[Nfb-editors] Donation and delivery
Bridgit Pollpeter
bpollpeter at hotmail.com
Mon Feb 21 00:59:48 UTC 2011
I agree with most of the dialogue here, my only question-- thought,
topic for discussion-- is the appropriateness of asking for donations
before anyone has a chance to read further and discover who and what the
NFB is. I am thinking of non-members in particular. Some don't want to
be asked for money right out the gate.
Not saying it is right or wrong, but merely bring it up for the sake of
discussion. Without change, nothing can ever happen, and without
questions, no one can have the opportunity to change. I'm done
philosopisizing now! LOL
Bridgit
-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-editors-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:nfb-editors-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
nfb-editors-request at nfbnet.org
Sent: Sunday, February 20, 2011 12:00 PM
To: nfb-editors at nfbnet.org
Subject: Nfb-editors Digest, Vol 75, Issue 5
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Today's Topics:
1. New Jersey newsletter (Bridgit Pollpeter)
2. Re: New Jersey newsletter (Mike Freeman)
3. Donation & Delivery (Joe Orozco)
4. the new guy (Chris Kuell)
5. Re: Donation & Delivery (Mike Freeman)
6. Re: Donation & Delivery (Joe Orozco)
7. Re: Donation & Delivery (loristay at aol.com)
8. Re: Donation & Delivery (Mike Freeman)
9. Re: Donation & Delivery (Mike Freeman)
10. Re: the new guy (Marion Gwizdala)
11. test post with attachment (Robert Leslie Newman)
12. Blueprint to a basic newsletter (Robert Leslie Newman)
13. Re: test post with attachment (Mike Freeman)
14. Connecticut Newsletter- attached (Robert Leslie Newman)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2011 15:24:22 -0600
From: Bridgit Pollpeter <bpollpeter at hotmail.com>
To: <nfb-editors at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [Nfb-editors] New Jersey newsletter
Message-ID: <BLU0-SMTP9309913B5EA769EAB3B654C4D70 at phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
I think New Jersey's newsletter is professional and follows a similar
approach as the Braille Monitor. My one question is about the donation
information at the top. I am not sure how I feel about this. Readers
may not want to be sequestered for donations right off the bat--
especially non-members. Personally, I would leave this section for the
end.
Another question, do any other newsletters follow Associated Press Style
guide standards? Just curious. I recently decided to tack on a public
relations minor to my creative writing degree, and in professional PR
writing--including newsletters--they follow AP Style guide. I am trying
to incorporate this into the Nebraska newsletter so it follows a
standard professional style, though the NFBN publication leans towards a
balance of informative as well as creative.
I have encouraged our affiliate to write essays discussing different
topics covering philosophy, training, legislation and personal
experiences/opinions in general.
Bridgit Kuenning Pollpeter
Editor, The Nebraska Independent
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2011 13:55:18 -0800
From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com>
To: "'Correspondence Committee Mailing List'" <nfb-editors at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [Nfb-editors] New Jersey newsletter
Message-ID: <001701cbd07f$b32a9f10$197fdd30$@panix.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
I dare say many affiliates are lucky to even *have* a newsletter (NFB of
Washington does not), let alone follow a style guide. (grin)
Mike Freeman, President
NFB of Washington
-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-editors-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:nfb-editors-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of Bridgit Pollpeter
Sent: Saturday, February 19, 2011 1:24 PM
To: nfb-editors at nfbnet.org
Subject: [Nfb-editors] New Jersey newsletter
I think New Jersey's newsletter is professional and follows a similar
approach as the Braille Monitor. My one question is about the donation
information at the top. I am not sure how I feel about this. Readers
may not want to be sequestered for donations right off the bat--
especially non-members. Personally, I would leave this section for the
end.
Another question, do any other newsletters follow Associated Press Style
guide standards? Just curious. I recently decided to tack on a public
relations minor to my creative writing degree, and in professional PR
writing--including newsletters--they follow AP Style guide. I am trying
to incorporate this into the Nebraska newsletter so it follows a
standard professional style, though the NFBN publication leans towards a
balance of informative as well as creative.
I have encouraged our affiliate to write essays discussing different
topics covering philosophy, training, legislation and personal
experiences/opinions in general.
Bridgit Kuenning Pollpeter
Editor, The Nebraska Independent
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------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2011 18:16:59 -0500
From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
To: "'Correspondence Committee Mailing List'" <nfb-editors at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [Nfb-editors] Donation & Delivery
Message-ID: <761139F2C43F42C2AC9FF445052887E1 at Rufus>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
In the monthly newsletter I draft for our organization, we include a
donation button, but the newsletter is delivered via e-mail with the
articles listed as teasers, so we can afford to use the space to promote
the organization and make a pitch for funds. I think this is a good way
of delivering the newsletter anyway, since it keeps people from having
to remember to check the website at a certain point each month, or every
quarter depending on the publication. Of course, you could set up RSS
feeds, but like Mike pointed out, some affiliates just need to get the
publications out there before any thought is given to how to shape them.
Still, I think the Braille Monitor is potentially missing out from not
delivering the publication through an e-mail marketing service that
enhances the publication. The plain text version that is currently
delivered is not representative of a national organization with the
number of affiliates and chapters it currently boasts. Mind you, this
is not a criticism, just a point about image, and I only mention the
Monitor as a common factor we can all relate to since each affiliate has
its own approach. Glad to see the conversation pick up around here.
Best,
Joe
"Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam
Ewing
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2011 18:54:15 -0500
From: "Chris Kuell" <ckuell at comcast.net>
To: <jsorozco at gmail.com>, "Correspondence Committee Mailing List"
<nfb-editors at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [Nfb-editors] the new guy
Message-ID: <40638B126CC64D1FBEEBFAEAEB0EE5E9 at ChrisPC>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=original
Hello,
This is Chris Kuell from the NFB of Connecticut. I just joined the list
and
Robert asked me to introduce myself and attach a copy of our state's
last
newsletter. We put out 2 issues per year in CT, they generally run about
40
pages, and the next won't be available until late April or so.
So, about me... I've been blind for going on 14 years, and a member of
the
NFB for the last 13. I'm the second VP of our state affiliate, the
president
of the Danbury Chapter, the editor of our newsletter, and I'm involved
with
most things at one level or another. I do a lot of advocacy work, and
I'm on
the board of directors of our state agency for the blind. I'm a
free-lance
writer and editor, including the editor-in-chief of Breath and Shadow, a
journal of disability literature and culture based in Maine
(www.abilitymaine.org/breath). I'm married with 2 kids, I play guitar
badly,
my singing is even worse, but I can mix up one hell of a good
margarita.
Peace,
chris
PS - my message with the newsletter attached bounced back, so I've
requested the boss man's help. It's best as an attachment since I use
hyperlinks in the table of contents so you can go directly to any
article of
interest.
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2011 17:09:26 -0800
From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com>
To: <jsorozco at gmail.com>, "'Correspondence Committee Mailing
List'"
<nfb-editors at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [Nfb-editors] Donation & Delivery
Message-ID: <000001cbd09a$d20d7770$76286650$@panix.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Joe:
You may not understand my thinking but were the Monitor to be delivered
via a marketing service, I'd unsubscribe *immediately!* The Monitor
should be strictly informational with the only pitch for funds being the
initial blurb/plea. I suppose it's a matter of style but I prefer my
education and appeals to my wallet to be entirely separate endeavors.
