[il-talk] {Disarmed} Fwd: NFB Imagineering Our Future: Anticipation

[Denise Avant]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Mark Riccobono <JerniganInstitute at nfb.org>
> Date: April 5, 2011 10:03:04 AM CDT
> To: dravant at ameritech.net
> Subject: NFB Imagineering Our Future: Anticipation
> Reply-To: Mark Riccobono <JerniganInstitute at nfb.org>
> 
> View this newsletter as HTML in your browser.
> View last month’s newsletter.
> 
> Imagineering Our Future
> 
>      Issue 33
> 
> April 2011   
>  
> 
> In this issue:
> 
> Message from the Executive Director
> What’s New
> Education
> Braille Initiative
> Advocacy
> Straight Talk About Vision Loss
> Product and Access Technology Talk
> From the tenBroek Library
> Independence Market
> Parent Outreach
> Spotlight on the Imagination Fund
> NFB Calendar
> Citation
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> 
> Message from the Executive Director
> 
> Dear Friends,
> 
> This time of year is always full of anticipation for me. I am a baseball fan, and this is the time of year when every baseball fan is full of hope. The opening of the season brings the anticipation of warmer weather, relaxing afternoons listening to a masterful announcer calling the balls and strikes, and the great comfort food that you can find at the ballpark. In April, everyone is going to the World Series. By the time July comes around, some baseball fans have lost their hope and are resigned to wait until next year while others continue to enjoy the game whether or not their team has a chance.
> 
> For me, April also brings the growing anticipation for July, when I will go to another convention of the National Federation of the Blind. If you have not attended a Federation convention, I am not sure I can adequately explain it to you. It is like a combination of Opening Day and the World Series all rolled into one week. On Opening Day (in baseball or at the convention) old friends greet each other, catch up on the events of the off season, and dream together about the time ahead. The World Series is the premier event for the sport anywhere in the world much like the NFB convention is the premier gathering of blind people. Meetings that span six days create hope and opportunity for blind people. This year’s convention will have the extra anticipation of being in Florida—a state where the convention has not been for many decades.
> 
> As you will see in this month’s newsletter, there are dozens of exciting things happening in the National Federation of the Blind. I am excited by the work that is happening on a daily basis here at the NFB Jernigan Institute and across the country in NFB affiliates. If it then strikes you as odd that I am anticipating the convention it is probably because you have not had the opportunity to attend one. The secret is that no matter how exciting the current activities of the organization may be, I know that many previously unimagined possibilities and exciting new connections will come out of the national convention. Just because you have won the World Series doesn’t mean you lose the enthusiasm to do it again. 
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> I am glad that baseball season is here. It means I have the distraction of following my team—the next World Series Champions—to ease the anticipation of the months leading up to the convention. Whether you follow baseball or not, I hope you plan to score the winning run by being with us in Orlando.
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> Mark A. Riccobono, Executive Director, NFB Jernigan Institute 
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> Featured NFB News
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> 2011 NFB National Convention Update
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> The 2011 National Convention being held July 3-8 in Orlando, Florida, will be the largest gathering of the blind in the world this year. 
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> The Rosen Shingle Creek Resort
> Our host hotel, the Rosen Shingle Creek, has already sold out for the nights of June 30, July 1, and July 2.  But fear not, Rosen Shingle Creek reservations agents will be happy to book a room for you at the nearby Rosen Centre Hotel for those sold-out nights.  Make your room reservation as soon as possible by calling (866) 996-6338.
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> Register online through May 31 and secure your banquet ticket to save time and take advantage of the preregistration discount.
> There are just a few days left to apply to the Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship Fund for financial assistance to attend national convention—the deadline is April 14. For details, contact Allen Harris or consult this convention scholarships article. 
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> Our convention sponsors as of April 1 are eBay, HumanWare, UPS, Oracle, BLV Group LLC, Freedom Scientific, IBM, National Industries for the Blind, Research in Motion, HIMS, Sendero Group LLC, and Toyota.  Sponsors who come onboard this month still have time to be recognized in the convention agenda.
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> The deadline for convention exhibitor application submission is Friday, May 27, 2011.  Applications received after this deadline will only be given consideration if space is still available, and in such a case, the exhibitor will incur a late fee of $100 per table space.
