Re: Congratulations, Freda Tepfer!
Congratulations!
Thank you.
Coby livingstone
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Feb 9, 2024, at 1:05?PM, Dona Sauerburger <dona@...> wrote:
?Last night I had the pleasure of seeing Freda Tepfer receive an "Advocate Extraordinaire" Award from Penn Future at their 2024 Environmental Advocacy Celebration for her persistent advocacy for environmental accessibility -- congratulations, Freda!
It's so fitting that you are acknowledged for your tireless work, especially by such a respected environmental and social justice organization as Penn Future -- the Conservation Voters of PA! Someone in the audience chimed in to note that you have made a huge difference in their community in Erie, PA. Way to go!
-- Dona
-------------------------------
Dona Sauerburger, COMS
Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist for the blind
awww.sauerburger.org
|
Congratulations, Freda Tepfer!
Last night I had the pleasure of seeing Freda Tepfer receive an "Advocate Extraordinaire" Award from Penn Future at their 2024 Environmental Advocacy Celebration for her persistent advocacy for environmental accessibility -- congratulations, Freda!
It's so fitting that you are acknowledged for your tireless work, especially by such a respected environmental and social justice organization as Penn Future -- the Conservation Voters of PA! Someone in the audience chimed in to note that you have made a huge difference in their community in Erie, PA.? Way to go!
-- Dona
-------------------------------
Dona Sauerburger, COMS
Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist for the blind
awww.sauerburger.org
|
visual motor activities for a visually impaired toddler
Hello all? I understand this may be a little off topic but I have a toddler who is delayed in visual motor activities e.g. using markers, identifying pictures, etc. She also has severe depth perception problems. She has vision in one eye only. She also has a very short attention span. I would greatly appreciate any sources for appropriate activities to develop visual motor skills and depth perception for this little one.??
thank you so much
Rosemary Gribbin
|
Registration now open for Bravo Summer Camps in NC
Registration is now open for Bravo Summer Camps!
We have two camps available this summer:? our Bravo Asheville Day Camp (July 15-19) and our Bravo Nantahala Adventure Camp (July 21-25).? You can find out more at .? Details about our celebrated Adventure Camp are also posted below.
Bravo Nantahala Adventure Camp
Where:? Nantahala Gorge, near Bryson City, North Carolina
When: Sunday, July 21 through Thursday, July 25, 2024
What: An overnight outdoor adventure camp for kids who are blind or have a significant visual impairment, and who are ready to stretch their legs and hit the trail.? We plan to hike, raft, climb, swim, and zip in and around the Nantahala Gorge in Western North Carolina.? We’ll stay in the Group Lodge at Wildwater Nantahala, and spend some time at the Nantahala Outdoor Center too.? There are 12 spaces available for the 2024 camp.
Who: ?Campers are rising 9-12 graders with blindness or low vision.? Instructors include certified Teachers for the Visually Impaired and Orientation & Mobility Specialists, along with a few other adventurous souls, both blind and sighted.? 2024 is our ninth year hosting an outdoor adventure camp for the blind.
You can learn more about our eligibility guidelines and registration process at
Contact: ?For more information, contact Jay Hardwig at jay@... (preferred) or by calling or texting or 828-335-1136.
?
-- Jay Hardwig, MA, COMS, NBCT Executive Director BRAVO: Blue Ridge Adventures ~ Vision Optional
|
Registration for Feb 20 webinar Understanding Modern Signals
Hi everyone!? Registration for the webinar I told you about last
week (described below) is ready.?
If you are an AER member, you can . ??
If you're not an AER member, you can register by
contacting Tiffany McCoy at tiffany@... and set
up an account.? As I understand it, there is no cost, but if you
want ACVREP credit you'll need to pay unless you are an AER
member.
Here is the description:
----------------------------------------------------
Join
us on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, at 7:00 PM ET.
?
Title:
Understanding Modern Signals?
?
Description:
Through an interactive presentation, learners will gain an
understanding of modern traffic signals and the practical skills
and concepts our students need to effectively navigate
intersections that use them.?
?
Earn 1.5
continuing education credits, available through ACVREP!
?
Presenters:
Dona Sauerburger, Jack Mitchell, and JoAnne Chalom
?
Learning
Objectives:
?
1. Learners will
be able to understand how signal traffic patterns are
implemented and their significance for pedestrians' rights of
way.
2. Learners
will be able to understand concepts of actuation and the
importance for pedestrians to use the pushbutton and WALK
signal.
3. Learners
will be able to understand how a blind person without access to
the pedestrian signal can press the pedestrian button to predict
the probable onset of the WALK signal.
?
|
Re: AER /EAC webinar on signalized crossings 7-8:30 EST February 20!
Wow, Gina -- yes, that sounds like it!? I'm embarrassed I didn't
know it was up - I'll be glad to see you there!?
This webinar will be open to everyone, AER and the O&M
Division's Environmental Access Committee think it's important for
this information to be available to all who need it, so as soon as
we know how that registration will be handled we can let you
know.? Meanwhile, AER members can sign up now!
Thanks again!
On 1/28/2024 3:40 PM, Schmid, Gina J
wrote:
I signed up already and looking forward to it Dona!? I signed up
on the AER Learning- is that the right place? It was called
Understanding Modern Signals on 2/20.?
Gina?
Certified
Orientation & Mobility Specialist (COMS)
CAUTION:
This email originated from outside of the organization. Do
not click links or open attachments unless you recognize
the sender and know the content is safe.
?
Hi everyone! ?JoAnne Chalom, Jack Mitchell and I are very
excited about doing a webinar for O&Ms on crossing at
modern signalized intersections! ?It’s sponsored by the
Environmental Access Committee of AER’s O&M Division, and
it’s free and open to everyone, offering ACVREP credit.?
We plan to have FUN while learning, and ask each of you
to go back in history to when O&M began and our
street-crossing strategies were developed, and put
yourselves in the shoes of the traffic engineers who
created the complex signals we have today so you can
understand them.
After learning all about the traffic patterns and
timing and how pedestrians and blind folks can navigate
them, we’ll talk about what you can ask engineers to do
when there are problems with the signal that make it
difficult to cross.
We'll send registration information as soon as its
available.
Enjoy!
— Dona
—————————
Dona Sauerburger, COMS
Certified Orientation
and Mobility Specialist for the blind
--
-- Dona
-------------------------------
Dona Sauerburger, COMS
Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist for the blind
|
Re: AER /EAC webinar on signalized crossings 7-8:30 EST February 20!
I signed up already and looking forward to it Dona!? I signed up on the AER Learning- is that the right place? It was called Understanding Modern Signals on 2/20.?
Gina?
Certified Orientation & Mobility Specialist (COMS)
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of Dona Sauerburger via groups.io <dona@...>
Sent: Sunday, January 28, 2024 3:18 PM
To: AER EAC <aer-eac@...>; O&M AER listserv <oandm@...>; aernet@... <aernet@...>; O&M Open International listserv <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] [OandM] AER /EAC webinar on signalized crossings 7-8:30 EST February 20!
?
CAUTION: This email originated from outside
of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
?
Hi everyone! ?JoAnne Chalom, Jack Mitchell and I are very excited about doing a webinar for O&Ms on crossing at modern signalized intersections! ?It’s sponsored by the Environmental Access Committee of AER’s O&M Division, and it’s free and open to everyone,
offering ACVREP credit.?
We plan to have FUN while learning, and ask each of you to go back in history to when O&M began and our street-crossing strategies were developed, and put yourselves in the shoes of the traffic engineers who created the complex signals we have today so
you can understand them.
After learning all about the traffic patterns and timing and how pedestrians and blind folks can navigate them, we’ll talk about what you can ask engineers to do when there are problems with the signal that make it difficult to cross.
We'll send registration information as soon as its available.
Enjoy!
— Dona
—————————
Dona Sauerburger, COMS
Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist for the blind
|
AER /EAC webinar on signalized crossings 7-8:30 EST February 20!
