[NFB-Greeley] FW: [Brl-monitor] The Braille Monitor, October 2022

[Melissa R. Green]

We should distribute this and see who gets it. Besides, Linda and
myself.

 

 

> 

Melissa R. Green and Pj

> Scentsy consultant www.readerlissa.scentsy.us 

Contact me at:  Graduate56 at juno.com to host and book a party and
or explanation of products.

Facebook: Melissa R. Green 

Goodreads: Melissa R. Green 

A home is  nothing without the people you love inside of it.

 

 

From: brl-monitor-bounces at nfbcal.org
<brl-monitor-bounces at nfbcal.org> On Behalf Of Brian Buhrow
Sent: Sunday, October 2, 2022 9:19 AM
To: brl-monitor at nfbcal.org
Subject: [Brl-monitor] The Braille Monitor, October 2022

 


The Braille Monitor, October 2022


BRAILLE MONITOR


Vol. 65, No. 9 October 2022

Gary Wunder, Editor

Distributed by email, in inkprint, in Braille, and on USB flash
drive, by the

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND

Mark Riccobono, President

telephone: 410-659-9314

email address: nfb at nfb.org

website address: http://www.nfb.org

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and orders for NFB literature should be sent to the national
office. Articles for the Monitor and letters to the editor may
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gwunder at nfb.org <mailto:gwunder at nfb.org> .

Monitor subscriptions cost the Federation about forty dollars per
year. Members are invited, and nonmembers are requested, to cover
the subscription cost. Donations should be made payable to
National Federation of the Blind and sent to:

National Federation of the Blind

200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, Maryland 21230-4998

THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND KNOWS THAT BLINDNESS IS NOT
THE CHARACTERISTIC THAT DEFINES YOU OR YOUR FUTURE. EVERY DAY WE
RAISE THE EXPECTATIONS OF BLIND PEOPLE, BECAUSE LOW EXPECTATIONS
CREATE OBSTACLES BETWEEN BLIND PEOPLE AND OUR DREAMS. YOU CAN LIVE
THE LIFE YOU WANT; BLINDNESS IS NOT WHAT HOLDS YOU BACK. THE
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND IS NOT AN ORGANIZATION SPEAKING
FOR THE BLIND—IT IS THE BLIND SPEAKING FOR OURSELVES.

ISSN 0006-8829

© 2022 by the National Federation of the Blind

Each issue is recorded on a thumb drive (also called a memory
stick or USB flash drive). You can read this audio edition using a
computer or a National Library Service digital player. The NLS
machine has two slots—the familiar book-cartridge slot just above
the retractable carrying handle and a second slot located on the
right side near the headphone jack. This smaller slot is used to
play thumb drives. Remove the protective rubber pad covering this
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Once the thumb drive is inserted, the player buttons will function
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drive to use the player for cartridges, when you insert it again,
reading should resume at the point you stopped.

You can transfer the recording of each issue from the thumb drive
to your computer or preserve it on the thumb drive. However,
because thumb drives can be used hundreds of times, we would
appreciate their return in order to stretch our funding. Please
use the return envelope enclosed with the drive when you return
the device.

Vol. 65, No. 9 October 2022


Contents


Illustration: BELLS that Ring in the Head and the Heart

As Gratitude for Knowing Replaces the Pain of Losing

by Audrey T. Farnam

Together Again: A Family Reunion in NOLA

by Liz Wisecarver

Accelerating Our Blind Driver Challenge: Raising Expectations at
211.043 Miles per Hour

by Dan Parker

How Silver BELLS Led Me from Fear to Freedom

by Debra Hill

The Technology around Successful Hybrid Chapter Meetings

by Curtis Chong

Guide Dog or Cane: It’s Not Either/Or for Me

by Heather Bird

Objection Sustained

by Deborah Kent Stein

Chad Allen: The Blind Magician Strolling Magic with Sighted Guide

by Chad Allen

Owning Our Future: Continuous Revolution in Training through the
Organized Blind Movement

The Elephant in the Room: Where the Blind Work

by Maurice Peret

Connected to Her Purpose: An Interview with Mississippi’s Barbara
Hadnott

by LaShawna Fant

Monitor Miniatures

[PHOTO CAPTION: Students and mentors pose for a picture with New
Jersey firefighters in front of their fire truck.]

