Christina: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Taking the Lead podcast where we empower people to be unstoppable. I'm Christina Hepner with my co-host Leslie Haskins in Timothy Kuo. I can't believe this is our last podcast of the year. What?
Timothy: A year It is flown by so fast.
Christina: I
Leslie: know. That's crazy you guys. That's crazy. We've put a lot of time into this.
Yes. That's podcast of 2022. This was the year we started.
Timothy: Every podcast has been enjoyable. I want to thank all the guests and it's been a very interesting year, learning new stuff about Leader Dog and our clients and getting to know our clients and everybody has a different story.
Brook: I
Christina: know. It's amazing to hear in, I feel like we are never gonna run out of topics, which is
Brook: great.
Leslie: Yeah. Because people just keep sending them to us
Christina: and, um, So I'm excited for the new year, but I think, you know, it's time to really reflect and like be happy of all we've, we've accomplished this year with the [00:01:00] podcast and launching it and. . Yeah. Sometimes it was
Leslie: stressful, some, but it's always
Christina: so fun to sit
Leslie: and chat.
Yeah. And we're continuously getting some positive feedback and that people are learning things each episode, you know, learning a little bit more about blindness, learning a little bit more about our client's stories and all of the things that they're doing in the world. Um, so it's just been a great platform for us to educate and advocate.
Christina: Yeah. And Leslie, I mean, you were telling us a little earlier about, um, we did a Facebook Live for one of our events, so, Another great learning opportunity. Yes. If you wanna
Leslie: tell us about that. Yes. I was sharing this morning, uh, with uh, Timothy and Christina here about my parents. I got to see my parents this weekend, which was really nice.
And they had watched Christina and i's Facebook Live, uh, laid up Leader Dog the other week, and my dad in the Facebook Live. I'm talking about Yeah. Our clients are here on campus. Hopefully they get an opportunity to come out, look at all the lights, see what all we've got going on. . [00:02:00] My dad later, he was like, I just don't understand why, you know, you're saying look and see and stuff like people are blind.
And I was like, okay. I'm like, well first of all dad, like most people who are legally blind do still have some remaining vision. So it is appropriate to say, look or see. Um, But otherwise, like those are words and I think that's like kind of one of those myths or fears that people have when talking to somebody who's blind or visually impaired that they can't see, um, or you know, that they can't see.
So you can't say the word see or look, but Timothy, I'm just curious, what is your perspective on
Timothy: that? Well, you know, I have some. Partial sites. So I'm one of those people who do so, uh, all the time I get, you know, out in the public, you know, I saw you move or something, you can't be really blind. Yes, I am.
I'm legally blind. I have 2% vision in my right eye. So yeah. While you guys are doing the Facebook Live, I was watching you on my phone, so. Not everybody is totally blind. I think the percentages are what, 15 to 10% that are totally blind. I, I, mm-hmm. . I might be wrong there, but, [00:03:00] um, so a lot of us do have some sight and if somebody says something, uh, I don't, wouldn't take offense cuz you know, normal people say, look at that.
See that? That's just normal. They're not gonna be, you know, on cue all the time. Might think that you may not be able to see it or not, but it doesn't bother me at all if somebody says, oh, look over there or see that. And, uh, I don't think most blind people would be offended by
Christina: that. Yeah. And I think too, when our clients are on campus, a lot of the times they're saying it to us too,
Leslie: like, it's so good to
Christina: see you, or, yeah.
That sort of stuff. So I think it's just a, it's a normal conversation and I think if you are tiptoeing around those words, that's gonna. It might make somebody feel more uncomfortable. Of course. Um, yeah, I,
Timothy: it would make me feel awkward if somebody was trying to tiptoe around it, because then it would bring it out in the open.
You know what I'm saying? Just treat us normal. Yeah. Just treat us normal and talk to us normal. Yeah,
Leslie: absolutely. I just thought it was really funny, right? Like I talk about, you know, my job all the time, my dad hears me and stuff, and so he [00:04:00] was just genuinely curious, like wanting to learn more, and I just think that's really cool.
