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NBPCB Interactive Training
by admin＠nbpcb.org 14 Mar '22

14 Mar '22

Dear Structured Discovery Professional: On Wednesday, March 23 NBPCB will be hosting an interactive training on potentially uncomfortable situations that may come up. A variety of work-place scenarios will be presented and discussion will be held on strategies for how to deal with these challenging situations. The training begins at 7:00 p.m. Central and is scheduled for 1.5 hours. All NBPCB SD certified individuals, staff of our certified training centers, and NBPCB board members are welcome to attend. Topic: NBPCB Interactive Training Time: Mar 23, 2022 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://latech.zoom.us/j/94661725499 Meeting ID: 946 6172 5499 One tap mobile +13126266799,,94661725499# US (Chicago) +19294362866,,94661725499# US (New York) Dial by your location +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 929 436 2866 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) Meeting ID: 946 6172 5499 Find your local number: https://latech.zoom.us/u/accidEvc4R NBPCB Office PO Box 2373 Ruston LA 71273 318 299-7340 <mailto:admin at nbpcb.org> admin at nbpcb.org <http://www.nbpcb.org> www.nbpcb.org <https://www.nbpcb.org/pages/lookup.php> Click here to verify the status of NBPCB certified professionals

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2020 to Natl O&M and rehabilitation conference?
by widearc2000＠gmail.com 13 Mar '22

13 Mar '22

Greetings listers, Do we have any information on this year?s conference? Is it going to be possible to get researtification points if we attend remotely or will we all be planning to show up live and in person? I?m thinking of trying to get my hotel room early so does anyone know if our conference will be on the fifth or the fourth? I know it is usually the first day but the actual convention starts the next day. I kind of hope it is the fourth. I miss celebrating Independence Day with Federationists. Jane Lansaw Tulsa Oklahoma Sent from my iPhone

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2022 NOMCT Committee
by admin＠nbpcb.org 03 Mar '22

03 Mar '22

Dear NOMC: First, I would like to offer a very heartfelt thank you to all of you have served on the NOMCT committee since its inception in 2005. The second purpose of this email is to share the 2022 list of members serving on the NOMCT Committee. A big thanks also goes out to these individuals for all the hard work that they will be doing. Joni Martinez, Chairman, Texas Roland Allen, Louisiana Jeffry Altman, Nebraska Ronald Brown, Indiana Joanne Gabias, Arizona Michelle Gip, Minnesota Ernesto Lucca, Colorado Jimmie Morris Virginia Carley Mullin New Jersey Yadiel Sotomayer Minnesota Adelmo Vigil, New Mexico Colin Wong, Washington NBPCB Office PO Box 2373 Ruston LA 71273 318 299-7340 <mailto:admin at nbpcb.org> admin at nbpcb.org <http://www.nbpcb.org> www.nbpcb.org <https://www.nbpcb.org/pages/lookup.php> Click here to verify the status of NBPCB certified professionals

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NBPCB Continuing Education Training Opportunity
by braille＠nbpcb.org 17 Feb '22

17 Feb '22

Hello, NBPCB is planning on having a training opportunity for Structured Discovery professionals with WEAVE in March. Some of you participated in training with this organization last year dealing with sexual misconduct. This time around, our goal is not to define what misconduct is but rather to help empower instructors to identify potential situations which may put them at real, or potential, risk of being accused of misconduct of all types. As part of this training, we are asking for scenarios that you, yourself, may have experienced or that you may be anxious about. For example, how to work with a student that has been physically assaulted in the past and is not now comfortable with any touch including hand-over-hand instruction and is also uncomfortable traveling in unfamiliar areas. Or you are sitting in your local favorite sports bar on a Saturday night and a current student comes in and sits down next to you at the bar. Or your student thinks that you are retaliating against them because you sent them out in the rain after you have just talked to them for the one-hundredth time about getting to class on time. We do not want to restrict the scenarios to any specific topic because any concerns you have may not fit in a narrowly defined constraint but they deserve to be addressed. We are asking each of you to consider submitting scenarios to be part of our training. Please do not use actual names or details that will identify students or other colleagues. Also, you do not have to disclose if the scenario really happened or if it is hypothetical. Finally, be assured that we will not be sharing the names of anyone who may submit any scenarios with us. Please send your submissions to me at braille at nbpcb.org <mailto:braille at nbpcb.org> before the end of the month. Once the final arrangements are made, we will send out the meeting details to everyone. This specific training will count toward the ethics category for your Structured Discovery recertification and is a direct result of feedback we received from several of you earlier this year. If you have suggestions for future training topics, we would appreciate hearing from you. Best, Maria Morais, Test Coordinator NBPCB Office PO Box 2373 Ruston LA 71273 318 299-7340 <mailto:braille at nbpcb.org> braille at nbpcb.org <http://www.nbpcb.org/> www.nbpcb.org <https://www.nbpcb.org/pages/lookup.php> Click here to verify the status of NBPCB certified professionals

