On Trying New Things and an Upcoming Event

Hello and welcome. S.J. Wells here with you today. Last week I decided to try another platform for my author blog. Blogger is great, but there are a few things about it that don’t fit my needs. What I want is an actual website that I can update as I am able. So, what I have learned from the experience is what I’m going to share with you today.

Note: For those who use screen readers, I am using Voice Over on a MacBook. My internet program is Safari.

Remember KWL charts from school? Yeah, well, I didn’t either, but that’s probably because charts don’t help a person who is blind as much as they might help a sighted person. But, as a homeschool mama of 2 sighted children, I’ve learned about them. In the spirit of a KWL chart, here we go.

K (What I already know)

1. How to use Voice Over and Safari
2. How to create a blog
3. What I want out of a website

W (What I want to learn)

1. Is this new platform friendly for screen readers?
2. Will I be able to enter the information by myself?
3. How much does it cost?
4. Will it be pleasing to sighted people’s eyes?

L (What I learned)

1. Wordpress is speech friendly, mostly.
2. Yes, I could enter the information by myself. However, I did need sighted assistance choosing a theme and color for the font.
3. When at first you don’t succeed, wait a while and try again with less frustration.

As you can probably tell, it wasn’t a quick process. I had to practice and keep trying until I got the results I wanted. What I needed in big supply was patience and time. I had to learn how my speech program worked with the software. Sometimes, this meant losing the content of a page and having to create it all over again. Sometimes, this meant fixing a page more than once to get the desired result. Sure, I got frustrated. No, it didn’t work out great every time. Yes, I needed help from someone who can see. But, I kept trying, and now I have a new website, and I think it looks pretty good. Go check it out for me, and tell me what you think. The address is

sjwellsauthor.com

This passed week seems to be a time for new things. My family just took in a kitten who will be 8 weeks old on Sept. 2. I never took care of a kitten before, but my daughters wanted one, so I am trying to be patient and learn. This process, as far as the kitten is concerned, takes using my hearing as often as possible.

My encouragement for you, faithful readers is to keep trying, no matter your disability. Try, fail, learn from your mistake and try again. Don’t be afraid of something, just because it is new. Embrace it and use it for your good. Blindness, deafness, paralysis, all of these do not have to define you, if you don’t allow them.

Now, for some upcoming news. We, the Adkins and Wells team will be presenting at the WV Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind in Charleston, WV on Saturday, Sept. 9 at approximately 11:00 AM. We will be talking about writing, blogging, education, homeschool and our project, a textbook for children called, “Ducking into UEB”, a book that teaches Unified English Braille to children in grades 4-12 and older readers. If you’re interested to come and hear us and want more information, check facebook.com/adkinsandwells/. We will be creating an event, there.

We hope you have enjoyed today’s post. Questions or comments? Please feel free to drop us a comment below or contact us via email at adkinsandwells@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you. Here’s wishing you many blessings and a wonderful weekend. Catch you back here next Thursday.

Interviews to Empower Presents Connie Newhouse

Hello, and welcome to another edition of Interviews to Empower. So far we have been introducing to you people who are blind and/or visually impaired who live “normal” lives, doing “normal” jobs and who aren’t afraid to try new things. This month, we would like to introduce you to one of these educators who made this possible, Connie New house, a former teacher at the West Virginia School for the Blind.

Q: So, Connie, how many years did you teach Home Economics?

A: I taught home ec about 25 years; also spent some time teaching Braille, English and math as the needs of the students and schedule were addressed.  After that time I was the principal at WVSB until 2007 when I retired, and then went back to sub for four more years.  Altogether I spent 40 years at the school.

Q: Why did you decide to teach children who are blind?

A: I wish I had a wonderful story of my life dream to teach blind kids, but the truth is that I was looking for a job and the school was looking for a teacher.  However, now I cannot imagine doing anything else.

Q: Why Home Ec?

A: Home Ec has always been my favorite area.  Kids can't succeed in any area of life without good life skills.  You might be a great computer programmer/writer/gardener/business owner but if you can't get up in the morning, get your breakfast, manage your wardrobe, care for your home, take care of your children, pay your bills, work as a team, and so on, it will be difficult for you to be a success. 

