We’ve been busy!
October has been a busy and productive month. We’ve spent time exploring the Career Cluster of Education and Training, learning about the careers, skills, and qualities that are needed for planning, managing, and providing education and training services. We’ve hosted five guest speakers and took a tour of the newly opened Boys and Girls Club in Janesville. We also planned and hosted a White Cane Day Rally. See Evey’s article below for more on that. Two of our CCR students are taking college courses and one is doing an internship at Mercy Hospital. All students are connecting with professionals in their chosen career pathway and are making progress on their end of year Passion Project; more on that to come soon. Thank you for your continued support. We couldn’t learn and grow like we do without you all!
Mrs. Zastrow
College and Career Readiness Instructor
Student Spotlight
By Alex
My name is Alex and I am a student from the Wisconsin School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. This is my last year in the College and Career Readiness program. In the spring of 2026, I was selected by the Project Search team to be an intern for Mercy Hospital Trauma Center in Janesville, Wisconsin. Project Search is an international program for people with disabilities. The goal of this program is to help people with disabilities gain work experiences with the future goal of getting a job after completing the one year program.
August 24, 2026 was my official start date. My current internship rotation is in the Endoscopy Department. Endoscopy is when they’re using a long, flexible, lighted tube down your esophagus to take pictures of your insides. My role is turning over rooms. I am improving my communication skills, self advocacy skills, and taking initiative. I have really enjoyed being at the Project Search program. I really enjoy putting the skills that I have learned from WSBVI into practice. My current goal is to be a surgical technician. I am looking forward to seeing what my next rotation will be in a few weeks.
Guest Speaker Report
By Rose
On October 8, we were visited by the Assistant State Superintendent, Paul Manriquez. He came to talk to us about what he does, working with Dr. Jill Underly in her role as the State Superintendent of Wisconsin Schools. Mr. Manriquez has worked at many different levels in the education field. He worked as an elementary school and middle school teacher, principal, and athletic director. Mr. Manriquez has always loved athletics, and it reflects in his time when he coached baseball. But how did he become an Assistant State Superintendent?
Well, during his time at Pecketonica School District, when he was a principal, Dr. Underly came to him and asked if he wanted to be appointed to her cabinet. He said no! Later on, closer to the time when she actually got elected, Mr. Manriquez decided that he would take the position joining the Department of Public Instruction. His major lesson that he spoke on was, “you never know who’s watching.” Building connections, leading with empathy and having strong communication skills have been the keys to his success!
White Cane Day Rally
By Evey
Thursday, October 15th was White Cane Awareness Day. This is a day to celebrate and honor the significance of the white cane. The white cane is a tool used by those who are blind or who have low vision. It allows us to navigate the world independently and safely. On White Cane Day, the Wisconsin School for the Blind did many things to celebrate. In the morning, the students did an obstacle course in the gym. Everyone had to wear blindfolds, and we used our canes to go around each obstacle.
In the afternoon, all of the students, and many of the teachers, went to the Hedberg Public Library for our White Cane Day Rally. During the rally, four of the students from the CCR program spoke about what the white cane is, why White Cane Day is significant, the history of the white cane, the White Cane Law, and many other things relating to the white cane.
I spoke about what White Cane Day is, why it is significant, the history of White Cane Day, and a little bit about White Cane Law. For your information, the White Cane Law states that someone who is driving a motorized vehicle or a bike must stop 10 feet in front of a pedestrian who is carrying a cane or a walking stick that is white or white and trimmed with red. This law also applies to those who have a service dog with them. In my speech, I expressed that the white cane doesn’t only show that someone is blind or has low vision. It also shows that someone who is visually impaired can be independent and safe when navigating the world.
Rose talked about the history of the white cane. The white cane has been around since the 1930s, and the idea originated from when someone couldn’t see, so he used a walking stick to help him navigate. However, he was worried that people wouldn’t see his walking stick, so he painted it white. Others started doing this as well before the white cane was invented. She also spoke in more detail about the White Cane Law, as well as different cane designs. There are many other types of canes, such as identification canes, support canes, and others. Rose also spoke about things like audio pedestrian signals. These are buttons you press before you cross a street, and they may beep or say “wait” so you know to wait for traffic. Then, they may beep in a different pattern or say “walk” so you know when to walk.