[PHOTO CAPTION: A BELL participant concentrates on checking the
Braille she just created using a Braillewriter.]

[PHOTO CAPTION: Louisiana BELL participants do yoga outside with
instructors.]

[PHOTO CAPTION: In Connecticut, BELL students try their hands at
“gold” mining during a visit to the Dinosaur Park.]

[PHOTO CAPTION: Student with mentor at table doing a Braille
lesson during the New Jersey BELL Academy.]


BELLS that Ring in the Head and the Heart


For more than ten years, blind children ages four through twelve
have been participating in our NFB BELL® Academy. In 2020 and
2021, due to the pandemic, children attended virtually through our
NFB BELL Academy In-Home Edition. This year, we were thrilled to
have some of our NFB BELL Academies getting back together in
person. Students worked on reading and writing Braille, learned
new nonvisual techniques, and went on field trips, all while being
exposed to blind role models and the positive philosophy of the
National Federation of the Blind. These blind children are well on
the way to being our future leaders.

[PHOTO CAPTION: Audrey T. Farnam]

[PHOTO CAPTION: Jeannie Massay, August 24, 1968, to May 21, 2022]


As Gratitude for Knowing Replaces the Pain of Losing


by Audrey T. Farnam

>From the Editor: Losing those we love always comes hard;
especially is this true when it seems to happen too early as it
has with the passing of Jeannie Massay, born August 24, 1968, and
taken from us on May 21, 2022. Here is what one of the people she
valued most has to say about her. May we all be so lucky to have
one who remembers us in this way:

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about
Jeannie Massay? For me, it's her laugh. It still echoes in my head
and makes me smile. I think about all the times I used it as a
beacon to find her in hotels and banquet rooms at conventions and
other large gatherings. Meeting Jeannie somewhere? Just get to the
general vicinity, and wait for the laugh. It worked every time. As
I navigated my way around national convention in New Orleans, I
didn’t have Jeannie’s laughter to guide me, and I felt her absence
deeply. My beacon is gone. But as I reflect on Jeannie, I am also
struck by how she was a beacon to so many of us, not just with her
infectious laughter but with her leadership, her strength, her
love, her tenacity, and her never-wavering belief in the mission
and philosophy of the National Federation of the Blind.

Jeannie and I met, not in Oklahoma as you might think, but at the
Carroll Center for the Blind in Newton, Massachusetts, where we
attended personal adjustment to blindness training in 2006. My
first impression of Jeannie was that she was strong, intelligent,
and determined to face blindness on her terms. She knew what she
wanted to do, and her top priority was to get the skills needed to
be successful. Helplessness was not an option. Up to that point,
all I really knew about the Federation were the stories and
warnings people gave me about those crazy, angry, militant blind
people. In fact, Jeannie and I had a lengthy discussion about the
Federation while we were at the Carroll Center where we discovered
that we both decided against NFB affiliated centers because of the
biases and misperceptions about the Federation that have taken
root in Oklahoma and were shared with us by blindness
professionals in the state. I had been to a few meetings of other
organizations and never felt like I belonged. In late 2008, I
learned that Jeannie had started up an NFB chapter in Edmond,
Oklahoma. Upon discovering that the smart, funny, confident,
amazing woman who I met at the Carroll Center had been somehow
lured into the Federation, I started to question all those dire
warnings and odd stories I had grown up hearing about the NFB. I
attended my first chapter meeting near the end of 2008 solely
because Jeannie seemed perfectly rational to me. We shared common
attitudes about blindness, so if Jeannie believed in the
Federation enough to start a chapter, I reasoned that perhaps it
might be worth looking into and that I might find my place in the
Federation as well. I did, and I will be forever grateful to
Jeannie for helping me realize that I am one of “those” blind
people.

My dear friend didn’t stop at getting me to the Federation. It
wasn’t long before I realized she was nudging me into taking on
leadership responsibilities. I never saw myself as a leader, but
Jeannie recognized things in me that I never recognized in myself.
Every time I took on a new challenge and was surprised by my
success, she would always tell me, “I told you.” Jeannie believed
in me more than I believed in myself, and she was always there to
encourage me, push me into trying new things, and celebrate my
accomplishments. Jeannie mentored and encouraged countless blind
people like me during her service with the National Federation of
the Blind. She believed whole-heartedly in the capacity of blind
people. She was passionate about the Federation and above all
wanted to share her belief that, “our hopes, dreams, goals, and
aspirations are no less real simply because we do not see.”

