tips of how to interact with blind people.

1. Blind does not mean can’t nor does it mean stupid. It is only a physical challenge.
2. Bear in mind that blind people treat their guide dogs and white canes as extensions of their bodies. Never distract,feed, flert, and pet guide dogs from their job or touch, move or grab a cane without the owner’s permission. Imagine if someone moved your keys once you've established a location in which you can readily and quickly retrieve them. That’d slow you down. Plus, it’s personal property. The keys allow the sighted person to drive a car which is a mobility tool and the white cane and or the guide dog allows the blind individual to travel effectively, independently and safely which also acts as a mobility tool.
3. Identify yourself and others who may be with you when meeting someone who is blind. Ideally, instead of saying "This is John" (or whoever), have those who are with you introduce themselves, one at a time, to the blind person. When conversing in a group, remember to identify the person to whom you are speaking, i.e. using their name — otherwise the blind person will be confused as to whether or not you are speaking to them. Remember: they can't see when you are and when you're not addressing them, so the use of names in conversation is essential for them to get their bearings and build a 'visual' image in their mind of everyone's positions and surrounding objects. Never talk to a third party who might be with them such as their driver, reader, teacher, tutor, guide dog etc. Remember, you are addressing them.
4. If you offer assistance, wait until the offer is accepted. Then listen or ask for instructions. Many blind people will accept help; however, make sure that they are aware that you are going to help them and offer your arm, not your whole body. Never touch or grab a blind person in efforts to assist. This is socially awkward.
to guide a blind persone: identify yourself, offer your services and, if accepted, offer your arm to the student's hand. Tell them if they have to step up or step down, let them know if the door is to their left or right, and warn them of possible hazards.
The sighted guide is responsible for the safety of the blind person at all times, regardless of the errors on the blind person's part. The guide must be especially careful to monitor obstacles at various levels from head to toe. These obstacles not only include furniture, fixtures and people, but also overhanging head-high obstacles as well as slight irregularities in the walking surface, such as carpets, doorway moldings and changes of texture in the walking surface. If the blind person trips, it is the guide's responsibility to support the blind person. The guide should choose or adjust walking pace to accommodate the needs of the blind person.
Never place an item in their pockets or grab an item of theirs in efforts to assist. This is socially awkward.
Remember: they are blind, not quadriplegic.
5. Do not clap, point, repeat or sing when attempting to guide a blind person. This would be somewhat rude, imagine how you would feel if someone was guiding you with clapping, pointing, or singing. Be consistent and specific when you are describing things and giving directions. The more accuracy, the more consistency, the more direct and the more description you use, the more effective your interaction will be. Blind people respond to intelligence.
6. Do not do for them what they can do for themselves such as serving themselves, finding things, getting things, carrying things etc. The last thing anyone needs is enablement for disablement.
7. Do not shout; speaking loudly to the blind person is not going to make him or her see you. just speak in a normal tone of voice as usual. Remember: they are blind, not deaf.
8. Relax. Don’t be embarrassed if you use common expressions such as “See you later” or “Did you watch  this?” that seems to relate to a person who is blind. Just as a person who uses a wheelchair still goes for a walk, a blind person will still be pleased — or not — to see you. In other words, blind people use the same expressions as those who are sighted.
9. Avoid stigmatizing words such as 'handicapped'. Blind people do not use that word in reference to themselves and few sighted people use it. Many blind individuals go as far to not use it. Don't use the word 'disabled' as it doesn't accurately describe them. Instead, go ahead and use the word 'blind' when describing them and talking to them.
10. do not treat blind people like they are stupid. Asking stupid questions or dumbing-down a conversation is completely ridiculous. In most cases, the blind person is highly educated and conversation with a blind person can be a learning experience.
11. give them the respect that you would give anyone else and don't treat them differently. While stupidity may be contagious, blindness is not.
12. if you are going to ask a blind person about their blindness, for goodness sake, just ask. In most cases, they do not mind answering your questions, however, wording it in a way that is insulting to their intelligence is not recommended.
13. When a blind person is ready to order at a restaurant, please do not assume that they are not of mental capacity to place the order for themselves.
Nothing makes a blind person angrier than when a waiter or waitress asks the person sitting with the blind person what they want to eat.
14.  Make efforts to understand blindness and blind individuals through interaction and research.
15. Drop the negative/misleading attitudes/beliefs.
16. Don't assume that they can see you or they will know who you are just from hearing your voice.
17. Spread the word .

Just like you, the longer version

I wrote this article for one of my classes about 3 years ago.
November 15th, 2010

Just Like You.

Have you ever encountered a blind person and felt uncomfortable, and didn't know how to act? You are not alone. As a blind person, most of the people I meet don’t know what to do when they meet a blind person. They are somehow afraid of helping us. I became blind when I was 7 months old, so I have been blind almost all my life. I came to the USA in 2009 to complete my higher education, majoring in Computer Science. I’m writing this article to help people understand better about blind people and give them a clear idea to work with blind people more effectively. Blind people are just normal individuals, like everyone else. Interacting with blind students should not be an obstacle. In this essay I’m going to give students, teachers, and the general public advice and bring awareness to these issues from my perspective as a blind student to help them understand about us better.

To know how other students think about blind students and to give you a clear picture about their thinking of interacting with blind students. I have interviewed several students. I asked a CSU freshmen student, Greg Camacho if he met a blind person and how he felt, he said, "I have met a blind person and felt uncomfortable and didn’t know how to act". This is one of a lot of people I meet in my daily life. This is because people are not aware of what they can do to help blind people, not because they don’t want to help, but because they are afraid of offending us. Some people like to challenge themselves and try new experience. "I have spoken with a person that is blind and I may have had a few concerns in offending him but it was a normal and great interaction." (Kalie West) Blind people are normal people, yes each one of them is different, but they are normal.

