A New Visions Story

  Beginnings 2000 to October 2008

 These pictures are from one of the north shore camps, Grand Canyon rafting Alaskan kayaking and Haleakala trips that took place thanks to Ho`opono, Hawai`i's program for Blind residents implementation of the structured discovery method of teaching skills of Blindness.

all on a log at the first camp Ho`opono 2004. 12 youth and staff standing on a 30 yard long long on the ground, holding hands and trying not to fall off.

mauka trail at 2004 camp. Using canes while navigating around 5 foot high and wide boulders.

 

 the gang heading towards deer falls walking admist huge rocks and ledges

on the shore of Alaska's icy bay getting ready for a day's kayak paddle

youth riding the waves of the little Colorado river during a side trip off of the Colorado as part of an 8 day raft trip.

Photo of the adult staff and volunteers on a search for Alaskan bear scat near a waterfall and stream

youth and a volunteer wearing rubber boots standing and sitting on large chunks of ice

Photo of the 2015  Haleakala trek group standing outside of Holua cabin far from the modern world.

three of the youth traversing along side colorful Haleakala cinder cone.

On the way from Holua cabin walking on lava fields and knee high vegetation

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Three youth climbing up one of the dozens of Halemauu trail switch backs to exit out of the crater at the end of a Haleakala 4 day service project/hike 

The entire gang from the first Haleakala trek that took place in 2006. The group has made it through the switch backs and are now walking alongside low rise shrubs. At this juncture just a few hundred yards from civilization and everyone is wearing a big grin. Many of this group returned in following years.

A New Visions Story

The Beginnings March 2000-October 2008

 

 

(1) Get Back to Iowa

Imagine that you, as the administrator of a public service agency, believe you have done a decent job managing and improving programs for the past six years. As such, you take pride in giving a tour of your facility to a visiting director of a similar program from the state where you grew up and which you admire. That administrator then gives a rousing speech the next evening to a large local consumer group’s annual banquet. Immediately after thunderous applause, their leader takes the microphone and tells you that you need to get back where you came from to learn how a good program is run. Would those words sting?

To be fair, that group’s leader had long wanted staff to visit the programs of the Iowa Department for the Blind (IDB), whose headquarters were located in Des Moines. A few blind members of their organization had attended week-long training sessions in the IDB’s adjustment-to-blindness Orientation Center in the sixties, but no one from Ho`opono, Hawai`i’s state-run program for blind residents, had ever done so. The remarks at that banquet, although disquieting, resulted in my resolve to go and find out what had made such a positive impression on these consumers.

Fortunately, not long after that March 2000 evening, the IDB held a two-day conference to celebrate its seventy-fifth anniversary. It was easy to get the okay to attend given what had transpired at the banquet. Late October found me back in Iowa observing, talking with staff, and being impressed by the work the IDB was doing. I was impressed most by a panel during which past program participants described what they gained from their six to nine months of intensive blindness skill training in the IDB’s Adult Orientation and Adjustment Center. In addition to becoming competent cane users, literate Braille readers, and homemakers, they said what they gained the most was a belief that they could live the life they wanted and do what they wanted to do. I also learned that Iowa welcomed staff from other agencies to come and spend a few weeks with them as a student. Ho`opono had just hired a new supervisor, and I had planned to send her elsewhere for thorough orientation training. Thanks to the Iowa conference, those plans changed.  We were on our way.

 

(2) The Dream

At another local banquet of Hawai`i’s blind consumers, the keynote speaker this time was Lea Dias, the new supervisor who had gone for training as a student in the Iowa Center. Just a few months removed from this experience, she gave a moving speech that included a vision for the Ho`opono program to become as vibrant as any, to become one where participants could develop hope that their dreams were obtainable.

Prior to Lea’s speech, discussions had begun on how to move Ho`opono’s orientation program from a traditional medical model to one based on the principles of structured-discovery learning that Iowa’s program used. In the medical model, blindness is seen as a disability whose limitations cannot be overcome. Because blind people are inherently unsafe, they must be “guided through” the accomplishment of a task with the instructor’s constant visual feedback and supervision. The structured-discovery model, on the other hand, is based on a belief in the capabilities of blind individuals. Through questioning by instructors, students learn to problem solve their way safely through tasks and situations from draining a boiling pot of pasta to crossing a busy street. As the students develop more skills and self-confidence, they come to realize they can solve any problems they may encounter, whether at home, in the community, or on the job. The use of blindfolds is an integral part of this training, allowing students to learn they can function fully no matter how much vision they have.

