[nfbmi-talk] Expressions in Independence Newsletter WINTER 2013

[Larry Posont]

 Expressions in Independence Newsletter   WINTER 2013

New Beginnings

Edited by: Alex Castillo

The winter season brings us snow, cold weather, hot chocolate and, for many
people, an opportunity to share good times with friends and family
through holiday celebrations. For others, the holidays are a time of
stress and doubt,
where these celebrations are reminders of negative experiences and
feelings of inadequacy.

This is why, at the Nebraska Center for the Blind and Visually
Impaired, we don’t only focus on what can be considered the "hard"
skills of blindness training,
such as cane travel, home management, communications, Braille, and
wood shop.  We also focus on what can be called the "soft" skills of
blindness training
for a learning experience that can serve in all aspects of life, once
the client leaves the Center.

This is why you will sometimes see pictures of both clients and staff
flying kites on our FB page, carving pumpkins, and making holiday
decorations. Sometimes
after losing your vision, it’s just as meaningful to know how to carve
a pumpkin with your grandchild as it is to cross busy intersections.

The theme of our newsletter this winter season is "New Beginnings."
Just as the New Year has marked the end of a year gone by, our last
four graduates
of 2012 are moving forward with new skills, new life lessons, and
newly formed lifelong friends. They are leaving behind those feelings
of inadequacy,
stress and doubt.

You will also find articles by our Center staff which will assist in
painting a more vivid picture of life at the Center. And as a winter
treat, an article
on Santa Claus and how he has dealt with his vision loss.

We hope you enjoy this installment of our newsletter, and, like our
Center graduates, may you also find your new beginning during this
winter season.

Director’s Corner

By: Fatos Floyd

Winter makes the mind drift to thoughts of ice and snow, especially
here in Nebraska.  Building snowmen and snowball fights, along with
skating and sledding,
are typical activities we think about.

As we look ahead to training in the new year, the image of the
snowball rolling down the hill may be very fitting.  We all know the
story of how the snowball
gets larger and larger as it rolls, gaining size and momentum as it
goes, becoming unstoppable and leaving a clear track of its progress.

Center training may be seen in much the same way.

As fresh new skills are shaped and practiced, progress initially may
seem small and slow.  With commitment and determination, abilities and
competence
gain speed and strength.  In the end, with sustained effort, an
unstoppable avalanche happens.

Once progress has reached this point, the changes made are very
obvious and can never be undone.

May the year ahead be one big avalanche for you!

What Do You Mean, "Blind"?

By Jeff Altman

Jeff Altman has been a travel instructor with the Nebraska Center for
the Blind and Visually Impaired for more than 15 years.  Travel class,
for many,
is one of the more psychologically demanding classes to participate in
while training at the Center. The nature of his work requires taking
clients into
areas and situations which often pins his students against
preconceived misconceptions of blindness believed by society. And
often, instructor and student
alike are faced with the same questions.

In our first article, he asks us to consider how we feel about the use
of the word "blind" and its repercussions , not only by sighted
people, but by people
who are blind themselves.

There are words in our language which have the power to make people
uncomfortable, that cause a wide variety of strong emotions, and
inspire people to
try to avoid their usage. Such a word is "blind" and in recent years
this word, along with many others that describe an individual's
physical characteristics,
has come to be viewed as improper and even demeaning. Of course, it is
not the words themselves which are the problem.  Rather, it is the
beliefs held
by our society regarding the conditions they represent that create
this sense of discomfort.

Certainly, blindness is not a desirable outcome for anyone, and it is
fair to assume that most people would initially find this experience
to be frightening
and frustrating. Any physical loss creates emotional trauma, and this
emotional response can only be made worse when the majority of the
information available
regarding this condition is simply false and misleading. There are so
many myths and misconceptions regarding blindness that the truth is
often difficult
to recognize, and it is sometimes overlooked entirely.

