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Changing the Perception of Blindness Starts with Asking the Questions E32

July 31, 2023 by angishields

Phoenix Business Radio

Changing the Perception of Blindness Starts with Asking the Questions E32

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Changing the Perception of Blindness Starts with Asking the Questions E32

When it comes to inclusion, it is all about education.

Surrounding yourself around others that are not like yourself is going to push you to learn more about others. This education then leads to the ability to be more inclusive and helping to be more accessible to other groups.

On this show, we had the chance to talk with two amazing gentlemen, both who started their lives out with vision and are now legally blind. The things that these gentlemen are doing to “change the perception of blindness” for others is instrumental!

In this discussion, they talk about the fears that set in when it comes to inclusion and accessibility. There is fear from one side when it comes to asking. Asking if a blind individual needs help. Asking how you can support them. There is fear from the blind community when it comes to applying for jobs, getting support, etc.

We all have fears when it comes to taking steps to change AND change is necessary. Asking the questions is something the simplest place to start.

This episode is a vital episode to listen to if you are wanting to support different communities in being more inclusive and accessible and you don’t know where to start. This podcast gives encouragement to just start. It can start with simply asking questions. Ask how to help, how to change, how to improve… and then let’s do it!

Did you know?

7 out of 10 working age people in Arizona who are blind or visually impaired are not working
Estimated to be about 20K
45% of hiring managers believe there are no jobs within their organization that a person who is blind could do
Changing the perception of blindness is the biggest barrier to employment and inclusion
So, ask the questions to start to make the change.

We are in this together and can make the changes to help others in the blind community. We can help this community and others to feel included and have the tools to allow them the access to resources and jobs.

Arizona Industries for the Blind (AIB) is a solution provider… Solving today’s complex business problems by providing quality products and value-added business process outsourcing services that matter to their customers, while providing a viable option for Arizonians who are blind or visually impaired to achieve their version of the American dream through dignified employment.

Their mission is to inspire individuals who are blind or visually impaired to achieve their highest goals and aspirations by creating and sustaining career opportunities while providing quality products and services.

Through collaborative partnerships with Federal, State and private sector companies, they are able to provide third party logistics services, document conversion services and quality AbilityOne products.

David Steinmetz is the Community and Public Relations Manager at Arizona Industries for the Blind in Phoenix. David works to “change the perception of blindness” through his advocacy and public relations efforts.

Mr. Steinmetz serves as the Public Information Committee Chair on the Governor’s Council on Blindness & Visual Impairments (GCBVI), and is a Board of Director on the Vision Rehabilitation Assistive Technology Expo and Arizona Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired.

David is a graduate of Arizona State University and participated in the National Industries for the Blind Business Management Training program through the Darden School of business.

In 2008, David was the recipient of the National Industries for the Blind Milton J. Samuelson Career Achievement award. This prestigious award recognized Mr. Steinmetz for his career achievements and community service work.

Mr. Steinmetz enjoys spending time with his family, fishing and traveling across the United States. David believes that every person who is blind deserves the right to full participation in work, community and life and with the right training, right technology and right attitude, it is possible.

Follow AIB on LinkedIn and Facebook.

With a 70% unemployment rate in the blind community, Clusiv is helping remove barriers to employment for the blind community by revolutionizing training and services for the modern workforce.

Their eLearning platform has been built to be accesible with assistive technology that blind or visually impaired people use, and this platform holds employment skills training courses to cover technology, occupational and career skills for the modern-workforce.

Clusiv works with state vocational rehabilitation agencies to provide access to its courses to people who are blind or visually impaired. They help simplify the work of vocational rehabilitation counselors through their Assessment Tool, easy enrollment process, and positive outcomes for their clients to achieve measurable skills gained.

Clusiv is here to equip the blind community for employment and impact inclusion in the modern workforce by giving graduates the skills, confidence, and insights needed to find competitive integrated employment and be an advocate for positive change in the workforce for people with disabilities. To learn more and get in touch go to https://clusiv.io/.

Blake Steinecke grew up with perfect vision and at the age of 16 a condition called LHON caused him to go through severe central vision loss and become legally blind. This created many new challenges of relearning how to do school, navigating college, employment and more.

Blake has a degree in marketing from Cal State San Marcos and has worked in software sales, marketing in the mountain bike industry, accessibility testing and training, and now leads marketing for Clusiv as the Growth Manager.

Through Blakes work, he is able to connect his educational and professional background, his experience navigating the challenges of education and employment being blind, and his passion to serve the blind community through the work he does with Clusiv.

Outside of work Blake plays blind hockey for the US Blind Hockey Team, enjoys spending time with his wife, Amanda, and making videos, some of which you can find on his YouTube channel Adapting Sight.

