VIDBE-Q 2026 Volume 71 Issue 1
Steve
Pohl
pohlsl@yahoo.com
Graduate
of Northern Illinois University
My name is Steve Pohl, and I have been a teacher of students with visual
impairments and a certified orientation and mobility specialist for 12 years. My
introduction to the field of visual impairments and blindness began in
Cochabamba, Bolivia, at the Centro de Educación Especial Padre Ignacio Zalles
[Fr. Ignacio Zalles special education center]. It was there that I learned about the
challenges faced by adults and youths with visual impairments, along with the
strategies they used to live more independently, access information, and pursue
their goals. Some of my most formative training was with the center's community-
based rehabilitation team. While traveling with colleagues to remote areas, I
learned the importance of community engagement in the education and
rehabilitation of people with disabilities, and how to be creative with extremely
limited resources.
From South America to American Idol
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