Welcome, Chris. Our lists *do* allow attachments so don't know what
went haywire.
Mike Freeman
-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-editors-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:nfb-editors-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of Joe Orozco
Sent: Saturday, February 19, 2011 3:17 PM
To: 'Correspondence Committee Mailing List'
Subject: [Nfb-editors] Donation & Delivery
In the monthly newsletter I draft for our organization, we include a
donation button, but the newsletter is delivered via e-mail with the
articles listed as teasers, so we can afford to use the space to promote
the organization and make a pitch for funds. I think this is a good way
of delivering the newsletter anyway, since it keeps people from having
to remember to check the website at a certain point each month, or every
quarter depending on the publication. Of course, you could set up RSS
feeds, but like Mike pointed out, some affiliates just need to get the
publications out there before any thought is given to how to shape them.
Still, I think the Braille Monitor is potentially missing out from not
delivering the publication through an e-mail marketing service that
enhances the publication. The plain text version that is currently
delivered is not representative of a national organization with the
number of affiliates and chapters it currently boasts. Mind you, this
is not a criticism, just a point about image, and I only mention the
Monitor as a common factor we can all relate to since each affiliate has
its own approach. Glad to see the conversation pick up around here.
Best,
Joe
"Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam
Ewing
_______________________________________________
Nfb-editors mailing list
Nfb-editors at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-editors_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
Nfb-editors:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-editors_nfbnet.org/k7uij%40pan
ix.c
om
------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2011 20:52:07 -0500
From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
To: "'Correspondence Committee Mailing List'" <nfb-editors at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [Nfb-editors] Donation & Delivery
Message-ID: <D77000D2A7494A268521EE48EF414A8C at Rufus>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Mike,
The Braille Monitor is the closest connection members have to the
national organization between Washington Seminar and National
Convention. If you can accept that it is a central communication
vehicle, why not take advantage of the opportunity to remind subscribers
of how their contributions make it possible for the NFB to offer so many
great services, including a free monthly publication? An appeal for
donation does not have to be prominent to be effective, and when I
reference an e-mail marketing tool, I mean a tool that helps the
organization monitor subscriptions, track forwards and display the
information in an elegant manner that is as visually aesthetic as it is
informative. People presume marketing is only about fundraising. If
done correctly, it can also be about outreach. You prefer your
education and appeals to your wallet to be separate, but if that were
true, we would not collect contributions at national events. The
Braille Monitor maintains the momentum generated at these events, just
as affiliates could rely on their newsletters to maintain the momentum
from their state conventions. Would adding a donation button and brief
appeal to a newsletter automatically turn into high earned income? Of
course not, but if you do not at least give your membership and general
readers the option of giving you a contribution, you'll always put out
more than you ever really take in from individuals, and the most
successful national nonprofits of the size of the NFB typically count on
more than 80% of their funds to come from that area of fundraising.
Anyway, I'm not aiming to convince you. I only want others to recognize
the various ways a newsletter can be used to the benefit of the
affiliate.
Regards,
Joe
"Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam
Ewing
------------------------------
Message: 7
Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2011 21:02:19 -0500
From: loristay at aol.com
To: nfb-editors at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [Nfb-editors] Donation & Delivery
Message-ID: <8CD9EB956AF99FA-1578-2A7CB at webmail-m056.sysops.aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
I believe that the Monitor does include a page that encourages readers
to mention the Federation in their wills, and donations can certainly be
sent via the address on the title page. Lori
-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Freeman <k7uij at panix.com>
To: jsorozco at gmail.com; 'Correspondence Committee Mailing List'
<nfb-editors at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sat, Feb 19, 2011 8:09 pm
Subject: Re: [Nfb-editors] Donation & Delivery
Joe:
You may not understand my thinking but were the Monitor to be delivered
via a marketing service, I'd unsubscribe *immediately!* The Monitor
should be strictly informational with the only pitch for funds being the
initial blurb/plea. I suppose it's a matter of style but I prefer my
education and appeals to my wallet to be entirely separate endeavors.
Welcome, Chris. Our lists *do* allow attachments so don't know what
went haywire.
Mike Freeman
-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-editors-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:nfb-editors-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of Joe Orozco
Sent: Saturday, February 19, 2011 3:17 PM
To: 'Correspondence Committee Mailing List'
Subject: [Nfb-editors] Donation & Delivery
In the monthly newsletter I draft for our organization, we include a
donation button, but the newsletter is delivered via e-mail with the
articles listed as teasers, so we can afford to use the space to promote
the organization and make a pitch for funds. I think this is a good way
of delivering the newsletter anyway, since it keeps people from having
to remember to check the website at a certain point each month, or every
quarter depending on the publication. Of course, you could set up RSS
feeds, but like Mike pointed out, some affiliates just need to get the
publications out there before any thought is given to how to shape them.
Still, I think the Braille Monitor is potentially missing out from not
delivering the publication through an e-mail marketing service that
enhances the publication. The plain text version that is currently
delivered is not representative of a national organization with the
number of affiliates and chapters it currently boasts. Mind you, this
is not a criticism, just a point about image, and I only mention the
Monitor as a common factor we can all relate to since each affiliate has
its own approach. Glad to see the conversation pick up around here.
Best,
Joe
"Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam
Ewing
_______________________________________________
Nfb-editors mailing list
Nfb-editors at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-editors_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
Nfb-editors:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-editors_nfbnet.org/k7uij%40pan
ix.c
om
_______________________________________________
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Nfb-editors at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-editors_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
Nfb-editors:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-editors_nfbnet.org/loristay%40
aol.com
------------------------------
Message: 8
Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2011 18:46:10 -0800
From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com>
To: "'Correspondence Committee Mailing List'" <nfb-editors at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [Nfb-editors] Donation & Delivery
Message-ID: <001701cbd0a8$55c247f0$0146d7d0$@panix.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
True enough. And I obviously don't object. I just didn't want ads or
obvious marketing ploys.
Mike
-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-editors-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:nfb-editors-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of loristay at aol.com
Sent: Saturday, February 19, 2011 6:02 PM
To: nfb-editors at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [Nfb-editors] Donation & Delivery
I believe that the Monitor does include a page that encourages readers
to mention the Federation in their wills, and donations can certainly be
sent via the address on the title page. Lori
-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Freeman <k7uij at panix.com>
To: jsorozco at gmail.com; 'Correspondence Committee Mailing List'
<nfb-editors at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sat, Feb 19, 2011 8:09 pm
Subject: Re: [Nfb-editors] Donation & Delivery
Joe:
You may not understand my thinking but were the Monitor to be delivered
via a marketing service, I'd unsubscribe *immediately!* The Monitor
should be strictly informational with the only pitch for funds being the
initial blurb/plea. I suppose it's a matter of style but I prefer my
education and appeals to my wallet to be entirely separate endeavors.
Welcome, Chris. Our lists *do* allow attachments so don't know what
went haywire.
Mike Freeman
-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-editors-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:nfb-editors-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of Joe Orozco
Sent: Saturday, February 19, 2011 3:17 PM
To: 'Correspondence Committee Mailing List'
Subject: [Nfb-editors] Donation & Delivery
In the monthly newsletter I draft for our organization, we include a
donation button, but the newsletter is delivered via e-mail with the
articles listed as teasers, so we can afford to use the space to promote
the organization and make a pitch for funds. I think this is a good way
of delivering the newsletter anyway, since it keeps people from having
to remember to check the website at a certain point each month, or every
quarter depending on the publication. Of course, you could set up RSS
feeds, but like Mike pointed out, some affiliates just need to get the
publications out there before any thought is given to how to shape them.
