[Gabs] Connecting The Dotz Newsletter

Tue Jan 31 03:52:50 UTC 2012

Hello,
Below you will find the Georgia Association of Blind Students Connecting The Dotz newsletter. Hope you enjoy!

CONNECTING THE DOTZ
No.7

My State Convention Experience

By Grecia Ramirez

On October 8, the National Federation of the Blind of Georgia traveled to the Macon Marriott hotel for our annual state convention. We took a bus from the Kensington Marta station at around 4:30 to begin a great weekend of education, and fun!

By the time we arrived and checked in to our rooms, we had just enough time to hear the candidates running for office on that Sunday. Afterword, most of the Gabs student convention went out for a celebratory meeting/dinner. There were many, and the party was full under way for that Friday night. Afterword, there was a mini meeting to discuss the slate for that Saturday’s student elections.

Saturday morning brought with it, early awakenings and General Session. We listened to several different seminars: from the NLS, to different methods of getting books for college. We also discussed the Minimum wage Act and the small gains we have on it. However, we still need to keep moving forward. The coolest part, I believe, of General Session was when former senator came to speak to us. She was very down to earth, and very honest with us about her opinions and the way the laws work in the states. She ended her speech by giving us her facebook info and encouraging us to add her up!!

With lunchtime, came the Student meeting. We had several students speak on their unique experience. For instance, Mary Fernandez spoke about her summer. And I spoke about my training at the Colorado Center for the Blind, as well as one of our special guests, travel teacher, Monique Melton. Then, Anil Lewis spoke about making your educational experience a fun one. Afterword, it was time for the voting!!! Congratulations go out to our new board: LaKeisha Holmes, president; Shelby Ball, first vice president; Wilkens Eugene, second vice president; Dawlyn Dieudonne, secretary; Rashi Goel, treasurer; and Allie Watkins and Taey Mack, board members.
       Afternoon breakout sessions are always funny and entertaining. Salsa dancing was no exception. We danced our way into 3:30 and then it was time to switch. However, I had already been to the center so, I found it would be more productive for me to continue in the salsa room. And that lasted until it was time to get ready for Banquet.

The banquet was a great affair where guest speaker, Anil Lewis, who was also our National rep, gave a rousing speech. The food was good, the speech was good, and it all made for a great start to our Karaoke night festivities. Even Mary and I joined in with the singing to a huge round of applause. Shall I state for the record, that Miss Mary did a fantastic job?
       Sunday brought with it, convention wrap-up and the elections for our board of directors. Huge congratulations go out to them. Afterword, it was time to pack up to leave.

Overall, this convention was one of the best for me. And one of the reasons is, because I got to share a little bit of my experience with everyone. Hopefully, this will encourage people to continue with their NFB training and attend a center. But, this convention was also innovative, and educational. I’m looking forward to next year’s!!

A True Inspiration

By Allie Watkins

Thelma Godwin was a kind, caring, generous, and altruistic individual. It was a pleasure and an honor to have her in my life and I consider myself very lucky that I knew her. She cared deeply about blind adults, blind children, and parents of blind children. She taught blind individuals alternative skills and methods to accomplish their daily activities and improve their confidence and independence. She also taught them about their rights as blind people and worked to improve their advocacy skills. She worked with parents of blind children to ensure that the children had adequate guidance, support, and skills to become successful and independent individuals. She helped match blind children with blind mentors who could guide, support, encourage, and advise the children throughout their lives. She was not only a considerate and tactful leader, but also a supportive and benevolent follower. She loved to organize programs and events and guide and direct others. However, she also enjoyed allowing others to lead while she contributed time, ideas, assistance, and encouragement. 

I spoke with Thelma many times at the Center for the Visually Impaired and at NFB conventions and events. She and a few other NFB of Georgia board members attended a meeting with me and my vocational rehabilitation counselor before my first year of college. They helped me explain why it would be beneficial for me to have both a Pac Mate and a laptop in college. My counselor attempted to argue that both devices perform the same tasks, which wasn’t entirely true. In the end, Thelma and the other board members convinced my counselor that I would need both machines in college. Thelma and the same board members also attended another meeting with me and the University of Georgia Disability Resource Center employees. The employees, none of whom could read Braille, wanted to Braille all of my college materials themselves instead of outsourcing the materials to the Alternative Media Access Center. Thelma and the board members helped me persuade the employees that it would be more practical and more reasonable to send my materials to AMAC for Braille conversion.

Ms. Thelma was truly a woman who was dedicated to the federation movement and the betterment of the blind community. She was a great inspiration not only to me, but the lives of everyone she touched and she will be missed by all. 

D.Y.K???

Did You Know?

Thomas Gore - (December 10, 1870-March 16, 1949) was a Democratic politician. He became blind as a child, but never gave up his dream of becoming a senator. In 1907, he was one of the first two senators from the new state of Oklahoma. He was re-elected twice more. He was famous as a member of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

textbook Rental Program, a “STEPP” towards Universal Access

The Student E-rent Pilot Project (STEPP) spoke at the Georgia Association of Blind Students’ Annual Business Meeting in Macon last October. 

If you aren’t familiar with STEPP, it’s an eTextbook rental program offering cost effective textbooks that can be read with a screen reader. STEPP was launched by Georgia Tech’s Alternative Media Access Center, in partnership with the Access Text Network and CourseSmart® to offer universally accessible electronic textbooks and save students money on their course materials. This gives students with print-related disabilities the chance to participate in a mainstream textbook rental program. textbooks can be accessed on a web-enabled device such as a desktop computer, laptop, or mobile device using an internet browser. By renting an eTextbook, students can save an average of 50% or more as compared to buying a new hardcopy book.

