 The IRS network is a private agency based here in Portland, Maine. Many of you may have heard of it before as the Maine Center for the Blind before it changed its name a few years ago. It is a service provider that's been around for over 100 years serving clients throughout the state of Maine. There are six different services that the agency provides. I'm just briefly going to mention them before we get to talk about the rehab center, which is what we're all here for today. Our oldest service that we have that's currently still running is our community vision rehab therapy services. We contract with our partner, the division for the blind and visually impaired in the state of Maine, to provide VRT services throughout the state. We have 11 VRTs who work in the communities all through the states, and we probably have met some of them. Some of them are here today at the table as well, and I've been working hard organizing this conference too. Another service we provide is a low vision clinic. A low vision clinic is about 10 years old. It is manned by ophthalmologist, optometrist, and an OT who may be in this room today. Sherry here today? No, not yet. Okay. Sherry is an OT and a CLVT as well. That service is provided to folks mostly from the Southern Maine community, and we do take Medicare funding as well through that service. We have another service that many of you would be familiar with, because probably you've come across similar ones in your community, and that is assistive technology and employment. We provide services again throughout the community as well as on site at our facilities, and we work with people individually on their job site, adapting the job site, and we work with employers as well, and we've gone as far away as Virginia from here. You'll hear about that service a little bit later as well. Another service that we provide that is kind of unique and frankly quite innovative, and that is supported living services for clients who otherwise would not be able to live independently. So we're all about independence. We all want full reintegration into the community, but sometimes due to secondary disabilities that may be more challenging. So this service provides support for folks who have those secondary disabilities just to get them over that barrier to reach their maximum independence. It is a large partnership project of which we are a minority holder, but a significant one because we are the service provider for this population. We have a 30-unit apartment building on the property that is low-income housing, and more than half, about two-thirds of the residents in that building fall under the category of people who would receive services from us because of their visual impairment, and therefore they're able to live independently. And that service, for those of you who are from out of state, that service is available for applicants from out of state as well. Another recent project that we partnered with the Division for the Blind on last year is concerning dual disabilities, sensory disabilities. As many of you know, Usher's syndrome is quite common in the French-Canadian population. You know, there are two pockets in the country where that is quite common, one in Louisiana and one is up here in Maine. And the numbers can be as high up as in the thousands of people with Usher's syndrome or dual sensory disability. The majority of them are senior citizens who otherwise you probably will not hear from because of other health concerns they have. But we did partner with the Division for the Blind trying to get an account on who's who, what's what, and who needs what kind of services. And we're trying to figure out how we can serve that population best. Last but not least is the Rehab Center. We're going to be hearing today from all the folks you see in front of you here. It's a big group. They're going to tell us the story from start to finish. Unfortunately, the finish was going to be Pauline who was going to give us her perspective on going through the center and how that assisted her in her rehabilitation. The Rehab Center is just over a year old, 14 months old actually since we opened up. And we have had clients from within Maine and out of state as well so far. And things are going pretty well, you know, they're growing pains. We all go through that, but so far so good. It's been a really creative project to be involved with in a lot of ways. We all have been hearing about the WAWA or the WIOA regulations, we've all been hearing about the pre-employment transition services and all that's bringing up in our fields and it's been quite a dominant subject or both of these actually in the field. We're very involved in that as well. This is a private public joint venture that the Iris Network Rehab Center is all about and we are fully aware of how critical it is for all of us in the field, not just individually to figure out a way to improve the employment rates in the community and this is another option that we're adding to the offerings that we can provide our clients. So I'm going to turn the mic over to our first speaker here. First speaker is Brad Strauss. Brad is somebody who can talk about the subject from many angles. He has been a consumer of a rehab center. He then changed careers and became a vision rehab therapist and a rehab counselor and when this project was being discussed, Brad was the chairman of the state rehab council for the division for the blind in the state of Maine. So Brad's role in the process was critical in shaping up what the idea is and how to go about it from there. So I'm going to turn over the mic to Brad. Brad? I'm going to stand up. Just so I'm thinking my voice might carry a little better. If I start to mumble or anything, please throw something at me. So now we have a rehab center in Maine and I'm really, really excited about that primarily because I'm a product of a rehab center myself 25 years ago and I began seriously losing my vision back in Michigan after floundering around for a year or two, I finally got connected with the blindness rehab services in Maine, I mean in Michigan and not doing so well with that until I got to the rehab center and spent three months there. Living, eating, breathing, blindness skills, acquisition, living and talking with others who are sharing my experience and living and talking 24-7 with staff members and other successful blind people. So I was not only acquiring the skills that I needed but I was being able to necessarily apply them on a continuing prolonged basis and I was able to see that there were plenty of blind people around me who were successful, were happy, were leaving, leading full and meaningful lives which just hugely accelerated my acceptance of blindness and my adjustment to it. So having had that experience, it's difficult for me to overstate the value and the benefits of a rehab center experience. I think probably as most of you know, if you talk to almost anybody who has had that experience, they'll say pretty much the same thing. So when I came to Maine here