Christina: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Taking the Lead podcast where we empower people to be unstoppable. I'm Christina Hoener with my co-host Leslie Haskins in Timothy Kyo. So Timothy, I recently saw you on campus at Leader Dog. That was a lot of fun.
Timothy: Yeah, it was a lot of fun. I came up and spoke to some lions and uh, had a great time with them to give 'em a message about Leader Dog.
And I tell you, these people are probably one of the greatest people I've ever seen in my life. 'cause they care about people they don't even know, I mean, They're always worried and so they, they give a lot of money to Leader Dog and I want to thank them all. And, uh, through my visits, uh, I just found out that we've got two new puppy raisers coming because of my visits.
So right there warm my heart up and makes me feel like I'm making a difference for
Leslie: sure. That's awesome. So what is that like for you to come back to campus?
Timothy: Oh, well, glacier automatically knows where we're at. She gets so excited when we get there. But it is just like, [00:01:00] you know, how you, how, how it feels when you go to your grandma's house or, yeah, just a family.
It is a family. I feel like you guys are part of my family. It's like I'm going home to visit my family, and that's exactly what it feels like.
Leslie: That's so sweet. Yeah. So tell us a little bit more about the lion's visits. Like what do they do? While they're on campus,
Timothy: well, while they're on campus, they get to go around and look at the, uh, the residence hall.
They get to practice with a cane, they get to practice with a guide dog. They get to experience kind of what it's like and they put those glasses on to, you know, this is what this disease looks like when it goes through the a client's eyes and mm-hmm. And then they get to. See Melissa Wise, she gets to, you know, talk about the financial and all that stuff and, and how the impacts, uh, the clients and they get to go in there and they get chili and donuts.
Oh my gosh. Those donuts are awesome. They're bad. I
Jesse: bad. They're so good though. I was there.
Timothy: I was bad. I was bad. So, I mean, it's just, it is about six, seven hours with some [00:02:00] breaks in there and they get to go up to the, uh, puppy area. Forget the name of the bar. McDonald Canine Development Center. Canine Development.
Mm-hmm. Get to go in the gift shop and those people light up, they walk in and they are, they're just amazed what Leader Dog does and uh, and it's because of them,
Leslie: it's because of the lions. Yeah. I always think it's so cool that they dedicate so much time. Well, I mean, right. Like. They're huge supporters of us financially, but then they dedicate their time.
They genuinely really do want to learn more so they can better help educate the community. So it's just a very cool group of people. And also it is a really fun event. Our philanthropy team, our alliances department, does an incredible job putting the event on and making it fun. Interesting. But of course, you know, educational and, and hopefully everybody walks away as a leader, dog advocate, which is incredible.
Yep. It's great. Well, good. I'm glad you had fun. Did Glacier get to see Meredith? She was here. Oh no, we did not get to
Timothy: see Meredith. Ah, uh, we saw her when we came up for the barking brew. Right. Remember earlier this year And, uh, it was exciting to [00:03:00] see her again. And, uh, maybe next trip we'll
Leslie: see. That's cool.
Well thank you for doing that, Timothy, 'cause I know that's also travel on your end to hop on a plane and come and speak, so we certainly appreciate it. That's not a problem. All right, well we are very excited today. Our guest is again, a longtime speaker for Leader Dog and is here to share a little bit of his story with us.
Christina: Yes, Dr. Jesse Bollinger was born with hydrocephalus, also known as water on the brain that resulted in being legally blind. Therefore, his future was uncertain. But Dr. Bollinger has persevered and now holds a PhD in public service leadership with a concentration in nonprofit organization management, and is in the process of starting a new nonprofit.
He lives in Iowa with his daughters and leader dog Burley.
Timothy: Welcome to the podcast. We're glad that you're here. Do you mind tell us about your vision loss and how it has affected your life?