Many dictionaries define blindness as "the inability to see."  The
fact is that the majority of blind persons have some degree of vision.
A more correct
definition of blindness would be, "a level of visual function which is
limited to the degree that the individual is reliant upon other forms
of sensory
information in most situations and has developed and utilizes
alternative non-visual techniques to carry out the majority of
ordinary daily activities."

Many of these alternative techniques are well known by the general
public, such as the long white cane, guide dogs, and Braille.
Unfortunately, they are
not truly understood by most people. The sources of information most
people have at their disposal tend to reinforce the belief that the
blind are persons
of limited awareness living lives of quiet desperation, forced to
resort to methods which are woefully inadequate for meeting the
demands of even the most
basic of daily tasks, leaving us hopelessly dependent upon the
assistance of others and incapable of caring for ourselves, let alone
functioning as contributing
members of society. It is interesting to note that another popular
myth about blindness shifts us to the opposite end of the functional
spectrum, endowing
us with superior hearing, senses of touch and smell, and even a
mystical sixth sense. For those of us that are blind, we find it truly
amazing that these
beliefs persist in our society when so many of us live ordinary lives;
such perceptions could not possibly be any further from the truth.

At first, it may seem incredible that such clearly different points of
view could be accepted as equally true within one society; however,
there is a logical
explanation for their co-existence. Should one accept the notion that
the loss of vision renders a person hopeless, helpless, and oblivious
to the world
around him or her, then what possible explanation can there be when
you are confronted by a blind individual who is functioning at a level
well above your
expectations, other than to come to the conclusion that such people
must possess non-visual sensory powers well beyond those of ordinary
persons. Of course,
it is unthinkable to consider that the beliefs about blindness passed
down to us by our parents, teachers, and popular culture are false;
therefore, any
blind person that does not fit into our notion of what a blind person
should look or behave like must be an exception to the rule. Since
blindness is a
relatively rare occurrence, it is unlikely that the average person
will have the chance to have experiences which discredit our society's
prevailing beliefs.

Unfortunately, the fact that the majority of blind persons have some
degree of functional vision tends to further compound the confusion
regarding the
true levels of awareness and abilities of blind people. It is commonly
believed that the more vision you have, the greater your awareness of
the environment
and ability to perform ordinary activities will be. Therefore, very
often the success a blind individual experiences is credited to his or
her ability
to see, rather than his or her skill and competence as a person. Many
blind persons, unaware of the truth of blindness, have come to accept
these myths
as reality, and they find it easy to assume that all blind persons
must share their own negative experiences with blindness. They have
been led to believe
that the successes they have achieved either result from their
reliance upon remaining vision or are based upon their own unique
talents and abilities.
Many somehow perceive their success in performing the ordinary
activities of daily life as a great accomplishment, worthy of praise
and social recognition.

Given these culturally held beliefs about blindness, is it any wonder
that so many persons, both sighted and blind, seek to avoid the use of
this word?
For many blind individuals, there is the hope that by peeling off this
label, they can emphasize the physical abilities made possible by
utilizing their
remaining vision, and somehow slip the bonds of the social barriers
blindness creates. These individuals may even aspire to escape from
the self-defeating
dreadful notions of the effects of vision loss they have internalized,
and if at all possible, separate themselves from any association with
blindness.
For the sighted individual, there is comfort in knowing that one's
choice of words has allowed you to describe the person's physical
characteristics without
the risk of offending or having to undertake the effort required
actually to change your beliefs or attitudes about blindness.

Among the guardians of political correctness, there is a certain sense
of pride and gladness in knowing that our society has become more
accepting and
inclusive by simply changing the words we use to describe those we
consider less fortunate. They are prepared to defend their position by
harshly chastising
anyone that might challenge their notions. They have defined what is
appropriate language and attitudes regarding the characteristics of
others, and they
seem unwilling to consider any other opinions on the subject,
including the opinions of the very people who are living with these
characteristics. It is
interesting to consider that in spite of the proud accomplishments
touted by the guardians of political correctness, blind and disabled
persons are still
rarely welcomed as equals in either social or employment situations.

