At the Montana Association for the Blind’s Summer Orientation Program, students who are blind or visually impaired are learn practical skills, and build confidence along the way.
After losing her vision, artist Kristi Eagle Horse thought her creative life was over.
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She says, “I was like, lost and afraid. Angry. You name it—because of losing my vision. I mean, I'm an artist, right?”
However, two summers spent as a student in the Montana Association for the Blind’s Summer Orientation Program changed everything.
“I discovered, in talking to the other students and the staff, they got it. They get me. They understand. And it was like, my gosh, I’ve got a family,” Eagle Horse says. “So I’m still producing my art, thanks to this program.”
Now, she’s come full circle—returning this year as the crafting instructor, teaching the very skills she once learned.
She explains, “Losing your sight, you grieve a loss. And when a new student comes in and they’re just still fighting it, those of us who have gone a little further can reach a hand back and say, come along, it’s all going to be okay.”
The Montana Association for the Blind has hosted the Summer Orientation Program for 78 years, offering visually impaired adults from across the state a chance to gain real-world skills, and reclaim their independence.
Jocelyn DeHaas, Executive Director of the Montana Association for the Blind, says, “There are not many states that have a program like ours. There just isn't a place for people to come together and really learn the skills they need to be independent. We can really see people transform in just a month going from, ‘I can't do anything’, to ‘Wow, I can do things’. It's great.”
The program, held this year at the Ursuline Center in Great Falls, spans four weeks. Students take core classes in orientation and mobility, where they learn to navigate using a white cane, activities for daily living like sorting medications or handling money, and discussion groups that provide emotional support and peer connection.
Electives range from Braille and assistive technology to woodworking, cooking, sewing, and more.
DeHaas says, “Somebody who has never sewn before goes, ‘Wow, I’m blind—and I never thought I’d do this. This is incredible, that spark, it matters.”
All room, board, and tuition costs are covered by the Montana Association for the Blind, thanks to generous donations and state support.
This year, another student has come full circle. Morris Miller, who was born with low vision, taught Braille and even served as the program director. As his vision has continued to decline, he returned to the program as a student.
Miller says, “I have shown stuff like this, but when you really need it, it’s great to be able to see it really work. So many people will just go out of here feeling like, ‘Hey, there is life after blindness.’ And there is.”
For students in this program, the skills gained over these four weeks last a lifetime.
For more information on the Montana Association for the Blind’s Summer Orientation Program, click here.
