[Blindtlk] Independegnce Market at the convention

David Evans drevans at bellsouth.net
Thu Jun 23 18:39:39 UTC 2011


Dear Penny,

This sounds like a great opportunity to teach her some skills.
Show her how to deal with the paper money and coins.
Give her some money of her own and have her fold it so that she can tell you 
what the amount on the bills are.  Teach her about the coins, that the 
silver coins have a rough edge and the ones worth more money are bigger and 
that the non-silver coins, like pennies and nickels have a smooth edge and 
are different in size as well.
Have her buy something she likes in a shop and watch her pay for it herself 
using her new skills.  Make sure that she has to get change back and see if 
she can count it and put it away properly with her other money.
Show her how to tell the signs on the doors to the restrooms by feeling the 
Braille and raised letters.  Do the same on the elevator buttons and door 
jams.  Have her find and press the buttons for your group as practice.
Please get her a pair of those cute Mickey Mouse ears to wear and take home.
Show her how to use the room keys by marking or cutting off a corner of the 
plastic key and have her use it to unlock the door for you and her.
These little skill sets will boost her confidence and she will want to learn 
more.

Get her a metal slate and a couple of stylists and a book on grade One 
Braille.  The Hadley school has a wonderful coerce called "Relevant Braille 
and teaches you to write and read using a slate and stylist which is the 
only really portable method there is.  She is not too young to begin 
learning Braille.  I wish I had.
The Parent's Division will likely have a table in the Hall and they and APH 
"American Printing House, often have several accessible games and toys for 
kids.
Will she be attending NFB Camp while she is there?  It maybe great for her 
to make some other Blind friends there and share contact info with them.  I 
have seen some great things come from such things as kids stay in touch with 
a friend that made at a convention.
Another skill she can work on is ordering food in the cafe.  Talk to her 
about what she wants to eat, but then let her speck to the waitress herself 
in ordering her food selection.  While you are waiting for the food to 
arrive, ask her to look at the table and then close her eyes and see if she 
can find her silverware, napkin, water glass and such with her eyes close or 
at least tell you where they are.  It sounds simple, but these little things 
add up to confidence and better skills.  It can also help her when she is 
dealing with other people and asking them to aid her or communicate to her 
information in a way she can use and recognize.  Kind of like giving someone 
driving directions over the phone.  All of the pointing and gesturing does 
no good if a person can not describe what it is they are trying to 
communicate in words and in a way that the other person can understand.  She 
needs to learn how to direct others clearly and in a way that helps her get 
what she needs.
I hope that I have not offended you or over stepped my bounds, but I think 
back about all of the miss opportunities in my own life and wish someone had 
done it for me.

IF I can be of help to you during the convention, just call my cell at (561) 
789-2488.

David Evans, NFBF and GD Jack.
President, Palm Beach County Chapter
Retired Nuclear/Aerospace Materials Engineer
Builder of the Lunar Rovers and the F-117 Stealth Fighter
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Penny Duffy" <pennyduffy at gmail.com>
To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2011 12:55 PM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Independence Market at the convention


