[Nfb-editors] The Blind Missourian, February, 2011

[Wunder, Gary]

Attached and in the body of this message is our latest issue of the Blind Missourian.

Gary

THE BLIND MISSOURIAN
February, 2011
National Federation of the Blind of Missouri
Gary L. Wunder, President
3910 Tropical Lane
Columbia, MO 65202
Phone: 573-874-1774

Table of Contents

Legislative Fact Sheet                                                                  1
Members Testify Before the Legislature                                          4
The Fight for Braille: When Will it Ever End: by Gary Wunder                      10
Regional Braille Challenge:  by Aundrayah Shermer                               14
With Fixed Feelings:  by Tom Stevens                                            15

My Reflections on Jana:  by Carol Coulter                                               17
Eulogy for Jana Moynihan January 22, 2011:  by Gary Wunder                      18

Why: by Eugene Coulter                                                                  21
A Wonderful Woman and True Scholar:  by Carol Coulter                   23
Change Doesn't  Always Come Without Sacrifice  by Carol Coulter         23
NFB Facebook:  by Dacia Luck                                                    24



LEGISLATIVE MEMORANDUM
PRESENTED TO
THE FIRST SESSION of the NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
From: The National Federation of the Blind of Missouri

Date: February, 2011
We are pleased to have the opportunity to visit our elected officials in the Missouri State Capitol. We bring to you our concerns, based on the first-hand experiences of blind Missourians. We advocate for civil rights and equal educational opportunities that promote self determination and full participation as contributing members of society.
As a member of the Missouri General Assembly, you can help our fellow blind to become capable, productive adults whose skills, attitudes and achievements relegate their blindness to the status of an inconvenience - instead of the tragedy it too often has been when the blind are deprived of accessible educational resources and civil rights.

PARENTAL RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

In May of last year, 2010, we witnessed the taking of a child from its parents because those parents were blind. This is true despite the passage of the state's Model White Cane law in 1978, passage of the Americans with disabilities act in 1990, and the active prohibition against discrimination against the blind which is enforced by Missouri's Civil Rights Commission and two federal agencies housed in the Departments' of Education and Health and Human Services. How did this happen? It happened when a first-time mother had trouble nursing her newborn, was shown by hospital personnel how it was correctly done, was hotlined to the Children's Services Division, and had the bad luck to draw a social worker who clearly said she could not, in good conscience, let an infant go home with two blind parents unless she could be assured there would be sighted supervision of the child around the clock.
After ten-thousand dollars in legal fees and the passage of 57 days, little Mikaela Sinnett was brought to her home without apology. The closest thing to an explanation received by her parents was that it was thought that the Division would no longer pursue the case. Put differently, two young people were presumed to be incapable of properly raising their beautiful baby daughter because someone in authority did not pay attention to the answers they gave when she asked them how, as blind people; they would tackle tasks for which she would use vision. The offense was not that the Children's Division followed-up on a report or that they sent a social worker or that she asked questions, the answers to which she might not know. The problem is that the only answer that made any difference was to the question "Will you have someone with sight 24/7 to supervise this child," and the conclusion that the answer "no," resulted in placement of the infant in foster care. The Division did not consult with blind people but waited until the day this issue was to go in front of a judge before delivering Mikaela Sinnett to the home she should have been in for more than fifty days.
Senate Bill 134, introduced by Senator Rupp, attempts to clarify that the presence of a disability shall not be presumed good reason to remove a child from its home and recognizes the role of technology and good training in helping blind and otherwise disabled people do things which are too often wrongly assumed to require vision. We urge you to pass SB 134 to help assure that disabled people will not be deprived of their parental rights.

BLIND STUDENT LITERACY

Within the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Appropriations Bill (HB 2) you will find a request for Blind Student Literacy in the amount of $236,506.00. Though this budget item is a very small part of HB 2, it has had a strong impact on the education of blind students in Missouri even though it is underfunded. Below is background information related to this budget item that is important for you to know.
The Blindness Skills Specialist Program was designed and established in Missouri State Statute in 1999 to provide expertise to school districts and classroom teachers when they face the challenge of meeting a blind child's educational needs. This program provides a statewide resource to local districts, meaning that respect for local control of education is maintained, while admitting there are resources which each local district cannot independently provide.
The needs of a blind student are uniquely different from those of other students.  To be successful they need Braille skills, alternative techniques to participate in science and math labs, adaptive technology and training in how to use it, and a can-do attitude. They need teachers who have high expectations and who do not excuse them from completing assignments or participating in activities just because the students are blind. A Blindness Skills Specialist (BSS) can provide just this kind of expertise to the school district and the teachers who have blind students.
The statute creating the Blindness Skills Specialists calls for nine specialist positions. After twelve years of work, we have funding for only 3 of the nine positions outlined in the statutes. Although the ongoing budget crisis calls into question the likelihood of expanding the program, we must maintain the services we have in the regions currently covered and strive in better economic times to reach all blind students in Missouri.

ACCESSIBLE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

To assist blind students and others who need texts in a format other than print, federal law has been changed to create the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard or NIMAS. Material in this format can easily be converted into Braille, large print, or into spoken audio. Currently Missouri state law (RSMo. 170.132) requires schools to preferentially procure instructional materials from vendors who will provide accessible formats, but it does not refer specifically to this newer federal standard.
A bill was introduced during the last three sessions but has received opposition from publishers despite the stronger federal law. Although this bill has not been reintroduced this session, language to mirror the federal guidelines should be resolved in Missouri statutes. It also should support elementary, secondary, and post-secondary schools to produce materials in alternative formats for their students who fall under IDEA or Section 504.


