NFB Youth Slam! » Olaedo

Making News While Covering News

Olaedo — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:48:55 +0000

Yesterday the news crew participated in something that was amazing and overwhelming at the same time. We went to the Jernigan Institute and experienced something that we would never forget. Let me start from the beginning.
After we had a sack lunch we listened to the speaker and also took part in a press conference about the poor state of Braille education in Baltimore City schools. Kayla, Grecia, and I asked some questions and worked our way through the interview. Little did we realize that our event would later be broadcast on TV.
When our press conference was finished, we took a tour of the Institute and saw a massive amount of technology that blind people use to be productive at work and home. We also went to the Exhibition Hall and took a look at all the booths and the exhibitions, which were all very fascinating to look at. Some of us even went to the Independence Marketplace and saw what NFB stocks for any blind person to use to be more productive and effective.
We then had an excellent dinner of pasta, chicken, string beans, and cookies, with coffee, tea, and water available for us to drink, and popcorn for us to munch on during the talent show. Speaking of the talent show, it was magnificent. From singing and the piano, to jokes and the saxophone, it was sort of like Showtime at the Apollo or America’s Got Talent, which was very good indeed. Then when all the excitement ended, we returned to the buses to head back to the University of Maryland. Amazing to see what the blind have accomplished by working together. Overall, it was a very exciting experience and something that I’ll remember for a very long time.

My First Press Conference

Olaedo — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:46:10 +0000

Yesterday, while we were at the NFB’s Jernigan Institute , my mentor Harriet and three of the members of the News Slam (Kayla, Grecia, and I) took part in a press conference and discussed some key blindness issues. The press conference focused on a formal complaint the NFB filed against the Baltimore City schools because of their lack of training blind students in the use of Braille. The lack of Braille, of course, also causes a decrease in graduation rates for those who are blind. And when students are looking for a job, they tend to be held back and/or rejected because they were not able to compete with language-based activities without the key tools blind people use every day
We discussed how the School Board and other organizations can solve this problem and how they can make things better for all blind students. It was the first time I ever took part in a press conference, let alone one that was going to be broadcast on TV and radio. We managed to make it through the press conference, even though it was a little nerve-wracking for a newbie.
In the question-and-answer that followed, we discussed what was holding the schools back from achieving the goals for all blind students in Maryland and possibly in other states. We also learned the percentage of students who are blind or visually impaired and the percentages of students who have graduated or not graduated yet. I never realized that it was so difficult for blind students to get the accommodations they needed in order to do well in school and in life. Overall, the press conference was both thrilling and a little intimidating, but we managed to get through it. There is so much to learn about the needs of blind students and how we can help give them the tools they will need to succeed in life.

My Mentor’s Story: Harriet on the Go

Olaedo — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:05:11 +0000

Harriet Go originates from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She realized that she was blind from a very young age, but she didn’t know how her blindness would affect her in the future. She went to a school for the blind and she was taught Braille, mobility, alternative activities, and everything and anything that blind students needed in life; it was like a regular school. When it came to adjusting to the environment outside of school, other people made her life difficult

Harriet’s family has always been very supportive. But when it came to her peers, she went through a difficult time. She had to deal with other people and their stereotypes and she had to prove to them all that blind people can do things as well as sighted people. She was sometimes on the outside socially. But as she got older, she got stronger and bolder, and had a stronger belief in herself, especially when the NFB came into her life. .

When Harriet first heard about the NFB Youth Slam, she was at an NFB convention in Dallas. This is her first year as a mentor. She is enjoying it very much. Harriet has enjoyed the entire week, but what she really is excited about the most is the rally at the Lincoln Memorial and the March for Independence in Washington D.C. Overall, as a blind person, she is growing stronger every day and every year. She has taught me a great deal, both as a mentor and a friend.

Interesting Careers: Interview with Ameenah Lippold

Olaedo — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:57:42 +0000

Ameenah Lippold is a member of the Department of Defense and also works at a Customer Service where soldiers go for help to find jobs if they need them. She is also one of the helpers in the 2009 NFB Youth Slam. To her her career choice was a leap of faith, so she looks forward to the future. But her life’s career didn’t start out that way.
She grew up in a very supportive family. Her mother recently passed away, but, when she was living, she never told her daughter, “I don’t think you can do this.” She always encouraged Ameenah to do well. Her siblings were just as supportive. They never doubted or questioned her, and they were great with support. Ameenah and her stepfather never really saw eye to eye on things, but he never pushed her aside, which some people do when going through difficult times.
Ameenah had a difficult road getting to where she is today. She was a history major, focusing on the business side of technology and also on science. She worked at the Jernigan Institute, going from site to site and understanding other people’s needs. Not only did Ameenah struggle with her majors in college, but she also dealt with depression and anxiety. She looked for jobs, but she was constantly rejected because of her blindness. She had trouble figuring out the right balance between getting accommodations at work and asking people for assistance when she needed it. Ameenah had Vocational Rehabilitation Services in college, but she had to pay for her own equipment and take a test in order to enter the Institute, which was frustrating.
But, like others, she has made it through. Amina never thought she’d be where she is today, and she is happy and satisfied. She advises those who want to pursue her career to get their blindness skills under their belts, the sooner the better, and to work on becoming more social.
In her spare time Ameenah loves to play the piano and is an avid performer. She is also a devoted Christian, so she goes to church every chance she gets. She loves going to concerts, mentoring, and of course doing NFB-related events.