People who have experienced working with blind people appreciate the experience they have had with blind people. There are always some rewards and challenges when you encounter a new thing in your life including dealing with blind people. The greatest challenge, in my experience, was finding the right tools and technologies which enable blind people to bring about their full abilities. There is always a barrier to break for them." (Auda Hazeem, the manager of Nattiq Technologies). The most rewarding thing is learning how to explain things without using sight as a reference; learning to be more mindful. Technology is one of the biggest obstacles we still have in our life. As a student majoring in Computer Science, getting the books in accessible format seems impossible. However, challenges are our life is something becomes normal. I asked Auda Hazeem about The advice that a sighted person who have had working experience with blind people could give, he said:" My advice for them is to always deal with blind people as normal people and not to be preoccupied with the fact that they are blind. Blind people don’t like petty or sympathy and they like to be evaluated based on their skills and abilities." As a blind person, I like if people treat me normally and don’t think because I’m blind, I can’t do something. One of the most common things I encounter in my life is when I go somewhere and I have someone to help me. When I ask a question, people talk to the sighted person instead of me even if I did start the conversation. Sighted people who help a blind person notice this. "They almost always do. I nicely ask them to address the blind person directly as he or she can understand, answer and interact without me being in the middle of the interaction." (Hazeem). People talks to the sighted people instead of the blind person because they think that we are somehow different than sighted people. As a blind person, the only thing that I can’t do is I can’t see, but I can do anything else. Talking to someone like me shouldn’t be a problem. People can ask the blind person about what kind of help he or she needs. It’s not a problem to say "I don’t know how I can help". We would be glad to tell you what kind of help we need. If you don’t know when do you offer your help, most of the times we will ask for your help. You can offer your help when you find a lost blind student going somewhere such as to class. Some blind people don’t like to get ask for help from someone instead, they try to find their way to class by themselves or they might call one of their friends instead. However, if you offered your help and the person doesn’t need it, they can say no thank you. In my email interviews with sited people who have experienced working with blind people, their suggestions for other people is to be patient when working with blind people, be open to making mistakes and learning about the unique experience, don’t be afraid to ask questions even if they seem too personal and always say who you are when you interact with a visually impaired person. Don’t assume that they know who you are by voice. A person interacting with blind people must make a serious effort to understand the nature of the challenges presented by visual impairment and develop a way of dealing with blind people which is systematic and professional. Blind people represent a valuable human resource which has been ignored by societies because of ignorance and the lack of empathy. Awareness is required to be spread out in schools and universities among other places, which prime people as how to deal with blind people as to help us enjoy the same equal opportunities you as sighted people enjoy.

To know the blind perspective in this issue, I have interviewed several blind people. One of the significant challenges I have encountered lies in the fact that blind individuals are often put under a single, universal label which encompasses certain pre-conceived notions and prescribed methods for working with people who have a vision limitation. In other words, sighted people already have their own assumptions as to what a world without vision must be like, and they have come up with specific ways to handle and accommodate ALL visually impaired persons in academic and professional settings. What this means for me as a student is that I must constantly be demonstrating that my ways and needs are not those of every other blind student. The ways and needs of another blind student may very well not agree with mine. Unfortunately, quite a few people are inclined to categorize us as merely blind we can’t see; that’s what we all have in common; it’s that simple. As a result, once they’ve met or worked with one blind student or even if they’ve only heard about working with a blind student, they draw from that experience or information: they try to apply the same theory, use the same system, and suggest the same accommodations for all future blind students. I’ve run into this situation with a few professors and with the staff members of Resources for Disabled Student Office. They see a blind student, they have all the answers when it comes to working with a blind student; they know how things are done with your average blind student; and they proceed accordingly, leaving little room for the student’s input. "You’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all," as the saying goes. It’s very frustrating, always trying to make people understand that you can participate, complete course work, and show your understanding of the subject in a way that might be more efficient or comfortable for everyone. There is no absolute method of dealing with a visually impaired student. A blind student can accomplish a great deal, if his or her needs are listened to. The trouble is persuading someone to listen. The question of finding or receiving help also presents some singular difficulties. For my part, the scenarios here are relatively varied finding an available seat or a free table, figuring out where the back of a queue is, receiving a handout that needs to be filled out and turned in at the end of class, or, just getting plain turned around and LOST. It happens, even to the most experienced travelers. A number of sighted people will either disregard the circumstances completely, or they will hesitate to approach and ask if everything is all right or whether they might offer any help. It’s a problem when no one comes forward to help because everyone thinks someone else is going to do it first. On the other hand, it is due in great part to the fact that sighted people don’t want to offend or overstep by offering someone assistance without asking for it. A number of blind people feel they can manage perfectly well on their own and sort out their own situations when they offered help. Therefore, they will definitely refuse it. Sighted people consequently, they are more unsure about asking someone else and receiving a similar response. As a result, those blind individuals who do require a hand from time to time can find themselves in awkward situations, surrounded by sighted people, but quite on their own. There are options in that case one can always call a passerby or get someone’s attention and ask for assistance. Very often, a blind person won’t get very far without raising his or her voice and asking. That’s what we must do if we want to get on in life we must ask. On the other hand, the fact that many people choose to walk on by or disregard, when they could very well make a difference. I asked a blind student about the most difficult challenges she has encountered in her life, she said:"One of the most difficult challenges for me, personally, is when a person is so concerned about making a mistake that they won't approach me. I think that every blind or visually impaired person who I know prefers that people openly approach them and speak normally to them. The second challenging thing is probably related in that people are not aware of all of the technology that I use, so every time that I do something with a new colleague or acquaintance, I start from square one in explaining how all of my computer things work and what Freddie, my guide-dog, does. It is not such a difficulty because I don't mind explaining it all, but it is equally such a pleasure when someone already knows this."(Christine Difato). From looking to these perspectives, dealing with blind people varies from one person to another.

