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Greetings, fellow federationists,<br>
I was listening to a podcast recently where the host described what he
called the coffee challenge. He said, in essence, that it is important to
practice being uncomfortable and to practice pushing ourselves into
uncomfortable situations in order to grow. To practice this discomfort,
he suggested going into a coffee shop and asking the cashier for a 10%
discount. You’re not allowed to bring a friend for moral support. You’re
not allowed to explain anything about why you’re asking; you’re not
allowed to give any sort of pre-amble at all. When they tell you the cost
of the coffee, you ask for a 10% discount. The point of the exercise, he
says, is not to actually get a discount. Instead, the important thing is
that you’re willing to ask. Incidentally, I’ve heard of an extreme
version of this exercise where you actually lie down on the floor for 10
seconds or so while waiting in line, then get right back up and act like
nothing happened. That’s hardcore.<br>
The idea of the coffee challenge scares the heck out of me, I think,
because it makes me vulnerable. I’m forced to ask a question which I have
every reason to believe will receive a hard no, and that rejection will
just make me feel foolish. In addition, I would be doing something which
is unexpected or unusual when I much prefer fitting in. I even worry that
there will be a blindness component to it, that the cashier will take
pity on me because I’m blind, even though I know blindness has nothing to
do with my asking. But if I think about how low the stakes are, there’s
very little reason not to try it. At worst, I’ll be told no. At best,
I’ll get a discount on coffee. Either way, I’ll have a chance to be
uncomfortable, and that’s likely a chance I should take more often.<br>
There are a lot of times we as blind people are told and taught to be
safe, not because of any real danger, but because of the danger others
perceive us to be in. If we’re told that enough, it’s easy to internalize
itto take the safe path when the riskier might be more rewarding. Why
not take the front seat on the bus? After all, it’s closer and easier to
find, even if it means sitting elbow to elbow with two other people and
holding a backpack on your lap. Why not just stay home instead of finding
a running or biking partner? It’s easier and far less scary than possible
rejection. The trap of the easier path is all too real, and I would like
to make 2019 a year to practice breaking out of that trap.<br>
If you ever attempt the coffee challenge, I hope you’ll let me know how
it goes for you. If you don’t, I encourage you to find your own way to
practice pushing yourself to new limits. Either way, I wish you a new
year full of success, growth, and happiness.<br>
<br>
<b>Washington Seminar Deadline extended<br>
</b>If you are interested in taking part in the Washington Seminar, the
deadline to book your hotel room has been extended until January 4. To
learn more about the seminar and find out how you can reserve your hotel
room, you can go to
<a href="https://nfb.org/washington-seminar">
https://nfb.org/washington-seminar</a><br>
<br>
<b>World Braille Day<br>
</b>We have long celebrated January 4 as the birthday of Louis Braille,
the inventor of the code that has enabled millions of blind people to be
successful. On Dec. 17, the United Nations passed a resolution
designating this day as World Braille Day, a celebration of the man and
the code that have given us so much. This is particularly timely given
our recent success with the Marrakesh Treaty and our participation in the
wider world of Braille.<br>
However you celebrate, whether it’s baking M&M cookies with Braille
letters or just sitting down with a good book, take a moment to reflect
on just how amazing an invention Braille was, and how much we have
benefitted from it.<br>
<br>
<b>Ring the Bell!<br>
</b>At our last board meeting, the board voted to hold a Braille
Enrichment for Literacy and LearningBell Academyduring 2019. The
purpose of the BELL Program is to offer children quality instruction in
Braille and introduce them to our positive philosophy of blindness. We
know that Braille is a crucial tool in obtaining an equal education and
achieving gainful employment for so many blind people, and we want to
make sure the next generation of blind people will be successful.<br>
More details will be forthcoming as the year progresses, but if you know
now that you would like to help with the program, we would like to hear
from you. I have asked Briley O’Connor to coordinate our efforts. You can
express your interest to her by emailing her at
<a href="mailto:brileyoc@gmail.com">brileyoc@gmail.com</a>.<br>
<br>
<b>Presidential Release<br>
</b>I know that many chapters held holiday gatherings this month instead
of holding a traditional meeting. If you would still like to hear the
presidential release, which is normally played at chapter meetings, you
can find it online. There is also a text transcript of the release
available.<br>
Both the text and audio versions can be found at
<a href="https://nfb.org/presidential-releases">
https://nfb.org/presidential-releases</a><br>
<br>
<b>Member Spotlight<br>
</b>If you would like to be featured in an upcoming member spotlight,
please send me a brief bio or a few notes about you, and I’ll be sure to
include you in a future update.<br>
This week, we get to know Steve Jacobson, our first vice-president and a
long-time member of the organization. Steve is a treasure trove of great
stories, which you can see hints of just from the following few
paragraphs. <br>
I grew up mostly in Rochester, Minnesota, in the 1950's and 60's,
attending what was then called the Minnesota Braille and Sight Saving
School in Faribault. After graduation in 1969, I majored in
mathematics at Augsburg College in Minneapolis which is where I first
learned about computer programming. Also while in college, I
learned about the National Federation of the blind, and was grateful to
find others who felt similarly about being blind, but more important, I
heard about and met blind people who did a greater variety of jobs than I
had ever imagined was possible. While in college, I worked for one
summer at the Communication Center at state Services for the blind, and
also in a dark room developing pictures. Later, I was a contract
programmer for a small company that went bankrupt, but I could then say I
had job experience on my updated resume. <br>
In 1976, I began working at the 3M company as a computer programmer and I
held a number of related jobs during my career. Although I
officially retired in October of 2016 after forty years, I am still
working for them on a part time basis. During that time, Nadine and
I adopted two kids from Korea, Elizabeth and Catherine, who are now both
striking out on their own.<br>
During my long association with the Federation, I've been lucky to see
many firsts. There was the excitement of the first talking clocks
and calculators, the first demonstration of the Kurzweil Reading machine,
the first talking computers, the first braille displays, cheaper braille
embossers, and much more. I was fortunate to be part of a long
battle to get representation on the board of the Minneapolis Society for
the Blind, now VLR, and that eventually led to the creation of BLIND
Incorporated. <br>
We live in a fast changing world, and my hope is to bring the lessons
learned in the past with us into an exciting future.<br>
<br>
<b>Dates to Remember</b>
<ul>
<li>Jan. 12, 2019, 10:00 AM: State Board Meeting, Minneapolis
<li>Jan 16, 2019: Day at the Capitol, St. Paul
<li>Jan. 28-31, 2019: Washington seminar, Washington DC
<li>May 18, 2019: Semiannual Convention, Minneapolis
<li>July 7-12, 2019: NFB National Convention, Las Vegas, NV
<li>Oct. 25-27, 2019: NFBMN Annual state Convention, St. Cloud
</ul> <br>
Make it a great week and a great year!<br>
Ryan<br>
<br>
<br>
Ryan Strunk, President<br>
<a href="mailto:president@nfbmn.org">president@nfbmn.org</a><br>
<a href="http://www.nfb.org/" eudora="autourl">www.nfb.org</a><br>
<a href="http://www.nfbmn.org">www.nfbmn.org</a><br>
(612) 872-9363<br>
Live the life you Want.</blockquote></body>
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