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Pete Lane:
Meet Liz Bottner.

Liz Bottner:
I am a computer access technology specialist, so I teach access technology to veterans who are blind or who have low vision.

Pete Lane:
Blind since birth, Liz learned the power of self-advocacy throughout her schooling.

Liz Bottner:
It's important to have good skills in terms of being able to advocate for yourself to get things done that you need done, when you're not getting what you need from the disability services offices.

Pete Lane:
All the way through her MBA studies.

Liz Bottner:
You're your own best advocate. It might be easy to have your TVI do things and help prepare materials for you, but ask about how to do that yourself, because there's most likely going to come a time when you're going to have to have those skills.

Pete Lane:
Fearless in so many ways.

Liz Bottner:
I'm not one to turn away a challenge.

Pete Lane:
In the workplace.

Liz Bottner:
Don't give up, despite employers having unrealistic expectations of what you can do as a blind person.

Pete Lane:
In her leisure time and athletic endeavors.

Liz Bottner:
I did really, and still very, very much enjoy being a goalie. The puck is made of steel. It's three times the size of a standard National Hockey League puck, and it has ball bearings inside of it. It's okay. The equipment works. We're fine.

Pete Lane:
Throughout her life.

Liz Bottner:
Drive is realizing that you have a passion for something and just keep pushing and keep doing that thing. When you put yourself out there and keep putting yourself out there, the right experience will come, and you'll be where you're supposed to be.

Pete Lane:
You can find more podcasts from a blindness perspective on the web at www.blindabilities.com. We're on Facebook and on Twitter, and be sure to download our free apps in the App Store and the Google Play Store. And now, without further ado, let's join Jeff Thompson and Liz Bottner.

Liz Bottner:
Challenge accepted. Let's do this.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Welcome to Blind Abilities. I'm Jeff Thompson, and today we're talking to Liz Bottner. She is a hockey goalie in a blind league. She's been to college, master's degree, she works for the VA, she's got all sorts of technology stuff, has a lot of experience getting jobs, and she's here to share her story. Liz, welcome to Blind Abilities.

Liz Bottner:
Thank you, Jeff. Thank you for having me. Hello, everyone. I am Liz Bottner, originally from Delaware, currently living in Connecticut. I do work at the VA. I am a computer access technology specialist, so I teach access technology to veterans who are blind or who have low vision, and I very much enjoy my job. As Jeff said, I am a blind hockey player. I play the position of goalie for the Hartford Braillers, instead of the Hartford Whalers. They do not exist anymore as a hockey team, but Connecticut does have the Hartford Braillers.

 

Jeff Thompson:
That's a good point. You've had quite the journey, being born blind, you've had all the education from working with probably your school district, then into vocational rehab, then into multiple disability services.

Liz Bottner:
Yes, and some of them were friendly, and some of them weren't. That's why it's important to have good skills, in terms of being able to advocate for yourself to get things done that you need done, when you're not getting what you need from the disability services offices.

 

Jeff Thompson:
You found that out, probably, the hard way, right?

Liz Bottner:
I did. There were many a night where I would stay up and have to scan page by page books or articles and things like that, so yes.

 

Jeff Thompson:
I've been there. I used to have a big old flatbed scanner. You spend three, four hours just trying to get to your material before you even start doing homework.

Liz Bottner:
Yeah, and then when you do scan it, you still have to sometimes go back and edit it, which is hard, not being able to necessarily see the printed material. So okay, what is it supposed to say? You don't even have a reference, so you kind of have to guess.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Exactly. What do you do for your job?

Liz Bottner:
I teach veterans who are blind or who have low vision how to use access technology. I also am able to teach living skills, which both are important areas. My passion, though, is truly access technology. Whatever they have the goals to do, be it sending email to their friends and family or learning about how to be more portable with technology and have a way to consolidate a lot of the devices they're carrying around, be them magnifiers, talking book player, things like that, have that all in one device, which may warrant issuance and training on an iPhone or an iPad.

 

Jeff Thompson:
That's really neat. So you're mostly working with people who are 20 and above.

Liz Bottner:
It's 60 and above. These are veterans, so their age is generally up there.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Oh, wow.