Still, I think the Braille Monitor is potentially missing out from not
delivering the publication through an e-mail marketing service that
enhances the publication. The plain text version that is currently
delivered is not representative of a national organization with the
number of affiliates and chapters it currently boasts. Mind you, this
is not a criticism, just a point about image, and I only mention the
Monitor as a common factor we can all relate to since each affiliate has
its own approach. Glad to see the conversation pick up around here.
Best,
Joe
"Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam
Ewing
_______________________________________________
Nfb-editors mailing list
Nfb-editors at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-editors_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
Nfb-editors:
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om
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To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
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com
_______________________________________________
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Nfb-editors at nfbnet.org
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To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
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ix.c
om
------------------------------
Message: 9
Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2011 18:51:00 -0800
From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com>
To: <jsorozco at gmail.com>, "'Correspondence Committee Mailing
List'"
<nfb-editors at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [Nfb-editors] Donation & Delivery
Message-ID: <001801cbd0a9$02555bb0$07001310$@panix.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Joe:
I agree that we need better tracking information and the Board has
spoken some about this.
However, I disagree about the Monitor being a fund-raising vehicle
between events. Frankly (and some may censure me for saying this), we
are coming perilously close to trying to squeeze moisture from a dry
turnip insofar as fund-raising efforts among our members are concerned.
I think we shall have to agree to disagree, at least insofar as what we
consider a valid approach is concerned. That's OK.
Mike
-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-editors-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:nfb-editors-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of Joe Orozco
Sent: Saturday, February 19, 2011 5:52 PM
To: 'Correspondence Committee Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [Nfb-editors] Donation & Delivery
Mike,
The Braille Monitor is the closest connection members have to the
national organization between Washington Seminar and National
Convention. If you can accept that it is a central communication
vehicle, why not take advantage of the opportunity to remind subscribers
of how their contributions make it possible for the NFB to offer so many
great services, including a free monthly publication? An appeal for
donation does not have to be prominent to be effective, and when I
reference an e-mail marketing tool, I mean a tool that helps the
organization monitor subscriptions, track forwards and display the
information in an elegant manner that is as visually aesthetic as it is
informative. People presume marketing is only about fundraising. If
done correctly, it can also be about outreach. You prefer your
education and appeals to your wallet to be separate, but if that were
true, we would not collect contributions at national events. The
Braille Monitor maintains the momentum generated at these events, just
as affiliates could rely on their newsletters to maintain the momentum
from their state conventions. Would adding a donation button and brief
appeal to a newsletter automatically turn into high earned income? Of
course not, but if you do not at least give your membership and general
readers the option of giving you a contribution, you'll always put out
more than you ever really take in from individuals, and the most
successful national nonprofits of the size of the NFB typically count on
more than 80% of their funds to come from that area of fundraising.
Anyway, I'm not aiming to convince you. I only want others to recognize
the various ways a newsletter can be used to the benefit of the
affiliate.
Regards,
Joe
"Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam
Ewing
_______________________________________________
Nfb-editors mailing list
Nfb-editors at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-editors_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
Nfb-editors:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-editors_nfbnet.org/k7uij%40pan
ix.c
om
------------------------------
Message: 10
Date: Sun, 20 Feb 2011 05:35:02 -0500
From: "Marion Gwizdala" <blind411 at verizon.net>
To: "Correspondence Committee Mailing List" <nfb-editors at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [Nfb-editors] the new guy
Message-ID: <AC2AB659DAEE45A1BED79B4A3D6D4FB5 at marion27df4b2a>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1;
reply-type=response
Chris,
It was great to read your introduction. I know you from other lists
but
learned more from this post and find we have a lot in common: Writing,
guitar, singing, & margueritas! The next time I wander through
Connecticut,
I will need to stop by! When I perform in bars, I always tell the
audience
to drink more, since the more they drink the better I sound! And the
more I
drink, the better I think I sound! (grin)
peace!
Marion Gwizdala
----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris Kuell" <ckuell at comcast.net>
To: <jsorozco at gmail.com>; "Correspondence Committee Mailing List"
<nfb-editors at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, February 19, 2011 6:54 PM
Subject: [Nfb-editors] the new guy
> Hello,
>
> This is Chris Kuell from the NFB of Connecticut. I just joined the
> list
> and Robert asked me to introduce myself and attach a copy of our
state's
> last newsletter. We put out 2 issues per year in CT, they generally
run
> about 40 pages, and the next won't be available until late April or
so.
>
> So, about me... I've been blind for going on 14 years, and a member of
> the
> NFB for the last 13. I'm the second VP of our state affiliate, the
> president of the Danbury Chapter, the editor of our newsletter, and
I'm
> involved with most things at one level or another. I do a lot of
advocacy
> work, and I'm on the board of directors of our state agency for the
blind.
> I'm a free-lance writer and editor, including the editor-in-chief of
> Breath and Shadow, a journal of disability literature and culture
based in
> Maine (www.abilitymaine.org/breath). I'm married with 2 kids, I play
> guitar badly, my singing is even worse, but I can mix up one hell of
a
> good margarita.
>
> Peace,
>
> chris
>
> PS - my message with the newsletter attached bounced back, so I've
> requested the boss man's help. It's best as an attachment since I use
> hyperlinks in the table of contents so you can go directly to any
article
> of interest.
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Nfb-editors mailing list
> Nfb-editors at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-editors_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> Nfb-editors:
>
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-editors_nfbnet.org/blind411%40
verizon.net
------------------------------
Message: 11
Date: Sun, 20 Feb 2011 07:02:10 -0600
From: "Robert Leslie Newman" <newmanrl at cox.net>
To: "editors nfb list" <nfb-editors at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [Nfb-editors] test post with attachment
Message-ID: <097301cbd0fe$627ef870$277ce950$@cox.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
David and At all- (Not sure this will go anywhere, but will give us a
clue as to what is happening)
Robert Leslie Newman
President, Omaha Chapter NFB
President, NFB Writers' Division
Division Website
<http://www.nfb-writers-division.org>
http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
Personal Website-
<http://www.thoughtprovoker.info> http://www.thoughtprovoker.info
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Message: 12
Date: Sun, 20 Feb 2011 07:45:45 -0600
From: "Robert Leslie Newman" <newmanrl at cox.net>
To: "editors nfb list" <nfb-editors at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [Nfb-editors] Blueprint to a basic newsletter
Message-ID: <098201cbd104$7944fdb0$6bcef910$@cox.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Editors
RE: The creation of a newsletter where one does not exist
Okay dear people: I do not need to sell you all on the importance of a
newsletter. Fact- they say and I'm going to find out, that half of our
affiliates do not have a newsletter. And my guess is that the most often
reason for this is --- that the job is seen to be too big and complex.
What I am asking this group to do is come up with an outline for a basic
easy to do blueprint for a newsletter. Like:
#1 what are the basic parts? (Examples: a presidential report. A
section on giving a brief accounting of what the affiliate has done or
is going to be doing and is proud of. Reports from chapters or
divisions. A section on helpful blindness alternatives, or section on
recipes, etc.