Our popular culture has generated a whole series of socially
acceptable, supposedly non-offensive, euphemisms to replace the words
we find uncomfortable,
and with regular usage and more than a little social pressure, they
have become commonplace in our language. Words such as blind,
crippled, or handicapped
are now looked upon as improper or even cruel. Terms such as "visually
impaired" and "physically challenged" have gained favor as the
appropriate terminology,
and labels such as "non-sighted" are not unusual in this awkward age
of the guilty social conscience.

For the sake of argument, let us consider how well such euphemisms
would be accepted should they be applied to characteristics other than
blindness by
a power-holding majority group. For example, would it be appropriate
to regard a person of Asian descent as being "racially impaired" in
the United States,
or a person living in Eastern Europe as "culturally challenged" by
Western Europeans, or for that matter a person having a darker skin
tone as "non-white"?
Clearly, such references would be viewed as offensive and demeaning,
and the reason is easily recognizable. Each of these terms compares
the individual's
characteristics to a perceived higher standard, and therefore infers
that the individual is somehow inferior. Can this be any less true for
persons who
are blind or have other characteristics which are considered to be
disabilities?

Certainly, we are obligated to respect the wishes of others when
making reference to their individual characteristics, and therefore,
should a blind individual
feel more comfortable with the term "visually impaired", it is only
proper that we accept his or her personal preference. However, I
firmly believe that
we should not feel the need to avoid the use of the word blind since
it properly describes a physical characteristic without making any
comparisons. If
a blind individual is offended by our use of the word blind, it is not
because we have done something wrong; rather, it is a matter of that
individual's
personal opinion. While it is appropriate to let these persons know
that we understand their feelings and respect their choice of
terminology, we should
not feel obligated to apologize for using a perfectly appropriate
word. On the other hand, should the word blind be used in conjunction
with a statement
which is intended to justify an action which denies opportunity based
upon a belief system that holds that blindness renders an individual
less aware or
less capable than others, then there are many good reasons to apologize.

New Beginnings: Commencement Articles from our Graduates

Laurie, Danna, Victor and Marty are our last four graduates of 2012.
They began training at the Center at around the same time, and have
become good mentors
to each other, and a very tight-knit group. At the Center, they were a
fun-loving bunch, and always made sure to keep things light, even
during those very
challenging lessons. And yet, they never forgot that their reasons for
attending Center training were very serious, and for them, marked the
start of new
outlooks and opportunities in life.

The following are heartfelt articles which were written by our
graduates to be shared during their graduation from the Center.

Commencement Letter

By: Laurie J.

It took Connie about five years of asking me to come to the Center. So
when all of the stars in the universe were in the right alignment, I
was ready to
come. I wish to thank Connie for her perseverance and wisdom to know
that I could benefit from this program.

I have had many blessings in my life, and with this experience, I can
add another one to the list.  I want to use the word CENTER as the
acronym for all
that I learned during this past year.

"C" is for the Commitment that we must have to complete this program.
Thank you to the staff for their compassion, and for their commitment
to teaching
us. It also stands for the Camaraderie that I have shared with the
other clients who have become my friends. Most of all, it has given me
the Confidence
to be successful in whatever I pursue.

"E" is for Education. This Education has been an edifying experience.
At times it was entertaining for the other clients, when I would get
lost in the
hall or in Cindy's storage closet. Despite the stumbling blocks, it
has been an enjoyable experience.

"N" is for Never giving up. One year ago, I did not believe that I
could learn Braille.   I also never thought I could cross O Street
under sleep shades.
Never take a peek from under your sleep shades, because Cindy will
catch you. Some days I might not have felt normal, but Normal was the
bus that brought
us to school every day.

