From: Heidi ... 
Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2008
Subject: O&M in NC
To: daniel kish ...

Dear Daniel,
I'm writing you with hopes to get someone like yourself to instruct my daughter, Jordan, now 8 yrs. old. We had a few O&M's so far, but none feels right, they all go by "the books" and we do not want that for her. She developed her own echolocation when she was about 2 and we encourage that but the O&M's don't get it. I don't want to make this mail too long, I want to know if you have any instructors you work with near Asheville (Western N.C.), I'm willing to travel if that is what it takes. We had seen you in a piece last yr. and then in the Discovery Health in the short of "The Boy who sees through sound" which got me so exited to get the right person to instruct Jordan.
With great hopes to hear from you. I'm greatfull to know there are people like yourself out there.
Sincerely
Heidi 

	At 02:13 PM 11/29/2008, eric wrote:

To My Family and the Team:

I am sorry this was not timelier.

I want to take this opportunity to say thank you. 
 
Thank you Paul [district administrator]for your unstoppable courage, open mind, constant willingness, genuine friendship and your innate instincts about special needs children. Most of all thank you for your loving heart as you steer this team on our journey. 

Thank you Alida [Jordan's aide] for your dedication, continued support and loving guidance in safeguarding Jordan, your willingness to embrace our daughter, and ensuring Jordan the opportunity to spread her wings and fly with all of the rest of children at Isaac Dixon.

Thank you Nita [Jordan's Braile Teacher] for your open mind and nourishing heart, for your devotion, enthusiasm and perseverance in giving Jordan every opportunity to learn to successfully communicate and opening the door of knowledge for Jordan to discover the world through Braille. 

Thank you Rhonda [her teacher] for your fearlessness in accepting Jordan into your classroom for your warmth and amazing spirit and the loving and fostering environment you have created along with your patience while Jordan discovers her path.
 
Thank you Daniel for being Daniel. You are creating a paradigm shift of Divine proportion in giving blind children and young adults the courage and confidence to see their unlimited potential. You are an inspiration, you are a spiritual guide, you are creating new paths of journey for the blind and you are redefining blindness through the eyes of the blind. Your gentle patient nature along with your unyielding devotion to understanding the individuals with whom you work is remarkable. Jordan will be and already is a more free blind person. You have lovingly constructed the path and made clear the way for her spirit to journey and you have laid the foundation for all of Jordan's cheerleaders to successfully engage her into a life of limitless travel and learning of her world. You are a blessed man who has blessed my family forever. Brian you rock, no pun intended, you are the future and you too are amazing in what you have done.

Thank you Heidi [her mom, who moved heaven and earth to bring us to their daughter] for your amazing, uncompromising devotion to Jordan, your wisdom and perseverance in bringing Daniel here and your unbridled effort in making Jordan's life experience the most that it can be. Your innate motherly perception has enabled the team to better understand Jordan and our desires for her. Thank you for creating an environment that enables Jordan to grow with a sense of triumph and individuality.

I thank Jordan, for being the most courageous little girl I have ever met. Thank for being a teacher, an explorer, and a most loving little girl. Thank you for all that you do for your family, friends and the team working with you to help you create your limitless life. You have taught all of us to be bold in our thought, daring in our actions and unbounded in our approach to your blessed world, that world of a blind person. It is the spirit of your soul that touches the lives of people that you meet. I am blessed with your teachings daily.

Lastly I thank God for all of you in my life and the amazing power of the Universe that guides all of us and provides for all of us to be the best we can be.

Love

Eric

To: Eric 
Subject: Re: The Team

Hi eric,

How can I thank you enough for your thank you. It's a good season for thank yous. Brian and I were certainly touched and moved by your openness and forthright approach to your situation, and for following your instincts. It's a hard thing to do. Thanks so much for having us in your lives, and for coming into ours, and for believing in us, and for accepting our belief
 in you and Jordan.

As for my patience? - I really don't think of myself as patient, just aware of the importance of following the Light. As for my being blessed? - Yes, abundantly.
Warmly,
Daniel
 
To: daniel kish ...
Subject: Fwd: checking in
Date: Thu, 07 Oct 2010 11:11:24 -0400
From: Heidi ...

