News

by Tracy Wicken, Project Chair, NDVS/SB Technology and Lions Club Member

There is an exciting project underway, and your support is needed to make it happen. We hope to be able to install a life-size bronze statue representing the service and support that NDVS/SB provides to persons of all ages with vision loss throughout North Dakota. The statue also represents Lions Clubs and their members and the service and support they give to vision-related projects as well to people with vision loss in North Dakota and around the world. We are calling this project “Statue of Service.”  This bronze statue, along with a resting area, will be placed on the grounds of NDVS/SB in Grand Forks to represent that service as well as inform people of the location of NDVS/SB.

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Have you ever wondered what a TSVI does all day? Some TSVIs are employed by one school district so work in one building every day, or only travel within the district. But some TSVIs cover large areas. Those TSVIs are called itinerant, meaning they serve multiple students in multiple districts, and may work with children of all ages, from babies to 21+! The TSVIs employed by NDVS/SB are all itinerant, meaning they spend lots of time in their cars, lots of time writing reports, and lots of time with many different kiddos! Get a taste of what a day in the life of a TSVI is like by reading about NDVS/SB's Outreach Coordinator Erin Storhoff's day on Thursday, December 12, 2024!

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by Amy Osvold
NDVS/SB Vision Rehabilitation Specialist

Amy wrote the following reflection for the North Dakota Association of the Blind's newsletter, the Promoter. In order for more people to hear her important message, she is also sharing it with the NDVS/SB community. 

My vision loss journey began when I was 4½ years old. I had been sick with what my mom thought was the flu. I stayed home in the morning with my grandmother while my mother worked. That afternoon she picked me up to go to the doctor but when she asked me to put on my shoes, I could not find them. I could not see them. She rushed me to a family friend who was an optometrist in Minot who then sent me to the ER. And thus began my journey.

Over the next 42 years, I began a quest to try and figure out what was causing my vision loss before I lost the rest of my sight or the mystery disease expanded its grasp to other areas of my body. As a child, I had a total of six attacks. After the fourth, I was put on an immune suppressant called Imuran as a kind of a shot-in-the-dark. It did not stop the attacks, but it did slow them down and kept the losses from being so extensive. 

As an adult, I have seen countless neurologists, ophthalmologists, neur-ophthalmologists, rheumatologists, immunologists, and general practitioners in an attempt to find an answer before the clock ran out. Every time I had an attack, I lost more vision. I would take massive amounts of steroids but never regained what I lost. In 2000, I started having numbness and weakness on my right side, as well as dizziness, headaches, and nausea. The doctors just told me they could not find anything wrong other than the Optic Neuritis which had progressed to Optic Atrophy. By the late 2000s, pain became a constant companion. Every time I saw a new doctor and they ran the usual gauntlet of tests, I prayed this would be the time science had caught up to my disease, the time I finally had a name for the pain.

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Attending summer camp is a tradition for many teens, and these days, there seems to be a camp for every interest and hobby. But how about a camp where attendees get to practice and learn new mobility skills, including spending a day traveling with a dog guide? This summer, two students who receive services from NDVS/SB attended the Teen Summer Camp at Leader Dogs for the Blind, which is based in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The last week in June, Edward Freer, 18, and Ethan Thiseth, 17, flew by themselves to Michigan for a week of learning new skills, meeting new friends, and pushing themselves to new limits. These two young men have spent many weeks in Grand Forks attending short-term programs at NDVS/SB, but their experience at Leader Dogs was unlike anything they’d done before. 

Kristi Thiseth, Ethan’s mom, was very excited for Ethan to attend camp in Michigan. “A few years ago, he wouldn’t spend the night at NDVS/SB, and now he is flying states away to attend camp,” Kristi said. “I think the most valuable part of camp was him learning to be more independent.” Ethan’s independence grew not just during the week at camp itself but before and after camp as well. When the Thiseth family was in the airport for a family trip a few weeks before Ethan was scheduled to fly out for camp, he asked his parents to help him explore the airport and download the airport app on his phone so he would be prepared for his own adventure later. That type of real-life experience is invaluable and can’t be replicated. And that’s why students are encouraged to attend camps like these, that are designed for teens who are blind or have low vision. “Every experience we have helps us decide what we want in our lives,” said Paul Olson, Superintendent of NDVS/SB.