"T" stands for the Teachers that I want to thank for all the skills
they taught me. From Cindy, I learned not to over-bake my cookies, and
how to know
when meat is done cooking without having to see it. Sahar taught me to
trust what my fingers are feeling when I come across a word such as F
J O R D. I
have learned that Fatos is Fabulous, and Nancy is naughty, but I do
not understand why those Feds gave Germs to that House in Iowa. Mike
taught me never
to hitchhike, so I have him to thank for keeping all of my fingers.
Jeff gave me the tools to walk faster than a 95-year-old. Mitzy taught
me not to be
afraid of my computer. She gave me the skills to compose this letter,
and that spell check is one of the greatest key strokes ever invented.
 Last but
not least, "T" is for the tears that were shed. But I am glad to admit
the tears of laughter and joy far outweighed the tears of frustration.

"E" is for Exit. I recently heard that for every door you exit, you
are also entering into a new beginning.

"R" is for the Recognition that needs to be given to the entire staff
at the Commission for their dedication to teaching us, now members of
the blind community,
the skills that will enrich our lives. I will take with me the
knowledge that I am not defined by my blindness.

Commencement Article

By: Danna Y.

I am dedicating this article to my mother.  Because she raised me no
differently than my siblings, she gave me the ability to live my life
independently
and to the fullest.  I also thank God for the gift of being able to
tell her how I felt before she passed.

My decision to go to the Center was not an easy one, but once I made
the commitment, I hoped to get some instruction in cane travel and
some computer skills.
I had no idea how much I would gain from this experience.

I was diagnosed with juvenile degeneration of the retina as a small
child.  Over the years, I adapted, and did not let my blindness hold
me back.  Now
that I am older (60, to be exact), I wanted to take the responsibility
for my mobility; I wanted to keep my independence.  The Center gave me
this opportunity.
It provided me with the best of the best.

My travel instructor worked with me on travel skills, as well as the
social and emotional aspects of using a cane.  Now, rather than
feeling uncomfortable
about using a cane, I look at it as a tool, like a pair of glasses.
This class has given me a foundation that I can continue to build on.

Although home management was nothing new to me (I am a wife of forty
years, a mother and grandmother), I still learned new and different
nonvisual alternatives.
For me, this class was fun and confidence-building.

For the first time in my adult life, the communications class has made
it possible for me to do my own correspondence.  I know that I will
continue to
learn and improve my computer skills.

Shop class is so much more than learning to use tools and completing a
project.  It is about knowing that you can do things that you may
never have done
before.  The students that have previously relied on their vision will
have the confidence to continue without it after learning nonvisual
alternatives.

At first, I thought that I could use Braille for some simple
organizational purposes.  Little did I know that Braille would open up
a new world for me.
For the first time in my life, I am able to read without a struggle.
This is my wish for every child.

I want to thank all of the agency staff, the front desk staff, the
field and Center staff from the bottom of my heart.

Back to Life

By: Victor I.

A little more than a year ago, I lost my job due to my deteriorating
eyesight.  I was no longer able to meet performance standards.  I
didn’t know what
I was going to do.  I couldn’t even fill out an application.  Shortly
after I lost my job, my father came from Indiana to help me get my
affairs in order.
The first appointment we had was with Connie Daly at the Nebraska
Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired.  That meeting turned
into the best thing
that could have happened to me.

Not long after, I was getting some in-house training from Connie and
Larry Roos.  It very quickly became apparent that I should start
training at the Center.
I then went through a three-day stay and started at the Center
full-time on January 30, 2012.

There is no question that this, in the beginning, was extremely
taxing, both mentally and physically.  After about three weeks, I
started to get used to
it, and sort of got into the routine.  It never gets easy, but it
certainly gets better.

For some, eight hours a day under sleep shades can be stressful and
downright overwhelming.  I actually never felt that way.  I think this
is because I
knew that the Center is where I needed to be at this time in my life.
I went from being lost to having hope.

Over the last nine months, I have learned more than I can mention in
this letter.  There is one thing that I feel is the most important to
me.  I have
regained much of the confidence I had when I had more sight.

