Five Transferible Life Concepts Learned in College

The lessons that I learned from my active participation in college are many, and I could probably write a small book, or at least dedicate this blog to them. Instead, here are five transferable attributes that I learned in college.

There’s absolutely no such thing as “college material.”

I’ve sometimes heard the phrase “she/he isn’t really college material.” Really? Nothing could be more inappropriate or discouraging to an individual who is pursuing college. I still don’t know what these people’s definition of “college material,” is. It’s possible that if somebody told me at age 18 that I wasn’t “college material,” I might have believed them. I wasn’t the strongest or most dedicated student in high school; making honor role a few times, and just barely maintaining a GPA of 3.0 at the time of my high school graduation. My parents for the most part, chose to let me make my own decisions regarding higher education. So, I enrolled at a community college, and tested into the lowest level of classes offered, and worked my way up. Six years, two colleges, and a constant drive to finish concluded my undergraduate education. There’s really no such thing as “college material.” If an individual thinks she or he can do it, and they are willing to put in the effort, anybody can be successful in college. Even if you aren’t the strongest academic, or are a first-generation student like myself. If you want it, go for it; and don’t let anybody tell you otherwise!

multitasking

Who says guys can’t multitask? Apart from my first year of college, I attended school full-time, and worked part time, and I worked every type of shift: day, swing, graveyard, and weekends. I learned to work under deadline, and manage competing priorities. Research papers and work reports were often done side by side, and almost any physical space could be turned into a makeshift office or study space.

If Done Correctly, the 9-5, Mon-Fri work week Doesn’t Exist in College.

In the roughly seven years it took for me to earn my Bachelors Degree, I can count on one hand how many weekends I wasn’t either studying or working. Unlike the stereotypical image of a young 20 something rolling out of bed late on a Monday morning after an action-packed weekend of epic partying and binge drinking, myself and many other college students find ourselves working, studying, and keeping up in classes. Yeah, my weekends were action-packed alright, packed with homework assignments and a job. Perhaps the 24-7, always-conected mentality of modern western society places less emphasis on down time, and more expectations on an individual to produce more. As hard as it was, I’ve learned to own my goals, and accomplish the required tasks to reach them.

Creativity, Flexibility, and Adaptability

Sometimes the answer to an assignment, or the solution to a problem (academic or other) isn’t always obvious. As a result, I learned to view creativity as an asset. Mastering academic subjects non-visually isn’t always the easiest task, and sometimes the conditions for learning aren’t ideal. Being creative, flexible, and adaptive are a must for overcoming challenges and breaking down learning barriers. No matter how sophisticated, technology will fail at some point; electronic learning options may simply not be accessible; or course concepts may not be presented in a way that gyves with your learning style. My success in several classes during my undergraduate career was contingent upon my ability to find a solution to one or multiple problems, and to do it quickly. Sometimes the lowest tech solutions were the answers to the highest priority problems. For example, I didn’t have access to diagrams and graphs for use in a Micro Economics class. My solution? Raised lined graph paper, and several strands of wax-covered yarn, called Wiki Sticks. I think they are intended for craft projects, but they sure helped me to understand the concepts of marginal utility, supply, demand, price points, and many others.

Social Savvy

During my time in college, I interacted with a lot of people: professors, disability support staff, teacher’s assistants, supervisors and co-workers, classmates, roommates, and social service professionals. Every 11 weeks, I introduced myself to new professors, classmates, and depending on the course, a teacher’s assistant or two. All of this interaction gave me a lot of experience in a variety of social settings, and uncovered my interest in public relations.
There is often a stereotype or stigma (they are two different concepts) that accompany a person with a visual impairment. Not wanting to be the only guy on campus who went through his entire degree program knowing none of his classmates, I made it a point to meet and get to know at least three of my classmates in each of my classes. The advantages of getting to know your classmates are many. I made friends, knew more people in my degree program, and found it pretty easy to collaborate with classmates on group work.

The Moral of the Story?

There’s no such thing as college and the real world, rather college is one part of the real world, and there’s a lot of positive, transferable skills that can be learned in an academic setting. If you have any interest in attending college, go for it!! Don’t let anybody hold you back, explore your options, and settle on a school that works for you. If you want it bad, and you are willing to work for it, anybody can obtain a college education.

