[Nfb-editors] Newsletter from- Colorado Parents of Blind Children

[Robert Leslie Newman]

E-Connector October 2011 in pdf.pdf

Colorado Parents of Blind Children “E-Connector” 

October, 2011 Page 1 

Volume 3 -Issue 10 

Editor’s Note: Please feel free 

to contact us if you have an 

announcement you would like 

included in the newsletter or if 

you would like to add a friend 

or family member to the e-mail 

list. Direct all communications 

to: 

copobc at gmail.com,

attention Julie Hunter, editor 

NFB of COLORADO 

STATE CONVENTION 

Mark your calendars! The 

National Federation of the 

Blind of Colorado (NFBCO) will 

hold its 57th annual state 

convention the first weekend in 

November (November 3-6) at 

the Doubletree Hotel, Denver. 

The hotel is located at 3203 

Quebec Street. 

Colorado Parents of Blind 

Children (CO-POBC), a division 

of NFBCO, participates fully in 

the convention, offering 

seminars, workshops and 

activities for families. CO-POBC 

is very excited to be welcoming 

three outstanding experts in 

work with blind and visually 

impaired children to be with us 

for the weekend. Carlton Ann 

Walker, a TVI, attorney, and 

parent of a blind child, is an 

expert in advocacy and parents 

rights. Also joining us will be 

TVI, Marilyn Winograd, and 

science teacher, Dr. Lillian 

Rankel, authors of the book, 

Out of Sight Science 

Experiments. They will present 

some of the innovative 

adaptations and techniques 

they have developed to make 

science accessible to blind and 

visually impaired students. 

Convention activities will get 

underway on Thursday evening, 

November 3, with a chance to 

socialize and get into the NFB 

spirit. The Friday and Saturday 

morning sessions will have 

everyone seated together in 

the convention hall. The 

presentations will be varied, 

but the emphasis this year will 

be on the status of the 

education of blind and visually 

impaired children in the state 

of Colorado. Luncheons on 

Friday and Saturday will be 

followed by afternoon breakout 

sessions for various divisions 

and interest groups. The CO-

POBC will offer workshops for 

parents and youth. Topics to 

be addressed include transition 

to life after high school. How 

do we help our children 

prepare? What services are 

offered through the Division of 

Vocational Rehabilitation while 

kids are still school age? What 

are some of the financial 

considerations families need to 

know about in order that their 

children might qualify for 

e-Connector 

News from Colorado Parents of Blind Children (CO-POBC) 

Inside this issue: 

NFBCO State 

Convention 

Braille Readers Are 

Leaders Contest 

Tools For Life 

Scholarship 

How Does Our 

Government Work? 

Free Braille Books 

Calendar of Upcoming 

Events 

 

table with 4 columns and 4 rows

government assistance 

and “normal” as any American 

in our organization. Consider  

programs once they reach age 

life. 

That’s what it’s all about. 

running for a position on the  

18? No matter your child’s age, 

So, come make some friends, 

Board of Directors! We need  

it’s not too early to start 

laugh…and learn a thing or 

your participation. 

table end

 

preparing your child and 

learning your rights. 

We also plan to have some fun! 

Our visiting science teachers 

will get the kids involved in 

some hands-on science 

experiments, with additional 

discussion of ways to include 

blind and visually impaired kids 

in the sciences. 

The Saturday evening banquet 

is always a highlight of the 

weekend. The banquet 

keynote address will be given 

by the NFB national 

representative, Patti Gregory-

Chang, who is a member of the 

NFB national board of directors 

and a trial lawyer for the city of 

Chicago. The convention will 

conclude on Sunday at noon 

following a morning of 

substantive discussions plus a 

business meeting open to all. 

Of course conventions are not 

all business. There will be 

some lively entertainment 

along the way, including a huge 

auction of hotel packages, 

restaurant certificates and 

more. But most of all the NFB 

State Convention is the place to 

meet others. You’ll meet other 

parents, your kids will meet 

other blind and visually 

impaired kids, and we will all 

meet blind adults who have 

regular jobs and families and 

inspire us to see that life as a 

blind person can be as fulfilling 

two! You’ll be so happy you 

did. 

*Check the NFBCO website, 

www.nfbco.org,

for agenda 

updates and for information 

about convention registration 

and reserving hotel rooms. 

(Please note that convention 

pre-registration closes on 

October 23

rd

, after which the 

prices increase. Hotel 

reservations must be made by 

October 15

th 

in order to receive 

the convention rate.) 

*Childcare will be available 

throughout the convention. 

Although there is no additional 

charge for childcare, you must 

register for the convention ($15 

in advance/ $20 at the door). 

