An Update and Some Thoughts on Preparing for a Job

Hello, everyone. I hope this first, full month of  spring finds you well. Anita here with you today, and Spring has been a rather snowy and busy one here in WV. Goalball season has recently ended, and gives me a small break. Spring break has also allowed me a chance to rejuvenate for school, but I have been very busy at home.

My Mom, who lives in a nearby nursing home, came to spend the weekend with me. We played cards and fried potatoes. Ruth Ann, my cousin, stopped in to visit us as well. Then, Joy, my cousin came over to spend the night. Then, I went to her house to spend the night. While there I Took advantage of her WiFi and updated my iPhone. I  put Word Pro on my new MacBook, but at the moment, it is about to be thrown out the window. I couldn’t figure out how to save an article I wrote, though I did eventually succeed. So my brain is foggy just now.

During my break, my friend, Nancy, and I spent a day shopping at the mall. My bank account is way lower, but I have a couple of new bowls and a new kitchen gadget to play with. It is a rice cooker. I found a pasta rice cooker that is useful for all kinds of things a few months back, and I wanted another one. It is so frustrating when something I like disappears from the shelves at Walmart.

Anyhow, the point here is that I’ve been busy. Generally, I like to cook on vacation, but I haven’t had a lot of time for that. Currently, I have a hash brown casserole in the crockpot. When I was preparing it, I decided to add in bacon bits. I found a little bag that felt like the bacon bits. After opening it, I realized it was nuts. I had used Seeing AI, an app on my iPhone designed to tell me barcodes and read text, and while it couldn’t find the barcode, it did read something about almonds. I didn’t believe it because I don’t remember buying any almonds. I should have listened to it though because almonds they were. LOL

This blog post is really me ranting to you. I just wrote an article about "DUCKING INTO UEB", the book S. J. Wells and I wrote. In the article, I mentioned how I wanted to get a job like my sighted family members way back in the ’90’s. As blind people, obtaining a job is more difficult. It is important that we have the skills, training, and opportunity to do the job. Also, accessibility needs are important. Yes, the law requires that reasonable accommodations be made for us. But what does reasonable mean? And, it is a sighted world. A sighted person could apply for and potentially acquire a job in the local area easily enough, though it may be a minimum wage position. But a person who is blind requires accessibility to be included with the package.

I remember years ago in Parkersburg when I wanted to work at a call center. The software at the time was not accessible for screenreaders. Maybe nowadays, I could tackle the challenge of insuring such accommodations were met, but back then, I did not possess the knowledge or bravery. And, I’m glad I didn’t because working at a call center is not where I feel the Lord wants me to be. Still, I sometimes feel that a realistic job option be a consideration. What would I do if I was suddenly rifted from my current position as others have been? What skills and training would I need to acquire employment? Could I still live here in the town I consider as my home? Truth is that most people must relocate in order to be employed. But could their possibly be virtual jobs in the education field for me? Or, are there other career options I haven’t explored? I do not plan to leave my current position in the near future. But where will I be in ten years or so? If I want to make a career move, I need to plan now so I can be properly trained for the transition. And, if I decide to stay in this position forever, educating myself about other careers and even completing some of the training will not be a waste of my time. 

Part of my reason for bringing up this topic on this blog is because on one of my facebook lists, someone wanted to know what jobs are out there for blind people. There are not specific jobs for blind people. There are jobs in the field of blindness. There are companies that focus on hiring blind people, such as Industries for the Blind. But a person who is blind should really focus on their strengths and weakness and job interests. Filling out a job inventory is a great first step. Getting in touch with blind people in an interested field is also important, though not required. 