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Vision Resource Center Specialist

Michele Willman only started working in the Vision Resource Center at NDVS/SB in mid-May, but when you meet her, you may think she’s been a librarian her entire life. Since she’s started, she’s made many improvements to the library, from setting up attractive new displays to cleaning up online library records that will make her colleagues’ and patrons’ lives easier. Michele, who had spent most of her career working in higher ed, is a natural fit in this position. “I had been interested in shifting from teaching to library for awhile and had been browsing job boards looking for library positions that I was qualified for,” she said. “I happened across the job ad for the VRC Specialist and I’m so glad the stars aligned like they did.” Her colleagues at NDVS/SB are glad too! Read on to learn more about Michele.

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Recently, Alfred Eggermont from Binford, ND, fulfilled a lifelong dream: he starred in a cooking competition show. Alfred has had this dream since he was just a little boy. He started helping his mom cook at only 3 years old. At 5, he began watching cooking shows, and at 6, he was cooking full meals for his family. This past spring, at the ripe old age of 12, he starred on MasterChef Junior, a cooking competition show hosted by British chef and restauranter Gordon Ramsay, that airs on FOX. Twelve young chefs began the competition, and Alfred made into the top six before being eliminated. People all over the country fell in love with Alfred and his fellow competitors. But what the audience didn’t know is that Alfred has a visual impairment and receives services from North Dakota Vision Services/School for the Blind (NDVS/SB). 

NDVS/SB Business Manager
Grandma, Listener, Our Newest Employee!

Change is hard. Whenever someone retires, there is worry about who will be hired to replace the retiring employee and how the new person will measure up. Luckily, Paula Solheim, who was hired last month to replace NDVS/SB’s retiring business manager Tami Purcell, is an expert in change. Having grown up in a military family, she got used to moving around in her childhood. New home, new school, new community, changes galore. Now, as the business manager at NDVS/SB, Paula is getting used to more change – new job, new tasks, new staff. But with her experience, knowledge, and flexibility, she is excited for her new role and the challenges – and change – it will bring. “I like change! But only if it is for the better,” she says. “I feel we can all still learn, so if the change is a good one, I am all for it!” Read on to learn more about NDVS/SB’s newest employee, Paula.

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M&M Movement and Mobility October 11-13 Grand Forks, ND

Join us in October at the Dakotas AER Conference! Register here today! Registration Link 

2023 Dakotas AER Conference

Speakers Include Rod Kossick, Chuck Huss, Dr. Cindy Rolas, Nicola McDowel

Hotel Room Block Hampton Inn State Rate Discount until September 10 701-757-2255 Promo Code DAC

Vision Resource Center Specialist
Former Intern & Mom-to-be

Three years ago, in August 2020, Karli Talley first stepped foot into North Dakota Vision Services/School for the Blind in Grand Forks. She was just about to start her senior year at UND and needed to do an internship for her degree in Rehabilitation and Human Services. “I applied for a few different places, but after an interview with Mr. Olson and Mr. Dockter, NDVS/SB seemed like a great place for my internship experience,” Karli says. As an intern, Karli, who grew up in Mora, MN, was able to observe all that NDVS/SB does across the state and help the agency out in a variety of ways. “Throughout that semester, I realized that it was in fact a great fit, so I extended my practical experience another semester,” Karli explains. But as graduation approached, it seemed NDVS/SB wasn’t done with Karli yet. “During that second semester, it was mentioned to me that there would likely be a job opportunity opening up shortly after my graduation,” Karli says. “I enjoyed my internship at NDVS/SB, so I was eager to apply for my current position as the Vision Resource Center Specialist and delighted to accept the job offer!” Read on to find out what Karli does in her role as Vision Resource Center Specialist, why you will find her at the Farmer’s Market on Saturdays, and when her family will be growing by one!

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Amy Osvold, MSW, has worked at NDVS/SB for 15 years as a Vision Rehabilitation Specialist. She has worked primarily with adults but has done some work with middle and high school students, mostly focusing on Daily Living Skills. Amy recently received her Master of Social Work degree from Florida State University. With a new degree, Amy will be providing new services to adults and students. Learn more about how she can help you or your loved one with vision loss by reading on.

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