News

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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Carmen Grove Suminski died Wednesday, July 5, 2023, at her daughter’s home in Cashton, WI, of congestive heart failure. Carmen was a long-time employee of the School for the Blind, from 1969-1973 and then again from 1991 until she retired as superintendent in 2013. Carmen’s impact on the School is still felt today. She was at the helm during its transition from a residential school to one serving students and clients through outreach and short-term programming, when its name changed to North Dakota Vision Services/School for the Blind, and during its centennial celebration in 2008 when she compiled a book, Recollections of 100 Years of Excellence. She is fondly remembered by current staff and former employees, former students and clients, fellow Lions, and the many other vision professionals she worked with around the nation. We are so grateful for her leadership and her caring professionalism.

At her mother’s funeral, Amanda Schultz Garcia eulogized, “To know my mom was to know me, and to know me was to know my mom.” Even though she held many titles throughout her life – teacher, Director of Education, Superintendent, President of COSB – Amanda’s mom, Carmen Suminski, was, first and foremost, mom. While growing up in Arizona and then North Dakota, Amanda remembers her mom taking “an extreme interest in me,” Amanda laughs. “If I was a part of it, she volunteered, whether it was soccer, theater, music, or school.” 

Carmen is remembered as someone who was extremely dedicated to her job and “always working,” Amanda remembers. “Even before you could check your email on your phone, she would be writing letters and notes in the evening.” But family always came first. “She was very family-oriented,” remembers Ken Dockter, a longtime employee of the School for the Blind. “She loved her parents, loved Amanda and her grandson Carter. She always talked about her cousins.” Amanda concurs, “There was always someone she was taking care of.” 

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In 1995, Heather Whitestone McCallum of Alabama, who is deaf, became the first Miss America with a disability. Since then, other women who have a disability have competed, but we’ve never seen a woman with a visual impairment compete for the crown. We will someday, and she may be representing North Dakota. That is, if Cylee Walton from Cavalier has her way. Cylee, who graduated from Cavalier Public School in May, recently competed for the Miss North Dakota crown in Williston. Cylee’s platform was “Embrace, Inspire, Normalize all,” which was inspired by her experience with a learning disability and her visual impairment. Cylee has nystagmus, which causes uncontrolled repetitive movements of the eyes. She was diagnosed with this condition at two months old, and while it greatly impacts her daily life, such as not being able to see the board at school or not being able to read a menu in a restaurant, she has begun to see how the struggles she has faced in life have enriched her life.

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NDVS/SB Maintenance
Husband & Father, Vintage Minibike Restorer, Newly Minted World Traveler 

For 37 ½ years, Jody Lembke drove to work at Simplot, just off Gateway Drive in Grand Forks. For the past 1 ½ years, his commute has been about 3 blocks longer, since he started working in the maintenance department at NDVS/SB. Three blocks but a world of difference lay between his past job and his current one. Jody, who grew up in Grand Forks and graduated from Grand Forks Central High School, appreciates that he gets to do important work here – and have his weekends and evenings free. And this time of year, he even gets to spend his days in the great outdoors. “I love that I get to be outside,” Jody says. “And I like working with a great group of people here.”

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NDVS/SB Braillist
Artist, New Homeowner, World Traveler

Her title is Braillist, but Leslie Pederson doesn’t just work with braille. She produces large print materials, including textbooks and workbooks that are needed by students for their classes. She also prints 3-D models of objects and tools that students and clients need to learn or perform a task. These plastic models allow people to tactually learn about things that they’d otherwise not be able to touch, such as the Empire State Building, parts of a cell, or a rocket ship. You could say she is a master of accessible materials, opening the world to those who are visually impaired by providing them with the materials they need to learn, do their job, or engage in hobbies or activities.

Leslie’s work is done behind the scenes, so it is often taken for granted. Superintendent Paul Olson, however, knows just how lucky NDVS/SB is to have her. “She is one of our greatest assets at NDVS/SB,” he says. “It takes a very dedicated and detail-oriented individual to become an expert braille transcriber. Not only does one need to be a master of the code itself, it requires a deep understanding of how people who are blind can best use braille materials. Leslie has been all of these things and more. She takes great pride in the materials she produces for individuals and organizations and is just such a pleasant person all around.” Find out more about Leslie by reading on.

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by Lanna Slaby
Region 6 Outreach Coordinator

When you go to Louisville, Kentucky, good luck saying it correctly. LoooVul, LooeyVille, LuhVul, LooaVille, and being from North Dakota, I’m sure I said it wrong. I had the privilege to go to Louisville in April to visit the American Printing House for the Blind as a 2022 APH Scholar. Over 150 years old, the American Printing House for the Blind began publishing raised letter books in 1858 and continues today by making accessible products for the blind. I was asked to attend their annual Trustee Advisory Committee Meetings along with 10 committee members, two co-chairs, and two other APH Scholars. 

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by Paul Olson
NDVS/SB Superintendent

Every time we create our newsletter to share information, describe past events or give you a preview of what is to come, our hope is that you will find it all useful. We hope that you will have a better understanding of the needs of the children and adults that make use of our services. We hope that you will find what we share inspiring in some way as well. 

We are proud of the work that we do and the partnerships we have with individuals and other organizations. Really, though, the newsletter is about promoting hope and enthusiasm and awareness of what people can do. North Dakota Vision Services/School for the Blind is all about creating opportunity. We do that through the efforts of our staff and through many partnerships.

Let me take this opportunity to share a few of the great things that have been happening and some great new opportunities coming up. 

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by Cindy Williams
NDVS/SB Coordinator of Student Programming

As summer draws near (we know it will get here eventually) and the school year draws to a close, I reflect on how the past semester has brought growth and educational experiences incorporating the Expanded Core Curriculum to those who attend our programs. Throughout our usual student programs occurring on-site and additional learning and social events occurring off-site, we have connected, learned, grown, and had some fun!

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There are some exciting new tech devices on the horizon from the American Printing House for the Blind (APH). Read on to discover how APH is changing the way students who are blind or low vision read text, decipher graphics, and learn – today and into the future.

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NDVS/SB Houseparent
Future TSVI, O&M Specialist, and Northern Illinois Husky

In her own words, Lead Houseparent Gretchen Ivers explains how she learned about NDVS/SB and how it set her on her future path.

Hi! My name is Gretchen Ivers and I'm originally from a small hobby farm west of Thompson, ND. I just graduated from UND with a Bachelor's in Elementary Education and a minor in Special Education. The teachers at North Dakota Vision Services encouraged me to look into a career in education, and I am so glad they did! 

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