Lucy Takes on an Excellent College Prep Program for the Blind

I mentioned before that I believe God is in the details with Lucy. We saw it again this last month as she was able to attend an excellent college prep program for the blind. It was run through Lighthouse for the Blind, St. Louis and it was an answer to all our prayers.

We had been looking for something to help Lu get ready for college. There is so much in the big, wide yonder that she’ll be up against as she heads out with stars in her eyes about college life. So much that she has no idea she’ll be up against. So much we as her parents don’t even know how to prepare her for.

An Introduction to S.O.A.R.

In our search for a good summer program to help her learn skills, we reached out to the Foundation for Blind Children back in January. She had done a summer program with them a couple years ago called “Teen to Work” that was pretty great. They have a college prep program as well, but the dates weren’t working out for us, so our contact there told us about this other program in Missouri called S.O.A.R.

I got on the phone with the director and something really interesting happened. As he told me about S.O.A.R. with so much enthusiasm I felt this blanket of peace. This was exactly what Lucy needed. He sent me the promotional video and I crossed my fingers Lucy would have buy-in when she saw it.

And she did.

In fact, she was in, hook, line and sinker.

I mean who wouldn’t be if you saw a video like this, and you want with all your heart to be able to be independent:

We were not sure if it was too good to be true, nor did we know if Lucy would get accepted. They only took twelve students.

But she immediately applied with all her heart, and watched her email, all of us hoping beyond hope this could become a reality for her.

The day she got the acceptance email with a “welcome packet” was a big celebration for us.

The Drop-Off

And on June 7th Lu and I headed out into the wide, blue yonder to settle her in for her three-week college prep course adventure. (Dave had to be at church on Sunday so he had to miss.)

Oh this girl sure had stars in her eyes about this upcoming adventure. She has just had a little extra pep in her step looking forward to what she hoped it would bring and that is pretty special to see. I overheard her talking to Claire on the phone telling her she really wasn’t nervous at all, just excited.

We arrived super late on Saturday night negotiating all forms of transportation while discussing all things Harry Potter.

We went to a YSA ward on Sunday that I swear had special messages just for Lucy. Does she feel them? Is she letting them in? Or were those messages more for me? To calm my heart. Was this even going to be ok? The closing song was catered just to me, I think:

The Orientation

My worries were soothed further sitting at that S.O.A.R. orientation that afternoon. I was on the verge of tears filled with so much gratitude.

And assurance.

Over and over again.

It was so much better than when we dropped her off for Teen to Work a couple years ago. She was just so much more ready and more mature. And this program?

Incredible.

I was blown away with every teacher/guide/helper who greeted us there. They gathered us to orient us on a few things and have the kids and leaders introduce themselves, then sent the kids off to unpack by themselves while they gave the parents the whole run-down. I love that they just expected the kids to do things.

As they outlined the week filled with fun activities as well as all kinds of one-on-one training I just couldn’t even believe how lucky Lucy is to be there. How lucky WE are that she’s there enveloped in that spot with SO much goodness.

We got to go around to all the classes where the kids would be learning.

It was so strange to drive away, a bunch of those kids starting a little tour, their canes guiding the way, to get their bearings straight.

So proud of this girl.

The In-Between

I have to say, Dave and I took full advantage of those three weeks while Lucy was tucked away so safely at S.O.A.R.

It just so happened to be our thirtieth anniversary, perfect timing. More on that soon. It was made ever better as we got phone calls all throughout those three weeks, Lucy spilling out with newfound confidence.

Sure, there were some frustrated texts too. But for the most part this girl was positively GLOWING the whole time. She was learning so much!

