Louisiana Center for the Blind

Congratulations to the 2024 Scholarship class!! Several LCB and La Tech graduate program alumni were in this year’s class.

The banquet is the final event of the convention. Pam Allen was the MC for the evening. The banquet included several awards and presentations, an excellent keynote speech by President Riccobono, and the presentation of the 2024 scholarship class.

The NFB’s first Leadership Class was introduced at the Board Meeting earlier this week. Among the group were LCB alum Liz Wisecarver, Juhi Narula, and Carley Mullin. Looking forward to what the Leadership Class will accomplish throughout the organization!

LCB alum Deepa Goraya, First VP of the National Association of Blind Lawyers, interviewed Retired Federal Judge David Tatel during General Session. She inquired about his book, Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice, his history with the NFB, and his opinion of a recent Supreme Court rulings. Excellent panel to close the General Session this afternoon.

Congratulations to LCB alum Barbara Manual and Ben Dallin!! Barbara is the state president of Alabama and has served as an NFB Board Member. In today’s elections, she was elected to the position of Secretary of the Board. Ben is the state president of Wisconsin and today was elected to serve on the NFB Board.

LCB students will be completing several class assignments in the exhibit hall. Students can locate assigned tables or products by using the Braille map from the info table, reading the braille labels on the exhibit tables, and asking for information. They can also have hands-on time with the latest in assistive technology and learn about resources available to the blind community.

Check out the NFBL table in the exhibit hall! We’ve got LCB swag, Braille and cane tshirts, jackets, magnets, caps, and more.

Marco Carranza has an article in this month's issue of the Braille Monitor called "On Becoming a Father."

https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm24/bm2406/bm240604.htm

This week we have welcomed a few tours of local AHEC (Area Health Education Center) groups. The groups are made up of high school students who are interested in pursuing careers in healthcare. We appreciate the opportunity to educate students on blindness and the capabilities of blind individuals. The tour consists of stops at each class (Cane Travel, Braille, Assistive Technology, Home Management, and Industrial Arts). Our LCB student tour guide can answer questions along the way. In the photo, the AHEC group is dressed in turquoise scrubs and heading down the hallway to meet with a technology instructor.

Help turn dreams into reality by giving to the Dream Big! Give $25 Drive. By contributing, you are supporting blind people who benefit from free white canes, scholarships, advocacy, Braille literacy initiatives, and much more. You’ll also have opportunities to win a trip to next year’s National Convention. New this year, you can give in honor of someone else, so if you know someone who could benefit, you can give them an opportunity (or multiple opportunities).

You could also walk away with a Monarch—a dynamic tactile device that displays both Braille and tactile graphics. Learn more at https://nfb.org/give25. If you are ready to give, go directly to https://nfb.org/Give25Donate. The drawing will take place during .

We ordered some new seats for the work tables in Industrial Arts. Some assembly required, so the students are doing the assembling. In the photo, one student is holding the back of a stool in place while the other tightens the screws to fasten it to the frame.

The 2024 NFB Scholarship Class was announced. Among the list, we have several alum from LCB's programs - from summer programs to adult program to Louisiana Tech grad students who completed immersion training and internships at the Center. Congratulations to all!!

Lindsay Adair, Louisiana, Psychology/Social Work
Madison Flores, Texas, Disability Rights Lawyer
Rachel Elizabeth Grider, California, O&M Instructor
Tamara Lundy, Louisiana, Health Care Administration
Dishon Spears, Colorado, Non-profit Business Management
Colin Wong, Washington, Professor and Researcher

Congratulations to Justin Champagne! He received the LSU Math David Oxley Graduate Student Teaching Award. The award recognizes excellence in teaching by graduate students.

We're ringing the bell for you, Justin!

So wonderful to participate in Cedar Creek’s College and Career Day! By opening our doors to high school students in our community, we are able to share our positive outlook, and highlight the exciting employment options in our field. After a tour of our facilities, Savannah was able to work with a few instructors in their classes to observe and also participate.

To learn more about our programs at Louisiana Tech University, visit www.pdrib.com

Janet Bernhardt represented LCB’s TLC Program at the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office Senior Expo. She shared information about our Senior Program and the services offered by our Outreach Specialists to help seniors losing their vision continue to live on their own, pursue their hobbies, and stay active in their communities.

Congratulations to the scholarship winners at the NFBL Convention! They include our current student Amarion Jackson, LCB alum Tamara Lundy, and Rachel Grider, a La Tech graduate student who will soon be interning at the Center.

https://www.facebook.com/100064786474033/posts/862767599226115/?

Congratulations to Jewel Ardoin! She received the Jerry Hemphill Service Award at the 2024 NFBL Convention.

https://www.facebook.com/100064786474033/posts/862771482559060/?

Today is National Rehabilitation Counselor Appreciation Day. We want to recognize the hard work and dedication that rehabilitation counselors provide and the efforts that professional organizations have made to improve employment opportunities for and outcomes of individuals with disabilities.

The Louisiana Center for the Blind invites blind and low vision students in grades 6-12 to apply for a spot in our Summer STEAM Camp!

Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math!