Hi everyone! ?JoAnne Chalom, Jack Mitchell and I are very excited
about doing a webinar for O&Ms on crossing at modern signalized
intersections! ?It’s sponsored by the Environmental Access Committee
of AER’s O&M Division, and it’s free and open to everyone,
offering ACVREP credit.?
We plan to have FUN while learning, and ask each of you to go
back in history to when O&M began and our street-crossing
strategies were developed, and put yourselves in the shoes of
the traffic engineers who created the complex signals we have
today so you can understand them.
After learning all about the traffic patterns and timing and
how pedestrians and blind folks can navigate them, we’ll talk
about what you can ask engineers to do when there are problems
with the signal that make it difficult to cross.
We'll send registration information as soon as its available.
Enjoy!
— Dona
—————————
Dona Sauerburger, COMS
Certified Orientation and
Mobility Specialist for the blind
|
Re: Older Individuals and Support Issues
I have experienced this conundrum in my own practice. When I was the O&M Specialist for Envision, I always ran the placement of a support cane with a client through the PT consultants they kept on contract. I do not remember a time when a PT disagreed with my recommendation. Ethically, however, I have a problem with always deferring to PTs before putting a white support cane in the hand of a client. If a person is navigating in the built environment while using a non-white support cane, but vision loss is causing them to ?need to identify as visually impaired in order to travel with utmost possible safety, then I will replace the support cane with a white support cane set to the exact same height and of the same weight. If a white support cane which is almost identical to their non-white support cane is not available, then, with their permission, I paint their support cane white with a red section at the bottom. White and red reflective paint, and masking tape, ?are included in my usual supplies. I have also used white and red reflective tape in the same manner. I have great respect for the work of the field of PT. I would never attempt to initially fit a support cane for someone who has not been using one, even though I believe I understand the basics of doing so. At the same time, now as a private practitioner, if a person is using a support cane, and they are also experiencing vision loss, I want to make them as safe as possible as quickly as possible. That may mean replacing a colored support cane with a white one. Referral to a PT to prescribe the white support cane can take a month or longer in my geographic areas of practice. I think our field needs to understand that, whether we like it or not, people can go into any Walgreens, CVS, or other pharmacy chain and purchase a support cane off of the rack. Recently I have also found that some manufacturers of long, white canes are marketing their products to retail entities that then re-sell them over the counter. I have encountered several clients who have purchased long, sort of white, and red canes manufactured by Drive Inc.? These canes have usually been much too long or, more often, too short for the individual, and their tips are of questionable quality, but they do indeed feature the characteristics of folding white canes that we might place. ?My point here is that, ideally adaptive equipment, both which we prescribe, and which OTs prescribe, should be fitted by qualified experts in the appropriate fields, but consumers can easily get around that requirement. Given these realities, I do not think we should make an experienced support cane user wait for a PT referral in order to get a white support cane, if that is the adaptive equipment they need to travel with utmost safety. Michael Byington, Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist President of Kansas Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired Membership Coordinator for Friends In Art of the American Council for the Blind 712 S Kansas Avene, Suite 414 Topeka, Kansas 66603 (785) 221-7111 ByingtonCOMS@... ? ? ?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Dona Sauerburger
Sent: Friday, January 12, 2024 5:37 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [OandM] Older Individuals and Support Issues? Hi Julie!? I always recommend that the client go to a PT (funded either by insurance if prescribed by a doctor, or the agency that is paying for my services).? They are the only ones qualified to assess and address the problem (balance or weakness or dizziness or whatever) that seems to suggest the need for a support cane.? Then I work with the PT and the client, so the 3 of us can work out strategies to both probe ahead to see what's on the ground, and provide support.? There are examples of using a support and a long white cane and Scott Crawford has a wealth of information in his APH material. I worked with a woman last summer who is blind and had learned to use a long white cane and now needed a cane for support.? She had a support cane but hadn't learned how to use it, so the PT showed her how to use it and she got to the second level of learning the cane (she could do it but only when concentrating).?? She then very quickly learned to use the white cane with the support cane but as she was walking she asked me to hold her for support, and I realized that before incorporating the white cane, she needed to get skilled with and rely on the support cane, and after that we introduced the long white cane and she did well.? I videotaped the process and some day will get it ready to post. On 1/12/2024 5:31 PM, Julie Henry wrote: Those of you working with older individuals who have low vision … how do you approach it when they need a support cane, but do not have one or a PT. What do you do? ? Also, are any of you “fall prevention” certified? If so, what program did you do? ? Julie Henry O&M Specialist 411 W. Front | Tyler, TX | 75702 O: 903.590.4356 
? ?
--
-- Dona
-------------------------------
Dona Sauerburger, COMS
Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist for the blind
|
Re: Older Individuals and Support Issues
No, Dona, they are not the thin ID canes but support cane types with white & red markings. ?We found that older individuals preferred this type of cane vs using a long cane for ID (Not protection) and most felt more comfortable walking around with this type of cane for ID. ?Otherwise they would not continue walking because they were so afraid of falling. ?There is no research that I know of that a person changes their gait. ?They used the cane for a probe sometimes or check the height of a curb or stair before stepping up/down. ?They had very good functional vision for travel. ?To us, individuals continue to walk more (or continue to move) so that in it’s self to lower a fall risk.
Meg Robertson COMS
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Jan 17, 2024, at 9:49?AM, Dona Sauerburger <dona@...> wrote:
Meg, are these the slender “ID” canes? ?Or heavy short support canes?
Our agency used to give out support canes as an ID cane (before I came on board) and when I worked with them later, they had become used to using the support cane and had to be weaned off of it. I have read (don’t remember where) that a person whose balance is good who is encouraged to use a support cane may change their gait such that they would need the support cane rather than strengthening their muscles to improve their balance. ?Anyone know if that’s true?
My husband and I, by the way, are taking Tai Chi for our balance, and it is extremely helpful.
— Dona ————————— Dona Sauerburger, COMS Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist for the blind
On Jan 17, 2024, at 12:26 PM, Meg Robertson via groups.io <mobilitymeg@...> wrote:
?
At the Mass. Commission for the Blind, the O&M Dept., we issued ’short canes” for ID and/or visual support to older adults, who did not need a long cane for protection around obstacles. ?Almost all these clients had ARMD. ?Sometimes these canes were used as a bridge to get them to use a long cane if vision decreased. These canes were not issued to anyone using a walker or had a mobility physical impairment, referrals were made or recommended to PT services. ?This type of cane has been used in our practice in Mass., for over 40 years. ?We would work with PTs as often as we could but support canes can be brought without a prescription. ?We issued more of these short cans than long canes. ?
If a client had purchased a support cane, we would observe how they used it, maybe re-sized it for a better fit, recommend them to consult with a PT, but we would also tape thei cane, for ID, if they did not need a long cane.
We also had some of our OM staff become “Matter of Balance” Trainers, as most of our referrals were of older adults with ARMD.
So there are 2 different issues, yes, if there is a physical mobility need, PTs need to be consulted for the best type of a Mobility Device-Walker/support cane/wheelchair, vs using a smaller cane (not a long cane) for ID and visual support.
Many times we have ran into issues with Pts, that don’t want a blind person to use a long cane with a support cane, as they are consider the long cane another mobility device, when their goal is to have the person travel without a mobility device. ?We have to do a lot of training with these PTs. ?
If working with Children, that is another discussion but I’m talking about older adults with vision loss.
