SPRING/SUMMER 2014
Our Mission: Helping children and adults who are blind, visually impaired or multi-disabled achieve independence.
Junior Blind Offers Residents a
Home Sweet Home
Harcourt Adult Residential Facility
1 vacancy
Junior Blind has opened four Group Homes in the
communities surrounding our Los Angeles campus to offer
residents safe, loving homes that foster their growth and also
tend to their individualized medical and developmental needs.
Two more Group Homes are on track to open in the late
spring of this year.
Through these homes, Junior Blind offers residents who
have moderate, severe or profound disabilities specialized
around-the-clock care designed to help them achieve their
highest levels of independence.
Each home has been renovated to meet the unique medical
and developmental needs of our residents. We offer them case
management and structured individualized programming
focused on independent living, cognitive development,
communication, behavior management and socialization.
Valley Ridge Children's Group Home
3 vacancies
Residents have access to Junior Blind's 24-hour medical
office and its dedicated nursing staff. They are cared for by
highly-trained and experienced staff who are passionate about
their jobs. In addition, residents participate in therapeutic
recreational activities and community outings.
“We are delighted to offer our residents a warm home that
enriches their lives,” says Jay Allen, Junior Blind's Executive
Vice President & COO. “By offering them opportunities to
learn, work and live in our community, we are helping them
reach their potential and enjoy more fulfilling lives.”
We are pleased to report that all students living in our
Group Homes have made positive progress within their first
90 days. Most excitingly, 83% of residents have met their
individual “skill” goals in the last 3 months. Social and selfcare skills have also increased over the course of their stay and
maladaptive behaviors have significantly decreased.
For more information about Junior Blind’s Group Homes,
please contact Corina Casco, Associate Vice President of
Children’s Services at (323) 295-6394 or
[email protected].
West Children's Group Home
4 vacancies
2
SPRING/SUMMER 2014
Program Leadership Team
Miki Jordan, M.S.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Jay Allen, M.A.
Executive Vice President and Chief
Operating Officer
Laura M. Hardy
Senior Vice President of Development
and Marketing
Kami Mann, M.B.A.
Senior Vice President of Finance and
Chief Financial Officer
Barry Feinberg, L.C.S.W.
Vice President of Clinical
and Regional Services
Carmen Garcia
Vice President of Operations and
Human Resources
Donald A. Ouimet, M.Ed.
Vice President of Programs
PERSPECTIVES
Junior Blind Announces New Values
As Junior Blind celebrates 60 years of changing lives, we are proud to look
forward to the next 60 years with a renewed set of core values that will continue to
align our goals with the needs of our students, families, partners and the communityat-large:
Putting people first
Communicating effectively and transparently
Engaging others through collaboration and inclusiveness
Achieving meaningful and measurable results
Continuously improving quality
Exceeding expectations and inspiring through excellence
Responsibly stewarding resources
Junior Blind’s renewed set of core values was established through an agency-wide
collaborative effort and reaffirms the long-standing culture of our hard-working and
dedicated staff.
Corina Casco, L.C.S.W.
Associate Vice President of
Children’s Services
Laura V. Campaña, M.A.
Director of Infant & Early
Childhood Program
Lisa Dozier, M.A.
Director of Children’s Residential
Program
Shirley Manning
Director of Recreation Services
Joan Marason
Director of Wellness & Enrichment
Programs
Michael Martinez, M.A.
Director of Rehabilitation &
Employment Services
Alex Ofuonye
Director of Group Homes
Jackie Prophett, R.N.
Director of Nursing Services
Lisa Rueda, Psy.D.
Director of Training, Evaluation &
Quality Improvement
Richard Rueda
Director of Transition Services
Highlights from Recent Activities at Junior Blind
Families Find Strength in Numbers
More than 60 children and family members served by Junior Blind’s Infant & Early
Childhood Program recently gathered at a pizza parlor in Ventura County. Parents
shared, offered each other support and enjoyed watching their kids participate in arts
& crafts activities. Regional family gatherings, like this one, are a critical component
of the Infant & Early Childhood Program. They offer children and families the
opportunity to interact and socialize with others who share similar experiences, as well
as provide them with a much-needed break from doctor appointments, therapy sessions
and the struggles of everyday life. Other gatherings include barbecues at the park,
storybook days in the library and Family Day at Junior Blind’s Camp Bloomfield. All
regional picnics and gatherings are provided to families free of charge.
Workshop for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments
Junior Blind recently hosted a workshop on its Los Angeles Campus for parents of children with visual impairments.
In partnership with the National Association of Parents for Children with Visual Impairments and the American
Foundation for the Blind, Junior Blind offered families a day filled with opportunities for sharing personal
experiences, meeting new people, learning about available resources and discovering what skills children with visual
impairments should be utilizing at home.
