Programs & Services
through Mentoring Success
National Federation of the Blind of Georgia
“Mentoring the Blind Leaders of Tomorrow”
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Diamonds are used to increase the value of other diamonds by cutting and shaping them into precious gemstones. In fact, due to the nature of the substance, it takes a diamond to cut another diamond. Our GEMS program is a creative example of how this theory can be used by successful blind adults to increase the “value” and self- worth of our “Diamonds in the Rough,” our blind youth. This is the core of our GEMS program. We take advantage of the resource of successful blind adults in an effort to increase the value (self-esteem, self-worth, and self-concept) of blind youth. There is no substitute for the involvement of a successful blind person when working to foster the productive growth and development of another successful blind person.
A successful blind adult can have a positive effect on the growth and development of a blind youth by establishing a positive mentoring relationship. The GEMS program facilitates the development of this beneficial relationship by providing training and support in the use of the techniques, strategies, and best practices that foster successful mentoring.
The aim of the Georgians Empowered through Mentoring Success (GEMS) program is to link blind and low vision young adults throughout Georgia, ages sixteen to twenty-six, with successful blind and low vision mentors for the purpose of increasing their knowledge and participation in their educational and vocational rehabilitation processes with a resulting outcome of increased post-secondary academic success, high-quality employment, and community integration. The GEMS program pairs blind and low vision young adults with positive blind role models who demonstrate good blindness skills, incorporate an exemplary philosophy on blindness into their daily lives, and are successful in their chosen careers.
Through the mentoring relationship blind and low vision adults offer their expertise, experience and ideas to young adults. Many mentors work full time, have a family at home and still make time for their mentees. This is because the mentor’s are committed to helping a young blind adult develop a positive self concept, which has a corresponding positive effect on their potential quality of life. When young adults learn good skills of blindness, as a result of a mentor's interaction, the mentor also receives great satisfaction and personal growth. Mentors are able to meet other blind and low vision adults and create a larger support network for themselves as well as others. In order to be considered as a potential mentor, individuals complete a mentor application, and in order to ensure the safety of the young participants in this mentoring program, all prospective mentors undergo a thorough, confidential background check and screening process.
By participating in the mentoring program, mentees have the opportunity to build a personal relationship with a positive blind role model; learn firsthand how other blind people lead successful lives and achieve their goals; develop friendships with other blind and low vision young adults; and, have fun with activities they never expected to do! Overall, the mentoring relationship assists the mentees develop the alternative skills of blindness and implement life strategies that increase their potential for success.
In many instances, a qualified mentor cannot be identified for each young person that would like to participate in the GEMS program. The Blindness, Education, Training, and Advocacy (BETA) project serves as a complement to the GEMS program by providing blind youth that cannot presently be paired with a blind adult, with a mentoring experience, while simultaneously working to identify potential mentors.
The primary purpose of the BETA project is to recruit, train, and empower competent blind persons with the skills and resources to serve as sensitivity awareness presenters, and education advocates (BETA Specialists) within the educational environment of blind students. Qualified, skilled blind adults traveling to various schools throughout Georgia to conduct blindness awareness trainings and self empowerment seminars helps to dismiss the fears and stereotypes held by many that continue to negatively affect our blind youth.
We know that the best advocate and role model for a blind child is a successful, educated blind adult. It is essential to have competent blind individuals participating in the education and vocational rehabilitation planning of blind youth to ensure the development and implementation of successful real world strategies that foster an effective educational environment. In addition, exposure to successful blind adults will help to educate parents, professionals, and blind students about appropriate accommodations, and life strategies, that assist in setting realistic academic and vocational goals.
With the BETA project, we take the values of the GEMS program to local schools that have clusters of blind students by having BETA Specialists give presentations, conduct activities, and facilitate discussions about positive self concept, personal responsibility, social responsibility, and the five essential elements of success.
Every contact a mentor makes with his/her mentee requires that the Five Essential Elements for Success are kept in the forefront of their mind as they develop the mentoring relationship. Building the mentoring relationship is important, but our ultimate goal is to develop young adults with a healthy attitude about their blindness and independence skills. This is best done by re-enforcing the five elements.
Element 1: It is OK to be blind
Blind people are thought by many to be inferior and unable to care for themselves. The most important element of success is for the blind youth to develop a positive self concept, and come to believe he/she is as competent, and can be as competitive as any of his/her sighted peers. The blind youth/young adult must come emotionally, not just intellectually, to know that he or she can truly be independent and self-sufficient.
