Fall 2004                                                                      

Meet Leah Gardner
The following evaluation of our program, written by recent graduate Leah Gardner, is the kind of positive reinforcement that keeps us focused and reminds us that the LSC truly makes a difference.

“The Living Skills Center proved to be a great transition for me. I had moved to California a few months before entering the LSC program, but I was uncomfortable with navigating the Bay Area. After a year of instruction, I am thankful and impressed with my new comfort level with public transportation systems and much-improved grasp of intersection analysis. I now use BART and public busses constantly to get where I need to go. I've noticed an extreme difference in my willingness to navigate independently, and my fear of travel was really lessened during my stay at LSC. I am so thankful for this. I credit the Living Skills Center and its staff for their immeasurable assistance and support. In addition, the technological recommendations, cooking tips, and financial advice were much appreciated. I also found a job while attending the program, and the suggestions and encouragement offered to me throughout my search for employment and after acquiring the job were extremely helpful. I am working full time and forming a new life in Berkeley. I want to thank the LSC staff for their support. It was a tremendously fruitful year for me.”

Congratulations and Good Luck to all of our Recent Graduates!

Lauren Brennan has moved into a dorm and started Dominican College in San Rafael.
Kelly McCarthy and Christina Law are sharing an apartment in Fairfield and are attending Solano College.
Chris Preiman has moved into his own apartment and is continuing his education at Contra Costa College.
Jorge Estrada is also working toward an AA degree at Contra Costa College.
Jose Esparza has just moved into his own apartment in Santa Rosa, attends Santa Rosa Junior College, and is continuing to write his music lyrics.
Amanda McClure moved into her own apartment in San Jose.
Julie Fuller is traveling on BART with her new power chair to her new volunteer job at the Independent Living Resource Center in San Francisco.
Carson Yu is continuing his education at Contra Costa College.
Nadia Ramos is living in an apartment in Richmond and continuing her job at Doctors Hospital.
Kylie Sykes is working part time in an office setting.

We are so very proud of all of these students as they confidently step out
into the world and move forward with their lives!

PAULA LEDUC LEADERSHIP SOCIETY APPRECIATION DINNER

On May 20 Paula LeDuc hosted a beautiful Appreciation Dinner for the members of the newly launched Paula LeDuc Leadership Society. Members of the Leadership Society, Board members and staff were feted with wonderful passed hors d'oervres and entertained with jazz guitar music played by our own staff members, Arif Syed and Samir Shaibi. Paula welcomed everyone and talked about the long history she and her husband Jim have with the Living Skills Center. (Both Paula and Jim were instructors at the LSC, and Jim was its Executive Director for several years.) Paula then invited all to enjoy a delectable feast prepared by her amazing catering company. Following the meal, LSC graduate Samir Shaibi and President of the Board of Directors Tim Ford spoke about the unique value students gain from the LSC experience. Director Patty Williams concluded by expressing deep gratitude to the members of the Leadership Society: "Your investment in the Paula LeDuc Leadership Society has been the impetus for an enormous awakening for the Skills Center. We found out that there are people out in the world who want to help! Who want to make a difference in a really big way! We are now confident that there are going to be many more people in the future who will join the Leadership Society, and we will be grateful to those new investors as well, but never more so than we are to you, our inaugural members, who have jump-started us on this amazing journey. You have not only made our students safer, you also have made us feel that we can do anything. We realize we are no longer the “Little Engine That Could.” We have metamorphized into a “World Class Organization!”

The Paula LeDuc Leadership Society exceeded our first year goal of $25,000 to raise an astonishing $30,000!

THANK YOU PAULA AND ALL OF OUR LEADERSHIP SOCIETY MEMBERS

Thank you Tom Sykes and the Soroptimists'

The Living Skills Center was surprised and honored in January when we received a check for $2500 from the Walnut branch of the Soroptimists Union. In fact, this generous donation was facilitated by Tom Sykes, father of recent graduate Kylie Sykes. In honor of his being named Man of the Year by the Soroptomists, Mr. Sykes was allowed to select a charity to which the check would be given; he chose the Skills Center. We are extremely grateful to him for his consideration and for the efforts of the Soroptomists.
                                                    Thank you so much!

