THE VOICE
Vision· Opportunities· Innovation· Choices· Expertise.
Oregon Commission for the Blind, May 2023
Executive Director's Message

We are so excited to kick off the 50th Anniversary of Summer Work Experience Program (SWEP). Fifty years ago, the agency had a vision of creating an opportunity for students who are blind to spend part of their summers away from their homes and experiencing living independently and the joys of a summer job.

In 1973, the Oregon Commission for the Blind started one of the first summer work experience programs for transition-aged youth in the nation. This may seem like a regular activity for young adults as they prepare to exit high school, however it was not the always the expectation that individuals who were blind would exit high school with a path toward college or a job.

Thankfully, public policy and societal attitudes about individuals with disabilities have shifted during the past several decades. Today’s students who are blind can expect to enjoy many of the same adventures as their peers as they prepare to exit high school and plan for adulthood.
 
Exciting as it may be, SWEP is just part of the important work of this agency. This edition of The Voice recognizes OCB’s 2023 Ambassador of Public Service Vincent Gwozdz for his exceptional contributions and commitment to customer service. There are always amazing things happening at OCB. I hope you enjoy learning more about the agency’s work!
‌
DRAGON BOATS are LETHALLY BLIND!
Smiling young woman leans over prow/head of dragon boat, holding one horn as she looks out across the river. The marina and city skyline is behind her.
Lethally Blind, in its 14th year, is an exciting dragon boat team made up of both blind and sighted paddlers!

Image: Smiling young woman leans over colorful prow of dragon boat, holding one horn as she looks out across the river. Behind is the marina and trees of the waterfront park.

The team will compete at the International Rose Festival Dragon Boat Regatta June 10-11, launching from Tom McCall Waterfront Park. Come out and cheer them on! Sponsored by the Northwest Association for Blind Athletes (www.NWABA.org), the team can be seen on the water no matter the weather, training since April for the upcoming races.
June 10 - 11th Please join Lethally Blind at the Rose Festival Dragon Boat Regatta as they race on the Willamette River from the Marquam Bridge to the Hawthorne Bridge!
POV front of dragon boat looking back on a dozen rowers paddling hard through the waters of the Willamette River.
Image: POV front of dragon boat looking back on a dozen rowers paddling hard through the waters of the Willamette River; crew leader Curt Cooke stands in the back of the boat by the colorful dragon tail, holding the rudder. Behind them are bridge pylons and the city skyline.

This year, both OCB clients and staff are on the team and head to the river to practice three days a week. Formed in 2009, Lethally Blind has been championed by OCB staff member Char Cooke who has encouraged clients to join the team. Char, who is also blind, is a Rehabilitation Instructor at the agency and teaches meal prep and cooking courses so students may learn to live independently.

Char and her husband, Curt, have tirelessly supported clients and members from the community who are blind over the years so they may experience the thrill of competition with team sports in outdoor recreation. Literally hundreds of blind and visually impaired people have paddled on a Dragon Boat over the years and felt the thrill of racing.
Congratulations to our Graduates
The federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 increased the emphasis placed on educational and continuing educational outcomes for vocational rehabilitation clients. Please join OCB in celebrating a dozen OCB clients who are graduating this year from high school, adult transition programs, college, and professional certification programs that will advance their careers. We are so proud of them!

Professional Certificates

Nelacey Porter: Passed the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC) Exam, which makes him an internationally certified accessibility professional. But Nelacey is not stopping there and plans to take three more IAAP exams to become a fully certified web accessibility professional.

University and College

Sean Carlson: Graduating Summa cum laude from Portland State University with dual-bachelor degrees in Social Work and Social Science and will begin PSU’s MSW program this fall.

Rakeb Max: Completing her transfer degree from Portland Community College and moving into a teaching program at PSU with a comprehensive scholarship earned through maintaining excellent academic performance.
Former SWEP participant Jovany Bautista at OMSI
Quentin Oppenlander: Graduating with a business degree from Brigham Young University (BYU) Idaho and planning to move back to Oregon to continue his professional career.

Qassim Saad: Graduating from Portland State University’s (PSU) Mechanical Engineering program and planning to gain work with an engineering firm. He is currently interning as a mechanical engineer.

Adult Transition Programs

Jovany Bautista (pictured at his SWEP work placement at OMSI in 2022): Graduating from his adult transition program this June, Jovany is a former Salem and Portland SWEP participant and has just recently begun working at PDX Airport in customer service with the support of his job developer.