　

Dealing with blind people is a universal problem, but it shouldn’t be an issue. People shouldn’t be afraid when meeting a blind person or dealing with them. I hope that these various perspectives from sighted people who have had experience with blind people and the blind people viewpoint would be helpful for people who haven’t experienced working with blind people. I also hope that the tips I provided will help sighted people feel more at ease the next time they meet a blind person.
 

tips in making online courses accessible

a lot of universities in the world have started a while ago with providing online courses, but how many of those courses or universities have thought about blind people when they designed their course? below are some tips to help make the online courses more accessible:

1. Work closely with the student to determine what accommodations will be helpful. Students who are blind have likely encountered many barriers and will be resourceful in determining what works and what does not work for them.

2. Give students plenty of notice in the event that research papers are to be assigned — someone may have to aid in that literature search, both in finding materials and in translating them.    You may want to extend deadlines for this  student.

3. if there is any Important information  on the webpage, please make sure that you put them in a bolted list, numbered list etc . underlining the text is not readable by the screen readeron a webpage.

4. If you are assigning reading from a textbook, remember that the page numbers in your copy may not correspond to scanned or large print. In addition to providing the page number, also give descriptive information regarding the section you want the student to read, such as ”the first word or the sentence in the paragraph or by  providing the paragraph number such as fifth paragraph in Chapter 5. ”

 

The degree of impairment and the student's background and training (like the degree of proficiency in using a screen reader) will affect the usefulness of the various strategies and suggestions. The student with a vision impairment will most likely need assistance in all aspects of science programs. The various strategies given below will work for most vision impaired students--some may not. Accessible description will be necessary for pictures, graphics, diagrams, videos, etc.;

If  you are posting videos of yourself, you will probably want to provide all descriptions yourself (i'm sure that RDS will be able to help with the description if needed). If you are showing a video from an external website , describe the action by writing it below the video link. If you distribute videotapes as handouts, any action or an explanatory text that is crucial to understanding the text of the presentation should be described.

If you are going to use Skype for conference calls, have each speaker introduce himself or herself to the audience so that the speakers' voices are keyed for the audience as to their identity.

The best way to send Handouts for visually impaired people is via email.  If this is not possible prior to your presentation, make your materials available to them within a short time after your presentation.

(please note, this is the first post about online courses, so for sure will be more in the future.)

friends you don't need in your life

Friends are supposed to be there to help you, right? Maybe not. Some may be the very reason of your unhappiness. The only solution is to give them a boot out of your life. Here are some friends that you might consider kicking out:
So, here’s my observation of people to invite out of your life:
Energy vampires. Some people just wear you out; you feel more tired and stressed, less vital after interacting with them. These folks seem to believe that the main job of their friends and colleagues is to help them feel better.  I once had a friend who required hours and hours of “processing” – his pain, difficulty, emotional upheaval, the unfairness of his past life: everything needed to be gone over ad infinitim. Sadly, no matter how deeply you listen, no matter how much counsel you offer, no matter how much you put your own needs on the back burner to support these folks, it will not be enough.  Think about the friends and colleagues who consistently take more from you than they give back, and ask yourself why you’re still offering yourself to be sucked dry.
“I Me Mine” people are the center of their own universe, and if they’re in your life, you are always going to have to work around their needs and preferences.  Collaboration, reciprocity and give and take are not part of their vocabulary.  Do what you can to minimize your interactions with these folks (although they may let you know in no uncertain terms that you’re being unreasonable or unfair not to be available to fulfill everyy whim).
Liars.  Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me.  Fool me three times – why are you still on the list of people whose calls I return?  If someone is consistently unreliable, or tells you things that aren’t true, or says one thing to you and another thing to someone else in order to protect themselves….cut them loose. Liars are the worst.  Energy Vampires and I Me Mines are a pain and make your life more difficult – but Liars can create honest-to-goodness legal and moral problems.
The great thing to realize is that you actually have the power to do this.  You don’t need have to these people in your life.  You can kindly but firmly minimize your interactions with them.  And that frees you up to invite wonderful people into your life.
 The Advice-Giver

You know those people who give all the advice they can muster but never seem to take it themselves? That’s the therapist. They constantly give you advice even when you don’t ask for it. If advice is all they give you, it may be time to say goodbye, but if you love them for other reasons, avoid any conversations that could lead to their advice.
 The Selfish

This one is practically a no-brainer. Some friends just think of themselves before any other human specimen. If you’re tired of a friend is so selfish that it drives you nuts, haul out the boot.
The Flaw Finder

Of course the friend who constantly digs and shovels for your faults; correcting you or being negative is their hobby. It’s not hard to point out this friend in the clique. You can tell them lightly that they’re being too negative for your liking or just give them a kick.
. The One Who Makes Empty or break Promises
With a friend who breaks promises, you might consider questioning whether they’re your friend or not. Some friends just can’t commit and constantly make promises they can’t keep which can cause you disappointment. You don’t need a friend like that so if you’re at your breaking point, you should probably dump them.
 The Backstabber
If they purposely cause you unhappiness, they’re definitely not your friend. A backstabber is the last person you want it in your life. They might start small by spreading rumors about you that are false but their actions may become harsher in the future. It’s best to get rid of this friend ASAP smoothly.
The Gossip
 "Don't tell anyone, but…" The next morning, you've got an inbox full of people hounding you about the secret that your "friend" swore to uphold. Does this sound familiar? If so, then you might have unfortunately befriended The Gossip. Uncomfortable with vulnerability, this type of friend is constantly  breaking your confidentiality.
solution:
End the friendship: Ultimately, the only way to successfully extract yourself from a toxic friendship is to end it completely. Figley says, "Breaking up with anyone, whether it's a spouse, love relationship, or a friend, is not fun. It's even more important in this kind of context. In contrast to a love relationship in which you recognize you aren't compatible, this type of relationship is hurting you."

