{"id":9563,"date":"2026-06-28T18:33:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T23:33:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=9563"},"modified":"2026-06-28T18:33:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T23:33:23","slug":"from-passion-to-purpose-building-a-career-at-state-services-for-the-blind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=9563","title":{"rendered":"From Passion to Purpose: Building a Career at State Services for the Blind"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--powerpress_player--><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_5470\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-9563-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/blindabilities\/SarinaBoleySSB.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/blindabilities\/SarinaBoleySSB.mp3\">https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/blindabilities\/SarinaBoleySSB.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this episode of Blind Abilities, Jeff Thompson welcomes Sarina Boley, a Vocational Rehabilitation Technician at State Services for the Blind, to share her journey into the world of Vocational Rehabilitation and Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS). Sarina explains how VR Technicians support counselors behind the scenes while helping students prepare for employment, college, and independent adulthood. She reflects on her immersive Adjustment to Blindness Training, discovering a new appreciation for Braille, assistive technology, orientation and mobility, and the many services available to blind and low vision Minnesotans. Sarina also discusses her educational path, her goal of becoming a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, and the value of learning while working directly with students. Whether you\u2019re a student exploring future careers, a teacher of the blind, or a rehabilitation professional, this conversation offers an inspiring look at the people, training, and dedication that help open doors to independence, employment, and lifelong success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=9560\">Full Transcript<\/a><\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Links of interests:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mn.gov\/deed\/ssb\/teens\/news.jsp\">The Spectacle Newsletter<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mn.gov\/deed\/ssb\/teens\/\">Youth Services at SSB<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To find out more about the services provided at State Services for the Blind, and what they can do for you, contact Shane DeSantis at&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:shane.desantis@state.mn.us\">shane.desantis@state.mn.us<\/a>&nbsp;or call Shane at&nbsp;651-385-5205.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thanks for listening!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<!--powerpress_player--><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_5472\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-9563-3\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/blindabilities\/SarinaBoleySSB.mp3?_=3\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/blindabilities\/SarinaBoleySSB.mp3\">https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/blindabilities\/SarinaBoleySSB.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><p>https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/blindabilities\/SarinaBoleySSB.mp3 In this episode of Blind Abilities, Jeff Thompson welcomes Sarina Boley, a Vocational Rehabilitation Technician at State Services for the Blind, to share her journey into the world of Vocational Rehabilitation and Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS). Sarina explains how VR Technicians support counselors behind the scenes while helping students prepare for employment, college, and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9311,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_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},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[17,559],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bapresents","category-ssb","post_format-post-format-audio"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_0035.png","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6rcRg-2uf","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4909,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=4909","url_meta":{"origin":9563,"position":0},"title":"Partnering with VR: All About the First Steps. A Blog Posts by Serina Gilbert","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"April 28, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Starting your partnership with Vocational Rehabilitation is highly individualized and will look different for every single person.\u00a0\u00a0With that said, however, there are general procedures and timelines to keep in mind when preparing for your very first meeting with Vocational Rehabilitation. The first step towards receiving services with Vocational Rehabilitation is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=239"},"img":{"alt_text":"Image of man with cane and woman with service dog and City Skyline with Job Insights in bold letters.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1985,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=1985","url_meta":{"origin":9563,"position":1},"title":"CareerExpo2016: Charlotte Czarnecki Federal Investigator","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"June 6, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Charlotte Czarnecki Federal Investigator, United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Charlotte graduated with her masters degree in communication arts and sciences in 1995. She worked in the Independent Living movement for three years, then earned a dual masters degree in vocational rehabilitation counseling and rehabilitation\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;CareerExpo&quot;","block_context":{"text":"CareerExpo","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=348"},"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":7636,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=7636","url_meta":{"origin":9563,"position":2},"title":"\ufffcJob Insights: The R\u00e9sum\u00e9 &#8211; One of the Highest Valued Piece of Real Estate in Your Search for Gainful Employment","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"September 15, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Podcast Summary: In this episode of Job Insights Serina Gilbert, Sarlie Drakos and Jeff Thompson\u00a0\u00a0will talk about how the R\u00e9sum\u00e9 is an important role in one\u2019s job and career search. The r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is designed for companies to select the best of the best applicants and having an effective r\u00e9sum\u00e9 will\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Career&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Career","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=373"},"img":{"alt_text":"Image of man with cane and woman with service dog and City Skyline with Job Insights in bold letters.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7521,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=7521","url_meta":{"origin":9563,"position":3},"title":"Job Insights: Accepting Blindness, Job Readiness and Building Confidence&#8230; Let&#8217;s Get that Job!","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"August 3, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Podcast Summary: Full Transcript In this Job Insights episode, Serina Gilbert and jeff Thompson welcome Sarlie Drakos to the Job Insights Team. We are excited to have Sarlie on our team and excited to bring back the Job Insights show after a 2 year hiatus during the pandemic. In this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Career&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Career","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=373"},"img":{"alt_text":"Image of man with cane and woman with service dog and City Skyline with Job Insights in bold letters.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3506,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=3506","url_meta":{"origin":9563,"position":4},"title":"Job Insights Episode 2 &#8211; Vocational Rehab 101: Demystifying the Myths and Planning For Employment (Transcript provided)","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"April 29, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Welcome to the second episode of Job Insights with Serina Gilbert and Jef Thompson. We focus on Employment, Careers, enhancing opportunities and bringing you the latest innovations from across the Vocational Rehabilitation field to ensure your choices lead you down the career pathway that you want and succeed in gainful\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":3491,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=3491","url_meta":{"origin":9563,"position":5},"title":"Job Insights: Helping Find Careers and Gainful Employment Through Innovations and Opportunities (Transcript Provided)","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"April 23, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Welcome to the Job Insights introductory podcast with Serina Gilbert and Jef Thompson. We focus on Employment, Careers, enhancing opportunities and bringing you the latest innovations from across the Vocational Rehabilitation field to ensure your choices lead you down the career pathway that you want and succeed in gainful employment.\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":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9563","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=9563"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9563\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9564,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9563\/revisions\/9564"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}