[il-talk] {Disarmed} Fwd: JI Newsletter - STEM Support

[Denise Avant]

Denise Avant
dravant at ameritech.net

P.S.  Please give to the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois Annual
Appeal by sending your tax deductible donation to NFBI c/o Glenn Moore III,
Treasurer P.O. Box 1065 Elgin, IL 60121.

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Mark Riccobono" <JerniganInstitute at nfb.org>
> Subject: JI Newsletter - STEM Support
> Date: March 1, 2013 11:15:48 AM CST
> To: Denise Avant <dravant at ameritech.net>
> Reply-To: "Mark Riccobono" <JerniganInstitute at nfb.org>
> 
>  
> Imagineering Our Future
> 
> Issue 51
> 
> March 2013
> 
>  
> In this issue:
> 
> Message from the Executive Director
> What’s News at the NFB
> 
> Education
> 
> Braille Initiative
> 
> Advocacy
> 
> Product and Access Technology Talk
> 
> From the tenBroek Library
> 
> Independence Market
> 
> NFB Calendar
> 
> Citation
> 
> 
> 
> Message from the Executive Director
> 
> Dear Friends,
> 
> 
> While there is a great deal of debate about sequestration and how to solve the government budget issues, there is one aspect of the American fabric that is not getting enough attention—the critical role of nonprofit organizations. Yes, I am slightly biased. However, I have worked on educational programs in a state government agency and I can contrast that experience with what we do in the National Federation of the Blind. Of course, I also believe that the NFB is among the top tier of nonprofit organizations. Driven by volunteer members at the local level, offering a wide variety of programs to address member priorities, carrying no debt, and powered better than ninety percent by donations from individuals and sponsors (as opposed to government support), the NFB continues to push into new frontiers and help the nation’s blind increase their independence.
> 
> As we enter March, we do need your help. For the past decade we have been offering summer educational programs for blind youth in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). These programs have helped change perceptions, spin off the establishment of new accessible products, inform educational practices, and raise expectations for the blind in STEM-related subjects. During our recent Washington Seminar, Dr. Maurer announced that the NFB will again offer a program for blind high school students this summer. However, while we have received some grant funding, we still find ourselves approximately $25,000 short of where we need to be to adequately support our summer STEM program in 2013. This is where we need your help--to rally support for the NFB’s STEM programming. We are hoping to raise these needed funds in the next two weeks in order to make it possible for fifty blind students to travel to Baltimore to participate in a dynamic education program.
> 
> Please consider making a general donation online today and encourage your friends and family to do so as well. Please share this information on social media sites. You can also download our donation form and donate now by mail. When you make your contribution, please note that you are responding to this request to support our summer STEM programs. Our individual efforts, collectively focused, will help us invest in providing blind young people better access to the key subjects of the twenty-first century.
> 
> As we struggle as a nation with the hard decisions about how to stabilize our federal budget for the future, let’s not forget that there are great organizations in our communities doing great work driven by the contributions of individuals who want to make a difference. Thank you for your role in helping us provide educational opportunities to the blind across America.
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
>   
> Mark A. Riccobono, Executive Director
> NFB Jernigan Institute
> 
> 
> 
> What's News at the NFB
> 
> NFB Scholarships Available
> 
> The NFB annually awards thirty national scholarships. Blind college students in the United States and Puerto Rico have the opportunity to win one of the scholarships, worth from $3,000 to $12,000. To be eligible for consideration, each applicant must (1) be legally blind in both eyes; (2) reside in the United States, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico; (3) be pursuing or planning to pursue a full-time, postsecondary course of study in a degree program at a United States institution in the 2013 scholastic year, except that one scholarship may be given to a person employed full-time while attending school part-time; and (4) participate in the entire NFB national convention and in all of its scheduled scholarship program activities, July 1 through July 6, departing on July 7.