#2 What is a method for getting those parts created? (Example- each
chapter is required to submit a summary of their activities. Ask for
people to send in their favorite recipes and techniques) Also, with the
editor being a member of this list, they can find material from other
affiliates newsletters (We within the NFB are dedicated to educating
each other).
#3 What formats should a beginning newsletter think of providing? Email
alone is a good start. Braille and/or print can come as it is possible.
Posting the mag on the affiliates webpage and/or in that states Newsline
would be easy to arrange.
#4 The editor is encouraged to be part of this list. Here they get
support of all kinds! Material, suggestions, technical assistance, etc.
#5 The newsletter, to begin with or --- will be as short or as long as
it
--- can be.
(And the technical quality, with help, can and should be acceptable and
could and should improve where needed. You tell me how this part of the
message must be stated.)
But hey you all!!! This is all reachable. Let us come up with a
reasonable outline, blueprint and get it out there. (I am unaware of
this having been done and already out for others to consult. In fact, we
should put this "blueprint" in every publication we have that gets into
our members hands.
Robert Leslie Newman
President, Omaha Chapter NFB
President, NFB Writers' Division
Division Website
<http://www.nfb-writers-division.org>
http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
Personal Website-
<http://www.thoughtprovoker.info> http://www.thoughtprovoker.info
------------------------------
Message: 13
Date: Sun, 20 Feb 2011 09:23:11 -0800
From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com>
To: <newmanrl at cox.net>, "'Correspondence Committee Mailing List'"
<nfb-editors at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [Nfb-editors] test post with attachment
Message-ID: <006901cbd122$d9f9a160$8dece420$@panix.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Attachment came thru loud and clear!
Mike
-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-editors-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:nfb-editors-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of Robert Leslie Newman
Sent: Sunday, February 20, 2011 5:02 AM
To: editors nfb list
Subject: [Nfb-editors] test post with attachment
David and At all- (Not sure this will go anywhere, but will give us a
clue as to what is happening)
Robert Leslie Newman
President, Omaha Chapter NFB
President, NFB Writers' Division
Division Website
<http://www.nfb-writers-division.org>
http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
Personal Website-
<http://www.thoughtprovoker.info> http://www.thoughtprovoker.info
------------------------------
Message: 14
Date: Sun, 20 Feb 2011 11:59:13 -0600
From: "Robert Leslie Newman" <newmanrl at cox.net>
To: "editors nfb list" <nfb-editors at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [Nfb-editors] Connecticut Newsletter- attached
Message-ID: <09d701cbd127$e25e9450$a71bbcf0$@cox.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Dear Editors,
Not sure why Chris's attempt to get this document in your inbox failed
and mine did not.
Chris wanted this to come to you as a Word document, because of the
nature of its construction; has live links that jump you to an article.
MMM. Think I'll both attach it and paste it into this message (gives you
the option to see how it may function differently from one media to
another.
The Federationist In Connecticut
"The Blind Speaking for Themselves"
Chris Kuell, Editor Fall/Winter
2010
A Publication of the National Federation of the Blind of
Connecticut 477 Connecticut Boulevard, Suite 217 East Hartford,
Connecticut 06108
(860) 289-1971
www.nfbct.org
Description: NFB_ICON_K
Articles reproduced in The Federationist comply with public law 104-197,
the Copyright Amendment of 1996. This law allows authorized entities to
reproduce previously published, non-dramatic literary works in
specialized formats, for exclusive use by blind or disabled people.
Table of Contents
See The Universe <>
One Million Books <>
Verizon Accessible Cell Phone <>
Crowd Control And Other Olympic Sports <>
Lions VIP Fishing Derby <>
NFB Successful in Infant Case <>
Blind Newscaster Drives Away Stereotypes <>
What Did You Say? <>
NFB National Scholarships <>
Miscellany and Notes <>
Reprinted from the Plainville Citizen, March 19, 2010
Woman's Mission Helps Sight-Impaired 'See' The Universe
Author Noreen Grice doesn't just help sight-impaired children see. She
helps them touch the stars.
Known worldwide for her innovations in making astronomy accessible to
the blind, the New Britain resident makes her way to the Plainville
Library once a month to meet with fellow National Federation of the
Blind members. She's also donated five of her Braille books and two
projects to the library in order to continually serve a population that
captured her heart 26 years ago.
When working as a planetarium presenter at the Boston Museum of Science
in 1984, Grice spoke with a disgruntled group of blind children who
couldn't enjoy the show. "They said 'the show stunk,' because there was
no way to see anything," Grice said. "It bothered me so much that I
decided I just had to do something about it." And the rest is history.
Grice soon learned that the pricey cost of Braille books made Braille
astronomy books extremely rare. Still attending Boston University at the
time, Grice shocked her professors by changing her senior project to
solve that problem.
She and her professor were soon experimenting with Play-doh to create
tactile images for blind readers that would become her first published
book down the road. But that wasn't good enough for Grice. She still
wanted to improve conditions in museums for the sight-impaired.
During the next few years, Grice worked against many challenges to
eventually make the Boston Museum of Science accessible to the blind,
handicapped and other disabled populations.
After obtaining a master's degree in astronomy from San Diego State
University, Grice returned to Boston and asked if she could apply for a
grant that would give her a Braille printer to help create inexpensive
tactile pictures. She received the grant and was soon printing pictures
that allowed the blind to see the wonder of space for the first time.
She then revisited her senior project and used her new printing methods
to create "Touch the Stars," her first Braille astronomy book published
by Boston Museum of Science. The book is now in its fourth edition and
has been used as a textbook at a school for the blind.
She has since published four other Braille books including "Touch the
Sun: A NASA Braille Book," which was her first book for NASA, and "Touch
the
Universe: A NASA Braille Book of Astronomy."
Grice also started a company called You Can Do Astronomy in 2004,
focused on making astronomy and space science accessible to people with
disabilities.
Becoming a household name in the sight-impaired community, Grice has
been a speaker at National Federation of the Blind's workshops and many
other conventions nationwide. She also works with NASA to create
educational materials for the sight-impaired.
"Noreen doesn't see blind people as broken-sighted people, she looks at
them as people that have capability and how do we give them
accessibility to information presented visually, usually out of
convenience, not necessity," said NFB Executive Director Marc Riccobono.
"She believes in her work and it's that real belief that's in her heart
and in her mind that makes her so effective."
Although Grice is dedicated to helping the sight-impaired see the beauty
of space that she's adored since she was a child, Grice's determination
doesn't stem from a friend or loved one being blind. Her motivation
comes from also being misunderstood, she said.
"When I was little we lived in the public housing projects and I
couldn't go over my friend's house because her parents made an
assumption about me, about being poor," Grice said. "So I understood the
feeling of hitting a barrier because other people were making an
assumption."
She said some institutions have assumed that visually-challenged people
are not interested in visiting a planetarium, which Grice said is not
the case.
Grice said although there are an estimated 10 million people in North
America with visual impairments, the majority of museums offer little or
no accommodations, since most exhibits sit behind glass cases. Grice is
working to help museums and education organizations revise their
facilities through a combination of design and consulting to allow
everyone to enjoy learning.
And so many already have, Grice said.
"Kids will come up and say somebody gave them 'Touch the Stars' and I'm
going to be an astronaut now because I know I can do this," Grice said.