Landing A Job 1.0

As graduation approaches, the job hunt is on. According to the American Foundation for the Blind, roughly 70 percent of people who are visually impaired or blind are unemployed. Those are some very scary statistics. However, I simply refuse to be an unemployed person with a visual impairment, so I’m doing all that I can to obtain gainful employment. If you have a visual impairment and are reading this, know that you are not alone. I hope this post will give some insight into what it takes to avoid becoming another high unemployment statistic.

The Power of Networking

I quickly learned the power of networking. We hear about networking all the time, but what is it and how does one network? First of all, it’s important to employ a resourceful mindset. Anybody that you know has the potential to be a link in your professional network chain. If you are finding yourself a little short on professional contacts, you may have to go looking for network contacts. I think the best and easiest way to establish this is by asking professionals in your field of interest if they would allow you to conduct an informational interview. This social exchange gives you the opportunity to create contacts out of complete strangers, as well as raise awareness about your intent for employment without directly asking for a job. You can start by contacting the human resources department at your organization of interest, introducing yourself, and asking to be connected to somebody in your job of interest. Most people are open to this concept, because people love to talk about themselves. Remember to plan ahead, think about what it is you want to know, write out strong questions, take good notes, and be very appreciative of people’s time and information.
Perhaps you have one or many professional contacts. Use this to your advantage and reach out. Maybe your contact knows of the perfect job for you, or maybe they know somebody who knows somebody who is looking for your skill-set. Either way, take advantage of people who want to see you succeed.

Writing More than 140 Characters Still Gets You somewhere

In today’s fast-paced society, writing has been shortened to somewhere between 140 characters and a few short sentences. A few months ago, I read Richard Branson’s new book, The Virgin Way. If you need a little inspiration, and or you want to know how one man dropped out of high school and still did well for himself, I recommend you read The Virgin Way. One concept that stood out to me was the positive effect of writing a letter to somebody. I have found this to be true in my own job searches. In keeping with the times, an email with appropriate subject line and good grammar/spelling will do. Though I haven’t received a solid job offer as a direct result of my writing a letter or email to a professional contact yet, the action of sending that letter has opened up other potential job leads.
If you find yourself wanting to send a letter of interest to a key contact of a specific organization such as a Human Resources Manager or President/CEO, there’s a relatively easy way to find their email address.
First, get their name. If it’s a CEO or other top leadership figure, and depending on the type of organization, you can usually find her or his full name on a bio page of the organization’s website.
Then, you will need to figure out how the organization structures their email addresses. A good place to start is the employment or media inquiries sections of the website. Sometimes a specific contact and email address will be listed. Take note of how this person’s email address is structured. After doing this, apply the same format to your desired contact. This doesn’t always work, because some organizations may have more than one person with the same name, and as a result, may put numbers before the at sign in the email address. Still, this method is a good way to start when attempting to develop cold contacts. If this method doesn’t work, call or email the human resources department and ask to be connected to your new contact. Remember, human resources is there to be a resource for humans wether they work for the organization or not.

Practice Strategic Communication

Everybody has the ability to use strategic communication to her or his advantage. Actually, you probably use it often without realizing it. Do you talk or write differently to the various groups of people in your life? If you answered yes, then you are using strategic communication.
You can also use this concept in your job search. When communicating with potential employers or professional contacts, think about the best form of communication to use. Remember, apart from your resume, professional skills, and personal attributes, all you’ve got is the message that you want to transmit to your contact. It’s very important that you consider the best method for communicating with this individual. Some people love email, while some prefer speaking over the phone. If you are networking with a person for the first time, you may not know what method they prefer, so it’s a bit of a shot in the dark. You could try calling the human resources department and asking for the best way to contact this person.

The Moral of the Story

Finding a job non-visually isn’t the easiest thing I’ve ever done, then again nobody said it would be either easy or hard. It’s important to realize in most instances the job opportunities will not come to you; but instead you will have to go to them. So get out there, meet people, ask favors from total strangers, ask good questions, be grateful for any information given to you, be resourceful, developed your professional network, don’t be afraid to take risks, and put your all into it. Remember, it takes a lot of good ideas to create some great ideas, and it may only take a few great ideas to achieve personal and professional success.

Just in Time for Valentine’s Day: 9 Reasons Wy You Should Consider Dating A Guy Who is Visually Impaired

*One visually impaired guy’s somewhat humorous, but realistic list of reasons for why a woman should give dating a man who is visually impaired a try.


