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!

Oklahoma NewsHuman ResourcesJune 1, 2023newsletter, blog, shep, deafblinf, deafblind, deaf, blind, spring, 2023, june, summerComment

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.

Oklahoma NewsHuman ResourcesApril 7, 2023blind, blindness, Hannah Dangle, edmond, awareness, positivity, happinessComment

COVID an extra challenge for blind: 'A handshake and a hug is almost like giving me 20/20'

Oklahoma News, Tulsa NewsHuman ResourcesNovember 29, 2020jeri cooper, tulsa, news, oklahoma, city, covid, covid19, house, deafblind, db, deaf, blind, 2020, coronavirusComment

HKNC Summer Programs

National NewsHuman ResourcesMay 29, 2020helen keller, hknc, summer, progra, program, youth, vocational, advocacy, deafblind, deaf, blind, self awareness, work, secondary, educational, learningComment

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.

DeafBlind, but Definitely Not Disconnected

National NewsHuman ResourcesDecember 25, 2018deaf awareness, deaf, Accessibility, oklahoma, blind, deaf blindComment

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.

Oklahoma NewsHuman ResourcesDecember 16, 2018blind, fort sill, lawsuit, employment, okdrs, lawton, oklahoma city, base, deafblind, deafblind rightsComment

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.

National NewsHuman ResourcesApril 17, 2018shape, magazine, fitness, blind, deaf, RP, retinitis pigmentosa Comment

Program helps blind women get her life on track

National NewsHuman ResourcesJanuary 3, 2018independent, deaf, blindComment

Rubix cube for blind people

Surely you know of the popular toy, the Rubik’s cube? Well, it just got a redesign for blind and DeafBlind people.

National NewsHuman ResourcesDecember 9, 2017blind, rubix, cube, deafblind, games, innovation, community, mashableComment

Advocating for Deaf-Blind in the Workplace

Deaf-Blind in the workplace is on the increase globally and should be seen as any other employment. Deaf blindness might imply a complete vacancy of hearing and sight, but this isn’t the case. Many who are deaf-blind have some hearing or vision or both. People who are deaf-blind can learn skills to work around hurdles. With assisting and usable technology, people who are deaf-blind can be employed in any type industry and work.

Blog/NotesHuman ResourcesNovember 15, 2017helen keller, deafblinf, workplace, jobs, college, degree, work, discrimination, blind, visually impaired, employer, employee, skills, technology, taxComment

In time for the holidays: OSB's new Family & Friends Cookbook

Look what’s cookin’! Allison Garner reports that the Oklahoma School for the Blind Family and Friends Cookbook will be available soon. OSB staff has worked hard to get the cookbook ready in all formats. Several DRS staff throughout the agency submitted recipes and may be interested in purchasing a cookbook. OSB’s cookbook is available in print, Braille, and PDF versions that are either screen reader friendly -- or not. Get a $2 discount per item if you buy five or more items.

Info

Action