"I talked to a college engineering student determined to be the first
blind astronaut in space, just because he read my book. It's so
rewarding to hear that."
Her work at the Charles Hayden Planetarium at the Museum of Science also
included introducing captioning devices to enable the hearing impaired
to follow the show. Working her way up to operations coordinator of the
planetarium, she recently left her position at the museum. She said she
feels her work there came full circle from having no special aids to
help visitors with certain impairments to learn and enjoy the museum, to
opening a new world for many.
Grice said she'll have more time to hopefully impact more children by
trying to incorporate Braille books into the general school sector. "For
some reason I feel this kindredship with them (the blind), and now I'm
working on my own and able to do so much more," Grice said. "It doesn't
matter if its science or art, it's just important that they can 'see' it
too."
To see Grice's work, visit www.youcandoastronomy.com.
Project puts 1M books online for blind, dyslexic
Reprinted from The Washington Post
By BROOKE DONALD, The Associated Press 5/6/10
SAN FRANCISCO -- Even as audio versions of best-sellers fill store
shelves and new technology fuels the popularity of digitized books, the
number of titles accessible to people who are blind or dyslexic is
minuscule.
A new service being announced Thursday by the nonprofit Internet Archive
in San Francisco is trying to change that. The group has hired hundreds
of people to scan thousands of books into its digital database - more
than doubling the titles available to people who aren't able to read a
hard copy.
Brewster Kahle, the organization's founder, says the project will
initially make 1 million books available to the visually impaired, using
money from foundations, libraries, corporations and the government. He's
hoping a subsequent book drive will add even more titles to the
collection.
"We'll offer current novels, educational books, anything. If somebody
then donates a book to the archive, we can digitize it and add it to the
collection," he said.
The problems with many of the digitized books sold commercially is that
they're expensive, they're often abridged, and they don't come in a
format that is easily accessed by the visually impaired.
The collections are also limited to the most popular titles published
within the past several years.
The Internet Archive is scanning a variety of books in many languages so
they can be read by the software and devices blind people use to convert
written pages into speech. The organization has 20 scanning centers in
five countries, including one in the Library of Congress.
"Publishers mostly concentrate on their newest, profitable books. We are
working to get all books online," Kahle said.
Marc Maurer, president of the National Federation of the Blind, says
getting access to books has been a big challenge for blind people. "Now,
for the first time, we're going to have access to an enormous quantity,"
he said.
Maurer, who is blind, said that when he was in college, he hired people
to read books to him because the Braille and audio libraries were so
limited. "That has been the way most students have gotten through
school," he said. "This kind of initiative by the Internet Archive will
change that for many people."
Only about 5 percent of published books are available in a digital form
that's accessible to the visually impaired, Maurer said, and there are
even fewer books produced in Braille.
Brad Foss, a San Francisco man with dyslexia, says having so many more
books available is liberating. He compares it to a million more ramps
being added throughout a city for a person who uses a wheelchair. "For
me, it's about access. They have provided flexibility and freedom to get
books in a format that I use every day," said Foss, 36, who is the
director of access technology in the digital health group at Intel Corp.
The digitized books scanned by the Internet Archive will be available
for free to visually impaired people through the organization's website.
The organization does not run into copyright concerns because the law
allows libraries to make books available to people with disabilities,
Kahle said.
Jessie Lorenz, an associate director at the Independent Living Resource
Center San Francisco who has been blind since birth, said it has been
hard to find controversial or edgy titles in a format she can use, and
choices are often dictated by institutions or service groups who have
selected certain books for scanning. "For individuals living with
print-related disabilities, this is ground-breaking," she said. "This
project will enable people like me to choose what we read."
Lorenz, 31, has already decided what she wants: Howard Stern's
autobiography "Private Parts," Andrew Weil's "The Natural Mind," and,
perhaps most importantly, her grandmother's cookbook.
Accessible Cell Phone: Samsung Haven from Verizon
By Walter Gramza
It's finally here! An affordable fully accessible phone from Verizon
Wireless. As of July 29th, 2010, Verizon Wireless has available in its
stores a phone for blind and visually impaired persons which is fully
audible via Nuance speech.
There is no extra charge for the speech package, as it is already
installed in the phone and ready for use out of the box. It is important
to note here that when you go to the store, please make sure that you
tell the person assisting you to be sure to turn on the voices called
read outs, located under settings, then sounds, and down to voices. The
six items to be turned on are:
1. Menu read out
2. digit read out
3. alert read out
4. flip open and talk
5. text message read out
6. full read out
In order for the phone to be audible these features need to be turned
on.
Placing a Call
You can enter the contact list by pushing the right soft key in the
upper right hand corner of the phone and then arrow through the contacts
or by pressing the letter of the contact you wish to call. For example,
"v" for Verizon Wireless. Then you can hit ok to view the contact
information and hit send to place a call.
You can enter into your call list of choice which are: 1. missed calls,
2. dialed calls, 3. answered calls, 4. all calls. After entering any one
of the lists, you can edit the list and if desired,
delete the specific name and number within the list.
You can find out how much battery strength you have, signal strength,
and how many messages, voice mails, missed calls, you have. You can use
the alarm clock, set a time audibly, use the calculator, tip calculator,
and send and read texts.
In short, you are prompted through every one of the functions you are
performing. You can even ask it to call someone provided that they are
in the contact list.
A Braille manual is available through Samsung. Remember, when you go to
Verizon Wireless you'll need to get the hex number, which they can give
you. You then call Samsung at 888-987-4357 and provide them with this
number along with your address information and it will take about one
month to receive the manual.
You can also purchase an extended battery which lasts one and one half
times longer than the standard battery. This is best as any phone with
speech uses more battery power and shortens the life of the battery. By
having the extended battery it should bring you through the day safely.
I always make it a habit to charge the phone each night so that I begin
a new day; the phone also begins a new day as well. When you put the
phone into the base charger it says "charging." When the phone is
charged it says "charge complete."
If you are a Verizon Wireless customer and are eligible for an upgrade,
you can get the phone for free. If you want to start a new contract with
Verizon Wireless, you get the phone for $40.00 complete with speech
software included.
If anyone will need assistance in learning the functions of the phone,
they may contact me via email at: wgramza1 at verizon.net.
Crowd Control and Other Olympic Sports
By Ryan Knighton
Reprinted from www.rknighton.blogspot.com
March 3, 2010
My pals and readers who live beyond the 4 square blocks I tend to
restrict myself to, they've been asking how It all went, life in the
Olympic city. To them I can only say this.
The Olympics were here?
Wouldn't have known it in my neighborhood. For that I'm grateful. Last
thing I wanted to suffer was all the guidance. I can just see it. Crowds
of red mittens grabbing at my elbows, trying to exercise some patriotic
do-gooderness on the local blind guy.
But I did venture downtown once. Once. That was enough. Almost didn't
make it home.
One afternoon I took the Skytrain to Granville Station. Wanted to pick
up a fancy mixer at the Bay for Tracy for Valentine's Day.
Before you scoff, before you denounce my dippy choice of romantic gifts
- yeah, yeah, nothing says love like a muffin production gadget - let me
say Tracy has had it on her wish list for some time now. It ain't just a
mixer. This thing is a GPS, editing suite and a mobile surgical facility
in a box.
And my plan was to get it for my gal, all those winter sports hooligans
be damned.
