Jane Flower is a youth outreach specialist at Guide Dogs for the Blind. Jane has worked in the nonprofit industry for more than two decades and uses her lived experience as a person with vision loss and her journey as a Guide Dogs for the Blind client to connect with young people going through a similar path. Her story is incredible and there is so much heart and passion behind why she does what she does.
In this conversation, Jane shares her unique journey from working with older adults to engaging with youth. She discusses the evolution of technology and its impact on accessibility for the visually impaired, the challenges faced in employment, and the importance of nonprofit work. Jane emphasizes the significance of lived experiences in connecting with clients and offers valuable advice for job seekers with disabilities.
Show chapters
- 00:00 Introduction to Jane Flower's Journey
- 02:48 Transitioning from Older Adults to Youth Outreach
- 06:01 The Impact of Technology on Accessibility
- 08:47 Understanding the Mission of Guide Dogs for the Blind
- 12:03 Connecting with Clients: A Unique Perspective
- 14:54 The Role of Education in Outreach
- 17:51 Memorable Moments and Highlights in Outreach
- 21:12 Passion and Self-Care in Nonprofit Work
Meet our guest
Transcript
Kate McKinley
Welcome back to RKD Group Chat, where we share the stories of individuals working in the nonprofit space. This episode features my conversation with Jane Flower, a youth outreach specialist at Guide Dogs for the Blind. Jane has worked in the nonprofit industry for more than two decades and uses her lived experience as a person with vision loss and her journey as a Guide Dogs for the Blind client to connect with young people going through a similar path. Her story is incredible and there is so much heart and passion behind why she does what she does. And I know you'll feel that as you hear her share her journey. Let's dive in.
Jane Flower
Yeah, sure. It's it probably wasn't a traditional path. I had graduated from college and did not have a job and, and I am visually impaired myself and I was taking some classes as an adult. I never learned to read and write Braille and so I'm like, “oh, I'm just gonna take classes and learn how to read and write Braille.”
While I was in line at the organization getting lunch, someone mentioned there was a job opening at a nonprofit called the Dayle McIntosh Center in Southern California working with older adults who are visually impaired. And I'm like, oh, I could do that. You know, I I have some lived experience and so I reached out and applied, for that job and I was hired and, you know, spent almost thirteen years there at the Dayle McIntosh Center working, under a federally funded program called OIB, Older Individuals Who Are Blind and I did home visits with older adults who were experiencing vision loss for the first time and helped them, really learn how to, you know, live with vision loss.
So just daily activities, everything from managing money, dialing the phone. I mean, this was even almost just cell phones were barely a thing back then.
Telling time, you know, all those just daily things that somebody needs to be able to manage and kind of fell in love with that population, in older adults and I went back to school and got a master's in gerontology and while I was wrapping up that degree, a job opened up at Guide Dogs for the Blind and I have had Guide Dogs, from this organization.
I got my first dog in 1995, and I was working another, my second dog at that time and jobs just never opened up there and it was in the outreach department and I had done so much outreach at my previous, job at Dayle McIntosh Center and it would mean a move to Northern California for me but it was just an organization of course so near and dear to my heart that I'm like, I'm I'm just gonna apply for this job. Even though it's not specifically in gerontology, but our average age of clients are fifty five and so I applied and and got the job and moved to Northern California where I've been, ever since. And, and now working my my third guide dog, from that organization.
Kate McKinley
Like you just heard her mention and like so many I've interviewed on this podcast have mentioned before her, Jane didn't necessarily set out to work in nonprofit, but she fell in love with the idea of helping people. And the passion she feels for her job in this industry is so evident when you hear her talk about it.
Jane Flower
Yeah. I mean, I I especially the nonprofits I've worked in, you know, it's about helping people. Right?
Especially charities like Guide Dogs for the Blind and, Dayle McIntosh Center. You know, they they both were organizations set up to help people with disabilities. Guide Dogs is, you know, geared more towards just vision loss where day Dayle McIntosh Center was, an organization to help people with all disabilities even though I worked strictly in vision loss. But, you know, it takes a special person to work in a nonprofit.