Connect with Blake on LinkedIn and follow Clusiv on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Culture Crush

Culture is not just a tag word to be thrown around. It is not something you throw in job descriptions to draw people to applying for jobs within a company.

According to Marcus Buckingham and Ashely Goodall in their book Nine Lies About Work, “Culture is the tenants of how we behave. It’s like a family creed. This is how we operate and treat each other in the family.”

As a growing company- Culture Crush Business Podcast is THE culture improvement resource that supports companies and leaders. Our Mission is to improve company cultures so people WANT to go to work. Employees and leaders should like where they work and we think this is possible.

Within the company: Culture Crush has Vetted Resources and Partnerships with the right people and resources that can help improve your company culture.

On this podcast: We focus on everything surrounding businesses with good company culture. We will talk with company leaders to learn about real-life experiences, tips, and best practices for creating a healthy work environment where employees are finding joy and satisfaction in their work while also striving and growing within the company. We also find the companies that offer resources to help improve company culture and showcase them on the show to share their tips and tricks for growing culture.

About the Host

Kindra Maples is spartan racer, past animal trainer, previous magician’s assistant, and has a weakness for Oreo cookie shakes. Her journey working with people actually started working with animals as a teenager (don’t worry we won’t go that far back for her bio).

She worked for over 15 years in the zoo industry working with animals and the public. Her passion of working with animals shifted into working with people in education, operations and leadership roles. From there her passion of leadership and helping people develop has continued to grow.

Then came the opportunity for leading the Culture Crush Business Podcast and she jumped on it. Leadership, growth, and strong company cultures are all areas that Kindra is interested in diving into further.

Shout Outs

We want to thank a few people for their behind the scenes effort in helping this relaunch to come to life. James Johnson with Tailored Penguin Media Company LLC.– It is a small, but powerful video production company with a goal to deliver the very best by articulating the vision of your brand in a visually creative way. Gordon Murray with Flash PhotoVideo, LLC. -Flash Gordon has been photographing since high school and evolving since then with new products that will equip, encourage, engage, and enable. Renee Blundon with Renee Blundon Design – She is not only one of the best free divers (that’s not how she helped with the podcast) but she is great with graphics design and taking the direction for the vision that you have while also adding creative ideas to bring to your vision to life.

These are just a few of the folks that supported the relaunch of the podcast. If you would like to be part of the Culture Crush team or would like to support underwriting the show- please reach out: info@culturecrushbusiness.com

Celebrating NDEAM E10

October 24, 2022 by Karen

Changing the Perception of Blindness

Celebrating NDEAM E10

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Celebrating NDEAM E10

In honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Terell Welch, Frank Vance and Isaac Shapiro joined host David Steinmetz in a conversation about the benefits of hiring people with disabilities. Terell stated that a recent study has shown that companies that championed people with disabilities outperformed others — driving profitability and shareholder returns. Revenues were 28 percent higher, Net income 200 percent higher, and Profit margins 30 percent higher.

Isaac Shapiro stated that he noticed a positive shift in company culture, performance and empathy after he implemented his DEIA initiative that includes people who are blind or have other disabilities.

AZ Job Connection is a web-based job-matching and labor market information system. AZ Job Connection provides job seekers, employers, and training providers with easy-to-use tools that support a wide range of activities. As a service of the public workforce system, AZ Job Connection is completely free for you to use. You only need a computer and internet access to do the following:

Create and post a resume or job posting
Determine whether you’re eligible for state- or federally funded workforce programs
Search for the ideal job or job candidate
Search for the ideal training or service provider
Research labor market information
And much more!

Terell Welch was born and raised in Southern California, moved to Arizona following his honorable discharge from the United States Army, and after two years of study at Biola University in La Mirada, CA.

Shortly after moving to Phoenix, Terell was accepted into a one-year Leisure & Hospitality Management training program. Built on a hands-on approach to leadership, which has stayed with Terell in his various stages, from trainee to VP of Operations over his twenty-five plus years in the industry.

The Arizona Department of Economic Security hired Terell in 2010 as food operations consultant for the Business Enterprise Program and was later promoted to the Program Training Officer II. Later, Terell was invited to transfer to the Employer Engagement Administration where he works as an Employment Coordinator/Liaison.

He and his lovely wife Sharon Monica have been married for forty years on the 23rd and have two sons, two daughters-in-law and four grandchildren, where he specializes in everything grand.

The Arizona Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired is a local not for profit agency that provides services for persons who are legally blind or visually impaired. Many of these programs are for persons who are adjusting to living with vision loss and who wish to acquire enough independence to reenter the labor market.

Frank Vance is a native Arizonan who has worked for ACBVI since 1985. He holds degrees in Psychology and Counseling from Arizona State University.