> 
> In addition to a scholarship, each winner will receive assistance to attend the 2013 NFB National Convention in Orlando, Florida, providing an excellent opportunity for high-level networking with active blind persons in many different professions and occupations.
> 
> For more information, go to the NFB Web site at https://nfb.org/scholarships, or call (410) 659-9314, extension 2415.
> 
> DOT DASH 8K
> 
> The NFB DOT DASH 8K race will be held Sunday, June 2, 2013. The race will start and finish at the NFB Jernigan Institute, and will be run through South Baltimore, including Fort McHenry. Participants can register for the race March 1 through the day of the race, with a discount for those that register prior to March 31.
> 
> For more information about sponsorship opportunities, contact Meredith Paone at 410-659-9314, extension 2434. If you are interested in DOT DASH 8K volunteer opportunities, or for more information about the race, contact Lou Ann Blake at 410-659-9314, extension 2221, or visit the NFB Web site.
> 
>  
> 
> Education
> 
> Read Across America
> 
> 
> Don’t forget, March 1 is Read Across America Day. Help ensure Braille is a part of the conversation on this literacy-focused day by doing the following:
> 
> 1. Read Dr. Seuss! This is what this day is all about. You can find Dr. Seuss books in Braille online to download at Bookshare or from NLS, and you can find hardcopy Braille books at National Braille Press.
> 
> 2. Send in pictures of you or your child reading a Braille book near landmarks or other identifiable places. We want to show the world that blind people read Braille across America by showcasing pictures of Braille readers in the desert, on a beach, at Disney World, at the Grand Canyon, and the like. Chosen pictures will be posted on nfb.org, on the NFB’s Facebook page, and tweeted by @NFB_Voice.
> 
> 3. Send us a video of your child reading Braille or showcasing how you will celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday. A selection of the submitted videos will be posted on Facebook, the NFB’s YouTube channel, and tweeted by @NFB_Voice. Josey and Angel (one Braille reader and one print reader) submitted a great video for Read Across America Day last year. Have fun, get creative, and show the world why you love Braille!
> 
> 4. Tell us about what you are reading. Whether you are reading Dr. Seuss or not, we still want to hear about it. Post about it on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtags #Braille and #NEAReads (the official Read Across America hashtag). You can talk about what you are reading, suggest books, ask for suggestions, or post about why you love Braille and why it is important, or about anything else. We want to hear from you!
> 
> Discover Engineering Family Day
> 
> 
> On February 16, members of the NFB participated in Discover Engineering Family Day—an engineering-focused STEM program for youth—at the National Building Museum in Washington D.C. The ten thousand people who attended the event had an opportunity to partake in several interactive activities at the NFB’s booth. Children could try their hand at driving using nonvisual information on the NFB Blind Driver Challenge simulator. The tire- changing station provided children with the opportunity to learn that vision is not a requirement for success, as they learned to change a tire without the use of their sight. Youth put their engineering know-how to work constructing NFB Blind Driver Challenge rubber band cars. The children also learned to crack the Braille code with a little help from blind adults.
> 
> 
> As the children were learning and having fun, they had the opportunity to talk to several blind adults—some of whom were engineers. We love STEM at the NFB Jernigan Institute and it was wonderful to have the opportunity to interact with so many young people, teach them a little engineering, introduce them to the NFB Blind Driver Challenge, and most importantly teach them about the capacity of blind people.
