[NFB-Utah] THIS SATURDAY... Project STRIVE!!!

[Nfb Utah]

We are back from Washington seminar and it’s time for a monthly activity!



Saturday, February 9th

at DSBVI (250 N. 1950 W. Salt Lake City)

10 AM to 4 PM

We are having our annual Fitness February activity!



In addition to playing goalball and discussing other fitness options
for the blind, we have the honor of hosting special guests Roland and
Pam Allen from Ruston, Louisiana!



Come dressed in comfy clothes and please bring your blind or low vision friends!



Adaptive sports equipment will be given away, perhaps to YOU!

Basketball with bell

Football with bell

Beeping frisbee

& more



As always, transportation will be provided from St. George, Logan,
Vernal and other points in between. Please respond to this email or
contact a member of the STRIVE team and we will find a way to get you
there Saturday!



If you haven’t already had the pleasure of getting to know our
celebrity guests, please read the following: a bio of Pam from NFB.org
and an empassioned letter to President Obama written by Roland.



Pam (Dubel) Allen

Pam became blind when she was approximately two years old as a result
of retinal blastoma, a type of cancer. Although her parents were
shocked by her loss of sight, they fortunately realized that she was
still the same child except that she could no longer see. Through love
and high expectations, they instilled in Pam a sense of pride and
confidence in her ability to succeed. They constantly taught her that
her blindness was not a limitation to achieving her goals and dreams.
Her itinerant teacher provided a sound foundation in Braille, which
helped her excel in academics. Her parents expected her to do her best
and to engage in activities that would make her a confident and
well-rounded person. She participated in horseback riding, skiing, and
cheerleading during elementary school. During high school her
interests shifted to performing in chorus, doing community service,
and having fun with her friends.



While growing up, Pam had limited contact with other blind people her
age. In general she had no desire to associate with other blind
people. She understood that every high school senior experiences some
trepidation about the transition to adulthood and independence.
However, as high school graduation approached, she began to grapple
with questions that her sighted peers couldn't answer. She planned to
attend college, and she hoped that she would eventually find a job,
but she secretly wondered if she would truly be able to obtain
employment. After all, she had had difficulty finding part-time work
during high school. Her loving family and friends encouraged her, but
she had questions that went unanswered.  Although she entered college
with some apprehension, she was determined to achieve her best. Her
small liberal arts college provided an exciting environment in which
to learn and grow. But those unanswered questions continued to nag at
her. If people were amazed that she could accomplish the most
insignificant tasks, would they ever treat her as an equal? She
realized that she had to meet other blind people with more experience
than she who could serve as role models.



Her search exposed her to a wide variety of groups and organizations
of and for the blind. However, not until she attended a student
seminar hosted by the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio did she
begin to find the answers for which she had been searching. Although
she didn't realize it at the time, that seminar marked the beginning
of a new chapter of her life. She met Barbara Pierce, president of the
NFB of Ohio, who told Pam about the Louisiana Center for the Blind.
More than that, she spoke with Joanne Wilson, its director, who
arranged for Pam to complete an internship at the center the following
May. As soon as that was completed, Joanne invited her to work as a
counselor in the children's summer program that year.



Pam was a 1991 National Federation of the Blind scholarship winner
when she was a senior at Denison University, where she majored in
psychology and minored in women's studies. She served as vice
president of the Ohio Association of Blind Students and as secretary
of the National Association of Blind Students, and throughout college
she worked summers for Joanne Wilson at the Louisiana Center for the
Blind with the Children's Program.



After graduation from college Pam decided to become a student at the
Louisiana Center for the Blind. She recognized that she still needed
to gain some confidence in her skills and in her ability to be a
successful blind person.



Since 2001 Pam Allen has served as the director of the Louisiana
Center for the Blind, one of three NFB adult rehabilitation centers.
Prior to becoming the director, she served as the director of youth
services, working with blind infants and toddlers and their parents,
supervising the training of classroom aides to teach Braille
throughout Louisiana, coordinating summer camps, and developing
innovative programs for blind children and teenagers.



People often ask her what makes the Louisiana Center for the Blind
such a special place. She responds, "What sets our alumni apart from
those of other kinds of rehabilitation facilities? The answer is that,
by attending our center and the other centers conducted by
Federationists, students are exposed to the National Federation of the
Blind and its philosophy. The NFB is more than an organization; it is
a loving family. Regardless of where you are, you can find members of
the NFB who can give you support and encouragement when you need it.
The NFB also provides a constant supply of mentors and role models who
challenge you to set goals for yourself.  Lives are positively changed
every day at the Center because of the philosophy of the NFB."



Allen recalls that she used to believe that she did not need other
blind people. She thought that being independent meant succeeding
without the help of others. Her involvement with the National
Federation of the Blind has taught her that this is not true. She has
learned that she needs reinforcement from her blind colleagues and
friends.



Pam lives in Ruston, Louisiana, with her husband Roland Allen, a
dedicated Federation leader and a gifted orientation and mobility
instructor at the center. She is currently the president of the NFB of
Louisiana and secretary of the National Association of Blind
Rehabilitation Professionals. In July of 2002 she was elected to the
National Federation of the Blind board of directors. Four years later,
in 2006, she was elected to serve as treasurer of the National
Federation of the Blind. In 2012, Pam and Roland received the
prestigious Jacobus tenBroek Award in recognition of their
distinguished service in the Federation. In 2015, Pam was elected as
first vice president of the National Federation of the Blind. Allen is
also involved in a variety of community and professional
organizations, including the Chamber of Commerce and as a
gubernatorial appointee to the Louisiana Rehabilitation Council.  She
says, "Being elected to the national board has allowed me to give back
and to spread the message of our movement. It is an incredible honor
and privilege to serve!"





Roland Allen

Ruston, Louisiana

August 28, 2009



Dear President Obama:

Thank you for your outstanding leadership and commitment to achieving
equality for all citizens. Today our nation faces a crisis for blind
children and adults. Fewer than 10 percent of blind children today
learn to read and write Braille. A shortage in teachers of the blind
and misconceptions about the need to learn Braille contribute to the
high rate of illiteracy among blind people. Approximately 70 percent
of blind adults are unemployed or underemployed. Poor literacy skills
are clearly a primary reason for this unacceptably high rate.



I have a degenerative eye condition called retinitis pigmentosa.
Although I was diagnosed in my early teens and educators knew that my
vision would progressively deteriorate, I was not taught Braille in
high school. I struggled to keep up with my schoolwork as print became
increasingly difficult to read. As a result, reading was not an
activity that I enjoyed; it became a dreaded chore. My grades and
self-confidence were negatively affected as my vision worsened.



After high school graduation I enrolled at the Louisiana Center for
the Blind, the best training facility in the country for blind people.
I was introduced to Braille for the first time, and I began to learn
to read and write again. Fortunately I had an outstanding instructor
who motivated and challenged me. As a result I now have the ability to
use Braille in my daily life. I am no longer illiterate. If I had
learned Braille in high school, however, my experience in college and
beyond would have been vastly different. I would have had more time to
develop my skills and increase my reading speed.



President Obama, I know that you are deeply committed to ensuring that
all Americans have the opportunity to achieve and excel. Please help
us stop the Braille literacy crisis for the nation’s blind. You can
make a difference.

Sincerely,

Roland Allen

Roland’s life is dedicated to improving the opportunities, training
and attitudes for blind individuals. He teaches cane travel at the
Louisiana Center for the Blind.

-- 
National Federation of the Blind Utah
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