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> Sponsorship and exhibit hall information is found on the national convention Web page.  Please contact Melissa Kobelinski with any questions.
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> National Certification in Literary Braille Test in Orlando
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> The National Certification in Literary Braille (NCLB) test will be administered by the National Blindness Professional Certification Board (NBPCB) on July 4 and 5 at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort.  Register for the Orlando test now, check the NBPCB Web site to find other test locations, or contact Deja Powell with questions or if you would like to host a test in your area. 
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> Education
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> 2011 NFB Leadership and Advocacy in Washington, D.C., (LAW) Program
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> NFB LAW program
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> The second NFB LAW program will take place April 8-12 at the NFB Jernigan Institute. We are excited to welcome twenty-four middle school students from across the country. Students were selected from a pool of applicants earlier this spring. The week promises to be filled with engaging learning, sightseeing, and hands-on experiences. During the week students will learn about the history of the organized blind movement and legislation related to improving the lives of the blind, visit historical sites in our nation’s capital, and have the opportunity to meet with a congressional representative from their home state.
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> Youth Group Visits to the NFB Jernigan Institute
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> We are pleased to welcome a group of students and faculty from the West Virginia School for the Blind and students from the New Jersey LEAD Program to the NFB Jernigan Institute this month. Both groups will be coming for weekend seminars. The seminars are designed around a positive philosophy of blindness and the promotion of skills for success. Students will have the opportunity to tour the NFB Jernigan Institute, visit the Independence Market and the International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind, and engage in meaningful experiences with blind role models.
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> The NFB continues to encourage members from its state affiliates to bring youth to Baltimore for customized seminars of this nature.  One group of blind high school students came in 2009 from the Virginia affiliate, organized by John Bailey, a member and motivational speaker.  John gave a speech about one experience with the kids that weekend and recently posted it on YouTube.  He encourages others to also publish their own stories about working with blind youth on YouTube or Facebook. 
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> If you are interested in learning more about how to get involved with youth outreach in your own state or would like to bring a group of blind youth to the NFB Jernigan Institute, please contact the NFB Jernigan Institute’s education team.
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> Braille Initiative
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> Onkyo Braille Essay Contest
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> The National Federation of the Blind is again administering the Onkyo Braille Essay Contest in the United States on behalf of the North America/Caribbean Region of the World Blind Union. The contest was created to promote Braille literacy and to encourage the exchange of social and cultural information. Blind people in the United States and Canada are eligible to apply.
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> Essays must be written in Braille and must pertain either to the way one gains knowledge or independence through Braille or to world peace from the perspective of a disabled person. The contest has two categories: one for people twenty-five and younger and the other for people above twenty-five. Seven cash prizes will be awarded, ranging in value from $500 to $2,000. The contest began February 1, 2011, and all entries must be received by April 30, 2011.
> 
> For more information about the Onkyo Braille Literacy Essay Contest or to obtain the entire application package, contact Trisha Tatam, (410) 659-9314, extension 2510. 
> Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning (BELL) Program
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> BELL program participants
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> Federationists around the country are planning to ring BELLs for Braille literacy this summer. Seven affiliates will host ten NFB BELL programs between June 20 and August 19. Visit the NFB BELL program Web site to find out when the program closest to you is taking place. Together we are changing what it means to be a blind child in this country, and this summer that means good Braille instruction!
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> Braille Readers Are Leaders Contest
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> The winners for both the K-12 and adult Braille Readers Are Leaders Contest have been announced.  When you see the results, you may notice that the young people out-read the adults in many cases. The contest may be over, but we encourage everyone to keep reading!
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> Advocacy
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> Adoption of Google Apps Program Discriminates Against the Blind
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> The NFB asserts that Google Apps for Education (which includes Gmail and other services) are inaccessible to blind students and faculty and their use by universities is a violation of civil rights.  
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> Google
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> Shortly after we announced via press release the filing of our complaint with the Department of Justice against New York and Northwestern Universities, the Associated Press released their story that was carried by such outlets as the Huffington Post, Forbes, Chicago Breaking Business, and Bloomberg Business Week.  An IDG News Service article appeared in PC World and Computerworld, while other stories ran in PC Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, Fast Company, and The Chronicle of Higher Education.
