Interviews to Empower Presents Nancy Bollman

Always ready with a smile and a kind word, our interviewee this month is quick to say, “Trust in God, and lean on your family when times get tough.” Stay tuned as we introduce to you, Nancy Bollman.

Q: How old were you when your family noticed there was a problem with your eyes?

A: I was about two years old. In Baltimore they found out I had Cataracts, glaucoma and optic nerve damage from too much oxygen at birth. The cataracts were in both eyes, so they removed them.

Q: Did you go to a public school?

A: I might have, but all I remember is the school for the blind. I started attending WVSB in 1980 when I was four. I graduated from there in 1996.

Q: What activities were you involved in as a child?

A: I was a Girl scout from Browny to Cadette. I remember at camp, we stayed in tents. Once, I remember getting stung and going to the hospital. Mom came and asked if I wanted to go home. I said, “No! I want to go back to camp!” :)

Q: I know Girl Scouts around here sell cookies. Did you? How so, if you were away at school?

A: Yes, I sold cookies. I took orders from folks on the school’s campus, from family and friends and even neighbors back home and even from people out in the town of Romney. I remember a neighbor of mine always saying, “Now, don’t forget my cookies.”

Q: Did you stay at the school all the time, or did you get to go home to see your family on the weekends?

A: I got to go home for visits on the weekends. I remember this one time, I was supposed to get on the Berkley Springs bus. Somehow, I got put on the Martinsburg bus. I got off the bus with my little suitcase in hand only to realize I was at a bakery. Someone carried me around till Mom got there. He actually took me inside for a doughnut while I waited. From then on, Mom came to get me on the weekends until she actually moved to Romney. Ever since then, my family has lived close.

Q: What about chorus? Were you involved in that?

A: Yes. One time Mom came to help out and saw me in the auditorium singing “Jesus Loves Me”. So, I joined chorus in seventh grade and Show choir in eight or ninth grade. I played cornet in band. In ninth or tenth grade, we were picked to go to Keyser WV for a regional band performance. Once, on a trip with the show choir, Pizzazz, the bus broke down. That was the time I got sick. LOL 

Q: What other extra curricular activities were you involved in?

A: Radio, cheerleading and goalball. Both eleventh and twelfth grade years in goalball WV was number 1. As far as radio, I took it all through high school. The station was called, “WJGF” back then, and we played country music. I got to talk on the air and everything. Most of the time, there was another student in that class with me, so we worked together.

Q: So, did you like school?

A: I made good grades. The hardest class for me was math. However, I liked science and English.

Q: Did you receive Orientation and Mobility?

A: Yes, but mainly in high school. I remember once when I went to McDonalds. My instructor did not tell me how to get back. I had to figure that out by myself. I was on the way back, when I started to cross a parking lot that crosses a sidewalk. Someone driving nearly hit me, because they weren’t watching where they were going. My instructor almost had to grab me and pull me back. It scared me. “Are you all right?” my instructor asked. I said, “Yeah, just let me get my heart back out of my stomach.” LOL

Q: Are you a braille user?

A: Yes, but I didn’t learn it until I was fifteen. I used large print before then. I still use some large print today, but I need thick reading glasses. Other assistive devices I use include speech on my computer and phone, braille writer and braille slate and stylus, and a talking watch.

Q: So, we know you deal with health issues. Can you talk about that?

A: Yes. When I was seventeen, I went to the doctor for a physical so I could play goalball. There was something wrong with my kidneys. My blood pressure was running too high. My regular doctor didn’t see anything wrong, but I went for further testing and was sent to a kidney specialist. More tests and medicine and then I was sent down to Charlottesville, VA, because the specialist said the kidneys would only get worse. While on my senior trip to Virginia Beach, I got sick. I thought it was my kidneys, but it turned out to be the flu. I  had to cut the trip short.

Q: Did things get better after graduation?

A: After graduation, I stayed home and rested. Then, in May of 1997, I got a kidney transplant. I was scared but so ready. I had it done at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. I was very weak. Walking was difficult at first after the surgery. But, the more I did it, the better I felt. I was in ICU for forty-eight hours. I was in the hospital for twelve days altogether. The staff was very nice, and I had a lot of support from family and friends. After a month or two, I began to feel more energetic than before the transplant. Finally, I was able to think about going to college. I had been too sick before to even consider it.

Q: You went to college?

