Juggling Grad School and Full Time Work

Recently, I took graduate school classes while working full-time to become a certified rehabilitation counselor. During the five semesters I attended school and worked full time, I developed strategies that made it easier for me to juggle my academic and vocational responsibilities simultaneously. Here, I will share these strategies so others can have a less stressful experience. … Continued

Teaching Environments for a Vision Rehabilitation Therapist (VRT) Who is Blind/ Low Vision

Editor’s note: Vision Rehabilitation Therapist Appreciation Week is observed annually over Anne Sullivan’s birthday, April 14th. Are you interested in learning more about vision rehabilitation therapy (VRT) as a possible career? Visit Get Learning – AER (aerbvi.org) to read about the roles and responsibilities and Directory of University Professional Programs in the U.S. and Canada … Continued

Advocating Always: A Request for the Wheatley Tactile Diagramming Kit

Imagine that you are assigned to an unfamiliar school for your student-teaching placement. Your vocational rehabilitation counselor has purchased the Picture Maker: Wheatley Tactile Diagramming Kit for your use in learning routes in the school and new community because he understands the benefit of this tool. Now imagine that you meet your new orientation and mobility (O&M) … Continued

Dog Guide Peer Pressure: When Other Voices are Calling the Shots

Editor’s note: After obtaining her first dog guide, Alexis realized she did so because her peers had dog guides. Alexis reminds others who are blind or low vision who are considering dog guides to think through whether a dog guide is a good fit for their current season of life. Dog Guide Peer Pressure: When … Continued

Cane Acceptance or Not, That Is the Question

Editor’s note: White Cane Safety Day, remembered annually on October 15th, is a day for recognizing the achievements of individuals who are blind or low vision and a day for celebrating the white cane, a tool enabling independence! Alexis Read shares her story of accepting the use of her white cane. White Cane Acceptance or … Continued

When Blindness Isn’t the Only Barrier in Dog Guide Training

Editor’s note: Alexis Read shares her journey to finding a dog guide school that tailored training and tools to her specific abilities as a woman with low vision and additional disabilities. When Blindness Isn’t the Only Barrier in Dog Guide Training  I was born with a visual impairment and other disabilities that affected me physically … Continued