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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoPlainText>Dear Fellow Nebraska Seniors <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Here is another affiliate newsletter; from one of our nearest neighbors. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>The Blind Missourian<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> September 2015<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Table of Contents<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Learning to Read by Korey Harper 1<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Cookie Cutter Christmas by Shirley Grauel 2<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>My First National Convention by Erin Magoon 5<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>BELL: Enriching Children’s Lives by Carol Coulter<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> in collaboration with Debbie Wunder 7<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>An Inspiring Woman by Carol Coulter<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> in collaboration with Kathe Hooton 10<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Upcoming Convention by Eugene Coulter 11<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>NFB Pledge<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>12<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Learning to Read<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>By Korey Harper<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>When I think about literacy, many things come to mind. The one thing that <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>stands out to me is the process of how I learned to read and write. When I <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>was a young child, I walked into Kindergarten not knowing how to read. I <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>could identify some letters, but not all of them. The teacher then began <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>teaching me the alphabet. After I mastered those, we went onto small words <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and then I learned how to read sentences. I would read small books to my <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>teacher, and as my reading improved I went on to larger and more challenging <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>books. Although this process seemed simple, it was one of the most important <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>things I ever learned how to do. As I got older I read more and more, <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>although it was not by choice; I was forced to read more due to school work. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>I never appreciated the fact that I was able to read until I could no longer <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>do it.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>I became blind at the age of seventeen and this left me without the ability <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to read or write. My injury was sudden and an unexpected event, so I was <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>unprepared for it. Up until this point I never realized what a big part <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>literacy played in my life. I started my senior year, just like <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Kindergarten, unable to read. I started to learn the Braille alphabet, <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>which took me several weeks. I first had to learn the dot patterns that made <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>up Braille Then I had to learn how to feel the dots. This was very difficult <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>for me because my fingers would go numb, and I was unable to feel the <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>difference between the letters. I then started receiving Braille Instruction <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>after school four hours a week. A Braille teacher would come and help me <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>learn how to read. After months of hard work I was able to read small <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>sentences. Then my after school training became more intense. I thought I <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>was almost done with the training but soon found out it had only just begun.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>I had already learned grade one Braille. I did not know there was such a <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>thing as grade two Braille. This is a series of contractions that makes <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Braille easier and faster to read. There were over one hundred contractions <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>I had to learn, and although I thought it was impossible, I never gave up. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>This was unlike anything I had ever seen. It was similar to learning another <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>alphabet, and this was, to say the 1.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>least, difficult for me. I did not think the lessons would ever end. It <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>became more and more difficult as each day passed. The training increased <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>from four hours a week to eight hours a week.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>I was told by many people that I would not learn Braille by the end of my <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>senior year. They said I should just try to learn the alphabet because <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>anything else was impossible in just one year. I knew I could do better than <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>that. Although I did not think Braille would be as difficult as it was, I <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>mastered my alphabet in what seemed like a decade, but my teacher said I <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>learned it relatively fast. Even though learning Braille was challenging for <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>me, I am very proud that I did it. Braille is rarer than print, but the <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>small amounts found inside buildings are very helpful to me. I am able to <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>read again, and that is an amazing feeling. I am not very fast at reading <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Braille, but my accuracy is very good. In the overall scheme of things, <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>learning to read has been a very important part in my life. I started my <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>school career as a little boy in Kindergarten learning to read print and <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>then found myself learning to read all over again in Braille my senior year. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>I am so proud I have the ability to read again. Although learning Braille <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>was difficult for me, I know it was one of the most important things I’ve <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>ever learned. Even though I had to learn twice as much as most people, I <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>feel like it made me appreciate literacy more than I ever would have. The <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>ability to read is a gift we are given; we should not take it for granted. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>We should all appreciate that we have the ability to read.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Editor’s note: The following article took second prize in the adult division <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>of the National Writers Division Contest. Congratulations, Shirley.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Cookie Cutter Christmas!