"Assisting Persons with Vision Impairments"

Yesterday was the most amazing day of the semester! I have worked so hard to make it everything it could possibly be and it was. It was an extremely busy morning with a Library Public relations Committee meeting but beforehand, I was updating certificates, making sure every attendee that sent in an RSVP had a certificate made and ready to be signed. then afterward, preparations began; I made sure that everything was ready to go and that I knew where everything was located. I headed to the Bookstore before lunch to pick up the frame for Shelly's certificate and completed her gift before she called saying that she was going to arrive around 1:50. 1:50 came so fast, it was hard to believe she was actually here. We headed to lunch and had such an enjoyable time catching up. I had to fill her in on who was coming, what their roles within the university are, and we just went through some simple pre-presentation preparations.

Then we got back to the library and I shared with her my portfolio and all the work I had done for the internship, including all of the planning and whatnot for our session. We headed over to the room where the presentation was going to be held and began to set up all the equipment and such (the goggles had to be labeled and piled so I knew which pile to pick up at which time during the presentation, since I volunteered to assist her). We also took some time to sign and prepare the certificates. We had some time, then, to relax and get mentally prepared for the presentation (something I needed as I was extremely nervous). When people started to arrive, it began to become real that this was actually happening; all the work I had done to prepare was actually paying off. Shelly and I also discussed the handouts for the event as i had created a handbook on sighted guide and other tips and tricks, for which she had brought packets of information for. She asked for a copy at the end to show her supervisor, my VR Counselor and my counselor's supervisor. Maybe they'll want the file to reproduce it...who knows!

Then, 3:00 was upon us and we were ready to begin. The session began with a welcome from the Dean of Library Services, Dr. Barbara Darden. She then introduced me and I had the honor and pleasure of introducing Shelly. We were off and running! I spent the time during the presentation distributing simulation goggles to our participants as Shelly explained the condition, the effects of the condition, and the identifying factors, when applicable. We then moved onto how to identify someone who is visually impaired (thick glasses, use of magnifiers or monoculars etc. or the presence of a white cane or guide dog). The discussion then turned to guide dog background and etiquette followed by some information and history of the long white cane. Shelly then demonstrated the technique used with the cane.

With that said, we moved into the teaching and demonstrating of Sighhted Guide technique, a technique which allows a person who is blind or visually impaired to use someone with vision as a guide. We demonstrated everything from the basic position and alignment to going through doors, taking the stairs, negotiating narrow spaces, etc. Questions and clarifications from the participants then followed. Soon, we were pairing off and lining up, receiving our simulator goggles and preparing for the practical application segment of the session. I had a partner for this leg of the trip and served as her guide, although we were aligned differently than the others.

We then proceeded to follow Shelly out of the conference room and through the AV Center to the stairway that leads to the first floor of the library, stopping at the bottom of the stairs to wait for further instructions. She talked the group through the stair scenario and we proceeded up the stairs. When we gathered at the top of the stairs, we fell into line again and proceeded out of the building, using the door technique and walked down the sidewalk, to the halfway point of the practical application segment.

When we had all arrived, we then switched roles, although I was relieved of my duties as a partner with the addition of a late arrival to the session. So, I spent the second leg of the trip monitoring positioning and technique of about seven pairs. My pairs were pretty well-trained and I only had to make a couple of corrections on the way back to the room. When we arrived at the room again, the guides guided their partners (followers) to a chair and the followers sat themselves and the guides followed suit.

The final part of the session was a discussion of participants' experiences and their thoughts of what they had just encountered. Many people found it was difficult to know exactly where they were while others found that they needed to walk much slower when they were working with little or no vision and the assistance of another person. The discussion then moved into services and more background about the Bureau of Blindness & Visual Services with some audience members asking questions regarding family members who were experiencing vision loss. It was quite surprising to know that many people did not understand that the Bureau of Blindness & Visual Services not only serves people with congenital vision impairments, but also has a program designed for older people experiencing vision loss. Then we discussed a little about the family's role in the life of someone who is blind or visually impaired and what family members can do to assist family members who are blind or visually impaired.

When we concluded the session, I had several side conversations with some participants who had personal questions for me and found out just how much this session truly impacted them. I also had a conversations with several of our participants who did not RSVP for the session and therefore did not receive certificates. They were not at all happy with the situation but I explained to them that they were not on my list and that they needed to RSVP for the event. A couple of them were students who, were technically not invited to participate as this was a session for faculty and staff but I had a discussion with the Dean today and straightened it all out.

