{"id":402308,"date":"2026-07-17T15:09:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T15:09:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/402308\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T15:09:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T15:09:10","slug":"visually-impaired-campers-build-confidence-traveling-the-orange-county-orange-county-register","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/402308\/","title":{"rendered":"Visually impaired campers build confidence traveling the Orange County \u2013 Orange County Register"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s Note: This story is part of a summertime series featuring\u00a0youth camps\u00a0in Orange County.<\/p>\n

Crossing at a busy intersection can be dangerous and intimidating.<\/p>\n

Is traffic going to give the right of way?<\/p>\n

Is it my turn to go, and can I get across before the timer runs out and traffic resumes?<\/p>\n

Am I headed in the right direction?<\/p>\n

Try navigating all that while being visually impaired.<\/p>\n

Students at the Next Step Summer Camp recently practiced doing just that.<\/p>\n

\"Jasmin<\/p>\n

Jasmin Garcilazo navigates the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center in Santa Ana during the Next Step Summer Camp on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. The visually impaired campers with Beyond Blindness were riding the train to Fullerton College to build skills and confidence. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Campers<\/p>\n

Campers Brandon Reed, Jasmine Jaber and Lora Steinmann, from left, talk while touring Fullerton College during the Next Step Summer Camp in Fullerton on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. Reed knew the layout of the college from being a student there before graduating from Cal State Fullerton. The visually impaired campers with Beyond Blindness were riding the train from Santa Ana to Fullerton to build skills and confidence. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A camper helps buy a train ticket at the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center in Santa Ana during the Next Step Summer Camp on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. The visually impaired campers with Beyond Blindness were riding the train to Fullerton College to build skills and confidence. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Campers<\/p>\n

Campers board the Metrolink train at the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center in Santa Ana during the Next Step Summer Camp on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. The visually impaired campers with Beyond Blindness were riding the train to Fullerton College to build skills and confidence. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Campers<\/p>\n

Campers Brandon Reed, left, and Jaber Jaber talk on the Metrolink train during the Next Step Summer Camp in Fullerton on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. The visually impaired campers with Beyond Blindness were riding the train from Santa Ana to Fullerton to build skills and confidence. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Camp<\/p>\n

Camp volunteer Tiffany Zhao, with her guide dog, orders at Starbucks at Fullerton College during the Next Step Summer Camp in Fullerton on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. The visually impaired campers with Beyond Blindness were riding the train from Santa Ana to Fullerton to build skills and confidence and tour the college. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Camper<\/p>\n

Camper Jasmine Jaber, left, braids Lora Steinmann\u2019s hair while riding the Metrolink train from Santa Ana to Fullerton during the Next Step Summer Camp on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. The visually impaired campers with Beyond Blindness were riding the train to Fullerton College to build skills and confidence. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Students<\/p>\n

Students in the Next Step Summer Camp learn the layout of the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center in Santa Ana on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. The visually impaired campers with Beyond Blindness were riding the train to Fullerton College to build skills and confidence. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Camper<\/p>\n

Camper Audrey Keith, left, talks with Jacqui Verdugo while riding the Metrolink train from Santa Ana to Fullerton during the Next Step Summer Camp on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. The visually impaired campers with Beyond Blindness were riding the train to Fullerton College to build skills and confidence. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Next<\/p>\n

Next Step Summer Camp participants arrive in Fullerton on the Metrolink train during the Next Step Summer Camp on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. The visually impaired campers with Beyond Blindness were riding the train to Fullerton College to build skills and confidence. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Intern<\/p>\n

Intern and camper Brandon Reed leads a tour of Fullerton College during the Next Step Summer Camp in Fullerton on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. Reed knew the layout of the college from being a student there before graduating from Cal State Fullerton. The visually impaired campers with Beyond Blindness were riding the train from Santa Ana to Fullerton to build skills and confidence. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Street<\/p>\n

Street crossings were one of the skills campers practiced during the Next Step Summer Camp in Fullerton on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. The visually impaired campers with Beyond Blindness were riding the train to Fullerton College to build skills and confidence. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Campers<\/p>\n

Campers tour the Disability Support Services offices at Fullerton College during the Next Step Summer Camp in Fullerton on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. The visually impaired campers with Beyond Blindness were riding the train from Santa Ana to Fullerton to visit the college, build skills and gain confidence. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Camper<\/p>\n

Camper Brandon Reed leads a tour of Fullerton College during the Next Step Summer Camp in Fullerton on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. Reed knew the layout of the college from being a student there before graduating from Cal State Fullerton. The visually impaired campers with Beyond Blindness were riding the train from Santa Ana to Fullerton to build skills and confidence. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Street<\/p>\n

Street crossings were one of the skills campers practiced during the Next Step Summer Camp in Fullerton on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. The visually impaired campers with Beyond Blindness were riding the train to Fullerton College to build skills and confidence. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

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Jasmin Garcilazo navigates the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center in Santa Ana during the Next Step Summer Camp on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. The visually impaired campers with Beyond Blindness were riding the train to Fullerton College to build skills and confidence. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

They bought their Metrolink tickets online, rode the train from Santa Ana to Fullerton, and planned their route to Fullerton College, where they received a tour of the campus from a fellow camper.<\/p>\n

The Beyond Blindness camp aims to give students more confidence while building real-world skills.<\/p>\n

Students learned about the resources available to them while getting comfortable using public transportation, managing money, and getting to their destinations.<\/p>\n

With nearly a 1-to-1 ratio of staff to campers, participants could ask questions and get a mental picture of their surroundings.<\/p>\n

Beyond Blindness is an Orange County-based nonprofit that aids children and young adults with visual impairments.<\/p>\n

Early intervention, real-world training and the camps are a few of its services.<\/p>\n

Thirteen-year-old Jasmine Jaber has been using resources at Beyond Blindness since she was 6 months old.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s so important because I\u2019m blind, just to learn. Learning the train station, the layout,\u201d she said about the day\u2019s outing. \u201cI think it\u2019s important before going out in the real world as an adult.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Editor\u2019s Note: This story is part of a summertime series featuring\u00a0youth camps\u00a0in Orange County. Crossing at a busy…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":402309,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[163,165,164,7,23,611,2944,338,104924,136],"class_list":["post-402308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-anaheim","tag-anaheim","tag-anaheim-headlines","tag-anaheim-news","tag-california","tag-local-news","tag-orange-county","tag-photos-and-videos","tag-santa-ana","tag-summer-camp","tag-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=402308"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402308\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/402309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=402308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=402308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=402308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}