case , um, it’s more about the conversation that we had because at , at that point, I couldn’t find a support group for trans women who are blind, right? Like that’s not something that has formed yet . So we had conversations about what, in what way are we going to present ourselves when we’re going to look for jobs, for example , um, and should the fact that you’re a trans woman come first, or should that be in the background and not so important? Should you know, what skill sets are we putting out there first? Um, so we had a long conversation about that and, and , and , and we were seeing more and more situations like that where we’re , we’re so diverse , uh, and people really want to express themselves. But , um, in these conversations, it’s more about, what’s, “what’s most important with what you’re trying to achieve?” Um, you know, it does. “Do you come with a challenge?” Do , do I, as a gay white male, do I come with , um, a , a challenge for you, or am I selling myself based on my skill sets and my personality and things like that? Um, so it’s a , it’s we have, we have conversations like that, that that can run in any different direction, but thankfully, APH , the company we both work for and now is 164-years-old is , uh , such a forward thinking organization. You know, our, our slogan now is “Welcome Everyone”. It’s on our t-shirts, it’s on our banners. U h, it’s in the way we think the way we produce products, the way we, u m, serve the people who need us, u h, everyone, no matter what or where you are in life. U h, and how lucky are we to have an organization that is i t’s, i t’s just wonderful. It’s just a wonderful feeling, knowing that, t hat, t hat they’ve got our back like that.

Sara Brown: 9:09

No, that’s, you are 100% correct. And, you know, the “Welcome Everyone,” when we say “everyone,” we mean “everyone,” and that’s so important. And I’ve felt that throughout the halls at APH , for my past two years that I’ve been there. A while ago, you wrote an article called “Blind, Dating While Gay,” and it provided some tips for dating in this modern world. Can you talk a bit about that,

Alan Lovell: 9:34

That article, which is on VisionAware. Um, I don’t know if it’s also featured on all the platforms or not, but you can locate it on VisionAware just by searching for dating.

Sara Brown: 9:47

We’ll be sure to put a link in this podcast to it.

Alan Lovell: 9:49

Great. Um, I mentioned earlier, I’ve been with APH for 26 years and it wasn’t, you know, I started when I was 21 and I, you know, I , I have gray hair with a white beard now. That was not the case back then. <laugh> , but , um, it wasn’t until I was 29 where I really sort of came out of the closet. I lived on both side of the fence and, and, and , uh , I went through this discovery at a midpoint in my life before I, you know, came to terms with who I really am. Um, but as I mentioned earlier, my lifestyle didn’t come with , um, a challenge for anyone. It was just more or less a fact, and I sort of systematically came out and, and now at the age of 48, I’ve, I’ve been married to my husband for 19 years. Um, but I wrote this article because while there are a couple of older articles on dating out there specifically , uh , for those of us, but those of us who are low vision or blind, we come with a unique challenge. Um, when you are sort of a nontraditional person , uh , when you wanna find a, a partner in life, you have to sort of come up with techniques that are going to work for you. Um, and thankfully technology is on our side. Some people, you know, you know , might find a, you might find yourself in a situation where you, where you do find a partner in a traditional way, which is always great, you know, enough about a person to know that, oh, well, that person’s gay too . Or, you know, the , the specifics that are important are in line with, with what you’re looking for. But when I was searching , um , to find a, a partner, this was before I was out of the closet to anyone and I, I was kind of coming to terms with it myself. Um, I used technology , uh, online dating. It gave platforms that I could access with my assistive technology, even back then , uh , a computer with JAWS software on it was enough for me to create a profile and , uh, an online presence on a specific dating site where I was able to either read other people’s profiles or they could read mine. Um, and as technology has advanced, you know, our smartphone give us the ability to post photos , uh , of ourselves and, you know, put ourselves out there. That’s sort of on-par with what a sighted person might do. Um, but since we , we are all different, we all have different experiences with low vision or blindness and technology. Uh, I wanted to put information out there that might help someone else. Um , because when you can’t see what you’re doing with your phone , um, you, you don’t wanna put a picture out there that is unflattering or put yourself in a space where you might have clutter behind you that tells a story , uh , that may, you know, not put, paint you in the best light. Um, so I put tips in that article about, you know, making a good photo. And then I spoke about this is again, how are you going to present yourself to some , uh , unknowing person who lands on your profile? Are you a blind person right up front , or you , as I wrote the article, I kind of used a pseudonym. I didn’t , uh , at that point know for sure if I was gonna put my name on it, but there it is. I wrote it. So I used the name, “Jake.” Um, are you a blind person named Jake, or are you “Jake?” A person who has all of these interests in life, like, oh, walks on the beach, for example , um , you know , dinner, dining , um, hiking, biking, and then you happen to be a low vision or blind person, you know, how are you gonna put that out there? And then that’s a personal decision. It might, you know, it , it , if you put something like that out there, it , it could potentially , um, turn some people off because they don’t have, they’ve never had a blind person in their life and they think, oh, I, well , I don’t want that. <laugh> in my life in , in my situation. And I’m not saying this is the right way or not, but , uh , I chose to leave that out. I chose to present myself as Alan , “Jake <laugh> whomever. Yeah . The person who , uh , has all of these interests in life. And that’s, that’s how we bonded. And it wasn’t until we actually wound up on the telephone. We , uh, rose to the level of in person conversation. And , uh, it wasn’t until we talked, he could hear my voice. He had seen pictures of me , um, where I said it , you know, I better go ahead and tell you this, cuz it seems as though we might actually meet and anybody who’s ever done online dating before knows that you might wind up in a bunch of different conversations with different people that don’t go anywhere. And, you know, constantly explaining myself I’m leisure , I’m low vision . I’m blind. That may not even be important because the conversation may not ever go anywhere. Um, so I put that kind of information in the article just to give somebody , uh , who’s interested something to think about when, when they put themselves out there.

Sara Brown: 15:41

Is there anything else you’d like to say about acknowledging bias or resources the ConnectCenter provides or dating?

Alan Lovell: 15:50

Well, the ConnectCenter is here because we , uh, can empathize those of us who make up the staff of the ConnectCenter have worked in the field for many years. There are 12 of us on staff. Now, two of us on the phone , uh, both of us who are on the phone are, are blind as well and have worked in the field for many years and have , uh , sort of built a , um , a level of, of knowledge where we’re able to, you know , like I said, empathize with a person who maybe do new to this and who you are as a person. Um, you know, if you have questions about your life as it pertains to low vision, you know, I , I , I think we’re on the same level as you, because we’ve been there. Prejudice and bias aside, you know, we’re here to talk about blindness and provide you with the tools that you can use to, to thrive in life, no matter what your situation is. And you know, if you have , um, additional circumstances to who you are, we’re here to help. We’re here to find you resources. We’re here to find you groups of people to talk with so that , uh, you know, you’re in , in spite of your challenges , uh , you’re going to be able to thrive in life. And, and that goes along with the reason APH exists, the products that are manufactured by APH , the services that we provide it’s it’s so that you can rise above your challenges no matter who you are and , uh, and thrive.

Sara Brown: 17:34

Okay, Alan , thank you so much for joining me today on Change Makers.

Alan Lovell: 17:38

Thank you so much for having me. It’s been a , it’s been a pleasure.

Sara Brown: 17:43

We’ll be sure to put links to the ConnectCenter and Alan’s article in the show notes up now is Tai Tomasi. She’s here to talk about the different types of bias and why recognizing they exist is so important. Hello, Tai, and welcome to Change Makers.

Tai Tomasi: 17:58

Hi, thanks so much for having me today .

Sara Brown: 18:00

Can you talk about ABIDE for those who aren’t aware?

Tai Tomasi: 18:04

Sure. Abide stands for Accessibility, Belonging, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity. And we are a resource for internal stakeholders within American Printing House for the Blind. We are also a resource for the field of education of the blind and low vision community. So we provide trainings for anyone who’s interested and also to the community at large here in Louisville, Kentucky. Um, so we are definitely interested in assisting with development of trainings on all of the areas encompassed in abide.

Sara Brown: 18:34

There are two kinds of biases, conscious bias and unconscious implicit bias. Can you explain the difference?

Tai Tomasi: 18:43

Um, sure. Conscious bias is where your brain is aware of the bias that you’re holding. It’s being processed by your brain. Uh , whereas unconscious bias is based on some background work that your brain is doing very quickly. Um, and it’s analyzing patterns and past information, but you’re not aware of the bias that you’re holding. So you may not be aware of the things that are coming into play , uh , with that unconscious bias. So it’s basically , um, your processing of affinity and other patterns that you may have been aware of from the past, whether that’s from media or other sources , um , that are kind of driving some unconscious stereotyoes that you hold

Sara Brown: 19:27

Bias is not limited to just one demographic. It can be found in medical settings, race, gender, sexual preference, politics. Just about any topic. Can you talk about how ABIDE educates individuals regarding bias?

Tai Tomasi: 19:43

Yeah . So ABIDE is constantly educating others about how to overcome and work on bias , um, overcoming implicit bias. And what we want to do is , um, work with that automatic human function and actively take steps to understand and resist those unconscious biases. So that requires developing new inclusive patterns and habits that kind of overcome that part of your brand. That’s working in a , in a very , um , unknown fashion behind the scenes. So making sure you’re questioning you’re listening , um, you’re actively listening with humility. And so abide is here to train people on how to listen with humility, how to , uh , listen without judgment , um, how to be more aware of your biases and how to check those biases. Um, and one major way that we work with people to check those biases is to encourage them to suspend the need to be right about your opinion. Um, often our opinions are based in , uh , unconscious bias. And so we need to suspend our , our wish to, to , um, be right about those things and to listen to others with humility.

Sara Brown: 20:49

What are some ways a person can assess if they do have bias?

Tai Tomasi: 20:54

There are a lot of tests online that you can take. Unfortunately, some of those tests are not very accessible. A lot of them rely on visual cues. Um, I’m still working to find a good accessible test on implicit bias because many of them rely on visual indicators. So what they might do is , um , show you a picture and then you’re supposed to pick the thing that comes to mind and click on the next thing that comes to mind in , in a list of things and that , and that test will evaluate your implicit bias. Um, so as people who are blind or low vision, we need to be more aware of doing this work on our own because we don’t have, we don’t necessarily have accessible means to do those kinds of tests.

Sara Brown: 21:31

How does acknowledging unconscious bias, advance diversity and inclusion?

Tai Tomasi: 21:36

We all need to be more accepting and more understanding of everyone. And we need to work on developing empathy and challenging. Our biases are good ways to do that. And that’s why we need to listen with humility and really think about how we’re reacting to various situations in our life. Things that we encounter. Um, those reactions are problematic, and we need to think about how we react so that we can build a better inclusive and diverse environment.

Sara Brown: 22:07

What do , do you have any tools one could use to sort of see if they do have an unconscious bias?

Tai Tomasi: 22:16

Yes. I have a couple of links that I can share in the show notes that talk a little bit about implicit bias and how to challenge it. I think those are very useful tools. There’s also a lot of great things on the internet that , um , that you can find by searching, but I will provide a few links to those.

Sara Brown: 22:34

Are there any other organizations that offer special interest groups for bias or bias?

Tai Tomasi: 22:40

Yeah, I think there are a lot of consumer groups, whether it’s for people with disabilities. Um, there are also subsets of those consumer groups. Um, for example, in the blind and low vision community, the American Council of the blind and the National Federation of the Blind all have , um, various special interest groups , um, that address a lot of issues of implicit bias. Um, for example, around the LGBTQ+ community and other communities , um , there are quite a few groups there that , um , that can address some of those topics.

Sara Brown: 23:14

And is there anything else you would like to add?

Tai Tomasi: 23:16

ABIDE will be happy to work with you on ways that you can challenge your implicit bias in ways that your organizations can challenge them. And we would be happy to work with you on some trainings and some content around that, that topic.

Sara Brown: 23:33

All right , Tai, thanks so much for joining me today on change makers .

Tai Tomasi: 23:37

Thanks again for having me.

Sara Brown: 23:40

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of change makers . We hope you have enjoyed this episode. I’ve put links to the resources Tai mentioned, and Alan’s links are also in the show notes as always be sure to look for ways you can be a change maker this week.

Jack Fox: 0:00

Welcome to Change Makers, a podcast from APH . We’re talking to people from around the world who are creating positive change in the lives of people who are blind or have low vision. Here’s your host.

Sara Brown: 0:15

Hello, and welcome to Change Makers. I’m APH’s Public Relations Manager, Sara Brown, and today, we’re celebrating the Transition Hub. It turns one in July. We’ll hear from a Transition Hub official and hear about the many services and resources it provides, and we’ll also hear from a Student Advisory Member who uses the Transition Hub regularly. Up first, we’re talking to Richard Rueda, Digital Content Manager for the APH ConnectCenter with CareerConnect. Hello, Richard, and welcome to Change Makers.

Richard Rueda: 0:48

Thank you, Sara. I’m happy to be here and talk all about the Transition Hub.

Sara Brown: 0:53

Can you explain what the Transition Hub is and the services and resources it provides?

Richard Rueda: 0:59

The APH ConnectCenter Transition Hub is the one-stop resource for those who are in high school and in college, who are looking for opportunities for work, experience and programs that will help boost their career advancement. The Transition Hub lists currently over 50 programs across the United States through a searchable database by region, by state, by , uh , location. By the way, the program is sponsored. It’s the one page you can go to to find out all these programs, whether you’re in Hawaii, Florida, Alaska , uh , New Hampshire and everywhere in between. No longer do people have to search out different states and different tabs on their laptop. When you can now go to the Transition Hub for all this information at the tip of your fingertips and all located in one spot.

Sara Brown: 1:58

Now tell us why these services are important?

Richard Rueda: 2:02

These services provided through the Transition Hub are offered to help students, their families and teachers identify all the pre-employment skills that they’ll need to be successful in the working world to be an adult, to be successful, to be confident, to be gainfully employed and to be independent. And these services are critical because you can choose on what program you want to attend by reading the reviews, by reading the statistics on who provides?… What do these programs provide services for blind, deaf blind?… What are the costs involved? Are they covered by rehab?… And they’re important because the more that you prepare yourself for the world of work, the more you prepare yourself for being successful in college and in life, the better off you’re gonna be independently in life. And having access through the Transition Hub is where all starts. I , I firmly believe that with the year that this program, this service has been around, we’ve seen so much growth. We started at 30. Uh , we built this from the ground up and now we’re reaching 50 programs listed. That’s almost one per state. And , uh, we’re very, very proud of what the Transition Hub is , uh , become and what it’s going to be in the future.

Sara Brown: 3:23

So the Transition Hub launched one year ago, pretty much in a few weeks. Can you talk about how it’s doing today?

Richard Rueda: 3:31

Good question. And, and yes, I’m happy to talk about that. And I remember when I was a contractor with APH at the ConnectCenter, we, we got this grant and we built this from the ground up . And I remember fondly. It was February of 2021. And , uh , they said, “Richard, let’s build this.” And I said, “let’s do it.” And so we, we came together, we identified what we needed to do to build a Transition Hub. We came up with questions that the , uh , vendors who would be listed in the Transition Hub, these agencies would wanna have, from your name, your address to the program type, the program style, are they residential?… Are they non residential ?… We had over 40 questions that we put on this survey so that the initial participants , uh , participating agencies could list their information and we could organize it by state and by region, we, we got that up and running. We did some cold calls in April of 2021. And by June we were building the infrastructure that eventually ultimately became the Transition Hub. And on August 1st , it went live it with about 35 programs. And , um, now a year later, again, we are at 50… Probably in the mid-fifties as I speak now in June of 2022. And , uh , we’ve got folks who are working behind the scenes, who are constantly keeping the data updated, because if you go and list your program in April of 2021, we wanna make sure it’s relevant in June of 2022. So we’re constantly connecting and engaging with our vendors, our agencies who are listed there , asking them let’s update. “Who’s the new contact person?” “If it’s not you, what new program additions do you have?” “Are you, are you not longer virtual?” “Are you hybrid?” “Are you in-person?” So we’re taking all these factors in consideration as people search out the Transition Hub. So what once may have been virtual or hybrid, may it be in-person or vice versa? So we wanna make the information relevant, timely, and tangible. So that high school students, their teachers are the visually impaired rehabilitation practitioners. Parents can go to the Transition Hub and know that this information is up to date and rely on us as the go-to resource. We just don’t want this to be a stagnant page. So many programs prior to this that did have attempted this haven’t updated it. And I think that’s the, the , uh , the challenge that we have in a good way. The Transition Hub is gonna be a very interactive and engaging site for people to go to.

Sara Brown: 6:03

Do you have an estimated figure about how many people it has served?

Richard Rueda: 6:08

If I had to take a guess, and I remember reading this not long ago, we had a couple of thousand visits to the site since it’s launch in July 31, August 1 , 2021 . Uh , we’re promoting the heck out of it through all the outreach we do, we show and demonstrate to other practitioners on zoom or in person, how easy it is to how you can use it on , uh , your phone and on your iPhone, not just on your laptop. And so we’re through all that engagement. We know we’re, we’re , our impressions are, are , are getting out there in the thousands.

Sara Brown: 6:45

And from last year to today , can you talk about how the Transition Hub has grown and evolved?

Richard Rueda: 6:52

The evolution the Transition Hub has evolved , not only from the numbers where we’re, we were at 35 to the mid 50’s, and we know there are more programs out there. Um, a , a lot of programs that are small , um, have great turnover and, or may exist one year and not the other year , um, by putting staff, by putting , um, our grant in behind it, we’re evolving into having more interactiveness with the site. Soon, you’re gonna visit the Transition Hub and not only see the videos we have up there, we’re gonna have testimonials, we’re gonna have blogs. We’re gonna import a lot more of our transition content that is currently on career connect to come to the Transition Hub. So not only will the Transition Hub be the place to find out programs, but it will have transition content for the student, for the teacher, for the rehabilitation practitioner. Our Job Seekers Toolkit will be up on the Transition Hub. The Job Seekers Toolkit, which is , is a very proud product of the ConnectCenter and CareerConnect will also be interactive in a learning management system , uh , which it hasn’t been in several years since the days of AFB. So that’ll be a new addition to the job Transition Hub,

Sara Brown: 8:07

Looking toward the future . What future goals do you have for the Transition Hub, or what would you like to see for the Transition Hub?

Richard Rueda: 8:14

You know, that’s a very good question. I think when you look at the history of APH , the ConnectCenter and Career Connect, you have some big players and some big names and the field of education and, and the field of transition. I think when we leverage all these resources and we begin to really use and identify and market the Transition Hub as that premier resource for teachers of the visually impaired our EOTs, our families, practitioners, students, families in , in the community at large to say, “Hey, this is a critical service needed for students to really gain , uh , information that they can make decisions on their life, preparing for life after high school life, after by attending these programs that will help them grow and build. And, you know, the Transition Hub is the place you go to.” Uh , I think that’s profound. And, and I think that’s where the future is as we leverage all those, all these resources, people are going to use , uh, the Transition Hub as, as the sole place to go for transition information. And we have so many partners out there with our national transition conversation that we, we host quarterly webinars at where we’re always talking up the Transition Hub and our partners are , are getting more excited by the day. So I think you’re gonna see a lot more content, interactive content and a lot of really good feedback and a lot of good uses , uh , out of it that that we’re building right now.

Sara Brown: 9:40

Is there anything else you’d like to say about the Transition Hub that we might not have touched on ?

Richard Rueda: 9:45

If you , you haven’t heard about the Transition Hub, please visit the Transition Hub. I truly honestly firmly believe you will be in awe . You’ll be amazed. You will come to find that it is a very useful program. And if you visit constantly, you will see in real time the updates and the love and passion we’re putting into making sure the information listed on the Transition Hub is relevant, timely, and is gonna benefit the most amount of folks out there.

Sara Brown: 10:14

Thank you so much, Richard, for coming on today.

Richard Rueda: 10:18

It was my pleasure, Sara. Thank you.

Sara Brown: 10:23

Now we have CareerConnect Student Advisory member Paige Hammock here to talk about her experience using the Transition Hub and how she uses the service as she pursues her masters . Hello, Paige , and welcome to Change Makers.

Paige Hammock: 10:37

Thank you so much for having me.

Sara Brown: 10:40

So can you talk about what a Career Connect Student Advisory member does?

Paige Hammock: 10:46

Yeah, so , um, we have a main group where we discuss different ideas that we wanna contribute to the ConnectCenter. Um, right now we’re working on blog posts. Um, a lot of us are doing all kinds of different topics, and then there is a subgroup I would, I guess you would call it , um, that I’m a part of, for a panel that we’re gonna do , uh , called College Conversations. We’re gonna be talking about transitioning from high school to college and , um, our personal experiences and just some tips and tricks to help those younger students who are in that process. So , um, I’m , I’m doing a little bit of everything right now

Sara Brown: 11:32

And you’re representing the Transition Hub. Can you tell us how you use the Transition Hub?

Paige Hammock: 11:37

Yeah, so , um, the Transition Hub has been useful for me in that college conversations, planning that I was just talking about. Um , we’re still working on getting our first panel up and running and we wanted to bring that into the conversation at some point, cause I think it’s a really useful tool. So we’ve all I don’t, well, I don’t know about the others, but I’ve been looking at it , um, for some resources and , um, just making sure that I understand everything that’s available on there to be able to explain it to the people, listening to our college conversations meetings. Um, and I also just started my own podcast and I think the Transition Hub is a, an awesome resource, especially for those that are transitioning from high school to college. Um, with all of the different vocational programs that are on there, I think are really useful. And a lot of people don’t know that those even exist. So I’ve been using it for both.

Sara Brown: 12:32

So can you talk about how the Transition Hub has helped you as you pursue your studies?

Paige Hammock: 12:37

Um, I would say thankfully, I , I knew about the vocational programs here in my city , um, because of the Division of Blind Services here in Florida. They’ve been very good about giving me resources. Um, so I’d say that they’re my number one, but they’ve directed me to the Transition Hub, you know, to look at other things, if there’s anything that, you know, sparks my interest that I didn’t know about before. Um, but I think, like I said earlier, it’s a , a great resource for those who are maybe new newly, you know, low vision or losing their vision and don’t have a lot of resources or don’t even know where to start. I think that it is a great place to look for resources in your area that you might not have known about before.

Sara Brown: 13:23

And how do you promote the Transition Hub to those who might not be aware of its benefits?

Paige Hammock: 13:29

So we’re still trying to figure out how we wanna talk about it and how we wanna bring it into the conversation during our college conversations meetings. Um, we’re gonna talk about all different things from, you know, finding colleges, but also , um, you know, looking for resources on campus. But I think that we’re probably going to bring it into the conversation, talk about how , um, you know, outside of the college itself with the disability resource center, there’s also, you know, those outside programs that are helpful and beneficial. And I am gonna eventually talk about it on my podcast because I’ve had a lot of feedback from other people in the BVI community that they don’t even know where to start, or they never received services when they were younger and they don’t know , um, you know, who to turn to or where to start. So I definitely try and promote it and bring it up in conversation, say, Hey, you know, this, this is a resource that might be helpful for you to kind of just look and see what’s in your area and see if there’s anything, you know, that would be able to help you and see if they have any services that maybe you haven’t had before that you might find beneficial.

Sara Brown: 14:38

Is there anything you wanna say or anything else you wanna add about the Transition Hub coming from the Student Advisory perspective?

Paige Hammock: 14:46

Um, I mean, I don’t wanna repeat myself, but I really do, you know , stress to, to others I’ve talked to about it. You know, I I’ve run into a lot of people just in my personal life who didn’t get services until they were way older and didn’t know about services that they could have been getting from the start . So I just try and, you know, stress it early and make sure that people are able to, to get what they need. And I think the Transition Hub is the best place to start.

Sara Brown: 15:13

Thank you so much, Paige , for joining me today on change makers .

Paige Hammock: 15:17

You’re welcome. Thank you for having me.

Sara Brown: 15:21

We’ve put a link to the Transition Hub, as well as the ConnectCenter in the show notes. We hope you have enjoyed this podcast and as always be sure to look for ways you can be a change maker this week.

Jeff Fox: 0:00

Welcome to Change Makers, a podcast from APH . We’re talking to people from around the world who are creating positive change in the lives of people who are blind or visually impaired. Here’s your host.

Sara Brown: 0:15

Hello, and welcome to Change Makers I’m APH’s Public Relations Manager, Sara Brown . And on this episode of Change Makers, we’re celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week, focusing on Special Education and Orientation and Mobility Specialists. We’re gonna learn the process to become an Orientation and Mobility Specialist, the need for more, and what opportunities are out there in the field. We’ll also have a special segment that highlights the new APH Press Book “Guidelines and Games.” With us now is APH’s Product Manager of Educational Product Innovation, Lauralyn Randals. Hello, Lauralyn , and welcome to Change Makers.

Lauralyn Randles: 0:52

Thanks for having me.

Sara Brown: 0:53

So you’re now an APH Product Manager, but you were once and O&M Specialist. Can you talk about what orientation and mobility is about the work of an O&M Specialist and what all they do?

Lauralyn Randles: 1:06

Um, Orientation and Mobility… It’s, it’s a specialized set of skills that we teach to students and travelers with low vision and blindness. Um, there’s actually about 145 different skills that we teach , um , depending on what they need for their age, their goals , um , where they are at this moment in time, where they want to be, what vision loss they have. We use all of those things to kind of guide where we want to go with them. Um, as an Orientation and Mobility Specialist… my job is to guide that , um , that instructional journey that they’re on to make sure that they get where they need to be.

Sara Brown: 1:41

How does the work of an O & M Specialist differ from other education professions specifically in the field of Special Education for those who are blind or have low vision?

Lauralyn Randles: 1:51

So actually orientation mobility has a great deal of overlap with both the fields of , uh , visual impairment. So TVs , but also physical therapists. We’re a related service. We’re not an educational service in the school system itself. So we are working with students on a one-on-one basis on functional and life goals , not necessarily academic goals . We’re trying to make sure that they have access to the educational envirO&Ment and access to their community, which is where our, our students and our learners are really picking up. Most of those skills,

Sara Brown: 2:23

Orientation and Mobility is a very specialized field. So to become an O&M Specialist, one needs a bachelor’s degree, but do you need a teaching certification or any other certifications? Tell us about the process to become an O&M specialist. If we have anybody out there interested in pursuing that field

Lauralyn Randles: 2:40

Orientation Mobility, actually… there’s only one remaining program that has a bachelor’s program and that’s , um , SF Austin in Texas (Stephen Fuller Austin State University). Other than that, they’re all graduate certificate programs or they are , um , graduate degree programs. So you, when you’re going through, you can kind of choose your own adventure and decide whether you wanna get it as a master’s if you live in the state of Texas or sorry, if you wanna get it as a bachelor’s, if you live in the state of Texas or , um, if you would like to go for a shorter program where you’re just ending up with a graduate certificate, or if you wanna go for a longer one where you actually end up with a master’s degree. Um, a lot of teachers that are going back into the field or those that are wanting to work in education will choose to go the graduate , uh , degree route because it kind of bumps you up this higher pay bracket, because I don’t know if you’re familiar with it, but in education, our pay is, is kind of decided on an Excel sheet. You go across for the number of years of education and down for the number of years of experience. And so it just kind of helped move you over that one more column. So when you’re gonna be an O&M specialist, if you are choosing to go either the graduate certificate or the graduate route, you do have to get your GRE first for most universities, it’s an exam that you have to take. Um , it is a , it is offered predominantly virtually at this point. So you just kind of find a local testing center and you go and you take that exam that helps prove that you’re ready to sit for a graduate program. Um, they do also offer it in adapted format. So if you do have , um , low vision or blindness yourself , um, you can get accommodations for that exam. Um, after that point, it’s a matter of finding the program that best suits you, because it is it’s again, a kind of suits your own pick your own adventure kind of program. You find whether you wanna work with children or adults… If you want to do a summers only program, or a virtual program, or an in person. Um, if there’s certain faculty that you want to go towards, if you want to be a dual major where you’re getting an Orientation and Mobility License, but you’re also getting your TVI license or Vocational Rehab or Assistive Technology, you can kind of pick what program meets your needs based on that. And then you just kind of go through the application process and , and get in , um, some of the programs, even at this point have , um , federal funding that will help you go through the program. Some include tuition, reimbursement, some include books. It , it really depends from programs program, but there is a, I think the most up to date list of the programs that we have in the us right now is on us OMSA. org. Um , if you search for O&M program, it will come up. You can also search search that in Google. And that’s how I typically find it. Um , a teaching certificate though is not necessarily required. Um , some states have wonky requirements , um , because each state is so different, especially in the education system. Um, you can have two neighboring states with completely different requirements. So some may require it and some may not. Um , there is also the consideration of certifications that go along with it. So there are three different ways in the us to practice as an Orientation and Mobility Specialist, you can practice with your base degree from the university and be, you would just be an OMS, or you can get your COMS license or COMS license. It , you go through an internship after your university program, and then you sit for an exam and then you have five years of an active licensure, and then you get that opportunity to do continuing education to renew in five years. There’s another one that’s very similar. It’s NOMC, National Orientation and Mobility Certification. That one is very similar. Um , in that you have an internship after you come out of university program, then you sit for the exam and then you have five years of active licensure , um , to, to go through your renewal process.

Sara Brown: 6:39

Wow. So there’s a lot of options out there. Are there any specific colleges or universities where you can obtain your certification?

Lauralyn Randles: 6:47

So there’s actually universities in a majority of states or regions across the United States. Um, I I’m partial to Northern Illinois University just because that’s where I went. Um, but there are programs in or near your region. Um , we actually have one here in Kentucky. Um , that’s University of Kentucky at Lexington, Donna Brostek Lee runs that program there. Um, it’s great program really. I’ve been in the business a while and I don’t know of any bad programs. So reach out find, find one near you find, find some around you listen to the O&M Specialist that, you know, see where they went and where they had a great experience

Sara Brown: 7:27

As a former O&M Specialist. How was that career rewarding to you? And what impact does this role have on the students who are served?

Lauralyn Randles: 7:37

I, I loved working as an Orientation and Mobility Specialist. I was actually a dual TVI and O&M, but O& M always had my heart. Um, everyday is new. You , you never know what you’re gonna get. You may start your morning with a three-year-old. Who’s just beginning to explore their environment. You may end your day with a , a high school student. That’s preparing to cross a street that would make any parent have palpitations, and they’ll do it with ease because they’re amazing. Um, you have the ability to just open up a world of possibilities for these students and their families that they, they never knew were gonna be available to them. It it’s really, it’s great. It forever changes you and it forever changes them working through this process. I actually have several students at this point that still reach out to me from time to time and let me know where they’re at and what great things they’ve done. I actually had four graduate in the last two years from college , um, and I’m just tickled pink to see them and where they’re headed next.

Sara Brown: 8:37

How does your past impact your current role as an APH Product Manager?

Lauralyn Randles: 8:43

So, actually right now, I’m more over test and assessments and it , it’s not directly connected at this point, but really through my orientation and mobility time , I, I found that because there’s so few and far between us, we have to heavily heavily justify our decisions. And in order to do that, we have to have really strong assessment pieces that are guiding that not just our O&M assessment, but our functional vision assessment . And even our educational assessments. We have to have a really strong profile that tells us exactly who this student is and exactly where they are and exactly where they want to be so that we can design the best program that we can, because it seems like we have a lot of time with them because, you know, if we get them in kindergarten, we have them for 13 years in theory, but it’s, it’s never enough there . There’s never enough days to get it all in. And the better picture we can have from the beginning, the better we can serve them moving forward. And the better we can justify to administration that we need additional help. We need additional manpower. We have to have data to guide those decisions and that data starts with assessments .

Sara Brown: 9:50

Okay . Lauralyn, is there anything else you would like to say regarding O&M?

Lauralyn Randles: 9:55

Joining any aspect of the low vision and blindness field. It’s, it’s going to change you for the better. It’s going to change. It’s going to change the world for people around you, and there’s not a whole lot of jobs out there where you can make that immediate and huge impact that you can see and you can feel. And just to know that you’re making that impact on a daily basis and see that change over time is huge.

Sara Brown: 10:25

Thank you, Lauralyn for joining me today on Change Makers.

Lauralyn Randles: 10:29

Thank you for having me.

Sara Brown: 10:31

We’ll be sure to put those links she mentioned in the Show Notes. Let’s talk more about the opportunities in the Special Education field. We’re talking to Portland State University’s College of Education, Assistant Professor Orientation and Mobility Program Coordinator, Dr . Amy Parker. Hello, Amy, and welcome to Change Makers.

Dr. Amy Parker: 10:52

Hi, thanks for having me.

Sara Brown: 10:54

Can you talk about your job and how you prepare and work with future O&M Specialists?

Dr. Amy Parker: 11:00

An Orientation and Mobility specialist is one who provides direct instruction and assessment to all kinds of people of any age who are blind, deaf-blind, or have low vision to travel safely and efficiently in their environment. So those environment can span from home , uh , to neighborhoods, to communities, to schools, to workplaces anywhere a person wants to go or be and move about safely. So it can start at a very, very young age when a person is , um, an infant and learning to move and learning how their body works all the way , um , throughout life until the end of life. When someone is maybe traveling with less , um, less agility and less mobility, but still needs to move about safely, to know where they are , um, to get where they wanna go,

Sara Brown: 12:00

Job opportunities and job security are important in every field. Can you talk about the opportunities in the field of Special Education for future educators who may consider this path?

Dr. Amy Parker: 12:11

Absolutely. Well, just as I mentioned about O&M spanning a lifespan , um, there are opportunities to practice O&M with babies and infants and toddlers, and very young children. So at, at home, in home and community settings and preschools , um, but there are opportunities of course, in K12 settings or in typical school settings where, where , um, one would be considered , uh , related service provider under I D E A Law and work within schools under that, that job title of Orientation and Mobility Specialist. But there are also job opportunities beyond that. So as people transition from high school to community living to adult services or career service or college , uh, there are lots of opportunities for orientation, mobility specialists there. Some of them work in still in school settings, but some of them also work for adult service agencies who are focused on , um, transition age youth. And then there are of course, Orientation and Mobility Specialists that work with working age adults and older adults as well. Um , some Orientation and Mobility Specialists work in hospital settings. Most traditionally, the veterans administration, hospital settings , um, employ orientation and mobility specialists. That’s actually a part of , uh , Orientation and Mobility’s history is with , um, with Veterans, but there are other , um, Orientation and Mobility Specialists that work in hospital settings. For example, I have a student , um, who works at, in , in Seattle at a Children’s Hospital and she provides Orientation and Mobility to patients there as a part of a team. So it’s more, it’s still with children, but it’s in that setting as far as special education goes, there are so many , um, openings right now for Orientation and Mobility. I at, at Portland State University have connections with folks in, in many states, not just Oregon who are looking for personnel who have this unique skill set , because I think more and more people are beginning to realize what it means for a child , uh , to be able to move safely and independently around in schools. Um, some people recognize what has been lost during , uh , the pandemic when students weren’t out and about as much. And they weren’t as mobile that they’re having to , um, come back to environments and relearn some of those skills. And I think if we’re honest, that happened to a lot of children, not just children who were blind, visually impaired and deaf-blind, but it was more pronounced when people weren’t , um, getting out and navigating in the environment, getting where they want to go. And they’re having to relearn some of those skills.

Sara Brown: 15:21

The past couple of years have been tough on everybody, educators, administrators, and students alike as a nation. We need more educators and we need more special educators. We need more O&M Specialists. Do you feel that there is a need for more awareness about the Special Education field in particular, the area of Orientation and Mobility?

Dr. Amy Parker: 15:42

Absolutely. <laugh> . I don’t think it can be overemphasized. Um, we know that Orientation and Mobility is linked with really positive outcomes, positive life outcomes for students . Um , some researchers have actually found , um, Dr . Jennifer Smart. Um , some of her work on Correlational Studies have actually correlated Orientation and Mobility , um , services that students have received and , uh , improved career outcomes. Others have looked at quality of life, so it kind of makes sense. Doesn’t it? If someone can move more safely and efficiently can have more confidence can get where they want to go , um , knows how to use tools such as canes or guide dogs or way finding apps that they have , uh , a better quality of life because they have more choices. They have more opportunities to participate, to travel, to have , uh , career opportunities maybe that they wouldn’t have, or even knowledge of the environment, knowledge of where they live knowledge of opportunities about where they want to go and how to get there. So, absolutely, I think that we need to do a better job as Orientation and Mobility Specialists about not being shy about what we do about , um , working right where we are to raise awareness about these skills , um, and to partner, to partner more effectively with , um, folks on the educational team. But maybe even beyond that, to let people know that Orientation and Mobility is a Civil Right. It is a part of Inclusion and Community participation and access to the world. And in doing that, that kind of opens us up right as a field, not to be siloed, but to be integrated into , um, all kinds of conversations that help , uh , our students have more choices, more opportunities , um, and, and hopefully better lives.

Sara Brown: 17:53

What APH products have you used in the past as an Orientation and Mobility specialist?

Dr. Amy Parker: 17:58

I have found Tactile Town to be a useful tool. Um, I’ve even used this tool with adults and adults who are deaf-blind to talk through certain environmental settings. You know, that the product is , is really creative. It’s easy to use. I actually have , um, left that product with a colleague and a friend who is deaf-blind, who has conversations with, with others who visit her about , uh , the location of certain , uh , landmarks or stores or , um, places that folks wanna visit in her town. And she has used it to have conversations with other folks. So it’s, it’s a great product. The other products that I’ve used as , um, a university program are , uh , one created by Dona Sauerburger, that wonderful curriculum “Crossings with No Traffic Control.” That product is, is really innovative because it helps people think through the risk of a , of a particular crossing based on systematic thinking. Um, and it’s a really great tool for partnering with clients to , um, make informed decisions about particular crossings. You know, Donna talks about the intuitive timing or intuitive sense of someone’s time in crossing a street. That’s a really helpful tool that O&Ms can use. And I love that product and encourage my students to use it. We’ve attended APH webinars with Donna, where she’s talking about the tool , um, and I encourage all of my students to, to get that curriculum and to use it. Um, it’s even been helpful for people who are working remotely, who may not be with a particular client every single day, but can review elements of that , uh, curriculum at a distance. And then when they come together with that particular client can work through , um, those decision making processes using that curriculum. It’s, it’s fabulous. The other , um, tool that I really like is , uh , one that was created by Dr. Sandra Rosen from San Francisco State University, the “Step-By-Step” curriculum. That was a really innovative , um, approach that APH engaged in with Dr . Rosen to help university students , um , refresh their knowledge and skills on, O&M just by watching these wonderful video clips , um, breaking down the different , uh , Orientation and Mobility skills that they’re learning. Uh, so again, I use that curriculum all the time

Sara Brown: 20:55

At APH. We talk a lot about turning awareness into a verb into action. What would you like to see happen to increase awareness?

Dr. Amy Parker: 21:03

Well, I think that if Orientation and Mobility Specialists can begin to see themselves as , um, as partners and not be shy about sharing what they do with others, I think sometimes Orientation and Mobility Specialists are, are rightfully so. They’re so focused on their students or their clients. Um, they’re working so hard to help someone have greater independence and to be mobile, to be out and about in the community. Um, but maybe where we’re not doing as much is sharing what we do with other professionals, both to raise awareness about the profession, but also to talk about the Civil Rights that people have to be mobile, to be included, to fully participate in the world around them. And so I would see one things that Orientation and Mobility Specialists, right , where they are, wherever they are, can share awareness and knowledge about what they do with the teams around them. I think that’s gonna help the field grow and be sustainable. I also think that we can , um, follow in the footsteps of people like Janet Barlow, who is a leader in the field who talked to transportation, engineers and designers, and helped Orientation and Mobility Specialists and people who are blind and visually impaired share their knowledge with those , um, folks. So that designs could be more inclusive. So I would say that that’s a challenge for us, and it can be exhausting to think about always being an educator, but I think the payoff is worth it because when more people recognize how important orientation and mobility is, and what’s possible, then they become allies and they become people who are interested in inclusion in a whole new way.

Sara Brown: 23:04

Thank you so much, Amy , for joining me today on Change Makers.

Dr. Amy Parker: 23:08

Holy thank you for having me. It’s been nice to chat with you, Sara.

Sara Brown: 23:13

Now I’m gonna turn this podcast over to APH Press Managing Editor, Jess Bryant .

Jess Bryant: 23:20

Thank you, Sara. We have Renae Bjorg, Assistant Professor at the University of North Dakota and the primary author of the Second Edition of Guidelines and Games here today. Hi Renee.

Renae Bjorg: 23:32

Hello, Jess. I’m so excited to be here. Thank you for inviting me.

Jess Bryant: 23:36

<laugh> Thank you for being here. I just have a few questions about “Guidelines and Games.” How do you think the book benefits teachers?

