[NFBWV-Talk] FWD:Article from Hampshire Review News Section 2023 05 24

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From: Article from Hampshire Review News Section 2023 05 24
Date: 2023-05-24T15:45:51
Subject: publications at nfbnewsline.net
To: karenswauger134 at gmail.com


WVSDB to hold its first-ever signing day. ROMNEY West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind seniors are gearing up for graduation this week, and perhaps even more exciting they are participating in their first signing day ever. Twelve seniors are graduating this year, and all but one student will be signing on Thursday. The students are going to college, vocational education (CTE), or heading straight to a workplace. Signing day usually focuses on high school athletes who announce their commitment to play for a specific college team, but the staff at WVSDB decided to adopt the day for themselves. (He) really wanted to put the spotlight on our kids, Dean of Students Melanie Hesse said of Superintendent Clayton Burch challenging the school to set up students for a concrete transition plan. Burch said this year is one of their most solid transition years ever. Representatives from WVU Tech, Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College and Fairmont State University will be participating. WVSDB will also be in attendance, representing itself for a young lady that wants to go directly into the workforce at the school. Burch said one of the blind students will play the piano next year for the Hampshire County Committee on Aging for events and dinners. The students will sign a commitment page, in which the school promises to follow up with students after college graduation. Burch said their new goal for students in the upcoming years is to equip them with real-life experience: the juniors would focus on on-campus internships in their field of interest, and seniors would do off-campus apprenticeships. The communitys businesses have been wonderful, Burch said, pointing out that they have more businesses that want to participate than we have students available. The push for a post-graduation path stems from the hardships that the students already have to face on a day-to-day basis. A recent news release from the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statics highlights that the unemployment rate for persons with a disability was about twice as high as the rate for persons without a disability. The staff also encourages the students to learn soft skills personal attributes that enable the students to interact harmoniously and effectively with others. I like that they get to do this in a community that is very kind and conducive to deaf and blind students, Burch said. Hesse mentioned that Michael Coleman, a former principal at the school who was hired this year as a part-time transition specialist, worked diligently to get the students job experiences, fill out job applications and help students with scholarships. This years graduation will be held on Friday, May 26, at 10 a.m. in the Sevigny Buildings Multi-Purpose Room and the public is welcome. This year will feature co-Valedictorians: Robert Wolford and John (Xander) Holstein. The school invited Dr. Slemo Warigon as this years speaker. Warigon is a deaf adult who owns a successful consulting company and has worked for the government for many years. Burch said Warigon would describe the importance of students advocating for themselves. Moving forward, Burch shared that the school would be bringing in commencement speakers that are WVSDB alumni or someone who is a member of the deaf and blind community. Warigon is very influential and a good role model for our kids, Hesse said of the decision to bring him in. Though there are only 12 students graduating this year, the school is actively working to increase their numbers. Wed love to have more students, but we want to make sure the world sees the positive things that are happening because they are there; they are happening; we have really exciting things coming up, she said. This article is provided to you as a courtesy of NFB-NEWSLINE??? Online for your sole use. The content of this E-mail is protected under copyright law, and is not to be distributed in any manner to others; infringement of our non-dissemination agreement is strictly prohibited. Allowing someone to have access to this material is in violation of the Terms of Use agreement that you electronically signed when you signed up for NFB-NEWSLINE??? Online. Please do not forward this E-mail or its attachments to any other person or disseminate it in any manner. Thank you. The NFB-NEWSLINE??? Team.