ACCESSIBILITY OF ONLINE TESTING SITES

Many school districts in Missouri are now using online test preparation sites, such as Study Island by CTB/McGraw-Hill, to aid their students in readying themselves for the assessments Missouri uses to determine progress in meeting the goals of the No Child Left Behind Act and other end-of-course requirements. However, Study Island and other preparation and testing sites have failed to incorporate adequate accessibility features to allow blind or visually impaired students to access all of the needed information to prepare for and take pretests. As they stand, these sites use designs that convey essential information to the student by using color, strike-throughs, unlabeled graphics, and split frames, all of which create barriers for the blind student. The result: Blind test takers' are being evaluated more on the accessibility of the computer programs used to administer the pretests than on the content the test is intended to measure.
Organizations of and for the blind offer extensive experienced to help developers to follow established standards of accessibility. Cooperation with these organizations can result in software solutions that ensure equality of opportunity to blind students preparing for these all-important tests. Therefore, Missouri accessibility standards outlined in state statutes should be addressed by companies contracting with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as they move toward online statewide tests.
However, until such time as electronically administered tests and study materials are as usable by the blind as they are by the sighted, Missouri law should require all test materials be made available in hard-copy Braille, large print, screen-readable electronic text, and such other alternative formats as may be necessary to ensure that preparation for and administration of tests are equally accessible to blind people.



Members Testify Before the Legislature
Editor's note:   "Below is testimony presented by correspondence and before the legislature on March 2, 2011in support of the Parental Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act
Hello Mr. Chairman and members of the committee.  In May of last year the unthinkable happened.  A blind couple went to the hospital, witnessed the birth of their infant daughter, and then learned that, because they are blind, they would not be able to take their Baby Mikaela home.
I suspect you already have some knowledge of the history involved here.  Erika Johnson was given her infant to nurse.  Mikaela was her first child.  When she summoned the nurse and said that something didn't feel right, the nurse noted that Mikaela was beginning to turn blue, repositioned her on Erika's breast, showed Erika how to insert her fingers between her own skin and Mikaela's nose, and reported to Erika that all was well and little Mikaela was taking nourishment.  A call was made from the hospital to the Children's Services Division and a worker was sent to investigate the case of the blind couple and their new daughter.  Blake and Erika were asked how much vision they had; how, with their limited vision, they could tell where their baby was at all times; how they would know when she was hungry; how they would take her to the doctor; and, how, as strange as it may sound, they would know when she was wet or dirty.  With the exception of the last question, whose answer seems as clear as the nose on your face, I think all of the issues they were asked to address were reasonable.  If you do something with sight and I tell you I can do it without vision, it is reasonable that you would wonder how.  The unreasonable part came when Blake and Erika were told that the social worker could not, in good faith, allow their child to go home with them unless she could be assured that someone with sight would be with them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  There is no shame in ignorance.  There is no shame in trying to learn.  The shame comes when the answers to questions one asks are less important than the questions themselves and are therefore ignored.
In the national Federation of the Blind we have thousands of blind parents who are raising children and thousands more who, like me, have mostly already raised our children and are now watching as they make their way in the world.  The Missouri Children's Services Division knows about the National Federation of the Blind, and they know about their sister agency in state government, Rehabilitation Services for the Blind.  Both organizations had the expertise to prevent this from happening, but information and examples of successful families carried less weight than the presumption that blindness equals incompetence equals danger to a beautiful little girl.
The national Federation of the blind of Missouri spent over $10,000 to get Baby Mikaela returned to her home and her parents.  This was not state or federal money appropriated from the taxpayers of our country.  It was raised by blind people selling candy, tote bags, and other odds and ends that are used in charitable solicitations.  In the 57 days it took to have Baby Mikaela returned to her parents, Erika lost the milk she intended to provide for Mikaela, and beyond the nourishment, she and Mikaela lost the wonderful bonding experience shared by a mother and her infant.  Our $10,000 couldn't buy that for them.  The legislation proposed won't either, but it may result in better education for hospital and social services personnel when they are next confronted with a blind couple who are witnessing the miraculous birth of their child.

Gary Wunder, President
National Federation of the Blind of Missouri
3910 Tropical Lane
Columbia, MO 65202
(573) 874-1774


Debbie Wunder, 3910 Tropical Lane, Columbia, Missouri 65202
03/02/2011

Hello, my name is Debbie Wunder; I come before you today to talk about the most important thing in life to me, family and children. I will share with you just a little of who I am. I am the daughter of Joe and Shirley Sutton, a sister, friend, wife, mom to four and grandma to one. I share these things with you because they are part of what makes me be the person that I am. I also happen to be   blind but I consider blindness to only be a physical characteristic of me, such as being tall or short, brown or blue eyed. Blindness does not define who I am or what my abilities are.
In life I have been blessed with four wonderful children and am helping to raise one grandson. I have learned methods of doing things without vision. I have learned to use special tools and devices in a different way to manage life. I use Braille to label items in my kitchen, a scanner to read printed material from my children's school, and a portable reading device that uses a cellular phone to convert a picture of a printed page I want to read into speech. I use Braille on medicine bottles that tell me whose medicine it is, and how to give the proper amount. I know that you do not know or understand how you could do the things that I do if you didn't have sight, but if you were blind, then you would learn how to live life just like everyone else does. I had dreams to become a wife and a mother, and in order to be able to accomplish those dreams, I took the time to learn how to do the same things that you do with vision, but in a different way.
Last May a little girl in Independence Missouri was born to blind parents. The first time the young mother went to nurse her baby, she had some difficulty in knowing the proper positioning, so she asked a nurse for help. The nurse told this young mother that this was a common problem and for her not to worry. Soon protective child services came to the hospital and questioned the parents about how they would care for their baby. The parents answered all their questions with patience, but when it was time to leave the hospital, they were told they could not leave with their infant unless they had a sighted person who would live in the home, who had vision, and who could take care of the baby.
It took 57 days before their daughter was returned. They missed the bonding time, her first time to roll over, and all the things that you were allowed to experience with your children, just because they were blind. On the day they were to go to court for a hearing, Baby Mikaela was returned to her parents' home. There was no apology, no reason given, and of course know way to get back the precious time they lost with their baby.
I come today to ask of you that you help make a law that will never allow this to happen to another family again. I ask that a child not be removed from their parents on the basis of blindness. Blindness alone does not mean that a person cannot successfully parent. Together with my husband who is also blind, we have raised three successful adult children, and are still raising a 16 year old daughter and helping with one grandson.  Please do not allow the lack of education and understanding of how a person with a disability can raise their children to play such a devastating role in the lives of blind people and our children.
        Thank you for allowing me to speak with you today, and please pass HB 555. Please do this for Mikaela, and all the children to come.