Junior Blind is proud to accept The United States Association of Blind Athletes' National
Fitness Challenge. We’ve assembled two teams; one in Southern California and one in
Central and Northern California. Participants, who are blind or visually impaired, have
committed to increasing their physical fitness levels and living healthier, more active
lifestyles. Made possible by a grant provided by the Anthem Blue Cross Foundation, the
National Fitness Challenge requires every participating agency to submit baseline data
and monthly updates used to create achievable fitness and weight loss goals to help youth
decrease their body mass index. Good luck to all participants!
Lois Booth, M.S.
Principal of Special Education School
Patricia Maffei, M.A.
Program Director, The Hatlen Center
News & Notes
Students Get Fit at Junior Blind
Patricia Williams, M.A.
Executive Director, The Hatlen
Center
3
Junior Blind Students Announced Winners in Art Contest
Junior Blind Becomes Accredited
by the Council on Accreditation
Junior Blind is proud to announce that we have achieved
accreditation through the Council on Accreditation (COA). COA
is an independent, not-for-profit organization that partners
with human service organizations, like Junior Blind, to improve
service delivery outcomes by developing, applying and promoting
best practice standards. Achieving accreditation is not easy and
it took us over a year of hard work and dedication to reach this
achievement.
During that time, COA reviewed all aspects of our organization's programs
and services and recently sent us notice of our official accreditation. Accreditation
from COA joins our Four Star Charity Navigator and Gold Guidestar ratings
in proclaiming the quality services we provide. We are truly excited about this
milestone and hope you are too!
Students who attend Junior Blind’s Special Education School worked collaboratively on a
painting entered into an art competition conducted by the California Association of Private
Special Education Schools (CAPSES). Much to our delight, Junior Blind’s painting was selected
as the winner from among 70 entries. What makes our students’ piece particularly special is that
our students are not only blind or visually impaired, but also struggle with additional cognitive
and physical disabilities. Congratulations to our artists: Tonati, Lupita, Travis and Lupe.
The 16”x20” art work was displayed at the annual CAPSES conference in Los Angeles in
March and will hang in the CAPSES office in Sacramento for the next year.
Celebrate our students’ achievement by ordering a print, t-shirt, mug or other merchandise featuring the art
piece at www.juniorblind.org/cafeshop. All purchases benefit Junior Blind’s critical programs.
The Cat in the Hat Visits Junior Blind's Students...
...Not in a box or with a fox, but in the Special Education School at Junior Blind. Students
celebrated Read Across America and Dr. Seuss’s birthday on Monday, March 3 with a day of
activities centered around their favorite stories by the world-renowned author. Junior Blind
staff members from various departments visited the classrooms and joined the children
in reading their favorite Seuss tales out loud, while some students followed along in their
Braille-printed books.
4
SPRING/SUMMER 2014
PERSPECTIVES
Junior Blind Helps Youth Find
Their Paths to Jobs
The financial crisis and subsequent Great Recession
continue to take their toll on the labor market, making
it hard for anyone to find work—especially for those
with disabilities, like visual impairment. As youth
with vision loss struggle to overcome the toughest
employment outlook in decades, Junior Blind offers
them a light at the end of the tunnel.
Through our comprehensive transition services, the
Student Transition & Enrichment Program (STEP) in
Southern California and the Transition & Rehabilitation
Program in Northern California, Junior Blind is helping
students who are blind or visually impaired pave their
paths to college and/or careers.
In Southern California, STEP guides students, ages
16-22, through career and college exploration, provides
them with college tours to universities like UCLA and
CSUN, offers them real-world work experience through
internship opportunities and counsels students in
developing self-advocacy skills. Students learn how
to build resumes, succeed in interviews and improve
their interpersonal and independent living skills. The
program also provides assistive technology training and
orientation & mobility assistance to help students start
their journeys on the right paths.
The Transition & Rehabilitation Program in Northern
California was designed to serve students, ages 16 and
over, interested in pursuing or advancing in their career
or education, as well as enhancing their life skills. The
program offers leadership development, presentations
on careers, college and financial aid, access to successful
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training, help with route planning and safe travel, and
support in enhancing their independent living, selfadvocacy and social skills.
Participation in Junior Blind's workshops and
residential programs sponsored by the California
Department of Rehabilitation are at the discretion of,
and require approval from, Rehabilitation Counseling
staff prior to attendance. For more information, please
visit our website at www.juniorblind.org.
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Student Spotlight: MELISSA
Twenty-year-old Melissa who is visually impaired,
may not have it all figured out yet, but she is well
ahead of most young people her age, thanks in large
part to Junior Blind.
