[Arizona-students] Fw: NFBA president's September message
Allison Hilliker (NFBA)
nfbarizona at gmail.com
Sat Sep 18 01:26:23 UTC 2010
News from the NFB of Arizona!
Sent: Thursday, September 16, 2010 12:13 PM
Subject: NFBA president's September message
September 15, 2010
Hello, fellow Federationists,
This month, we will discuss -
* Phoenix chapter annual fundraiser, the October 2 bowl-a-thon
* NFBA president's annual report to convention
* Accessible cell phone from Verizon with built-in speech accessibility by
Nuance
* NFB and Ebay news release about accessibility and joint programs for
employment and commerce
I have attached our most recent NFBA members roster. If your contact
information is not included, or is mistaken, please let me know so we can be
sure you are receiving timely information from us. At our convention, we
had a considerable amount of literature. We have the Braille calendars and
CD Roms containing many kernel book stories and seminal speeches, as well as
information for students, parents, seniors, and other information. Chapter
and division presidents took away much of this to distribute at chapter
meetings, so please ask for it at your next meeting!
* From Phoenix chapter president, Sharonda Greenlaw -
Make your plans to participate in The Annual Phoenix Chapter fundraiser
Bowl-a-Thon. It will take place on Saturday, October 2, 2010.
Where: the Glenfair Bowling Lanes
6110 N. 59th Ave.
Glendale, AZ 85301
When: From 1:00pm to 5:00pm
Cost: $10.12, which includes 3 games, shoes, and a $3 donation to the
Phoenix Chapter!
Dial-a-ride lets folks off across the street from the Bowling Alley.
However, by calling Carrie Taylor by Sunday September 26, she and Marvin
Rochelle will coordinate with Dial-a-Ride to drop us off right at the door!
So, bring your love for fun and fellowship and let's have a good time!
Further details about raising pledges and donations will follow in a later
email.
* NFBA president's annual report to our convention
September 12, 2010
National Federation of the Blind of Arizona continued to make progress in
2010. We are spreading our positive philosophy about blindness, and
encourage others to follow our lead. We have made inroads into the
prejudices and ignorance that are the real problems of blindness, and have
plans to do more in 2011.
We were able to send a good size delegation to our annual Washington seminar
this February, representing our student division, merchants division,
parents division, and general membership. We had four first-timers and five
veteran participants, and we have enthusiasm to do it again in 2011. If
your interested in participating in our 2011 Washington Seminar, clear your
calendar to be in Washington between January 30 and February 3, 2011 and let
me know!
We are studying how we might manage our annual legislative effort
differently this year. We may try something different from a traditional
luncheon at the beginning of the legislative year. We may emulate our
national Washington seminar activities, and send teams of participants to
legislators' offices with fact sheets and personal stories. We are open to
your suggestions now, so please share your thoughts soon!
We played a role in the Arizona State University lawsuit, where the
non-accessible Kindle electronic book reader was removed from use by
students until it became accessible to blind students. NFB won that case
and now the new Kindle electronic readers be are fully accessible straight
from the factory.
With the help of our national office programs to send parents and students,
and with the
efforts of SAAVI and assistant director and Tucson chapter member Amy
Murillo-Hicks, we were able to send 25 first-timers to our national
convention. We are working together toward the goal of fifty first timers
in 2011. There really should be no reason why any veteran or new member
interested in participating in national convention should not go in 2011, if
we work together to raise sufficient funds!
Our Parents division, under the leadership of Lavonne Butler, has reached
out and contacted many parents and teachers. The parents division
established itself as a viable organization with bright prospects. Our
Parents Division has scheduled additional exciting activities for parents,
kids, and teachers for 2011.
We have been invited to participate actively in helping re-shape the future
of the Arizona Business Enterprise program. We have again been invited,
under the leadership of Jim Farley, to speak to the merchants "all managers"
meeting in October to discuss implementing reforms in that government
program. NFB of Arizona will continue to recruit Arizona merchants and
entrepreneurs to learn about and adopt our positive philosophy, our can - do
attitude and refusal to quit!
Our efforts to reform the Arizona Braille law has made many ripples in the
world of teaching blind children. We are working with the University of
Arizona to help re-shape the training programs for future teachers of the
blind. The principal of the Arizona school for the blind has told us of our
work together to establish a positive Braille culture among teachers, staff,
and management. We will help them achieve Braille Competency certification
through Braille refresher courses and other cooperative activities in their
newly established professional development requirements.
We will again introduce legislation to require that teachers of blind and
visually impaired students be able to demonstrate competence in literary
Braille. We stirred up a hornets nest with teachers! NFBA will again offer
to assist teachers with mentoring, tutoring, refresher courses, and other
incentives that will allay their fear of accountability. We believe
teachers of blind and visually impaired students should embrace Braille, and
we are working with the Jernigan Institute to create programs that will
establish Arizona as a leader in the effort to double Braille literacy by
2015.
Our toll free line (888 899-6322) has received hundreds of telephone calls,
and we have been able to refer people losing their vision to appropriate
services and to our chapters and divisions. We have used the NFB free white
cane program to contact nearly a hundred people and offer them the
opportunity to become acquainted with our positive philosophy and become
NFBA members.
Our chapters and divisions are gaining new members, and we are engaging in
outreach to elementary and high school students, the transitional age
students, working age and seniors who are losing their vision, or have only
just learned about us through our outreach. We have had only limited
success with our website (www.az.nfb.org) that was created with the help of
our technology committee, and we have finally acquired pay pal to accept
donations. I am confident we will build an attractive, accessible,
interactive website this year!