Meg Robertson COMS Former Director of the O&M Dept.? Mass. Commission for the Blind
On Jan 17, 2024, at 7:48?AM, Julie Henry <jhenry@...> wrote:
Thank you. That is exactly what I was looking for. ? Julie ? Julie Henry O&M Specialist 411 W. Front | Tyler, TX | 75702 O: 903.590.4356 <image001.png> ? ? ? ? Hi Julie!? I always recommend that the client go to a PT (funded either by insurance if prescribed by a doctor, or the agency that is paying for my services).? They are the only ones qualified to assess and address the problem (balance or weakness or dizziness or whatever) that seems to suggest the need for a support cane.?? Then I work with the PT and the client, so the 3 of us can work out strategies to both probe ahead to see what's on the ground, and provide support.? There are examples of using a support and a long white cane??and Scott Crawford has a wealth of information in his APH material. I worked with a woman last summer who is blind and had learned to use a long white cane and now needed a cane for support.? She had a support cane but hadn't learned how to use it, so the PT showed her how to use it and she got to the second level of learning the cane (she could do it but only when concentrating).?? She then very quickly learned to use the white cane with the support cane but as she was walking she asked me to hold her for support, and I realized that before incorporating the white cane, she needed to get skilled with and rely on the support cane, and after that we introduced the long white cane and she did well.? I videotaped the process and some day will get it ready to post. On 1/12/2024 5:31 PM, Julie Henry wrote: Those of you working with older individuals who have low vision … how do you approach it when they need a support cane, but do not have one or a PT. What do you do? ? Also, are any of you “fall prevention” certified? If so, what program did you do? ? Julie Henry O&M Specialist 411 W. Front | Tyler, TX | 75702 O: 903.590.4356 <image001.png> ? ?
--?
-- Dona?
-------------------------------?
Dona Sauerburger, COMS
Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist for the blind
|
Re: Older Individuals and Support Issues
I have no “evidence” that is true, but I have also been told that by the PTs that I worked with when talking about me after breaking my foot and my coworker after knee surgery. My PT said as soon as you can, get off all walkers, support
canes and start paying attention to your limping or you’ll need it for the rest of your life.? So from that … I would agree that you are correct.
?
Julie
?
Julie Henry
O&M Specialist
411 W. Front | Tyler, TX | 75702
O: 903.590.4356
?
?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
From: [email protected] < [email protected]> On Behalf Of
Dona Sauerburger via groups.io
Sent: Wednesday, January 17, 2024 11:49 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [OandM] Older Individuals and Support Issues
?
?
Meg, are these the slender “ID” canes? ?Or heavy short support canes?
Our agency used to give out support canes as an ID cane (before I came on board) and when I worked with them later, they had become used to using the support cane and had to be weaned off of it. I have read (don’t remember where) that a
person whose balance is good who is encouraged to use a support cane may change their gait such that they would need the support cane rather than strengthening their muscles to improve their balance. ?Anyone know if that’s true?
My husband and I, by the way, are taking Tai Chi for our balance, and it is extremely helpful.
?
— Dona
Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist for the blind
On Jan 17, 2024, at 12:26 PM, Meg Robertson via groups.io <mobilitymeg@...> wrote:
?
At the Mass. Commission for the Blind, the O&M Dept., we issued ’short canes” for ID and/or visual support to older adults, who did not need a long cane for protection around obstacles. ?Almost all these clients had ARMD. ?Sometimes these
canes were used as a bridge to get them to use a long cane if vision decreased. These canes were not issued to anyone using a walker or had a mobility physical impairment, referrals were made or recommended to PT services. ?This type of cane has been used
in our practice in Mass., for over 40 years. ?We would work with PTs as often as we could but support canes can be brought without a prescription. ?We issued more of these short cans than long canes. ?
If a client had purchased a support cane, we would observe how they used it, maybe re-sized it for a better fit, recommend them to consult with a PT, but we would also tape thei cane, for ID, if they did not need a long cane.
We also had some of our OM staff become “Matter of Balance” Trainers, as most of our referrals were of older adults with ARMD.
So there are 2 different issues, yes, if there is a physical mobility need, PTs need to be consulted for the best type of a Mobility Device-Walker/support cane/wheelchair, vs using a smaller cane (not a long cane) for ID and visual support.
Many times we have ran into issues with Pts, that don’t want a blind person to use a long cane with a support cane, as they are consider the long cane another mobility device, when their goal is to have the person travel without a mobility
device. ?We have to do a lot of training with these PTs. ?
If working with Children, that is another discussion but I’m talking about older adults with vision loss.
Former Director of the O&M Dept.?
Mass. Commission for the Blind
?
On Jan 17, 2024, at 7:48?AM, Julie Henry <jhenry@...> wrote:
?
Thank you. That is exactly what I was looking for.
411 W. Front | Tyler, TX | 75702
Hi Julie!? I always recommend that the client go to a PT (funded either by insurance if prescribed by a doctor, or the agency that is paying for my services).? They are the only ones qualified
to assess and address the problem (balance or weakness or dizziness or whatever) that seems to suggest the need for a support cane.??
Then I work with the PT and the client, so the 3 of us can work out strategies to both probe ahead to see what's on the ground, and provide support.? There are examples of using a support
and a long white cane??and Scott Crawford has a wealth of information in his APH material.
I worked with a woman last summer who is blind and had learned to use a long white cane and now needed a cane for support.? She had a support cane but hadn't learned how to use it, so the
PT showed her how to use it and she got to the second level of learning the cane (she could do it but only when concentrating).??
She then very quickly learned to use the white cane with the support cane but as she was walking she asked me to hold her for support, and I realized that before incorporating the white cane,
she needed to get skilled with and rely on the support cane, and after that we introduced the long white cane and she did well.? I videotaped the process and some day will get it ready to post.
On 1/12/2024 5:31 PM, Julie Henry wrote:
Those of you working with older individuals who have low vision … how do you approach it when they need a support cane, but do not have one or a PT. What do you do?
Also, are any of you “fall prevention” certified? If so, what program did you do?
411 W. Front | Tyler, TX | 75702
--?
-- Dona?
-------------------------------?
Dona Sauerburger, COMS
Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist for the blind
?
|
Re: Older Individuals and Support Issues
Meg, are these the slender “ID” canes? ?Or heavy short support canes?
Our agency used to give out support canes as an ID cane (before I came on board) and when I worked with them later, they had become used to using the support cane and had to be weaned off of it. I have read (don’t remember where) that a person whose balance is good who is encouraged to use a support cane may change their gait such that they would need the support cane rather than strengthening their muscles to improve their balance. ?Anyone know if that’s true?
My husband and I, by the way, are taking Tai Chi for our balance, and it is extremely helpful.
— Dona ————————— Dona Sauerburger, COMS Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist for the blind www.sauerburger.org
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Jan 17, 2024, at 12:26 PM, Meg Robertson via groups.io <mobilitymeg@...> wrote:
?
At the Mass. Commission for the Blind, the O&M Dept., we issued ’short canes” for ID and/or visual support to older adults, who did not need a long cane for protection around obstacles. ?Almost all these clients had ARMD. ?Sometimes these canes were used as a bridge to get them to use a long cane if vision decreased. These canes were not issued to anyone using a walker or had a mobility physical impairment, referrals were made or recommended to PT services. ?This type of cane has been used in our practice in Mass., for over 40 years. ?We would work with PTs as often as we could but support canes can be brought without a prescription. ?We issued more of these short cans than long canes. ?
If a client had purchased a support cane, we would observe how they used it, maybe re-sized it for a better fit, recommend them to consult with a PT, but we would also tape thei cane, for ID, if they did not need a long cane.
We also had some of our OM staff become “Matter of Balance” Trainers, as most of our referrals were of older adults with ARMD.
So there are 2 different issues, yes, if there is a physical mobility need, PTs need to be consulted for the best type of a Mobility Device-Walker/support cane/wheelchair, vs using a smaller cane (not a long cane) for ID and visual support.
Many times we have ran into issues with Pts, that don’t want a blind person to use a long cane with a support cane, as they are consider the long cane another mobility device, when their goal is to have the person travel without a mobility device. ?We have to do a lot of training with these PTs. ?
If working with Children, that is another discussion but I’m talking about older adults with vision loss.