Like it's opening. So many conversations. I know my family has learned a lot. I bought my family all the podcast shirts for Christmas, so did I. , no, everybody is getting well educated on things, but I just thought, you know what? He hears me talk about it all the time and he still has questions of course.
And that's so appropriate and I was really glad that he asked about it. Yeah, and I also think this
Christina: is just such a great platform because we can openly talk about things that people might be afraid to ask or talk about. And I know for me, you know, I can ask those questions that I'm still curious about.
Don't have a degree in the field, or, you know, I am not blind or visually impaired. So for me, I still have those questions and I, I love to be able to ask you Timothy and Leslie, you know, get your expertise on things. Absolutely.
Timothy: Well, if you ask questions, that means you're, you're really, uh, into it and you wanna know the answer.
And that makes me feel like you're interested in me. So don't be bothered if you want to ask questions to a [00:05:00] blind person, because that means you're interested in what their life is like and sometimes, you know, it's a good thing to
Leslie: do. Absolutely. Absolutely. And now we are wrapping up the end of the year 2022, our first year of taking the lead, and we have an amazing guest to wrap it up with us.
So today's guest has attended all three of our Leader Dog programs and has continued to be an incredible ambassador for Leader Dog. Brooke Coleman is
Christina: a sophomore in college and living in Virginia. She's majoring in political science and double minoring in writing, along with human rights and conflict resolution.
Brooke hopes to someday complete grad school and possibly have a career in activism with a focus on disability rights. She's living with a retinitis pigmentosa and first found leader dog through summer experience camp, but proceeded to participate in orientation and mobility, virtual summer experience camp, and finally guide guide dog training where she met Sampson.[00:06:00]
Timothy: Brooke, welcome to the podcast. It's great to have you here. Do you mind telling us a little bit about your life and what you do and your hobbies and stuff like that?
Brook: Hi, absolutely. I'm Brooke. I'm a sophomore in college where I'm part of the Disabled Student Union there. And along with the Creative Writing Club, which I love both of those clubs, they're so amazing to be a part of.
Um, I got my guide dog Sampson. I've had him for two years now. Uh, but I've been part of Leader Dog for coming up on four years, which is insane to think about, and I'm very excited to join you all today. Thank you so much for having me. Yes. It's so
Christina: great to have you. Now I have to ask right away, you got your guide dog two years ago.
So you've had your guide dog on a college campus.
Brook: What is that like? Yes. Oh, it is amazing. I love having him there. He has helped me, you know, no pun intended. Navigate life, so well. Um, he, I go to a very small college, so he is like a little superstar there. Everybody knows who he is. I walked into a restaurant like off campus one time, and there were these people, [00:07:00] I guess, who went to my school and they were just sitting at the table right there, and they were like, Samson.
So you know, everybody knows who he is and everybody knows who I am now.
Leslie: little bit of a local celebrity. I like it. Oh yeah, . So let's take it back just a little bit because you have been with Leader Dog seriously for four years, which is crazy. I met you. Yes. When you first came to Leader Dog as a camper.
Can you tell us a little bit about, you know, growing up with RP or when you were diagnosed? Give us a little history on.
Brook: Yeah, of course. Um, I was diagnosed when I was seven years old. Um, it was definitely pretty rough coming to terms with it. At such a young age. I didn't know anything about vision impairments.
I didn't know anything about blindness, so the only thing that I really knew was that it made me. Different from everyone else. My age, I was pretty stubborn. I didn't wanna ask for help, I didn't wanna use my cane. You know, I knew that it made me stand out and I hated that. Uh, so I was very stubborn about my vision impairment and honestly, that didn't [00:08:00] change until I went to Leader Dog and I went to summer experience camp and I went to the orientation and mobility training.
And that's really when I first started, like coming to terms with everything.
Timothy: Yeah, that first step of coming terms with your blindness or your visual impairment, I had the same problems. Mm-hmm. and I think it's just normal for all of us, cuz you and I wanna be normal. We wanna, we wanna put that off as much as possible.