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>By Shirley Ann Grauel<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>I am not the best cook in the world, but I believe I am a pretty good baker! <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>My specialty is my Christmas cookies. They are a true piece of art! After <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>I lost most of my vision, it became difficult to critique my masterpiece <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>cookies like I was able to do in the past. Because of my daughters, I <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>learned a lesson about creativity, imagination, and the true meaning of the <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>phrase, “Beauty is in the eyes of the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>beholder!” I may have missed out on all of the fun baking and decorating <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>cookies with my girls growing up due to my anal ways, but now, because of <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the important lesson I learned, I enjoy the time I spend baking with my <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>grandchildren.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>My Christmas cookies had to be “true” perfection! The berries on my <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>poinsettia leaves could only be made with red hot candies. Santa’s mittens <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>always had to be red with white cuffs made with coconut frosting. My bells <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>could only have a silver ball as the ringer. Candy cane cookies could only <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>be curved to the left. My gingerbread boy and girl had a specific dress <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>code. And for heaven sakes, you would never see a blue snowman on display! <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Sprinkles had to match to the color of icing being used. All colors and <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>designs had to be to mom’s satisfaction! What a Drill Sergeant I must have <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>been.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>It was past two o’clock in the morning, and I was still struggling to <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>decorate my Christmas cookies like I was able to do in the past, before I <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>lost my vision to Glaucoma. While holding Santa in my hand, with my nose <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>only centimeters from the frosting, trying to paint his eyebrows on just <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>right, I mumbled, “I might as well give up. I can’t see to do anything <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>right.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>My daughters Tammy and Audrea said, “Mom, let us finish them for you. We <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>promise to do them just the way you want them done.” After about another <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>hour of frustration I gave in and told the girls to go ahead. Before I went <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to bed I gave them specific instructions on what colors of icing and what <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>candies went with each type of cookie. “We know! We know!” was their <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>chuckling response.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>When I woke up the next morning, the first thing I did was go and examine <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the finished product. I shrieked, “You’ve got to be kidding me!” I had <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>enough vision to see the orange Christmas trees, purple mittens, and blue <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>poinsettias. At that moment my two darling daughters came into the kitchen <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>giggling. “You really think you’re funny don’t you!” I exclaimed. The girls <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>then took off the top layer of cookies to show me they were just trying to <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>humor me. Underneath were my prize cookies! I gave a big sigh of relief.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>That entire day, as hard as I tried, I was not completely able to let go of <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the trick my daughters played on me. After moping around the house for <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>hours, I decided to call it an early night and go to bed. As I lay in bed <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>that night, I tried to figure out if I was more upset because of the loss of <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>vision, or was it because I realized how anal I had been all those years <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>about my Christmas cookies? After hours of meditation with the Lord, I came <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to the realization that I took away some of my girls creative imagination by <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>imposing my artistic desires on them.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>The next morning while drinking coffee and nibbling on cookies, I told my <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>girls how sorry I was for being such a perfectionist. I told them when they <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>got married and would be entertaining others, they would understand. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Unfortunately so often women are still rated and viewed by what kind of <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>wife/mother they are by their cooking/baking abilities.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Well, now I am a grandmother and great-grandmother too! I look forward to <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>bringing all of my cookie cutters to my grandchildren’s home for some baking <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>fun! The boys usually just want to eat the finished product, but the girls <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>like to make all kinds of “neat” cookie designs! My granddaughter Lain is <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>my little artist. She can come up with some of the most unique ideas. Mya <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>loves to sample the product as we are preparing our masterpiece. I remember <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>when she was only two; she would sit on the table, with her bare little feet <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>covered in flour, eating the dough! I would not have it any other way.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>It has been fifteen years since that “awakening” Christmas. Since then I <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>joined the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). The NFB has taught me <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>that blindness does not define my character. No matter if you have been <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>blind for five, ten, or even seventy five years, you can become all that you <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>want to become! Most of all, by learning special techniques, you can still <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>accomplish your goals, making blindness nothing more than a mere nuisance.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>I still love to display my award-winning Christmas cookies; but now you will <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>see one tray with Grandma’s cookies and another with my grandchildren’s <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>master artwork. I will be the first one to go to their tray and taste a <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>purple tree! Better than snacking on their baked treats is the great big <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>hug I get, along with the “Grandma, I love you!”