WSSB Cookbooks
2004-2005 Cookbooks Are Here!
Last year, our “Work Experience” class worked hard compiling recipes from staff, friends, students and their families. They typed them, alphabetized them, and designed the cover and divider sheets. The final copies were recently printed and organized then sent to “Pip Printing” here in Vancouver to be finished. We are proud to say another local store “Divine Consign” down-town Vancouver agreed to sell our books too.
The cookbooks are now for sale for $15.00 each plus $3.13 shipping and handling. They have 212 pages of excellent recipes and they are fantastic!! A lot of work went into them. We will also have them in Braille for the same cost. The profits from these cookbooks will go into the Work Experience Program to help fund future projects for the students. They make great gifts. Help support our program and buy one for yourself too!!
School Closures
Information on late starts, early dismissals and school closures due to inclement weather conditions will be posted by 6:00 am with the news media. Please tune in to news broadcasts on local radio and television stations for the latest information. Up to the minute information will also be posted on-line at www.flashalert.net
WSSB Student Tackles State Law
Student Savors Fruits of Labor in Olympia
Thursday, April 19, 2007
BY TOM
VOGT Columbian staff writer
Vaughn Brown was at the governor's desk to celebrate the signing of a bill he helped push through the Legislature. But that won't be his last visit to Olympia, the Vancouver student said.
Brown was on hand Wednesday morning as Gov. Christine Gregoire signed a bill that will make it easier to become an animal massage therapist in Washington.
Brown, a senior at Washington State School for the Blind, went through a horse-massage training course in Oregon. But Washington's requirements are much stricter, so Brown enlisted the help of Sen. Dale Brandland, R-Bellingham, in changing the state's law.
Brown testified in January, and Senate Bill 5403 was passed; it will lower the certification requirements from 500 hours of training to 300 hours.
Gregoire signed the bill in her conference room in the Legislative Building.
It was a good first step, Brown said Wednesday afternoon after a group from the school - including Sprocket, his almost-2-year-old golden retriever - returned to the Vancouver campus.
The 19-year-old student said he plans to go back for the 2008 session to push for a less-restrictive version of the bill.
"The next step will be reducing the requirement for hours," Brown said. "This law requires 300 hours, and that is out of line with the majority of states in this country. I want to reduce it to 100 or 150 hours. That will involve educating the Legislature and the general public, as well as people in the animal realm."
In addition to attending the ceremony, Brown said the visit gave him a chance to spend a few minutes with the governor.
"We just talked briefly about life goals. She asked what I wanted to do," Brown said.
His response was another indication that he would be returning to Olympia: "I said, 'I've been thinking about taking over your job.' "
And Gregoire's response?
"Feel free."
Update
Previously: Vancouver student Vaughn Brown testified in Olympia in January on behalf of a bill to certify animal massage therapists.
What's new: Gov. Chris Gregoire signed the bill Wednesday morning.
What's next: Brown said he will try in the next legislative session to make it easier to get state certification.
