Posts tagged blind
SHEP Connection Corner - December Newsletter
SHEP Connection Corner - December Newsletter

SHEP’s Connection Corner

December 2024

GIVE ME THE SCOOP

The Cheerful Giver

Tis The Season Of Giving

Joy In This Time

YAY Friendsgiving was a blast. With new faces and some from the past.

We had crafts and fun and always great food, An amazing Friendsgiving will lighten your mood.

Next up we will have some Christmas fun to share with you and everyone!

It’s time to ring and jingle those bells, Sending Christmas cards and letters through mail.

Come spend time with us and have a fun time, and let’s get together for CHRISTMAS TIME. This year we will be rocking around the Christmas tree at the Yukon public library (details below).

Speaking of the observation of Jesus’ birthday, Happy, Happy birthday! Let’s shout out to Amanda, our very own SSP manager! Her special day is December 17th! Share your birthday with us so we can shout you out, too.

We have a GroupMe messaging group for all SSP to get daily updated information. If there’s an SSP not connected on GroupMe, please get in touch with Amanda the SSP manager. We are stronger together! We also encourage everyone to connect with us on Facebook and Instagram.

Calling all SSPs! This Christmas Party would be a great opportunity to collect some needed CEU hours. If you are needing to know your CEU balance, please contact Amanda for details.

We’re so excited to kick off our annual clothing drive to donate to the homeless shelter (details below)!

This Clothing drive would be an amazing opportunity to give back and to clean out those closets with gently used women and men’s clothing and new unopened toys.

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Oklahoma NewsHuman Resourcesshep, shepokc, christmas, giver, season, xmas, deafblind, db, deaf, blind, christmas party, jesus house, donateComment
SHEP Connection Corner - November Newsletter
SHEP Connection Corner - November Newsletter

SHEP’s Connection Corner

GIVE ME THE SCOOP!

November 2024

Tornadoes, Shelters, Or Rakes?

Did you miss it?

The camp experience at Spring Valley Ranch was extraordinary! Thank you for all of you! We teamed with Jeri’s House this year and we cut many a rugs with all the dancing and game playing. Aww...you missed it? If that’s you, have no fear! We will have camp again in fall of 2026! We’re already on the hunt for the next camp site.

Good ole Oklahoma. As I write this, we are under a tornado watch. It has been incredibly windy, blowing my patio furniture off my porch for the last three days. Be sure to stay in the know of the weather, especially surrounding plans needing a SSP. It may feel like spring so far this fall, but when the cold front comes it will surely come like a bowling ball ready for a strike. Be ready to cover outdoor water faucets and spouts. Rest assured we are mindful to schedule our events indoors.

Any hot chocolate drinkers out there? We are having our annual Thankful For Friends, or commonly known as Friendsgiving, event this month. We will supply refreshments and enjoyment. We just need one more ingredient...YOU! Please see details below so you can make your plans to be there.

Great news! We have had Support Service Providers (SSPs) in the OKC area move due to promotions and opportunities To God be the glory! We have availability for training! What is all this talk about SSPs? You will be trained to be the eyes and ears of the DeafBlind person you are assisting. They do all the work! You interpret the world around them as they navigate. It’s the gift of independent living and you get paid to do it. Knowing sign language is a big plus! Yes, even finger spelling. Those ABCs come in handy!

SHEP is hosting sign language classes for an independent living facility in Choctaw this month! Email us with your interest in classes and we can make it happen! So many things in the works! Stay connected on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

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Oklahoma NewsHuman Resourcesshep, shepokc, deafblind, deaf, blind, oklahoma, november, ssp, asl classes, eventsComment
SHEP CONNECTION CORNER - June 2023 Newsletter
SHEP CONNECTION CORNER - June 2023 Newsletter

What’s the weather like while you’re reading this? Yep, It’s been all over the place!

Strong and Growing!

We have 1 new SSPs in the OKC area!

Welcome Lee!

 

Rain or Shine, we’re shining!

It’s June already? Wow! It seems we were just saying Happy New Year. A happy new year it has been, indeed! You guys, we are now officially members of the Midwest City Chamber of Commerce! Are you smiling? Are you jumping up and down? We sure did and are! We had a ribbon cutting ceremony last month and boy oh boy, what a blessing to be in this place. We are having a fundraiser night on June 20th. That’s a taco Tuesday from 5pm to 9om! Tell everyone you know and come out and eat!

Don’t forget, IamDB is in full effect. We are here to help train you on equipment that will help you evermore in your home. I don’t know about you, but my home is my favorite place to be. Let’s accommodate you there! So much is unfolding.

Psssst...Guess what?...The staff is learning sign language. You can help teach us, too! Have any feedback, suggestions, or questions? Reach out to us. We love hearing from you!

Due to popular requests, we now release two months of our activity schedule at a time so you will see we have June and July posted to help you plan ahead. 

We have a lot of events coming up! Be sure to check the calendar. See below for some that are coming up.

Don’t forget! Send us an email telling us your birthday, anniversary, or any special event so we can shout you out.

It was raining and pouring, but no old man was snoring! We’re here for fun!

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Oklahoma NewsHuman Resourcesnewsletter, blog, shep, deafblinf, deafblind, deaf, blind, spring, 2023, june, summerComment
The Bright Side of Blindness
The Bright Side of Blindness

f Hannah Dangle could offer one piece of encouragement to the world, it’s this: “you can do hard things.” And doing hard things is something Hannah knows a thing or two about. In her 23 years of life she’s overcome daunting diagnoses, and now is navigating total blindness.

