| About Christopher Sabine |
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Christopher Sabine is an adult with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia currently
living in Cincinnati, Ohio. He graduated magna cum laude from Wright State
University in 1996 with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and received his
Master’s degree from the University Of Cincinnati School Of Social Work in 1997
with a specialization in human service administration. He worked for five years
as a case manager for adolescents with a variety of disabilities and special
health care needs as a service coordinator and case manager. His work involved
developing service plans that address each child’s individual needs, supporting
children to develop a vision and goals for the future, and working with
families, schools, and disability and health care professionals to achieve that
vision.
Mr. Sabine has attended and participated in numerous Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings in his role as service coordinator. He has been active on numerous local, state, and national organizations charged with the needs of urban youth, people with disabilities, and other minority populations. He sat on the Board of Directors of the Autism Society of Cincinnati from 2003 to 2008. In This capacity, he helped shape policy and service delivery for children and adults with Autism in Ohio through his role as local representative with the Ohio Autism Coalition.
Mr. Sabine has lived a lifetime of experience with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia. He is significantly visually impaired and uses a white cane, reads Braille, and operates a computer with software called JAWS that reads the screen in a synthetic voice. He received eight years of occupational therapy for sensory integration dysfunction as well as extensive training to enable him to perform many basic life skills using the alternative techniques of blindness. Like many people with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia, Mr. Sabine has some Autistic tendencies and some special skills that are unique to him. For example, he can still do some long multiplication problems in his head and knew every area code in North America prior to 1995.
Mr. Sabine is currently an active member of Focus Families, the only international support group made up of families of children with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia. His unique insights into life with this condition have assisted many parents to better understand their children’s unique characteristics and develop effective strategies to enable them to thrive.
Mr. Sabine’s hobbies include writing, playing computer games and listening to Progressive Rock music. He has recently become a practicing Catholic and speaks to children at his local parish school about life as a blind person.
Below are some writings by Mr. Sabine:
In Memory of Karen Carpenter
A Quest to Connect
Theory of
Santa
Where's
Fair
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