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FW: Vacancy Notice - Visually Impaired Orientation Counselor II/Shop Instructor
by ebell＠pdrib.com 15 Feb '22

15 Feb '22

Subject: FW: Vacancy Notice - Visually Impaired Orientation Counselor II/Shop Instructor The Nebraska Center for the Blind is seeking a Shop Instructor. Applications are due by 11:59pm Central on March 15, 2022. I am happy to answer any questions regarding the position. Thanks, Jessica -- Jessica Bartenbach Training Center Supervisor Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired 4600 Valley Road, Suite 100 Lincoln, NE 68510 Cell: 402-219-3739 Main: 402-471-2891 Jessica.Bartenbach at nebraska.gov From: Wenzl, Carrie <Carrie.Wenzl at nebraska.gov> Sent: Tuesday, February 15, 2022 7:08 AM Subject: Vacancy Notice - Visually Impaired Orientation Counselor II/Shop Instructor Hello, The following position is being posted and available for application: Position Name - Division Name Closes - 03/15/2022 For more information, click HERE *if the link doesn't work, copy the link into a different web browser It is important that your application show all the relevant education and experience you possess, including your current position. Information contained in a resume will not be considered in lieu of the formal application. AS Personnel will reject your application if it is not complete or if you do not provide the required materials. Please read the job posting and the requirements carefully before you submit your application. Once you submit your application for a job, you cannot modify it for that job, nor re-apply for that job, unless the job is posted again. When you have successfully applied for a job, you will receive an instant confirmation via e-mail. Thank you, Carrie Wenzl, C.L.S.S.Y.B. Human Resources Specialist - Recruitment | Shared Services HR Nebraska Department of Administrative Services 1526 K Street, Suite 150 I Lincoln, NE 68508 OFFICE 402-405-1072 | FAX 402-742-8361 carrie.wenzl at nebraska.gov <mailto:carrie.wenzl at nebraska.gov> Treating others with dignity and respect, acting ethically, and creating a culture where the customer is always the priority.

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Louisiana Tech University Graduate Programs
by ebell＠pdrib.com 02 Feb '22

