Association for Education and Rehabilitation



Association for Education and Rehabilitation

of the Blind and Visually Impaired

Psychosocial Services Division

"An Umbrella of Opportunities"

Spring 2011 Newsletter

The Psychosocial Services Division Welcomes Lou Tutt

As New AER Executive Director

AER’s New Executive Director,

Louis W. Tutt, M.S., M.Ed.

In the APH Hall of Fame

Lou Tutt Expected to Breathe New Life into Future of AER

By Debbie Willis, Chair-Elect Psychosocial Services Division

“It is not in the stars to hold our

destiny but in one’s self.”1

Early in Lou’s career, he requested a leave from teaching physical education in Virginia in order to pursue a Master’s Degree at Michigan State University (MSU). While at MSU, Lou visited the Michigan School for the Blind (MSB). He was immediately captivated by the students and intrigued with the idea of teaching physical education and motor skills to students with visual impairments. Lou’s heart, mind and spirit were hooked; he never returned to Virginia. Lou recalls feeling “I was in the right place at the right time” with Lou Alonzo and Janet

Wessel mentoring him onto a new

career path. AER is glad they did that!

After completing both a Master’s Degree in physical education, as well as one in blindness education in the early 70s, Lou saw that MSB was in need of a motor skills teacher for their rubella deaf-blind students. Graduate students and experts in deaf-blindness mentored Lou to “be consistent and repetitious” in his teaching of children who were deaf-blind. Lou began to see progress with these students and found this personally and professionally rewarding. The need for similar services in schools across the country was great and Lou soon found himself presenting at other schools for the blind and helping them to develop similar programs. In the mid-80s, Lou partnered with Dr. Betty Kratz and Dr. Laura Black to co-author the book, Movement and Fundamental Motor Skills for Sensory Deprived Children, which was published in 1987.

Lou served as Superintendent of the Missouri School for the Blind for 9 years and as President and CEO of the Maryland School for the Blind for 13 years. He is proud to have been the first person of African-American decent to hold these positions. During these years, both of the schools were moving toward serving more students with deaf-blindness and multiple disabilities. Lou’s early experiences in Michigan helped him implement programs to effectively serve these students.

From 1991-1994 Lou served as president of Council of Schools for the Blind (COSB) and was awarded COSB’s prestigious William English Leadership Award in 1996. Several times throughout Lou’s career, he willingly and enthusiastically served on each of the American Printing House for the Blind’s (APH’s) two primary advisory committees, the Educational Services Advisory Committee (ESAC) and the Educational Products Advisory Committee (EPAC). At the spring 2004 ESAC Meeting at APH, Committee Chairman Lou Tutt, representing the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind, led the group through two days of discussion with APH staff responsible for developing services in support of APH products. Customer communications, accessible tests and textbooks, and training opportunities were among the topics addressed.

In May of 2005 at the Council for Exceptional Children - Division for Visual Impairment (CEC-DVI) business meeting, special recognitions were presented and among those honored was Lou Tutt, APH Ex Officio Trustee (EoT) and Principal of the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind. Lou was awarded DVI’s coveted Distinguished Service Award for his exemplary 30+ years of service to the field of visual impairment. The award was in recognition of an illustrious career…which is still going strong!

In June of 2008, Lou participated in a special workshop on “Strengthening the Bonds: Training for EoTs.” Eighteen EoTs from around the country gathered at APH for a 2-day immersion into the world of APH. The EoTs met with key APH staff to learn about the departments at APH, the federal quota program, student registration system, ordering and dispensing APH products, how products are conceived, researched and developed, Annual Meeting, Advisory Committees, and much more. One of the highlights of this event was the opportunity for trustees to meet and learn from each other. Lou was among the three veteran EoTs who joined APH staff to mentor the new EoTs and offer perspectives on the responsibilities and rewards of being a trustee. Lou spent time during the training workshop sharing his wisdom, humor, and experiences, but also left the event feeling richer himself by listening and learning from the perspectives, experiences, and concerns expressed by the new EoTs.

Lou recently made time to return to APH for a special program in honor of 2011 Black History Month. APH museum staff hosted a presentation on the integration of the Kentucky School for the Blind. Guest speaker Lou Tutt, Principal of the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind, talked about how schools for the blind in other states dealt with integration issues.