I think that funding is always a concern and just the type of people I think too that work in nonprofits, the passion and compassion they have for what they're doing is just so evident.
I saw it for sure at Dayle McIntosh Center and I definitely see it at Guide Dogs for the Blind. Everybody that's there is working so hard and, towards the mission of our organization and, and just, you know, it is a testament to to our executive team and Chris Benninger, our CEO, is really, you know, reminding everybody all the time what our mission is and to stay mission focused. And it just okay. I think it helps helps keep you motivated too at the end of the day when you have a really hard work day or, you know, stressful month or week or whatever, you know, just keeping that at our forefront and our focus, you know, kinda helps helps people move along.
And it's cool at Guide Dogs because I mean, we have we always talk about both sides of the harness because we have our clients that we serve and we're not serving animals, but in a way we are because we are breeding all these dogs that we need to care for as well. And so it's a really unique place to work. I mean, you have you have both of those things, that we're working, to help and make sure everybody's happy and safe and, you know, all of those things. So it's great.
Kate McKinley
In her role at the Dayle McIntosh Center, her focus was on outreach for older adults. But as she transitioned into her role at Guide Dogs for the Blind, her new focus was on youth. I was curious to learn a little bit more about some of the similarities and differences between serving the two different age groups.
Jane Flower
Because I worked I felt like the older adults I was working with, I was really helping to educate them so much on, you know, things they were not knowledgeable about.
And the youth that I work with, you know, they've all been, you know, mostly blind since birth, and they probably know more than I do about technology. And I find that they're educating me a lot as well, you know, and just the energy level. Right? And, and also just, you know, you also have the parents, to contend with as well. And it's one of my favorite parts the job too is connecting with the parents.
You know, her trying to help their kids get on the right path and be successful, especially, you know, entering into the world, you know, as young adults, with vision loss and how are they gonna be successful and how are they gonna manage all of the things they're gonna need to do and know. But with, you know, so much advancements in technology nowadays, I feel like everybody's more on an even playing field, which is fantastic. And also the focus of, where a lot of, government programs and educational programs have changed so much, especially for the low vision community, really working more on transitioning, helping kids be successful in the workforce as opposed to kind of grouping everybody.
At least when I was growing up back in the day, there was no focus on helping that transition, and placements were made more. Oh, we'll just you know, you can work in a call center. Right? And it's like, you know, people that are blind can just, you know, answer the phone, then it's just not true.
Everybody with vision loss can do anything they wanna do. They just have to figure out different ways to do it. And so, just really, you know, digging in with those kids and and the parents and helping them, you know, make those steps into transition into adulthood.
Kate McKinley
I wanted to pause here and talk a little bit more about the technology piece that Jane mentioned in her previous clip. Technology advancements have played a huge role, not only in Jane's personal experience, but also in the resources available to the youth she's working with, making things so much more accessible in their day to day lives.
Jane Flower
I look back, you know, throughout my school, history and, you know, when I was in school, especially in college, the first time, I wasn't even be able I wasn't I would sit in the classroom with nothing. I I I didn't have technology that I knew how to use, and I didn't I couldn't see to read or write in the classroom. Somebody would take notes, and I was just sitting and listening. I wasn't really an active participant in my education, I felt like. And when I went back to graduate school, and I'm in graduate school again, you know, I'm everything's available, and, you know, educating the public and especially in the school environment, you know, professors are they have to give work ahead of time to students with disabilities. So you have, things ahead of time so you can review and be more prepared.
Computers nowadays, we use something called JAWS. It's a screen reading program. So I have access to everything on the computer using the keyboard. It's just I don't use a mouse. Everything talks to me. And, of course, the iPhone. Right?
Being able to look at pictures, that's one thing I lost when my vision has deteriorated. I can't see pictures anymore, and there's these great apps now that you can send the picture to, and it describes the picture in such detail. And, you know, just all those all those things.
