Interviews to Empower Presents Kerri Kosten

Welcome to Interviews to Empower! We’re so glad you came to be with us this week. Our interviewee this time is an inspiring individual who is totally blind, partially deaf and yet does not allow her fears and anxieties to dictate her day-to-day life. Come and meet Kerri Kosten, a sports writer who is blind.

Q: What caused your blindness?

A: I was born prematurely, so I have Retinopathy Of Prematurity.

Q: What about your partial deafness?

A: When I was very young, I became ill. My parents thought and were told it was the flu. However, it was Meningitis, and the high fever that I had left me partially deaf. I only have hearing in my left ear.

Q: I imagine that makes travel difficult, as people who are blind rely on their hearing a great deal. Can you tell us about that?

A: Yes. When I was at the Louisiana Center for the Blind, I was taught to mental map. Basically, I learn directions before I go and remember them so I can map my way back home. This was not taught to me until I received O&M at LCB. Also, I learned to call ahead to ask for bus fare, directions, availability of cabs and such. It is much safer to travel using transportation such as buses, cabs and even Uber, rather than walking, as I do not have to cross as many streets. Another thing to keep in mind is to ask for assistance often.

Q: Speaking of cane travel, when did you learn blindness skills?

A: I learned braille when I was four years old. Today, I can read about 200 words per minute. I didn’t learn good cane skills until I went to LCB.

Q: Did you go to a school for the blind or public school?

A: Both. I attended public school until fifth grade, then went to the WV School for the Blind for a few years. I actually graduated from University High in Morgantown, WV. As a younger student, I liked going to the blind school in Romney, WV. However, when I got older, the city girl in me missed the city. LOL

Q: So, what got you into the world of sports writing?

A: When I was fifteen, I listened to a basketball game on the radio. It was my first game, and I found I loved the energy of the game and announcers. After that, my passion for It grew. I was like a kid in a candy store, and I knew I wanted to do something in sports; I just didn’t know what. As far as writing, I didn’t like it, at first. However, I knew that as a blind person, writing about sports was something I needed to concentrate on. So, I majored in journalism at WVU. Then, I wrote for 1440 WAJR on their website. It was a volunteer position, but it taught me so much. I really enjoy putting stuff about sports into words, and I like that a person can do this job whether they can see or not.

Q: Are you still writing for WAJR?

A: No. Today, I write for The Dominion Post here in Morgantown. I research athletes who do not choose to go to WVU, then interview them. I really enjoy this job. It has helped me to get out of my comfort zone. At first, I was very nervous about talking to people I didn’t know. But, now I am more confident and comfortable when interviewing people. I feel that because of this job, I am more mature and patient. I wish all people who are blind could get this opportunity.

Q: You mentioned going to the Louisiana Center for the Blind. What types of classes did you take there?

A: Wow, I did so much, I could go on talking forever. :) It is a nine month program, so I was there from April of 2012 to January of 2013. I took cane travel, shop, computers, cooking, home maintenance, home management and braille.

Q: Wow, talk about a busy schedule. First, because we don’t often hear of blind people taking shop, tell me some of the things you learned in that class.

A: I learned how to use a lot of different tools including a drill press and a ban saw. My final project in that class was to make a set of braille blocks.

Q: How about home management and home maintenance?

A: In home maintenance we were taught things like how to clean, how to take off a door knob and put it back on, how to use a screw driver, how to turn a breaker box on and off, how to shut the water off at the valve of the toilet, how to unplug a toilet, and how to find something that may have fallen down a sink drain.

In home management we were taught how to cook. We made brownies from scratch, homemade pasta, fried chicken in a fry daddy, stir fry in a wok, homemade bread, hand cranked our ice cream, made waffles in a waffle iron…just everything. LOL At the end of the program, I had to make a meal for eight and another meal for forty. I had to write invitations on a slate and stylus, give out invitations, shop for food, cook food and serve the food like a waitress would. My meal for eight was chicken baked in the oven with Italian dressing, peas, green beans, baked potato and salad. For dessert I made a dump cake. My meal for forty was pasta with garlic and herb sauce.

Q: Let’s talk about cane travel and some of the trips you took.

A: Well, we certainly got out and about. We went to a Louisiana Tech game. Then, a friend and I went to Oklahoma to watch the Sooners against the Baylor Bears. We had to plan our trip and figure out bus fare and everything. It was an amazing trip, and both my friend and I are blind. No one sighted went with us. Other activities at LCB were rock climbing, horseback riding, zip lining, trips to the movies, the peach festival and shopping. My last trip was a solo trip from Ruston to Monroe. I went shopping at the mall in Monroe.

Q: What advice would you give to someone new to sight loss?