Relevance of braille proven during January, National Braille Month » Rocky Mountain Collegian

http://www.collegian.com/2013/01/23/relevance-of-braille-proven-during-january-national-braille-month/

In the wake of a new year, the population of students with disabilities can be put at the forefront with January being National Braille Month.Noah Habibi is a senior computer science major from Muskat, Oman who is helping CSU extend its online course material for students with impaired vision.At the age of seven, Habibi lost his eyesight because of a disorder referred to as retinitis pigmentosa, an eye disease that directly affects the retina.Habibi studied at Arkansas State University but instead transferred to CSU because of the resources that the campus offers that Arkansas did not.Habibi said he also chose CSU was because there was another blind student who was a computer science major.
“I got in touch with this person and I decided that I should come here since someone else in the field is like me,” Habibi said.
Machines that Habibi uses for his classes include Jaws, voiceover, Brailler, Braille Sence (Braille note taker), victor reader stream, talking scientific calculator and the Piaf machine.
The Assistance Technology Resource Center provides Habibi with these machines, paying for all technology that is used for school.
Marla Roll, director of the Assistive Technology Resource Center and assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy, explained the devices that Habibi and other students use.
“Screen reading software read every event that happens on the computer. Reading more at the html level,” Roll said. “That’s how they access information. We provide the actual software and we’ll teach them how to use it.”
There is also software available to convert documents into a format that can be embossed into braille by a braille embosser.
“It’s a pretty powerful way to read. They can hear audio but they can also read with braille,” Roll said.
Roll explained that, with braille, it’s an active reading process and if it’s only read to you it’s more passive.
However, according to Roll the best option that CSU can present is refreshable braille that has been implemented at the university for over ten years.
“The refreshable braille display [sees] whatever is on the computer screen and pushes the equivalent on this braille keyboard,” Roll said. “They also have it read back to them at the same.”
There are assistive technology rooms spread out on the campus. One is located in the Morgan Library and has refreshable braille display –– technology that will scan and convert with braille or screen reading software.
Tactile graphics, which represent more graphical things in a tactile way, are other tools for blind students.
“It’s like a raised drawing all the lines are raised. That becomes really important for graphical or visual kinds of things,” Roll said. “You can take a map of campus and turn into a tactile graphic and feel the different buildings on campus.”
She also sees there is a problem with the move to more web based education.
“The more we move to online content, I have a worry that these students might get left behind,” Roll said.
Dani Castillo, a journalism professor at CSU who teaches web design teaches in her classes how to make websites and other online media into something that can be accessible to all audiences.
“There are a lot of people who don’t even think about it, we just key websites the way we see them,” Castillo said.
Habibi is currently assisting CSU with its online course materials to make it more accessible to the blind. And in the future he hopes to extend his major to creating more resources.
“I will just be writing programs and helping with accessibility to make sure that software is accessible for my people, websites and that’s my goal is to help with accessibility,” Habibi said.

By Bailey Constas

last words in 2012

I haven't published almost anything on this blog since the fall semester started, so i thought to write something before the end of 2012

Let's start with school and work:
This semester has been chalinging and successful. I feel that I've learned more in programming comparing to last semester. the teacher was amaising, so we got to try a lot of tools and did everything we can to make things work. Still there were a lot of chalinges as always :). I also did an independent study that focussed on finding accessible tools to help blind people be successful in Computer Science. I was able to pass all of my classes and now, I'm a joonyer.
In terms of work, I started working for CSU helping with online courses and websites accessibilitey  this semester and hopefully I will be helpin gnext semester as well.
This semester also, I got to run the Father's day 5K. unfortunatlly, I didn't get to play sport as much as i wanted because i hert my hand, but hopefully next semester i will be doing more.
As the last word for 2012, I'd like to say that this year has been a successful. year for the most part, i hope it was the same for everyone else. I also did put a list of the mistakes I did in 2012 to help me avoid them in 2013.
Happy new year everyone!

why most girls don't want to date a blind person?

I understand the problems involved when it comes to dating as I've tried both dating sites and talking to girls.

I attempted to date girls; but, most of them got nervous and/or freaked out when I brought up the subject with them. I've tried to talk to a few girls on there and when it gets to the part about going out for the
first time, I get the silent treatment.

Now, that brings up something that I'd like to ask the ladies who are reading this. Is it too much to ask for people that I show an interest in to be courteous,
rather you are interested or not? Being turned down does not bother me near as much as the lack of respect exhibited by most girls in my age group. If
you're not interested; then, a simple "That is very nice of you to offer; but, I'm already in a relationship" or "Thanks; but, I already have plans" would
be all that's necessary and that would be the end of it.

