[nfbmi-talk] Discovering Opportunities for Employment and Success Seminar

Fri Apr 3 04:36:18 UTC 2015

Hey all,

Thank you all so much for your kind words and support of the DOES seminar. Means the world to me.

I've gotten many emails stating how impactful the seminar was and how it changed people's perceptions of blindness and employment. These types of emails just honestly fill my heart with so much joy and pride. I can't really explain how amazing of a feeling it is to know that you have possibly changed many lives and helped inspire confidence and empower others to be successful.

I'd be more than happy to do a seminar like this again in the future; in fact, I would like to strongly consider proposing and putting something together for the Friday of state convention for individuals seeking their first job, as well as a session on how to effectively use social media websites such as Linkedin and Facebook.

I had so much fun getting to know all the attendees of the seminar and really hope they will be back for other NFB events throughout the years to come. Everyone asked great questions and participated fully and actively throughout all the activities of the weekend, and I am just so pleased and happy with how everything turned out.

I am creating a survey for the DOES attendees that will be sent out tomorrow, and am looking forward to the feedback they will share with me to incorporate into future events.

Again, thank you all so much for believing in the student division and supporting us throughout the planning and executing process of the DOES seminar. 

Jordyn
> On Apr 2, 2015, at 12:21 PM, Elizabeth Mohnke via nfbmi-talk <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hello Christine and all,
> 
> Jordyn and J.J. did a really great job putting this seminar together. All of
> the speakers were great, and I think I learned at least one new thing from
> every speaker who spoke during the seminar. I also had a fun time hanging
> out with people and playing games after the speaker sessions were done for
> the day. I think there was a good mix of informative speakers and fun
> activities for this event.
> 
> I believe other people got something out of this seminar too. On my way to
> breakfast on Sunday morning, I heard one of the young high school students
> say that something was a learning experience for him. I did not catch what
> he was talking about, but I would imagine it had something to do with the
> weekend. I also saw another high school student become more outspoken and
> assertive as the seminar progressed throughout the weekend. I have never
> seen either one of these high school students attend an NFB sponsored event
> before. 
> 
> Sometimes people learn things simply by being around other blind people
> without anyone ever realizing it. This was something I learned when I
> participated in the last bridge walk. There were a couple of older high
> school students, or recent high school graduates, who were pretty much doing
> their own thing during the weekend. However, when we were alone in the car
> waiting for our driver who was willing to give us a ride home, one of these
> students asked me a couple of questions about my blindness as we were
> waiting for our driver. I honestly had no idea how much they may have been
> paying attention to me that weekend.
> 
> I share this story with you to say that I am sure that everyone who attended
> the seminar this past weekend most likely gained something from it. As the
> moderator of the seminar, Jordyn did a great job providing a safe inclusive
> environment where it was okay to ask questions, to be blind, and to learn
> from each other. I hope the state affiliate can have more events like this
> one in the future.
> 
> Warm regards,
> Elizabeth
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbmi-talk [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org <mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org>] On Behalf Of
> Christine Boone via nfbmi-talk
> Sent: Thursday, April 02, 2015 11:17 AM
> To: J.J. Meddaugh; NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] Discovering Opportunities for Employment and
> Success Seminar
> 
> JJ, Jordyn, Terri, Jeff, Fred and All:  I want to commend all of you guys
> for taking the initiative to hold this empowering seminar. From the dream,
> through the logistics to the enactment, you guys were focused, determined
> and totally committed to making this seminar a success.      
> 
> If you positively impacted the life of even 1 blind student I believe you
> could count the weekend as well worth your collective efforts.  And I am
> confident that the lives of many young blind students were enriched last
> weekend.  
> 
> Next year will be even better. I hope to be there with you in 2016.  Kudo's
> to you all!
> 
> Warm Regards,
> Christine
> I
>  .  
> Boone Christine Sent from my iPhone
> 
> On Apr 1, 2015, at 11:16 PM, J.J. Meddaugh via nfbmi-talk
> <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Thank you Larry for your support of the DOES Seminar. We had roughly 25 in
> attendance throughout the weekend, many of which were attending an NFB event
> for the first time. Seeing the empowerment in students, whether it was
> learning skills necessary to get hired, or simply going from the meeting
> room to the restrooms without sighted guide for the first time, provided a
> first-hand reminder of why we need to continue doing events like this.
> 
> Students learned what to put and not put on a resume, how to present
> themselves at a business lunch, and strategies for approaching tough
> interview questions. We also had some great discussions surrounding tough
> questions such as when to disclose your disability and how or when to
> request accomodations. Fred presented an excellent talk on nonverbal
> communication that was well-researched.
> 
> In addition, we heard Terri Wilcox's story of how she got involved in the
> NFB, got some tips on useful iPhone apps from Jeff, discussed the importance
> of NFB training centers, and talked about state and national scholarships.
> 
> Participants were given a thumb drive with handouts from the presenters as
> well as NFB information, literature, and audio. Several of the participants
> were quite interested in both follow-up seminars on additional topics and
> attending state or national convention.
> 
> Logistically, the event ran under budget. In addition, we have the contact
> information for all participants so we can keep people up-to-date with
> future events. We'll also endeavor to connect people to local chapters.
> 
> Naturally, there will be areas where we can improve, and a feedback survey
> will be sent to the participants in the coming days. One of the challenges
> we recognized is that high school and college students are often at a
> different place when it comes to looking for jobs, whether it's a first job
> or a long-term career.
> 
> I need to give a ton of credit to Jordyn who put together the agenda for the
> weekend, which was packed and included a lot of useful information. Thanks
> also to Candice Chapman, who joined us representing the National association
> of Blind Students.
> 
> Thanks again, and I hope this event can serve as a foundation for the
> future.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Best regards,
> J.J.
> 
>> On 3/29/2015 6:22 PM, Larry Posont wrote:
>> National Federation of the Blind of Michigan
>> 7189 Connors Rd.
>> Munising, MI 49862
>> 
>> March 29, 2015
>> 
>> Dear Jordyn and J.J.:
>> 
>>     Thank you very much for the excellent job you did coordinating 
>> the Discovering Opportunities for Employment and Success Seminar this 
>> past week end. It was very successful. All of the speakers did a fine 
>> job. The Federation should do more of this since it gets students 
>> interested and involved. Students are Federation members now and 
>> potential leaders in the future. Once again, thank you for a job well 
>> done.
>> 
>> Sincerely,
>> Larry Posont
>> President
>> National Federation of the Blind of Michigan
>> (906) 387-3546
>> Email: president.nfb.mi at gmail.com
>> Web page: www.nfbmi.org
>> 
>> Munising home of the beautiful Pictured Rocks.
> 
> 
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