A Sense of Texas

Greg Stilson - APH

Greg Stilson joins the podcast to discuss his journey as a blind programmer in the private sector and how APH is positioning themselves as a global innovator in the field of assistive technology. 

Chrissy Cowan & Cyral Miller - Mentor Programs

Sometimes a new TVI or COMS (or one in training) find themselves in an area with a small support system.  In a state the size of Texas, this can happen more often than not as many school districts are far-flung and in isolated areas.  Cyral and Chrissy join Emily to discuss the programs TSBVI Outreach instituted decades ago to address this issue and how they've kept it going and the improvements that have been made over time.  This will be Part One of this discussion, which will conclude this time next month.

Kathi Garza - NOAH

TSBVI's own Kathi Garza joins the podcast to tell us how NOAH (National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation) provides opportunities for individuals with albinism to fellowship with one another and create an empowering environment for parents of children with albinism to learn more about the condition and how they can help their child lead rewarding lives. To provide a parents perspective on NOAH Sara Venn joins us via telephone from North Carolina. 

Scott Baltisberger - Emotional Literacy

When a child resists being taught, what is the problem?  Is it simply behavioral?  Is is a failure of teaching skill?  Emily speaks with TSBVI Outreach Consultant Scott Baltisberger about his recent article in TX SenseAbilities (TSBVI's newsletter) regarding some recent new understanding about what's necessary to create the right environment for learning to take place.  It's both new and remarkably intuitive.  After the interview, Ann Adkins- editor-in-chief of TX SenseAbilities- tells us more about the publication and how to get your own copies to read articles like Scott's.

www.tsbvi.edu/tx-senseabilities

Adam Wilton - Services in Canada

While the United States and Canada are often viewed as very similar there are some distinct and interesting differences between how the two countries offer services to people who are blind and visually impaired. #LearnedGentleman Adam Wilton from the Provincial Resource Center for the Visually Impaired (PRCVI) in Vancouver, British Columbia joins us to discuss how services in Canada differ from those in the US and to explore many tangents with host Emily Coleman. 

Sergio Oliva - The Braille Institute

Join us on our first over-the-phone guest interview as Sergio Oliva, Associate Vice President of The Braille Institute's National and Youth Programs, joins Emily for a discussion of the programs the Institute promotes to aid blind students and digs into the heart-warming reasons and results of the annual Braille Challenge.  Emily is then joined by a resident expert TSBVI student to give a kid-level report on the Challenge.

brailleinstitute.org
1-800-BRAILLE

Jim Meehan - Austin Lighthouse

As we all know there are many obstacles standing in the way of employment for people who are blind and visually impaired. Jim Meehan, President and CEO of the Austin Lighthouse, is here to tell us how the Austin Lighthouse is breaking down some of those barriers and providing employment opportunities as well as a variety of other services for the visually impaired community in the Austin area. TSBVI transition expert Carlotta Binns also joins us to share her opinions about employment and some of her insights from touring one of Jim's facilities. 

Evan Hearn - An Outside Perspective

Evan Hearn, a University of Texas at Austin journalism student, drives by the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired and gets curious. It eventually leads to him creating his own podcast episode- spotlighting two of TSBVI's multi-talented students and the school's music education programs- which serves as the main course for our pre-holidays entry. We also invited Evan into the studio to tell his story about discovering and investigating the work TSBVI does and the students it benefits. As we wind into the holidays, this is a nice reminder that outreach happens all the time, even when we least expect it.  From the entire Sense of Texas team, we hope you enjoy a wonderful holiday season!

Janie Blome - AER

AER Executive Director Janie Blome joins host Emily Coleman to discuss the importance of professional organizations and the future of AER. One of AER's offerings is an accreditation process and following Janie, TSBVI Outreach Director Kate Borg shares her experiences with this specific program.

Michael Clinkscales - Student Health & Well Being

Schools for the blind are often responsible for more than sheer academics.  We are responsible for the whole student; helping them navigate the world as well as textbooks.  TSBVI Social Worker (and 27-year veteran of blind education) Michael Clinkscales joins Emily for a wide-ranging conversation on what brought a college student intent on teaching to taking on social work for a school for the blind, the challenges and rewards of the work, and some energizing new teaching methods on the horizon.  TSBVI Instructor John Rose joins us for the expert segment to discuss one of those new methods: the Unhushed Curriculum.

John Ravenscroft - CVI

Dr. John Ravenscroft brings our first international perspective to the podcast to discuss brain based visual impairment (CVI, NIVI) as well as how proper research is helping practitioners in the field achieve better results for our kids. Sara Kitchen from TSBVI Outreach also joins us to show how TVI's and the Texas Sensory Support Network are helping kids with CVI right here at home.

Norma Crosby - NFB

The National Federation of the Blind is one of the best known entities in blind services nationwide.  But as with many things we think we know, there's always so much more to learn about a subject.  Norma Crosby, the president of the NFB of Texas, joins Emily to discuss the many things the organization has cooking and to talk about living the life she wants.  Afterwards Emily speaks to a TSBVI student about navigating services on the ground level.

To contact organizations mentioned in this episode:

National Federation of the Blind of Texas
https://www.nfbtx.org/
(281) 968-7733

BELL Academy Info:
https://www.nfbtx.org/programs-summer-programs.php

National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
https://www.nopbc.org/

Texas Parents of Blind Children
http://www.tpobc.org/ 

2019 Outreach Forum Roundtable

Before Emily transitioned from outreach director to superintendent, she attended the 2019 COSB Outreach Forum, which brings together professionals from all over the country to discuss the current state and future of outreach in blind education.  She rounded up eight of her colleagues to join her in this roundtable discussion of the challenges and joys of the job.  Joining Emily are:

Adrian Amandi, California School for the Blind

Tanya Armstrong, Nebraska Center for the Education of Children who are Blind or Visually Impaired

Julie Johnson, New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Pam Parker, Washington State School for the Blind/Washington State Sensory Disability Services

Tiffany Sanders, Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Dawn Soto, Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Brandon Watts, Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind

Cindy Williams, North Dakota Vision Services School for the Blind

 

Chris Montgomery - TDB Pilot

Many difficulties arise when teaching a student who is hard of hearing or who has a visual impairment. When you combine the two it brings up a whole new set of challenges that not many of us are trained to deal with. Chris Montgomery, DeafBlind Consultant from TSBVI Outreach, joins us today to discuss how the Teacher of Students who are DeafBlind (TDB) Pilot program could help create more positive outcomes for individuals who are DeafBlind in your classroom and beyond. 

Kate Borg - TSBVI's New Outreach Director

Welcome to A Sense of Kates!  This episode features a conversation with Kate Borg, who has pulled up stakes in Utah to come to Austin to serve as the new outreach director at TSBVI-- the seat formerly held by our host, Emily Coleman.  Afterwards, longtime TSBVI Outreach team member Kate Hurst joins us in the expert seat to share some insights into how the Texas department works, the kind of people it attracts, and the importance of its mission.