Meg Robertson COMS Former Director of the O&M Dept.? Mass. Commission for the Blind
On Jan 17, 2024, at 7:48?AM, Julie Henry <jhenry@...> wrote:
Thank you. That is exactly what I was looking for. ? Julie ? Julie Henry O&M Specialist 411 W. Front | Tyler, TX | 75702 O: 903.590.4356 <image001.png> ? ? ? ? Hi Julie!? I always recommend that the client go to a PT (funded either by insurance if prescribed by a doctor, or the agency that is paying for my services).? They are the only ones qualified to assess and address the problem (balance or weakness or dizziness or whatever) that seems to suggest the need for a support cane.?? Then I work with the PT and the client, so the 3 of us can work out strategies to both probe ahead to see what's on the ground, and provide support.? There are examples of using a support and a long white cane??and Scott Crawford has a wealth of information in his APH material. I worked with a woman last summer who is blind and had learned to use a long white cane and now needed a cane for support.? She had a support cane but hadn't learned how to use it, so the PT showed her how to use it and she got to the second level of learning the cane (she could do it but only when concentrating).?? She then very quickly learned to use the white cane with the support cane but as she was walking she asked me to hold her for support, and I realized that before incorporating the white cane, she needed to get skilled with and rely on the support cane, and after that we introduced the long white cane and she did well.? I videotaped the process and some day will get it ready to post. On 1/12/2024 5:31 PM, Julie Henry wrote: Those of you working with older individuals who have low vision … how do you approach it when they need a support cane, but do not have one or a PT. What do you do? ? Also, are any of you “fall prevention” certified? If so, what program did you do? ? Julie Henry O&M Specialist 411 W. Front | Tyler, TX | 75702 O: 903.590.4356 <image001.png> ? ?
--?
-- Dona?
-------------------------------?
Dona Sauerburger, COMS
Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist for the blind
|
Re: Older Individuals and Support Issues
At the Mass. Commission for the Blind, the O&M Dept., we issued ’short canes” for ID and/or visual support to older adults, who did not need a long cane for protection around obstacles. ?Almost all these clients had ARMD. ?Sometimes these canes were used as a bridge to get them to use a long cane if vision decreased. These canes were not issued to anyone using a walker or had a mobility physical impairment, referrals were made or recommended to PT services. ?This type of cane has been used in our practice in Mass., for over 40 years. ?We would work with PTs as often as we could but support canes can be brought without a prescription. ?We issued more of these short cans than long canes. ?
If a client had purchased a support cane, we would observe how they used it, maybe re-sized it for a better fit, recommend them to consult with a PT, but we would also tape thei cane, for ID, if they did not need a long cane.
We also had some of our OM staff become “Matter of Balance” Trainers, as most of our referrals were of older adults with ARMD.
So there are 2 different issues, yes, if there is a physical mobility need, PTs need to be consulted for the best type of a Mobility Device-Walker/support cane/wheelchair, vs using a smaller cane (not a long cane) for ID and visual support.
Many times we have ran into issues with Pts, that don’t want a blind person to use a long cane with a support cane, as they are consider the long cane another mobility device, when their goal is to have the person travel without a mobility device. ?We have to do a lot of training with these PTs. ?
If working with Children, that is another discussion but I’m talking about older adults with vision loss.
Meg Robertson COMS Former Director of the O&M Dept.? Mass. Commission for the Blind
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Jan 17, 2024, at 7:48?AM, Julie Henry <jhenry@...> wrote:
Thank you. That is exactly what I was looking for. ? Julie ? Julie Henry O&M Specialist 411 W. Front | Tyler, TX | 75702 O: 903.590.4356 <image001.png> ? ? ? ? Hi Julie!? I always recommend that the client go to a PT (funded either by insurance if prescribed by a doctor, or the agency that is paying for my services).? They are the only ones qualified to assess and address the problem (balance or weakness or dizziness or whatever) that seems to suggest the need for a support cane.?? Then I work with the PT and the client, so the 3 of us can work out strategies to both probe ahead to see what's on the ground, and provide support.? There are examples of using a support and a long white cane??and Scott Crawford has a wealth of information in his APH material. I worked with a woman last summer who is blind and had learned to use a long white cane and now needed a cane for support.? She had a support cane but hadn't learned how to use it, so the PT showed her how to use it and she got to the second level of learning the cane (she could do it but only when concentrating).?? She then very quickly learned to use the white cane with the support cane but as she was walking she asked me to hold her for support, and I realized that before incorporating the white cane, she needed to get skilled with and rely on the support cane, and after that we introduced the long white cane and she did well.? I videotaped the process and some day will get it ready to post. On 1/12/2024 5:31 PM, Julie Henry wrote: Those of you working with older individuals who have low vision … how do you approach it when they need a support cane, but do not have one or a PT. What do you do? ? Also, are any of you “fall prevention” certified? If so, what program did you do? ? Julie Henry O&M Specialist 411 W. Front | Tyler, TX | 75702 O: 903.590.4356 <image001.png> ? ?
--?
-- Dona?
-------------------------------?
Dona Sauerburger, COMS
Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist for the blind
|
Re: Older Individuals and Support Issues
Thank you. That is exactly what I was looking for.
?
Julie
?
Julie Henry
O&M Specialist
411 W. Front | Tyler, TX | 75702
O: 903.590.4356
?
?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
From: [email protected] <[email protected]>
On Behalf Of Dona Sauerburger via groups.io
Sent: Friday, January 12, 2024 5:37 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [OandM] Older Individuals and Support Issues
?
?
Hi Julie!? I always recommend that the client go to a PT (funded either by insurance if prescribed by a doctor, or the agency that is paying for my services).? They are the only ones qualified to assess and address the problem (balance or weakness or dizziness
or whatever) that seems to suggest the need for a support cane.?
Then I work with the PT and the client, so the 3 of us can work out strategies to both probe ahead to see what's on the ground, and provide support.? There are examples of using a support and a long white cane
and Scott Crawford has a wealth of information in his APH material.
I worked with a woman last summer who is blind and had learned to use a long white cane and now needed a cane for support.? She had a support cane but hadn't learned how to use it, so the PT showed her how to use it and she got to the second level of learning
the cane (she could do it but only when concentrating).??
She then very quickly learned to use the white cane with the support cane but as she was walking she asked me to hold her for support, and I realized that before incorporating the white cane, she needed to get skilled with and rely on the support cane, and
after that we introduced the long white cane and she did well.? I videotaped the process and some day will get it ready to post.
On 1/12/2024 5:31 PM, Julie Henry wrote:
Those of you working with older individuals who have low vision … how do you approach it when they need a support cane, but do not have one or a PT. What do you do?
?
Also, are any of you “fall prevention” certified? If so, what program did you do?
?
Julie Henry
O&M Specialist
411 W. Front | Tyler, TX | 75702
O: 903.590.4356
?
?
