News

158,760. That is the number of miles that Kathy Grzadzielewski has driven over the 11 years she has worked for North Dakota Vision Services/School for the Blind. As a Regional Coordinator, Kathy serves the children aged birth to 21 in Region 3, the north-central area of the state, which includes the counties of Benson, Cavalier, Eddy, Foster, Nelson, Pierce, Ramsey, Rolette, Sheridan, Towner, and Wells. 

If you see her driving down the highway, she may be on her way to a child’s home, a student’s school, or another agency to serve a client. She may be traveling to assess the functional vision of a baby, to provide recommendations to schools to ensure a student has access to educational material, or to train other educators on how to adapt materials to make a classroom more conducive for learning. During short-term program weeks, Kathy drives to Grand Forks to assist with the classes and activities that are happening there. “This allows me to observe some of my students in a different setting and gives me a better understanding of the skills they have that we can build on.” 

Kathy also sometimes just picks up the phone and lends an ear. “All parents want the best for their child, and parents need to be a strong advocate for their child with a visual impairment. As they learn about their child’s visual impairment, there may be struggles along the way when teaching their child skills to become more independent.” Whether she’s driving or not, Kathy has made a difference in the lives of her students and colleagues over the years, and they in turn have had a big impact on hers. “I love the people I work with inside and outside of NDVS/SB, and every day seems to be a journey.”

NDVS/SB will be hosting 5 short-term program weeks for adults over the next year. During these weeks, individuals who are new to vision loss, who are experiencing progressive vision loss, or who are interested in learning new skills to increase their independence receive intense training at the main facility in Grand Forks.

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by Cindy Williams, Coordinator of Student Programs

Welcome back to the 2021-2022 school year! I hope you are all adjusting well to your new school routine or soon will be! We are looking forward to working with your child/student this school year and are honored to be a part of your child’s/student’s educational team!

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by Paul Olson, Superintendent of NDVS/SB

Has anyone else noticed that the world has become a little complicated? We thought we were past the worst of the pandemic and now there are new concerns. I know we all hope and pray our school year goes well and we all stay healthy! The region is hampered by drought which has hurt area farmers and ranchers. This certainly affects all North Dakotans directly or indirectly. There has been considerable inflation and wages have not kept up making life stressful for many. These things are just plain hard; there’s no sense in sugar coating and let’s not even get into politics! I can’t believe I’m writing this. This must be one of the most depressing beginning of the year newsletter articles ever written and what does any of this have to do with our services? Uff Da! One might ask “is there any good news at all?"

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“It has come to my attention that there is an increasing amount of information that I know nothing about!” This is a mantra that NDVS/SB Regional Coordinator Lanna Slaby has held for some time, according to her friend and former colleague Linda Kraft. “It’s a very true statement in the world of visual impairments and education of the visually impaired,” Linda explained, and it fits Lanna’s personality perfectly. “When a new client comes to NDVS/SB, there is much to learn about the individual and their unique set of circumstances. Lanna is always willing to put in the time, learning all she needs to know, to customize a program for her clients that is perfectly suited just for them. NDVS/SB is lucky to have her, and I am so proud to call her my friend!” 

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Visitors will likely notice a lot of changes around the building as they begin to return to NDVS/SB in person! We have been busy with lots of construction and improvements throughout the past year and a half.

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The Technology Center recently acquired the Mountbatten Whisperer Learning System. It is designed to help students learn braille in a fun and inclusive manner. We chose this device because of its versatility and ease of use. It is ideal for young students learning braille as well as older students using Nemeth code and braille music. It allows a sighted teacher to connect a MIMic visual display for easy supervision.

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Sara Czapiewski, 21, graduated from Minto High School in the spring of 2019 and started college at the University of Jamestown that fall. Like many young adults, Sara wasn’t sure what career she wanted to pursue, and that looming question, plus the uncertainty of the COVID pandemic, caused her to drop out of college in April 2020. A year later, after feeling cooped up on her family farm while waiting out the pandemic, she decided she didn’t want to wait until fall to start something new. “I realized that life isn’t going to look like you want it to right away. You have to work for it, and even after working for it, there will be waiting. I was ready to take those baby steps to get my life started.” The first step Sara decided to take: pursuing a summer job in Medora.

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Much to her surprise, Vision Rehabilitation Specialist Amy Osvold has become something of a YouTube star. Over the last few years, she has created over 20 Golden Guide videos, which are instructional videos on NDVS/SB’s YouTube Channel that explain, step-by-step, how to perform certain tasks with low vision or blindness.

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 Pam Haus -  It is these everyday lessons that can make a profound difference in the lives of students and adult clients. Getting them to try new tasks, new foods, or anything that someone new to vision loss never thought they’d do again – that is what Pam likes most about her job at North Dakota Vision Services/School for the Blind. “Being able to teach them even one thing on that first visit that they thought they could no longer do is great to see, and it gives them hope and encouragement to try and learn more.” Read more about Pam and her job at NDVS/SB below.

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