On September 30th, friend of the Skills Center Christine Harkinson treated LSC students and staff to an Oakland A's baseball game. Two of our new students had never been on BART, so traveling to the Coliseum BART station was an adventure in itself. The seats behind home plate were awesome, and watching the A's beat the Mariners by a homerun in the bottom of the ninth was great fun. Also, we have to admit it was fun to see Ichiro get his 256th hit!

THANKS CHRISTINE!

LSC at MIT and Harvard!

In January, Technology Instructor Ron Hideshima was invited to participate in a demonstration for scientists at Harvard and MIT. Takeo Kurematsu, president of the Japanese adaptive technology company KGS, had been invited to present the company's new graphical tactile display, the DotView 2 (DV2), to researchers at the two schools. Mr. Kurematsu, who has known Ron for many years and holds his technical abilities in high regard, asked Ron to accompany him and act as a demonstrator/consultant at the meetings.
The meetings consisted largely of Ron demonstrating basic operation of the DV2 to the scientists. Featuring a 48x32 pin display, the DV2 essentially renders graphics on a computer screen into a tactile form via a panel of pins that go up and down to give depth to 2-dimensional images. For example, an image of the face of a clock would appear on the DV2 display with the numbers, lines and hands in the form of raised pins (see picture). If the second hand is moving around the clock face on the screen, that movement is replicated in “feelable” form by the pins. This technology promises to give visually impaired users unprecedented access to graphic-intensive environments and further integrate them into the world of computers. Current studies at Harvard and MIT focus on measuring sensory stimulus in visually impaired persons. A device like the DV2 would enable researchers to instantly generate many different types of tactile stimuli and observe neurological responses in subjects. At present, the studies do incorporate their own homemade graphical tactile displays. However, compared to the DotView 2, these devices are, by Ron's own estimation, "primitive".
Not surprisingly, the scientists were very impressed by both the DV2 and by Ron's proficiency with using it. In appreciation of Ron's assistance, Mr. Kurematsu and KGS have graciously decided to lend a DV2 demo unit to the Living Skills Center tech lab. We are very grateful for this valuable addition to our cutting-edge facility and Ron is excited to begin integrating it into the curriculum. The Living Skills Center is the only agency that currently possesses both of the world's first graphical tactile displays, the DotViews 1 and 2.
 

Thank you KGS!

For more information about the DotView 2, please visit www.KGS-America.com

Second Annual Walkathon

On May 7th the LSC staff, students and friends gathered at Point Pinole for our 2nd annual Walkathon. This fun fundraiser was a resounding success, generating over $4,000 in donations. Our students went above and beyond the call of duty in getting sponsors for their participation in the event. The money raised will go to our Recreation Program, which includes the yearly ski and kayak trips. Without these funds, it would not be possible for our students to have these incredible experiences.

Our students practiced the 3-mile trek out to the Pt. Pinole Pier and back for several weeks before the actual event. By the day of the Walkathon, everyone was in top shape and ready to go! The weather was sunny and breezy, and the walkers were in high spirits. Everyone finished in record time. After the walk, the group adjourned to the picnic area for a hot dog lunch and more fun.

We were extremely fortunate to have a group of students from the MBA program at University of San Francisco assisting us in organizing this fundraiser. These wonderful volunteers, led by Skills Center friend, Niccore Rapp, handled the food preparation, acted as human guides on the walk, and raised over $1000! We are so grateful to them for their hard work and generous spirits! Thank you Niccore Rapp, Tarkik Shah, Linda Zboril and Esfandiyar Alaee.

Letter from the Director

The State of California is in trouble and, like all agencies that have contracts with the CA State Department of Rehabilitation, our funding has been cut by 2 percent. One would think we would be having nightmares. Instead, the Living Skills Center is busily going about changing peoples' lives forever, as we have done for 32 years. Our most recent graduates are settled into their very own apartments. Some have started job training or college classes. New students are setting up check records, trying out new equipment in the technology lab, grocery shopping and cooking their first meals, making friends and looking forward to taking BART to an A's game and the ferry to Alcatraz. Recently I spoke to a mobility instructor who used to teach one of our new students and mentioned that this girl seemed to worry a lot. The teacher answered, "Omigod, you have no idea how much calmer and more confident she is, and she's only been at the Living Skills Center for 2 months!"