--
-- Dona
-------------------------------
Dona Sauerburger, COMS
Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist for the blind
|
Re: Five Protactile Educators Walk Out
MOD NOTE: ? FYI: This is being distributed widely and should not have been. I believe in transparency; however, this is an instance where I think it went too far. Notification of cancellation of a program for personal reasons is all should have been said. ?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of John Lee Clark
Sent: Tuesday, January 16, 2024 12:49 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [OandM] Five Protactile Educators Walk Out? Dear everyone, John here: ? The OandM may not be the place to discuss this in depth, but it is an important development in the professional landscape we share.? It may leave you with helpful insights. ? Today five of us Protactile educators informed Western Oregon University that we were not going to take part in our upcoming Protactile Language Interpreting National Education Program training.? You will find the letter below. ? We have already contacted our students to let them know we are here and are all personally committed to supporting them in their Protactile journey. ? We want to stress that everyone involved in this challenging situation needs support, including A.? It wasn’t his fault that he was hired.? It would have been so much better if he had the opportunity to wander into the DeafBlind community when he was ready.? Thank you for extending any support you can. ? I and some others here may be able to field some questions, and anyone can feel free to email me directly at jlc@... ? Letter pasted here: ? January 16, 2024 ? Desiree Noah Executive Director of Human Resources ? Dominique Vargas Executive Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion ? Venu Nair, Esq. General Counsel ? Copied to: CM Hall and Heather Holmes, Co-Directors, Protactile Language Interpreting National Education Program ? Dear Ms. Noah, Ms. Vargas, and Mr. Nair: ? We, five Protactile educators, wish to give notice of our respectful withdrawal from the upcoming training hosted by Protactile Language Interpreting National Education Program. Despite our hope for a resolution by January 11 to facilitate our work, the date has passed, and it is now January 15. ? For your reference, the enclosed letter articulates concerns raised by four of us, with names hidden to respect individuals' privacy. ? Our decision is driven by our commitment to DeafBlind space, integral to Protactile space, which relies on these imperatives. As a young language and emerging world, Protactile deserves protection and encouragement. ? We will contact all students intending to attend the upcoming training to assure them that our action does not imply abandonment. We deeply appreciate their investment thus far and will exert every effort to support their Protactile education. ? Sincerely, Five Protactile Educators ? Enclosed Letter: ? January 8, 2024 ? Dear Ms. Noah, Ms. Vargas, and Mr. Nair: ? Ms. Hall recently informed the Protactile Language Interpreting National Education Program team that she and Ms. Holmes have passed along written concerns about personnel to you three. Thank you for your careful attention to matters those communications raise. We would like to communicate a decision we have made and to supply some context for our decision. ? We are four members of the team. For our upcoming training from January 17 to 31, we have decided that we cannot work with A., another member of the team. His behavior makes it impossible for us to do our job. We will gladly carry out the training, but without his presence, for it creates an unsafe, hostile work environment. ? Our concerns about A. began soon after he was hired as one of our two new Protactile educators. Late last summer, those concerns came to a head, and we four drafted a letter to request that A. no longer continue on the team. However, our intense discussions about what to do led us to put the letter aside and instead to, in the words of one team member, “give him a serious warning and a second chance.” B. and C. courageously led that process, going through Zoom meetings with A. to share feedback and to seek a resolution. This was, we felt, the right thing to do, in the DeafBlind way. We are disappointed that the process did not produce the result we hoped for, though it was, we believe, through no fault of the process itself. ? So we return here to a letter. It is a different letter, for we are in a different place after months of conversations among ourselves and B. and D. We are now certain that we have given A. every opportunity to play a productive, sustainable, and culturally appropriate role in our work. ? Appended below you will find various notes that we hope will be helpful in understanding the context of our decision. We leave it to you to make a final decision as to A.’s status as a contractor. We are happy to provide more information and context if you would like to inquire further. Thinking ahead to our upcoming scheduled training, though, we do require a safe, functional, and dynamic team and environment, and we regret to report that this is not possible with A.’s continued involvement. We had fallen silent and felt paralyzed around him, but once we moved into another space without him, we began communicating and functioning as a team again. This letter is just one indication of that dynamic, and the team members, all except A., continue to work together often outside of PLI. ? Please let us know as soon as possible, or by January 11, what the status is for our scheduled training, so we can plan accordingly. Please let us know if you would like more information. We are available to meet with you asynchronously via email, but not via Zoom. And if training proceeds later this month, we warmly invite you all to visit us and learn more about the work we love the most in the world to do, teaching Protactile! ? Sincerely, ? C. E. F. G. ? NOTES ? Note I. ? PLI’s “Educator Criteria and Expectations” document states that educators are expected to: ? “Possess a strong knowledge of Protactile language.” ? A. did not join the team possessing that knowledge.?Thankfully, PLI was able to provide training for him to begin learning.?However, he did not complete his training with PLI’s partner, Tactile Communications LLC.?We made various efforts to ensure that he had opportunities to pursue language learning. ? Later, he acknowledged that he had not completed the training. He wrote: ? “G. pointed out that I still have not completed my TC training. It is true. Also, It is a good example of having a white privilege, which I clearly do not have. What has PET done for their BIPOC educator to complete its training after one year? Imagine a community. I just wanted to give you a heads-up that something to ponder.” ? This was an extraordinary statement to make. When A. did not complete his initial training, we pulled in resources to give him opportunities to continue his Protactile education. A team member offered to volunteer his time by arriving earlier before our second session together, but A. canceled on most of that time. We offered him a scholarship through a new TC program, but he didn’t follow up. We used our network to connect him with his local vocational rehabilitation agency, which had the potential to fund his training, and produced letters of support. He was hired on another project, which would have furthered his education, but he abandoned it. ? By contrast, C.—the other new Protactile educator, who was hired at the same time A. had been hired and who is another person of color—completed her PLI-sponsored training, accepted a scholarship from TC, completed that extended training, took team members up on our offers to mentor her, interned at TC, and was hired for successive opportunities that our network provided. ? ?TC’s curriculum is designed to support DeafBlind people with diminishing sight privilege or without sight privilege in relearning personal autonomy and to support sight-reliant folks in unpacking their sight privilege so they can participate in the community with humility, sensitivity, and respect.?A.’s failure to cultivate those latter qualities made his presence in the team increasingly untenable for us. ? Note II. ? The same document states that educators are expected to: ? “Possess a strong DeafBlind identity and personal autonomy.” ? At the time of his hiring, A. did not identify as DeafBlind. When he was asked to submit a bio for the PLI Web site, it said that he was, among other identities, “Deaf.” Only upon nudging did he change it to “DeafBlind.” ? A. referred to the DeafBlind community as an outsider would, using words like “you,” “your,” and “them” instead of “we,” “our,” or “us.”?Instead of acknowledging his status as a sight-reliant person with humility, he defended that status and made inappropriate suggestions for how our community should define our identities to better align with his sight-reliant stance.?We had learned that he has had no meaningful contact with the DeafBlind community before he was hired, so it was truly out of order for a newcomer like him to say such things. ? In the Protactile community, we are not interested in inquiring into how much or little vision someone has. As a rule, we regard veracity of medical diagnoses unnecessary, preferring to trust that people will self-identify in good faith and honor what the identity entails. A. has emerged as a situation where we wonder if we are mistaken in our policy of not demanding verification. We were stunned when, without prompting or any questions, A. declared that he had “150 degrees of sight ability.” That’s, well, fully sighted, only thirty degrees shy of the maximum and perfect 180 degrees. We all are on the very opposite end of the spectrum of vision. ? Regarding “personal autonomy,” A. drives a car—another fact that stunned us—so he hasn’t yet needed to relearn personal autonomy like we are required to be Protactile educators. Thus, this expectation, oddly, doesn’t apply to him.?What it should have said, though, is that educators should not interfere with or take away each other’s autonomy. ? A. frequently used his sight privilege to intervene when we went about our business.?He swooped in or stopped us to “help” us or to “inform” us of things we already knew or were in the process of finding out for ourselves.?Such interventions are exactly what we train interpreters in our program not to do. Yet A., one of the educators, constantly engaged in this behavior. ? Note III. ? The same document states that educators are expected to: ? “Be able to maintain and establish co-presence and consistent contact PT-space and refrain from sight-reliance as primary means of communication.” ? A. often watched our conversations from a distance and would surprise us by jumping in to add something, while we hadn’t been aware that he had been eavesdropping. A great bulk of the times he touched us was to intervene, not to build relationships. We would have liked all of our interactions with him to have been conversations in Protactile, not those interventions or surprise