to practice, actually initially 20, 25 years ago there was a center in Maine but as the services went in different directions, that center dissolved and went away and there was no longer one for the past, I don't know, 15 or 20 years. So I always wished among others, those who shared this experience and knew the value of it, shared the wish that we could have one in Maine. I think because of that we all kind of, or several of us kind of kept our eye open consciously or unconsciously for any kind of opportunity to perhaps do that someday. Back in 2010, because of some issues in the blindness services arena in Maine here, the legislature requested that a report, a study be conducted about the current and future state of blindness services in Maine be conducted in any report produced. That took about a year and it was a very intense, very comprehensive undertaking that included, it was interdisciplinary, interagency, included some consumer representation, a very, very broad look and in-depth look at the state of blindness services in Maine and what was coming up in the future and what the needs might be. So that report was finally completed and turned over to the legislature. One of the primary conclusions in that report, this will be no great news to most of you folks, is that the itinerant model was not and probably would not be able to keep up with the growing demand out there, you know, shrinking staff, growing caseloads because of the growing incidence of blindness and also the extensive traveling time needed for traveling especially in a rural state like Maine was overwhelming the itinerant program and the itinerant teachers. There are some itinerant teachers in the room here and O&M folks, you know what I'm saying. So it was pretty obvious that we needed some alternatives unless we could just freely hire as many teachers as we needed which of course wasn't going to happen. We needed some alternatives and one of the major alternatives that was examined and was a rehab center and it was pretty much a consensus that a rehab center would be a great resource to have in Maine here. Then a few years after that, this would be three or four years ago, an opportunity began to arise for a grant from the RSA that would help begin to create a center. There was a grant that became available that would pay for remodeling the IRIS network here in order to provide the facilities and the infrastructure to house that would be needed to have a center-based program. We pursued that for probably two or three years, I think three years and again that was an interdisciplinary and interagency that was quite a collegiate effort that included the SRC strongly. So we did a lot of campaigning for that together and finally made the application and made a good one because we did win the grant, was close to a million dollars, immediately began construction here at the IRIS network to help begin to build those facilities. Also the IRIS network came up with some private funding, they did a major fundraising efforts of their own and came close to matching that million dollars. They're pretty heavily invested in this. So we, as the facilities were being built and as they neared their completion, we realized what we need to, of course we realized all along, but it was time to put together a curriculum, a program, mission, goals, objectives, all of those things. So DBVI, that's the division for blindness visual impairment here in Maine, rather than say in 19 syllables, I'll just say DBVI if you don't mind. So the DBVI and the IRIS network put together a really inclusive comprehensive committee. It was actually quite large of people to start to develop and create the orientation in the curriculum for the center, you know, policies and programs and it got bigger and bigger and bigger, way bigger than what we at first realized. But we managed to do that, I guess that took, we did that for a year, probably close to it. It was very intense, very intensive, we met in subcommittees and put something together good enough to begin at the opening last year, last fall, we started the first class here and we've been having it evolve ever since. So it was a very huge undertaking, it was exciting because we were going to have something, we've got the resource with all the potential, all the inherent benefits and value and all the potential benefits and value. It was a great partnership between, primarily between the IRIS network and DBVI with the SRC and the consumers playing a large part as well. All that input I think was necessary to try to get something that was going to satisfy both the agencies and the program as well as create something that was very effective for consumers. I think now we're limited to five minutes and Rabia here is quite a taskmaster, I don't dare make him mad at me. The other thing too was that right towards the end of that, I've got to say this was because we realized we had a tiger by the tail, there was a lot of detail and Rabia here became available. So right towards the end of this endeavor with planning it, we were able to take advantage of Rabia's 16 years of experience as the director of services at the Carroll Center so that was a huge help. You want to back? Thank you, Brad. So the thing that is important for us to mention here is that this is but one option of rehab service delivery and community services is an integral part of the rehabilitation process even for those who go through rehab center training. Rehab center training is more like a college, think of somebody going to an undergrad for intensive four years, getting it all at once but there's always education before and after that four years and this is a similar model to that. I'm going to present our next speaker here, Tim Heineman from the State of New Hampshire that many of you are familiar with. Tim has been around for quite a long time with a lot of experience in the field and it was great to partner with him early on to develop an understanding about the potential benefit of this center to folks outside the state of Maine as well as within the state of Maine. So I'm going to turn the mic over to Tim. Hello everybody. In this time when we all discuss how meager our resources are and opportunities are to meet our and opportunities are and how our profession and community need more than we currently have, there's this brand new resource adding value to our field. It exudes a refreshing confidence and vision rehab. The bold and exciting IRIS network rehab center has arrived in New England. As any AER's employment division chair, I congratulate the professionals and consumers in the great state of Maine for their thoughtful process in bringing this center to life. Through a partnership between public and private sectors, the Federal RSA, the state of Maine division for blind and visually impaired and the IRIS network, they're showing us how working together in our common need, we can truly succeed in creating opportunities to meet our needs. The IRIS network is orchestrated to provide many options to both professionals