Liz Bottner:
A lot of the younger veterans, if they're discharged or if they come back and have blindness, a lot of times it's related to combat, and that's actually their secondary injury to them, and so they're usually seen for their primary injuries, and then at their home station or at some other area of the country that can better serve their missing limb or something like that, and then they get blind rehab later.

 

Jeff Thompson:
So when they come to you they're kind of new into the iPhone itself?

Liz Bottner:
Yes, many of them, not all. Some do have previous experience, but many of them don't. Many of them have no technology experience, and so it's just starting from scratch.

 

Jeff Thompson:
You're basically iPhone 101 with voice over.

Liz Bottner:
Yes, or even technology 101. This is an email address. With an email address, you have to have a password.

 

Jeff Thompson:
So you have to be ready for everything?

Liz Bottner:
Oh yeah, which honestly is to me a very, very positive challenge. I much rather be ready for everything than have a situation where I'm constantly doing the same thing over and over again. That way, I would get bored, and myself and bored do not mix well.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Now, you are an Aira user.

Liz Bottner:
I am an Aira user, yes.

 

Jeff Thompson:
And the veterans have just jumped on board with Aira.

Liz Bottner:
Yes, after a full assessment has been conducted, as long as there are goals that support issuance and training, it definitely can be issued to them.

 

Jeff Thompson:
What is that program with Aira? How does it work with the VA?

Liz Bottner:
They're given an assessment. If it's determined that it's something that would be useful to them and deemed appropriate to train on, then they can receive training. With that, the VA will pay for actual glasses, and then, much like when the VA issues an iPhone, the VA provides the device, and it's up to the veteran or student at that point to then supplement that device with purchasing the plan. The plan that they can purchase is a different plan than those available to non-veteran users, so it's a different price point, but they are responsible, though, for the monthly cost of that plan.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Do you do any of that training?

Liz Bottner:
I have not yet done Aira training. It's just recently been deemed that it can be issued, but I have not yet.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Well, that's great, the opportunity for them.

Liz Bottner:
Absolutely. It bridges many different skill areas, from basic living skills to technology to even orientation and mobility in specific cases where it's deemed by the orientation and mobility specialist that that's an appropriate and feasible goal for them. It's all based on goals. It's not just, oh I want this or give me that, it's what are your goals? What devices, if any, can help meet those goals? And then all training, in whatever skill area, is based on that.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Oh yeah. Just like the RSA, everything has to be based off employment goals, education, employment to the workplace and all that. It's great that they do have goals, so they're just not throwing money away on whimsical type of ideas and stuff. When you're 60 and you lose ... you know, macular degeneration or something else, age-onset blindness, I think it's a great tool at that point for different reasons than someone who might be 12.

Liz Bottner:
Absolutely, especially with the new equipment that Aira has now. It's even simpler to use, and you don't need your own smartphone, which is a problem for some of the students that I work with, because they may not be smartphone candidates for various reasons. But now they are still able to use it, because with the new equipment that Aira has, you don't need to have to have your own smartphone to use it.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Mm-hmm (affirmative). They have a blocked-up device that is ... it's a Android device, isn't it?

Liz Bottner:
Yes.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Yeah, so you have the AT&T device, and it just waves to the glasses?

Liz Bottner:
I call it the Aira phone, myself, in summer.

 

Jeff Thompson:
The Aira phone.

Liz Bottner:
Called it the Aira phones.

 

Jeff Thompson:
There we go.

Liz Bottner:
Yes, the Aira phone.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Turn it on, and you're basically connected.

Liz Bottner:
Yes.

 

Jeff Thompson:
That's with the Horizon glasses.

Liz Bottner:
Yes.

 

Jeff Thompson:
With a wider field of view. As a Aira explorer, tell me a little bit how you utilize that on your job or in your daily life.

Liz Bottner:
In my daily life, I have used Aira for many things. Most recently, and in my mind very much impressively, I was out of town at a conference and had to navigate from the hotel to an Apple Store, because my phone was just being completely ridiculous and not working.

 

Jeff Thompson:
That's when I met you. You were at the point of taking off.