Lou considers himself to have patience, perseverance, flexibility, and tenacity; to be a good listener; to have a good sense of humor; and to have good organizational skills. These qualities, along with Lou’s people skills, a lifetime of experiences, a love for students with visual impairments, and enthusiasm and dedication to working to enable the best outcomes, will shine through and breathe new life into AER. He will need our assistance and support to effectively and successfully address the AER mission and the goals established through AER leadership. Under Lou’s leadership, let’s “Shoot for the moon; even if we miss it we’ll land among the stars.”2 Please join the Psychosocial Services Division in giving a hand, a hug, and a warm welcome to Lou Tutt as our new AER Executive Director.

[Ed. Note: Debbie Willis, pictured at left, gathered information for the above article from the Council of Exceptional Children’s 2005 Division of Visual Impairment Quarterly and from various monthly newsletters published by American Printing House for the Blind. Scott Blome, Director of the Communications Department of APH, provided the photo of Lou Tutt taken in the APH Hall of Fame. We should all visit APH one day.]

Quote 1 by William Shakespeare

Quote 2 by Les Brown

Thoughts from Your Division Chair, Julia Kleinschmidt

[pic]

Julia Kleinschmidt, Ph.D.

Dear Psychosocial Services Division Colleagues:

By the time you read this, spring with its colors, fragrances, and all its glory, will be in full swing. But as I write this mid-March, spring is only a promise, but a promise so close we can sense it, smell it, and feel it. Our Utah Wasatch Mountains are still gorgeously snow-covered, but in the Salt Lake valley buds are abundant. I saw my first pansy today! The anticipation does the heart glad, and promises of renewal and re-growth have me moving through my days on a natural high.

As I bask in the anticipation of the renewal and re-growth that nature provides, it seems that we are on the brink of renewal and re-growth in AER as well. The announcement of Lou Tutt as AER’s Executive Director seems to be universally hailed as a smart move. I have not yet had the opportunity to meet him, but I find it impressive that, without exception, all of my AER contacts and colleagues hail his longtime leadership experience in our field, his friendliness and collegiality, and his passion for, and absolute commitment to, the population that we serve. This truly feels like the brink of a spring time for AER. On behalf of the Psychosocial Services Division, I welcome Lou to his new position and look forward to future endeavors with him.

A few weeks ago our division secretary/treasurer, Janet Winsett, announced her resignation from that position as she anticipates graduate school. Thank you, Janet, for your many contributions to the operation of our division. We’ll miss you, but we wish you well in accomplishing your very worthy goal. Karen Wolffe has graciously offered to fill in as secretary/treasurer for the remainder of this term. Thank you, Karen!

You will find in this newsletter a report on Joan Chase’s very successful workshop of March 11th and 12th. Congratulations, Joan, and thank you for your commitment to and efforts on the much needed Tactile Assessment of Performance (TAP).

You will also find articles on two very special Psychosocial Services Division projects for which we solicit your input and collaboration: Karen Wolffe will be taking the lead on producing a webinar related to her excellent work on career exploration for those with visual impairment and blindness. I will be spearheading a project to compile a Directory of Visually Impaired Role Models on a Shelf. This is a project that will need input, not only from our division members, but from everyone in AER, and we encourage you to join us in this valuable collaborative effort. (Editor’s Note: Julia’s article on the Directory Project follows this article.)

As always, your Psychosocial Services Division Executive Committee encourages your comments and questions. Our newsletter editor, Martha Simmons, always includes our contact information on the last page of each newsletter, so please feel free to get in touch. And in the meantime, HAPPY SPRING!

Julia

A New Psychosocial Services Division Project:

“A Directory of VI Role Models on a Shelf”

By Julia Kleinschmidt, Ph.D.

Those of us who work with individuals who are experiencing visual impairment or blindness are very aware of the immense positive impact of exposing our students/ clients to successful VI/Blind role models. Those who “have been there” and who “have walked the road” can be particularly effective in reaching and teaching those struggling with the realities of vision loss. They can convey the message, “I did it, and so can you!” in ways that those of us who are sighted cannot. We sighted professionals may be darned good, and we can be effective in our work, but there is something unique and particularly efficacious about input coming from those who are successfully living visual impairment and blindness.

Depending on our practice area and setting, some of us will have ready access to these role models, but for others of us, providing good role models in person may be a challenge. However, all of us have materials on our office shelves - books, DVDs, films, etc., which can provide a plentiful supply of role models. We are suggesting that sharing descriptive and how-to-access information on those materials on our shelves will be a nice, collegial way to support each other as we provide for our populations. Our computers are not generally on our shelves, but we’ll stretch the point a bit and include websites of VI/blind individuals who are good role models.

This Psychosocial Services Division project will include soliciting input from our division members and from all of AER. Your executive committee will then compile the information to produce a Directory of VI Role Models on a Shelf, which we will post online.

