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Spring 2004Letter from the Director As many of you are aware, the employment statistics for visually impaired people in the country are pretty dismal. Seventy-five percent of working age blind people are not gainfully employed. At the LSC, we do not believe these statistics correlate at all with the actual capability of our students to enter the world of work. Our staff works with the students to see where they are on the path to independence, then proceeds to individualize the program for them. Many young students need pre-vocational skills such as social skills and grooming, and also job exploration to find out what kinds of jobs are available. Some are ready for volunteer positions, some for part-time paid employment, some for job training. Even though we have had to put a freeze on our vocational instructor position for the time being, our staff has found the time to mentor our students in this most important of goals. I couldn't be more proud of their dedication and enthusiasm. The real message, however, is that the students featured in this newsletter have capitalized on their innate talent, honed their skills, and are now using them to move out into the world and become useful and appreciated members of society. When we went to the hospital to take a picture of Nadia checking in on one of her elderly clients, I was impressed by her caring attitude and how much the elderly patients appreciated chatting with her. And who knew that Christina could play the piano like that, or that Jose would land a contract in the music industry?? We are so pleased to dedicate this issue of our newsletter to our WORKING STUDENTS. -Patty Williams, Director
Poetic Vision The Living Skills Center is extremely pleased and excited to announce that one of our students, Jose Esparza, has signed a 7-year contract to write song lyrics for a music publishing company! Jose, who has been writing poetry since his sophomore year of high school, had emailed some of his work to a few friends, hoping for nothing more than to provide them with his uplifting words. One of the friends, however, was so impressed by the poems that he decided to send them to a publisher, just to see what would happen. Much to Jose's surprise, the publisher's response was enthusiastic; she contacted Jose and suggested that his work might be usable as the basis for song lyrics in TV, film and other productions.
Staff News In December, the Living Skills Center's Night Supervisor and former student, Samir Shaibi, received his degree in Massage Therapy from the National Holistic Institute in Emeryville, California. The rigorous 10-month course of study culminated in an intimate ceremony, with the graduates demonstrating a cleansing ritual and each giving a short speech about their experiences in the program. The entire Living Skills Center staff was in attendance and proudly watched as Samir received his certification. It should be noted that as part of his studies, Samir was required to do 720 hours of free body-work and many LSC staff members benefited directly as a result. We can personally vouch for Samir's tremendous abilities!
LIVING SKILLS CENTER STUDENTS ON THE JOB Kylie
Jorge We are pleased to announce that Jorge Estrada has finished the first level of training from the Street Tech program. Street Tech is a non-profit organization that offers low-cost computer training, certification, and job placement for deserving adults (ages 18 and up) from disadvantaged communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. Throughout the intensive year-and-a-half curriculum, students are immersed in the field of computer technology and given the skills they need to become professional certified technicians.
For more information on Street Tech, please visit : Christina
Nadia
STEPPING OUT INTO THE WORLD: GRADUATES ON THE JOB The stories in this newsletter are about current students, but many of our graduates are currently engaged in a wide variety of employment fields. These grads are excellent and dependable members of the work force. Following is a partial list of those jobs:
“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” --Helen Keller LSC Students Get Moving!
You can also support the LSC by making a Tribute Gift donation in memory of or in honor of a loved one. We will be sure to send a Tribute Gift notification card in your name to the party you indicate - no mention is made of the amount of donation in this card. A second card will be sent to you acknowledging your generous donation, and letting you know that we have sent out the Tribute Gift card.
Thank You! |
When
asked how he came to the decision to pursue Massage Therapy as a career, Samir
said that it was something he had always been interested in. He enjoys
impressing healthy lifestyle habits on people and facilitating the healing
process. Now a licensed Massage Therapist, Samir is proficient in most Eastern
and Western modalities, including Swedish, Thai, acupressure and shiatsu (his
specialty). Ideally, he would eventually like to work in a capacity involving
travel, perhaps on a cruise ship or at a resort. For the moment, he is in the
process of building a clientele locally and starting his own business. It goes
without saying that we couldn't be more proud of Samir and look to him as an
example of what visually impaired people are capable of accomplishing
professionally. Congratulations, Samir!
