On this episode, we’re celebrating the ConnectCenter’s five year anniversary. We’re going to learn about some big changes coming to the ConnectCenter and how those changes will enhance the services provided.
On This Podcast (In Order of Appearance)
Additional Links
On this episode, we’re celebrating the ConnectCenter’s five year anniversary. We’re going to learn about some big changes coming to the ConnectCenter and how those changes will enhance the services provided.
On This Podcast (In Order of Appearance)
Additional Links
Welcome to Change Makers, a podcast from APH. We're talking to people from around the world who are creating positive change in the lives of people who are blind or have low vision. Here's your host.
Sara Brown:Hello and welcome to Change Makers. I'm APH's Public Relations Manager, Sara Brown . And on this episode, we are celebrating a major milestone, the ConnectCenter's five year anniversary. This is huge. We're gonna learn about some of the big changes coming to the Connect Center and how those changes will enhance the services provided up. First, I have ConnectCenter Director, Olaya Landa-Vialard, and Assistant Director Richard Reuda here to tell us more. Hello, Olaya and Richard, and welcome to Change Makers.
Olaya Landa-Vialard and Richard Reuda:Thank you for having us. Thank you . Thanks for having us. Yeah, we've always love being on Change Makers. This is great.
Sara Brown:Well, this is such an exciting time. We're at five years of the ConnectCenter, but up first, before we get into all of that, let's start at sharing what you both do for the ConnectCenter and what the ConnectCenter is for those who might not know?
Olaya Landa-Vialard:Well , um, as a Director of the ConnectCenter, I do a lot of the administrative duties, you know, contracts and things like that. Um, but I also help with partnerships , um, maintaining partnerships. I attend lots of our meetings to continue those partnerships and grow different programs and , uh, add resources to what we have at the ConnectCenter.
Richard Reuda:Yeah. And, and thank you Olaya. I , uh, mm-hmm . <affirmative> in my role as Assistant director. I help out the entire team, including Olaya and all of our content managers, as well as contributing a lot to CareerConnect, which was my , uh, how I started with the ConnectCenter and working with our contractors. Were doing a lot in that space to keep it fresh, to keep it modern, and to make sure job seekers and people searching for those resources site-wide are getting what they need. Like Olaya, it's really , uh, maintaining those partnerships and building new ones so that we have industry folks , uh, folks from the Consumer Movement and Civil Rights Movement really involved in the ConnectCenter so that we can keep abreast of all the information and resources that people need , uh, nationwide and globally.
Olaya Landa-Vialard:Yep . Getting to know all the different players out in the field , um, making sure that they know who we are and that we can help them get their messages out and their resources out as well. Cuz that's, that's the whole point of ConnectCenter is connecting people to resources and services. And so a lot of our job is, is doing that, you know, that face time... That reaching out to people , um, being at conferences, making those connections, doing presentations , um, whether they're in person or online , um, you know, we, or podcasts, like what we're doing now , um, just to get the word out about ConnectCenter. Um, and a lot of the things that we do.
Richard Reuda:And I will add one more thing. Over the past year we've emerged from the pandemic, like so many and have really been "boots on the ground" and at these conferences, AER and at regional meetings, uh, between all of us to really put the ConnectCenter on the map in the f lesh and having it tangible, uh, for folks to not just see us behind t he screen or hear us behind t he mic, but to really come up to us and ask u s questions and, and build those partnerships in real t ime where sometimes you don't get to do that over Zoom. So we've been a lot of places and we're continuing to go to new places over the next, uh, several months to a year.
Sara Brown:Now, just for those who don't even know what ConnectCenter is, can you talk about what the service, what services it provides?