Renae Bjorg: 23:46

So , uh , I wanna start out by saying that , that this is a quote from , um, Sally Mangold. Um, and Sally is like a pioneer in braille, right? Um, and she coauthored the first book with Myrna Olson , um, 40 years ago. So it’s exciting. Right? Um, so here’s what, here’s what Sally Mangold said. She said, “the quality of life need not be compromised because of the visual impairment. Love tenderness pride in one’s accomplishments are never measured in terms of physical characteristics.” So, right. So I have a student , um, a former student and , um, I used to, as a teacher of students with visual impairment, I used to get called to , um , universities to be a speaker, a guest speaker. And I’d always bring a student with me because they didn’t wanna really see me. They wanted to see somebody who had a visual impairment or respond . Right? <Laugh> so I was, I brought this guest speaker with me and one of the , um , the , the future teachers to be in the audience asked the question. “So if they came up with a surgery to fix your eyes, would you do it?” And she said, “are you kidding? No way. Why would I ever wanna do that? I’d have to learn how to do everything all over again.” Right. And so, and this student had , um, she’s blind, totally blind. She had prosthetic eyes. So, so the , the audience was like, “why you wouldn’t wanna see?” She’s like, “why would I, why would I ever wanna do that?” Right. So we have, as, as people that are cited , we have this perception that, “oh, you poor thing, right? You , you , you can’t see and you have to do all these extra things and wouldn’t it be great to be like us?” And she’s like, “no.” So I think that kind of , um, so in going back to Sally’s quote, it’s like our job as teachers is to help people to be , um, make things accessible, make the world accessible. And braille is the really the medium to experiencing the world. Um, so I, how is this helpful to people? I hope that people get inspired to know that it is braille is not a problem. Braille is easy. Braille is the gateway for adventure and excitement and independence and , uh , self-expression , uh , connection. Right? So that’s really the, I think that’s the biggest message in, in my view anyways, like that the understanding that the power of braille cannot be underscored. And in the , in the field, sometimes we, we come into situations where the administrator might say, “gosh, why don’t we just use technology? Why do you need braille? Um, why can’t they just listen to a book on tape?” And I’m like, “yes, books are important. Yes. Is important. And listening to a book is not literacy. It’s not literacy and reading , uh , literacy and listening are different skills.” We need to teach students how to listen and we need to teach them how to read. But I think really the messages that braille is so important, it’s equally important to, you know, there’s a certain number of minutes in a , in a day, in any student’s day, that’s devoted to English language arts, and we need to spend an equal amount of time devoted to helping students learn braille and reading braille and using the , um, process of like, “what is the code? How do you read it? How do you use it? And what’s important?”

Jess Bryant: 27:26

Absolutely.

Renae Bjorg: 27:27

So that’s, that’s, that’s really the , the power of this book is when you start to understand the importance of braille and what it can do for you, then you’re more motivated to go, oh, how can I like, this is a fun thing, not, “oh my gosh, braille, oh, this is this added thing. And how am I gonna fit in the students day? And how am I gonna do it ?” And right. But it is this, this adventure of learning, this process of reading .

Jess Bryant: 27:54

So how does this book support braille reading then?

Renae Bjorg: 27:58

Um, it’s very functionally based . So there’s specific examples. Um, and, and when you read this book, you become familiar with the essential elements of evidence based reading, and you learn about the science of reading , um, and what the elements of those, those pieces are and how they’re necessary. Like , um , how children read the , the skills that are necessary to read and how the brain develops. And I think the beauty of this book is that we talk about the science of reading, but it’s in a bite size way. That’s manageable so that you really understand, okay, here’s the concepts of the book. Here’s what we really need to focus on in this reading process and how can, and then, then it’s the, it’s like the strategies to help , um, educators and parents and, and , um, family members to really understand , um, like, okay, here’s okay, this is easy to understand. I , now I understand the background of this. So, and then it’s like, what are some things strategies that we can use to help our students to learn?

Jess Bryant: 29:03

And what are some of those activities or games found within the book that you find the most useful or helpful?

Speaker 6: 29:09

Um, okay. So one of the most fun things , uh , activities in this book is really excited from the work of Carol , uh , gal lamb . And it’s , um, there’s an example of the, the , the book that from the , the book, the three Billy goats gruff, have you ever read that book? Do you know what I’m talking about? It’s an old book, right? So in ,

Jess Bryant: 29:30

I haven’t, no, but I I’ve read guidelines and games. And so I saw the reference, of course <laugh> .

Renae Bjorg: 29:37

So in the , in the book, the Three Billy Goats Gruff, is like the here’s the three Billy Goats on one side of the bridge. They need to cross the bridge to get over to that really great lush grass so they can eat it. Right. And underneath this bridge is this troll, and they’re terrified of this troll because this , the troll’s gonna come out and eat them . Right. So, so here’s a fun little story, right. But how do you make it real and exciting for a student? So you can actually use the braille, and this is the, like the Gayle Lambs , um , whole, whole language approach, right? Like “how can we use the the braille to symbolize the goat? Oh , so here’s, here’s braille and here’s the braille symbolizing, the goats, and here’s the bridge and, oh , here’s another symbols of using braille and, oh , look, here’s above the bridge.” What’s going on? And here’s the troll below the bridge. And all of this is in braille. And then on the right side, if you think of crossing the bridge from left to right, is that this beautiful lush grass and how can you represent that using braille? So all of a sudden in , instead of just reading braille from left to right, or reading a page, like if you’re reading print from left to right then there’s, it becomes a picture, like a story that you can participate in. Right. So I think that’s where, where I , that I think in that approach is like, whoa, like it opens up, braille becomes this vehicle for inspiring children to practice their tracking skills. And, oh, let’s tip toe across the bridge. We’re gonna use light touch instead of heavy touch on the paper. Right. Um, what was the concept of under the concept of over? So all of those things can be part of this little, this little lesson completely using braille and the braille position in certain places on the page in order to represent the story. So, and I think that is like, if, if I can start to think about brail as a vehicle and go, oh, how can I use the braille to represent , um, the grass in the, like in preschool when they have , uh , what is that story? The bear hunt, right. Going on a bear hunt and the , you know, like, okay, let’s, let’s find the bee in the grass, the bear in the grass. Right. It makes it more exciting and more fun and more entertaining. So that children naturally wanna be part of it. They are part of it, they’re learning skills, but they don’t even know their learning skills. It’s the art of reading. And that reading has meaning and that we can create something in braille ourselves to create or express something else. It’s , it’s exciting to see kids connect that braille has meaning. And I think that’s one of the things in this book that’s really helpful. And it , not only that braille has meaning, but it shows you how to , um, teach specific what is mechanical skills and how do you teach those and what are some tracking skills and how can you teach those? And what are some, you know, if you don’t have hand strength, what can you do to work on that? So , um, besides the it’s very practical and functional, but it’s still doable. Like anybody can do it. And , um, it’s important. I hope that people read this book and be inspired about learning and teaching, teaching braille and the importance of , and the value of it.

Jess Bryant: 33:06

Is there anything else you want listeners to know about this book that we haven’t already talked about?

Renae Bjorg: 33:12

Well , there’s, well , there’s lots of things, but

Jess Bryant: 33:13

So many things, <laugh>

Renae Bjorg: 33:17

Yeah. You have to buy it too , too , really , uh , understand. But I think this book was really a collaborative process. So , um, I invited some of my students. Um, so, so I’m a , um , a professor at this , the University of North Dakota, and we have phenomenal students going through our program who , when they graduate as a teacher, you know, and are ready to go into the field, they’re ready. People are, people are , um, those school districts are fortunate to have our graduates, but I had some phenomenal students. And so I wanted to invite them to get, to be involved in the research and the writing and the publishing aspect of this book so that they could forward our field cuz because right, we need, we need more researchers, we need more people , um, promoting our field. So that , so anyway, so I invited these students to participate in this project and um, I am is very much a collaborative effort, their voice in this project. And the research that they’ve done to contribute is , um, is part of what makes the book so important and so well done. So I’m really proud of the people that have contributed and, and even , um, one of my, one of my students , um, she said, well, I have to ask my boss if I can do that. And she asked her boss, and this is a student from Canada. And she asked her boss and her boss called me and she said, “I am a graduate of the University of North Dakota. I’m a graduate from your program, Myrna Olson, Dr. Myrna Olson was my teacher. I wanna give back. And there’s other people in, in our, in our , um, in our group in Canada , um, who want to give back. So can we please be part of this project?” And I think that, that , that speaks to the high caliber students that we have, but the, the importance of braille and the importance of being a teacher of braille, like Myrna and Mangold, so that they can continue to give back to the field and continue to , um, develop their own skills and forward our field and continue to be exceptional teachers.

Jess Bryant: 35:41

Thank you so much for being with us, Renae. I appreciate your time. Um, and, and your insight , uh, and your, your time on the book as well. Um, and I think it’s going to be a great resource for teachers. So thank you for writing it. Thank you for time today, time on the book, energy, you know, all of that. Thank you so much.

Renae Bjorg: 36:05

Well , um, and thank you for inviting me and thank you for listening to me this morning,

Jess Bryant: 36:10

Back to you, Sara.

Sara Brown: 36:12

Thank you so much, Jess. And thank you for listening to this episode of Change Makers. For more information about O&M Specialists, the links that have been mentioned in this podcast and the new APH Press Book, “Guidelines and Games.” Please see the Show Notes for links as always be sure to look for ways you can be a changemaker this week.

Jack Fox: 0:00

Welcome to Change Makers, a podcast from APH . We’re talking to people from around the world who are creating positive change in the lives of people who are blind or visually impaired. Here’s your host.

Sara Brown: 0:15

Hello, and welcome to Change Makers. I’m APHS public relations manager, Sara Brown. And today we are celebrating the 11th Annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day. That’s on Thursday, May 19. We’ll learn about the importance of accessibility awareness and how to make your social media more accessible. After that, we’re gonna learn how you can advocate for yourself in the workplace to talk more about GAAD.

Abby Pullis: 0:42

I have APH’s ABIDE Director Tai Tomasi. Hello, Tai Tomasi, and welcome to Change Makers.

Tai Tomasi: 0:48

Thank you so much for having me

Sara Brown: 0:50

For those who don’t know. Could you explain what ABIDE means and its mission?

Tai Tomasi: 0:56

Sure. So ABIDE stands for Accessibility, Belonging, Inclusion, Diversity and Equality. And the mission of ABIDE is to incorporate all of those areas into APH and into the field. So helping internally at APH with accessibility efforts, whether that is helping to make sure all of our web content is accessible, helping with document accessibility. Helping to make sure we acquire the right software that is the most accessible available, and , um, helping to make that software even more accessible so that all of our employees have a , an accessible experience. Um, and then also helping the field of the education , uh , the education field for the blind and visually impaired to , um, improve accessibility as well. And the same thing with belonging. , Uh , especially in this remote environment… This hybrid working environment, it’s important that employees have a sense of belonging and , um, that plays into accessibility… Because certainly when things are not accessible , uh , people do not feel a sense of belonging. So we wanna really usher that in and continue pushing that effort forward. Um, same thing with inclusion, inclusion , um, and diversity and equality. So we wanna make sure that we have a diverse workforce that we are promoting diversity and equality and , uh , in the field of blindness and visual impairment education, and also in, within the American Printing House for the Blind itself.

Sara Brown: 2:18

Talk about the importance of global Accessibility awareness day and why people should be more aware?

Tai Tomasi: 2:24

So Global Accessibility Awareness Day is a great time for us to refocus on access, access, culture and Accessibility. Um, in our community, there has been a lot of controversy over how digital accessibility is done. Um, there are certainly issues with usability and web content accessibility guidelines. Um, we’ve had a lot of controversy over different types of digital overlays that have not been adequate solutions to help with digital accessibility. So we want to take the opportunity for Global Accessibility Awareness Day to really refocus our efforts on finding solutions and on helping people with advocating , uh , with other businesses and vendors, to make sure that we have accessible , uh, digital products.

Sara Brown: 3:13

How does GAAD help break barriers, whether it’s in daily life or in the workplace?

Tai Tomasi: 3:18

So by educating , um, people about accessibility of web resources and digital , uh , content… Uh, we can improve the experience of employees , uh , of every person with a disability. And , uh , what that takes is really centering the disability experience… Talking more about usability. Um, you know, sometimes the web content accessibility guidelines are not enough. Um, that something might be compliant with those guidelines, but it might not be usable to a given user with a certain. So , um, we need to take the time to listen to the community and to center those comments and , uh , continue making sure that people with disabilities are at the forefront of those efforts.

Sara Brown: 4:02

And how can one turn awareness into action.?

Tai Tomasi: 4:06

So one of the best things we can do to go from awareness to action is to educate ourselves about what accessibility needs are. And again, turning to the disabled community. Talking about what access and usability really means is important. And that requires companies and individuals who are working on accessibility to educate themselves about those needs by coming to the community and learning from the resources that we can provide. And APH’s ABIDE will be putting out quite a few social media posts with some simple tips on improving digital accessibility in the month of May.

Sara Brown: 4:47

Is there anything else you would like to say?

Tai Tomasi: 4:50

Again, I’m looking forward to that refocusing on access culture and making sure that we are putting people with disabilities at all levels of businesses and at all levels of accessibility discussions and prioritizing those needs. And I appreciate that Global Accessibility Awareness Day gives us a platform to refocus our efforts in the community and talking with people with disabilities about those efforts.

Sara Brown: 5:16

Thank you, Tai, for joining me on Change Makers today.

Tai Tomasi: 5:19

Thank you.

Sara Brown: 5:21

Now we’re turning to something I’m sure everyone knows about…. Social media. But did you know there’s a proper way to do it, to make it more accessible for all? We have APH’s Digital Engagement Manager, Abby Pullis here to talk about accessible social media. Hello, Abby , and welcome to Change Makers.

Abby Pullis: 5:40

Yeah. Thank you for having me.

Sara Brown: 5:42

Can you talk about the importance of accessible social media?

Abby Pullis: 5:46

Social media is part of our everyday life. It’s where we go to learn about the news. It’s where we connect with our families, our friends, people who live, you know, far away in our hometowns. Um, we connect with other professionals or we connect with people in our shared communities for our hobbies. Um, if it’s not accessible, then we are leaving a whole group of people out. Uh, we’re not giving access to this community resource that we all rely on.

Sara Brown: 6:17

And what are some of the devices people might be using to access social media?

Abby Pullis: 6:22

For users with low vision, there is magnification software that can either be downloaded to their desktop computer or often is native within the, the device itself. Um, a lot of smartphones have accessibility like that built in, and they’re able to change the background color or text contrast and colors , uh , to give themselves the, the most comfortable reading experience based on their visual impairment. For people who are blind, it’s the same thing, but with voiceover technology, they can either download that technology to their desktop computer o r laptop computer, or it comes native with their device, like with a smartphone,

Sara Brown: 7:01

For those who are blind or have low vision. How does inaccessible social media impact their experience?

Abby Pullis: 7:08

Inaccessible social, specifically missing alt-text on pictures , uh , really leaves people wondering what the point of a post is. We rely on photography or graphics. So often when we’re posting on social media and it’s often quite encouraged by the platforms to include a photo , um, that if we’re not using descriptors to let people know what’s in that photo context is lost. So it would be like looking through a scrapbook, but all of the pictures have been taken out. So you can say, oh, “first steps .” But like, without that kind of emotional appeal of the photo, you lose a lot of context. Um, another example would be , uh, “it finally happened!” Would be the text that’s included, but if the picture has no description, then you don’t know if it’s a proposal, a graduation, a first home , uh , you , you really lose the , the emotional impact and the important update.

Sara Brown: 8:02

So as APH’s Digital Engagement Manager, talk about the process you go through when posting the social media to make sure a post is accessible.

Abby Pullis: 8:12

I try to keep in mind from the get, go , how this is going to , uh , impact all of our readers , um, and not just remediate a social media post to make it accessible after the fact. So when I’m coming up with a campaign or coming up with just even a single post keeping in mind , uh , what’s going to make the best experience , um, for our sighted and blind readers.

Sara Brown: 8:42

And how can we take action as posters to improve the social media experience?

Abby Pullis: 8:49

I think people get a little overwhelmed when they think about trying to make their social media accessible, because they don’t know what that entails… And they’re afraid that it , that it means, you know , going behind the scenes and doing some sort of like coding or, or going through a whole bunch of extra steps that are, are beyond their technical expertise, but it’s really quite easy. Um , there are some simple tips , uh , and ways that you can make your day-to-day social media experience , um, accessible for all of your friends and family and , and readers and people who are interacting with you. Um, the first and most obvious one would be including alt-text behind your photos. Um, so instead of including an image description in the text post , um, you can go in and this is true for Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, you can go in and you can add that alt-text underneath the image. And that way it’s not taking up extra character count in your posts, because we know a lot of these platforms have limited character counts. Um, and some tips for writing that alt-text would be to include those key and important details without getting too lost in the, the minutia. You know, you don’t need to, to reference the color of every person’s shirt, unless that means something to the photo. Uh , I like to think, you know, what’s the, “what’s the call to action with this photo?” “What am I wanting you to feel or think?” “How does this photo add to the story of the post that I’m making?” So if it matters that your student is graduating from college and they’re in a cap and gown, you may wanna say what color that cap and gown is because it represents the university they’re graduating from, but if you’re blowing up candles at a birthday party and the person in the background is wearing your red shirt, it’s probably not necessary. So I think it’s okay to kind of balance that, that those key details with that emotional language. Another way to bring social media accessibility into your day-to-day life would be to look at the way that you use hashtags. Uh , the first tip is to put your hashtags at the end of your social media post, as opposed to incorporating them in the text when possible. Uh , when screen readers come across that content. Sometimes they , because all of the letters are ambushed together, they misinterpret that content and it doesn’t read the way that you i ntend i t to. U m, and another tip is to use capitalization within your hashtag or as a lot o f people call it CamelCase where you make sure that the first letter of each word within the hashtag is capitalized. U m, it helps the screen reader parse what that word is. And it also is a better reading experience for s ighted people as well. U h, it makes it a lot easier when you’re skimming through your, you know, Twitter, as you’re thumbing through, you can read those social media hashtags a little bit easier because you can see the individual words within the hashtag. And then lastly, I would say with graphics or with photography, especially from a business, we often create event hashtags or taking photography , uh , that with the intent of posting it, making sure we’re keeping in mind , um, contrast , uh, that there’s enough contrast or that we’re really intentional with our contrast. So that users with low vision , um , can tell what’s going on in the image and that that also has to do with graphics, making sure that we’re using good contrast on our text and also keeping our text fonts in mind. Sometimes that really beautiful scripty-scrolly font is actually really difficult to read for anyone who has , um, low vision or, or even people who aren’t technically on the, the low vision spectrum, but are just glasses wearers, even.

Sara Brown: 12:08

So you said we’re supposed to put our hashtags at the end, but sometimes there’s a character limit. And then you have to put your hashtags in the actual text. What’s the best practice when you’re up against the character limit?

Abby Pullis: 12:22

I would say it’s a best practice to put hashtags at the end. Uh , when you are on a character count that is often kind of difficult. And you know, when you’re attending a conference, a lot of times those conferences will have an acronym that they’re using and that’s their hashtag. And so, you know, if you’re , if you’re limited for characters and you need to put that hashtag up in the top, that’s fine. I think a bigger issue is when people use kind of long hashtags, ironically, within the text , um, to be quirky or playful, and those don’t read as well. I think, you know, if you’re trying to say I’m at “#APH 2022” for our Annual Meeting , uh , that that’s okay.

Sara Brown: 13:01

During my time here at APH . One thing I’ve noticed is while using my, so my personal social media is more people are putting image descriptions in social posts. As the digital engagement manager. How does that make you feel when you see people being more cognizant of their posts and the making sure they’re accessible?

Abby Pullis: 13:22

I think it’s wonderful. And I think that it’s one of those situations where we often learn that , uh , things that are accessible for one group of people , uh , end up serving a much larger audience and actually it’s universal design and not just , uh , a , a feature for a single group of people. And , um, if we can create our posts from the beginning in a way that meets the , the largest audience and then speaks to the broadest group of people, then we’re really being, you know , um , the best stewards of whatever we’re trying to communicate that we can be.

Sara Brown: 14:00

So let’s touch on office software real quick. And one thing I’ve noticed is when I do alt-text in different programs, it’ll automatically generate a description. Can you talk about the generated image descriptions on various platforms?

Abby Pullis: 14:15

AI generated descriptions , um, while it’s wonderful to give some context in place of no context, it’s definitely preferable to nothing. Um , really doesn’t take the responsibility off of the poster because they’re often wrong and they don’t give that, you know, compelling description that I think most photos are intending to evoke when they’re posting . I think, you know, think about the intent of the photo that you’re posting and that will lead you to the kind of alt that you wanna include. Um, I’ve seen a lot of alt-text, you know, when I go to , to add-alt text to the posts for APH , I see that generated , um , alt-text that, you know, Facebook or whoever is supplying and it’s often like “potentially,” or like “possibly an image of a person outside.” And it’s like, oh, well, it’s actually a “photo of a proposal at the grand canyon.” Those are like, you know, that’s a really a big gap in knowledge there that’s , uh , being missed. So I would say that while it’s a great step, you know, that’s tech companies taking responsibility for trying to make their platforms more accessible and that’s awesome, but it’s still up to the individual poster to take that step and , uh, add that flavor to their social media posts.

Sara Brown: 15:33

And social media. Isn’t the only place where you do alt-text. You can also do it again on office software. So talk about, you know, alt-text and word documents and PowerPoints and emails?

Abby Pullis: 15:46

Alt-text really lives outside of social media. I think that’s a really popular place , um, that we’re talking about alt-text a lot, but you can add alt-text to your word documents, your PDFs, your PowerPoints, anything that you’re, you know, communicating, you can add it to your emails. And I think that’s really important to consider , um, not just what you’re saying with your public voice, but what you’re also communicating on a one-on-one level. Um, for example, if I were to make a PowerPoint and send it to, you know, a cited coworker for them to review, it may end up being viewed or passed along to someone who needs those accessibility features. And because I didn’t bake them in at the beginning now, maybe the person that I’ve passed it along to needs to add the alt-text to send it on to the next person. And they may misconstrue my intention for including some of those photos or not know their best practices around that. So I think it’s just, you know, uni, good universal design considers all people and , and you know, their , in the origination of the content. And, and I try to keep that in mind when, when doing any kind of campaign for APH , uh , and I think we should all do it when we’re doing our , our social media or our writing, our word documents.

Sara Brown: 17:02

What’s out there for a person to learn how to make their social and work materials more accessible?

Abby Pullis: 17:08

There are a lot of great resources for accessibility. Um, we have some blogs on our website that specifically talk about , uh , accessibility with social media , uh , with links out to the individual , um , social media platforms, where they describe the process for, you know, putting social, you know , alt-texts up on their social media , um, for word documents and things like that. You know, there are a host of resources. We’ve done some , um, blogs on those. We also have , uh , an Accessibility Hub that , uh , is run by our ABIDE team that has a lot of information on just those basic business things, you know, like word documents and things like that, accessible PowerPoints, et cetera . So you can find all that kind of information there. I would definitely, you can start with us, but there are a lot of , uh , great allies in the field creating this kind of content as well, trying to educate, you know, not just the people within the field itself, but you know , uh , the whole world.

Sara Brown: 18:10

And is there anything else you’d like to say?

Abby Pullis: 18:13

I would say that it’s, it’s easy to be accessible , um, and , and once you start doing it, it really becomes such a natural practice. Uh, and , and, you know, a lot of us are thinking like, okay, well, I’ll definitely make sure that my business or my organization or my school is being accessible because they have a really broad reach, but I would encourage you to also make your own social media accessible on a personal level. Uh, you might find that , um, you reach a new audience or, or you are accessible. Uh , you don’t realize that you’re blocking people from, from enjoying your content , uh , by not including those kind of details that, that make a more usable experience for people.

Sara Brown: 18:55

Thank you so much, Abby , for joining me today on Change Makers.

Abby Pullis: 18:58

Thank you for having me. This was , uh , a lot of fun.

Sara Brown: 19:03

Now we have Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired Sassy Outwater-Wright. Hello, Sassy, and welcome to Change Makers.

Sassy Outwater-Wright: 19:13

Thank you for having me.

Sara Brown: 19:15

And do you care to share the many, many things you do at the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired?

Sassy Outwater-Wright: 19:24

Sure. I can share. the many things I do. That’s a , a good way of putting it. Um, I do everything from helping to teach assistive technology. Um, for people through MABVI, we use accommodation of qualified instructors and blind volunteers who are assistive technology users, themselves, who want to help older adults who are just stepping into this , um, process of losing their eyesight. We do , um, as many instructional hours of, of partnership as they want to do to feel comfortable using the technology as older adults. Um, we do orientation and mobility instruction for people with intellectual and developmental disability plus blindness. We do adjustment counseling and peer support services for people who want to talk to someone who’s been through losing their eyesight before and , um, want some mental health support going through that adjustment. Um, we do volunteers to help older adults who have a task or younger adults who have something that they wanna do, like go to the gym or get out and do some fitness , uh , routines and want some sighted assistance with that. And , um, then we also do various other things, community advocacy efforts partnering up with age friendly , um , movements in local communities and support groups throughout the state. And then we have occupational therapists who are cross trained , so they can help older adults who are dealing with declining eyesight, but also might have other things going on, such as , uh , stroke recovery, or brain injury or other things that oftentimes just a company old age . Um, and we want them to feel like they have some medical health support as well with our occupational therapy team . So we do a lot at MABVI, but we put it all into the community, rather than having someone go into an institutional setting. And we do it either in home or in local senior centers to everybody.

Sara Brown: 21:33

So we’re talking about GAAD on this podcast and it’s all about access and awareness. How do you engage a business and advocate for what you need?

Sassy Outwater-Wright: 21:43

Right now, we’re in a really, really sensitive time for , uh , disability rights in terms of digital accessibility, because digital accessibility in most context is not actually under the ADA yet. Um, except the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. And only in some instances for employment, it is really solidly in the ADA. Um, and so right now it’s, it’s, it can go to court and then you’re waiting for a non-disabled person or a group of people to decide what happens to your rights. Um, and we’ve seen that come up a couple of times in over the past 12 months with the CVS case that went to the edge of the Supreme Court and then the LA community college case that went to the edge of the Supreme Court. So our civil rights and our ability to say “you’re discriminating against me,” even if that discrimination , uh , isn’t intentional, that hangs in the balance. And so a lot of times , um, disability advocates have said, have said in the past “asking doesn’t work.” Um , and yet lawsuits and legal litigation right now are putting our Civil Rights in jeopardy as well. Right now our , our Civil Rights really are kind of on an edge. And so I’m a huge fan of self-advocacy… Asking a business… Letting the business know this is not accessible to me. Um, and I’d like to work with you to help it become more accessible. Um, and that does not mean that the disabled person has to do the lifting. That means that the business has to be willing to hear that something’s not accessible and look at what they can do, and it doesn’t have to be cost prohibitive. It doesn’t have to be a civil litigation. It doesn’t have to be a lawsuit. It doesn’t have to be anything but cooperation and learning what works. Um, it’s an educational process and then it’s an implementation process. And so we’re, it, it starts with an ask, even though the , the community is really resistant to the ask. I think we also need to be aware of it continuing to let nondisabled court systems handle our rights is also a problem too.

Sara Brown: 23:59

Can you talk about Access Culture?

Sassy Outwater-Wright: 24:02

Access Culture is many things to many people it’s still kind of coming up, but it is it’s what’s coming. It is the idea that we can participate in our own access needs and drive our own access needs and lead our own access needs. And that accessibility , uh , the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are an amazing set of technical standards , um, and guidelines that we can use to check whether something is accessible or not by most people’s definition. Um, but there are disabled people who aren’t getting their needs met through WCAG yet. Um, there are people who want culture of Accessibility and want to not have it be a pass fail thing. They want it to be a discussion. They want it to be a , “this is what WCAG says , but according to my disability, this might work better for me.” They want accessibility, digital accessibility at a company, or at a , a place to become a , a conversation that can be a little bit more individualized, a little bit more ingrained in the culture of the company , um, and a little less stigmatized and a little more common place . Um , we want broad inclusion and belonging and accessibility. Isn’t the end of that conversation. It’s the beginning. Accessibility is the first foot through the door, but people are wanting what I call the “whole damn pie experience.” We don’t wanna be handed a little bitty slice of pie. We want the whole thing. Um, and we wanna be a participant in that conversation. And that’s what Access Culture is. It’s, it’s a culture of belonging and inclusion that starts with accessibility and goes beyond that to fully include and, and allow us to belong in our own experiences at work, in our entertainment, recreation, and our healthcare , all of it .

Sara Brown: 26:00

What is the role of advocacy in the digital accessibility life cycle ?

Sassy Outwater-Wright: 26:05

That’s a tough one more and more and more. It seems like we’re getting kind of stepped to the side by processes, by company processes, by both the attorneys who handle our cases in some instances, and that the , uh , accessibility field we’re getting put into just the role of tester. Very few of us are in the role of developer designer, company, CEO, C-suite groups , uh , attorneys, ourselves who handle these cases. There are some disabled attorneys who handle these cases, not a lot, and there are not a lot of disabled leaders coming up and, and pushing. There are a lot of disabled advocates who sign onto laws and sign into things and participate, but we need leaders. We need space to grow our own leaders, to support them, to allow them, to learn, to allow them to lead. And , um, we need space for us to be able to talk to businesses rather than businesses fearing us because of lawsuits. Um, we need those lawsuits to compel compliance. Absolutely, but it doesn’t have to be a negative process. Disabled people don’t have to be used to do it in these troll lawsuits that needs to stop and things where businesses are able to kind of step aside from doing , um, making their sites accessible, because it’s just gonna be an audit repeat process. We need to change how we provide digital accessibility, overlays… Not the answer. Manual remediation and audit and repeat… Not the answer what’s next… We need to be at that table, leading that discussions to what comes next. And there are very few in this industry who are firing up that conversation, stepping to the table and getting involved in the leadership. I see a lot of changing hands of accessibility companies. I see a lot of litigation happening and disabled people don’t know about it as a community until the last hour before something heads to the Supreme Court and endangers our rights. We can’t keep doing this in siloed spaces. We need to do it out in the open with the community, deeply involved in space for new leaders to learn how to lead, to step up and to be given space, to lead and confidence from the community and with the community to lead in the community.

Sara Brown: 28:29

How is digital accessibility changing for the end user and how can end users take back the position of leadership in that cycle?

Sassy Outwater-Wright: 28:37

That’s a really good question. Um , disabled end users, those who, who are using the websites, there are more and more tools coming out that allow us to participate in our process of accessing something. Um , and it’s reporting that you’re having a difficult experience. Companies can’t do something unless they know about it. And , um, you know, having a situation where a lawsuit is the only answer. Isn’t the only answer that we have today, having discussions with businesses, having discussions with consumer organizations, calling digital accessibility companies and saying, “I’m having this issue. How can I figure out if it’s a user error or a bug?” That’s the classic first step? Is, is it a user error because you’re not completely familiar with how to handle digital accessibility , um, or is it a bug? And there is something wrong in the code. And nowadays where code comes from different sources on a website, it’s not just one person developing the code. It might be a widget that somebody installed on their website. It might have come from another company and they’re just clicking and pointing to build their website. It gets even harder to pin down what’s going wrong and how to fix it. So having social media groups , when you can ask the group, is anybody else experiencing this issue with this browser and this screen reader when they visit this website or troubleshooting as a community together , um, I’m seeing a lot of tech groups have people come together and bring websites to the group and say, “let’s all go together and experience this. And maybe someone has a workaround. Nope, it’s a bug. Let’s report it to the business together.” Many of us have tested it. Let’s, let’s let them hear that this is a problem. Bigger businesses need to step up. Um, when something is called out on a bigger platform, they need to, they need to acknowledge it. They need to fix it. They need to not duck that responsibility. They need to treat us like any other customer group and, and fix the issues that are brought to their attention and, and do that very publicly with accountability to us. Um, and this can, this can change. It doesn’t have to be settled behind the scenes in a courtroom with , um, you know, covers and, and the community constantly just calling out negative things . This can become a collaborative conversation. If businesses are willing to make it one and disabled, people are willing to call out something without , um, fear and without (inaudible) involved and without shame involved and without anger and with a , an eye towards solutions. And , um, I look at the work of a lot of people who are going toward negotiation, settlements that does something, lawsuits do something they’re all valid ways of handling this, but so is self-advocacy and community building and community solutions with the businesses, especially the local ones where we show up in person and might have to order something online, too . Um, getting to be known as a human being and advocating for access as just any other customer does carry a lot of, of gravity and we need to use it .

Sara Brown: 31:49

Is there anything else you would like to share about GAAD or digital accessibility?

Sassy Outwater-Wright: 31:55

I just wanna see us change and have some positive discussions about digital accessibility in 2022 . I think we’re having a lot of negative, a lot of fear based and shame based and money based conversations about Accessibility and while fear , shame, and money are motivators. They’re not things that lead to belonging, inclusion, leadership of the disabled community for the disabled community. Um, where are those discussions? I wanna see those be the things that are making waves on Twitter in 2022. I wanna see accessibility companies, not just putting us into roles of testers, but putting us into C-suites seats. Uh , say that five times fast at 7:00 AM, C-suite seats. , um, I wanna see disabled leaders holding those positions and finding pathways up to those positions in terms of support , um, development, mentoring, understanding, capability, capacity, and educational opportunity. I wanna see more tech , um, apprenticeships opportunities being available to people, not just in testing… In UX, in design. There’s no reason that a disabled person can’t be doing their own code and handling these things and that we can’t be teaching ourselves how to code for ourselves of ourselves. Nothing about us without us. It’s time for that to take its rightful place in the digital accessibility discussion in 2022. And for this to stop being a negative anger, shame, and money driven thing, and to start being a community, building social justice thing , um, time for us to take the reins and, and drive this thing home. It’s our turn now.

Sara Brown: 33:39

Sassy. Thank you so much for joining me today on Change Makers.

Sassy Outwater-Wright: 33:43

Thank you for having me. Um, I love stir things up in a , in a positive direction. So hopefully something I said helps somebody find their voice and step forward and say, “I wanna seat at that table. I wanna lead .”

Sara Brown: 33:57

And thank you for listening to this episode of Change Makers. For those interested, I’ve put links to the Global Accessibility Awareness Day website in the show notes, as well as the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired and additional links on how to make your social media and your, your office work more accessible. So be sure to check out the Show Notes and as always be sure to look for ways you can be a change maker this week.

Jack Fox: 0:00

Welcome to Change Makers a podcast from APH. We’re talking to people from around the world who are creating positive change in the lives of people who are blind or visually impaired. Here’s your host.

Sara Brown: 0:15

Hello, and welcome to Change Makers I’m APH’s Public Relations Manager Sara Brown. And today we are learning about educational offerings for professionals and students. We’re gonna be checking in with The Hive, Access Academy and ExCEL Academy. We have APH’s Learning Management System Administrator, Amy Campbell here. She’s gonna tell us more. Hello, Amy, and welcome to Change Makers.

Amy Campbell: 0:39

Thank you for having me. I’m so excited to be here today.

Sara Brown: 0:43

Can you explain what The Hive, Access Academy and ExCEL Academy are for those who might not know?

Amy Campbell: 0:49

Absolutely. Um, I think of these three , um, these three entities as these are our services services at APH , uh , provides. And while these are , have been around for maybe a year, year and a half , um, some up over, you know, almost two years, what we find time and time again, is that we are discovering that there are still so many people who don’t know that this, that these things exist. And , um, sometimes it’s good to be a , the best up secret, but I don’t think that this is, we want people to know about , um, the Access Academy, the ExCEL Academy, the APH Hive, and, you know, the best way that I can kind of explain and summarize what these are, especially, you know, if you don’t know , um, how to differentiate these is, I like to think about these. These are ways that APH is able to offer both synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities , um, to the professional community and to, you know, families and, and caregivers. Um, I’ll start with Access Academy. Uh , you know, in my mind it is our one-stop resource and we have that on our line online as well, that, that we want to be the place to go for that meaningful instruction and training. So we do this in webinars and our goal is really essentially just to be able to get the most out of our APH products and services. Now, ExCEL Academy, um , this is what we think of as our virtual supplemental instruction for students. So whereas Access Academy is geared towards our adult professionals and families, parents, ExCEL Academy is for students. Again , it’s used as a webinar platform just as Access Academy is. What’s unique about ExCEL is that educators come in and we’re teaching on a particular topic. So these topics might range from anything, from something in the expanded core curriculum and teaching on a topic. Then students come in and are the live audience. They’re participants of this live instruction. These students often are grouped in grade levels. And sometimes, we group them into ability categories as, as well. Uh, what’s so unique about ExCEL Academy is that oftentimes teachers and university, you know, programs want to observe. They want to see how good quality teaching comes into play. And it’s great because we can invite those teachers to come in and , uh, I’ll say, be “flies on the wall,” just to kind of see… absorb, what is happening and get to see quality teaching being modeled and how to engage students. So both Access Academy and ExCEL Academy, they’re alike in that they have fixed times. So, it gives people the chance to come in and attend as a live audience. Now, we can’t always, you know, meet everyone’s needs. You know it’s one time out of a , out of a given day when something is offered. But what I love also is that if you can’t catch the live event, it’s totally okay. Uh , we post most of our archived webinars on our YouTube playlists. So that just means that if you can’t make it to the airtime… It’s okay, come on in, watch the archived webinar and you can still , um, tap into those learning opportunities. And then, when I think of, you know, now making the segue to the APH Hive. Uh , there are times when those archived webinar, that I just talked about actually get absorbed into The Hive. So if you don’t know what The Hive is, we are a totally accessible learning management system. And the purpose is to equip educators really to meet the unique needs of our students with visual impairments. But it like it doesn’t stop there. Or it goes even further by offering outcome based learning opportunities and , uh, areas to apply what you have learned. And teachers and families can tap into really unique resources that are only available that’s through The Hive. So we take the, those webinars that have aired and , um, sometimes it’s perfect in crafting into content to make into a course. And when this happens, again, we take that learning, I think, to the next level. So not only can you get ACVREP credit for what you’re learning by going into The Hive and enrolling and, and participating in those courses. But you get the chance to really generalize what you learned from the video content, you know, by thinking about your caseload of students, generalizing that content and envisioning how those things that you learned are then gonna be delivered with your students. So , um, it’s just important that users of The Hive have the chance to apply what they’ve learned , and that’s kind of how it takes it to the next level over just watching a webinar.

Sara Brown: 6:39

And how did these programs come to exist?

Amy Campbell: 6:42

So, interestingly enough, the concept of The Hive goes back a few years, even before, beginning to its inception. And we heard the voices of our APH community, specifically our Ex Officio Trustees who were looking for ways to better understand how to use APH products and apply it into settings… How to, to use things with their students, taking things to the next level. So it started with that of wanting some platform in order to be able to showcase those sorts of things. However, the pandemic came. And when the pandemic came, we really needed to pivot in a way, because we, as APH could not get out into the community in a physical sense. We weren’t able to go to conferences, conferences weren’t even held. So what does it look like to reinvent that type service to the community of showcasing the products that gave birth, if you will, to the webinar platforms, the Access Academy that will showcase the use of products, use cases, how to apply it, how to do things differently, how to learn from other people of how things can be implemented in different classrooms and settings. So things got flipped. If you will. Instead of launching forward with the learning management system in a , in the more quick way, we switched gears. And we knew that we could best serve the community, our professional community, by these webinars. And so that’s really how it came to be. And then, The Hive got a little bit of a later start. So whereas, Access Academy and ExCEL Academy, those took off in probably about April and May of 2220 , the APH Hive, launched and took off in October of 2020. And , uh, we used content that was from those different , um, academies to plug into The Hive, to make courses from.

Sara Brown: 9:34

And what’s the latest information you’ve got to share with each program?