Yogen Maharjan: Graduating from her community based transition program this spring and moving into a Job Corps program for training as a medical assistant.
Former SWEP participant Fatima Vazquez Zurita at speaks at the program celebration.
High School

Shahd Alkarroubi: Graduating from Mountainside High School and attending Salem SWEP this summer. Attending the Beaverton Community Transition Program next year to continue building employment and life skills.

Stephanie Hull: Graduating from Sam Barlow High School and moving on to the adult transition program next year to learn independent living and employment skills. Stephanie is participating in OCB’s community-based SWEP program.

Alson Pel: Graduating from Tigard High School and planning to participate in Portland SWEP where Alson will gain his first ever paid work experience.

Daveline Yon: Graduating from North Salem High School and planning to attend Portland State University (PSU) for Japanese studies. Daveline will be participating in Portland SWEP this summer to gain work experience and learn how to live independently on the SWEP campus.

Fatima Vazquez Zurita: Graduating from Gresham High School and participating in Portland SWEP where she will prepare for employment and independent living in the future.
OCB’s Summer Work Experience Program 50th Anniversary
Group photo of the nine blind and low-vision youth who are participating in Portland SWEP this year. A mix of genders and racial backgrounds, the youth smile, some holding white canes.
We are really excited to celebrate our Summer Work Experience Program’s (SWEP) fiftieth anniversary in 2023!
 
Image: Group photo of nine youth participating in 2023 Portland SWEP. They are a mix of heights, genders and colors; most smile and some hold white canes.

OCB is ramping up for SWEP 2023 which will be hosted at Portland State University in Portland and Willamette University in Salem.
 
Students will again connect in person and forge friendships over a shared experience that includes work, recreation, and developing independent living skills on a college campus. 

In May, the agency kicked off the Portland program with an orientation at OCB followed by a tour of the PSU campus. It was a great opportunity for parents and guardians to meet the staff that will be supporting their young people and for the students to share their goals for the summer and meet one another. Salem SWEP is looking forward to conducting their orientation in the beginning of June.
Group photo of youth and their families who will participate in SWEP this year. They sit at conference room tables during an orientation at OCB's Portland office; one woman speaks into a microphone.
Image: Over a dozen youth and their families sit at conference room tables at the Portland SWEP orientation. A woman speaks into a hand-held microphone.

OCB's SWEP staff are busy developing a variety of internships based on students’ interests, ranging from Portland Center Stage and YMCA (Portland) to Wild Things and Games and Higher Ed Coordinating Commission (Salem). Staff are also planning many team building activities such as Iron Chef, a hike at Silver Creek Falls and a ropes challenge course. The three tracks (Portland, Salem, and community-based) begin in late June and run through their graduation celebrations July 29 and August 4.
 
We are still working on our final employer placements for students, so if you or another employer you know is interested in this exciting opportunity (this summer or future summers), please do reach out to us to learn more: transition@ocb.oregon.gov.
Vinnie Gwozdz Is OCB’s Ambassador of Public Service
Vinnie Gwozdz smiling, in a business shirt and grey sweater. Vinnie is white with dark blonde hair in a short cut, and clean-shaven.
Image: Vincent Gwozdz in a business shirt and sweater, smiling into the camera.

Oregon recently celebrated Public Service Recognition Week (May 8-12) and Vinnie Gwozdz was selected by Oregon Commission for the Blind as our true Ambassador of Public Service. He has exemplified this year’s theme of “extraordinary customer service” throughout more than seventeen years in state service.
 
Vinnie is the agency’s Career Exploration Counselor and plays instrumental roles in many aspects of our client-facing activities, programs and courses, including: Living With Blindness, the Challenge Course (a ropes-based day-long retreat), Summer Work Experience Program, Job Networking Foundations, internship supervision, Progressive Employment, Business Enterprise Program, career exploration assessments and so much more.

Vinnie is constantly seeking to create and facilitate opportunities for our clients to learn, grow and ultimately land in a fulfilling and successful career.

"Vinnie was there every step of the way... It felt like he genuinely cared about me and my success," said a client Vinnie worked with for four years on his employment journey.