So let’s get going! You have two options for submitting resources. 1. You can use this link to Survey Monkey: , or

2. If you prefer the old fashioned paper way, please check out the form that follows this article (page 7). Run as many copies as you need, and then survey your office shelves. Please provide the information on as many role model resources as you can. Then fax your forms to Dr. Julia Kleinschmidt, 801-581-3357, or if you can send them as an email attachment to Julia.kleinschmidt@hsc.utah.edu, or mail them to her at Moran Eye Center, U. of Utah. 65 Mario Capecchi Dr., Salt Lake City, UT 84132.

This promises to be a valuable, usable, fun project. Let’s all join together to share and support each other in our incredible, often challenging, work of serving those with visual impairment and blindness. If you have any questions or comments, you can reach your executive committee members as noted on the last page of this newsletter.

“It is not the load that breaks you down; it is the way you carry it.” Unknown

VI Role Models on a Shelf Project

AER Psychosocial Services Division

Title:

Author/Producer: Publication Date:

Format: Book: ____ Magazine/Journal: ____ Video: ____ Website: ____ Other:______

Alternative Format (such as braille or electronic text)?

Ordering Information (if you have it) OR Website Address:

Brief Description:

Submitted by: Tel. # Email Address

FAX to Dr. Julia Kleinschmidt, 801-581-3357 Email Attachment to Julia.kleinschmidt@hsc.utah.edu

Mail to Dr. Julia Kleinschmidt, Moran Eye Center, 65 Mario Capecchi Dr., Salt Lake City, UT 84132

VI Role Models on a Shelf Project

AER Psychosocial Services Division

Title:

Author/Producer: Publication Date:

Format: Book: ____ Magazine/Journal: ____ Video: ____ Website: ____ Other:______

Alternative Format (such as braille or electronic text)?

Ordering Information If You Have It OR Website Address:

Brief Description:

Submitted by: Tel. # Email Address

FAX to Dr. Julia Kleinschmidt, 801-581-3357 Email Attachment to Julia.kleinschmidt@hsc.utah.edu

Mail to Dr. Julia Kleinschmidt, Moran Eye Center, 65 Mario Capecchi Dr., Salt Lake City, UT 84132

Psychosocial Services Division Webinar on Career Preparation

By Karen Wolffe, Ph.D.

This fall, the Psychosocial Services Division will offer a webinar focusing on career counseling for youth and adults who are blind or have low vision entitled The Professional’s Role in Career Preparation for Youth and Adults with Visual Impairments. The webinar will be held on September 14, 2011, at 2pm Eastern.

As soon as the final details on how to connect and participate are available, they will be posted on the AER web site home page under Calendar of Events. The information about the webinar will also be sent to those of you who are subscribed to the Psychosocial Services listserv. If you are not subscribed to the listserv, please consider doing so. It’s easy as an AER member: visit the Psychosocial Services Division listed under Divisions on the AER web site and below the listserv option choose Subscribe.

The webinar will be facilitated by Dr. Karen Wolffe, Ph.D.,who maintains a private practice as a career counselor and consultant in Austin, Texas. Prior to establishing her private practice, Dr. Wolffe worked as the Director of Professional Development at the American Foundation for the Blind, taught correspondence courses for the Hadley School for the Blind and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and was on the faculty at the University of Texas teaching rehabilitation counseling and special education courses.

Karen Wolffe, Ph.D.

Dr. Wolffe is the author of Career Counseling for People with Disabilities: A Practical Guide to Finding Employment and editor of Skills for Success: A Career Education Handbook for Children and Adolescents with Visual Impairments. She has written and spoken extensively on career preparation, job seeking, and employment.

This webinar will cover content relevant to mainstream career counselors, vocational rehabilitation counselors, school guidance counselors, teachers of students with visual impairments, and other professionals providing career-related services to individuals with visual impairments. Specific topics will include:

• Career assessment tools appropriate for students or clients with visual impairments

• How to help students or clients match themselves to jobs in a chosen career field via self-awareness and career exploration activities

• How to assist students or clients establish action plans to achieve their career goals

If you would please share the information about this upcoming webinar with colleagues, we would appreciate it. If you or your colleagues have any questions or would like further details, please feel free to contact Dr. Wolffe at 512.707.0525 or (kwolffe@austin.. Thank you.

We hope that this will be the first in a series of webinars offered by the Psycho-social Services Division. Please let us know on the Division listserv what other topics you would like to see offered.

A Long Chain of Events

By Joan B. Chase

Ed. Note: Joan B. Chase of Florida, one of the charter members of our Psychosocial Services Division, has been involved in work with the assessment of students who are blind or visually impaired for many years. She recently conducted a workshop for psychologists to introduce them to her new Tactile Assessment of Performance (TAP).