Liz Bottner:
Yes. When you and I met, that's when I was like, "Well, I'm going to have to go to the Apple Store." So I was able to use Aira to help navigate me from the hotel ... well, actually, I was working the Aira booth at the time. I was volunteering with them. I navigated using Aira from the Aira booth to the front of the hotel. Luckily, I had forethought to link my Lyft account to Aira, because I was getting very, very limited use of my touchscreen at that point on my phone. Before I even kind of planned out my journey, I was thinking, "Oh, great, I'm going to have to have a taxi and pay cash. That's not good." Luckily, though, I was able to use Aira. I called a Lyft. See, this is one of the only times where I will say that I was actually grateful to Siri on the iPhone. 99.9% of the time, it doesn't work, and you have to end up doing what you want to do manually.

Liz Bottner:
But I was able to ask Siri where the closest Apple Store was. She told me, and I was able to give that address to the Aira agent, who was able to call Lyft and track it for me. My guide dog and I hopped into the Lyft vehicle, we hopped out, I prayed to the universe that my touchscreen would work again, as I'm standing there in front of the mall, wearing my Aira-Google Glass, my guide dog and my smartphone at the entrance to this mall where I've never been before.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Had never been to.

Liz Bottner:
In no time at all, I was able to, without a hitch, get into the mall and navigate to the Apple Store and do what I needed to do, just like any other person. Could I have done it without Aira? Absolutely.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Just gave you more independence, more information that enhanced the opportunity that you had to get there.

Liz Bottner:
Yes.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Plus, you were limping with a broken phone.

Liz Bottner:
Right.

 

Jeff Thompson:
I mean, you came in there, barely dragging in there. I mean, I know what it's like. Hey, if you don't have your phone, what a weird feeling it is when your phone's not working.

Liz Bottner:
Absolutely.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Some people talk about, you know, there's some really big things. Some people ran the Boston Marathon. Some people put something from Ikea ... Greg Stilson put together a hammock. Is it always something big, or is it the small things?

Liz Bottner:
It is not always something big. It could be something very small, and for me, I have had those experiences when I have needed to match an outfit for a banquet, in packing things in my suitcase. Or even identifying the temperature on my thermostat, because while adjusting the thermostat is accessible with buttons and a remote control, the display is visual. Could I use TapTapSee and take 20-some pictures potentially? Yeah, I could do that, and it might tell me, "Your thermostat's set at such-and-such a temperature," but I could use the Aira service, and in two seconds flat have my answer.

Liz Bottner:
Sometimes, though, it is big things. For me, I must say that my absolute 120% favorite way of getting around an airport now is using Aira. It's so much more fluid. I can get access to things, whether it be information or location of somewhere, when I want, on my schedule, and not have to wait for airport staff, which in some cases can take a very long time and cause anxiety, especially if you're potentially missing your flight.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Oh yeah, I've been corralled by assistants, and "Sit here and wait." You just wait, and time's ticking, and you just always ... And then someone comes up with a wheelchair or a cart or, you know, it's something. They have no clue, you know.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Now, you're pretty versatile in your tools. You're not just locked into a PC?

Liz Bottner:
No.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Tell us what you use on a daily basis.

Liz Bottner:
I personally use a Mac, and then at work, I use a PC. I like both for different reasons. I think it's imperative to know both. I prefer Mac for some things, and I also knew I had to learn it, so I just decided okay, I need to just learn this. Instead of buying a new Windows machine at the time, was fortunate enough to be awarded a scholarship, with which I purchased a Mac. It was during the semester, and I kind of gave myself, at the end of the semester, once I had everything done, I would really dive in and learn it when I was in grad school. But also realizing that on the employment side, where I work, it's a Windows-based environment, so I have to keep my Windows skills up.

Liz Bottner:
Each person is going to have different preferences for tools, but definitely as someone who is in the teaching field, I feel like it is my duty to show people as many tools as might be appropriate in certain situations, or not even in certain situations. It's here are the tools that we have on the table. Here's one that might be appropriate, but you're actually going to make that decision for yourself, as to when to use which tools, because not everyone has the same preference for tool in a certain situation.

 

Jeff Thompson:
In the PC world, what screen reader do you utilize?