There was a girl that I was talking to at college and I thought things were going well. On the day of final exams, we were talking and I asked her if she
wanted to go eat after exams were over. She said that she'd like to do that, told me what time her last exam was over, and said she would meet me in the
break area. So, I rushed to finish my exam so I could make sure I didn't miss her. A few minutes after returning to the place where we were to meet, I
heard a door open. Within a few seconds, I realized it was her and as soon as she saw me; she took off like a rocket, jumped in her car, and left. There
again, there was no respect or consideration here. If she was not interested in going out, she should have been up front to begin with instead of telling
me what she thought I wanted to hear, only to do the exact opposite. Same thing with online dating, once the girl knows you are blind, no respect,, they read your emails and never respond to you. It seems like blindness is a deal breaker.
IMHO, one problem here is that many people are afraid of what they don't know. What's sad is that many of these people, both male and female, don't want
to take the time to get to know us. Most of them have the attitude that if he/she is not a member of the "cool clique"; then, they are not worth the effort.
Another problem is the "entitlement culture" that we live in today. Many people in my generation are given the best of everything by their parents because
their parents don't want their kids growing up the way they did. I'm not saying that parents shouldn't provide for their children; but, anything can be
taken too far. As a result, these children grow up to be adults who expect the best of everything right out of the box and they will not associate with
anyone who can't or won't give it to them. Growing up, I had an Aunt, who was very poor; but, there was much love in that house. She lived out of town;
but, we'd visit several times a year and I always looked forward to going to her house. OTOH, I had another out-of-town aunt who was just the opposite.
They were well off, acted snooty towards people who were not in their economic status, and were constantly trying to keep up with their rich friends. I
always hated to pull up in their driveway and was very happy when it was time to leave. The point I'm trying to make is that money and material goods are
not everything. I'd rather be living in the poor house and have people in my life who truly loved me for the type of person I am instead of being super
rich and have people in my life who were only hanging around for the status and what they could get.
With that said, I used to get down in the dumps when I'd get rejected. Then, I came to realize that God has a plan for all of us and if He has someone
in mind for me; then, it will happen. If not; that's OK, too. Even though I still don't like the actions of some people; I don't go into a state of depression
if a dating attempt goes sour. I just say to myself, "Well, this one didn't work out; so, that means it wasn't meant to be in the first place."
Also, be happy with who YOU are! If you are not happy with yourself; then, others will likely not be happy to hang around you. Don't move too fast. Get to know the person you're interested in. I think one of the mistakes I made was moving too fast. The result of moving too fast
may be that you scare the person off and/or you find out that they were not the kindhearted, nice person that you thought they were. In my way of thinking,
I always thought that if I didn't move quick enough; then, someone else would slide in. Looking back, that was probably not the best way of thinking.

Just be yourself and don't try to be someone you're not. If someone does not like you for who you are; then, you don't need them in the first place. I've
had people tell me to be an ***hole and I'd have girls falling all over me. I will not compromise my standards for the sake of getting a date and I urge
anyone reading this not to do so, either.

Don't assume that blind/VI persons can only date people with the same condition. It burns me up when someone ask, "Aren't there any blind girls you could
date?" I take that to mean that no one who is "normal" would give you the time of day. If you truly love someone and they truly love you, it will not matter
what is wrong with you.

No Bones About It: Guide Dogs for the Blind's Blog: Noah’s Story

No Bones About It: Guide Dogs for the Blind's Blog: Noah’s Story: Emily Simone and Cyndi Davis are both long-time GDB employees. Emily is as a Senior Field Manager based out of our California campus, and Cy...

Colorado Center for the blind, spring 2012

I'm back again after several months without updates.

This last spring, I decided to leave CSU for a semester to go to Colorado center for the blind in Littleton CO To improve my life skills. CCB is a non-academic school, but a school to teach blind people the necessary skills that they may need in their daily life. The independent training program at CCB includes 4 main classes. Home management, travel and mobility, technology and Braille. The skills that the home management  class focuses on includes cooking, organizing your home, managing a budget, etc. to graduate , the student will have to cook  a dinner for 5 people, a mini meal for 15 and a graduate meal for at least 60 people.  The travel class goals are to help blind people to travel by themselves anywhere without depending on people. CCB requires all their students to use only and only a strait Wight NFB cane while attending the program. To graduate, the student will have to do several of independent routes, do a support drop, where you the student and the instructor will be taking somewhere in the city and the student will be asked to return to the center without asking for help. Finally, the student will have to do a final drop where they will be dropped somewhere in the city and they will be asked to return to the center by themselves. The last 2 classes have no set goals, but the student for Braille is required to learn using slate and stylus and learn both Braille grade 1 and 2. I will post what I have done while I was there in details later.

Thanks for reading.

colegian article

this is the second article I published in the CSU news paper. This one is about guide dogs. I think it's a nice way to educate people. here is the link: http://www.collegian.com/index.php/article/2011/09/guest_column_guide_dogs_trained_well_for_selfless_job

Case Study Noah

by :Makena Roe

Case Study

            Noah was born a typical healthy baby on November 14, 1987 in Muscat, Oman.  At 7 months old Noah went blind. His parents say they noticed him running into objects. As a child he visited several doctors that could not explain why exactly he went blind. They say it could be genetic but typically he would have been blind from birth if that was the case. Noah’s oldest sister is also blind since she was three months old. Her blindness differs from Noah because she can see colors and has uncontrolled eye movements. Noah on the other hand can only see light or dark.

            Noah is one of four children; he has two older sisters and one younger sister. His dad used to work at the ministry of housing and his mom was a housewife. All of Noah’s family is still back in Oman. Thanks to a scholarship Noah was able to attend school at Saudi Bahraini Institute for the Blind in Bahrain. After ten years in Bahrain, Noah moved to Saudi Arabia finish high school. While there he worked Nattiq Technologies, a company that manufactures adaptive equipment for the blind. He worked as a salesman and in technical support.

            In 2009 Noah wanted to come to the United States to attend college and achieve his dream of getting a degree in computer science. Noah moved to the U.S. only speaking Arabic, alone and being totally blind. He moved to Arkansas learned English and attended college. Due to a lack of resources Noah transferred schools in 2010 to Colorado State University. Noah is the first blind student to come from Oman and also the only one of his siblings to attend college. Currently Noah is still attending CSU as a sophomore studying Computer Science. 