Joan’s report of the TAP Workshop begins

on the next page.

[pic]

Joan B. Chase, Ed.D.

It all began when I disobeyed a firm request. I was the children’s counselor at a beach front hotel in Florida. It must have been spring vacation, as I was wearing rabbit ears! A couple brought a boy over, placed him on a rocking horse, and said to me: “Don’t worry if he slides off, just put him back on the horse. He will be fine! We’re going for brunch.” Off they went into the restaurant.

Never being one to follow instructions, I went over and asked the boy, who had a knuckle firmly wedged in his eye socket, “What is your name?” “Bobby” said he, and I realized, as he didn’t raise his head, that he was probably blind. “Well, Bobby,” I said, “come over and meet my friends.” By the time his parents returned, I was teaching him to use the kindergarten scissors, as the group was busy with arts and crafts (still my favorite activity to share with youngsters!).

Those parents insisted that I meet Miss Rowe. Emma Rowe was his preschool counselor, and she became my mentor. She was surprised that I was still in high school, and arranged to have me earn credit for volunteering in her classroom. That credit, and the incident I described, allowed me to graduate ½ year early and begin college knowing the career path I wished to follow. Emma remained a friend and inspiration until the end of her life. There have been many other steps along the way that helped me reach a string of goals, and I am grateful to all the professional colleagues (many in the Psychosocial Services Division group) who have been there for me. I also deeply appreciate the meaningful interactions with children, family members, and others who have taught me to listen, to inquire, and to employ an array of methods that encourage understanding.

I will refrain from waxing sentimental about my life as an itinerant teacher, psychologist, researcher and faculty member. I wish to set the stage, however, for the workshop that was held in mid-March, 2011, just about 60 years (imagine!) after I ignored the request of Bobby’s parents. I have always been curious as to how people draw conclusions about the world and the people in it. I have tried to employ a scientific approach to questions raised. For example, how does a child who has never seen construct concepts needed to become an aware, capable adult? I have known many such people. There are those who have difficulties in many domains. I believe we can assist in formulating strategies that encourage positive outcomes.

When assessing children who have visual impairments, I look for strengths. Take, for example, the administration of cognitive evaluations. Verbal scales alone are only part of the picture, and reports that provide numbers in one domain are not consistent with the abilities of the students as I observe them in the classroom. As I engaged in research, I became convinced that we could develop methods that had greater scope and more appropriate application.

Joan at the TAP Workshop

The Tactile Assessment of Performance (TAP) is one result. Over the years, I refined a battery of five subtests designed to be administered along with verbal methods. The greatest challenge in TAP development was finding a sample. The measure is intended for tactile learners (those with no vision, light perception or less), a very low incidence population. The sample was accrued over many years, often as part of a comprehensive evaluation. The sample is far from random, as a result, and far smaller than those usually obtained to gain statistical results. However, as you now know, I have only limited time to complete the task, with minimal hopes of ever sampling in a far more “traditional” way. I had a statistician evaluate the measures for validity, reliability and scoring factors. To my surprise and pleasure, I was able to demonstrate age gradients and meaningful findings for all five subtests.

Kay Ratzlaff and Suzanne Dalton of the Florida Instructional Materials Center for the Visually Impaired (FIMC-VI) provided the next impetus to have the TAP distributed to psychologists. I had asked Kay if there was a TVI who also trained to be a psychologist, as I wished to “pass the torch” and train others to use materials I found helpful. As I had been on a circuit of assessing students around Florida and elsewhere, she often lent me materials for achievement, etc., evaluations. She said, “If you can give your test, others can too! Let’s train psychologists to use the TAP.” That was about three years ago.

In the intervening years, we faced many obstacles. Constructing the kits turned my condominium into a factory. I never realized how creating 100 of something takes space and time! In addition, a number of the items in my prototype kit were no longer available. I embarked on the scavenger hunt of the century! Gradually, and with the help of some great workers and a man who employs lasers to etch materials, I was able to complete enough kits to satisfy the FIMC-VI order. In addition, I included CD’s of an antique auditory projective measure, clay for having students demonstrate skill at ideation, and other methods and materials. Each participant now has a kit that includes about 10 approaches, in addition to the verbal methods already in wide use, that are intended to provide comprehensive insight into the learning ability, potential and style of those young people who rely on tactile/auditory input.