Liz Bottner:
JAWS mainly for work, but I also make use of Narrator in Windows 10, as well as NVDA. In some instances, Narrator does better than JAWS does, in terms of reading some aspects of the computer.

 

Jeff Thompson:
And that's improving all the time.

Liz Bottner:
It is.

 

Jeff Thompson:
And as for your smartphone device?

Liz Bottner:
I use an iPhone. That's my device of choice.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Yeah, that's quite the tool. I can't believe how much I use the iPhone to kind of replace a lot of the stuff that I used to do on the computers, mostly social stuff, keeping up on your emails and calendars, everything. And it seems like it just transfers real well to the Mac, back and forth, and yeah, I feel really connected. If I miss a meeting, it's my own fault.

Liz Bottner:
Exactly.

 

Jeff Thompson:
All that you do for work, all that technology and all that, how did you get there? Let's start with college. How did you transition from high school to college?

Liz Bottner:
I had two teachers of visually impaired growing up, one of whom I had for most of my high school career, and the other one I had for the last two years or so. But my first TVI, Neil, was truly, truly instrumental in providing me the foundation of here are the basics, and it's up to you to kind of figure out the rest, and really giving me the drive to do that and explore things on my own and advocate for myself, because no one else knew how to do that better than I did. I mean, that still holds true today. With guidance from Neil, I was able to kind of go into college feeling ready for being able to advocate for myself and even teaching a lot of other people. Even the disability services office, sometimes they might not understand how to use a certain piece of equipment or what was going on, and so I was able to help them with things.

Liz Bottner:
When I was at Ithaca College, my first two years of undergraduate degree, I did a work-study in the disabilities office, and so that was kind of cool. And being provided with the basics from my TVI and just having the drive to just run with it and teach myself a lot of the other things, with technology mainly. And I would teach others as well, which helped me gain more skills.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Let's go back to a word that you used, and I really like this word:
"drive". Can you explain that to the listeners?

Liz Bottner:
Drive is realizing that you have a passion for something, or that you're invested in something, and taking that investment and realizing that's something you need to keep doing, and just keep pushing and keep doing that thing, because it gives you great fulfillment to be able to do whatever it might be.

 

Jeff Thompson:
And overcome any roadblock or hurdle in the way.

Liz Bottner:
Yes. And not let those roadblocks or hurdles stand in the way, because of that drive that you have to pursue whatever it might be.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Poof, gone.

Liz Bottner:
Yep.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Not always poof, gone, but it takes some time.

Liz Bottner:
It's also good, in using technology, to know when applicable or appropriate the non-tech skills for doing things. I mean, I'm also of the very strong opinion that if you're a user of Braille, that you better have a Perkins Brailler somewhere around your area, be that at a workplace or home environment, because there might be times when you're going to have to use that. Technology fails, the Perkins does not.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Right.

Liz Bottner:
At least, the old metal ones. I'm not a huge fan of the plastic new ones at all, but the metal ones are tried and true, yes, I work all the time. Exactly.

 

Jeff Thompson:
I had mine within three feet. That's why I could do that.

Liz Bottner:
Nice.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Talking about basic skills and all that, how did you learn your basic skills growing up?

Liz Bottner:
When I was in preschool, I would say about three or so, it was when I believe I started both with the long cane, just basic cane skills, and Braille. I mean, by the time I was five, I was reading basic chapter books, I believe. Not anything major, but children's books. So from a very, very young age, and also, my mom was and still is a very, very strong advocate for myself, as well as my sisters. In my learning Braille when I was younger, she would just put Braille labels on different things around the house. I mean, when you're sighted, you have print all around you. As a child who was blind, especially as one who doesn't have any vision, as I myself do not, I did not have opportunity to look around and see things. And so she would put Braille on the toilet or the refrigerator, whatever it might be. That way, I would be able to associate the word with the object.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Oh yeah, that's pretty good of her to have done that, to label stuff and get you used to it.

Liz Bottner:
Yes.

 

Jeff Thompson:
And make it purposeful.

Liz Bottner:
Absolutely, and give me that immersion, as Braille isn't readily available in society as print is, I otherwise do not think I would able to get as readily.

 

Jeff Thompson:
The first time you went over for a sleepover somewhere, did you ask the parents there? There's no Braille.