Jeannie always referred to the NFB as her “Federation family.” She
loved sharing the message of hope and raising expectations. If you
were blind, she wanted to welcome you into the family to help you
achieve your dreams. When I first started attending state
conventions, there were twenty-five to thirty-five people in
attendance. Prior to COVID, our attendance had grown to about one
hundred. She helped so many Oklahomans reach their goals by
encouraging them to get blindness skills training, which would be
the foundation for success on the journey through college or
finding that dream job. She helped advocate for newly blind people
navigating their way through the state rehabilitation system. When
a rehab counselor told one of our members that blind people
couldn’t be chefs, Jeannie denounced those low expectations and
helped ensure that the young woman was able to go to culinary
school. Jeannie firmly believed with proper skills and
opportunity, blind people could live their dreams, and she worked
tirelessly to help people achieve their goals.

Our friend and colleague’s influence was felt far beyond the
borders of Oklahoma. I was overwhelmed by the number of
Federationists from across the country who reached out to me after
Jeannie’s passing and while I was at national convention to tell
me stories about Jeannie. I heard stories from her former
scholarship mentees, people who received advice and encouragement
from Jeannie, people who attended a memorable state convention
where Jeannie was the national rep, and stories of fun times and
special memories. When I was hurting and missing my friend, the
Federation family reached out and picked me up with memories of
love and affection for Jeannie. I loved hearing how she touched so
many people and learning that the qualities I loved most about
Jeannie were also loved and enjoyed by countless others.

Jeannie was a wonderful friend. She loved food, coffee, a good
fantasy book, anything purple, and dogs. Most of all, she loved
sharing her love of things with her friends and delighted in
sharing in the things that made her friends happy. Going to a
restaurant with her was always a treat. Not only could she
pronounce all those fancy items on the menu that I had never heard
of, but she could tell me what they were and then recommend about
five other places I could go to get that fancy thing somewhere
else. She loved her coffee. She always had great snacks in her
room at conventions. She always bought me a box of my favorite
Girl Scout Cookies every year. She listened to my endless rowing
stories with enthusiasm when most people just wanted me to shut up
about it already. She listened to me rant when I needed to blow
off steam, then gave me good advice and input when I was ready to
stop ranting and start dealing with it rationally. She listened
without judgment when anxiety and depression were becoming too
much for me to handle on my own, and helped me to reach the
conclusion that therapy was okay and not shameful or weak. And I
think the thing that might be most amazing about Jeannie is that
she did all these gestures of true friendship and kindness for so
many, even when she was going through unimaginable loss and
deteriorating health.

Before I close, may I share the words of President Riccobono as he
wrote to the NFB Board of Directors where Jeannie served so well
as a member and an officer:

Dear Friends,

With deepest sadness I am writing to share that our friend Jeannie
Massay passed away in her sleep early this morning. I received a
call from her sister-in-law Jan about two hours ago. Jeannie
fought hard all the way to the end, and she decided on her own
terms to stop fighting. Last evening she told her brother she was
ready for hospice. In true Jeannie form, she did not wait for the
bureaucracy to get it done for her. She simply passed away quietly
in the night, knowing with peace that she left everything she had
on the field.

As you know, I had the opportunity to visit with Jeannie a month
ago. We had hoped that we would get another trip in to visit her
before convention, but that did not happen. I can share with
certainty that she knew the love that each of you shared with her.
She believed so much in this board and in the shared community of
the National Federation of the Blind. It changed her life, and I
am certain that her wish for us is the strength, wisdom, and faith
to continue building that community.

Like me, I am sure you feel the big hole this leaves in our
Federation family and on this board specifically. I want you to
know that I am here for you to lean on, especially since I expect
to be leaning on you
. The poem below came to mind when composing
this note to you. It is by Rumi, and it expresses the way I knew
Jeannie to live.

Guest House--Rumi

This being human is a guest house.

Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,

some momentary awareness comes

as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!

Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,

who violently sweep your house

empty of its furniture,

still treat each guest honorably.

He may be clearing you out

for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,

meet them at the door laughing,

and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,

because each has been sent

as a guide from beyond.

