By RoseAnn Faber

(Editor’s Note: RoseAnn is a past president of the NFB of Minnesota Metro Chapter, and is currently the president of the board of directors of Blindness: Learning in New Dimensions (BLIND), Inc.)

My parents learned early on, when I was in kindergarten I think, that education would be important for me. Consequently, they assumed I would go to college. I attended Saint Paul Public Schools for kindergarten through high school. Kindergarten was in a special education program for children with physical disabilities. I have cerebral palsy that affects my right arm and leg. Until my early thirties, I could read most print if I could get close enough to the materials.

For first through eighth grades, I was in sight-saving classes. We were bussed from throughout the city to an elementary school. The teacher for the sight-saving class provided materials in alternative formats and taught some subjects. As we moved from grade to grade more and more time was spent in classes with children for whom this was the neighborhood school. Exposure to the curriculum and competing with peers without disabilities was helpful in high school and college.

In grades nine to twelve, I attended regular public school classes without the support of a special education class. One of the concessions I was allowed was to leave class five minutes early so that I could move to the next class without getting trampled by the crowd. This concession had a couple of drawbacks. First, if the teacher took attendance at the end of class, I might find myself in the principal’s office accused of skipping class. The second drawback was that if the teacher gave the assignment at the end of class, I might be caught unprepared for the next day or had to spend time checking with friends to learn whether an assignment had been given.

As an eighth grader, I was exposed to an electric typewriter. This was a new piece of equipment at the time. The special education teacher thought I would have no reason to learn to type. I was not happy with this response and set out to find a way to do it. I had read about a technique for typing with one hand. As a ninth grader, I chose a class that combined instruction in general science for half of the year and typing for the rest of the year. Fortunately, the typing instructor was able to find an instruction book. I practiced using the keys assigned to the left hand when typing with both hands while we were waiting for the book to come. Once the book arrived, I learned the home row position for a one handed typist. The home keys are f, g, h, and j, which place the hand in the middle of the keyboard. Once I learned all the key locations and to which fingers they were assigned, I was expected to complete the same typing assignments as my classmates. I used this technique to type papers in high school and college. It has served me well as I moved to the use of computers at work and at home. My parents supported me in this learning process by purchasing a used manual typewriter for me to use at home. When I got a job at Cambridge Regional Treatment Center during the summer after my freshman year in college, I purchased an electric typewriter.

I am the oldest of three children, having two brothers. My parents expected me to do a variety of household tasks. I had a friend through high school, who also was expected to do many things, who served as my role model. I watched my father go off to work every day and saw my brothers hold jobs as paperboys, working in gas stations and fast food restaurants as teenagers. In high school, I babysat for a couple of neighborhood families.

I have been active in the National Federation of the Blind for many years. I learned braille as an adult from several Federationists including Judy Sanders, Jan Bailey and Tim Aune, who volunteered to teach a Braille class for a number of us who had not had the opportunity to learn as children. I use it for some record keeping and taking notes in meetings. Nothing beats a good book in braille when I have reached my tolerance level for recorded or synthetic speech.

Because of balance issues, I walk with a single forearm crutch. I use the crutch in front of me rather than off to the side. This style of crutch has a cuff at the top through which I place my arm. The cuff comes to just below my elbow. I adjust the crutch height to its longest length. The shaft of the crutch is white. Before I found the crutch in white, I would cover the crutch with white contact paper. While the crutch is not a perfect substitute for a white cane, it has kept me from falling off curbs and down flights of steps. I vary the angle at which I use the crutch depending on the walking surface and the number of people in the area. If the surface is wet, uneven or there are many people about, I use the crutch in an upright vertical position closer to my body.

I have worked for the State of Minnesota for over thirty years. For much of that time I was an employee of the governor’s Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities. I provided staff support to a Council committee that made recommendations concerning state plans and legislation affecting persons with developmental disabilities. Currently, I work for the Minnesota Department of Human Services reviewing/approving screening documents for persons seeking services through Medical Assistance Waivers and other state funded health programs. I have an undergraduate degree in sociology from the University of Minnesota, Morris and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

I believe strongly in the Federation philosophy that it is respectable to be blind. Using alternative techniques is just as relevant for someone who has additional disabilities. There is more than one way to accomplish a task!