The numbers weren't on my side, though. Sure were a lot of those folks
around. Enough so that they packed the Skytrain like never before. So
when we arrived at the Granville station, getting off wasn't the usual
breeze. The crowd slowly spilled out. Toothpaste-like. Except me.
I was that last guy, the one who the doors close on. Only the doors
didn't close on me exactly, they closed on my white cane. Think of two
teeth biting down on a toothpick, but sideways.
I wrenched and yanked, but couldn't get my mobility aid out. The handle
remained inside the car with me, but about 3 feet stuck outside,
pointing in the direction I'd meant to go.
And then the train took off.
"Hey, that thing stuck?" an Olympic enthusiast asked, tapping me on the
shoulder with his red mitten.
I gave up yanking and instead tried to lever the cane like an oar. No
give.
"Well whaddya know," I said, and wrenched again. "Who'd of thought."
Three feet of cane continued to jut from our car's door and greet the
tunnel we were about to enter.
"Do you think it'll clear the wall?" I asked.
"Uh oh," said the red mittens.
We both stepped back from the cane's handle, and waited to see what
would happen. It was sort of like observing a feral animal that might be
dead, or could be ready to pounce.
But the handle just hung there. The outside half didn't seem to graze
anything, or spark, or snap off. Not yet.
"Think you're okay," the mittens finally said.
As we pulled into the next station I imagined what it must have looked
like to folks waiting on the platform, this cane sticking out of the
door, cutting along like a scythe.
But no decapitations followed. Not that I know of.
Finally the car stopped, the doors opened, the cane fell into my hand,
and what had been a scythe now returned to its gentler nature.
Now I could cheerfully be pissed off, about being lost at the wrong
station and all that. Bloody crowds, bloody cane. Wait'll I'm carrying
an industrial-grade food processor, I thought.
Impressions: 2010 VIP (Visually Impaired People) Fishing Derby
By Chris Kuell
Sunday, May 16th. 5:58 a.m.-too early for a Sunday. Enjoy Salsa
omelette, bagel, brush teeth, throw ice in cooler and go.
Ronnie, my neighbor Cindy's pseudo-boyfriend, seems irked that I'm late.
It's 7:05 a.m. Theo, Ronnie's eight-year-old son, gets the front seat.
Over to Galobek-land in no time, we change vehicles to Al's radio-less
van. We find Sage Pond Park in Berlin with no difficulty. Right on time.
Thank you Lord.
Meet Bob Christensen from the Berlin Lions Club, the sponsors of today's
event. Really nice guy, everything during the day runs smoothly.
Meet Nancy, from Rhode Island. She's my sighted assistant for the day,
although I won't know that until the van ride home. I just thought she
was a
nice lady who probably had a thing for Al.
Say hello to Beth and Charlie, Justin Salisbury and his dad. Justin says
he's an experienced fisherman. Oh boy-I'm in trouble. Unbelievable
sunshine and me with no sunscreen. Helping my dermatologist pay off that
condo in Vale. Must use their poles and bait. No bobber, just a weight
and these little pink and yellow balls for bait. Stocked pond. Judged by
inches of fish caught. First, second and third place get a free trip to
the Lions Club National VIP Fishing Derby in North Carolina this
October. Sweet.
9:05 and Al pulls in the first fish of the day. An Eleven-and-a-half
inch rainbow trout-and we're off. Justin across the way catches a
twelve-incher and gives it to us because Ronnie wants to keep them for
eating. 9:40 and I think I got a bite. Or more likely, a stick.
We move at ten o'clock to try another spot. While we are moving, a
snapping turtle the size of a dinner plate comes in to where our (well,
Al and
Justin's) fish were tethered on a line, and eats one. Theo starts
speaking in tongues he's so excited about the ghastly incident. I stand
out on a rock
and cast maybe 100 times before we move again.
The derby will end at 11:45. It's five minutes to eleven, people are
catching fish left and right, but I've got nothing but a sunburn. Ronnie
runs to his tackle box to get some sort of fish love-scent to spray on
our bait. It doesn't help.
Ronnie searches frantically for a better spot. After a few more
fruitless casts we return to the rock spot we'd fished before and Ronnie
asks another contestant if he's sure we can't try worms. We can't. Five
minutes later, I've got a fish. It puts up a little fight, but not as
much as I would expect for a big one. Yet, it turns out to be an
eleven-and-a-half incher. Theo, who has adopted the position of net boy,
helps secure the fish. Ronnie performs a radical tracheotomy on the
trout in order to retrieve my hook. I've caught a fish. Thank you Jesus.
Brian Sigman from BESB comes over to chat, which is nice, but I'm
focused on angling more fish. Three-minutes later, I catch another
trout. Thank you Elvis. It's slimy and muscular--a fifteen-inch rainbow,
and must have put me close to the top of the leader-board. I think to
myself that if I catch
another fish, I'll give it to Al.
A quarter hour goes by without a hit. Nobody else seems to be catching
anything, either. I hear people talking about never catching fish in the
heat of the day. We move back to near our original spot. Bam-Al catches
a twelve-incher. Bam-he catches another, this one twelve -and-a-half. At
11:40 I get a nibble, give the pole a quick tug and I've got one. Fights
about the same as the other two, but it's only a seven inch sunny. After
measuring, Ronnie stuns the sunny, then throws it out to the snapping
turtle, who apparently ate it in two-bites. Theo did a back flip and wet
his pants he was so excited. The volunteer who kept track of the
competitor's catches whispers to us that Al and I are in first and
second place. Theo runs around chanting, "We're goin' to North
Carolina!" in a not-so-bad imitation of a Carolina lilt.
Frantically I cast, wanting to assure our victory with another fish. The
whistle blows and all poles are called in.
I ate a hamburger, 2 hot dogs, a bag of chips and a peanut-butter
thingee Nancy made that shot my blood sugar straight over 600. Ronnie
went to the van to get my cooler of liquid refreshments.
The scorekeeper comes over to me as I'm shooting up with insulin and
whispers that she made a mistake, and a girl named Lexi was first. No
problem. First three places are going to national-right?
First place indeed goes to Lexi, a fifteen-year-old high school student
from Bristol with fifty inches of fish. Holy guacamole. Fifty inches.
She also won a trophy for the biggest fish, at fifteen-and-a-half
inches. A mere half-inch bigger than mine.
Second place went to Allan at 36 inches. Third place went to a guy named
Larry from New Milford at 34 inches. Once again, I was a half-inch shy.
Ronnie lead me off in the woods to commune with nature, then didn't wait
for me so I had to bushwhack my way back to the group. Lots of hugging
and thanking and see-you-next-yearing. We left with a stringer of fish,
full bellies, and a mornings worth of solar and fishing therapy. Not a
bad catch at all.
For information about the Connecticut Lions VIP Fishing Derby, call Bob
Christensen at 860-680-7227
National Federation of the Blind Successful in Returning Infant to Her
Parents
Family Reunited After Wrongful Seizure of Child
Independence, Missouri (July 22, 2010): The National Federation of the
Blind
(NFB) and its Missouri affiliate announced today that they have
succeeded in a legal fight to bring a two-month-old infant, Mikaela
Sinnett, home to her parents, Blake Sinnett and Erika Johnson of
Independence. The NFB of Missouri hired an attorney to assist the
couple after Mikaela was taken from them at Centerpoint Hospital almost
immediately after she was born. For fifty-seven days the couple, both
of whom are blind, were allowed to visit their child in foster care but
were not allowed to bring her home. The sole reason given by Missouri's
Department of Social Services was that the couple was blind and could
not properly care for Mikaela without the assistance of a sighted person
twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week. An evidentiary hearing
was scheduled for July 20, but at the last minute the state of Missouri
dismissed the case against the couple.