02 Feb '22

New Opportunities for Careers in Rehabilitation of the Blind Scholarships are now available! *** the GRE requirement may now be permanently waived for applicants who qualify *** Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness Louisiana Tech University Structured Discovery Cane Travel (SDCT) and Structured Discovery Rehabilitation have been demonstrated to be among the most innovative and effective forms of rehabilitation training for individuals who are blind or visually impaired. Louisiana Tech University has operated its Orientation and Mobility program on this model successfully for 21 years, with upwards of 95% successful employment and employer satisfaction rates. Scholarships are now available for qualified individuals seeking one of the following degree paths: * Master of Arts in Counseling/Guidance with Concentration in Orientation and Mobility. * Master of Arts in Counseling and Guidance with Concentration in Rehabilitation Teaching for the Blind Why me? * The field of educating and rehabilitating children and adults who are blind is deeply rewarding and life-changing. * The job market is wide open; currently, we receive four times the number of employer requests than we have graduates to provide. * Training occurs on campus in Ruston, Louisiana, and can be completed in as little as one year. * No prior background or experience in blindness is necessary-we'll teach you everything you need to know. * Scholarships are provided on a competitive basis to qualified persons and can cover costs for attending the university. * Scholarships also support travel to conferences, trainings, and field-based experiences at Structured Discovery training programs. Who can Apply? Individuals must already possess a Bachelor's (B.A.) degree from an accredited university, have a grade point average of 2.5 and obtain a minimum of 287 (Verbal and Quantitative) on the Graduate Records Examination (GRE)*. Individuals must also be willing to attend courses on campus in Ruston, Louisiana on a full-time basis. *Note: the GRE may now be waived for applicants who qualify. Please contact Edward Bell to determine if you are eligible at <mailto:ebell at latech.edu> ebell at latech.edu What's the Catch? * Payback through service is required. Agreement to receive scholarship funding requires commitment for you to work in the field of rehabilitation for two years for each year of scholarship support you obtain. * Scholarships cover at least tuition and fees but may cover living and travel costs as well. * You have to move to Ruston, work hard, study harder, and have the heart to be an O&M or Rehabilitation Teacher of blind persons. Where do I get started? * For program details, visit: <http://www.pdrib.com> www.pdrib.com * Send an email for more information to: <mailto:ebell at latech.edu> ebell at latech.edu or call Edward Bell to discuss your application: 318-257-4554 Edward C. Bell, Ph.D., CRC, NOMC, Director, Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness Louisiana Tech University 600 Mayfield Ave / 210 Woodard Hall PO Box 3158 Ruston LA 71272 Office: 318.257.4554 Fax: 318.257.2259 <mailto:ebell at latech.edu> ebell at latech.edu www.pdrib.com <http://www.pdrib.com> ************* "I am somehow less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops." -- Stephen Jay Gould Edward C. Bell, Ph.D., CRC, NOMC, Director, Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness Louisiana Tech University 600 Mayfield Ave / 210 Woodard Hall PO Box 3158 Ruston LA 71272 Office: 318.257.4554 Fax: 318.257.2259 <mailto:ebell at latech.edu> ebell at latech.edu www.pdrib.com ************* "I am somehow less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops." -- Stephen Jay Gould

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FW: Hiring
by ebell＠pdrib.com 01 Feb '22

01 Feb '22

*** FYI, VR job openings in Minnesota ** Subject: FW: Hiring Dr. Bell, Can you please forward? This is for the Duluth area of MN. Attached and in links below is the job listing for the NE Region Counselor Position that went live last night at midnight. This is a repeat posting so I would really appreciate you sharing this far and wide! Let me know if any questions. Thanks so much- https://careers.mn.gov/psp/mnjob/MNCAREERS/HRCR/c/HRS_HRAM_FL.HRS_CG_SEARCH_ FL.GBL?Page=HRS_APP_JBPST_FL <https://careers.mn.gov/psp/mnjob/MNCAREERS/HRCR/c/HRS_HRAM_FL.HRS_CG_SEARCH _FL.GBL?Page=HRS_APP_JBPST_FL&FOCUS=Applicant&SiteId=1001&JobOpeningId=52576 &PostingSeq=1&languageCd=ENG> &FOCUS=Applicant&SiteId=1001&JobOpeningId=52576&PostingSeq=1&languageCd=ENG or Apply Here! <https://careers.mn.gov/psp/mnjob/MNCAREERS/HRCR/c/HRS_HRAM_FL.HRS_CG_SEARCH _FL.GBL?Page=HRS_APP_JBPST_FL&FOCUS=Applicant&SiteId=1001&JobOpeningId=52564 &PostingSeq=1&languageCd=ENG> Sara Kreiling | Rehabilitation Counselor Supervisor she/her/hers Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development State Services for the Blind 2200 University Ave West, Suite 240, St. Paul MN 55114 651.237.7144 VP | 612.394.3000 TEXT Espanol callers: 651.300.3140 Web | Twitter | Facebook

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Ruby Ryles on Structured Discovery
by ebell＠pdrib.com 26 Jan '22