[Audrey continues] I miss my friend every day, and although I no
longer have her laughter to guide me through banquet rooms and
noisy restaurants, I have the memories we shared, the wisdom I
gained from knowing her, and the love of our Federation family to
guide me through all the challenges to come. Even now, when I have
doubts, I can hear Jeannie saying, “You’ve got this.” Jeannie’s
influence as a mentor and friend will be felt in the Federation
for years to come, and it was my honor to call her friend.

----------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Liz Wisecarver]


Together Again: A Family Reunion in NOLA


by Liz Wisecarver

>From the Editor: Liz is the chairman of our Communications
Committee and a very active member of our affiliate in Texas. Liz
wrote this for our Voice of the Nation’s Blind blog, and we gladly
reprint it here. Last month you were offered a long version of our
convention roundup, but here is another perspective that is
shorter and captures the enthusiasm that many of us felt:

Finally, we were back together again for the National Convention
of the National Federation of the Blind in New Orleans. There were
over 2,500 participants in-person and over 1,000 joining in
virtually! Many of us, myself included, dusted off our cane-travel
skills and had to remember how to prepare for a week packed with
exhilarating presentations, social outings, and opportunities to
network with blind people from across the country. Thankfully, it
was not too difficult to get back in the swing of things and enjoy
everything national convention had to offer.

This national convention truly did feel like one big family
reunion. I met up with many old friends and ventured out to new
restaurants in the French Quarter. The hotel was easy to navigate,
and most everyone was willing to give directions or volunteer as
talking signs. I worked a shift at the NFB-NEWSLINE® table in the
Exhibit Hall and later at the cane table in the Independence
Market. I highly recommend working in the Exhibit Hall or
Independence Market if you can fit it into your convention
schedule. You’ll meet so many interesting people and can give back
to others by sharing your knowledge or by simply using the
CrowdCompass app to look up where a vender is located. It was
reinvigorating to hear hundreds of tapping canes throughout the
conference hotel and around town.

The Texas affiliate brought nine young blind adults as part of our
CAREER Mentoring Program. The group included students from the
Texas School for the Blind (TSB). None of the students had been to
an in-person national convention before, and traveling alone
without parents was new for many of them. Our mentors helped them
organize their convention schedules, find plenty of food options,
and taught them how blind people gather information to navigate
through crowded convention halls. It was rewarding to see them
grow and build their confidence as they explored the hotel, made
new friends, and experienced the National Federation of the
Blind’s positive philosophy about blindness firsthand. One of our
mentees is now applying for the Louisiana Center for the Blind
adult training program! A special thanks to the teachers and staff
from TSB who have been so supportive and were able to join us in
New Orleans.

Even though we wore masks and took COVID-19 tests before arriving
at the hotel, some people did get sick. But we stepped up to help
our sick members stay as comfortable as possible while they were
isolating. We took care of members by having test kits available,
making hotel arrangements so they could isolate themselves, and
bringing them what they needed to recover, including
hand-delivering banquet meals and dropping off snacks and
medicine.

I took a COVID test during convention and was able to
independently complete and read the results of one of the Ellume
COVID-19 Home Tests available to participants. Thankfully, mine
was negative. It was empowering to administer the entire test
myself, and I hope more medical home test manufacturers will
follow Ellume’s example by making their products fully accessible
to the blind.

The 2022 NFB National Convention was definitely a success. I
especially enjoyed sessions about diversity and inclusion, the
tactile art room, and learning about new developments from Aira.
The General Session opening ceremony was particularly impressive
with a marching band passing out Mardi Gras beads and a live
demonstration of how to cook authentic pralines with samples for
everyone. That will be hard to beat next year in Houston. I’m glad
many of the meetings were streamed live so we could listen from
anywhere, and those who could not join us in person could
participate. You can find recordings of the sessions on our
YouTube channel and on nfb.org.

No matter how you participated, I hope you had a wonderful
national convention experience this year. The NFB of Texas is
looking forward to hosting everyone in Houston next year! Let’s
keep up our renewed energy, hope, and determination, as we
continue to build the Federation in our own towns and around the
world.

---------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Dan Parker]

[PHOTO CAPTION: The Braille and print version of the wheel cover
Dan Parker presented.]