1. We are good listeners: Women often complain that men only listen to what they want to hear, and are often not really listening at all. Consider this: A visually impaired person relies on hearing as a form of communication, as a means of orientation, and to gain knowledge about the environment around them. These attributes make up a good listener. We do it all the time, and if we don't listen, there's a good chance we will get hit by a car while crossing an intersection or miss an important concept being discussed during a lecture or meeting.


2. We are good talkers: Because we are visually impaired we do not have the luxury of using most nonverbal forms of communication. Therefor, we must make up roughly 80% of communication with speech alone. The benefit to being a good talker is it reduces confusion of nonverbal cues. So, if you struggle with nonverbal communication and its somewhat ambiguous meanings, try dating a visually impaired guy; we are really good at making up for our lack of nonverbal communication through speech.


3. We are touchy-feely: So you want a guy who is more touchy feely huh? Give a visually impaired guy a chance! We are used to touching all sorts of things; touch is one of the tools that help us make up for our lack of eyesight, as well as form the basis of literacy through the use of Braille. We are also very good at feeling things. Happy, sad, angry, frustrated, hopeful, stereotyped, discriminated, rejected and optimistic are some of the feelings that are sometimes magnified because of our visual impairment. Remember, we are not good at the whole nonverbal communication thing, so we are more likely to talk to a woman about our feelings and emotions, which appears to be what women like to talk about at times.


4. We won't judge you based only on physical appearance: Remember, we can't see very well or even at all, so if you are self-conscious about your looks, relax, we aren't even looking! If you are the woman who has a lot to offer and believes there's more to MR. Perfect than just looks alone, a visually impaired guy as your lover may be the answer. This is not to say guys who are visually impaired have lowered standards, or have no concept of physical attraction. Instead, some of us choose to define physical attraction as something more than just looks. We have skipped the physical looks thing and are already checking you out on much deeper levels: Do we have the same interests? Do we get along? Do I enjoy this person's company? Do they have similar morals and ethics? These are things visually impaired guys are thinking about wen getting to know a woman. Pretty cool huh?


5. We remember the important details about you: Most visually impaired people are pretty darn good at memorizing. Keeping track of traveling routs, remembering the placement of the bar at our favorite local brewery or recognizing family, friends and of course our lover by the sound of their voice give us a lot of practice. There's good potential that your visually impaired lover won't forget your birthday, your favorite type of flowers or your favorite dinner. Even though we are guys, we strive to be masters at memorizing, and we'll memorize you too!


6. Love dogs, and wish you could take your furry friend with you wherever you go? Your pet dog may not be allowed into shops, restaurants, grocery stores, or on all forms of transportation, but your visually impaired lover's dog may be and that's almost as good. Some people who are visually impaired choose to travel with a guide dog instead of a white cane. You as a lover have the best of both worlds: you get to enjoy the company of a well trained dog without having to take care of he or she, and the dog gets to accompany you and your visually impaired lover wherever you go. Win-win I'd say.


7. There are shortcuts in lines and discounts on some products and services: Nobody likes lines and everybody likes a discount every now and again. Imagine, you and your visually impaired lover are waiting in line to ride an epic roller coaster and you hear the people in front of you say "we've been waiting here for an hour already." You, the amazing girlfriend with your magical sighted powers look ahead and see that the line twists and turns out of sight. You and your visually impaired lover settle in for a long wait. Then out of nowhere an amusement park employee comes up and says something like " sir with the white cane, there's a people with disabilities lane for this ride just over here. It's much shorter and we can get you on the ride in no time. Is this lovely lady here with you?" Your visually impaired lover takes the park employee up on their offer and confirms that yes, the beautiful lady standing next to him is indeed his partner. Boom! Both of you just skipped ahead of a whole lot of people, and they are all okay with it. You can also be the first one's on and off the airplane, pay for nosebleed seats for your favorite band/sports team and be re-located to the "disability section," which is usually much, much closer than those 300 level nosebleed cheap seats, or get an up close and personal tour of artifacts in a museum. You didn't know a visually impaired person's white cane or guide dog was a universal discount pass to all kinds of products and services did you?