Jesse: Yeah, sure. Absolutely. So I was born with, uh, optic nerve atrophy [00:04:00] as a result of the hydrocephalus, and interestingly enough, and unlike most of the people that I.
Met when I was younger. I've been blessed to have a lot of resources and a lot of connection since a very early age, so I've never really known a time where there was something I couldn't do. I was very fortunate to be born to two parents that let me attempt anything I wanted. Obviously within reason, and you had a very good early life and, and was surrounded with people that were extremely supportive.
So, uh, you know, and as, as technology has evolved, so has, uh, the ability to try new things and continue to, you know, the way things get done.
Timothy: Well, Jesse, uh, how did you decide to get a guide dog from Leader? It was right
Jesse: for you. Sure. You know, I always knew, I think in middle and high school is when I first became aware of, or fully aware [00:05:00] of the potential of guide dogs.
And I felt like there'd become a point in life where maybe it would be right, but I didn't have enough information. And when I did my, uh, first visit to the Graceland University campus, uh, where I subsequently got my undergraduate degree, The, uh, the Disability Service Office had me meet with a couple of legally blind students, and one of them was a leader dog user.
And that was neat. I was good to chat with her. But when I got to campus, uh, as a student, I was extremely lost. And so I called her and I said, if you, if you can't teach me my way around campus, uh, nobody can. I. Because there's so many entrances and exits and different things to these buildings, uh, that I need you to help me get straightened out here.
And so, so I watched her work, her dog. And then when I moved off campus, [00:06:00] uh, even though I lived right across the street, it was a fairly. Odd street crossing. And, and that's kind of what made the decision. And I didn't initially apply to Leader Dog. I, I had applied to another school, received a not so favorable decision, you know, it wasn't, it wasn't a good fit.
I wasn't a fit for them, they weren't a fit for me. And then I came to Leader Dog. And had a really great experience right off the bat, and I've come back ever since.
Leslie: Well, thank goodness we're very happy that you, it ended up that you came to our campus and were at Leader Dog. Yes. I wanna go back just a little bit.
You were mentioning, uh, you know, your parents were super supportive or supportive and family, and you had a lot of resources and things like that. What are some of the things, are there any examples of, you know, like resources or early intervention that you feel like played a key role in your success?
Jesse: Sure. So early intervention was absolutely key, and the [00:07:00] earliest intervention really was the local area education agency, and. Anybody that that ever talks to my dad about this, uh, dad will say that he really wasn't aware of, of what they were doing or, or why they were there or how they got there. As I, and as I understand it, uh, I don't know how that connection even really got made, uh, but it's a connection that, that he especially would continue and, and say, uh, how thankful he was for it and how much that relationship helped.
And it was, it was, you know, I was. Maybe 14, 15, 16 months old, somewhere in there. Mm-hmm. And, and they would come in and do very basic things, speech therapy, some occupational therapy, uh, various different things. And, and then eventually as I got older, would pair me with an orientation and mobility teacher.
Uh, I can't recall her name, but she had a guide dog. Uh, [00:08:00] So I do remember that. Uh, and then of course that led to, to technology. I. And, and one of the technologies, uh, very early on, uh, sometime in the mid eighties was an Apple computer, uh, with the good old floppy desk. And, uh, the first, the first text to speech program I used, uh, was called Becks.
And it actually took two of the, what is it? Five and a quarter inch floppies. It took two of them to load that. And, uh, you know, that moved into. Uh, by this point, you know, relationships with the Creston Lions Club, uh, that, that eventually led to my first C C T V, a little black and white thing. Mm-hmm. And, but, but it was the greatest thing in the world because I could, I could read and, you know, I had one at school, but then to be able to go home and do things was great.
And, and then, uh, eventually my family became one of the [00:09:00] first families in our area to have internet at home. Uh, and, and to live out in the country and have internet, that was a big deal. So, uh, lots, lots of technology and lots of early networking, uh, a lot of political advocacy and, and things like that.
So it, it all connected.