Amina Liepol is a member of the Defense System Agency and is also working at a Customer Self Service, which is where solders go for help to find jobs if they needed it. She is also one of the helpers in the 2009 NFB Youth Slam. To her, this career choice was like a leap of faith, so she looked forward to the future. But her life’s career didn’t start out that way.

She grew up in a very supportive family. Her mother recently passed away, but she has never told her daughter, “I don’t think you can do this.” She has always encouraged Amina to do well in life. Her siblings were just as supportive because they never doubted or questioned her and they were great with support. Amina and her stepfather never really saw eye to eye on things, but he never pushed her aside, which some people tend to do while going through difficult times.

Amina had a difficult road getting to where she is today. She was a history major, focusing on the business side of technology and also on science. She worked at the Jerrigan Institute, going from site to site and understanding other people’s needs. Amina not only struggled with her majors in college, but she also dealt with depression and anxiety. She also looked for jobs, but she was constantly rejected, due to her blindness. She was also having a difficult time figuring out the balance of getting accommodations at work and asking people for assistance when needed. Amina also had Vocational Rehabilitation Services in college, but the problem was that she had to pay for her own equipment and she had to take a foot test in order to enter the institute, which became frustrating to her.

But, like everyone else, she has managed to make it through. Amina felt that she never thought she’d be here today and she was happy and satisfied in a good way. She advises those who want to pursue this career to put their blindness skills under their belts, the sooner the better, and to learn to be more social.

In her spare time, Amina loves to play the piano and is an avid performer. She is also a devoted Christian, so she goes to church every chance she gets. And she also loves going to concerts, mentoring, and of course, doing NFB related events.

Sports-A-Poppin’

Olaedo — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:54:03 +0000

Tuesday night was Sports Night and the games were flying. There was plenty going on, from goal ball to basketball, from dance to yoga. There was a star gazing party where you can see the moon and stars up close (with a telescope of course). There was even a wheelchair race!

It was amazing how all these students were able to find the force of the ball and sense that it was coming, gaze at the stars, or listen to directions and allow their bodies to move to the beat. The students were able to turn a hard task into something easy to do and fun to work with. They were also able to exercise not only their bodies and minds, but also their ability to follow along, despite their blindness.

At the Star Gazing portion of the evening, blind students were able to see the magic of the moonlit and starlit sky at night. For blind people, seeing the stars is one of those “unachievable” things, but Youth Slam opened up that world to us.

In the ball games, students are able to hear that the ball is coming and either catch it, hit it, or kick it without getting hit. And in the dance and yoga classes, people used their bodies to follow along to the music and instructions. Overall, it was a very entertaining and relaxing night for everyone.

25 Interesting Things About Me

Olaedo — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 03:07:16 +0000

1. I have a passion for reading.
2. I love sushi.
3. I have a weakness for sweets, especially chocolate.
4. I’m not very good at Algebra.
5. I love to write.
6. I don’t like spicy things.
7. I love to use computers.
8. I’m in the color guard.
9. I love pop, hip hop, rap, and Christian music.
10. I really like Starbucks, especially the frappaccinos.
11. I was born in Edison, New Jersey.
12. I’m the only girl in the family and the middle child.
13. I thought that my older brother didn’t want me (he tried to give me a house cleaning project to drink).
14. I have an immense fear of flying.
15. I hate guns and the darkness.
16. I still don’t have my license.
17. I went through a difficult time in middle school.
18. I cried a lot when I was younger.
19. I also like going to Coldstone.
20. I can be a pack rat and keep things clean one day, messy the next.
21. I tend to spend a lot of time on the Internet.
22. I still collect teddy bears and stuffed bunnies.
23. My favorite color is pink.
24. I would love to ice skate.
25. I also have Asperger’s Syndrome.

How I Got Here: Tomy’s Story

Olaedo — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 02:46:20 +0000

Tomy Geczy was originally born in Hungary, a

country in Asia, but lives and comes from Ohio. He is fully blind and it is his first year at the NFB Youth Slam. Tomy learned about it from his mother, who e-mailed him the information. He stays at the Hartford dorm (Slytherin) and is also part of News

Slam. The event that Tomy is mostly looking forward

to is Extreme Rec night.