{"id":8331,"date":"2024-07-26T15:52:48","date_gmt":"2024-07-26T20:52:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=8331"},"modified":"2024-07-28T15:00:50","modified_gmt":"2024-07-28T20:00:50","slug":"welcome-to-ssb","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=8331","title":{"rendered":"Welcome to SSB!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Podcast Page<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Full Transcript<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You get to connect with people who are just like you, who are your age, going through the same thing that you are. For me, at least, it was super nice when I first joined because I was like, oh my gosh, all these people know what it’s like to be visually impaired. Like, this is awesome. And I have met some of my best friends through all these different events. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maddy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Counselors are there to, you know, really help support you and help you access the resources that SSB has to offer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah, they’re kind of like a little bridge connecting you to all of the different resources that are there for you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah, a little bridge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maddy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A little bridge. Hi, I’m Maddie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I’m Amy. We’re SSB’s peer ambassadors, and today we’re going to tell you a little bit what it’s like to be at SSB. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maddy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To start, we just kind of want to explain what our experiences have been like and kind of talk about how we got connected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how I got connected to SSB was actually through my vision teacher that I had in eighth grade. She kind of told me about state services for the blind and explained a little bit about what they did, but I didn’t really understand it that much. But I believed I emailed Shane in ninth grade and got officially connected. Then once I was in, I met with my counselor for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah, that’s kind of how it got started for me. How about you, Amy? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yep. I had one of my good friends reach out to me and was like, hey, you’re 14. Like, you should get connected with SSB because there’s some cool resources that they offer and some fun summer camps that you can go to. And I was like, summer camps? I want to go to summer camps. So I asked my vision teacher about it, but she didn’t really know how to get connected. So we kind of did it together and we reached out to, I don’t know if it was Shane or who it was, but we reached out to somebody and it was history, I guess. I got connected and I started doing every single thing that SSB offered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I remember there was like phone call meetings that we could join and a lot of different summer opportunities. Yeah, that’s kind of how I started my SSB journey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maddy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s awesome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, what we’ll kind of go through is what it’s like working with a counselor. So when you join SSB, you’ll have a counselor assigned to you. And that’s kind of who your main contact is, and that’s who you’ll ask if you have questions, or maybe they’ll reach out to you. But basically, when you get connected, your counselor and you will work together to create a plan for how SSB can help you accomplish your goals. So that can include a lot of different things and you know everyone’s goals are different but like for example like for me I didn’t really know what sort of job I wanted in the future. My counselor and I created a plan to help me get connected with someone named Tou who helps you kind of identify some of your interests and find jobs that align with your interests and whatnot but basically counselors are there to you know really help support you and help you access the resources that SSB has to offer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah, they’re kind of like a little bridge connecting you to all of the different resources that are there for you. Yeah, a little bridge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, I want to say that your counselors are there to help you outside of school, but also inside of school if there’s ever anything that you need that maybe your school district can’t provide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They even come to your IEP meetings to be kind of another person on your team. So that’s really cool of them, especially now that it’s on Zoom. They all just go on Zoom. It’s pretty great. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maddy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah. So we’ve done a lot talking about the counselors and getting connected, but now we get to talk about some of the resources that SSB has to offer students and some of the activities that students can partake in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of those is SSB can help you access orientation and mobility lessons and tools. So it’s a necessary skill if you want to, you know, be independent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah, and if you are transferring into like college or a new job, they can help you get oriented there as well because you might not have your district assigned O&M instructor. And along with O&M, they also do assistive technology training if you need that. I know I have done a couple of sessions with one of their trainers, and I’ve learned how to browse the internet with my screen reader because I didn’t know how to do that. And now I’m always on the internet, so yeah, which is awesome. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maddy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I actually just signed up to do a tech assessment. So that’s where SSB will help you identify any sort of technology that may be helpful for you to be successful, whether that’s in school or a job or whatnot. So yeah, excited for that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And they have so many cool different devices that they offer that you’re like, I don’t even know this existed. All kinds of magnifiers and Braille displays. It’s pretty cool. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maddy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, I’m excited. Another thing, I kind of touched on this earlier, but SSB can help you do some career exploration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oftentimes you’ll meet with someone and identify some careers that you may be interested in, and then they’ll help you find people in that career to talk to and kind of learn more. For me when I did it, I got to talk with two or three, you know, I want to be a lawyer, I got to talk to a couple of blind lawyers. So it was very insightful and very helpful. It was just very exciting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So if you’re a student, I would really recommend you kind of, even if you are for sure, you know, you’re like, I know what I want to be when I grow up, like, so I still recommend you utilize that resource. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah, for sure. I agree with that. I also participated in one of those career exploration things because I actually wanted to be an English teacher when I was a freshman. And I was like, yes, English teacher, I’m going to teach people about grammar. And I looked into it with one of the career exploration people and I was like, um, actually, I don’t really want to do this anymore. I don’t want to write papers forever. Then I looked into like social work and things that I’m interested in and that’s how I ended up choosing my major for college. I also got to talk to different types of individuals with different jobs, and that also helped me choose what I wanted to do. So definitely take advantage of that opportunity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maddy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For sure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, one thing that I talked about earlier is like different summer camps that SSB can help you get connected with, which is the main reason why I joined because I wanted to go to them with my friends. And they can get you connected with the Lighthouse, which is in Duluth, or they can get you connected with STP, which is another like training program offered in the summer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s super fun. Yeah, it just helps you get connected with all different camps. Even outside of Minnesota, I know I went to a camp in Oregon from Guide Dogs for the Blind. So many, many, many different things you can do in the summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maddy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah, so many amazing opportunities. Yeah, SSB can help you go to these fun camps. And yeah, I went to STP last year and it was great. I loved it. Yeah. SSB also hosts other random events and activities throughout the year. Last Friday, Amy and I actually hosted a picnic for Lyon students and it was awesome. And what else? We’re doing a camping trip in a couple of weeks. Yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many different opportunities are out there to connect with other people who have visual impairments, which is, I think, super valuable because you get to connect with people who are just like you, who are your age, going through the same thing that you are. And for me at least, it was super nice when I first joined because I was like, oh my gosh, all these people know what it’s like to be visually impaired. Like this is awesome. And I have met some of my best friends through all these different events. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maddy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah, before I had never talked to or met another blind person before I joined SSB. And it was just so, you know, it was great getting to, yeah, meet people that are like, oh, you know what it’s like and you are going through the same things I am and we can learn from each other. It’s just a great community. Yeah. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exactly. I think sometimes people say like, you should not let your disability be hard on you or whatever, but it’s hard sometimes. And that’s what a lot of people at SSB and especially like the students understand is that it’s not always going to be like awesome. That’s why you have these people here with you that will help you get through hard times or here to support you. So definitely it’s a wonderful, wonderful thing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maddy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah, for sure. And kind of along the same lines, like, yeah, a lot of times having low vision, it feels like it’s limit you from doing a lot of the things you may want to do, but in reality you can honestly do a lot of the things you think you can’t do. You just might have to do them differently and SSB can help you accomplish your goals and connect you with the resources you need to do what you want and live the life you want. So yeah. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So definitely if you think SSB might be great for you, reach out, get connected, don’t be scared, it’s going to be okay. We got you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maddy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It might sound overwhelming, but don’t worry. It’ll be great. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maddy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out the website. Get connected with Shane. Yeah. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out the show notes in the description that will have all the information that you need to get connected with SSB. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To find out more about all the programs at State Services for the Blind, contact Shane DeSantis at state.mn.us that’s shane.desantis at state dot mn.us<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be sure to contact your State Services for the Blind, your Voc rehab, and find out what they can do for you. Live. Work. Read. Succeed. I want to thank you for listening, and until next time, bye-bye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Music]  [<\/u><\/strong>Transition noise]  –<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we share-<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What we see<\/p>\n\n\n\n

-Through each other\u2019s eyes\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Multiple voices overlapping, in unison, to form a single sentence]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026We can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations, and the realities of Blind Abilities<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Podcast Page Full Transcript Amy: You get to connect with people who are just like you, who are your age, going through the same thing that you are. For me, at least, it was super nice when I first joined because I was like, oh my gosh, all these people know what it’s like to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-8331","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P6rcRg-2an","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8638,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=8638","url_meta":{"origin":8331,"position":0},"title":"Peer Perspectives: How SSB Helps Students Build Independence and Explore Careers","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"March 31, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Audio web Page Podcast Summary: This Blind Abilities episode features peer ambassadors Amy and Maddy, who share how Minnesota\u2019s State Services for the Blind (SSB) has supported their educational and vocational journeys. From summer camps to career exploration and technology training, SSB has played a vital role in helping them\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8307,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=8307","url_meta":{"origin":8331,"position":1},"title":"Unlocking Potential: The Summer Transition\u00a0\u00a0Program Tours State Services for the Blind","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"June 30, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Full Transcript Podcast episode page Summer Transition Program at State Services for the Blind Podcast episode page Jeff:\u00a0The Summer Transition Program. 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From leading mock interviews and connecting with students through Zoom sessions, to\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8269,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=8269","url_meta":{"origin":8331,"position":3},"title":"Peer\u00a0\u00a0to Peer with Maddy and Amy: An Introduction to the Peer Ambassadors for Transition Age Students","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"May 28, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Full Transcript Podcast Page Maddy:\u00a0Hi, I'm Maddy. Amy: And\u00a0I'm Amy, and we're peer ambassadors at SSB, State Services for the Blind in Minnesota. Maddy:\u00a0I'm gonna finish up my junior year of high school. I attend Armstrong High School and I take courses at Normandale Community College through the SCO program.\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8317,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=8317","url_meta":{"origin":8331,"position":4},"title":"Internships are Making a Difference for These Four College Students, Joshua, Qi, Jackson, and Josh, During Their Transition from High School to College and the Workplace","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"July 17, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Full Transcript Podcast Page Jeff:\u00a0Welcome to Blind abilities. I'm Jeff Thompson. For students, the transition from high school to college to the workplace is a journey of preparations and achievements. 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And one key component of this journey is internships.\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6448,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=6448","url_meta":{"origin":8331,"position":5},"title":"Assistive Technology Specialist Jesse Anderson and State Services for the Blind Go Virtual in Providing Transition Services to Students","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"January 6, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Full Transcript Pete:\u00a0 Welcome to Blind Abilities, I\u2019m Pete Lane. 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