The training wasn’t all hard work; I had a lot of fun, too.  I also
met friends that I hope I will have forever.  Thanks to all of the
staff and clients
for making the last nine months invaluable, and an experience that I
will never forget.

Shooting from the Heart

By: Marty B.

I’m going to talk to you about my Center experience, and I’m going to
shoot from the heart.  When I first came to the Center, I wondered if
I had made
the right decision.  As time went by, I knew that I made the right
choice by coming here.  I’m going to tell you about some of the good
and bad times I
have experienced at the Center.

One of the most memorable times at the Center for me was when Danna
and I were dropped off at A Street Market.  Before the drop, we were
kidding Cindy
that we were going to get some drinks on the drop.  When we were
dropped, we bounced around for a little while, but finally found the
store.  We left the
A Street Market and waited at the bus stop for a few minutes.  It was
a very hot day, and I had forgotten my drink in Cindy’s car.  We
decided to go back
and get something non-alcoholic to drink from the A Street Market.  We
started to go into a building when Cindy stopped us and said that she
thought we
were kidding about getting that drink.  Danna and I realized then that
we were going into the liquor store instead of the market.

When we found our bearings, we went into the grocery store.  We asked
the clerk if she knew what time the next bus would be coming.  She
told us that the
bus was going by right then.  We called the bus station and asked when
the next bus would be arriving.  They said that it would be another
hour before
we could catch it.  Danna asked me if I wanted to wait at the bus
stop, or if I wanted to walk back to the Center.  I decided to walk.

On the way back to the Center, it started to rain.  We were soaked to
the bone, but we laughed.  After all, we’re not made of sugar; we
weren’t going to
melt.  When we got back, Cindy congratulated us for our accomplishment.

In home management class, I learned many alternative ways to cook.
The first day I made mac and cheese, I did everything perfectly, until
I thought that
my dish needed “a little kick.” I decided to add some Cajun pepper to
the mac and cheese, so I took the lid off and sprinkled a little spice
into my dish--or
so I thought.  Instead, I poured the whole bottle into the mac and
cheese.  Needless to say, it had a bit more kick than I wanted.  As
time went on, I
realized that I liked cooking more than I thought I did.  I gained
about 20 pounds to prove that.

In shop, I learned about the click ruler and how it worked.  I used
power tools with no vision, and I built a nice-looking fishing pole
holder.  Thank
you, Mike, for your help.

As for Braille, I tried very hard to read it, but my fingers wouldn’t
let me feel it.  However, I can write it.  Thank you, Sahar, for being
patient with
me.

In communications, the first thing I learned was typing, since I did
not know how to type.  I also learned how to surf the web and how to
get my email.
Thank you, Mitzy, for everything.

Finally, in travel, in the beginning, I was hugging the walls, both
because of my balance problems, and because I was not confident.  I
remember the first
time I went to Ideal on 27th Street.  I hated the traffic, and went up
a driveway to get away from the noise.  As time went on, I realized
that traffic
was my friend.  One day, it just clicked, and travel has been much
easier for me since.

Thank you for the wonderful times I have had at the Center, and for
the opportunity you have given me to better my life.  I made friends
whom I will cherish
for the rest of my days.

On The Back Burner

By Cindy Zimmer

Cindy has been with our Center for 20 years, and there is no recipe,
craft, or special project which she has not come across and learned to
do without
use of her eyesight. As always, she lets us know all about the
projects and activities which the Center has taken part in throughout
the last few months.


August-December, 2012

Wow, where do I start?  We were definitely busy during these past 4 months.

Five commencement meals were hosted, along with one mini meal.
Chicken parmesan, chicken-fried steak, chicken pesto, chicken cordon
bleu and meatloaf.
Yes, all chicken dishes and one great-tasting meatloaf.  In case you
were counting, a couple of clients made chicken parmesan.   Marty sure
has the homemade
frosting perfected for his brownies!

