[nabs-l] nabs-l Digest, Vol 53, Issue 11

Thu Mar 10 19:17:36 UTC 2011

Arielle,

I agree completely with your argument, and it is in part to our
divisions that much has been accomplished for the blind community-- for
lack of a better expression.

I agree that the divisions allow us, particularly those who are newly
blind, or new to the Federation, to gain some insight and learn about
the possibilities.  The divisions also help find methods and tools that
give us an opportunity to achieve success in our endeavors.

However, at some point, we must teach people to seek the world outside
the Federation.  This does not mean we reject the NFB or blind people,
and it certainly is not a reason to eliminate divisions, but our goal is
to achieve equality among our sighted peers, but when we close ourselves
off from the world at large, we are not working towards this goal.

I in no way support a rejection of any group-- sighted or blind.
Balance in all things is what I stress.  Too many of us have our hands
in many facets of the NFB and not participating in our communities
except for basic involvement-- work, school, family-- if even this.

I am not saying this is an epidemic, but it is something to consider.
Those of us who have discovered this balance and achieved the
independence and confidence to further the Federation's goals of
participating in society, can forget that not everyone is at this level.

We certainly should support the Federation and any group associated with
the NFB, and eliminating groups that often are the extensions that draw
people into the organization, would be detremental, but we also must
help members discover how to take what they learn and become those
active, vital members of society we always push as the Federation's
goals.

Bridgit

Message: 6 
Date: Wed, 9 Mar 2011 17:22:20 -0700
From: Arielle Silverman <nabs.president at gmail.com>
To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nabs-l] In Defense of Divisions
Message-ID:
	<AANLkTi=7s6vAB0F6qg2TYboo6gFvUC5xzwKu_886y_Z=@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Hi all,

As president of a national NFB division I feel compelled to speak in
support of our divisions. I believe the national NFB divisions are
essential for two reasons. First, they greatly facilitate the mentoring
and networking that is such an integral part of what we do. When I get a
call from a student who just became blind and wants to obtain resources
and information, it's much easier for me to say "Hey, why don't you join
NABS, and you can talk to other blind students in your major and find
out what techniques they use" than to say, "Hey, why don't you join the
NFB, a huge consumer organization made up of thousands of blind people
of all ages and professions?" Of course I tell them that by joining NABS
they're also joining the NFB, which provides a whole wealth of
additional resources. But much of the important work our divisions do,
if they're as active and strong as they should be, is to facilitate
mentoring and the exchange of information about specific topics. If
you've been to a Blind Lawyers, Blind Merchants, or Blind Educators
meeting at NFB convention, why did you go? The second reason for
divisions is to inform the rest of the organization about what advocacy
issues matter and how to tackle them. Much of the work the NFB national
office is involved in at the moment is geared toward improving
accessibility of online college course systems, textbooks, etc. This
battle was sparked by information from real members of our student
division, and we continue to help them gather the data they need to
understand the scope of the problem. The parents' division helps us who
are not parents understand what kinds of issues their blind children are
facing with education and why these issues matter. I actually think our
divisions for people with multiple disabilities (like the deaf/blind
division, for instance) should be nurtured so they can help us
understand the unique difficulties they face so we can include these
problems in our collective advocacy strategy. Not to mention, as others
said earlier in this thread, that blind people with other disabilities
sometimes tend to feel a bit lost in the big wide NFB. By being part of
a division or interest group, these people are still in the NFB, but
inside a supportive community of peers and potential mentors.