His position at ACBVI is Director of Rehabilitation Services. Frank’s hobbies include camping, reading, and community service.

Nothing feels as good as being nice and clean. For Cleanlogic, it’s more than a feeling, it’s the way they run their business, make their products and treat their customers.

It’s why they offer a full line of bath and shower accessories that not only get you clean, but that you can feel good about using. It’s why they use plastic-free packaging and offer a line of products made from sustainable materials. It’s why they have Braille on all of their packaging and donate a portion of their profits through technology grants that empower visually-impaired people to lead more independent lives.

Headquartered in Audubon, Pennsylvania U.S.A., IMS Trading has more than 15 years’ experience designing and manufacturing personal care accessories. Our leading brand, Cleanlogic, has been the fastest growing bath and skin care accessory brand in the U.S. for the last three years, and the #1 brand in the U.S. grocery channel.

Husband and new father of a ten-month-old, Isaac Shapiro has been the CEO and Co-Founder of IMS Trading, the parent company that owns Cleanlogic, for the last 20 years. Isaac’s inspiration for becoming a social entrepreneur is thanks to his mother, Beatriz, better known as Bea.

Bea was born and raised in Mexico and started losing her vision at seven years old, eventually diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Her entire family moved to New Mexico so she could attend a school for the blind, where she received mobility training and became a very independent person from a young age.

After graduating from college and being employed by the U.S. Military as an operator for the White House and the Pentagon since she was highly skilled with technology, Bea, her husband, and her children moved to Arizona, where she started volunteering for the Tucson Association for the Blind, training students at the Association and building a $2 million assistive technology computer program for the blind and visually impaired community to obtain employment, where she worked 80-90 hours a week to grow her business.

Isaac attended Arizona State University, double majoring in supply chain and marketing. Isaac knew he wanted to start his own business early on, just like his mom. In 2006, Isaac and his business partner, Mike Ghesser, came up with and launched Cleanlogic, a line of high-quality bath and skincare tools.

Isaac knew he wanted to give back to the blind and visually impaired community, so Cleanlogic first started to add Braille product descriptors to some of its products, to call attention to the blind and visually impaired community to help individuals lead a more independent life, coining the mission, “Brands with Braille.”

Later in March of 2021, Cleanlogic underwent a rebrand on its packaging, now being more sustainable with paper replacing plastic, which has also allowed the brand to include Braille product descriptors on 100% of its products. Another way Cleanlogic is helping the community is by recruiting and providing opportunities in the workforce at their headquarters in Audubon, Pennsylvania for blind and visually impaired employees, in addition to differently abled employees.

Along with the launch of Cleanlogic in 2006, Isaac and his mom created the Inspiration Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization that provides technology for those with vision loss as well as award grants to other blind and visually impaired nonprofits, focusing on his mom’s passion for using adaptive technology.

Isaac joined and started working with VisionServe Alliance, a leadership collective of organizations and individuals dedicated to improving the quality of life with and for people with vision loss. They shifted their original idea and decided to donate to VisionServe to give grants to agencies providing adaptive technology training.

Over the last 16 years, the Inspiration Foundation has awarded over 70 grants and gained 35 foundational partnerships. All of this that Isaac has worked for lives in Cleanlogic’s mission, “Inspiring All to achieve Independence & Success.”

Follow Cleanlogic on LinkedIn and Facebook and Instagram.

About Your Host

As the manager of Community and Public Relations, David Steinmetz uses his expertise, education, and personal experiences to “change the perception of blindness.”

Diagnosed with RP, a blinding retinal disease, at the age of 19, David uses his personal story to drive change that leads to improved employment outcomes and community integration for people who are blind or visually impaired.

Mr. Steinmetz graduated from Arizona State University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Economics. Additionally, Steinmetz has continued his education by graduating from the Business Management Training (BMT) program provided by Darden Graduate School of Business, University of Virginia.

In 2008, David was the national recipient of the National Industries for the Blind Milton J. Samuelson Career Achievement award. This prestigious award recognized Mr. Steinmetz for his career achievements and community service work.

David Steinmetz is a member of the Governors’ Council on Blindness & Visual Impairments, is a Board Member at the Arizona Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired (ACBVI) and serves his community through the Chandler Lions Club.

Connect with David on LinkedIn and Instagram.

About the Show

Changing the Perception of Blindness; One Conversation at a Time is dedicated to breaking down barriers, de-mystifying blindness and promoting real world solutions that empower people who are blind to live a full and inclusive life.

Host, David Steinmetz connects with organizations, industry professionals and thought leaders who are working to bridge the gap that creates a world accessible for all.