Liz Bottner:
No, I don't know.

 

Jeff Thompson:
When you went into college, what was your experience like for the disability services office?

Liz Bottner:
I think at college, this is the first college I went to in undergrad, they were great. They were more than willing to accommodate me, and they respected that I knew what I needed and was able to advocate for myself, which sometimes isn't the case. They were great people, and I was really very fortunate.

 

Jeff Thompson:
You went to a couple different colleges, right?

Liz Bottner:
Yes, I ended up transferring halfway through my undergrad degree to University of Delaware. Unfortunately, while financially it was definitely a lot more feasible, academically and just every other area, it was not the experience that I wanted it to be. And I'm truly glad that I had the experience and the foundation of all the classes and the college experience in general that I got at Ithaca, because that better prepared me for being able to deal with, in my opinion, the subpar experience that was my attending the University of Delaware.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Now, when you're talking about subpar, are you saying that the teachers didn't challenge you?

Liz Bottner:
Yeah, I was not challenged. Some of the professors just did not want to accommodate me, despite my attempting multiple times to say, "This needs to happen." There was a lot of pushback. Unfortunately, I ended up dropping one of my majors, because it was just too stressful for me to keep going, because of all the back and forth. I at that point just wanted to graduate. When I was in Ithaca, I was a double major in computer science and philosophy and religion, which was awesome. I was very much happy with how things were going and totally would have continued there and gotten those majors, but as I said, financially, it was more feasible for me to transfer. But in that, the computer science did not end up happening for various reasons, and so I ended up dropping it. They did not have a philosophy and religion double major, so I ended up graduating with a philosophy major and then minoring in religious studies.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Upon graduation, you started your employment search.

Liz Bottner:
Yes, and that was very unfruitful, to be completely honest. In terms of working with the state vocational rehabilitation agency, I just was not having luck. They were not helpful to me, and luckily, in part I'm sure to my awesome TVI that I mentioned earlier, Neil Anzilli and me, if people aren't helping you, you need to go out and get it yourself, as long as you know what you want. I was able on my own, pretty much, to look for job leads and apply, and I had some interviews and some leads, but nothing really ever panned out. So for about two years, after about that point, I said okay, something needs to happen. I can't keep doing this. Then I decided that I really wanted to go back ... My whole reasoning for getting the computer science degree, assistive technology was and is a very big interest of mine, and so I wanted to in some way get into that, whether it was in developing things or whatever it might be. I still had that kind of in the back of my mind.

Liz Bottner:
When I graduated with my bachelor's, I pretty much knew that that wasn't going to get me where I wanted to go, just because of the nature of those degrees. I didn't want to become a professor or anything like that. I knew that, but at the time I just wanted to graduate and be done, just because of the experience at University of Delaware.

 

Jeff Thompson:
How disheartening was that to realize you had the degrees, though, to go out there and look for work, and yet for two years, were getting turned down?

Liz Bottner:
Absolutely heartbreaking. Sometimes I felt like I wasn't getting anywhere.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Do you relate it to blindness?

Liz Bottner:
Yes, and it's very hard in that line of experience not to think, okay, it's me, it's definitely got to be me. There's something wrong with me, because I mean, I'm going on these interviews, and they're not calling me back, or they're not getting in touch with me at all, so obviously, there's something that I'm doing or not doing. But in all actuality, I felt a lot of the times, it isn't you as the person seeking employment, it's the employer not knowing how to deal, or not wanting to deal.

Liz Bottner:
In my case, in wanting to go back in to do something with technology, I really felt passionate about teaching it, and so in looking at jobs, a lot of them required a master's degree. Even before then, even before I started undergrad, I had every intention of going and getting a possible master's degree, with the caveat that I wouldn't pay for it, because I didn't want to be in any more debt than I already was with my undergraduate loans.

Liz Bottner:
Lo and behold, I, on an email listserv one day, came across a posting for a tuition-free graduate school experience halfway across the country at Northern Illinois University, which is near Chicago. I reached out to the director of the program and took my GRE, and then I luckily was able to go to NIU and successfully earn my master's degree, which then opened up a lot more doors for me in terms of employment.

