Executive Director's Message

The Commission for the Blind’s mission is to Empower Oregonians who are blind to fully engage in life. Our work at the agency reminds us each day that blindness does not have to keep someone from doing the things that they love and does not mean that you cannot continue to pursue a career and activities that bring joy and fulfillment.

With advances in technology and a little ingenuity, there are many possibilities to explore! This edition of The Voice showcases examples of resiliency, creativity, and persistence in fully engaging in life’s activities. We also celebrate our youth who are celebrating milestones in their lives and careers. I hope you enjoy reading about the agency’s mission in action!

The Commission for the Blind is on a mission — to empower Oregonians who are blind to fully engage with life. Engaging in creative activities answers this call, and those practices nurture mental and emotional wellbeing, which in turn promotes professional success. We are more successful at work when we feel good, and making art makes us feel great.

On supporting creativity, OCB Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, Ronan McDermott says,

“It comes down to disability adjustment — being able to continue to do the things that brought you joy and maintain social connections. So, whether that’s helping someone to maintain these positive things that increase their quality of life or helping them to gain the skills that allow them to reengage. Positive adjustment equals positive mental health, which increases employability. It’s all interconnected.”

Featured are a handful of clients who are using the skills and tools obtained at OCB to create something beautiful. Whether it’s through dance, cooking, or photography, people who are blind can create with as much passion and skill as those who are sighted. Sometimes, it just takes a few new skills and some creative adaptations.

After experiencing vision loss well into their photography career, Catherine (Katt) Green knew they weren’t ready to give up on their dream of growing their skills and expanding their business. With decades of passion and creative experience behind them, Katt enrolled in Mt. Hood Community College’s (Portland) Commercial Photography program. Talent, tenacity, and Apple’s Vision Pro Headset have given Katt creative control once again, opening a world of opportunity.

“When I lost my vision, I didn’t think I’d see again,” Katt says. “Now, I can focus, stabilize my vision, and see in 20/20. The headset links with my phone and MacBook, enabling real-time image capture and editing — at wall-sized scale. Without the headset I get lost. With it, I can see, and I can edit.

“The Commission for the Blind has supported me with camera lenses and equipment. For my next step, I hope to work full-time for another photographer, bringing my equipment and picking up side work with my own projects.

I love making art, I’ve always loved making art.”

A parent, student, and OCB client; Katt has raised children, is maintaining a 4.0 GPA, and is always sharpening their photography skills. Find out more about their work at https://www.pdxblindphotos.com/.

Creativity and innovation go hand in hand as they did when OCB’s Older Blind Program Orientation and Mobility Specialist and the agency’s woodshop instructor teamed up to design and build an adaptive mobility device to help their client, Ms. Smith, navigate her local grocery store.

Due to vision loss and a neuromuscular condition that limits her mobility, Ms. Smith struggled at the grocery store.  The long white cane is often adequate to clear the space in front of someone, but this was not an answer for Ms. Smith. She was bumping into things with her cart, and other shoppers were not understanding that she couldn’t see them.

To assist, her OCB instructors designed a designed a device that allowed Ms. Smith to navigate the market and to detect obstacles. The device also identifies her as having a vision impairment and clears an adequate space in front of her cart where other shoppers tended to step in. 

Ms. Smith is now able to travel in the grocery store and utilize a “shopper” to take care of her grocery needs. A collaboration with OCB instructors has kept this client active and engaged in her community.

In March, clients of the Oregon Commission for the Blind (OCB) gathered to celebrate the end of the Spring Term, 2025. The event featured a lively salsa performance by OCB client Jorge Zepeda Fernandez, who danced confidently without sight, captivating staff and guests.

For many years, Jorge had professionally produced quinceañeras, teaching young guests to salsa, but by 2016 he had lost most of his usable vision. Though Jorge did his best to adapt, in 2022 he paused his professional career. 

A few years later, however, Jorge enrolled in Orientation and Mobility (O & M) classes at OCB. Slowly but surely, he regained the confidence to move freely in his environment. His O&M instructor, Deana Allen, helped refine his spatial awareness, enabling him to navigate confidently.

Deana says, “For O&M you need to have a sense of the information you’re taking in about your environment, so you’re not running into somebody or something. It’s keeping track of yourself as you move through a room. Proprioception is refined through this training. Jorge had a strong motivation to become an independent traveler, I just helped him channel that energy.”

Jorge shares, “At OCB, we learn that you can do things when you’re blind… and being able to move your body is good for emotions. In the future I plan to teach dance again. Don’t have fear or shame about who you are. ¡Si, se puede!”

Just a few years ago, Jenn LeBlanc was a passionate photographer and videographer, exploring the use of drone technology to capture often inaccessible images. But in June 2022, everything changed. Jenn was hospitalized for cardiac arrest, which accompanied a traumatic brain injury, loss of movement, and limited vision. Jenn hasn't let that stop her. 

By 2023, Jenn had regained enough movement to begin working with her OCB counselor. "I never thought I'd learn Braille with a brain injury, but I'm reading faster every day," she shares. Through Orientation and Mobility training, cooking, and woodworking, Jenn has found her independence and rediscovered her love of photography.

Adaptive technology opens new creative outlets for Jenn. Using Meta glasses, she takes photos and videos hands-free, including shots of the Tilikum Bridge while Dragon Boat racing or POV (point-of-view) videos working in the teaching kitchen or the woodshop. Sharing these moments with friends and family on social media feels empowering. Every Monday she shares what she’s made in her cooking class, and every month she gives her followers a synopsis of what she’s been learning.

Jenn hopes to pursue a career in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling, inspired by a counselor at the Commission who is also blind. "As a visually impaired person, I’d understand what others need."

The Business Enterprise Program’s Outta Sight Food Cart is serving up fresh, flavorful fare in Willson Park, Salem—just steps from the Capitol Building. Cooking is an art, and chef Salvador "Sal" Barraza’s cart is quickly becoming a favorite lunchtime destination for state employees and visitors. Sal’s menu stars customer favorites like hearty breakfast burritos, cheesy quesadillas, and the beloved Italian Melt sandwich. As the vibrant cherry blossoms bloom this Spring on the Capitol Mall, visitors can enjoy breakfast or lunch at the food cart Monday through Friday from 7:00am – 3:00pm.

Sal has also reopened Valley Café at the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) building in Salem. State employees and visitors to the building can once again enjoy delicious espresso drinks, breakfast burritos, lunch specials, and custom-made burgers for a refreshing break during a busy day. Sal and his team provide great food at good prices to downtown Salem Monday through Friday from 7:00am – 3:00pm.

Sal and the BEP appreciate all the support they’ve received during the opening of the food cart and the reopening of Valley Café. The BEP looks forward to opening more sites throughout Oregon this year to provide profitable quality food service and vending that create opportunities and greater independence for food service entrepreneurs who are blind.

Orientation and Career Center Director Jim Portillo is spearheading a new discussion group at OCB entitled Conversations About Blindness, or CAB, for short.

CAB provides a dedicated conversation space for students who are beginning to feel more comfortable with their vision loss, and who are ready for deeper and perhaps more challenging conversations with peers, center staff who are blind, and guest speakers.

This group speaks directly to two wants many students have voiced:

• More opportunities to share with peers in a group setting.
• More openings for students to lead or co-lead discussions.

Creating programs that meet the needs of the clients we serve is an ongoing goal of Oregon Commission for the Blind. Thank you to Jim, for developing and facilitating a group that serves this community so thoughtfully!