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.

Be an Overcomer

Hello. Anita here, and this week we’re going to talk about challenges and overcoming them.

Recently, I have become a new foster mom. It has been a challenging and rewarding experience. I have learned that being a mom involves way more than just watching the child. I have already made so many phone calls and accompanied the child to an appointment. Due to confidentiality, I will not share with you any details about the child in this blog. But, I do want to tell you about the key challenges and how I have overcome them as a blind person.

One challenge is dealing with the misconceptions about the capabilities of the blind. And, I will not share a lot about that on this blog for privacy reasons. But I will say that the social worker and my home finder have done an excellent job at holding high expectations for the blind. They have entrusted me to care for a very special child. They are not the ones who have presented this challenge. However, as a caregiver, I need and want to know their concerns. I told the social worker to feel free to ask me any questions. I am an educator, and I do want what is best for the child. One of their concerns was that the child tends to be active and run a lot. When the social worker expressed this to me, I explained that I had locks on my doors that can only be opened with a key. This assured her the child would be safe with me. I also talked with her about other ways I will keep the child safe, including using a bear that she wears like a backpack. It has a leash, which I put on my wrist. At church and other places out of my house, it will keep her from running away from me.

What they did not tell me was that the child takes a great deal of medication, and more importantly, that it requires two people to ensure she takes the medicine—one to administer it and the other to hold her hands so she does not grab the syringe or push away the person trying to give her the medicine. If they had told me this before I accepted her, I would have told them to find another placement for her because I live alone. Fortunately, my pastor, his fiancee, and my cousins are assisting me with this. The social worker is exploring other options, as well.

Even though this challenge is not related to blindness, I wanted to share it with you because it is important that, as blind people, we know our strengths and weaknesses. We need to know when to take on a challenge and when to say no. Really, this is the case, regardless of vision. Knowing who we are and our talents and strengths will enable us to be productive and will also enable us and others to stay safe. If we lack confidence or feel we are incapable, we should consult others in the blindness community for their input on how we can do a task we really want to do. It is probably possible, but blindness training may be necessary before we can accomplish it. Our other option is to teach ourselves, which I love to do. But, be sure safety factors are considered and adhered to before self-discovery occurs.

To give an example, my brother and I taught ourselves many years ago how to walk to a nearby college. One of us would wait at a point while the other walked further and explored. If someone were injured, the other person would be able to call for help. Also, this helped us to always find our way back to the apartment we lived in at the time. Experimenting with techniques and tricks we think of is a great way to conquer new skills. But, accepting our limitations is also important. Considering other factors that require a "no" answer to performing an activity is important, too. Here are some questions to help you determine if you should try an activity and conquer barriers related to your blindness.

1. Why do I want to do this activity? If the answer is to help others, because I would enjoy it,  or because it is necessary, then you should probably figure out a way to do it. If the answer is pride, you may still be able to conquer the challenge, but be careful. Pride alone should not impact your decision.

2. Do I have the skills to accomplish this goal? If not, then conduct some research to learn how and where you can get the necessary training. It might be a blindness training center, like the one at Blind Industries and Services of Maryland or the Louisiana Center for the Blind. Or, it might be a week-long visit to a blindness rehabilitation training center in your state. Or, maybe it is an online tutorial or a friend or family member that can give you some pointers and walk you through the steps of a given task. Most important, be informed and weigh your options so you can select the best one.

3. Finally, is fear keeping you from conquering the challenge? If so, then you will need to build confidence. Confidence is built in small steps. A training center can help with this, but, consistently doing things for yourself will be the most beneficial.

You might also think about how to start an activity. For example, before using the table saw, I asked my instructor to turn it off and unplug it. This way, I knew I could explore it without it turning on. After that, I felt more comfortable in using it because I had a mental picture  of what it looked like. Learning other prevention steps and safety techniques is also important. For example, I lacked confidence in frying foods. For safety, I asked a friend and some family members to be with me in the kitchen and to show me how much grease to pour in when frying potatoes. I received a little experience and built confidence with this in a training center, as well  and then more after practicing at home. I also found online safety tips.