 

Jeff Thompson:
And what was it like after you received that degree, to search for employment?

Liz Bottner:
Then it was a lot easier, because I had more certification, more qualifications than I did before. In fact, I had done my internship at the VA where I currently work now. In getting my degree, I spent four months there completing an internship, and they at the time did not have any positions open. And so I, again, on an email list saw the position in Atlanta, of all places, for an assistive technology instructor, and I, honest to gosh, on a whim I threw out my resume, thinking this is just going to be experience. I don't know that I really want to go there. I know no one there. But whatever, it'll be experience, and I'll at least have that interview under my belt, and that experience will be good.

Liz Bottner:
We did a phone interview, and then from that point on, I ended up landing a job there and was there for about a year. You never know where the next opportunity's going to come, and you just kind of have to take things as they come. And even if it's something that you're like, what? No way. Nothing's going to come of it, I'm just going to throw my resume out there, and they're not going to do anything with it, or it'll just be interview experience. I have no desire to go there, in terms of location. Be careful what you say, because you actually may end up there. And it might be, as it was for me, a very, very good experience. I was able to take away a lot of good things from it, good contacts, good networking, good experiences in terms of location. Living in a city has its perks, definitely. It was definitely bittersweet purchasing that one-way ticket when I was moving out there. I'm like, well, usually you purchase tickets, and it's like okay, round trip. I'm like, wait a minute, no, this is not round trip, I'm moving here.

 

Jeff Thompson:
One way, wow.

Liz Bottner:
I think that was the most surreal thing of the whole experience for me.

 

Jeff Thompson:
But then, after a year, you purchased a one-way ticket again.

Liz Bottner:
Yes, technically. A car was involved. I was not driving it, however. Since it was moving all of my stuff, I relocated then. I had several months in between jobs, actually, from when I left Atlanta and when I started in Connecticut.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Building networks and all that stuff, that paid off, and then you landed the job at the VA, where you are today.

Liz Bottner:
Yes, there was a position open. They asked me if I wanted to apply. I said absolutely, and now here I am.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Hobbies. You have a particular hobby that I don't think a lot of people have heard about, but you were telling me about blind hockey.

Liz Bottner:
Yes, blind hockey is a relatively new sport, but it definitely is a USA Hockey-sanctioned sport now, and there are several teams across the country. The team that I am a goalie for is the Hartford Braillers in Connecticut. Instead of the Hartford Whalers, we're the Hartford Braillers.

 

Jeff Thompson:
I like it. What got you interested in that?

Liz Bottner:
A friend of mine mentioned to me that I should try blind hockey. I had skated before when I was very young. It had been some time. This is about three years ago. He said that since I had no vision, I would primarily be best suited as a goalie, and so I'm like, well, all right, sign me up. I will at least try it. I did really, and still very, very much enjoy being a goalie. I've never tried any other position and don't want to.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Describe the puck to everybody.

Liz Bottner:
The puck is made of steel. It's three times the size of a standard National Hockey League puck, and it has ball bearings inside of it.

 

Jeff Thompson:
And you are trying to put your body in front of that thing?

Liz Bottner:
Yes. And the nets that are used are a foot shorter than the regular NHL, National Hockey League nets, so it's easier to keep the puck lower to the ground, and you don't have to worry about high shots as much.

 

Jeff Thompson:
As much?

Liz Bottner:
Yes. That has happened. I am witness to that. But that's why they make equipment, so whenever that happens, I'm like, "It's okay, the equipment works. We're fine."

 

Jeff Thompson:
Well, that's good. That's good. So you got the chest protector, you got the shoulder guards, the waffle, the glove, the helmet, the throat protection?

Liz Bottner:
The leg pads. Yep.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Everything.

Liz Bottner:
Everything.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Awesome. It's a fun sport, it's really fun.

Liz Bottner:
It's definitely fun. I would encourage anyone, if you have the opportunity to try it, definitely do it.

 

Jeff Thompson:
All the rules are the same?

Liz Bottner:
One of the rules that's different is that before a shot is attempted, you have to pass the puck. That way, the goalie can better track it. Other than that, to my knowledge, all the other rules apply.