        Hello my name is Dacia Luck and I would like to thank you for taking the time to listen to my testimony regarding this bill.  At some point in everyone's life they want to get married and have children.  Blind people have this same desire.  I am a blind person and it is my hope to get married and have a family of my own one day.  However, I should be able to have a child without the fear of having them taken away due to my blindness.  I know a number of blind people, some of whom you will hear from today who have successfully raised and are currently raising children.  As blind people we implement alternative techniques and use adaptive technology to complete tasks that sighted people would use vision for.  Baby Mikaela was taken from her parents solely based on the fact that they were blind and a social worker and hospital staff ignorantly believed that they couldn't care for their infant daughter.  Mikaela was returned to her parents 57 days after her birth.  Critical bonding time between Mikaela, Blake and Erica was lost.  That time can never be gotten back.  Erica is unable to nurse Mikaela which is one of the biggest ways a child bonds with their mother.

        In closing, I urge you to please support this bill.  I am a blind person who hopes to have children some day and I want to be able to do so without fear of them being taken away due to my blindness.  Let me leave you with one last thought.  Think of your children, think of the day they were born.  One of the happiest days of your life, I'm sure.  Now think about only a short few hours after your child is born having a social worker come in and tell you that you can't take your newborn home unless you have sighted supervision 24/7.  How would that make you feel?  Angry, discriminated against, and most of all deeply saddened.  That's how Erica and Blake felt when they were told they couldn't leave the hospital with Mikaela.  Please vote yes on HB 604 and ensure that this doesn't happen to another blind person.  Once again I'd like to thank you for taking the time to hear my testimony.

Sincerely,

Dacia Luck, Columbia



Dear Representative Grisimore,
I am writing in regards to HB 555, clarifying that parental rights cannot be removed based solely on a parent's disability.
My husband and I live in Kansas City, Missouri. We are a young couple, married for just a year as of this weekend. We have wanted nothing more than to start a family, raise children and pass along the morals, life lessons and values we were brought up with ourselves. We tried for several years to conceive a child, even before we were married, and were finally successful late last year. I am now 20 weeks pregnant with our first child, a daughter to be named Haylie Elizabeth Scott. We are beyond thrilled at the news that our long awaited miracle baby is finally on the way, and I love to feel her moving and dancing in my belly. My husband and I are also totally blind. Due to this, and many other completely separate issues, we have chosen to deliver our daughter in a freestanding, midwife run birthing center instead of a hospital. Why? Well, the reasons pertaining to this bill are thus. First, and foremost, we are blind, not incapable of caring for a child. We have no desire to be bombarded with a social worker mere hours after our daughter is born, when we're both exhausted and want nothing more than to bond with our new baby. We do not wish to risk losing parental rights of our child based solely on the fact that her father and I cannot see. We have many alternative methods of caring for a child that sighted people may not think of. Why should they? They don't have to implement them. But they don't take into consideration that just because it's different, it does not, by any means, mean that it is ineffectual. Disabilities, blindness in particular, scare the general public. Many people would rather have heart disease than an eye condition that would render them blind. Imagine that, would you rather have a condition that could potentially take your life than go through life not being able to see? I digress, this is not about your desire. This is about the law, and the unfair and inaccurate assumption that parents with disabilities cannot care for their children. My husband and I have many adaptive technologies scattered throughout our home. For instance, we have a talking bar code scanner. This device allows us to identify food items, such as baby food jars, or formula, etc. We have a talking thermometer, so we may take the temperature of our child without relying on someone else to tell us if she has a fever. And, aside from this technology that you may never have heard of in your life, let's talk about things less sophisticated, shall we? How do you know if a child has a dirty diaper? Your first clue is the smell, right? Of course it is. You don't need to see to know that a baby has messed their diaper. Perhaps that same child has a diaper rash. The affected area will be warmer to the touch than the unaffected skin, so again, sight is not necessary. Extra precautions may need to be taken once a child is mobile, and does not yet know that crawling to the top of the stairs is not a good idea. A simple thing such as a baby gate can prevent an unnecessary accident. Additionally, attaching bells to a child's shoes can help keep track of the child's whereabouts. This is a tool implemented by my parents, who are also both totally blind. So you see, there are many ways that a blind parent might care for their child. There is no reason to take a newborn from her mother and father, simply because they cannot see her. Save your energy for the drug addicts who snort in front of their children, or the ones who hit a child simply because he cries and interrupts Mom's Facebook game. Disability alone is not a basis for removing a child from his or her parents.
I implore you to take this testimony into consideration when voting on this bill today. I thank you, my husband thanks you, and our unborn little miracle thanks you.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Scott, Kansas City