The participants practiced with the materials, and eyeshades were available for those who wished to try things out using senses other than vision. The group was extremely responsive and we had a good time during our two days together! I was very gratified, and I know Emma Rowe would be, too. Thanks, Suzanne, Kay and all who helped to make the workshop such a meaningful event. We now plan to repeat it in 2012. If any of you were unable to attend but wish to have the training, please e-mail me at jbchase@ and I will add your name to the list! Yes, you, too, can be part of the long chain! Thanks to all the flowers that are already there.

TAP Workshop

By Carol Evans, Ph.D.

Carol Evans, at left, school psychologist of Utah and a past chair of the Psychosocial Services Division, was in attendance at Joan’s TAP workshop and submitted her impression of the workshop for our newsletter.

The large room slowly filled with psychologists

and teachers. The teachers were attending training

for the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement

in Braille, and the “psychs” were eagerly anticipating

training for the Tactile Assessment of Performance, a development for which we waited, not always patiently, for years.

From the moment it began, we were impressed with the level of planning and

consideration evident in the opening presentations by Dr. Lynne Jaffe (WJ-III)

and Dr. Joan Chase (TAP). After a tag-team opener, the groups separated; the

psychologists moved to the room next door, where we found our assigned seats

by looking for the boxes labeled with our names. We had been strategically seated

across from our assigned partners so we would have an opportunity to practice the

tactile subtests with one another, using blindfolds to simulate the experience our

students would have with the assessment.

Designed to compliment the Wechsler Verbal (Verbal Comprehension) Scales, the

TAP meets a need in the blindness field for a tactile analog for the skills measured

by the Wechsler Performance (Perceptual Reasoning) Scales for individuals who

are sighted. While there have been many efforts over the years to create tactile/

haptic tests for the blind, almost all of them have failed to achieve expected levels of technical adequacy for one reason or another. The TAP is the first test to come

along in many years that has real promise for meaningful assessment of skills in

this critical domain of functioning.

The need for this test should be obvious on the face of it. If it is important to assess

the visual-spatial ability of sighted individuals, it is equally important to measure similar abilities in those who are blind. After all, many of our students and clients

will eventually be employed in fields in which manual skills are critical.

We applaud Dr. Chase’s years of research and dedication to the development of this instrument. The TAP meets a critically important need in the assessment of individuals who are blind.

Meet-A-Member

Mary Helen Pearsall

Mary Helen Pearsall of North Carolina (pictured at left) is the subject of this edition of our division’s Meet-A-Member column. Mary retired, due to medical conditions, in 2006 after 30 years as a Rehab Counselor at the North Carolina Center for the Blind in Raleigh. She was born a twin, 2 months prematurely in 1948 and spent time in an incubator. Her visual impairment was discovered by age 5, but her parents did not find out the exact cause until she was about 10 years old. At that time her mother heard about her symptoms on a medical radio program, took her to a different ophthalmologist, and a diagnosis was made.

Mary attended public schools before that was the norm. She later went to college and majored in religion, with minors in philosophy and sociology. She then earned a Masters Degree in Guidance and Counseling. She worked briefly at a community college in North Carolina and then as a guidance counselor at a school in Puerto Rico. She says that even though it was a different cultural setting, she loved it and made good friends there, but the 1974-75 recession ended that employment.

Mary says that she had retinal hemorrhages during her years in college but didn’t know there were services available from the general vocational rehabilitation agency until she was a junior. Before that time she had been receiving some services from the then Commission for the Blind.

Mary reported that when she received her Fall Newsletter from our division she really enjoyed the personal information people gave. She said it made them and AER as an association more personable and friendly. She reported that she has been a member of AER since its beginning. She was even a member of AAWB before that. She said that she wasn’t really looking for work within the blindness field when she first started, but employment with Services for the Blind became her best and only option. She said she found the work difficult because she had wanted to go to the seminary, but was not encouraged to do so due to her vision loss. She admitted struggling with depression, rejection, loneliness, and culture shock in the job. She felt that it was not the world for which she was ready.

Mary indicated that when she read our last newsletter she was also concerned that we are still struggling with the same issues that we were 30 to 40 years ago, or historically since the blindness movement began – adjustment, social acceptance, and work issues (agency survival). She says that she sees the importance of our concern for children, but is very concerned about adults and our aging population. She says she is an example of the problem - with her vision and hearing loss, balance issues, heart condition, etc. She is glad she is able to obtain disability payments to supplement her state retirement because her medical issues and need for special equipment, such as glasses, hearing aids, a stair chair, etc., take it all.