8. we will grocery shop with you: If you are a woman who enjoys spending a Saturday afternoon leisurely picking out your groceries for the week with your lover you are in luck! Most visually impaired people must get assistance with grocery shopping from the store's customer service staff, some of whom are not cute, not friendly and most certainly aren't our type. Simply put, we are used to shopping with others and are okay with it; it's how we get our food. Your visually impaired lover may even be able to recommend a new product to try.


9. If you are a woman who is sighted, there will be no arguing over who drives while traveling together: Many visually impaired people have driven primarily for the humor and the novelty of trying out this very visual task. Don't worry though, the DMV will not issue licenses to a visually impaired person. So guess what? You are free to do the driving all you want! So what if you don't like driving, are tired of driving around, or are a woman who is visually impaired? No problem, your visually impaired lover will be happy to escort you around the metro area using the public transportation system. You will be able to kick back and enjoy the relatively inefficient bus/train transportation along with a group of your favorite strangers.


If you are single, and looking for that perfect relationship, think outside the box, and consider dating a guy who is visually impaired, you just might find your true lover!

A Mariner for Life

"If I can't see a body of water, I'm too far away." I come from a long line of maritime professionals; mainly Alaskan commercial fishers. Growing up, I was frequently around boats of varying sizes do to the fact that my parents own and operate a jet boat guide service on the Snake River that gives tours of Hells Canyon. If I was not around boats, I was playing in the creek that ran through my parent's property. As the oldest of three, and a Male, my parents expected that I would not go empty-handed, and would be treated like anybody else, regardless of my visual impairment. As a child of two maritime parents, I learned quite a lot about water, about vessels of all shapes and sizes, and a moderate amount of nautical terminology. For example, I learned the terms Left and Right, and then the nautical equivalents (Port and Starboard). Like many kids, I played with Legos, and put my nautical knowledge to work building vessels, and then testing their "seaworthiness," in the kitchen sink or the bathtub. My father was often present for these buoyancy tests, and was happy to provide me with suggestions for improvement. It was a great father-son bonding experience, but my father's suggestions also taught me several scientific principals, including buoyancy, density and water displacement. Knowing these concepts would help me to master my physical science classes in high school and college. I learned to run a jet boat by age eight. Often times on a calm stretch of the river, usually on a cargo run into Hells Canyon my father would let me drive; and what an experience. Running a jet boat, specifically a 40-foot aluminum landing-craft style boat on a free-flowing river is nothing like, say, a pontoon boat on a lake. My father and I had a system down: He would tap on my Left shoulder indicating a Left (Port) turn, and would tap on my right shoulder, indicating a Right (Starboard) turn. In addition, the terms "throttles ahead, or throttles astern meant speed up or slow down respectively. As I got older and more confident at the controls, my father would guide me through one or two class 2 (smaller sized rapids). Traversing the rough and rocky waters required cat like reflexes; if I hesitated, I could've run over large, sharp rocks that often times lay less than 2 feet below the surface of the water. My father added additional commands for manipulating the throttle controls in these situations: "throttles ahead/astern a quarter," meant to increase or decrease power by one quarter. I went kayaking and stand-up paddle-boarding with some friends a few weeks ago, and was reminded of how natural I feel around water. I have always been relatively good at water sports, and they always give me a sense of freedom that is hard to describe. These freeing sensations were born with my maritime experience. As a teenager helping my father around the jet boats, I can remember sitting in the captain's chair, putting my right hand on the heavy, chromed, ball-shaped throttle lever handles and pushing them all the way forward. The bow of the boat rising out of the water and planing smoothly a crossed the surface is one of the most freeing experiences I have ever felt. Using the joystick in my left hand to turn the boat gave me the sensation of being connected to the vessel. It was if the joystick was an extension of my hand. Perhaps that's why I felt confident in driving a boat. Whenever I participate in water sports, or handle boats of varying shapes and sizes, I'm reminded of this natural connection to the watercraft. Being around the water, and running a boat is an incredibly tactual and freeing experience, and is second to the same type of freedom that I get from walking at a heart pounding, three-and-a-half mile an hour pace with my guide dog.