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> The NFB has prepared these video demonstrations that help to explain the problems the blind face when trying to use Google Apps with screen access technology.  The NFB’s access technology team is proactively working to ensure the accessibility of other applications in education and is currently addressing this issue with Google engineers. 
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> Straight Talk About Vision Loss
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> Today show logo
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> The NFB Blind Driver Challenge™ (BDC) demonstration of a blind person driving an automobile independently prior to the Rolex 24 at Daytona continues to gain attention in the news. 
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> The avid followers of the Jernigan Institute’s video series Straight Talk About Vision Loss probably had their TVs tuned to NBC on Sunday, March 6.  That’s the day when the NFB Blind Driver Challenge™ appeared on the weekend Today show.  See a video of the report here.  The PBS television program MotorWeek also covered the Blind Driver Challenge™ in this “FYI: Blind Driving” video.   
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> Dennis Hong. Photo credit: James Duncan Davidson / TED
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> Professor Dennis Hong, who directs the Virginia Tech College of Engineering Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory, which took up the NFB’s Blind Driver Challenge™ in 2004, spoke about the BDC in a prestigious TED Talk. Fast Company reported on it in its piece “Welcome to the TED Revival: Blind People Drive, Paralyzed People Walk.”
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> More BDC news: “Progress being made so that blind people can get behind the wheel some day” in The Post and Courier, and an article with videos in Robot magazine. “Road ready? Blind Driver Challenge creates optimism” in the NEMS Daily Journal features the Blind Driver Challenge™ from the point of view of NFB of Mississippi members who attended the Daytona driving demonstration. Lastly, in the March Braille Monitor, an answer to the question: “Blind Driver: Ultimate Insult or Statement of Fact” by editor Gary Wunder.
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> Product and Access Technology Talk
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> March is conference season, and the access technology team attended, for the first time, South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. As usual, CSUN—the Annual International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference in San Diego, California—was an important stop. The team made and attended many presentations, and got an opportunity to explore all that is newest and most exciting in access technology. Keep an eye on our blog for reports on both of those conferences.
> 
> The Jernigan Institute is collaborating with the Towson University Universal Usability Lab, directed by professor of computer and information sciences Jonathan Lazar, on an accessible CAPTCHA that will allow the blind equal access to Web sites. Read the latest news on the project in this Campus Technology article. 
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> eBay Jobs Development Program
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> At the end of last month, the Jernigan Institute hosted a training for blind entrepreneurs who want to start a business on eBay. Attendees got a chance to work with the access technology team and eBay instructors on setting up shop on the Web, and we hope to see many a successful business get its start in this way.
> 
> One student, Lynda Lambert, summed up the spirit of the class when she wrote: “Thank you for the wonderful four days of training at NFB. I can’t wait to get started tomorrow, listing items on eBay and going on from here. I have to say that my fellow classmates were some of the best people I have ever been with, and I expect some good success stories from us all in the future because of this program.”  
> 
> Linda is a former professor of fine arts and humanities, and her original artwork has been exhibited worldwide.  Before losing her sight, Lynda was a frequent eBay seller, but she had done little with eBay after becoming blind.  The class gave her useful training and restored her confidence.  Check out Lynda’s handcrafted jewelry offerings on eBay. 
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> From the tenBroek Library
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> Don’t Let Those Memories Evaporate
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> We join Federationists in Minnesota and around the country in mourning Andy Virden, who was killed in an automobile accident on March 11. Andy was in his eighties, but his sudden death still came as a shock to those who knew and admired him. Both before and since his death, his life has been celebrated in print—by the organized blind and by his friends and neighbors in St. Cloud—and, fortunately, thanks to Steve Jacobson and Jennifer Dunnam, the tenBroek Library can provide access to yet more about Andy.
> 
> Steve and Jennifer responded when we put out the call for Federationists to conduct their oral history interviews with members of their affiliates, other blind people, and anyone whose life has had an impact on the blind. They immediately thought of Andy, a long-time leader in the Minnesota affiliate. They interviewed him and delivered the recording to Jernigan Institute staff in January of last year. 