            Noah strives to be independent and this is achieved through a lot of adaptive equipment. He is a lover of gages and computer equipment; this can best be seen when looking at his devices. Noah has two computers that are screen readers and will verbalize the written document out loud. Also Noah uses a small computer that can turn text files into brail. He has a calculator, watch, phone, microwave, coffeemaker, liquid detector, timer and scale that all talk. There is a piece of equipment called a Penfriend, it can scan barcodes to identify an object then makes a brail label or records his voice so that later he can identify what that object is. This is used mostly for labeling objects in the kitchen such was spices.  A color identifier is used to make brail labels which then Noah has sewn on his clothes so he can match his outfits. One major adaptive piece of equipment Noah uses is his iphone. Through his phone he can download apps which assist him in daily living. Currently, Noah 80 apps on his iphone including a money reader, bill scanner, and barcode scanner. Noah has an extensive collection of adaptive equipment but each one is helping him be more independent. He recently has got a guide dog as well.

            Through Adaptive Recreation Opportunities Noah has tried many activities for the first time. This past year he has learned to water-ski, alpine ski, rock climb, and swim. He wants to experience everything he can including driving a car! In the coming years Noah hopes to get his diploma and return home to open a technical school for the blind.  Also he wants people at home to understand how useful guide dogs can be for the blind instead of just seeing them as a dirty animal.

The big surprise

On Sunday May 22 I flew to Oregon to attend Guide Dogs for the Blind training class . On Monday I met my K9 buddy Amiga, an adorable black lab with brown eyes and a cute face that makes you love her when you see her. She's a sweetheart and lots of fun, and the best cuddler you could ask for in a dog.

Over the next two weeks we trained, and suffered together in the cold and rain. Amiga loves her job, it  doesn't matter if it's raining or snowing. She also likes to walks at night lol. I got her a yellow rain coat!  We went through everything from having the instructors try to run us over, (I mean perform complex and important traffic maneuvers to teach the students how dogs react during traffic encounters.)

(Pictures coming soon.)

We graduated from GDB on June 4. It was a lot of fun! Unfortunately Amiga and I didn't get to see her puppy raisers because they live in CA and it's a very long drive for them. However, I really thank them for the wonderful job they did, Amiga is well behaved and well trained. Amiga was their 5th puppy they'd raised for GDB.

Now, we're home, with lots of friends to keep in contact with, and lots of toys and fun times ahead of us.

For all the students and instructors in my class: (Things to remember)

Dan: Bad dog!

Dan: Your dumb, that's dumb, this is all dumb.

All the instructors: Don't wag your tail at me! I don't like you!

And Noah: Oh Really. (Emphasis on the r in really.)

to see the class photos, please visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/guidedogsfortheblind/sets/72157627024725936/

May update

This Spring semester was very good ,  I finished it with excellent grades in all my courses! I also had so much fun in doing fun activities such as, skiing, ice skating, workout, Goalball, hiking, biking, and sea kayaking. I wanted to attach with this post some pictures for some of the activities I did, but I couldn't. I also received my ticket to go to Boring Oregon to get my guide dog. I'm leaving this coming Sunday, May 22 and returning Sunday, June 5th. I will keep you up to date with my class experience at Guide dog for the blind (GDB). today I finished preparing my apartment for my new friend and I had the final visit from my O&M instructor before I leave to get my guide dog. I'm looking forward for the new life and the new experience and the challenges I will in counter! some people may ask how I convinced my Muslim family to accept the guide dog idea. As you know, I've done a research about guide dogs in the view of Islam, and  my family helped me with that by  asking the Muslim leaders in Oman about if having a guide dog is accepted in Islam. My mom questioned me about having a dog and how it's going to help me in my life at the beginning, but she accepted  the idea after I and my blind sister explained to her the benefits of guide dogs. I'm not planning to go back to Oman this summer, I will be taking classes at CSU as well as doing some fun activities such as water skiing, camping, biking, and so on.

Thank you for reading!

just like you

            Have you ever encountered a blind person and felt uncomfortable, and didn't know how to act? You are not alone. As a blind person, most of the people I meet don’t know what to do when they meet me. They are somehow afraid of helping us. I became blind when I was 7 months old, so I have been blind almost all my life. I came to the USA from Oman in 2009 to complete my higher education as a Computer Science major at CSU. I’m writing this article to help people understand better about blind people and give them a clear idea to work with blind people more effectively. Blind people are just normal individuals, like everyone else. Interacting with blind students should not be an obstacle.

            People are not aware of what they can do to help blind people, not because they don’t want to help, but because they are afraid of offending us. I asked my friend Christine Difato, a PhD student at the University of Exeter in the UK about the most difficult challenges she has encountered as a blind individual. She replied by saying, "One of the most difficult challenges for me, personally, is when a person is so concerned about making a mistake that they won't approach me…” It seems to me that sighted people already have their own assumptions as to what a world without vision must be like and sometimes the fear of offending us prevents them from interacting with us more effectively.

Another main problem that me and other blind students encounter is when we go somewhere with our aids. When we ask a question, people talk to the sighted person instead of us. I asked my friend Auda Hazeem, about his experiences working as an aid for the blind, and if the sighted people hold conversations with him instead of the blind person he is helping. Hazeem said, “They almost always do. I nicely ask them to address the blind person directly as he or she can understand, answer and interact without me being in the middle of the interaction.”