Amy Campbell: 9:39

So for Access Academy, we are always going strong with helping to serve all of those professionals and educators and families that are, that are out in the community. I can share that , uh, we are getting ready to launch information about a braille transcription for textbooks course. Um, I shouldn’t call it a course. It’s a series, but it’s sequential, and it’s intentional in its design, so that people will join from the beginning and continue through it. But it’s all about braille transcription. So that’s gonna get the spotlight during the , the months of May and June. We’re gonna really delve into that. Um, you know, getting ready to settle back into the new school year. There are things that we’re gonna explore , um, of products that we’ll be launching that people will wanna stay tuned for so that they know what sorts of things are coming into the spotlight for our products. But something that we want to really touch upon in the fall is exploring what we call relevant classics. So there’s some products that we have out that are just classics in our catalog. Uh, it’s something that you mention and that all teachers know about it , um, and have thought of , of it oftentimes. And then sometimes it’s a classic that’s been in the catalog, but maybe people don’t know as much about it. So we really wanna hone in on those , uh, relevant classics and explore how things are used in the classroom and how teachers are applying to working with different, with different students. Right now, it’s just an idea. And , uh, but we’re hoping to bring full development to it, come this fall , uh, to gear our professional community, come back, you know, come back at the, when the school system begins. And so with, you know, ExCEL Academy, what we , um, shifted to this past school year is looking at using after school hours and Saturdays in order to better meet the needs of our students and the educators. So it’s something new that we are sampling with and seeing what sort of feedback we get from that it’s exciting. We offer Spanish events. So the , that community can come in and also learn. We’re really focusing a lot on what I would say from the Expanded Core Curriculum. Um, self-determination some social skills and even career education with that. Um, some unique content with that is just, you know, “how do you do emotional regulation?” You know, what, if you are a student and you just need to regulate your emotions. So we even have information about that, that the students go into and can learn about. The career, the college prep that is so important for our, especially our high school students that are getting ready to transition. And so we’re spending time working in series of webinars on all of this content. So there might be a series of maybe it’ll happen. There’ll be two in , in, you know, a two part series. Maybe it’ll be three or four occurrences, but really developing that content and bringing the audience back for continuation of programming. And with the APH Hive it’s, it’s exciting to share that we have 27 courses that are loaded into The Hive right now, which accounts for over 50 hours of professional development. There’s always something happening behind the scenes. We’re always working on new courses that we are getting to put into The Hive. So whether it’s something that is a foundational concept, whether it’s early childhood related, assessment, core curriculum expanded core, it’s the place to go to help get that professional learning with that. Some really unique things that we have that just went in. If you haven’t visited The Hive recently, we have explored how to use the Lego Braille Bricks, not only with just understanding how to use them and the methodology, but how do you apply the use of that with our students that are just pre braille learners. But something I think is really unique is that we applied it to numeracy math related activities and how to incorporate the Lego Braille Bricks into math activities. Which just, I think makes it fun on a totally on a different spectrum. We just launched in the past a few base the week a health course, it’s called “Health is Meaningful Living.” And it’s a focused on sexual education, which is something our students don’t have access to in the Core Curriculum. And we have a course that’s developed that’s in The Hive that helps not only parents and caregivers, but educators know how do we give access to this vital content , uh, within the Core Curriculum. So, so those are just some, some of the things that we have in the , in The Hive right now. I think that it’s really important though, to find a way to separate ourselves as well of other learning management systems that are out there. We all have our unique niche and unique things that we can lift the community up with. And one thing that makes The Hive unique is that we are peer reviewed. So we develop the courses. So all 27 courses that are in The Hive have been peer reviewed. So we have a pool of reviewers that come in and they look at all of the courses, everything that has been developed, there’s a rubric that they use and they are providing recommendations of what might need to be revised. How can it be better , um, and giving the recommendation if it’s ready to go into The Hive. And I think that that helps to ensure that what we are giving to the professional community is quality content.

Sara Brown: 16:16

Are there any new projects on the horizon with any of the programs, The Hive, Access Academy, or ExCEL Academy?

Amy Campbell: 16:23

So this summer with ExCEL Academy, we’re gonna be running from June through August, STEM camp. And this week in this STEM camp is really gonna host preliminary experiences. We’re gonna look at two-day problem solving skills for younger students, and a career open house with stem for older students. Then we’re gonna get a little deeper and we start with a STEM adventure. After having the preliminary experience and with these STEM camps, it’s going to include things such as tending a garden while learning all about the parameter of the area. Um, another one is surviving on a desert island; camping out in the wilderness; becoming a crime scene investigation team; and all around building our math skills with the incredible edible Abacus… Sounds enticing. So we’re gonna be working on funding as well in order to get the opportunity to ship these APH products to the campers. We think that this is gonna help them with not only this endeavor, but things that come afterwards, but we’re still working on getting things crafted. Registration will open in May. And we are excited to say that all are welcome. If you are a teacher who hosts a large camp, for example, think about it, consider having your campers register and attend this together. And there’s also a place for parents. Parents. You might wanna come in with your child during the right time and participate in this. It’s all a virtual opportunity. So everyone has a place that they can come in and participate, even TVI’s. If you’re looking to learn more about STEM instruction and you just wanna observe, it’s a great chance to do so. And again, like I had mentioned before with our Access , uh, Academy and the ExCEL, Academy this ExCEL Academy camp is gonna be recorded. And again, we post everything on our YouTube playlist. So if the timing doesn’t work out perfect, you can always come in at a different time, watch the recording and that’s okay. Well, for the APH HIVE, we have been working very steadily on launching a really large course in The Hive. Most of our courses right now might be anywhere from one to maybe three, four hours at the most of, of timeframe. But we are working on a literacy course, right in a , now that equates to over 10 hours of content. It’s very carefully crafted, and sequenced. And , um, what’s really great about it is that often our teachers, when they go through re-certification process, you know, to update their teaching life, oftentimes they need 10 hours of a literacy credit. And sometimes they have to piecemeal these hours together in order to get up to 10 hours. So I love that we are being intentional and we are offering a new literacy course that will be coming up. And the literacy course for it is about teaching braille. And they can come in and take this, learn through the video instruction, participate in the application activity for it and walk away so much better equipped and knowledgeable about something that they can do. That’s unique in braille. And I’ll say that hoping that I won’t give away too much, so people will want to come back in and stay tuned to know what specifically that course is. That’s for The Hive. And with Access Academy, we’re still in the planning stages of figuring out what all the content will look like. We know that we will continue to feature new products. Uh , I know that we will be working on a webinar featuring the “CVI Companion Guide” and exploring how one particular school , uh, piloted this book, this , um, information into the school system and how it was used. Again, we’re gonna be talking about those relevant classics that I had mentioned and looking at how different teachers use the things that we are offering in our catalog. And also because technology is always changing, we’re always tapping into those technology , um, webinars, where, “how do you use these devices?” “What do we need to know about upgrading things,” getting things revised, all of that good stuff, all of the cheat sheets that you need in order to be able to have in your toolbox. Those are things that we’re planning for in the future.

Sara Brown: 21:29

And what are the future goals for The Hive, Access Academy and ExCEL Academy?

Amy Campbell: 21:34

With ExCEL Academy, we continue to evolve. And , uh, where we want to meet our students, right where they’re at. So, whereas before we had webinars that were during the school day, because we knew our students were at home and they were accessing online instruction. Then schools opened back up . So we transitioned and we went into the evening timespan. We went to the week , even the weekends, we will always continue to evaluate what needs the needs. With Access Academy, we will always be featuring those products that come out so that we can be your first source of really learning, how to use things and , um, apply them, you know , to caseloads of students and clients that you’re working with. For The Hive we’re always growing as well. And I can share that in the next coming months, maybe within six months, we are growing, we are expanding. We’re always putting new courses in, but something unique that we are really committed to getting into The Hive, is what we call discussion boards. It’s a way for people to come in to The Hive and have discussions with each other about what they have learned or ask questions. I, I think of it as a way for educators to build a greater community. So often we feel like islands. Many , uh , are itinerant , um, teachers going from one place to the next, you feel like you don’t necessarily belong, always feels like there’s never enough time in the day to talk in , in to bounce ideas off of each other. We would like The Hive to be a place that that can happen. We want to establish that meaningful collaboration. And we really see that as being a springboard to future mentorship, that we will be able to provide avenues of mentorship within The Hive based on courses that we have and content that we are making available to the public.

Sara Brown: 23:52

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Amy Campbell: 23:55

Because we use federal money in order to support these programs. We are free. These services are free and they always will be free. And these programs are ran by educators, previous educators. So I feel that we have the mindset of what’s needed, and we have the resources to even tap into how we can meet the needs of parents and caregivers. So we’re free and always will be because of the, how we generate the money for that. And what I love is that we also give a way to receive professional credit for this. There are lots of ways that you can go out into the community and get access to professional development, but oftentimes you pay for it and or you don’t pay for it, but you don’t get the credit. I love that we offer both. There’s no cost and we’re are giving you that credit that shows you’ve participated in the professional development that can help translate into re-certification , um, for our educators.

Sara Brown: 25:25

Amy, thank you so much for joining me today on Change Makers.

Amy Campbell: 25:28

Sara, I have had a great time. Thank you for inviting me.

Sara Brown: 25:32

I’ll be sure to put links to The Hive, Access Academy, and ExCEL Academy in the Show Notes. Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Change Makers and as always look for ways you can be a changemaker this week.

Jack Fox: 0:00

Welcome to Change Makers a podcast from APH. We’re talking to people from around the world who are creating positive change in the lives of people who are blind or visually impaired. Here’s your host.

Sara Brown: 0:15

Hello, and welcome to Change Makers I’m APH’s Public Relations Manager, Sara Brown . And today we are getting ready for this year’s 2022 National Coding Symposium Presented by APH and Partners. We’ll learn what to expect from this year’s event and hear what’s new and exciting. We’ll also speak with one keynote speaker who invented a well known computer screen reader. Can you guess what that is? After that, we’ll hear what’s available for adults interested in learning how to code. Here to talk a bit more about the upcoming Coding Symposium. We have APH’s National Director of Outreach Services, Leanne Grillot. Hello, Leanne and welcome to Change Makers.

Leanne Grillot: 0:54

Hello, Sara. Glad to be back.

Sara Brown: 0:56

It’s that time again, time for Coding Symposium and for those not familiar, can you tell us what the Coding Symposium is and why it’s important. And what’s its goal?

Leanne Grillot: 1:07

The Coding Symposium is, is new. This is the second year. So last year was the very first year we’d ever done something like this. This is year two, and we are still headed down that road of awareness for coding. That coding is a huge viable career for individuals with sight loss of any ages and to, to spread the word that this is something to take note and educate people about. So the goal awareness right now would love it to be more than that someday , but we, I think are still at that awareness stage and it’s built for those K12 budding college level students, but not only them. It’s trying to get the educators around them to know about this viable career and giving opportunities for them .

Sara Brown: 1:58

And we’re gonna cover the basics. So when will the event take place?

Leanne Grillot: 2:03

It’s it’s again, happening in may this year, it’ll be May 9 through the 13 and Monday through Friday afternoons, East Coast or mornings West Coast, depending on where you are. Uh , it , it is a little bit shorter than last year, but it’s still jam packed with information.

Sara Brown: 2:21

Can you give us an age range of the participants for the Coding Symposium?

Leanne Grillot: 2:26

So we, we try to be very careful with our K12 students who are minors. So of course, if they’re wanting to attend a person over 18 should be registering them for them to be able to participate, or maybe a teacher is having a group of students in their classroom participating together. So these are great options and yes, they are 100% able to be participants. In this event, they will learn so much and be able to have opportunities to be engaged, but you don’t have to have a student in K12 or to be able to attend this. We’re looking for those teachers of students with visual impairments, but also the assistive technology specialists. And I’m gonna go one step further. We’re looking for those general education professionals who teach coding or teach programming or teach web technologies, whether it’s at the K-12 level or even that college, maybe a technical school, because the goal is to make sure we have the people around the field of coding recognize this is a viable career. We just need to make sure it’s successful .

Sara Brown: 3:30

Can you talk to us a little bit more about this year’s event? What can we expect?

Leanne Grillot: 3:35

So this year we have chosen to have each day focused around a different type of coding program. So Monday it’s about getting started with coding and as a TVI, myself, I immediately think of things like Code Quest, Code & Go Mouse and Code Jumper, because these are familiar to me. So that is that focus for Monday. We’re talking about that, just getting your feet wet day two. Tuesday is focused on HTML, which is a coding language. Many people think immediately of building a webpage, but that’s not the only code you can use to build a webpage. So Wednesday we’re talking about Quorum. Quorum is a coding language that was originally built for coders who had visual impairments, but it used by others. And so that’s Wednesday Quorum. Thursday is the snake it’s Python. So we are talking about yet another coding program called Python. Then Friday, we’re talking about how all of this moves us forward. It moves our students forward and including, I hate to say it, but even myself with understanding what this is and then where it takes our students further. So how do we go further on Friday to make sure that we’re adding coding into the lives of our students at any age? Now you can expect a similar schedule each day. So just because I named a, a type of code that doesn’t mean it’s going to be a very different day. Each time, each day, we’re gonna have a keynote speaker, which is a professional that come from a variety of places that, that they themselves have a sight impairment. So JAWS, Touchological, and VDA and Yahoo. I mean, these are things that many people in our own field will know. There’ll be panel discussion and question , and answer times with topics. So this is an opportunity for students or educational professionals to ask questions, things like bringing up coding concepts. And how do you do web design with HTML or understanding what Quorum is, or how do we introduce Python then gonna be a section of the day where we actually split the learning space. We have students and learners going into one space and educators going into another space at the same time. Now educators will really be engaged in discussing about the teaching and providing access to students regarding that day’s topic. Whereas the students will be engaged in an activity of learning about that day’s topic as a TVI, depending on , uh, what’s going on during that day, I might choose to go into the student section because I’m supporting students in my class. There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m making sure my students can participate in the student section. If I don’t have students that day, I might choose to go into that educator session and learn a little bit more about what I can do to provide access to students. And then additionally, there will be a portion of the, where students and teachers who have chosen to do and engage in our sample lessons. They’ll actually be able to talk about those sample lessons and truly if a listener has not found those yet, they should take a look and get involved.

Sara Brown: 6:53

Now I understand there’s a , there’s something new this year. There’s gonna be locations throughout the country that are gonna conduct coding activities beforehand. Can you talk about that?

Leanne Grillot: 7:04

So they’re going to be engaging, not only in some of the sample lessons that we have provided to everyone, but they also have ongoing education happening right now, meaning they were doing this without us saying, Hey, we’re having a Coding Symposium. And so we wanna be able to highlight what’s actively going on out there in educational places. So that’s what they will be doing. Now. Some of the locations that we have, we have the California School for the Blind, the Washington State School for the Deaf and Blind and the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind. And that’s just to name a few, a really, truly, you could be a participant, meaning anyone out there that’s listening to this podcast could actually be a participant by engaging in these activities and then talking about it during the session, during the Coding Symposium.

Sara Brown: 7:54

And can you talk more about the opportunities that are out there that you want the listeners to know?

Leanne Grillot: 8:00

Well, besides the great lesson plans, then I can’t say that enough, these were active educators that put these together thinking with students in mind. So that’s definitely something to tap into whether it’s now, or maybe you’re not ready to do it, but wanna get ready for , um, the , uh , week of code that’s done in December for all students keep that in my, but there’s also scholarships that are going to be posted for high school and college students pursuing a career in the stem fields. So this is another way to make sure our students are involved and maybe they’re not of that age, but they realize that there’s this , um , funding to help support them in their education.

Sara Brown: 8:40

Okay. And can you tell us where listeners can go if they wanna sign up and participate?

Leanne Grillot: 8:46

So if you can remember, you could do www.aphconnectcenter.org/coding/ , or if you’re a Google or internet browser, if you type in “APH Coding Symposium,” it’s usually the first link that comes up. So those are two easy ways to be able to sign up. Register registration is free, it costs you no money, and you have the opportunity to register for all five days, or you can pick and choose based on the schedule or the code. That means the most to you. If you think learning about four different ways to engage students in this , uh, activity, then maybe you just pick HTML. You wanna learn a little bit more, you pick that day to attend . So that’s the nice thing about registration this year is you can pick any of the days to register for or all of them , if that’s what you like.

Sara Brown: 9:40

And Leanne, is there anything else you’d like to say before we, we conclude?

Leanne Grillot: 9:45

I am hoping to see people from around the United States, but I’m gonna say also around the world, we had international attendance last year and I sure hope everyone comes to join us.

Sara Brown: 9:57

Thank you so much Leanne for joining us on Change Makers.

Leanne Grillot: 9:59

Thank you. Talk to you later, Sara,

Sara Brown: 10:02

And we have put a link to the Coding Symposium in the show notes. Now we’re gonna talk to someone who is leading Coding Symposium activities beforehand, and a Coding Symposium presenter. We have Maryland School for the Blinds Technology and LEGO Engineering Instructor, Gina Fugate , and APH’s Senior Software Engineer Technology, Product Research, Ken Perry. Hello, Gina and Ken , and welcome to Change Makers.

Ken Perry: 10:37

Hey, thanks. Thanks for having us on.

Gina Fugate: 10:39

Yeah, thank you for having us. Hello.

Sara Brown: 10:41

Thanks so much for coming on. Can you talk about why coding is important for students?

Ken Perry: 10:48

So , uh , I’ll jump in first since I , I do this as a living , uh, I mean, first it can get you a good job, but more importantly, it can make any job. You do easier. So it doesn’t matter if you’re a math teacher or if you’re , uh , doing books at a , um, college, or if you’re an administrator of some company being able to code in some fashion, whether it be scripting or coding language, it can, and really speed up a lot of your work. We just had a problem here at work where we had over, I think it was 800 emails we had to sort through and it , and we had to figure out which one were good and which one sort bad. And just knowing how to code was made it, the job so much easier for my administrator because she was able to script it and actually get whatever the 600 good emails outta the bad ones. And that’s the kind of little thing that people don’t plan on. It’s like, I’m not planning to be a programmer, but it comes out that the programming really helps.

Gina Fugate: 11:54

So Computer Science is, is actually being considered , um, a form of literacy because computer science is everywhere. And I believe that’s been hashed by CSTA, the Computer Science Teachers Association and, and other areas. Um, we know that Computer Science is , um , being emphasized in kindergarten through 12th grade. So if that’s going to happen within our schools, then we need to make sure that all of our students understand it and get to have access to it that everybody gets to play. Um, not to mention that Computer Science is really running our world and the phones that we have in our pockets, all of our “Madame A” devices , uh , is what we call them here so that we don’t do the activation word , um, for some of the assistance . Um, but we really, we just need everybody to, to be a part of that.

Sara Brown: 12:52

And can you talk about the process of teaching code to students or how would one do so

Gina Fugate: 12:57

I’ll jump in first for that one , um, to teach coding to students. I think the first thing to do is to make it meaningful. So to make it meaningful, they need to understand how it is present. Um, so I really just kind of touched on that with phone and , um , things like Siri, all of the digital assistants , robotics, once they understand that that’s part of what makes that happen, then let’s show them some actual code and go through it and help them to be able to do it and to do their own projects. One of the most exciting moments for, or my students was when they used Quorum to, to do a project that was Popeye’s Chicken versus Chick-fil-A. And they, they were able to make the buttons work. They could make it say the name of, of the chicken. And they could also pick on the person who didn’t like their favorite type of chicken , but that’s meaningful to those students. So whether they become software engineers or whether they just walk away understanding that that’s how it works. Um, that’s how I approach computer science and making it meaningful and , um, something that they can access and do independently.

Ken Perry: 14:14

Yeah, I think I totally agree with that. Uh , but as for approaching it, I also think I’d like to add, you know, starting out, it’s not all about Computer Science , uh , when I’ve talked a couple people, they , uh, the , the main thing is they need to understand their computer and coding kind of attaches onto that in the end. But if you don’t know to use your screen reader , if you don’t know how copy files, if you don’t know how to get to the console and do , uh , things like that, it makes learning to code difficult. So it’s important to get them really into their computers. Um, and that’s why sometimes it’s difficult when kids learn to code on an iPad , uh , with like swift-like playground tools and stuff. When they get to wanting to really code, you’re gonna have to have a more , uh , PC system, like a Mac or , uh , windows or Linux . And so knowing how to get in touch with your screen reader is real , really important , um, to follow up with , uh , what Gina said was , um, I think it’s important to point out , um, what coding can do for , uh , blind and low vision children. Um, one of , one of the big things, if you notice a lot of software just isn’t accessible, well, if you learn Python, you can adjust your screen reader to make it work with apps better. Um, or you can make a app or a script to make things like creating PowerPoints easier. Uh, you can make an app script to , uh , make things like creating tables and documents easier. So you can control your world instead of having to about companies correctly making software, because that doesn’t always happen.

Sara Brown: 15:59

Ken, as a software engineer, what do you keep in mind when developing coding products for children? Is there something that you kind of always make sure to have?

Ken Perry: 16:09

Well, you know, I , um , I love this question because I’m not sure, or I keep a lot more in mind when I’m developing software for children as I do adults or seniors, because children, as we know those of us who are really old, we know we, we were always letting the 14-year-olds and 12-year-olds program, our VCRs or our time devices and stuff, because they catch on a lot quicker than we do as we get older. And so one of the things when we’re making software of any kind, the main goal is to make it. So when you open that software up, it should be like an iPhone or an Android experience where you run the app up in whether it be windows or iPhone or anything. And the screen you see helps you complete the task you do. And a lot of software isn’t like that. It’s getting more that way. Now that we’ve seen how useful these phones can be more and more Windows apps and Mac apps , uh, internet apps are becoming where you open them up and it’s like , uh , here’s what you need to do to do the task you’re doing. So the trouble is though with blind and visually impaired students using apps that we develop, you can’t see the whole screen at once. So you have to kind of bring them to the focus and give them some extra indication so that they can get to the information. And that’s not always easy. Uh , but that’s kind of where we , uh, try to put a lot of our time is to make things more , um, UN visually friendly so that you can actually find the task you’re doing when you open the app.

Sara Brown: 17:47

And can you talk about how you got introduced to code?

Gina Fugate: 17:50

I can jump in with that one. Um, I had no intention to get into Computer Science. I came to Baltimore, Maryland, to be a technology teacher. And in that context, it was what Ken was talking about with , um, helping students to learn screen readers, different screen readers, different types of techs, so that they would have those foundational skills that they need. And then towards the end of my first year here at MSB, the, the teacher who was deeply involved in recruiting me, had another opportunity somewhere else. And he left. And that means that their position was oh open . And they happened to be the , uh , coach for the Dot Five U Dogs, which is a first LEGO league team. So the students didn’t want that to stop. And no one was stepping up to take that position when the position was advertised. Aren’t just looking for a teacher that visually impaired, they mentioned robotics and engineering. So when no one was applying and , um, I was sort of left behind saying, “oh my gosh, what’s gonna happen?” “Are we gonna find another technology teacher?” It kind of was just an epiphany of, maybe I need to step up and, and see what I could do with this. The students were so excited about always going to competition. So first LEGO league is nationwide and actually an international competition. So when the dot five Udo go and they compete, they’re competing against teams with typical vision. And because of the students, I got roped into computer science. Um, it also had happened that my first year with the Dot Five U Dogs, we had students who had to use the screen readers. It didn’t matter if I tried to magnify things up on a smart board vision was, was not an option and that wasn’t going to help us out. I also have Retinitis Pigmentosa, I , I couldn’t handle and all of the , the work arounds, it just wasn’t accessible. So we started on this journey of trying to make it accessible and learning about the, the problems with programming environments that aren’t friendly with screen readers, that don’t work with brow displays and fast forwarding a couple years, we continue you to problem solve . And eventually , uh, we embraced Quorum LEGO robotics, and that’s just changed everything for us. And we’ve been involved in it when it was using sod beans. And now we’re involved in it where it’s using Quorum Studio, which is completely accessible. We can use command keys, we can jump all over the place. We can access the codes. So I’m not typing anything for the students. I’m not transferring anything for the students. They are able to do it. So it’s all about the kids. And , uh, that’s what roped me in. And then I, I really love this field. So it’s, it’s a privilege to be able to work with these students and to continue to learn. And it’s a really supportive and community overall, too.

Ken Perry: 21:01

Uh, I started out when I was in high school with a , um , Atari basic class, and I did things like the old 10, 20, 30 programming languages with basic. So this was quite a while ago. Uh , and that was when I was cited . Um, so I went into the Air Force doing electronics. And when I lost my sight and retired from the Air Force , um, they, they kind of said, well, you’re done with electronics. And I wish I would’ve known that I could do electronics though , but I went back to college and I took a degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, and , um, finished that, got that. And , uh, that’s kind of how I got back into coding, but mean, I did start coding when I was really young on a Vic 20, you know, which is a black, I had a black and white , uh , TV screen and just a computer little keyboard. And that’s how I started coding. I coded a little palm game. Um, but you know, I had to get back into it because electronics wasn’t as , uh , accessible. Um, I found out later and , uh , now I , I even do electronics and stuff, but , um, mainly that’s how I got back into it. I started coding , uh , for a com well , uh , I started teaching Windows in Canada for a company, and then I ended up starting a computer club. And when I saw the job come open at APH , um , I just jumped on it because Larry Souchon was , uh , the current director there. And I had used ASAP, which was his screen reader all through college and stuff. And when I got the chance to work for him, I , I jumped on it. But during the interim , I also , uh , code my own commercial game since , uh , 1995. And it’s still up online. Uh , people still do play it, but we don’t have the same amount of players because in ’98, when , uh , games like “Wow” and stuff started popping up, the tech space games got a lot less players because side of people , uh, you know, switched over to playing visual games. So we still run and I still have other servers out there that I coded. And there’s a lot of , um, uh , blind users that still play the games. But , uh, you know, I, I kind of code that on my hobby side and then I also do open source coding. And so, I mean, that’s kind of how I got into it is just from birth. I well , not birth, but so it’s one let’s see a about , uh , seventh grade I guess, is when I really started. And , uh, it’s, it’s a kind of a love thing because it doesn’t matter if I’m working at, at home, I’m always coding something for something. And , uh, it’s a , it’s a lot of fun.

Sara Brown: 23:44

Nice Gina. I understand you’re leading a site, that’s conducting coding activities before the symposium. Can you talk a bit about what you’re doing?

Gina Fugate: 23:52

So Amanda Rodda and I have been collaborating, she’s actually written the Quorum activities for the symposium. Um, there is a beginner’s track, and then there is an advanced track. Um, we will be working with students regionally , um, ahead of time to do those activities. And it’s designed for anyone to be able to jump in and participate. So it’s really exciting. You don’t even have to have Quorum studio, even though I love Quorum studio, you can use the , um, the online environment , uh , which is newly updated and on the Quorum website and we’re giving code and guiding through all of the lessons. So I’m really excited about that opportunity , um, and grateful to continue to, to work with Amanda. Who’s one of my core mentors. Um, we also serve on the Quorum curriculum committee and help with content for the quo language.com website. So it’s, it’s always busy, but we welcome everyone to participate in those activities. If you’ve never done Quorum, if you’ve never done programming , um, there’s, , there’s every reason to jump in and try it. Now you have the support and we can certainly , um, help anyone with questions or things that they have. And again, I wanna emphasize that it’s all accessible with screen readers. It’s a , a solid, accessible and usable programming environment.

Sara Brown: 25:27

Ken, during the Coding Symposium, you’re a panelist and a presenter. Can you give us a peek about what you plan to say to all the participants?

Ken Perry: 25:36

Yeah. So , uh, I can, I can give you a Henter by just giving you the title. Um, it’s destroying Ophidiophobia. So in short, that’s destroying the fear of snakes. Um, and that’ll give you a Henter of what I’m gonna be talking about, but it’ll also be kind of, I wanna run this a little different , uh, I don’t wanna make it boring and just talk about a programming language. I’m going to kind of start out and see what , uh , people have to ask about. And , um, just, you know, since , uh, I didn’t give it clear enough , uh , I’m gonna be talking about Python for about 50 minutes and , uh, I’m gonna give everybody at the beginning, you know, the chance to ask any questions, because a lot of the time the problem , uh, blind students have blind and low vision students have with Python are not really problems. They are , um, problems that kids think are problems. So I want to kind of go through Python, getting it going and getting started with Python. And , uh, you know, if there’s some advanced people that have questions, we’re gonna go over, anything people ask about, or I have a whole, you know , um, outline that I can go through. So my point is to make it as interactive as possible. So come and ask questions , uh , get involved. And, you know, if you have to make statements, that’s probably gonna be allowed. So that’s my presentation. Uh , and then I’ll be on a, a panel with some other coders. Uh , we’re gonna be there to ask , answer questions for students that are really looking at becoming programmers in the future.

Gina Fugate: 27:16

And Sara, if I could add a couple details , um, the beginner’s track is focused on an escape room , a mad lib style . Um , and , and the advanced , um, lesson is focused on , um, beginning to learn how to program a game .

Sara Brown: 27:35

All that. Yeah, go ahead.

Ken Perry: 27:37

Yeah. I’d like to put a little more in that. Uh , it’s funny that you mentioned the beginning is to, you know, program a game , a , uh , the students I have taught , uh , when you say , uh , make programming useful to the students. The easiest way to do that is to get them into writing games. Uh , my first student , uh , with Python , um , had their first game after their fourth lesson and , and it was a, and most of the first lessons was just , uh , understanding how the screen reader results and stuff came out. So the programming lessons were shorter than the learning to use your computer lessons. And , uh , the first game , uh , I still have it, it’s pretty fun to play. Um, and , uh, so I mean, I was kind of a may said how much the student did with only input statements, if statements and loop statements. And , uh, he was able to write a full game and, and with sound , uh , it was pretty impressive.

Sara Brown: 28:38

Is there anything else you all would like to say?

Ken Perry: 28:41

Well, I think in general, since I was , uh, uh, involved with the last symposium and , uh , we’re trying to make this more interactive and even more informative than the last time. So I would ask anybody who’s going to be coming , uh, to bring questions, be ready to ask us stuff, because the more interactive you can be, the more informative we can be and the more fun the symposium could be. So I can’t wait to see everybody at the symposium. And , um, we’ll see you there.

Gina Fugate: 29:13

I guess I would add , um, that, you know, when I teach Quorum, it’s sort of a beginning place for a lot of students. It’s definitely not the ending place and something else that I’ve been trying to emphasize lately, in case we have people attending who are not blind or visually impaired, is that they can use quo. They can code with people who are blind. It doesn’t really matter the language it’s about making the experience accessible and inclusive, and we are making leAPH and bounds with more and more tools that are accessible. So if you are a person with typical vision and you wanna help kind of move this forward , um, you know, get to know the tools that are accessible and be inclusive. And as I like to say, celebrate it. So the, the National Coding Symposium by APH is definitely something to celebrate , um , any of the information that Ken shares and other people. We really just need to lift that up so that we can get the recognition from the different companies and help them to think in an inclusive way as well.

Sara Brown: 30:26

Thank you both so much for joining me today on Change Makers.

Gina Fugate: 30:29

Thank you for having us.

Ken Perry: 30:31

Great . Yeah. Thanks for having us.

Sara Brown: 30:36

Now. I have Center for Assistive Technology Training, also known as CATT, trainer, Jason Martin, here to talk more about some of the site projects. Hello, Jason, and welcome to Change Makers.

Jason Martin: 30:49

Hey, thank you. Thank you for having me

Sara Brown: 30:52

Now. Can you talk just briefly about how CATT and APH are connected?

Jason Martin: 30:58

Sure. So unlike the name implies, we don’t house felines in, in our building, although it might be kind of cool. Uh, the CATT program is the Center of Assistive Technology Training, and we cover the entire Southeast region of nine states and Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. And we are a partnership between the American Printing House for the Blind and the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind. And of course, those guys are located in Louisville, but AIDB is located in Talladega, Alabama. And so we’re a partnership between these two agencies to bring training APH products and generally knowledge of assistive technology to , uh, TVI’s, students and consumers all around the Southeast.

Sara Brown: 31:42

And can you talk about your work as an Assistive Technology Trainer?

Jason Martin: 31:47

So what do you not do as an Assistive Technology Trainer? Like it’s, it , it really is open ended . And of course with like, with the partnership between APH and CATT, an emphasis is on APH products and going through thoroughly with individuals, like one-on-one training of how to , they can better use these products, but at , is like this big expansive term. And it covers everything. So from digital document accessibility to “embossing like a boss ,” um, or just, I’m a huge proponent of entertainment for people with visual impairment. So that’s, that’s a subject that I, I harp on on. I don’t think we do enough stuff, you know, like it’s always good to have more than I love reading. I love books, but it’s, it’s great to have anything additional that, that we can get in. So , uh , and one of my loves and I , I can’t leave without saying my , probably my biggest love here is working with transition age youth. So like high school youth and working with STEM and high school youth , uh , to create creative programs, to get these kids interested in going into stem fields or college fields . So it’s, it’s, it’s a lot of stuff , um, kind of rolled up into one .

Sara Brown: 32:59

I understand, I understand CATT is going to be a site. Can you talk about what lessons you plan to teach as part of the Coding Symposium?

Jason Martin: 33:09

Yes. Yes. So you caught me in the middle of all of this, which is great. Um, I’ve been, I’ve had a week of, of coding class classes with the students at the Alabama School for the Blind. So I’ve got 25 blind and visually impaired , uh, sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. I , I might be a little insane for taking that many kids, but , uh, I love it. I , I have, I’ve really soaked up them, just the , the experience, bringing this to this large group of kids, because most TVs work one on one . Generally we might have more than that, unless you’re in a bigger school setting. So rarely are you gonna have 25 kids diving into Code Jumpers? So we’ve, we’ve been through the first half of the Code Jumper lessons, and we’re going to get through there . We’re not quite there yet. We’re still in the middle of our week, but kids have been learning about sequencing, computer processes and systems looping and threads and coding. And it’s all using not only APH’s Code Jumper, but we also used kind of a product that’s, it starts as early as four , but it really worked for the, the idea of sequencing and that’s APH’s Code & Go Mouse. Like it was a huge success with these students, so that they’ve loved it. Um, and Computer Science really, it it’s all on how you approach it. So Code Jumper is a tool in this computer science class, right? Like it’s, it’s this , the concepts are Computer Science, but really the meat and potatoes. And the thing that we’ve been working with is this Code Jumper. So there’s a lot of unplugged activities that we do , um, to, to describe sequencing, like the order of stuff, we could do something a little lame, like brushing your teeth and what do , what do we do in the morning when we get up? That’s a whole points , but , um, I like to, to kick it up a notch. So we have this , um , activity that hopefully some of the footage will come out from called the dancing machine, where we make a program that that’s all about dancing and the students have different moves in that program or different parameters. And it really helps them kind of get away from a computer, but kind of vision what these activities are. So there’s, there’s a lot of this unplugged stuff with Code Jumper. So it’s, it’s a mix . And I , I , I don’t think the kids have really seen this type of . I don’t think they know how to , um, it’s to comprehend a teacher. That’s a little bit new . , that’s , that’s a lot different, I guess, in that regard.

Sara Brown: 35:42

And you’re doing some of these activities now, what is some of the feedback you’ve received from students?

Jason Martin: 35:49

So what I’ve gotten is, you know, at first, well, I know everything there is you get a gamut of kids, especially with having 25. You get, I don’t, I might not even want to be here today to , I love computers. And is this about hacking and, and, you know, you , you get kind of a mix of both. And I think with, with all of the students, even if somebody hates the word computer, after going through this, they’ve got this recognition of at least some of the basics of computing. And so some, I , I feel like it’s, it’s a kind of a twofold thing. Some kids like the one that’s, well, I’m not sure that I wanna be here. He’s really turned, turned over a leaf. Like he he’s, he’s seen that, okay, this might be something I can use to get a job. This might be something I’m interested in later. And then the kid that wanted to hack the world for nefarious purposes, probably it’s come. I would say the concept for him. And I’m thinking of two in particular in the class, but the concept for him has become a little bit more concrete instead of this and, and a few students, I would say that instead of having this , um, super idea of lasers and robots, it’s, it’s more of, wow, this is what this actually is. And it’s getting them in that thought process too. So it’s kind of weird. It’s going, you know, from the bottom up and from the top up and, and, and overall, I think they’re happy to be exposed to something like this, to it’s new. I think the colors of both Code Jumper and Code & Go Mouse , uh , weirdly enough, like that’s something that I’ve heard a lot of is, you know , uh , I really like the colors. It was bright and colorful and, you know, that was kind of, I didn’t expect that , um, students really find the word “hub” and “pod” hilarious. I’m not sure why , but , uh, the play play pods and pause pods that are in Code Jumper and the Code Jumper hub is hilarious. So I , I , I think that’s great, but overall, I mean, I had students going, asking the, the routine teachers that , that aren’t a guest teacher. Like I am, “Hey, can we get this so we can, we can work on it after Mr. Martin leaves?” And to me, that’s, that’s what I want to hear. That, that , that’s it, if it sparks that interest and it gets one kid to think about that career path, then I feel like it I’ve done my job. So it’s it it’s been great.

Sara Brown: 38:17

Is there anything else you’d like to say?

Jason Martin: 38:20

So I I’ll , I’ll be honest with you. What’s kind of incredible about this and it comes full circle. The Alabama School for the Blind is my Alma mater . I graduated from there. So coming back and, and looking at the sixth graders, and I shared a picture of myself in sixth grade, which is , if you could only imagine , um, I , I , I have a visual impairment, but I do not wear glasses right now, but I had these giant Coke bottle glasses. I can say that they were mine. Um, back in the day and the sixth grade photo I’m wearing for some terrible reason, wearing the most God awful suit and tie in this photo. So I look like probably in a , a 60 year old ex banking executive in this photo, ,

Sara Brown: 39:05

We’re gonna blame mom or dad who dressed you.

Jason Martin: 39:07

that that’s right. And so like seeing these same kids that were in that grade and showing them that picture, which it for me still is hilarious. Some of I said, look, I came out okay. And, and I think really connecting and , and , and really coming full circle to knowing I’ve been in your shoes. I’ve been sitting here and, and, and I did express this to them . I said, I wish I , I would’ve given anything to have a, me, a teacher like myself coming in and show me these concepts early to really stick it. And, and at that time we didn’t. And so like, it , it is that nice, like pay it forward to bring this to these students. So for me, that’s, that’s been very fulfilling and seeing just their interactions with Code Jumper is definitely gonna help me as a trainer to train teachers in the future to know these are the ins and outs of the device, and this is what kids will really love or, or not love. So it it’s, it’s been tiring, but it’s been a blast.

Sara Brown: 40:05

Jason, thank you so much for taking time out of your day to join me on Change Makers.

Jason Martin: 40:10

Thank you.

Sara Brown: 40:13

Now I’d like to introduce the keynote speaker that Ted Henter. Henter is a computer programmer and business person he’s actually retired. You might be familiar with one of his inventions, jaws job access with speech. It’s one of the best known speech software packages on the market. Hello, Ted, and welcome to Change Makers.

Ted Henter: 40:37

Hi, Sara. Thank you very much for the opportunity to be here.

Sara Brown: 40:41

Can you tell us about your background? It’s really interesting.

Ted Henter: 40:44

Thank you. I was born and raised in the Panama Canal Zone in Central America. It was like a little piece of Florida just plumped down in a foreign country. I didn’t even know I was in a foreign country until I was about 10 years old. It was very pleasant in the fifties and sixties. I was born in 1950 growing up there. I did a lot of water skiing there , a lot of lakes and rivers around there, and few oceans, 50 miles apart and water skiing. And then in surfing in the , in the early sixties. And then I got a motorcycle when I was 15. And that changed life from then on just all I wanna do is ride and race motorcycles, and that worked out pretty good, but because I grew up , uh, my dad was very mechanically inclined. He was an engineer. His father was a mechanic. I was very interested in mechanical things. Boats, motorcycles, bicycles, cars. We built, a dune buggy one summer. My dad and I. So , uh , I went , I went to college University of Florida to be a mechanical engineer, and that worked out pretty good. And I was racing motorcycles during college, and I was doing pretty good at that too. But the , uh, it was the days of the Arab Oil Embargo, 1973. And all the money went out of motorcycle racing. A lot of motorcycle businesses went out of business. RV companies went out of business. Both companies went our business, the recreational vehicles were, were not much money on . So I, I had odd jobs here and there worked in a hi-fi store. I worked as an engineer, actually at a phosphate fertilizer plant . So things were going great and got married in , uh , 76 , my high school girlfriend. And I was doing quite well in racing. I won the Grand Prix of Canada in 73 was on the pole of Daytona in 74. Second up, Talladega 74. Fourth at Daytona in 78 . So eighth in the Venezuela GP third in the , uh , Guatemala GP , the things, things were going good. And I was enjoying life as a motorcycle racer. Wasn’t making much money, but I was on my way to Spain for the second round of the world championships. And I stopped in England to visit a friend and to meet some new friends one night on the way back to my friend’s apartment, I did not put on my seatbelt . And , uh, I forgot to drive on the left side of the road. So I head-on collision with a British guy. I swerved to the right. He swerved to the left and we, we collided not that fast, maybe 30 miles an hour to be my estimate, cuz we each saw a was happening and slammed on the brakes. Well, my face hit the windshield and broke the windshield. And in those days in England they didn’t require a safety glass. So the , the windshield shattered and it cut up my face and my eyes had 80 stitches in my face and 13 stitches in each . And so that’s pretty much the cause of my blindness. It was my, my fault with the car grass . So I can’t blame anybody by myself. So it took me, oh well had I had two operations on one of the eyes. First one was quite successful, but the retina came off after six weeks. Like what the doctor said might happen because of scar tissue and things were pretty primitive back then, you know, I’m talking 1978 looks like 40 some years ago. This whole thing about reattaching retinas was quite new. So anyway , uh , my second operation was not a success and I knew that when I woke up in the , uh , in the hospital room, I knew then I was, I was blind and was gonna be blind. So I had about 10 minutes of despair and I had a , a warm feeling come over me like a spirit in the room, like an angel. And it , and it gave me an impression that everything was gonna be okay. I , I definitely got that message. I didn’t get it through my ears or my eyes, but it ended up in my brain. And so everything’s been okay since I never, never looked back, never tried to blame somebody else and just decided , well, I just gotta figure out how to make this work, which I did. I went back and I got to the Division Blind Services here in Florida. A counselor advised me to go back to college and be a computer programmer. That was the new thing. Then in the late seventies for blind people, which I did, and I met a friend of a friend, I got a job. I met Dean Blazie when he delivered one of the first talking computers to me. Uh , and we became friends. And after about a year and a half, he offered me a job Dean Blazie, the guy that invented the Braille `n Speak and the Romeo Brallier and all , all kinds of other things. So I worked for him in then in the early eighties learned that’s where I really got my postgraduate learning about computers. I don’t have a degree in computer science, but I, I had a few courses and I, I knew the basics and I learned a lot from Dean and Mike Romeo.