So, what challenges are you facing? What are you going to do to overcome the ones that matter to you? Yes, with determination and the right tools and techniques, you can do it!!! Have fun trying!

Have any examples to share about overcoming challenges? Drop us a comment below. We’d love to hear your story.

Beginning in October, this blog will be changing to a twice a month blog, rather than once a week. With school starting back and with both of us busy with new projects this year, we want to concentrate our efforts on bringing you informative posts that will help and encourage. We feel the best way to do this is to post only twice a month. Until then, though, we’ll be right here, posting every Thursday.

And, speaking of every Thursday, be sure and come back next week for another edition of Interviews to Empower. We have an interview all ready for you. Until then, have a fantabulous weekend, and hop on over to facebook.com/adkinsandwells/ and “like” our page.

Blessings.

For Caregivers

A couple of weeks ago, we discussed how teachers should define expectations by working toward a big goal. To recap, in order to accomplish this goal, first have the student focus on learning the subskills necessary to achieve that goal and have a can-do attitude about the student's ability to attain the big goal. Remember, the student may never attain the big goal, which is okay, but if she is expected to attain it, she will come closer to reaching it, and thus, will be able to accomplish more.

Today, we shall briefly discuss the caregiver's role in setting expectations. Really, the idea is the same; people who are blind should be expected to do everything a person with vision can do. Keep in mind they will do it differently, and their way may not make sense to you. It may even seem dangerous to someone with vision. Also, as they are learning alternative techniques and building confidence, they may perform the skill slower than someone with normal vision. You may need to adjust your schedule so you can plan time for children with blindness and low vision to do things independently. You may focus on having them do certain things, and then add in a new task once they become competent and confident at the current one.

For example, if you want them to make dinner, don't have them do it on a night when soccer practice occurs. Pick a Saturday. Then, after several weekend cooking sessions, maybe they will be capable of making hotdogs and fries on soccer night. And for a cooking lesson, you might start with having them set the table. Then, they might learn how to make a microwave meal or even just a snack. Start in small steps and build on skills once former skills are mastered.  Plan a special night  in which the child makes a special treat for a friend or family member so they can practice their skills for a real-world purpose. This might be serving popcorn and m&m's   on a movie night, or baking a cake for Grandma's birthday.  Either way, it will be a big deal to the child.

When you go to the store, have them help  choose what they will need in order to accomplish the cooking session. Also, give them experiences feeling different fruits and vegetables as you name them. Remember that we blind people cannot see these kinds of things automatically as sighted people can, and so we need to be encouraged to touch them and be given opportunities to explore them.

Tell us what you see - what a license plate says, that the stoplight has three lights, each a different color, whether or not you think pink and white look good together, that a sighted person looks at someone they are talking to, etc. Have the child to behave as a sighted person would; no rocking or keeping the head down. Give the child replacement behaviors, such as tapping a foot. Show us models, such as a realistic toy elephant or a demonstration of you modeling a hand gesture. Teach children how to organize their money by consistently folding each denomination in a unique way and by using a talking money identifier (there is a money identifier app for the iPhone); note that the money identifier should be used at home and not in a store. The folding system will enable the individual who is blind to identify a bill in a store before she removes it from the wallet or purse, and thus, will mean someone will be less likely to steal it.

Now that we've discussed some ways to help someone to work with a child, let's  discuss some examples of how people who are blind do things differently from people with vision. For example, someone who is blind will use a cane to inform other's about her visual disability and also to verify the  area she is about to step her foot in is clear of obstacles and/or is not lower or higher than the current surface. The cane does not reach clear across the room, but  is within a couple feet of its user. This means someone who is blind will choose to travel quite close to an obstacle before veering away from it or will even move close enough for the cane to alert her of its presence, while still being safe. To someone with vision, this is scary since the blind person may appear to  be about to walk straight into a tree or fall down some steps. People with vision veer away from an object at a greater distance than people who are blind, and so when they observe someone getting closer than they define as "normal", they become afraid the person is about to become injured. A person who is blind may also seem to take a "wrong" route when they are maybe following a perimeter or traveling a given path that is different from one a person with vision might take. Learning blindness skills at a quality training center is essential because the person who has blindness or low vision will learn how to travel without reliance on a perimeter, but many blind people have not received such training, and so you will see them traveling around the long way.