 

Jeff Thompson:
You mean pass the puck once you're in the blue line?

Liz Bottner:
Once you're in scoring range, that puck has to get passed once, and then you can shoot.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Okay. So you can't just break away?

Liz Bottner:
No.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Interesting. So how's your team do?

Liz Bottner:
Our team is awesome. I am of the very, very strong opinion that we have the best team in blind hockey.

 

Jeff Thompson:
And now that they're sanctioned, they'll be able to do the Olympics, won't they? Paralympics?

Liz Bottner:
Not yet. We're still waiting on a few other countries for that. We do, though, have this year for the first time ever a US National Team, of which I am very, very hopeful that some of my fellow Braillers will be represented on that team. We'll find out later in August who actually makes the final team roster, but two of my fellow teammates were selected in the first round of tryouts, and so we'll find out if they make the team. But in October, at a USA Hockey event to be held in Pittsburgh, there will be a US versus Canada series that'll be played that weekend, which is the 12th through the 14th of October. That's when the USA Blind Hockey Summit takes place.

 

Jeff Thompson:
That's awesome. Go Braillers.

Liz Bottner:
Yes, go Braillers, for sure.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Now, you also like snowboarding.

Liz Bottner:
Yes, I for two years have attended the United States Association of Blind Athletes ski/snowboard event in Breckenridge, Colorado. I had skied once when I was very, very young, and the first year I went, I was kind of debating back and forth with myself, do I try skiing or do I do snowboarding? It had been a while since I had skied. I really didn't have the memory of what that felt like, but I ultimately decided, after being told that snowboarding was a lot more challenging, I said, "Okay, sign me up." I'm not one to turn away a challenge. I said, "Challenge accepted. Let's do this." I ultimately fell in love with it.

 

Jeff Thompson:
I like that, "Challenge accepted." It's that drive again.

Liz Bottner:
Exactly.

 

Jeff Thompson:
For someone who is transitioning from high school to college, what advice would you give that person?

Liz Bottner:
You're your own best advocate. It might be easy to have your TVI do things and help prepare materials for you, but ask about how to do that yourself, because there's most likely going to come a time where you're going to have to have those skills. It may not be easy, and you may not want to, but in the end it's going to be of benefit to you in the long run, not only in college, but also in your adult working life.

 

Jeff Thompson:
What advice would you have for someone who has gone through college and is just now embarking on a career that they want? What would you tell them?

Liz Bottner:
Don't give up, despite employers having unrealistic expectations of what you can do as a blind person. Be true to yourself. Realize that yes, you do have these skills, and keep putting yourself out there. It might take a while, and it definitely is frustrating at times. I speak from experience, but as hard as it is to just want to give up and say forget it, don't do that, because when you put yourself out there and keep putting yourself out there, the right experience will come, and you'll be where you're supposed to be. Versus if you don't put yourself out there, it's at your disservice, because you're not going to get where you need to be.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Excellent. We've been speaking to Liz Bottner. She's from Delaware, works at the VA, and she's heavily into tech. And she's a hockey goalie. So Liz, I really want to thank you for coming on the Blind Abilities, sharing your stories, sharing your experiences. Great advice, and good luck with that hockey career.

Liz Bottner:
Thank you. My pleasure.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this.

Liz Bottner:
You're welcome. My pleasure.

 

Jeff Thompson:
Bye-bye.

Liz Bottner:
Bye.

Pete Lane:
This concludes our conversation with Liz Bottner. We'd like to thank Liz for taking the time to chat with Jeff on Blind Abilities. Once again, you can find more podcasts with a blindness perspective on our website at www.blindabilities.com or on our free apps in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. We'd like to thank Chee Chau for the fantastic music. Thanks so much for listening, and have a great day.

 

[Music]  [Transition noise]  -

 

When we share, What we see, Through each other's eyes...

 

[Multiple voices overlapping, in unison, to form a single sentence]

 

...We can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations, and the realities of Blind Abilities.

Jeff Thompson:
For more podcasts with a blindness perspective check us out on the web at www.blindabilities.com. On Twitter @blindabilities. Download our app from the app store, Blind Abilities, that's two words. Or send us an email at info@blindabilities.com. Thanks for listening.