[Fabs] NABS December Bulletin!

Sun Dec 19 03:25:57 UTC 2010

Once again, the bulletin is pasted below, with the minutes from our
last board meeting attached for your convenience.

National Association of Blind Students
>From the Desk of the President
December 18, 2010
In This Bulletin:
1.	Washington Seminar 2011!
2.	NFB 2011 Scholarship Program Now Open!
3.	Sign Up for 2011 NFB Youth Slam!
4.	State Division Announcements
Washington Seminar 2011!
	The National Federation of the Blind will be gathering once again
this winter in Washington, D.C. to meet with our national legislators
and discuss our legislative priorities with them. As usual, just prior
to our legislative visits, the National Association of Blind Students
will be holding its annual winter meeting. This year, our NABS student
meeting will be held on Monday, January 31, 2011 from 9:00 a.m. to
3:30 p.m. Before our meeting, we will be having a breakfast
meet-and-greet for students attending their first Washington Seminar.

The Great Gathering-In meeting, where the entire NFB delegation
assembles to discuss the upcoming legislative work, will happen on
Monday just after the conclusion of the NABS meeting, and legislative
appointments will be held Tuesday, February 1, through Thursday,
February 3.

We encourage all of you to join us for the NABS meeting, the
legislative appointments, or both. To find out who else is going from
your state or to inquire about funding to cover the cost of your trip,
please contact your NFB state affiliate president.

More details about the NABS student seminar will be available soon. If
you have suggestions for specific topics you’d like to have discussed
during the seminar, please send your suggestions to me at
Nabs.president at gmail.com
.

2. NFB 2011 Scholarship Program Now Open!
Each year the National Federation of the Blind awards thirty
scholarships to legally blind college and graduate students across the
country.  The scholarship includes a cash award ranging from $3000 to
$12000, plus a free trip to the NFB national convention and often a
piece of assistive technology such as a KNFB Reader Mobile.  The
scholarship application for 2011 is now on the Web at
www.nfb.org/scholarships
Applications are due by March 31, 2011.
Already won a national NFB scholarship? You can apply again and
potentially win a second scholarship, also known as a TenBroek
fellowship.
In addition, many NFB affiliates offer scholarships to blind students.
 You needn't be an active member of the NFB to win.  Contact your NFB
state president for details.  You can find a list of state affiliates
and their contact information at
http://www.nfb.org/nfb/State_and_Local_Organizations.asp?SnID=54394983
Best of luck!

3. Sign Up for NFB 2011 Youth Slam!
>From Mary Jo Hartle, director of education, National Federation of the
Blind Jernigan Institute:
We are pleased to announce the third biennial NFB Youth Slam.  Whether
or not science or technology is “your thing,” there’s sure to be
something for everyone.  Learn the science behind building apps for
your iPod, use cutting-edge equipment and technology to determine
chemical reactions in chemistry labs, build robots, or learn how to
use nonvisual techniques to perform a real dissection.  We guarantee
this summer program will be like no other you've ever been to before!

One hundred and fifty blind and low vision students from all across
the country will be selected to attend this five-day adventure, to be
held in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Baltimore, Maryland,
that will engage, inspire, and encourage the next generation of blind
youth to consider careers falsely believed to be impossible for the
blind.

While staying on a college campus, students will be mentored by blind
role models during fun and challenging activities designed to build
confidence and increase science literacy.  Participants will also have
the opportunity to attend workshops on topics such as leadership,
career preparation, and blindness.  In addition, students and mentors
will take part in a variety of social events throughout the week.
Come to the NFB Youth Slam and meet other blind and low vision
students from all over the United States!

Interested students who will be age fourteen at the time of the
program, and are starting high school (ninth grade) in the fall of
2011 or are currently in high school (including those graduating in
the spring of 2011) should complete an application online. Students
need not have a strong interest in science, technology, engineering,
or math (STEM) in order to participate, enjoy, and benefit from this
extraordinary experience.

If you are interested in attending the NFB Youth Slam, either as a
student participant, or as an adult volunteer, visit
www.blindscience.org to complete an online application.  Applications
are due by March 1, 2011.

If you have any questions about the NFB Youth Slam, please visit the
Web site or contact Mary Jo Hartle, Director of Education, NFB
Jernigan Institute,

(410) 659-9314, extension 2407, or e-mail YouthSlam at nfb.org.

Join us as we continue to make history at what promises to be the best
NFB Youth slam yet!

Mary Jo T. Hartle

State Division Announcements:
>From New York:
I just thought I would shoot you a blurb concerning the tremendous strides
NYABS has been making. Since the division was reinstated a little over
a year ago the student division has grown in leaps and bounds.
Membership has
increased greatly, and several local chapters are in the process of being
established. We are also planning on having our first Student Seminar in the
upcoming year.