Accelerating Our Blind Driver Challenge: Raising Expectations at
211.043 Miles per Hour


by Dan Parker

>From the Editor: Sometimes I find myself reflecting on how
fortunate I am to be at the right place at the right time and
observing something spectacular. This was the case on July 8 when
I was a part of the audience listening to the words of Dan Parker
as he described setting a Guinness World Record in a car he
designed for the competition of land speed racing. Dan lives in
Columbus, Georgia, and unlike some of the folks we help, he does
not see the Federation as simply a sponsor but as an integral part
of what he has done, what he intends to do, and who he intends to
benefit from our work together. Here is the presentation Dan gave
to a spellbound audience on that special Friday afternoon:

MARK RICCOBONO: I won't spend too much time introducing this next
item, but before I introduce the speaker, we have a short audio
presentation.

SPEAKER: And this is just the beginning. This is the start of it.

DIFFERENT SPEAKER: We are good to go. Proceed when you are ready.

DAN PARKER: Out to the racetrack.

MARK RICCOBONO: Officially amazing.

SPEAKER: Race car is ready. Race car is ready.

DAN PARKER: Is the track clear?

Is the course clear for Tim?

SPEAKER: Course is clear.

MARK RICCOBONO: So part of the excitement is there's an important
chain of history and mentoring happening here. The founders of the
National Federation of the Blind in 1940 could not have really
even imagined that we would be standing here today. They laid a
foundation of blind people organizing, working together,
self-determining our own future, taking control of our own
destinies.

PAM ALLEN: I am Pam Allen, and I am the director of the Louisiana
Center for the Blind, and we are so proud of Dan as a graduate of
our program.

ANIL LEWIS: The thing that really brings me here is not just the
job, it's just being able to be part of something this dynamic.
This is mind blowing.

DAN PARKER: As a racer, this is just another day. But when you
only have one chance to set history, you know the pressures get
enormous.

SPEAKER: We're here at the north end of the runway, and we've just
made our first pass with Dan driving. Dan hit a top speed of 187
on this pass.

After the first run on the nitrous, Dan asked the tuner, Erroll,
if he would delay the nitrous just a little bit longer to get more
miles per hour, and that helped make the car more stable. The next
round will be faster.

When Erroll got out of the truck he said, “Dan made the call. I
did just what he asked, and he hit 205. He's such a racer.”

(Race car accelerating, leveling off, and then decelerating)

SPEAKER: Dan, today you hit a speed of 211.043 miles per hour, a
new Guinness World Record title! [Cheers and applause] Here is
your certificate. You are officially amazing! Great job! [More
applause]

Amazing.

MARK RICCOBONO: You know, I think the only other thing to say,
Dan, is let's go build the Federation.

DAN PARKER: Let's do it together.

(Audio ends)

MARK RICCOBONO: During the Presidential Report, you heard the
sound from the outside of the car, and in the audio piece you
heard what it was like for Dan inside the car. I don't know that
there's too much more to say to introduce our next speaker except
here is Dan Parker [applause]

(Music playing, "Kryptonite")

DAN PARKER: Thank you, everybody. I think I want to hear a replay
of that motor singing at seven thousand RPM and making almost one
thousand horsepower to go 211 miles an hour. That's pure music to
my ears.

I'm honored to be here today. It's been a special occasion. It's
been a special year. And I ask everybody the question: who here
has seen the movie The Field of Dreams? [Applause]

It's a good movie. For those who haven't, you need to go back and
watch it. In the movie the character Ray, played by Kevin Costner,
is an Iowa corn farmer on the verge of bankruptcy, and he hears a
whisper while he's working in the fields: "If you build it, they
will come."

And against all odds, with family ridicule, and on the verge of
bankruptcy, he cut a baseball diamond in his corn field, and the
ghosts of baseball legends past appeared, including Shoeless Joe
Jackson. Today I want to share with you my field of dreams.

I was born into a racing family. I get emotional thinking about
it. I'm sorry. [is crying a bit and receives applause] I was born
into a racing family. Early on I realized I absolutely sucked at
stick and ball sports, but I was attracted to anything mechanical:
bicycles, mini bikes, go carts, you name it. If it had an engine,
I wanted to rev it up. After high school I started bracket racing
on a weekly basis under my father's guidance. He taught me how to
maximize efficiency of combinations, to be a true racer, to be a
sportsman. In late 1999 I became the official driver for Bill
George Motor Sports and in 2005 we won the ADRL (American Drag
Racing League) Pro Nitrous World Championship.

