CareersPLUS Youth Program: Building on a Legacy of Learning
Learning to read, write and explore the world are natural parts of the development of children. For those who are blind or have low vision, that learning requires adaptations and expanding upon the basic school curriculum. Exploring through touch, learning braille and other blindness skills are critical for children and youth with vision loss to succeed in school and life.
This month we celebrate the birthday of Helen Keller a pioneer, along with her dedicated teacher in blindness education, Anne Sullivan. Helen Keller began her journey of learning to read and write at the age of six. In her book, “The Story of My Life,” Keller wrote, “I did nothing but explore with my hands and learn the name of every object that I touched; and the more I handled things and learned their names and uses, the more joyous and confident grew my sense of kinship with the rest of the world.”
Creating opportunities for children with vision loss to engage joyfully in learning about the world around them inspired Society for the Blind to launch our CareersPLUS Youth program in 2016. At that time, we were getting requests from parents of children who were blind or had low vision, as well as from teachers of the visually impaired, seeking a resource in the community that could augment school curriculum and provide a social outlet for children. Initially we offered one or two days of after-school tutoring and weekend workshops. Within several months, it became clear that CareersPLUS participants wanted more activities and needed more support with their academics, so we offered more tutoring and added more regular workshops and gatherings.
About two years into the program, we held our first CareersPLUS Summer Camp, a weeklong opportunity for kids to explore Sacramento and visit college campuses and other local areas of interest, while also honing their blindness skills and building self-confidence. This first camp was attended by youth primarily from Sacramento, Yolo and Placer counties.
When COVID hit in 2020, students with vision loss were especially hard hit, as many did not have access to the assistive devices and academic support so important to their learning. We started to receive calls and emails from all over California from parents whose children needed connection with other young people living with vision loss. We expanded our CareersPLUS program from a regional to a statewide program and began holding Zoom gatherings twice a week. In late 2022, we were able to hold our first in-person workshop with youth and their parents. In the summer 2023, we were able to once again host our CareersPLUS Summer Camp. Many of the youth who participated finally got to meet their friends in person.
Our CareersPLUS Summer camp is an opportunity for youth from all over California to socialize and learn in an inclusive, supportive and fun environment. Developing new friendships and a sense of community helps these children grow into confident, independent and connected adults. Some of our former participants now serve as mentors – a wonderful full-circle moment.
One former CareersPLUS participant, Logan, said he learned more life skills, built confidence in learning how to speak to people he does not know, and learned how to articulate his thoughts and improve his public speaking. “Nothing can replace the camaraderie you feel being able to connect with people from across the state who can understand what your life is like in a way not many can,” Logan said. “We all have to figure out how to cross the street or get groceries or even just rant about how crazy things are having these shared experiences. Being able to help others figure out the same things is crucial, in my opinion.”
This August we will hold our 2025 Summer Camp. If you or someone you know has a young person with vision loss aged 10-17 who would like to sign up for the camp and/or get involved in CareersPLUS, please contact Heather Pham at [email protected] .