[nabs-l] NABS Notes April 2014

[Bre Brown]

NABS Notes

April 2014


In this edition of NABS monthly bulletin:

1.	NABS Update
2.	NABS On Social Media
3.	State Announcements

NABS Update

As the semester is finishing, we are preparing for national
convention. The NABS annual meeting will take place on July 2nd.
Registration begins at 6:15 pm, and the meeting begins promptly at
7:00pm. If you have any ideas of topics or presentations you would
like to see, let Sean Whalen know at nabs.president at gmail.com. We will
have more details on everything NABS will be doing and how you can get
involved at national convention very soon. We are looking forward to
seeing everyone there.

NABS On Social Media

Do you want to stay connected with us on our social media outlets? Be
sure to follow us on twitter and friend us on facebook.
www.twitter.com/nabslink
www.facebook.com/nabslink
You can also check out our website at
www.nabslink.org

State Announcements

Note: All announcements are printed below as they were received from
their senders. No effort to edit for content, grammar or clarity has
been made on the part of NABS.

Colorado

This past weekend (April 10-13) Colorado hosted the 2nd annual South
Western Student Seminar at our Colorado Center for the Blind. Thirty
students were in attendance from eight states. The seminar was an
extreme success and involved numerous presentations on various STEM
related topics, tours of the Center, an inside look in to a day in the
life of a center student, and panels featuring the topics of working
with Voc Rehab, and building a thriving student division. Dr. and Mrs.
Maurer were also in attendance and provided their insights in to what
it takes to become an outstanding student leader. While the seminar
was an exciting time for learning, it culminated at a bowling alley
where competition was fierce. We sincerely thank all those in
attendance and those who helped to make it a success and would love
for another student division to follow in our foot-steps and make the
seminar even better next year

North Carolina

>From July 27th to August 2nd, 2014, the North Carolina Association of
 Blind Students and Governor Morehead School Alumni Association will
 host its 6th annual summer transition camp for visually impaired youth
 and young adults.  They will came to Raleigh, NC to participate in the
 Envisioning Youth Empowerment Retreat.



 The goal of the EYE retreat is to teach visually impaired youth the
 academic and social skills they will need to make successful
 transitions from High School to College, by offering 5 days of
 intensive training. "Group Leaders" for the retreat are visually
 impaired college students or recent graduates.



 The EYE Retreat programming is based on validated research about which
 skills and experiences facilitate a successful transition. The week
 includes "mock" college classes, information on college services,
 visits to local employers, technology training, community involvement,
 and the opportunity to experience accessible sports.



  Tenth Grader Lauren Siegel from Raleigh says, "In addition to the
 university and state agency resources shared during the scheduled
 activities, we introduced each other to things like energy drinks,
 chicken wings, premier blindness rehabilitation centers, and consumer
 advocacy organizations…The EYE retreat has helped me become more
 comfortable about modifications, using assistive technology, and
 advocating for myself, and has made me more comfortable about my
 disability in general."



 For more information, contact Alan Chase, EYE Retreat Coordinator at
aachase1 at gmail.com or visit www.eyeretreat.org or
www.twitter.com/eyeretreat.

 Online application at: www.goo.gl/PjhDs

Oklahoma

At the 2014, OABS (Oklahoma Association of Blind Students) business
meeting held at the NFB of Oklahoma state convention in April. We held
elections for all board positions. The new OABS board is as fallowed:
Cammie Loehr, President
Brooke Anderson, Vice President
Eric Holland, Secretary
Callie Chappell, Treasurer
At the conclusion of board election we voted to have monthly
conference calls. We also scheduled are first conference call in order
to make amendments to our constitution. We proceed to use the rest of
are meeting to strategies different ways we could grow the division
throughout the coming year. I am excited to report that OABS is firmly
here, we have a vision for Oklahoma and am ready to start making our
vision a reality.

Texas

The Texas Association of Blind Students and the Texas Parents of Blind
Children hosted the fourth annual NFBT Youth Conference the weekend of
April 4 through April 6, 2014 in Houston Texas! TABS was proud to
welcome members of the NFB of Georgia and the GEMS Mentoring Program
this year, in addition, Pam and Roland Allen and Eric and Krystal
Guillory joined us representing the national office and the Louisiana
Center for the blind respectively. Attendance records were shattered
for the second year in a row, with over 100 students, parents, and
related professionals in attendance. The weekend was fun,
informational, interactive, and inspiring. Student, parent, and
community leaders shared with us their personal stories, advice for
secondary and post-secondary success, and who challenged us to strive
to truly change what it means to be blind. TABS was also proud to host
a Bone Marrow Drive in support of our friend and fellow TABS Board
Member, Harley Fetterman, who currently is in need of a donor.
All in all the weekend was a memorable one; the Texas student division
is poised to do it bigger and better in 2015, and we invite students
across the country to come experience good southern hospitality next
year!
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