and consumers alike with the available services of rehab training, rehab counseling, vision services, O&M medical assistance, ophthalmologists, occupational therapy and employment, and tech specialists. So often when something's new on the horizon, we can feel threatened by it or that this newcomer on the horizon is a competitor to our mission. But I'd like to celebrate it as a fresh perspective and resource that we can all improve in, that we can all use and improve in providing well-rounded and relevant rehab services. My experience already and working with the rehab center is that it's a flexible and comprehensive resource, eager to listen and open to trying new approaches. To meet my client's needs and my personal needs as a rehab specialist, I find that they are truly manifesting their motto, which is rehabilitation is a mindset and not a skill set. Thank you, Tim. So the next speaker here we have is another Tim. One of the things that I'm not sure if that was clearly said early on in the presentations, that this really is a VR program, strictly a VR program. This is for vocational rehabilitation. Obviously, we'd love to serve the entire community, but the funding for this, from the get-go, the drive behind it came from the SRC, from RSA, through VR services. And therefore, our focus is primarily and at this time exclusively on vocational rehabilitation. And to that end, we ask one of our partners from the State of Maine Division for the Blind, Tim Small, who is the vocational rehab counselor in the Lewiston area in Maine, to discuss what the center is like to be used as a tool in his arsenal of vocational rehab services. So, Tim. Good morning. I'm Tim Small from DBVI. I'll keep the acronyms as well. So I've been asked to talk about who might be an appropriate candidate for referral. And so there we don't even have enough time to discuss all the people who might be appropriate. The shortened version would be those clients who have had a sudden loss of vision, who really are overwhelmed. In the State of Maine, they're most likely rural and isolated. And so services coming to them would not necessarily give them the skills that they need to maintain themselves on a daily basis. And if they are not able to do that, then you need to look at that they're most likely not going to be able to work. And our focus, obviously, is on employability. And so we have those people that maybe have had sudden vision loss or have had a decrease that had already had a vision loss but have had more of a vision loss. And the skills that they did use or had is no longer adequate, that they need to be updated and have those skills really brought to a level where they are able to maintain themselves at home. We are looking at potential young individuals who we all know, if anyone has worked with transition-aged students, they are sometimes resistant to services. And once they graduate, all of a sudden the expectation is that they're going to be working or going to school. And they may not have the skills to be able to do that. And so all of a sudden there is a big shock. And this program really condenses the learning for them so that they can really move on and be prepared in a shorter period of time for employment or potentially college, depending on what that goal is. For me, I have found the clients that I have been referring have multiple disabilities and challenges and that in the comfort of their own home and on paper everything really looks good. It looks like they've had training. It seems like their skills are really good, but they're still not getting jobs. And so those individuals that I have sent to the center really we've been able to uncover that there are some other underlying barriers that meeting with them at home didn't really uncover and they were able to be addressed at the center, either through counseling or whether it was ADLs, so that when they got back home they were able to engage in services in a much more productive way and hence increasing the potential for their employment outcome. The program itself I've been asked to kind of give a little overview is an intensive 40 hours a week. So that's five days a week. We're looking at 10 hours of AT. We have four hours of vocational development a week. Two of those hours are scheduled as a group workshop assessment time. So during that time we're looking at transferable skills, looking at the different assessments to determine interest abilities. We are also meeting with clients for two hours for individual voc counseling to further discuss those assessments and to discuss how they are actually doing at the center because initially my clients are typically pretty overwhelmed. And I would say by week three and four they have really started to buy in. By week 12 they would like to live there. So I think looking at the travel distance for most of us in the state of Maine even as a VR counselor, it's nothing for my region for me to travel three and a half hours one way to see a client. So having clients that are center based makes them much more accessible and it's a better use of our time. And I think personally I enjoy working in a group model and having direct contact with the individuals that are working with my clients at the center and being able to sit down and have a conversation with them about what they're seeing is very different than receiving a phone message or an email. You're really able to have a clear, good communication. And I really think it comes down to good treatment. And Rabia, have I gone over my five? Or am I doing okay? Okay, see this is what happens when you practice. So looking also what I found from the clients that I have referred, the isolation piece by being in a group of peers, whether they're the same age or not, living with them. I've had clients come out saying, wow, like there actually is hope that there is a possibility for me because look at this person. They had a job, they lost their vision. They're here because they need to learn these new skills. And my vision is better than theirs and I'm thinking I couldn't even work. And look, they were doing this job. And I think just the sharing piece is very powerful. And it's very powerful even for the young people that might be considering attending for the simple fact a lot of my students are the only student in their school that is visually impaired. So they feel like they are the only ones in the entire world that has a visual impairment and their parents feel very much the same way that my son or daughter is the only one and I'm the only one to experience this. And part of that is I think they tend to do a lot for their transition age students. Not that they aren't phenomenal parents, but I think we can over parent maybe. And by taking them out of that really comfortable home environment, individuals that say, I have these skills, my orientation mobility is great. I can make it to the mailbox. I know how to get around the mall. It's very different when they go someplace that they're not familiar with, perhaps with staff that