Sara Brown: 46:28

You’ve lost your sight and you’re going back to school. Can you talk about where JAWS, because some of the going back to school sort of put you a on the path to creating something that is still highly respected and still used to this day, which is jaws. Can you talk about the creation of that?

Ted Henter: 46:47

Sure. Well, I worked for Dean for about five years and his business went out of went out of business, Maryland Computer Services. So I had to get a job with Enable Technology as a consultant, as a trainer. And in the process, I met this guy named Bill Joyce. He was blind. He was about my age, maybe a little older. I was , uh , early thirties then. And we became friends and I kept giving him ideas that I would like to do. And he said, well, “lets start a company.” So he’s the guy that said, let’s start a company and create JAWS. And , uh , he paid for it and I ran the company and that’s , that’s pretty much it, but at the time, a lot of people wanna know what , how the JAWS name came about. So of course there was the movie about the shark and the mid seventies, I guess it was. And then there was a product on the market called “Flipper,” which, which reminds me of the PPU , you know, on TV. And one time I was goofing around with a friend. I said, Hey, well, let’s name our product JAWS and eat flipper . And that’s how it started. But nobody liked it at first, not my wife. Didn’t like, it our programmer at the time. Didn’t like it. But after a while, it kind of grew on me and I figured out it could mean Job Access With Speech. So that’s how the name started. And that’s how the company started the company was Henter/Joyce, you know, my name and Bill Joyce’s name. So it was also his idea. We tried to think of some really cool groovy computer name, but they were all taken least the ones we can think of. We just say , well, it’s just an after us. Uh , so that’s how JAWS started. And that was of course, JAWS for Doss in , in the late eighties. So then it was time to do Windows along of our customers were telling us we gotta have Windows. So we started working on Windows, but it was very, very difficult, much more difficult than dos for a variety of reasons. And then in , uh , January of 1995 , we, we released our first version of JAWS for Windows and it was a little unstable admittedly and, but we, but people needed it . So we started selling like hot cakes and , um , over time probably a year or two, we improved it a lot and made it , um , more stable and more effective the way on the way I remember the NFB was given Microsoft static because Windows was so difficult, make accessible and all these small companies were having difficulty making it work. And so Microsoft decided , well, we’ll, we’ll fix that. We’ll come out with our own. What’s known as an offscreen model. That’s the most difficult part, but window screen reader . And they said , well, we’ll do that. And then they get free. And these other guys, the small companies that are making screeners will have a much easier job of it . So they searched around and they, they asked me if I wanted to sell or house screen loan . I said , well , sure. So we sold it to that . They , they , my understanding is they interviewed every , everybody that had an offscreen model and they, they chose ours. And , uh, of course word got out that Microsoft chose JAWS. And then our sales went crazy from there. And there was , uh , one other technical hurdle that back then there was , there was Windows 95 and there was Windows NT , new technology I think, is what it was called. And that was the more secure one. And that’s what the big businesses wanted . The , the airline companies, Social Security, IRS and SA . So nobody had one screener that could work with that. Well , there was a guy up in Boston that had a magnification product, you know, a low vision magnification product that worked with Mt . So we, to him and we bought the secrets from him and with Glen’s help . Well with Glen’s effort, he , uh, saw what was going on there and merged that software in with the child software. So at that point in time, that must have been around 97 or 98. We had the only Windows NT screen reader . Well, that’s the way I remember it . I’m thinking maybe IBM had one, but I , I’m not sure. So that opened up the door for a lot of the government business. Like I mentioned, Social Security, IRS NSA , a lot of the , uh , big companies like FedEx and UPS. Pizza Hut, American Airlines, Hilton Hotels. So we were selling like crazy. And then of course there was colleges, I think at one point we sold, I don’t know how many to the university system in California. And eventually I think every, every university in college and the state system had copies of JAWS in their computer labs. And a lot of other states did that too. Like here in Florida, we were the favored product we weren’t initially, but by the time jaws for windows came out , uh , the folks who in Florida, they make the buying decision. They liked ours the best. And so we, we sold a lot to government agencies, colleges, anybody that needed a screenwriter. They usually got jobs here in Florida and a lot of other states it worked out really good.

Sara Brown: 52:51

So when JAWS is in the market and it’s spreading like wildfire. What was it like when you started hearing feedback?

Ted Henter: 53:02

, that’s a funny question. Cause not all feedback is positive, so, but a lot of feed , even if it’s negative, it’s good. You know, cuz it helps you identify the problems, identify the features that are needed for the next version. So negative feedback is just as good as positive feedback, but it’s the positive feedback that makes you feel good. So we just felt terrific. We started selling a lot of JAWS. We started hiring a lot of people. Uh, we, we were starting to make a lot of money and it just, things were starting to work, you know, because at that point in time it had been 15 years since I got in the business with Dean Blazie. So it it’s not like an overnight success. And then it was 10 years after we started Henter/Joyce that we really started , uh, being successful in the market.

Sara Brown: 54:01

Well, looking back. Okay . So we’re , we , we , we, we we’ve heard where you , how you got to where you are today. So looking back over everything that you’ve done and accomplished and, and with the jaws , um, what unique stories or unexpected barriers did you face while developing that software?

Ted Henter: 54:24

Oh , that’s a good question. Um, I don’t think I mentioned that when I, when I went back to college, there were no talking computers. There were no braille displays in , in 1998 or 99 . Yeah. 98 or 99 . So when I walked into the computer lab, the professor had to ask for volunteers to help me at the computer terminal because I didn’t know how to type and I couldn’t see the screen so I was pretty much stuck, but luckily, you know, I , uh , nice young lady volunteered to help me and she would read the screen to me and I would tell her what to type after a while. I, I learned how to type, not , not very well, but that went on for helping me for two or three different classes. And I forget what the other ones, one , along the way I bought this computer terminal from Dean Blazie, it was one of those very first ones . Actually the Division of Services State of Florida bought it for me. It was $6,000 . That was a lot of money back then, but that’s like $26 ,000 now. So the funny thing is yes, it would talk, but it wouldn’t, it would only spell it. Wouldn’t talk like, and I’m talking now, if I had to type in or read , perform , which is a function call in Cowell , it would go “P E R F O R M” just one letter at a time . It was very frustrating . Very slow . Well , that was one . When , when I first started out, there were no talking computers .

Sara Brown: 56:13

I know you’re not affiliated with jaws anymore, but how does that feel when you hear that? It’s still pretty much the gold standard.

Ted Henter: 56:23

Oh , it feels terrific. Of course. And you know , I , I meet people at the Lighthouse for the Blind. I was just there two weeks ago, the local one Lighthouse of . And I met a bunch of people there that were just ecstatic about JAWS and about meeting me. It it’s a , it’s good of ego boost . And at this point in time, most of what I hear are the , are the good things. I’m not doing tech support , so they’re not coming to me and complaining about certain issues. They , if they meet me or see me or around , you know, they , it’s very nice, positive things.

Sara Brown: 57:03

Looking towards the future . What future innovations or features would you like to see on screen reader, devices or screen reader software?

Ted Henter: 57:15

That’s a good question. And I really don’t know the answer to that cause I’m really not in tune with the issues and the problems I use my, my Windows computer every day . So I , I really can’t speak to the issues of, of Windows in, in this modern day. But I tell you what, what I do see is , uh , everything’s going to the smartphones and as you know, smartphones can do just about anything and Windows PC can do. I don’t like it cuz it doesn’t have a keyboard. And I know a lot of my friends that use, let’s say the iPhone, they like to use an external keyboard. Well, I’ve done that too. What I I’ve applied for a patent on an idea to , uh , overlay a keyboard, not a physical keyboard, but a software keyboard on top of the iPhone or , or the Android and with , uh , a plastic screen over overlay with dots on it, you can basically feel the positions of a numeric path and I’m hoping to develop software that will allow that like we do in JAWS, we have a full size keyboard in windows. You have a numeric pad . You can use that in numeric pad to not only input numbers, but to input screen reading commands like up arrow down arrow, say line next line . So my , uh , hope is to software to over overlay those functions on the smartphone and then add a tactile screen is just a thin plastic screen are available from speed dots already. The speed dots makes these thin plastic screens with the dots, the dots in depth . Awesome in that . So hopefully, so my point is about what the future’s gonna bring. There’s gonna time. I think when we’re, when blind people all too , as well as side people, we’ll be able to use that smartphone for just about everything that you do on a computer. And I , I think that’s, what’s gonna come cause smartphones are so much cheaper and uh , well , you’re just as powerful as the Windows computer. So that’s what I think is gonna happen. That smartphones are gonna be more accessible to blind people. And that’s pretty much it as far as good ideas go. Oh, and what I’ve always wanted to do was since I thought of this math tool, we, we start got button , a math tool , the product was called virtual pencil. I could see that that would be a great product to put on a smartphone. And then the student elementary school, junior high, high school college, and just walk around with it in their pocket. When you get the class, they can do the math is , was to I’d say a braille writer . Well, that hasn’t happened yet. I would still like to do it, but haven’t done it yet. So a lot of these things , I , I’ve just been very, very fortunate to meet the right people and, and learn the right things. One thing I’d like to impart to our audience, which I , I assume are one of the programmers. It’s a great career. You make a , it’s a great career, you have a lot of opportunities working a lot of different , interesting products. And, but I’ve always tried to impart the success or opportunity will come. But when it does strike, you gotta be ready. You gotta be prepared. And by that, I mean, go to school, go to college, learn how to be a programmer, do whatever training you need to do. And just don’t sit there and expect something nice to happen to you . Get ready, cuz it will happen. Like , like in my case, I went to college, even though I already had a college degree, I went back to college cuz I had a new career field and thing . Good things started happening. Uh don’t skimp on your education. Go get some.

Sara Brown: 1:01:48

Thank you so much, Ted, for joining us on Change Makers today.

Ted Henter: 1:01:52

You’re very welcome, Sara. Thanks for the opportunity. Always have a good time talking about the good old days. Thank you.

Sara Brown: 1:02:02

So yes, the Coding Symposium is for all ages. However adults might want something catered just to them. We have APH’s ABID Director Tai Tomasi here to tell us what’s here for adults looking to learn how to code. Hello, Tai, and welcome to Change Makers.

Tai Tomasi: 1:02:18

Hi Sara. Thanks so much for having me today.

Sara Brown: 1:02:20

So what, what is offered for adults that are interested in learning code?

Tai Tomasi: 1:02:25

So around this time, last year I was contacted by someone who was looking for some resources on coding for adults and how she could learn coding , um, so that she could be prepared to do some other mainstream , uh, camps and classes and courses and, and different programs. And some of those programs have some barriers , um, just because they’re not set up to teach blind and visually impaired adults, how to use the software that they have to use in order to access those. So , um , when you’re you , when you’re coding as a blind or visually impaired person, you’re often using additional software and sometimes there are some unique challenges that need to be navigated to do that, to do that work with that software. So , um, because of that inquiry, we developed , um, several classes to address that need and uh, we’ve had great turnout , uh, in the first one in March, we had 256 participants, which is great. And we’re looking forward to our second course, starting in April, which is going to be , um, a continuation of that with a little more in depth programming knowledge.

Sara Brown: 1:03:27

Are there any prerequisites for the participants?

Tai Tomasi: 1:03:30

Yeah, so , um, there are a few prerequisites or expectations that we have for our , uh , participants. Uh, one thing that’s very important is that students need to be able to use their screen access software of choice. So for example, if you are a blind user and you do not use screen modification , but you use , uh , screen reading software , uh , we need you to be fully , um, able to use that software and know all the commands that would get you through , um, any kind of task using that software. Um, same thing with , if you use using magnification , uh , we would wanna make sure that you as a participant understand how to use that magnification software. Um, and, and we go from there. So , um , that’s the basic requirement. Um, certainly people need to be able to , um, devote some time to the classes, maybe a couple hours a week outside of the class to really learn the content. And as we through these , they get a little bit more complex. So , um , making sure that you have the availability to, to devote some time to that, those are the main main requirements. Also, it would be , um, helpful to have internet access. Obviously we’re using the internet for a lot of this. So , um, it’s important to have a computer that can run , um, all of the different programs we’re using, having a computer that’s fairly modern. It doesn’t have to be brand new, but it needs to be , uh, you know, have kind of the , basically the minimum requirements that you need to use the internet and use a screen reading software package or screen magnification.

Sara Brown: 1:04:55

And what’s the goal for those taking the classes? Is it, you know, are you thinking for them to maybe look into that career field or maybe take on more tasks at their current place of employment?

Tai Tomasi: 1:05:07

I think the goal is whatever the person wants it to be. It could be , um, for learning something to embark on a new career. Certainly we envision this as very career oriented. However, it could also be , um, something people are learning as a, as an enthusiast, a computer , um , enthusiast , uh , someone who wants to do this on the side or maybe as a different , uh , different job. But yes, we did envision it as , um , something that could lead to more career opportunities for participants.

Sara Brown: 1:05:34

And if, if an adult out there is interested in learning co where can they go if they want additional information?

Tai Tomasi: 1:05:40

Um, we have, these courses are posted on our social media channels. Um, there will be an upcoming announcement coming out on our APH , um , all of our APH social media channels. And then those who have already registered for the class before , uh , you will get another email. We’re building an email list for that, so that people will be notified of new offerings in this arena. So , um, just check with APH social media channels, wherever you find them , um , Twitter, Facebook , um, all , all the places that we post and that information will be shared , um, in the very near future for the April class , uh , sometime this week.

Sara Brown: 1:06:18

Okay. Tai. And is there anything else you would like to add about this wonderful program?

Tai Tomasi: 1:06:24

Well, please feel free to contact me here at APH. If you have any questions on anything that we’ve talked about today , um, you can reach mat accessibility@aph .org .

Sara Brown: 1:06:35

Awesome. Ty, thank you so much for coming on.

Tai Tomasi: 1:06:38

Thanks so much for having me

Sara Brown: 1:06:41

I’ve put links to the Coding Symposium as well as more information on those classes. Ty was just talking about in the show notes. There’s also additional JAWS links in there as well. Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Change Makers as always be sure to look for ways you can be a Change Maker this week.

Jack Fox: 0:00

Welcome to Changemakers a Potcast from APH. We’re talking to people from around the world who are creating positive change in the lives of people who are blind or visually impaired. Here’s your host.

Sara Brown: 0:15

Hello, and welcome to Changemakers. I’m APH’s Public Relations Manager, Sara Brown. And today we’re talking about arts and crafts. In addition to March being Women’s History Month. It’s also National Arts and Crafts Month. So today we’ll learn about what APH products, new and legacy-wise that help users learn about music and those that help users learn how to create art. We’re also gonna check in with InSights Art and its upcoming submission deadline. Up first, we’re gonna talk about, Feel the Beat, a classic APH product that teaches students Music Braille Code by focusing on reading, playing , and memorizing measures through the use of a soprano recorder. We have APH’s Independent Living Orientation, Mobility, Product Manager, Laura Zierer, here to talk to us about the product. Hello, Laura, and welcome to Change Makers.

Laura Zierer: 1:11

Hi, thanks for having me on.

Sara Brown: 1:13

Tell us more about Feel the Beat?

Laura Zierer: 1:15

Yeah. I’d love to , um , Feel the Beat is a curriculum designed to teach and learn the Music Braille Code using the soprano recorder. So a lot of people have asked why we centered this around the recorder and recorders are really easy instruments to learn how to play. They have a very small range of notes and student peers will likely be learning to play that instrument in their music class as well. The curriculum includes familiar tunes for the student to read, write, memorize, and play.

Sara Brown: 1:48

How does Feel the Beat help students participate in a general education music course?

Laura Zierer: 1:55

Well, music literacy is an important part of literacy. The curriculum will not only teach the students the Music Braille Code, but it will also supplement what the student is learning in their music class. What’s so great about Feel the Beat is it makes teaching the basics of the Music Braille Code, a lot more approachable for the teachers.

Sara Brown: 2:17

Where can teachers or parents get, Feel the Beat?

Laura Zierer: 2:20

Feel the Beat is available on the APH website. It is available for purchase using Federal Quota funds.

Sara Brown: 2:30

Now I just mentioned Music Braille Code. Can you talk a little bit more about that?

Laura Zierer: 2:34

Absolutely. Um , the Music Braille Code is a linear representation of music notes, tones values, and so on. Um , print music is the music staff , as we all know to indicate all of those different things. Um, but having access to the Music Braille Code allows students to read all of the nuances of a piece of music that maybe they’re not able to pick up when they’re just playing by ear.

Sara Brown: 3:02

And I understand we have Music Braille Flashcards. That’s another item on the Music Braille Code. Can you talk about those?

Laura Zierer: 3:10

Yeah. I developed the Music Braille Flashcards in response to the lack of resources available for teaching the Music Braille Code. Uh , originally I designed those to supplement Feel the Beat. However, the flashcards do include many additional terms that students might be exposed to as they move forward with music education, including things like composition and band class , uh , learning, you know, different things about their instruments .

Sara Brown: 3:41

And what other APH products would you say help students of various abilities engage in music?

Laura Zierer: 3:48

You know what? I actually just recently sifted through our catalog of products, looking for some out of the box ideas to make music education, more inclusive , uh , Picture Maker Wheatley Tactile Diagramming Kit and TactileDoodle, or two of our , our products that can be used to create tactile representations of print music components. This allows students to understand how music is represented in print and familiarizes them with some of the terms they will encounter in a general education music class. You can easily create these , um, you can easily , you can create and music braille activities using manipulatives, braille labels, and a braille writer . For example, I’ve, brailled a few songs onto braille labels and then affix the notes to manipulatives that I pulled from the hundreds board. Um , these manipulatives can then be applied to the loop material surface of a Picture Maker Wheatley Tactile Diagramming Kit or any other surface that we sell that belongs to a kit. Um, and you can use them for a variety of activities. Um, additionally, the Joy Player is another great tool to get students involved , um, who lack the ability to stay or to play the instrument and honestly finding a way to include students of all abilities. It can really be tricky, but it can absolutely work.

Sara Brown: 5:08

One more question. I was researching Feel the Beat and, oh my gosh. I saw that it won, a couple of awards when it came out. Can you talk about the recognition that received?

Laura Zierer: 5:19

Yes, actually the author Christine Short , um, she did receive an award for this curriculum that was turned into Feel the Beat. She is the, the author , um , that is credited to this product and yeah, it did really great. And I , I think that part of that is the lack of resources that are out there for teaching the Music Braille Code. It really filled a need.

Sara Brown: 5:43

Right , right . Thank you so much for coming on Change Makers today, Laura.

Laura Zierer: 5:46

All right . Thanks so much.

Sara Brown: 5:51

In addition to Feel the Beat we have APH’s Multiple Disabilities Product Leader, Tristan Pierce , here to talk about another APH classic product that encourages children to enjoy music and listen to audio books . That’s the Joy Player. Hello, Tristan, and welcome to Change Makers.

Tristan Pierce: 6:07

Hi, thank you so much for having me back again.

Sara Brown: 6:11

So talk to us about the Joy Player?

Tristan Pierce: 6:14

Um, sure. Uh , the Joy Player is a personal music player that plays digital music , um, that is either in the MP3 or the WAV format. Um, if you accidentally download MP4 files , you will need to convert them to MP3. Now the, the Joy Player has a great story. So , um, all through development, we called it the “Personal Music Player” because we couldn’t settle on a name that we felt did it justice. So prior to field testing, I took the prototype to the Tennessee School for the Blind in Nashville , um, to pilot it with some learners who have visual and multiple impairments. So , um, while they’re teachers and , and they learned to use the prototype, I took tons of photographs. And then after I returned to Louisville and I sorted through the photographs, I saw faces with wide open eyes and smiles from ear to ear. When it dawned on them that they were in control, they could turn the music on and off. They could change from one song to another song. Their faces showed pure joy. It was a no brainer to name the personal music player, the Joy Player.

Sara Brown: 7:32

And what demographic is this geared toward ?

Tristan Pierce: 7:35

Well, the Joy Player can be enjoyed by any one , but it is designed specifically for individuals of any age who experience challenging motor skills in their upper extremities. So this includes those with cerebral palsy who may or may not have cognitive disabilities. Uh, let’s see, not all is Joy Player great for young learners who have visual and multiple impairments, but it’s also valuable to an adult who has survived a cerebral vascular accident, or what most of us would call a serious stroke.

Sara Brown: 8:13

How does Joy Player work?

Tristan Pierce: 8:15

For the majority of our young learners who have visual and multiple play and impairments , um, it attaches to a tabletop or a wheelchair tray using two-sided hook and loop strap, and the teacher or the parent has to download media content in either the WAV or MP3 format that I mentioned earlier onto a digital talking book cartridge using a USB cable, both of which come with a Joy Player. And , uh, the Joy Player has five button switches across the top. That work exactly like an old fashioned cassette player. So the center button switch is the “play pause” button. Immediately to the left, is the “previous song” button and right of the center on the other side of the play pause button is the “next song” button. And then on the far left is the “volume down” button switch. And on the far right is the “volume up” button switch. The front of the Joy Player has this shoot that attaches , um, on the front while it’s adhered to the front. And it helps guide the user when they’re trying to insert the digital talking book cartridge, and then the button switches are they’re approximately two inches in diameter. So if an individual’s motor skills do not allow the precision required to activate a single button, we have , uh , included external switch jacks in the back of the player. So this means that it accommodates five different external switches, one for each button. So if one’s only ability is to swipe sideways, they could use a stick switch. That would be a great choice , uh, to accommodate individuals who require less visual or cognitive complexity. We included solid black , uh, button covers , um , which match the black top of the Joy Player. So it can be used with just one button or , um , then which would be typically your play pause button or with just three buttons choosing between the , um , volume buttons or the music selection buttons. So in one last thing , the Joy Player can be used with an environmental control unit, such as APH’s Power Select to accommodate direct activation latch activation, or time, seconds, and time to minutes activations.

Sara Brown: 10:54

I understand there’s a new offering to assist some Joy Player users. Can you talk about the recently launched Joy Player Cartridge Holder?

Tristan Pierce: 11:03

Yes. Yes. I’m happy to talk about that. Uh, the Joy Player Cartridge Holder is an assisted device that people can 3D print. So once printed the media cartridge slides into it. So we , we hope individual may possibly benefit from using , um, either of the two styles we design two styles of, of this one is like a screw on style. You have to screw your digital , uh , cartridge into it. And the other one you can just , uh , slide , uh , uh , top over it and that holds it in place. So we have two different styles depending on what you would like to use. So , um, it we’re hoping it will help the , um, users who may have like fisted hands , um, to help participate more in the, the pushing to push the, the cartridge into the player or in the pulling movement to then remove the cartridge. So the, the files are available for free on APHS tactile graphic library. If , if people know about APH’s tactile graphics , image lies . And of course, if you do download these files, you are going to have to have access to a 3D printer in order to make them, but this is such a small incidence population, you know, that , um, trying to us to manufacture them , wasn’t quite, you know, feasible to do. So if you find you have a student to may possibly need these , um, they are available for 3D printing.

Sara Brown: 12:39

For anyone interested, can you tell us where they can buy Joy Player?

Tristan Pierce: 12:45

Um, well, it is available online through APH’s shopping site, which , um , I think most people might know that it’s APH.org , um , or by calling , um , our toll free number 1-800-233-1839, and talking with an APH uh , Customer Experience Representative , um , they can get one to you and the Joy Player is Federal Quota eligible.

Sara Brown: 13:14

And is there anything else you’d like to say about Joy Player?

Tristan Pierce: 13:18

Um, yes. I would like to say that besides having the Joy Player Cartridge Holder available on the Tactile Graphic Image Library, APH also has files there to 3D print the face of the Joy Player button , uh, button switches. So you can 3D print the front of the play pause or the front of the volume up volume down, stuff like that. You can actually make 3D printouts of those buttons and what people use those for . Um , and so communication partners can adhere them to a tactile connections communication card. So that way a non-verbal learner can request the Joy Player by using the card in their calendar system . So we, we have an another whole set of , um, all that you can 3D print in relationship to using the Joy Player with APH’s Tactile Connection Communication System.

Sara Brown: 14:26

Wow. That’s so that’s so cool. The 3D printing and the fact that, that the Joy Player can help make that happen.

Tristan Pierce: 14:31

That’s yeah. Yeah. And, and if anyone is interested , uh , we have three videos online showing the Joy Player, but one shows a toddler with , uh , with dad. Another shows an elementary student with his teacher doing his personal music player routine, which is following along the guidelines of APH’s Sensory Learning Kit. And then our third video shows several adults with their Zoom group, direct support professionals. And if you just search , uh , do a Google search, Joy Player video, all three of these videos will pop up so they can watch them .

Sara Brown: 15:11

What other products are there outside of music? I know there’s a couple, we got the Paint Pot Palette, Paint by Number Safari series. Can you talk about those?

Tristan Pierce: 15:21

Okay. So the Paint Pot Palette is an , an older product. It has recently been relaunched again, but that is really just to make , uh , the braille instructions and the pamphlet inside of it , um , to make that UEB. Okay . So , uh , if you’re a print reader , um, there’s really no change. It’s the exact same product you have always had. It’s just that if you did want the pamphlet in braille, it is now in UEB. So the Paint Pot Palette is like a plastic tray that holds these little cups in place, and it comes with an assortment of paints, color paints , uh , that all have braille labels. And in your tray, there’s these little areas where tiles can go in and they also have the, the paint number in braille. So if you’ve, if you’ve got like three little cups set up and you’ve got green, yellow, and blue up, the little tiles get put in there to say, this cup is my, my green paint. And this cup is my blue paint. And then it’s also got a , a holder show , hold your , um , paint brushes in . And so it , it’s just a way to provide a stable stationary place to put your paints, your liquids, so that things don’t roll, falling and tumbling all over the place. And then it also comes with an assortment of print and line drawings that you can paint now. Um, but that doesn’t mean you have to paint just those, I mean, once you’ve got a paint set, you know, the world is your canvas. You can paint on anything, anything you like there, you know, I do not know where this is, but a number of years back this little boy, I don’t even remember what , um , state he’s from in the school, but I’m sure a search, you could probably find this, but APH , um , always has the , a contest that kids can enter to show what’s their favorite product they’re they’re using. And why is it their favorite product? And one year this little boy won the contest, doing Paint Pot Palette and showing all of his paintings. It was so cute, so cute. So that’s, that’s just a nice product that people can , um, can go to and pretty much use it. And again, it’s one of those that it was designed for its stability, for someone who is visually impaired. But again, it’s something that any child would be happy to use. It is so inclusive, so universal, you know, it’s, it’s just a great thing to have.

Sara Brown: 18:02

What about the numbers? The Paint by Numbers?

Tristan Pierce: 18:06

Yeah. Okay. Paint by Numbers Safari. We started that a number of years ago, and we always said it would be a series of five books, which it is the fifth book in the series is on its way to APH. Right now, I, I have been promised it will be here very soon. So , um , I’m, I’m hoping, I mean, I have my production sample here in my office, but it’s the only one. So our, let me see if I can say all the books from memory. So our first book we did was the “tropical rainforest.” And then after that, I believe we did “under the sea.” Then we did “backyard creatures” then moved into the “desert creatures” and our last and final book, which I’m very excited about is called “endangered creatures.” And one of the big things with it is not only does it teach the idea of , uh , endangered species, but we also offered one or two in there that we prove with, with our diligence and our protection of the environments and everything that we can save some of these endangered species. So we have some in there that have been saved. So that was very important to us. So the Paint by Numbers Safari Series , um , all five books have the exact same number of print and braille pages. They each have 10 raised line print drawings. And then , um, the fun facts, the fun facts are to me , one of the greatest things, the , that that really tied us into a lot of educational standards. So when you’re learning about a particular animal, you’re learning about the geography and their environment , um, you’re learning , um, about science and math. Um , because of course we, we give measurements like how big are they? What are they doing? It’s in, it’s in centimeters and it’s in and inches and feet or whatever, you know? So you’re learning so many things about social sciences, social studies, art, you know, everything. So it’s, it’s really a , an inclusive product that not only everyone can enjoy, but it’s pretty inclusive, which with all the, the subjects of that you may have in school .

Sara Brown: 20:33

And I was just looking at the “desert creatures” the Paint by Numbers desert creatures, and I see the , the Fox and it has the numbers. And I mean, this is something that anybody can do.

Tristan Pierce: 20:44

Oh, yeah. Which is.

Sara Brown: 20:45

Great because I mean, I remember being little and I had paint . I’m sure. I know I had paint by numbers where, you know, it says, number one is red and you paint all the ones red . And like, so this is really nice.

Tristan Pierce: 20:57

Well , and Paint by Number has been around forever and ever, and it never gets old. And because a with each generation of kids, you have, it’s a , a great , uh, a great and fun way to learn organization matching following directions, you know, and one of the main reasons that this this series was created was because, you know, art being the wonderful thing that it is, you know, art has no limits. You can do anything you want in art. You know, you look at Chagall (Marc), you know , he painted people with green faces and, you know, one eye or whatever, and that’s perfectly okay in art, but if you’re visually impaired or blind, it is still important to know what the real world colors are. And that was the main impetus for , um , developing this product. And I would like to give a shout out that both the paint pop palette that I talked about earlier, and the Paint by Number Safari Series APH does that in collaboration with PlayAbility Toys LLC , um , they are a very small American toy company that, you know, specializes in trying to develop , um, nice educational , uh, toys for children that are all in that their products are just all inclusive. Um, APH Rib-It-Ball is also , uh , done , uh , by PlayAbility Toys LLC. Yes.

Sara Brown: 22:30

And is there anything else you would like to say about any of the products we’ve mentioned?

Tristan Pierce: 22:35

Um , well sitting here in my office, my eyes just rested on the Braille Beads, which is a craft product. Um, I’m not sure if everyone knows about the Braille Beads. They they’re little beads that on one side has the print letter on the other side, the raised braille letter, and they come in eight colors. Let’s see if I can say all eight colors and not leave one out. You have white, black, red, green, yellow, blue, orange, and hot pink. So , uh, with the Braille Beads , um, I have Braille Bead earrings in every color. It doesn’t, you know, pretty much doesn’t matter what I’m wearing. I can find a pair of braille earrings to, to wear with them. You make bracelets and necklaces. Uh , I used to coach , um , the KSB swim team for a good number of years in , and I used to make cane fobs for the kids canes because when you’re at a swim meet and they’re all laying their canes up on the bleachers and everything. And then at the end, they’re all trying to find their canes. And it was just easier to have little cane fobs with their names or initials on them . So there’s , um , all kind, you can make, you know, presence for, for people, you know, so it’s just a great way to embrace braille, introduce other people to braille, you know, who knows somebody may see a piece of braille jury find that very intriguing and they pursue a career as a TVI, which we it’d be great. So , um , yeah, Braille Beads is one of my favorite favorite items that we have,

Sara Brown: 24:12

And we will be sure to include links to all the products mentioned in this segment, in the show notes. Thank you so much, Tristan for coming on Change Makers today.

Tristan Pierce: 24:21

Well, thank you so much for having me. It’s always a pleasure to come.

Sara Brown: 24:24

And we have an entire blog filled with information about Feel the Beat, Joy Player, and even how to make your own musical instruments. We’ve put a link to all of that in the show notes. For those artists who want to compete, APH has InSights Art. Insights Art is an art contest for artists who are blind or visually impaired, both amateur and professional artists from around the world, enter their artwork in a juried art competition. We have APH’s Special Programs Coordinator, Rob Guillen here to tell us about this program and how you can enter. Hello, Rob, and welcome to Change Makers.

Rob Guillen: 25:08

Thanks , Sara. Happy to be here.

Sara Brown: 25:10

So can you tell us about InSights Art for those who might not be familiar?

Rob Guillen: 25:15

The InSights Art program is an art , um, competition and exhibition for artists who are blind. Um, it is an international contest. It been , um, held every year for about 30 years. In fact , uh, 2022 is our 30th anniversary. Um, we are , uh, the host of the InSights Art competition here in the United States. Um, and it is , uh , a really amazing program that highlights , uh, art that is created , uh , by artists of all ages , um, from all over the world , uh , who happen to have a vision loss and some of the artwork is absolutely amazing and it’s just a way to be able to expose all people to , uh, the kind of work that’s being created , uh , by young , uh , artists and , uh, older artists , um, so that we can become more familiar with the , the kind of work that they do in their career. Um, it is by far one of the most rewarding , uh , programs I’ve ever had the pleasure of working on. And I’m really, really, very pleased to be able to host it again, this , uh, this coming year.

Sara Brown: 26:32

And is there an age range?

Rob Guillen: 26:35

Um, artists of any age can enter the InSights Art contest. Um, so for last year’s competition, 2021, our youngest participant was three and our oldest was in her mid-nineties. So artistic expression really has no age limitations. And , um , that’s a trait that so many people have their entire lives. Uh , we don’t limit who is able to participate. We have nine categories, so will be able to fit into one of those categories to make the judging a little bit easier. Uh , one thing I do like to mention is that artists, of course, must be at least legally blind. That is , uh, they must have a , a corrected visual acuity of 20 over 200 or less in the better eye. That’s usually determined by a Snellen chart. Uh, are a field division that’s 20 degrees or less. Uh , and this would also include individuals who are , uh , what is called FDB that is function at the definition of blindness. And that could be because of a brain injury or some other issue. Uh , for example, an artist who happens to have CVI is very, very welcome to, to participate in the contest

Sara Brown: 27:46

And what kind of artwork can someone submit?

Rob Guillen: 27:49

That’s a great question. Um, artists can submit any two dimensional or three dimensional creative work , uh, that can be something that’s considered traditionally artistic, like , uh , you know, painting sculpture or drawing, or it can be like a craft, something that has been knitted or bead work or woodwork. Um, all of those things are acceptable. Uh, the only things that really don’t qualify are art kits. You know, those are kits where all the pieces are prefabricated and there are instructions on exactly how to put that together . Um , if an artist, however, has done something like unique with the kit, then it would qualify, but something straight out of the box would not. Um , and this is because this is an art contest. So some impulse to creativity needs to be demonstrated. Uh, mostly though , uh, the things that we get are , uh, most of the things we get are qualified. We’re really happy to get them. One of my favorite things I’ll add this is that I love it when an artist upcycles, and that’s when they take something that would be considered trash or recyclable materials, and they create something amazing from it. So they will take, they will make a sculpture out of , um, cans or they’ll make paper flower arrangements from old newspapers, or they’ll create a mosaic from a bag of buttons. Um, I’ve learned talking to a lot of artists that art materials are all around us. So they’re in our garages, they’re in our kitchens, in our gardens. Um, and a really great artist is someone who’s able to do interesting things with anything they find.

Sara Brown: 29:35

And how do you submit a piece?

Rob Guillen: 29:38

Sure. Um, first of all, you have to have a finished artwork and that means that it’s not half finished. Um, sometimes we’ll get , uh , a sketch and we’ll get a note alongside it that says, well, it’s not quite done. Uh, it’ll be finished in time for the exhibit. And unfortunately we really need to , uh, uh , have that piece juried at the same time as everyone else’s. So we only accept , uh , finished artwork and we only accept one artwork per artist per year. Uh , a lot of people think that, you know, they’ll, they’ll go ahead and turn in, you know, five pieces, but unfortunately we’ll have to select one of those for the , um, for the contest. Secondly, you would go to our website, which is insights-art.org. So that’s insights. insights-art.org. And if you click on the link that says, enter the contest, that will take you to a page where there are instructions and entry forms, and you can download them at that location. If you are an adult artist, then you would download the adult entry form. And if you are a student or teacher or a parent , um, and your child or student is interested in entering the contest, then you would download the student entry form. Uh, you also want to download the instructions, just make sure you’re familiar with them. Um , and those are separate from the entry forms this year, and that we just did that to make it a little bit easier when you , uh, send the entry forms to us. Also, one thing I might add is that if you, if, if anyone out there is having any trouble at all downloading, or don’t want to go through that hassle, we are very happy to mail one to you directly. So just ask us a, it’s not a problem. Uh, once you fill out the entry form, you need to make sure that it’s , uh, filled out completely so that we can get all of the accurate artist and artwork information. And that just makes , uh, things like certificates, easier to , uh, produce. There’s not too many corrections that we’ll need to make after. So we would love it if , uh , people can fill out the entry forms correctly. So once the entry form is filled out, you have two ways of sending the artwork in the first way is to mail us the original artwork with , uh , two copies of the entry form. You wanna make sure that when you pack original artwork, that you pack it really well , uh, you wanna make sure that the paint is dry and the glue is dry, and that it’s sturdy enough to travel by mail. The second method for sending artwork is , uh , actually a lot easier. And most people tend to do it this way, which is to send us a digital photograph of the artwork along with one copy of the entry form by email. And you could send that to insights, aph.org . Um , you can also send it to me , uh , in my rguillen@aph.org, but it’s easier if you send it to insights@aph.org . Um, so when you send these digital photographs , um, if your artwork happens to be, for example, a work sculpture, you can send , uh , photographs that have been taken from different angles of the sculpture. If your artwork is more or less two dimensional, it’s meant to be seen from one side and you can take a front shot and maybe one or two shots of really close up details of the, the piece , uh , so that the jurors can actually see closely , uh , your technique, the kinds of materials you made, what have you , uh , the important thing really is to make sure that the artwork, when you photograph it is well lit and that you send us as higher resolution of a photograph as you can manage. That really just helps for clarity. Um , the point is , uh, to get different viewpoints so that the jurors are able to , uh, really , uh, get a sense of your artwork as much as they can. So let me just clarify again. So there’s two ways to send us, send us the artwork. You can either ship it to us, or you could email photographs of it to us. Uh , and either way is acceptable.

Sara Brown: 33:50

Is there a deadline to submit your work?

Rob Guillen: 33:53

There is one coming up. So the deadline for the 2022 season is Friday, April 22nd . Uh , um , so that is , uh , in late spring. Hopefully people are finishing up their pieces and , uh , thinking about , uh , filling in the entry forms, we are already getting a number of entries. So I not only wanna encourage everybody to , uh , enter the contest, but to also consider sending it in , um, as soon as you can. So you’ll be , uh , by the deadline of April 22.

Sara Brown: 34:26

Now, is that just postmarked by April 22? Or is that received by InSights Art by April 22?

Rob Guillen: 34:34

Uh, we need to have received the artwork by April 22. So it needs to be on-site. That’s a great question , uh , because , uh , I wanna make sure , uh , since people are turning in artwork by email that every one of those emails are in by April 22, which means that any physical artwork needs to arrive on the same day.

Sara Brown: 34:55

Okay, great. So listeners, that want to submit, probably need to sort of do some look at a calendar and figure out when you need to get it out. So that’s good to know. Can you talk about some of the work you’ve seen?

Rob Guillen: 35:06

You know, unfortunately I can’t talk about any of the artwork that we’ve received for this season, because it may bias a judge who was listening to this podcast. So we’ve always made it an effort . Uh , we’ve always made an effort over , uh , the many years of the contest to not show the artwork too much that any potential jurors will not say, oh, I remember that piece. Um, you know, I really wish that we had a video camera when we’re opening up the boxes and the emails, because , um, it’s actually really fun. And I know that unboxing videos are somewhat trite, but I find them fascinating. And , uh, one of these days we’re gonna be able to do that. And the reason I like , uh , these unboxing videos is because, especially for insights, it’s like opening up a Christmas present. Um, uh , there are all these beautiful artworks emerging from boxes envelopes. Um, and, you know, though this sounds really hokey. You can actually feel artistic energy coming from the boxes and envelopes. You can just feel all the work , um , that was done the care and the love. Um , it really is very palpable when we are unboxing , uh, and , uh , receiving some of the art artwork . Um, it’s difficult to say if there’s a type of artwork that I personally enjoy, but sometimes the best things come in, little boxes. So little sculptures made by little hands, packed up in a little box, and it’s like a little jewel sometimes. And you’re ex excavating that from packing paper. Uh, and it’s actually really exciting. In fact , um, it is really like receiving a little jewel . Uh , I remember once specifically that , uh , we received this little ring that was made from a twisted golden colored wire. There was a little stone that was attached , uh , to the wire that was the color of a Marine and it just glistened, and it was so tiny and delicate. It was really clearly a ring made for a little finger. Um , and you can tell right away there was a lot of work and love that went into it. And those are the types of things that I love. Um, the same thing with , uh , artwork that comes into your inbox. I can’t tell you , um, how that has brightened up my inbox. I know that sounds sort of funny, but instead of getting endless meeting requests and spam and whatnot , I actually get these photographs of really, really beautiful artwork. And I’m really thrilled , uh, that , uh , we’re able to get them.