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> Bill Gerrey
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> Staff members have also devoted some effort to gathering such life stories. In the past few years, we’ve interviewed
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> Ved Mehta, a well-known author and frequent contributor to the New Yorker magazine. When Mr. Mehta first arrived in the United States in the 1950s, he corresponded with Dr. tenBroek about opportunities available to him as a blind student.
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> Bill Gerrey, a blind engineer and inventor, whose father was Dr. tenBroek’s roommate at the California School for the Blind. As a boy, Bill met Newel Perry (then retired from his position at the California School), and he well remembers hearing Dr. tenBroek deliver “Within the Grace of God” at the 1956 national convention in San Francisco.
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> The Killians
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> JuneRose Killian and her sighted husband, Jimmy. The Killians have been active Federationists for years. JuneRose’s father, Charles A. Kuchler, was also blind and was among the last people proficient in reading New York Point. Like her father who graduated in 1914, JuneRose attended Cornell University, where she and Jimmy met.
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> Bryan Bashin, well-known to many as a leader in the NFB of California and, for the past year, Executive Director of the San Francisco LightHouse. We expect great things of Bryan in his new position.
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> Ed Lewinson, Professor Emeritus of History at Seton Hall University. Ed has been active in the Federation since the 1960s, when Jacobus tenBroek and Kenneth Jernigan helped him fight discrimination against the blind in jury service. Besides being a leader in the NFB of New Jersey, Ed has been active in support of racial equality and in 1974 published Black Politics in New York City.
> Professional oral historians often have advanced degrees in history and regularly participate in conferences where best practices are discussed and debated. But this does not mean that interested amateurs cannot undertake oral history work on their own. The tenBroek Library has prepared a guide to oral history for the use of Federationists who wish to take the plunge. We urge you to give it a try!
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> Independence Market
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> The BDC polo shirt
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> The Blind Driver Challenge™ is a research initiative sponsored by the NFB Jernigan Institute.  As regular readers of this newsletter know, this past January saw the first public demonstration of an automobile equipped with technology that enables a blind driver to operate a vehicle independently.  We are excited about the potential future applications of such radically new nonvisual interface technologies.  
> 
> Our members and friends who attended this demonstration at the Daytona International Speedway were exhilarated to be part of such a groundbreaking event.  The Blind Driver Challenge™ shirt that the spectators in the grandstands all wore while witnessing the driving demonstration made them feel proud to be part of such an innovative project.  
> 
> Now the NFB Independence Market has the Blind Driver Challenge™ Polo Shirt available for sale.  This attractive dark purple shirt with white insets on the sides and the back collar has the Blind Driver Challenge™ logo embroidered on the left chest.  The shirt costs $30 plus shipping and handling and is available in sizes ranging from extra small to 4X.  To order your shirt please contact the Independence Market by phone at (410) 659-9314, extension 2216, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. eastern time.
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> Parent Outreach
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> Parent Seminar at the 2011 NFB LAW Program
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> During the NFB LAW program this month, parents will have the opportunity to attend a seminar for parents of blind youth. The seminar will be led by board members of the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC), including its president, Laura Weber. Sessions will focus on real-life application of skills and resources parents can use now to help their youth transition into future roles as successful blind people.
> For Your Information in the March 2011 Braille Monitor
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> The March Braille Monitor includes the text of the NFB’s legislative initiative fact sheet on “Ensuring Equal Education for Blind Children: Setting Standards That Promote Excellence.”
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> Spotlight on the Imagination Fund 
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> The Imagination Fund helps support the innovative programs of the NFB Jernigan Institute and the fifty-two affiliates of the National Federation of the Blind.  Those who use their energy and talent to raise funds for the Imagination Fund are called Imaginators.  Parnell Diggs, chairman of the Imagination Fund, recognizes the importance of the programs Imaginators make possible and says, “Our programs of Braille literacy, technological development, quality education for blind children, and employment opportunities for blind adults are creating a new reality of blindness every day.”  To learn how to become an Imaginator and what tools are available to help with your fundraising efforts, read “Making the Ask” by Parnell Diggs in the March Braille Monitor. 