As for the funding cut? As you can see by the number of time the words “Thank You” are mentioned in this newsletter, help has arrived from all directions! The Skills Center has more volunteers and more supporters than we've ever had before. The Paula LeDuc Leadership Society had an astounding first year. Our amazement and gratitude now extends all the way from dear friends who have always supported us to new relationships we are making with wonderful, generous folks who understand the huge impact we make on peoples' lives and want to be a part of our mission. This has been a year of deeply felt appreciation and a newfound optimism for the future.

We have learned to believe in the old Native American saying: “Give thanks for unknown blessings, already on their way.”
 

                                -Patricia Williams, Executive Director

Paula LeDuc Leadership Society
- gifts of $1,000 or more unrestricted funds -

Arthur Berliner
Patty Biasca
Nita Borick
Frank Caufield
Contra Costa Braille Transcribers
Edie Dimmler
Ernest Goggio
Mimi and Peter Haas
Christine Harkinson
Carolyn and Doug Haney
Lucy and Fritz Jewitt
Paula LeDuc Fine Catering
Mechanics Bank
Masud and Ferideh Mehran
Joan and Jim Meyer
Janet and David Mourning
Mike and Catherine Podell
Robert and Susan Scherer
Eric and Wendy Schmidt
Helen O. Schwab
Dr. Michael Shaub
Joyce Raley Teel
William A. Van Dyk, DDS
Ellen Voyles
Bill and Robin Watson
John Ziesenhenne

“Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world, for indeed that’s all who ever have.” -Margaret Mead

LSC Staff Rocks!

Lisamaria Martinez is our new Living Skills instructor. A recent UC graduate, she has her BA in Social Welfare. "LM", as she is known here at the Skills Center, is an experienced world-traveler and goal-ball enthusiast. She brings to the table a passion for teaching and expertise in teaching Braille as well as Living Skills. The students all love her. We are very excited to have her on board!

 

Office Manager Arif Syed, who recently earned a BS in Environmental Science at UC Berkeley, started in February of 2004 and has already mastered the art of multi-tasking. In addition to being our bookkeeper, report writer, web manager, receptionist, furniture mover, tech supporter, and friend to the students, he also took over as night supervisor for a month while Samir Shaibi was away training to get a new guide dog. An accomplished guitarist, Arif is giving guitar lessons to several students. Arif and the students are planning a Christmas music program that they will present to local nursing homes. We are so thankful to have this endlessly patient and good-humored young man as our new office manager!

Welcome Lisamaria and Arif

A Big Thank You To Our Volunteers
After two years as our office manager, Chris Runde left for graduate school in February of 2004. However, we were able to keep him working for two days a week through June. We thought that would be the end of the affair, but in fact, Chris keeps turning up one morning a week for free to help us with grant writing! Wow, that is dedication. And we can never tell when he might show up at a drumming circle or a party. It may very well be the homemade desserts that often show up on our kitchen table (which is Chris's new desk) that keep bringing him back, but we think he just can't stay away from home for too long. Thank you Chris!

A few weeks ago, Joyce Lopez called and said, "I miss you guys! Can I volunteer a couple of mornings a week?" It just so happened that we had an unusual number of students needing Braille, and LM is more than happy to share the load. We were even able to help Joyce get paid by the Dept. of Rehab as an independent service provider to teach Braille! Welcome back and thank you, Joyce!

Speaking of volunteers, we have been fortunate lately to have Petal Turner, retired teacher of the visually impaired from the Mt. Diablo School District, volunteer in the living skills department one day a week. Petal and her husband Everett have been involved with the Living Skills Center since its inception in 1972. Thanks Petal!

We were also grateful to have Suzanne Balmaceda volunteer two days a week in orientation and mobility during the summer. Suzanne is a teacher of the visually impaired in Oakland but wanted a little more practical experience teaching mobility. Since we had a large turnover of students in the summer months, it was great to have Suzanne help our new students settle into the program.

THANK YOU CITY OF SAN PABLO!

New Bus Stop! Orientation and mobility instructors Patti Maffei and Carol Hepsley were very concerned that our students and other residents in the local area had to wait 30 minutes or more for a 72 bus, which was the only bus in the area for people who could not walk to the existing "72 Rapid" bus stop. The City of San Pablo supported their efforts in working with AC Transit to establish a new 72 Rapid bus stop at Van Ness and San Pablo Avenue.