Hannah was first diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma in October of 2019. The cancer attacked her entire body. “I was diagnosed on Halloween, which makes sense. This was not a Christmas kind of diagnosis,” Hannah said, her sense of humor shining through.

She immediately began an aggressive treatment plan that included radiation and chemotherapy. It cost Hannah her hair, her health, and many of the hopes she held for herself, but it saved her life.

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DEAFBLIND AWARENESS WEEK ACROSS THE NATION 2018
DEAFBLIND AWARENESS WEEK ACROSS THE NATION 2018

Thanks to a lot of hard work Helen Keller Deaf-Blind Awareness Week (DBAW) got some great attention around the country. The following are just a few of the activities:

  • OKLAHOMA:  Governor Mary Fallin issued a proclamation recognizing DBAW 2018 and the accomplishments of deaf-blind Oklahomans.  This proclamation came shortly after House Bill 1244, also known as the “Jeri Cooper Act,” was passed.  The bill increases deaf-blind Oklahomans' access to Support Service Providers by providing grants for the program through the Department of Rehabilitation Services. The Bill was named in honor of Jeri Cooper, a rehabilitation teacher with the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services who is deaf-blind herself.  Jeri was a major advocate for creating a SSP program in Oklahoma.  Accompanying Jeri at the signing were HKNC regional representative, Molly Sinanan and former HKNC student, Don G.

  • NEBRASKA:   A proclamation issued by the Governor of Nebraska, Pete Ricketts, was read at a ceremony which included Carlos Servan, executive director of the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired and Mike Foley, Lieutenant Governor of the State of Nebraska.  Others of note in the audience were Brent M., a Summer Youth Vocational Program at HKNC student this past summer  

  • NORTH CAROLINA:  Governor Roy Cooper issued a DBAW proclamation which was read at many events across the state by Ashley Benton, LCSW, Deaf/Deaf-Blind Services Coordinator with the North Carolina Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

  • KENTUCKY:  Families and long range service plan partners gathered to celebrate the signing of a DBAW proclamation issued by Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin.

  • TENNESSEE: During the Southeast Transition Institute in Knoxville, Tennessee, a proclamation from Governor Bill Haslem was read and presented to the community by Lisa Rimmell,  Tennessee’s new state deaf-blind coordinator through VR.   Since Lisa came on board, there has been a lot of hard work spreading awareness, providing workshops and collaborating on various events.  One of the mentors for the Institute was former HKNC student, Ashley J.. 

  • PUERTO RICO:  Two staff members from the Deaf-Blind Project in Puerto Rico joined other partners in celebrating the DBAW proclamation.   Over the past year, HKNC has worked with Linda McDowell and Mike Fagbemi from the National Center on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB) in building relationships and meeting with families.

  • SOUTH CAROLINA:  Big smiles with families and Deaf-Blind Project members showing their proclamation from Governor Henry McMaster.  The mayor of Columbia, South Carolina, Stephen Benjamin, also issued a proclamation.

 

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National NewsHuman Resourcesdeaf, blind, awareness, nation, oklahoma, nebrasks, nebraska, north carolina, kentucky, tennessee, puerto rico, south carolina Comment
Fort Sill sued for ending contract that employs the blind
Fort Sill sued for ending contract that employs the blind

OKLAHOMA CITY – An Oklahoma state agency is suing the federal government in an attempt to block a local military base from ending its contract with a vendor who employs blind workers.

The Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services filed the lawsuit in federal court on Tuesday. That agency is tasked with expanding independence and economic self-sufficiency for disabled Oklahomans. The lawsuit is against the United States of America, by and through Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Secretary of the Army Mark Esper.

The complaint requests a restraining order and injunctive relief to block Fort Sill, the Army post in Lawton, from ending its contract with a cafeteria services vendor.

The argument hinges on the Randolph-Sheppard Vending Facility Act. The law was passed in the 1930s and gives priority to blind vendors, who are licensed as so through the state, when choosing vendors operating on federal property, such as military installations.

The current vendor, David Altstatt, is the Department of Rehabilitation Services-appointed blind vendor for the Army post. The current contract includes one base year and four option years, and Altstatt’s company is in the second option year, according to the lawsuit. In February, the defendants notified rehabilitation services officials that they intended to terminate the contract. The department argues that the defendants didn’t give proper notification to the U.S. secretary of education, who oversees the program. The Oklahoma rehabilitation department requested arbitration with that secretary and defendants in April, according to the lawsuit. In August, the defendants issued a solicitation for a replacement vendor. That solicitation is what the lawsuit attempts to block.

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Oklahoma NewsHuman Resourcesblind, fort sill, lawsuit, employment, okdrs, lawton, oklahoma city, base, deafblind, deafblind rightsComment
How Fitness Helped This Woman Cope with Going Blind and Deaf
How Fitness Helped This Woman Cope with Going Blind and Deaf

Rebecca Alexander was just 12 years old when she was told that she'd completely lose her vision by the time she was an adult. After she had trouble seeing the chalkboard in class, her parents decided to take her in for a series of tests. She was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a genetic disorder of the eyes that causes vision impairment. 

She continued on, not understanding the magnitude of what it would mean to lose her eyesight by the age of 30. "It's nearly impossible for a 12-year-old who can pretty much see to understand, let alone try to comprehend what it would mean to be losing my vision," Alexander said on Megyn Kelly TODAY while promoting her new book, Not Fade Away.

Read more at the article here.

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National NewsHuman Resourcesshape, magazine, fitness, blind, deaf, RP, retinitis pigmentosa Comment