26 Jan '22

*** In going through some files today I came across this speech that Dr. Ruby Ryles did at a conference in Albuquerque in 2002. Amazing how much has changed and oh how very much has remained the same Happy reading: Albuquerque, 2002 Ruby Ryles In this session we are looking at two models of instruction in the of teaching Orientation & Mobility: (1) the historically dominant model based on what Richard Mettler and other authors term the ?vision paradigm? and utilizes guided learning, and (2) the more recent instructional model based on the ?cognitive paradigm? that employs structured discovery learning. The vision paradigm of the traditional model is characterized by the necessity to operate from a visual model of the world in order to travel independently. In this paradigm, vision is synonymous with safety; vision loss is synonymous with danger, and specifically, travel without sight is thought of as difficult and hazardous. O&M instructors approximate the visual experience through verbal reports of the instructor?s own visual observations of the environment. Two clear commitments arise from this model: (1) that travel students need constant and ongoing monitoring throughout their training, and (2) that it is necessary to conduct monitoring visually to insure that the students receive accurate visual information about the environment. An awareness of the fact that this model relies strongly on a visual understanding of the environment answers many questions. In the cognitive paradigm of the structured discovery model, the role of the instructor is not to approximate the visual experience and to constantly monitor during training, but to assist the student in becoming increasingly able to relate the physical mechanics of cane travel to the cognitive skills that define independent travel. Richard Mettler sums up a basic commitment of the discovery learning model for us: travel instruction doesn?t begin until the student no longer thinks he requires external monitoring. Up to that point in the discovery learning method, learning has been guided. But structured discovery learning depends on a Socratic method of teaching. From this point forward in training, learning is structured so that the student discovers critical travel concepts rather than having them presented by an instructor. In the early lessons, the student is placed in such a secure environment that concerns for safety are actually issues for counseling rather than genuine safety concerns. At the very heart of the structured discovery method of teaching travel, is an unwavering belief in the ability of human beings to travel independently without sight. Dr. Kenneth Jernigan defined independent travel as, ? the ability to go where you want when you want, without inconvenience to yourself or others.? In order to instill the kind of confidence that underlies true independent travel, orientation centers and university O&M training programs must cast aside the ideology that travel without sight is inherently dangerous; in other words, we cannot teach fear. The travel environment is designed for and by sighted people ? fear of navigating the environment without sight is the key issue instructors should address before the first travel lesson ever begins. Independent travel means the blind student takes responsibility for his own safety and does not feel the need to depend on sight ? neither his own nor someone else?s - for safety. Independent travel means that the average blind person who has good training can navigate any pedestrian situation that the average sighted person can navigate. It means that once training is completed, a blind person does not need an O&M instructor to ?orient? him to a new campus, community or job site. Because structured discovery method is a nonvisual method of learning to travel, travel students in training wear sleepshades during all lessons. Why not use residual vision during training? After all, when training is completed, no one will wear sleepshades to travel, right? People seek O&M training because using their vision to travel no longer works for them. They come to us for help because they feel limited in the daily routines of their lives; they feel unsafe, and unwilling to travel alone in new environments. Instead of using magnifiers and gadgets that depend on fluctuating and often failing vision, why not teach non-visual travel? By simple definition, if you are learning non-visual techniques of travel, you can?t use your vision! And here it should be said that a little sleepshade use is worse than none at all, because what you have really taught is fear. If you decide to teach nonvisual techniques, you need to commit thoroughly to it. If the instructor understands the need for nonvisual training, then sleepshade use is not even an issue to be discussed. In other words, you let students know that sleepshades are a part of the curriculum and why. And, as I?m sure we all know by now, informed choice does not mean that students can ?choose? not to use sleepshades. Sleepshades are a part of the curriculum. They cannot be used for a few hours or just a few weeks ? because students don?t have enough time to get over the fear of thinking of the world in nonvisual terms? the entire curriculum should be taught under sleepshades. If we agree that blind people need to learn non-visual techniques, I don?t know how that can be done without using sleepshades. Instructor Competency: It is truly embarrassing to even state this principle because it is simply common sense. It is foundational to this method of teaching travel: the instructor must be a model of nonvisual travel skills for students. Blind instructors must be excellent cane users and independent travelers; sighted and partially sighted instructors must be excellent cane users and independent travelers under sleepshades. That shouldn?t be hard to understand. In no other field do we endorse teachers who are unable to personally perform the tasks they are hired to teach. The teacher who can only do basic math would not be hired by a school district to teach algebra; none of