Element 2: Mastering blindness skills
The blind youth must be taught, and become competent in the use of the alternative blindness techniques of Braille, cane travel, assistive technology, and other alternative methods used by successful blind adults to perform the basic everyday tasks and responsibilities expected of any citizen. The blind youth/young adult must really master and become competent in these alternative techniques of blindness, which will make it possible for him or her to be independent and self-sufficient.
Element 3: Coping with public attitudes
Most of society fears becoming blind, and views blind people as either beneficiaries of the public good will that need to be cared for, or inspirational, miraculous beings that should be praised. Both views are detrimental to the blind individual wishing to live a normal life. In order to pursue a life of full participation and true inclusion, the blind youth/young adult must learn to proactively and appropriately cope on a daily basis with these varying public attitudes about blindness and blind people.
Element 4: Blending in
The blind youth/young adult must also learn to "blend in" and to be acceptable to others. He or she must be punctual, reliable, neat and appropriate in appearance, and the like. Since the ordinary blind person needs to learn to blend in and be acceptable to society for maximum success
Element 5: Giving back
In order to counter the pre-existing custodialistic attitude that the blind should be cared for, the blind youth/young adult must learn the value of giving back. The blind youth is encouraged to take his/her rightful place as a viable, interdependent member of society, by becoming an active and contributing member of his or her local community.
Mentors are encouraged, and assisted, to interact with their mentee at least eight (8) hours per month. In addition to the face-to-face interaction, which is preferred, this includes, telephone, email, and written correspondence. Each mentor participates in a monthly telephone conference, and completes a monthly survey. Each mentee participates in a quarterly telephone conference, and completes a quarterly survey. There are quarterly mentoring trainings that bring all the mentors and mentees together to participate in creative activities that facilitate the learning and development of all participants. Narratives of the quarterly mentoring activities are written, and best practices from individual mentoring experiences are captured. The data is evaluated and annual statistical analysis reports are generated by a qualified professional as part of the RSA grant.
Serving as the
Georgia Audible Universal Information Access Service
Lifetime learning, including detailed awareness of current events, is part of what makes a good citizen, a successful employee or employer, and a valuable participant in community life. Without ready access to information, none of us can reach his or her full potential. Now with the NFB-NEWSLINE® serving as the Georgia Audible Universal Information Access Service, blind and print disabled citizens of Georgia can use a touch-tone telephone to access timely information concerning our communities, cities, nation and the world.
The Georgia Audible Universal information Access Service is more than just a way for blind and print disabled Georgian’s to receive the latest information from national, state, and local print publications. The service is a tremendously empowering asset to the blind and print disabled citizens of Georgia. It makes it possible for us to stay connected to the social and political life of Georgia and the world, and continue to be informed, participating, contributing members of society.
Many seniors have lost enough vision that reading the daily newspaper was no longer possible. They have enjoyed being able to once again participate actively in community affairs. Blind and print disabled children are now able to research their own civics assignments and do their homework independently. Blind and print disabled professionals can now converse on relevant topics, no longer being under informed about information critical to their professions or left out at social functions when the latest editorial is discussed. Beyond this, a wealth of other information primarily found in newspapers, and other inaccessible media, is now also available to all blind and print disable citizens of Georgia on an equal footing, making it possible for us to actively strive toward obtaining a quality education, gainful employment, and full citizenship.
Upon the passage of HB-669 in the 2005 session of the Georgia General Assembly, the PSC was made responsible for establishing, implementing, administering, and promoting a state-wide Audible Universal Information Access Service (AUIAS) for blind and print disabled citizens of Georgia, operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year.
“Pursuant to O.C.G.A. §46-5-30, the General Assembly has found and declared that it is in the public interest to take advantage of innovative technological uses of basic telecommunications services to allow for universal access to information by blind and otherwise print disabled citizens of this state.”
HB-669 established the AUIAS and provided for Commission oversight of the program and funding through the telephone access line surcharge. The AUIAS, under the law, is funded through a monthly surcharge assessed on each telephone access line. (This surcharge also provides funding for the Georgia Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) and the Georgia Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program (TEDP) for speech or hearing impaired Georgians.) The law limits the cost of funding the program to no more than $.01 per month per telephone line as part of the TRS monthly surcharge.
Under Georgia law, the Georgia Public Service Commission is charged with the responsibility to manage and administer this program. Following an open and competitive bidding process, The National federation of the Blind’s proposal to use the NFB-NEWSLINE® service as the Georgia AUIAS prevailed as the most advantageous to the State. Since June 1, 2006, the NFB NEWSLINE ® has officially served as the AUIAS for the state of Georgia, and is coordinated by the Georgia affiliate of the National federation of the Blind.