> 
> 
> 
> Braille Initiative
> 
> Braille Certification Training Program
> 
> Under a contract with the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress (NLS), the NFB administers the courses leading to NLS certification of Braille transcribers and proofreaders. Successful completion of these rigorous courses requires a great deal of time and effort on the part of the students. We congratulate the following individuals who earned certification during the month of December, 2012:
> 
> Literary Braille Transcribing
> 
> California
>    Jeanenne Marie Shortridge, Orange
>    Emily Yang, Fresno
> 
> Indiana
>    Troy Thomas, Bunker Hill
> 
> Nevada
>    Christopher Lee Cyr, Las Vegas
>    Timothy Leroy Williams, Las Vegas
> 
> New Jersey
>    Susan Lind Kobler, Essex Fells
> 
> New York
>    Melissa Nora Pavo Zehr, Lowville
> 
> North Carolina
>    Johnathan Maddox, Laurinburg
>    Jason Moss, Laurinburg
> 
> Tennessee
>    Rebecca Ann Kuhn, Nashville
> 
> Texas
>    Elizabeth Jane Burke, Gatesville
>    Michelle Leigh Collins, Gatesville
>    Brandi Michelle Davis, Gatesville
>    Jacquelene Marie Wilson, Gatesville
> 
> Wyoming
>    Robert Lee Clegg, Torrington
> 
> Literary Braille Proofreading
> 
> Kentucky
>    Joy Denice Robinson, Louisville
> 
> Mathematics (Nemeth) Braille Transcribing
> 
> Kentucky
>    Shara Anjela Legaspi Lucio, Louisville
> 
> Michigan
>    Wilmot Marion Bowen, Jackson
> 
> Music Braille Transcribing
> 
> Texas
>    Donna Mae Simon Rogers, Copperas Cove
> 
> 
> 
> Advocacy
> 
> Bill for Disabled Veterans in Space Available Program
> 
> Companion bills have been introduced that would, if passed, reverse the exclusion of service-disabled veterans from the Space Available program. The military's program allows active-duty military, Red Cross employees, and retired members of the armed services to travel on military aircraft if there is space available. Since 100 percent service-disabled veterans do not fall into one of these categories, they are not eligible to participate in the program. H.R. 164 was introduced in the United States House of Representatives by Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and S. 346 was introduced in the United States Senate by Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) and Senator Dean Heller (R-NV). For more information, see the NFB press release or Senator John Tester's Web site.
> 
> 
> 
> Product and Access Technology Talk
> 
> Earlier this year, longtime accessibility champion Desire2Learn pledged to continue their work to keep their learning management system accessible to blind students under the NFB NVA Certification. We look forward to working with them on their certification--few of our partners have such a thorough grasp of the importance and the implementation of accessibility.
> 
> There have been a few changes to the Tactile Graphics conference schedule, so for those of you who like tactile images, in 2D or 3D, have a look. The ranks of the attendees have been swelling rapidly. For the latest information, visit www.nfb.org/tactilegraphicsconference.
> 
> The end of February marked the start of the 28th Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference in San Diego, California. The access technology team presented and spent time absorbing as much as possible. Our topics this year were “Usable Out of the Box? Google Android, Apple iOS, and Windows 8 Mobile Face-off” (two sessions) and “Using Mainstream Devices as Notetakers.”
> 
> On the access technology blog, there is a new and extensive review of the American Foundation for the Blind’s AccessNote app.
> 
> 
> 
> From the tenBroek Library
> 
> The archives at the tenBroek Library is home to many wonderful collections that document the lives of blind people in all walks of life, from the great leaders of the organized blind movement to the blind child who attended public school in the 1950s. We also preserve the work of sighted inventors and innovators who have made a significant contribution to the equality and opportunities of the blind. Our collections include materials in print, Braille, audio, and electronic formats, and can range from hundreds of boxes to just a few folders. If you are interested in donating your personal or professional papers to the archives at the tenBroek Library, please contact Anna Kresmer at (410) 659-9314, extension 2310, or at akresmer at nfb.org. Please visit our finding aid database, the Cane Tip, to learn more about our growing archival holdings.
> 
> Spotlight Collection:
> The Dorothy Elve Tombaugh Collection, 1961-1999
> 5.5 Linear Feet (4 Hollinger boxes, 2 slide boxes, and 3 artifact boxes)
> 
> Dr. Dorothy Elve Tombaugh (1917-2009) was a public high school biology teacher who became an expert in the area of accessible science education in the 1960s and 1970s. Upon encountering several blind students in her classroom, she sought to make both her lessons and her laboratory accessible to these and other disabled students. She developed new teaching methods, techniques, and equipment modifications, which benefited both her blind and sighted students, and went on to publish several articles on the subject. Through grants from the National Science Foundation, she traveled the country as a lecturer and consultant on accessible science education.