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> This year, thirty Imaginators have an exciting opportunity to be part of the “Blind Driver Experience” at the NFB national convention in Orlando, Florida.  The Blind Driver Experience includes a ride in the Blind Driver Challenge™ car as well as an opportunity to examine the nonvisual access technology that makes the Blind Driver Challenge™ possible.  Winners will be chosen from this year’s top Imaginators.  Learn how you can be eligible for the Blind Driver Experience.
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> Help create a new reality of blindness and become an Imaginator or sponsor an Imaginator today!  
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> NFB Calendar
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> Now open through May 31, 2011     Preregistration window for 2011 NFB National Convention. 
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> The Spring Convention Season    The yearly meetings of the NFB’s state affiliates cluster in the fall and the spring. These states will meet in convention assembled in April:  South Dakota, Idaho, Louisiana, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Oklahoma. To look up when the NFB of (insert your favorite state) meets or for more information, see the state conventions page on the NFB’s Web site.   
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> April 7, 2011     Registration deadline for Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium, National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, Baltimore.  
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> April 8-12, 2011     Leadership and Advocacy in Washington, D.C., (LAW) Program, Baltimore and D.C.
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> April 14, 2011     Deadline to apply for financial assistance to attend national convention. For details, contact Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship Fund chairman Allen Harris or read “Convention Scholarships Available,” March 2011 Braille Monitor.  
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> April 14-15, 2011     Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium, National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, Baltimore.  Register online by April 7. 
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> Just Announced by the National Association of Blind Lawyers!
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> A seminar for blind and visually impaired lawyers on how to manage WestLaw and WestLaw Next with assistive technology.
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> April 15, 2011, following the 2011 Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium, at the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, Baltimore.  For additional information contact Scott C. LaBarre, Esq., President, National Association of Blind Lawyers.
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> April 30, 2011     Deadline for Onkyo Braille Essay Contest, administered by the NFB for the North America-Caribbean Region of the World Blind Union.
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> May 1, 2011     Blind Educator of the Year Award nominations close.  Details are in the December Braille Monitor article. 
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> May 15, 2011     Distinguished Educator of Blind Children Award nominations close.  Details are in the December Braille Monitor article.
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> May 31, 2011     Preregistration ends for 2011 NFB National Convention. 
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> June 1, 2011     National convention block of rooms released.  Rooms are filling up fast.  To make your reservation for the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort or the overflow hotel, the Rosen Centre, call (866) 996-6338.
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> July 3-8, 2011    The 71st Annual NFB National Convention, Rosen Shingle Creek Resort, Orlando, Florida; More details are found in the 2011 Convention Bulletin.
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> The national convention draws approximately three thousand people each year.  Become a sponsor or exhibitor for the largest gathering of the blind this year!
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> July 17-23, 2011   The 3rd Biennial NFB Youth Slam, Towson University, Maryland.
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> Citation
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> Angie Matney had always excelled at math, but she took a break in high school when a teacher discouraged her from taking calculus.
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> He worried that Matney, blind since infancy, couldn’t handle the graphing.
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> Then, the summer after her senior year of high school, she attended a National Federation of the Blind conference in Texas, where one of the speakers was a blind math teacher.
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> Matney doesn’t recall the woman’s name or much of her speech, though she remembers some mention of Venn diagrams.
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> What she does recall is the sense of empowerment she felt after listening to the woman, who obviously hadn’t let a disability get in the way of her professional goals.
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> “I thought if this lady could do it, then I can probably do it,” said Matney, who went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in math. “I’m really glad she was there that day. I never forgot that math teacher giving her speech. It changed my life.” 
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>   —Edie Gross, “Attorney raises bar, blindness no barrier: Blind attorney breaks down barriers,” The Free Lance-Star, Fredericksburg, Virginia, April 4, 2011  
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> Archive of Straight Talk about Vision Loss videos
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> Jernigan Institute, National Federation of the Blind
> 200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place, Baltimore, MD 21230
> (410) 659-9314      Fax (410) 659-5129      E-mail JerniganInstitute at nfb.org
> Visit us at www.nfb.org
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> James Duncan Davidson / TED
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