All participating papers provide digital text of articles directly to the NFB-NEWSLINE® headquarters using the Internet or modem-to-modem transfer. Telecommunications technology developed by the National Federation of the Blind allows the text to be converted automatically into synthesized speech and made immediately available to subscribers, allowing them to access all the information by simply dialing the telephone.
Eligible print disabled Georgia citizens can access this service at no cost by applying with the NFB to obtain a Personal Identification Number and security code. Individuals are considered eligible if they have a visual or physical disability that prevents them from reading conventional newsprint. Current subscribers to the Talking Books program can sign-up with their local library for the blind. Individuals receiving public services due to a visual or physical disability from the Georgia Rehabilitation Services program, or other state or local program, may also be able to subscribe through a representative, or on-line at http://www.nfbga.org/newsline.htm. Individuals requiring more information about eligibility and the application process can contact the NFB of Georgia by calling 404-371-1000, 866-316-3242 (toll free), or via e-mail at: georgianewsline@nfbga.org.
Once subscribed, Blind and print disabled citizens can then access the NFB-NEWSLINE® service by calling a local or toll free telephone number. The subscriber must enter the six-digit personal identification number and a four-digit security code. This information is stored and associated with the telephone number being used by the subscriber. This allows for an expedited login that does not require the ID and security code when the subscriber calls again from the same number.
Once connected, by using any conventional touch-tone telephone to access the NFB’s high-speed computers, the subscriber can listen to over 250 newspapers, magazines, and other local information of their choice at their convenience free of charge. Subscribers can select a publication, choose from several issues of the publication, select a specific section, and maneuver through various articles, by simply pressing the appropriate button on a touch-tone telephone. The subscriber can alter the rate, tone, and speed of the synthesized voice to suit their unique listening style. The subscriber can also search each publication by key word or phrase.
In addition to telephone access, NFB-NEWSLINE® makes it possible for registered AUIAS subscribers to obtain the newspapers and magazines of their choice in secured electronic files. These files can be access using a variety of Assistive technology devices, which allow for even more customization and portability of the information by the subscriber.
Georgia AUIAS?
The system has the capacity to serve an unlimited number of subscribers. We currently have 821 subscribers to the Georgia AUIAS service. The total number of Georgia citizens that could benefit from this service exceeds 20,000 individuals, as demonstrated by the number of current subscribers to the Georgia Library for Accessible Services (GLASS). The estimated number of blind citizens in the state of Georgia exceeds 170,000 people.
Georgia AUIAS?
There are currently four Georgia papers on the NEWSLINE® service. The Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer the Macon Telegraph, and the Savannah Morning News are all NFB-NEWSLINE® participating newspapers. There are over 250 other newspapers from across the country available on the NFB-NEWSLINE® service, including the nationally distributed Christian Science Monitor, USA Today, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Roll Call. The news feed from the Associated Press (A), and the United Press International (UPI) are updated hourly on the NFB-NEWSLINE® service. The magazines currently available include the New Yorker, the Economist, Diabetes Self Management, Poets and Writers, and the AARP magazine in English and Spanish. There are four other Spanish publications.
The Local Channel of the Georgia NewsLine service is a complement to the newspaper and periodical section of the service. It is used to upload specific information not otherwise available to blind and print disabled persons. Newsletters, handbooks, public transportation rider guides, are only a few of the items available on the local channel.
In addition to obtaining local and national news, Georgia AUIAS subscribers can use the service to check TV listings for all television service providers, cable, satellite, and antenna. The listings provide channel, time, and descriptions of the programs. It even announces if the show is audio described. (Audio described video provides a narrative voice on a secondary channel that describes the physical action taking place on the screen.) Listings can be obtained for shows airing up to two weeks from the current date.
Braille Enrichment through Literacy and
Non-visual Learning Program
Non-visual Learning Program
The NFB Jernigan Institute has established the Braille Enrichment through Literacy and Non-visual Learning (BELL) program as a demonstration program to help provide intensive Braille instruction to low vision children during the summer months. This pilot program will be modeled after the 2007 BELL Program led by the NFB of Maryland state. Details of the Program
This program is designed to provide children ages four through twelve with two weeks of intense Braille instruction through fun, hands-on learning and activities, led by the NFB of Georgia BELL Team. This program will target those children with low vision who otherwise do not receive Braille instruction because of their residual sight. The program is designed to run Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. In addition to crafts, games, and other engaging projects, children may also enjoy field trips to sites related to the Braille instruction curriculum. A parent piece will also accompany the program wherein parents will learn strategies to support their child in the learning and use of Braille. Parents will also gain valuable information to aid them in the empowerment of their child as they interact with other parents of blind children, and successful blind adults.