Dr. Gardner Launches Equal Leadership Programs For Blind

April 03, 2017 – – Dr. Meredith Gardner, owner and founder of The Strategic Edge, based in New York, NY, has announced that she will be conducting seminars on leadership, communication, and presentation skills specifically for the blind, which is called Lighthouse: young blind leaders program. She had conducted similar seminars several years ago in partnership with The Seeing Eye. The Seeing Eye has a philanthropic mission of helping blind people achieve greater independence, dignity, and self-confidence through the use of Seeing Eye dogs.

Dr. Gardner says: “My intention in doing these training seminars at the Seeing Eye Conference Center was to create parity in leadership development for non-sighted people with the training programs I provide for sighted people.”

The latest seminar took place at The Seeing Eye, Inc‘s Campus Conference Center, Morristown, New Jersey. Dr. Gardner discussed leadership using Chinese characters, interpersonal communication, and presentation skills. This will all be customized for the visually impaired and non-sighted participants.

“We explored the meaning of a person’s character while developing qualities of leadership,” adds Meredith Gardner Ph.D. “It was also my privilege to teach them practical techniques that a blind person could use when communicating, leading, making presentations, and other professional and personal situations.”

Uniquely customized for visually impaired and non-sighted people, these leadership, communication, and presentation skills seminars entailed the challenge for Dr. Gardner to be creative about the handouts, which were a major focus in the presentations. For instance, she had to devise a tactile-based system for the ancient Chinese characters, including ideograms and pictograms representing a concept, picture, or sound, that could be experienced through touch.

Dr. Gardner accomplished this by using three dimensional “puff paint” images affixed to 9″ by 12″ felt-backed heavy card stock. She adds: “The characters and words were taken from my book on leadership, Think Better, Lead Better: ‘Chinese Characters Reveal Strategies for Success’. She encourages people to contact her if they need a copy of this book.

Those who have taken part in the Business Leaders Program | National Industries for the Blind programs have been very enthusiastic. “She is so much more than an expert in her chosen field of communication,” says David A.L. “She is fun, insightful, concerned about her audience gaining perspective, and leaving practical information and knowledge that they can use.”

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Contact The Strategic Edge:

Meredith Gardner, Ph.D.
212 769-9340
mgardner@strategic-edge.com
321 W 78th Street
New York, New York 10024-6525

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