Sara Brown: 37:34

Is there anything else you would like to say?

Rob Guillen: 37:38

You know, I’d really like to encourage all our artists out there to sell their artwork. Um , it’s so important to be able to share your artistic creation with people who appreciate it , uh, beauty in all its forms really shouldn’t be limited to a stack in a corner of your house. Uh, it really needs to be out in the world, hanging on the wall in someone’s house, or, you know, displayed on a podium in a gallery, or even even held up by a magnet on the refrigerator door. It’s really important actually, to share that joy with others and to feel you as an artist, to feel the appreciation that comes from your creative work. Um, I also wanted to add that it’s been a real honor to work for InSights Art here at APH. Uh , you know, I definitely stand on the shoulders and giants , uh, and this program really wouldn’t be what it is today without all of those hard working folks who came before me. So for , uh , this year also , uh , have my assistants, me and Nicole, and they really , um, add to the excellence of the program. Uh, one of the things I really love is being able to speak to artists and teachers and to develop those relationships. Um , but mostly like everyone else. I really appreciate being able to hear what the artists are working on. It’s a great reminder because just because someone has a different way of experiencing the world , um, they are not, and should not be excluded from feeling creative, their creative impulses and, you know, implementing their artistic goals. Uh , that’s one of the greatest things about InSights Art is that we are encouraging , uh , anyone with vision loss to consider art as something that they can do in their life. And again, so many young , uh , artists and old artists are told , uh , you cannot, you should not. There’s no reason to why are you interested? And that, of course are not being that we believe here at APH. Uh , we believe very strongly that , uh, life is full and rich and that those with vision loss should be able to experience , um, all of it in all of its forms. So , uh , I always just like to end on that sort of note so that people know , uh, that the insights aren’t program still is really vital and important. Uh, so that’s really to , out of all, I wanted to say,

Sara Brown: 39:58

Thank you, Rob, for joining us today on Changemakers.

Rob Guillen: 40:01

It’s my pleasure. Thank you for inviting us.

Sara Brown: 40:03

And I have put a link to InSights Art in the show notes. So you can quickly access all that information to learn how to submit a piece, or just learn more about the program. And thank you so much for listening to this episode of Changemakers. Again, we’ve put links to some of the APH products mentioned in the show and as always be sure to look for ways you can be a change maker this week.

Jack Fox: 0:00

Welcome to Changemakers a podcast from APH. We’re talking to people from around the world who are creating positive change in the lives of people who are blind or visually impaired. Here’s your host.

Sara Brown: 0:15

Hello, and welcome to Changemakers I’m APHS public relations manager, Sara Brown, and we are celebrating Women’s History Month and we are talking to a true change maker in every sense of the word. And that change maker is Ever Lee Hariston. Miss Hairston came of age during a pivotal time in us history and is here to share her story of living on a plantation marching with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to trials and tribulations stemming from her undiagnosed eye issues to finally getting a diagnosis and how attending an NFB conference changed her life. Hello, Ever Lee, and welcome to Change Makers.

Ever Lee Hairston: 0:55

Thank you.

Sara Brown: 0:57

So I have done some background research on you and oh my goodness. You are a true change maker in every sense of the word you have one heck of a story. So to talk about that, we’re gonna go, we’re gonna talk about some of the major moments of your life, but we’re gonna go back to your childhood. Can you talk about where you were born and raised? I do know it was in the Carolinas. Can you talk a little bit more about that?

Ever Lee Hairston: 1:25

Yes. Uh, I was born on the Cooleemee Plantation and that’s located in Davie County, North Carolina. The county seat is Mocksville North Carolina, which is in the Western part of the state of North Carolina. Uh , my parents were sharecroppers on that plantation and , uh, so I was there with my raised by my parents and paternal grandparents.

Sara Brown: 1:56

So you grew up during segregation when it came to your education. What was that like?

Ever Lee Hairston: 2:04

Well, there was segregation throughout the South, but later I learned it wasn’t just the south, but anyway , (that’s right). I grew up , um, having to attend all black schools. And the thing about that was they were good teachers. I do believe. And , um, I felt like I got a decent education in elementary and high school. But limited because we never had an opportunity to have updated books. And I was bused to school from the plantation to Mocksville to the city of Mocksville. It was about 19 miles from home, but we passed several white schools along the way and this I could never understand. And once we got to school, we were using hand-me-down books. That’s what we call them because we never got new additions of any of the books that we used. We had to get the were no longer , um, the ones that were going to be used at the white schools. And so those were turned over to us. So that’s what happened, getting my education. The other thing with that interfered with my education in , um , high school, I would say is being on the plantation. There were so many responsibilities that my parents had, because my father also worked in town, but my , uh , grandfather and my grandmother both worked on the , in the plantation house. My mother did some days work in the plantation house, but there were, there were , uh , seven children that she had. So she was busy raising children and going over to the big house, we called it, to do some work as well. But for the children, my two older siblings and I, we had to stay out of school, usually two consecutive weeks at a time in the Spring and in the Fall. And this was some something that I really detested, but there wasn’t much, I had much, I had very little control. I’ll put it that way. So, so , uh , we had to stay out to either chop cotton in the spring or pick cotton in the fall, fall was harvest’s time. And the ironic thing about that after staying out of school and having to work so hard at picking cotton and having to deal with the snakes. And I’ll tell you about that in the fields, my parents and grandparents, after raising all of that cotton, they only got 70 cents , uh, that was given, well, let me put re rephrase that. 70 cents was given to the plantation owners and 30 cents was given to the , um, sharecroppers. So out of a dollar, we got 30 cents. So it wasn’t very much to live on. And , um, that’s something I recall very, very, very vividly. It was one of the last days that I worked in the fields, my two older siblings and I were picking cotton. And when I lean forward to pick this beautiful cotton out of the cotton bowl, there was a long black snake on the ground. And I yelled out to my brother and he said, “oh, come on . Let’s get done so we can get back to school .” And so , but I was frightened. And um, he said, “oh, that long snake’s gonna just crawl away.” And sure enough, the snake did. But I was cuz I had some vision at that time. And so I, I still was frightened and walked and much slower going down that cotton row . And so I guess I had gotten another 50 feet down the cotton row. And when I leaned forward to pick this beautiful cotton out of the cotton bowl, there was a brown snake and it was a copperhead . So I yelled to my brother and he walked over and looked. He said, “oh my gosh, it’s a copperhead.” But there were several things , several copperheads all around us. And we were so frightened all three of us. So we dropped out tow sacks, which carried the cotton from around our waist . And we ran as fast as we could until we reached a trailer that was parked at the beginning of the cotton row and was packed with several bags of cotton. So I climbed to a bag on the bird top . And as I sat with my head in my hands and I thought, “oh God, there has to be a better way of life for me.” And as soon as I graduated from high school, I was ready. I had already answered an ad in the newspaper for live-in maids in New York, in Long Island. And that’s what I did. So at age 17, right out of high school, I went to New York to work as a live-in maid, because I wanted very much, my dream was to become a nurse because , and I was ignoring the fact that at that time I was beginning to really experience some of the symptoms of retinitis pigmentosa, which is the eye condition that I have . And I guess that was realized also during my senior year, I was invited along with my sister to attend a football game in Lexington, North Carolina, the next town over and I was dating the quarterback. Oh , I was so excited. I was so excited about going to this game. And of course I didn’t talk about the fact that I couldn’t see at nights and the same thing was happening with my sister, my older sister. She also has RP . And so did two other siblings, but both are deceased. One died at age 22 and the other one at age 16. But anyway, we were so excited. A first cousin of ours picked us up and took us to the game. And after the game, we were gonna meet with the quarterback and my cousin. And , um, we were going to go to a , kind of a little hangout where everybody was going to meet after the game to celebrate, because we just were optomistic about them winning. And that was our plan. Anyway, going into the stadium, there was, it was still , uh , daylight and we could see we got into the stadium, no problem. But then we , and the game was over. It was very dark. And as my sister and I were walking out of the stadium and down this very long walkway, there was some lanterns Indicated danger, but neither of us were able to see them . And unfortunately we fell into a four feet hole. And so there were people just walking and walking around us and no one stopped to help. That’s what I, I, I still can’t understand that until today, no one helped us Or attempted to help us. But we struggled. I was much taller than my sister. We struggled and I got out and then I pulled her out, but of course we were dirty and it was very embarrassing to have to get into the quarterbacks car. So That was one of the most embarrassing and difficult times for me in realizing that I needed to share and talk about my night blindness, But I still did very little of it. So then while in New York, working as a live-in maid, I had gone into the City, New York City cuz I was in Oceanside, Long Island. And so I wanted to go into the city. Actually it was into Brooklyn because I had a distant cousin there and I wanted to get away and go visit. Well, by the time I got the train and got back to Oceanside on this Sunday evening, it had gotten much darker than I had anticipated. So when I got out of the taxi in front of the house and I was trying to find my way up the sidewalk, I didn’t realize that the family to whom I was working for was sitting on the , on the front steps and they watched me and as I was trying to shuffle and get my way up the sidewalk, by the time I reached them, they, yeah , they asked , “are, are you okay ?” “Have you been drinking? No. I said, I have not been drinking.” And what would happen with me? If someone noticed something, I would just start crying. I started crying and I said, “no, I haven’t had anything to , I have difficulty seeing at nights .” And they were so kind to me. As a matter of fact, they gave me my first airplane ride, sponsored it. And I went back to Durham, North Carolina at the end of the summer so that I could enroll in Duke University Nursing School. And that was another turning point in my life because when I applied for the nursing school, failed the eye exam and did not become a candidate for nursing.

Sara Brown: 13:42

So what after, so you failed your eye exam. What, where did you go? What would , what did you do next?

Ever Lee Hairston: 13:50

So I had an out to work at Duke University and that was one of the reasons that nursing really appealed to me. So she immediately took me to the optometrist and of course, many of the optometrist at that time, they were not familiar with the eye condition rec pigment. So of course he , uh , offered me a pair of glasses, which did no good. So anyway , I, I recall my aunt always saying, “put those glasses on.” The glasses really, really were more harm to me than good because they were like an obstruction because I really couldn’t, couldn’t see at nights and they didn’t understand that, but anyway, I didn’t wanna be the defeated. It I’d gotten off of the plantation and I wanted to, to do something with my life. I didn’t wanna return to the plantation. So what I did, is I enrolled in North Carolina Central university, which was in walking distance from my aunt and uncle. I had made enough money to pay for my tuition at nursing school, but not enough to pay, to live on campus at North Carolina Central University. So my aunt and uncle invited me to, to stay with them and I was able to attend , uh , North Carolina Center University. It was my third year at North Carolina Center university that Dr. King would come on campus and talk to all of the students on campus about out Civil Rights. And having grown up with such segregation, unable to go to the movie theaters , uh , unable to sit in a restaurant. My grandfather loved this place in, in um, town and it was called , um, uh , Pits Barbecue. And they, everybody loved it, but we could go inside and sit and have a sandwich. We would have to walk up to a window order our sandwich. And then we would have to go back to the car and eat our sandwich to take it home with us. So it was, it was these kinds of things. Or I remember as we were traveling one day and my 16 year olds, the one who died at 16 , um, she was very ill and got ill often as we were riding someplace. And I remember my father stopped at the service station and he wanted to , uh , to have my mother take my sister into the bathroom because she was, she was very sick, but we were told that we couldn’t use the restroom and that’s the way it was. And if you went into a department store , um, you couldn’t even drink out of , they had two separate water fountains. One said “white,” one said “color.” And if you went into a , uh , department store, oftentimes , uh , you could not use the restroom. So having grown up you , if this, when Dr . King started talking about our Civil Rights, my ears perked up, I was so interested in what he was talking about. And he talked about, we must advocate for our rights. And so it was later on in that year, August, 1963, that we know that the March on Washington was held in Washington, D.C. At Lincoln Memorial. And so I was there when he gave his iconic speech, “I Have a Dream.” What a compassionate man. And I had learned so much by participating in the Civil Rights Movement under Dr . King. While on campus, before going to Washington DC, Dr. King had organized a protest March, and we were protesting Sears, Roebuck and Co., because they refused to hire blacks. So from North Carolina Central campus to Sears, Roebuck and Co., five miles, we marched. And as we marched, there was rock stones and all kinds of debris thrown on us. But Dr. King taught us nonviolence and to focus on the ask rather than the people. And that’s what we did. So not only were there students from North Carolina Central, but there were students from A&T College Greensboro NC who had come and in that crowd was Jesse Jackson . So we marched. And when we arrived at the parking lot, we sat down and we all started singing “over my head, there must be freedom in the air,” we sang and shouted. And just actually trying to make sure that in spite of the problems that we were facing, that we still could have some fun and some humor and, and to entertain ourselves. And that’s what we were doing. But suddenly the police moved onto the parking lot and ordered us to move. We refused the order. And then there were buses being driven onto the parking lot at a very fast speed . It was very, very frightening. We started screaming, crying, yelling, and soon afterwards, the buses came to a streaking halt. And so when the police got off the buses, they started pushing, shoving, picking some of us up and they threw us onto the buses and hauled us to jail. Dr . King included. And during that night in jail, we were packed, like sardines in a can . We were packed so tight and so close that wouldn’t work today with COVID , but we were packed so tight that if we needed to perform mouth to mouth resuscitation, we could have. But during the night, an announcement came over the Intercom stating that the jail keeper had had a heart attack and died . This was frightening and fearful for us because we thought we would be blamed for the jail keeper’s death. But anyway, the following morning, they let us out around 11 o’clock. And when we got out, I was even more frightened or fearful of going back to my aunt and uncle’s house because nor did my aunt or uncle approve of me being involved in the Civil Rights Movement. I was afraid that they may pack me up and send me back to the plantation. But then, my parents also did not approve of me being involved. And the reason none of them approved of me being is because they were afraid of their jobs. If their employers learned that their daughter or their niece was involved in the Civil Rights Movement, they ran the risk of losing their jobs. But after thinking about that and praying about it, I knew and believed that that was the risk that I had to take. And so I did.

Sara Brown: 22:16

How did, how did those experiences impact you just psychologically and emotionally, you know, you’re protesting you’re , you’re , people are throwing things at you, calling you all sorts of names. That’s traumatizing.

Ever Lee Hairston: 22:34

Well, it, because we had learned and had been taught so well by Dr. King, really it, we didn’t, I never was hit by anything of course name calling , but , uh, I was never , uh , struck with a , a rock or, or anything. And so, but, but Dr . King taught us just focus on what you’re doing and keep moving. And that’s what we did. We kept moving. We didn’t stop. We didn’t look at the people on the side, we just looked ahead and we kept moving.

Sara Brown: 23:18

Wow. So you just focused on the task at hand ?

Ever Lee Hairston: 23:22

Yes. Yes. And I think you become conditioned. And so the, the most frightening thing and doing that entire time was when we were sitting on the parking lot and it seemed like the, the buses were gonna run over us. That was truly, truly frightening. And one of the things that we had talked about doing and was praying and, and that’s what we did.

Sara Brown: 23:53

Okay . So , you know, you are a outstanding storyteller. You’re , you’re answering the questions. I’m not even, I have, them listed. I’m like, “okay, got Dr . King .” I know you’ve told this story many times, but it’s a , it’s a heck of a story. So a few years later you’ve graduated college and you’re in New Jersey, but your eyesight continues to deteriorate. Can you share what that was like and what was going on?

Ever Lee Hairston: 24:24

Once I graduated from college and it was not , um, it was in December instead of June. And I didn’t graduate in June with the class because when my 16 year old , um, when the sister under me died at eight 16 , it was so hard for me. I couldn’t take the final exams. So two of the courses I needed to take again, and I did in the beginning of September. And so I didn’t graduate until December. So I left in December going to New Jersey and in hopes of getting a teaching job, but I had to wait. And so I applied at New Jersey , uh, in New Jersey for, for the Bank of New Jersey. And when I applied, I went in for the interview and the manager, as he was interviewing me leaned forward, and he said, “Ms . Hairston, I would love to hire you. But the policy in this bank is that we cannot hire blacks.” That was such a culture shock to me. I couldn’t believe that I was in New Jersey and experiencing this. You see, I thought, and my lack of understanding and knowledge, I thought that there was segregation in the states up North, if you will. But here I was facing the same type of discrimination.

Sara Brown: 26:29

What year? What , what year did you say this was?

Ever Lee Hairston: 26:33

19 ? It was, it was and 60 December , 1960 . But when I went to the interview, it was in January, 1965 .

Sara Brown: 26:53

And that was for the Bank of New Jersey?

Ever Lee Hairston: 26:55

The Bank of New Jersey. Later on, I had applied for a teaching position. And I got that job, which only lasted four years, teaching business education courses. And one of the classes was , um , shorthand. So when I would write shorthand briefs on the board, turn around to the class , it took my eyes with RP a much longer time to adjust from one spot to another . And so when I would do that, I , there were times I couldn’t even see what was on the board, but so I turned back to the class and I’d start talking to them or I’d finally, I , I figured, okay, hopefully, and I’d turn to the board. And one day the stress, The stress of trying to do this without talking about my eye condition. I, I, I fainted it. I passed out and I was taken to the hospital and immediately the doctors are shining these lights in my eyes and saying, “are you on drugs? Have you taken drugs?” I was like, “no, I haven’t taken any drugs. No, I don’t even drink.” And so , um, it was shortly after that, that I went, I finally went to Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia. And that’s when I got my diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa. That was the first time that I had a definitive diagnosis.

Sara Brown: 28:36

So all those years. So all those years when you had vision issues?

Ever Lee Hairston: 28:41

Yes.

Sara Brown: 28:42

No one ever knew what that officially was?

Ever Lee Hairston: 28:45

No. And then in addition to getting a definitive diagnosis, the doctor said to me, “more than likely you will go blind.”

Sara Brown: 29:00

How did you take that type of news? How’d you take that?

Ever Lee Hairston: 29:03

I , I , I couldn’t stop crying. I just couldn’t stop crying. I thought, if I could just keep the light perception that I have, if I could just keep the vision that I have , I could make it, but it was frightening to think that I would actually go blind. And so , Um, After that, I was forced to resign from teaching. And then I got many other jobs working for the city of Camden, New Jersey. And I had taken a couple of jobs under the Federal Government. I took those jobs. And then finally , um, after years I took a Civil Service Exam so that I could become a counselor. And then I went to Rutgers University and took courses so that I could become certified as a counselor and to work towards a master’s degree. And the way I had to study was recording the lectures of the professors and believe me, I had hundreds and hundreds of cassettes, and I would go home after class, listen to those cassettes, listen to those cassettes and listen to those consents consents. And that’s how I was able to study and to pass the courses. So after passing the civil service exam, I had to take a position at the very bottom, which was a council trainee for the Department of Health and Human Services under the , uh , Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse. Uh , but it was called the Intoxicated Driver’s Resource Center, where we were teaching drivers who had been charged with a drunk driving offense. We were teaching them and educating them about the danger of alcohol and driving. And that was easy for me because I wrote a lot of lectures and I had taught school. So that was good. And fortunately, I was able to move up the ladder pretty quickly. Instead of staying as Counselor Trainee, I moved up from Counselor to Senior Counselor, but then it was difficult to move higher because at that point. My eyesight had deteriorated drastically. And I knew I needed help, but, and, and I had gone to the New Jersey State Commission for the Blind to ask for help, but I wasn’t getting the help I needed. I wanted to learn braille. They gave me sandpaper and asked me to fill it. And that would determine whether I would be eligible for the braille. They told me I wasn’t eligible. So I did get some mobility , uh , lessons. And I learned to use the cane , But I wanted training and I was blessed with a phone call from the National Center for the Blind in Baltimore, Maryland. And the person said they would like to learn about me through the Commission for the Blind. And they thought that I should attend the National Federation of the Blind convention. And this was in 1987 and I made all kinds of excuses because I had a son that I was raising alone. And so, but I thought about it and I felt like this was my golden opportunity. So I said, let’s compromise instead of going for a full week. Could I come for at least four to five days ? And that’s what happened. I went to Phoenix, Arizona to my first NFB convention. I learned so much, but it was when I reached the registration desk. After standing in very long lines. And the young lady at the desk asked , “would you like a braille or a print agenda?” Oh my goodness. A light bulb went off of me. I’m thinking a “braille or, Or a print agenda?” I don’t know braille. And I can no longer read print. I’m a college grad, but illiterate. So I talked to as many people as I could at that convention. Learned about all of the professions and the, the skills and the training people had gotten, who were blind. And I knew that this was for me, that’s what I needed. So I went back to the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and asked for help to get to the Louisiana Center for the Blind in Ruston, Louisiana. They denied me that opportunity. So I knew someone who lived in Louisiana. I went to stay with them so that I could become a resident of the State of Louisiana. And that’s how I was able to get funded, to get the training at the Louisiana Center for the Blood. I went there in 1990 and graduated 1991. And when I returned to New Jersey after learning braille in a six month period, getting technology, training, computer skills. Getting orientation and mobility, Independent living skills, I returned to New Jersey with all of those skills. And I quickly began to integrate those skills into both my personal and professional life . You see, while I was in Louisiana, I built up my confidence and I knew that in order to maintain my job, there was some risk that I had to take while in Louisiana. And one was, I always tell this story, cuz it’s One of the things that you have to do in order to graduate is to go and I graduate from on routes. So they took me to Monroe, Louisiana, and I had heard that, “oh my gosh, Monroe , uh , uh , it’s not the greatest place for blacks.” So anyway, they took me to Monroe, Louisiana, and then had given me instructions on that. I had to find the bus stop and take the bus to the Monroe Mall. I got off the bus and I thought, “oh my gosh,” I was frightened. I thought I am out here all by myself in Monroe, Louisiana, probably Ku Klux Klan is all around. (laughing).

Sara Brown: 37:41

Exactly .

Ever Lee Hairston: 37:44

Oh God, I’m here by myself. And so I thought about Dr . King . He always taught, “don’t focus on the people, focus on the task.” And so I said a little prayer. I started walking, using my skills and there was a building that I came to. I went in and I asked, how could I find the bus stop? And she gave me an directions. The traffic underneath me, to the left of me . I didn’t know where I was, but I continued to walk. And then there was a lady driving and she yelled out , “miss, where you going ? Let me help you .” I said , “miss, thank you so much , but you can’t help me. I’m performing a test.” She said, “well just where are you going?” I told her, “I’m trying to get to the bus stop so I can take a bus to the Monroe mall.” She said, “keep going forward. And when you get to the end of the street turn right , and you will hear the buses.” That was a sound. When I turned right and heard that bus, those buses, that was a sound that penetrated my soul. I tell you , I took a bus to the Monroe Mall. There was met with the students and staff… mission accomplish. And then another, another thing that they did. And I thought “these people must be crazy. What kinda training is this?” They took us. And you had to always stay in. There were groups of three. They took us to Mardi Gras. (Laughing). I know they’re crazy. And so they gave us , uh , a card that had braille on it. And they, it had an address. You have your , you have to find this address, but it was on Bourbon Street. Can you imagine on Bourbon Street? So we are walking and it’s noisy because as you’re walking, there’s, there’s the blues going on your left. There’s uh , gospel songs on the right, there’s jazz. Straight ahead. You can hear all kinds of noise, but people were walking to the three of us and they would say , “let me read your fortune. Let me read your fortune. Come on ladies, let me reach a fortune.” Then there were others saying , “let me pray . Let me pray for you. Let me pray for you.” But the one that really took the cake for me was, this man walked up to us and obviously he had had a bit much to drink and he started singing Three Blind Mice. S ee h ow t hey r un?

Sara Brown: 40:46

Oh my gosh! Three Blind Mice?

Ever Lee Hairston: 40:50

And so again, think about it. What did Dr. King teach? And the other two were ready to just give up and fight back. And I said, “no, we can’t do that. We’re on a mission. Don’t focus on these people. Let’s stay focused on our task.” We finished that task. And then the night of Mardi Gras, was another test, which we didn’t not even know. You know, when the parade was over, everybody is ripping and running and going back to however , they were going to travel, either buses or walking or whatever. And the staff member had told us where they would park the car. And once the Mardi Gras was over that we were to come to of the bus and where it was parked. But as we were moving, people were scrambling and moving all around us. And so it was so difficult with all the noise. When you have RP , you become very oriented disoriented, because you cannot. It’s like, “I can’t hear cause it’s so much noise.” So when you can’t hear, it’s weird, you , you really, you really have very poor mobility skills. So I ran into a pole , it was a flag pole and I grabbed onto that pole and I told the other two, I said, “look, just let’s stand here until it gets quieter. They won’t leave us. Let’s stand here.” And we did. And they were crying. And I just knew that that was the best thing to do. So when the crowd had dispersed, I said, “we can go now. So we took out, canes and we only had a little less than a , a full block to walk, to get to the bus. And , uh , as we were approaching, one of the staff members said, “congratulations, you made it.” And so I graduated from that center. So proud of what I had accomplished, but more proud of the fact that when I returned, as I said, and , and using these skills, but I was able to move up the ladder and eventually from supervisor and becoming the director of that program, I worked there for 26 years, but not only changing in my career, but I made changes in the National Federation of the Blind, my commitment, my dedication. I started the Garden State Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Cherry Hill, New Jersey. I became first Vice President of the New Jersey affiliate. I served on the National Scholarship Committee for 23 years. I became Vice President after moving to California, I became first Vice President and then elected as President of the California affiliate. I’ve been serving on the National Board for 12 years. Oh , it’s been my 13th . And so I truly believe that my mission in life is to reach out to others And to help others to, and make this world a better place in which we live. And especially for the blind. And I cannot neglect the fact that it’s important for black, blind females.

Sara Brown: 45:17

Your story. You’ve answered all a good chunk of my questions, just in your storytelling, which has me waited with baited breath for more and clenching the chair. But during your , the course of your career and your journey, where have you felt any resistance from or any biases from individuals? I mean, you are , are a black woman and you’re visually impaired. Have you felt, or have you known that you’ve, you’re being discriminated against or having any biases put against you?

Ever Lee Hairston: 45:48

Absolutely. Absolutely. Um , on the job , There were those white females and males who said, “I will not,” when I became supervisor, they made the statement. “I will not work under a blind, black, female,” but I was, I had confidence in myself. Then I said , “well, Then that means you’re gonna have to find another job because I’m not leaving.”

Sara Brown: 46:31

Wow. The sheer audacity is, is just unbelievable.

Jack Fox: 46:38

So you’re on the board of NFB. You’re on the Board of Directors.

Ever Lee Hairston: 46:44

Yes.

Sara Brown: 46:45

Can you talk about some of the work that you do that you do there?

Ever Lee Hairston: 46:51

As a member of the Board of Directors, I represent the president at state conventions. And so one incident I will share with you serving on the board, meaning that I traveled to many states. Stayed in many hotels. So I arrived and I’d rather not give the name, but I arrived at this, in this state. And I took a taxi to the hotel, immediately, went to my room and said that I would freshen up so that I could go and meet the president of this affiliate. So I left my room and walked towards the elevator. And when I approached the elevator bank , I could hear three people talking to each other. And obviously they were from the sound. I thought that they were three , uh , white females. And so they were talking about the convention and, just chit chatting. So I said, you know, “hello, good evening.” Yeah , I’m just bubbly. “Good evening.” I’m happy to be there. Hello . So they didn’t say anything. I said , wait a minute, did they get on the elevator? And then they started talking again. So I said , “good evening. How are you ladies?” Not one word out of either one of them . So I heard the bell ring , meaning that the elevator was stopping on my floor. So I said, “are you ladies getting on again?” Silence. So I got on the elevator. I said, “are you ladies coming on?” And one lady said, “I’m not getting on with you.” And she named , she said the “h” word . And I think, I think, I think the way I grew up and learned how ignorant some people are and how prejudice they are, because this is all they know, this is what they learned . This is how they grew up. I know who I am . And I learned who I am through Dr . King. So one might say, “wow, how , what was that for you? Someone call you the “N” word .” Well, I wasn’t going to bring my myself down level . So I had a task to perform. I went downstairs. Now , this is the ironic thing I went downstairs. And shortly after I was standing and talking to the president, I heard one lady and it was the same voice I had heard. I think they , and they walked up to the president and say , “good evening. How are you?” You know , I said , and so the president said , “oh, meet our national representative.”

Sara Brown: 50:11

How did that go ?

Ever Lee Hairston: 50:15

And it , it was obvious then that they were the ones because you, you know , they , oh , you know, you know , you could tell , you know , how a person is not sure what to say, how to say it. So it was , uh , oh , okay . So I, as national rep, I had to give a couple seminars. I gave the, the keynote address at their banquet. And so I that’s what I did. And that’s what I do.

Sara Brown: 50:55

Wow. Another, and you’ve got so many interesting facts. You’re an author. So talk about your book, “Blind Ambition: One Woman’s Journey to Greatness, Despite her Blindness.” And what do you want readers to get out of it?

Ever Lee Hairston: 51:12

The reason that I wrote this book was because of the way I had grown up. And the part of the story that I haven’t shared is that I was married in 1969. I had a son in 1970. And unfortunately that marriage did not last because I was losing my sight. I had a one year old son that I was taking care of and my, her husband was not faithful. And I felt like I could not handle that. I couldn’t deal with that. So this is the one part of my life that I just don’t like talking about. We were divorced. It was sad for me, very sad for me because I was losing my sight. And I felt like I had a one year old to manage and to take care of alone . But I made , I wanted to share the story so that others could see no matter what happens in our life, no matter what journey we are on, we don’t have to give , we don’t have the power to make life fair, but I believe we have the power to make life joyful. And I felt that sharing my story with others, black, white, blind sighted would inspire others. And that was the purpose. I got married a second time, years later. And that was very short-lived as well because my husband , uh , developed bone cancer. So our life together was only from ’92 to ’96. That’s it ?

Sara Brown: 53:48

Is there any thing else you wanna add to this conversation just over your life, over the listens , you’ve learned anything you wanna say to our listeners out there?

Ever Lee Hairston: 54:01

I think I often think about the words of Dr. King and I think people who think about giving up are not wanting to deal with some of the challenges that we have in life. I think the words from Dr. King always helped me and I like to convey that to others. And it said, “if you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. Whatever you do, you must keep moving.” And I believe that.

Sara Brown: 54:59

That’s so true. Dr. King, what was he like? Dr . King? I know you marched with him and you were part of his , um , March on Washington, but what else was, I mean, I feel like, did you actually get to talk to him?

Ever Lee Hairston: 55:20

Oh yes.

Sara Brown: 55:22

What was he like?

Ever Lee Hairston: 55:24

He , he reached out. No one was too small or too insignificant for him. Although he was famous. So intelligent. And, but he always made you think that he was listening to every word and wanted to help you as an individual to be the best you could be. That’s the thing I always got from him. But he , there was a lot of humor with him. He had a lot of humor . He always talked about that. Whatever you do enjoy some humor every day . He talked about that. And the other thing he often shared, which I have had to look at over the years and that is, he said, “have no regrets.” “Remember yesterday’s history. We did yesterday. That’s history. Tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift.” And then he said, he would say to us, “remember you never too old to do the things that you really want to do.”

Sara Brown: 56:45

You tell a riveting story? I have been sitting here with my fists clenched and my breath held and just like, “okay, here we go.” You are quite the trailblazer. And I really, from the bottom of my heart, wanna thank you for coming on here and sharing your story with us. And you’ve got a heck of one. Thank you so much again for joining me today on Change Makers.

Ever Lee Hairston: 57:10

Thank you. Thank you. You’ve been great.

Sara Brown: 57:14

And if you are interested in acknowledging change makers , we are accepting nominations for the Hall of Fame until Saturday, April 30. I’ve put a link in the show notes so you can submit your nomination. Thank you very much for listening to this episode of Change Makers as always be sure to find ways you can be a change maker this week.

Jack Fox: 0:00

Welcome to Changemakers a podcast from APH. We’re talking to people from around the world who are creating positive change in the lives of people who are blind or visually impaired. Here’s your host.

Sara Brown: 0:16

Hello, and welcome to Change Makers I’m APH’s Public Relations Manager Sara Brown. And today we’re going to hear an update from GoodMaps. We’re gonna learn the latest on their new app, what projects they’re working on in the UK. And what’s next for this accessibility app. I’m going to turn it over to A’PHs Head of Global Innovation, Greg Stilson he’ll moderate this podcast.

Greg Stilson: 0:40

Thanks so much, Sara. I am Greg Stilson head of APH’s Global Technology Innovation Department. And with me today, it’s two good friends , uh , in the field. Uh , Jose Gaztambide, the, GoodMaps CEO and GoodMaps Chief Evangelist, Mike May . Hey , hi. Both of you, I’m looking forward to , uh , to talking about a lot of really exciting things that you all are working on.

Jose Gaztambide: 1:04

Thank you, Greg. Great .

Mike May: 1:05

Thanks for the opportunity to be here.

Greg Stilson: 1:07

All right . Well, I am super excited to talk with you guys today. Um, you know, GoodMaps is it it’s been around for a little while. Jose, when did you guys, when were you first founded?

Jose Gaztambide: 1:18

Uh , 2019 .

Greg Stilson: 1:19

Okay. All right . So it’s been about three years. And how , how is, you know, there’s outdoor navigation that blind people are very used to, we we’ve had this for, you know, better part of 20 years now, but how, how is GoodMaps different? I know it , it , it works with indoor navigation, but what’s the technology behind it?

Jose Gaztambide: 1:36

Like, Yeah, thanks, Greg. I , I , I would say good maps is different in a number of ways, and I think you , you nailed it to us now. We’re, we’re really hyper focused on indoor navigation , uh, to your point , uh, outdoor navigation. And I think fairly good outdoor navigation has been around for a couple of decades, but indoor continues to be this massive opportunity and this massive need , uh, that the industry has been taking a lot of swings at and just really , really not managed to , to get right. Uh , and there’s a number of reasons for that. And , um , that , that was really our focus from the get go because it was what we heard most from, from people and from the industry and from our partners , uh , that we haven’t unlocked indoor mapping and indoor navigation. And so what really makes us unique is we’ve combined , uh , and developed a number of technologies that effectively helped us get around the traditional problems that have existed in, in indoor navigation. Um , the, the first one is really about maps, the availability of maps. Uh, there are generally speaking, no indoor maps. And so we’ve developed a new mapping platform and a new process that uses LIDAR , uh , a technology that’s been around for a handful of decades, but has grown in important because of its role in autonomous vehicles , uh , and use that to compress the time that it takes to create an indoor map , uh , which was , uh , a major pain point for the industry. The other thing that we’ve done is, is figured out how to position people when they’re indoors , uh, and how to do that , uh, in a way that A.. Requires no physical infrastructure. So, so no beacons, nothing that people have to put on, on walls and maintain. Uh, and B… That’s much more accurate , uh, than , uh , than a Bluetooth beacon and a lot of the other kind of traditional approaches. So what that means is that for the end user, the experience of navigating indoor is, is , is one that you can fundamentally trust , uh, because that accuracy is as good as it is. Uh, and number two, it means that for the venue, which is fundamentally , uh, the person who’s paying the costs to, to have this installed, it’s a much better user experience. Uh, and that’s because they don’t have to pay for that hardware. They don’t have to maintain that hardware. Uh , and so we think we’ve, we’ve hit about upon a , a , a business plan and a product that kinda meets a lot of the needs that we’ve been hearing from the industry for many years now.

Greg Stilson: 3:47

Great . And, and correct me if I’m wrong with this, does use the users . It uses a number of the sensors that are in the smartphone. Um , but one of the biggest changes or , or differences is that , uh , a user does utilize their now , is that correct ?

Jose Gaztambide: 4:01

Yeah, that’s exactly right, Greg. Uh , the way that we are able to, to get around the infrastructure requirement is by basically using the user’s camera to identify , uh, where they are within that, within that space. Uh, I think importantly, there’s no personally identifiable information that, that, that data doesn’t go anywhere. Nobody views it. It’s just a way for your phone to be able to tell you you where you are .

Greg Stilson: 4:21

Gotcha. And I know, you know, Mike, you and I have, have spent a lot of time working on the, the , the app itself and things like that. And you guys are working on an update, is that correct?

Mike May: 4:31

Well, always , um, the it’s , as soon as you release something, you’re always pushing features to the next update. Well, let’s save that for later. So yeah, we’re, we’re working on updates. The , the first product came out , uh , about a year and a half ago. And , uh , we’ve been coming out with new versions ever since, mostly focusing on the improvements indoors. And we acquired as you know, from IRA good maps outdoors, so that we a more mature outdoors product to help our users to deal with the outdoor environment while we focused our resources on indoor challenges, both positioning and mapping. And it’s, it’s probably , um , we , we shouldn’t , uh , of not say the fact, this is a huge nut to crack. I’ve been involved in indoor navigation projects since the mid nineties, people have been trying to do this, and it has not gone mainstream. And it started out as , uh, an infrastructure free approach with you wearing a device. And then it went to infrastructure, things like beacons, and now it’s finally come full circle and realizing the , the , the viable way to make this happen commercially is to have , uh , no infrastructure installed. So it’s cheaper for the venues. And , um , that’s been, you know , 25 years in the making, and we’re really thrilled to be on the , the cusp of seeing that be successful commercially.

Greg Stilson: 6:04

And, you know , you talked about the outdoor navigation experience that you guys , um , acquired from from IRA. And can you talk a little bit about what, what that is and how that kind of fits into the good maps ecosystem?

Mike May: 6:17

Sure. There are a number of outdoor navigation products, everything from the Google and Apple mainstream products to the accessibility products and those mainstream products obviously focus on the sighted user and not providing two verbose of an experience. They provide turn by turn. They give visual indications of where you are and what’s around you. And so the accessible apps fill in the blanks or fill in the information. That’s what is in between. And I need confirmation that I turn and where is my next turn and how far away is it? So that verbosity is, is really what separates the accessibility apps from the others and the , what we call “GoodMaps Outdoors,” which used to be seen on IGPS is a mature app with lots of user input over the course of eight, nine years. So that a lot of the features that users want outdoors have been implemented, and that’s not something we could do right out of the blocks at GoodMaps. And so we’ve kind of taken advantage of the best of both worlds by bringing in that app to cover those velocity needs of blind people. And then we wanna see that work together with a seamless navigation from an outdoor place, to an indoor place. And that’s why we have the two map , the two apps, the two apps, GoodMaps Outdoors, and GoodMaps Explore, which focuses on the indoor experience.

Greg Stilson: 7:51

Got it. And , and you’ve, you’ve been getting feedback on both, both experiences, both apps , um, you know, have you , can you pinpoint any feedback on, on either of those experience, the Outdoor or the Indoor that may prompt you to make some changes , uh , in, in either experience?

Mike May: 8:08

Yeah. Well, users are, are both amazingly appreciative and amazingly demanding. Uh , that’s been the case since I started doing this stuff in the late nineties. Uh , so it’s, it’s an ongoing process and that’s why the updates keep happening because we filter out what are the priorities, what can we accomplish? What can we add? And in terms of outdoor navigation, I think it’s, it’s always a matter of filtering in filtering information. Every situation is not the same. Sometimes a user is destination oriented and sometimes they just wanna wander around or know what’s in their environment. And so there’s a sweet spot in figuring out what is the right for Bo city level for the right situation. And the more you can do that automatically the better or you provide options, same thing indoors. We have to help make the process indoors simpler. So in an ideal world, the computer would read your mind and , uh , would get you to your destination without having to interface with the phone a lot. Uh , part of that of course, would be evolving towards a speech control, a voice input kind of system, so we can have indoors, but we have outdoors, which is give me walking directions to such and such a location. That would be great. We’re not there yet, but it’s very high on our priority list to simplify the indoor navigation experience.

Greg Stilson: 9:34

Gotcha. You know , you , you reference this hybrid approach where you’re, you’re going outdoors to indoors, to outdoors. There’s a , there’s a lot of locations I’m thinking of college campuses and outdoor malls and things like that, that, that have this hybrid experience that, that exists. And right now , um, you know, GoodMaps is built for, for single building environments. Are you guys looking at addressing this, or how are you looking to, to tackle those challenges?

Mike May: 10:02

Well, the operative word is “campus,” and that’s what we’ve deemed this feature that we’re adding , uh , any minute now. Uh, and I’m sure it will evolve and , and get more extensive. But the idea of course, is you wanna navigate from , um , indoors in some facility, you finish a meeting or you , you finish a class and you think of the student experience, then they have to hustle over. They’ve got 10 minutes to get to their next class. They’ve got go outdoors and then indoors to another location. And so we wanna make that journey as simple as possible. And that means see mean and stitching together those buildings with an indoor outdoor experience.

Greg Stilson: 10:42

And do you envision the user kind of flipping from the GoodMaps Outdoor Experience, to the GoodMaps Indoor Experience? Or are you, you know, is your dream, what , what’s your dream app look like? Is it one app that does both?