We then had some alumni from the school speak about how the white cane has helped them. All of them stated that the white cane has helped them navigate independently not only in familiar places, but also, out in public. There were many people that came to the rally, including a state representative. I believe that the rally went very well. Everyone who spoke did great, and the information each person presented was very insightful.
Leadership Development Academy
By Elias
On Thursday October 6th, CCR, and some of the high school students talked with Jamie Karns, she is the Executive Director of the Janesville Leadership Development Academy. She opened by talking about college, trying to figure out what she wanted to do. She started working at Mercy Health while going to college at UW Whitewater, when she was finished there, she decided to get a career in teaching. So, she moved down to Texas to take a 3 month teacher certification program. She eventually got a job as a PE teacher down in Texas after being rejected multiple times.
Eventually, she stopped teaching and started working for a non-profit called Girls on the Run, a volunteer organization that encourages running, and helps young women realize their limitless potential. During Covid, she moved back up to Wisconsin to be with family. While up in Wisconsin, she got a call from the executive director of LDA at the time and was offered the job, which is where she works now.
The JLDA is a program that helps build leadership skills. Their mission is “To inspire leaders to build and strengthen our community,” and their slogan is “Empower, Inspire, Strengthen”. In this program, participants learn about the history, economy, art and the government of Rock County in order to build their leadership skills and help the community.
Leadership Development Academy group members work together to create projects to help the community. These projects have included: Mindful Moments, a place in the Boys and Girls Club to rest, and process big emotions. They created First ABC Daycare of Clinton, providing a place for childcare in the Clinton area. They worked with Webs of Grief, a nonprofit dedicated to helping parents and children heal from the loss of immediate family members. One thing I took away from this guest speaker is that, no matter where you are in your career, if you know somebody, there is a possibility that a door may open for you. Just keep networking, making connections, and persevering through your career! Having this guest speaker was a great experience and we all enjoyed it in CCR.
Independent Living Movement
By Josiah
This month, as part of our disability leadership class, CCR has taken a deep dive into the world of advocacy, activism, and awareness. As part of these studies we have done extensive research on the history of disability rights in the United States, particularly on the independent living movement. This is a collective term to describe the many advocacy efforts carried out by disabled activists over the last century that have shaped the modern world. This movement was a branch of the larger civil rights movement taking place in the 1950s and 60s.
As a result of these efforts, there was a major shift in public perception of disabled people, which also included many changes in legislation such as the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. These laws were written to ensure equal opportunity for disabled people in many aspects of life such as work, travel, education, and recreation. While there were major roadblocks in getting these acts signed and enforced, they have transformed the world in which we live–both in tangible and intangible ways.
To give more insight into the independent living movement, we welcomed Tyler Wilcox as a guest speaker. Wilcox is the director of the Independent Living Council of Wisconsin, which is the governing body that operates and manages independent living centers in each district of the state. These centers offer many services for disabled people such as advocacy, home adaption for accessibility, and peer support services. His experience working for and alongside disabled individuals gave us a look into what services are available for people with disabilities and what is possible through the work of advocacy.
Overall, Mr. Wilcox’s presentation was very informative and helpful. After hearing about the plethora of services the centers provide, I plan on getting in contact with my local branch to help optimize my life as a blind person.
What’s Next?
- Career Cluster: Finance
- Understanding intersectionality and disability culture
- Disability disclosure documents
- Apartments 101: Budgeting
- Continuing to learn about the Business Enterprise Program
Upcoming Visits & Visitors
- Greg Heinen, Property Appraiser 11/05/2026
- Rich Gruber, Retired U.S Department of Commerce 11/12/2026
- Brandon Miles, Finance Lecturer UW-Whitewater 11/12/2026