To prepare for exam season, let’s look at some techniques to help you be efficient while studying so you can be successful while juggling any additional classes, extracurriculars, employment and your personal life/mental health.

During school, it’s important to ensure you get enough sleep, take regular breaks, eat breakfast and regular meals, and stay hydrated. Also, setting goals ahead of time, starting early to avoid procrastination, planning out your week in a calendar, and studying in a place you feel comfortable in are all ways to be more successful.

There are also some specific techniques proven to increase understanding and memorization:

1. Pomodoro Technique: Break work into 25-minute focused intervals (Pomodoros), followed by a 5-minute break. After four Pomodoros, take a longer break (15–30 minutes). This will help you maintain focus and prevent you from getting burnt out.
2. Mnemonics: Use memory aids like acronyms, rhymes or imagery to help you keep up with information that’s hard to remember through understanding alone.
3. Active Recall: Instead of just reading your notes, quiz yourself on the information without looking at it.
4. Feynman Technique: Explain a concept in simple terms as if you are teaching it to someone else. If you can’t remember or something is hard to explain, revisit the material.
5. Spaced Practice: Review your notes a little bit each day over several days. This helps you remember for a longer period of time!
6. Flashcards: Create digital or physical flashcards (write questions on one side and answers on the other). This is a great strategy to incorporate into active recall and spaced practice!

By using these strategies, you’ll be setting yourself up for a more efficient and successful exam season while still having time to take care of yourself and mental wellbeing. Best of luck to all our students!

In recognition of National Disability Employment Awareness Month – an annual observance that encourages employers to hire qualified people with disabilities – BSBP collaborated with the Michigan Council for Rehabilitation Services to host the 2025 Excellence Awards ceremony on Oct. 10. This annual event recognizes and celebrates customers of vocational rehabilitation and independent living services, students receiving Pre-Employment Transition Services, and business and community partners.

This year, BSBP honored nine individuals who achieved their goals for employment or independent living after vision loss, as well as five organizations.

“These award recipients serve as admirable examples of what can be accomplished through hard work and perseverance by individuals who are visually impaired and the businesses that share our core value of inclusion,” said BSBP Director Mike Pemble.

Thank you to all who attended to celebrate and congratulations to all recipients!

What is the Youth Employment Accessible HUB?

The HUB is a one stop, informational site for young people and families to learn about employment options. The HUB offers easy-to-use guides, tools and resources to help people with disabilities find a job that fits!

At the HUB, youth and families can:

• Explore how to overcome negative messages they may have heard about employment.
• Learn how to build job and interview skills.
• Find out where to get support to land a job that fits their skills and interests.

Five youth ambassadors worked in collaboration with MiDDC's staff to create the HUB to help youth and families learn about career exploration, laws governing employment, and resources and tools to help find a career that fits each individual.

The HUB will be updated over time with more information and resources to help young people explore careers, get ready for interviews and land their first job.

Visit the website here. If you have suggestions for additional resources or tools to include on the HUB, please email Travis Chapman at ChapmanT5@michigan.gov.

It’s Lit! Financial Literacy

Pre-ETS students in central Michigan, join BSBP and Selective Case Management for a virtual and in-person program that offers financial literacy workshops and a work-based learning experience at the 2026 Michigan Transition Services Association Conference! Attendees will:

• Understand earning income and Social Security incentives
• Understand work documentation, taxes and pay stubs
• Learn to enhance employment related soft skills
• Interact with peers to improve teamwork and decision-making skills

Join one of our upcoming Zoom Informational Sessions:

• Nov. 4 at 5:30 p.m.
• Nov. 13 at 4 p.m.