Mike May: 10:55

Well, right now you have to navigate to a building using the outdoor capabilities. And then you’re asked to “you’re, you’re at an indoor building. Do you want to enter?” And you click? Yes. Because maybe you’re just walking by it. So that’s the first interaction you have to have. If I set my classroom is my destination that I want the system to be smart and figure out , uh , don’t ask me if I want to go into the building cuz now I’m at it. So we’ll, we’ll, we’ll simplify things by compressing. What not might now be, let’s say a five step process . We want to reduce that into a one step process.

Greg Stilson: 11:33

Gotcha. Okay . And you know, you , you , you mentioned good maps, outdoors and , and good maps explore. Do you guys have any other apps under development or are those your primary , uh , focuses right now?

Mike May: 11:47

We do. Of course. We’ve got to address. “How does the venue owner manage and control the maps?” Um , maybe Jose can comment more on, on that , uh , part of the equation.

Jose Gaztambide: 11:59

Yeah, Greg, we, we do have some things , uh, in the works that we will be releasing , uh, at some point here in , in 2022 that we’re pretty excited about. Uh, I won’t go into many details, but I will just say that it is all in the spirit of , uh , universal navigation and the idea that anybody should be able to navigate their space independently. Uh , and on improving the experience for anybody , uh , walking into a space that , that we have mapped and , uh , and that we support. So we’re, we’re really excited about the , the things to come.

Mike May: 12:28

And I think generically, we know in navigating, there’s not one app that does everything. So you might have a , a bus timetable app going , uh, if , if you went into a store, you’d , you’d be pulling up products. And so in an ideal world, my dream is to see some integration and at least some simplification between those apps. And that’s part of the, we realize it’s not just about getting to the building. It’s about the journey in between the buildings. And then once you get inside being able to experience what’s in that building fully, and that’s going to require collaboration, which we’ve talked about a lot in , uh , the rest of this podcast.

Greg Stilson: 13:13

Absolutely. Oh, and you , you , you talked about, you know, your dream, Mike. Jose, what’s your , what’s your final, not final, but what’s your , what’s your long term vision or dream for what, what GoodMaps becomes? Um, whether it depends on a partner or several partnerships or, you know, where where’s your head at with this?

Jose Gaztambide: 13:31

Yeah, that’s a , that’s a great question, Greg. You, you know, to , to answer that question, I think we got to go back to the prompt that we asked ourselves almost three years ago , uh, in the series of problems that we identify that , that led us down the path that we’re at right now , uh, and fundamentally those problems , uh, focused around the idea that there are no digital maps, that there is no good trustable infrastructure, free positioning approach. And that the value proposition for IndoorMaps was too limited for most customers to say yes to going through that process. So when I think of the GoodMaps of the future, I imagine a platform that has mapped an absolutely enormous percentage of the areas that any individual could go into on any given day , uh , in that that individual , uh , would feel comfortable navigating , uh , that , uh , that , that designated building. But I think more importantly, that individual should have a choice in the way that they engage with that mapping data in , in the way they navigate through that space. And so one of the things that we hope for, for, for good maps is that it becomes a , a tool in a data repository that any accessible navigation company can tap into for their users, because we fundamentally believe that users deserve a choice and they shouldn’t have to relearn , uh , their navigation system , um , uh , based on, on who has access to the mapping data and who doesn’t. I think the , the third piece that I would add onto that is we imagine good maps really incorporating a whole lot of other use cases. In addition to just , uh , navigation. Uh, we hear from a , a number of people, all at things like asset tracking , uh , is important in a hospital setting , uh , or crowd tracking is important in an airport setting or being able to deliver the mapping information to a first responder on their way to the scene of a fire is really important for first responders and emergency responders. Uh, and so, you know, our , our , our vision is, is broad . Uh, our vision is , uh , there I say audacious , uh, but the need is enormous. Uh, and the feedback from the market has been , uh , delightful. Um, and so it’ll, it’ll take us years to build that company, but that’s, that’s what we’re building.

Greg Stilson: 15:45

A big dream, but you guys got a ton of work ahead of you. And I think, you know, it’s an awesome dream as, as a blind person myself. And I think as , as somebody who maybe isn’t blind and just wants a really, really darn good in indoor navigation , um , or, or as you mentioned, if you’re a , a venue, if you’re a , a hospital or something like that, you wanna track your stuff efficiently. That’s, that’s a really, really awesome vision for the company. Anything else? I left out, um , any , any other initiatives you wanna , uh, have our listeners know about?

Jose Gaztambide: 16:18

Greg I just wanna add on to the point that, that you just made , um, obviously our, our heart and our soul and our origin story lies with, with blindness. Um, and , and that will never cease to be the case, but there’s a need for every, I mean , … I’m a fully sighted person and I get lost all the time. I get lost in my kitchen, Greg. Um, and , uh, there’s, there’s no limit , uh, to the number of places that I, that I wish were mapped and that I wish I could get around, and that I wish there was information for that currently isn’t at my, my fingertips. And I think solving that problem for everybody is really big part of achieving scale , uh, and of making sure that the value proposition that we bring is robust enough , uh, that, that anybody , uh, would, would say yes to this because every person that enters that building is impacted by the, by the technology. And that’s, that’s really important.

Greg Stilson: 17:09

So in between the hospitals, airports, big venues will to Jose’s kitchen to make sure that that gets mapped in . So

Jose Gaztambide: 17:17

That , that would be great. (Laughing) That would be great. That’s probably low on the, on the roadmap.

Greg Stilson: 17:23

Well, thank you both for, for joining. This is , uh , a really awesome kind of insight into , to what you guys are looking at and, and what I think our , our listeners and, and potential users can expect from GoodMaps in the future. I think Jose, or , uh , I’m sorry, Mike, you, you hit it right on the head that this is one of those things that you, you do have to try to, to, to , to really get what the independence value is , uh , for those of us who are blind or visually impaired. Um, so if you do have an opportunity , uh , at a venue near you , um , you know, try to get there and use it, it’s, it’s an unbelievable experience. It gives you sort of this, this newfound sense of independence that maybe you had in an outdoor navigation situation, but you’ve never experienced indoors. So thank you both for, for joining, we’ll look forward to , uh , to hearing about some exciting updates in the , the coming months. And , uh, we’ll , uh , we’ll chat with you soon.

Mike May: 18:18

Yeah, Greg, thanks very much. And I encourage people to go online and download GoodMaps Explore, and , uh , thanks to APH for having the vision to spin off this division, which , which became GoodMaps to , to do all of this work. And it makes me think that there’s so much more than printing in , uh , the , your now in your third century. And I think of it’s more like “American Print Alternatives for the Blind.” So great to have that breadth and , uh , innovation, which you’re in charge of as part of the, the , uh, the , the collaboration between our organizations.

Greg Stilson: 18:57

Absolutely. Yep . I’m , I’m looking forward to more collaboration with you all. Um, and, and you, you kind of hit on where you can download , um, the existing apps. If, if folks are interested in getting in touch with you , um, to, to at local venues mapped or to potentially , uh , start a partnership conversation , uh, what , how do they get in touch with you?

Jose Gaztambide: 19:17

Yeah, they can email us at info, GoodMaps.com. Uh , there’s a lot of information on GoodMaps.com, including a list of venues that we currently support. Uh, and so if any listener has a curiosity , uh, uh , of where good maps is closest to them going on the website, we we’ll give you the latest up to date news.

Greg Stilson: 19:36

Sounds great. Thanks again for joining.

Jose Gaztambide: 19:39

Thank you, Greg .

Mike May: 19:39

Thanks. Thank you.

Greg Stilson: 19:43

All right . So obviously a lot of really exciting stuff to talk about here and , and really we focus so far on good, the GoodMaps experience as a whole , um, and kind of where it’s come from, where it’s going. Um, joining us now is Neil Barnfarther, Vice President of GoodMaps, Europe, to talk to us a lot about what is happening globally , uh , with good maps. Hello, Neil . And thanks for joining us here on Change Makers.

Neil Barnfarther: 20:08

Thanks. So so much, Greg, for the welcome me to this , uh , podcast.

Greg Stilson: 20:12

Well, Neil , I am super excited to talk to you, Neil . It’s been, you know, we , we talked about feels like it’s been two and a half years since we talked to each other. That’s pretty much what it’s been , uh , unfortunately thanks to COVID, but , uh, it’s awesome to , uh, to, to hear your voice again. And I know there’s a lot of really exciting things happening with good maps in, in Europe and other locations. Um, can you kind of talk to me a little bit about what market segments you’re seeing growth in, in , in Europe and, and surrounding areas?

Neil Barnfarther: 20:40

Yeah, sure. Um, it , it is , you’re absolutely right. Um, super exciting really , uh , to see the way that the product and the technology is being embraced. Uh, in the way it has been. Um, I , I look back upon the sort of commencement of , uh , that the role , uh , in the region and it GoodMaps being that sort of , um , accessibility product and seen as very much something to help , uh , explicitly and expressly, our community, getting around in environments, which traditionally you’d have considered , um, you know, difficult, challenging, and, and frankly almost hostile to us , Uh , without, you know, good and extensive , uh , O&M training in those environments. And the technology just has so much capacity to come in and absolutely evolutionize how we access environments. Um, and what what’s been really exciting over the journey of sort of the last 18 months or so is to see how organizations who , um, may not have been at original target have sort of ran with the technology predominantly , uh , as they’ve seen that growth in the accessibility context. Um , but predominantly they’re looking at it from a universal access from an inclusivity tool. They’ve got their, their sighted folks walking around in their buildings using it. They’ve got , uh , wheelchair users utilizing step free access. It’s assisting people , uh, who are experiencing neuro-diverse challenges and barriers to environments. And that , that has been tremendously , um, warming and gratifying to sort of just see the way organizations are, are being creative and responsible employers and, and hosts to their, to their customers. So specifically the areas that we have seen the most growth in that, you know, you would really sort of say, “wow, that that is super exciting,” is , is things like transport. So we’ve seen , um, not just one station and two stations and sort of drip, drip, we’ve had an entire line. So, you know, literally start terminals to end terminals and all stations in between , um, mapping and the commitment from those sorts of transport partners coming in and saying, you know, this matters to us, this is important. And we want this as part of our customer journey. We’ve equally seen , um, really strong , uh , connections with , uh , grocery retail , um, with, with organizations looking to map literally supermarkets. And the , the way that, that empowers the user to access those environments, is really game changing, not just for our community, but for, for many people. So, yeah. Um, those are certainly some of the real surprising areas. Corporates, obviously we’re getting, we’re getting quite a bit of , uh , traction in individual corporate environments , uh , with people wanting to help get staff around to meeting rooms , uh , helping guests in those spaces, helping people find the nearest bathroom , um, and, and that sort of side of things. So it’s , um, it’s really great to see the way people are sort of seeing us as it’s navigation at one level, but it’s also , um, so very much more and almost, you know, the , the limit is your creativity and your imagination.

Greg Stilson: 23:56

And are you able to, to talk about any specific locations that have been mapped or places that, you know, if somebody wanted to go check out GoodMaps , um, where, where if they had a location near them?

Neil Barnfarther: 24:07

Sure.

Greg Stilson: 24:07

Where, where could they find this?

Neil Barnfarther: 24:09

Yeah , absolutely. So the, the obvious , um , locations that I would talk about are the, the line , um , the first group transparent express , uh , railway line that runs , uh , starting , uh , in Manchester at Manchester airport station rolls right across through the middle of the country , uh , through Huddersfield and then ends up in hu uh , at the Northeast of the country. So that that’s great experience. Um, we also have a row station , um, near where I live , um, just North of West of London that’s available. And if you wanna go try out the grocery retail experience, for example, that’s available at the moment in , um, an Asda supermarket, which is one of the big national chains over here. And that’s available in that store is, is located in a town called Stevenage , uh , which is just Northwest of London again. Uh , but they are looking to roll out to additional stores, following huge interest , um, from both our community, but indeed the wider societal interest. They’ve had a really good, really positive , um , feedback from, from, you know, literally their entire consumer base within the store. So , um, those, those are the two sort of obvious places to, to give our product a , a road test .

Greg Stilson: 25:20

Awesome. And, you know, as, as a blind person yourself, and, and I know that that I’ve used GoodMaps. Can you, can you walk somebody through sort of the experience they would expect in, in say a , a , a rail station or something like that? Um , just, you know, the , the 30,000 foot view of how you would use good maps? What , what , what autonomy does it give you when you’re using it in these these locations?

Neil Barnfarther: 25:44

Sure, absolutely. And, and that’s the exact word I would use because we’ve, we’ve lived with this notion that we’ve assisted travel, you know, blind people and the disabled community can have independence. And the reality of that is if you are reliant on that assistance, what what’s happening is you’re basically being, you know, picked up, put down, picked up, put down, guided from one point to another, Hey, wait, here. Then someone comes back and that is not independence, but what’s fascinating is GoodMaps is far more than independence. It, it, it literally brings autonomy. It it’s your decisions on your terms. And the experience is very much as follows. You’ll arrive at a , a mapped venue. Um, upon arriving you launch the app, the app will indicate that you’re in a , a venue that’s supported and invite you to enter , uh , with a tap of the button. So you’ll say, “yes, I wanna enter this venue.” And then from there you have a variety of options. You can explore the venue , uh , via a, a sort of , um , look around mode, which, which is anyone who’s used navigation tools for , um, our community and the outdoors environment with GPS. We very familiar with that sort of process. Being able to turn around and understand what is around you. The, the next sort of , um, level of usability is the, the functionality of searching a venue , uh , by, by level. So :what’s on the ground floor?” “What’s on the first?” et cetera . Um, and, and look at specific types of , um, information. If so, if it’s a wide Concourse, for example, we can add additional environmental information. So if we can describe the shape of the venue , uh , the , that area, we might say “the ticket areas off to the right.” “There’s a , waiting area or seats on the left,” et cetera . And then I suppose the core functionality at the moment is the navigational experience. So from the search box or from the , uh , directory of, of points of interest within the venue, you’d select an item and you would be provided directions and a route to that destination and this a few sort of , um, uh , options in that from step free access, et cetera . But in essence, once you trigger that experience, you say, I want directions , uh , you’ll lift your phone into the upright position, allowing the camera to look forward ahead of you. You’ll be directed , uh , with a rotate command if you’re not facing in the right direction to start walking. And once you’re facing a correct way, you’ll hear an auditory cue and you’ll be given , uh , verbal prompts , uh , via both voiceover or , um, the inbuilt , uh , text-to-speech engine. And in essence, it is very much akin to what you experience in the outside world, you know, “walk forward 50 feet, turn left , uh , turn right,” et cetera , you know , uh , enter into the elevator, down the escalator, et cetera . And , um, you’ll be taken point to point from where you are to , um, roughly speaking sort of the , sort of very, very close to the anticipated destination. So , um, you know, we are , we are , we are seeing users arrive , uh , close to that sort of three, four, five foot points of, of that destination requirement, which is just absolutely amazing. In a train station environment, when you sort of consider, we couldn’t have got anywhere near that. If I put you in a train station that you had no familiarity with before, and I said, Hey, get yourself to platform two. And on platform two midway down, there’s a bench, want you to go find that bench and sit on that bench. Most people in our community would’ve gawked at that and been highly anxious about that. Let alone would’ve necessarily successfully done it. Were they totally blind? And we can now deliver upon that.

Greg Stilson: 29:22

Yeah, it’s a , it’s a remarkable experience as somebody who’s used it in , in our , in our own APH building. I remember when I was new APH, the building APH is, is in , is a very, very large expansive building and somebody who had not explored that building very much , um , just to be able to, and , and I think that that’s really akin to the success that GoodMaps has seen in our communities. You’re not trying to reinvent the wheel. You’re using familiar terminology as we’ve used an outdoor navigation for a long time, which is things “like points of interest,” right? You’re looking for in indoor points of interest that you can now navigate to. Um, there’s a lot of them indoors , um, because there’s a of places that you can go, but , um , essentially you’re right. It’s, it’s this whole, you know, set this as a destination and go, I think the biggest difference is what you, you mentioned with regard to the orientation of your phone , um, is putting your phone in an upright position because , um, there’s, you know, and Jose is alluded to this before it’s using, you know, the camera to, to track where you are. One thing I do want to clarify , um, is that this does not do obstacle detection. You’re still expected to use your, your travel tool of choice, your cane or your guide dog to navigate around obstacles. But this is looking for is just getting you from point A to point B uh , in the correct direction. Is that, is that a good way to summarize that Neil ?

Neil Barnfarther: 30:42

Yeah, absolutely. I think , um, there are two things, so firstly, just touch on your last point there . Absolutely. So the, the expectation is that you have your O&M skills, you know what you’re doing with your cane, you with your guide dog and, and you’re , you’re , you’re walking. And when you were told to “go forwards 50 feet,” “a hundred feet,” whatever it is, there is an expectation you don’t literally walk forward, irrespective, you know, that , that route, it , it may have a minor curve to it. And, and, you know, you’ve , you’ve got to obviously utilize that skill in that space, but predominantly yes, that, that’s absolutely right. You know, it’s, you know, if , if there’s, if there’s say a , a trash can or something, you know, along that corridor, you know, and we are telling you to go forward and you are skimming the wall, your cane is gonna , or your dog is gonna find that trash can, and we’re not gonna say, “hey, half step to the left walk forward, free , you know, free foot , then half step to the right to go round that trash can.” But the, the other thing I just wanted to touch upon as well, interestingly, concerning the APH building. So I’ve never been in there before, but one of the amazing things is the ability to virtually tour locations. So, you know, load up the app, select one of our venues and explore a , you know, a building from the comfort of your own home that is incredibly empowering. Um, you know, to us, particularly our community, being able to explore those environments and understand, okay, right, this , this many levels, the office is here, it’s near these restrooms it’s oh, okay, cool. It’s near this, this conference. You can call this. Or, you know, and if you start beginning to build that mental map in your mind of a venue before you’re even there, it takes a huge weight off of you when you actually do arrive. So that virtual functionality is incredibly beneficial.

Greg Stilson: 32:25

No , I love it. Especially as spatially challenge , as I know that I can be at times, at least having that mental map of the elevators. When I come down from the elevators, I know that the meeting rooms are gonna be over in this general direction. It just gives you you’re right. That sense of relief a little bit, when you get off those elevators that you at least know that you’re turning in the right direction.

Neil Barnfarther: 32:45

Exactly. And I think Michael probably talk about it a little bit more , um, specifically obviously with, with his extensive experience in this space. But I think the , the , the traveling with that confidence, that real assuredness is the , the big difference between, you know, you arrive in a shopping mall and you know, someone, “hey, you’re right. And I’m oh yeah, yeah. I’m , I’m gonna Starbucks. Okay. It’s down there on the right. Okay , great. That’s that’s fantastic. How far is down there?” You know, and , uh , and having this awareness of its like 300 feet down on the right, we can pace that out. We have a rough idea what that is. So having that virtual concept before you get there is so unbelievably empowering and then, you know, actually getting there and , and walking along, you , you know, it doesn’t matter if that place then is, is packed or, or empty if there’s a lot of audio interruption, but cause it’s busy or, or , you know, maintenance work going on, which may be distracting, et cetera . You know, that is, that is so, so beneficial.

Greg Stilson: 33:48

Very cool. Um, with regards to GoodMaps Europe, is there anything coming in the pipeline that you wanna talk about or any, any , um , any, any other initiatives that we didn’t cover?

Neil Barnfarther: 33:59

Sure. Um , well I think the biggest thing is , um, we , we are commencing the expansion , uh , into the European area, specifically mainland Europe. And , um, that, that is just really exciting to see that as we’re beginning to actually have , uh, physical locations, that , um, brands that are very well recognized in transport, in , um, corporate and in academia and indeed in retail are becoming exposed to the products we, we are , I mean, I’m getting calls literally from people and they’re saying, Hey, you know, we’d like to discuss it. What does it look like? Let’s talk it through. And when I’m proffering to them , you know, can I tell you where your nearest location is ? So you can go and try it. Uh , invariably, now I’m beginning to hear, that’s why we’re speaking to you. We’ve already tried it in that location. And so they’ve, they’ve sampled it and now they want it. That ., That is great. And specifically in the U.K., Obviously that the big thing is that , uh , the retail organizations are really beginning to ramp up and say, “okay, we’ve done the pilots. Now let’s talk about, you know, wholesale, you know, our entire estates.” So we’re beginning to talk about, you know, “what does that look like?” You know, and, and “what does that mean for our community” and, and the wider demographic to mean that people can actually go into these places and access them autonomously, you know? And, and that is my , when you sort of think it is 2022 , and finally that equality, that inclusion message is actually becoming a reality. Uh , I , I , I can’t convey how, how powerful that is. Um , but , but specifically transport and, and retail are the standout areas from a public perspective. Um, and it , it , it’s super pleasing to see corporates responding in this way as well. You know, having an , a corporation say, this actually matters. You know, this is all part of our, you know, we’ve, we’ve got our agenda, we’ve had our disability, our include agenda for these years , but how do we actually welcome people in, how do we help them in the interview phase? How do we do all that? How do we make people feel at ease? And, you know, people really taking that on board that this matters, and it should be something that’s done that that’s really good.

Greg Stilson: 36:12

I love it. I love it. Um, I’ll spin this over to Mike or Jose. You, you know, GoodMaps is, is now becoming a global company. Um, and you guys are seeing success , uh, around the world, right. Can you just talk about a few of the, the , the global organizations, companies, places that you’ve mapped, that, that people would know of , um, that, that, that, you know, they , they could try this out or things like that, you know , uh , Neil talked about a few , uh , train stations and, and transport locations in the UK, any anything in the , the global perspective that you can mention?

Mike May: 36:48

Yeah, thanks Greg . Well , Neil summarized things quite well in terms of how the app works and the , the value, the benefits of it. And of course the big challenge for GoodMaps is scaling this. Uh , when you , when you think of the world being mapped outdoors, and 20 years ago there , the everything wasn’t mapped and points of interest had to be added and streets needed to be added. And so we’re kind of in that part of the curve, right at the beginning, in terms of indoor navigation, it’s a huge, but it’s also a huge challenge. One of our first international partners, or definitely our first was , uh , CNIB. And so that’s where we , we have a partner that’s helping to make this happen in Canada, starting out with one of the CNIB facilities. We have many discussions going on with other English speaking country is in Australia, in particular who, who have been , um , real advocates for all sorts of , uh , accessible navigation for a long time. And I’m sure something will happen there sooner than later, New Zealand. And then going beyond the English speaking countries to , uh , to many of the others. There’s some, some blindness agencies who’ve always been involved in accessible navigation , uh , in Israel, in Spain, Netherlands , uh , I mean, you name it. Uh, the world is reaching out to us and of course us back to them to work on the collaboration so that we can get demo sites into these different facilities. And as Neil says, once somebody has the opportunity to go check it out, then they have that aha moment. This is great because we know that , uh , the side of people, they , they obviously use GPS and navigation and it’s important. It becomes very essential in their lives, but there , they do have an alternative to look around and see print signs. So where you’re in , um , this situation where you don’t have print signs, and you can only depend on well-meaning cited people to ask questions of, if there happen to be somewhere around this kind of accessible information is huge as we’ve learned outdoors, and now we’re helping to people to realize how important it is, indoors everything from malls to airports, to hospitals, universities, et cetera .

Greg Stilson: 39:00

Yep . Absolutely. Anything that we didn’t cover , um , in sort of the global initiatives that you all have. It sounds like you have a bunch, it sounds like you have a lot of work ahead of you, but , um, any , anything that you’d like to be seeing happening here in the next , uh , 12 months or so related to, to your global initiative?

Jose Gaztambide: 39:18

Yeah. I’ll just come in here, Greg. Um, I , I think you’re going to see a really rapid expansion , uh, of venues that are supported by good maps on the, on the global scale. Uh, and , and really particularly , uh, in the , in Europe and in Canada , uh, there’s a lot demand both because of enabling legislation, but also because of the culture and the , those two geographies and the, and the emphasis that they put on accessibility , uh , and that’s gonna directly translate into more spaces that people can walk into and , and navigate independently. Uh, so we’re just, we’re just really excited about the feedback we’re getting , uh, in the kind of momentum that we’re seeing in those international markets.

Greg Stilson: 39:58

Awesome. Well, I am looking forward to seeing good maps in more places, worldwide. Um, being able to, you know, I think we all have this dream as, as blind people, to be able to board a plane in our home location, go travel internationally, exit a plane in our destination, and be able to navigate both airports completely independent. I mean , if , if I was going to boil a , a dream that I think almost every blind person shares down to that , um, you know, good maps has the potential to do that. So let’s cross our fingers that that dream can become a reality. So , um, I wanna thank all of you for, for joining us, Neil , thank you so much for joining us from the UK. Hopefully COVID allows me to come see you at some point this this year . Um , but , uh, thank you so much for joining us and, and keep up the great work.

Neil Barnfarther: 40:43

Thank you so much, Greg. I really appreciate having me.

Jose Gaztambide: 40:45

Thank you, Greg.

Greg Stilson: 40:47

So obviously the foundation of GoodMaps was built around accessibility. We we’ve heard a lot about that so far, joining us now to join me in a conversation really about accessibility as a whole, is the Consumer Technology Association Foundation’s Executive Director, Steve Ewell, and also in , in this conversation is Mike May , which he is a , CTA board member as well. Um, so thank you both for, for joining in this really , uh , exciting part of the conversation.

Steve Ewell: 41:16

Thanks for having us here. And it’s , uh , exciting to have this conversation and talk about some of the accessibility we saw at CES this year.

Mike May: 41:24

Yeah. Thank you.

Greg Stilson: 41:26

All right , Steve. So CES was a little different this year, but I’m sure that accessibility was still something that was talked about. Can you talk to us a little bit about what accessibility things came out of CES, any initiatives or, or things that came up this year?

Steve Ewell: 41:41

Yeah, absolutely. And , and yeah, as you , uh , said, it was certainly a little bit of a , a different year for us at , uh , CES, but , uh, we are excited to continue to have , uh , accessibility be a major topic for us , uh , at the show. And there’s a variety of different activities that we have throughout the, the year to , uh , be able to , uh , highlight accessibility and really bring that to the show. You know, one of the, the major projects that we do each year is we have our Eureka park accessibility contest , uh, and maps was actually one of our previous winners. Uh, they won , uh , back at the CES 2020. Um, but this year we had five new companies there , uh, representing a , a wide variety of different technologies , um, right in the, the very opening area of , uh , Eureka Park. So , uh , it’s a great way for us to highlight just a couple, the startups working in the , uh, accessibility space, it’s both accessibility and aging for that contest. Uh , we also do , uh , a program called our Accessibility Round Table. And this is actually one of the, the highlights for the show. For me, it’s an opportunity for us to bring together , uh , leaders from the disability community as, as leaders from , um , across the industry and talk about some of the big issues going on related to accessibility, but also, you know, talk about some of the technologies that we’re gonna see , um, at CES. So this year, you know, topics range from, you know, some of the hearing technologies now that we’re seeing , uh, over the counter hearing , uh, uh, rules , uh , starting to, to come out , um, looking at virtual work technologies and what are the, the technologies that can assist as we’ve all been , uh, working in the, the COVID pandemic , uh , world, and now shifting towards more of a , a hybrid world and , and what are the accessibility challenges and , and opportunities that come out of that. And then it’s just an opportunity for a number of different , uh , both companies. And , uh, as I said, the disability advocates to really share some of the, the opportunities and challenges and build those relationships. And that’s one of the key parts , uh, for me, is being able to bring people together, have those introductions and start to look at how can we all work together, little bit better , uh, to make sure that , uh, accessibility is built into some of the, the broader , uh , general consumer , uh , technologies and , uh, building those relationships that will ultimately make better products for, for all of us. Um, so in , in addition to that, there’s a variety of different, you know, panels and programs and use and things like that that happen throughout the show. Um, and you know, it’s always great to have people like, you know, Mike who’s , uh , one of our , uh , trustees , uh , at the show , uh , walking around the show for as well and finding all the, the great technologies , uh , that I may not , uh, always get to see everything. So , um, I don’t know if Mike wants to add , uh , some of the things that he saw as well.

Greg Stilson: 44:39

Yeah. Mike, why don’t you talk about some of the things you were texting me about or putting on Facebook cuz you found some cool stuff.

Mike May: 44:45

Yeah. Well it’s definitely a situation where you wanna divide and conquer and that’s why it’s been great. That CES has reached out and, and gotten different people from the accessibility community to come and look because with hundreds of thousands of, of people to meet with and companies to interact with, you just can’t possibly , uh , see everything all of the time. I really enjoy the fact that since good maps has a product, that’s both for accessibility and for the general market, we’re part of a mainstream event and seeing our , uh , our booth there, right, and mixed in with everybody from sleep number mattresses, to healthcare products, to , uh , tracking products , uh , we were there to, to meet with people and, and to develop relationships as far as products that I saw, there weren’t as many in terms of accessibility, but I’m hoping that that’s because more accessibility is being baked into products. A lot of , uh , companies have apps and they don’t necessarily know if those apps are accessible or not. And so one of the, the fun things myself and other blind people do is to say, well, let’s turn on voiceover and see how your, your app works. And then this makes them very nervous. But you actually find out that some of them work quite well from , uh , robotic products like , uh , the Labrador, which is a robotic cart that moved your stuff around , uh , there’s asset tracking companies , uh , which we really want to collaborate with, cuz it’s part of, once you have good maps in your building, you can track where your stuff is. Uh , so those are just a couple of the categories of things that we touched on. Uh, in terms of accessibility, there was a company that had an obstacle detection device with cameras and headphones and they deliver were that information to you. So you’d have a , a spatial understanding of your surroundings and what’s in front of you. Uh , that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Greg Stilson: 46:40

Oh, very cool. Yeah. I , uh, the , the , the accessibility round table is always sort of the , the highlight that I’ve been to as well. And it was such a bummer not to, to make it this year. I know , uh , I think our president Mader was, was there. Um, I was glad that he was able to be there. Steve, what other big initiatives does CTA have , uh , CTA Foundation have on the, on the pipeline related to accessibility?

Steve Ewell: 47:05

Yeah, absolutely. And , uh, and you know, our foundation is focused in on how technology can help both older adults and people with disabilities. So just about EV everything that we do has accessibility as really a , a core piece , um, whether we’re working with the aging population or people with disabilities at , at all ages. Um , so there’s a lot , uh , happening a lot going on. Um, and actually this year , uh , we’re getting ready to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the CTA foundation, which , uh, to me just seems like time has , uh , flown by , uh, as we’ve , uh , launched and, and built this foundation. Um , so we’re, we’re really looking at ways we can highlight , uh , a number of the programs, both the companies we’ve worked with, the nonprofits that we’ve supported , uh, including APH , uh , which has been , uh , an incredible partner , uh, with us , um, as we celebrate our 10th anniversary and look at how we’re gonna be able to, to build off that with a , a new strategic plan , uh , to make an even bigger impact in our, our coming next 10 years. Um , but on top of that, we continuing to , uh, look at our, our grants programs. You know, the CTA Foundation really , uh, tackles our , our mission through three key key pillars. Uh , one of which is looking at how we can do the convenings, things like that accessibility , uh , round table . And yes, we were thrilled to have , uh , Craig (Meador) representing , uh , APH there., Things like , uh , the , the , um , pitch contests and other activities where we really promote innovation as our , our , our second , uh , pillar of activity. And then the third is that funding and working with nonprofits across the country that are using technology to serve their communities. So a lot of great , uh , opportunities coming. Um , and can’t wait to , uh , be able to announce a few things , uh , here soon.

Greg Stilson: 48:53

Very cool, happy birthday CTA Foundation. So there you go. Um, you know, Mike, you kind of alluded to this, I , I don’t know if you guys have a sort of general consensus feel for , um , the way the accessibility field is going or a trend the accessibility field is going. Mike, you alluded to it by saying that there’s a lot of companies that are starting to bake accessibility right into their app experiences and things like that. I’m just wondering if, if one or both of you could, could kind of give me your opinion on, are you seeing a trend in the way that accessibility is being looked at today in the technology field?

Mike May: 49:30

I, I think we’re the trend in terms of attention and visibility in companies. So they have their diversity and inclusion officers and some have accessibility departments, and that’s all great. Are we getting better in terms of what the end user experiences I’d say? Yes, but we’ve got a lot other to go than we’ve come. Uh , because most of the accessibility that I find at these different companies, if it’s there, it’s accidental, it’s because they follow the right guidelines when they develop their app and their app works. And so it’s accessible. There’s also more and more technology that’s addressing issues that helps us all. And I think that that , and , uh , is, is definitely helpful. The fact that you’re having more automation, voice input is huge. Uh , that’s not really intended for blind people, although we probably championed it and started it long before anybody. Now it’s coming into ma a lot of products. And then when you have voice control of products, that also means then it’s easier for everybody to use. And when things are easier for everybody than blind people, fortunately benefit from that. I also wanna mention that a unique thing about CT, the CES is that CTA provides guides for the show days, and this is an amazing opportunity for people to see for themselves what’s out there and go at their own pace and have full accommodation. And I don’t know of any other large show or almost any show that provides that kind of accommodation. It’s amazing.

Greg Stilson: 51:06

In a event , you, as large as Vegas, it’s probably really valuable.

Mike May: 51:10

Oh, indispensable.

Steve Ewell: 51:12

And that’s something that we’ve , uh , you know, it’s really a priority for us. As we look at CES, we wanna make it a accessible show for our attendees regardless of , uh, disability. Um, and you know, that, that it’s a real priority for us, as Mike said, it’s not a accessibility focused show. Um, in , in the way, you know, some of the other, you know, the CSUN’s and other conference along those lines would be, excuse me, would be , uh , but essentially , uh , as a general consumer technology show, looking at the broader population, it’s important for us to make sure that accessibility is a key topic there, and it’s starting to get more companies to pay attention. We had things like, you know, Samsung had a , a big accessibility portion of their booth, where they were highlighting everything from , uh, ways that their televisions could adapt to various types of color blindness to , uh, screen readers and their refrigerator , uh, touch screens and , uh, sign language in some of their menus. So , um, you know, the fact that we’re getting large global brands like that , uh, they also highlighted accessibility as part of their , uh , keynote , uh , address as well. Uh, but it’s not just us, you know, the large global brands like that. It’s everyone from the, the small startups , the , the mid-size companies and more , uh, and this is really an opportunity for us to get in front of those , um, companies that aren’t, don’t have someone who’s a full-time accessibility , uh , expert on their staff and help them understand why it so important to address these issues. And , uh, and that is why it’s so important for us to have leaders from the disability community at the show, whether they’re representing , uh, some of the, the advocacy organizations or whether they’re, you know, members of the industry. And I think that’s , uh , where it’s really important for us to highlight, you know, it’s not just the advocacy organization, but there’s a lot of people , uh , within the industry that , uh , have disabilities. And they can really , uh , help as we look at designing the , the best products for , uh , people moving forward.

Greg Stilson: 53:20

I love it. That’s, that’s, that’s a great way to summarize it. And I mean, when you look at it 10 years ago, would we have ever seen televisions that when you turn them on, have, you know, text to speech that are for somebody who’s visually impaired, I think 10 years ago, the question of do blind people, we’ve watched TV is really something that people ask . So , um, I think we definitely are seeing progress and , um, it’s just very cool to, to have an organization like CTA Foundation helping to kind of further the further the mission there. So thanks for what you, what you guys are all doing. Um, anything else that we, we didn’t talk about, or any other initiatives that , that you wanna bring up before we, we let you go,

Steve Ewell: 53:59

I’ll jump in first and Mike have , may have some , uh , others, but , uh, you know, we’re constantly looking for, you know, partner is , uh , key stakeholders that we can work with , uh, both in the, the for-profit and nonprofit world, as we bring people together and really continue to , uh, educate , uh, people about the types of technologies that can help people of all ages and abilities. Uh , and that’s why, you know, I really , uh , appreciate APH , uh, covering this issue and the, the work that , uh, you all are doing , uh, to, to make , uh , technologies that , uh , really do some , uh , great work in this space. So , uh , we really appreciate , uh , APH as a partner. Um, you know, beyond that , uh, if people, you know, are interested in kind of seeing some of the other activities that we’ll have throughout the year , um, basically go to , uh , our website at ctafoundation .tech. It’s T ECH , or find us on, you know, the various social , uh , media channels , uh , Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn , uh , we’re now on Instagram. Uh , and we we’ll be keeping those up to date with , uh , other activities that we have throughout the year.

Mike May: 55:05

Yeah. And I’ll echo with , Steve’s said in terms of partners and collaboration, it’s really important. We , we can’t do this without them and they can’t do it without us. So I think it’s, it’s important for any company to know, small to large that there are resources out there, APH, GoodMaps, CTA Foundation, and many more to address more, more than just web accessibility. That tends to be the focus in terms of my life. And I think most blind people these days, it’s more about app accessibility, which needs a lot more attention and that can be done very easily through , uh , having beta testers and consultants to help advise when a product is, is good or not. And that’s a lot cheaper if you do it from the ground up rather than you try to retrofit after the fact.

Greg Stilson: 55:55

Absolutely. Well, thank you both for , uh, for, for joining us today. And we, we look forward to hearing about what what’s happening , uh, with CTA Foundation next year, hopefully , uh , after a really, really successful CES 2023.

Steve Ewell: 56:09

Great. Well thank you for having us and , uh, it’s great to have this conversation.

Mike May: 56:14

Thank you very much. I appreciate being part of the conversation and collaborating with Steve U and all the good work he’s doing at the CTA Foundation.

Greg Stilson: 56:23

I’m gonna hand it back over to Sara.

Sara Brown: 56:26

Thank you so much, Greg. And we’ll be sure to put any links or websites mentioned in the show notes. And thank you again so much for listening to this episode of Changemakers and as always be sure to look for ways you can be a changemaker this week.

Jack Fox: 0:00

Welcome to Changemakers a podcast from APH. We’re talking to people from around the world who are creating positive change in the lives of people who are blind or visually impaired. Here’s your host.

Sara Brown: 0:15

Hello, and welcome to Change Makers. I’m APH’s Public Relations Manager, Sara Brown . On this podcast, we’re celebrating Black History Month. We’re gonna talk to one woman with an amazing story, and that woman is Deena Lambert. She works for NASA headquarters as their Space Technology Mission Directorate as their DEIA Lead. DEIA stands for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Hello, Deena and welcome to Change Makers.

Denna Lambert: 0:47

Thank you. Thank you for having me.

Sara Brown: 0:49

First off, NASA. Wow! I’m sure you get that a lot. Can you tell us what you do there?

Denna Lambert: 0:58

STMD , uh, the Space Technology Mission. They decided that , um, they needed to, to some expertise and , um, someone to really dig in deep with their , uh , various programs and projects , um, to help them kind of move the, the needle or make some progress and ensure that our , um, our research opportunities, funding opportunities, grants , uh, prizes and competitions were open and barrier free to , um, as many researchers and innovators as possible. So , um, I was brought in , um, to, to lead that effort and it’s pretty exciting because , um, STMD is very much an outward facing function of NASA , uh, in that, you know, a lot of times people will think of NASA as , um, you know, astronauts and, and space shuttles and, and that sort of thing. But , um, we have a very huge commitment and investment to research, and that’s where it , um, people who are in who are students grad students can engage in the work, professors, academia , uh , small businesses can really , um, say, “Hey, we have a new technology that we would like to bring to NASA,” or “we would like to apply NASA technology in this commercial or academic space.” So , um, that’s, what’s really exciting is that it brings NASA’s , uh , work home. That that’s what I really , um, like about the work that, that I have kind of set out before me.

Sara Brown: 2:42

Okay. Now, switching gears, let’s go back to the beginning. Can you talk about your childhood, where you were born and your family?

Denna Lambert: 2:52

So I , uh , currently live in the Washington, D.C. Area, but like most , uh , D.C . or DMV residence , I , uh, made my way here through Arkansas. So I originally was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. Uh, I am a only child to , uh , my parents who are now in their late seventies. My mom is sighted, but my dad is blind. And so that’s where I was born, with congenital cataracts , um, and started out receiving , um , blindness related services , uh , even as a baby , um , because my dad and, and my mom were both advocates for me getting , um, a , a head start in my education.

Sara Brown: 3:39

So you say your parents advocated for you as a baby. Do you remember any of the ways, or the ways they told you how they advocated for you?

Denna Lambert: 3:50

Well , um, so I remember , um, my dad mentioned that , uh, his principal , uh , which, you know, this goes way back, his principal was , uh , Mr. Ewell, who was the , um, superintendent , uh , uh , for a period of time at the segregated School for the Blind in Arkansas, where he attended school, because back in the , um, the forties and fifties. Um , schools, even Schools for the Blind were segregated. But , um, so eventually , uh , his principal , um, Mr. Ewell became , uh , my piano teacher. Uh , but in that, in that , in between time, he kind of mentored my dad in , uh, making sure that I received early intervention services. So a , uh , Teacher of the Visually Impaired or TVI , uh, would, would come to my parents’ home. And I remember them bringing, you know, toys and , uh , sensory objects and things , um, to my house. I thought it was a bunch of play time , but there was actual learning and skill development , uh, early on. And then when my parents had to consider what , um, uh , school environment would be , uh , best suited for me, whether it was a School for the Blind or a public school system , um, they engaged , um , the TVI, and other early intervention specialists to make a decision that , um, I would, you know, engage with the school for the blind, for like summer programs and, and , um, you know, some, some other , um, outreach activities, but that they chose a school environment for me, going from kindergarten through , uh , graduation from high school.