Olaya Landa-Vialard:Well, I think what makes ConnectCenter unique, not only the connections that we try to make for people, but we actually have an Information and Referral line, which is a big part of the Connect Center where people can actually call in , um, and have and speak to real live people, not a recorded <laugh> automated voice, or, you know, "press one for this," "press two for that." I mean, we actually have people who are blind themselves who answer the phone and who are there to help answer questions , um, or help guide people through what they might be going through at the moment , um, and finding those resources for those individuals wherever they are . Um, and that's just part of one little part of the ConnectCenter. Um, the rest of the ConnectCenter is made up of information for families, for job seekers, employers, and for people who are new to vision loss or who are living with blindness and vision loss. Richard, do you wanna add anything?
Richard Reuda:I think you summed it very well. I , I , uh, to go back to what you started out with, I think I like to think of the ConnectCenter and tell people that "we're both old fashioned and very modern at the same time." Old fashioned , and that you will talk to a live human being on the phone. And we are very digitally connected. Our, our content managers, even our, our media guy, Tony, behind the scenes, we're always doing the best that we can to keep the website and the anchor Family, Career and Vision Aware, up to date and very, very useful and usable. And as we will talk, we will share how we, how the Connect Center is evolving and to one site with our anchor , uh, offerings.
Sara Brown:Richard, just a few minutes ago you mentioned the pandemic. This is a question I was just thinking about. How did the, how did the pandemic impact the ConnectCenter? Because if we're three years in the pandemic and the ConnectCenter celebrating five years, so it was getting its roots and getting its foundation and then the pandemic comes. How did that impact the Connect Center? I'm sure it did.
Olaya Landa-Vialard:I'm gonna let Olaya start out with that since she was, was first on , on the ground and then I came in later, just to be fair. Olaya. Yeah. Um, so yeah, I actually started , uh, May 4th, 2020, right at the beginning. <laugh> right at the right in the heart of the pandemic. And so , um, I think , uh, what really it, I think it helped ConnectCenter branch out a little bit more than it was. Um, we were, we, we had to find ways for us to connect people to each other since everybody was so isolated. Um, and by doing that, we did a lot of , um, uh, a lot webinars just blossomed during this time. Yes. Um, where we started providing information about, you know , um, for families, "how to work with your kids at home." Uh , "my child reads braille, I don't, what do I do <laugh> ? You know, how do I, how do I handle this?" Um, and bringing also information to those who are , uh, living with blindness and how they, how, how they were gonna get services when a lot of the services they get were in the home. Um , you know, how did , and how do you, how do you do like, kind almost like Telehealth, how do you get those services via Zoom or via phone? Um, and so it really kicked, I think, the ConnectCenter into high gear as far as really connecting with the people who we serve. Um, it , like I said before, it was like we were putting up information, we would put up blogs, we were , it just wasn't as interactive as it became , um, because of, because of the pandemic. I think everybody had to, we all had to switch gears and that was one thing that came out of that. Richard, do you have anything to add?
Richard Reuda:Yeah, the other thing to add to that for , uh, folks to know is that it , it was just you and Alan and , and maybe one or two other people. And we've grown twofold. Were , were a team of 14 with contractors now from a team of four. So we're doing a lot more. And the pandemic did illustrate that. We do, people do like media and interactive content. So we've utilized our webinars and we've recorded them and have put them up on YouTube and people like that. So now , um, speaking to CareerConnect and Family Connect and Vision Aware , we have several hundred webinars up there that are archived that people can check out and that talk about various aspects. And having that as a catalog, people can go back and reference people who we've interviewed, who are blind, who are working , uh, families , uh, who can have tips and trips to share with their kiddos. And , uh, families out there learning how to raise a blind child as well as adults with vision loss and eye diseases. All that's archived and that's something we didn't have five years ago, even three years ago. So I think that speaks to our wealth and our , uh, uh, uh, knowledge of what mm-hmm . <affirmative> we can provide and who we can share too .
Sara Brown:And for my next question, Richard, you just mentioned it. I I understand Vision Aware and Family Connect and Career Connect are, are they coming into the, the fold with us?