jump-ins. ? A team member describes one example: ? “A. turned the light on in the dining room at the PT House without E. and my knowledge and watched our conversation. E. and I were discussing about A.’s anxiety. We were concerned about him being too wet and thought maybe it would be a good idea not to require him to wear a blindfold, as a way to make things easier for him. The next day, A. was distant with me. I did not know why. Later, B. asked me if A. had talked to men. I said no. B. urged A. to talk to me and he came and talked to me. He told me that he saw me talking about him. I was surprised. He knew that in DB space, if you watch, you touch the person so they would be aware they are being listened to. A. did not touch us.” ? Note IV. ? The same document states that educators are expected to: ? “Possess interpersonal and relational ‘soft’ skills with other educators and students….? Have a clear understanding of how to give (and receive)?friendly and supportive feedback with grace?for learning and growth (and not criticize or diminish student effort) in a conversational, in-the-moment way.” ? A team member states: ? “I do not feel safe with A. because if he and I disagree on something, he becames aggressive. It causes me to be silent. I do not feel safe with A. because he does not respect PT and DB space. He uses his sight all of the time. That makes me feel passive and lose my autonomy.” ? During email discussions, A. accused us of being “racists” without explaining why.?The team includes two other members of color, so this was directed at them as well as the team’s white members.?He often weaponized important social-justice concepts in ways contrary to the true teachings of thinkers and activists who developed those concepts.? ? We have been baffled by his holding to a perspective of our team as ignorant, lacking tools and skills, and “too slow” to do exactly what he expected us to do under the banner of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.?His expectations and interpretations were ungrounded, did not reflect realities we are immersed in, and did not incorporate the DeafBlind community’s own wisdom, histories, and approaches to these topics. ? We observed that most of the things he accused us of were what he himself was doing. For example, he dismissed a female team member’s gentle call-in as an example of “whitesplaining,” he was in reality doing the very thing that term is derived from, mansplaining. He dismissed a male team member’s thoughtful, nuanced comments as an example of “male toxicity.” His dismissive response was, ironically, a clear example of male toxicity. His projections reached a nadir when, after we had fallen into a horrified silence, he sent us an inaccessible PDF on “how to create a safe space.” ? It should be noted, too, that although we have terms for his actions—vidism, distantism, indignation appropriation, and so on—we never called him by any of those. Instead, we patiently absorbed his abuse and tried to gently mentor him. ? Note V. ? Why did PLI ignore its own “Educator Criteria and Expectations” document and hire A., someone who did not identify as DeafBlind, had no history with the DeafBlind community, was still driving a car and in no way functioned as a DeafBlind person, and was profoundly unprepared to learn from DeafBlind elders? ? Note VI. ? One source of dissonance around A. is that he is supposed to be a Protactile educator yet does not speak Protactile. As a team member explains, “A. does not have PT language. He does a combination of TASL and ASL. He does not speak PT at all.” Some of us have experienced difficulty in persisting in speaking in Protactile to him because he does not speak Protactile in return. ? Imagine our shock when we learned that A. was offering Protactile training and coaching services on his Web site. ? While it is a free country, and anyone can set up such an enterprise, there is a strong consensus in the community against new learners who decide to immediately turn around and sell trinkets or to teach the language. In fact, we teach our interpreting students not to do this, and yet A. provided a prime example of the taboo. As Protactile educators, we are tasked with helping our students gain cultural competency, including knowing when it’s appropriate or not appropriate to provide Protactile trainings for financial gain. ? A team member reports that during a Zoom meeting that included B. and A., B. had asked A. if he has been offering online Protactile trainings. “A. started to get worked up,” the team member says, “and asked B. who told her. B. said that it had been just people. A. was not happy and wanted to know who and then said that people who told B. should have talked to A., not B. He claimed it wasn’t true that he is providing PT training and that if he does, he will bring in PT trainer with him to train people.” ? Implicit in A.’s “Who told you?” demand is a troubling assumption, or even an expectation, that B. and other DeafBlind people would, should, remain unaware of his activities. ? Note VII. ? A team member states: ? “When harm was affecting the team, I wanted to talk to A. D. talked to A. first and A. agreed to have a a meeting with me and B. D. offered to message A., B. and me, but I wanted to contact A. I emailed A. and B. and to our surprise, A. flatly refused. He was hostile. D. had to talk to A. A. accused me of ignoring his text since August. I was baffled and checked my phone and it showed that I was the last person texting him. In August we agreed to meet on videophone but A. had canceled the meeting (he always canceled on me). I sent a screenshot to D. to prove that I was the last person texting A. A. later changed his story and said that the team ignored his email via our listserv. I went to googlegroups online--we did not ignore him at all. I felt gaslighted.” ? ? ? ?
|
Five Protactile Educators Walk Out
Dear everyone, John here: ? The OandM may not be the place to discuss this in depth, but it is an important development in the professional landscape we share.? It may leave you with helpful insights. ? Today five of us Protactile educators informed Western Oregon University that we were not going to take part in our upcoming Protactile Language Interpreting National Education Program training.? You will find the letter below. ? We have already contacted our students to let them know we are here and are all personally committed to supporting them in their Protactile journey. ? We want to stress that everyone involved in this challenging situation needs support, including A.? It wasn’t his fault that he was hired.? It would have been so much better if he had the opportunity to wander into the DeafBlind community when he was ready.? Thank you for extending any support you can. ? I and some others here may be able to field some questions, and anyone can feel free to email me directly at jlc@... ? Letter pasted here: ? January 16, 2024 ? Desiree Noah Executive Director of Human Resources ? Dominique Vargas Executive Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion ? Venu Nair, Esq. General Counsel ? Copied to: CM Hall and Heather Holmes, Co-Directors, Protactile Language Interpreting National Education Program ? Dear Ms. Noah, Ms. Vargas, and Mr. Nair: ? We, five Protactile educators, wish to give notice of our respectful withdrawal from the upcoming training hosted by Protactile Language Interpreting National Education Program. Despite our hope for a resolution by January 11 to facilitate our work, the date has passed, and it is now January 15. ? For your reference, the enclosed letter articulates concerns raised by four of us, with names hidden to respect individuals' privacy. ? Our decision is driven by our commitment to DeafBlind space, integral to Protactile space, which relies on these imperatives. As a young language and emerging world, Protactile deserves protection and encouragement. ? We will contact all students intending to attend the upcoming training to assure them that our action does not imply abandonment. We deeply appreciate their investment thus far and will exert every effort to support their Protactile education. ? Sincerely, Five Protactile Educators ? Enclosed Letter: ? January 8, 2024 ? Dear Ms. Noah, Ms. Vargas, and Mr. Nair: ? Ms. Hall recently informed the Protactile Language Interpreting National Education Program team that she and Ms. Holmes have passed along written concerns about personnel to you three. Thank you for your careful attention to matters those communications raise. We would like to communicate a decision we have made and to supply some context for our decision. ? We are four members of the team. For our upcoming training from January 17 to 31, we have decided that we cannot work with A., another member of the team. His behavior makes it impossible for us to do our job. We will gladly carry out the training, but without his presence, for it creates an unsafe, hostile work environment. ? Our concerns about A. began soon after he was hired as one of our two new Protactile educators. Late last summer, those concerns came to a head, and we four drafted a letter to request that A. no longer continue on the team. However, our intense discussions about what to do led us to put the letter aside and instead to, in the words of one team member, “give him a serious warning and a second chance.” B. and C. courageously led that process, going through Zoom meetings with A. to share feedback and to seek a resolution. This was, we felt, the right thing to do, in the DeafBlind way. We are disappointed that the process did not produce the result we hoped for, though it was, we believe, through no fault of the process itself. ? So we return here to a letter. It is a different letter, for we are in a different place after months of conversations among ourselves and B. and D. We are now certain that we have given A. every opportunity to play a productive, sustainable, and culturally appropriate role in our work. ? Appended below you will find various notes that we hope will be helpful in understanding the context of our decision. We leave it to you to make a final decision as to A.’s status as a contractor. We are happy to provide more information and context if you would like to inquire further. Thinking ahead to our upcoming scheduled training, though, we do require a safe, functional, and dynamic team and environment, and we regret to report that this is not possible with A.’s continued involvement. We had fallen silent and felt paralyzed around him, but once we moved into another space without him, we began communicating and functioning as a team again. This letter is just one indication of that dynamic, and the team members, all except A., continue to work together often outside of PLI. ? Please let us know as soon as possible, or by January 11, what the status is for our scheduled training, so we can plan accordingly. Please let us know if you would like more information. We are available to meet with you asynchronously via email, but not via Zoom. And if training proceeds later this month, we warmly invite you all to visit us and learn more about the work we love the most in the world to do, teaching Protactile! ? Sincerely, ? C. E. F. G. ? NOTES ? Note I. ? PLI’s “Educator Criteria and Expectations” document states that educators are expected to: ? “Possess a strong knowledge of Protactile language.” ? A. did not join the team possessing that knowledge.?Thankfully, PLI was able to provide training for him to begin learning.?However, he did not complete his training with PLI’s partner, Tactile Communications LLC.?We made various efforts to ensure that he had opportunities to pursue language learning. ? Later, he acknowledged that he had not completed the training. He wrote: ? “G. pointed out that I still have not completed my TC training. It is true. Also, It is a good example of having a white privilege, which I clearly do not have. What has PET done for their BIPOC educator to complete its training after one year? Imagine a community. I just wanted to give you a heads-up that something to ponder.” ? This was an extraordinary statement to make. When A. did not complete his initial training, we pulled in resources to give him opportunities to continue his Protactile education. A team member offered to volunteer his time by arriving earlier before our second session together, but A. canceled on most of that time. We offered him a scholarship through a new TC program, but he didn’t follow up. We used our network to connect him with his local vocational rehabilitation agency, which had the potential to fund his training, and produced letters of support. He was hired on another project, which would have furthered his education, but he abandoned it. ? By contrast, C.