I've noticed that lately on this list there is a lot of "either-or"
thinking being expressed. Either you hang out with blind people, or you
join the sighted community. Either we join cross-disability coalitions
or we reject people with multiple disabilities. And, either we remain
united or we form divisions and special interest groups. I believe this
kind of dualistic thought is unnecessarily restrictive, and I would like
to see more "both-and" propositions considered here. I feel very
fortunate to have close and rewarding relationships with both blind and
sighted people. Similarly, I believe the NFB can only grow stronger by
investing in our divisions and special interest groups, which can do
much to bring in new members, utilize our collective resources to help
blind people, and inform our advocacy priorities. Despite being called
"divisions", our divisions should not compete with one another or
"divide" the organization politically. In fact, I've seen several NFB
divisions collaborate when planning events. Furthermore, of course our
NFB divisions aren't going to replace other community organizations we
may wish to join. It's entirely possible to be active in NABS or another
NFB division, but also active in campus or community student
organizations, church groups, etc. In fact, I suspect many of us who are
railing against divisions, by virtue of being on this list and being
involved in your state student divisions, are using this kind of
"both-and" solution.

I will conclude by conceding that some of our NFB divisions are not very
active. That can be due to many factors including problems with the
division's elected leadership, lack of membership, or simply lack of
interest between conventions. However, I don't think this justifies
getting rid of divisions at all. National divisions can always afford to
do more stuff-even if it's just setting up a listserv for blind people
sharing a professional interest to network or setting up a few
conference calls between conventions.

Best,
Arielle
-- 
Arielle Silverman
President, National Association of Blind Students
Phone:  602-502-2255
Email:
nabs.president at gmail.com
Website:
www.nabslink.org

------------------------------

Message: 7
Date: Wed, 09 Mar 2011 21:11:13 -0600
From: "Freeh,	Jessica" <JFreeh at nfb.org> (by way of David Andrews
	<dandrews at visi.com>)
To: david.andrews at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nabs-l] NFB Executive Mark Riccobono Honored by Wisconsin
	Alumni Association
Message-ID: <auto-000004651948 at mailfront3.g2host.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Chris Danielsen

Director of Public Relations

National Federation of the Blind

(410) 659-9314, extension 2330

(410) 262-1281 (Cell)

<mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org>cdanielsen at nfb.org

NFB Executive Mark Riccobono Honored
by Wisconsin Alumni Association

Named a 2011 Forward under 40 Honoree

Baltimore, Maryland (March 9, 2011): The National 
Federation of the Blind (NFB), the oldest and 
largest organization of blind people in the 
United States, today announced that Mark 
Riccobono, executive director of the NFB Jernigan 
Institute, has been named a 2011 Forward under 40 
honoree by the Wisconsin Alumni Association.  The 
Forward under 40 award program honors University 
of Wisconsin graduates under age forty who are 
making a positive impact on the world.  Riccobono 
is a 1999 graduate of the University of Wisconsin.

Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National 
Federation of the Blind, said: ?We are very 
pleased and proud to see Mark Riccobono receive 
this tremendous honor from his alma mater.  Under 
his exemplary leadership of the NFB Jernigan 
Institute, countless innovative programs that 
tackle critical issues of importance to blind 
people have been developed, including science 
academies and advocacy programs for blind youth 
and initiatives that seek to improve the Braille 
literacy rate among blind people both young and 
old.  He truly exemplifies the NFB motto: 
?changing what it means to be blind.??

Mark Riccobono said: ?As the executive director 
of the first research and training institute on 
blindness led by the blind, I have been fortunate 
to play a role in many exciting and life-changing 
developments for blind people in 
America?including getting behind the wheel of a 
car equipped with a nonvisual interface that 
allows the blind to drive independently.  While 
we have made much progress, there is still more 
to be done.  Only 10 percent of blind children 
are learning Braille in this country, and this 
directly contributes to a 70 percent unemployment 
rate among blind people in the United States.  I 
humbly thank the Wisconsin Alumni Association for 
this great honor and hope that it will create 
interest in the work of the Federation among my 
fellow Wisconsin Alumni as well as those from other great universities.?

Riccobono was the first director of the Wisconsin 
Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, a 
state agency that serves Wisconsin?s blind 
children.  Since coming to the headquarters of 
the National Federation of the Blind in 2003, he 
has spearheaded many initiatives, including 
educational programs designed to engage blind 
youth in the fields of science, technology, 
engineering, and mathematics.  He currently 
serves as executive director of the NFB Jernigan Institute.