The Fight for Braille: When Will it Ever End
by Gary Wunder

I think it was back in 1990 when the National Federation of the Blind went before the Missouri General assembly to urge that instruction and the reading and writing of Braille be given real priority in the lives of blind people. We got that legislation passed and felt very good about it, but over the years we have wondered just how effective it really is. There have been similar legislative victories on the federal level that mandate Braille as the default for blind students, and though they have given us reason to believe that we are slowly changing the public's mind about the absolute imperative for Braille if one is blind, reactions of school districts around the country tell us that we have a long, long way to go.
Perhaps two or three years ago my brother Mark, who lives in the small town of Freeman, Missouri, told me that he had a neighbor with a blind child. I sent him a copy of the Blind Missourian and Braille Monitor to share with them, but I did not do the kind of follow-up I should have done. Debbie came home from a Children's Vision Summit and told me she had met the mother of a little girl named Kendra. She mentioned that Kendra's mother knew my brother Mark and that not only were they neighbors, but their land touched his. I told Debbie that I had heard about this family from my brother, but I didn't do anything with the information. I didn't take the opportunity to write them a personal letter or call them on the phone, nor did I make much inquiry of my brother to learn more about them and how their blind daughter was getting along. Sometimes it is difficult to admit how stupid we are.
Several weeks ago I received a call from Rhonda Damron. She is Kendra's mother. She and Kendra's father, Rusty, were calling to see if we might be of some help to them because the school was calling together the IEP team to consider making changes to Kendra's educational plan. I said we would be delighted to help, and along with the Missouri Protection and Advocacy Service and Missouri's Rehabilitation Services for the Blind, we held a conference call to discuss strategy. My job was to provide supporting material to affirm for the parents that they weren't alone and that what they wanted for their child was truly beneficial in the long run. I gave the family the 100 letters which the National Federation of the Blind generated for president Obama. I looked back through issues of the Braille Monitor and Future Reflections for the best of the best Braille articles I could find. As you know, both publications have a number of fine testimonials and studies demonstrating the absolute necessity of Braille for blind people, so, making the selection was difficult.
On February 22, I attended a meeting at my old high school and participated in the IEP meeting for Kendra. I want to share with you a brief summary of that meeting and then wrap this up with some concluding thoughts.

February 22, 2011
Today I attended an IEP meeting for Kendra Damron at the request of her parents, Rusty and Rhonda Damron.  The meeting was held at Cass Midway School in Cleveland, Missouri, the high school from which I graduated in 1973.
The meeting was chaired by the school's director of special education.  Also present at the meeting were Kendra's parents, the school's principal, Kendra's second grade teacher, Kendra's case manager, the itinerant teacher who provides Braille instruction to Kendra, the itinerant teacher's supervisor, a representative from the Missouri Protection and Advocacy service, and me.
The meeting began with a statement by the director explaining that this was the third attempt to gather Kendra's IEP team, the other two attempts being thwarted by inclement weather.  The reason for the meeting was to consider an evaluation done at the request of the itinerant teacher, who felt that Kendra's progress in Braille was so poor that she wanted to reevaluate the role of Braille in Kendra's education.  Kendra is now in her second year of Braille instruction, though this is a point of contention for the school's director of special education, who asserted during the meeting that this was Kendra's fourth year of school provided Braille instruction.  The itinerant teacher, when asked, did clarify that Braille had started in the first grade and that work prior to that time was in the area of tactile recognition.  One other point of contention was the statement in the IEP that Kendra would be given 120 minutes of Braille each week, though the parents brought evidence, and the itinerant agreed, that some of this time has been used in evaluating other technologies and that not all of it went into Braille instruction.
The evaluation that was just completed indicates that Kendra can read print at about 78 words per minute and anywhere from 10 to 21 words a minute in Braille, depending on the material.  The director said that after much consideration, it was the view of the team that instruction in Braille should be discontinued because it was getting in the way of teaching Kendra the curriculum.  She asserted that Braille instruction was causing Kendra to miss science and social studies and that it was obvious from the evaluation that Kendra could function well enough with print to keep up with her peers.  She said that the focus of the school would be on teaching Kendra to better use her vision with adaptive aids and said there were a thousand of them out there that might help her.  She said that nothing written in the IEP was carved in stone and that a different decision regarding Braille could be made at any time if the attempt to utilize other visual techniques proved inadequate.
I was surprised to learn that Kendra's learning of Braille has not been integrated with any of her other school work, but her instruction has consisted of Braille as a stand-alone skill in much the same way I took high school Spanish.  She does not use Braille to read assignments in language arts, spelling, or history.  The payoff of reading to gain information is absent.  The benefit of being able to express oneself only happens for Kendra in print because none of her assignments are completed in Braille and transcribed into print by the paraprofessional.  There is no link between the flash cards with Braille (letters, words and contractions) and the real world of school. Braille has been divorced from the benefits associated with reading, and I am not surprised that, until the last month or so, Kendra has been resistant to it. The itinerant did report that Kendra's attitude toward Braille was much improved in the last month or so and that she was no longer resisting its teaching. Every sentence the Braille teacher used was in the past tense, suggesting that the results of the evaluation would have been different if it were done today.
Other points arguing for continuing Braille were made by Kendra's parents, the representative from the Protection and Advocacy service, and me.  The argument that Braille can be reintroduced should alternatives for increasing print speed fail is flawed.  The pressure to teach to the curriculum, used as the argument for removing Braille, will only intensify as Kendra gets older, and stopping and starting Braille sends a signal to Kendra that it is optional and not nearly as important as print.  There is a window of opportunity for teaching students to read efficiently.  Braille can be taught at any age, but speed comes only for those taught and reinforced at a young age.
It is obvious to me that for many people in the room, Braille is foreign.  Measuring progress based on the number of contractions one knows is equivalent to measuring the success of a print reader by how many of the 480,000 words in the English language he knows.  Contractions are not separate and apart from reading and writing.  They should be encountered and reinforced in story, poetry, and one's own writing in the same way other words are learned and become second-nature to recognize and write.
This decision is not in Kendra's best interest.  It encapsulates all of the negative stereotypes about Braille, ignoring Kendra's future and assuming that the only goal of the school is to deal with the here and now.  The decision must be reversed.