About Arizona Industries for the Blind

Arizona Industries for the Blind is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating employment opportunities for people who are blind. It’s employees, more than half of whom are blind, deliver a variety of products and services, including a full-service Warehousing and Distribution Center, confidential Digital Data Scan (DDS) services for private businesses and government and the operation of Base Supply Centers located at each of Arizona’s three military bases under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Labor’s AbilityOne program.

Follow AIFB on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Ownership and Accountability Equals Success E6

June 21, 2022 by Karen

Changing the Perception of Blindness

Ownership and Accountability Equals Success E6

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Ownership and Accountability Equals Success E6

In this episode, David and Kristin discussed the importance of Changing the Perception of Blindness in order to solve the unemployment, education, and financial crisis for those that are blind and visually impaired.

Kristin said that it is not only up to partnerships with organizations that are committed to changing how the world sees blindness but more importantly, working with people who are blind and visually impaired to change see themselves.

With the proper training, the right technology and the right attitude, people who are blind can compete in the workplace and live a full and inclusive life. of provides many examples from her own family experiences.

Thriving Blind Academy is a community dedicated to solving the unemployment, education, and financial crisis for those that are blind and visually impaired. Through a robust online platform and virtual mentorship, the members of the TBA community are empowered and equipped to design their lives on their terms.

In order to solve the current crisis of high unemployment, high underemployment, high college drop out and high illiteracy rates, TBA has three main pillars: Thriving Blind in Business, Thriving Blind Transitions, Thriving Blind Parenting.

TBA is partnering with organizations committed to changing how the world sees blindness and more importantly, how the blind and visually impaired see themselves.

Kristin Smedley is the Best Selling author of Thriving Blind: Stories of Real People Succeeding Without Sight and Brilliantly Resilient: Reset, Rise and Reveal Your Brilliance. A recognized expert in the blindness and rare disease communities, Kristin won the highly regarded Champion of Hope Award and was named an Ambassador for the National Organization of Rare Disorders. Kristin is a popular, in demand speaker who has been invited to share her message internationally.

As CEO of a global patient organization, she coordinated legislation (H.R. #625) that became the first in US history to be submitted in Braille. Kristin spoke at the FDA to help achieve the first ever FDA approved gene therapy to treat an inherited retinal disease in the United States.

Her TEDx Talk, book and international summit change perceptions of blindness, and sparked a global movement, Thriving Blind Academy, that is solving the unemployment, literacy, and financial crisis in the blind the community.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kristin co-founded Brilliantly Resilient to help people come through life’s challenges and setbacks brilliant, not broken.

Connect with Kristin on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram and follow Thriving Blink Academy on Facebook.

About Your Host

As the manager of Community and Public Relations, David Steinmetz uses his expertise, education, and personal experiences to “change the perception of blindness.”

Connect with David on LinkedIn and Instagram.

About the Show

Host, David Steinmetz connects with organizations, industry professionals and thought leaders who are working to bridge the gap that creates a world accessible for all.

About Arizona Industries for the Blind

Follow AIFB on LinkedIn and Facebook.

The Recipe of Life E4

April 19, 2022 by Karen

Changing the Perception of Blindness

The Recipe of Life E4

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The Recipe of Life E4

In this episode, David Steinmetz connects with the cast of the popular Cooking Without Looking TV show and podcast to discuss how they “change the way we see blindness.”

Executive Producer and creator of the TV show Ren’ee Rentmeester wanted to use the show as a means to de-mystify blindness and educate the world about the abilities of people who are blind.

Just like in the kitchen, life can be messy. Its how we process the situation, adapt and overcome which helps us overcome and live a full life.

The Cooking Without Looking TV Show is the First/Only TV Show featuring People who are Blind/Visually Impaired.

Ren’ee Rentmeester, is the Creator/Executive Producer of The Cooking Without Looking TV Show and Podcast.

The show is changing the way we see blindness by featuring blind/visually impaired people cooking and baking in the kitchen.

They have reached 25 countries around the world with their message.

Connect with Ren’ee on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Annette Watkins is Co-Host of Cooking Without Looking, as well as host of Segment 3 , Food for Thought. And sometimes she cooks a healthy dish.

Allen Preston spent his life volunteering time to advocate for people who are blind and severely visually impaired, as well as for those with other disabilities.

He is active with the local Lions Club, on the Board of Directors of our local Lighthouse for the Blind and occasionally does fundraising presentations for Leader Dogs.

Follow Cooking Without Looking on Twitter.

About Your Host

As the manager of Community and Public Relations, David Steinmetz uses his expertise, education, and personal experiences to “change the perception of blindness.”

Connect with David on LinkedIn and Instagram.

About the Show

Host, David Steinmetz connects with organizations, industry professionals and thought leaders who are working to bridge the gap that creates a world accessible for all.