{"id":5134,"date":"2019-06-17T18:51:48","date_gmt":"2019-06-17T23:51:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=5134"},"modified":"2019-06-19T07:42:30","modified_gmt":"2019-06-19T12:42:30","slug":"gratitude-and-friendship-overcoming-anything-in-life-meet-daria-zawadzki-facilitator-of-tele-support-groups-for-blind-and-visually-impaired-teens-and-so-much-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=5134","title":{"rendered":"Gratitude and Friendship \u2013 Overcoming Anything in Life: Meet Daria Zawadzki, facilitator of Tele-Support Groups for Blind and Visually Impaired Teens and So Much More!"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--powerpress_player--><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_659\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-5134-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/blindabilities\/DariaZFinal.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/blindabilities\/DariaZFinal.mp3\">http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/blindabilities\/DariaZFinal.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Full <a href=\"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=5143\">Transcript<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Show Summary:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Blind Abilities Teen correspondent Simon Bonenfant sat down with Daria Zawadzki during his recent visit to New York City. Daria works for the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lighthouseguild.org\/\">Lighthouse Guild<\/a>and facilitates Tele-Support Groups for Blind and Visually Impaired teens and parents of teens as well. And you can find out more about the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lighthouseguild.org\/patients-families\/support-services\/support-for-teens\/teen-tele-support\/\">Tele-Support on the web<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Daria talks about her` experiences as a Blind student, mother and her acceptance of her blindness and most of all, her passion facilitating the Telesupport group for teens who happened to be blind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Daria Zawadzki attended New World High School of the Arts in Miami, FL, as a piano major, and then went on to receive her BA from Harvard University, graduating cum laude with a degree in Psychology in 1996.&nbsp; She completed her MSW from Columbia University School of Social Work in 1998, and is a licensed clinical social worker. In addition, Daria graduated from Fordham University School of Law in 2001, and is licensed to practice law in the state of NY.&nbsp; She was an elementary school counselor for many years and has been running support groups for the Lighthouse Guild for over a decade. She is a mother to two teenagers, ages 13 (Jack Milo) and 15 (Dune Rose), and married to her college sweetheart, Joe Zawadzki, a pioneer in the ad tech industry and Founder\/CEO of &#8220;MediaMath.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1992 at the age of 17 Daria was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a rare, recessive, progressive disease of the retina that leads to blindness. Two of her three siblings were also diagnosed, despite no family history or knowledge about the disease. Daria&#8217;s family founded Hope for Vision, which raised millions of dollars for medical and scientific research for over 25 years. Hope for Vision was made up of family, friends, and colleagues who tirelessly volunteered their time, and poured their hearts into helping the Lidsky family, and many others affected by these blinding diseases. Hope for Vision was recently wound down, but Daria and her family remain very active in funding ground breaking medical research that will one day lead to treatments and cures for many blinding diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Join Daria and Simon in this interview that is packed with a lifetime of experiences family and friends and learn how gratitude along with friendship has made her success possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Teen Tele-Support<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You may feel like your vision loss or blindness will make your adjustment to an&nbsp;independent&nbsp;life difficult. But teenagers all over the country have gone through that same adjustment successfully, and we can help you connect with them. You will have the opportunity to talk about common social, emotional, academic and practical concerns&nbsp;related to having vision loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our free teen support network is for high school&nbsp;students in grades 10, 11 and 12 who have vision loss.&nbsp;Every week the group meets by phone to share experiences and ask questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can remain anonymous, just listen, or share things you\u2019ve learned that may help others. The choice is yours.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lighthouseguild.org\/patients-families\/support-services\/support-for-teens\/teen-tele-support-group-inquiry-form\/\">Enroll in our Teen Tele-Support group<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Contact:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thank you for listening!<br>You can follow us on Twitter&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/blindabilities\">@BlindAbilities<\/a><br>On the web at&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/\">www.BlindAbilities.com<\/a><br>Send us an&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:info@BlindAbilities.com\">email<\/a><br>Get the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/app\/blind-abilities\/id1085849859?l=es&amp;mt=8\">Free Blind Abilities App&nbsp;on the App Store<\/a>and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.blindabilities.android.blind&amp;hl=en_US\">Google Play Store<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Check out the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/607027582712671\/\">Blind Abilities Community<\/a>on Facebook, the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BlindAbilities\/\">Blind Abilities Page<\/a>, the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/jobinsightssupportgroup\/\">Job Insights Support Group<\/a>and the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/assistivetechnologyfortheblind\/\">Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<!--powerpress_player--><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_661\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-5134-3\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/blindabilities\/DariaZFinal.mp3?_=3\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/blindabilities\/DariaZFinal.mp3\">http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/blindabilities\/DariaZFinal.