> David..
>
> Wow thank you for all the great information.  My daughter will have lots 
> of
> fun shopping.  She is 7 and is developing some great money money skills
> (paper is her biggest issue but thats common)  I didn't realize they would
> be so many opportunities  to spend money.
>
> Thank you EVERYONE for your help.  Its going to be a busy week and I am so
> very excited.
> -Penny
>
> On Thu, Jun 23, 2011 at 12:23 PM, David Evans <drevans at bellsouth.net> 
> wrote:
>
>>
>> Dear Penny,
>>
>> You are in for a treat and a challenge.  Think about the busiest shopping
>> mall you have ever been to and this will be close, but most of the people
>> there will be Blind.  The Independence Market Place, I.e. the NFB Store, 
>> has
>> just about everything you can think of and what they don't, the other
>> vendors such as Independent Living Aids, APH and others will have it.
>> There will be Divisions, Committees, State Affiliates and Chapters 
>> selling
>> candy, snacks, drinks and all kinds of raffle tickets for cash or trips 
>> and
>> technology.  Some things will have Convention only prices and deals too.
>> You will need to be registered to have your names in the drawings for 
>> door
>> prizes at the General Sessions and the Banquet.  You must be in the room 
>> or
>> on Convention business to get the prizes and even if your name is drawn,
>> your name stays in the pot and can be called again.  I know people who 
>> have
>> had their name called as many as 6 times in one convention.  They always
>> give a nice door prize at the beginning and end of each General session , 
>> it
>> pays to be on time and not to leave early, and the prizes sometimes 
>> really
>> get large toward the end of the week as people go home early and the 
>> winners
>> can not be found.  They add to the prizes both cash and merchandise.
>> The merchants Division usually sells large bags with all kinds of snack
>> foods in it for $5 as a fund raiser from the Merchants Division table in 
>> the
>> Exhibition Hall and the Student's Division is everywhere selling Candy so
>> you can always get something to eat.
>> Many of the State Affiliates and Division/Committee s have tables in the
>> Hall selling all kinds of things as fund raisers.  I picked up a really 
>> cool
>> digital recorder for $15 from the Utah affiliate a few years ago.
>> I have also picked up some really cool items that I use to show people 
>> how
>> Braille works.  I got two key flobs from (APH) American Printing House in
>> the form of a little Rubik cube that can form all of the Brail signs and 
>> a
>> small refreshable slate and stylist that lets me write and read up to 6
>> Braille letterers and show how a slate works by popping the little pins 
>> up
>> and reading them before erasing them and writing something else.  It
>> certainly shows the concept of Braille and how it works to just about
>> anyone.
>> Something that allot of members do not know, is that the NFB usually puts 
>> a
>> clause in all of their hotel contracts that extends the Convention room
>> rates 3 days before and 3 days after a convention so that any member can
>> stay, or come in early and enjoy the attractions and sites of the host 
>> city
>> at a reduced room rate.  You might want to take advantage of this to 
>> visit
>> the theme parks.  If you are Para-transit qualified, you can even use
>> Orlando's Access Links service to take you places 24 hours a day.    How
>> about a visit to Disney Village?  Church Street Station or Old town,
>> Ripley's Believe it or Not?.  Whatever you miss this time you can catch 
>> at
>> one of the other 3 National Conventions planned for Orlando in coming 
>> years.
>> Remember that on July 8, the last Space Shuttle is going up from the Cape
>> and you can see it from anywhere in the Orlando area or you could plan a
>> visit to the Kennedy Space Center as a day trip.  If you can not find
>> something interesting and exciting to do in Orlando, you better take your
>> pulse and see if you are dead.
>> The Florida State Affiliate is here to help you enjoy your stay with us
>> more and if we can be a help just ask.
>>
>>
>> David Evans, NFBF and GD Jack.
>> "Orange you glad you are in Florida?"
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Hyde, David W. (ESC)" <
>> david.hyde at wcbvi.k12.wi.us>
>>
>> To: "'Blind Talk Mailing List'" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2011 9:03 AM
>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Independence Market at the convention
>>
>>
>>  Penny, of course there will be canes, as everyone has said. There will 
>> be
>>> a lot of other things too. It seems that everyone who wants to sell
>>> something to blind people is there. As far as activities, be sure to get 
>>> to
>>> the Rookie Roundup for an overview of the convention. I don't know how 
>>> old
>>> your daughter is, but I know there will be plenty of children there her 
>>> age,
>>> no matter what it is. If you have problems or questions, please ask 
>>> someone.
>>> The Presidential Suite is a good place to get information that you can't
>>> find in the agenda. It is open to everyone at the times shown in the 
>>> agenda,
>>> and everyone is welcome to stop in.
>>>
>>> I have been attending these for more years than I can count, but I 
>>> believe
>>> this will be my thirty-fourth. There are some who have been attending
>>> longer. We are all happy to help.
>>>
>>> I look forward to seeing both of you at convention. I'll be the one
>>> carrying a white cane.
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org 
>>> [mailto:blindtlk-bounces@**nfbnet.org<blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org>]
>>> On Behalf Of Penny Duffy
>>> Sent: Wednesday, June 22, 2011 9:58 PM
>>> To: Blind Talk Mailing List
>>> Subject: [Blindtlk] Independence Market at the convention
>>>
>>> I know Independence Market will be at the convention.  My daughter 
>>> really
>>> wants to try a NFB straight over the folding  heavy aluminum cane her 
>>> O&M
>>> instructor gave her. Does anyone know if they normally have a good
>>> selection? I keep telling her we will get her a new one at convention 
>>> and
>>> now I am concerned there isn't going to be any there.  Its our first
>>> convention and we are very excited
>>>
>>> --
>>> --Penny
>>> ----------
>>> Adventures with Abby - visionfora.blogspot.com
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>>
>>
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>
>
>
> -- 
> --Penny
> ----------
> Adventures with Abby - visionfora.blogspot.com
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