A Hand Full of Wrenches: Mastering Mechanical Systems Non Visually

I have roughly 20 years of mechanical experience. I've worked around engines large and small, generators, construction equipment, large jet boats and agricultural implements. By age eight I could explain the basic principles of the internal combustion engine. Four years later, maintaining my father's ranching equipment became a standard after-school chore, along with feeding the livestock and gathering firewood. During high school most of the "gear heads," in my class were familiar with auto makers such as Ford, GM, Dodge, Toyota and Honda. I however, learned to work on such brands as Case, International Harvester, Caterpillar, Detroit, Cummins, John Deer, Four Wheel Drive CO (FWD)and the commercial versions of Ford, GM and Dodge. I was responsible for checking and maintaining drivetrain fluid levels, changing oil, replacing fuel filters, charging batteries, greasing Zerk fittings, changing tires, and the occasional removal and replacement of something more challenging, such as a hydraulic pump. Like most things in my life, I came up with many non visual methods for the safe maintenance and operation of this equipment. checking fluids: Engine oil, transmission fluid and anything else measured with a stick was relatively easy to accomplish. Most dipsticks have either two raised dots or notches pressed into the metal. Hey, what do you know? I'm good with feeling dots! The dot closest to the bottom of the stick (or end farthest from the handle) is the "add fluid mark." The dot three or four inches up the stick is the "full mark." I feel for the full mark with one finger, then with the other I gently feel for the liquid. I have to be delicate or my finger could accidentally remove the liquid on the stick, which would give an inaccurate reading. I repeat this process once or twice more to ensure I'm getting consistent readings. Engine coolant is the easiest fluid to check. I employ what I call the "pointer finger test." I remove the radiator cap and stick my pointer finger into the opening. If my finger touches coolant, there's enough; if I can't feel it I add coolant by the quart. The most challenging fluids to measure are fuel and gear grease. Fuel is of course stored in a tank and measured by a gage. I resort to an old-school method of knocking on the tank. I start at the top and listen for the sound to change. If the tank echoes, it's at least partially empty; if the tank has a more dead, non-reverberating sound, it is full or contains some fuel. The point at which the echoing of my knuckles wrapping on the tank change from reverberation to a dampened, dense sound is roughly the level of the fuel. (give or take a couple of gallons). I sometimes use a stick to check fuel levels, but it depends on how long and what shape the fill tube is. Gear grease is the hardest and most messiest thing to measure. Unlike other fluids it is injected into specific moving parts via a small (about a half inch in diameter) tube called a zerk fitting. Sometimes I can tell if there is enough grease by the amount of it I feel splattered around the fitting. Other times I have to use my keen sense of hearing to listen for unusual sounds of the machine during startup. A more accurate method is to take note of how often the equipment is used and follow the manual's suggestions for greasing. The Handling of Fluids: I've gotten really good at pouring liquids in large quantities, and I've also gotten really good at cleaning up messes. haha Heavy duty mechanical fluids such as engine and hydraulic oil, hydraulic fluid and engine coolant often come in five gallon containers because of the large size of the vehicle they are going into. A funnel and a one quart container were my best used tools wen measuring fluids. Like anything else practice brings success. Picture this: I've got four five gallon pales that all look and feel alike, how do I tell them apart? Remember in science class when the teacher taught you how to waft the smell of a chemical toward your nose? I employ the very same technique. Each fluid has a very unique smell, which I learned to memorize. Renches and other Tools: Simple, I feel them! I am unable to read the printed size stamped into the wrench. At first it was trial and error, I would feel the nut or bolt I was working with and try to find a similar sized wrench. Often times it would take three or four tries before I found the correct one. As I progressed, I began to mentally associate the size of the wrench relative to the size of the nut or bolt simply by feeling them both. I can't do it with every size, but I've got the more common one's down, such as 1/2 or 7/16 of an inch. Personally, I like metric sizes the best because a smaller number equals a smaller size. No trying to remember if a 1/2 inch wrench is larger or smaller than a 9/16 inch wrench. Sockets and screwdriver sizes are determined in the same fashion. Batteries: These are not your AA batteries that you put in your TV remote. Actually, one of those AA tubes is called a cell; notice how most of the time you need two? That's because for electricity to flow you need positive and negative circuits and terminals. Automotive batteries require some caution when working around them. Usually they are connected to the vehicle by two cables; a positive and negative. They are color-coded red for positive and black for negative. Hook them up backwards and you can potentially cause the battery to explode, or force the engine to turn in the opposite direction, which can cause problems. So naturally, working around batteries non visually posed some unique challenges. Fortunately, most batteries today have the positive sign (denoted by a +) and the negative sign (denoted as a -) embossed as raised signs. I simply have to feel for the raised signs to know which terminal is which. The battery cables too have their own unique tactual designations. Most of the time the positive cable has a slightly larger connection then the negative one. This is because the positive cable sends power to the vehicle's starter, while the negative cable acts as a grounding wire to complete the circuit. I can not claim that I learned everything I know about mechanical systems on my own. I come from a long line of mechanics, and most of what I know today was the result of my father including me in his work. He believes that I should be treated like anybody else and working around heavy equipment was no exception. He helped me to develop and refine my tactual workarounds, so it's him I thank for this wide body of knowledge. My interest in how things work started at a young age, and was a large motivator in me learning what I know about mechanical systems today. This post just scratches the surface; I think I could write a whole book on this topic.