Mary suggested that what she would like to see in the profession are better working conditions for professionals, safer environments, and more concern for workers as well as consumers. She misses the profession, the people she worked with – both staff and professionals – but is glad to be retired. She would love to mentor and help others to avoid some of the pitfalls she made and to encourage them. She says the job may be rough at times, but all professions are tough – that’s why they call it “work”. Mary feels blindness professionals are a great group to know because they care, they encourage, and they can admit their failings. She thinks “they should be appreciated more to let them see how much they do and how needed they are - because they are.” She says that we/they need to appreciate each other and work as a team, not against each other.

Mary admits that from work and life she has learned that “she is not the smartest person in the world or even for one block!” She says, “I have learned humility, patience, appreciation for everything - from warm or cool offices, people and their ingenuity, humor, hope, discipline, motivation to continue when despair seems to be the best response, a wider appreciation for others, other cultures, thankfulness for each day, a desire to grow in new areas, and that life is precious - others and mine.” According to Mary, these come with experience and are helpful in a field like ours.

Mary says, “I went into the helping profession to help, and learned how much I needed help and how or when to give or not to give it. I found I could not meet everyone’s needs, but I could care. I could share. No one has all the answers for another, but we can walk with them if they will let us; if not, we still try to do good, if possible. There is a gentle way to deliver bad news and to care, even when the news is not good. In our business we see much sorrow and life has much sorrow, but there is also much that is good, encouraging, and up-building.”

Mary reported that “often people would arrive at the center very unsure of themselves and their ability to learn skills, but as their mobility and other skills increased, their confidence increased. They often started caring and helping each other and found out they had skills to use in living. Their families saw the changes and reported to them and to us of the changes in outlook. Our job is to give hope, maybe not in huge doses all the time, but in small ways. A little hope goes a long way.”

Mary says that she now volunteers for the North Carolina Regional Library for the Blind, does talks on library services at DSB mini centers or wherever she can, like V.I. support groups or the NC Lions VIP Fishing Tournament. She says that since retirement she has been able to increase her artistic skills…watercolors, knitting, and now jewelry making, and enjoyment of friends. As Mary says, “you can see, there is no grass growing under my feet, as I participate in church and other activities - besides keeping the doctors in business!”

Mary adopted a rescued poodle/part bichon (pictured with her in the photo at the beginning of this article). She says “he has taught me how impatient I am and what love can do for him and for me. He and I have been together for two years and he is about 10 years old.” Mary says that she has found that some things are no longer important, but others become more important – like gratitude, prayer, hope in this life, and the next. She says if she can help us in any way to let her know.

Ed. Note: We invite any of our members who would like to share their story, to submit their article for the Meet-A-Member column in our next division newsletter. You may send it to Martha Simmons, Newsletter Editor at Grannymms@.

Role Playing As a Tool for Assertive Speech

By Hannah Fairbairn, Carroll Center for the Blind

Roll-playing can be used as a tool for developing skills in many areas, including the area of speech. In her article below, Hannah suggests ways in which this can be done.

In Interpersonal Skills classes of 3-5 participants (either adults new to vision loss or young adults with congenital vision loss) the members often act out scenarios including disclosing their vision problem, asking for help in a store, introducing themselves, and finding out who is present in a room.

Here are some of the reasons why role playing works so well:

• The group can try out different wordings and move quite freely because everyone has shared the awkward experiences

• When you play the part, you practice saying hard things like “I can’t see where to put my jacket” and it gets easier

• Once the group gets comfortable together they often come up with great solutions very quickly

• Group members all contribute, building on each other’s ideas as they change roles and repeat the scenario

• The embarrassment of asking for help AND NOT KNOWING WHERE THE LINE IS gets relieved by saying funny and rude things that you wouldn’t actually say but…

• Standing up and acting the various parts has most members much more energized and lively and shows how important it is not to sit and be passive

• Taking turns in acting as the blind person, the anxious host with a million things on her mind, and the cousin who is scared of disability, helps people get a bit of perspective on what happened at that terrible Holiday party.

News from Hadley

By Billy T. Brookshire

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Ed. Note: Billy T. Brookshire, pictured above, is a former Chairman of our division and a Past President of AER. He has written two articles for the newsletter about opportunities being offered by the Hadley School for the Blind. He thinks that more people would take advantage of some of the programs if they knew about them. He hopes that putting this information in our newsletter might provide a means of spreading the word to the people to whom it could make a big difference in their lives. Billy’s articles follow on the next several pages.

High School Diploma at Hadley

By Billy Brookshire

A teacher with the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind recently emailed Hadley with a thank you for helping one of her students earn a high school diploma. She noted, “My student had enrolled in an online school last fall to obtain some high school credit, and things unraveled quickly and it didn’t look like that would work. We tried to set up a distance learning course in braille, and the next day I wondered why we were attempting to create a course when I knew Hadley existed for this purpose!”