And movies, going to the movies, there's audio description that will describe what's happening in the movie.
So it's just it's made things that were sort of lost to us more brought it back again. I still think there's there's still a lot, of education that needs to be done around employment for people who are blind or visually impaired.
You know, employers if people aren't familiar with disability or what is available, you know, people might wonder how does somebody in the blind work? You know, if somebody goes for an interview, they may just have those assumptions, you know, that they they can't do the job and maybe that person won't even get the interview, where in fact, there's so many tools now available to make all kinds of applications accessible, you know, emails accessible, the Internet's accessible, Microsoft, you know, Office, all those things are accessible.
But it's just giving people the opportunity to show what they can do. And I sometimes think people with disabilities are better employees because they they know, once they get a job, you know, that that that was probably not an easy job to get. And they probably work a lot harder too at the end just because they need to show that I can do this job. Right? And I can be successful and I'm smart enough, you know, and to do the job. I just need the right things in place to be able to do my job.
You know, and it's still a lot of educating, you know, for people because blindness is, it is a low incidence disability. I mean, most people I come in contact, I've never even met somebody who's visually impaired. And so, you know, I can imagine, you know, people wondering, well, how do you do if you can't see? Right? Being able to see that eighty five percent of everything we do is visual. And so how does somebody do anything if they can't see? But, you know, there's you just learn new new and different ways to do things, and you can pretty much do anything.
Kate McKinley
Going back to her more than eleven years, specifically at Guide Dogs for the Blind, Jane and I spent some time discussing their mission. What about it is so close to her heart and why she has chosen to serve there for the last decade?
Jane Flower
Oh, gosh. I mean, I think all of those things still stand true.
You know, it it's an interesting position to be in being a client and an employee here, because you see both sides. And, but, yeah, I mean, really initially, I think it was just because of all the people that I encountered before I started working there that I was I came in contact with because I had had dogs. So all the instructors and, the field managers that would come out and help me when I worked in the field, it was just there was such a connection there with all those people and it's like, God, what a cool what a really cool place to work. I would just love to work there and, you know, and I think now that I've been here and being on the other side of it, you know, that all still holds true. I mean, just the the quality of people that are here and, the interactions now, with the clients too that I get to to work with, or potential clients as well.
And just kind of bring them into, you know, the fold if you will of of the mission. And, yeah, I'm just, and I love animals. I mean, I, you know, when I got my first dog, I didn't know anything about dogs. I liked them, but I really didn't know anything about them.
And oh man, am I a dog lover now? And I've just, I I will never not have a dog in my life. If someday comes and I can't have a guide dog, I will still always have a dog. And, yeah.
So I mean, that was for sure kind of a draw too, but I didn't know it at the time, I think. But now looking back, it's like, wow. Yeah.
So for those who may not be familiar with the organization, I also asked Jane to share a little bit more about Guide Dogs for the Blind's work.
Yeah. Guide Dogs for the Blind, you know, we've been around 82 years. We've been around a really long, long time. And, you know, our mission is simple. It's to connect people, dogs, and community.
And through our mission, we are connecting people with, obviously, well trained guide dogs. And we also have two other programs, which is great. We have a canine buddy program for people who are visually impaired or blind or children who may not qualify quite yet because of their age who are blind. We will gift a dog to them, so they can have just a pet or companion.
And I love this too because we have clients that have gotten guide dogs for us from us their entire life. And, you know, maybe they've gotten to an age where working a guide dog is too much, but we can still give them a dog to have that companionship because they've had a dog their whole life.
And then we're also helping with, there's such a shortage across the country with services for people who are blind orientation and mobility training. I mean, that's what people need to learn to be able to be mobile and get out of their house and and be out in community and be independent and have a job. And the services are so extremely lacking in that service. People cannot get services or they're getting very, very minimal services.