Well, how was your family's reaction when you, you were diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa?
Brook: I'm pretty lucky because my mom is a special education teacher in the county that I grew up in, so I was able to have her there. Sort of walk me through all the ins and outs of the IEPs and accommodations and everything.
Uh, outside of my mom, everybody in my family. You know, pretty supportive. It was definitely an adjustment and a learning process for everybody, and you know, it still is, it's a continuous learning process, but I'm pretty lucky to have the support that I did. My sister, she is a year and a half younger than I am, and she is, she was like 100% [00:09:00] all there for it, even when she was five or six when I was diagnosed.
You know, she was helping guide me around the house, helping me, guide me around stores really just there for me, whatever I need. So I'm very lucky to have her in my life. And
Leslie: did anybody else in your family history have any visual conditions or anything like that? Any rp?
Brook: Uh, not that we know of. That's the crazy part about it.
Mm-hmm. , because I feel like everybody that I talked to that has RP has somebody else in their family with it. But as far as we know, I'm the only one with it.
Leslie: Interesting. So what made your parents kind of take you into the eye, doctor? Were you missing steps or running into things? It
Brook: started because when I was in, uh, preschool, we did the little eye exams and I couldn't, they had like the little sailboat up at the top.
Mm-hmm. , which was the biggest image on there, and I couldn't even see the sailboat. So that's when it started. They took me in, they got me glasses. I think, you know, everybody just kind of assumed that that was gonna be the solution and it ended up not being the solution. I was still tripping over. We had like this huge black [00:10:00] lab, uh, named Dallas and I was always tripping over Dallas constantly.
I was, you know, missing stairs. I was, uh, I would have a fork or a spoon next to my plate that I wouldn't see. And then there was this one time when we went to, this was what really turned everything around was we went to this little Christmas show. Um, and I freaked out because we had to go into this really dark tunnel.
It was a little train that we were riding on to see all the lights. And we went into this really dark tunnel and I freaked out because I couldn't see anything. And that's when my mom really knew that something was going. Wow, that's
Leslie: crazy. It's so interesting to hear everybody's story and kind of how they came to terms with it, how they recognized, um, what was that turning moment.
Um, and absolutely going through a really dark tunnel when you can't see anything as a child and not understanding that everybody else isn't seeing what you're seeing or seeing different things can be really confus.
Brook: Oh yeah, it was, I had so many conversations even before that [00:11:00] about we had like this big eagle picture at the end of our table and I remember having this conversation with my mom that she could, she would, she could look straightforward and see the eagle picture to the side, and I would look straightforward.
I was like, there's no way you can see that. That's not possible. ,
Christina: that is so interesting to hear, especially cuz you mm-hmm. , you know, as a parent, you, you have to, you know, recognize that if you know your child's sick or whatever is going on in their life, I can't even imagine having to. navigate that being like, are you sure?
You know, cuz sometimes people don't think, like we've heard it before, like they might think, oh, you're joking around or you're just mm-hmm. messing around. So that is, um, very interesting to hear your, oh yeah. Story about that. So, um, you know, growing up when you were diagnosed, did you start to use a cane right away or was that, um, a journey for
Brook: you as.
Well, I started learning how to use a cane, whether or not I used it as a different story. , . Um, I started orientation and mobility training when I was, uh, eight, like very [00:12:00] soon after I was diagnosed at seven. Pretty much the next school year, I immediately started orientation and mobility training and I started learning braille.
But it, you know, didn't take me very long to realize that an eight year old with a cane gets a lot of stairs, . So I was very, I was very self-conscious about it. I didn't wanna use it. Um, I would only use it when I absolutely had to. And even then, it was a kind of a struggle for my mom to get me to take it along with me.
So I. Actually start regularly using it until I went to Leader Dog's orientation and mobility training. So
Timothy: as a child, were you the only one in your school that was visually impaired? Did you do this on your own? In my life, I was the only one at my school that had impairments. So what was that like?
Brook: I was the only one up until my senior year of high school and there was a freshman girl who also had a vision impairment, but other than her, I went through all of school without anybody else who could, you know, relate to me on that sort of level.