It beeps, it talks, it counts! In addition to helping us gain a new bus stop, the City also asked our instructors for a recommendation before installing a new Accessible Pedestrian Signal (APS). A locator tone allows the visually impaired traveler to easily locate the pushbutton to cross the street. When the light turns green, the APS announces, "The light is green to cross Road 20" and then begins to count down the number of seconds left to complete the crossing. It also vibrates, so that those people with hearing impairments can determine that the light has turned green without actually hearing the message. The City could have chosen a less expensive model, but chose instead to stay on the cutting edge of accessibility. We are grateful to have such a good working relationship with our city planners.

Thank You To Our Donors - The following organizations and individuals donated funds to the Living Skills Center in 2003 - 2004

Dr. Myles Abbott
Cathy Adams
Don Akiyama
Esfandiayar Alaee
Suzanne Allee
Donna Amburn
Kathy Andergg
Marion Anderson
Amilda Anderson
Ben Apraen
Masatami Asan
Ben Baptiste
Steve Barbavich
Charles Baskett
Dana Bass
Melanie Bautista
Robert Berry
Toni Berry
Robert Betts
Dick Blanks
Judy Blanks
Scott Blanks
Assaf Bociu
Jan Borchers
Eric Bouldin
Marisa Boyce
Allen Brennen
Debbie Brennan
Kelley Brennan
Mark Brennan
Donna Briggs
Sunnel Brisco
Dawn Brown
Diana Browning
Scott Bullen
Michelle Burns
Marge Butler
Alma Cagalawan
Kelly Caines
Marilyn Callegari
Beatriz Cambron
Tony Candela
Lily Cardenas
Michael Carlisle
Jean Carmichael
Ricardo Carranza
Connie Ceiron
Espinoza Cervantes
Kim Lu Chachere
Nell Chadwick
David Chan
Judy Chan
Edward Chang
M. Chavirc
Kevin Chen
Maria Chen
David Chin
Lara Christenson
Ronald Christopher
Sam Chow
Sharon Clark
Mike Cole
Bill Colombo
Datchy Colvin
David Copeland
Jason Correia
David Cowell
Rosemary Cronin
Nita Crow
Raj Dakkala
Larry Daniels
Jan Darby-Fisher
Matthew Daube
Carole Ann Davis
De Almeida Enterprises
Alcira Delgado
Frank DeSantis
Steve Deutron
Dennis Dias
Jim Dickenson
Kathy Dickenson
Sue Dickson
Edie Dimmler
David Doman
Doris Donahue
William Dotson
Sue Douglass
Chad Doyle
Paula Dunham
Margaret Dunson
Joe Eckert
Nanette Eckert
Terry Edington
Paul Ehara
Barry Elbasani
Peter Elkind
Sue Elkind
Shirley Engert
Jose Esparza
Sadiya Espino
Ray Farrin
Brenda Fautt
Norma Finch
Virginia Fink
Five Crown Market
Irene Flymm
Marie Fong
Carol Fowler
Oliver Fox
Elaine Fredrickson
Fracasca French
Zenaida Fujisaki
Martha Fuller
Rich Fuller
Susan Fuller
Susan Gallegos
Jim Gammon
D. A. Garbutt
Jamey Genna
Lisa Galblum
Kirstin Gibney
Adrienne Giles
Lorena Girarden
Boris Givental
Devra Gladstone
Cynthia Glenn-McCann
Ann Goldman
Janet Gollnick
Adriana Gonsalez
Carlyle Gordon
Jeremy Grant
Kimberly Gupta
Delicha Halbach
Alex Haldoza
Jean Hall
Lisa Hammon
Beverly Harris
Martha Hartmann
Phil Hatlen
Hilda Herrera
Oscar Herrera
Amy Hershberger
Cindy Hill
Judith Hillborn
Barbara Hoff
Steve Hogan
Kanani Houghtailing
Kimberly Hughes
Jack Huntamer
Susan Hyde
Natasha Ignatenko