Once the last person left, I spent some time with Shelly and Dr. Darden, and introduyced them to one another as I had not really had a chance to do so beforehand because of ocnflicting schedules. We gave Shelly her certificate of appreciation in addition to two dozen roses in a beautiful vase and a KU stuffed bear which we had given to the participants. When all was said and done, I walked Shelly out to her car and as we were walking, we were talking about my future plans and such and I asked if I could be involved in any other of her presentations if they were in my area and she said that she would keep me in mind the next time she did a presentation in my area of the state. She also said that she was going to send my name in to the person who coordinates panel discussions on behalf of Blindness & Visual Services so when an event is happening in my neck of the woods, I will be included and if available, participate and continue the work that I am doing now with these types of discussions. This is definiatelty the continuuation of a beautiful relationship.

I was sad to see her go, as always. But I know that I will see her again as the Bureau in Pennsylvania keeps mobility instructors with their clients as long as possible, unlike others that make their clients change instructors every time a case must be reopened. And, of course, Shelly will be kept up-to-date on everything that we produce in regards to the session, so I will be talking with her again.

Yesterday was a wonderful day. I'm glad it's done because it was such a success and now we get to keep working on the second phase of the project: articles, a white paper, and possibly a presentation (keeping my fingers crossed that all of this really does happen and it's not just a discussion).

One day left!

Today was a busy day (when is it ever not a busy day?). I had an early morning meeting with the Dean to finalize some arrangements for tomorrow. The room is all set up the way we need it for tomorrow's training. The gifts are ready and the certificates are ready and waiting to be signed. i have 29 people registered for the session at this point. Who knows, I may get one more within the next few hours or early tomorrow morning. But, I am happy with what I can get as far as attendees are concerned. All there is to worry about now is keeping cool and working on other projects which I have neglected over the past week or so. It's just so hard: wanting to make sure verything is perfect and ready to go, while balancing the other demands of the internship (but I'm relieved that my comprehensive exams are over). tomorrow shall be interesting; I'm surely looking forward to it. I just hope I can sleep tonight. See you tomorrow!

Friday

I didn't get into the office today until 1:00 because of Senior Comprehensives, but when I got there...oh my. There was a lot to do, especially since staff training is only 2 workdays away! but I took my time getting through designing the certificates for our participants. Yes, that's right, participants get certificates for this training session, but it's going to be a good one. I did a little more organizing of my portfolio and updated the RSVP list for Tuesday; it's hard to believe I have 24 people coming to this session. All in all, I'm taking it easy and not stressing out too much. now that Comps are over, I can breathe a little.

Wednesday and Thursday...all wrapped together

Wednesday was kind of an exciting day with a lot going on and a lot getting accomplished. I began my day by assisting the department Graduate Assistant with setting up for the party. One of our staff members is retiring soon so we put together a party, with a large poster filled with messages from other staff members written on cut out fish; it came out really nice. I have also been working on the final touches for Tuesday's staff development session, including getting things ready for our presenter, figuring out the food/gift situation and working on choosing flowers and a gift for our presenter. In addition, I received a couple of RSVPs for the event, so the attendance list is growing by the day, which is quite acceptable.

Because I had a ticket to see Barbara Walters at the Decision Makers Forum Q&A, my day in the office was cut short, but in the time I spent, I got a lot of work done.

On to Thursday! Thursday was quite a busy day which started with a meeting with the Dean of Library Services to finish the discussion regarding training on Tuesday. Right in the middle of our meeting, our presenter, my O&M instructor, called to verify dates, times, etc. and we ended up making plans to have lunch together on Tuesday before the presentation, which will be nice. I am truly looking forward to it. All of my hard work this semester on this event, my "baby" is actually beginning to pay off and I am really getting excited about the journey on which I am about to embark. I purchased the frame for the certificate which I will present to Shelly on Tuesday, and I completed the design and approval of the certificate; all that is left is to print it, sign it, and frame it. I also have to write the introduction for the event (Shouldn't be too hard, but how do you introduce someone as special as Shelly? I need to figure this out this weekend).

All in all, I'm having wonderful experiences and gaining valuable skills. More to come!

Tuesday!

