[cid:image001.jpg@01D357D4.DB866E60] November, 2017 World Views AER International Services and Global Issues Division Views from the chair... Greetings Global Issues Division members! We’ve had some great developments over the last few months. We’ve developed a core team for the Division to help move along our purposes and activities. From that we’ve been able to give our Facebook website some much needed attention, we had a successful water cooler on October 5, we now have a Division listserv, and this very newsletter has lots of rich information from around the world. If you would like more information on our developments and where we’re headed, feel free to contact me at kevin3dmack@gmail.com<mailto:kevin3dmack@gmail.com> Follow us on Facebook for regular updates: facebook.com/ AERGlobalIssues/<https://www.facebook.com/aerglobalissues/> [cid:image006.jpg@01D357D4.DB866E60] [cid:image007.jpg@01D357D4.DB866E60] Refreshing Water Cooler Discussion with Steve Perrault on October 5 We had a successful water cooler on October 5 with Steve Perrault, formerly of Perkins International. He shared with us his 25+ years of experience and of the developments that he has seen across several Latin American countries. We also had an engaging question and answer time with him in which we could have easily gone well past our one-hour time allotment. If you would like to engage Steve in conversation, you can contact him at sperreault719@gmail.com<mailto:sperreault719@gmail.com> Friedman Place An Independence Encouragement Model in a Multi-Cultural Environment Judith Querciagrossa, CVRT Three years ago Friedman Place in Chicago, Illinois changed from a care taking model to an independence encouragement model which presented assorted challenges. Here is a snapshot of some of the issues. Should residents be pushed past their comfort level? Should residents be taught independence only if they want it? Should residents who are able to learn independence be allowed to remain dependent? And, how is a client encouraged to surpass their own self-limiting expectations? With the high concentration of visually Finding ways to speak their native language improves communication and builds trust. impaired people living in the same place a higher incidence of collisions has led to encouraging “rules of the road”. Staying to the right side is an obvious and easy rule but staying to the right is not always the quickest way to get to one’s destination and shortcuts are deeply imbedded habits. The residents represent a melting pot of the world coming from all continents of the globe. This presents a communication challenge to provide the precise instruction necessary in a language the resident can best understand. Finding ways to speak their native language improves communication and builds trust. Friedman Place addresses these challenges every day fulfilling its mission. Read Judith’s full article<https://www.facebook.com/notes/aer-global-issues-division/friedman-place-an-independence-encouragement-model-in-a-multi-cultural-environme/495308767514275/> on our Facebook page. [cid:image014.jpg@01D35878.21B66E00] European International Volunteer Exchange to Empower Young Individuals Who are Visually Impaired Lisa Johnson, COMS Visually Impaired’s Educational World Support (VIEWS) International is a European Non-Governmental Organization that works to empower individuals who are blind or visually impaired and between the ages of 18 and 35. Through projects, they develop skills to be as independent as possible in their professional and social lives. VIEWS International helps build up their resumes with communication skills, leadership skills and social activities. The organization uses collaborative and individual youth projects to aid in developing these skills. Collaborative projects may include gatherings, summer camps, or strategic partnerships. Usually, VIEWS International organizes these activities as collective efforts within the European Union. Nevertheless, the group has had past collaboration with other groups in China, Africa, and Latin American countries. Recently, VIEWs International ran a project called “Capacity Building,” which involved groups and individuals from four different continents. The VIEWS Belgium group has ongoing international projects; however, a core project that the group in Belgium is very proud of is coordinating, hosting and sending volunteers abroad. Three young volunteers who are blind and visually impaired started their 9-month stay in Liège, Belgium on October 2nd. This is a very exciting time for them as they begin to develop and strengthen their projects. The current volunteers come from England, France, and Italy and will volunteer at the local school for the blind, lead activities during French courses for first generation immigrant neighborhoods, run “Dinner in the Dark” events for fundraising, and develop awareness sessions with teenagers in the city. In addition, they will work as support for the staff members who are developing projects, training courses, and preparing for youth gatherings in the area and around Europe. Because Liège is a French-speaking city, the volunteers arrive with, at-minimum, a beginner to intermediate level of French, but often take more courses to strengthen their language and communication skills. If you have any further questions about VIEWS International, please feel free to contact Anca David at ancadavid@viewsinternational.eu<mailto:ancadavid@viewsinternational.eu> or visit their website at http:// www.viewsinternational.eu/<http://www.viewsinternational.eu/>. [cid:image010.jpg@01D357D4.DB866E60] Visit Our Webpage at AER.org<http://aerbvi.org/about/divisions/international-services-global-issues-division/>