 I was drawn to home ec because it teaches skills that really matter - no matter your station in life.  We always told students that they might be able to name every state capitol but if they can't tie their shoes/fix their cereal/pack their lunch/ do their laundry/etc, they will have a difficult time being successful.

This area of teaching always meant a lot to me because I felt like we really connected with students, became friends, and loved hearing about their lives when they left Romney.

Q: What were some of the challenges of teaching children who could not see like you?

A: Students showed up for class, often with absolutely no knowledge or skills in the kitchen.  We had to start from the ground up with identification of equipment and materials, safety, and learning your way around the kitchen.  We laughed and cried and learned together.  We practiced and practiced and practiced until we could do it.  We learned together.

Q: What was your favorite part of the job?

A: When some students came to home ec or Daily Living Skills (DLS) class for the first time, they literally could not fix themselves a glass of ice water.  Many thought sandwiches all came pre made from the grocery; that cereal was just in the bowl with milk. 

 Many had been told that they could not cook/sew/clean/tend to their personal needs/have children because they were blind.  Seeing the "light go on" for those students made that my million dollar job!

Q: What were some of the changes in methods or technologies that you noticed over the years?

A: The obvious changes would be technology; we don't need a recipe book if we keep items on our phone. Learning to use a microwave is often faster and more efficient.  More foods come prepackaged.  People usually don't make their own clothes or can their own food.

Q: If you could give any advice to parents/care givers of students who are blind concerning home economics or daily living skills, what would it be?

A: Advice to parents of blind kids...the same as advice to parents of sighted kids...let them get in the kitchen, get dirty, make mistakes, laugh, try and have fun!  

Q: What advice would you give to students today?

A: I'm so sorry that the home ec/DLS classes at WVSB have been eliminated.  Even with caring house parents, there  is simply not enough time, or specialized skill training, to provide students with all the important life skills.

For instance...start every cooking project with a sink full of hot soapy water (put dishes in as you go and they're clean when you finish); work over a cookie sheet on the counter to catch spills, buy plates with a design that goes all the way around the plate so your table always looks pretty; use Elmer's glue to mark ranges, microwaves, laundry equipment, etc; put bacon in the oven to brown; when needing to add water to cooking meat or other food, use an ice cube to help avoid splattering; use parchment paper for ease of clean up; remember our motto  of "clutter causes chaos" so clear your kitchen drawers of unused equipment; pin matching socks/baby outfits/etc together before laundry so matching is no problem....and the list goes on and on.

Connie, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us today, and thank you, faithful readers for being here, too. We would love it if you would leave us a comment. Let us know what you think. Until next time, get in that kitchen and get messy. :)

Blessings.

Braille

Happy Thursday, and welcome to the blog. S.J. Wells here with you, and this post is a bumpy one. You could also say that I am bringing up a touchy subject. Yep, today, we’re talking about braille.

Way back in 1821, a man named Charles Barbier who had created a form of raised dots that French soldiers could use to read at night came to visit a school for the blind there in France. A student at the school named Louis Braille improved upon Barbier’s code and in 1824, the writing and reading system for the blind called braille was born. It was improved upon over the years, and n 1905 grade 2 was adopted. Today, a person who is blind or visually impaired can read braille books, read braille on a refreshable braille display, purchase jewelry and/or chocolate with braille on it, write braille on a slate and stylus, a Perkins Brailler or electronically as on a notetaker. Come a long way, haven’t we?

I began learning braille at the tender age of 3. I’ll never forget those long evenings in 3rd, 4th and 5th grade, my braille book open on the table, its thermoform pages feeling plastic and making it difficult to move my sweaty hands across the page. Hours, it seemed crawled by as I went word by word. Several seconds of figuring out what the letters were, then another few minutes were spent putting those letters together in my head, sounding them out, only to realize the word was a simple one, like waterfall. But, practice makes perfect, or at least, practice makes proficient, and today, I read my Bible every morning without difficulty. Plus side, no more thermoform pages; only real paper. LOL

Some say there is little use for braille, especially with speech programs aplenty. I use Voice Over on my iPhone and MacBook, and it works great. But, I don’t process information as well with speech. I need to “see” it in order to truly study it. That is why I prefer my Bible in braille.