The ACB, www.acb.org and NFB, www.nfb.org both offer mentorship programs to people who are blind and visually impaired. AFB, www.afb.org also has Career Connect, a program that matches one with someone who has a job in the interested field. Finally, determining the accommodations is key. And, while the employer is required to make the reasonable accommodations, any accommodations we can make on our behalf will help to make us more successful candidates. Blindness skills training and training required for the specific career are also appropriate steps. Have fun searching! In the mean time, here is a link that will allow you to search virtual jobs. The site also allows you to search for jobs that require your physical presence. https://www.indeed.com/q-Virtual-jobs.html

That's it for today, but be sure and come back in 2 weeks for another edition of Interviews to Empower. Until then, be safe and remember to laugh often.

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.

Goalball

Last week, we mentioned that the Adkins half of our team was out of town for a Goalball tournament. This week, Anita explains Goalball for those of us who have never played. So, put on your blindfolds and listen up.

*****

Willa lightly touched the horizontal line beneath her fingers. Her left knee on the wooden gym floor, her right knee in the air.

"Rolanda?"

Tap, tap, tap. "Over here."

Willa heard the bells jingle as the ball moved from the center to the right wing.

Good news! Rolanda rolled faster than some of the boys, but she also tended to throw out all of the time. Why would Gwana, Virginia's center, Willa's worst enemy on the court, yet her best friend off the court, pass the ball to Rolanda?

Willa heard the ball jingle. She dived toward the left, her outstretched hands cupped perfectly to embrace the ball.

"Man!" Gravity jerked her to the floor, but she fought it with all her might. Gwana had tricked her.

"Willa Catchum! You need to listen."

Willa groaned. "Sorry, Miss Ballinger." she muttered as she pushed herself up.

The sound of a shrill whistle echoed in the large room.

"Illegal coaching. Penalty, West Virginia."

Miss Ballinger snapped her fingers, like she did at practices when she was about to assign them suicide drills. Willa hated those running exercises more than she hated defending the entire court all by herself. 

"Fine. 4 can defend."

Willa sucked in a breath and slammed her fist into the floor. 4! Flora Sleep couldn't catch a ball if it was handed to her.

"But..." she began.

Snap, snap. "I said 4 will defend, Willa. I need a player who can listen."

The referee's deep voice boomed through the gym. "3 and 7 off the court."

Willa stood up and turned toward the goal. She stomped to it, nearly ramming it through her chest. They might as well just skip this penalty and give Virginia the point, with Flora defending.

*****

Goalball is a competitive sport played by players with visual impairments in grade school through adulthood. Players wear blindfolds and are situated on a tactile court with the center player slightly in front of the two wing players, forming a triangular-shaped pattern. Defense means keeping the ball from entering the goal area, a rectangular area behind the players. The goalball, shaped like a basketball, is equipped with bells so as to be heard by the players. Offense means throwing the ball across the court in an attempt to land a goal. The ball must touch the court before it reaches the highball line, or it is considered a penalty. Penalties can also be given for other reasons, such as making too much noise and touching one's blindfold. 

As a coach, I feel very helpless during a meet or the tournament. I played goalball as a youngster, and at that time, I could do something, or at least feel like I was doing something to prevent a goal. But as a coach, I cannot dive out there and catch the ball or tell a player to line up so that they do not throw out or permit a ball to roll along their angled body into the goalbox. I've written the little excerpt above to entertain you, but also to show you how the game is played and to demonstrate how a player quivers with excitement and nervousness during game play. I have been telling my students, "Listen, move, lay down."

But will they listen to that advice at tournament this weekend? Or, will they get stage fright and forget everything we've ben working on all season long?

Goalball is a fun sport that enables kids and adults with visual impairments to stay fit and to meet other people with visual impairments, and sometimes, to develop lifelong friends. Other sports, such as beep baseball, swimming, and skiing, are also playable by players who are blind or visually impaired. I would love to be actively involved in a recreational activity, but I cannot walk to the Wellness Center. There is not an adult goalball team in the small town in which I live. Coaching goalball is one way I am able to exercise. I also walk to and from work. I plan to begin participating in aerobics in our school pool after goalball ends.

Good luck to those playing in upcoming tournaments, and we’ll see you all back here next Thursday for another edition of Interviews to Empower.