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>My First National Convention<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>By Erin Magoon<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Going to my first national convention was an exciting, thrilling, and <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>exhausting time! I arrived on Saturday, July 4 and spent the evening <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>settling in and trying to learn the hotel. The hotel was set out very well; <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>however it was still hard to learn to navigate, even with help from my furry <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>fellow companion.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>I participated in as much of the convention as I could. There were so many <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>meetings and activities to choose from that it was impossible to attend <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>everything I would have liked to. I had to make some tough choices, and I <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>was able to do most of what I really wanted to do. These activities included <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>helping out in the affiliate suite, attending lots of meetings, helping at <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the affiliate table, wandering around, and buying items from the exhibit <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>hall and meeting new people. Friends and I also worked out a plan to record <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>some meetings for each other so that we could attend more things and share <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the information later. It wasn’t the same as being there, but it was the <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>best we could do.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>I found it informative to hear from the people involved with technology. It <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>was good not only hearing from well-known companies such as Humanware, <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Freedom Scientific, Learning Ally, AT Guys, and Bookshare but also talking <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to new companies (for me) such as Baum, the Independence Market, and HIMS <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>INC. It was nice having them all right there so you could do a hands on <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>comparison and ask questions about new and old products.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>The exhibit hall was not only filled with technology companies but affiliate <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and divisions selling items as well. Visiting the different affiliate tables <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and meeting and talking to new people were loads of fun as well. Everyone <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>was really friendly, outgoing, and helpful when you needed help. The only <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>bad part about the exhibit hall is that it can be hard on your feet and <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>your wallet.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>I also attended the craft show. I never enjoyed going to arts and craft <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>fairs as a child and really did not think I would enjoy it at convention. I <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>was happily very much mistaken. Unlike at the fairs I remember going to, <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>everyone encouraged you to touch and try on their jewelry, smell their soaps <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and lotions, and I even made an origami dog which was really cool.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Wednesday, July 8, 2015, at 7:00 AM the National Federation of the Blind <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>broke a Guinness World Record by having the largest umbrella mosaic. We <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>spelled out Live the Life You Want in white umbrellas on a blue background. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>It also included a figure from our new logo. That was pretty awesome. My <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>only regret is that I was ill and wasn’t sure I would be able to stand in <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the heat for that long. I was waiting in the lobby and outside in spirit.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>The actual general session part of the convention was a lot of fun and quite <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>different from any state conventions I have attended. It was very <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>interesting hearing about what the other states were doing and how many <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>scholarship winners they had and so on. I liked the way the resolutions were <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>done. Since there were so many of them and it would have taken forever to <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>read them all out loud, President Riccobono had the person just read the BE <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>IT RESOLVED, and we passed most of them that way. It was also extremely <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>interesting to see how it was handled in case you could not tell if the <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>resolution had passed or not. There are thousands of people at the <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>convention and sometimes it is hard to tell, so the delegates of each state <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>poll their membership and announce that state’s official vote. I liked the <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>way this was done and now understand the purpose of us sending delegates to <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the convention.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>We were able to hear the presidential report given by President Mark <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Riccobono, which covered all the work we have done on a national level this <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>past year. This report really lets you know why we are an organization to be <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>reckoned with. A sampling of other topics covered were defending our rights <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to parent, accessibility of automatic teller machines, and advancing civil <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>rights for the blind. A fun presentation that got the crowd moving was a <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>history of our federation music. We sang along with a band that played songs <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>that had been written about the different struggles we have had through the <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>years. We were not able to hear from National Library Service (NLS), and I <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>was very disappointed about that.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>One of the differences between the national convention and our state <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>convention that I noticed and did not like was that there was not enough <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>time to take questions or comments from the floor. The only exception was <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>resolutions, where a lot of discussion took place. While I didn’t like it, I <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>do understand that if everything was open for discussion with such a large <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>group, we would never get through the agenda.