Elisa Jacobs
Cynthia Jean
Betty Jimenez
Julio Jimenez
Thajinder Johal
Clovis Johnson
Dorothy Johnson
Janet Johnson
Jeff Johnson
Barbara Jordan
Yukari Kawada
Cheryl Keil
A. G. Kennings
Terri Kerrigan
Tjip Kho
Pari Khosla
Chuck Kinney
Jessica Kit
Lauren Kleinberg
Donna Kobrin
Anna Kossof
Cathy Kudlick
Polly Kuk
Jerry Kuns
Ming-Shan Kuo
Dorothy Kurnik
Muffy Laidig
Steve Lamb
Ann Law
David Law
Bill and Mary LeDuc
Kammy Lee
Steve Lee
Francey Leifert
Judith Lessner
Kathleen Lewis
Sherry Li
Tylor Lin
Jaymie Lollie
Jeralyn Longnecker
Marge Louis
Sue Loy
Amanda Lueck
Andy Ma
Jacquelyn Madison
Gerry Madrid
Bill Maggoire
Nick Maffei
Matt Main
Fanni Manni
Marney Margules
Kevin Markarian
Susan Marks
Diana Martin
Mary Lou Martin
Kathleen Martinez
Lisamaria Martinez
Andrea Martins
Roy Mathur
Laura L. Maxey
Dotty McCarthy
Erin McCarthy
Sean McCarthy
Wayne McDowell
Annette McElwee
Clydus McMartin
Maria Mechure
Shawn Meehan
Ferda Mehmet
Deirdra Mena
Richard Millhollin
Lynn Monteith
Jaundell Moore
Ron Moore
Barbara Morgan
Chikako Moriya
Phyllis Morrison
Wesley Morrison
Elizabeth Moscardon
Adam Nafea
Dan Neller
Timothy Nelson
Jonathan Newman
Barbara Neyland
Quynh Nguyen
Tristan Nohagen
Janice Okamoto
Tiffany Olf
Heidi G. Oriol
Joy Oriola
Ricardo Ortiz
W. G. Owens
Harriet Owyang
Camille Parker
Monica Patel
Ellen Patton
Marlene Pedley
Elif Pehlwanoglu
Dean Pennell
Gustavo Perez
Tamara Pierce
Rishi Popli
Sandra Porter
Theresa Postello
Francoise Prevost
Benita Quan
James R.
Nadia Ramos
Niccore Rapp
David Rehnstrom
Pat Renslow
David Renslow
Allison Richards
Gordon Richards
Steve Richards
Joanne Riggs
Gayle Robinette
Ramona Rodriguez
Arleen Roos
Purisima Rosete
Vicki Rostron
Karen Rothe
Richard Rueda
Richard Russo
Alma Savinon
Allen Segrist
Donna Segrist
Maureen Sest
Deval Shah
Kunal Shah
Tarkik Shah
Alene Shaibi
Muthana Shaibi
Kim Sherman
Jim Silvan
Vickie Slock
Jan Smith
Jan Soderstrum
Eric Sorenson
Jean Soto
Nita Spann
Roxanne Stallings
Marsha Sykes
Tom Sykes
Sandy Szerlip
Jan Michael Tagatau
David Tam
Hirut Tedla
Jeane Tharratt
Robert Tharratt
Jorge Toledo
Huy Tran
Edgar Tsissar
Everett Turner
Petal Turner
Izzy Urbanski
Greg Van
E. Van Beijmerwerdt
Prindle Vaux
Renee Viney
Betsy Wada
Carolyn Walan
Dorothy Warren
Ben Webster
Florence Wedington
Harold Wehlau
Fran Whipple
Penny Weed Whittlesey
Adana Whyte
Royce Williams
Steven J. Willis
Cindy Wilson
Chi Yung Wong
Joanne Wong
Tian Yu Wong
Dale Wright
Burdell Wurzbuger
Carrie Yu
Carson Yu
Lawrence Yu
Sandy Yu
Zon Yur Yu
E. William Yund
Linda Zagula
Linda Zboril
Maureen Zhang
Paula Zivney

Almeida Enterprises, Inc
Berkeley Clinic Auxiliary
Chevron Texaco
Contra Costa Braille Transcribers
Delta Gamma Alumnae
IFC Intromed, Inc.
Judi's Place and Friends
La Strada Restaurant
Texas School for the Blind

Donations were also made in memory of the following people:

Hazel Browning
Robert C. Hoover
Pat Johansen
William R. Johns
Betty Kerrigan
Charlotte Smith

We apologize to anyone whose name we may have forgotten to list here. Please know that your support is deeply appreciated