Best, and thanks,

Kate Carroll

>From Virginia:
Hi,
My name is Brittany savage and I was just elected presidant of Vabs at
our state convention in November. I just wanted to give you a little
blerb about what we did and our new board members for the newsletter.

During the Virginia 2010 convention elections were held for the
positions of the board for the student division. Chelsie Cooke was
elected board member. Brittany Crone was elected Secritary. Kierra
Davis was elected treasurer. Christopher O'Mealy was elected vice
presidant, and Brittany Savage was elected presidant. While at the
state convention we held a student track in which 22 middle, high, and
college students partisipated. On Friday night we had a student
hospitality meeting where we played ice-breaker games, socialized, and
had pizza. On Saturday morning we held two sessions for the students,
one was a mobility training seminar and the other was a "This is what
I wish I could tell my parents". This was where we had the students
tell us what they wished that they could tell their parents about
being independant , and we took what they said and during the parents
luncheon someone told them what their children said without saying
which child said what. On Saturday afternoon we took  the entire group
to the D.C. metro where Bridget Dority gave them an O&M lesson on the
metro system. We had a metro bus come and let the students have an
hour exploring the bus and seeing what they don't get to see on a
usual day. I am very proud of the student track this year and want to
thank everyone again who put it together.

On 10/5/10, Arielle Silverman <nabs.president at gmail.com> wrote:
> National Association of Blind Students
> From the Desk of the President
> October 5, 2010
>
> 1.  NABS Reps are Here for You!
> 2.  This Month's Conference Call: Science and More!
> 3.  NABS Kicks off Pennies for Pages Fund-Raiser!
> 4.  Announcement from Virginia!
> 5.  Minutes from Last NABS Board Meeting!
>
> NABS Reps are Here for You!
> Are you hoping to organize a new student division at your state
> convention this year? Is your division looking for new ideas or
> planning a change of leadership? Are you looking for advice from
> someone who is experienced in organizing and leading student
> divisions? The NABS board are here to help! Our NABS officers travel
> across the country each year attending many of our NFB state
> conventions and helping your state divisions connect with the national
> NABS.  If you would like to have a NABS board representative come to
> your next state convention, student seminar, or other event, you can
> request a NABS rep by going to our website,
> www.nabslink.org
> and filling out the online form.  Also, check out the "About Us" page
> of our website to find out which NABS board member is assigned to your
> state.
>
> This Month’s Conference Calls: Science and More!
> **This month we will be having two conference calls: one for blind
> students and one for their parents! Below is information about the
> student call; information about the parent call will be sent out in a
> separate message.
>
> Attention All Students!
> Ever been curious about what majors and specializations blind
> individuals have had in the past? Have you ever felt like learning
> about fields such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Math-
> (STEM), are “too difficult”? Do alternative techniques a blind person
> may use in such fields just baffle you?
> If any of the above apply to you-
> Please attend the Membership phone call, presented by the Membership
> Committee of the National Association of Blind Students. We are going
> to cover concerns, techniques, and generalized information about how
> blind students can participate on equal terms with their sighted
> peers, even when focusing on STEM fields.
> Date: Sunday, October 17, 2010
> When: 7 pm EST #
> Where: NABS conference line- (712)775-7100 Code: 257963#.
> Why: TO learn and network with other blind students who wish to
> pursuer careers, or just get to know about opportunities in the STEM
> fields for the blind.
> We will discuss items such as the NASA Excel program, Youth Slam, the
> Junior Science Academy, etc… We are open to all types of technique
> questions, resource question, to be answered by the guest speaker and
> the committee. Hope to see you there!
> Sincerely,
> Membership Committee
> National Association of Blind Students
> 3. NABS Kicks off Pennies for Pages 2010-2011!
> Sean Whalen, second vice-president of NABS, writes:
> Greetings to all members and friends of NABS,
>
> I am writing to announce and solicit your participation in an exciting
> fundraising effort that the National Association of Blind Students is
> currently undertaking. The fundraiser is our second annual Pennies for
> Pages, and is being run in conjunction with the NFB’s Braille Readers
> are Leaders contest. We believe that this fundraiser has a lot of
> potential. However, in order to realize this potential, we need help
> from all of you!
>
> The idea is this. Students, or anybody else who is interested in
> helping to raise money for Braille literacy and our national and state
> student divisions, can sign up to participate in the Braille Readers
> are Leaders program and then solicit donations from friends, family,
> or anybody really, for Braille pages read throughout the duration of
