Question of the Week

Do people who are blind and visually impaired have the same access to fitness and community programs as do people with vision?

Interviews to Empower: Presenting Donna Brown

Welcome to the first edition of Interviews to Empower where we introduce you to someone who can inspire you to never give up. This week you will meet an inspirational lady who never allows her disability to get in the way. Her motto in life is "Fun, Fitness, and Friendships". She feels as a person, whether blind or not, these things are important for success. Join us today as we interview Donna Brown.

Q: What is your name, and can you tell us about yourself?

A: My name is Donna Brown.  I was born and raised near Philadelphia, PA. I am a graduate of the Overbrook School for the Blind in Philadelphia, and I received my undergraduate degree from Kutztown University in PA.

Q: Our blog is about blindness. Are you blind, or do you work with clients or students who are blind?

A: I am totally blind, and have been since birth. I also teach school-age students who are blind or have low vision. I have been a teacher at the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind for 34 years.

Q: What subjects do you teach?

A: I am a technology instructor. I teach our students how to use assistive technology, screen readers, refreshable braille displays, and IOS devices. I also work with the other teachers to assist them with incorporating technology into their curriculum. I also coach our swimming and track teams.

Q: You said you attended a school for the blind. How long were you a student there?

A: I went to the Overbrook School for the Blind from kindergarten through 12th grade.

Q: How would you compare your experiences as a blind student to that as a blind professional?

A: As a blind student, all of my educational materials were provided in accessible formats. However, many of my experiences as a blind student prepared me for my professional career as a blind person. In my professional life, I have to do a lot more advocating for myself for such things as obtaining important information in accessible formats and for better and more up-to-date technology for my students.

Q: What role did extracurricular activities play for you as a blind student?

A: The extracurricular activities assisted me in developing good time management skills so that I could still get my school work done. These activities also provided me with experiences that I would not have had otherwise. Experiences such as traveling to a wide variety of places, and meeting new people.

Q: what got you into sports and was there ever a moment where you thought you might not be able to do it because you are blind?

A: I have always been an active person, and I have always liked to listen to professional sports on the radio.  The only time I was concerned about my blindness interfering with my participation in sports was when I first went to college. I wanted to run on the track team, but it was hard to find people to run with me. So I decided to check out the possibility of being on my college swim team. That worked out well because little to no accommodations are needed to swim on an organized team.

Q: When you became an adult, how did you involve yourself in extracurricular activities, including sports and community activities?

A: I have always been a person who likes to get involved. When I first came to West Virginia, I became part of the WVSDB family. I got to know people rather quickly, and through these friendships, I found the church that I am still involved with. I was invited to Lions Club meetings, and later joined the club. Over time and just talking to people, I found a Masters swim team to join. The old saying "It's not what you know, but who you know" fits my involvement in extracurricular activities.

Thank you, Donna for allowing us to interview you.

On the 4th Thursday of every month we will be interviewing many different individuals. Some will be persons who are blind or visually impaired, while others will be sighted. All will inspire and empower you to never give up.

Thank you for reading, and be sure to come back next Thursday when we will be talking about advocacy.

Question of the Week

What is independence, and how does a person's level of independence impact how they learn?

We look forward to your comments.

Introduction

Welcome to the blog of Adkins and Wells. Are you a teacher of the visually impaired or a blindness professional? Or, are you blind or visually impaired? If so, you are in the right place. This blog was created to serve as a home where we can exchange resources and to share ideas about blindness. As we like to put it, we are lifelong learners, authors, and educators of students with blindness and visual impairments.

Like some of you, we are also blind. We have experienced what it is like to be educated as a blind student and what it is like to be a blind adult living in the real world and working outside the home. We have learned how to advocate and we have learned when and when not to do a given task ourselves. Independence means knowing the safest and most effective method for accomplishing a goal as a result of mastering alternative techniques, embracing a positive blindness philosophy, and learning to accept that all people, regardless of level of vision, sometimes need help. Before we can know what we can do or what we may need help with, we must first develop a habit of performing tasks with no assistance. Sometimes it is a misunderstanding about the abilities of the blind, fear or the habits of always asking someone else to do something for us that makes us less independent. Independence equals freedom and success in personal, educational, and professional pursuits. Independence improves our quality of life. The best place for achieving the goal of independence is attending a blindness training program, like the one at Blind Industries and Services of Maryland or the Louisiana Center for the Blind. Contacting the National Federation of the blind or the American Council of the Blind to learn more about blindness is also a great idea.

We will sometimes be posting questions on this blog to encourage blindness professionals and blind people to debate a topic, meaning we want people to think and share their viewpoints. Please be respectful to others and use only appropriate language since anyone, regardless of age, may visit our site. Don't criticize other people; you may disagree with an opinion, but debate against the opinion rather than the person. Our goal is to improve the lives of blind people everywhere by sharing our own experiences as blind individuals. Please understand we are only sharing our opinions. What we say does not replace that of a physician or other expert in the field. We are not responsible for any injuries or other negative effects that you may experience as a result of information provided on this blog. With that said, our goal is for the information to be as accurate as it can be.

Who we are

Adkins and Wells is the writing team of Anita Adkins, braille teacher at the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind and inspirational fiction author S. J. Wells. Best friends ever since we met at WVSB, we have been using braille for over 35 years.

Prior to teaching at WVSB, Anita was a braille proof reader and web accessibility tester, then a blindness rehabilitation teacher at Blind Industries and Services of Maryland. She currently holds national certifications in Unified English Braille and literary braille, and certification as a Teacher of the Visually Impaired.  She is a member of both the Braille Literacy Division and At Large Chapter of the WV division of the National Federation of the Blind.  She is also a member of the Romney Lions Club and The National Association of Special Education Teachers. She has been blind since birth due to Optic Atrophy and retinitis pigmentosa. When she is not spending time with her close family and friends, she is enjoying the company of her two cats, Tiger Lee and Whiskers Elizabeth.  She enjoys delving into a good book, writing, learning, pretending to exercise by playing in the pool and walking about town, and playing word games.

S. J. Wells started writing when she was 8 years old, and published her first novel, “Wild Heart” in 2009. Since then, she has went on to publish two more novels, “To Tame A Heart” in 2011 and “A Moment in Time” in 2014. She is currently at work on her fourth and fifth books. A minister’s wife, S. J. homeschools her two daughters, enjoys writing, reading, baking, yarn crafting, outings with her family and friends, singing and playing the piano and learning new things. Blind since birth due to glaucoma, cataracts and scar tissue, she spent most of her elementary years in a public school setting with a teacher for the visually impaired working with her and her teachers to insure books and other printed materials were made accessible. She spent her eleventh and twelfth grade years of high school at the West Virginia School for the Blind, graduating in 1997 as salutatorian of her class. Before becoming a full time parent and author, she worked as a braille proof reader, then a sewing machine operator at Blind Industries and Services of Maryland. To learn more about S. J. Wells, visit her blog.

Put us together, and what do you get? Adkins and Wells, A dynamic duo collaborating on a new project. “DUCKING into UEB”, was born out of a desire to provide students with a quality UEB curriculum. Creative writers, Adkins and Wells , are lifelong learners who are not afraid to try something new. We believe our current project is the only curriculum geared toward students in fourth to twelfth grade. Our hope is this blog will serve as a virtual classroom for all.

Thank you for reading and actively participating. Be sure to come back next Thursday, as we are posting once a week.