Hi Daniel, 
wanted to give you a quick update, with more time I will get into more details. 
It has been great having Brian here, as you know not only for Jordan but for me and Eric. Jordan and Brian have bonded, it was easy for Jordan given Brian's
goofiness. I think she realized they are both blind, and although she knew this, this time it clicked.
Brian helped Eric realize a lot of his anxiety was about himself, and he was able to put it in a way that was easy for him to hear. For me, since I got
Eric nagging about all Jordan does "not do", I was caught in his anxiety, even when my instincts told me different, so he helped me re connect and feel
good about what I have been doing with Jordan.
This is all the time I have, hope you are doing well and we certainly miss you too. And thank you for the e-mail, as usual your insights are thought inspiring.
I will go over it again with a bit more time and I will include the therapist on it.
Cheers!
Heidi

From: eric ...
Date: Sun, 10 Oct 2010 14:13:53 -0400
Subject: Brian's Visit and my thoughts

Dear Daniel,
I hope this email finds you somewhat rested and healthy. I say somewhat because I know your commitment to yourself and your vision is one of tireless pursuit
to achieve greatness.
Well enough of the fluff. I wanted to communicate with you my assessment, as a parent, of Brian's visit and maybe a perspective of where
I see, as a parent, World Access for the Blind in our lives.
First and foremost I feel so blessed to have had you and Brian enter into our lives and the life of Jordan. She is benefiting, at her pace, by your teachings
and methods every day. Yes I know, I said her pace. As with every visit I learn something new and with this visit I think a light bulb finally went off.
A light bulb that was illuminated by the skillful and compassionate communication delivered to me by Brian.
If there is anything that I could say about your organization as a recipient for the past three years, is that people, teachers, like Brian are the absolute
future of WAB. 
He is truly amazing. He is connected with Jordan and gets it. He gets it in a way that is so natural, compassionate and honoring. He is so honoring of the
process and the family he is working with while at all times being respectful of the individual he is working with and the family space he has been invited
into. He is a true ambassador for blindness and WAB. He makes people so comfortable with blindness. He is very intelligent and perceptive and gives direct
and meaningful answers to the tough questions. His skills in analyzing a situation or problem are brilliant. His ability to communicate in a room filled
with educators, therapist and school officials was masterful.
I say all of these things about Brian knowing that he had the master to guide, educate and encourage him. That being you. What I have experienced is that
you are the brilliant, technical mind behind all of this. You have an amazing and at times scary, in a good way, ability for getting all of this and I
mean the physiological, emotional, physical and spiritual aspects of what blindness is and how each and every individual is just that, unique onto themselves.
You break it down to its most detailed minutia and you can so skillfully connect the dots of the big picture. Dare I say you are a master without blowing
your head up anymore then it already is.
I share all of this with you with an intention to help you see somethings from your clients perspective. As said before, Brian and teachers like him are
the future of your organization in my opinion. I see a person like yourself teaching people like Brian to go forth and teach while you assist in the consultations
and assessments of the individual cases and while building on your vision and doing the analytical evaluations and communicating of your brilliant perspective
and intuitive insights and teachings into blindness and mobility. You are like the grand wizard and the Brian's of the world should be teaching your gospel.
You are the a great ambassador for yourself in opening the worlds eyes to your amazing techniques and teachings. You are the soul of WAB and should be
the man guiding the big picture. This doesn't mean you shouldn't be teaching and out in the field. It means, however, that you should spend more time with
the big picture in mind and the growth and success of WAB as your focus.
I would like to consider bringing Brian back twice in a year as Jordan matures. As I said before, he has such an amazing bond with her and I do not want
to stop the momentum. Not to mention he is such a goofball. A lovable one at that. I am going to propose this to Paul. While you are always a welcomed
guest and having your presence with us is a true honor, I am very comfortable with having Brian on his own work with Jordan. .
Once again, thank you for all of that you do and have done and thank you for making the world for Jordan and all blind children and people a much better
and safer place through there own empowerment. You are a blessing to this planet Mr Kish
With love and respect,
Eric