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind,
said: "The National Federation of the Blind is pleased that the state of
Missouri has dismissed its case against Blake Sinnett and Erika Johnson
and returned baby Mikaela to their care. Despite the fact that blind
parents are successfully raising children across the nation, blind
Americans continue to find that misconceptions and stereotypes about the
capabilities of blind people too often result in hasty and unwarranted
decisions to remove children from the custody of blind parents. The
worst nightmare of parents everywhere-having a child taken away-is sadly
part of the lives of too many blind parents. The National Federation of
the Blind stands ready and willing to help state officials across the
country understand how blind people use alternative techniques to care
for their children. But the blind of America will not tolerate our
children being taken from us."
"We were and are outraged at the action of Centerpoint Hospital and the
state of Missouri," said Gary Wunder, president of the National
Federation of the Blind of Missouri. "Children's services have the job
of protecting children from abuse and we have nothing but admiration for
that work. Taking a child away because her parents are blind is an
entirely different matter which violates state and federal law. We have
gotten Mikaela back home, but we must fundamentally change a system that
presumes the incompetence of blind parents and operates on a principle
of guilty until proven innocent rather than the reverse. We cannot help
but think that new parents who are blind in Missouri will avoid seeking
medical and social services that they may need for fear that they will
experience a similar
ordeal. We can never give back the two months this family has lost,
nor
can we restore to Erika the joy of nursing her child that this
separation has made impossible. What we can do is use their adversity
to change the system that allowed this atrocity and educate the people
who have mistakenly equated blindness with a lack of perception,
intellect, and judgment."
On May 21, 2010, Erika and Blake went to Centerpoint Hospital, where
Erika delivered Mikaela. When trying to nurse the baby for the first
time, Erika asked for assistance from a nurse when she thought something
was wrong. The nurse said that the baby was turning blue and helped
reposition the baby, who then began to take nourishment. The nurse
assured Erika that it was common for new mothers to need some
instruction and that she was doing fine. Blake and Erika were therefore
surprised when, some four hours later, they were met by a children's
services worker who made inquiries about their vision; asked how they
would feed, diaper, and supervise their child; and eventually decreed
that Baby Mikaela would not be allowed to be discharged with her mother
unless the social worker could be assured there would be constant
supervision by someone with sight. On the recommendation of Missouri's
Children's Protective Services, Mikaela was placed in foster care and
one-hour visits were arranged for several times each week. When the
National Federation of the Blind of Missouri determined that blindness
was the only reason the child was taken by the state, the organization
hired attorney Amy Coopman to handle the case. The National Federation
of the Blind now has the option to file complaints with the Missouri
Human Rights Commission and/or the federal Office for Civil Rights, as
well as at least three options that can be pursued in the state's
courts.
Blind Traffic Reporter Driving Away Stereotypes
Reprinted from www.wbnh.com September 13, 2010
When asked, "Have you always been like that?" Tommy replies, "Like what?
Tall and cute?"
Tommy Edison is the traffic reporter for popular Connecticut radio
station 99.9. He has been informing the state's hoards of commuters for
years about the traffic situations in all parts of the state. He does it
with no knowledge of what the traffic looks like, either, as he has been
blind since birth. By using scanners and an onslaught of constant phone
calls, Tommy relays his information across the air waves and gets people
where they need to go.
Now, Tommy wants to inform the public about his condition and dispel the
rumors that are so prevalent within the sighted community. With the help
of a good friend of his, Ben Churchill, he is making a documentary about
living life as a blind person. Ben remarks that it's tough to sit back
behind the camera and watch sometimes, especially when people insist on
giving aid that really isn't needed. For the sake of the documentary, he
has to bite his tongue to get the real picture.
Tommy and Ben plan to pitch the documentary to multiple TV networks in
hopes that it will air and the sighted community can get a glimpse of
how blind people don't live any differently than they do.
As Bob Branco often points out in his Op Ed pieces, the sighted
community is wrought with assumptions about the blind. Some are more
innocent than others, but they are all a result of a lack of education
about how blind people really live. As Tommy said, "Why is it that
because I am blind I have to sit home or panhandle in front of Grand
Central Station?" By creating a documentary about his life, Tommy will
be able to give a true picture of what his world is like, and hopefully
reveal that the world he lives in--the world with baseball and picnics
and camping--is no different than the world that anyone else lives in.
What Did You Say? What's That? Say It Again?
By Agnes Allen
Now I ask you to look up at the moon and the stars. How shining and
bright they are! I ask you to listen to a Beethoven symphony. How
majestic and grand it sounds. Taste a sweet, juicy orange. How
succulent! Come smell a lovely, blossoming rose. How fragrant! Pet a
soft furry kitten. How silken!
Can you imagine for a moment what it is like to be bereft of any of the
five remarkable senses? In the ensuing essay I would like to share with
you some of the ways in which I personally have experienced the loss of
two of the sentient gifts bestowed upon mankind: total vision loss and
partial (but moderately severe) hearing loss.
Most people take sight and hearing for granted, to be without one or
both is unthinkable. I have been totally blind since early childhood and
have lived with a major hearing deficiency for much of my adult life.
Since I lost my sight early on, adjustment to my plight was a relatively
simple matter. Training and education made it possible to live normally
and actively in my world. But developing a hearing impairment along with
blindness in my maturity was indeed devastating. I was neither
psychologically or emotionally ready to cope with this double whammy.
Nor could I have foretold being adaptable to it in the future. I could
not make eye contact with someone, nor would I be comfortable in
communicating freely with others. Yes, wearing hearing aids, to a
degree, enhances hearing. But that is just watt they are: hearing
'aids'. I find them to be of very little help in certain situations.
If a person speaking to me turns his head even slightly, not facing me
directly, the words expressed become unintelligible. Nor do I understand
what the person sitting across the table is saying if any other noise is
occurring simultaneously. This may take place, for example, in a
restaurant where talking and clattering music are at fault.
Prior to the change in my lifestyle engendered by the hearing loss, I
was a successful student, a productive employee, and a dedicated mother
of three girls. But with the onset of hearing loss, I was compelled to
meet new challenges. One of the most important of these was to search
for employment in which sight or hearing was not absolutely crucial. The
skill of Braille literacy had become second nature, and a professional
Braille proofreader suggested that I try to find employment as a
proofreader for a non-profit agency for the blind in Philadelphia. I
followed up on my friend's suggestion and arranged an interview with the
head of the department. After serving in the field of Braille
proofreading I found employment as a tutor of two blind students being
educated in the Vineland, NJ public school system.
>From time to time I am invited to speak to various groups about
>blindness
and Braille. Often audiences wish to follow up with questions or
comments, and I am struck by the nagging fear of being unable to hear or
understand. To somewhat alleviate this situation I like to ask someone
in the front row to repeat what was said when I was not able to hear
clearly.
At a social gathering or meeting, when a joke or funny remark is being
passed along, I can't join in the ensuing laughter; I sit in silence and
let the whole episode pass me by.
