[NFBV-Announce] 2022 LIFE Program - application link and attached flyer

Fri Jan 14 20:36:45 UTC 2022

Happy New Year everyone,

VRCBVI is pleased once again to offer the Learning Independence, Feeling
Empowered (LIFE) Program for high school students who are blind, vision
impaired or deafblind.  Please see below and attached for the 2022 LIFE
Program flyer.  You will also find below a link to the LIFE Program
application.

If you have any questions about the 2022 LIFE Program, please do not
hesitate to let me know.

Have a great day.

Are You Ready for the Adventure of Your

*LIFE?*

(“Learning Independence, Feeling Empowered”)

*What is LIFE? *

5 week residential training program for students between the ages of 14-18
years old who are returning to a high school academic program in the fall
of 2022

Provides basic training in the skills of blindness and advocacy skills

Helps students become responsible for their lives

Provides students with opportunities to explore employment and college
goals

Provides an opportunity to gain real world work experience or additional
skills of blindness training

Affords opportunities to participate in physical fitness and confidence
building activities

Offers opportunities to network with successful mentors who are blind or
vision-impaired

Helps students develop positive strategies for dealing with misconceptions
about blindness

Provides daily opportunities to have LOTS of fun!

*Important Dates for LIFE:*

*Application Deadline:*  midnight, May 8, 2022

Program Begins:  July 10, 2022 - check-in - 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Program Ends:  August 12, 2022 - 12:00 p.m.

Graduation Ceremony:  August 12, 2022 - 10:00 a.m.

Student/parent meetings with staff via Zoom:  August 15-18, times will be
scheduled

*Classes:*

Braille

Personal and Home Management – cooking, cleaning, and organizing

Independent travel skills using a long white cane

Keyboarding/Computers

Access Technology

Job Readiness

Work Experience

Conversations about Blindness

*Confidence Building Activities: *

Improvisation Training

Formal Dinner/Dance

Rock Climbing

Drivers Education Experience

Movies

Grilling

Business and Social Networking Skills

Whitewater Rafting

Swimming

And much more!

*Work Experience:*

Students work part-time in a community-based setting during the last three
weeks of the LIFE program.

In some instances staff will recommend that a student continue to focus on
blindness skills (Travel skills, Braille, Access Technology, and Cooking)
during the last three weeks of the program.

*Requirements for LIFE:*

Students must:

Actively participate in *all* five weeks of the program (unless returning
to school during the last week of the program)

Be between the ages of 14 and 18 and returning to a high school academic
program in the fall of 2022 (must be 14 years old on or before July 10,
2022 and must not turn 19 years old before August 12, 2022)

Be blind or vision impaired and interested in acquiring blindness skills

Be able to participate in a group structured program

Be able to take care of personal care needs independently, including
managing and self-administering medications

Have a valid government issued photo ID card

Have an open or be willing to open a Vocational Rehabilitation case with
DBVI

*What is the application process for LIFE?  *

Go to *2022 LIFE application*,
<https://www.formrouter.net/forms@VRCB/2022LIFEApplication.html> complete,
and submit

Print and complete the *DBVI Health Checklist Form*
<https://www.vadsa.org/apps/DocumentRepositoryViewer/fileviewer/2159> and
sign as parent/guardian where it says counselor signature. Then, attach the
completed form to the *DBVI General Medical Examination Form*
<https://www.vadsa.org/apps/DocumentRepositoryViewer/fileviewer/2158> and
take to student’s physician or other medical professional to complete (must
be dated not more than one year prior to the LIFE application submission
date).

Print the *DBVI Eye Exam Report*
<https://www.vadsa.org/apps/DocumentRepositoryViewer/fileviewer/584> and
have it completed by a medical professional (must be dated not more than
one year prior to the LIFE application submission date)

*If a student attended a summer program at VRCBVI in the past, the health
checklist and eye report form submitted for that program are acceptable,
provided the parent(s) submit a statement that the student’s health and/or
eye report information has not changed and is still accurate.