• STEAM Camp dates: June-19-21, 2024

• What: In partnership with our colleagues at Louisiana Tech University, and The Art House, STEAM Camp includes hands-on learning experiences in art, cyber security, wildlife biology, and more! Problem-solve, experiment, create, explore STEAM jobs, and make new friends!

• Location: Louisiana Center for the Blind, Ruston, LA.

• Who can apply: Louisiana students in grades 6-12.

• Cost: $150 per student. Financial assistance is available upon request.

• Apply by April 26, 2024. Registration link below.

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2Fforms%2Fd%2Fe%2F1FAIpQLScf-uES1UoZo-GPdgtgXMRzYiuFHji8Z-xCxRPTchUvdjMS4g%2Fviewform%3Fvc%3D0%26c%3D0%26w%3D1%26flr%3D0%26fbclid%3DIwAR0Y6ERJ9RDzo0bxCeskrfRHLBFfuYbbKFfKarRzdd5oEpCvUB9d-T8cj3M&h=AT18bssc8hvc8oCrT22u34xSo_0u8fUjWTSfHdoOF5HzrXmTfPiiLeHdJV-3mQyW-ceOlboeoIs1qLMWBnXql2lUF9kAPXLPdUQgMPExxcKNYF6_2UxBNfY-VbV3OX-T46Ig&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AT2RsnfKAO8C2cEakfH0h0mlteA_XDz7yhaIV6dDRE6Zoo4n5XEm6oF1DvgmxPgx0bq1CIAe86ZqoUrHAwt7JrlIpQSgtISSuLPy8N1Ao8ox7lNTLD3KvO6Drh0CpW5lukahOoAnZ2figd_VOarfKBl6O2__U-ei0cONEhJMYglgA11TOxSLs5rIqg5QKPy__BRDf1PapNK0

Louisiana Center for the Blind STEAM Camp June 19-21, 2024 Student Application Louisiana students interested in attending our STEAM Camp should complete this form by Friday, April 26. We will notify students if they have been accepted by Friday, May 10. For questions, email [email protected], or call 318-251-2891.

LCB Alum Syed Rizvi is featured in the Law School Admission Council (LSAC)'s blog Law: Fully.

A Vision Without Sight: A Blind Student’s Journey to Making the World a Better Place | The Law School Admission Council A Vision Without Sight: A Blind Student’s Journey to Making the World a Better Place March 14, 2024 By Rachel BerryAs a blind student, Syed Rizvi has overcome what could’ve been insurmountable barriers to reach the point where he is in life. After facing these challenges, he’s been inspired to...

We are happy to welcome the Louisiana DeafBlind Project to the Center. They are hosting a workshop - Cerebral/Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI): Impact and Compensatory Strategies - for teachers, administrators, and Early Steps providers. In the photo, Pam greats the group before the presentations begin.

The Lincoln Parish Journal posted an article about the Braille Challenge. Great to see their hard work shared!

Local students place in statewide braille contest Picture of Lincoln parish students, teacher, and para educators. By Krystal Guillory Three Lincoln Parish Students placed in the top honors for the 2024 Louisiana State Braille Challenge. Charity …

Cypress Springs Elementary had a penny war and donated the proceeds to the Center. It must have been quite the war. Thank you Wildcats for your generous donation, and Principal Mary Kilgore and Stacy for making the delivery! We look forward to working with you in the future! In the photo Stacy, a counselor at Cypress Springs, is presenting Pam with a check.

We enjoyed hosting families from across the state! Congratulations to the state winners.

Celebrating braille with 15 families from across the state!

We had an exciting weekend in Ruston at the Louisiana Center for the Blind hosting a 2024 Louisiana Regional Braille Challenge where we celebrated “Reading Across Louisiana”!

The weekend had many activities: a tour of LCB, a music extraganza, making Oobleck, making Dr. Seuss soup, creating a wocket, playing braille games, completing a braille scavenger hunt, coloring tactile pictures, as well as a talent show! And our LPOBC parent board had learning for all parents in attendance.

We had 15 participants that battled it out in categories of spelling, reading comprehension, proofreading, charts and graphs, and speed and accuracy.

🥁 🥁 Drum Roll 🥁🥁
The 2024 Braille Challenge Regional Winners are

Apprentice
1st place: Charity Boney (Ruston)
2nd place: Emerson Thom (Lafayette)
3rd place: Amelia Guilbeau (Lafayette)

Apprentice 1
1st place: Caroline Benoit (Carencro)
2nd place: Chasity Martin (Monroe)
3rd place: Serenity Heard (Spearsville)

Freshman
1st place: Sadie Guedry (Harvey)
2nd place: Destiny Monk (Choudrant)
3rd place: Gracelynn Chaplain (Metairie)

Sophomore
1st place: Narjis Karimipour (New Orleans)
2nd place: Amarion Rushing (Grambling)

Junior Varsity
1st place: Passion Augustus (Ruston)
2nd place: Kayleigh Horst (Downsville)

Varsity
1st place: Jordan Young (West Monroe)
2nd place: Dylan Simon (Starks)

Overall Regional Challenge Winner is
🏆🏆🏆 Narjis Karimipour 🏆🏆🏆

Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to all of our volunteers!

Mardi Gras is also happening at the Center with bead throwing, music, and Cajun cuisine. Laissez les bons temps rouler!