—the other new Protactile educator, who was hired at the same time A. had been hired and who is another person of color—completed her PLI-sponsored training, accepted a scholarship from TC, completed that extended training, took team members up on our offers to mentor her, interned at TC, and was hired for successive opportunities that our network provided. ? ?TC’s curriculum is designed to support DeafBlind people with diminishing sight privilege or without sight privilege in relearning personal autonomy and to support sight-reliant folks in unpacking their sight privilege so they can participate in the community with humility, sensitivity, and respect.?A.’s failure to cultivate those latter qualities made his presence in the team increasingly untenable for us. ? Note II. ? The same document states that educators are expected to: ? “Possess a strong DeafBlind identity and personal autonomy.” ? At the time of his hiring, A. did not identify as DeafBlind. When he was asked to submit a bio for the PLI Web site, it said that he was, among other identities, “Deaf.” Only upon nudging did he change it to “DeafBlind.” ? A. referred to the DeafBlind community as an outsider would, using words like “you,” “your,” and “them” instead of “we,” “our,” or “us.”?Instead of acknowledging his status as a sight-reliant person with humility, he defended that status and made inappropriate suggestions for how our community should define our identities to better align with his sight-reliant stance.?We had learned that he has had no meaningful contact with the DeafBlind community before he was hired, so it was truly out of order for a newcomer like him to say such things. ? In the Protactile community, we are not interested in inquiring into how much or little vision someone has. As a rule, we regard veracity of medical diagnoses unnecessary, preferring to trust that people will self-identify in good faith and honor what the identity entails. A. has emerged as a situation where we wonder if we are mistaken in our policy of not demanding verification. We were stunned when, without prompting or any questions, A. declared that he had “150 degrees of sight ability.” That’s, well, fully sighted, only thirty degrees shy of the maximum and perfect 180 degrees. We all are on the very opposite end of the spectrum of vision. ? Regarding “personal autonomy,” A. drives a car—another fact that stunned us—so he hasn’t yet needed to relearn personal autonomy like we are required to be Protactile educators. Thus, this expectation, oddly, doesn’t apply to him.?What it should have said, though, is that educators should not interfere with or take away each other’s autonomy. ? A. frequently used his sight privilege to intervene when we went about our business.?He swooped in or stopped us to “help” us or to “inform” us of things we already knew or were in the process of finding out for ourselves.?Such interventions are exactly what we train interpreters in our program not to do. Yet A., one of the educators, constantly engaged in this behavior. ? Note III. ? The same document states that educators are expected to: ? “Be able to maintain and establish co-presence and consistent contact PT-space and refrain from sight-reliance as primary means of communication.” ? A. often watched our conversations from a distance and would surprise us by jumping in to add something, while we hadn’t been aware that he had been eavesdropping. A great bulk of the times he touched us was to intervene, not to build relationships. We would have liked all of our interactions with him to have been conversations in Protactile, not those interventions or surprise jump-ins. ? A team member describes one example: ? “A. turned the light on in the dining room at the PT House without E. and my knowledge and watched our conversation. E. and I were discussing about A.’s anxiety. We were concerned about him being too wet and thought maybe it would be a good idea not to require him to wear a blindfold, as a way to make things easier for him. The next day, A. was distant with me. I did not know why. Later, B. asked me if A. had talked to men. I said no. B. urged A. to talk to me and he came and talked to me. He told me that he saw me talking about him. I was surprised. He knew that in DB space, if you watch, you touch the person so they would be aware they are being listened to. A. did not touch us.” ? Note IV. ? The same document states that educators are expected to: ? “Possess interpersonal and relational ‘soft’ skills with other educators and students….? Have a clear understanding of how to give (and receive)?friendly and supportive feedback with grace?for learning and growth (and not criticize or diminish student effort) in a conversational, in-the-moment way.” ? A team member states: ? “I do not feel safe with A. because if he and I disagree on something, he becames aggressive. It causes me to be silent. I do not feel safe with A. because he does not respect PT and DB space. He uses his sight all of the time. That makes me feel passive and lose my autonomy.” ? During email discussions, A. accused us of being “racists” without explaining why.?The team includes two other members of color, so this was directed at them as well as the team’s white members.?He often weaponized important social-justice concepts in ways contrary to the true teachings of thinkers and activists who developed those concepts.? ? We have been baffled by his holding to a perspective of our team as ignorant, lacking tools and skills, and “too slow” to do exactly what he expected us to do under the banner of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.?His expectations and interpretations were ungrounded, did not reflect realities we are immersed in, and did not incorporate the DeafBlind community’s own wisdom, histories, and approaches to these topics. ? We observed that most of the things he accused us of were what he himself was doing. For example, he dismissed a female team member’s gentle call-in as an example of “whitesplaining,” he was in reality doing the very thing that term is derived from, mansplaining. He dismissed a male team member’s thoughtful, nuanced comments as an example of “male toxicity.” His dismissive response was, ironically, a clear example of male toxicity. His projections reached a nadir when, after we had fallen into a horrified silence, he sent us an inaccessible PDF on “how to create a safe space.” ? It should be noted, too, that although we have terms for his actions—vidism, distantism, indignation appropriation, and so on—we never called him by any of those. Instead, we patiently absorbed his abuse and tried to gently mentor him. ? Note V. ? Why did PLI ignore its own “Educator Criteria and Expectations” document and hire A., someone who did not identify as DeafBlind, had no history with the DeafBlind community, was still driving a car and in no way functioned as a DeafBlind person, and was profoundly unprepared to learn from DeafBlind elders? ? Note VI. ? One source of dissonance around A. is that he is supposed to be a Protactile educator yet does not speak Protactile. As a team member explains, “A. does not have PT language. He does a combination of TASL and ASL. He does not speak PT at all.” Some of us have experienced difficulty in persisting in speaking in Protactile to him because he does not speak Protactile in return. ? Imagine our shock when we learned that A. was offering Protactile training and coaching services on his Web site. ? While it is a free country, and anyone can set up such an enterprise, there is a strong consensus in the community against new learners who decide to immediately turn around and sell trinkets or to teach the language. In fact, we teach our interpreting students not to do this, and yet A. provided a prime example of the taboo. As Protactile educators, we are tasked with helping our students gain cultural competency, including knowing when it’s appropriate or not appropriate to provide Protactile trainings for financial gain. ? A team member reports that during a Zoom meeting that included B. and A., B. had asked A. if he has been offering online Protactile trainings. “A. started to get worked up,” the team member says, “and asked B. who told her. B. said that it had been just people. A. was not happy and wanted to know who and then said that people who told B. should have talked to A., not B. He claimed it wasn’t true that he is providing PT training and that if he does, he will bring in PT trainer with him to train people.” ? Implicit in A.’s “Who told you?” demand is a troubling assumption, or even an expectation, that B. and other DeafBlind people would, should, remain unaware of his activities. ? Note VII. ? A team member states: ? “When harm was affecting the team, I wanted to talk to A. D. talked to A. first and A. agreed to have a a meeting with me and B. D. offered to message A., B. and me, but I wanted to contact A. I emailed A. and B. and to our surprise, A. flatly refused. He was hostile. D. had to talk to A. A. accused me of ignoring his text since August. I was baffled and checked my phone and it showed that I was the last person texting him. In August we agreed to meet on videophone but A. had canceled the meeting (he always canceled on me). I sent a screenshot to D. to prove that I was the last person texting A. A. later changed his story and said that the team ignored his email via our listserv. I went to googlegroups online--we did not ignore him at all. I felt gaslighted.” ? ? ? ?
|
O&M Symposium Doors Closing Thursday!