A: Yes. I started college in 1997 and ended in 2001. I attended Potomac State in Keyser, WV. I majored in music education. I was close to home, but I opted to stay on campus. After college, I stayed home, trying to find a job. I was helping a friend care for his adopted children who were disabled, when he asked if I would like a job at Blind Industries and Services of Maryland. At first, I wasn’t interested, as it wasn’t in my field of study. Then, I decided to try it, because there were no other job prospects.

Q: Tell us about working at BISM.

A: I started in the sewing department. I liked it at first. It was difficult sometimes, trying to keep the material against the guide. At BISM, they put a guide on the sewing machine, so a blind person can feel which direction to feed the material into the machine. In the beginning, I sewed canvas bags. I worked there for nine years. I sewed  the liners of jackets. Sometimes, I sewed fronts onto sleeves, and sometimes I sewed the sleeves onto the backs. By the time my health took a turn for the worse in June of 2013, I Was able to do whatever they asked me to.

Q: Your health again?

A: Yes. One of the reasons I had to quit was because of my asthma. I was getting blood work and planned to go back to work that day, but I collapsed before they could take my blood. I tried to eat but couldn’t. I went to the emergency room and found out my kidney, my new, transplanted kidney had stopped working completely. They put me on dialysis that day. I was on it for six months. I was off it for over a year. Then, they found me passed out in my bedroom; I had pneumonia. I was in the hospital, when  my blood work showed that my kidney was not working well again. I went back on dialysis on July 21, 2015. I have been on it ever since. I go three days a week.

Q: So, what gets you through the dark days?

A: I rely on God. I also lean on my family, my church family and my friends. Then, too, I see others in the dialysis unit, many worse off than me. The folks at my church are good to listen and pray with me. Once, a few years ago, I ended up in a nursing home on an IV. A couple of folks from church came to visit, and it really lifted my spirits.

Q: What do you do to keep busy between visits to dialysis, now that you aren’t able to work?

A: I go to church, help out around the house by lending a hand with laundry, washing dishes, running errands, and I help take care of the pets, one a dog and the other a rabbit. I like to go shopping with friends, as well. It’s nice living in the city, because there are cabs and buses available. I’m glad that I don’t have to rely solely on the charity of friends and family to take me places.

Q: What advice would you give to someone who might be facing a similar situation?

A: I say, if you have a support system like family and friends and a church family, lean on them; they are important. Above all, lean on God. My favorite Bible verse is Philippians 4:13 which says, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Nancy, thank you so much for allowing us to interview you. Your story inspires us to keep on keeping on. We encourage all of our faithful readers to remember Nancy in your prayers. She is eagerly looking forward to being able to get her name back on the transplant list for another kidney.

Thanks for reading, and we hope you have a blessed weekend.

Keeping House

Welcome to our blog. Keeping house is something we are all faced with, if we wish to live on our own or have a family depending on us. Today, we’re talking about keeping house, so sit up straight and pay attention; Home Economics class is in session.

  While some accessibility needs to be considered, most tasks about the home simply require knowledge and practice in combination with a healthy dose of self-discipline and positive reinforcement. In other words, encouragement and support from family and friends. Although her mother is not blind, Anita remembers as a child, how she appreciated it when someone remarked on how nice her clean floors looked. Believing in ourselves is important, but it is motivating when someone else believes in our abilities as well. While there will be many people who fear for our safety and have not learned blind people  are capable, there are people who know we are capable and who will support are efforts. There are also those who will appreciate are efforts. It is ok to need someone to say "You can do it" or "Thank you!" and genuinely mean it, regardless of our level of vision.  When we take care of ourselves and our homes, we are also taking care of others and, whether intentional or not, sending a message about the capabilities of blind people to those who stop by for a visit.

Now, let's look at some examples of how people who are blind can clean, cook,  and so forth safely and efficiently.  Part of the answer to this is to learn blindness kills and techniques from formalized blindness training, from others, and through experimentation. Another part is organization. For example, if we put something away after using it, then it will be there when we need it again. Time, energy and patience will not be lost in the looking for that particular item. A barcode scanner, such as the app called DigitEyes or a physical talking barcode scanner can help us to identify anything in our homes that contains a barcode, such as  canned and boxed foods,  cleaning products, medications, and even skeins of yarn still in their packaging. Braille labels or braille written directly on a print piece of paperwork can inform us what it is when a sighted person is not there. An app such as the KNFB reader, which takes a picture of the text and then reads it aloud can also be used to identify printed material. Braille color tags can be sown on our clothes. Or other nifty tricks can be implemented, such as a safety pin to hold together matching socks. Notice here, different items have unique features, for example, the smooth feel of Herbal Essence shampoo vs. the rougher feel of its conditioner bottle. Salt and pepper have different smells, but also one is slightly heavier than the other; can you figure out which one? How about the heat as you fill up your cup with coffee in combination with its weight so you know when your cup is full enough? When pouring for ourselves, we will place our fingers inside the cup near the top so we know to stop pouring when the liquid reaches our finger. Tactile markings, such as a bump dot on a washer to mark start, can be useful for identifying settings on appliances. A piece of velcro might be all we need to mark the popcorn button on our microwave, but Anita also added some other tactile markings on hers so she knows where stop, start, and other buttons are located. When cooking, the smell and feel of food can tell us when it is done. Try sticking a fork in a raw piece of meat and then in a done piece of meat. There is definitely a difference. Timing and listening to the sounds of food can also help us to determine when it is done.