Being empathetic can help a lot to understand how to interact with a blind person. I asked a classmate about his viewpoint of blind people he said: “Honestly the only blind person I have met was you…I kind of just was trying to picture what the world would be like for me if I couldn't see.” In this student's case, he had never encountered a blind person before me, but he used empathy to interact comfortably with me. Empathy goes a long way when dealing with blind people.

            I interviewed a student at CSU who has had over 20 years experience growing up with a blind sister. The advice she gave in the interview was to : “…remember their disability is that they can't see; but they can hear, they can think, they can walk, they can answer for themselves, they can read and that they are capable of most anything anyone else can do, but in a different way."

            A person interacting with blind people must make a serious effort to understand the nature of the challenges presented by visual impairment. Blind people represent a valuable human resource which has been ignored by societies because of a lack of understanding and empathy. After all, we are just like you.

first experience

I left Muscat, Oman in March going to United States of America (USA) to complete my dream and make it become true. I went to study at Arkansas state university (ASU) planning to major in Computer Science. Unfortunately, the cabin crew at Atlanta airport forgot me which resulted in missing my flight to Arkansas but later on, someone helped me to find another flight to get there.

I arrived to ASU. Everyone was happy to meet me. I have started the English as a second language program (ESL) immediately. This program has 5 levels. Everyone who is non native English speaker should take this program.  Because my English language was not that good, I started with level 2 in March. In June, I have completed level 3 and I passed the ESL program by passing the TOEFL test.

Also, I have noticed that my mobility skills needed to improve in order to be more independent. For this reason, I have contacted the division of blind services to get mobility training. They gave me training for a week in ASU campus. In May, they sent me to Lions World Services for the blind (LWSB) to study there and this place was two hours away from my Campus. My goal for this trip was to be more independent so, I have studied a mobility advance course and an independent course. In this course, they taught me how to cook, how to sew the buttons in a shirt, how to organize my room and how to be more independent in life. Also, beside these courses they gave me an assistive technology course which was very easy and I passed it in one day. In addition, to improve my mobility skills and to help me more, the ministry of higher education has provided me with a handheld talking GPS device (Trekker Breeze). I have completed the training sessions in LWSB by the end of May.

Because my goal is to be independent, I have tried to prepare for the fall in the summer. I registered with Hadley school for the blind and they offer many courses for the blind to study either long distance learning or online. Also, I have registered with national library services for the blind and handicapped and they gave their members books with accessible formats such as: Braille, DAISY (digitally recorded textbooks which require to use a specialized DAISY playback system.), or large format. But, most of their books are not academic. To get more academic books, I registered with Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic: Accessible Audio books for students with visual impairment, dyslexia or learning disabilities (RFB&D) and Book Share. These two libraries provide the books with DAISY format.

In the fall of 2009, I got admitted to ASU and, I started the first semester. It is the most difficult semester for every student. Yes, it was very difficult. In the first semester, I tried to take as less hours as possible but as an international student in USA, the immigration system requires the student to take a minimum of 12 academic hours per semester. The most difficult thing that I faced was the courses accessibility. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to deal with one of the subjects which was Math due to the software the university is using to teach the subject. This software is not user friendly for the blind; I couldn’t use it by using any screen reader (speech application). As you know, my major is Computer Science which requires taking a lot of math courses. I have decided to transfer to another school that will hopefully help me succeed and get my degree.

                The education in America is different from Oman. In America, I attended Arkansas state university. The major difference is the Culture. It has lots of international students from all over  the world. It’s not like the universities in the Middle East where they have eastern students mostly.

·         The American people are very friendly, good natured and helpful . Also, if they know that you are disabled , they will try to help as much as they can to make you succeed .

·         Also, they are very respectful and they like to know other cultures  . When you visit America , you will notice that they are very nice and happy .

·         As a blind student , I realized that studying in America  is better  than middle east  from different perspectives :

1.       They always try to give an equal opportunity for everybody to have a chance to succeed.

2.       All the universities in America they have resources for disabled students (disability services ) to make the educational materials accessible.

3.       Beside the disability services there are some other organizations that takes care of the disabled human such as blindness like the NFB (national federation of the blind) and  AFB (American Foundation for the Blind) to help them achieve  their goals and succeed in their lives.

4.       Beside these organizations there is division of blind services which provide the blinds people with tools , devices and materials that might help them to make their life more accessible .

5.       The schools in America helps blind people to take any major that they desire regardless of their disability. In the Middle East they treat the disabled person as a n interference on the way.

6.       I hope that the Middle East service gets better than now and change their opinion about disabled people. Because disabled people can do better than the normal ones.

Guide Dogs FOR THE BLIND For Family, Friends and Co-Workers

This information is intended for family, friends, and coworkers of a new guide dog team. We hope it will be helpful for making a smooth transition from our training program to the guide dog user's home and work environment.

Guide dogs are trained to be mobility partners for people who are blind or visually impaired. A guide dog team consists of a blind or visually impaired "handler" and a "guide". The handler has completed an extensive training program to learn how to work and care for the guide dog. The guide is a specially trained dog, bred from stock that has been carefully selected for its stable temperament, intelligence and good health. The dogs are taught good social behavior from the time they are puppies. They respond to obedience commands in addition to guidework, and they are trained to settle quietly when not guiding.

Family & Co-Workers

In order for the dog to maintain focus on its guidework and to ensure the safety of the team as they travel, the dog and handler must form a very close bond and learn to communicate dearly with each other. The handler will need to act in ways that will reinforce this bond and maintain the training the dog has received. Therefore, it is important for co-workers, friends and family members to respect the handler's needs and avoid doing anything that might hinder the bonding process between the guide dog and its handler.