Leslie: And I find that so interesting, Brooke, because knowing you, when I met you at camp, [00:13:00] uh, those four years ago, you were an instant leader at camp. You really like, you walked in, like you owned the place. You stepped right up to the challenge you were. You know, seriously. I mean that though, like we all keep talking, there's campers that just stand out and who have this natural ability to be all inclusive, that our leaders, and you were one of those kids, like you walked in and you just made everybody feel comfortable.
You made sure everybody was involved in everything. and you were very confident. And so it's, it's funny for me to hear that you didn't start even using your cane until those times because like I said, when you came into camp you were fully confident. You were such a good leader and every camper laughed feeling like you were their best friend.
And that is not easy to do.
Brook: Thank you so much. I mean, so much. You know, fake it until you make it . That's what they say. .
Christina: That is true
Leslie: But you did and then you came back. And so cuz we had you like, you're gonna be a senior counselor, like, we need Brooke back here. [00:14:00] Um, and then of course we know the world shut down and we did virtual camp. Mm-hmm. . So you still came back. Of course. And we're a leader in that capacity too, but, First of all, I just wanna thank you for making camp that year so much fun and being such a leader and such a good friend to everybody.
I think you made, thank you. People feel comfortable with being blind, right? That you can still be cool and still have fun and just be quote unquote normal if you will. I have already started thinking about my holiday shopping, and one thing on my list is getting gifts from Leader Dogs for the blind gift shop.
Christina: That's great, and guess what, you're in luck because for the month of November and December, if you use code taking the lead, you'll get free shipping. But remember, you can only use one code per order.
Leslie: This is amazing news. I am heading to leader dog.org and clicking shop right now.
Christina: Brooke, how did you find out then about like summer camp and Leader Dog and all
Brook: of that? . Um, I [00:15:00] found out because I, so I've wanted a guide dog ever since I was very young, ever since I found out what a guide dog was. And when I turned 16, my orientation and mobility instructor back at home, she started looking at Guide dog schools and just trying to see what all was out there for me.
We would look together and one day she came in and she told me about Leader Dog Summer Experience Camp and was like, I think this would be a great opportunity for you. We looked through all the activities. I was like, this looks amazing. I wanna. Right now. So I applied and you know, the rest is history.
Very cool. That's awesome.
Timothy: So, Brooke, if there's a parent out there that's got a child with a visual impairment, how can you tell 'em how impactful going to that summer camp did for you?
Brook: Oh yeah, it's, it was, So amazing. I can hardly even put it into words. I got so many, I had so many different opportunities there that I never would've had if it wasn't for Leader Dog.
You know, we got to go tandem biking, we got to go zip lining, and we even got to work with an actual guide dog for about a [00:16:00] half of a day and. That was what really sold it for me was when I grabbed onto that dog's harness. I was like, this is amazing. This is a completely different life. And even outside of that, the people that I met, the friends that I made, they have really changed my life so completely, and I actually still keep in touch with some of them today.
I was talking with some of them last night, so it's crazy because I'd never really had that support system around me of people who could relate to me on something as. Impactful as a vision impairment as a disability, and being able to find people around me who could support me and who I could talk to and who could relate to me on that sort of level was just life changing.
I'm holding
Leslie: it together here.
I like to see Leslie like holding her heart like, oh my gosh, . I just like that is truly why we do what we do. And that is what I say all the time about camp is like our biggest, I cry . Our biggest goal is to make [00:17:00] connections and for kids to meet other kids going through the same thing. And like the thing I always say is that if a camper leaves with a phone number, of somebody that they can call and say, you know what, today sucked.
And the other person on the line's gonna say, you know what, I get it, but tomorrow's gonna be better. Mm-hmm. , I mean, that is why we do what we do. So I am delighted to hear that you're still in contact with so many people. Oh yeah. Um, and that it was, um, a big week for you.
Brook: Aw. Oh yeah. We even did like a little Zoom reunion last year.