On January 29, 2011, Riccobono became the first 
blind person to drive a street vehicle in public 
without the assistance of a sighted person.  He 
was behind the wheel of a Ford Escape hybrid 
equipped with nonvisual technology and 
successfully navigated 1.5 miles of the road 
course section of the famed track at the Daytona 
International Speedway.  This successful 
demonstration was part of the NFB?s Blind Driver 
Challenge? initiative, which challenges 
universities, technology developers, and other 
interested innovators to establish NFB Blind 
Driver Challenge? (BDC) teams?in collaboration 
with the NFB?to build interface technologies that 
will empower blind people to drive a car independently.

Riccobono and his wife Melissa, who has worked as 
a school counselor and serves as president of the 
Maryland affiliate of the NFB, live in Baltimore 
with their two small children, Austin and Oriana.

For more information about the National 
Federation of the Blind, please visit <http://www.nfb.org/>www.nfb.org.

###

About the National Federation of the Blind

With more than 50,000 members, the National 
Federation of the Blind is the largest and most 
influential membership organization of blind 
people in the United States.  The NFB improves 
blind people?s lives through advocacy, education, 
research, technology, and programs encouraging 
independence and self-confidence.  It is the 
leading force in the blindness field today and 
the voice of the nation's blind.  In January 2004 
the NFB opened the National Federation of the 
Blind Jernigan Institute, the first research and 
training center in the United States for the blind led by the blind.

------------------------------

Message: 8
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 2011 07:54:50 -0600
From: "Laura Glowacki" <orangebutterfly87 at gmail.com>
To: "Discussion list for NABS,	National Alliance of Blind Students."
	<nabs at acb.org>, 	"National Association of Blind Students
mailing list"
	<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>, 	<isvialumni at lists.screenreview.org>
Subject: [nabs-l] Fw: Save Thousands On Freedom Scientific Demo
	Products
Message-ID: <82820B09004C46B195EF641BB53C2B2F at LAURASCOMPUTER>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

This company is selling demo technologies at reduced prices. 
Their website is:

http://smartati.com/contact-us

Please see below, and the flyer is attached to this email.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Frank Cosatino
To: laura glowacki
Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2011 5:54 PM
Subject: Fw: Save Thousands On Freedom Scientific Demo Products

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Hap Holly
To: Hap Holly
Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2011 3:07 PM
Subject: Fw: Save Thousands On Freedom Scientific Demo Products

*I'm sending this to my entire mailing list on behalf of my blind 
computer guru, Roger Cusson in Maine. Please pass this along to 
any 'blind' lists you may be connected with ... or folks that are 
using or could use some of this technology.*

Hap

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Roger R. Cusson
To: 'Hap Holly'
Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2011 2:30 PM
Subject: Save Thousands On Freedom Scientific Demo Products

Greetings on this fine day,

As you know, I work with Smart Assistive Technologies, down in 
Rochester, NH...

They wish to move a pretty serious amount of Freedom Scientific 
blind/low-vision product down the road!!!

These are demo pieces, and the savings on these items is at least 
50% off retail...

They have approached me, and specifically asked if I could put 
out the message, that they wish to sell these demo pieces, at a 
substantial savings over retail costs...

If you would please consider passing this message, and its 
associated attachment along to folks that might be looking for 
what we have on special, that would be much appreciated.

As I do make some small amount of commission on the sale of these 
pieces, if when calling into Smart Assistive Technologies, please 
indicate to the staff, that Roger Cusson sent them, in regards to 
the sale of these Freedom Scientific demo pieces.

I appreciate your assistance concerning this matter, and I truly 
pray that life is treating you extremely well!!!

Respectfully,

Roger R., Cusson
Computer Access Specialist
Seeing Hands Enterprises - Lisbon
(207) 353-5007
Skype Contact: rcusson

A quote to live by:
"Any program that works perfectly, simply hasn't been tested 
properly!" 
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End of nabs-l Digest, Vol 53, Issue 11
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