A: Never give up. Blindness is not the end of the world. Get good blindness training. You can still do all the things you used to, just in a different way.

Q: What would you say to a student who is blind who is just graduating high school?

A: Try to meet as many people as you can. Learn to network. Don’t give up. Get involved with those things you are interested in. Don’t allow anyone to tell you “you can’t”.

Q: Is there someone you look up to?

A: Yes. My O&M instructor at LCB. His name was Roland Allen, and he paved the way for blind O&M instructors. He believed I could do anything, and therefore, I believe I can do anything.

Kerri, thank you so much for allowing us to interview you. Just talking with you inspires me.

To read Kerri’s pieces, you can find them in The Dominion Post www.dominionpost.com

Thank you, faithful readers for being with us today. We apologize that this post is late. But, we will be back on Nov. 9 with more inspiration, so come back and be with us. Want to see us on Facebook? We can be found at facebook.com/adkinsandwells.

Blessings.

The Long White Cane

Just about every sighted person has seen one, either on the streets of their hometown, while traveling in a big city or on television. Most folks know without being told that it is a cane used by people who are blind or visually impaired. Some speculate that it will grow out of use before too long, taken over by guide dogs or guide ponies. Some people who are blind think that by using a long white cane they are presenting themselves as disabled. Others embrace it as the tool it is and are even proud of it. But, where did it come from? Why do blind people use it? Why is it still as effective as it was nearly a century ago? Hi, there. S.J. Wells here with you today, and since White Cane Safety, AKA White Cane Awareness Day is October 15, I thought I’d share some of the interesting facts about the long white cane with you, our faithful readers.

History tells us that blind people used all kinds of sticks, shepherd’s staffs and canes to detect objects in front of them. However, the mobility cane we know today didn’t come about until around the time of World War I. A man named James Biggs from Bristol was said to have created a version of the long white cane in 1921 after an accident took his sight. Feeling threatened by a growing population of motorists, he painted his walking stick white so it would be more visible to drivers. Ten years later in February, 1931, Guilly D’Herbemont launched a scheme for a national white stick movement for blind people in France. It wasn’t long until the folks in England got wind of it, and soon they were launching a campaign that basically said persons who carried long white canes would be recognized as having visual impairments.

Meanwhile, in North America, a member of the Lion’s Club saw a blind man walking across the street using a black cane. The Lion’s Club member painted the man’s walking stick white in order to make him more visible. In 1931, the Lion’s Club International began a national program, promoting the use of white canes for persons who are blind. During that time, most folks who used a cane, held it in a fixed, diagonal position in front of them, and it worked primarily to alert sighted folks that he or she was blind. However, when blinded veterans returned from World War II, things changed for the better, as these men were not content to stay home and be cared for. They wanted to rejoin the work force and began using their canes to get around, rather than just carrying them.

In 1964, a joint resolution of the Congress HR 753, was signed into law authorizing the President of the United States  of America to proclaim October 15 of every year to be White Cane Safety Day. President Lyndon B. Johnson was the first to proclaim the October 15 as White Cane Safety Day. No longer was the long white cane just a symbol of a person who is blind but a tool to assist them to live as independently as they so wished.

Once made of wood, canes are now made of several materials ranging from aluminum, graphite, fiberglass and sometimes a mix in between. Whether they are rigid or folding, folks now can order them in other colors rather than white. Some patterns of color symbolize a difference between blind and blindness with a hearing impairment. Whatever the material, whatever the color, the cane does not define the one using it. Rather, the person defines the cane. As a chef uses his/her favorite knives to slice and dice, just as a car mechanic prefers the tools in his/her own tool box to get the job done, just as a minister uses his/her favorite version of the Bible and reference books to get the message out to the congregation, so a person who is blind uses his/her cane to navigate the world around them.

If you or someone you know needs a white cane, the National Federation of the Blind has a form on their website that you can fill out and get one for free. Just go to nfb.org,  and you’ll find it. If you want more information than I’ve provided here about the long white cane, be assured that Google is speech friendly, so go on your own internet search. If you’re not sure on how to use your cane, the NFB also has articles explaining how. Don’t be afraid to try new things or to ask for help. People who are blind and familiar with the cane will be more than happy to share their knowledge.

So, this coming Sunday, October 15, remember the long white cane, and use yours to show the world that, like those veterans returning home from war without their sight, you aren’t going to sit back and let others do for you anymore; you’re a force to be reckoned with.

Thank you for being with us today. We hope you’ll come back on October 26, as we have an interview to inspire your socks off. Ever heard of a blind woman who writes about sports? Well, you have now. Mark your calendars and be sure to come back in two weeks. Also, don’t forget, we’re on Facebook at facebook.com/adkinsandwells/

God bless.