Knowing braille has also come in handy when my children were small. I used print/braille books, ones that someone had placed strips of labeling or pieces of plastic pages above or below the printed text with braille on them. I could read to my children while they read along or looked at the pictures. If I used only speech on a computer, the voice of the speech program would have had to read it to my girls. Much more personal, being able to read to them, don’t you think?

So, today braille users here in the USA are switching from English Braille, American edition to Unified English Braille, UEB. It isn’t much different, but if you aren’t used to it, you will be a little confused. I’m sure children are having an easier time learning it or switching than we adults, but learn it we must, if we are to keep up with it. For my part, I am learning as I go, thanks to Anita. She is, after all, the braille teacher, here. :)

Which reminds me; we’re going to be speaking at the West Virginia state Convention of the National Federation of the Blind On Sept. 9, 2017. Our topic? Well, we’re going to be talking about writing, what it’s like to be authors, about education, about teaching, about braille, UEB especially and about the textbook Anita and I are collaborating on. It’s called “Ducking into UEB”, and its current publication date is Sept. 30, 2017. It’s for students, and there are a lot of fun features inside, such as songs and stories to help make learning fun. You’ll be hearing more about it in the following weeks, so I’ll not say anymore just now. But, keep us, our project and our presentation at the NFB convention in WV in your thoughts and prayers.

What are your experiences with braille? Have you had opportunity to learn it? Do you know someone who reads braille? We would love to hear from you, so drop us a comment below.

Be sure and come back next Thursday, as we have another interview to empower you. We’re changing it up a bit, and you won’t want to miss it. Hear from someone who spent her life teaching students who were blind and visually impaired. Until then, keep those fingers nimble.

Blessings.

Resolutions, and a Little on Canes

Welcome to the blog. Anita here with you this week with some things on my mind—blindness, cane travel, changes and resolutions to name a few.

Summer has blown by, and I find that I am out of shape. As I relax here on the couch, struggling to come up with a topic for this week's blog, I also ponder how I walked 1.8 miles today, something I haven't done all summer. I have been busy editing and revising “DUCKING INTO UEB”, a braille teaching program I created in collaboration with S.J. Wells that is expected to be published on September 30. More about that in the coming weeks.

Also in September, I will transition into a new decade of my life, and though it isn't January 1, I feel I want to make a New Year's resolution for myself just the same. And that is to live a healthier life and to always put others first. So I drank my last Coca-Cola yesterday. And, today, marks the first day that I am beginning to walk daily in order to start out my resolution early. I'm not sure how I'll help others yet, but I have a few weeks before my birthday to think on that.

Anyhow, walking makes me think of using my cane. It is a tool. Its key purposes are to keep me safe, to identify myself as blind to others, and to identify and to detect obstacles in my path. Sometimes, I also think of it as a guide since I use it to lead me on a given path as I walk; otherwise, I'd probably weave all over the sidewalk.

There are different types of canes. I own both a folding cane and a straight cane. The benefit to the folding cane is that I can fold it out of the way when in a vehicle or in a restaurant. Also, I prefer to use constant contact, and its tip tends to last a bit longer than my straight cane's tip does. The advantages to the straight cane are that it is very light in weight, it provides more audible feedback about the environment, and it has a round handle so I can use an open palm technique in which I open and close my hand rather than moving my wrist. For people who are learning to accept their blindness, this cane also demands to be used since it cannot be hidden from view and is more likely to be in one's hand and being used rather than stored in a car or bag.

Always remember it is Ok to be blind. The type of cane isn't as important, as the fact that you use it, and it keeps you safe. Be proud of your cane. Let it tell you about the upcoming drop-off, the metal trash can in front of you, or the change from a rough surface to a smooth surface. With your cane in hand, you can walk for exercise and also to make it to and from a variety of destinations on your own, and you won't have to wait for someone to have the time or to be bothered with doing for you what you can do for yourself.  I learned long ago, a cane gives me independence, and independence has the power to give me freedom to be who I am and to do what I want to do; it enables me to do things safely and confidently. As a result, my blindness will not control my life. Sure, it will still inconvenience me, as it will inconvenience you at times, but overall, we will be able to conquer its challenges with ease and confidence. And, that is what will give us the freedom to achieve our dreams, come what may.