There are occasions on the telephone when words or sentences are utterly
incomprehensible and frustration begins to build for both me and the
person at the other end. When I am listening for an important number, I
can come up with a wrong number because a nine and a five, for instance,
contain the 'I' vowel and can be confused. Vowels are not always clear.
It would be less stressful, I am certain, to remain at home and avoid
the foregoing situations, but then how could I, as a recluse, remain
happy? I would become less of a person for doing so. It is so easy to
isolate oneself and begin to question "why me, Lord?" and be tempted to
feel inferior to thus around me who can see and hear. At such times I
must take stock of my own talents and capabilities, focusing on what I
can do, not what I can't.
A sense of humor lightens the pain of most hardships. It softens the
vicissitudes imposed by the condition. This is no less true of
deafblindness. For example, Bill, a hearing impaired man said to his
friend, "Joe, I just received a new hearing aid and it is simply
wonderful! " To which assertion Joe replies, "Oh, yeah, what kind is
it?" To which Bill responds, "Two-thirty." Then there is John, who said
to his wife, "Suzie, go do the bills." To which Suzie retorts, "Did you
say go take a pill?"
In the foregoing witticism, unintelligible speech is the culprit.
Hearing technology seems to be keeping moderate pace with general
technology. I have benefitted exceedingly from digital hearing aids,
comparatively speaking. Without them the hearing world shuts down. My
digitals contain a built-in switch which, when activated, allows my
hearing to adjust to different environments. When the switch is on
program 1, it sets the tone for normal conversation. When programmed on
2, it reduces background noise. This mechanism reigns on the targeted
voice.
When I am riding in a car or bus, for instance, my digitals can be set
to diminish the roaring sound of outside traffic, making it easier to
converse with the driver.
Once I attended a wedding reception at which the surroundings were so
fraught with noise, that I could scarcely hear what was being said by
the woman sitting next to me. I could hardly await the return to my
peace and quiet at home.
If an interesting topic is introduced at a meeting or social gathering,
it is difficult to follow the discussion to which I would so like to
contribute. In such a situation, I feel isolated and excluded. If I ask
a question or make a comment, I do not know whether what I say has any
relevance. My tendency is to remain quiet in order to stave off
embarrassment.
The acoustics of a room can affect the quality of hearing. An entire
lecture or discourse can be lost or muffled. A sighted and hearing
person may be able to salvage some of the information by watching the
speaker's gestures and other visual clues. The pastor of my church has
kindly installed a transmitting and receiving system especially designed
to improve the auditory quality of the mass or other services. When the
system is working efficiently I can hear the homily and other parts of
the service.
When one learns that someone has a hearing difficulty, the tendency of
the person talking is to raise the voice when all that is needed may be
just a clear, modulated voice. Loudness can distort the sound. High
frequencies in some women's high pitched voices can play havoc with
communication.
Although the human ear has never been replicated, the miracles of
technology are phenomenal. Hearing technology has really made great
strides over the past decades. Gone are the days of old-fashioned
hearing contraptions which little improved the hearing of the effected
individual. As sophisticated and revolutionary as modern hearing
technology has become, it has yet to transform the original and natural
hearing function of the human ear. Nor do I ever visualize it doing
that. Of course, no one can predict the future, who can tell what
miracles may be produced for people with hearing loss?
I look forward to a time when it will no longer be necessary for me to
ask, "What's that?" Or, "Say it again?" Or, "Beg pardon?" How
spectacular that day will be!
Do you need money for college?
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND -
The NFB Scholarship Program
Applications are now available online. This national scholarship
program is available to persons who are legally blind and living in the
United States or Puerto Rico. There are 30 awards, from $12,000 to
$3,000. In addition, each winner will be assisted to attend the NFB
Annual Convention for 2011 in Orlando, Florida. The annual contest
began the first week of November 2010; all documents required from the
applicants must be postmarked by the March 31, 2011, deadline.
Applications and full details are available online at
http://www.nfb.org/scholarships
<http://www.nfb.org/scholarships%3ewww.nfb.org/scholarships>
>www.nfb.org/scholarships.
Questions may be emailed to: scholarships at nfb.org
Miscellany and Notes:
Prodigy releases new Count-a-Dose. Count-a-dose is a medical device that
allows a blind or vision impaired person with diabetes to fill an
insulin syringe independently without assistance. In addition to the
release of the count-a-dose, Prodigy is pleased to announce a new Low
Vision Center on their website, this center contains information about
the ProdigyR Count-a-doseT, Prodigy VoiceT Meter, and soon to be Prodigy
IQ Pump information. For additional information or to place your orders
for the Count-A-Dose please call: 866-908-9201. You can also order these
products from the NFB Independence Market.
Do you love your new Digital Talking Book Player, but don't like to
download books on to a flash drive which sticks out of the side of the
machine? Now you can buy a blank, 1 GB talking book cartridge For
$14.95, and a 36 inch USB compatible cable for $3.95 from Adaptive
Technologies. 1-978-462-3817 www.perkinsproducts.org
Have you always wanted to play a musical instrument, but don't know
where to begin? Check out Bill Browns beginner audio series for guitar,
piano, harmonica, saxophone, violin and flute. Visit
www.musicfortheblind.com or call 1-888-778-1828 for more information.
Movie Theatres with audio description come to CT!
Rave Accessible Theatre Locations (each has one equipped auditorium)
Rave Motion Pictures Buckland Hills (Manchester)
Rave Motion Pictures Connecticut Post 14 (Milford)
Rave Motion Pictures North Haven (North Haven) Rave Motion Pictures
Southington (Southington)
two new online resources for described movie fans.
http://www.describedmovies.org <http://www.describedmovies.org/> will
get folks to a page which lists DVD and Blu-ray titles that have
description, and offers an amazon click through option to go directly to
amazon to purchase the movie. A separate page, linked from that URL,
lists all the movies Rave has described since DVS debuted in 1990.
Speaking of descriptive movies. you can download free descriptive movies
at www.blindmicemart.com . You will need to register (which is free)
then enter the site, click on the movie vault link, and browse the
hundreds of movies which are available for download.
Public Release: 26-May-2010
Journal of Neuroscience Methods
UCI researchers create retina from human embryonic stem cells UC Irvine
scientists have created an eight-layer, early-stage retina from human
embryonic stem cells, the first three-dimensional tissue structure to be
made from stem cells. Lincy Foundation, private donations
Contact: Tom Vasich
tmvasich at uci.edu
949-824-6455
Are you frustrated by not being able to read nutritional facts or
directions on the food you purchase at the grocery store? Now there is a
web site with thousands of product labels available in either large font
or in a speech friendly format. Visit: http://directionsforme.org/ to
see what you've been missing.
In September 2010, the Connecticut Office of State Ethics ruled that
while employees and Board members of BESB (the Board of Education and
Services for the Blind) are public officials, they are entitled to
receive services from BESB, and there is no inherent conflict of
interest. Members of the Deafblind Advisory Committee, the Agency
Consumer Advisory Committee (ACAC), the Statewide Committee of Blind
Vendors and the State Rehabilitation Council (SRC) were determined not
to be public officials as their roles are more advisory in nature.
Robert Leslie Newman
President, Omaha Chapter NFB
President, NFB Writers' Division
Division Website
<http://www.nfb-writers-division.org>
http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
Personal Website-
<http://www.thoughtprovoker.info> http://www.thoughtprovoker.info
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