Welcome to Cristina Connections
Honoring Our Partners in the Cristina Network
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We Are All One Child Spinning Through Mother Sky
(Shawnee Saying)
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Where does an organization’s work begin? For Walking Shield in Costa Mesa, California it began in 1986 with its founder Phil Stevens. who was very concerned about the high poverty rate and poor living conditions of Native Americans living on reservations. Walking Shield was his Lakota (Sioux) name.
John Castillo the Executive Director of Walking Shield since 1999, describes its mission. “Our work is to improve the quality of life for American Indian families- and that means shelter, health care, community development, educational assistance, humanitarian relief.” “We are a small group", he adds, "but our strength is in our partnerships. Over the years we have helped hundreds of thousands of people. We leverage the resources of a whole range of
partners
who work touching people in 40 Indian reservations in 16 states.
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“We are able to get results because we leverage resources,” John Castillo noted. “Over a million dollars of service, for example, has been provided through the Department of Defense with whom Walking Shield works in partnership. Many Native Americans have served in the Armed Forces. Walking Shield helps to coordinate humanitarian and infrastructure programs such as housing for veterans and road, sewage systems and bridge repair. Homes are transferred from a base to a reservation as a practical and cost effective housing solution for rural Native American families.
Walking Shield’s partnership with
OneSight Vision Clinics
increases access to better eye care. For many thousands of Native American students this provides a lasting impact on their educational progress. Walking Shields scholarship program enables individuals to complete higher
educational programs
. Without that intervention this critical support for academic achievement would have been impossible to attain for many who seek the opportunity to complete college as well as graduate studies.
John Castillo looks forward to further growing the partnerships of support for the Native American community. His Apache heritage links him to his brethren in a deep way. He thinks about the challenge for access to safe, clean water that the tribes are confronted with and reflects about the challenge that economic development in rural environments is all about. The call to action to improve the quality of life for Native American tribes energizes him.
We raise our hands in partnership.
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What life changing events could be significant to a person approaching the last decades of life? Can a person faced with particular challenges common to old age reclaim his or her life from one of resignation and isolation? What intervention might be provided for children as young as three years old to overcome the stereotype that society has about people who are blind or are visually impaired?
Do you give up much of what is possible in life just because you can’t see or have low vision?
The Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired
in Palo Alto, California addresses this profound issue. They provide support to more than 3,000 individuals a year (age three to 100+).
Did you know that a
bout 7.3 million, or 21% of persons age 65 and over, report some form of vision impairment. As baby boomers age, this number was estimated to reach 8.3 million in the year 2010. It was further projected that the number would reach 11.3 million in 2020; and in 2030 14.8 million persons age 65 and older will report some form of vision loss.
Senior citizens can have reduced sight or lose vision due to glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy. That could mean that they stop going out with friends, lose track of their varied medications, or become increasingly isolated at home.
Vista Center offers a range of comprehensive services to empower clients of all ages to embrace life to the fullest through evaluation, counseling, education and training in Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Mateo and San Benito counties.
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Looking for an affordable screen reader?
NVDA (Non Visual Desktop Access) is a high quality, award winning, FREE open source accessible screen reader.
For more information or to download visit
NV Access
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Computers, smartphones and tablets have increasingly become important support tools for learning topics or skills that give new meaning to people’s lives. Technology opens up new opportunities. But people without or reduced sight can’t use it out of the box. It has to be used with a modification or enhancement. Off the shelf electronic devices can be fitted with adaptations that are called
assistive technology.
The Vista Center helps people learn about and use these adapted tools to read, acquire skills for
daily living
and lots more. Learning about the services and equipment that can make a significant difference for them will allow a person who is blind or has impairments to their vision to attain a higher quality of life.
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Here at Vista Center they say, “Yes, visual impairment can be an inconvenience, but think about it, you just have to adapt to do things a different way.”
In this digital age, smart use of technology is particularly important for making that different way possible--even when you are 90 years old!
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Each issue of Cristina Connections will highlight our partners in the Cristina Network. You make it possible for people in need to overcome the barriers of the Digital Divide. In honor of your important work, we dedicate this newsletter to YOU.
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Want to be featured here in Cristina Connections?
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