they're not familiar with. And what I find is they come back much more confident and much more self-reliant. And that feeling does lead itself to a better work outcome. When someone can go into an employer confidently, is able to maneuver the environment, is able to be prepared for an interview, being able to be comfortable discussing their vision. And being able to discuss what they may need for accommodations. Those sorts of skills and abilities are really what is going to convince an employer that they do have the skills and the abilities to be a good employee. This is a good beginning for the meat of the program here. Rehab counseling is the critical part of getting the client oriented to the goal of the program and focus on returning to work. And it's one thing to get them thinking in that direction, but you need to also give them some tools to give them confidence and they can perform the tasks to be independent personally. Which would then give them the confidence to move on to present themselves to an employer as a potential contributing member of the workforce. So we're going to talk next about the actual skill development areas that clients go through in the program. Keeping in mind that the likelihood is and should be that the average client who goes to the rehab center should have received some skill development services from low vision therapy to vision rehab therapy and even some counseling before getting into kind of the highway speed of a rehab center that's more intensive and comprehensive week after week after week. So we're going to start talking about the skill development at this time. I'm going to introduce Amber Mooney. Amber plays a couple roles at the rehab center right now. She's partly a case manager and partly a vision rehab therapist. She's been with us for a couple years at the agency and she is one of the people who provides the but is under the umbrella of vision rehab therapy. So we're going to group them together for the sake of time today. But that's not to undermine or underestimate how critical each and every one of these disciplines is in the vocational development of a client. So Amber. So I am here to talk about the center and we're talking about the process that goes into all the center. And as Rabia just mentioned, a big part of the center is the skill development, whether it be initial skill development or more adaptations. At the center we have experienced certified staff in VRTs and a number of different skill areas, subject areas. So we cover it all. And I'm going to talk a little bit about the whole VRT perspective and all those subject areas and how it all works together hand in hand really. And of course, we start with an assessment of the client and their skill sets, evaluate their state and their functioning as far as accessing printed material, reading, writing and the accessible technology that they have available to them. As well as activities of daily living type skills, cooking and cleaning. Staff determines the amount of training that is needed for our transition age students that may more be the skill actual development of the skill. Whereas with our adults who are just newly acquiring, they're going to need more the adaptations, they already have the skill. And so we also look at the state of functional vision for each client. And what the prognosis is, if they still have vision, we're going to use that and look at how it best meets what they are looking for. Each plan is obviously very individualized according to what the client needs and has, clients will learn to understand and articulate their vision, their functional vision so they can advocate effectively for their disability needs. Clients looking going back toward work need to be able to voice what accessible media means to them and what they have available in kind of their arsenal or toolbox if you will. And as we are all very much aware, clients have to be prepared today with a whole host of tools, whether it be technology or other accessible media. And especially if the diagnosis is progressive, the tools they're using today might not be the same ones they're going to use later on in the road. But they do have to know how to utilize those skills or technology later on and where to acquire or access them. Whether it be low tech such as our handheld magnifiers or reading braille, or whether it's the higher tech stuff such as your braille displays, Victor Reader streams, tablets, smartphones, CCTVs, and so on. Clients are trained daily on how to manage their appointments, their schedules, be able to take notes efficiently and effectively, and like I said before, identify and define that accessible media to be able to read and write. And we also have to have backup systems because we all are very much aware of the technology will fail, malfunction, break when we need it most. So, let's see, all right. So they'll learn daily life tasks such as accessing printed material, accessing their mail, how they're going to pay their bills, and how they're going to do job searches. Whether it be on the computer with a screen reader or if it's easier to use a tablet, how are they going to work on their resume? Are they going to use a braille display to edit word by word? Or are they going to use a CCTV to spot check? Or maybe some combination of all of these tools combined. As any of the RT knows, there can be many tools for each specific little task. Clients also will learn how to organize their workspace efficiently. Because not everyone's going to be at a desk and behind a computer. They could be working with knives, they could be working with table saws. So they have to learn to be able to manage and organize all of that in an area. And do so safely. And we do do that training. So whether it be setting up your stapler and your braille display, or your table saw, hammers, and screwdrivers. We do provide training for all of the above. So in order to be ready for work, you also need those ADLs in place. Clients have to be able to identify the colors of their clothing so they match. They have to be prepared with clean clothing. Because if they are going out in public as a person who is blind or visually impaired, they need to be confident in who they are and how they're presenting themselves. Because otherwise, they're not going to be confident in an interview in front of an employer. So they also learn to prepare meals. So that's planning for meals, shopping for your food, cooking, cutting. And also the labeling piece. Labeling your foods hand in hand goes with also labeling medications. Which is especially important today for those with secondary, whether it be diagnoses, disabilities, having to manage medication and food like those with diabetes is crucial. Because it's not only labeling your medications, it's learning how to be able to refill your prescriptions, keep your doctor's appointments and so forth and so on. So as we've talked about a little bit here, we have the itinerant approach and the center-based approach. And just reiterate what's been said