And so we also have an orientation and mobility immersion program now where we're helping fill that gap and people can come and get orientation and mobility enhanced training from us. Even if they're not if their goal is not even a dog, but they just need that training, we can do that. But we're also we find people coming through that and then they they realize maybe they do want a dog. And so, you know, our we're just trying to meet the needs of the blindness community in in many different ways and meeting people where they're at and and also helping them throughout their entire life, as well.
And so I'm just super proud of this organization and, we have wonderful donors. We could not do what we do without our donors, and our volunteers, our thousands of volunteers, through all of our puppy raising programs who help raise the puppies, you know, get to get ready to come in for training and and just all of our on campus volunteers. You know, we we can't do what we do without all of those people. And so, you know, if you don't know about our services and wanna learn more, our website is just full of information and great resources, at guide dogs dot com.
So I encourage people, to check it out. And if nothing more, just to educate yourself about blindness if you don't know anything about vision impairment. And and look at our we have some great videos and and, client stories that are just so encouraging and so so so wonderful. So I just really encourage people to go to the website and look at all those great things that we have on there.
Kate McKinley
As both a client and an employee, Jane's experience and depth of knowledge provides her with a unique connector when she's working with both kids and their parents.
Jane Flower
I mean, I think, because I have the lived experience, when somebody's calling on the phone just to get general information, a lot of times when I'm talking to them, they don't know I'm visually impaired at first and they'll start, you know, sharing things about them. And I said, oh, yeah. I understand I'm visually impaired. And it's like, oh, okay. Somebody gets it. Right?
So I have that different perspective, too. And so I'm able probably to, I don't know, explain things in a different way maybe because I do have the lived experience maybe as opposed to somebody that is on staff that's cited. I mean, they definitely understand, but they don't have the the little lived experience. It's a little bit a little bit different in that way.
You know, and I can empathize too, especially when somebody's dog is maybe facing retirements, or their dog has passed away. I mean, I've had all those experiences as well.
And so, you know, that empathy piece for sure is huge here because, you know, having a guide dog, that connection with the dog, unless you've had a guide dog, that bond and that connection is not something you can explain.
You know, and when you have to retire them, it's almost like, you know, in a way sort of letting them go, getting a divorce. And I you know, I felt guilty the first time. I'm like, I'm telling this dog it's not good enough anymore, which isn't it really isn't that, but you do feel guilty in a way because they love it so much. So and you wanna do so right by them.
You know, and so that piece is really hard. And, of course, you know, dogs don't live long enough, and, having to say goodbye to a dog in, like, one go is just it's incredibly, incredibly painful and difficult. And so, you know, being able to connect with people in that way, as well, I think is just it's very unique and it and I I'm so blessed that I'm able to do that.
Kate McKinley
In her tenure at Guide Dogs for the Blind, Jane has had the opportunity to connect with people all across the country and has many memorable moments, including her role running a summer camp.
Jane Flower
I get to do all kinds of travel for work, and so I've I've traveling is, you know, it's gotten harder and tiring more tiring over the years, but, just meeting all kinds of people out throughout the country, you know, that normally I wouldn't have gotten to meet.
I think that's been amazing.
You know, working just with the Guide Dog staff, I think, in learning all different parts of the organization in my position in outreach, I really do get to because I have to know every piece of the organization in order to talk about it when I'm out and about. So that's been really great that I really have gotten, that exposure to every piece and then also getting to know, all the different people in the organization.
And I just I love our clients, and I love, I run a summer camp program for youth who are blind. And those, yeah, those programs have been it's been great. And I think the highlights for me with through that program and also an on campus workshop that I provide, in both of those on campus workshops and also the camp program, everybody gets to experience a walk with a guide dog for the first time.
And you can just hear the smiles on everybody's faces. It's just you know? And people are just on cloud nine, and usually that experience seals the deal for people. They're like, oh, man. I wasn't sure this is what I wanted to do, but now that I've walked with this dog, you know, I think this is the direction I wanna go in terms of what I wanna use for my mobility to be able to get around. And I think those those moments, are definitely the highlights for me.
