An article written about one of Project STRIVE's mentors ... Barbie Elliot!!

Blindness doesn’t hold Layton mother back
By April Hale
Standard-Examinercorrespondent
Wed, 01/25/2012 - 7:02pm

LAYTON — Barbie Elliott, 42, has never seen the keys on a piano, words on a page, or the smile on a child’s face.

Despite these visual limitations, Elliott plays the piano expertly — by ear.

She has a bachelor’s degree in music composition, is a leader in the blind community, and a stay-at-home mom of four children, all with their sight.

“Everything I’ve wanted to do, I’ve found a way to accomplish it,” said Elliott, who was born blind.

She believes that blind people can do just about anything, given the right training and tools.

For example, Elliott’s 12-year-old daughter sings in her seventh-grade choir and wanted her mother to serve as an accompanist.

“I wondered how that was going to work,” said Lisa Miner, choir teacher at Fairfield Junior High in Kaysville. “But, if she says she can do it, she can.”

Miner played the song once for Elliott, who could then immediately play back everything she heard — including, to Miner’s chagrin, the mistakes.

“She played that thing after one hearing. It’s just amazing,” said Miner.

Elliott said her love for music began at an early age. When her siblings watched cartoons she would concentrate on the music from them.

“I paid attention to what (the cartoons) did with music to cause emotion,” she said.

She would then imitate the sounds she heard on the piano.

Her love for music was apparent at such an early age that her grandfather passed on his piano to her when she was 3 years old. She still uses that piano in her home today.

She began composing her own music because others would correct her mistakes, thinking she was making them simply because she was blind.

“I started writing my own songs because nobody could fix that. I still do it that way to this day,” she said.

A few years ago she cut her own CD, complete with her own compositions and arrangements.

Elliott is a firm believer that blind people can be independent, employable, and productive members of society.

She was the second completely blind person to graduate from a mainstream school in Utah. At the time, most blind children attended a boarding school in Ogden, she said.

While her parents thought the school offered a good education, they did not approve of the boarding school format. They wanted their daughter to learn how to function in a family, and she couldn’t do that if she didn’t live with one.

As a child, Elliott said, her mother taught her many basic life skills, such as, how to cook on a gas stove, change diapers and clean the house.

“My mother believed I could do it, and then made me do it,” Elliott said. “My mom was very patient. She recognized that my failure wasn’t always her fault or that I should quit.”

As the Weber/Davis Chapter President of the National Federation of the Blind of Utah, Elliott offers services to blind youth ages 13 to 26 to help them learn these same life skills. She works with them on a monthly basis through a program called Project STRIVE (Successful Transition Requires Independence, Vocation, and Education.)

The unique program, offered just in Utah, provides blind youth with blind adult mentors who teach life, education, and employment readiness skills.

This month, the group is taking the youth to tour the University of Utah and then taking them ice skating.

“We can teach sighted people that (the blind) can do a lot more than some people think,” Elliott said. “We want to change the perception that has been there for a long time that blind people should not have to work as hard.”

Weeks 2 & 3 of the "Apple a Day" challenge.

Have you heard of the Project STRIVE "Apple a Day" challenge yet?

Whether you are a blind teenager/young adult yourself, or a teacher, family member, or friend of a blind teenager/young adult, keep reading to see a fraction of the 121-Day challenge.

Week 2-

Monday January, 9th (Day 9): Ride a bus, Frontrunner, or TRAX. Two stops minimum. Write a paragraph about how your experience went.
Tuesday January, 10th (Day 10): Sign up for NLS or Bookshare.
Wednesday January, 11th (Day 11): Have your TVI time your braille typing. Have him/her write us an email telling us how fast you typed.
Thursday January, 12th (Day 12): Participate in a service project. Write a paragraph about what you did.
Friday January, 13th (Day 13): Friday the 13th!!! Clean a toilet nonvisually.
Saturday January, 14th (Day 14): Attend Project STRIVE

Week 3:

Monday January, 16th (Day 16): How are TRAX lines color-coated? Visit rideuta.com
Tuesday January, 17th (Day 17): Create an account on blindhow.com
Wednesday January 18th (Day 18): Sign up for Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) by calling 800-284-1823 and ask for Diana Yoder.
Thursday January 19th (Day 19): Go to www.blindhow.com to listen to Dr. Cordes speech, "A Practicing Blind Physician" and email 5 things you learned from the speech/article.
Friday January 20th (Day 20): Invite a sighted friend to our February sledding/movie activity. Email the name of your friend.
Saturday January 21st (Day 21): Bake cookies then use them to spell a word in braille. Take a picture and email it.