already. It is the three months, 40 hours a week, it's very comprehensive and intensive. Skills in one area overlap with skills in another area. I might teach braille, labeling with the dimo-labeler in one class. Another class, I teach how to do the talking label one for audio labeling. Then they go to the activities of daily living class. And in that class, they're working with another V-on-T on labeling their food. So now they have a couple different options. They might be wiping down a table, cleaning it off in ADLs. And they go to the manual arts area and they're learning how to paint. Or with the ONM, sweeping an area with your cane. So it all works extremely hand in hand. Which, as Tim was saying, to be able to have those connections is just phenomenal. To be able to change your plan day by day, hour by hour. Either push that client forward or maybe it's time you see that you need to pull back. The client is overwhelmed. So to be able to have that at your hands as a provider is absolutely phenomenal. So this is just a small blurb on the whole VRT process that goes into it. But it is absolutely essential and integral to the rehabilitation process. We say it's a mindset, but that mindset and skill set really work hand in hand. You can't have one without the other for that successful outcome. And so when they leave, we have taught the client how to be not only independent at home, community and work, but how to be independent going forward. So they can get what they need, whether independently or out in the community. They know how to get it. All right, so I'm going to present the next two speakers who did not want to talk. So forward and I'm sure they're going to be quite short. So we're going to go with the first one is another skill development that's critical. And many of you would recognize why and that is ONM. I'm going to ask Mike to take the mic. So I've been at the Irish Network for about a year now and it's my first ONM job. So I'm relatively new to the field. And when I was considering places to try and look for a job and I found out about, first of all, I was interested in coming up to Portland. I'm from Connecticut. And so I came up for an interview and Rabia told me about what was going on. I really didn't know that much about what they had planned. And when he talked to me about what they were planning and the idea that I could get in on something that was so exciting and new from the ground up was really important to me. And after a year, it hasn't been a disappointment. I've been very happy with it. But so basically, I'm an ONM specialist. So we all know how important travel is to be able to get where you want to go. And what we do, what I do generally is when we get a new client, the first, we have two buildings. We have the dorm where they live and we have the Ryan building, which is where their classes are. And they're about a half mile apart. So the first thing we do is do an orientation of those two buildings, including the fire escapes, safety first. And once they get that down, then we start to work on other skills. It's also the first two weeks is generally an assessment period for everybody. So it's a good time to assess cane skills in an indoor environment. And just basic orientation also to see if they have any physical limitations that might hinder their ability to do certain things, whether it's stamina or just the ability to ambulatory type stuff. But I did my internship with Besby in Connecticut, which was an itinerant model. And I thought it was a great experience. So I guess my only professional work experience is center-based. But I had enough of an experience with the itinerant model to compare the two. And from what I found is that the teachers I worked with are great, but they just don't have the time to spend with people that we have here. Like Tim and Amber said, it's 40 hours a week. And it's treated like it's a job. Like they're going to work every day pretty much. So I think it's so much easier to break down each task and work with someone. Some people struggle with certain tasks more than others. Some people have had ONM before. Some have had very little. But I found that a lot of the ones that have had ONM, some of the younger kids, well, young adults, I should say, they've had ONM in the past, but they haven't done any independent travel. So the fact that one of the goals that we have is for them to be able to walk the half mile between the dorm and the Ryan building. So for a lot of them, that's the first independent travel that they've really ever done. And it's certainly not because I'm a better teacher than any of their other past teachers. But it's just like I said, it's the time you're able to spend. And it's their skill development. It's their ability to practice the skills that they're learning that they generally don't have the ability to do. And I think with the itinerant model a lot. And so, let's see, like here, and also the team model. The team model I find extremely beneficial, especially being someone that's fairly new to the field. We have meetings every morning where we basically talk about the day before. And it's a good time to get an idea of, hey, how this person did in this class versus your class or anybody else's class. And for example, it's great to be able to bounce things off of people that are working in the other domains. And I found that very beneficial, especially low vision. Hey, why don't you try this device today or these shades? This might help. Stuff that I am learning, but somebody knows more about than I do. And I found that extremely beneficial. We've had a couple of dog-eyed users. Mostly cane users, but a couple have come in without canes that really should be using canes. And some people are resistant depending on, I think, the younger clients tend to be a little bit more resistant to that if they don't have canes. But all of them have left using canes. You're able to, I've been lucky to be able to convey the importance for some people of using the cane both from identity purposes and for safety. And I think that's been a very big step for some of the younger clients that I think we all know that a lot of the younger folks don't want to use a cane. And so that's been something when they're in it, they see other people, there's other examples of people that didn't have canes, but now they're using them. And I think we have an open enrollment. So we have people that come in in the beginning, and they're there with people that have been there for eight weeks. So they're seeing where they're going to be after they have a chance to work at things. But so, and I think the collaboration with DVBI, I found it very beneficial with, like Tim was saying, it's great to be able to have him and the other VR counselors come and be in on the meetings. And I think it all benefits the clients and I think that's what we're trying to do. I think I'm done. Sure. This is Brad over here. Absolutely. Do you find that there's an opportunity with the students and being here in Portland in the city to have