Over the summer for the, what was it, I guess like two year anniversary, um, of Leader Dog. We all did like a big zoom and we all got to talk to each other again, and it was amazing. Oh my gosh.
Christina: Leslie is losing it over here. I you, the more you talk, she just about to start crying more. But that is, that is so amazing because, you know, Like you said, you didn't know anyone in your school until your senior year.
So to have mm-hmm. connections and people to walk through life with is amazing. So you came to summer camp then. [00:18:00] How long, um, did it take for you to come back and do orientation? Did you come back and do orientation and mobility then?
Brook: I did okay. It, it took absolutely no time at all. . Um, I think about a week or so after I got back from summer camp, I think Leslie, I think you sent out an email, um, asking if anybody was interested in o and m training, and I responded immediately.
So I was back, I think, the next month for o and m. That's
Christina: awesome. So then, you know, you came back for o and m. Did you get your guide dog before you went off to college or when did that?
Brook: Yes I did. I got him, um, on Halloween of my senior year actually. . Oh my gosh.
Christina: That's amazing. So Brooke, you came for o and m and then what was it like for you to get your guide dog when you were a senior in high school and transitioning back to school
Brook: life?
Uh, it was definitely very different because it was already gonna be a different experience. Cause I got him during covid, so everything was already sort of out of whack and [00:19:00] nothing was really normal. It was already a very different experience. I'm pretty lucky because for the most part, my peers and teachers were very respectful of him.
You know, there's always gonna be the people who have something to say, who have an opinion on your life and you know, you can choose whether or not to listen to them. I decided not to. Uh, you definitely have to be very stern about the rules with him, especially around teenagers because you know, high school is 14 to 18, so there are some 14 year olds out there.
Really wanted to come up in Pet Sampson or wanted to say something to Sampson. Didn't really know like the ins and outs of service animals and so you gotta be really strict with, with some people. But for the most part it was, it was definitely a very good experience.
Christina: That is awesome. And that's a great, because I know you, you're in college now and you have 'em in college, so many, that was kind of like a little crash course to test out the senior year to see how it would all go.
Oh. . And so, I mean, it was also an educating piece for you too, to be able to educate your peers on, [00:20:00] you know, how a guide dog works or a service dog in general, and not to pet the dog and all of that. Um, so what was that like transitioning then from high school to college? Because high school, I know, you know, you're probably not traveling throughout a big campus like that.
So
Brook: what was that like? Uh, for the most part it actually went pretty smoothly. , absolutely loved going to college for the freedom. I grew up in a very rural town where there really isn't much to do around here. So being able to move to college and have an opportunity to really see what Sampson can do and let him prove his training and everything was absolutely amazing.
He was able to navigate me through. This big campus to all of my classes. Like he memorizes my classes within the first week. I think he probably knows where my classes are before I do , which is crazy because I never, like, I always knew that service animals were like amazing. Guide dogs are amazing. They know how to navigate so well.
But I never [00:21:00] really knew the. Length of what he could do until I got to college and got to test all that out and we got to, I got to push him a little bit. He pushed me a little bit and it was just absolutely amazing. I love him with my entire heart . Yeah.
Christina: So are you on, um, are you like living in a dorm or are you off campus?
What is that like living situation with a guide dog?
Brook: Yeah, I, um, at my school, they actually require you to live in the dorm for three years. So I'm in a dorm with four other people, and I'm very lucky with the people that I ended up living with because they're all amazing. They all love Samson. Samson loves all of them, so, oh my gosh, how
Leslie: fun.
That would've been so nice to have a dog in, in just a round, like, like Yeah. Animals are proven to reduce stress. That's why at Leader Dog you can bring your, um, personal dog to work because that is a proven. That they're stress relievers. So just to have a dog, a furry friend around. How nice. And that's so good.
Oh yeah. That everybody is respectful and you know, understand [00:22:00] Sampson's rules. Mm-hmm. , I wanna talk a little bit about some of the groups that you said you're a part of on campus. How did you get to be a part of those groups? What do you do? I know advocacy is such a big deal with service animals right now.