Just FYI, the National Federation of the Blind offers free, long white canes to those who can not afford to buy one. For more information, go to this website, where you can learn about how to use and care for your cane, as well as order a free cane for yourself or a child under the age of 18.

What about you, faithful readers? Did your summer fly by too fast, too? We would love to hear from you, so drop us a comment anytime. Until next Thursday, have a great weekend and remember to count your blessings.

Some Thoughts on Traveling

Happy Thursday. S.J. Wells here with you today, and I’m going to talk about tricks and tips for going out of town, when you are blind or visually impaired. Last week, I went out of town to visit with Anita. I’m sure several of you faithful readers went on vacation this summer, as well. So, what better time to bring up this topic. Get your riding breeches on, as my mama used to say, cause we’re going on a trip.

First, whether you are taking a car, bus or plane, you have to pack. If you are blind or visually impaired, having someone else to do this for you can work. However, we all have a system of organization, and sighted folks tend to forget about your blindness. So, it is best if you pack for yourself. Packing like things together is a trick I learned way back when I was a teenager going off to church camp. Socks with socks, underwear with underwear, etc. If you want your socks to match, either get a sighted person to help you match them or use a color identifier. Then, either pin them with safety pins or separate them into plastic baggies. You can also use hair ties or rubber bands to keep them matched up in your suitcase. Or, you can be simple, like me and buy all white socks that always match each other. LOL If you want to match up your outfits before you go, fold them together before you put them in your suitcase. Wrap a pair of pants or shorts or skirt inside a matching shirt. Don’t worry about wrinkles, because everything gets wrinkled while on a trip. :) When it comes to packing things that might leak, such as shampoo, body wash, lotion or toothpaste, put them in baggies. For big things like shampoo and body wash, use shopping bags like you get from Walmart. For small things such as toothpaste, use ziplock baggies and put your toothbrush in there with it. Pack hair ties and brushed together in a zippered pouch. Put shoes in bags, and be sure to pack a plastic garbage bag in there for emergencies or to use as a laundry bag if you don’t already have a laundry bag. Okay, now that you are all packed, don’t forget to put those tags the bus company or airline sent you to mark that suitcase as yours. If you’re riding in the car, make sure it’s all zipped and ready to go out the door.

As it has been several years since I have been on an airplane, I’ll leave that part out of this post, but feel free to join the discussion and comment below. I did ride on a Greyhound bus a few years ago, and the one piece of advice I want to give you is this: be open and not afraid to ask for help. Traveling is not the time to become an introvert. Ask questions, let them know you are blind and need help, if you do indeed need help. Be kind when refusing help and be patient; others around you are wanting to be at their destination just as much as you.

If you are like me and my family, you go to the same places a lot. One thing we did quite by accident is find a particular Burger King along our rout. We stop there nearly every time we travel that way to grab a drink, a snack or to just use the rest rooms. We’re used to the stop, I know where everything is, and it’s not difficult to use my cane and find the bathroom and things within.

Well, sad to say, summer is almost over, and vacation is over, too. We’ve traveled back home, and now we must unpack. :( Take out whatever you have used for a laundry bag and start sorting. Lights in the washer first and darks to go in next. Shoes, hair stuff, soaps and shampoos have to be put back and the list seems to go on forever. :)

Traveling can be stressful for everyone, but it doesn’t have to be a failure. Keeping organized is the key. While it is easier in the beginning to let sighted folks do most of the work, you will find you can keep track of your stuff better with a lot less aggravation if you do as much as possible on your own. Be sure to remember your cane, if you use one, and check with the place where you obtained your guide dog, if you have one on travel tips. I’m sure I have only skimmed the surface, here, so again, please leave us a comment with your own suggestions, questions, and/or tips.

Thank you for being with us today. We look forward to hearing from you. Have a great weekend, and we’ll see you back here next Thursday.

Blessings.