Christina: Yeah. That is amazing. And I know you've, you've talked about so much technology even so young for you. So how have you seen the technology evolve and what are some things you use
Jesse: now? Sure it there, the technology has has, I mean, it's changed significantly even in the, even in the C C T V world.
Something as simple as going from black and white to color was a huge jump. I didn't realize how much having a color screen. Or even a larger screen would make a difference. And I'll never forget going down, [00:10:00] uh, from, from Orient, uh, where I went to grades, uh, elementary and middle school down to Creston to look at a color C C T V that a student no longer needed.
That was amazing. I mean, it was life-changing to have color, let alone that bigger monitor, I never would have imagined. That between middle school and my senior year of high school, that we would go from a C C T V to a head-mounted display that would let me sit in the classroom and read the marker board.
That was an amazing jump. And to have that device actually double then as a C C T V was pretty awesome. Uh, and that was the Jordy, uh, And I, and I can't think I wasn't, it wasn't human where I think it was enhanced vision systems.
Leslie: Do you mind really quickly just explaining what A C C T V is for those who don't
Jesse: know?
Yeah, sure. So the way, [00:11:00] the way I've always explained it is that it's a video camera hooked to a TV screen that then magnifies. Whatever it's looking at.
Leslie: Yeah, and they're pretty cool, like you're saying, you know, nowadays they have so many different settings and you can invert and change the colors. Um, you can change the speed or rate of which it's reading something to you.
I mean, it really is just a wonderful resource that now I think maybe is a little more low tech in comparison to some of the other things that are out there. But it's, it's such a great thing. We have a couple of 'em. On campus at Leader Dog for clients who, when they come, you know, and they're stating for training if they need to use that are available, but it is really cool technology.
Jesse: It is. And you mentioned the, the speech. I didn't have speech in a cctv Oh my gosh. Until probably about five years ago. Wow. And I still keep that unit around. I was gonna get rid of it once and everybody said, no, keep it.
Leslie: Sometimes you never know when you're gonna need it. And the size of them has.
Completely changed. You know, they used to be and still [00:12:00] can be really large, um, and take up a lot of space. And now, you know, with technology it's, it's incredible what has come and gone in the last couple years and I can't imagine from your experience,
Jesse: you know, one of the most amazing things is to be able to have a head mounted.
So I, I'm almost a hundred percent head mounted now as far as my magnification tech. And to be able to pair that with a leader dog. One, it takes a lot of skill, but it's wonderful now to be able to have the assistance of a guide, but then also because I do have some functional vision, to be able to be in a store and have the visual ability to actually, to see what I'm looking at, it helps with shopping.
It helps with, you know, some way finding in a, in a way, uh, you know, still, still need to give the dog directions and get around obstacles, but to look at signage and that sort of thing. Uh, it's extremely helpful.
Leslie: Absolutely. Can you explain a little bit more to what you mean? So what is it that you're wearing and exactly what [00:13:00] does it do?
Jesse: So what I'm in now is I'm in an e site four. Mm-hmm. Uh, which the e site, uh, e site's a company in Canada. And so this is, uh, a single, single high definition camera, two high definition screens, uh, in a extremely lightweight headset. That, uh, allows for changes in magnification and contrast right on the headset.
And then you can hook it into a tv. You can do other things with it that I don't do typically. And, uh, eSight has been an extremely progressive company, uh, and I'm excited to see kinda what they come out with next. And the, the neat part with them is they are really on a drive to bring the cost down. Uh, their original unit cost $15,000 when I got into East Side, and now we're under five.
Leslie: Wow. That is a drastic change. It's so crazy. Technology, you know, it's, it's [00:14:00] not for everybody, but finding something that works for you in the impact it can have on your daily life is so exciting. And you're right, like this is only still just the beginning. What you've seen in your lifetime has been. Huge.