our own children were taught to read by individuals who themselves could not read. Blind people deserve no less from their mobility instructors. Blind Mobility Instructors: Because structured discovery is a nonvisual method of learning to travel, blind instructors often have an advantage. A skilled blind traveler has typically encountered and solved normal travel situations that sighted instructors often view as travel problems to be avoided by the blind ? large parking lots, bus, train and subway stations, airports, wide streets with various turn lanes and islands, street and sidewalk construction sites, and on and on ? all are a part of daily travel for skilled blind travelers and sighted pedestrians alike. How totally effective from an educational standpoint for an instructor to teach by sharing travel experiences with his students ? anyone in the role of a teacher does it. It is simply good teaching. But can a blind instructor really teach and monitor and travel students? A large percentage of us in this room know the answer to that. Prominent agencies for the blind in the United States have sought out blind instructors for decades ? The Nebraska agency has a long distinguished history that spans years of recruiting qualified blind instructors; Colorado, Minnesota, Iowa, Louisiana and more recently Texas are just a few of the agencies providing excellent travel training to their states? blind citizens using blind mobility instructors. But, when you hire a blind mobility instructor, two issues are paramount. First, the instructor must have outstanding personal travel skills ? meaning that if he is not totally blind, he must be an excellent traveler under sleepshades. This is an absolutely fundamental part of structured discovery learning for sighted and blind instructors alike. Second, it is absolutely critical that blind and low vision instructors understand and use the alternative techniques of blind instructors while teaching and monitoring O&M students. Within the traditional training, blind instructors who have residual visual are taught to use their sight to teach and monitor students. Infinite travel situations arise daily in which a blind instructor?s partial vision is simply dangerous to depend on - specifically in the early stages of training when their students cannot be expected to be responsible for their own safety and must depend on the skills of the blind instructor; which brings me an example of the primary problem in the university training of blind instructors. I am very concerned about the implication of a statement made to me by the head of a university O&M degree program. University O&M programs know they cannot refuse to accept otherwise qualified blind applicants for O&M programs. The Louisiana Tech program actively recruits blind and sighted candidates. About three-quarters of our students are blind ? and yes, all graduates have multiple job opportunities. This director said to me, ?Ruby, because of ADA & other civil rights laws, we know we have to take blind students but, we don?t know what to do with them.? We don?t know what to do with them - - his concern about the safety of blind mobility instructors was correct. His university program uses the traditional model of training - a visual model - and he was being honest - he had no idea how a blind instructor would safely monitor students. The director was right on. A blind instructor must know and use the alternative techniques that are specific to blind instructors, and those skills depend on the blind instructor?s own personal level of travel skills. We cannot jeopardize the safety of blind people for politics. Canes: The Louisiana Tech University O&M program teaches the structured discovery learning method of O&M and like the orientation centers that use this method; our students learn to travel using the long rigid fiberglass cane. We have found this cane is a better fit for the structured discovery method of learning and teaching for several reasons. (1) It is lighter than traditional aluminum canes; making constant use of the cane less tiring (2) This method of learning depends on senses other than vision, so the cane needs to provide good tactile and auditory feedback from a wide variety of surfaces. These canes were designed years ago by blind cane users to do just that. Traditional aluminum canes with nylon tips, and particularly the folding ones with joints and elastic cord through the shaft of the cane tend to mask tactile feedback, and they makes the teaching of tactile cues very difficult and limited. We find that longer lighter canes with metal tips provide a pronounced tactile feedback, allowing the user to discern (with practice) far more subtle differences between tactile surfaces than traditional heavier aluminum canes will allow. Being able to tell the difference between concrete and asphalt surfaces gives the student valuable information about the environment. (3) Because of the design and composition of the tip ? called a glide tip ? this type of cane provides good auditory feedback to both users and instructors. The clean click of the cane tip on various hard surfaces and its ability to glide easily over minor cracks provides not only valuable information to the traveler, but also greater ease of use. As was the cane, the tip, too, was designed by blind cane users themselves. The fiberglass cane is designed for use as a long cane ? measuring from a person?s chin to nose, depending on the individual. This length allows for a more natural stride and walking speed because the length of the cane increases reaction time. The long cane eliminates the need to extend the arm to use the cane, because the cane itself provides the extension and allows for a more relaxed position and grip of the cane. Centers and instructors using discovery learning insist that students use the long rigid cane and not folding or collapsible canes while they are in training. It could be said that one drawback of the structured discovery method is that it takes longer to learn. You remember that Mettler states that, ?travel instruction doesn?t begin until the student no longer thinks he requires external monitoring?. Before getting to the point where O&M instruction can begin, students need an entire curriculum of skill training; much of it is guided by the instructor. Probably 6 ? 