The workshops will be held on the following dates:

• Feb. 07, 2026: 4:30-7 p.m. (In-person, location TBD)
• Feb. 10, 2026: 6-7:30 p.m. (Virtual)
• Feb. 12, 2026: 6-7:30 p.m. (Virtual)
• Feb. 13, 2026: 6-7:30 p.m. (Virtual)

The work experiences will take place at the DoubleTree by Hilton (Lansing, 111. N. Grand Avenue, Lansing, MI 48933) on the following dates:

• Feb. 17, 2026: 4-9 p.m.
• Feb. 18, 2026: 7 a.m.-5 p.m.

Register at https://forms.office.com/g/vnZgqrq5MM by Dec. 1. Registration does not guarantee your participation. Your BSBP counselor will connect with you following your registration.

Questions? Contact Brittany Hamilton-Reed at HamiltonReedB@michigan.gov.

Lean In!

Attention High School Graduates & College Students! Are you interested in a paid internship in 2026? Check out the Lean In! Program, a Vanward Initiative.

The program is designed, developed and facilitated by Blind and Low Vision individuals who have achieved success, and includes:

• Self-assessment
• Skills inventory
• Professional branding
• Interviewing with confidence
• Understanding the skills required to be self-employed

Each Candidate must commit to:

• Attending eight monthly training sessions
• Actively participating in workshop activities
• Working on career research and other assignments between monthly sessions

Workshops:

1. Self-Assessment and Skills Inventory (Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025)
2. Professional Branding Part One (Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025)
3. Professional Branding Part Two (Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026)
4. Interviewing with Confidence Part One (Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026)
5. Post-Secondary Education (Saturday, March 14, 2026)
6. Entrepreneurism (Saturday, April 11, 2026)
7. Interviewing with Confidence Part Two (Saturday, May 9, 2026)
8. Phase 01 Closure (Saturday, May 23, 2026)

Register for Lean In! here. 

For more detailed information visit VanwardConsulting.com/For-Candidates.

MDE-RBLV Creative Connections Family Camp

Bring your imagination to Camp Tuhsmeheta (Camp T) for this overnight adventure for Michigan families with children who are blind/low vision! This camp is designed to spark wonder and ignite creativity as you enjoy hands-on activities with your family. You will also make new friends, connect with old friends, and make lifelong memories. Each family will spend the night in their own section of one of Camp T’s cozy lodges with bunks and a designated restroom.

Location: Camp Tuhsmeheta (10500 Lincoln Lake Ave. NE, Greenville, MI 48838)

Schedule: Check in at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13 and check out at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 14.

Register by Nov. 24 on the Creative Connections Family Camp webpage.

For more information, email mde-lio-events@michigan.gov.

Project Excellence at Michigan State University is conducting a statewide survey to identify service needs of Michigan residents with disabilities. Your opinion matters! Please take a few moments to complete the following survey and circulate in your network: education.msu.edu/links/PE.

The survey is open through Feb. 28, 2026. Additional information can be found at Michigan.gov/BSBP and the MSU College of Education Website.

Congrats to our West Michigan-based BSBP rehabilitation professional, Karyn Hill, for again being nominated for our counselor spotlight of the month! Last March, we covered her experience and interviewed her for an article you can read here.

According to one of our graduating customers, “She’s continually gone above and beyond to help guide me through the program, in navigating the disability services at my undergraduate university, in moving to a new state to complete my master’s degree and has been a champion of my craft and ensured I knew that I would be able to achieve my goals regardless of the challenges I may face.”

The customer also shared that as they exit the BSBP Pre-ETS program, they would “love to honor her hard work and dedicated service to her students and her love of the job. She’s truly a legend that’s impacted my life in more meaningful ways than I can count.”

Thank you for your time and dedication Karyn, people like you are the reason we can continue to support our clients as much as we do in achieving their goals!

Do you have an awesome BSBP counselor who goes above and beyond to help you (or your child) achieve your goals? Well now you can tell the world about them😊! 

We would love to feature your counselor in one of our upcoming monthly newsletters! Complete your quick and easy nomination at https://forms.gle/i2EkPg72Z6927xEd8.