> 
> The Tombaugh Collection spans the years 1970-1999, with the bulk of the material dating from 1970 to 1984, and relates mainly to Tombaugh’s work developing, writing, and lecturing on teaching techniques and equipment adaptations for disabled students in the mainstream high school science classroom. The collection includes correspondence, grant proposals, reports, agendas, itineraries, and manuscripts. Tombaugh’s color presentation slides used during her lecture tours are also included, as well as a talking blood pressure monitor, a Braille label maker, and a set of hand-held tools used in the creation of Braille text and tactile graphics.
> 
> 
> 
> Independence Market
> 
> 
> Through the Independence Market, the NFB distributes our literature to members and the general public. We also make blindness-related products available for sale.
> 
> During these cold, dreary winter days, when many prefer to spend as much time as possible indoors, it's fun to spend time with family and friends by playing board and card games. The Independence Market has a variety of these for sale. The offerings include various large-print and Braille playing cards, as well as pinochle and Uno® cards. Among the board games are such favorites as checkers, chess, backgammon, and tic-tac-toe in addition to less-familiar games like Nine Men’s Morris, Fox and Geese, Shut the Box, and Sudoku. We also have various versions of dominoes and bingo cards as well as Megaword, a board game similar to Scrabble®.
> 
> Some individuals may prefer to adapt a commercially available game themselves to make it accessible. Decks of cards can be labeled in Braille using a slate and stylus. Game pieces and/or game boards may be marked with stick-on Braille labels, stick-on bumps, or tactile marking paint. With some creativity many games can be made accessible through such simple means. And the Independence Market has the tools needed to create need adaptations.
> 
> Any of the above games as well as the other products offered through the NFB Independence Market may be ordered online. Please e-mail us at IndependenceMarket at nfb.org with any questions. Alternatively, you may contact us by phone at 410-659-9314, extension 2216, Monday through Friday from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
> 
> 
> 
> NFB Calendar
> 
> Upcoming Events
> 
> Tactile Graphics Conference: April 12-13, 2013
> 
> Jacobus tenBroek Law Symposium: April 18-19, 2013
> 
> DOT DASH 8K Race: June 2, 2013
> 
> 2013 NFB National Convention: July 1-6, 2013
> 
> State Conventions
> 
> Alabama – March 1-3, 2013
> 
> Tennessee – March 8-10, 2013
> 
> Mississippi – March 22-24, 2013
> 
> New Hampshire – April 5-7, 2013
> 
> Oklahoma – April 5-7, 2013
> 
> Delaware – April 12-14, 2013
> 
> Idaho – April 12-14, 2013
> 
> Missouri – April 12-14, 2013
> 
> New Mexico – April 12-14, 2013
> 
> Wisconsin – April 12-14, 2013
> 
> Louisiana – April 19-21, 2013
> 
> South Dakota – April 19-21, 2013
> 
> Utah – May 3-5, 2013
> 
> Florida – May 24-26, 2013
> 
> 
> 
> Citation
> 
> "Our decision is made; we will not be left out, or slowed in our progress, or stopped. The journey toward full integration is not without cost, but we are prepared for the hardships ahead. Whatever resources are demanded, we will find them. Whatever challenges come, we will meet them. This is the choice we have made, and we will not quit until we reach the goal. Join with me and with Federationists throughout the land, and we will make it come true!"
> 
> --Marc Maurer, "The Value of Decision", 2009 NFB National Convention Banquet Speech, Detroit, Michigan
> 
>  
> Thank you for reading the NFB Jernigan Institute’s Imagineering Our Future.
> 
> Help make a significant difference in the lives of blind people across the country.
> 
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