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><p>http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/blindabilities\/DariaZFinal.mp3 Full Transcript Show Summary: Blind Abilities Teen correspondent Simon Bonenfant sat down with Daria Zawadzki during his recent visit to New York City. Daria works for the&nbsp;Lighthouse Guildand facilitates Tele-Support Groups for Blind and Visually Impaired teens and parents of teens as well. And you can find out more about the&nbsp;Tele-Support on the web. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[17,263,514,512],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bapresents","category-college","category-transcribed","category-tvitoolbox"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6rcRg-1kO","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5549,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=5549","url_meta":{"origin":5134,"position":0},"title":"Connect with other parents to share resources, experiences and strength &#8211; The Lighthouse Guild Parent Tele-Support Network &#8211; Support is a phone call away!","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"October 31, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Show Summary: Dr. Linda Gerra, Director of the Parent Support Program at Lighthouse Guild, and Parents, Maria Ceferatti and Himanshu Neema share their experiences participating in the Parent Tele-Support Network. The Lighthouse Guild has Tele-Support Networks for Teens and Parents of Blind and Visually Impaired children.\u00a0 Support is a phone\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":5541,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=5541","url_meta":{"origin":5134,"position":1},"title":"Chat with Other Teens Around the Country! Talk about School, Tech, Relationships, Careers and Whatever is on Your Mind &#8211; Join the Lighthouse Guild Teen Support Network","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"October 29, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Show Summary: Dr. Linda Gerra, Director of the Family Support Program at Lighthouse Guild, Daria Zawadzki, Simon Bonenfant, Matthew Cooper and Sanya Neema talk about their experiences participating on the Nationwide\u00a0Lighthouse Guild Teen Support Program. You may feel like your vision loss or blindness will make your adjustment to an\u00a0independent\u00a0life\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;BlindAbilities Presents&quot;","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"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":4954,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=4954","url_meta":{"origin":5134,"position":2},"title":"Beep Baseball, An Adaptive Sport for BVI Teens and Adults. Meet Doug Van Duyne and Learn About the Sport and Upcoming Kids Day Event for Teens","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"May 10, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Full Transcript Show Summary: Beep Baseball is an adapted form of Baseball and is played by Visually Impaired\/Blind\u00a0\u00a0players wearing \u201cSleep Shades\u201d to level the playing field for everyone. The ball is a 16 inch round softball with a beeping sound that allows the defensive team locate the ball. Blind Abilities\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;BlindAbilities Presents&quot;","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"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":5834,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=5834","url_meta":{"origin":5134,"position":3},"title":"Transition and Skills Programs for Youth and Teens at Lighthouse Guild. Meet Jaydan Mitchell, Youth Services Coordinator","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"April 26, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Show Summary: Jaydan Mitchell joins Jeffrey Thompson in the Blind Abilities studio and talks about the Youth Skills Program and the Teen Transition Program offered by Lighthouse Guild. We hear from some of the students attending the Youth and Teen programs giving us insight into the positive impact that these\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;BlindAbilities Presents&quot;","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"Lighthouse Guild Logo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/LighthouseGuildLogo.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/LighthouseGuildLogo.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/LighthouseGuildLogo.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/LighthouseGuildLogo.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6876,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=6876","url_meta":{"origin":5134,"position":4},"title":"Megan Hale is Taking Adaptive and Blind Physical Education to the Field of Educators and Helping Bring Trail orienteering to the Microsoft Soundscape App","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"August 12, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Show Summary: I first heard of Megan Hale when she posted a YouTube video announcement about her upcoming\u00a0YouTube Channel, Blind Physical Education, and new right away that Megan\u2019s passion and enthusiasm would be of interests to our many listeners. Megan wants to educate Physical Education teachers about the possibilities and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Career&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Career","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=373"},"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":9271,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=9271","url_meta":{"origin":5134,"position":5},"title":"Introducing Preston : Two Paths, One Team: Meet the Peer Ambassadors of State Services for the Blind","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"December 17, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Podcast Summary: What does it look like to be a blind high school student who\u2019s busy, motivated, and dreaming big? In this episode of Blind Abilities, meet Preston\u2014a 15-year-old sophomore, honors and AP student, award-winning speech and debate competitor, musician, and newly selected Peer Ambassador with State Services for the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;BlindAbilities Presents&quot;","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"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":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5134"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5134\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5145,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5134\/revisions\/5145"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}