News

by Cindy Williams
Student Programming Coordinator

NDVS/SB has collaborated with the North Dakota Space Grant Consortium and their STEM Ambassadors for the last five years. NDSGC has provided hands-on and virtual activities for our students along with providing us with tours of their facilities and equipment on UND’s campus. They have been instrumental in bringing STEM activities to those we serve.

In July, Ken Dockter and I took part in a professional development opportunity hosted by the North Dakota Space Grant Consortium at UND’s Aerospace location on campus. It was presented by the Innovative Differentiated Exploration Activities in Space Science (IDEAS) which includes a team from South Carolina, North Carolina, and the North Dakota Space Grant Consortia. The NASA-in-the-Classroom Educator PD Workshop had a goal of encouraging collaboration between special education educators and a national network of STEM educators and NASA researchers, and our experiences during this workshop will be used to improve inclusive and accessible STEM pedagogy.

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When are the Adult Instruction Weeks coming up in 2022 – 2023 school year?  September 11-16, December 4-9, March 19-24, May 14-19, June 4-9. What happens during these weeks?  An adult who has lost vision recently, losing vision, or lost vision decades ago, can come to the school for training in the area of Orientation and Mobility, Technology, Daily Living Skills, Braille, Adjustment, Smartphone instruction, and other classes such as Recreation and Leisure, and Vocational.    

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by Cindy Williams  - Coordinator of Student Programs

Welcome back to the 2022-2023 school year and welcome to Student Short-Term Programs at NDVS/SB! I am honored to be the Coordinator of Student Programs and am looking forward to this school year and working with you and your child/student. Our Short-Term Programs (STP) are designed to offer individual and small class instruction through collaboration with families and local schools. While attending our STP's, students share similar experiences unique to the world of visual impairment and take away self-awareness and confidence through this shared experience.

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By Paul Olson

Ready Set Go! Ready or not it’s the beginning of a new school year. With this new beginning comes a great deal of anticipation I hope all of which is good. There is an energy in the air with the excitement of students being with friends again and for the love of learning. 

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NDVS/SB Region 4 Coordinator
TVI, COMS, Mom, Glamper

August can bring a range of emotions to teachers and students. Some dread back-to-school time, and others – like Danielle Hillebrand – look forward to it all year. This year is an especially exciting time for Danielle, as she’ll be starting a new job at North Dakota Vision Services/School for the Blind. Over the years, Danielle says, “I have had the privilege of working with several people from NDVS/SB who have shared their resources, knowledge, time, and passion for serving our students and clients with visual impairments,” and she is looking forward to now calling these people her colleagues. 

While it was hard to leave her former position in the public schools, she knew she had to apply for this position when it opened last spring. “It speaks volumes that you’ll find so many people who have worked for NDVS/SB for years and only leave for retirement. I just knew that they had a quality I wanted to be a part of!” she says. Read on to find out more about what Danielle is looking forward to in her new job, what she’s nervous about, and why country living is the life for her.

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We periodically share a young adult's story of success. In this profile, Rowan Stomberg (they/them), who grew up attending short-term programs at NDVS/SB, reflects on the challenges they've faced as they've gotten older. These challenges, Rowan has discovered, have taught them so much and made them who they are -- someone who is now ready to face their future with excitement.

The “No Thank You Bite” was a very important rule in Rowan Stomberg’s home while growing up. “It was my dad’s rule, and it meant we had to at least try it,” whether it was a taste of mushrooms or a new sport, Rowan explains. “Then, if I didn’t like it, I could say that I at least tried it.” As they’ve gotten older, the No Thank You Bite has taken on higher stakes. It’s no longer just referring to new foods or new games. Over the last few years, Rowan has had a variety of life experiences – some that didn’t turn out as planned – but they are grateful for all the “no thank you bites” they’ve tasted. “Making mistakes is how we learn,” Rowan says.

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NDVS/SB Business Manager
Budget Balancer, Lifelong Learner, World Traveler

Tami Purcell’s love of travel started early. “When I was young,” she remembers, “my mother and I traveled through many states via train. I would watch out the window for hours at all the different landscapes.” She’s continued to seek new landscapes throughout her life. “I have traveled to Europe twice, Great Britain, Mexico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Canada, and several states,” Tami says. “I have a goal to visit all 50 states and a national park each year.” And she’s shared her love of travel with her family and friends. “When our children were younger, we took them to Glacier via train so they could experience the way I traveled when young,” she explains. 

But most days, Tami can be found in her office at NDVS/SB keeping the budget balanced, making sure building projects are on track, listening to employees who may have a question or a problem, and keeping the business side of NDVS/SB running smoothly. She works hard so she can travel far. Read on to learn more about her job, what changes she’s witnessed during her 22 years at NDVS/SB, and where she’s planning to spend her next vacation days.

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This spring, the book Guidelines and Games for Teaching Efficient Braille Reading, 2nd ed. was released by APH Press. The first edition, which was released over 40 years ago in 1981, was written by two leaders in the vision world at that time, San Francisco State University Professor Dr. Sally Mangold and Dr. Myrna Olson from the University of North Dakota (UND). The second edition also has a UND professor at its helm. Renae Bjorg, PhD, who serves as the program coordinator of the Visual Impairment specialization at the University of North Dakota, was honored to write this updated version and follow in the footsteps of her own mentor, Dr. Olson. 

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by Laurie Westling

Do you have an Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, or Echo Show? Do you wonder what you can use it for besides asking the time or temperature and setting a timer? Did you know there are skills that you can enable that are specifically for the blind and low vision community? Today I will introduce you to some Alexa skills that you might enjoy.

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New ND Dual Sensory Project's Director looks forward to continuing to collaborate and partner with NDVS/SB to best serve students and families across the state.

The North Dakota Dual Sensory Project is in new hands, but they are capable ones. Lacey Long, who formerly worked for the Morton-Sioux Special Education Unit as a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TSVI), took over the role of Project Director for the ND Dual Sensory Project this spring from Dr. Brent Askvig, who retired. In her new role, she will also serve as a Research Associate for the ND Center for Persons with Disabilities (NDCPD), which houses the ND Dual Sensory Project. “The last few years, I have worked on the [ND Dual Sensory] project, instructing some of the OHOA (“Open Hands, Open Access”) modules and helping to plan the state’s deaf-blind summer institute, so it felt like a natural fit for me to move into the Project Director role when Dr. Askvig retired,” Lacey explained. 

Paul Olson, NDVS/SB Superintendent, agrees that Lacey is well-matched for this job and is looking forward to continuing to collaborate with the Dual Sensory Project to help support children who experience dual sensory loss and their families. “Lacey is passionate about every student she has served in her career,” Paul explained. “She has multiple teaching credentials and really is the most diversely trained educator I have ever had the pleasure to work with. Her knowledge and enthusiasm for working with and as part of a team is unmatched. Her positive attitude and work ethic is contagious.” We asked Lacey the following questions to find out more about her and how NDVS/SB and the ND Dual Sensory Project will partner under her leadership.

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