There you have the summary of our meeting, or at least the summary from my point of view. Currently the Missouri Protection and Advocacy Service is deciding whether it can help the family go through due process. If that happens, it will provide the attorney's and other staff necessary to pursue the appeal. It will also file a Stay Put order, meaning that until such time as a new IEP is written and agreed to, the old one will remain in place.
The question I offer to you is what we should do if the Protection and Advocacy Service elects not to take the case? Should we let it stand? Should we assist Kendra in getting Braille some other way? Should we say "Well this is really sad for Kendra, but we've done all we can?" Alternatively, should we take on the case and try to raise the estimated $25,000 it will cost to see it through? There are other, cheaper things we can do, and these don't require a decision of the Convention or the Board, but let us think about just how important Braille is and how important one bright little girl is in the work of the National Federation of the Blind of Missouri. Perhaps, if the stogy old president can be moved from his rigid convention agenda, we might think about this under new business. See all of you in St. Joseph.



Regional Braille Challenge
By Aundrayah Shermer

Editors Note: The National Federation of the Blind congratulates the students who participated in the Southwest Missouri Regional Braille Challenge. We know that Braille is a vital skill for blind and visually impaired students. We also commend the educators who planned and carried out this Braille Literacy Project.
On Saturday February 12, 2011, Missouri State University hosted the 3rd Annual Regional Braille Challenge.  Students from Southwest Missouri and as far north as the Kansas City area competed in this Braille literacy event for prizes and a chance to go to Los Angeles for the National Competition. The contestants were Students who are blind and visually impaired and ranged from 1st - 12th grade.
The following school districts had students participate:  Springfield, Webb City, Carthage, Blue Springs, Hardin, Nixa, Spokane, Mt. View/ Birch Tree, Lebanon and Willard.
Developed and organized by the Braille Institute in California, The Braille Challenge(r) is an academic competition unlike any other. This two-stage contest is designed to motivate blind students to emphasize their study of Braille, while rewarding their success with a fun-filled, but challenging, weekend of events.  The Braille Institute works with agencies and individual teachers from across the United States and Canada to encourage their students to participate in the preliminary round.   Students gain the fullest experience by attending one of the many Braille Challenge regional events in their own state or region.
The Regional Braille Challenge at Missouri State University was sponsored by Seedlings Braille Books for Children, Human ware, and the National Braille Press and a huge thank you to them for the wonderful prizes they each donated to the event.
In addition, the Southwest Missouri Vision Professionals group was an important part of the success of the day.  Area vision teachers, O&M specialists, and paraprofessionals all donated additional prizes and volunteered their time to help proctor exams, escort students between testing sessions, scoring and data entry.  Graduate students from the Missouri State University Vision Certification program enrolled in the Braille II course provided parents with a workshop related to Braille literacy.  The Council for Exceptional student group from Missouri State University also volunteered time to the Regional Braille Challenge event.
Dr. Chris Craig and his band entertained families and students at our closing ceremonies, and everyone had a great time.  The Braille Challenge was a huge success at Missouri State University this year.
Regional Coordinators for this event are:
Patty Guzman, Certified Vision Teacher, Marshfield School District
Julie Ituarte, Faculty-Programs in Vision, Missouri State University
Aundrayah Shermer, Blindness Skills Specialist, Southwest Region
For more information on The Regional Braille Challenge at Missouri State University, Contact Aundrayah Shermer at:  ashermer at missouristate.edu



WITH MIXED FEELINGS
By Tom Stevens

At the State Board Meeting on 5 February 2011, I announced that I would not be a candidate for office in the Affiliate at the upcoming State Convention in March. This will end a 36-year string of formal responsibilities at state and national level. For those who may not be aware, I had also spent 26 years as a member of the Writers' Division of the NFB, 18 of those as president. I also chaired the national Committee on Associates for a like period of time.

This does not mean that I will cease to be a member of the NFB, since I noted that I would be available for special projects. It is NOT a resignation from my appointment as a National Representative.
Why? In the past few years I have noticed a decline in my energy level to the point that I am not as active in NFB activities as I would like and the same is true around home. In addition, one of my major responsibilities is to be alert to succession in leadership. That was a problem during my presidency of the Writers' Division. However, Robert Lesley Newman has come upon the scene with energy, enthusiasm and innovation, assuming the mantle of presidency very well. Since the Committee on Associates was abolished, no problem existed there.
But within the Missouri Affiliate an "heir apparent" is readily available and highly capable. It is time for me to get out of the way.
One of the areas of need for us is that of membership building. Considerable work has been done and will undoubtedly continue on this goal. A second need is that of public relations. The National Federation of the Blind has a superlative group of brochures available and members can be alert to placing them in locations where they can be picked up by an interested public. As a unique example, Helen has a niece who teaches special education in a school near Pasadena, California. We recently mailed to her approximately 75 2011 Braille Calendars, 75 Braille Alphabet Cards and 75 Kernel Books. How she uses them, I could only speculate. But they are in hands which can put them to good use. We do need to send brochures to all of the public libraries in St. Louis and surrounding, Kansas City and surrounding, Springfield and surrounding, etc. We cannot be assured of the results, but we can be assured of one thing: where there is no brochure, there is no opportunity for increased knowledge.
Not only do people in elected positions have responsibilities, but those who have not sought an elected position can and do work most effectively. To those people I say THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH (including my wife Helen).
The myths of old do continue. I hope to be able to help squelch them. People want to know, for example, how I can cross the street - since I don't have eyes. People are also astonished when they hear the cities to which I have traveled.
One college textbook even featured a small insert which stated that blind people should not use a fork to eat spaghetti because they might stick themselves on the nose. Fortunately, this was a book which was revised every two years. I wasted no time in getting a protesting letter in the mail to the author. Succeeding revisions do not discuss how dangerous it is to eat spaghetti with a fork.
I am appreciative of your support. It has been my privilege to serve our Affiliate and State and Organization. The battery for my horn has not run down. Keep in mind that the best way not to make progress is to do nothing.