The Individualized Classes:

• Cooking – The students could chose recipes to cook and learned all kinds of tips and tricks for measuring and using appliances, etc.
• Etiquette – When you are blind it’s sometimes difficult to understand body language, social cues, looking people in the eye, all that jazz. They had all kinds of tips and tricks for them in this category, including how to set a table, know where glasses are so you don’t knock them over, etc. They also had a special night at a fancy restaurant where they put their new skills to work.
• Self-Care – It’s also really difficult, when you don’t have vision, to do things that seem so easy when you can see. Hair care, fingernail care, face washing, shaving…they covered it all.
• Orientation & Mobility – One of the most important things when you don’t have vision: using their canes to get around, figuring out and riding the bus system, etc.
• Home Maintenance – this has been such a tricky one for us. How could we teach Lucy to wipe down the counter when she can’t see what needs cleaning? What about vacuuming? And changing a lightbulb. They went into all of this.
• Careers – I think 80% of people who are blind do not have viable jobs. It is just so difficult to find something that works when you can’t see. I LOVED this teacher who had all kinds of no-nonsense ideas. They had mock interviews and whipped up their own resumes, and learned the most important parts of creating a good conversation. Incredible.
• Clothing Management – When you can’t see, it’s very difficult to know what clothes you are pulling out, what color they are, whether they are inside out, how to wash them, iron, get stains out, etc. I love that Lucy got such great instruction on this.
• Money Management – They taught everything from how to fold your bills so you know which one is which to how to budget and save, especially when you’re in college.

Her individualized cooking class was her favorite.

…which is not surprising. This girl loves to bake.

Fun Mixed In

They had so much fun intermixed with their classes. A water park day:

A visit to the St. Louis Arch and figuring out how to maneuver Dave & Busters.

New Friends

The greatest thing? Lucy was surrounded by these kids who “got” her in so many ways since they’re going through so many of the same things.

I can only imagine how comforting that would be.

There was a counselor there who had them go around one night and explain their vision loss, and their struggles and triumphs. How I wish I could have been there for that. These incredible kids fighting their own fights to figure out coping and resilience.

They had guest speakers that inspired Lucy so much. And they got to ice skate:)

One weekend was a sports camp where they got to learn all kinds of adaptive sports.

I love that part of the program was focused on service. These kids get given a lot of service because of their disabilities, and they wanted them to learn the joy of giving back. They performed for some people in a home for the elderly for one of their service outreaches.

Oh I could go on and on. What I wish is that Lucy would do a guest post, but that’s a no-go for sure. She did say she’d so a little demonstration one night to show the family all she’s learned. Crossing my fingers for that.

The Pick-Up

On Saturday Dave and I got to go pick up our girl. It was such a fun reunion, that girl just so alive with happiness and satisfaction with three weeks of goodness under her belt.

I loved how confident she was to introduce us to everyone and spilling out with so much happiness.

Dave and I went with her to each of her classes to hear all the things she has learned.

And MAN, I love these teachers!

…and the tips and tricks we learned to help.

SO Thankful

How in the world do you EVER thank people enough? People who come up with and run these programs. They take time out of their summers to be there. To nurture and love and “see” these kids who really need them. They also do all kinds of fund raising to make this possible. And they were just so full of energy and goodness.

How do you thank people enough to literally change your daughter’s life? I know that sounds dramatic, but man! I cannot explain what a big deal this was for Lucy.

And for us.

And for her future roommates and teachers too.

What an incredible foundation she has been able to build with the help of all these awesome people.

We are forever grateful.

The St. Louis Arch

Of course, we had to follow Lucy’s footsteps and at least see that St. Louis arch before we took off to come back home, the end of an adventure.

And I’m here to say, that thing is pretty dang cool.

A feat of ingenuity kind of as a symbol to this feat of ingenuity Lucy had just been through.

You don’t feel like it is even possible, and then it is, standing there in front of you.

As we left I pondered the beauty of it all as I pondered the beauty of this leaf:)

How do we go forward and keep this good trajectory going for the next couple months before college begins? We still have a lot of work to do. As parents, Dave and I need to find that balance between pushing and just praising.

But we are off to a good start, and we are all so very thankful.

THANK YOU, SOAR! We love you!