A pro modified car is the fastest car on the planet Earth that
still has a working left door and a short wheel base. It is a
three thousand horsepower car, requiring real handling to say the
least. They can accelerate from zero to one hundred miles per hour
in a little over one second. That is 3.2Gs out of the starting
line.

On March 31 we were testing a new motor combination, and on the
first full pass the car made a hard right turn into the wall, tore
it down, went to tumbling, and cut the car in half. They tried to
life flight me out of there. They couldn't because there was a
storm between the University of Alabama (UAB) Hospital and the
racetrack. So they put me in an ambulance with my girlfriend
riding shotgun. They bounced off the speedometer to try to keep me
alive until they got to UAB. They did something I never heard
before nor since. I was in such bad shape that they called ahead
and had another ambulance meet mine on the side of the highway for
that EMT to get into the ambulance and help my EMT keep me alive.

I suffered broken ribs, a collapsed lung—my whole right arm was
completely destroyed. I have a skin graft site on my leg to repair
a patch in my armpit and numerous other injuries. I came home with
a traumatic brain injury, which is by far the worst injury.

When I woke up, my family noticed that my eyes didn't look right.
My pupils stayed dilated. They weren't constricting. When somebody
would walk by my hospital bed, it would startle me when they
spoke. The neuro-ophthalmologist was called in the next day, and I
was given the news that I was now 100 percent blind for life. My
optic nerve had been compressed while my brain was swollen and cut
it off, and that was it: That was the ballgame.

I spent another two weeks in the hospital and came home into my
new world of darkness—broke, beaten up, and blind. I fell into a
deep depression. I did not want to live. I don't say that to be
tragic today or to be dramatic. But somewhere here today I know we
have somebody who is newly adjusting to blindness or may be new at
a training center, and you're scared. But I promise you one thing:
you are right where you need to be. [Applause] You are here in
your family of blind brothers. Today is your opportunity to
network with other blind individuals, successful blind
individuals, and those who have achieved great things: lawyers,
teachers, musicians, whatever it is. You're in the right place.

So after about six months of depression, one night I went to bed
thinking about my late brother and my late mother. My brother
absolutely loved the Bonneville Salt Flats, a dry lake bed 120
miles west of Salt Lake City, where people have been setting land
speed records since 1914. So my field of dreams came in the middle
of the night. I woke up at 2:00 a.m. with a complete vision that I
would become the first blind man to race the Bonneville Salt
Flats. [Applause]

So I had my vision; I had my dream; but I didn't have a path. I
didn't know what to do or how to accomplish this. Needless to say,
when I proudly announced to my family and some of my friends what
I was going to do, that went over like a whoopee cushion in
church. [Laughter] So here I was, broke, blind, and trying to
build a motorcycle after almost dying just six or seven months
earlier, but I started doing research, and I found the Blind
Driver Challenge. I listened to that video so many times on my
phone that I had just gotten and started learning how to use.

One day I made the phone call that changed my trajectory. One day
I called the National Headquarters in Baltimore. I told the
receptionist what I wanted to do and what my ideas were, and she
put me on the phone with Joanne Wilson. That day changed my life
forever. [Applause] Joanne listened to my story. About every month
or so she would call and check on me, and I would give her a
progress report. I would call her and give her a progress report.
The motorcycle was coming along, and we decided with my friend
Patrick Johnson that we were going to be able to get a guidance
system with audible feedback so I knew how to correct my steering.
Following the philosophy of the National Federation of the Blind
and the Blind Driver Challenge, we would do this independently.

As we got closer, Joanne invited me to come to Baltimore, meet
then President Maurer, Mark Riccobono, and share with them my
vision, my project, and my goal. They agreed to sponsor me, so in
2013 we went to Bonneville. Mark Riccobono was there with us as
the executive director of the Jernigan Institute. We made history
together, with me becoming the first blind man to race Bonneville
independently with a speed of 55.331 miles per hour. [Applause]

Something special happened that day. Right before I made my
historic run, Mr. Riccobono handed me a Louis Braille coin that
President Maurer handed him when he drove in the Blind Driver
Challenge vehicle in Daytona. I returned it to him after that
significant day.