Being Social Without Sight

Being social as a person with a visual impairment is completely possible. Like many things, acquiring friends and a lover will most likely be done in a slightly different way. There are two main challenges that I think visually impaired people face and they are: 

1. The visual impairment is an obvious disability; it can not be hidden and one can not fake being a sighted person.  

2. As a student majoring in Public Relations, I can tell you that 80% of communication is nonverbal. This is based on the theories of communication. If you don't believe me, head to the closest university book store and buy a Communication Theories textbook. 

Unfortunately, many people in our society view an outward and obvious disability as something to avoid, because "it is not the same as everybody else." I hate to break it to everybody in the world, but we all have some kind of disability. Some, like a visual impairment are obvious; while others are less discrete. The important thing to remember here is we are all on this earth together; we mine as well all get along. As a university student I have found ways to make up for "being different." The first thing I try to do is relax. It's important to be confident in yourself and who you are. If you can't be confident in yourself, how do you expect somebody else to be confident in interacting with you? During lectures and class group work it's helpful to have a pretty good understanding of the material. If you, the visually impaired person have something to offer the class, people will tend to show more interest in you. 

Let me give an example: 

I'm taking a research methods class. One of the assignments was to create a set of survey questions beforehand and bring them to class. During class the students, including myself were told to form groups of three and work together on the questions. The two people I was working with needed some pointers. Because I had invested a little extra time in the homework I was able to explain the assignment to them. I went from the awkward    visually impaired guy to the student in the group who was able to provide some suggestions to my classmates. By the end of class, the three of us were having a great conversation. People love to be offered something, and if you as a visually impaired person can do that, I think the whole fear factor that surrounds the visual impairment will be significantly reduced. People will learn that you are just like them, that you are intelligent and that you can contribute to society.  

If you are sighted, you most likely use nonverbal communication in a variety of social settings. Head nodding, facial expressions and eye contact are very important factors in the world of face-to-face communication. Just for fun, try to interact with somebody (maybe a person you know, or not) without looking at the nonverbal communication they are sending you. That should give you a snapshot of what it's like to achieve good communication as a visually impaired person. I have learned to be a little more bold in my communication. I know that I can't make eye contact with somebody a crossed a room or respond appropriately to a facial expression. Instead I generally take the firs step in communicating with others. A lot of people have a hard time with this, but believe me, it gets easier. Instead of focusing on the forms of communication that I can not accurately send or receive, I focus on what I have. I've met a lot of people in my life, and I've learned how to use voice inflection, speech  and even body posture to make up for the lack of nonverbal communication. 

Another method I use is placing myself in common areas where people want to socialize.  Enter a room, a lounge or any other common space and stand off to one side slightly. Then, listen to the people, and judge the crowd flow. Are people just passing through the space? Are there a lot of people talking? What's going on? The best places usually involve people who are there because they want to socialize. They are not passing by on their way to a class or a meeting. People are not just hanging out on their laptops and smart phones.  Once you as the visually impaired person found a good spot to socialize, pick a spot to sit or stand next to somebody and just say "hello, how are you?" in a calm, cool, collected manner. Remember, be confident in yourself. After doing  this just start asking a few context specific questions. If I were at my university I mite ask things like "what's your major? or Did you go to the football game last weekend?" If you find that the person is giving you very simple answers, try using probing questions. No, I don't mean get all personal! Probing questions are like "I've never done/ate/been there; tell me more; what's it like?" People in general like to talk about themselves, and everybody has a story. Speaking of stories, when I am having a conversation with somebody whom I just met, or even a new friend I tend to speak very little about my visual impairment. I'm not ashamed of it, nor do I think it's not important, but simply put it's a subject that a lot of people know nothing about. If I want to have a one-sided conversation about myself that will ultimately    end in a diversity session for somebody else I'll just start talking about Braille, screen readers, guide dogs and eye conditions. Believe me, nothing kills off a conversation faster than talking to somebody you just met about a topic they can't contribute to. It's okay to answer a few questions about your visual impairment if they are asked, and it's okay to reference your visual impairment if it has a point other than you just talking about it. Personally, if a person asks fewer questions about my visual impairment and my guide dog, I take that as a good sign. Most of these conversations usually end up in me making a new friend. One could argue that the person who asks fewer questions about my visual impairment is holding back, they are uncomfortable and they don't know what to say about it. I agree to an extent, but that just leaves me the opportunity to promote the message of "I'm just like everybody else, accept I can't see, and that's okay." 

