Jaimee Kadish is a Southern California native from Santa Monica where she spent her youth playing a variety of team sports. She began her journey in movement training by attending Los Angeles County High School for the Arts where she studied classical modern dance, ballet, jazz and improvisational techniques. She pursued higher education in dance performance, completing her Bachelors in Fine Arts degree at California State University, Long Beach. After being diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a progressive eye condition, she pivoted her focus from dance performance to kinesiology and functional movement training. With a passion to deepen her knowledge of supporting young children through movement, she expanded her education, earning an Associate of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education. While developing her skills and tools as a classroom teacher, she recognized the need for movement-based education in school and program settings. She founded her new nonprofit, In-Sight Outreach to empower the visually impaired and blind community through movement literacy. After understanding the mental and physical challenges of what it means to be visually impaired, she has embraced this new identity with compassion and curiosity and aims to encourage others to continue their journeys alongside her own.

Griffin Pinkow is the founder of the Foreseeable Future Foundation, a nonprofit whose mission is to help individuals who are blind or visually impaired through sports and recreation. Griffin has run four marathons, created his own non profit organization to help the visually impaired community, and is now attempting to make the Paralympic Team in Tandem Cycling, all by the age of 30. Going from a healthy, active teenager to slowly losing his sight due to a diagnosis of Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) at age 11, Griffin has demonstrated what it means to persevere through unexpected change, and has truly made a difference in hundreds of lives others by showing them how to stay active and endure in the face of challenge. Listen as we discuss the work of FFF, tandem cycling, Griffin's entire journey, and how he's turned his own story into major impact and support for others.

Ashley Emmons has worked at Visually Impaired Preschool Services (VIPS) in Louisville, KY since August 2008.  VIPS is a non-profit organization that provides education to young children (birth to age 5) with visual impairments in both Kentucky and Indiana.  She holds many teaching certifications including Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education (IECE), Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI), and Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist (COMS). In this episode, we ask Ashley questions about all things O&M and discuss the importance of orientation and mobility services for infants and toddlers with vision impairments.  

Kathy Mullen is Director of Education at Visually Impaired Preschool Services (VIPS) in Louisville, KY. Kathy oversees the agency's education programs, including the full-time VIPS and Kids Town Preschools, toddler and infant classes, Summer Enrichment and statewide outreach services. VIPS serves as the model and inspiration for many of BEST's programs and services, and Kathy has been instrumental in helping guide us every step of the way. In this episode, we learn how VIPS got started, what has led them to the robust program they are today and where they are headed next. 

Dr. Terese Pawletko has worked with children since 1976, first as a teacher of the visually impaired, then as school and pediatric psychologist. Since 2001, Dr. Pawletko has been in private practice, evaluating children with autism spectrum disorders, visual impairments and other learning and developmental challenges. While at the Maryland School for the Blind, Dr. Pawletko and her colleagues developed the first program in the country for children with visual impairment and autism. She is considered a national expert in this area and has presented at regional, national, and international conferences, conducted evaluations of children suspected of dual diagnosis, and provided consultation to and training of parents and service providers. Listen as we discuss the challenges and history of diagnosing visually impaired children with ASD.

Paula Landry, EI-TVI, Orientation and Mobility Specialist and certified VIISA and INSITE trainer, co-founded A Shared Vision in Colorado. Today, the nonprofit is the leading provider of Early Intervention vision services in the state. Wearing many leadership hats, Paula provides operational support and mentoring for A Shared Vision's teachers.  She also leads the nonprofit's efforts to provide education and support for the broader community that serves very young children with blindness or visual impairments, including ophthalmologists, optometrists, pediatricians, agencies and hospitals. Prior to A Shared Vision, Paula worked with the Anchor Center for Blind Children as a board member, Teacher of the Visually Impaired and leader of the Infant and Parent Program.  Paula is also the proud mother to a 20-year-old daughter, Maddie, who is blind.

Sarah Barnes is the Senior Director of Youth and Employment Services at Lighthouse Louisiana in New Orleans. Sarah oversees the services and programming provided by the Youth Services Team which include those provided to children and students with visual impairments of all ages as well as transition services for students with disabilities who are in their final year of high school. She works closely with families and assists them in their efforts to advocate for their children to ensure they get the services and tools they need to succeed in school and life.