My Reflections on Jana
By Carol Coulter

When I joined the NFB in 1979, Jana Moynihan had long been a recognized member of the NFB in Missouri and nationally.  She was a much-needed bridge between people of my generation and the folks we respected but thought of as the older people.  She had J. C and we had Larry, and soon this was a shared link between Jim, Jana and the Coulter family.
When we heard Jana had cancer, the news was devastating.  She was too young.  Her family was too young.  Through the years, as we watched her continue to live and thrive and raise her children to be adults, we were saddened by her disease but thankful that at least she had years rather than months and that her struggle, while difficult, did not immobilize her or break her spirit.
As we live our lives handling the day to day challenges, Jana is an inspiration to us because this is what she did.  She did not stop trying.  She did not become self-centered, let her illness stop her, or demand that it be at the center of our relationship with her.
Here is the eulogy given by Gary Wunder to help all of us say good-bye to a valued colleague, dear friend, and a wonderful soul.


Eulogy for Jana Moynihan
January 22, 2011

I come here today because Jim and his wonderful family asked me, and because my love and respect for Jana means I couldn't be any other place.  The weather is cold and bitter, but the love for this woman brings people from all over to celebrate her life and to say thank you for the woman she was and the legacy she leaves.

When I first met Jana, she was 26, and I was 16.  At first she treated me as a young woman treats a dumb kid who is full of himself, she ignored me.  When she decided there might be some intelligence behind my adolescent foolishness, we talked, and she tried educating me.  I absorbed enough of that education that I went from the obnoxious, self absorbed kid to a young fellow she might, in her words, have snatched if only I had been ten years older or she ten years younger.  That sounds flattering now, but, when I was 16, the idea that I wasn't old enough sounded like the ultimate insult.  I was always a little uncomfortable with the idea of being snatched, as though she would be the only one to decide if there would be something between us.

What I felt for Jana wasn't romantic, but I was awed and spellbound nonetheless.  You see, Jana was leading the life I wanted to lead, with all of its successes and difficulties.  She proved to me and anybody else who was watching that, with motivation and some brains, a person could go through the education system, get help from rehab, and actually get a job.  I didn't know many blind people, who worked outside the sheltered workshop, but Jana had a college degree and a responsible position as a teacher, and if Jana could do it, there was a chance I could too.

When I left Kansas City and started college, I hadn't decided on a major.  One of the professions I considered was social work, and Jana invited me to join her at work for a day so I could decide whether this field might be for me.  I remember being impressed by two things in my visit.  One was that she was treated with respect by everyone from the dormitory aide to the administrator of her center.  I hadn't seen many blind people who commanded respect, but, if it was possible for Jana to be universally admired and respected, perhaps it was possible that I too could earn and command the respect of coworkers.

The second thing I saw was that Jana's work fell far short of what she thought it would be when she was studying the rise and fall of governments and political leaders and writing about them in her master's thesis.  Here was a highly intelligent woman who should have been teaching college courses, working instead in a facility which cared for teenagers who functioned like infants in adult bodies.  For all of her ability, Jana wasn't teaching the great battles of history; her battle was to teach these children basic life skills that every normal three-year-old has long-sense mastered.  This told me another thing about Jana.  I learned why she was a member of our Federation and why she insisted we all needed to work together to improve the opportunities for blind people.  Jana was counting on the Federation to help her change how people felt about the ability of blind people to hold positions of responsibility commensurate with their educations.  She wanted better for herself, and, though I came along ten years too late, she wanted better for me.

Jana and her parents were crusaders for civil rights.  Her most meaningful contribution to furthering the civil rights of blind people was made one evening when we were pressing for the passage of the model white cane law, a civil rights act for the blind.  The senators indulged us while we talked our talk about how blind people could do the average job in the average place of business, but they weren't buying it.  Our time was bought with the compassion they felt for us.  We were not their equals; we were the poor, needy blind they wanted to help.  When Jana stood before the senators and delivered her speech about discrimination and our God-given capabilities, one of the senators interrupted her in a patronizing way and asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up.  He was Santa and she the little girl, but she was having none of this lap sitting for old Santa.  She responded that she was already quite grown up and had herself a job and community responsibilities, and she told the senator about her education, including mastery of a foreign language.  He demanded to know which one and she said French.  He asked her a question in that language, she responded, and for about 30 seconds they carried on in a tone we could understand but a language we could not.  By the end of their private conversation, it was clear that Jana had been tested and found worthy.  Her senator foe turned friend opined that it was a shame so few Americans knew another language, said that Jana most certainly did know French as she had testified, and suggested to his colleagues that these fine people had brought a message the general assembly would be well advised to consider.  They did, and we won a major battle for blind people everywhere.