I am extremely happy to talk about our new Yuma chapter! We teamed up with
the blindness agency, SAAVI, to work with a core of instructors and students
from their new Yuma office, and offer them a no nonsense philosophy, that it
is okay to be blind. These instructors and students have become the core of
our new chapter. Already the president, vice president, and treasurer have
been to their first NFB national convention and have about twenty dues -
paid members. This is a terrific example of what we can do when we work
together and encourage our blind members to take responsibility for
ourselves.
We have many new members and have the opportunity to help them learn the NFB
positive philosophy about blindness and independence, and make it an
integral part of their everyday lives. We have had a wonderful philosophy
seminar here at convention, led by Bruce Gardner. We will schedule another
philosophy seminar in the Spring of 2011, and facilitate participation by
any member across our very large state.
Of course, we remember those who are not with us today, and those who are
struggling with physical infirmities that prevent them from participating as
fully as they wish. We value them and their contributions to the cause we
share. We will interview and record memories of our most senior members for
our national effort to maintain an oral history of our movement.
Thank you for the work we do together - we work most effectively as a team.
We daily demonstrate the power of collective action in a cause that is right
and just!
Thank you, and this is my report.
Bob Kresmer, president NFBA
* Verizon Customers, Welcome to Heaven!
by Walter Gramza
It's finally here! An affordable, fully accessible phone from Verizon
Wireless. As of July 29th, 2010, Verizon Wireless has available in its
stores a Samsung Heaven phone for blind and visually impaired persons which
is fully
audible via Nuance speech.
There is no extra charge for the speech package, as it is already
installed in the phone and ready for use out of the box. It is important
to note here
that when you go to the store, please make sure that you tell the person
assisting you to be sure to turn on the voices called read outs, located
under settings, then sounds, and down to voices. The six items to be
turned on are:
1.. Menu read out
2.. digit read out
3.. alert read out
4.. flip open and talk
5.. text message read out
6.. full read out
In order for the phone to be audible these features need to be turned on.
You can use the alarm clock, set a time audibly, use the calculator, tip
calculator,
and send and read texts.
In short, you are prompted through every one of the functions you are
performing. You can even ask it to call someone provided that they are
in the contact list.
A Braille manual is available through Samsung. Remember, when you go to
Verizon Wireless you'll need to get the hex number, which they can
give you.
You then call Samsung at 888-987-4357 and provide them with this
number
along with your address and it will take about one month to receive the
manual.
You can also purchase an extended battery which lasts one and one half
times
longer than the standard battery. This is best as any phone withspeech
uses more battery power and shortens the life of the battery.
If you are a Verizon Wireless customer and are eligible for an upgrade,
you can get the phone for free. If you want to start a new contract with
Verizon Wireless, you get the phone for $40.00 complete with speech
software included.
If anyone would like assistance in learning the functions of the
phone,
they
may contact me via email at:
wgramza1 at verizon.net.
I hope that you will go and get this phone seeing that this is the only
other phone outside of the 3gs iPhone by apple that is accessible with
step by step prompts throughout the entire phone.
Let's show Verizon how grateful we are for a well planned phone by taking
advantage of such a great item.
Article Source:
Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind
* eBay and National Federation of the Blind Partner to Increase Ecommerce
Job Opportunities
Innovative Partnership aims to empower blind Americans to gain employment,
start businesses while buying and selling on eBay
San Jose, Calif. - September 15, 2010 - eBay, the world's largest online
marketplace, and the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) today announced
a partnership to create more opportunities for blind Americans to access
eBay as buyers and sellers.
eBay.com now includes enhanced features
<http://pages.ebay.com/help/account/accessibility.html> for users to buy,
bid and sell using the keyboard alone, as well as improved ways to navigate
content using assistive technologies such as screen access software. The
blind can now more easily connect with eBay's 92 million users and shop from
200 million live listings.
"We have great respect for the advocacy role the NFB plays in creating
employment opportunities for the blind," said John Donahoe, President and
CEO of eBay Inc. "eBay has built a reputation as a driver of job creation by
helping entrepreneurs start up and grow their businesses. We are excited
about connecting with an even wider audience through this partnership and
providing blind Americans with easier access to our marketplace for both
buying and selling."
"eBay is demonstrating true leadership and commitment to accessibility,
along with creating exciting opportunities for blind Americans," said Dr.
Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind. "The
National Federation of the Blind is thrilled with the accessibility of
eBay's buying and selling experience, and we look forward to working
together with eBay on employment opportunities for blind Americans. This
partnership demonstrates that when the blind and business leaders work
together, everyone wins."
With seventy percent of blind Americans either unemployed or underemployed,
job creation is critical to tackle the employment challenges facing the
blind. The NFB and eBay aim to provide additional tools and support to the
blind community to enable their success on eBay such as:
. Providing seed funding for promising blind entrepreneurs
. Recruiting members of the blind community to become eBay Trainers
to educate other blind individuals in selling on eBay
. Creating an NFB ecommerce store on the eBay platform
About eBay
Founded in 1995 in San Jose, Calif., eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) connects
hundreds of millions of buyers and sellers globally on a daily basis through
eBay, the world's largest online marketplace. For more information about the
company and our global portfolio of online brands, visit www.ebayinc.com
<http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebayinc
.com&esheet=6362743&lan=en-US&anchor=www.ebayinc.com&index=9&md5=cfb04b27cc4
2c93f650d249e50a6f73c> .
Thanks for reading this far, and if you have constructive comments to share,
please contact me!
Thanks,
Bob Kresmer, president
1 888 899-6322
krezguy at cox.net
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