Some of you know that I love to fish, and if there is ever an
opportunity to go fishing, I am in.  The Center clients and staff
practiced our casting and
headed off to the local lake.  We had some old pros who were trying to
catch the big ones, but the newbies sure had fun reeling in the
smaller fish.  We
were at a "catch and release" lake, so no fish fry this time.  Can you
guess who holds the worms in their mouth so they are close at hand
when needed?

This was an election year, and even though some clients were not able
to vote, they did go along and learn about the voting machine and the
voting practices
in the United States.  We also had at least two people voting for the
first time!  What a sense of accomplishment and independence.

On October 23rd, Victor and Danna hosted our first Appetizer Day.  All
staff and clients made an appetizer to share with each other.  Victor
and Danna
each had to make two so we had plenty of great food to eat.  Have you
ever tried bacon-wrapped water chestnuts or bacon-wrapped asparagus?
YUM!

It’s Halloween time.  We carved our pumpkins and had some very
creative designs.   Clients continue to like the alternative of
placing a hole in the center
of a paper dessert plate and placing it over the stem to use as a
template for cutting off the top.  Did you know that if you use a
cookie cutter you can
scrape off the outside layer of the pumpkin, leaving the design
(cookie cutter shape) behind?  When a candle is placed inside the
pumpkin, the design illuminates.

The pumpkins were judged, and prizes were awarded during our Halloween
Soup Luncheon. This year, clients made chili, seafood chowder and
vegetable-beef
soup.  Fatos brought in some lentil soup for everyone to try, and
Mitzy shared some broccoli-cheese soup.  Several clients and staff
dressed up for the
costume contest.  Laurie’s witch costume was very scary, and the
hand-painted eyes on her sleep shades were unbelievable.

It’s generally known that if I overhear a client saying they are
scared to do a certain task due to their blindness, you can bet I will
arrange things
to help them reach that goal.  Even if they are positive it is not
their goal.  This year, two clients carved the turkeys for our
Thanksgiving lunch.
It is such a joy to hear a client say thanks for pushing them into
doing something they had given up or never tried.  I was even told
they had fun.  We
served over 45 people this year, and if I listed all the food that the
Center clients cooked, I would have to add another page to this
newsletter.  Let
me just say it was all very tasty!

We finished out our year putting up the Christmas tree and decorating
the Center for the holidays.  Several clients helped make reindeer
with candy cane
antlers for the doors.  A former client, Stephanie, came and taught us
all how to make cornhusk dolls.  Thanks, Steph!  There was a lot of
laughing, and
we had some very unique dolls.

Our holiday baking made us all look a little more like Santa Claus.
Marty and Victor brought in some deer and beef jerky, and even those
on diets sure
enjoyed the great food.  New recipes that Center clients tried this
year were peppermint patties, Butterfinger candy bars, and sugar-free
lemon popcorn.

Giving back is something we encourage, and this year, the Center did
an activity at the mall where we did some of our Christmas shopping,
but also rang
bells for the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign.

The end of the year always brings graduation, and this year was no
different.  The last three members of the “Fab Five” (Laurie, Danna,
Victor, Marty,
and Dave) graduated just before our holiday break.  We will miss all
five of them and want to wish them all the best of luck in their next
ventures.

And of course, we would all like to extend big congratulations to
Tammy and Dave, who met at the Center this past year, and got married
in December!

 My Experiences at Hy-Vee

By: Laurel F.

Quite often, our graduates call and send us letters which describe the
positive changes in their lives that have occurred after Center
training. Laurel
is one of our graduates, and she tells us how much she has enjoyed
working and having those necessary skills to feel confident and
competent at her job.

I know that many of you are probably wondering what I have been up to
since I have moved back to Omaha. Well, now I am successfully employed
at Hy-Vee,
a grocery store part of a national chain, here in Omaha.  I love my
job, and I would not give it up for anything.