Since the 1930s, The Hadley School for the Blind has offered an accredited High School Program to students with visual impairments, age 14 and up, who live in the United States. Hadley customizes a student’s high school program to his or her needs, and instructors and student services representatives are available for support via email and a toll-free phone number. Learning materials are accessible in a variety of formats including braille, large print and audio and online, and students study at home, at their own pace. Best of all, courses are free of charge to people with visual impairments.

Like the student from Colorado, many turn to Hadley because they have had challenges fulfilling high school requirements through their local school district. According to the American Foundation for the Blind, five million people with visual impairments over the age of 25 have not completed their high school degree. To help students obtain the skills they need to succeed, Hadley not only fulfills the requirements for a diploma but offers award-winning braille instruction and courses focused on access technology and independent living skills, among others. Students may receive their diploma directly from Hadley or they may apply Hadley course credits toward graduation from their local high school. Home-schoolers can also supplement their educational program with courses from Hadley. Students who complete Hadley’s High School Program are invited to a commencement ceremony each June in Winnetka, Illinois, where the school is headquartered. Hadley even pays the travel expenses.

In Texas, Hadley is collaborating with DARS Division for Blind Services and the Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired on a “Graduate Texas Initiative” to reach out to anyone desiring a High School Diploma in Texas. We are looking at the possibility of holding the graduation ceremony right here in Texas. If you know of anyone who might be interested in completing their High School Diploma, please contact Billy Brookshire, Hadley Texas Outreach, at 512-565-9690 or email bbrookshire@austin. for more information. And please encourage all teachers, counselors, or others who work with blind or visually impaired high school students to visit hadley.edu or call 800-323-4238 for a more detailed description of the Hadley High School Program.

Seminars@Hadley: The Fast, Convenient, and Free Way to Learn

By Billy Brookshire

Did you know that The Hadley School for the Blind offers two free web seminars a month?

That’s right. From the convenience of your office or home, you can listen to recognized experts in the blindness field talk about the issues of the day.

The seminars are fast: 1 to 2 hours in length with ample time provided for question and answer.

And it’s easy to register. Just go to hadley.edu and follow the Seminars@Hadley link.

On the day of the seminar, simply enter your name and password and you’ll be admitted into the seminar.

If your busy schedule makes it impossible to attend a seminar, no worries. All Seminars@Hadley are archived. You can find them organized by category under “Past Seminars” on the Seminars@Hadley web page. You have the option of listening to them in “realtime” or downloading them to disk or other device and listening to them at your convenience.

Best of all Seminars@Hadley are free.

The only charge is for those desiring Continuing Education Credits. Some seminars are approved and the charge is approximately $25 U.S. per credit. Also required for Continuing Education Credit is the completion of a short quiz following the seminar or after listening to the “archived” seminar.

Note: For a limited time, Continuing Education Credit hours are available free of charge in Texas and Florida due to governmental grants Hadley has with those states.

Upcoming Seminars@Hadley include: SSDI, SSI, & You; Dog Guides for Multiply Disabled People; Braille Update; Living with Diabetes and Visual Impairment; All About the IPad; All About APH; No Cook Cooking; Focus on the Family; Home-Based Self-Employment; Cortical Visual Impairment; and What’s Happening Legislatively in the Blindness Field? So, want to learn more about what’s coming up on Seminars@Hadley? Check the website (hadley.edu) or subscribe to Hadley News and Announcements at: .

We Welcome New Members to Our Division

The Psychosocial Services Division of AER welcomes the following members who have either joined our ranks for the first time or have come back to our division since the Fall, 2010 Newsletter: Rhonda Amundson, Laurie Anderson, Barbara Henderson, Dori Pratt, and Diane Yearns. We hope that you will all feel at home in our division and want to get involved in its various projects and activities, two of which are mentioned in this newsletter. We encourage you to submit articles for the newsletters, to consider responding to the “Call for Papers” for the next AER International Conference in Seattle in 2012, to start thinking of subjects you might like to see covered in our division sessions at the conference, to consider running for an office, and to begin thinking of other projects you would like our division to undertake in the near future. We would love your input and ask that you contact one of the officers listed on the last page of this newsletter.

Missing or Lapsed Members

Based on information supplied by the AER Office in Virginia, the following names of people who were listed as members in October of 2010, are missing from the current membership list of February, 2011: Sara Bennett, Jeanne Binner, Stephanie Cleary, Gloria Coulston, Melinda Duggan, and Marnee Loftin. If you feel that your name is missing from our list of current members by mistake, please contact the AER office at 703-671-4500. If you left for reasons you would like to discuss with us, again we ask that you contact one of the officers so we can know your concerns. We want to make things right because we’d love to have you back in our group.