Uh, and now technology is growing even faster. I know that there's like a rate of something. Yeah. But like it's insane. Uh, yeah,
Christina: it is insane. So you've talked about a lot of the technology you used, but we also talked about in your intro that you're actually starting a new nonprofit. 'cause you tell us a little bit about that.
Jesse: Sure. So the new nonprofit is Future Education, vocation, employment Resources, or Fever, as we call it for short. And the goal of Fever is to provide employment services in local areas as well as nonprofit education to middle and high school kids and, and coaching services for small and mid-sized nonprofits, especially, uh, nonprofit startups.[00:15:00]
I have, I've done consulting for the last several years. And, uh, I've become heavily involved in the workforce system here in Iowa over the last year or two. And the things have, have come about that have, have kind of caused me to go back to an original idea about starting another nonprofit. And so we're just getting to the point where we're putting the board together, you know, working through some initial funding, kind of finding what other gaps might exist in our design.
And hoping to, to move into providing services. Yet this year, uh, it was an organization that got put together quicker than normal, uh, because of some funding opportunities. And my real hope is that, that this year, uh, we'll start to provide some employment services. [00:16:00] Uh, and then next year, hopefully move into the education piece for middle and high school students, because that's one of the things, there's two things that I've found aren't taught in public schools, uh, at least not taught well.
And, and those two things are aviation and nonprofits. Uh, And I think that learning about nonprofits in high, middle and high school could be very valuable to expanding the workforce in the sector.
Leslie: Very interesting. So this is kind of for all students, right? Not specifically for anybody who's blind or visually impaired,
Jesse: right?
Absolutely. And you know, I think there are some huge opportunities though for, for people that are low vision blind or have other disabilities, uh, And, and because those are the folks that I, that I talk to, that, that are somewhat uncertain about work. And so if we can combine that work piece with the nonprofit piece, I, I think we could really get a lot of work done.
Christina: That is awesome. [00:17:00] Really
Leslie: cool.
Timothy: That's really cool. Jesse, do you mind, tell us how you became a speaker for Leader Dog? Uh, it's been a pleasure for me doing it for Leader Dog, but how did it, how did you get involved in it?
Jesse: Sure. So I think it happened by accident, actually. I think it happened by accident. Um, when I came out for dog number three.
I had two things that I wanted to do while I was there. Uh, one is I wanted to, to spend some time visiting with my friend Melissa Weiss. Uh, I I can't get enough Melissa Weiss time.
Leslie: I feel like everybody feels that way. Yes. Right, right.
Jesse: Absolutely. That, that is a common, that is a common thread amongst leader dogs.
And, and so I, so I wanted some Melissa Weiss time and I wanted to meet Sue Daniels. Mm-hmm. And. I didn't tell anybody this until I saw Melissa and she said, well, uh, as I recall, she said, well, I think you're on Sue's list as well. [00:18:00] And so what I, what I kind of said to both of them was, I want, I want to get more involved with Leader Dog.
I want to give something back. And so I ended up on the philanthropy committee. Mm-hmm. And then a couple things happened. I found out that we had an in-person philanthropy meeting at Leader Dog. Uh, and so I actually came out to Michigan. I spent a couple of days with the philanthropy team, did the meeting, uh, and then stayed actually for Alliance visit.
And so did some speaking. And, and then at that point, uh, somebody, uh, Leslie, it might've been you, uh, Just said, Hey, would you be interested in doing this? And so I've done a couple of, uh, of things here in Iowa and then, uh, you know, kind of, kind of gotten asked to do, I think we're headed to Minnesota in January.
Uh, and then, uh, there's some interest in Michigan, uh, actually within my [00:19:00] Lions district. Uh, which I know we want to talk about, uh, about maybe doing some things for the district convention, but obviously that's all kind of in the works right now. So, uh, Just by being around Really.
Leslie: Yeah. I mean, we can never have too many stories.