I think that, if Jana had gotten to write this, she wouldn't have spent much time on her professional accomplishments or even her work in the Federation.  She would dwell on what became most important to her: starting and nurturing her family.  Some of us who knew Jana thought her life's calling would be teaching and researching the history of the civil war, and we were pretty skeptical when we learned she was to be married, and to a fellow from New York, no less.  Who in heaven's name was this guy who could come and change a life whose mission was so clear? Despite our skepticism, we soon realized Jana had known what she was doing, and we too came to fall in love with Jim.  Jana picked well, and she's brought someone into our lives we will never forget.  If Jim were a politician and I his secret service agent, I'd feel honored to take a bullet for him because I know that if the situation were reversed, he would do the same for me.  Jana and I used to gang up on Jim: two liberals who routinely tried to take this conservative republican to the woodshed.  When we said something we were sure would win the day, Jim would simply refuse delivery and tell us that all of our words didn't change for a moment the fact that what was right was right, that what was wrong was wrong, and that we were making things overly complicated.  He said that in our arguments we were too nuanced, a nice way for a true republican to say we were full of it, all caught up in words and too far from reality.

Jim and Jana have created and nurtured two human beings who are everything you could want in your children.  They are gracious and kind and loving, and I feel honored to know them and to occupy even a small place in their lives.  Jana had her priorities straight.  She let Jim do barbershop and NFB while she stayed home and shaped the lives of two of the most important people in her life.

When Jim told me he and Jana were consulting with a palliative care doctor, I called Jana.  We talked about her sadness at not being here longer to see her children enjoy their marriages and perhaps to bring her grandchildren.  She said that, in moving to be near her children, she had hoped her time left would be measured in years rather than months or weeks, but that she was grateful to have been able to attend their weddings and was convinced they had made wonderful choices in life partners.  She said she believed in an after-life and was convinced she would soon see her parents and Federation members we had both known and loved.  She said she believed that all of us here would be reunited, and I told her I too hoped and believed that one day we would all be together again.  I believe Jana lives and that one day, when I'm snatched up, she'll be there still claiming that "if only you had arrived ten years earlier." We love you, Jana, we'll miss your smile, and we know how blessed we have been to call you mother, wife, friend, and fellow Federationists.



Why?
By Eugene Coulter

Recently my reader asked about my involvement in the National Federation of the Blind and why the organization is so important to me. I suppose it is the age old question that all Federationists must answer of why the National Federation of the Blind?
I think many of us get caught up in going to meetings, social activities, and doing the other day to day stuff that we may fail to realize all the great things that have happened and are currently happening in the NFB. I believe I could name over 100 reasons why I have been a Federationist for 35 years. Do not fear I won't list them all here but rather let me share a sampling of some big and small victories just in my life.
My first experience with the power of the NFB was in 1976 when as a freshman at the University of Missouri in the College of Education, I discovered a provision in the regulations of the school that said handicapped persons would not be granted a diploma that would allow them to teach. Our chapter president Tom Stevens arranged a meeting with the college dean and the offending provision disappeared.
It was a couple of years later while I was serving as Governmental Affairs chair that we rallied to pass two pieces of legislation. The first one was our ID bill to allow persons under age 21 to get a state ID card; a law that we have had to amend twice since then. The second was a result of a young lady pretending to be blind so she could get her pet dog into a college dormitory. The result is that it is now a crime in Missouri to feign blindness.
In 1982 Carol was pregnant with our first child when I was fired from the University of Missouri based solely on my blindness. With the help of the federation I was allowed to stay on while they figured out what should be done. For six months my job consisted of staring at a wall but I wouldn't give in. The week after my son was born the University agreed to give me back a regular assignment. My one mistake was that I resigned because I was afraid of being in a fish bowl and that they would find another reason to let me go. Today I would have stayed and fought the good fight.
Perhaps the biggest battle that my family was engaged in came in 1986 when my wife, Carol, was licensed as a daycare provider but only if a sighted assistant was present at all times. This was a heart wrenching case and took about six months to resolve but with the support of our Federation family on November 19, 1986 Carol was awarded her unrestricted license.
Then in 2000 our affiliate had to get a law passed to permit a 15 year old child to practice driving with someone other than his parents if both parents are physically unable to do so. The law allows the parents to designate two people to ride with their child.
In the last 15 years we have helped at least 30 different people with Blind Pension problems and probably 20 people with Social Security problems; some multiple times. On two occasions the Social Security problem involved my wife and myself. Of course, the biggest Social Security case is the gentleman who was accused of being over paid $132,000.00 and we were able to win a complete victory for him.
 The items cited above are only a few of the things that I have been personally involved in one way or another; there are many more. Of course, there are scads of more battles which don't touch my front door but are just as important to me and why I am still involved. The Blind Driver Challenge leaps to mind to make technology more user friendly and who knows before my life is over I may actually get to drive. Baby Mikaela, Larry Murphy, Grace Haner and dozens of other people we have helped over the years make every hour and every dollar spent worth it to me. I hear someone out there saying but what has the federation done for me?  The philosophical answer is of course that which we do for one blind person helps all blind persons. But the practical answer is you never know when you might need to lean on your friends in the organization for help. I certainly did not plan on unjustly being fired from my job and Carol certainly didn't deserve to be discriminated against when she applied for her daycare license. The bottom line is that for all of the reasons cited above I keep plugging away, but even more important to me is that we are a family who cares about our blind brothers and sisters and making life better for one another and generations to come. George and Gwen Rittgers, John and Rhoda Dower, Tom and Helen Stevens just to name a few, have set a high mark of achievement for us to follow. I am honored to follow their lead and am proud to be a member of the Federation and certainly know now more than ever why I am a Federationist.