While attending a conference for those who are
blind or visually impaired, she came across Junior
Blind’s table promoting the many workshops offered
by the Transition & Rehabilitation Program in
Northern California. Aware that many times "you
don’t know what you don’t know," Melissa was
definitely interested.
Since then, Melissa has taken several workshops,
including her favorite: financial planning. She
learned about her supplemental security income
(SSI) benefits, debt management, budgeting and
paying for her education.
“The Transition & Rehabilitation Program offers
workshops in topics you don’t think about, like your
benefits,” reflects Melissa. “I leave each workshop
feeling better informed and more confident.”
Melissa particularly values the fact that each
topic is as important as the last and appreciates the
support she receives through Junior Blind.
In her mission to achieve her highest level of
independence, she enrolled in Junior Blind’s
Hatlen Center in San Pablo, California, where she
enjoyed a true hands-on experience, living in her
own apartment among sighted neighbors. She was
responsible for paying for her own rent and bills,
choosing and cooking her own food and traveling to
meet her real-life needs.
“At The Hatlen Center, I learned that I could live
on my own and take care of myself,” says Melissa.
And, she did! Today, Melissa lives independently
and attends community college. She is considering
transferring to a four-year university to become a
Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments.
This May, Melissa plans to travel to Southern
California to be a volunteer chaperone for a group
of Northern California athletes participating in the
Junior Blind Olympics. As part of our commitment
to helping her succeed, Junior Blind secured her
informational interviews with some of our Teachers
of Students with Visual Impairments while she is in
Los Angeles.
“Melissa is charismatic, driven and bound to
succeed,” says Richard Rueda, Director of Transition
Services at Junior Blind. “We are fortunate to have
been part of her journey to independence.”
To learn more about Junior Blind's Transition
& Rehabilitation Program in Northern California,
please contact Richard Rueda, Director of Transition
Services, at (888) 400-4522, ext. 460, or
[email protected].
To learn more about Junior Blind's Hatlen Center
in Northern California, please contact Patti Maffei,
Program Director, at (510) 234-4984 or
[email protected].
To learn more about Junior Blind's Student
Transition & Enrichment Program (STEP) in
Southern California, please contact Stormey
Ramdhan, Adult Transition Services Coordinator,
at (323) 295-4555, ext. 468, or
[email protected].
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6
SPRING/SUMMER 2014
PERSPECTIVES
Upcoming Events
Class Notes from Students in Junior Blind's
Employment Services
Mark your calendar for these upcoming Junior Blind programs and events you don’t want to miss!
In 2013, Junior Blind launched our Employment Services Program to help students, ages 18 and older, who are
blind or visually impaired become gainfully employed in the burgeoning customer service field. At Junior Blind,
they receive situational assessments, customer service basics (CSB) or contact center training (CCT), job coaching
and orientation & mobility training related to employment or placement services.
With the support of Junior Blind’s dedicated staff and the California Department of Rehabilitation, many of our
students have successfully completed the program and found employment. We are pleased to share a few of their
stories.
“I like my job and believe that the services
I received at Junior Blind were exceptional.
The staff went above and beyond to help
me. The Employment Services Program is a
great program for all those looking for selfimprovement.”
Gary
Seeking to improve himself, Gary requested to receive a
situational assessment through Junior Blind’s Employment
Services. He was quickly found to be job-ready and even found
an open position at a local cellular parts company he was
interested in pursuing. He worked with Junior Blind staff to
prepare for the interview process and to get oriented in his new
work surroundings. As a result of his hard work, Gary got the
job!
Esmeralda
Esmeralda may be reserved in her personal life, but she’s a customer service superstar
in her new role at a local amusement park. After completing the CSB and CCT
courses at Junior Blind, she worked with our job developer to build her resume,
prepare her application and learn interview techniques and responses. She even
received training to plan her daily travel to work. She applied at the amusement
park and was called in for an interview. Esmeralda aced the interview and got the
job!
“Despite being nervous
inside, I was able to
answer the interview
questions accurately and
confidently thanks to
Junior Blind.”
Southern California
Infant & Early Childhood Program
Erika Bradley: (323) 295-4555, ext. 436
Annual IECP Camp
Friday, May 30 - Sunday, June 1, 2014
Annual Northern Los Angeles Picnic
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Playdate
Saturday, July 26, 2014 (Tentative)
After School Enrichment Program
Aaron Rockwood: (323) 295-4555, ext. 239
2013-2014 School Year Ends
Friday, June 6, 2014
Brandon came to Junior Blind with one goal in mind—to get a job! Focused and dedicated, Brandon did well in
Junior Blind’s CSB and CCT courses and was eager to start the placement services. He learned proper interview
techniques, how to prepare a resume and effectively network with employers. As a result, he successfully landed a
job at a local vending company.