Anita’s favorite kitchen appliance is her air fryer, which is not only safer since grease does not pop out at her, but is also healthier since grease does not need to be added to most foods. She also loves cooking in her crockpot, but keep in mind that a crockpot and a slow cooker are different in that one cooks much faster than the other. She has written down the setting selections for her slow cookers and crockpot, (yes, she has several), so she knows which setting she has it on. As she moves the knob, it bumps as it moves to the next setting.

We caution you that you will want to reference your notes if you take the valuable time to make them. While making a roast for Easter dinner, Anita set her slow cooker  on high for a few hours and then turned it to low, or assumed she turned it to low. Consequently, Easter dinner took longer to cook than she planned. “Now,” she says, “Terry  who took the time to help me make these notes over FaceTime, will be glad to know that I check those notes most of the time, and I've learned from my very tasty, yet extra marinated roast, to always check to confirm I know what I am doing when it comes to setting my slow cooker's temperature.” :)

S. J. Wells has written an entire post called “Do’s and Don’ts in the Kitchen” on her blog, and you can find it here.

There are many ways of adapting our homes to make what we need or want to do accessible for us. There is no right way to make these adaptations. The key is consistency. While a talking money identifier app or device is great for identifying our money, it is also okay if all we use is a folding system that remains consistent. It is important to fold our money in the privacy of our home with a talking identifier or with someone we trust. It is better to tactually identify our money by sliding our fingers inside  our purse or wallet when in a store rather than to have it out as we use our talking money identifier where someone with selfish motives could steal it.

While on the subject of spending money, let's talk about some ways to pay bills and do our shopping. There are several methods. Anita has the Schwan's app on her iPhone, and she can order food from this company to be delivered to her door. We can also use a shopping assistant when at a store. Simply walk to the customer service desk and inform them that you need someone to assist you as you shop. Sometimes, you will need to be assertive if they say they are too busy. Inform them you have the right to shop in their store, just like everyone else. Consider this from Anita.

Once, at  a convenience store in my town, the clerk was assisting other customers. She told me she needed to wait on five people before she could assist me. I was ok enough with that plan. But she continued assisting other customers after the fifth person. I spoke up and suggested  I needed to get in line. She said she was busy. I said if I could wait, then other customers could also wait. She stopped assisting other customers and helped me and then returned to the other customers, who, by the way, were fine with waiting for their turns. Most of the time, the people at customer service are happy to assist me. Most of the time, I am fine with waiting a few minutes until someone is available to walk through the store with me. It is my job to tell the helper how to help me, in other words, I tell them I will hold the handle of the buggy and for them to pull it from the other end. I feel each item I request so I know it is the size I am expecting. Also, Some items are detectable by touch, and I know I am getting what I intended.

Author’s note: a “buggy” is a shopping cart from WV. :)

Sometimes, we shop with a family member or friend. Other times, we order products from the web. We browse websites, such as amazon.com and walmart.com  using a screenreader, a talking program that reads aloud text on a computer screen. The iPhone has a free screenreader built in called VoiceOver that comes installed from the factory. If you have an iDevice, you also have this option as well as several other accessibility options. Check them out by going to settings, general, accessibility. Note your iDevice will work differently, depending on your accessibility choices.

Let's get back on topic and talk a little about paying bills. Some bills can be paid over the phone. You can braille out your account information ahead of time. Then, it will be accessible whenever you are ready for it. Some bills, such as a water bill, can be paid at the office. You could ask a family member, friend or an employee at a bank to help  in filling out money orders or checks. You could ask the folks at your local Post Office to assist with addressing envelopes. If you are comfortable on the internet, another option is paying bills  online.