The Moral of the Story?  

Creating social circles in a society that judges way too much, and holds friends and strangers up to invisible standards as a visually impaired person is challenging. However, it can be done and it is done. Remember that not everybody you talk to is going to accept you for who you are, but that's okay too. At least you can sort out the cool people from the not so cool people. If you are visually impaired don't limit your social connections because people won't talk to you. Instead make an effort to go talk to them. If you are sighted, understand that a visually impaired person who isn't making full eye contact is not being rude; they just can't see. Never the less, they, like anybody else have a story to tell, and it just may be worth it for you to go and talk to them. 

A Hand Full Of Wrenches: the nuts and bolts of a visually impaired mechanic-the boat yard

. My parents own a guided jet boat tour business called Beamers Hells Canyon Tours. It's a family business and we provide guided jet boat tours of Hells Canyon, which is North America's deepest river gorge. Hells Canyon is a mile and a half deep from top to bottom,  outstripping the depth of the Grand Canyon by a half mile.  

As a kid and later as an adult I often help with the operation of the business. My parents have owned and operated Beamers Hells Canyon Tours for the past 23 years, and in that time I've worked in every facet; answering phones and taking reservations, running one of two river lodges in the summer, working as a deckhand/tour guide and assisting in minor and major repairs and maintenance of the fleet of boats. I've learned a lot, and I never stop learning; even today. 

I spent my spring break helping my Dad and Brother  prepare  the  fleet of jet boats for the upcoming tour season. We had several projects going on at the dry dock area: 

Mounting brackets for a set of bow-entry stairs were fabricated out of aluminum, and welded to the bow of one boat. The interior of the boat next door was being reassembled after it's mandatory U.S. Coast Guard approved hull inspection was complete. A third boat was slated to have it's engines removed and overhauled. I had a hand in the three projects mentioned above as well as a few others.  My main assignment however was the removal of the two 400 Horsepower Cummins diesel engines from one boat. Like any other engine or mechanical part, jet boat engines need to be maintained or overhauled in order to provide a safe and efficient experience. 

Okay, Jet Boat Mechanics 101 

The particular boat in question is 40 feet long and 12 feet wide. 

Each of the 400 horsepower engines weighs in at just over 1800 pounds, and are similar in size and power to a semi-truck or large intercity bus. 

Each engine drives a jet pump. The pump draws water from a grate in the bottom of the boat called a Sea Chest. The water is  pressurized  and forced  out the back of the boat by way of a device called an Impeller and a jet nozzle. The nozzle can be turned left or right (Port or Starboard) by way of hydraulic arms, which are controlled by a large joystick at the controls. 

The jet pumps can also be reversed to accommodate reverse motion of the boat. This is done by way of a Deflector or Bucket, which is controlled hydraulically and  when lowered covers the nozzle of the jet and forces the pressurized water down and toward the front of the boat. 

So how does one who is visually impaired remove such a complicated sounding mechanical system? You are about to find out! 

Like many things in life, this task is certainly not "visually impaired friendly." The engine room is slightly cramped, remember it's a space that is 12 feet wide, 14 feet long and about 4 feet deep. Engines, pumps, brackets, hoses, hull braces and other vital mechanical components impede progress. I first start by disconnecting the electrical power. This allows me the ability to feel every part of the engine without accidentally touching a live electrical component such as a starter switch. I then feel toward the bottom of the engine for a heavy duty nut and bolt assembly connected to a specially designed hull brace. This is one of four engine mounts. I work my way around, loosening and removing the torqued   down inch and a half diameter nuts with a nematic air wrench. To eliminate  confusion later I keep all of the components that I remove from each engine in separate containers; nothing is "just set aside." 