Some of Ho`opono’s staff began to object strongly to making this change. They said they felt hurt that people thought they weren’t providing the best training possible to their students. They thought the structured-discovery approach was dangerous both physically and emotionally, especially since students who had any vision were required to wear blindfolds. Lea contacted Dr. Fredric Schroeder, former Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) Commissioner, for suggestions on the best training for staff to come to believe in the benefit of learning blindness skills without sight. He suggested contacting structured-discovery consultant Doug Boone. Using a gentle approach, Doug provided multiple training sessions to five or six Ho`opono staff at a time, teaching them how to travel using the long white cane under blindfolds. On the last day of each session, all thirty staff involved were thrilled to be able to cross a busy intersection by themselves.

More intensive training sessions were added as time went on. Dr. Schroeder, IDB Director Allen Harris, and Dr. Sandy Tigges—the initial banquet speaker—provided consultation. Several question-and-answer sessions with them helped to resolve many of the staff’s concerns. To provide the best orientation program would mean that certain requirements for learning would be put into place. Students would be expected to attend the center five days a week, take every class available, wear blindfolds if they had any vision, and use the long white cane during all instructional time. None of these requirements were currently in place. Some students only came in once a week for computer instruction, while others just attended cooking classes. No one was required to wear blindfolds or use a cane throughout the day. So of course, current students and some staff had lots of concerns about the direction the program was tending toward.

 

(3) Give Me a Date

To help move the agenda along and quell the objections of staff, it was decided to bring Sandy back for one week. When I called her, she said she would be glad to return but only on this condition: “By the end of my week, you must guarantee that an exact date will be set when the program will make the successful transition to one that uses the structured-discovery approach to instruction.” By this time, several Ho`opono staff had spent two weeks in the Iowa Center and came back as enthusiastic about the change as Lea was. Other developments had also taken place, including the sale of the sheltered workshop to a nearby community rehabilitation provider, position descriptions and functions moving from a medical towards more of a rehabilitation model, and the addition of staff for home rehabilitation teaching services.

I guaranteed on the call with Sandy that the change would take place and a date for the completion of the transition would be set. Staff were informed she was coming prior to her arrival, and an official memo made it clear the change would be happening. After she talked individually with staff members, Sandy and I held a group meeting with all of the staff. Working together, we set November 1, 2002, as the date to complete the transition. That gave us eight months to make the change. We also brainstormed to develop a name and vision statement for the new program. Orientation and Mobility Instructor Michael Hughes suggested “New Visions,” which was unanimously accepted to be the program’s name. The vision statement, “Blindness is not a barrier to success” also was chosen. By the time Sandy left, everyone knew there would be no turning back.

 

(4) The Pledge

Ho`opono continued to reach out to the community to inform everyone about New Visions. The governor’s commission and others raised some concerns that were resolved by feedback that came primarily from consumers who knew the shift was for the better. A couple of town-hall-style evening meetings were held at the center. The most memorable one, held in May 2002, concluded with a pledge from the leaders of the two local chapters of the National Federation of the Blind known as the Hawai`i chapter and the American Council of the Blind known as the Hawaii Association of the Blind. Nani Fife and Warren Toyama stood in front of the packed auditorium and pledged their wholehearted support and belief in the forthcoming New Visions program. Given the sometimes not too harmonious relationship between the two organizations, it was indeed an historic, incredible moment. Afterwards some attendees expressed heartfelt appreciation for all the effort we were taking to improve our services.

 

(5) Survival

November first came and went, and the program was progressing well. There were some hiccups here and there but nothing major. The union got involved for clarification purposes, but no complaints were lodged. Some folks not far from the center expressed worry about seeing more people out and about using their canes, but explanation eased their issues. A major concern was whether we would have enough students wanting to attend classes five days a week and take every course. Dr. Schroeder told us not to worry about that as we would be like the Marines – people take pride in doing something hard. He was right. We had plenty of people wanting to be part of New Visions.