A Wonderful Woman and True Scholar
By Carol Coulter

I had the wonderful pleasure of talking with Patricia Morrow the other night and learned some very interesting things about this very intelligent and humble woman.  Patricia was the oldest of four children, two sisters and one brother.  Patricia was born at home in Garfield County Colorado. Both of her parents were high school dropouts which was common for poor families of that time.  They were poor and uneducated but they cared for their children very much. Patricia told me how, when she was just an infant, her parents walked 200 miles to seek the medical help she needed. They believe that Patricia was born with cataracts as a result of her mother being exposed to chickenpox while pregnant.  Her mother was a stay at home mom until Patricia went off to college. She went to school to become a hair stylist and even opened her own business.  Patricia's father had various jobs but spent most of his time in the insurance business.
Patricia graduated high school in Grand Junction, Colorado. She then went to Denver University where she received her undergraduate degree in Humanities.  Patricia then said that she went where ever the scholarships took her because she had no money. The next stop in her educational journey was at the University of Colorado where Patricia earned her Masters in English. While there, Patricia was a house advisor at a sorority which provided her a place to live and a paycheck.  She made her way to the University of Missouri, Columbia where she taught classes while working on her PhD. Patricia met a student from Belgium who encouraged her to apply for a Full bright Scholarship so she did and received it.
In 1964 to 1965 Patricia spent a year in Belgium where she continued working on her dissertation for her PhD. Patricia told me about the time the German Full Bright students invited the Belgium students to Berlin and the train ride through East Germany to get to and from Berlin.
After a few other stops, Patricia got a job in 1969 working for the University of Missouri, Rolla.  She worked there until she retired in 1984 due to illness.   While in Rolla, Patricia earned the title of Dr. Morrow when she received her PhD in 1972. She also met Ed Vaughn and Bob Habbenstein while serving on an enter-campus committee. After retiring she returned to Columbia where she received a certificate in Adult Education. She did editing of books and students papers. She surprised us all when she quietly married Bob in 2003.
I could go on and on but this issue must get to the printers and this editor is still trying to fill Dr Morrow's shoes which after talking with her have grown in size. Patricia I love and respect you and welcome any criticism you have to offer. I am proud to call you my friend.



Change Doesn't Always Come without Sacrifice
By Carol Coulter

I have been in the National Federation of the Blind since 1979 and have either seen or heard of many changes that the blind have experienced. I would like to thank all of those individuals who stood up for what they knew was right even if it meant putting their jobs in jeopardy and in some instances their lives. Larry Murphy and Gene Coulter both were turned down for promotions to be a supervisor because of blindness even though they both had been on their respective jobs longer than the majority of their coworkers. I had to fight the agency my husband was working for to get my unrestricted Day Care license. Jim Moynihan   believed he was due a promotion  and lost it due to unfair testing procedures. Gene Coulter was unfairly treated as a hospital unit clerk and put his and Gary Wunder's jobs at risk because they worked at the same hospital. A real sacrifice came when Bob Petersens and George Rittgers fought for the right to have vending facilities in the U.S. Post Office in downtown Kansas City. It seems the Postal Workers Union opposed this idea so much that they literally ran down one of them with a mail truck. These two brave men did not give in and won the right to keep their facilities thus opening opportunities for other blind venders.
I know that not too many of us would have been able to do what these two men did, but this type of retaliation is extremely rare. There are many ways in which individuals have sacrificed for the betterment of the blind. Family members give up time with their loved ones so they can fight for the rights of blind people. Some people, like our President Gary Wunder, use up vacation time to do the work of the NFB, and still others are willing to help financially no matter how meager their income.
We call ourselves a federation family and to me that means we take care of one another. When someone is in trouble families gather to help in any way they can. They stand beside you through good times and bad.  If you are a true believer in the power of this incredible family then you should not feel alone when you are being treated in an unfair manner. Let the family help you through the difficult time.
The reason I write this article is because too many times I have heard individuals talk of injustices but are not willing to come forward or let us use their story to change what is going on. We do not expect the lawyers that we hire to go win a case for us without concrete evidence. In the same way, we cannot go to employers, legislators, state agencies or whoever else without concrete evidence. We need people to help us help them by stepping up to the plate. If you are willing to be the leader I am sure others will follow. Or as Harry Truman might have said "put up or shut up".  Remember the saying God helps those who help themselves, and don't forget we, the NFB, are here for you.



NFB facebook
by Dacia Luck
Please join the NFB of Missouri facebook page.  Join this page and add any information including photos, videos, and links.  Here's the link.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/NFB-of-Missouri/189920374360763
If you have any questions contact Dacia Luck at daisydacia at centurytel.net


PLEDGE OF THE
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
I pledge to participate actively in the effort of the National Federation of the Blind to achieve equality, opportunity, and security for the blind: to support the policies and programs of the Federation and to abide by its Constitution
                                       Board of Directors
National Federation of the Blind of Missouri

Officers:

Gary Wunder, President
Shelia Wright, First Vice President
Tom Stevens, Second Vice President
Debbie Wunder, Recording Secretary
Dacia Luck, Corresponding Secretary
Carol Coulter, Treasurer

Board Members:

Susan Ford,                                         Lois Ulmer,
Jim Moynihan,                           Jeremiah Wells,
Bill Neal,                                      Bob Williams,
Gene Fleeman

Chapter Presidents
Gene Coulter, Columbia                     Helen Parker, South Central
Rita Lynch, Jefferson City               Gary Horchem, Springfield
Shelia Wright, Kansas City                 Dennis Grabill, St. Joseph (contact)
Chris Tisdal, Lewis and Clark            Bryan Schulz, St. Louis
















NFB of Missouri
1613 Blue Ridge Rd.
Columbia, MO  65202








-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-editors-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-editors-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Robert Leslie Newman
Sent: Monday, March 21, 2011 9:54 AM
To: 'Correspondence Committee Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [Nfb-editors] finished with- Seeking an end to the seeking diversity discussion

And I'm super happy we are going to move off of this fascinating examination! Good posts by all. Thanks but back to newsletters!!!


Robert Leslie Newman
President, Omaha Chapter NFB
President, NFB Writers' Division
Division Website
http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
Chair, Newsletter Publication committee
Personal Website-
http://www.thoughtprovoker.info




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