And then seeing that come full circle in those individuals actually applying and coming in and getting a dog and know that I had a piece in making that happen for them, is a really good feeling.
Kate McKinley
Her day to day as a youth outreach specialist ranges from travel to education to general interactions with kids and their parents.
Jane Flower
When I'm not traveling, obviously, I'm in the office and then kind of making those types of things happen. So find figuring out what's what's out there, what's what's happening out in the community, what presentations or groups of people are there that I can speak to.
And in our department right now, we're we're really gonna start focusing on, some educational pieces too for, for example, ophthalmologists, doctors who refer people, you know, to different organizations for assistance when somebody comes in and gets a diagnosis. Right?
You know, a lot of times those doctors, even though they're ophthalmologists, you know, they don't know what's out there.
A lot of times and this happened even in my previous role and I even hear it today at Guide Dogs. People have gone to the eye doctor, they've gotten this diagnosis, and the doctors say, well, you're gonna lose your sight. There's nothing we can do. And that's all they tell them, and there are so many resources out there.
We're obviously not the first resource somebody should go to when they first lose their sight. I mean, there's a lot of stuff you have to do to prepare to even begin thinking about working with a guide dog, but we wanna educate those doctors so that they have things in hand that they can hand to those those patients so that they they leave the, doctors off with some hope instead of desperation. Right? What am I gonna do?
So that's one piece we're gonna be working on, really trying to hone in and work more with parents too, who are hard to reach. They're really hard to reach because you have contacts with the kids through their their teachers and their orientation and mobility instructors, but the parents are are hard to reach. And so, you know, and it's super important for them to be really involved, with their kids and what they're doing and to understand also, you know, if a guide dog is something that they want for their child, you know, what does that mean? What do they have to do to prepare for it?
You know, it it is kind of a myth out there. You know, the dog is just gonna take you wherever you wanna go. Oh, you know, I wish it was that easy. There's so much prep and so much training and somebody's orientation and their mobility skills have to be pretty pretty, you know, exemplary to get out.
They need to be traveling independently already on their own using a cane, knowing where they're going. You know? The dog's job is to get you there safely. It's your job as the handler to know where you're going and give the dog directions.
So, you know, really educating the parents and and encouraging the kids as much as it they don't love their orientation and mobility training and they don't love using the cane. It it is something they have to do and have to learn how to use in order to get a guide dog. And so, you know, reaching the parents and educating, you know, the doctors out there, you know, are some things we're working on.
Kate McKinley
I mentioned earlier that Jane's passion for her work stood out in our conversation to me. And as we wrapped up our time together, passion was the final piece of the puzzle once again.
When I asked her to share some words of wisdom for others who are in the nonprofit world or who are perhaps looking to get into the industry, passion was her main point. I'll let her close this out.
Jane Flower
Gosh.
You know, I you like I we've been talking about, you definitely have to have a passion for what the nonprofit is doing and also just because the work is challenging and hard and, you know, funding is always a thing and there's, you know, not not enough people to do all the work that's available.
You know, so that passion piece, but also I think it's super important to make time and take care of yourself.
You know, and Guide Dogs has really done a good shift in that work life balance, because you can Guide Dogs can be all assuming because it is such an awesome organization and the people and the dogs and everybody wants to help and do all these things. It can at times be all consuming and, and it is like a family there. So, you know and then for me in particular because I am a guide dog user, I leave work, but I'm still feel like I'm at work because I have a guide dog. So my my I feel like my job never ends because even out in the public, people see me and they ask questions and you know so I think, you know really finding time to take care of yourself, when you're not at work and finding ways to, you know, I don't be more mindful about, you know, thinking and doing other things and what what, you know, makes your heart full when you're not at work. And, because that will kind of reenergize you to go back to work too, the next week or next day or what have you.
So I think that's super important.
Group Thinkers is a production of RKD Group. For more information, including how you can partner with RKD to accelerate growth for your fundraising and nonprofit marketing needs, visit rkdgroup.com.
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