Some rather interesting things have happened.  One of them was when
Dave Webber from Channel 6 came up to me and asked me whether I was
the smile in every
aisle. I said of course, and not only just in every aisle, but in the
entry way as well.

Another funny thing happened last night.  As I was giving a customer
the ad, he asked me,  “Are you Mrs. Hy or Mrs. Vee?” Of course, I got
a big laugh
out of that one.

Also I’ve enjoyed seeing friends from years past, and teachers from
elementary school years, and from Grace University.  I have enjoyed
every minute of
interacting with them.  When I saw my special ed teacher from
elementary school, it was a pleasant surprise. It has been a long time
since I have seen
her.  As for instructors from Grace that come in and shop, it is
always a blessing to see them, knowing that they are always praying
for me as I go through
this journey of independence.  Working has been such a great stress
reducer, and I have been happier, and have not had nearly  the anxiety
issues that
I have been having.  I have found out that being around people has
been a good thing for me, and it keeps me happy, and keeps me from
going into depression.
It also keeps me busy, and makes the days go by so much faster.

Also the experience that I have had navigating my way around the store
has been very interesting.  The staff there is completely in awe of
how I get around,
and I don’t take any of the credit for my ability to navigate so well.
 The credit goes to Jeff Altman, who taught me how to use my cane
properly, and
it has stuck with me.  They all say that I get around like I am not
blind, but how little do they know. Thank you to the staff at the
Center for teaching
me so well. I really appreciate it.  It is why I can now say that I am
Hy-Vee, and that I am a helpful smile in every aisle. I am taking part
in making
the lives of the customers easier, healthier and happier. And that is
my goal--to make everyone’s lives’ easier, healthier and happier.  So
come on in
to my Hy-Vee and you will be greeted by the helpful smile in the entry way!

A Cane for Santa

By Alex Castillo

Alex Castillo is the Apartment Resource Counselor for the Nebraska
Center for the Blind. He makes sure that clients are well oriented in
independent apartment
living, and that clients are getting out and about in the city of
Lincoln. About a year ago, he visited Louisiana, where he received
blindness training
in a center much like our own. It was there that he heard the following story.

Most people know about Santa Claus. He’s the jolly old fellow who,
along with a team of flying reindeer and tireless elves, work
year-round so that on
one night out of every year, they can bring presents to children and
adults all over the world. What many people are not aware of is that
one year, Santa
began noticing that his vision was not what it used to be. Of course,
he did not want to admit it to himself, but driving that sleigh at
night, and being
up there in the sky with all of those airplanes zooming by, made him
feel quite unsafe.

It was no surprise when the gossip started in the North Pole that
Santa had gone blind, and that he was quitting the holidays. He became
depressed, and
without his work, he lost his sense of purpose in life. The man was a
real sad mess.

On one of those special holiday nights, everything started going
downhill, and just got worse and worse as the night progressed. The
naughty and nice lists
were becoming a blur, and he handed out the wrong toys to more than 1
billion people.

I know what you might be thinking at this moment. If Santa had gone
blind, you would have surely heard about it. I’m not saying this is
all true, but was
there one year in which you received absolutely the most unlikely gift
ever? Well, if the answer is yes, then this story might make a little
sense.

After getting home that night, Santa could do little more than lock
himself up in his office at the toy factory, and no matter how hard
anyone tried to
cheer him up, he could do absolutely nothing for a very long time.

This is the story I heard last year when I was visiting friends in
Ruston, Louisiana. They say that one year after he had lost his
vision, Santa came down
there to receive training at their blindness center. “He could barely
even see Rudolph’s nose,” they said. “He had lost about 75 pounds when
he first arrived,
and wouldn’t even touch a cookie."  They would whisper, "He’d get real
close to ya when he was talking.  Couldn’t tell north from south even
if he was
holding a compass, bless his heart.”