Vaughn's previous newspaper write up below:
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Touch up animal massage law, state urged Friday, January 26, 2007 OLYMPIA -- Vaughn Brown traveled from Vancouver to a Washington Senate hearing room Thursday to ask lawmakers for a little help becoming a self-sufficient member of society. He dressed in a smart navy jacket and yellow tie. He brought his guide dog, Sprocket, copies of his testimony and a textbook on horse anatomy five volumes thick. He told members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Rural Economic Development that he'd paid out of his own pocket to get the textbook translated -- into Braille. Despite the fact that he is both blind and deaf, the young man, who uses coch-lear implants, spoke clearly. If he was nervous, he didn't show it. Brown, a 19-year-old student at the Washington State School for the Blind, dreams of making his living as an animal massage therapist. He's been massaging horses for years -- for free. He is certified in equine massage by a nationally accredited program. He has been a rider since the age of 3. To earn a living as an animal massage therapist under Washington law, however, he would have to first obtain a license as a human massage therapist, which requires 500 hours of training, and then take an additional 100 hours of training in animal massage. Not only isn't that fair, he said, it makes no sense. And Washington is one of only two states that require it. "I feel that animal massage and human massage are two very different fields," Brown said as he sat at the witness table with Sprocket, a leggy 18-month-old golden retriever, curled up underneath. "The anatomy of a two-legged human is far different from a four-legged animal. "Illnesses and diseases addressed in a human massage course are, for the most part, not relevant to animals. Animal massage therapy is meant to loosen muscles and ease discomfort." Massage is used by horse trainers to help animals compete in equestrian events and by owners to bond with their horses, he said. "As a deaf and blind adult, I am hoping to grow my equine massage business and develop my skills in horse training in order to be financially self-sufficient and not rely on government assistance," he said. What brought Vaughn Brown to Olympia was a chance encounter with state Sen. Dale Brandland. The Bellingham Republican was touring the School for the Blind in Vancouver last year when he passed by a music room and heard someone playing the drums. He stepped inside and met Vaughn Brown, who among his other talents is a drummer in the school band. "He asked me, 'I wonder if you could help me with a bill,'" Brandland said. The senator did some research and learned that a bill to change the certification requirements had been introduced previously but had failed to pass. Brandland revived that bill as Senate Bill 5403 and introduced it last week. It would allow someone who wants to make a living practicing animal massage to obtain certification from the Department of Health by taking training as prescribed by department rules. But he let Vaughn Brown do the talking Thursday. School for the Blind Principal Craig Meador and two classmates, Chelsea Armstrong and Stephanie Bair, accompanied Brown to Olympia. "He's a phenomenal kid," Meador said. "How he's managed to do it all, I don't know." Brown himself had an answer to that as he waited to testify: "My family always told me to do what I love to do."
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WSSB 2008 Track Meet
Date: May 22, 2008
Time: 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM Registration
9:15 AM – 3:15 PM Track & Field Events
Location: Washington State School for the Blind
2214 E. 13th St.
Vancouver, WA 98661
It's that time of year again!! Woohoo! WSSB's annual track meet where students from both near and far gather to compete for the coveted awards given only once a year! Be part of the fun, mingle with old and new friends and enjoy the sunshine that we're going to have this year! OK, well maybe rain, but it will still be fun!
All participants must pre-register for this event.
All registration forms must be postmarked by May 2, 2008.
All participants needing housing must fill out Accommodation Form WORD or PDF
Registration form in WORD
Registration form in PDF
Visionary Voting Method
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Strategic Plan 2009-2019
Download the Washington State School for the Blind
Implementation Plan 2007-2009
HERE (Word
DOC)
Strategic Plan 2009-2019
HERE (Word DOC)
Please feel free to make any comments HERE
AER Conference
Clock Hours and ACVREP available - maximum of 10 hrs. Of the 10 clock hours, a maximum of 4 clock hours qualify for WA State braille requirement.
Bridging the Gap - Conference for Education, Rehabilitation, Consumers and Parents.
Keynote speakers include Dr. Phil Hatlen and Kevin O'Connor.
Featuring Workshops by Diane Wormsley, Greg Goodrich, Susan LaVenture.
Located at the beautiful new Courtyard Marriot, Downtown Tacoma, Wa.
Save the date - March 13,14 and 15, 2008!
Download Documents Here! (All in Word format)
Conference Agenda
Registration Form
Sessions and
Presenters
Sign Up Sheet
List of Hotels
We look forward to seeing you there!!
Braille Challenge
Sign Up Now!