some experience with how to use public transportation? You know, get comfortable with all of that and get familiar with that. We do. You do bus travel, you know, and the other public transportation options that they have. Being in a city, it's a lot different. A lot of people that are from Maine that come down or a good portion of them are from very rural areas. So there really isn't much opportunity for public transportation. There might be some, you know, paratransit options. But, you know, we do a lot of, we do do a lot of focus on bus travel. We had one student from Connecticut that took the bus home to, actually was picked up and brought home, but took the bus from Connecticut back to Portland. And she stopped in Boston, did the transfer. And that was her first foray into that type of thing. So that was a big accomplishment. And like I say, it's like, you know, it's all about providing opportunity. You know, you want to challenge people, but you want to provide opportunities for success because I think, you know, that success is where that confidence is built and where people are starting to realize, okay, I can do this and I can, you know, I can take charge of my life and be responsible for my own independence and, and, you know, making things happen. So. My name is Bonnie Guzi. I'm the Director of Access Technology Employment Services at the Iris Network. And I'm here to talk about access technology. So what is access technology? Access technology is all the different methods someone uses to gain access to information on particular devices or software. These can range from computers to tablets, smartphones, video magnifiers, software applications, text to speech. And that's just to name a few so that there's a whole array of devices that people need. Some of these devices are now coming with the access technology embedded right in them. For example, the Apple has VoiceOver, which is their screen readers software. They also have Zoom, which is their screen magnification. Android devices, smart smartphones and tablets now have TalkBack and they also have screen magnification built right in. They're also digital assistants now, like Siri, Cortana, and AskGoogle. With all these devices, technology has become increasingly critical to learn and to know to keep pace with today's communication styles and employment opportunities. In our Comprehensive Rehab Center Access Technology Program, we start with a review of all the students' current technology, what they're using, and what are the features that they know and use on a daily basis. This is a demonstration process of show me. It's not asking them questions and they're just saying, yes, I know how to do that. It's show me, demonstrate it. Some students may need to start at the very beginning, learning how to even just turn on a device or learn the keyboard. Others know their devices for just what they need to use it for, and then we also have advanced users that come to the center. This assessment also tells us how effective the device is for what their needs are. Depending on the student's needs, we focus the training of specific technology to maximize the benefit of their time during their training at the Rehab Center. The main goal is to be sure the students are up and running with the basic functions so they can access email, a calendar, the internet, and word processing. We want everybody to leave with those basic skills. Additional devices and software options are identified and added as the student progresses through the program and their individual plan develops. Although the main focus of our training is on computers, students are introduced to a variety of other devices and machines. For example, we have the Merlin Elite. You can put a piece of paper underneath that. It takes a picture. It processes it and within 10 seconds it's reading a newspaper article to you or a book. That's a really fun machine. However, there is no machine yet that can read handwriting. We're still hoping that people can work on that. Still some day have that available. Students are also able to put their hands on braille displays and put the brails that they're learning to use. A braille display is both an input and an output device, so you're typing in braille and you're reading in braille. Devices also include note takers from a simple recorder to more technical. Each student is provided a talking book player to use at the center and also if they want to take it back to the dorm with them. They are also given the cartridge and cable to take home with them. They have blogs and podcasts and they can download from the internet, so they do take the cartridge and cable right home with them. We also have some students that come from more intensive training. They already have a specific device or app or software that they want to learn, and these students can come for a one day, six to seven hour session. Then other students can choose to come for a week long, one on one, a small group training. Again, we always start with a basic assessment to learn their level and also to identify the training goals that they want to leave with. In our center, you'll see students working on assigned computers or devices with the training sitting close by providing the instruction. The environment is set up like a business and industry with cubicles, each having a computer with the most effective access technology for that student. This setting also allows a student to identify the accommodations that they may need to ask for in a workplace, whether it be glare or lighting, mobility, or a Braille display to access their job. What I really appreciate is the style of the train is John Allen and Steve Kelly. They stay current with the ever changing technology trends and devices. They are outstanding instructors, but they don't always provide instruction, it's encouragement, it's the confidence and instilling confidence in the student and knowing where that student is currently. They have this uncanny ability to know when to challenge the person or when to step back and say they're becoming overwhelmed and lighten it up a little bit with humor. They're just outstanding instructors and they're active listeners. They accept the students at their level. Their mindset is always, you will get this. We just don't know how right now, but we will figure it out. No trainer of access technology can know it all, but John and Steve will find the answer and they are honest enough to say, I don't know the answer to that, let me find out and I'll get back to you and they always do. We also have David Cyr, our IT person who is outstanding. And as Amber said, we always have technology, glitches, something always comes up and he is there in a heartbeat figuring it out and taking care of all our computer problems. They also write exceptional case notes. Anyone can read the notes and learn the goal of the session, what the student mastered, what they may need to still work on, which is really, really helpful if somebody needs to step in and that usually is me. If somebody