For planning purposes, please 

let childcare coordinator, 

Michelle Chacon, know if you 

are going to be using the 

childcare room. Contact 

Michelle 

at 720 240-1074. 

*Please consider this notice 

that the Colorado Parents of 

Blind Children will be holding 

elections for Officers and Board 

Members on Saturday 

afternoon, November 5, 2011. 

All offices are voted on 

annually and dues paying 

members are eligible to run for 

office and vote. Dues of $5.00 

will be collected at the door 

prior to the meeting. All 

interested parents are 

encouraged to become active 

906

BRAILLE READERS ARE 

LEADERS CONTEST 

Nov. 1, 2011-Jan. 4, 2012 

The National Federation of the 

Blind Jernigan Institute, the 

National Association to 

Promote the Use of Braille 

(NAPUB), and the National 

Organization of Parents of Blind 

Children (NOPBC) are pleased 

to announce the 29th annual 

Braille Readers Are Leaders 

contest for students grades K

12. 

This contest encourages children around the country to be proud of their
ability to read Braille and continually work to improve their skills. As in
previous

years students will read as many Braille pages as they can in two months
(November 1, 2011, through January 4, 2012) to compete for ribbons, cash
prizes,

and an allexpenses-paid trip to the 2012 NFB national convention in Dallas,
Texas. 

Important Dates: 

October 1, 2011: registration 

for the contest opens and 

Colorado Parents of Blind Children “E-Connector” 

October, 2011 Page 2 

Volume 3 -Issue 10 

continues through the end of 

the contest. 

November 1, 2011: contest 

begins, and participants start 

tracking their reading. 

January 4, 2012: Louis Braille’s 

birthday marks the end of the 

contest and the last day 

participants can count their 

pages. 

January 18, 2012: all 

documentation for the regular 

contest and special awards 

must be submitted to the NFB 

Jernigan Institute by midnight. 

This includes reading logs, 

letters of nomination, and final 

entry forms. 

March 2012: prizes are mailed 

out. 

Contest registration forms may 

be downloaded: 

www.nfb.org/BRAL 

or 

requested by e-mail: 

BrailleReadersAreLeaders at nfb. 

org,

or by mail, phone or fax: 

Braille Readers Are Leaders 

200 East Wells Street 

at Jernigan Place 

Baltimore, Maryland 21230 

1198

“TOOLS FOR LIFE” 

ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGY 

SCHOLARSHIPS 

APPLICATION DEADLINE IS 

OCTOBER 15, 2011 

The SEE THE FUTURE Fund is 

offering financial assistance to 

blind or visually impaired 

students to help purchase 

adaptive equipment that will 

help support them in the 

pursuit of education. Without 

the proper adaptive devices 

(tools) blind and visually 

impaired students may not be 

able to perform to their highest 

level and compete with their 

sighted peers. Unfortunately, 

many families cannot afford 

these tools for their children. 

The SEE THE FUTURE Fund 

with a certified teacher of the 

visually impaired (TVI). 

Requests can be made for 

adaptive technology for no less 

than $250 and no more than 

$5,000. Tools for Life” is a 

“Need Based” program and not 

an “Entitlement Based” 

program. All families will be 

required to pay at least a 

portion of the purchase price. 

The amount of the family 

contribution will be determined 

based on income. 

To apply for a “Tools for Life” 

scholarship and to obtain more 

information, please go to: 

www.seethefuture.org 

Click on “Tools for Life” 

scholarships. Click on 

“Application Information” 

For more information please 

call Tom Theune, OD, 

Chairperson of the SEE THE 

FUTURE Fund at 

(719) 471-3200 or email: 

twtheune at prodigy.net 

Phone: 410-659-9314 extension 

scholarship offers the 

Gotta’ White Cane?? 

opportunity for many students 

Fax: 410-659-5129 

who wouldn’t otherwise have 

Hey, Kids…Come show your White 

the means, to own their own Cane Pride! 

******************************* 

adaptive technology. The 

(You can bring Mom & Dad) 

Don’t miss the White Cane Day 

“TOOLS FOR LIFE” scholarship is 

Walk and Picnic on October 15- October 15, 2011-it’s National 

open to Colorado students 

Meet & Greet for Parents…Cane White Cane Safety Day! 

(pre-K to High School). 

Walk for Kids…See Calendar of 

White Cane Walk and Picnic October 

Students must also be working 

Events for details… 

15…See Calendar for details. 

with a certified teacher of the 

visually impaired (TVI). 