Include a copy of the *student’s current IEP*

Scan all completed forms and send to Brooke Rogers,
Brooke.Rogers at dbvi.virginia.gov or mail to 401 Azalea Ave., Richmond, VA
23227 – Attention: Brooke Rogers.

*Please note*:  Only complete applications received by midnight May 8,
2022, will be* considered. VRCBVI will not accept forms piecemeal; please
submit your forms all attached to one email or all in the same envelope.*

Here is a checklist of forms to be submitted once all are complete:

*DBVI Health Checklist Form,*

*General Medical Examination Form,*

*DBVI Eye Exam Report*,

*student’s current IEP*

After the application deadline, all complete applications will be reviewed.

All applicants will be notified by May 25, 2022, of their acceptance status.

Students accepted into the LIFE program and their parent(s) will
participate in an informational interview by phone with VRCBVI staff, which
will be scheduled by Amy Phelps, Assistant Director for Instruction.

Get your application in quickly, as a maximum of *22* *participants will be
accepted into the program. *NO APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER MAY 8,
2022.*

For additional information about the LIFE Program, please contact:

Amy Phelps, CRC, NOMC

Assistant Director for Instruction

Virginia Rehabilitation Center for the Blind and Vision Impaired

401 Azalea Avenue, Richmond, Virginia 23227

(804) 371-3052

Email:  amy.phelps at dbvi.virginia.gov

*Subject to change due to COVID protocols

2022 LIFE Program application
<https://www.formrouter.net/forms@VRCB/2022LIFEApplication.html>

Melody L. Roane, Director

Virginia Rehabilitation Center for the Blind and Vision Impaired, Virginia
Department for the Blind & Vision Impaired

401 Azalea Avenue, Richmond, VA  23227

Melody.Roane at dbvi.virginia.gov

Phone: (804) 371-3323 | Fax: (804) 371-3092

Facebook: facebook.org/VDBVI <https://www.facebook.com/VDBVI>

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/VDBVI
<https://www.linkedin.com/company/virginia-department-for-the-blind-and-vision-impaired>

www.vrcbvi.org <http://www.vdbvi.org/>

*NOTICE:* This email (including any attachments) may include confidential
information. It is intended solely for the individuals or entities to which
it is addressed. If you have received this email in error, distribution or
use of it is prohibited. Please notify the sender and permanently delete it
from your email system. Also, given the nature of electronic mail and its
potential to carry computer viruses, the Department of the Blind and Vision
Impaired and the sender in no way warrant a virus free transmission. You
and your organization should use appropriate means to check this email and
any attachments for potential viruses and to prevent their execution.

-- 
Commonwealth of Virginia
Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired 
Established 1922
 “Celebrating our past and empowering our 
future”www.vdbvi.org  <http://www.vdbvi.org/>

**Notice:** This
email is 
for the exclusive use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain
privileged and confidential information. Any unauthorized review, use,
disclosure or duplication of this email is expressly prohibited. If you are 
not
an intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately, delete the 
email
from your computer, and do not copy or disclose it to anyone else. 
Your receipt
of this message is not intended to waive any applicable legal 
privilege and
does not constitute an electronic signature or provide 
consent to contract
electronically. Also, given the nature of electronic 
mail and its potential to
carry computer viruses, the Department of the 
Blind and Vision Impaired and the
sender in no way warrant a virus free 
transmission. You and your organization
should use appropriate means to 
check this email and any attachments for
potential viruses and to prevent 
their execution.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbv-announce_nfbnet.org/attachments/20220114/2dc2f823/attachment-0001.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.png
Type: image/png
Size: 35682 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbv-announce_nfbnet.org/attachments/20220114/2dc2f823/attachment-0002.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image003.png
Type: image/png
Size: 100885 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbv-announce_nfbnet.org/attachments/20220114/2dc2f823/attachment-0003.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 2022 LIFE Program Flyer.docx
Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
Size: 80274 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbv-announce_nfbnet.org/attachments/20220114/2dc2f823/attachment-0001.docx>