needs, is a sick day or whatever, I'm available to be the pitch hitter. And finally, we help them build their technology toolkit. Everybody needs to know how to begin the troubleshooting process but also when to call for help where the most effective help is. And we like the students to graduate having resources in their back pocket as access technology changes. They are world changers, they get a job, their vision changes. They need to know who to call to get the answers that they are looking for. The Access Technology and Employment Services piece of the IRS network also provides technical assistance to small businesses as well as large multinational corporations nationwide. At times, job coaching sport is necessary to learn the access technology, how it interfaces with the company's specific program. And this job coaching can be short term, can be long term. When things change, the job coaching may need to be reintroduced and can be reintroduced. It's a great pleasure doing what we do. We all love working at the IRS network and in the rehab center. And I just want to thank you very much for listening. Thank you, Bonnie. Bonnie is quite modest actually. You should see her doing some scripting discussions. She's quite good at it. And with these big companies, as she mentioned, TD Bank and AAA are a couple of the most big companies so we've heard a lot about the skill development. We've heard a lot about the infrastructure of the services and the center itself. And it's like telling somebody who just got two leg prosthesis, these work great, they're fantastic, they're electronic, they could do everything but make you coffee. And they are cutting edge technology and a lot of support. And you're going to tell them, stand up and walk. And that's where the mindset is critical. That person may have been convinced by Tim that he needs to go to work and by Amber that whatever she teaches him is going to help him on a daily basis. But it's a big step to take to be convinced that okay, I have the confidence to get up and walk on my prosthesis. And in some ways it's similar to it. So the adjustment piece, the mindset of the client to kind of get into that, I don't know what you want to call it, orientation I guess, of life is the next speaker for us here. Just a word about that before I turn the mic to Sue Allen. Sue Allen is our mental health therapist at the center or has been up to now. She's moving on to other jobs and somewhere else, but I'm glad to catch up with her before she leaves here. We can do it all ourselves and at times it's good to look at partners in the community to leverage our resources. Tim Heineman mentioned that earlier kind of at a field level, but we can also look at it at a community-based level. Sue Allen works at Sweetser which is a company that employs about 7,800 mental health therapists statewide. It's a big provider in the state and it had been a great pleasure for us for the last year to partner with Sweetser to provide the mental health therapy and to work with Sue Allen to get her up to speed on what it is that visual impairment and visual loss and blindness is like and the counseling part of it is like and she's done a great job with that and her successor who started with us actually last week seems to be following her footsteps so we look forward to continuing that relationship. So I'm going to turn over the mic to Sue Allen. Thank you. So as Rebue was saying, my name is Sue Allen Moorley. I am a licensed clinical social worker which makes me a little bit of an odd duck with the rest of the folks that are sitting up here but when I started just over a year ago so 14 months ago I did start with the first group it was a very eye-opening experience for me for someone who was coming from more a very different frame of reference of working with folks I just remember Robi kept telling me no you have 12 weeks you only have 12 weeks no, no, no, no that doesn't make sense you've got to do it all in 12 weeks you can do it okay no problem so the learning curve for me was a little steep but it has definitely been the most rewarding job I've had in the 20 years that I've been in the mental health field with folks that come into the program folks come in from all different backgrounds as a couple of folks have already said most of the students that come in have come from very rural environments which means that they come to the center with tremendous feelings of isolation and with that there tends to be a lot of depression a lot of anxiety most of them have been living with some family member some of them have been living independently one of the additional pieces that we get to do because we are a center based is we actually do on occasion get to bring some of those families in so when you're working with folks in the community people are living at home they've created these world for themselves that work and you come back week after week and it just doesn't feel like progressing well it might be because they have that really well meaning family member that have been doing all of those things for them so you're not seeing that independent growth that you would like to which tends to be a little frustrating as a type of practitioner what do you mean you're not getting it come on we talked about this four weeks in a row at the center we can see what it is that's happening and we can see what those adaptations are whether they're working all the other presenters get to figure out those ways to help them really learn it so as Rabia was saying the mindset of folks coming in whether it's that the overwhelming depression or anxiety we really as a team get to look at those things and say this part is a barrier and let's work as a team to be able to address it the other speakers tend to look at me to say okay you need to fix that little bit of anxiety because it's keeping the person from being able to walk down the stairs independently or it's keeping the person from just a couple weeks ago picking up the saw in you know while working with John the client was trying to make a box she had been told her entire life that the saw was going to hurt her and she was absolutely convinced that it was going to jump off the table and hurt her in some kind of way and to be able to step back and really work with John to work through with this client was amazing so being able to pick out what it is those little nuggets that are getting in the way is amazing it's a lot of fun and you just don't have the luxury of that intensity of work and that collaboration of work when you're working in the field by yourself so I apologize I was a little bit convoluted but the two major points of that team effort being able to really look at what those barriers are what that mindset is that's getting in the way and then also helping them for when they go back moving from being a recipient of services to someone that can access those services so whether it's with their VRC this is what I need or know that isn't what I need or with their families this is what I need this is not what I need