Well, for a Tuesday, today was not as boring as it could have been. I had a meeting with the Dean of Library Services this morning to discuss the Staff Development training session as it is coming up very quickly (7 days and counting). We discussed everything from the certificates and handouts, to the gifts for our presenter. In addition, we also discussed the evaluation of the session and our plans for the information after the session. As of late this afternoon, i have around 22 people signed up for the seminar, so I am extremely happy about it. So, I spent the day working on the final plans and preparations, making sure that everything is done and done well. I have submitted my notes from the session planning to the Dean.

We were supposed to have a Public Relations Committee meeting this morning, but my supervisor was out sick, probably with the flu.

What a couple of weeks!

WOW! It's amazing how fast time flies. Lately, my work has centered around the Staff Development training session "Techniques for Assisting Persons with Vision Impairments". So far, we have 17 people signed up for the session, so I went ahead and announced the session at last Thursday's University Senate meeting, in hopes of generating more interest. I have also put an announcement/advertisement in the Daily Brief and one of my colleagues has sent out an invitational e-mail to all university faculty and staff. I hope that I can get the last 13 seats filled before next Tuesday, but I am happy with the numbers the session has generated already. The handbook for the session is complete and has been sent over to the Print Shop on campus to be copied for the event. I will also be putting it on the P drive for the Library so our staff has access to it, if they wish to make copies, or for those who cannot attend the session but would like the information anyway. Next, I will be working on putting together a session evaluation form to assist in understanding attendees' reactions to and views of the session. I am working on scheduling a meeting with the Dean of the Library for this week to discuss the last few details of the session: if there's going to be food/drinks, what we're doing to thank Shelly for presenting, among other small details.

Since the news release for the Web of Science has been completed, we are now working on the plans for the reception and training session for that. Our student assistant has been working on designing the invitations for that, which will include some of my writing from the release.

National Library Week plans are underway and the next Public relations Committee meeting for the library is tomorrow, so more details will come afterward.

Monday

Well, this week is off to a busy start. After the Spring Break, everything is in full swing for the rest of the semester. I'm working on getting the Library book updated and making sure that for the patron profiles, we have photos to go with the text.

We have also sent out the invitations for the Sighted Guide training session and have been receiving RSVPs for the event. As of the end of today, we have about 10 people from the library attending. I'm hoping to keep this up and have our 30 participants for this session. We also sent out invites to our selected committees and will be awaiting their replies. Thursday is the University Senate meeting so we decided that we would give our other lists until Thursday to RSVP, then we would open it to the University Faculty and Staff, beginning with an announcement to Senate!

So this week was off to a busy start, but I am looking forward to getting this all together!

UPDATE!!!

So, it's been a few weeks since my last post, but who can blame me? It's been a crazy few weeks with all of the projects and deadlines fast approaching. So, I've been up to my eyeballs in newsletter articles; the Spring edition of the newsletter was printed and circulated a couple of weeks ago and yours truly has 4 bylines in this issue. I had originally written six articles but our editor combined a couple of the short database pieces that focus on two music sources. I also had the opportunity to do some copy editing before the newsletter went to press.

In addition to the newsletter, I was busy working on database fact sheets for our Electronic Resources & Periodicals department coordinator and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed creating those pieces; I did my research using the databases' information sites, then formatted the description text and created visually appealing documents. Because the Web of Science purchase was a huge deal for our library so I also wrote the press release that will be sent to the University Relations office in the near future. I'm also working with a couple of colleagues to put together a reception and training session for this new database. It's all so exciting.

But my biggest project, one that I have been passionately involved in since the beginning is the Staff Development session which the library is hosting for its staff and selected university staff groups. We are hosting a workshop called "Techniques for Assisting Persons with Vision Impairments" for which my Orientation & Mobility instructor from the PA Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services is presenting. We're going to be training attendees in Sighted Guide Technique in addition to providing background information on the causes of vision impairment in the college student population; it's a replicated presentation from the first one we did for some Periodicals department staff members. Our invitees include library staff members, DO-IT Profs, DO-IT Admins, the ADA Task Force members and Library Committee members outside the Library. I am hoping to have a good turnout!

All in all, things are going well. I'm enjoying what I'm doing and the work I am producing is professional-looking. I can't wait to see what my portfolio looks like at the end of the semester...but I don't want the end to come too quickly; I'm not ready to graduate...yet.