This post may have not covered everything there is to cover about independently taking care of our homes and finances. The key is to remember that independence is knowing how to get a job done safely and effectively by either doing it ourselves or by asking for assistence if it is needed. People with vision also need help sometimes, and so just because we ask for help does not mean we aren't independent. But be cautious about asking for assistance when you can do it on your own. If we rely too heavily on others, they will not want to hang around us. As people who are blind, we also need to give back by helping others. I might need a ride to the store from someone with vision, but can I do something in return, like babysit his kids or bake him a chocolate cake? Remember, formal training, practice, experimentation, and a positive blindness philosophy will help us to successfully and independently take care of our homes and families.

Have a question about anything mentioned here today? Please feel free to get in touch with us via our contact form on this blog. We look forward to hearing from you.

Want to connect with us on Facebook? We post updates to the blog, encouraging quotes and anything else that pops in our heads. :) Come on over to facebook.com/adkinsandwells and click Like.

Be blessed, and have a fantastic weekend.

Talking Technology

Happy Thursday, and welcome to our blog. If there is one thing we believe, it is the fact that it is imperative for persons who are blind and/or visually impaired to embrace a positive philosophy of blindness in order to live a happy and productive life. One way this can be accomplished is learning about assistive technology. So, put your earbuds in, get your fingers limbered up for braille and check out what Anita has to say about some technologies designed for those who have little to no vision.

As a teacher, part of my job is to collaborate with other professionals to determine what technology tools a student will need in order to be successful and gain access to the curriculum. Some students need devices to assist them in making use of their functional vision and to support them when their eye strain causes too much discomfort or pain. A  screen magnification program, for instance, can help a student browse the Internet. In the meanwhile,  using a braille display to access apps or the Internet on his iDevice can help him  be prepared should his retina become detached in the future. Other students  need technology so they can access the curriculum altogether since they do not have enough usable vision to benefit from it. For example, a screenreader, or software designed to read aloud text on the screen,  is a tool that enables students to access electronic textbooks, browse the Internet, create and edit documents, etc.

For work, I use a BrailleNote, which is a device similar to a PDA. It has a word processor program, a scientific calculator, an address book, a few games, the ability to record and play music, and several other features. Its refreshable braille display is useful in reading and writing any material produced directly on the machine or the SD card inserted in the unit. It contains bluetooth capability, but this is difficult to connect to iDevices. One of its downfalls is that it tends to freeze up during writing, and thus, work can be lost. For personal use I have a Braille Sense Plus. This Device is similar to a BrailleNote, but its bluetooth capability is much better. I can use it with my iPhone or I can  choose to use it as a PDA, saving my file on its internal storage, an SD card, or thumbdrive. It appears to be more stable than the BrailleNote. Also, I like how editing requires fewer keystrokes than the BrailleNote. For example, to select text, I perform the B + enter keystroke, then move to the end of the text and hit backspace. It then asks me if I want to delete, and I can press Y to confirm. On the BrailleNote, I mark my spot with B + spacebar, then press T for top of block, then move to the end of the text, then press B + spacebar again, then press B for bottom of block, and then D for delete followed by Y to confirm. A Brailliant is a refreshable braille display that can connect to a computer or bluetooth to an iDevice. While it is great for reading purposes, it is difficult to use its braille-style keyboard because one must use equal pressure and press all dots simultaneously. Also, it does not contain any storage capability.

Students with blindness and low vision should use an array of techniques and tools to enable them to access the curriculum, but blindness skills and nonvisual technologies should be the primary focus for students, regardless of vision level. This is difficult to do with children since the goal is to enable them to access the curriculum rather than to train them in blindness skills.

One of the biggest barriers of people who are blind is accepting their condition. Some people with blindness and low vision will go out of their way to use vision they do not have to complete a task because they do not want to be thought of as "blind." I remember insisting I could see to use a Closed Circuit Television, or CCTV, back when I was in school. I was determined I could do it, but I could not. Unfortunately, attempting to use vision one does not have  can lead to injury. One of my former students did not give up driving until he ran into a pole. Also it reduces  the person's quality of life. Another one of my former students was so sure that his doctor was going to be able to cure his blindness that he saw no purpose for learning nonvisual skills, even though he was totally blind. It has been more than ten years, and the "miracle cure" he was waiting for still hasn't happened yet. Rather than learn skills and how to use adaptive tools, he is dependent on others and very depressed.