or with their employer you know it just it goes a long way sure sure so I do provide two different interventions at the program so I do meet individually with most of the students that come through during that two week assessment period I am assessing as well so figuring out if there are you know really some of those adjustment issues that are getting in the way or some of the mental health issues that are getting in the way and then we also do an hour of group so it is a peer support model most of the groups I have allowed the students to pick the topic so we've spent quite a number of sessions talking about their canes as Mike was mentioning you know young and some of the older students have a lot of feelings about their canes a lot of feelings about independent travel a lot of feelings about you know being a living in a sighted world and what that means and the stigmas and other barriers so most of the time I will let them drive those conversations there have been a couple of groups where the other instructors have brought up topics that were really salient during the week that I posted them and did a little bit more of a structured group but the peer model has been just amazing because everybody is in a slightly different place in their growth and development so being able to hear somebody say I'm really nervous about this and I'm really nervous about traveling on the bus and this is what was scary for me and somebody else going are you kidding I just came from Connecticut let me tell you all the successes that I just had and watching the energy build in the room around those successes is pretty powerful I have seen rehabilitation from both sides I had a 30 year career as a certified rehab counselor with division for the blind in Maine and now I'm the vocational specialist in the Iris Network's rehabilitation center I see a few familiar faces from my time as a rehab counselor so I'm glad you sat in on this session the rehab counselor role in our field is critical and I enjoyed every minute of it however I had limited time to spend with each consumer and it was always around the key points of eligibility, intake planning and closure thinking back I probably spent maybe 12 hours maybe 14 hours with people during the course of their entire VR program barely scratching the surface of who this person was and what their real goals might be as the vocational specialist in the rehab center I'm having a ball and I provide vocational development to the out of state referrals I am scheduled for four hours of direct service per week with each referral so during the course of a 12 week program I have 48 hours with each referral for vocational exploration, job shadows informational interviews, resume writing, lining up references all of the things that go into becoming looking for a job but that's only part of it the observation possibilities in an immersion program are endless I see the consumer interacting with other staff, other consumers cab drivers, job fair recruiters I have the benefit of seeing the consumer through the eyes of other professionals often a completely different view from my own it is this difference in view as the individual succeeds with a street crossing prepares a grilled cheese sandwich sands a piece of wood and manual arts that is what causes me to shift gears and search for the same moment in the vocational area I know you have it in you it's my job to help you find it in your job search it is an important mind shift for me as part of the staff in the immersion program do not allow myself to be limited in my expectations and watch for growth and change the rehabilitation center is a culture of change staff plans change in a heartbeat as the consumer grows emotionally and in skills training is adjusted to build a better foundation what you see initially is certainly not what you get 12 weeks later our presentation title is center based rehabilitation a mindset not just a skill set and I have to tell you I had some trouble getting my own mind around that what is the staff mindset in the rehab center staff mindset number one whatever the consumer is attempting is doable it's up to us to figure out how a young woman told me at our first meeting that her goal was to be a software developer on the apple access team however each time she said the word apple she giggled and hit her face on the final days of her program she conducted one of the most professional informational interviews I have seen with a senior specialist of the apple professional learning center who's a member of the access team Bonnie had the connection to the apple access team but this young woman earned the right to that interview and she nailed it staff mindset number two we are a team not a collection of specialists nobody has all the answers and we learn from and support each other one young man arrived at the rehab center wedded to his laptop no interest at all in exploring portable note taking devices this resistance went on for a few weeks and then the university of southern Maine had a career fair with a couple of employers that he really wanted to meet Steve Kelly one of our tech instructors and I helped him prepare for the noise and crowds of a good career fair asking him how he intended to record information while trying to balance his laptop he thought about it and the morning of the career fair asked if we could bring some portable devices for him to try off we went Steve assisting him with recording information first on an iPad then on an iPhone while I assisted him by identifying the next business and directing him toward the recruiter we had quite a day staff mindset number three we have unquestionable faith in the rehabilitation process we will find a way and we are excited about overcoming obstacles a man from away arrived with a clear plan returned to a familiar job and live with or near his mother and grandmother however he's a true foodie and he quickly fell in love with Portland's wonderful restaurants he also started to acquire some pretty decent technology skills he's shadowed a call center position at main medical center in the food services department taking calls from patients with their food requests for the day he loved it the seed has been planted a move to Portland and an application for a call center position at main medical center might just be in his future that is a staff mindset in a center based model whatever the consumer is attempting is doable we are a team not a collection of specialists and we have unquestionable faith in the rehabilitation process the rehab center is comprehensive, intensive and multidisciplinary offering daily contact between staff and consumers it is the staff mindset that creates the culture where rehabilitation can take place I think she was a I guess just to wrap this up we can't obviously say everything that has been going on for what six years now from what Brad had mentioned when the idea came up and they started developing this concept up till now where the center is operational and with all the staff that work in it