
<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><br id="lineBreakAtBeginningOfSignature"><div dir="ltr">Sent from my iPhone</div><div dir="ltr"><br>Begin forwarded message:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><b>From:</b> Sanho Steele-Louchart via NFBMI-Talk <nfbmi-talk@nfbnet.org><br><b>Date:</b> October 29, 2024 at 11:31:59 PM CDT<br><b>To:</b> NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List <NFBMI-Talk@nfbnet.org><br><b>Cc:</b> Sanho Steele-Louchart <sanho817@gmail.com>, NFB of Michigan Wayne County Chapter List <nfbmi-wayne-county@nfbnet.org>, Donna Posont <dposont@umich.edu><br><b>Subject:</b> <b>Re: [NFBMI-Talk] Washington post article</b><br><b>Reply-To:</b> NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List <nfbmi-talk@nfbnet.org><br><br></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><span>Donna: </span><br><span></span><br><span>Just wanted to say thanks for sharing. I look forward to Birding By Ear from afar. </span><br><span></span><br><span>Warmth, </span><br><span>Sanho </span><br><span></span><br><blockquote type="cite"><span>On Oct 29, 2024, at 11:08 PM, Donna Posont via NFBMI-Talk <nfbmi-talk@nfbnet.org> wrote:</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Inspired Life</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Blind birders in tune with bird sounds, call themselves 'bird brains'</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>"The world is designed for sighted people, but nature is a place where it's</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>okay to be blind," said Donna Posont, founder of Birding by Ear and Beyond.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>By Cathy Free</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>October 27, 2024 at 8:10 a.m. EDT</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Jerusalem Crawley grew up in Detroit, where he didn't have much contact with</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>nature.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>"I was a typical city kid and birds were the last thing on my mind," said</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Crawley, now 22, who is visually impaired. "I didn't know one bird from</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>another. I thought they were all the same."</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Then when Crawley was 8, his mom sent him to Camp Tuhsmeheta (short for</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>touch, smell, hear and taste) where he met Donna Posont, who was leading a</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>class about birding.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Posont, who is blind, introduced him and other blind and visually impaired</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>summer campers to the sounds of American robins, blue jays, cardinals, birds</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>of prey and woodpeckers.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>"I was immediately fascinated and wanted to learn more," said Crawley,</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>adding that he was surprised to learn there are more than 11,000 bird</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>species.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Studies have shown that listening to birdsong is beneficial to mental</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>health.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Fourteen years later, Crawley is still an avid birder with Posont's Birding</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>by Ear and Beyond program at the University of Michigan at Dearborn. It</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>allows people with low vision to study birds in a 120-acre natural area</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>surrounding the university.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Posont, who was born with a genetic eye condition called retinitis</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>pigmentosa and is blind (she does not like to use the term visually</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>impaired), started her monthly birding outings in 2009, with the goal of</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>teaching blind people to explore nature independently.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>"Blindness doesn't need to limit anyone - you can learn about nature and</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>identify trees and plants and birds using the other senses," said Posont,</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>67, who lives in Dearborn.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>For example, participants in her outings might learn that red maple leaves</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>have rough edges, while silver maple leaves have a soft undercoating.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Blind people usually have heightened senses of hearing, smell and touch,</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>adding to the experience of the excursions. She and her group explore the</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>trails of the university's nature reserve with their white canes, pausing to</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>listen to the birds swooping overhead or nesting in the trees.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Donna Posont, the founder of Birding by Ear and Beyond, said her nature</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>outings help blind people to develop confidence in life. (Judy Armstrong )</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>She has learned to identify individual bird songs and calls, she said,</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>explaining that she plays audio recordings in a classroom before taking her</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>group into the woods. Posont's efforts were recently featured by Audubon.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>One month, her class might learn about red-winged blackbirds, she said,</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>while another month, they might stand in the forest and listen for the</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>chatter of American crows. A red-winged blackbird's song starts with an</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>abrupt note that turns into a musical trill, while an American crow's call</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>is a more common "caw, caw, caw."</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>"We call ourselves 'bird brains,'" she joked.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>She said when she was growing up in the small town of West Liberty, West</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Virginia, she never imagined that one day she'd teach others about the avian</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>world she hadn't seen since she lost her sight in the second grade.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Posont dreamed of studying biology in college, but said she couldn't find a</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>school with the proper equipment to teach a blind person.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>"In 1974, you had to use a microscope to study things," she said. "That's</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>the only way they knew how to teach biology then. So instead, I earned a</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>[bachelor's] degree in social work."</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>She and her former husband moved to Michigan, she said, where they raised</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>five children and spent time outdoors whenever possible. In 2008, Posont</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>decided to return to college and study the subjects she'd missed out on in</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>her younger years when computers and high-tech audible devices in the lab</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>didn't exist.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>During summer breaks at the University of Michigan at Dearborn, she started</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>passing along what she'd learned about birds and plants through touch, sound</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>and smell to children at Camp Tuhsmeheta.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>"You miss out on a lot in a sighted world if you have to depend on what</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>someone else sees when you're learning," said Posont, who graduated from the</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>University of Michigan at Dearborn in 2015 with a degree in environmental</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>studies and a minor in biology.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Donna Posont, on a trail at the University of Michigan at Dearborn's</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Environmental Interpretive Center last month, said she always wanted to</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>learn about nature and biology as a child. (Judy Armstrong)</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>After the university hired her as a part-time naturalist, Posont expanded</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>the Birding by Ear program. Sighted people are welcome, she said, though</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>they generally accompany friends who are blind.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Fred Wurtzel, 73, has retinitis pigmentosa and completely lost his vision</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>when he was in his 50s. While he's always loved birds, he'd never studied</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>them or thought of making a birding a hobby until he met Posont, he said.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>"Her approach to teaching is very creative, and she makes everyone want to</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>learn more," Wurtzel said, explaining that Posont's focus is specifically</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>geared toward touch and sound.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>"My favorite birds are probably chickadees, and I also love house finches</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>because they're beautiful singers," he said.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>He said he also enjoys listening to blue jays, even though they're "raucous</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>little guys."</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Posont with Jenny Wing-Proctor, right, at an outing in Dearborn, Michigan,</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>this year to learn about blue jays. (Michael Solomon)</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Jenny Wing-Proctor, who lives in Lansing, said she was born blind and</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>enjoyed listening to birds on tape when she was a girl, but she always</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>wondered about their lives and where they lived.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>"When I heard about Birding by Ear, I knew it would be a good thing for me</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>to be involved in," she said. "I've always liked being out in nature,</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>surrounded by bird sounds. My favorites are probably the robin or the</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>cardinal because of their pretty songs."</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>With bird populations declining at an alarming rate due to habitat loss,</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>pollution and climate change, Posont said it's more crucial than ever to</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>hand down what she's learned.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>"The world is designed for sighted people, but nature is a place where it's</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>okay to be blind," she said. "You can use your other senses to learn why</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>birds and nature are important and how it all works together. To me, that's</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>the beauty of it."</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>_______________________________________________</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>NFBMI-Talk mailing list</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>NFBMI-Talk@nfbnet.org</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NFBMI-Talk:</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org/sanho817%40gmail.com</span><br></blockquote><span></span><br><span>_______________________________________________</span><br><span>NFBMI-Talk mailing list</span><br><span>NFBMI-Talk@nfbnet.org</span><br><span>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org</span><br><span>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NFBMI-Talk:</span><br><span>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org/fredolver%40gmail.com</span><br></div></blockquote></body></html>