Right. And experiences and you guys both being willing to share your personal experiences about Leader Dog has been incredible because, you know, Christina and I can talk to our blue in the face, but nobody really wants to hear our stories. We don't have anything that's, you know, relevant. So when people can hear from clients who have been through the programs, who the, you know, your lives have been impacted in a such a positive way, that's really how we, we sell, if you will, leader Dog to everybody, right?
Like we want to bring in more clients, we want more client clients', lives to be changed and impacted by what we can provide. We want people to donate and volunteer and really just get involved with our mission so that we can do more work. Yeah. So you guys are a huge piece of that and we certainly really appreciate you doing that [00:20:00] and taking the time outta your day to do it.
It,
Jesse: it's a lot of fun and I've met a lot of interesting people and it's fun to be able to run into the same people, uh, at different events, which is starting to happen for
Leslie: me. Absolutely, you certainly kind of get to know so many different people and, and I love that you said you love spending, wanted to spend more time with Melissa Weiss.
I think we all feel that way and Sue Daniels too. Like we have an incredible leadership team at Leader Dog. Um, and so anytime you can spend more time with them and kind of absorb their knowledge is great. But, and I'm sure Melissa Weiss has been a great resource for you as you're starting kind of your own nonprofit.
I know she really likes to assist and kinda help and provide that kind of support.
Jesse: Yeah, absolutely. You know, she's just been an all around resources I've, as I've grown in philanthropy and, and been involved in other fundraising projects. Uh, you know, the other thing I I wanna mention too, is being able to introduce others to volunteering and being involved with Leader Dog.[00:21:00]
Uh, you know, you make a lot of connections every time you're in class, and, and one of the connections that I made is, uh, my friend William Miller. Uh, that actually lives, lives really close to Leader Dog and he now, uh, Volunteers for Leader Dog, uh, and hangs out with the, uh, Corvette set. Yes, yes, he does.
And, and so, so it's been great to, to, you know, to follow him and, and, and hear He's had all sorts of stories from that. So, uh, never thought I'd be able to bring in. Uh, you know, another friend to, to, uh, get involved and go out and do some really cool things.
Christina: Yeah. It's absolutely amazing to hear how people get involved and how people make connections.
It's like its own little world. Mm-hmm. Um, because someone ends up knowing somebody who knew somebody and it's, it's so great to hear. So that's awesome to hear, Jesse, and thank you so much for your work and outreach and we couldn't do what we do without you guys.
Leslie: Absolutely. And real quick though, so you've been to Leader Dog, how many times?
'cause you, you have Leader [00:22:00] Dog Burley right now, but
Jesse: Right. So Dog three. Oh my gosh. Okay. Three trips for that. And then, uh, I also did, uh, the Trekker training. Oh my gosh. Um, in 2006.
Leslie: Yeah. So we used to do, uh, like a G P S training. And so the tracker, it was probably just the straight tracker, right? Not trucker Breeze.
It
Jesse: was, it was the straight
Leslie: tracker. Yeah. So the Reer had, what was it, 39 buttons? Yes. I think it was 39 buttons. And it was basically like a, was it Blackberry with like a overlay on the screen? Kind of. And it was a
Jesse: pocket, so it was a pocket pc, uh, that had the braille overlay. Uh, and then of course you had the speaker and the external G P s.
Leslie: Wow. It sounds funny now.
Timothy: It does. Yeah, it does. Thank God there's not that many buttons on the line.
Leslie: And they were tiny buttons. Like they were really small. So you had to have like really? Yeah, like you really have to precise and I mean, and I'm just saying this, I didn't ever [00:23:00] actually have to, uh, learn that device.
By the time I was coming through school, it was the trekker breeze, which was only nine buttons. And I'm told is much easier to use. But we used to do this training. Our o and m team would bring clients in who wanted to learn how to use the, the T tracker, this g p s device. Um, and they'd kind of do, was it like a week long class, Jessie?
