Mobility Matters 2022 Day 4 Samantha Stephan

Hello again; I hope you have been enjoying these conversations. And while the event will be over by the time you hear this, maybe these conversations will encourage you to reach out to or start following these fine folks at PSU. This time I am speaking with Samantha Stephan a current student in the COMMS program at Portland State University. She is half-way through her masters certification in orientation and mobility instruction. I loved the obvious passion and energy that Samantha has for her field of study and for the people she looks forward to helping in her career. I appreciated how she decided to go into this field with the help of a great friend. Because I wouldn't have done a lot of the awesome things I have done in my life without encouragement from my friends. I also love how she decided that Covid was an opportunity not a disaster. By applying for and beginning the hybrid training option offered by Portland State. We talked about the importance of learning how to navigate the world around us safely. And she addressed the value of orientation and mobility, o & m, training to improving people's self esteem. I shared with her about how I was encouraged to use my white cane in public because my younger brother was concerned about how he would look going sighted guide if I didn't have that cane. We talked about the new trend of colored and striped canes. And we talked a bit about guide dogs. I think you will really enjoy hearing my talk with Samantha. Bonus for those who love my singing, I tried out the chorus to a song I'm working on on the intro of this conversation. Now On To The Show I will post Samantha's bio soon. I'm going to share the event page with you again. Hopefully, there will be a replay option or the possibility to purchase a download of the event. https://sites.google.com/pdx.edu/mobilitymatters2022 You can also connect with them on social media there and subscribe to their email list. Tomorrow, I sit down with the director of the event Amy Parker. Really enjoyed these conversations and am glad I said yes to them when they reached out to me. I hope this will encourage you to say yes more in your own life. Thanks for your continued support Take care out there, Max