Interviews to Empower Presents: Ricky Richmond

Welcome to this month’s edition of Interviews to Empower. If you have never met him, then prepare to be inspired. Allow me to introduce to you Ricky Richmond who’s motto is "You gotta except  it's all right to ask for help if you need it; even sighted people need help.”

Q: Ricky, thank you for allowing us to interview you today. Tell us a little about yourself and your eye condition.

A: I was born in 1971 with congenital glaucoma and had my left eye removed when it exploded when I was only 3 months old. I didn’t receive a prosthesis until I was 11.

Q: Wow, that’s a lot of time to wait. Can you tell us about how you got your prosthesis?

A: Well, I was attending the school for the blind in WV, and my orientation and mobility instructor, Dan Oates took me to Morgantown, WV to get it. I am very grateful to Mr. Oates for the effort he made in finding the financial support for this procedure and insuring I get my eye which I still have today.

Q: So, you went to WVSB?

A: Yes. When I was 6, my family and I were eating at a restaurant when a lady with a son who was deaf approached us  and told us about the school for the deaf and blind. Later, my mom called and talked to the folks at the school, and they sent a representative out to talk to us. His name was Mr. Boner. My parents were nervous and scared at first, but my 14 years at the school was a good education.

Q: What was it like at the school for the blind?

A: Well, I participated in sports, like swimming, wrestling and track. I was in the show choir, which was called Pizazz. I also played saxophone in the marching band. I got to travel around the state and even go out of state for competitions. Once, the marching band went to Hagerstown, MD to perform in a parade, and another time we went to the Apple Blossom Festival in Winchester, VA. Another cool thing we got to do was participate in the skiing program. We got to go to Canaan Valley for 3 days to ski. I took Radio at the school, too and piano tuning.

Q: Did you ever go to public school?

A: No. But, I did take a psychology class at Hampshire High during my senior year.

Q: Speaking of your senior year, did you take a senior trip?

A: Yes. We went to Nags Head, NC, where I was first introduced to the beach.

Q: Earlier, you mentioned piano tuning. Can we talk about that?

A: Yes. I took piano tuning from 1986 to 1991 at WVSB. Francis Chillcoat was the instructor. After graduating in 1991, I went to the Piano Hospital and Training Center in Washington State. I lived on the third floor of the administration building at the Washington Schools for the Deaf and Blind. To pay for my room and board, I volunteered my time to help with the children at the school from 6 to 9 every evening. During my training, I learned to tune and repair pianos, though tuning is my strong suit. On Saturdays I traveled to schools and colleges where I tuned 1 to 2 pianos per week. I graduated in 1993 and was offered a position in Alabama, but they didn’t offer enough money, so I came back home to WV. In 1994 a music teacher approached me and helped me get my tuning business started. The blind man who used to cover that area had recently retired, so I accepted the Lewisburg/Alderson area, gratefully.

Q: And, you are still tuning pianos today?

A: Yes, I’m still tuning pianos. I do some minor repairs, as well, but major repairs require someone to bring heavy piano pieces to my house which this, as well as other costs would be too much of a financial burden for my clients. If I cannot repair the piano at the clients home, I usually suggest they just purchase another one, as used pianos can often be less expensive than the cost of restoration.

Q: Is transportation a difficulty for you?

A: No. My clients are real good to give me rides to job sites. I hire drivers, too. I work in homes, businesses and churches. Business has declined somewhat, especially after the devastating floods that hit WV in 2016, but I have had several busy years, and I’m hoping my business will rise again once people in the area have rebuilt their lives; I feel confident this is a possibility.

Q: What do you like to do in your spare time?

A: Spend it with my family and friends. I have 2 older brothers and a younger sister. My mom and stepdad live in Virginia, but they come to visit often. Recently, a friend of mine suffered a stroke. I have learned from him what it’s like not being able to walk, and he has learned from me what it’s like being blind. We help each other. He helps me with things I can’t see, such as drilling wholes in my treadmill and driving me places. I help him by lifting things like bags of dog food into the shopping cart.

Q: You aren’t afraid to ask for help, then?

A: No, I’m not. Even sighted people need help, and you just gotta  accept, it’s all right to ask for help when you need it. You have to look at the situation and decide what needs to be done. For instance, I had to have a stove pipe replaced, recently in my wood stove. I had to ask for help from my brothers to get it installed.

Q: We could all take lessons from you in this area. Is there anything else you would like to add?

A: Yes. I just want to say that I have been a member of the At-Large chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of WV since 1994 and have been the treasurer of this chapter since 1998.

Thank you so much Ricky for allowing us to interview you for the blog. It has been a pleasure. And, thank you, faithful readers for being here with us. We hope you have enjoyed this months edition of Interviews to Empower, and we hope you are having an amazing holiday season. Be sure and come back on the 2nd Thursday of December, and the 4th Thursday for another interview to inspire you.

Blessings. 

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.

Question of the Week

How could a community make it possible for sports and other recreational activities to be adapted so that players with and without vision can be more physically active and have equal access to such activities  in their home communities?

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.