What are you guys kind of working towards? Yeah.
Brook: Um, one of those groups, uh, is a very new one, the Disabled Student Union. That one was actually just created this semester. One of my friends that I met last year decided that they wanted to start up this. Organization of this club where other disabled students could come and feel comfortable.
And we really just try to advocate for accessibility on campus because you know, my school does a very good job at it, but there's always things that can be fixed. And we started realizing that and. , we realized that, you know, co going to the president or the vice president or the disabilities office as an, as a group, as an organization, packs such a stronger punch than just one person going and saying this.
So we started this organization, [00:23:00] organization where we can email or go to the president, vice president, whoever, to sort of advocate for accommodations and for accessibility. Have it pack the stronger punch, cuz we're going to them, you know, as a group, as a disabled student union. So it's amazing. And then we also have occasional meetings where we can just find this little community for ourselves on campus of other people who can relate to each other.
Leslie: That's incredible. I, sorry, I didn't know if Timothy was gonna say something. I was trying to give a break.
Timothy: Well, you know, when you got a lot of people together, a lot of things can change and that's great that you're doing all this in school and stuff. Mm-hmm. , I, I, I don't know how you find your time doing that while you're doing your studies and stuff, but I give you all the kudos.
Leslie: Thank you, . Yeah, I absolutely love that. I think what you said packs a punch of just having a group and to go together and to advocate for one another because what we talk about all the time, and what I find so interesting is that, . [00:24:00] Every person needs something different, whether that be their blind or their need, you know, wheelchair access, whatever it is, nobody's all the same, so, mm-hmm , each person who you meet is blind or visually impaired, is gonna need different accommodations.
So it's great to just have a wide representation of, you know, people with disabilities, what they need, what they don't need, and how to have those open conversations, I think is probably the biggest thing that we can all learn and take away is, Ask somebody, what can you do? How can I help? What mm-hmm. , you know, accommodations can we make.
And I just love that you're already a part of this group. I think that's amazing.
Brook: Yep. . Thank you, .
Leslie: And so now you're doing all of these things. You've got Sampson, what is, what is the future for Brooke Coleman? .
Brook: You know, I'm really hoping to just go to grad school and find a job in, uh, activism. I am looking at internships in Washington, DC for over the summer, trying to find something in activism, in public policy where I [00:25:00] can, you know, just find other people like myself, help other people like myself and, you know, give them that extra little push that they sometimes need in government and public policy to get these, uh, um, Get, get this stuff passed that is gonna help other disabled people.
That is
Leslie: amazing.
Timothy: Who knows? Leslie and Christina. We might have a future senator on here. .
Brook: Serious.
Christina: Well, and it sounds like you and Sampson are gonna have a lot of. Exciting journeys. Z.
Brook: Mm-hmm. . I'm excited for the future, especially with Sampson.
Leslie: Brooke, you got me. I mean, you are just killing me. I'm so happy.
I'm just so happy to hear all the things that you're doing. I'm not surprised, like even the slightest bit to hear all of your accomplishments. Um, but I wanna thank you for joining us today. I wanna thank you for being that person that people, I'm sure pick up the phone and call you and talk to you. Just being the voice and the advocate on the other lines here.
So that's a really important role and you are a natural leader and I'm [00:26:00] just so excited to see what you do and accomplish in
the
Brook: future. , thank you so much for having me. I really enjoyed getting on here. Thank you so much for giving this platform to, you know, other blind people to be able to get our word out there.
Leslie: Absolutely. And thank you, of course. To our listeners for listening to the Taking the Lead podcast. I'm Leslie Hoskins with host Timothy Kuo and Christina Hoeppner. We hope you enjoyed learning about all of the amazing and incredible things that Brooke is. And please join us next week as we continue to learn and dive into the world of blindness.
Yes. And if you'd like
Christina: to learn more about coming to Leader Dog, you can head to leader dog.org. And don't forget, you can reach us at taking the lead@leaderdog.org with any questions or ideas. And if you'd like today's podcast, make sure to hit subscribe and checks out wherever podcasts Stream.