Richard Reuda:They are. So , uh, in July of 2023, we are moving from these websites all under to the APH Connectcenter.org. So what you right now see at FamilyConnect.org, Vision Aware, I'm sorry, VisionAware .org or AphCareerconnect .org , all those sites will be directed to APHConnectcenter.org. We've done extensive surveying focus groups and a lot of thinking around this, and it's gonna be easier to manage. We're gonna have a very searchable, robust site, which is being built in real time . And this July you're gonna see an APH ConnectCenter , um, Families, Careers and Vision Aware and , and all that content is being moved over , uh, namely the content we've built from 2020 onward with access to archives of things in the past that are still relevant that you can access. Um, Olaya you want to add to that?
Olaya Landa-Vialard:No, I, I think you , you really summed it up really well. I mean, people are, instead of going to three separate websites, are gonna be able to get to the information they need in one place. And the good thing is now that we are not three separate websites, a lot of the content kind of crosses over with each other. So things that are for families may actually fall into the Career Connect side, or, you know, because of transition age. Yes. Uh , or the employer side. And , um, the things on Vision Aware or Vision Aware talks about eye conditions and eye disease as well. People who , who have children who are low vision or blind wanna know about that. So a lot of that content is gonna bleed over into, into for Families. And so , um, it's really going to, like, like Richard said, a more robust site. It's gonna be easier to navigate and find information because it's gonna be all under one roof. We won't be siloed anymore. Um, and so I think that's one of the big benefits to this website. Um, and that, and from the results that we've had from the surveys and the focus groups, is that people like the ease of use of it now , um, because it's under one, it's under one umbrella.
Richard Reuda:The other thing I will add , uh, for the sake of our listeners is that the ConnectCenter came about when these sites came over from AFB five years ago. We, we had all these pieces, but we didn't have a, a sole department . And so I, I know a lot of discussions and focus groups were done around it, and they , APH came up with the APH ConnectCenter, which makes perfect sense. And that houses everything that we , uh, inherited from AFB at that time, including Career Connect, Family Connect, Vision Aware , the I&R line, and the directory of services. And then we have since added the calendar service, the Connect Calendar, and that really , uh, markets and , and values who we are and how we do connect people virtually and over the telephone. And this launch comes at a perfect time as we become five years , uh, involved And with the APH family.
Olaya Landa-Vialard:Exactly. And that Connect Calendar was something that I failed to mention as well. So the Connect calendar, how it connects people , um, across the country, whether you're, you know, city, state, region. Um, and the thing is, it's, it's a free service. So we, we exist to provide information and connect people to resources and services that are out there. So we don't charge for these types of services, we don't charge for people to put their information on the Connect calendar. So that allows us and our partners to share the resources and services that they have, not only at ConnectCenter, but with their own agencies themselves.
Sara Brown:Okay . And five years is a huge and is a , it's a huge milestone. And , and it's, you know, just doing things like this, especially making sure, you know , you get the right thing, you know , the right goals and stuff and set in place and then you grow it and you grow it and you work so hard. So I'm sure there's been a lot of blood, sweat and tears poured into this. What events are in the pipeline to celebrate this five year anniversary?
Olaya Landa-Vialard:Well, I know right now we are , uh, attending various conferences this summer to put the word out that, you know, we're five years old , um, coming this July , um, at Annual Meeting, we have a presentation that we're gonna be doing about the Connect Center , uh, five years of the ConnectCenter. Um, and we're planning to have a reception , um, a celebr celebration reception to celebrate our five-year anniversary as well. Um, we're putting together some , uh, a special logo for some special swag that we can give out to people with a special , uh, five year APH Connect Center logo. Um, you know, I, I have in my head imagining what it might look like, but, you know , we'll see what it, what it ends up looking like. But it will, and people will get to see what it looks like, cuz it'll be on the swag that we give out. So we're looking forward to that. Anything else, Richard?