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>The banquet was great; I had a great time seeing all the scholarships given <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>out and President Riccobono’s first convention speech. I would have liked <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to have seen some entertainment or a little more fun after the banquet. I <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>guess I just didn’t want the night to end. All in all it was a fabulous <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>convention, I am very glad I went, and I will definitely be going back!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>BELL: Enriching Children’s Lives<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>By Carol Coulter in collaboration with Debbie Wunder<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>On July 20-31, 2015, we held our second Braille Enrichment for Literacy and <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Learning Program (BELL) in St. Louis, Missouri at the Delta Gamma Center. It <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>was so exciting to see our enrollment double from the five students last <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>year to ten this year. We believe another fact that speaks volumes for the <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>program’s success is that four out of the five students returned this year. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>We had children from six to thirteen years old with several in the eight to <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>nine year old range.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>The students learned a lot of Braille this year. They used the slate and <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>stylus, Braille Writers, and some of the students even used electronic <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>devices. Depending on where they were with their Braille skills, some of the <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>children even learned some Unified English Braille (UEB).<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>One of our BELL students this year was a second grade boy who had absolutely <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>no Braille skills at all; by the end of the second week he had learned the <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>entire alphabet and was able to write simple sentences. When the parents <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>came that last Friday for a little bit of a show, he read the sentences he <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>had written aloud. He just amazed us all.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>We took time out for some physical activities. There is only so long you can <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>sit and read and write Braille. In the motor room the children used the <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>climbing wall, played Braille games, and sang songs. They also had outdoor <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>time when it was not too hot or raining.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>We took the children on two field trips. The first one was to the West <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>County Safety House. This was a fire house set up to let children really <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>experience what it is like when there is an emergency in their home. First <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>they talked about fire safety and then a simulation of a tornado. Next they <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>took the children to a child’s bedroom and showed them, with a door that <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>actually heated up, how to see if it was safe to open that door or not. So <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>now if the door is hot how are you going to get out of the house? They <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>showed the children how to climb out of the window on to this little pitched <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>roof where firemen were waiting to help them. The staff then let the <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>children touch several pieces of equipment and explained what it was used <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>for. One of the firemen dressed in full gear and let the children hear what <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>he sounded like when he talked with his respirator on. He also let them feel <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>his entire uniform from his hat to his boots. We commend him for his <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>patience. All of the people at the fire house were wonderful with the <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>students. It was an outstanding educational experience.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>The second field trip was to Soulard Market. This was a farmer’s market, <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>where the children were able to feel and smell all kinds of fruits and <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>vegetables. There were things familiar to the children such as bananas, <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>strawberries, and watermelons, but they also were able to experience less <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>familiar things like a whole coconut, a donut peach, eggplant, kumquat, and <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>kiwi. We not only felt and smelled the produce, but we bought some to take <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>back and have as a snack. What a delicious field trip.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>We were able to add a music portion to our BELL Program this year thanks to <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the wonderful mother-daughter team of Shawnee and Halley Korff. They came to <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>join us during our second week of BELL all the way from the Kansas City <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>area. Shawnee is a music teacher, and she brought all kinds of fun <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>percussion instruments for the children to play. The children particularly <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>liked the bucket drums and learned about rhythm. Shawnee and Halley also <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>taught the children how to play “Hot Cross Buns” on the recorder and even <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>let them keep their recorders; how generous. We would like to thank Shawnee <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and Halley again, not only for the gifts to the children, but also for <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>coming to teach and letting us enjoy Halley’s beautiful violin playing. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Having the music classes was a huge hit.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Another guest who joined us during the second week was Rosina Foster, <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>President of our Parents of Blind Children Division. Rosina visited with <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>parents and joined in on our daily activities. She also came baring gifts. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Rosina brought several Braille books for the children to take home with <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>them. Thank you, Rosina, for helping foster Braille literacy and sharing <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>your time with us.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>A big thank you goes out to the rest of our volunteers: Debbie Wunder, <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Adnan Gutic, Chris Tisdal, Bryan Schulz, Dacia Cole, Julie McGinnity, Carol <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and Elisabeth Coulter, Rhonda Damron, and Kathy Hurley.