Current Active Members of Our Division

According to the AER Office, the following are the current members of our division, including the newest members mentioned above: Shademan Akhavan, Rhonda Amundson, Manuel Aregullin, Laurie Anderson, Dorothy Arensman, Janie Blome, Billy Brookshire, Angel Bryant, Mary Beth Caruso, Brian Charlton, Joan Chase, Denise Colton, Brigid Doherty, Joseph D’Ottavio, Nancy Druke, Carol Evans, Hannah Fairbairn, Nina Glasner, Paul Hemmes, Barbara Henderson, Cammy Holway-Moraros, Julia Kleinschmidt, Joan Kruse, Mary Ann Lang, Coby Livingstone, Katja Lundgren, Wendy Lundstrum, Cathie Mason, Barry McDaniel, John McMahon, Emilie Meadows, Marcia Moore, Teresa Pawletko, Mary Pearsall, Bette Anne Preston, Dori Pratt, Kathy Roberts, Lisa Rosene, Kelley Rosser, Margo Siegel, Martha Simmons, Sarah Starnes, Brendan Tedrick, Mary Terlau, Sharon Thummel, Naomi Tuttle, Frank Vance, Annie Vanderwal, Lynn Wade, Jim Warnke, Harold Williams, Debbie Willis, Janet Winsett, Karen Wolffe, Gina Woods, and Diane Yearns. We look forward to working with all of you soon!

AER Calendar of Events

August 12-14, 2011 – AER Regional Conference 2011, featuring the AER Vision Rehabilitation Therapy Division Conference Within a Conference, in Boston, Massachusetts, at Boston Park Plaza. (Visit . for details.)

October 13-15, 2011 – APH 2011 Annual Meeting at The Galt House, Louisville, Kentucky. Related Meetings are held immediately before and after the Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting is an “open meeting” and everyone is invited.

October 28-30, 2011 - AER Regional Conference 2011, featuring the AER Information and Technology Division Conference Within a Conference, in Cleveland, Ohio, at the Crowne Plaza Cleveland-City Centre.

E and Blindness special issue on Low Vision and Rehabilitation Issues. For more information visit: aerjournal.

July 18-22, 2012 – AER International Conference 2012, at Bellevue Hyatt Hotel, Bellevue, Washington. Watch for further details on the conference, including the Call for Papers, at as they are released. Start making plans to join us in Washington next summer. It should be a wonderful conference.

Submissions for Our Division Newsletter

We invite all members of the Psychosocial Services Division to submit articles for our newsletter. The next one is scheduled for the Fall of 2011, so start planning! We need new faces and new ideas, and we know that all of you out there can write!

Getting in Touch with Us

The current officers of the Psychosocial Services Division for 2010-2012 and their contact information are listed below. Included on the list are the Executive Officers of AER, and the Chair of the Council of Division Chairs, who represents our division on the AER Board. Also listed is contact information for the AER office in Alexandria, Virginia. Please keep the list handy so that you may have the information if you need to contact any of these officers.

Chair: Julia Kleinschmidt – 65 Mario Capecchi Drive, Salt Lake City, Utah 84132

julia.kleinschmidt@hsc.utah.edu

Past Chair: Carol Evans – 1389 Diane Drive, Taylorsville, Utah 84123-5302

braillepsych@

Chair-elect: Debbie Willis – 1839 Frankfort Ave., Louisville, Kentucky 40206

dwillis@

Secretary/Treasurer: Karen Wolffe – 2109 Rabb Glen Street, Austin, Texas 78704

karenwolffe@

Newsletter Editor: Martha M. Simmons – 570 East Irene Road, Zachary, Louisiana 70791

Grannymms@

The International Board of Directors includes the following:

President: Pat Leader – San Jose, California

pleader@

President-elect: Jim Adams – Nebraska City, Nebraska

jiadams@

Immediate Past President: John Kelly -- Chester, New York

jkellyinom@

Secretary: Susan Jay Spungin – New York, New York

blindbiz@

Treasurer: Grace Ambrose-Zaken – Wappinger Falls, New York

gambrose@hunter.cuny.edu

CDC & Chair for Related Services (Div. 1, 4, 5, 7, 17): Amy McKenzie, Tallahassee, Florida

armckenzie@fsu.edu

AER Executive Director – Lou Tutt, 1703 Beauregard St., Suite 440, Alexandria, VA 22311-1744. Phone: 703-671-4500; FAX: 703-671-6391; E-Mail: aer@; .

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