Take Charge with Confidence and Self-Reliance

Tag: self-determination

  • Crunchy & Amazing: Farhan Makes Somosas for His Mini-meal!

    by

    Dan Burke

    Farhan takes Somosas out of a tall pot of hot oil

    Farhan came to the center from Pakistan because he believed that the confidence and self-reliance in our tag line mean greater independence and opportunity for him. Here he is, a little past the mid-point in his training, making really amazing (and crunchy) samosas for 15 guests, and you can feel his new confidence!

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  • Take our 2016 ITP video in smaller bites

    by

    Dan Burke

    News Icon

    We’ve taken our new Independence Training Program 2016 video and broken it down into smaller bites for YouTube viewers. We completed the new video and posted it in June, just in time for the NFB Convention in Orlando. That video is just over 22 minutes in length, a fair bit longer than the average YouTube…

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  • Our Independence Training Program Video Updated for 2016

    by

    Dan Burke

    News Icon

    We’ve updated our Independence Training Program in time for the National Federation of the Blind’s 2016 convention June 30 to July 5 in Orlando. There are new voices as well as well-known ones, new insights and time-tested gems as well about how the Center’s program can help blind students take charge of their lives with…

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  • Christopher: Keep your heart open

    by

    Dan Burke

    Christopher receiving the bell

    A big heart and steadfast determination to finish his training at the Center despite significant health challenges are the things that fellow students and staff remarked on again and again Friday morning when Christopher was awarded his Bell of Freedom. Julie Deden noted the disruption in the middle of his program as she presented his…

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  • Joey’s Hollywood Ending

    by

    Dan Burke

    Joey grins as he rings his Bell of Freedom

    Joey wanted to return to the Center for a full training program ever since he came to a summer program as a teenager in 2005. Finally, his Dad put the question in his mind – was he ready to take care of himself if something happened to his parents? That’s when Joey went into action.…

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  • Shelby: The Choir Director Gets Her Bell

    by

    Dan Burke

    a smiling Shelby rings her Bell of Freedom

    Shelby’s graduation on April 8 brought her parents and, grandparents all the way from South Carolina, as well as a family friend who lives in Scotland. Shelby came to the Center as a brand-new high school grad last summer, and so it was the second time her parents and grandparents had been to the Center…

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  • Vika: If I can cook for 64, I can cook for my family someday

    by

    Dan Burke

    Vika receiving her bell

    On April 6 it was Vika’s turn to ring her Bell of Freedom. She cooked a meal of barbecued chicken, potato wedges that used 30 pounds of spuds, and peach cobbler. When Julie asked if if she’d ever done any cooking before coming to the Center, she said no. “My parents were afraid I would…

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  • Peter: This is your journey to make

    by

    Dan Burke

    two isntructors awrd the bell to the student

    Peter culminated his amazing journey on April 1 with his grad meal and the Bell of Freedom he worked so hard to earn. “It was suggested that I come here 20 years ago,” Peter toldus. “I didn’t because I didn’t believe I was blind.” Indeed, Peter came from Brooklyn as one of our more mature…

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  • Tabea: I didn’t know I would grow in the ways that I have

    by

    Dan Burke

    Tabea grins as she holds her bell of freedom

      Tabea’s time in the spotlight came on March 12 when her travel instructor David Nietfeld presented her with her Bell of Freedom. “When Tabea first got here her sister Sarah was finishing up,” David said. “For a while it was kind of the Meyer Show. Some might have been tempted to wonder how Tabea…

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  • Marcus: Flourishing as an Independent Blind Person

    by

    Dan Burke

    Marcus receives his bell

    “I knew you would flourish here,” Julie Deden said to Marcus at his bell ceremony on February 5. “When you came down from Montana for a tour with your Dad, you were so interested and excited about everything.” Marcus worked as a journeyman electrician in Montana before becoming blind two years ago. He operated his…

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