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>First, thanks to Debbie Wunder for coordinating the BELL Program again this <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>year. It is a big job getting both students and staff, because both are <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>needed in order to have a successful program. Adnan Gutic volunteered to be <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>our Braille instructor again. He turned down a paying job at the Missouri <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>School for the Blind for the summer so he could join us at BELL and work for <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>free; how admirable, thank you, Adnan.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Chris Tisdal is forever sort of an angel there at Bell, doing anything and <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>everything that he can, from carrying heavy stuff for us to working on the <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>slate and stylus with the children. He has even cooked a meal or two. Chris <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>does it all. Bryan Schulz also returned to help this year. He helped our <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>children climb the rock wall, worked on the slate and stylus with some of <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>them, and he was just a huge help.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Dacia Cole and Julie McGinnity did a wonderful job working with the children <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>on their Braille, whether it be on slate and stylus, Braille Writer, or some <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>electronic device. Dacia said that some of these children knew more about <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>technology than she did. Julie also let some of the children experience what <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>it was like to walk with a guide dog. Carol Coulter tried to keep everything <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>organized, helped supervise children, grocery shopped, and did whatever else <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Debbie needed her to do. Of course those of us from Columbia couldn’t have <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>gotten there if it wasn’t for Elisabeth Coulter. Thank you, Elisabeth, for <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>safely getting a very packed van to and from St. Louis. She also made a <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>special trip to St. Louis to drive for our first field trip.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>A special thank you also goes out to Rhonda Damron and Kathy Hurley. Even <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>though they had brought their children, they both helped with driving for <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>field trips, running errands, and helping out in any way we needed. Kathy <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>also did a craft project with the students. Once again, thank you to all who <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>helped make this year’s BELL a success and we hope we did not leave anyone <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>out.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>If anyone ever wondered if the BELL Program was worth doing, then you should <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>know that one of the parents was so excited that she called the Louisiana <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Center for the Blind and talked to Pam Allen. She said I want someone who is <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>definitely in authority to know what kind of an experience we had with the <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>BELL Program. I told all these other people but they may not realize how <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>wonderful it was so I want to make sure that the national people understand <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>that this was just really super. The mother was a mobility instructor so it <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>wasn’t like this was her first contact with the blindness field, and so she <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>was blown away to get any kind of service at all. This was a person who <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>knows what good service should be and still believed that it was so far <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>above the rest that it was worthy of comment.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>The students learned a lot but so did we. We had a great time and thank you <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>all for making it happen this year. We hope we can offer the BELL Program <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>again next year but it takes funding so if you believe that this is a <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>worthwhile program please help by pledging your support both financially and <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>by volunteering. Wouldn’t it be great if we could do BELL in two locations!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>An Inspiring Woman<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>By Carol Coulter in collaboration with Kathe Hooton<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Helen Parker was born on April 15, 1921, in Ft. Scott, Kansas. She has one <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>brother and three sisters, one of which was her twin. They lived in the <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>country until she was in junior high when they moved to town. Her father <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>was a steam engineer for a flour milling company in Kansas, where they grew <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>lots of wheat.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Helen worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) at the hospital in <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Neosho, Missouri after graduating from high school, and that sparked her <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>interest in nursing. She really wanted to go to school to become a <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Registered Nurse, but because of the cost her parents were not able to send <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>her. During WWII she worked as a CNA at the Army hospital in Ft. Crowder, <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>which was located south of Neosho, Missouri.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>In 1940 Helen met her husband at a restaurant which had a dance hall <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>attached to it. Someone was playing the juke box and her husband asked her <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to dance. That’s when their romance began. They were married in 1941. They <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>had seven children, nine grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Helen said she began to lose her sight gradually, and she thinks by around <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>1960 she had completely lost her vision due to retinitis pigmentosa. Helen <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>said her husband was a great deal of help during this time, and the children <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>learned to help out as well. Her husband passed away in 1987.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Helen loves reading and has also done a bit of traveling. She has traveled <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to London, England; Rome, and Hawaii with her son and daughter-in-law and <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>has made several trips to the west coast to see family. She said European <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>people seem much friendlier to sight-impaired people than those in the <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>United States.