Some small reminders:

• Be sure to keep track of points as you complete daily challenges. (We suggest an excel document)
  

• It does not matter the order in which each challenge is completed (or even how many are completed per day:), so long as each challenge is recorded and the appropriate proof is emailed.

Good luck!

Project STRIVE December activity

(Above) A collage of Project STRIVE's December activity. Photos include: Adam giving tips and tricks of VoiceOver, Cheralyn and Chase Creer, Megan with her white-elephant extra-large rubber duck, playing board games, and project STRIVE participants and mentors playing and singing near the piano.

Last month Project STRIVE joined the Salt Lake Chapter of the NFB as well as the Parents of Blind Children division for an annual Christmas party.

Some other festivities from last month's activity include:

• Participating in a discussion led by Brook
• Learning to assemble (non-edible) gingerbread houses
• Being treated to a delicious holiday lunch
• Bringing and exchanging white-elephant gifts
• Playing accessible board games
• and receiving one-on-one technology tutoring
  

Entertainment during lunch was provided by some very talented Project STRIVE participants and mentors. (Barbie Elliot, Tara Briggs, and Jonothan Nolan, just to name a few) Thanks to everyone who participated and shared their unique talents!

If you missed out on the activity, here are some clips to catch you up::

Ms. Caroline Blair playing the piano.

Tara Briggs playing the flute.

A speck of the white elephant gift exchange.

If you missed the December activity, the next Project STRIVE activity will be next Saturday, January the 14th at the University of Utah.

See you there :)

STRIVE BYU activity!

Welcome back to the Project STRIVE blog, friends!

Project STRIVE has had many fun activities this year.
Below are just a few photos of an activity at BYU....Just one of the FOUR college visits that will happen this year.

(Above) Kourtnie climbing on a tandem bike. Project STRIVE participants had fun riding tandem bikes with current BYU students around the BYU campus.

Kourtnie, Ashley, Kirt, Carolione, and Kristie learning about the Accessibility Center at BYU.

Current and former BYU students gave Project STRIVE participants a tour of the University Accessibility lab inside the library.

Keep checking the blog for more posts on previous and upcoming activities as well as "Apple a day" challenge updates!!

Slate & Stylish and other cool blogs

Do you have a blog? Do you follow anyone's blog other than Project STRIVEs? I've recently learned that two of our Project STRIVE friends have their own blogs. How coolomondo is that? Karlee & Ashley are both Seniors in high school and ready to graduate. They will take everything they have learned at home, school, and other opportunities and will soon enter the "real world". Those that attend Club STRIVE might recognize this has being the "T" word or TRANSITION. On their blogs, both Karlee and Ashley's give their unique perspectives and feelings on some of the big decisions they have to make.



Karlee's blog can be found here. One of her latest blog posts talks about goalball which is obviously one of her passions. I love how she is honest about college decisions and how important the ACT test is. Oh, and it's apparent she has caught the Bieber Fever!



Ashley's blog is found here. I love Ashley's "About Me" description. "I am a.. quiet, friendly, (maybe illegally) blind, persistent Latter-Day-Saint student, athlete, wanna-be interior designer, friend, runner, and leader. I strive to be.. positive, spiritual, and outgoing. Let's see how this goes for me." I think Ashley needs to include funny because her posts make me smile. Looks like Ashley got Jimmered.



Now, there are some pretty hip blind adults with their own blogs. One of my all time favorites is "Slate and Stylish" written by Deja Powell. Deja writes, "Slate & Style is a place where blindness will be discussed openly in a classy way but with a sassy sway in an effort to stamp out some misconceptions about blindness and answer questions that many have but may be afraid to ask." One of Deja's recent posts entitled, "Dear Mr. President" posted on March 28, 2011 is a MUST READ. Stop what you are doing. Scan back a few words and click on the link and read. If you have ever doubted for one second that you are not smart enough, good enough, literate enough... read Dr. Bell's letter to President Obama.



Finally, a local favorite is "Crusin' With Cricket: The Journey of Becky & her guide dog". Club STRIVE had the opportunity to spend some time with Becky last November and visit her successful business, Resilient Solutions. Becky is a licensed professional counselor and certified Thanatologist and has 15 employees. She is a positive blind role model and blogs daily. She is remarkable and was recently awarded the "Wasatch Women of the Year". Way to go Becky!

Day 15 iPad Countdown Challenge

Visit Project STRIVE’s blog (www.projectstrive.blogspot.com). Under the day 15 challenge entry, share an appropriate joke.