Requests can be made for 

adaptive technology for no less 

than $250 and no more than 

$5,000. Tools for Life” is a 

“Need Based” program and not 

an “Entitlement Based” 

program. All families will be 

required to pay at least a 

portion of the purchase price. 

The amount of the family 

contribution will be determined 

based on income. 

To apply for a “Tools for Life” 

scholarship and to obtain more 

information, please go to: 

www.seethefuture.org 

Click on “Tools for Life” 

scholarships. Click on 

“Application Information” 

For more information please 

call Tom Theune, OD, 

Chairperson of the SEE THE 

FUTURE Fund at 

(719) 

471-3200 or email: 

twtheune at prodigy.net 

Phone: 410-659-9314 extension 

scholarship offers the 

Gotta’ White Cane?? 

opportunity for many students 

Fax: 410-659-5129 

who wouldn’t otherwise have 

Hey, Kids…Come show your White 

the means, to own their own Cane Pride! 

******************************* 

adaptive technology. The 

(You can bring Mom & Dad) 

Don’t miss the White Cane Day 

“TOOLS FOR LIFE” scholarship is 

Walk and Picnic on October 15- October 15, 2011-it’s National 

open to Colorado students 

Meet & Greet for Parents…Cane White Cane Safety Day! 

(pre-K to High School). 

Walk for Kids…See Calendar of 

White Cane Walk and Picnic October 

Students must also be working 

Events for details… 

15…See Calendar for details. 

1572

Colorado Parents of Blind Children “E-Connector” 

October, 2011 Page 3 

Volume 3 -Issue 10 

1593

HOW DOES OUR 

GOVERNMENT WORK? 

Opportunity to Visit 

Washington, DC 

The Colorado School for the 

Deaf and Blind is sponsoring a 

7-day learning adventure in 

Washington, D.C. for high 

school students and educators. 

The program, Close Up, 

develops students' knowledge 

of basic concepts of 

government and citizenship. It 

is the hope of CSDB to send one 

student who attends a school 

other than CSDB and one CSDB 

student. Students interested in 

going need to complete an 

application form which will be 

posted on the CSDB website 

during fall 2011. For more 

information, please contact 

Laura Douglas at 

ldouglas at csdb.org 

or (719) 

578-2110. 

********************************* 

Don’t Miss the White Cane Day Walk 

and Picnic! 

Meet Other Families! 

Celebrate the Freedom of Walking With 

a Long White Cane! -See Calendar 

FREE BRAILLE BOOKS 

from 

Seedlings Braille Books for 

Children 

Seedlings' "Book Angel 

Program" is open to visually 

impaired children who live in 

the US and Canada. Through 

this program each child can 

receive two free Seedlings' 

books each year. Simply list 

four books from the Seedlings 

catalog and you will receive 

two of them. To register, fill out 

the online form found at 

www.seedlings.org/special.php.

(Click on "2011 Book Angel 

Program for V‐I Children.") 

Print‐Braille‐&‐Picture Books 

are a good way to introduce 

Braille to toddlers; the 

Print‐&‐Braille Easy‐Readers are 

good for beginning readers; 

and the "Braille Only" books are 

perfect for older, more 

independent readers. For more 

information, contact Debra 

Bonde, Director, Seedlings 

Braille Books for Children, 

www.seedlings.org 

or by calling 

800‐777‐8552. 

CALENDAR OF 

UPCOMING EVENTS 

October 15 

BlindLink and CO-POBC 

Picnic and White Cane Walk- 

12:00-3:00 p.m. 

Blind Link is a Colorado Center 

for the Blind Youth Services 

Program that connects adult 

blind mentors with 

blind/visually impaired kids for 

activities and fun. In honor of 

White Cane Day, CO-POBC 

families will join with Blind Link 

for a Cane Pride walk at Stern 

Park in Littleton, CO. 

Meet at 12:00 noon at the 

Colorado Center for the Blind 

2233 W. Shepperd 

Littleton, CO 80120 

For questions, call Brent 

Batron: 303-778-1130 ext. 222 

Together we will walk two 

blocks to the park for a picnic 

and White Cane Rally! 

Parents and children of all ages 

are invited. 

Sandwiches and drinks will be 

provided. 

Show your White Cane 

Pride!! 

See You There!! 

Colorado Parents of Blind Children “E-Connector” 

October, 2011 Page 4 

Volume 3 -Issue 10

 

Robert Leslie Newman

President, Omaha Chapter NFB

President, NFB Writers' Division

Division Website

 <http://www.nfb-writers-division.> http://www.nfb-writers-division.net

Chair, Newsletter Publication committee

Personal Website-

 <http://www.thoughtprovoker.info/> http://www.thoughtprovoker.info