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All too often, people who are blind or visually impaired are told that they cannot do this or that. As a result, one must develop self advocacy skills and be proactive in finding alternate ways of accomplishing their goals. This month, Naomi Hazlett is joined by educator, Opera singer and fashion model Blair Spry, for an illuminating conversation about his journey through life as a performing artist and school teacher with low vision.

As a singer, Blair has performed with the National Youth Choir of Canada, as well as with the Nota Bene Baroque Players. He has also starred in leading roles in Opera Laurier\'s productions of Igor Stravinsky\'s "The Rake\'s Progress", and Puccini\'s "Gianni Schicchi\\u201d.
\\n As a teacher, he has worked with students from grades 1 through 12 within the Waterloo and Grand Erie District School Boards in Ontario. Now living in Brantford Ontario, he currently serves as an educator and Student Support Counsellor at the W. Ross Macdonald School for the blind, helping a new generation of blind and low vision children realize their full potential and establish their independence, just as so many have done for him throughout his life.

In addition, he runs a week-long summer music camp for blind and low vision children between the ages of 9 and 21, that has been in operation since 2007. It has even operated as a virtual camp during the COVID19 Pandemic, with recreational games and activities, campers receiving free private music lessons, writing choir songs together on Facebook, and putting on live concerts over zoom.

Join Blair and Naomi for a candid conversation about vision loss and education: learning environments in integrated schools compared with those of specialty schools for the blind, the terminology used to describe professionals who work with people with vision loss, debunking myths and stereotypes surrounding the blindness community, and much more. They also talk a little Mozart, because why not?

Email Blair Spry at spry2250@mylaurier.ca

W. Ross Macdonald school website: https://pdsbnet.ca/en/schools/w-ross-macdonald/

Music Camp for the Visually impaired Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CampsForTheVisuallyImpaired/

AMI Camp documentary: https://www.ami.ca/category/our-community/media/resilience?fbclid=IwAR2cpX1Lw90NtJS5vwsmZUhFgaxMs96x2VtevTT_63e_IUh5GnRum6zzORc

The show notes and transcription for this podcast can be found at https://www.balancefba.org/podcast/season-2/

Donate to BALANCE: https://www.balancefba.org/donate/