And apparently the entire town knew about this phenomenon. So
well-known was the story down there that a writer by the name of Jerry
Whittle wrote a play
about the whole ordeal, and everyone in town came to see the production.

When I asked how come Santa didn’t choose Nebraska to come and train
(after all, we have an awesome Center right here, and it would seem
the obvious choice,
with all the snow, howling winds, and freezing weather we get), the
answer I received was: “Well, Nebraska? With all that snow up there?
He’d be recognized
in a heartbeat if he stepped outside dressed in all red in his Husker
gear.“  They said: “Down here, he’s just another blind guy with a
beard.”

The more I thought about the story, about this blind and depressed
Santa Claus, the more sense it made. Often when people start to lose
their eyesight,
they feel ashamed, and even worthless. People find themselves
transforming from a productive and contributing member of their family
or community to just
sitting passively, watching life and everyone else pass them by. We
often confuse the inability to do with the inability to see. And all
it would take
for us to get back into our routine, or even find a more exciting and
challenging new one, is to understand that with some blindness
training, many doors
can open with the promise of opportunity.

Training centers do not create Santa Clauses. But they can help Santa
figure out how he can do his job non-visually, as a respectable blind
person.

As I recall, the play ended with Santa making the decision to keep the
toy factories open and to stay in the job as Santa Claus. He arrived
at the North
Pole to continue his yearly duties, with some new blindness skills and
alternatives.  It was a truly happy ending.

But the people in Ruston tell a different story. They say that he
didn’t go back to the North Pole right away. “Oh, he had some trouble
with the training,” they
said. "At first, he was always lifting those sleep shades." They said
he would use the excuse of being overheated to lift them and peek
during every class.


He didn’t like travel very much, they said. Oh, Santa--Santa, you
would see him just hiding when it was time for travel class.

But what surprised me the most was when they told me: “The first time
Santa stepped into the wood shop and heard those live blades running,
he almost fainted.”
One would think that someone who has been working with factory
machinery their whole lives would be able to handle a radial arm saw.

As time went by, he settled into the center and became an excellent student.

But after training, he didn’t go back to the North Pole right away. He
wanted to try out a new career. He went to work at this Cajun
restaurant as a cook
in the next town. During training, Santa had discovered that he had
let Mrs. Claus do all the cooking during their entire marriage, but he
actually enjoyed
working in the kitchen. “Could ya’all imagine that?” they said. “Santa
as a cook in a Cajun restaurant?”

I suppose he just felt like he wanted some independence. Like many
people after they finish blindness training, he must have felt a bit
rebellious and
must have wanted to prove to anyone that he could go far beyond the
common expectations for a blind person. It wasn’t until the Mrs.
threatened to come
and get him that he decided to go back up north.

Sometimes the path to independence isn’t obvious. Sometimes, like
Santa, we need to figure ourselves out for a little while.  Sometimes,
blindness gives
us an opportunity to learn and make decisions which vary greatly from
those in our past, and that we would never have thought possible if we
had not lost
our eyesight.  And sometimes, we just get a stronger sense of who we are.

The first step toward independence, and starting your life (or getting
it back) is recognizing when it’s time to receive training, and then
going through
that training in a program that will allow you to fully realize
yourself as a respectable blind person.

After all, this is our life, and we live through our choices.

As for the story about Santa, you can believe it or not, but the
children and grownups are still receiving presents on time and without
any strange mix-ups.
Polls show that he’s been doing a better job year after year.  And
just the other day, I read a review about some new restaurant opening
up on the North
Pole which specializes in Cajun cuisine.

Note: This story was adapted from the play written by Jerry Whittle.

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading this issue of our newsletter, and may
you have a wonderful year ahead of you.

Don’t forget to check out our FB page at:
www.facebook.com/NebraskaCenterForTheBlind

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and our Twitter feed at: https://twitter.com/necenter4blind

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We also have a monthly blog which can be found at:

http://nebraskacenterfortheblind.blogspot.com/

Sincerely,

The Center Team