We have 495 O&M Specialists already registered for ! I am constantly in awe of how much this community steps up for their learners -- and themselves.?
Regular Registration closes on Thursday night and I don't want you to miss being in the room to be a part of these life-changing conversations!?
If you don't know (or need a refresher), the is a 3 day transformational experience that brings you the most innovative O&M strategies from thought leaders around the world. We have 12 live presentations?+ a ton of epic (and free!) bonuses for you!?
? The “Transform Your Teaching” Bundle ($582 Value) – ? The “Supported O&M” Bundle ($114 Value) – A private online forum where you can chat with your fellow O&Ms before, during, and after the Symposium! Networking parties for you to build new, supportive relationships that can last your entire career!
? The “Easy Professional Development” Bundle ($234 Value) –
That’s a more than $1,000 Value – that you can get for less than a quarter of that!
Have another question? Feel free to Direct Message me. I'm happy to help!?
Best, ? ? Kassy
P.S., FAQ: - Can't make it live??Yes, you can still receive your CEU's if you watch the replay videos. No worries!
- Paying with P.O.? You don't have to have your P.O. ready when you register with a P.O. You can just send the invoice to your admin.?
- Money tight? We do have Split Pay options, as well as discounts for University students, and Pay What You Can if you're in a developing country.?
?and $48 on Late Registration!? ? ? ?
-- Kassandra Maloney, M.S., COMS CEO, Allied Independence, LLC.?
|
Re: Older Individuals and Support Issues
P.S.? Many years ago, I had lots of clients with low vision who
had been given a white support cane (long story!).? All of them
expressed the need for a support cane for balance but when they
tried walking without it, it turns out that they had just learned
to rely on it, they had no more need for support than anyone
else.? That was an eye-opener for me.
So if your client is expressing the need for support, make sure
it's not just because someone gave her a white support cane and
she thinks that's how she should walk.? Again, an assessment by a
PT can be very helpful.? And it may be that the PT will determine
that a support cane isn't enough.?
On 1/12/2024 6:36 PM, Dona Sauerburger
wrote:
Hi Julie!? I always recommend that the client go to a PT
(funded either by insurance if prescribed by a doctor, or the
agency that is paying for my services).? They are the only ones
qualified to assess and address the problem (balance or weakness
or dizziness or whatever) that seems to suggest the need for a
support cane.?
Then I work with the PT and the client, so the 3 of us can work
out strategies to both probe ahead to see what's on the ground,
and provide support.? There are examples of using a support and
a long white cane and Scott Crawford has a
wealth of information in his APH material.
I worked with a woman last summer who is blind and had learned
to use a long white cane and now needed a cane for support.? She
had a support cane but hadn't learned how to use it, so the PT
showed her how to use it and she got to the second level of
learning the cane (she could do it but only when
concentrating).??
She then very quickly learned to use the white cane with the
support cane but as she was walking she asked me to hold her for
support, and I realized that before incorporating the white
cane, she needed to get skilled with and rely on the support
cane, and after that we introduced the long white cane and she
did well.? I videotaped the process and some day will get it
ready to post.
On 1/12/2024 5:31 PM, Julie Henry
wrote:
Those of you working with older
individuals who have low vision … how do you approach it
when they need a support cane, but do not have one or a PT.
What do you do?
?
Also, are any of you “fall prevention”
certified? If so, what program did you do?
?
Julie Henry
O&M
Specialist
411 W.
Front | Tyler, TX | 75702
O:
903.590.4356
?
?
--
-- Dona
-------------------------------
Dona Sauerburger, COMS
Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist for the blind
--
-- Dona
-------------------------------
Dona Sauerburger, COMS
Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist for the blind
|
Re: Older Individuals and Support Issues
Hi Julie!? I always recommend that the client go to a PT (funded
either by insurance if prescribed by a doctor, or the agency that
is paying for my services).? They are the only ones qualified to
assess and address the problem (balance or weakness or dizziness
or whatever) that seems to suggest the need for a support cane.?
Then I work with the PT and the client, so the 3 of us can work
out strategies to both probe ahead to see what's on the ground,
and provide support.? There are examples of using a support and a
long white cane
and Scott Crawford has a wealth of information in his APH
material.
I worked with a woman last summer who is blind and had learned to
use a long white cane and now needed a cane for support.? She had
a support cane but hadn't learned how to use it, so the PT showed
her how to use it and she got to the second level of learning the
cane (she could do it but only when concentrating).??
She then very quickly learned to use the white cane with the
support cane but as she was walking she asked me to hold her for
support, and I realized that before incorporating the white cane,
she needed to get skilled with and rely on the support cane, and
after that we introduced the long white cane and she did well.? I
videotaped the process and some day will get it ready to post.
On 1/12/2024 5:31 PM, Julie Henry
wrote:
Those of you working with older individuals
who have low vision … how do you approach it when they need a
support cane, but do not have one or a PT. What do you do?
?
Also, are any of you “fall prevention”
certified? If so, what program did you do?
?
Julie Henry
O&M
Specialist
411 W.
Front | Tyler, TX | 75702
O:
903.590.4356
?
?
--
-- Dona
-------------------------------
Dona Sauerburger, COMS
Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist for the blind
|
The Orientation and Mobility Specialist Association (OMSA) is proud to support the following in person interactive workshop with CEUs at Penn-Del AER in Harrisburg, PA. ? The Barlow Initiative Traffic Engineering and Orientation and Mobility: Cultivating Collaboration ? Friday, April 26, 2024 8:15 AM - 4:30 PM Eastern Cost: $55.00 ? ? Register??by?April 15, 2024?deadline ? Presenters: Jennifer Graham, Bonnie Dodson-Burk, Lukas Franck, and Dona Sauerburger Transportation Professionals and O&M Specialists will visit intersections in small groups to discuss strategies used by pedestrians with visual disabilities. Participants will have an opportunity to cross streets while blindfolded or using a low-vision simulator. During a follow up discussion, participants will identify modifications that could make wayfinding easier and/or crossing safer at a few of the targeted intersections. Transportation professionals will share experiences and possible hurdles of meeting access needs of pedestrians with visual disabilities, including time frame and funding options. ? Participants will Learn:? O&M Specialists will learn about traffic signalization and actuation, tips for working with transportation professionals, and the complexity involved in changes to make public rights-of-way more accessible.? Transportation professionals will learn about urban travel for pedestrians with visual disabilities, including street crossing strategies. Participants will identify access issues and modifications at signalized intersections.? Participants will learn about new wayfinding solutions, including beaconing APS and new uses for raised bar tactile direction indicators and implications of PROWAG for pedestrians with vision disabilities.
? Intended Audience: Orientation & Mobility (O&M) Specialists including COMS, NOMC, and GDMI Transportation Professionals (Traffic Engineers, Signal Techs, Planners & more) ? 7.25 CEUs will be provided for attendees.? The CEUs are awarded by ACVREP and approved by?ACVREP?and?NBPCB?? ?Not yet a member of OMSA and interested in joining??Join OMSA?.? ?
|
Jay Hardwig