Anyone can rent titles on CourseSmart’s website at www.coursesmart.com. Below are guidelines for getting started: 

Create a free account on www.coursesmart.com. 

Search for titles.

Contact accessibility at coursesmart.com to enable the accessibility feature on your account (if using JAWS®, NVDA, Window-Eyes). 

Preview the first chapter of a book before renting. (This is a good time to test the book to see how it works with your screen reader.) 

If a book needs to have structural tags added to improve its accessibility, you can submit your title request to accessibility at coursesmart.com.

If you’ve rented an eTextbook before, STEPP would love to hear about your experience. Please participate in a survey about eTextbook rentals at: http://stepp.gatech.edu/survey.php. Your feedback will help support you and future eTextbook renters. 

For more information on the Student E-rent Pilot Project, visit the STEPP website at http://stepp.gatech.edu or watch a 5 minute video on YouTube at http://youtu.be/pAHFky7p7_c.

Youth Slam: An exciting fun filled week!!!

By Jasmine Cook

The third annual youth slam took place July 18-22 at Towson University in Baltimore Maryland.  During the course of the week students were engaged in various tracks from chemistry, biology and journalism. Students were also involved in educational and fun activities during the course of the whole week. 

The week kicked off on a Sunday when the students arrived in high sprints for the week ahead. When arriving to the campus, meeting their mentors and roommates were among the first things that the students did.  Later that night, the students went to dinner where a welcome ceremony was held and worked in their pods to make a tower out of marshmallows and string. Yes, I know it sounds a little strange, but it was a lot of fun and really helped to break the ice among the students. 

Bright and early on Monday morning, we were off to the opening ceremonies. Afterward, students headed for their assigned tracks and short sessions. Later that evening, we attended social activities which included yoga, a dance class, and board games. The following day students were up and off for more track sessions for the majority of the day. Later that evening, student’s participated in more assorted activities from belting out some tunes with karaoke to taking to the water for some relaxing swimming.  

On Wednesday morning, in true fashion, students attended more sessions. Then mentors and students traveled to the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute for a Slam Seminar. That night was filled with fun at the Talent Extravaganza and there were also two comedians who performed! On Thursday, students had another day full of track sessions. The activity for the night was RecX which ranged from activities such as rock climbing to bungee jumping. There was even a mechanical bull! 

Friday was the final day of this exciting week. That morning students were involved in a track exhibit hall to show what they had learned. Then it was back to the Jernigan Institute for the Blind Driver Challenge. Afterwards, everyone went back to Towson University for a fun-filled barbecue and dance. 

Bright and early on Saturday morning students and volunteers headed home. Students took home new friends and knowledge about what is available to them as a blind student. I really enjoyed serving as a martial at the 2011 Youth Slam and I see the importance of these programs and the positive impact they have on blind youth. 

F.Y.I. For Your Information

Do you need money for college?

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND - The NFB Scholarship Program application is now available online.  This national scholarship program is available to persons who are legally blind andliving in the United States or Puerto Rico.  There are 30 awards, from $12,000 to $3,000.  In addition, each winner will be assisted to attend the NFB Annual Convention for 2012 in Dallas, Texas.  The annual contest began the first week of November 2011; all documents required from the applicants must be postmarked by the March 31, 2012, deadline. Applications and full details are available online at http://www.nfb.org/scholarships>www.nfb.org/scholarships. Questions may be emailed tomailto:scholarships at nfb.org>scholarships at nfb.org

For legally blind students

AFB Scholarship Programs for 2012 offers 11 scholarships totaling $19,000. They are in these amounts:

1 award for $500 – restricted to student in full-time graduate study, any field.

5 awards for $1,000 each – 4 different restrictions (grad or undergrad in rehab field/teacher of the blind or VI; grad or undergrad female in study of classical or religious music; grad or undergrad in study of engineering or computer, physical or life sciences; 2 awards restricted to undergrad females in a four-year degree program for literature or music).

4 award for $2,500 each – grad or undergrad in rehab or education of the blind or VI.

1 award for $3,500 – grad or undergrad but preference given to new immigrants to the U.S. residing in NYC metro area.

Information and application forms at www.afb.org/scholarships.asp. Questions to AFB Information Center: (800) 232-5463 or afbinfo at afb.net.

New travel agent? 

Travel City is a new travel agent company started up by a blind young man, living in Baltimore, Michael Spriggs. They deal mostly in cruises, with trains and flights coming in at a close second. Lastly, they can provide low prices on rental cars if needed. This company is small, but quickly growing. So remember: Need a cruise, flight, or anything else? Visit Travel City for your one-stop travel needs.

Upcoming Events

Friday February 17, 2012- 		iPad raffle drawing

Sunday February 26, 2012- 	GABS Monthly teleconference

Sunday March 25, 2012- 		GABS Monthly teleconference

Sunday April 22, 2012 		GABS Monthly teleconference

Letter from the Editor

Dear Connecting the Dotz Readers:

The CTD news team would like to thank you for taking the time out to read our division’s newsletter. This newsletter was designed not only to provide you with a variety of information, but also to give you, the reader, an opportunity to speak out and express yourself. If you enjoyed the newsletter, spread the word. If you weren’t quite satisfied and you would like to contribute a submission or you just had a question, contact us at ctdnewsteam at gmail.com. Remember, Connecting the Dotz was not only created for the students, but by the students so we hope to hear from you guys. Look out for the release of the next issue sometime in April. Peace and Blessings…

LaKeisha Holmes
President
Georgia Association of Blind Students
(404) 580-3040
lholmes at gabstudents.org
GABStudents.org
"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome." -Booker T. Washington

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