9 months with daily 1? to 2 hour travel lessons will allow for the development of the student?s ability to solve travel problems set up by the instructor. The instructor provides observed and independent travel assignments that contain increasingly difficult travel problems as the student?s ability to handle these situations increases. And I need to interject here that an independent travel assignment is meant to be just that ? independent. The student has reached a point where the instructor has confidence in the student?s skills and ability to work through travel problems independently. The instructor does not covertly follow the student on an independent travel route, lurking behind bushes to appear and rescue the student from confusing travel problems. Independent means solo, alone, unmonitored, unaccompanied, by yourself. There is a great deal of misinformation about structured discovery method of learning and teaching O&M. One is the concept of teaching multiple students. Structured discovery learning recognizes the value of teaching multiple students, but normally 2, and no more than 3 in a class. And it is the responsibility of the instructor to know the skill levels of his students because skill levels of students need to be comparable, or it is not possible. Teaching multiple students is a wonderful way to encourage the development of problem solving skills among students. Again, students learning from one another is, and always has been, good basic educational practice. Structured discovery learning is as much about what we don?t teach as it is about what we do teach. We don?t teach sighted guide. Not because it isn?t useful, it is. But we teach nonvisual independent travel, and sighted guide is neither. I guess that really isn?t true. Roland Allen is Louisiana Tech?s award winning program instructor. He is certified NOMC and did tell me he spends about 15 minutes of his total curriculum time teaching students sighted guide. With or without instruction, blind people use sighted guide at various times ? we don?t need to spend valuable program time teaching our O&M students something most all blind people have been using all their lives. We don?t teach task analysis. You know what that is ? when common activities, such as finding a chair, or turning around in an elevator are broken into numerous unnecessary steps. O&M is not a science ? it is common sense. We also don?t teach via distance education: In most universities today, professionals can obtain degrees never having even met a blind person until they are ready to begin teaching. You can learn ABOUT blindness from textbooks, professional literature, and lectures, but to know blindness you need to learn with and from blind people. I do not want my O&M students to be in a position of authority over blind people until they have learned from blind instructors, spent countless hours with blind acquaintances and blind professionals, and know quite literally hundreds of blind people. The Louisiana Tech O&M students spend much of their program time immersed in the Louisiana Center for the Blind doing those very things. The respect that the students gain for blind people - both as a class and as individuals - cannot be taught in a standard academic setting. And the lessons they learn from the immersion experience changes their attitudes and expectations in a way that is impossible to achieve in any other way -other than getting to know blindness by knowing blind people. If independent travel to you means ? the ability to go where you want, when you want, without inconvenience to yourself or others?, then your students will not need to call on an O&M instructor to show them how to get around a new campus, new community, or a new job site. Problem solving skills are not only transferable, but by design, the locus of control is transferred early from the instructor to the blind student. If this is your definition of independence, your students will not need to return for more training when additional vision loss occurs because they already know how to handle travel problems with no vision. Independent travel ? those words are probably the most commonly used phrase in the field of O&M, but it is our definition of independent travel that determines our expectations for our students. Probably the next most common phrase is ?but we do that? which is often said by those not trained in the method and who just don?t get it. But then, the O&M field is very territorial and there are those who don?t want to get it. Structured discovery trained instructors are providing agencies and consumers with a choice. The blindness field has always had choices of types of training in various centers and agencies across the country. Now there is a choice of instructor training in the O&M field. In this amount of time, it is impossible to do even an adequate job of explaining the structured discovery method of learning and teaching travel. At the very heart of this method, has to be an unbending, unshakeable, gut-level resolute belief in the abilities of blind people. You can?t understand and certainly can?t teach this method without it because that belief is the very spirit that drives structured discovery and those of us who use it. The structured discovery method of teaching travel is like the definition of independent travel ?either you get it or you don?t. I know a lot of you in this room get it, and I know Ed Kunz gets it. Thank you for listening. Edward C. Bell, Ph.D., CRC, NOMC, Director, Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness Louisiana Tech University 600 Mayfield Ave / 210 Woodard Hall PO Box 3158 Ruston LA 71272 Office: 318.257.4554 Fax: 318.257.2259 <mailto:ebell at latech.edu> ebell at latech.edu www.pdrib.com ************* "I am somehow less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops." -- Stephen Jay Gould

