Former EXIT student, Graham, had keen insight for the elementary students he mentored this school year. When faced with frustrations, Graham shared, “I just tell them to stay positive, try to breathe through it. 
And then we’d go slow, cause I remember back in the day, I had that issue. I was in middle school, seventh grade, because I wasn’t used to being away from home, wasn’t used to doing technology stuff.
I’d only known the Apex BrailleNote, and I remember that stress very well. So I gave them the same strategies and they liked it a lot.” Erica Towell, Graham’s teacher shared, “Graham has really strong tech skills so a class that was a good fit for him to support was Saffy’s elementary tech class. He served as a role model, emailed back and forth with the students, and showed them different skills with JAWS!” Elementary TSVI, Saffy Burnett, agreed,

My students loved when Graham visited, especially the jokes he emailed them! He offered them meaningful opportunities to practice their emailing skills, and they were always excited to share new things with him. Graham was purposeful with his praise to each student and was a lovely addition to our tech class.

All departments at TSBVI recognize the importance for our students to have peer and adult mentors who are blind, deafblind, or have low vision. This post will highlight the many ways TSBVI fosters mentorship.

TSBVI students on campus have many opportunities to be role models for each other. Students with musical talent lead peers in choir and in creating music together for school performances. Natanya, an EXIT student and recent graduate, served as the Music Intern this school year with the TSBVI Choir. Angel, a middle school student, was a peer mentor in the elementary music class and accompanied students on piano in the spring concert. Dillon, a high school graduate, was lauded by his instructors for his mentorship. His Instructional and Residential music instructors, Eva VanHouten and Lacey Lewis, as well as Chris Correll, his Audio/Video (AV) Production teacher, all commented on Dillon’s collaboration, encouragement, support, and positivity. “Dillon always makes space for his classmates on tracks to collaborate and he’s been a mentor to some of our elementary students which says a lot about who he is as a person.” 

Short Term Programs elementary classes invite high school mentors from Comprehensive Programs to lead fun, hands-on activities. Elementary students get to ask the high school mentors about their hobbies, pets, siblings, sports, as well as about their eye conditions and technology tools. The older students demonstrate programs like VoiceOver, and other screen readers, and various devices. Annie Biondi, TSVI and Short Term Programs instructor says, “The elementary students are excited to share about the tools they use, especially when the high schoolers use the same ones!“

TSBVI has a partnership with the Girls’ School of Austin (GSA). The PE departments of the two schools brings students in the fourth grade from GSA to TSBVI for weekly joint PE classes with TSBVI students in the Elementary grades. Students from both schools get opportunities to tour each other’s classrooms and campus spaces with TSBVI students demonstrating braille, low vision devices, and other technology to their peers from GSA. This collaboration has been going strong for over 10 years with hundreds of students learning to gain trust, awareness, and how to work with each one’s specific needs.

TSBVI also partners with individuals and organizations to connect students with adult mentors who are blind, deafblind, or have low vision.  Laura Hospitál, TSVI and TSBVI Life Science instructor, arranges on-campus guests and remote correspondence with scientists who are blind or have low vision from multiple disciplines including oceanographers, chemists, and astronomers.

TSBVI is actively involved with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). Each year, 12 students in grades 11-18+ participate in the NFB CAREER Mentoring Program. CAREER is an acronym that stands for “Changing Attitudes Regarding Education, Employment & Rehabilitation.”  In this program, mentors from NFB who are blind, deafblind, or have low vision meet with TSBVI students monthly throughout the school year to build relationships, discuss career paths, and explore community destinations together. Many former TSBVI students have leadership roles in the NFB of Texas. The current Vice President of the Austin chapter, Madison Flores, is an alumna of TSBVI. She recently wrote an inspiring article for TX SenseAbilities magazine, “My Journey Through Mentorship and Leadership” (English, Spanish).  Monthly mentoring group activities are offered on and off the TSBVI campus, including trips to state and national NFB conventions. Prior to the 2025 Convention, Natanya shared, “One thing that I am looking forward to at the State Convention would have to be learning more about the rights and opportunities for us as blind people or visually impaired.” Chris commented, “I will look forward to hanging out with people I haven’t seen in a while.” Haley added, “I look forward to going on this trip since this is my first time going to NFB. I am really happy and excited about this convention!”

This year, the NFB National Convention is in Austin, Friday, July 3–Wednesday, July 8, 2026! Find registration information on the NFB website.

The TSBVI Outreach Department arranges dynamic panels of leaders who are blind, deafblind, or have low vision to present regularly at their Conferences. Professionals in the field volunteer to provide mentoring and leadership to students at TSBVI. Terry Shimazu, a professional jazz pianist/organist who is blind, has been supporting TSBVI’s music department for over 20 years. Devin Gutierrez, professional musician and TSBVI Graduate, is the Assistant Director of the TSBVI Choir. Cole Johnson, TSBVI Alum, and Accessibility Training Specialist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife, is a frequent speaker who comes to campus for events and to visit with students. NFB mentor, Sal Villa, has spoken during the TSBVI Career Café speaking series, is on panels for Short Term Programs “Game of Life,” and gives basketball lessons during Summer Programs. Sal also was interviewed for the TSBVI Self-Determination series on YouTube, along with other mentors.

Many TSBVI teachers through the years have participated in the NFB Teachers of Tomorrow Program. “Central to the program is the perspective of the blind community—participants learn directly from blind mentors and educators who model effective strategies for supporting students and families.” Dori Senatori, TSVI at TSBVI and an NFB Distinguished Educator of Blind Students award winner, coordinated the CAREER program at TSBVI after completing the Teachers of Tomorrow Program. Dori ackowledges how importrant collaboration with NFB is: “I think that the growth of the CAREER program is that all of us, teachers and mentors alike, share the passion. I love teaching, and I think that all the mentors share this passion to teach students and work with them and give them all these different experiences that they may never have had before.”

NFB is represented on “A Sense of Texas,” TSBVI’s podcast. Norma Crosby, President of the NFB of Texas, spoke with Superintendent Emily Coleman on the podcast in October of 2019 about various NFB programs. Emily Gibbs, Director of Youth & Education Services of NFBTX, spoke on the podcast in 2021, reporting on the supports they provided during the pandemic. DB YEA! is an organization in the Austin area that provides deafblind students with deafblind mentors. The NFB Career Mentor Program partners with DB YEA! for several on-campus mentoring opportunities.

As someone who has been involved with NFB as a parent and educator, Superintendent Emily Coleman wrote “A Love Letter to Mentors and Role Models” in the Spring 2023 issue of TX SenseAbilities. (English, Spanish) In the article, she expresses, “The relationships built and maintained through the CAREER mentoring program help our students be successful as they make the scary leap from school to adulthood. TSBVI will not be with them forever and our students need positive role models for years to come.”