Richard Reuda:Yeah. In addition to being , uh, attending the American Council of the Blind and National Federation of the Blind Conference , um, and Annual Meeting, obviously , uh, we, we will be , uh, sharing out news to our, through our partners on like Blind Abilities and , uh, Penny Forward on their podcast about the Connect Center and what's happening. We'll have a press release, we'll have a blog, featured blog in July , uh, explaining what, how the new connect center works, what it is, how some things have changed and some things have enhanced. Uh, and, and just a lot of publicity over the next several months on how five years is just the beginning
Sara Brown:And it is just the beginning. So what do you all want to see for the ConnectCenter in for the next five years? Because five years from now it'll be 10, 10 years old. So what do you all wanna see?
Olaya Landa-Vialard:Um, I'd like to see more , um, uh, I&R Line Associates. We, I'd like to grow the I&R line. Some have different languages available , um, so that, because we do get international calls, and so it would be nice to have individuals who speak the different languages to be able to help people around the world , um, who give us a call. Um, I'd love to see the APH Connect Center be even more interactive by having , um, either, you know, chat, chat boxes on our, on our sites. Um, so people can interact with us, send us questions, we can answer them. Um, I'd like to see that a little bit more. I'd definitely like to see more , um, video content, short video content. Yes. Um, that can guide people through different , um, aspects of, of , uh, living with blindness or being the caregiver or the parent of a child or an individual who is blind or low vision. Um, what about you, Richard?
Richard Reuda:I think to add to what Olaya said is to really continue our partnerships with , with those who are experts in, in the field that we wanna really bring to the ConnectCenter, whether it's through eye diseases or the consumer movement. So with peers, professionals, practitioners, bringing them to the table and working with them on issues that , uh, impact our community and share that information through the ConnectCenter so that people are informed, engaged, and, and encouraged to really support , uh, our movement.
Sara Brown:And the question I always love to ask at the end, what are , what else would you like to say? Is there anything else you'd like to add about the ConnectCenter or what you wanna see in the next five years? Anything you wanna say as we wrap up this conversation?
Richard Reuda:I always have to give a shout out to our team. It's, it's, it's not just Olaya, it's not just myself. It , it's our, it's Melissa, it's Katie, it's Tony, it's Alan , it's Sharon, it's Amber, it's our slew of contractors , uh, Lee Huffman. So many people support who the ConnectCenter is and what we are and what we've done and, and, and to people who started it. I mean, it , it's, it wouldn't be here without the, you know , blood, sweat and tears of, of the , uh, of APH of leadership of AFB. And we're proud of that legacy and we want to continue that. We want to be good stewards of the Connect Center so that, you know, in 15 or 20 years when we're out of it, it , it's even a better product than it is now. And so it goes without saying that our team is passionate people. All of our folks go above and beyond their job duties to really make the Connect Center what it is.
Olaya Landa-Vialard:Yeah. And I think that that's reflected in this, in the, the, the way we are putting our new website being that we're not siloed. We truly are a team that cross pollinates that works and we work so well together. Um, I mean, we really are like a ConnectCenter family. We, we care about each other. We work hard, we play hard, <laugh> , um, we, you know, people , um, the energy that our team has is contagious in a lot of ways. When we're all together at a conference or at a meeting, people are drawn to the team and they wanna be a part of ConnectCenter. And that's kind of, that to me, is it , it says, it says it all that people want to be part of the ConnectCenter. People wanna know about the ConnectCenter, they want to be involved in the ConnectCenter. They're excited to reach out to the ConnectCenter because they know that they're going to , they're gonna get an answer back and they're gonna get the help that they need.
Sara Brown:Richard, Olaya, thank you both so much for joining me today on Change Makers.
Richard Reuda:My pleasure.
Olaya Landa-Vialard:Thank you. Thank , yeah, thank you so much . We appreciate it .
Sara Brown:Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Change Makers. I put a link to the Connect Center in the show notes so you can check out and see all the services that are provided by the Connect Center. As always, thank you so much for listening to this episode and be sure to look for ways you can be a changemaker this week.