After more than a year of smooth sailing, I got called to a meeting in the legislative conference room. When I entered the room, already seated along the huge oblong Koa-wood table were more than a dozen consumers, the Department of Human Services Assistant Director, and members of the State house and Senate. A legislator explained that people had been writing to him and that each person at the table would be given time to say what was on their minds. Statements ranged from just wanting to listen to an accusation of embezzlement and a lack of choice regarding training requirements. The most troublesome complaint was from a woman who claimed that wearing sleep shades made her remaining eyesight worse. The Assistant Director wrapped up the session by saying that written responses would be provided at a subsequent session to be held in two weeks’ time.

In preparation for the next session, our first step was to study each of the thirty-plus complaints and then place each into one of 5 distinct categories. The next was to write program responses. At the following meeting, Braille and print copies of the questions and program responses were made available to all participants. This time, two more state senators were in attendance, including Suzanne Chun Oakland, a long-time supporter of Ho`opono .

Dr. Schroeder was in town that day and sat with me while the responses were read aloud. Then time was given for more Q & A. The local consumer organizations and many blind individuals voiced their support. At the conclusion, the legislators in attendance stated there was no need for any more follow-up. Later, Dr. Schroeder said he could count on just one hand the number of programs around the country that would have held firm under such intense pressure.

The principles behind the structured-discovery approach to learning blindness skills and developing belief in one’s own capabilities as a blind person are solid. Nonetheless, the informal legislative hearings came up at an inopportune time for the program. Neil Shim, the chief of the Hawai`i Division of Vocational Rehabilitation of which Ho`opono is a branch, had recently retired. He had been a big backer of the efforts to change and had good relationships with several legislators. If the proceedings had been moved into formal legislative status, New Visions very well could have been severely compromised. I had thought the proverbial shoe would drop a year earlier but it was good it did not. Other comments continued to be made here and there from various groups and individuals, but again education and explanation helped to resolve any concerns. With the passage of time, the program was in a much stronger position for us to advocate for its continuance.

 

(6) A Bucket of Tears--We’re The Same as Everybody Else

As New Visions was getting off the ground, we decided the blind youth we served would benefit from time spent at a camp where they could develop their blindness skills and self-confidence without relying on any remaining vision. A five-day camp experience was set up at YMCA Camp Erdman on the North Shore of O`ahu. Doug Boone, his wife Chris, and Vito DeSantis—a leader in the blindness field from New Jersey--provided input and recommendations. The Y said they would offer our group the same experiences and challenges as they did for all their other groups. They were true to their word. The youth participated in ocean kayaking, high ropes courses, and hiking. Katie Keim and Virgil Stinnet, a local blind couple, joined staff Lea Dias, Sam Fisk, and Jon Koki to ensure a meaningful and fun time for everyone.

On the final night, the campers put on a talent show. Talented Jon Koki accompanied all singers. Virgil insisted on having bonfires each night. With plenty of palettes to burn, the sky was ablaze. Towards the end of the evening, each camper talked about what camp meant to them and their hopes for the future. Touched by the experience, Katie and Lea shed buckets of tears during their presentations. It was the best week ever.

That camp led to several more as the years went on. More challenges were added, including a hike up a north shore mountain cliff. Blind youth backpacked and helped eradicate weeds at Haleakala National Park. In 2007, our youth joined those from a similar Iowa program to visit Mount Rushmore and spend a week camping out at Yellowstone. The local chapter of the National Federation of the Blind paid for most of the costs of a camping trip alongside the glaciers of an Alaskan icy bay. The group kayaked and hiked and had a blast in the wilderness.