I returned the next year and set my F.I.M. (Fédération
Internationale De Motorcyclisme) class record for the first blind
man to ever hold official F.I.M. class record with no exemptions
for blindness as I raced against my sighted peers with no human
assistance. This time I hit 62.05 miles per hour. [Applause]
During that time I was enrolled at the Louisiana Center for the
Blind--Go LCB. I graduated on March 31, 2015, exactly three years
to the day of the wreck. It was then I had my Freedom Bell.

Once I came home, I knew there was more fruit hanging on the tree
for land speed racing: the title for the Guinness World Record for
the World's Fastest Car Driven Blindfolded, also known as the
World's Fastest Blind Man, held by Mike Newman in England at
200.51 miles per hour.

So I set out on a four-year journey to prove that blind people can
design a race car. We can be involved in STEM: science,
technology, engineering, and math. And we can control our own
destiny. [Applause] I did not choose the easy path. The easy path
would have been to go rent a Lamborghini or Ferrari or whatever it
is to show off my helmet and fire suit and go for the record. But
I designed the car 100 percent myself, and with friends and
volunteers, we built it over the next three years. The car is a
2008 Corvette. It's painted bright red. It has a full belly pan
undercarriage that is belly painted for aerodynamics, a Ram-Air I
designed for aerodynamics, a full safety cage, and duel steering
wheels so that while we were testing the guidance system, I'd have
a passenger. We put in an onboard fire extinguisher system, and a
nitrous oxide system. The nitrous and the motor together makes
over one thousand horsepower.

In the fall of 2019, the car was getting close. The producers of
Jay Leno's Garage approached me; they were intrigued by my story
and wanted to film an episode. The latest they could film was
February of 2020, and luckily the East Coast Timing Association
was having an event at the Spaceport which was invitation only. We
finished the car, and on my first full pass, which was the pass I
had to film for Leno, I went 153.8 miles per hour. [Applause]

Then COVID hit and affected everything we know in our lives,
including me. Racing stopped. Everything came to a halt. I didn't
know what the future of my car was.

But late in 2020 I got the call that changed my life forever.
President Riccobono called me and asked me if we wanted to get the
band back together for one more run. [Laughter] Did we want to go
for the Guinness Book of World Records for the ten-year
anniversary of the Blind Driver Challenge. Of course, yes!

In March of 2020 I brought this car to the Arkansas East Coast
Timing Association to try to test it. I had two horrible runs, and
I knew I had to go back and figure out a plan. I knew that, just
like anything, practice makes perfect. I knew I needed a car that
I could practice with on a weekly basis because the race car is
like a thoroughbred: you can't just take her out around the block.

A friend sold me a 1994 Corvette cheap. We built a second guidance
system and put it in. Patrick flew in from Huntsville. We took it
out to a local drag strip. We beat the car up about two hours at a
time. Then Patrick would fly his plane back home.

I was getting prepared, and we were hoping to set the record in
November of 2021, the ten-year anniversary of the Blind Driver
Challenge. But sadly, Steve Struck, the owner of the East Coast
Timing Association, who was going to provide the insurance, got
COVID and was on a ventilator. He was in bad shape, but by a
miracle of God, he came home. [Applause]

So we postponed our attempted world record event to March of 2022
because the weather reports for January and February were not
conducive to racing, between snow and extreme cold. We could only
rent the track Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, so we chose
the end of March for the best chance for having good weather.

Prior to the race—three weeks—the car had no motor, no
transmission, and a hole in the transmission tunnel about a foot
big to prepare for the new transmission I felt was going to be
more reliable for us. We worked twenty-four-hour days from time to
time, but we got it done. Dynoed the car just in time to head out
on a twenty-eight-hour nonstop path to the Spaceport.

The team convened on Monday, the 26th, as our teams consisted of
volunteers who sacrificed their vacations from California to New
Hampshire, to Florida, to North Dakota, to Huntsville, Alabama. We
had engineers, land speed gurus to engine specialists, and
everything in between. We went over the car, and we found a
problem. I had ordered the torque converter too tight, so that
means when you drop it in gear, the motor wants to stall. Tuesday
the winds were horrible. We had fifty-miles-per-hour side winds;
typically land speed racing has to stop at seventeen miles per
hour. So we couldn't practice on Tuesday. I took the test car out,
made multiple runs around 110-120 miles per hour, staying in a
ten-foot-wide path with a fifty-miles-per-hour side wind. I knew I
could do it; we just needed a little luck on our side.