Jesse: Hmm. Yeah. I think you're right. I think it was,
Leslie: yeah. And so people would come and learn and this was a hard device. Yeah. 34 buttons. 39. 39. I'm sorry. Those extra five need credit.
Christina: But
Jesse: also, This was back in the day when they used to do the, uh, when they were still doing the mystery tour, uh, with, with the dogs.
Mm-hmm. That's at least what I know it by. Yeah. We, we did a mystery tour of our own with the G p s. Mm-hmm. And they would take us out in the middle of a cemetery. Oh my gosh.
Leslie: Oh my God. We call it a drop off lesson, but I like mystery tour better.
Christina: Yeah.
Jesse: Mystery tour. Yeah. I've always already [00:24:00] called mystery tour and we had to find our way out of the cemetery.
Christina: I mean, they're dropping you off in a cemetery. You might be finding some mysteries though. That's true. Like
Leslie: man, so, but then you used the device and you navigated and you found your way. Independently, right? Yes. I really wanna know who chose a cemetery Well, because it's out in the middle. That's because then you have to like get your way out of, so you have to kind of be just like, uh, as the crow flies directions or open area travel.
Oh, so you're incorporating like two sides of the g p s? 'cause the g p s has pedestrian mode, or I'm sorry, it has open area and then it has like kind of a streets stuff. Oh, okay. I could get into some nitty gritty, but we won't. And
Jesse: it would, you would hear it switch and it was very. The, the other thing for me as, as somebody that has some functional vision and that uses technology, I had to, I'm used to visual menus.
Mm mm-hmm. And so not being able to see the menus, that was a huge transition for me. Yeah. Absolutely. Was to kind of think, okay, this is how this would look [00:25:00] on a computer. It was, It was, it was a transition, but it was a great device to have for a long time. And of course now everything's on our phones and, uh, but, but I think there's still a place for these kinds of devices.
Yeah,
Leslie: there's a lot of perks to 'em, but it is interesting. So for anybody who doesn't know about the, any of these G P Ss devices, they don't have any screen, like Jesse was just saying. It's all, you know, buttons and then you have to listen. Um, to the audio or verbal descriptions and things like that. So these devices are specifically made for people who are blind or visually impaired.
Yeah. Um, so for somebody who's been looking at a screen for so long to take that away, it's absolutely a new way to absorb information. So I can imagine that was, you know, a little startling, if you will, or challenging to get going. It was different. And now look at you. Now you're wearing like this eSight and using that in conjunction with your dog.
I mean, that's, that's really some very cool travel. Yeah. Yes,
Jesse: absolutely. Oh my goodness. Absolutely. You know, and, and all [00:26:00] along, uh, that I've, that I've done all of these things I, I've always given. My Lions Club updates and Lions clubs and every, you know, when I lived in Decatur County, I would, you know, I would talk to their clubs and just to share, uh, because there aren't a lot of people that are low vision or blind in my area.
And, and there's even fewer dog users. I think I might be the only leader, dog user, uh, probably within a 70 to 80 mile radius right now. Mm-hmm. Uh, that I'm aware of. So it doesn't happen. I don't see a lot of 'em around here.
Leslie: Yeah, absolutely. Well, we certainly appreciate you spreading the mission and getting out there and sharing your personal story and just all the work you're doing in general.
So thank you for all of that. And thank you for joining us today on this podcast. Absolutely. And thank you so much to our listeners for listening to the Taking the Lead podcast. I'm Leslie Hoskins with host Timothy Kno and Christina Hapner. We hope you enjoyed hearing from Jesse and all the really cool work that he's doing.[00:27:00]
Please join us next time as we continue to dive into the world of blindness. Yes. And if you'd like
Christina: to learn more about applying to our free services, donating or volunteering your time at Leader Dog, you can head to leader dog.org. Or call us at (888) 777-5332. And don't forget, you can reach us at taking the lead@leaderdog.org with any questions or ideas.
If you like today's podcast, make sure to hit subscribe and check us out wherever Podcast Stream.