[nabs-l] Virginia Blind Students Gather to Help Their Own

[Corbbmacc O'Connor]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 8, 2010

CONTACT:
Corbb O'Connor, President
Students Division, National Federation of the Blind of Virginia
(202) 684-6130, corbbo at gmail.com

Virginia Blind Students Gather to Help Their Own

FALLS CHURCH, Va. — Successful blind students will teach other blind
students this weekend how to safely travel independently, use
technology to do well in school, and spread a positive outlook on
blindness at the 52nd annual state convention of the National
Federation of the Blind of Virginia.

According to Coordinator Corbb O'Connor, “Nearly three dozen junior
high, high school, and college students have already registered for
the convention’s Student Track, whose goal is to demonstrate that a
visual impairment does not mean that you have to do badly in school or
be socially isolated.”

Because blindness is a low incidence disability, many visually
impaired students don’t often get the chance to meet others like
themselves. Many of the Student Track activities give high school
students the opportunity to meet with others like themselves so they
can share solutions to common school and social problems, such as
access to textbooks and technology.

On Sunday morning, successful blind students will showcase technology
that blind people can use independently in the classroom, such as
Apple’s laptops, players that read textbooks and articles aloud, and
tools that allow blind people to take notes digitally in Braille.

Carol Lynn Beninca, whose 15-year-old blind son Anthony, said. “For
Anthony, he wants to meet others so he knows he's not alone, and he
wants to explore what devices others use to function better in
school.”

On Saturday, trained professionals in orientation and mobility will
teach students to use long white canes. This training, which not all
blind students receive in their public schools, will allow students to
safely and independently travel. In the afternoon, in partnership with
the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority (WMATA/Metro), blind
students will get a hands-on experience using an out-of-service
Metrobus. Students will also learn to use the Metrorail system.

The convention will be held at the Marriott Fairview Park hotel,
located at 3111 Fairview Park Drive in Falls Church. Media are
requested to RSVP to coordinator Corbb O’Connor at corbbo at gmail.com or
(202) 684-6130.

The National Federation of the Blind is the largest organization of
the blind in the country. With over 700 chapters throughout the
country—16 of which in the commonwealth of Virginia—and with over
50,000 national members, the NFB seeks to improve equality,
opportunity, and security for the blind.