[Ohio-Talk] Congratulations Cleveland Chapter! You are the recipients of "WE DO IT BIGGER & BETTER!" - In celebration of National Volunteer Week

Mon Apr 20 14:56:11 UTC 2020

Dave,

The Cleveland Chapter thanks you so much and I know Greater Akron also is
worthy. Please feel out the form to be considered.

Suzanne

-----Original Message-----
From: Ohio-Talk <ohio-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Dave Bertsch via
Ohio-Talk
Sent: Sunday, April 19, 2020 7:54 PM
To: NFB of Ohio Announcement and Discussion List <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Dave Bertsch <dwbertsch at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Ohio-Talk] Congratulations Cleveland Chapter! You are the
recipients of "WE DO IT BIGGER & BETTER!" - In celebration of National
Volunteer Week

this is great Suzanne! Congratulations to a great chapter and our best
chapter president!

On Sun, Apr 19, 2020 at 7:43 PM Suzanne Turner via Ohio-Talk <
ohio-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> Jeanetta Price, President NFB Community Service
>
> In celebration of National Volunteer Week, April 19-25, 2020, 
> organizations across the country honor volunteers for the 
> irreplaceable impact of their service to others.
>
>
>
> Cleveland Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio will 
> kick off The "WE DO IT BIGGER & BETTER!" NFB Community Service 
> Challenge with one submission that entailed three community service 
> endeavors. Talk about over achievers! You will be inspired by their 
> quality of service to others, and motivated to get involved where you 
> are. Without further ado, I share with you, Cleveland Chapter's 
> community service endeavors.
>
>
>
> "We have many more, but we are most proud of those below, Cleveland 
> President, Suzanne Turner stated"!
>
>
>
> (I) The National Federation of the Blind of Cleveland, Greater 
> Cuyahoga County and the Ohio Affiliate, co-hosted a forum with the 
> Cleveland City Planning Commission in Cleveland Ohio on last Thursday. 
> The topic was on Shared Riding safety regulations. We were inspired 
> about the productive exchange of ideas, and look forward to continuing 
> to work together to increase accessibility through improved policies 
> and practices on E-Bikes and Dockless Electric Scooters. The insight 
> that was shared by each panelist demonstrated commitment and 
> dedication to the meaningful conversation from vendors, the blind 
> community and City Hall from the evening. This exchange of ideas and 
> contributions was inspiring and quite informative. The National 
> Federation of the Blind of Cleveland and Greater Cuyahoga County are 
> looking forward in continuing our strong partnership with the City of 
> Cleveland. We also extend our gratitude for their willingness to 
> include the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio in any new 
> pedestrian guidelines that might need input on accessibility for 
> persons with disabilities.
>
> (2) The Cleveland Chapter has partnered with St. Adalbert Elementary 
> School for five years now, following their classroom assignments that 
> include learning about the blind. In March, "Read Across America" is 
> celebrated by reading Dr. Seuss books. So, Cleveland join in with the 
> children by reading twin books "Print on one-side and Braille on the 
> other side". We, the blind will read the Braille, while a sighted 
> child stands beside us reading print.
> This is an awesome experience for them and us taking turns reading the 
> same text together. Additionally, the children have learned to 
> identify Braille on doorways, elevators and other identifiable objects 
> for the blind. They also are excited when Cleveland visits providing 
> them with once again Braille cards. They can not seem to get enough of 
> those. Cleveland has also demonstrated white cane travel and provided 
> awareness and education about guide dog handling. This is a highlight 
> for the students. It never fails, their eyes gleam and voices were 
> raised with seeing Mateo, who is a black lab in the Cleveland Chapter. 
> He is definitely a hit! Our hope is that one or more of the children 
> will with any luck become inspired to teach, mentor, and or advocate 
> for the Blind. Working with St. Adalbert Elementary school is a 
> passion, but a vital factor in what we are attempting to accomplish 
> through diminishing low expectations of the blind, by teaching the 
> youth of today that we are just people who can not see. /// (3) The 
> National Federation of the Blind of Cleveland offered a seminar 
> called, "adjusting to Blindness, An Introductory Seminar", that was 
> held on October 5, 2019 at a local Cleveland Public Library. This was 
> an introductory Seminar for newly blind individuals that highlighted 
> best practices by Peer Mentors from the National Federation of the 
> Blind of Cleveland. The philosophy of the NFB was presented, along 
> with the "value of alternative techniques of blindness, and the solid 
> belief that it is okay to be blind." During the seminar, four small 
> sessions were offered by Peer Mentors for newly blind individuals and 
> their supportive companions to learn about alternative ways to 
> continue everyday living. These small settings offered the 
> participants guidance, advice, assistance and demonstrations from a
real-world point of view.
> Hence, sharing knowledge and experiences in order to help the 
> participants succeed was our main objective. Having a wonderful 
> trusted ally to go to whenever blind people are feeling unsure or in need
is why the NFB is here.
> We wanted to meet the needs of each participant in moving forward at 
> their own pace and under their own control. We started with a (General 
> Session) for all attendees Part I: The goal of this Session was to 
> introduce the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). Part II: The 
> goal of this Session was to introduce Basic Techniques and products for
everyday use. Part III:
> The goal of this session was to Identify, explore and recommend 
> community resources to enhance activities, to become involved in one's 