Vinnie really does exemplify excellent customer service in every aspect of his work, and we are delighted to have him as our Ambassador of Public Service for 2023!
Business Relations & Workforce Teams Support Oregon Businesses
Blurry photo of two businessmen meeting over coffee; coffee cup in focus in foreground of image.
Our Business Relations team was excited to hold our first in-person event since the beginning of the pandemic on March 9 at our Portland office.

Image: Two businessmen meeting over coffee in a sunny conference room.

The event included a presentation by Morgan Rincon about how OCB can support businesses in their diversity and hiring goals, as well as an assistive technology (AT) demonstration from Workforce Assistive Technology Instructor Larry Lake. AT is any item, piece of equipment, software program, or product system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of persons with disabilities.

While learning, representatives from OHSU, Oregon Metro, and the Oregon Employment Department enjoyed coffee and pastries made by students enrolled in OCB's meal prep classes. The meeting concluded with a tour of the agency’s training center, the Orientation and Career Center for the Blind.
 
Business Relations Coordinators Molly James and Morgan Rincon also partner closely with the general Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR, DHS) agency business and workforce staff to support businesses across the state.
Person with blindness using computer keyboard and braille display/braille terminal assistive technology device
Image: Person with blindness using computer keyboard and braille display/braille terminal assistive technology device.

One of these partnership efforts is the Business Leaders Network Lunch & Learn meetings, which OCB and OVR have held every other month since November 2021. Aimed at HR professionals, hiring managers and other business professionals committed to supporting diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the workplace, the events offer a supportive space to share and learn strategies for outreach, recruitment, onboarding and retention of people with disabilities.

April’s Lunch and Learn featured Assistive Technology staff Larry Lake and Kevin Daugherty who provided an overview of AT devices and how they help people with visual impairments obtain jobs and increase independence in daily activities.

If you would like to be invited to future Lunch & Learns or learn more about training opportunities and services to businesses, please contact Business.Relations@ocb.oregon.gov.
Do You Know Someone with Age-Related Macular Degeneration?
Diagram of an eye, with the back part of the eye that is affected by Age Related Macular Degeneration, highlighted.
Age-related macular degeneration, or “AMD,” is the leading cause of vision loss among adults in developed countries. Eleven million people in the US are affected by this disease. Sixty percent of the clients served in our Older Individuals who are Blind program have severe vision loss due to AMD.

Image: Diagram of an eye, with the part of the eye that is affected by AMD - the back of the retina - highlighted.

While ethnicity, aging and genetics cannot be controlled, lifestyle factors can be modified to decrease your risk. Ceasing cigarette smoking and reducing fat intake as well as taking prescribed vitamins are among some of the modifiable factors.

AMD manifests as blurry or total blindness in the central part of the vision. It creates difficulty identifying friends and family, reading and focusing on something in your central vision like a clock face, stop sign or pill bottle label. Annual eye exams are important to monitor the health of your eyes so precautions can be taken in the early phases of AMD.

If someone you know experiences AMD and would like to learn ways to retain their independence, please contact us at 971-673-1588.
Taps on the Wall Equal Student Learning at the Orientation and Career Center for the Blind
Man holds a white cane, navigating an indoor space that looks like an office or medical building.
One of the funny things about working at the Oregon Commission for the Blind is hearing taps along the wall as students learn the foundations of indoor cane travel. While advanced travelers will use their cane to avoid objects, newer travelers tap the wall to keep themselves walking in a straight line.

Image: Man holds a white cane, navigating an indoor space that looks like an office or medical building.

All this is to say: We love the sound of taps along our wall throughout the day! As we hear more tapping, it means students are engaged and actively attending classes that lead to employment outcomes.
 
At the Orientation and Career Center for the Blind (OCCB), students take a variety of classes in technology, cane travel and daily living to support their employment goals. We also know that students need a little fun along the way to live their fullest and best life.
NWABA hiking class goes up the side of a mountain trail.
To that end, the Northwest Association for Blind Athletes www.NWABA.org came to the OCCB to present their summer programming.

Image: NWABA hiking class goes up the side of a mountain trail. Credit: NWABA.

OCCB students were able to connect with one another in a way that normalizes being a blind student and wanting to get out into the world and do things they used to do. The “I-can-do-this" attitude fostered by athletics carries over to students attending the OCCB.

And yes, there were taps along the wall as students gathered to learn how they can live life to the fullest!
Want to learn more about OCB?
Click the links below to visit our website and YouTube channels.