> the contest. Of course, donations of fixed sums are also gratefully
> accepted.
>
> If you are already participating in either the K-12 or Adult Braille
> Readers are Leaders contests, you can simply register with NABS as a
> reader and find people to sponsor you for each page you read. To
> register as a reader with NABS, please fill the online form at:
> www.nabslink.org/pennies_for_pages/pennies_form.php
> Or contact Sean Whalen at smwhalenpsp at gmail.com or 608 332-4147.
>
> If you are not yet signed up for the contest, no worries! The reading
> contest runs from November 1, 2010 through January 4, 2011, and
> registration for Braille Readers are Leaders is open now, and will
> remain open throughout the duration of the contest. To register for
> either the K-12 or Adult Braille Readers are Leaders Contests, please
> go to www.nfb.org/bral. And, remember, once you have registered for
> the contest, sign up with NABS to participate in our Pennies for Pages
> fundraising effort!
>
> If, rather than registering as a reader, you would like to support
> NABS’ efforts by sponsoring a reader, or making a fixed donation,
> please either register as a sponsor at:
> www.nabslink.org/pennies_for_pages/pennies_form.php
> or contact Sean Whalen at smwhalenpsp at gmail.com or 608 332-4147.
>
> Donations can be accepted in cash or as checks made out to the
> National Association of Blind Students and can be given to our
> Treasurer, Nijat Worley, either in person at Washington Seminar or
> sent, via postal mail, to:
>
> Nijat Worley
> 2905 East College Ave, Unit 106
> Boulder, CO 80303
>
> If you wish to participate or have any questions at all about the
> plan, please contact Sean Whalen at either 608-332-4147 or
> smwhalenpsp at gmail.com. I will be compiling the list of participants
> and would be happy to answer any questions which anybody might have.
>
> Any money we raise through Pennies for Pages will be shared, in equal
> portions, between NABS, the National Association to Promote the Use of
> Braille, and the state student divisions (or affiliates) in which the
> readers reside.
>
> NABS looks forward to working together to raise money for, and promote
> awareness of, Braille literacy!
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Sean Whalen
>
>
> 4. Announcement from Virginia:
> Accessible technology is helpful, but it can be hard to learn how
> students use it in the classroom. Orientation and mobility training is
> useful, but many students aren't sure how to apply their skills to new
> surroundings...especially a busy mass-transit system like that in the
> greater Washington, DC area. And working to get electronic textbooks
> can make the already burdensome life a student even more hectic. Well
> at this year's NFB of Virginia convention, students will gain hands-on
> experience, access to successful students, and directly applicable
> strategies for all of these situations. Our convention will be held
> November 12-14 at the Marriott Fairview Park in Falls Church, in
> Northern Virginia just outside Washington, DC. We welcome all students
> -- from junior high through graduate school -- to learn with us. We
> will have a set of activities that parallel the state convention, so
> students will get the most of the general sessions and specific
> student-focused activities. For details and to register, please
> contact Student Division President Corbb O'Connor at corbbo at gmail.com
> or (202) 684-6130. If finances are tough for you and your family,
> please let us know. We will work with you to make the convention
> experience possible. We look forward to seeing you in Falls Church!
> 5.  Minutes from Last NABS Board Meeting:
> The NABS board meets by monthly teleconference to discuss and plan
> upcoming NABS programs and activities.  In order to let you be better
> informed about what we are doing, we decided to start attaching the
> minutes from each board meeting to the following month’s bulletin,
> beginning with October.  The minutes are attached to this email.  If
> you have any questions or suggestions for items that you’d like us to
> discuss in future meetings, feel free to write to me directly at
> Nabs.president at gmail.com
>
>
> On 10/2/10, Darian Smith <dsmithnfb at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Greetings Nabsters
>>  The Nabs board is  busily making  plans  to aquire auction items for
>> this January’s Washington seminar, and  is seeking   assistance from
>> you!
>>  If you know of any contacts, or just want to help out with gathering
>> contacts and items, you are welcome to join us on  an organizing
>> conference call tomorrow.
>> Date: 10/3/10
>> Time:5:30 p.m. EST
>>  Where: Conference   call (712) 775-7100  passcode”257963
>>
>>
>> --
>> Darian Smith
>> Skype: The_Blind_Truth
>> Windows Live: Lightningrod2010 at live.com
>> Follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/goldengateace
>>
>>
>> “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are
>> spiritual beings having a human experience.” - Teilhard de Chardin
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>
>
> --
> Arielle Silverman
> President, National Association of Blind Students
> Phone:  602-502-2255
> Email:
> nabs.president at gmail.com
> Website:
> www.nabslink.org
>

-- 
Arielle Silverman
President, National Association of Blind Students
Phone:  602-502-2255
Email:
nabs.president at gmail.com
Website:
www.nabslink.org