Well you are here!! Can't wait to hear your creative and appropriate jokes!!

Forget Justin Beiber, I've got Ipad FEVER! 50 DAYS and counting...

If you haven't heard already, last Saturday Club STRIVE announced the 50 Day Countdown to the Ipad Contest. Today officially marks Day 9 of the 50 challenges available for you to dominate, accomplish, slay! You can find all 50 challenges either on our Facebook page or here on the NFB of Utah website. iPad points will be updated every Monday so you can view who the weekly leaders are. Remember if you complete all 50 challenges, you can earn up to 250 points from now until April 30, 2011

The following is a letter that was sent out via email or given to each member that attended the March Club STRIVE meeting.

LETTER FOR CLUB STRIVE MEMBERS & PARENTS

Project STRIVE is so proud of the growth, accomplishments, and excitement that the iPad challenge has created.

We have received awesome feedback on some of the challenges that weren’t always easy. Here are a few comments we received:

Orientation & Mobility Challenge
“I used my cane last Monday when I went to my friend’s house. I used the bus system to get there, and it took me 2 hours. One way I found it to be helpful was when I was asking which bus to take to get there, the man told me without hesitation.. In the end, it was a good learning experience, so I'm glad I took my cane with me.”

Active Daily Living Skills
“Today I cleaned my bathroom when I got home from school. It took me approximately 1 hour to complete this task. I had no help with this because it was mine, and mine alone, to clean. I know it doesn't mean much when I say that before I started it "looked" clean, but after cleaning it by feel, I can certainly say it was a completely different story. Ewww. It was not an enjoyable experience and I used my hands to feel before, and after, scrubbing to make sure it was all cleaned and that there were no bumps or clumps left on any of the surfaces of my bathroom. I think the easiest was my counter and the hardest was the toilet.”

Importance of Adult Mentors
“Cherylan's article (Faking it No Longer) was really cool. I feel so lucky that I can say that I am blind or visually impaired and not be afraid of what others think. Even though I don't use my cane every place I go. I still feel confident and comfortable to explain my blindness to people if it is needed. Cherylan's is a great example and I am happy I have got to know her, and hear all her stories that she tells me so I can learn from her mistakes.”

With 50 days left until the competition closes, it is not too late to join the fun! For those that may behind the “top leaders” now is the time to kick it into high gear! For the next 50 days, there will be 1 challenge per day. You can complete the challenge and email Marla on the same day, or keep track and email what you accomplished at the end of each week. Each challenge will be worth a total of 5 points which equals 250 points. This is almost double what our current leaders have! This opportunity makes it anyone’s game.

Remember, participants can continue to earn points for reading and sending in their Braille reading minutes (1 point per day for 30 minutes), checking facebook or text for surprise bonus points, and attending Club STRIVE. Hint, hint: Mega points available at April’s Club STRIVE, “Spring Career Day”! Hint, hint, hint: Top leaders have consistently turned in weekly Braille minutes to earn an extra 5-7 points per week.

STOP!! New daily challenge! Fitness Log. If you exercise (aerobic in nature) at least 30 minutes per day, you can earn one point per day. Your exercise log will look similar to your Braille reading log. It must include the date, type of exercise and minutes and emailed every Sunday with your Braille and challenge. If you have questions on what counts as aerobic exercise, contact Marla directly.

This outline lists each challenge per day. You can complete the challenges in order, or skip ahead. Your choice. The goal is to complete as many as you can in the next 50 days. Be honest and do your best. If you are dishonest for any reason, you will be immediately disqualified. You must also complete the entire challenge to earn the 5 points. Partial points will not be given for completing partial challenges. For example: If the challenge asks that you complete a task and then send a picture you must do both and report by the deadline to get the full points.

It’s encouraged that you send a summary each Sunday along with your Braille & Fitness log. Braille & Fitness logs MUST be sent every Sunday to be awarded points. However, all participants will have until April 30, 2011 to email what challenges they fully complete. Don’t wait until April 29th to cram in 50 challenges.

On Monday, March 14, all points up until this time will be updated for each participant. An email with the total points and challenges earned will be sent. Leader points will also be updated weekly on facebook and Project Strive’s blog.

Good luck and if you have any questions, please contact Marla Palmer by email or calling 801-599-3164

Ipad Incentive Requirements: You must be a paid member ($25) of Club STRIVE and must be present at the NFB State Convention Banquet, May 14th. If you are unable to pay the $25, please contact Marla for creative ways to meet the registration requirement fee.