Another way to move toward acceptance is to be around other people with blindness and low vision. This also allows the person to ask questions and share strategies that has worked for them. For example, at a seminar one time, someone shared how she cuts meat by placing her fork in it and then cutting around the fork with the knife. I modified this strategy for my own needs, but learning this strategy was useful for me. Learning adaptive techniques will also help people with some usable vision to make a more informed decision about what they can and cannot do with their vision. While a family member, educator, or friend cannot force someone into accepting blindness, we can provide training and support to those experiencing vision loss in hopes that they will someday embrace a positive philosophy of blindness and learn what is needed to help them live a happy and productive life.

Thank you for joining us today. Feel free to leave us a comment below. Have a great weekend.

Let's Be Social

Socialization. It’s a word you commonly hear when the topic of homeschool arises. It isn’t a topic talked about much when speaking of blind or visually impaired individuals. Today, though, we’re going to dive in with both feet. Welcome to our post on socialization.

One part of learning good social skills is communicating our needs. This requires us as blind and visually impaired persons to step out and advocate for ourselves. If we want to be a part of a group, we must take the initiative and introduce ourselves. Then, when contact is made, it is up to us to join in the conversation or activity. While this might be difficult for some blind and visually impaired adults, it is usually very difficult for children. This is why it is important for teachers, parents and caregivers to teach these skills while the child is young.

If a person, child or adult, blind or sighted just sits by him/herself without taking the initiative, he/she will most likely not be included. Sighted individuals may or may not feel comfortable around those who are blind and visually impaired. This is sometimes due to nervousness. Those who can see are afraid, because they aren’t sure what is socially acceptable to say. This is when the blind or visually impaired individual needs to take that initiative, reach out their hand and say, “Hello. My name is…”

Students must also be taught to use appropriate  posture and to turn toward the person with whom they are speaking. Sighted folks are very confused and often think you aren’t paying attention if you are not facing them. I have learned that unless I am pretending to make eye contact with a certain friend of mine, she will stop speaking and wait for me to turn back to her. Other inappropriate behaviors that tend to push away someone with sight include: Constant rocking back and forth, hands or fingers pressed into the eyes and standing too close to the person he/she is speaking to.

The key is to replace these behaviors with positive ones. Instead of rocking back and forth, have the student tap his toes or bounce his knee. If the student puts her hands or fingers in her eyes because the light hurts, turn down the lighting or have her wear sunglasses. Remind the student on a regular basis to face the person or group of people he is speaking to. Teach the student about personal space.

People who are blind and visually impaired, regardless of age want and need to be participants in their community and among their peers. This means that when sighted children are playing cards or board games, the blind child needs a chance to join in the fun. There are braille playing cards, tactile checkers and many other accessible board games on the market.

Sites to check out these games include:

The Braille Book Store www.braillebookstore.com

Independent Living Aids www.independentliving.com

American Printing House for the Blind www.aph.org

If the student is interested in games that can be played on an iDevice introduce them to games that both sighted or blind people can play. Check out https://blindfoldgames.org/ If the student is interested in ball games, the web has many options of purchasing soccer balls that make a beeping sound. First, ask the student what he/she is interested in, then do a Google search. The possibilities may surprise you.

Many times there are games that are not accessible. Take Minecraft, for instance. This is a popular game enjoyed by many sighted children. For someone who is blind, an alternative is Legos. If a child who is blind or visually impaired and wants to participate in a game of tag with their sighted peers, tie jingle bells around the other kids, so the blind kid can hear them.

When it comes to volunteering in the community, persons who are blind and visually impaired want and need a chance to participate, too. For example, if a church is putting together care packages, let the one who is blind help fill boxes. If a youth group is having a movie night, either ask another child or willing adult to describe the movie aloud. Another option for this is to get movies that are already described. Check out

http://www.afb.org/section.aspx?SectionID=67&TopicID=407&DocumentID=4831&rewrite=0

for more information about the Descriptive Video Service, much of which is free. If a student’s peers are going bowling, the blind student should go, too. Just make sure there is someone willing to update the student on his/her score and to communicate information such as, “You knocked down 7 of 10 pens.”

To sum it all up, remember to ask the person who is blind or visually impaired what their interests are. Ask them, too, how you can help make a game or activity ore accessible. If the student is too young or unable to verbally communicate his/her needs, speak to the parent, teacher or caregiver. If you are the one who is blind or visually impaired, and you want to be included in activities without peers, speak up and say so. You are your own best advocate, after all.

Thank you for being with us today. Your comments, suggestions and questions are welcome.

Be blessed.