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Saavi Services for the Blind AT and O&M Positions- Tucson, Arizona location
by jklgabias＠hotmail.com 21 Jan '22

21 Jan '22

Hello everyone, Saavi Services for the Blind has an O&M and an AT position open in our Tucson location. It is starting to get cooler in other parts of the world, but it is still a beautiful 85 degrees here in Tucson, Arizona! If you are tired of the snow and are looking for a new opportunity, please send your resume and cover letter to myself at jgabias at saavi.us and our Chief HR Officer ekurtz-aniba at saavi.us<mailto:ekurtz-aniba at saavi.us>. All the best, Joanne Gabias, M.A., NOMC, NCUEB, NCRTB Deputy Operations Officer SAAVI Services for the Blind

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Youth Services Specialist Needed in Washington
by deja.powell＠gmail.com 19 Jan '22

19 Jan '22

Hello fellow NOMC Friends and Colleagues, The Dept. of Services for the Blind in Washington State is recruiting for a Youth Services Specialist in the Vancouver, Washington Area (just across from Portlant). I would love to get some solid applicants. For what it's worth, I (Deja Powell) would be your supervisor and we could plan all sorts of fun events for youth in Washington. I hope you'll consider applying. Let me know if you have questions! :) Dear Stakeholders and Community Partners: The Department of Services for the Blind (DSB) is recruiting to fill a Youth Service Specialist position. This position primarily serves youth within the South Region of Washington to include Clark, Wahkiakum, Cowlitz, Lewis, Klickitat, Pacific and Skamania counties. Interested parties are encouraged to apply online for these opportunities as soon as possible for earliest consideration. JAWS users: follow this link to Careers.wa.gov <https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gover…>, tab to the job announcement you wish to read, hit enter, tab to the button labeled ?APPLY? and hit enter, this should take you to a webpage where you can sign in to apply, or create an account. Brief descriptions of open recruitments follow below. The Youth Services Specialist (Program Specialist 3) <https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gover…> coordinates and provide comprehensive pre-employment transition career exploration services to blind and visually impaired youth. The Youth Services Specialist (Program Specialist 3) <https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gover…> will develop and organize activities and workshops that provide career experience, job readiness, self-advocacy, workplace skills and post-secondary academic preparation counseling. The Youth Services Specialist (Program Specialist 3) <https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gover…> collaborates with families, educational and vocational partners to expand work experience opportunities for youth in their home areas year-round. *Opportunity for All: * The Department of Services for the Blind celebrates our differences and we are committed to a workplace that supports equal opportunity employment and inclusion regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, marital status, families with children (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sex, sexual orientation, gender identity diversity, age, status as a protected veteran, honorably discharged veteran or military status, status as an individual with the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with disabilities or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We will also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local laws. You are welcome to include the name and pronoun you would like to be referred to in your materials and we will honor this as you interact with our organization. *Contact Information:* Applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing may call through the Washington Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388. For questions about any of these recruitments or to request a reasonable accommodation in the application process, contact Angie Anderson at (360) 407-8446 or email jobs at des.wa.gov. Thank you for your interest. Please share widely with your networks and contacts! DSB HR & Executive Team -- *Deja M. Powell, MA, NOMC* Wa. Dept. of Services for the Blind OTC, DIrector Phone: 801.891.3430 Twitter: @slateandstylish Instagram: @SlateandStylishDeja *"Anyone who ever gave you confidence, you owe them a lot." -Breakfast at Tiffany's*

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