I move to the back of the engine and remove the shaft that transfers the power from the engine to the pump. There are 8 locknuts and bolts to be removed. It's slow work because each nut and bolt must be removed with two wrenches; one holding the nut and the other twisting the bolt. At the same time I'm feeling to make sure both wrenches are secured to their respective nuts and bolts. It's a practiced coordinated effort.  

Next come the fuel, hydraulic and engine coolant supply lines. Many of these are copper tubes connected to wrench removed fittings. One must be especially careful here, because one wrong twist of the wrench could result in the copper lines twisting and breaking  instead of the fitting twisting apart. A steady hand and complete concentration of the placement of my wrench and the direction it is turning are a must.  

From here, there's a couple of grounding wires and an electrical cable that connects the starter to the battery, all are removed by simple nuts of varying sizes. The challenging part is (A) feeling around for the proper connections, and (B) getting your wrench and hands in place to remove them.  

The last hurtle of disconnecting the engines is removing the exhaust pipe from the engine. It's easy to find; a large (6 inches in diameter)  elbow shaped steel pipe on the back, right-hand side of the engine. This connects to a similar sized tube running toward the back of the engine room. The heavy elbow shaped pipe is removed with four bolts conveniently hidden behind said pipe. (No thanks to the manufacturer) haha 

After almost a day's work, a dozen wrenches and tools, a few well chosen expletives  and a nice layer of grease on my hands the engines are ready to be removed. This is the really tricky part and requires two-three people. Two heavy-duty lifting chains are hooked to steel rings protruding from the top of the engine and are connected to the forks of a forklift by way of a special lifting arm. The engine is slowly hoisted up and off of it's mounts. This is a very delicate task: if the lifting arm of the forklift is not perfectly centered over the engine the tension placed on the chains will raise one end of the engine first, causing the other, lower end to hang up on the engine mounts. Try to imagine lifting a smaller box out of a larger box. After the engine clears the mounting brackets and is being lifted evenly it's up to the two people in the boat to swing the engine 90 degrees in order for it to clear the deck railings. Poised on a 4 inch rail used to hold deck plates my brother and I get on either side of the engine and spin it. At the same time the forklift operator slowly backs up the forklift. The engine rocks side to side slightly and I follow the narrow rail with my feet. After several minutes the engine has cleared the boat and is lowered safely onto an engine stand in the shop where it will be worked on. The other engine is removed in the same fashion. 

While the engines are removed, the engine room undergoes a deep cleaning by your's truly. It is good practice to keep all areas of a boat clean and well maintained, and the engine room is no exception.  

It had been a while since I had removed an engine from a boat, so it took some personal orientation to the work area as well as the engines themselves. As somebody who has worked on and around heavy equipment I've learned to develop techniques and workarounds for just about any task. One thing that is a must is spacial orientation, which is the knowledge of a person's motion relative to the physical space they currently occupy. There are many different nuts, bolts and fasteners that had to be removed, many of which required me to position my wrench at different angles. I have to constantly double-check that I'm turning the wrenches in the correct direction. Left and right are easy when you are sitting upright, but wen you are bent double trying to reach that one bolt, or you are crouched sideways between a battery box and a bulkhead it can be a little tricky to know which way is which, especially if the thing you are working on protrudes at a strange angle. Now add to that and close your eyes. It can be done, and it is done; you just have to think about your orientation. 

The moral of this very long story? (sorry readers for the lengthy description) 

Visually impaired people can do just about anything. All it takes is some courage, some thought, and a willingness to get your hands dirty. (literally in this case) I think back on my mechanical experiences and realize that what I just described was the result of roughly 20 years of working in a shop. Currently, I'm not planning on a career in diesel  mechanics, however I am very thankful to have the opportunity to try something that most visually impaired people don't get to do. It doesn't look it, but working in an environment like this has taught me so much about adaptations, about awareness, about never giving up, and of course about how something works mechanically. Sometimes I reflect on a project like this and think "how did I do that?" There are times when I can't even answer that question, so my response is "I explored, I thought, I tried, I did it."