In 2008, a group of nine youth plus seven volunteers and staff took part in an eight-day raft trip down the Grand Canyon portion of the Colorado River. It was somewhat difficult finding a rafting company that would take our gang on our terms. Some of the outfits said they would do it but wanted to rope everybody up in enclosed areas at night. We finally got into contact with the Arizona River Runners who guaranteed they would treat us the “same as everybody else.” Their willingness to do so was evidenced by the fact that our campers got to do a conga line in the rapids of the Little Colorado and hike to a hidden waterfall near Deer Falls using rope and ladders. Staff and volunteers Geri Mitomi, Katie Keim, Virgil Stinnet, Brook Sexton, Shannon Cantan, Annette Tashiro, and Gavan Abe had much to do with the success of what became the trip of a lifetime for everyone.

 

(7) A Center of Excellence Second to None

As New Visions evolved, so did all of the programs and services offered by the agency. Students became competent Braille users, made multi-course meals for a dozen or more, and travelled back and forth to and around the island on their own. The woodshop program expanded under the guidance of Industrial Arts Instructor Gordon Takesono with help from such consultants as Dave Hauge from Iowa. Students were now making high-quality projects like tables and doll houses. Thanks to the efforts of Sam Fisk and Shellford Cantan, A residential component got off the ground. The sheltered workshop the program had run for decades was farmed over to a nearby community rehabilitation program. Staff were added to provide outreach services to older blind individuals and more sites were added to one of the highest rated Business Enterprise Programs in the country.

New Visions staff made it clear to program participants that the reason for going through the training center was so they could get a job and earn money to help them have a fulfilling life. At the camps and other trips, Katie and other staff always emphasized the necessity of learning blindness skills so one could get a well-paying job. On the Grand Canyon trip, students made a point of learning about the kinds of jobs adults on the companion boat held. They came to understand that they, too, would need to have good jobs to produce the kind of funds necessary to support themselves, as well as to have fun. Eventually, they entered a variety of careers, including auto repairer, massage therapist, communications contractor, support associate for Amazon Web Services, public affairs officer for the U.S. government, comedian, music teacher for the Hawai`i Department of Education, cane travel instructor, technology assistant at the Hawai`i Resource Tech Center, long-term care support services coordinator and radio broadcaster, health center front-desk receptionist, and Vending facility manager. 

All of these achievements were a direct result of the New Visions spirit. What our students were accomplishing and believed about themselves was just as impressive as I had observed of students in Iowa years before. In October 2008, the Ho`opono rehabilitation training center became one of 5 nationally to be certified by the National Rehabilitation Training Center Certification Board as a center of Excellence. Iowa’s Director Allen Harris was on-site to present the award and proclaimed that we were second to none. It was validation that New Visions afforded the blind residents of the state and the Pacific territory region a program that would equip them with the blindness skills and positive attitude necessary to live the life they chose. We had arrived!

 

 

Acknowledgements

 

Lea Dias, without whom there would be no New Visions, became the program’s administrator at the start of 2010. She has maintained the New Visions spirit while successfully navigating Ho`opono through such major crises as the great recession aftermath and the pandemic era.

Dr. Sandy Tigges for the speech that triggered transformation, her faith that the program was ready to change, and for contributing and editing this write up written by Dave Eveland, Ho`opono administrator from 1994 through 2009.

I mentioned several staff and volunteers throughout, but many thanks are also due to the hundreds more that made and continue to make immeasurable contributions to the program.

I also want to thank the following organizations via their members, staff and volunteers who provided much needed and appreciated moral and monetary support, consultation and training:

The Hawai`i Association of the Blind, the local chapter of the American Council of the Blind

The Hawai`i chapter of the National Federation of the Blind

The Ho`opono Advisory Board

The Friends of Ho`opono

The Hawai`i State Committee of Blind Vendors

The Hawai`i State Attorney General Office and its’ deputies

The Hawai`i Lions’ Clubs

The Iowa Department for the Blind

The National Federation of the Blind training centers located in Louisiana, Colorado, and Minnesota

The National Council of State Agencies for the Blind

Island Skill Gathering

The Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Haleakala National Park

Arizona River Runners

Louisiana Tech University

The Rehabilitation Services Administration

Office of the Governor and the Commission for persons with disabilities

James Omvig's book titled Freedom for the Blind

Photo of the newspaper article on the Grand Canyon raft trip If click on it can enlarge and print made readable. Articles on some of the Haleakala trips can also be found via google search.