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Helen was and still is very active. For thirty plus years she swam twice a <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>week at the university with friends but finally gave it up. Helen plays <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>violin at her church fund raisers and is a popular feature for them. She is <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>also very committed to the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) and does <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>all she can to get new members to come to her local chapter. She travels <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>around the area, speaking at schools and talking on the radio about <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>blindness when she can.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>A good friend helped Helen write her memoirs, which was meant mostly for her <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>family, but I am told it is a very interesting book. She said she had a <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>hundred<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>copies printed; they are all gone, and she has been asked for more. Helen, <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>if you have more printed please save one for me; I would love to read it. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Helen is a very humble person and says she doesn't know why anyone would <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>want to read about her, but how she managed to navigate having a big family <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and raising them as a blind woman does make interesting reading.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Helen is ninety-four years old and lives alone in her house in Rolla. She <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>states that she is not afraid to live alone even though she is totally <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>blind. Helen said God has taken care of her all her life, and He is not <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>going to quit now. She is a very good cook and enjoys having people over to <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>eat with her. Helen has so many friends who take her wherever she wants to <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>go; she says she is too busy to get lonely. The South Central Chapter is <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>very lucky to have such a go-getter as their leader. Kathe Hooton, a fellow <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>chapter member said, “Anyone who is feeling down only has to visit with <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Helen for a little while and they will feel so much better. She is so <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>cheerful and positive.” What a beautiful thing to say, and I would like to <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>thank Kathe for her help with this article. I couldn’t have done it without <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>her help.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Upcoming Convention<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>By Gene Coulter<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Our Springfield Chapter is delighted to invite you to the fifty-fourth <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Missouri from <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>April 1–3, 2016, to help us celebrate the fourtieth birthday of the NFB <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Springfield Chapter. The chapter continues to work hard to spread our motto <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to the Springfield area...live the life you want!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>In 1838 the town of Springfield was established. National attention was <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>given to Springfield in 1858 when the city became a stop on the Butterfield <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Overland Mail, a stagecoach line from Tipton, Missouri to San Francisco.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Springfield is recognized as the birthplace of Route 66. In 1938 Route 66 <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>became the first US numbered road in America — the “Mother Road” — <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>stretching from the Great Lakes to the Pacific Coast.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Our convention will be at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel, 2431 North <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Glenstone, with room rates of $84.00 per night plus 12.6% tax for one to <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>four people in a room. To make reservations call 417-831-3131. The costs for <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the planned meals are unchanged. In fact our lunches and prayer breakfast in <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>many cases will be less expensive than the hotel’s own restaurant. The <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>registration forms will be posted on the NFBMO.org website in mid-October.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>PLEDGE OF THE<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>I pledge to participate actively in the effort of the National Federation of <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the Blind to achieve equality, opportunity, and security for the blind: to <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>support the policies and programs of the Federation and to abide by its <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Constitution.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Members and friends of the National Federation of the Blind raising <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>umbrellas to spell,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>"Live the life you want”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Board of Directors<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>National Federation of the Blind of Missouri<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Officers:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Gary Wunder, President Shelia Wright, First <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Vice President<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Julie McGinnity, Second Vice President Dacia Cole, Recording <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Secretary<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Erin Magoon, Corresponding Secretary Carol Coulter, Treasurer<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Board Members:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Eugene Coulter Gene Fleeman<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Gary Horchem Dan Flasar<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Chris Tisdal Melissa Smith<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Daniel Garcia<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Chapter Presidents<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Debbie Wunder, Columbia Helen Parker, South <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Central<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Rita Lynch, Jefferson City Erin Magoon, <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Springfield<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Ruby Polk, Kansas City Bryan Schulz, St. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Louis<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Chris Tisdal, Lewis and Clark Dan Keller, Show-Me <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>State Chapter<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Roger Crome, Mineral Area Chapter<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Blind Missourian Editor Carol Coulter<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Proof Readers Helen Stevens, Shelia Wright, and Gary Wunder<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Read by Elisabeth Coulter<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>NFB of Missouri<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>1504 Furlong Dr.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Columbia, MO 65202<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></body></html>