Student
Kylie Sykes job-shadowed a former student, Edrina Gibson, at Edrina's
volunteer job at Creekside Health Care Center and liked what she saw. When
Edrina graduated from the Skills Center and moved into her own apartment, Kylie
was able to step into the job. Kylie works with the activities director at
Creekside. Sometimes she helps patients with their exercises, sometimes she
acts as a friendly visitor. Lately, she tells us, "I've been doing fun stuff on
the computer. I found Valentine designs, put patients' names on them and
decorated the bulletin board. I also helped on a field trip to Disney On Ice.
We all had a blast!" We are sure Kylie's warm smile and pleasant manner are
much appreciated on the job.
With
the assistance of Ron Hideshima, the Living Skills Center's own computer
instructor, Jorge was able to enter the program and determine what types of
adaptive equipment he would need to participate and be competitive with his
sighted peers. Staff and teachers at Street Tech were very accommodating of
Jorge's needs and encouraged the use of equipment such as a CCTV and portable
magnifier. Over the last several months, Jorge has learned how to troubleshoot
problems on a Windows platform, set up a network and perform routine
maintenance. He has even already held a temporary job setting up computers for a
local company! Congratulations, Jorge, on taking this impressive first step
towards a successful career!
Christina
Law told us she had had some previous experience volunteering in an
elementary school in Petaluma and enjoyed spending time around children. She
said she would like to gain some more experience in that area, so one of our
teachers, Nancy Phinnessee, assisted her in finding a local elementary school
that needed some help. Christina now serves as a volunteer, part-time aide in
Mrs. Grant's kindergarten class at Tara Hills Elementary. Her duties include
Spanish/English translation, supervising the Puzzle & Listening Center,
vocabulary flash cards (in Braille for her and in English for the kids), and
playing music. Says Christina, "Music is being cut in schools today and
elementary kids don't have enough access to it. If there's anything I can do to
fill that gap, I'm happy to do it!" She has been teaching the kids songs they
had never heard before, such as the classic Sesame Street song "Mr. Sun," "Skidda
marinka dinky doo," and a song her mother taught her, "You Are My Sunshine." It
makes her happy to be able to pass these songs along to younger people.
Christina speaks Spanish fluently and has played the piano by ear since she was
two years old. We think it is wonderful that she is able to share her talents
with children in our local schools. Way to go, Christina!
Nadia
Ramos is working at the "Doctors Medical Center Auxiliary." This volunteer
organization has been around since Doctors Medical Center opened in San Pablo in
November of 1954 and plays an important role in the hospital's day-to-day
operations. Volunteers are responsible for running the information desks, the
gift shop, and the patient-discharge escorting service. They are also in charge
of running the blood bank once a month, and the Telecare service where Nadia
works. Three mornings a week Nadia makes calls to people in the community who
are housebound or simply want a friendly voice to check in on them. In the event
that they don't answer, Nadia calls alternate numbers of friends and family
members to make sure that the person is safe. This free service is available to
anyone in the community (you don't have to be a patient of the hospital) and
provides a sense of reassurance to people who have concerns about their health.
Nadia has been volunteering at Doctors Medical Center for almost two years now.
About the job, she says, "It's great! I love the environment and everybody's
very nice." We are so proud of Nadia for providing this important service to
members of our community.
Cross-country
skiing, sea kayaking on the San Francisco Bay, hiking, camping, goal ball, beep
baseball, bowling, and dancing...many of our students never thought they could
participate in these sorts of activities. We watch proudly as our students
learn to move with confidence, grow in stamina and strength, make new friends,
and have fun! Our recreation program has a huge impact on people’s lives;
however, we must raise the money to help subsidize these activities, which cost
the LSC a total of over $5,000 per year. If you would like to make an
online donation to the LSC, please follow the link below. Contributions of
any amount are welcome and much appreciated.