The Washington Department of Services for the Blind
and
The Washington State School for the Blind
are hosting Regional Braille ChallengeTM
Events for Area Students
~Dual Locations for Washington’s Regional Braille ChallengeTM~
Seattle, Washington
When? Friday February 16th, 2007 from 9:00am-3:00pm
Where? Seattle Public Library
1000 4th Ave.; Seattle, WA
To register students please contact: Becky Sherman, WA DSB
1.800.552.7103/206.721.6464
rebsherman@dsb.wa.gov
Vancouver, Washington
When? Friday March 2nd, 2007 from 8:00am-12:00pm
Where? Washington State School for the Blind
2214 E. 13th Street; Vancouver, WA
To register students please contact: Renee Corso, WSSB
360.696.6321 ext. 121
renee.corso@wssb.wa.gov
Braille Challenge TM is sponsored by the Braille Institute of America. Regional
Challenges are designed as preliminary
events for all blind and visually impaired students in first (1st) through
twelfth (12th) grade. Students are
divided into 5 age groups and asked to complete a series of exercises
demonstrating proficiency in (1) Braille
reading and writing, (2) Reading speed and comprehension, (3) Spelling, (4)
Proofreading and (5) Use of tactile
graphics. All students participating in the preliminary-round challenge are
acknowledged, with prizes for local
winners. All eligible contestants are ranked nationally, with the 60 nationally
top-scoring contestants earning a
three-day trip to Braille Institute in Los Angeles, in June, to participate in
the National Challenge. At the National
Challenge level of the competition, students vie for top honors, savings bonds
and adaptive technology prizes
sponsored by Freedom Scientific.
Thomas Rheingans Concert Series
Casablanca
Fri. February 9th 7:30 p.m.
Sat. February 10th 2:00 and 7:30 p.m.
Wed. February 14th 7:30 p.m. (added performance on Valentine's Day)
True, Rick's Cafe Americain is the real inspiration for this production.
Highlights of the playbill include: smokey jazz numbers by sultry songstress
Annie Kaiser and exotic fusions of North Africa music, American jazz, and Tribal
dance. Guest appearance by members of the Middle Eastern band
Gypsy Caravan.
His website address is: http://www.rivergoose.com/fries.html
Driving by Touch
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Thursday, October 19, 2006
Jackie Patching ran her fingers across the word scripted in chrome on the flank of the car, with her fingertips sweeping around the big cursive "I" that initiates the word "Impala." Then the 13-year-old girl climbed into the white-on-red 1968 Chevy convertible and navigated driver Gerry Andersen around town in the same fashion: using her fingertips. The Vancouver girl and the Battle Ground man were among 80 or so participants in a car rally Wednesday that teamed students from Washington State School for the Blind with owners of some of Clark County's fanciest rides. Some of the drivers were wearing the emerald-green letterman's jackets of the Slo Poks, a local hot-rod club whose members gravitate toward the classic cars of the 1960s and earlier. Other participants represented a less formal group: "A bunch of us who take trips together," said Tom Mears. Their approach to road-tripping not so Slo was illustrated by Mears' car. He drove up in a blue 2006 ZO6 Corvette. About 45 passengers two-thirds of the school's enrollment of blind and visually impaired students provided the directions. They used Braille text or large-print instructions, and one student even got to direct traffic with a GPS system for the blind. Patching had a Braille packet under her arm as she shook hands with Andersen's Impala. She'd already scoped out the route, she said: "I read it after doing a science test yesterday." Other students were able to gauge some of the 50-year-old horsepower in the parking lot. Before they climbed in, Jake Koch and Tiffany Wilson put their hands on the hood of Jeff Petersen's 1956 Ford Fairlane. When the Ridgefield man turned the key and gunned it, the students got to feel the throbbing power of a classic V-8 as well as hear it. "It feels awe-some!" Koch said. Koch is an 18-year-old from Asotin, and Wilson is an 18-year-old from Sedro Woolley. The event was organized by Angie Armstrong, director of the school's nonprofit foundation. She knows Mears through church and brought up the possibility of a rally. When Mears pitched the prospect to his friends, "Everybody got excited," he said. Armstrong was thinking it would be a fun afternoon for the students, but that's not all. The school wants to build the self-esteem of its students and help them become independent adults. In Wednesday's rally, she said, "The students are in charge of the car." Actually, each driver did have a backup map in case of a navigational meltdown. "We call it a panic card," she said. "But they're only supposed to use it if they're totally lost."
Komo 4:
http://www.komotv.com/news/local/4910701.html |