Interacting with a Guide Dog Team

Although it is very tempting to approach and pet a guide dog, it is important that you greet the handler first and ask permission to meet his or her dog. Never distract a guide while it is working, because you may endanger the safety of the team or erode the dog's training. The dog should be on leash, under control, and not feel cornered when meeting people for the first time. Individuals should approach one at a time, speak softly to the dog and offer the back of their hand for the dog to sniff.

Family & Co-Workers

An important goal in our training is to foster independence in attitude as well as through mobility. Feel free to offer your help, but do not force your assistance on the handler if it is not welcome, especially as it relates to the guide dog. Occasionally the handler may need directions to a destination or an explanation of an unusual situation. Never grab the person's arm or the dog's harness handle to direct the team. You can help by answering questions accurately and specifically using words such as "to your left" or "straight ahead" rather than "over there" or "that way." A guide dog handler will know how to cope with most situations if given accurate information about the circumstances.

In certain situations, the handler may determine that using a cane or human guide for travel would be a better option than working their guide dog. This decision is sometimes made to avoid stressful situations for both the dog and the handler. While walking with a human guide, the handler holds the dog's leash rather than harness handle, and the dog walks next to the handler.

Family & Co-Workers

At Home or at Work

As the clog learns to adjust to its new home and surroundings, it should either be on leash, on tie-down, or in a crate when not working or playing. A tie-down or crate is necessary to make sure that the dog does not develop poor house behaviors. After being home several weeks, the dog can gradually be offered more freedom in short increments. This freedom should be withdrawn if the dog exhibits poor behavior. Proper and consistent handling needs to be maintained to ensure appropriate behaviors.

Although it is important for the guide to be accepted as a member of the family, the handler should be the dog's main caregiver in order to establish the leadership role of the handler and to strengthen their bond as a team. Playing, feeding, relieving and grooming should be the responsibility of the handler whenever possible. Co-workers, family and friends must refrain from feeding treats to a guide dog - the dog's diet is the handler's responsibility. Feeding the dog people food may not only adversely affect the dog's health and digestion, but it can

Family & Co-Workers

Your Opportunity to Help

Consider these opportunities to be a supportive co-worker, friend or family member. By providing a warm welcome and demonstrating a willingness to interact appropriately with the guide, you   \n\11 be helping the guide dog team on their way to a successful and lasting partnership.

Nattiq technologies

The Technology for blind people started in America a long time ago, which makes blind people’s lives more independent. However, in the Middle East the technology for blind people started in the late nineties. One of the first companies that has been trying to make blind people’s lives easier and more independent was Nattiq Technologies. Nattiq Technologies was  founded in the state of Colorado in 2001. Auda Hazeem, an Arab American, is the creator of this company. He had worked in the computer field for over 10 years before he started his company in 2002, after returning to the Middle East.

When Auda Hazeem was asked about the founding of his business, he stated, “In my previous business, I helped discriminating users build powerful lap top computers. One day a blind person asked for a custom-built laptop” (Hazeem, personal email).  He continued, “ As I started to help him obtain a powerful laptop, I was intrigued by how he could use standard laptops knowing that he was blind. I made a decision, on that day, to launch a business to help blind Arabic-speaking individuals access information technology. The challenges were numerous” (Hazeem personal email).

After experiencing firsthand  how expensive adaptive technology is, I acknowledge this constraint because blind people in the Middle East are very poor. Additionally, government help is virtually non-existent, and ignorance is widespread. Hazeem echoes these statements, saying “Many more challenges existed, some of which continue to exist. I was able to overcome such challenges with patience, high work ethics and the love to make a difference. Many people helped me. My team at Nattiq, our champions in the field and many friends,” (personal email).

 According to its website, the company is located in the United Arab Emirates, in a city called Alsharja. The company depends on their advanced users to work for them as dealers in other countries in the Middle East, particularly in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman (www.nattiq.com).  Nattiq provides their customers with up to date tools, devices, and software to make blind people’s lives more independent. To meet the varied needs of blind people, software solutions, such as DAISY book makers, DAISY book players, and screen magnifiers, are offered. Other hardware options include Braille displays and note-takers, Braille embossers, reading machines as well as many other tools and accessories. Nattiq chooses to select leading solutions from companies who are open to localizing their products into Arabic.  For example, Nattiq imports its products from different companies around the world, then adds the Arabic language to make it ready for Arab users. However, there are some challenges that the company faces in localization because Arabic development is extremely slow; western companies' knowledge in the Arabic language continues to lag behind.

Despite the challenges facing blind people in the Middle East, Hazeem thinks that he has reached most of his goals from the founding of the company.  When he started the company his goal was to make a difference in the lives of blind people in the Middle East by enhancing their privacy and independence in accessing information and telecommunication technologies (Hazeem, personal email). They have been able to localize, into Arabic, leading Adaptive Technology software and devices.

Nattiq achieved their goals by realizing the differences they have made in the lives of thousands of blind individuals in the Middle East. Nattiq’s mission will continue as new Adaptive Technologies are invented; as stated earlier, their goal is to localize them into Arabic for the benefit of the customers. According to the website, Nattiq has served about 3000 customers.  To support his claim that he has made a difference in the lives of blind people, he continues, “I have received a lot of feedback from the field. We, of course, could meet some expectations while we continue working on meeting the rest. Our business routines and practices continue to evolve based on the feedback we receive from the field.”

In conclusion, Nattiq will continue providing their customers with the devices, tools, and software to make their lives independent. Hazeem will continue to overcome the problems and the challenges until he reaches his goals. Therefore, the customers should support him and his coworkers to make blind people lives more independent.

References

Nattiq Technologies (2007) Products page.  Retrieved from http://www.nattiq.com/en/home.

Accessed on 18 April 2010.

Hazeem, Auda.  (19 April 2010).  Personal email to Noah Al Hadidi.