Sara Brown: 5:49

Now, what was it like going through school with a visual impairment and as a person of color? Did you have any challenges?

Denna Lambert: 5:57

Well, I think for a while, I kind of struggled in, you know, what, what parts of myself , um, were kind of more prevalent, you know, so in that my, one of the things that , um , my , uh , TVI , um , Paula Brown, she was amazing. She, she followed me from , uh , the time that I was three years old through, you know, high school graduation. And she knew which schools had the best , um, you know, technology and, and, and, and teachers and, and that sort of thing. Um, one of the choices that we made or that my parents made early on is for me to go to an elementary school that was , um, primarily located in a very , um, uh, affluential , uh, neighborhood, which at , at the time basically meant it was a very white neighborhood. So at the time when I started kindergarten back in, you know, the , the late eighties , um, I was the only black student, you know, in , in , in my class and, and for a number of years , um, until there was more integration that happened and, and more students were being bused from certain neighborhoods to the, these other schools. So that’s where , you know, I , I know only had to kind of face, you know, well , what are, what are these, you know, feelings or differences that I see as a black person, but what are these things that I’m experiencing as a blind person? Because even in my only neighborhood , which was pre predominantly black, you know, I sometimes didn’t feel like I fit in either because I was then faced with, you know, the , the fact of being blind. So a lot of times that’s where , um , going to, to the school for the blind and getting chance to interact with other , um, students of color , um, who were blind, that’s where I felt like I was more like socially accepted. And then, you know, as I kind of grew older, you know, different parts of myself that I was starting to explore of being, you know, identifying as, as a black woman and taking pride in , you know, my, my, you know , natural hair. Um , and then how am I gonna take care of that natural hair? Or , um, am I gonna , um, utilize a , a , a white cane or a guide dog, you know, as you grow as an , as an adult, a young adult to an adult. You know, you , you kind of , you know start to figure out various layers of yourself, versus, you know, so like for me, it was being, you know, a black woman with natural hair and not being accepted more so in a professional environment , um, to “do I use a white cane or a guide dog?” And , and do I, you know, take on more of the identity of being , um, kind of visibly blind and , and using those non-visual techniques , um, versus trying to pass as sight . Um, and, and then entering into the technology space, which traditionally had been , um, white male. Learning how to , um, you know, to speak up and to , to also be confident in the skills and experiences that I do bring. Because it , it, sometimes it’s very easy when you are kind of the, the a first one or the only one in , in many spaces to kind of doubt your, your, you know, you know, ability to, to , uh , bring value. And, and so, you know, I know , um, for myself now, I’m , I’m kind of always having to be my own hype person. Um, as I’m taking , be on this new role of leading out a , a , a portfolio for space technology. That “hey, this is a new field. And, you know, yeah, my, my 20 years of experience at NASA, you know , is, is gonna help me do the best job that I can do,” and that I have just as much of a right to be there just as , as , as anyone else. So , um, yeah, it, it, I think the, the phrase that people , um, hear more of is intersectionality and, and that’s very much the case for me as a , uh , blind , uh , woman of color. Particularly in the , the space , um , space, field , or space industry.

Sara Brown: 10:42

And what was it like when you graduated? What was your job search? What was that like? What obstacles did you face?

Denna Lambert: 10:49

So , um, uh, oh my goodness. Um, so I graduated , uh , with a , um , actually I graduated a business degree and a , a minor in math. I originally started in , uh, college as an Electrical Engineering major. Um, and , and , and that’s a whole story of itself. That, you know, that I will say I , uh, faced more obstacles as a, as a blind student. Um , but when you place , um , being one of the very few minorities in the Electoral Engineering program , um, I, I think I, I often say that I let other people’s doubts as to of my ability become my own doubts. And that is one part of my life that I wish I had had, you know, been able to stay the course and, and complete my engineering degree, but thankfully I still ended up at NASA and, and involved in, you know, innovation and, and, and great things there. But , um, so when I graduated with this business degree and, and, you know , um, you know, doing the job search, I would wear the, you know, the, the big padded shoulders that would , you know, those were the, the big trends at the time was to, you know, have a , a blazer and very, you know, corporate like. I would go to, you know, interviews and I had my white cane, or I had my, my guide dog and, you know , um, you know , they, it , it , it was discouraging to , um, go into those interviews with, you know, a lot of hope , um, about, “hey, this, this, I could be landing my next job,” but then come back home and see a job description change to requiring a driver’s license. And , and, and that would be kind of an out, for many recruiters to , um, disqualify me from , um, you know, the , the , the job, because I , I couldn’t, you know, I didn’t have a driver’s license. Um , and I, I didn’t have either the willpower at the time or the skill to, to fight those , um, rejections, you know, I just kind of kept going. So that’s where I did receive , um, more of a positive outlook when I plugged into , um, a network called the, the Center for Opportunities and or Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities. And they had partnerships with private , uh, companies , uh, NASA was included who was actively and intentionally looking for , uh , people with disabilities. Not in, let’s say the, you know , customer service , um, oriented positions with HR that is a career feeling of itself, but sometimes people can feel very boxed in, into those kind of positions. But they were looking for engineers, they were looking for it specialists. They were looking for procurement specialists. So when I was at their conference, I met a representative from NASA who asked, would I be willing to move from Arkansas? And, you know, I was like, “yes. I was like, yes, I will .” Cause at that point I had gotten to a, a state of, you know, pessimism, maybe that I was ready to leave the, a job search and go back to school for a grad school degree. It really didn’t matter what degree I was getting. I just wanted to be doing something other than, you know, beating the streets every week and getting rejection letters. So , um, so I , I , at that point, yeah, Arkansas was ready to go just about anywhere. If they had said Antarctica, I probably would’ve said no, but you know, D.C. Was, was just fine. So , um, I interviewed , um, thankfully , um , by having NASA being committed to diversity and, and, and accessibility , um, they, they did have the support systems in place. Uh, traditionally the Federal Government has been a very welcoming space , uh, to people with disabilities. There’s certainly a lot of work left to be done, but , um, it, it , it certainly was a step up from what I was experiencing with, with other companies at that time. And I think those same companies , um, uh , like Walmart, like Enterprise, like a couple other places that were recruiting in Arkansas, they are, you know, moving forward with their , um , various Diversity and Inclusion efforts. But , um, so I, I interviewed applied and applied, interviewed and was selected as a Contract Specialist in , uh, 2004. And , uh, that’s when I began my career with Federal Government.

Sara Brown: 16:13

So now you’re at NASA. Can you talk a little bit more about your job duties there?

Denna Lambert: 16:17

Sure. U m, so I am the, u h, Lead for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility for Space Technology, u m, which, you know, it’s pretty awesome. I t, all of the, u m, ideas and innovations and technology that goes into, u h, s ending up satellites, s ending up instruments, sending up, you know, astronauts, u m, all of that culminates into t he, these larger missions that we h ear a bout like J ames Webb Telescope or, u m, the international Space Station. U m, there are hundreds and even thousands of technologies that are, you know, kind of serve that pipeline. So what my role now is, is to make sure that we are opening, u m, that pipeline t o a ny, u m, researchers and, u m, innovators and entrepreneurs who would like to, u h, play a part in that. U m, but NASA is a large agency. We, we deal with aeronautics, we deal with, u m, human exploration. We deal with science missions. Um, so there were, there a re a lot of s kill s ets that are needed to, u m, accomplish o ur, o ur, o ur goals. U m, so I started out as a Contract Specialist, u m, which basically is someone who, u h, establishes agreements or contracts with, u h, private industry, u m, based on t he, t he, the needs that we have, and that can range from, u m, to trash and removal services, janitorial services to actually building flight hardware. U m, so, u m, that, u h, that was my starting point and being able to grow and develop into a Project Manager, u m, a t a , you know, couple years back and get the, you know, retooling and retraining, u m, to take on that role where I was leading a team to, u m, renovate one of our, o ur research buildings. And I had to work with architects and interior designers and scientists and, and it folks. U m, and then, u h, now I ‘m, I’m leading this team, u h, i n, i n Space Technology, which is, is pretty awesome

Sara Brown: 18:52

Right now. I feel like companies are starting to acknowledge their discrimination against minorities, you know, whiskey brand, Jack Daniels. They had Nathan “Nearest” Green. He was a former slave who taught young Jack Daniel, how to make whiskey. NASA was in a similar situation years ago with a particular movie that originated from a book, “Hidden Figures.” What are your thoughts about that?

Denna Lambert: 19:18

You know, a couple years ago, I think it was maybe five years ago, the , um, hidden figures , um, book and ultimately movie was shown , um, NASA had to wrestle with its own kind of , uh , skeletons and its own barriers of, you know, discrimination , um, that, you know, have, have had to help us, you know, ultimately evolve into a , a , a better working environment where, you know, it , it , it should not matter , uh , what your skin color is and, and it should not matter what your disability is that, you know, if, if you have a skill or a talent or an idea, then, then yes, come and be a part of, you know, the work we have to do. Um, so yeah, NAS , NASA’s great, but we’ve had to do a lot of work along the way as well.

Sara Brown: 20:09

Overall, what challenges have you faced as a black woman with a visual impairment?

Denna Lambert: 20:17

I think , uh, I, I, I can’t remember if it , it was Helen Keller, but the sentiment is that the , “the greatest disability there is to actually having a disability not so much of the, the condition or vision loss itself, but it’s more of the attitudes that , um, that the public may have about disability.” Um, so , you know, for instance , um, you know, I , I , if I’m out, you know, shopping , um, actually I I’ll give you a specific example. Um, I needed to replace a, you know, my dishwasher, you know, in my home, the home that I actually own and pay a mortgage to. And, you know, so my neighbor who is cited , uh, she, you know, is a , a white, older, white woman. Um, she helps me out with, with driving and , and that sort of thing. So we have a , a , a great relationship. I help her out with IT services, and she helps me out with transportation. So , um, we went shopping for a , a dishwasher and the sales people would, would go to her , um, assuming that she was the customer, and we would repeatedly have to tell them that, no, I am the customer. I am paying for this. And the , this is for my home that I actually own. And sometimes that can get really that , that can get really exhausting when you’re having to kind of push the envelope of what people think you’re capable of. Um, you know, that it can be like, you know, if , if they doubt whether I own a home, or hold down a job, then can I become a parent? Can I live that dream out of becoming a parent? And then actually, you know , um, came to be that, you know, the , the route that I chose to become a mom was through adoption and the way that most private adoption work is that an expected family chooses the adoptive family, that they would like their , their child to be raised in. And I know I had to have some real deep internal conversations with myself to really say, “Yes, I, I can do this.” Um, even though, you know, there were folks along the way , um, that were really scared and hesitant about how can a blind woman , you know, raise a child, even though we know good and well that there are , um, blind women and blind men who are great parents , um, those and the authority may doubt that. So I really had to kind of , um, you know, kind of get right with myself and , and boost my own confidence , um, to be able to say, “Yes, I can be a, a wonderful parent, a responsible parent for a, a , a future child.” And, you know, it turned out that actually, it , it wasn’t so much of a factor , um, that went into , um, my, my son’s , um, birth mom , uh , you know, decided when she, she selected me. Um , it was more of the, the interest that I had, like Girl Scouting and robotics and stem that she wanted for her , um, at the time unborn child. Um, it wasn’t so much of, “oh my goodness, she’s blind.” Um, though we did have conversations about it . Um, but it wasn’t, you know, the , the make or break thing for, for her. Um, so I think it , it’s definitely not allowing the skepticism, the doubts, the concern to become our own. I think after I went through that experience of switching my major, which was a career choice , um, to , to move away from engineering, by training , um, I, I kind of vowed to myself that I would , I would never do that again. I, I would never let someone else’s doubts, become my own. Um, so, but to , in order to do that, I needed to surround myself with , um, very wise and confident black women that can speak to , um, the experiences of a black woman. I, I needed to find great , um, blind mentors, people who could help me along the way and answering the questions that are, you know, specific to blindness of how to, you know, how am I gonna teach my little boy, how to potty train, if I can’t see what he’s doing? You know, those sort of things. Yeah . But , uh , you know, it , it’s, it’s like I needed to build a village for myself , um, to be able to speak to the , the whole person of who I am as a blind woman of color, if , if that makes sense.

Sara Brown: 25:36

Wow. No, it all makes sense. And you’ve got.. It’s, it’s one of those situations where you do, you have to surround yourself with the right people. And find your tribe. That’s all the thing to say, but that it’s so true. Beucase when you find the right people that understand you and have maybe gone through it and can speak with some, you know, with your best interest, then you can, you can go anywhere and you can do anything.

Denna Lambert: 26:03

So , yeah. Yeah. Cause I , I , I definitely , um, want to , it’s one of those things, I , I , I know it’s like, you know, one , one of “wanting my cake and eat it to ,” I don’t know if that’s the right analogy in that. I want someone who can empathize and understand and, you know, know, you know, the struggle that it is to be, you know, a blind person navigating in a mostly sighted, you know, work environment, or as a , a black woman navigating in a predominantly white work environment. But at the same time, I want somebody who can call me to the carpet as well, and, and can say, “Hey, Denna, you need to get over yourself. You need to really, you know, either take accountability for something or, Hey, no, stop making up excuses, go after it.” Um, and, and, you know, that’s what, you know, having a good tribe, a good village, you know, a good community, or whether we call it a network, that that’s what it is. And I think those things are really important. U m, i f, if you’re talking about, u m, you know, growing into a person that can hopefully, u h, bring change or influence to other people, y ou, you gotta have that, that support, you know, kind o f, you know, being able to stand on somebody else’s shoulders. So

Sara Brown: 27:25

Looking back on everything that you’ve done, where you’ve been places you’ve traveled just life, what are some of the things you look back on with sheer awe?

Denna Lambert: 27:37

Um, so , uh , so, okay. Um, I, so before I, I became, you know , I , I made a decision at, at 36 that I wanted to be, You know, be a mom. And, but I wanted to, to live my best life. Do as much fun stuff that I could do as a , as of a single person, you know, child-free. So I decided that I wanted to travel the world and I, you know , um, I found this company, you know, it was primarily just through internet searches , uh , called you know, Traveleyes. And I, you know, I picked one of their, their holidays or their trips that, you know, we , we were gonna do a cruise to, from , um, Athens to, oh my goodness, where did we end up? Uh , um , can’t remember where we ended up, but , um, it was, it was to Greece and Croatia and other couple other countries. But on my way there , um, I, my plane was delayed, so I could not meet up with the group in Manchester, in the UK. So I had to figure out as a blind person and a country, it was Lithuania , um, how to get connected from Iceland to Lithuania, and then ultimately to Athens , uh, in a , a space where , uh , surprisingly English was, was available. But of course, navigating as one of the very few black people that, you know, goodness others had seen and Lithuania landing at like two or three o’clock in the morning there , it was a pretty wild experience , um , to , to say the least that, wow, I kept it together. I , I called my neighbor and , and was kind of frantic. She was like, “you wanna go to Athens? I was like, yeah, you wanna go on your cruise? Yeah. She was like, well, you gotta keep your stuff together. If you don’t, they’re gonna haul you off any of those things .” Um, so looking back, that was kind of a crazy time to, to end up thousands of miles away from home in a country that was not my own and in a place that I had never been before for “how do I use my orientation and mobility skills?” “How do I ask for what I need and ask for, you know, usable information of where to go” and even something as simple as I didn’t realize in other countries, they had, they use a different style of keyboard, you know, than , than what we use here in the U.S. Um, and so I had to have somebody help me with just using a keyboard. So that was pretty wild. Uh, and, and I kinda , I , I , I kind of tucked that away as kind of the wild, crazy stories that I’ll, I’ll be able to share with my son, but I look back on that and say, “I could not have kept it together if it not have been those lessons learned or those mistakes that I had made that I had to learn from , um, prior to that point,” that, that ultimately helped me to have the, the , the Hupa the confidence to actually, you know, live through that.

Sara Brown: 31:29

What do you want anyone that’s listening to know about the obstacles that you faced and conquered?

Denna Lambert: 31:37

I think this will probably ring true for, for many of, you know, blind folks that, you know, have had the , to live through , um, you know, this, this pandemic global pandemic that many of us were, were living, you know, pretty normal lives, you know, going to work or going to school , um, you know, doing our thing. We had our systems or of support in place, and then the pandemic it comes and it , uh , roots everything. And then blindness becomes much more of a noticeable obstacle because now we’re having to figure everything out again, of something simple of simple as “how am I gonna get groceries?” “How am I gonna , um, get sighted assistance if I need it?” And I think, I don’t know if it’s as much of overcoming, but knowing that blindness does not have to be insurmountable, but it is an aspect of my life that I will have to manage, you know, I will have to, to , to face it. Um , and you know, not just with, let’s say the pandemic in how I , um, may approach different developmental stages with my son, you know, how much independence do I let him have, you know, and, and still keep , uh , him safe. Um, but also in the , the workplace when I’m , um , you know, dealing with , uh , a it system that isn’t accessible, you know, how do I manage my need for accessibility , uh , with my responsibility to lead a team? You know? Um, so I, I would say that having that, that, that framing of knowing that blindness is not the, you know, the , the full stop barrier, but it is something to, to kind of have to, to manage , um, as part of just living life and knowing that , um, it’s , uh , sometimes I’ve struggled with as, as a , a , a blind mom that believing that my son is, is gonna miss out , um, by, by having a blind mom, I’ve had to kind of reframe that to say, wow, what experience in life will he have? Because he has a blind mom. In that as a blind person, I’m having to always think of adaptations and new ways of doing things that are gonna , um, you know, reinforce that skill of adaptability and resilience. And, you know, he may not have gained those skills, you know, in the same way as you would at , as living with someone who’s blind. Um, so instead of it being a detriment, I’ve had to, you know, really see how it can be more of an asset. And I think that can transfer over into , um, the workplace and our personal lives and our relationships. It’s, it’s really important how we see it within ourselves that helps to kind of project it out towards others. All right . What advice would you give to that little girl who looks like you, who might be listening? Oh my goodness. Um, so definitely if, if I had to go back , um, to, to my younger self back in the, you know , whether it was the eighties or nineties, I, I , um, would probably say, you know, for her to take heart and , and know that, you know , um, things do have a way of, of working , um, itself out. It’s not a , a , a permanent state , um, that, you know, the, the circumstances or things that I’m experiencing , um, will, will hopefully help and shape , um, who I am as an adult in a way that hopefully makes me stronger, that has made me stronger , um, or more confident, or even more like , um, humanistic in , in just being able to experience empathy to, I would say the , to the , the young person who, you know, is a person of color and , uh , with a disability now, I would say, wow, we have made so much more that your experience as a person of color, or as someone with disability, or even both is gonna be so much different that we we’ve had that evolution of experience that, you know , um , that my, my dad was in the generation of having to just fight for survival, you know , um, as a blind person, you know, I get to experience what it’s like to , um, progress. What I hope for the much, you know, younger generation is they can push that envelope further in just thriving. You know, and, and, and really , um, get to get a chance to celebrate, you know, being blind or b eing black, or being a person of color or being whatever it is, whatever characteristic it is of you, that you get to celebrate that and have others t o be able to celebrate along with you. Um, a nd, and i t seen as a, a value, u m, and not, you k now, know something as a , I think i n, in my generation, it’s, it’s been kind of like a, you know, diversity number or a quota. I think we’re, we’re past that point. We’re, we’re now embracing individual identity and how that, you know, is a form of human expression.

Sara Brown: 38:21

And is there anything else you’d like to say?

Denna Lambert: 38:24

Um , oh my goodness. I mean, black History month, I mean, it , it definitely is a month. We, we, we, you know, I , I think definitely it’s, it’s a time of reflection , um, that we can, you know, there’s so much , uh , reflection that, and , and richness that comes from learning from, you know, our elders, our, our ancestors or people who have gone, you know, before us , um, in the blind community , um, in own , uh , cultural communities. And I, I would say, you know, let’s, if we can use this month to step back and hear those stories , um, but also the rest of the year to , um, you know, to, to celebrate those stories and our own stories as well. So it , it it’s, I , I don’t think Black History Month is, is a container by any means, but a place that we really, you know, you know, pull together our energies to, to take us through, you know, the rest of the year , um, and you know, to continue on. Um, so, so yeah, I , I would say definitely , um, take the time to dig deeper in the information that we, we have. Um, let’s say Dr. Martin Luther king was one of them. We have many, many, many examples and our blind community of Change Makers that we can honor and celebrate and learn more about and figure out the lessons that they learn that we can incorporate in , into our , our own lives right now. And I , I think that’s where we get a chance to go deeper , um, in , in this month .

Sara Brown: 40:15

Denna, thank you so much for joining me on Change Makers today.

Denna Lambert: 40:19

Thank you so much. Thank you for having me.

Sara Brown: 40:23

And as always be sure to look for ways you can be a changemaker this week.

Jack Fox: 0:00

Welcome to Changemakers a podcast from APH. We’re talking to people from around the world who are creating positive change in the lives of people who are blind or visually impaired. Here’s your host.

Sara Brown: 0:15

Hello, and welcome to Changemakers I’m APHS public relations manager, Sara Brown . And today we’re talking about why it’s important for your child be counted in this census. We’ll hear from APH officials and talk to an EOT about the census. After that we’ll check in with Partners with Paul up first, we have APH President Craig Meador and National Director of Outreach Services, Leanne Grillot. Hello, Craig, and Leanne , and welcome to Change Makers.

Craig Meador and Leanne Grillot: 0:42

Hello to you too , Sarah . Thanks for welcome to be here. Great to be here.

Sara Brown: 0:46

Can you tell us what the census is and its purpose? I think most people know it’s taking sort of taking count to see if numbers and demographics are growing or decreasing. Is that about right?

Craig Meador: 0:59

Yes. Yes. It’s all part of it. This all, all stems back and , and lean I’ll start and you can fill me in and correct me where I get wrong. It goes back to the original Act. Uh, and when Congress set aside funding for APH , uh, they, they wanted to give dollars. And at that time it was a set amount of dollars, but they wanted also to make sure that these dollars were actually going to the people who needed it. And so therefore it required that any state at that time, it was mostly institutions that served people who were blind that were receiving dollars would in essence, conduct a census that would give us a number of students who were blind or visually impaired within each state or at each institution, which would then , um, um, and this is , uh , has morphed over the years, but basically it has resulted , um , as a , a yearly census, as accounting of the students who qualify for services. And then that relates back to a dollar amount. So the more students, the more dollars a state has access to are more a school to the blind has access to.

Leanne Grillot: 2:12

And that’s really about it. It used to be just a census whenever. Now it’s a census every year, and we recognize that our numbers ebb and flow as well as where they are, where the students are , are located each time. And this is schools for the blind, but now it is your state departments of education. There are rehabilitation facilities and VO rehab centers, and some agencies that are working with students that are actually doing a census.

Sara Brown: 2:42

Does the census impact APH?

Craig Meador: 2:46

It , yes. Yeah. I mean the , the obvious answer is number one, we have a whole department that has to do this , uh , Cindy Amback, who is census guru, extraordinaire , uh, uh , sets up the census. It does impact APH , uh , to, because it , it lets us know what the, what the needs are, is are our populations trending one way , uh, or another, we , we get some additional information , um, on the census rather than just knowing how many students we get some ages. We also , um, we know how they’re functioning are these low vision . People are these people who use braille as a primary reading , um, uh , tool. We know if these are people or students who are functioning , uh , as blind, which could relate to the , uh , CVI population, which is one of our largest group or our students with additional disabilities. And so that helps drive what our trainings are gonna be, what products we need to be developing. Also lets us know where the growth is across the region and also helps us best estimate , um, where the trends are going in the future. And , um , so we’re, we’re able to draw some real conclusions from that .

Sara Brown: 4:05

What census information does APH send to the Department of Education?

Craig Meador: 4:10

Um , the only thing that gets reported to the Department of Education gets reported on the annual budget. When I prep a budget every year , uh, a lot of it is driven by census numbers. So , uh , we’re always building our budget two years out in advance , uh , as required by the government. So that is sent , um , uh , sent every July, two years in advance. And so we’re using numbers that are two years old, but all they’re asking for usually on the , the numbers that get reported is we have so many students that and adults that have been identified. And we generally just refer to the, the , the main categories. Are, are they , um, you know, like we talked about just a second ago, are they braille readers? Are they , um, would be considered , um, you know, a large print or if a , if a function as blind. So, and that’s all that goes there. You know, the census and , and the Department of Ed. Is , um , um , you know, on the census, we do not collect , uh , we , we don’t keep student names. We don’t keep , um, we do a , we have were required by law to do a very thorough scrubbing so that there is no , um , uh , violation of the family education rights and privacy act. And , and so the information we have has to be very minimal , um, by law, we, no one should be able to pick up, pick up our census and say, oh, I know which student this is. This is so and so who lives in Des Moines, Iowa. And I, I know what school this kid goes to. And I, I know what his vision condition is. You would never be able to determine that by the amount of information we we keep at at APH. So it’s, it’s very , uh , purpose-centric. It’s , uh, we’re , uh , making sure we, we walk that line. We only collect information that we need , um, which is a safety for our students and everyone using census. But it’s sometimes , uh , um , it’s frustrating to people who are doing research, of course, because they want to be able to identify where these pockets of, of students and adults are and, and that they need more knowledge to help them produce good research. And we cannot be a party to that. So , um, it , you know, it serves our purpose very well that doesn’t serve the research community very well, but that’s just the way it has to be.

Leanne Grillot: 6:52

And I can add to that, not every student with a visual impairment is counted and this census, the parents have to provide permission for it. They have to be located. Sometimes students aren’t receiving services and therefore they’re not being counted. Sometimes adults are receiving services and they’re not counted. So our, our data is only as good as those ex officio trustees are in locating finding, and then gathering that information to get counted. So our numbers, ebb and flow, our hope is, and we know there are other students out there that need to be counted. Our hope is to keep finding them.

Craig Meador: 7:30

Yeah. And that , that’s a very good point. We, we always, in fact, even on our website, we’re saying, you know, you can’t take this number as gospel. It’s , it’s not, we’re not claiming accuracy because as lean pointed out, it is dependent on people. Uh , it’s depending on permissions from parents and it’s dependent on individuals. And, and as , um, we know kids get missed every year. We know there are a lot of adult agencies that don’t , uh , access quota. So as a result of that, we know our adult numbers aren’t anywhere near accurate. We know that there’s a large percentage of students that are served in local public schools that qualify from the services of a teacher of students with visual impairment, but do not qualify for census. Our definition of who qualifies is very different from the definition in public schools and at schools for the blindness to who is eligible to receive services. And this is a big disconnect. Something we’ll be addressing in the future at , at , at APH with the , with the help of many minds beyond APH. But this idea of what , um , special ed law says, who gets services and what APH determined back in the forties who gets services are different. They’re very different. And I’m not saying they’re wrong. I’m just saying that they are different. And , uh , those differences have been allowed to exist both by department of ed and by the federal government. And so , um, there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s just, we need to start looking at, is there a way to possibly align those things better? Uh , the , when I was a teacher out in the field by largest case, was students with low vision. It wasn’t students who were braille. And so , um, but when it came census time, you know, I, I , I was probably serving , uh , in central Oregon, I was driving around central Oregon and I was probably serving 24 students. And of those 24 students, I think about 14 , um, qualified for the census. The other 10 did not yet those other and 10 did need services from me in order to be , uh , successful in their classroom settings. So those are the , those that’s kind of that difference. We’re trying to , uh , begin conversations on and hopefully align those settings.

Sara Brown: 9:56

How does the census impact schools that have a child that is visually impaired?

Leanne Grillot: 10:01

The schools themselves take some of this, but, but really it’s, it’s the student that benefits. So every school wants their student to benefit. So it allows their student appropriate access to the educational content and materials. It could be that that student needs a large print book and it comes through the federal quota and they’re able to, in essence, purchase it, using those federal dollars. So the census says that student has these federal dollars to use at APH to get that book, or it could be that they need a device to access a regular print books . So maybe they’re getting some type of , uh , electro magnetic , um, camera. So a , a common one right now is our MATT Connect. This is a , a camera that allows the student to zoom in on the books and, and see that’s a tool that they could use their federal quota of dollars to get. So therein, is the student being successful in reaching their educational materials, which in impacts the school in that they know their student is going to do well, or have the ability to do well , um , with their materials and therefore improve the student, improve the school and, and go from there. So how does the school benefit will they benefit? They know this student has access to their materials right away. And that goes for any type of material that APH produces. Those are materials that are available through this federal quota system for them to be able to get for the students to use. And so it , it could be that the state has organized it so that it going something directly to the student and the student keeps it forever. It could be that the student does not really need the alphabet and braille, past maybe second grade. And so that might be something they borrow. And then it gets shipped back to a , some type of library system that then gets shipped out to a different student in that , uh , state that gets to use it then. So it , the nice thing is that the materials that they’re getting , uh , don’t have to just sit idly when they’re not being used. They can actually move around to different students. And so in the end, the schools are impacted because their students are being successful. So hopefully schools are paying attention. Hopefully schools know many times it’s their teacher of students with visual impairments. Who’s making sure that this is happening.

Sara Brown: 12:24

Why is it important for children to be included in the census?

Leanne Grillot: 12:28

Access.

Craig Meador: 12:29

Yep.

Leanne Grillot: 12:30

Uh , they , they need access to the, the funding to be able to , um, utilize that specific funding. That’s not to say that a school district couldn’t pay with their general funds or even maybe their IDEA funds to purchase an item from APH. They can, and they do. But the cost of educating students with visual impairments is quite high . It is, it has been determined by me , many different areas, just that sheer cost of educating students who lack the access of vision, where we receive a majority of our education. And so therefore the federal quota offsets the costs that these , uh , entities are, are under taking to educate the students. So we would like the students count it so they can access this funding.

Sara Brown: 13:20

The census is currently underway. It started the first Monday in January. So when does the census end and what can parents do to make sure their child is included in the census?

Leanne Grillot: 13:33

It’s a review you process that happens, but our hard date is March 15th. So that’s the date where we , where the, a officio trustees of those students need to have their information in. After that point, there’s kind of a cleanup of the data. We can’t have one student counted twice, right? So we have to make sure that all the students are counted. And they’re only counted once, because we do know that there are students , uh , that are both educated by an agency and educated by a school system. And we need to make sure that the right person is counting that student not being counted twice or not being forgotten. So we help with that. But March 15th. So as a parent or an individual who is concerned that your , uh , student and or child is not being counted, I highly suggest you can go to our website and look up our ex officio trustees under the federal program. And see if your student discounted probably the easiest way is find your teacher of students with visual impairments or your orientation and mobility instructor. They are going to know what the census is. And if the student was counted, as well as if the student meets the definition of being counted for the census to begin with.

Sara Brown: 14:56

We’ve spoken a lot about children, but adults are also important to the census. How do they make an impact?

Leanne Grillot: 15:04

They , they are, it’s hard to find the adults. So one of the first things you have to keep in mind is a , are they being educated in some way, shape or form? That’s not college level. Now you can be both college level and gain education. That’s not college level. We can think of people that kind of receive both and adults. We think backward over the last year, did they receive 20 hours of documented instruction and over a 12 week period, any time during that calendar year, that’s what we’re looking for. The 12 weeks don’t have to be consecutive. It could be that you’re doing it , um, every two weeks. And then you skip a week , uh , based on adults, their schedules are very different. Many of them are working or working toward a career. Uh, a great way to think , um, about adults is , you know, some of our adults are those that have recently lost their vision. If you have recently lost your vision and you need to learn braille, or even how to use recorded material, or if you’ve lost some of your vision and you need to use a low vision device, that time that you take to be educated counts, that’s not college level material , that’s just learning how to live your life. Those are the items that we need to think about. And this includes our students who have more significant cognitive disabilities, who become adults, who are still receiving educational services that are not at a college level. They count .

Sara Brown: 16:32

Is there anything else you’d like to add regarding this conversation?

Craig Meador: 16:36

You know, I , I, I think the , um , the great thing is we spent a lot of energy trying to identify every qualified person. Because , um , not only from an APH perspective and I , I know we kind of danced around this, but, but kind of spell this out. We get a chunk of money from, from the government every year, and then that money gets divided amongst the states and programs based on the number of students. So if that , uh , for, for arguments, say, say it was $200 a student it’s more than that, but we said $200 just for simple. And one program in Connecticut had 10 students, then they would receive $2,000 of credited money, or, you know, we , we basically, it’s a credit, it’s an APH credit that they could spend at the APH through the APH catalog , uh , store and products. So the money though is fixed. I mean, we get, we get slight increases from the government every year, which we are very thankful for. Um , we would like that number to be more because it’s not enough. Um , and so this is the , this is the , uh , the conundrum. We wanna identify everybody that receives services because it’s beyond APH. It’s important for those students to be counted so they can get the level of access and, and , uh , resources and that they need to be successful. So the big overarching goal, the money is the secondary goal that helps support them in those efforts. The big problem is, is say we, and this , the , if we change the definition of the quota, who, who qualifies, we’re gonna add possibly 10,000 people, 20,000 people to our count every year. Our money does not increase by that amount. The money stays the same. And so, whereas students might be , have been receiving $200 per, per identified student. Now that’s gonna go down to, maybe they’re only getting $140 per identified student. So, you know, our, our hope is in time and through conversations with , uh, the federal government, we can continue to increase those funds. And, and , uh, uh, we have a team that does that. They’re , they’re led by Paul Schrader, our, our VP of government, community affairs and Washington DC . He has several conversations on a regular basis with , uh , the , the people who make those decisions in , in D.C. And always pleading the case for why we need more funding for this educational program. Um, so it’s, it’s really , um , it’s a , a , a bag of mixed results. We , we need to know those numbers because that gives this bigger voice and helps us meet the needs of students. The more numbers, the less per pupil you get. And so that’s kind of the downside of that, but, you know, you have to , um, uh, and it , but it , it all goes back to federal law again, special ed law. The responsibility of these people was never the sole responsibility of APH HPH is an auxiliary service that responsibility as established in 1974 for the nation. And in some states earlier in the sixties, they, they created their own laws to meet the needs of these students and , and adults within their, their areas and their states. Their regions is that that primary responsibility falls on the local education agency, the school district, the educational service district, the state, the state is responsible. They are the primary responsibility, a primary driver of finding funds to support the needs of students. APH H’s job is to highlight those students with visual impairment that live within that region saying, oh, don’t forget about Tommy over here. And Tommy has unique needs. That’s gonna require additional services and additional funding, and we’ve identified them . We’re gonna give you a little money to help out with that, but we’re really shining a spotlight on these students so that they will not be forgotten and they will not be overlooked or undercounted. And so I really see that’s APHS biggest responsibility is really helping identify the , the needs of, of our students who have very unique , uh, learning needs , uh, in every state.

Leanne Grillot: 21:20

I think the most that I can say is if you are a teacher of the visual impaired out there doing this count, thank you. Yes. I know it’s labor. I know it’s work to gather all of this. If you’re a parent, I wanna say, thank you, filling out the permission form and saying, yes, it’s okay for my student to be counted. We appreciate it. And then if you’re someone who’s just interested in learning more contact us, this is an area of need. We still need more to, so join us,

Sara Brown: 21:51

Craig and Leanne . Thank you so much for joining me today on Changemakers.

Craig Meador: 21:55

Oh, You bet.

Leanne Grillot: 21:56

Thank you for having me. Thanks Sara.

Sara Brown: 21:59

Up next, we’re gonna hear from an EOT. Here to talk from an EOT’s perspective about the census is brail department of aging and disability bureau of education and services for the blind Nancy mother seal . Hello, Nancy. And welcome to Changemakers.

Nancy Mothersele: 22:18

Hi, Sara. Thank you for inviting me.

Sara Brown: 22:21

Now as an EOT. How are you involved in the census?

Nancy Mothersele: 22:26

Well, for years , um, I think I’d been an EOT, maybe eight years, nine years. But before that, I was , um, responsible for doing all the quota orders for the previous EOT. So when she , uh, left, they asked me to become the EOT. So I took over , uh, doing census every year. Um, there was an assistant that helped the previous EOT, but I decided that , um, she was kind of overloaded with work, so I would take it on. So every year I go in and update the census, I add the new students that we have that are eligible, remove the ones that are no longer eligible or have moved out of state and make sure that everyone is counted. So , um, by doing that, I’m able to see how many students we have , um, keep, keep an eye on the allocation. And I also do all the ordering. So I know where the funds are going to, and I can track those funds and the items ordered and make sure that they get what they need, the students get what they need.

Sara Brown: 23:39

Now I did just speak with APH President, Craig Meador and National Director of Outreach, Leanne Grillot about the census. Overall, can you talk about the importance of the census for your state?

Nancy Mothersele: 23:49

Well, for our state, we do have a , um, a budget. Our agency is given a budget by the governor , um, every year and Children’s Services. We have several divisions that the budget is split up. We have one Division Children’s Services, which I’m a member of, which has all the TVIs, Ed consultants, mobility specialists, technologists, involved in that division. So we receive a budget and by using quota funds of the students that are eligible, it is a huge, huge relief because then we don’t, we can take the money from the budget that we’re allocated every year from the governor and use that for other items for the kids. So the quota, the quota funds are very important to us, and this way I’m able to supply the , the students with whatever they need, you know , uh , books , um, equipment, educational materials , uh, anything that APH has to offer. And if the student’s eligible, I can provide those for the students instead of taking it from our budget and the money can be used in other ways. So that’s, it’s , it’s very, very important to us.

Sara Brown: 25:15

And what does your state follow to ensure students are counted in the census?

Nancy Mothersele: 25:21

We have a client management system in our agency. So any any person in Connecticut that is legally blind or visually impaired is referred to us. We get a , um, an eye report from the doctor and if they’re eligible, they will be added to our client base. So we serve from birth all the way up to adults till they’re either their vision changes or they pass away, or they’re no longer , um, eligible for our services. So we have a wide range of clients in our agency. So every single student is in my client management system. And we send out an intake form with a letter, explaining exactly what quota funds are and how they’re used and how their children can benefit from them. And if they have any questions, they contact me and I’ll answer any questions, you know, that they have some parents , uh , have no idea what , um, the American Printing House for the Blind is. I, I educate them about that, but this is how we track all of our students. And once we get the signed form, the consent form, we scan it into the student’s files. So when I’m reconciling the census, every year, we have a printout and I can search and find all the students that are eligible and make sure every single one of them has a consent form. And if not, I reach out to the TVIs or to the parents and send them one and ask them to please sign it and explain why and how beneficial it would be for the , for their child. And everything is strictly comp . Um , nobody sees the intake forms except for the person in charge of them. And then the , uh , parental consent forms come right to me, they’re scanned into the, the students files automatically, as soon as I get them and then they’re destroyed. So that’s how we keep track of everyone. And, and it is such a great system, cuz I can look anything up.

Sara Brown: 27:30

What are some myths you’ve heard from parents hesitant to have their child counted?

Nancy Mothersele: 27:36

With all the identity theft out there that goes on. Um, some parents are a little bit cautious and a little bit , uh , skeptical about sending any information in, but I assure them in the letter that goes out that it’s strictly confidential, that nobody else is going to see it. The information is not going to be sent to APH. The information will be in a database that is secure and that once I get it, it will be destroyed. And there’s, there’ll only be an electronic form in with their child’s file. And that’s mainly, that’s, that’s the one hesitancy that some parents have is they’re just afraid that the information will get out about their child. And um, you know, and, and I know have experienced identity theft, but once they’re reassured they’re more than willing to, to submit the, the form and have their child be counted.

Sara Brown: 28:36

And what do you want parents listening to know about the census and why their child should be included?

Nancy Mothersele: 28:41

Well, it’s just, it’s so important that their child’s included so they can benefit from all the great products that APH provides. I mean, I have ordered braille books , we’ve had large print books , I’ve been able to order a little Braille Buzz , um, you know, any electronic braille device, even , um, you know, we’ve got the braille devices, the MATT Connects for low vision kids . It’s just, there’s so many products and if their child isn’t part of our census and if they’re not registered, then they miss out on a lot of these, these opportunities to enjoy these products. And it’s , it’s just really, really important because it helps with their education and there’s fun stuff too, that we can order for them. I mean, I love the little beginning reader books and things like that. And the parents really, really seem to like it and you know, every year , um, I do write letters to our representatives. We’re very lucky that , uh , representative Rosa DeLauro was head of the Appropriations Committee and she’s very supportive of APH. I have , um, been in contact with her several times throughout the years. And I’ll write a thank you letter to her or to somebody else on the Appropriations Committee. And just to, to let parents know that if they reach out and they let these representatives know and they, you know, talk to their school systems about APH and, and get materials from them, it’s, it’s so important because it does nothing but benefit their children. And every year when I write the letters , um, to the representatives, couple congressmen, I always include a , a story or a thank you letter that I’ve gotten either from a student, from a parent just to, just to them what , where the funds are going and what they’re used for and how important it is and what a change it’s made in, in these children’s lives.