> residential area, and to increase peer interaction and support. Then, 
> the (Breakout
> Sessions) had 4 attendees present with a total of 16 participants in 
> the seminar. These participants rotated through four sessions; having 
> an opportunity to interact with Peer Mentors and explore "hands on" 
> products, technology, and practical methods. For instance, SESSION A: 
> Title: Staying Connected, accessing print and electronic media. This 
> overview of aids, appliances, and services that enable blind 
> individuals to fully access mainstream means of communication media, 
> ranging from use of standard telephones and note taking to reading 
> books, periodicals, text messages, email, and web pages were 
> introduced. Also, Session B: Title: Literacy for the Blind, Reading 
> and Writing Braille. This Session provided a preliminary summary on 
> what is meant by Braille, who invented Braille, when Braille was 
> invented, and what are the benefits of learning Braille. Participants 
> discovered where to learn Braille, what the different grades of 
> Braille were, what the different codes of Braille were in the USA, 
> what tools are used for writing Braille and what resources are 
> available for Braille literacy. Finally, Session C: Title: Assistive 
> Technology and Session D
> Title: Orientation and Mobility (O&M) provided an overview of basic 
> concepts for the newly blind participants and their supportive 
> companions. The Seminar also included a member who has a License in 
> Mental Counseling, that facilitated a session on Coping with Vision 
> Loss. This Peer Mentor provided a comfortable forum for the 
> participants to discuss their experiences of vision loss. In addition, 
> there was a Q/A opportunity as well that offered information on social 
> community services for individual and group support, such as 211, 
> personal insurance and other general services. The Adjustment to 
> Blindness seminar was researched, written, developed, and facilitated 
> by the Cleveland Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of 
> Ohio. We are Peer Mentors offering information, demonstrations, and 
> support for those who have been affected by loss of vision or total 
> blindness. We have included supportive companions in the sessions to 
> provide an open, unobscured view on living with blindness. Both 
> parties were provided the same opportunity to discover every aspect of 
> the seminar. In addition, literature and supported researched 
> documentation on Braille literacy, orientation and mobility, assistive 
> technology and low vision aids will continually be readily available 
> to all attendees, which will assist with sourcing, advocacy and 
> declaration. Although, all sessions will be conducted by members of 
> the NFB of Ohio, Cleveland Chapter, their professional expertise 
> speaks for itself. These skilled individuals are employed or have 
> retired from, Social Work, Social Services, Licensed Mental 
> Counseling, Licensed Orientation and Mobility, Assistive Technology, 
> Education, and more. Consequently, this invaluable endeavor is a 
> volunteer project and donations for products, refreshments, 
> transportation and other incidentals are sponsored by the NFB or 
> community means. No fundraising or solicitation will be presented or 
> received by the organization. Moreover, the sessions are solely to 
> provide literature, demonstrations, community resources, and peer 
> support for those who are seeking an answer and resolution. Thus, it 
> is a response to their plea that will enable them to become motivated, 
> socially engaged, self-determined and financially fruitful. We are 
> conducting this Seminar throughout the year and hope that it will make 
> a positive impact for those who are newly blind and not necessarily 
> seeking employment. Hence, Baby Boomers are crying out for help and 
> the Cleveland Chapter is doing our best to answer their call.
>
> The Cleveland Chapter has felt rewarded and honored to provide the 
> community with innovative and educational opportunity that has 
> positively impacted the overall community. The passion, compassion and 
> commitment that is shown by our members have moved into the suburbs 
> and beyond. Blindness is very prevalent today among seniors and adults 
> who are newly impacted and not seeking employment. There are no 
> services for them. So, we are stepping up to the plate. Also, our 
> children must learn about people differences so they can improve the 
> world of disabilities by becoming technologist, instructors, 
> physicians and just good and respectful people. Finally, our 
> stakeholders and government officials must include the blind in their 
> policy and regulations for the community; so that we are not injured 
> or forgotten in their decision making process.
>
> Creating events and trainings that have provided awareness, inclusion 
> and innovative ideas to help blind people in and beyond Ohio. On the 
> other hand, just getting people to buy-in to believing that the blind 
> has the expertise to make a difference. After working with the 
> community, you gain their respect and admiration. But, it is hard work 
> and sometimes disheartening to continually have to prove that you are 
> capable, intelligent and resourceful.
>
> Thank you so much for leading by example NFB Cleveland Chapter, your 
> service speaks volumes about your leadership. We would love to hear 
> about your community service too. Tap on the link below, and join the 
> movement of changing our communities one service at a time. Please 
> like, share, and comment.
>
> At your service,
>
> Jeanetta Price, President NFB Community Service Division
>
> In the picture from left to right is, The back row are Michael Beck 
> (Spin); Freddy Collier, Jr. (City Planning Commission); Royce Kranz 
> (Lime); Calley Mersmann (City Planning Commission); Kingston 
> Smartt-Nalli (VeoRide); Richard Payne (NFB); Abhijit Kulkarni 
> (Wheels); and Eric Duffy (NFB). The front row, Barbara Pierce (NFB) 
> and Suzanne Turner (NFB)
>
>
>
>
>
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--
Dave Bertsch
330-472-4084
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