Expanded core skills should also be planned into a student's IEP, and the parent or caregiver should make sure these skills are being taught, and this can be accomplished  through conversations with the child and communication with the child's school. As a blind person who has attended a school for the blind from kindergarten through 12th grade, I want to suggest that not all of these critical expanded core skills are taught to students, and when they are, they are not taught with the rigor they should be. Just because a teacher is certified as a Teacher of the Visually Impaired, or TVI, (a title that implies low expectations from the get-go), or happens to work at a school for the blind does not guarantee they know all of the blindness skills, embrace a positive blindness philosophy, or define  their expectations by focusing on teaching students the necessary subskills for reaching those big goals we talked about two weeks ago.

As an advocate, it is the job of the caregiver to make sure a student is provided with the knowledge and confidence she needs. Also, check out summer camps, such as the ones held at Blind Industries and Services of Maryland or the Louisiana Center for the Blind. Be aware that the child may need to go to a quality blindness training center as an adult, preferably before entering the workforce. Doing so could mean the difference between a productive, quality life and a limited existence.

More examples of how people with blindness and people with vision do things differently include:

Someone with vision will verify a dish is clean by looking at it (often a less effective method) whereas a person who is blind will use her sense of touch to verify a dish is clean (a more effective method.)

A person with vision will look to see if meat is brown; a person who is blind will use the smell of the meat, the quieter sound it makes after frying is complete, and its feel to determine it is done.

A sighted person will read the print label on her washer to know where start is; a blind person will touch a raised tactile symbol or braille label to locate this position.

A sighted person will glance at an envelope to see who it is from; a blind person will use a talking scanner to read it or a human reader to identify it.

A sighted person will visually identify a can of green beans; a blind person will organize her cabinet, and even if she doesn't, maybe use a talking barcode scanner to identify this product.

Most sighted people store stuff in their cars; blind people manage to carry all their stuff in backpacks and bags, and/or use a cart they can pull behind them.

Sighted people just hop in and drive to a destination, use public transportation, and/or  walk, whether they preplan the trip or do it on-the-fly; blind people schedule a friend or family member to drive them, use public transportation, and/or walk to a destination.

Sometimes, blind people use home delivery services, such as Schwan's or amazon.com or take in a deep breath and change their plan from going shopping at the mall to walking about town. And, the list goes on and on.

How a task is done is not as important as insuring it is done safely and efficiently.

And now, you are saying, "But, I don't have time. Or it is just easier for me to do it for my child or my blind family member."

That makes sense. But, remember, if you do things for a person who has blindness or low vision that she can do for herself, then you are limiting her and teaching her to rely on other people. And from the perspective of someone who is blind, I can assure you this is not fun in the long run. People don't want to hang around with someone they have to "babysit." I remember several years ago when I worked at BISM, a colleague kept saying "Anita, you should go get your own drink." I had the ability. I was just used to having it done for me. The day I finally got up at a restaurant and got my own drink was the first day I realized that too much assistance from my friends and family in all those years before that had robbed me of my freedom. And, by that point, I had been working in the blindness field for a few years and insisting my students do for themselves, not realizing I should do as I preached. Now, I don't have to wait for someone to get me another drink; I can get it when I want it.

It is okay to help other people. It is sometimes ok to do something for someone else, even if that person is capable of completing that task. The key is that doing so should not be a habit or should not be done because the person is too slow or because you are afraid of that person being harmed. If you don't know how to do a task safely without vision, ask someone who is blind. Call the National Federation of the Blind, NFB or the American Council of the Blind, ACB. Don't let a lack of knowledge mingled with fear limit a person who is blind. We deserve a high quality of life just like someone who is sighted does, and a quality of life is reached with blindness skills training, a positive view of the capabilities of the blind, family/friend support, and regular practice of doing skills to build confidence.

Thank you for being with us today. Be sure and come back next Thursday for another interview to empower.

Be blessed.

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.