Sara Brown: 30:51

And is there anything else you’d like to say about the census?

Nancy Mothersele: 30:53

It’s just it, I , I just think it’s so important that , um, people are educated about it. A lot of people don’t even know what APH is. They don’t know that their children or their students are eligible for funding. And , uh , that would be the most important thing I wanna stress is that it’s there and it’s something that it , and , you know, not everybody gets to, to have, and it’s just so important and it’s so beneficial for these kids. And that’s really why I , you know, just be counted if they’re counted, they’re eligible. And the more students that, that we have, the more funding that their state will get or their school system will get. And the more and , and materials the students will be able to enjoy.

Sara Brown: 31:54

Thank you so much, Nancy, for joining me today on Change Makers.

Nancy Mothersele: 31:57

Well thank you for inviting me, Sara.

Sara Brown: 32:00

Now I have a check in with Partners with Paul.

Paul Ferrara: 32:03

Thanks, Sara. Welcome back to another edition of Partners with Paul, glad to have with us today. Jenine Stanley, she’s the Director of Communications from Aira. Jenine, welcome to the podcast.

Jenine Stanley: 32:14

Thank you so much, Paul, happy to be here.

Paul Ferrara: 32:17

For those who might not know, can you tell us what Aira is?

Jenine Stanley: 32:20

Certainly. Aira is a visual interpreting service that comes to you through a smartphone app. And that means it’s a combination of technology and people.

Paul Ferrara: 32:33

And how does that work together? Technology and the people?

Jenine Stanley: 32:37

Sure. So we have actually a team of professional agents they’re called visual interpreters and they do exactly that through the back camera, on your smartphone, iOS or Android. So you can make a call to IRA and you’ve got , um, people often say “eyes in your pocket.”

Paul Ferrara: 32:57

And the number of tasks that you can do is just , uh , almost infinite, I guess you would say. So if somebody wants to try it for the first time, what should they do?

Jenine Stanley: 33:06

So they can download our app. The app is free and you can try it out. You’re going to get a week of extended service when you try it out and you can download it from the apple app store or the Google play store. It’s very easy to download and get set up . All you’re gonna need is to put your phone number in and then you’ll get a four digit code. You can put that in. And then the app is open and ready to go.

Paul Ferrara: 33:33

And besides doing your own tasks, of course, there’s a list of access partners. Can you talk about what those are?

Jenine Stanley: 33:41

Sure. Well, our most basic form of service is a plan that a customer would buy. You’d buy so many minutes per month, but through our access partners, which are major corporations like Starbucks and target, and , uh , there are a number of them throughout actually the world , uh, they actually sponsor your minutes on Aira. And so when you are using their services , uh, they cover the cost and APH is one of those access partners.

Paul Ferrara: 34:14

And you guys recorded a podcast, speaking of APH being an access partner, and it was all about the museum. Can you talk to us a little bit about that experience?

Jenine Stanley: 34:23

Sure. We recorded the, probably one of our most popular episodes about the APH museum back in, I wanna say may of 20, 21. And we had such a good time, although the museum does have a wonderfully accessible website, we a little more extra detail, which you can get from an IRA agent. And then you can ask that agent. Okay. So about that braille writer, exactly. “What does it mean when it says art deco looking? Cuz I want that particular braille writer from, from that podcast,” but it was wonderful because we got the inform from Mike, but we also got it from our agent and we have that podcast in the show notes . So you can take a listen and see what , uh , doing something with an Aira agent is like, especially online.

Paul Ferrara: 35:15

And the other great thing is since tours are starting back up in-person, if you are on an in-person tour and want Aira, you can use it there as well. So you can get the experience live in the museum. If you wanna go take a tour that way. So there’s multiple ways to experience that.

Jenine Stanley: 35:32

Absolutely. And the great thing about doing it when you’re live on a tour is you can keep up with your tour group or leave your tour group behind if you want.

Paul Ferrara: 35:41

Yeah, absolutely. If you wanted to take one of those , uh , self-guided tours, that’s a really great way to do it. Finally, can you tell us any other new things that are going on that you want people to know about?

Jenine Stanley: 35:52

Oh, my well, 2022 is gonna be quite a year for us. We be at the CSUN conference, we have two presentations. There. One is on Aira for business because we do work with people on their jobs. And we’ve got some major companies that we’re going to show you use cases about. And then Aira in higher education at the college level, a lot of colleges in universities deploy Aira for their student, but wait, there’s more because coming, we hope within the year of 2022, we will have Aira for a desktop. So you won’t need your phone anymore. It will be on the PC and Mac and that’s gonna be huge. We think.

Paul Ferrara: 36:33

That’s gonna be interesting as someone who’s used to using it on the phone to have it on a computer, it could be really helpful. This has been really good information. Janine definitely appreciate it. Thanks for joining me on the podcast today,

Jenine Stanley: 36:45

You are so welcome and we are happy and proud to partner with APH.

Paul Ferrara: 36:49

And like Janine said, in the show notes, we have included the link to the YouTube video with that podcast about the museum. We’ve also included the IRA website where you can get all the information about the service, ask any questions, find out how to contact them and get all the information you need. Thanks for joining us and back to you, Sarah .

Sara Brown: 37:11

Thanks so much, Paul, and thank you for joining me today on Change Makers. We’ve put any links and websites mentioned in the show notes and as always be sure to look for ways you can be a change maker this week.

Jack Fox: 0:00

Welcome to Changemakers a podcast from APH. We’re talking to people from around the world who are creating positive change in the lives of people who are blind or visually impaired. Here’s your host.

Sara Brown: 0:15

Hello, and welcome to Change Makers I’m APH’s Public Relations Manager, Sara Brown . And today we’re celebrating braille history with the look at some of our high tech braille devices that feature the latest of braille technology. We’ll look at a brand new product that’s in the works. Learn a new feature that’s coming to Chameleon 20 and go way back and learn about the history of braile devices. We’ll also have a check-in with Partners with Paul. Up , first we have APH’s Early Childhood Product Manager, Donna McClure-Rogers. Hello, Donna and welcome to Change Makers.

Donna McClure-Rogers: 0:50

Hi Sara, it’s nice to be here.

Sara Brown: 0:53

Great. So can you tell us about this brand new product that’s coming soon?

Donna McClure-Rogers: 0:58

Sure. This product goes by the name of Polly. Uh , it was developed in partnership with Thinkerbell Labs out of India, and Polly is an independent braille learning device, complete with a curriculum for both contracted and uncontracted brail. It also includes an online parent-teacher portal that allows the device to be customized, to fit the child’s needs.

Sara Brown: 1:28

And talk about Helios. I understand that’s the learning management system that comes with Polly. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?

Donna McClure-Rogers: 1:36

Helios is the online portal. Um, it is basically a web site that provides information about use data. Uh , you know, how much the child has been online , what lessons they’ve mastered , where they’re struggling , that type of thing . It , has a lot of graphs and just data that can really help doing , IEP reporting and providing that information to the classroom teachers or the parents just wanting to know, you know, where is the child, “where’s the child at right now? How are they doing? Um, you know, what real characters do they know? Are they master spelling that type of thing ?”

Sara Brown: 2:26

So the product is Poly. Now tell me how is poly different from other APH products?

Donna McClure-Rogers: 2:31

Well, Polly has a lot of really exciting features , um, as a former TVI and a braille reader, myself. The first thing that I noticed when I picked this device up was the electronic slate. I really enjoyed being able to erase when I was working on those slate and stylus skills, a , uh, there’s also a jumbo display , which there’s two cells for the jumbo display and then six standard cells on this device and these work in conjunction, but the jumbo display is used for not only for input on the device, but also for output. So it kind of takes the place of , of how a teacher might introduce a braille character to a young child using the tennis balls and muffin tin. Remote braille instruction that this device provides is extremely helpful, especially now, as we’re all dealing with this ping pong effect of, “are we virtual today?” “Are we in person today?” That type of thing. Um, when this all started, the field did a great job stepping up and making it possible to continue teaching our students that needed that hands on instruction so much. But with this device, teachers can remotely make assignments to their students and push those through as long as their students are connected , um , to the internet. And they can do that using either the Bluetooth with Wi- Fi for this device, or they can also plug in , um, with a hard wire ethernet port , whatever the students have available. It’ll make it possible for them to receive those assignments. And then for the teacher to be able to receive feedback on how the child is doing, and this device is created in a game like format. So it’s very similar to those commercial beginning reading programs that cited kids have in an abundance of choices. Um , but those are just not really accessible to our braille readers. And this device has everything right there for the student . They can navigate independently , they can get all the feedback they need and they can even get their instructions, repeated. Everything is, is perfectly accessible for both the teacher and the student. I really enjoy , um, the Helios website because even the graphs are accessible. Um, this company has done such a wonderful job, making sure that even our teachers that need that accessibility feature are able to access all the information that is provided to the side users.

Sara Brown: 5:32

Okay and what’s the target demographic for Polly?

Donna McClure-Rogers: 5:35

Um , we are looking at this device working best for children between the ages of probably five and nine or 10. Um, this would be, you know, your beginning braille readers and , uh, the, the it’s because the feedback on the device is geared for a younger child. Uh, we have taken the time to have the voice for this device recorded within the studio at APH. So you’re not getting this computerized screen reader voice , um , talking to the child. We want them to be able to make that personal connection with the device and feel like , um, they’re actually receiving feedback from a person. And so a lot of times if they give a correct answer, they’ll hear , um, children clapping and saying yay, or , um, the narrator might say you got that right. You know, and that might be some that an older child might not necessarily need that much feedback. Um, you know, it’s not to say that an older child or even an adult couldn’t use this device. Um, but again, you know, at the moment we do kind of have it geared more for those younger kids .

Sara Brown: 6:54

Now, what was the motivation behind the development of Polly and what brought about this need?

Donna McClure-Rogers: 7:01

Uh, this one actually came about , uh , one when the team at Thinkerbell Labs was , uh, working together on a graduate school product. They , um, they had noticed that a lot of sighted children have apps that are available , um, like maybe on their iPad that will sing the alphabet song. And then the alphabet letters appear on the screen. So the sighted child can see the letters, but there wasn’t anything that worked , um, in conjunction with a braille display for their blind students. So they took an iPad and one braille cell , and they created , um, an app that would be able to , uh, show the alphabet letter as the song was going through , uh , singing the alphabet. So it began with just the simple iPad and one brail cell . And it has turned into this fabulous device that teaches contracted braille, provides games for the children, gives that feedback for the teachers online. And then, you know, again, my favorite thing, they can, they can work with that electronic slate. So , so they can build those skills to have the most portable braille experience that, that they can be provided with.

Sara Brown: 8:28

And when will poly be available for people to purchase?

Donna McClure-Rogers: 8:32

Uh, we are looking at spring of 2022 .

Sara Brown: 8:36

And is there anything else you would like to say regarding Polly?

Donna McClure-Rogers: 8:40

I do. Um, this device is really geared to allow our students to be able to practice when the , um, when their TVI is not present. Um , we all know that it’s great for students that are beginning braille to have that five days a week with that TVI. I , but sometimes that’s just not possible and we don’t want our children to only have braille instruction for one day a week. Um, and we know that does happen. So , um, you know, if, if you’re thinking about getting this device for one of your students, please make sure that your district knows that this device is intended to go home with the student it’s intended to be used in the classroom without the TVI present. And so, you know, that may need to be added into the IEP just to make sure that everybody’s on the same page. Um, you know, the parents can walk through and learn braille alongside their child with this device. And it would just create that holistic approach that we’re looking for so that we can , uh, help everyone in the field to implement braille into this child’s general ed classroom as quickly as possible.

Sara Brown: 10:01

All right , Donna, thank you so much for joining me today on Change Makers.

Donna McClure-Rogers: 10:05

You are so very welcome

Sara Brown: 10:07

And Polly is only available inside the United States. For those outside the U.S. who are interested, we encourage you to contact Thinkerbell Labs directly to get Polly’s sister product, “Annie.” We’ve put a link to Thinkerbell Labs in the show notes. Up next, we’re gonna learn about an update in the works for Chameleon 20. Here to talk about Chameleon 20’s new update is APH’s Product Manager, Educational Product Innovation William Freeman . Hello William , and welcome to Change Makers.

William Freeman: 10:40

Hello. Thanks for having me. I’m excited to be here.

Sara Brown: 10:42

So tell us what’s new with Chameleon 20?

William Freeman: 10:45

Uh, there’s a lot new with the Chameleon. Uh, we’ve recently added Spanish language support, which is great shows the menus in Spanish and also adds support for , uh , Spanish braille codes. We’ve all also added a one handed mode that makes it easier for folks to use the device one handed and the most exciting thing coming to the Chameleon right now is text to speech which will be coming in our 1.3 update.

Sara Brown: 11:11

What was the motivation behind adding text to speech to Chameleon and how will it improve?

William Freeman: 11:17

Well , uh , text to speech is a great way to reinforce braille literacy while also giving folks an easier path to learning how to use their Chameleon. So as a person is reading braille on their Chameleon , uh, they can use the speech to learn new braille words and contractions, and even choose to rely on the speech if they need a short break from the somewhat task of reading braille , uh , uh , something also that I’ve realized , uh, that I didn’t think of was TTS (text to speech) , makes it possible for someone that can’t read braille to interact with the device, which will be great for parents and teachers that have otherwise never used a braille display. And maybe aren’t that proficient with reading braille

Sara Brown: 12:00

And speech engines. What , what speech engine will TTS use?

William Freeman: 12:04

It’s gonna use Acapella

Sara Brown: 12:06

And how will the student access speech?

William Freeman: 12:10

Multiple ways? So there’s the speaker on the unit, but also a headphone jack. If they want more privacy, another thing is they could plug it into a speaker or even into their computer. If they wanted to share their speech with someone else, like if you plug it into your computer, you could share it over a video call.

Sara Brown: 12:29

Okay. What are the different options for text to speak ? Does it do more than just say what’s currently displayed?

William Freeman: 12:36

Yes. So there’s , uh , of course a say all function that will start reading from the current cursor position. There’s also read current line, read text under cursor, as well as a typing echo and delete echo functions. It’s cool because you can turn each feature off and on as needed. So you don’t necessarily have to use all of those features. You can just pick the ones you want to use. So if someone doesn’t wanna be bothered with speech very often, maybe they turn off all the other options and just leave, read text under cursor turned on, and then that way, if they come across some brow that they’re not familiar with, they can just move the cursor using outer buttons, and then hear that unfamiliar word, read aloud . Um, users of course, users will also be able to increase and decrease the speech rate, which we know is a must have feature. No one wants to sit around listening to a voice that’s either too slow or too fast for their personal tastes.

Sara Brown: 13:33

What’s what, what the advantage to a student for Chameleon to have speech?

William Freeman: 13:38

There’s tons of advantages. Uh, like we’ve talked about, it’s a great way to learn new braille words by using read text under cursor. Uh, but it can also just generally help build their confidence. Like the typing echo can be used for letters, words, or both. And that means while the student is typing, they can be sure that they’re making the characters and words that they think they are initially they’ll build their confidence as they continue to become fluent braille readers and writers. Overall, it’s just another way to get students reading braille learning braille is hard. It takes so much time. So anything we can do to make that process easier and more fun, we want to do it.

Sara Brown: 14:16

Now. I understand chameleon has different voices. Why put that option in there? Why the choice?

William Freeman: 14:22

Choice is what the Chameleon is all about. Uh, we really wanted a braille display that students could customize and know belongs to them. When we first introduced this product and part of that was the , uh , different colored cases. Now we’ve extended that to the voice selection. So students can pick a voice that they are comfortable hearing at launch users will be limited to two voices per language with English, getting “Sharon” and will and Spanish getting “Rosa” and will. However, with our next release, we will introduce the ability for users to download a whole range of voices, including non-American English, voices, fun , children’s voices, and also bilingual voices that can competently speak both English and Spanish. One aspect of this that is really interesting is that users will be able to select both a primary and secondary voice. The primary voice will read menus and system messages, and the secondary voice will read content. So you could pick, say a British voice to read your menus and system messages, you know, make it very proper and then a more American voice for your content. Um, and with the addition of all these features it’ll mean that every chameleon really is unique to the person as everyone’s gonna have their own preferences.

Sara Brown: 15:43

When will this release be available?

William Freeman: 15:46

Uh, it’ll be coming out early this year .

Sara Brown: 15:47

William, is there anything else you would like to add ?

William Freeman: 15:51

Uh , main thing , uh , the main message I wanna get out to folks with both the Chameleon and the Mantis is update your units. Uh , I’ve been really trying to make a big deal outta this lately, and it’s because we’re finding out some folks aren’t updating their units. So make sure you update your units. We’re listening to your feedback. Everything we’re putting into these devices is based on stuff you’ve asked for. And we just want folks to be able to take advantage edge of all the cool stuff that we’re bringing.

Sara Brown: 16:16

All right , William, thank you so much for joining us today on Change Makers.

William Freeman: 16:19

Yeah. Thank you so much for having me. It’s been great.

Sara Brown: 16:22

Up next. We’re gonna check in with partners with Paul.

Paul Ferrara: 16:26

Thanks, Sara and welcome back to Partners with Paul. Glad to have you with us today on the show we have Kim and Chris Nova from Mystic Access. Chris is the founder of Mystic Access and Kim is the Director of Product Development. Welcome into the show. How are you today?

Kim and Chris Nova: 16:44

Great, Paul, Thanks for having us.

Paul Ferrara: 16:46

A lot of things we wanna talk about today. So for folks who may not know Chris, what is Mystic Access?

Chris Nova: 16:52

Mystic Access, is a company that I founded back in 2013. And , uh , our mainstay is audio documentation for mainstream and or blindness related products.

Paul Ferrara: 17:07

Great. Can you tell us more about some of the products on your site?

Chris Nova: 17:11

Sure. We have tutorial for the Amazon echo, for example, everybody’s favorite a person Google home , uh , iOS, Android, and we even have an APH tutorial up there as well.

Paul Ferrara: 17:28

Yep . That’s definitely something we wanna cover here in just a bit. Kim, is there any new products or offerings we should know about?

Kim Nova: 17:35

We do have a few cool new things, Paul, in terms of the actual audio that we offer, which can be downloaded digitally or purchased on physical media, like an SD card or an NLS cartridge. We have a cool new class on podcast listening that people may find fascinating since we’re sitting here actually recording a podcast all about the various ways you can do it, whether that be on an app via iOS or Android via your Victor stream or another player that might need you to manually download a podcast feed. We talk about all these things. I like what podcast feeds, what are episodes? What do you need to know to get your feed downloaded onto a player? For instance, if it doesn’t allow you the capacity to do it magically through the beauty of electronics, you know, through the player itself. So it’s a very comprehensive class that starts with foundational concepts and moves all the way through to more advanced concepts. And it’s three sessions of powerful information over three hours in links . So that’s a cool class for people who are kind of looking for alternative ways or just perhaps some new ways to check out their podcasts. We also have a couple new hardware products that we’re carrying. One is a desk caddy . That’s really cool. So if you have some goodies that you just want to make sure always at hand, it’s a nice spinning metal desk caddy with a lot of compartments and we have some really cool magnetic cable ties too. So these are kind of fun things we got in for the holidays and they’re great gifts for time of year. Really.

Chris Nova: 19:05

The other thing we , the other thing we have is a partnership with guidelines and edges, where we have talking medical products, blood pressure, monitor oximeter, and a infrared thermometer.

Paul Ferrara: 19:19

So definitely a range of products. Let’s get back to the audio for a moment. Uh , those are something that you completed in partnership with APH. Can you tell us more about that, Kim?

Kim Nova: 19:30

Absolutely. We were really excited to work with APH in creating and compiling a tutorial on the Mantis Q40. And since the Mantis is such an innovative little product, we were really excited to get involved with working on this with you guys and making this really comprehensive again, audio that takes you from again and the more foundational concepts of what’s the mantis. “Why do you want one?” “How do you orient yourself to this device?” “What does it do all the way through all the different applications?” So you can learn about how to write documents and make calculations and of course use terminal modes. So there’s a ton of great information in there that hopefully will make using your mantis a less stressful and more fun experience.

Paul Ferrara: 20:14

There is a lot, it is comprehensive. No question about it. So if you’re an audio learner, by all means , uh , we’re gonna talk to you about how you can get to that here in just a bit. So let me end with this. Is there anything else going on you’d like to talk to us about?

Chris Nova: 20:29

Well, We do have on our site of bunch of paid products, but we also have a bunch of free downloads. We have a biweekly Mystic Access podcast that comes out every a couple weeks. It’s Kim and I , so you get to listen to us. We also have a free downloads page where there’s literally hundreds of hours of audio for you to download and listen to for free.

Paul Ferrara: 20:55

That’s fantastic. And we appreciate the opportunity to have you on today. Thank you very much for joining us.

Kim and Chris Nova: 21:01

Thanks, Paul. We appreciate the opportunity.

Paul Ferrara: 21:05

So at the, in the show notes, you’re going to find a link to the Mystic Access site. We’re also going to include a link to the Mantis tutorial, have a look around, I’m sure you can find something useful there. Thanks for listening. And now back to you, Sara,

Sara Brown: 21:22

Thanks so much, Paul. And now we’re back to the beginning. We have APH’s Museum Director, Michael Hudson, and he’s here to talk about early braille devices. Hello Michael, and welcome to Change Makers.

Michael Hudson: 21:34

Good morning, Sara. Now I’ve just discussed the new APH product that’s coming soon, which is called Polly and the, and updates to Chameleon 20 both high tech braille devices. Can you talk about some of the early braille tablets and devices?

Micheal Hudson: 21:50

Sure. So Louis (Braille) publishes his code for the first time in 1829. And , uh, one of the things that made braille so superior to raised letters, which was the system they were using before, that was that you could write braille pretty easily. Um, and today, you know, if you go in the APH catalog, you’ll find , um, slight stylus’. Um, what Louis came up with was called a Braille Tablet, which is really kind of a desk slate, but if you think of a clipboard size board , um, and then , um, it had , uh , holes pierced down the side of the frame and then a little metal writing flame frame with the little windows that guided your stylist to create the six dot cells, right? And so you would write one line at a time and then you would lift that writing guide out, slide it down, one set of holes, click it in and then write your next line . And another thing that was different about it was , uh, today , uh , slight and stylus. It has these recessed , uh , pits on the bottom side of the frame and that, so when you, when you push your sty into it, it goes into that, that, that recessed hole makes a nice rounded dot , uh , Louis’s braille tablet had grooved lines. And so its braille is not quite as, as , uh , well formed and neat as a modern slate and stylus, but it was still , uh , a quick and easy way to write with. So you could sit and take notes in class, and that was just a , a vast improvement over, over raised letters.

Sara Brown: 23:39

What was technology like in those early devices?

Micheal Hudson: 23:43

Well, I mean, they’re made out , you know , uh , they’re made out of wood and brass , um, and , um, and then they start being made out of cheaper metals. Um, and, and also nickel , uh , you , you start seeing, even though they’re still made out of brass, they start being nickel plated so that they wouldn’t tarnish. Um, and, and, you know, get your , get your fingers dirty when you were using them. The, the stylus come in, all kinds of shapes, you know, everybody that had one thought of a different way to, to carve the knob on the stylist to make it more comfortable for your hands . So you see things that look like wooden tops , um, uh, things that look like chess pieces , um, you see the made out of all kinds of materials. So, you know, wood obviously is common, but then , uh , as early plastics come along, you start seeing a made out of plastic, you know, APH for the longest time had one called a saddle stylist, which was supposed to fit nicely in your hand, but it also was flat on the edges so that it wouldn’t roll. Um , and, and that’s, that’s helpful, you know, so you’re not constantly knocking your stylist and then , you know, it falls on the ground . You can’t find it. So , um , yeah, everybody who , who , whoever saw a slate in stylus and their entire life thought of a different to make them . So, you know, they come in, they come in pocket size , they come in desk slates, they come in upward writing and downward writing. You know, one of the, one of the things that’s always been seen of as a challenge for stylus is that when you press the, the stylus into the paper, you have, you know, the dot appears on the bottom side of the page. So you have to know two braille codes. You have to know the braille code to write with, which is basically everything is as if you’re looking in a mirror. Um , and then you have to know the way to read it, you know , um , um , left to right. Um , as you might normally read. Um , and so, so there’s all these inventors who come with upward writing slates, like, so they would take the stylus. And instead of it being a sharp point, it would be a hollow tip. And then on the bottom frame of the slate, instead of it being a recessed pit, it would be a raised pin , right? So the , the hollow tip of your stylist would fit over the top of that raised pin and make an upward dot. Um, so we, we , you know, and APH has sold several models like that. They never their problem with all of those upward writing slates is they tend to make ghosts dots, meaning that at, because there’s a raised pin on that bottom slate. If you, if you don’t get the stylist really super, perfectly aligned right down on it, sometimes you’ll get ghost dos . And so your braille is not very clean. Um, but that didn’t keep people from trying to lick that, that design problem, but still, you know, there’s nothing like having something you can stick right in your pocket, just like a pencil and paper. And , um, and you know, if you just wanna write down a note or a phone number or something like that, still something that is very handy.

Sara Brown: 27:01

Wow! The fact that you had to learn two types of braille codes…

Micheal Hudson: 27:05

mm -hmm ,

Sara Brown: 27:05

…Just to do that is insane. So when you’re writing, you’re thinking about how this is going to almost translate on the other side. ..

Micheal Hudson: 27:13

Yes, that’s right. But, but think about this, when you’re six years old, this is a piece of cake, right? It’s not that big a deal cause your brain is plastic and it’s nimble and yes, and you’re , it’s easy to learn new things. And the idea that, well, you have to write this way and you have to read this way. It’s not a big deal for your six now for people that lose their vision later in life, you know , uh , a slight and stylist maybe is gonna be a , you know, is not something necessarily that they’re gonna be all that interested in using, but, but you know, really that whole , uh, upside down and backwards, the way of, of writing with the slate and stylus, is a big reason why the braille writer , the brail writer was invented, right? The mechanical braille writer . We think of the Perkins Braille Writer as the, as the, kind of the gold standard today , uh, for, for reading braille. And, and it , the original braille, a mechanical braille writer was invented by a guy named Frank Hall, who was the principal at the Illinois Institution for the Education of Blind in , um , Jacksonville, Illinois, and the Illinois school didn’t even use braille. They used a competing code called New York point that we’ve talked about before, right. A dot code that was like braille, but not braille. And so , uh, Frank Hall wanted to invent a mechanical writer to kind of overcome that whole, the whole writing with a slate problem. But when he started trying to mechanize New York Point, he, he ran into some problems because New York Point did not always take up the same amount of space. It was of a variable width. And so what he ended up doing was coming up with a mechanical braille writer, we call it the Hall Braille Writer and the first , um, commercial models for the hall brail rider came around 1892 or so. And, and it basically had seven keys, right? It had six keys for the six dots in the braille cell, and then it had a space key. That’s all it had, but that braille that it was, it , it was a brilliant little machine. And everybody who wrote braille that, you know, was using a slate stylus that got their hands on a brail writer, like, oh my gosh, this is awesome. So much faster. You didn’t need to know, you know, two different , a way to write a different way to write a different way to read. And , uh , once you got, you know, adept at the typing part of it , um, you’re sitting there banging out braille much, much quicker than, than doing it by hand with a SL and stylus. And , um , every braille writer that we use today, including the Perkins, you know, owes its technological roots to Frank Hall and a , and a gunsmith that was a buddy of his named GU Seber , um, who helped him kind of figure out the mechanics of it. And then , uh , also there was this , uh , typewriter company in Chicago called the Munson Typewriter Company. And they’re the ones who kind of helped him mass produce it.

Sara Brown: 30:12

Okay . Now tell me about braille printing and mass production, because I’m sure with this new braille, the mechanical braille opened up a , all the doors for printing as production.

Micheal Hudson: 30:24

So, so, so now, you know, Hall’s got his Hall Braille Writer and you can, you can quickly, you know, take notes in class or write a paper in braille or, or write a letter in braille. Right. But how do you, how do you make, you know, lots of copies of say the same book, a fourth grade spelling book in braille , right. So, and it , and it’s, and it’s our boy Frank again. So, so, you know, right now he’s got a , a machine that writes on paper, but he starts thinking what I , what I , what I also would like to do is invent a , a bigger heavier duty machine that writes on brass hinged, brass plates plates that can be loaded into a clam shell style printing, press. It opens its jaws. It spreads that printing plate , an operator puts a piece of paper in it, slams its jaw shut and, and , and the dots get pushed onto the page. So he invents this machine called the Hall Stenograph machine. So it’s a big tabletop , uh , size machine, maybe about four feet wide. And it has a big foot , a foot pedal at the bottom and the same six keys. Right? So you type your , uh, the , the Le the , you push the keys down that correspond to the pins. You want to make the, the braille character say, say, you’re trying to make an E so you’re gonna press “one in five”, and then you slam down that pedal. And that’s what forces gives you the kind of the mechanical advantage to, to , to punch those, those , uh , dots into the, to the, the brass plate. And , uh , so you , you sit there with your book in front of you, the print book. And so the operator then will, in their mind translate the print characters into the braille, type them onto the page. And now you’ve got one page, you’ve got page one of your fourth grade, you know, geography book or spelling book. So you gotta make a plate for each page of the book. Right. And at first , uh , the whole paragraph machine just puts braille on one side of the page, right . But in the 19’s and 20’s, uh , people start experimenting with this idea called inner pointing. Okay. And in inter pointing , uh, you, you’ve got dots on the brass plates on one side, on both sides of it. Okay. And they slightly offset those dots between the characters on one side and those on the back. So they don’t cancel each other out. They actually fit inside of each other. Right. There’s just enough space between the dots , uh, to do that. And so now you can prepare these embossing plates , uh , so that you’re producing brail with , uh , pages with brail on both sides. And now it’s a lot less bulky, right? Takes up half the amount of space. Um, you , and , um, so inter pointing becomes very popular. And, you know, even today, although we’re using much different, more modern presses , uh , digital presses, we’re , you know , inter pointing is still a part of, of most braille production. And, and , and by the way, Sara , uh , them printing us didn’t wanna do it. They didn’t want to inter point , um , um , they , uh, uh , they didn’t really want to change, you know, our , our , our people, you know, we were pumping out the braille doing it one, you know, on one sided pages, they didn’t wanna have to think about how are we going to invent a sterograph machine that will put the dots on both sides of those brass plates cause halls, machine wouldn’t do it. But the pressure from the field was so great that our, a board eventually decided to do it. And so we invented our own, we worked with the American Foundation for the Blind and invented a new sterograph machine that would, that would do that. Uh , two-sided uh, uh , plate preparation. And so just to bring it on up to the future. So, so you’re still talk , even though you’ve got a machine, right, that makes, that makes your brail plates, and you’ve got machines that mass produce your braille. You , um, it’s still slow. And your , your stereo machine operator needs to be really highly trained, right? So if, if you, you , you get a woman she’s, she’s highly trained. And then she decides to leave the workforce and go, you know , uh , have a family. Now you’ve gotta train somebody else in this, this very unique thing that , uh , braille braille presses do . So the, you know, the idea is how could we computerize this whole deal? Right? And so in the 1950s and sixties, the center of computer technology is, is IBM. Um, International Business Machines. So APH collaborates with IBM , uh, to figure out how to, how to compute this whole thing. And back then computers, you know, data entry is done. You, you do, you do data entry on this machine that punches holes into these, into these punch cards. And then you load a stack of punch cards into a , a feeder. And it, it feeds them into the computer and it shines light and wherever you’ve punched a hole light shines through, and , and the computer reads that. Right? And so we figure out a way to have a , a , the transcription is done by , uh , someone typing on , uh , punching these cards. And then we would ship the cards up to , uh , New York and they would load ’em into a machine, and it would it’d feed ’em in the computer. And then computer would be programmed to translate the print characters into braille, and then punch, punch, punch, punch , punch . It would punch a bunch of card , big , another big stack of cards out that now that’s the braille translation. They’d ship that back to us. We’d put that into a card reader that was connected to a special machine, a stereograph machine, a computer stereograph machine, and then it would, it would punch the plates. It would, emboss the zinc. By that time, we weren’t using copper anymore. We were using zinc plates and it would, emboss the plates. Then you would take those and put them into the, into the , uh , the press, right to mass, produce them today. That whole process can happen on your cell phone , right? Your cell phone , we , you could use a, you know, software package called like braille blaster from the (American) Printing House. And , um, you know, you could load just about any publication, any print publication into , into that program and it’ll translate it . And that, you know, you’ve got the computing power of, of a mainframe computer in your pocket . Um, and today a transcription occurs , uh, just using a desktop computer, you know, here at APH, we have a , a Braille Translation Department that does that. Um, and, and there are also braille translation programs at lots of prisons. You know, we work with a lot of prison, braille programs, get all the textbooks translated. Um, and then a lot of times you don’t even use those bossing plates anymore. Although we, we have some presses that still use the Bo in bossing plates for publications. You wanna make lots of copies of like, say the McDonald’s menu, right. Um , every now and then we’ll, we’ll, we’ll bid and get the contract for the McDonald’s menu. And we’ll make a million copies of that, that you need still need the, the embossing plates. But a lot of times we make one book for one kid somewhere out there in the United States. And so that you use , uh , a digital press, like a Brailo 650, or an Interpoint NV 55. The Brailos come from Norway. Uh, the Interpoints come from Belgium and we, you know, have adapt a little bit , but , um, so a lot of, a lot of embossing now is done… It’s all digital. Um, and then your next question is gonna probably be what about paperless brail, right?

Sara Brown: 38:16

Yes, yes.

Micheal Hudson: 38:17

Yeah. So, because you got that’s, what you’ve been talking about is the, the Chameleon and other , uh, refreshable braille devices, little computer note takers, and you can just sit there and bob…bobby..bob, in your class, or in your, in, in the grocery store, or while you’re talking to your mom on the phone and take notes , um , and then it’s got the refreshable braille display where it raises the pins electronically. Well, that all starts in the late 1960s. They start , uh, you know, a number of inventors start working with pretty complicated little devices like that used some sometimes use rubber , uh , belts. And , uh , the , the , the dots would, would , would , it would kind of a , like a memory , uh , foam material, the belt was. And so he could raise the pins in rubber, and then when it would, when it would cycle on through, through the pulley, it would flatten the dot back up. But that, that didn’t really end up working, being practical, but it got Oleg Tretiakov. His wife was a , uh , uh , a linguist who was interested in , uh , braille translation and Ole was more of a computer guy. Uh , and so, you know, as happens sometimes with married couples, you know, somebody, you know, you bring on more problem you’re, you know, struggling with at home. And the other half of the team is like, maybe they bring something different to the, to the problem. And, and that’s what Oleg did he sat down and created this machine called the digit cassette in France about 1975. And the digit cassette was out, oh, it was about probably , uh , 12, 15 inches wide and , uh, about 10 inches deep and maybe about four inches thick. And it used audio cassettes to store the data. Um, and so , uh, and then it had those six, they had the keyboard, the , a braille keyboard that you could set and do data entry with, and it would store it on the audio cassette a magnetic tape, but then it had a, I think a 20 or 25 cell refreshable brail display that , um, it could, you know, play back basically what you had typed onto the audio tape, but it would play it back as in, in braille. Right. And it used to a technology called Pizo electric technology to raise the pins. Um, and , uh, Tretiakov comes over the United States. He’s, you know, trying to figure out a way to, you know, mass produce this. And he goes to a, a company called Telecensory a big , uh , accessibility company back in those days. And try was negotiate with them to produce the , uh, the , uh , Tretiakov, machine, the, digit cassette , well Telecensory was like, “no.” And so basically what they did was they stole Tretiakov idea. Right. And they took his idea and came up with this thing called the Versa Braille, which was the first commerially available refreshable braille device in the United States, also used , uh , um, uh , magnetic tape , um , cassettes, you know, to store the information, but it was portable pretty heavy. Um, by comparison day , you couldn’t stick in your pocket, but it was portable and used a rechargeable battery. And every, all of our devices today, really, they all kinda harken back to those two devices, the Versa Braille and the , although there are European manufacturers that, that have their roots in , in other inventors in Europe. Um , but you know, the exciting thing to is that , you know , that piso electric cell for the longest time has been kind of the , the limiting factor, because it was pretty expensive. Each cell was, you know, I don’t know, 250 bucks or something like that just per sale . So if you had a 40 cell display, that’s 40 times, two $50. Right. And so , uh, and so that’s why , uh, like inventions, like the , uh , Orbit 20 that we , uh, uh, came up with , uh, a few years ago and it’s, it’s now out of our catalog, but it used a different kind of technology. And so a lot of inventors are, you know, poking and prying and , uh, working on that on the, kind of like in the hourglass, you know, the blockage, the one little thing in a , in a technology that, that, that is kind of slowing it , uh , development down . Um, but , um, you know , there’s been a lot of, lot of movement, a lot of growth and a lot of miniaturization, you know, these devices just keep getting smaller and smaller and cheaper and cheaper. And that was the whole idea is how can we get to a point where we can put one of these in the hands of every body who wants to use one? Um, and, you know, we’re really getting close to that. Um , you know, the chameleon and the , and , uh , what’s the other device that, that just came out,

Sara Brown: 43:10

We’ve got the Chameleon 20 and Polly is coming out.

Micheal Hudson: 43:15

Polly. Um , then that’s after Polly Thompson who was , uh , who was , uh , Helen Keller’s assistant, but all this stuff is, you know, it’s happening fast. And , uh, the changes are , it’s just pretty amazing to watch the, the , the , the new products that are coming out , um, that to make braille easier to use. Um , and, and , you know, it’s a tribute to how elegant Louis’s original code was that this thing that was, you know, published for the first time in 1829, which we’re coming up now, you know, won’t be too long till we’ll be working on the 200th anniversary, but it’s co the code is so elegant. Uh , so easy to so easy to use that. And so flexible that we’re still, you know , uh , technology is making it easier to use, but the reason that we’re still inventing new technology is because the code itself is so elegant.

Sara Brown: 44:11

And, you know, when something’s done right or done, well, it will stand in the test of time. And this is a classic example of that. It has not strayed very much from the original, the original code. So that’s just, that’s the, that’s my thinking. That’s my thoughts on it when something’s good, the first time you change , you don’t reinvent the wheel.

Micheal Hudson: 44:30

Yeah. So my old boss, Gary people always used to ask him, you know, why , you know, when will braille go away? And he would always say, when people no longer need a pencil and paper, when side people no longer need a pen to, you know, then people who are blinder vision impaired will stop using braille. But as long as we need to read to , uh , to , to memorize things , uh, to store data, to, to , to send messages to each other , uh , people who are blind will be using , um , Louis’ code,

Sara Brown: 45:03

What else can we see regarding braille in the APH museum?

Micheal Hudson: 45:08

We have an awesome collection, as you might imagine. Uh , you know, it starts with Louis’s original , uh , publication of the braille code in 1829. What we call the per se day , the method it’s super rare. There’s only six copies of the book left in anywhere in the world. And we have one of them it’s on display. We have over a hundred braille slates, the collection, and probably 50 of ’em on display in all shapes and sizes and materials designs. Um, we have 40 , uh, different bra riders , uh, from all over the world, from Europe, from Asia, from north America, you know, starting with that , uh , hall rail rider . We have , uh , you know, the St machine, if you wanna see that we have that , uh, we have , uh , some of the early computer , uh, the IBM developed , uh , computer translation devices that are on display. And , um, you know , uh, we, we di we’ve done temporary exhibits with the , uh, refreshable brail devices, but that’s, we’ll one of the things I’m really excited about the new museum project that we’re working on is that we’re gonna be able to put out a lot of this technology I’ve been collecting over the last 16 years that we haven’t had room for in the new museum. And so , um, you know , a lot of the Bri and bosses , uh, the digital , uh , note takers and stuff will have , um, on display and , um, and , uh, and also in a , an accessible way so that people can actually get their hands on. And is

Sara Brown: 46:41

There anything else you’d like to add regarding braille devices?

Micheal Hudson: 46:45

Yeah, I think it’s just that the braille code is alive, Sara, and , um, and so, you know, we have just this in incredible new , you know, new generation of users that’s coming up and, you know , uh , it’s , uh , it’s, it’s, it’s just a constant process of people , uh, poking and prodding and stretching and , um, and, and asking questions. And I think if we just keep asking questions, why do we do this? Why do we do it this way? Why did , how did it happen that we, we got the , to where we are , um, uh , that people just keep applying their, their , their human ingenuity to this, this, this simple problem of reading and writing. And, and , uh , and so I , you know, I think that’s what our museum talks about, and I , and I’m excited to see where we’re gonna go next.

Sara Brown: 47:39

Thank you so much, Michael, for joining me today on Change Makers.

Micheal Hudson: 47:42

Thank you Sara.

Sara Brown: 47:45

Thank you very much for listening to this episode of changemaker. We’ve put links to Chameleon 20 and Mystic access in the show notes, and as always be sure to look for ways you can be a change maker this week.