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<h1><span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 24pt; color:black;">Community and Mentorship Create Hope and Opportunities</span></h1>
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<p><em><span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color:black;">"There are not many jobs which cannot be performed by blind persons." - Dr. Jacobus tenBroek, founding President of the National Federation of the Blind</span></em></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color:black;">No one should equate blindness with the end of a productive life, and the National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not our defining characteristic. This is apparent at all of our Federation gatherings, employment events, and especially national conventions, where we can meet blind professionals in all fields. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color:black;"><a href="https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=42639&qid=12515534" rel='nofollow' style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">Learn more about our employment initiatives</a>.</span></p>
<p align="center"><img alt="A man wearing a suit and using a Braille display at a desktop computer" src="https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/iof/275%20NFB%2012-03-21_Outreach_Newsletter_(New)_600x285.jpg" style="max-width: 100%; display: block; width: 600px; height: 285px;" /></p>
<h2><span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 20pt; color:black;">Together, We Raise Expectations for Career Success</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color:black;">It is a sad fact that blind people have a high rate of unemployment. Our work to correct this trend demonstrates for blind people and employers that with proper training, support, and high expectations, career success is possible. We connect blind and low-vision students with successful blind role models who help them navigate employment opportunities.</span></p>
<h3 style="color:1b5633"><span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; "><font color="1b5633">Career Quest Program: Networking and Employment Training</font></span></h3>
<p><span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color:black;">The National Federation of the Blind Career Quest program is specifically designed to provide pre-employment transition services and mentorship to blind and low-vision students. Career Quest is a week-long immersive experience which takes place at the annual NFB National Convention.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color:black;"><a href="https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=42640&qid=12515534" rel='nofollow' style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">Find more information and registration details for the 2026 Career Quest program</a>. </span></p>
<h3 style="color:1b5633"><span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; "><font color="1b5633">The Most Authentic Voice in Accessible Workplace Tech</font></span></h3>
<p align="center"><img alt="A closeup of a person's hands using a monarch multi-line tactile display connected to a laptop computer" src="https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/iof/baltimore_monarch-training_2024%20(280)_Outreach_Newsletter_(New)_600x285.JPG" style="max-width: 100%; display: block; width: 600px; height: 285px;" /></p>
<p><span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color:black;">Accessible technology and tools are key to building workplaces where all people, including blind professionals, can be successful. For decades, the National Federation of the Blind has been instrumental in developing and evaluating the most useful access tech, and our leaders are known to be experts in the field. Jonathan Mosen, in the NFB <em>Access On</em> Podcast and Webinars, discusses cutting-edge tools used in workplaces and provides feedback from real user-testing. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color:black;">Listen to the recent podcast “<a href="https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=42641&qid=12515534" rel='nofollow' style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">Using AI to Improve Productivity on the Job</a>” and check out all of the <a href="https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=42642&qid=12515534" rel='nofollow' style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">recent <em>Access On</em> episodes</a>.</span></p>
<h3 style="color:1b5633"><span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; "><font color="1b5633">From the Archives: Supporting a Blind Foreign Service Worker in 1955</font></span></h3>
<p><span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color:black;">Nyal McConoughey was the first blind person to work in the foreign service overseas. In 1955, shortly after becoming blind while stationed at an air base in Japan, he wrote to NFB President Jacobus tenBroek about his hope to resume his occupation. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color:black;">Dr. tenBroek wrote back affirmatively and with encouragement, “There are not many jobs which cannot be performed by blind persons” and offered concrete assistance: advocacy in Washington, a letter testifying to “the methods you would employ in doing your work,” and guidance on obtaining training in travel methods and Braille.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color:black;"><a href="https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=42643&qid=12515534" rel='nofollow' style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">Read more about this fascinating illustration of career support and mentorship from the Federation’s history in this month’s <em>Braille Monitor</em></a>.</span></p>
<h2><span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 20pt; color:black;">Until Next Time: Learn More about our Transparency and Stewardship</span></h2>
<p align="center"><img alt="Two blind students present on a panel about career expectations" src="https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/iof/NFB23-179_Outreach_Newsletter_(New)_600x285.JPG" style="max-width: 100%; display: block; width: 600px; height: 285px;" /></p>
<p><span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color:black;">The National Federation of the Blind has been recognized for meeting the most rigorous standards for charity accountability and has earned the Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency and a CharityWatch “A” rating. Check out our Annual Reports and Audited Financial Statements at <a href="https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=42644&qid=12515534" rel='nofollow' style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">nfb.org/annual-report</a>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color:black;">You are subscribed to our monthly community impact email, where we share how we are advancing the lives of the Nation’s Blind. The National Federation of the Blind is a network of members, friends, and people like you who believe in the hopes and dreams of blind people. Contribute to our work at <a href="https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=42645&qid=12515534" rel='nofollow' style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">nfb.org/donate</a>.</span></p>
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National Federation of the Blind | 200 E Wells Street | Baltimore, MD 21230 | 410-659-9314 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 25px;"> <td colspan="8" align="center" style="color: white; font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold"> <a href="https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/unsubscribe?reset=1&jid=26252&qid=12515534&h=524c2231a8b65680" title="Unsubscribe" style="color: white; font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold">Unsubscribe from this mailing list</a> | <a href="https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/optout?reset=1&jid=26252&qid=12515534&h=524c2231a8b65680" title="Opt Out" style="color: white; font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
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