[Cabs-talk] A blast from the past!

Mon Nov 16 03:00:55 UTC 2009

Hi all,
Thanks, B.J.! And thanks Mike for reposting this, sure is funny to read 
an article from so long ago. I had forgotten all about that first 
seminar and it was nice to have that little reminder. It was a lot of 
fun, and B.J. was definitley a big help during that seminar as well.
Sincerely,
Ronit

Bruce Sexton Jr. wrote:
> Yes and  after Robert Ronit became president where she served a good one 
> year term.  After which she got her masters in genetic counseling, in 
> which field she now has found employment.  Ronit, (pronounced Row Neet)  
> and I, are in regular contact!
> 
> She taught me a lot about being CABS president!
> 
> -B.J.
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Peterson" <its.mike at att.net>
> To: "California Association of Blind Students Mailing List" 
> <cabs-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Sunday, November 15, 2009 2:39 PM
> Subject: [Cabs-talk] A blast from the past!
> 
> 
>> California Association of Blind Students Seminar-A Success!
>> By Ronit Ovadia, First Vice-President, CABS
>> Robert Stigile, President, California Association of Blind Students
>> Robert Stigile, President, California
>> Association of Blind Students
>>> From November of last year to this April, the California Association of
>> Blind Students
>> (CABS) board and I worked on a student seminar, which took place April 
>> 5, 2003, in
>> the Bay Area at the Lighthouse for the Blind in San Francisco. This 
>> seminar was geared
>> toward high school students, although there were also college students 
>> who attended.
>> The title of the seminar was "The Road to Success," and several topics 
>> important
>> to blind high-schoolers were addressed. Being new to the board, this 
>> was quite an
>> experience for me. However, I was excited to be involved and honored 
>> that I was chosen
>> as the leader of the planning committee for this event. I had never 
>> planned anything
>> of this kind before, and there were so many details to be considered. 
>> Everything
>> from who we should invite to speak to what we should serve for lunch 
>> were important
>> issues we discussed and planned. We also worked on outreach, and 
>> several schools
>> and teachers were contacted to let them know about our seminar.
>> After so many months of planning, the big day finally arrived. All of 
>> us were nervous,
>> thinking that we wouldn't have enough people because our RSVP list had 
>> only a few
>> names on it. However, we had about 10 students who came, along with 
>> parents and teachers
>> of these students. This was the first exciting part for me; seeing the 
>> students actually
>> arrive and register. In the morning, we had all sorts of speakers 
>> discussing several
>> different topics. Nancy Burns, president of the NFBC, spoke about what 
>> the NFBC is
>> and attitudes about blindness. Patricia Leetz, a rehabilitation 
>> counselor from Alameda
>> County, gave tips on what rehabilitation services are available and 
>> how to make sure
>> you benefit from these services. Michael Thomas, who works for Social 
>> Security, gave
>> a talk about how Social Security is important for students as well as 
>> working adults.
>> We also covered the topic of training centers for the blind. I spoke 
>> about the process
>> I went through in order to attend the Colorado Center for the Blind 
>> this upcoming
>> summer. Finally, because we all like to have fun, we had a 
>> representative from the
>> Environmental Traveling Companions tell us about outdoor activities 
>> available to
>> blind people. Their programs include everything from rock climbing to 
>> river rafting,
>> water skiing and snow skiing. Throughout all these presentations, the 
>> audience was
>> involved and asked many good questions directed to each of the 
>> speakers. Several
>> of these questions initiated many conversations that continued into 
>> the lunch hour.
>> After our informative morning, we took a lunch break and served pizza 
>> and soda to
>> everyone. This was a great way to maintain contact with everybody 
>> throughout lunch,
>> and people really got to know one another during this time. Several of 
>> the CABS board
>> members talked with students and answered their questions during our 
>> lunch break.
>> During the afternoon session we divided the students, parents and 
>> teachers into three
>> discussion groups. Each group was led by one or two of our board 
>> members who had
>> pre-assigned topics to discuss, ranging from disability student 
>> offices, to rehabilitation,
>> to blindness training and even social skills and other social issues. 
>> After each
>> group had discussed their topics for half an hour, the groups cycled 
>> to the next
>> group, and after an hour and a half of discussion time, everyone had a 
>> chance to
>> meet with all the discussion leaders and get many of their questions 
>> answered. This
>> was a particularly successful activity, as everyone got involved. 
>> Whether they were
>> a student, a parent or teacher, they were able to ask their own 
>> questions and tailor
>> the discussion to meet their own needs.
>> Overall, this seminar was quite a success. We had an interested group 
>> and all our
>> activities seemed to be well received. Participation was a great part 
>> of this. Although
>> it was the first seminar I had planned, it went very well and I am 
>> hoping that I
>> will have the privilege to help plan our annual seminar for next year 
>> as well.
>> Previous
>>
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> 
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