[Perform-Talk] Saving Envision’s College Success Program from Cancelation or Degradation

[Noah Carver]

Hi All,

Writing a quick note to vouch for this program and its impact. Put simply,
the mentorship which I have received through the College Success Program
has been integral to my success at university. Additionally, I Would not
have applied for the NFB scholarship or become involved in the Federation
if it were not for the encouragement and support of my mentor. It is a
great asset to many, and its closure would have a profound impact. For this
reason, your support would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Noah
--
Noah Carver (He/They)
Co-chair, Content Creation Committee | National Association of Blind
Students
Candidate, B.M. '26 | Applied Music (Performance) -- Voice
Eastman School of Music | University of Rochester
[image: JAWS Certified, 2024]
<https://www.freedomscientific.com/Training/Certification>
+1 (207) 557-9143 <+12075579143>
noahcarver494 at gmail.com


On Wed, Apr 3, 2024 at 7:26 PM Personal via Perform-Talk <
perform-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> I am not sure if this is an appropriate place for this request, but I
> believe that this is an issue that any current or former blind or visually
> impaired student can relate to and recognize the importance of.
>
> My fellow College Success mentees and I recently and abruptly learned that
> Envision would be suspending the college Success Program and all of its
> activities. This is a program that links blind and visually impaired
> college students with empathetic blind and visually impaired mentors who
> can guide and support us through college and post-graduation career
> planning. It’’s a fantastic program that has helped so many students by
> giving us a safe place to receive guidance from those who have already
> faced and surmounted similar challenges and support from fellow students
> who share the same journey. While they have said that their intention is
> that the program will be suspended for only a few months, we are not sure
> if the program is coming back. And while the letter stated that they will
> be assessing and reevaluating the program, we are  also concerned about the
> fact that they are doing so without the consideration and input of the
> mentees who are affected the most by changes.
>
> This suspension has essentially and suddenly left mentees without guidance
> in the middle of the school semester. Those of us who were being supported
> in our career development, have also been similarly impacted.
>
> We are also not sure if our mentors will be kept on following changes to
> the program and so are concerned about who will be mentoring us in the
> future, and if they will even identify with us as blind individuals.
>
> In order to address our concerns, what we consider to be a complete lack
> of consideration, and the potential threat of   Them implementing a program
> that refuses the input of the mentees it is proposed to support, my fellow
> mentees and I have written a group letter and have made it into a petition.
> We  are asking anyone we can to support us by signing and sharing the
> letter via Change.org.
>
> So, if you are comfortable and can sympathize or empathize with our
> concerns, we would be so grateful if you could  please sign and share with
> any family, friends, coworkers, and organizations who may be sympathetic to
> our cause. I will include the link below. The letter included in the
> petition explains in further detail, our love for this program and our
> mentors as well as  the actions we hope to be  taken.
>
> [image: DRQxRPeUQnwKvef-1600x900-noPad.jpg]
>
> Can you spare a minute to help this campaign? <https://chng.it/Fh64Htb8Z9>
> chng.it <https://chng.it/Fh64Htb8Z9>
> <https://chng.it/Fh64Htb8Z9>
>
>
> Thank you so much in advance for all of your consideration.
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