Since then, Brandon’s new employer even enlisted Junior Blind to provide them with assistive technology
suggestions on how to help Brandon succeed in his new job.
Marilen
Marilen had 15 years of experience working in a call center in the
Philippines before coming to Junior Blind to expand her skills and receive
assistance with job placement. She completed both the CSB and CCT
courses successfully and then sought the job placement services offered by
Junior Blind.
It became evident that Marilen’s extensive experience, upbeat disposition
and strong work ethic made her a natural fit for Junior Blind’s Vision
Enterprises contact center, where she has been employed since January. Not
only that, but she is also now an assistant teacher of Employment Services at
Junior Blind.
Northern California
Northern California Recreation Programs
Rob Schulenburg: (888) 400-4522, ext. 459
Blind Archery Club
Third Sunday of Each Month
Tandem Cycling and BBQ in Sacramento
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Car Show, Road Rally and Picnic
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Horseback Riding in Sacramento
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Bowling in Sacramento
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Full-Day Summer Session 1
Monday, June 16 – Thursday, July 3, 2014
Transition & Rehabilitation Program
Full-Day Summer Session 2
Monday, July 14 – Friday, August 1, 2014
Creating a Life Plan Workshop: Part 3 of 4
Saturday, April 19, 2014
2014-2015 School Year Begins
Monday, August 11, 2014
Transition Resource Fair in Sacramento
Friday, April 25, 2014
Student Transition & Enrichment Program (STEP)
Stormey Ramdhan: (323) 295-4555, ext. 468
Smart Money Workshop
Saturday, April 26, 2014 - Sunday, April 27, 2014
Windows 8 Accessibility Workshop at Microsoft Store
Saturday, May 3, 2014 - Sunday, May 4, 2014
Brandon
“Marilen is a true asset to Junior
Blind. She took her experience,
versatility and willingness to go
above and beyond and turned it
into a job at Junior Blind.”
-- Bonnie Hongo, Junior Blind
Job Developer
7
Resume Building and Interpersonal Skills Workshop
Saturday, May 17 - Monday, May 19, 2014
Adaptive Technology Workshop
Saturday, June 7 - Sunday, June 8, 2014
Richard Rueda: (888) 400-4522,ext. 460
Empowerment through Financial Stability Workshop
Friday, May 9 - Sunday, May 11
Creating a Life Plan Workshop: Part 4 of 4
Saturday, May 24, 2014 (Tentative)
STREET Week at San Jose State University
Saturday, June 21 - Sunday, June 29, 2014
STREET Week at Sacramento State University
Saturday, July 19 - Sunday, July 27, 2014
Open House and Presentation at The Hatlen Center
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Summer Residential Program Session 1
Monday, June 23 – Friday, July 11, 2014
Summer Residential Program Session 2
Monday, July 21 – Friday, August 8, 2014
STEP TWO Program
Monday, June 23 – Friday, August 8, 2014
Special Education School
Lois Booth: (323) 295-4555, ext. 299
Spring Break
Saturday, April 12 - Sunday, April 20, 2014
Last Day of School Celebration
Friday, June 6, 2014
Summer School
Monday, July 7 - Friday, August 1, 2014
Saturday, May 3, 2014
8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Competition for athletes ages 6 to 19.
No experience necessary!
Free admission for athletes, families and friends.
For more information and to register, please contact Debbie
McBeth at (323) 290-6291 or [email protected].
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
LOS ANGELES,CA
PERMIT NO. 4616
Junior Blind of America
5300 Angeles Vista Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90043
2014 Summer Schedule
Camp Bloomfield
Junior Blind’s Camp Bloomfield
provides children and adults who
are blind, visually impaired or
multi-disabled and their families
a natural and safe environment
where they can develop
their self-esteem, build
independence and experience
the joys of the great outdoors.
Camp Bloomfield is accredited
by the American Camp Association.
Sessions are offered to participants free of charge.*
Registration is available at www.juniorblind.org/camp-bloomfield.
For more information, please call the Recreation Special Events
Line at (323) 290-6298, or contact Shirley Manning, Director of
Recreation Services, at (323) 295-6392 or
[email protected].
*Sighted buddies and families are asked to pay a nominal fee.
Elementary Camp
Fri., June 20-Tues., June 24
Middle School Camp
Thurs., June 26-Tues., July 1
Family Camp #1
Thurs., July 3-Mon., July 7
High School Camp
Thurs., July 10-Tues., July 15
Paralympic Exploration Camp
Fri., July 18-Wed., July 23
Family Camp #2
Sat., July 26-Tues., July 29
Multi-Disabled Camp
Thurs., July 31-Sun., Aug. 3
Adult Camp
Fri., Aug. 8-Tues., Aug. 12