On Wednesday the car was getting closer. I made a half-mile pass
at 158, turned it around, started it at the three-quarter mile
mark, and went 176 miles per hour. When the dust settled Wednesday
afternoon, I had not been up to two hundred miles per hour. I did
not sleep hardly at all Wednesday night. I woke up at 1:30 in the
morning, and I designed a push bar in my head that we could build
with what tools and material I had in the trailer. So if I
couldn't get the car to leave the start line, we would push it
with the practice Corvette up to thirty miles per hour, and I
would drop it in gear. You see, “quit” was not in our vocabulary.
We were going to do whatever it took to come home with an entry in
the Guinness Book of World Records. [Applause]

As the sun was rising on that Thursday, the last day, me and the
team were grinding. I was in the trailer grinding on parts and
deburring parts while Jeff Pope was out with blankets, covering
the welder because the wind was messing up the welding. We
finished the push bar. Jason continued testing.

At 12:00, I had still not been over two hundred miles per hour. I
was getting really worried. The weight of the world was on my
shoulders. But I felt no pressure from my brotherhood in the
Federation. Everybody was there supporting me. They had faith.
They said, "We know you can do it. We're here for you." That gave
me peace of mind that we were in this together.

At 12:30 or so, Jason came to me and said, "It's ready. The car is
yours."

We took the car to the top of the runway. The next pass was 205.
[Dan's voice breaks, and the crowd applauds.] The clock was
ticking. We only had the Spaceport rented until five o'clock. I
went to Alice and Chris Lopez and I said, "Listen, I know our
lease is up at five, but we have insurance. What are our options?"
They told me, "You just keep fighting. We'll worry about this."

On the 205 pass, I felt something was just not right with the car.
It had what was called bump steer; when I hit a bump, the car
wanted to move to the right. I told Jason to take it back to the
pits, jack it up, and put three rounds of compression on all four
shocks. We worked on the steering. We installed a moon disk which
is an aerodynamic wheel cover that gives you more top speed. We
put a fresh nitrous bottle in it, and it was showtime.

We towed the car to the top end of the runway. We wanted to go
against the wind on our first run so we would know how to adjust
for the backup run. For the Guinness World Record, you don't do it
one time; you have to do one pass and within one hour turn the car
around, and make a return run. The average of your two runs is
your Guinness record. My first full pass was clocked at over 210
miles per hour. [Applause] We got the car turned around on the top
end and the team jumped on: packing the parachutes, changing the
water in the cooling system, while I sat in the car trying to
maintain my calm. I didn't take off my helmet; I didn't even take
off my seat belt or racing gloves. I told Jennifer, my fiancée,
"Just try to be my gatekeeper. Don't let anybody distract me. This
is showtime. I must maintain my focus."

So the coolant cart lost its prime. I had no idea. The team was
back there drastically trying to change fifteen gallons of water
from one water tank into the car. They were using Solo cups, water
bottles—anything they could to transfer the water.

When we cranked up the car, we had twelve minutes left on our
one-hour turnaround time. So I ease into the throttle and at about
the three-hundred-foot mark, I was able to go wide open. The sound
of RPMs was music to my ears. I went through the finish line. The
guidance system calls out and I deploy the parachutes with my
pinky finger. We were running out of runway because the brakes
were heat soaked. They were fading fast. But we brought it to a
stop with only about three-hundred feet left on the runway.

Immediately the Guinness officials came up, took the SIM card out
of the GoPro cameras to prove the in-car shot that I was the one
in control going for the record. Immediately we took the car to
the trailer to the applause from all the NFB family there cheering
me on. The Guinness official looked at all the GoPro videos and
the laptop, and then certified our record—211.043 miles per hour.
[Applause]

But that record—you know, the racer side of me recognized that
211.043 as an important number—but that's just a small part of
this record. This record is about every one of us in this room,
everyone watching on LiveStream, everyone in the blind community.
That record is to prove what we can do. If we're given an
accessible world, we can compete with our sighted peers in the
workplace, at school, or on the racetrack. [Applause]

We all have our own field of dreams, something deep in our heart
we want to accomplish. As we all start going our different ways on
Monday, know that your Federation is behind you. Take it one day
at a time. Take the doubters out of your life. Surround yourself
with supporters. Anything is possible. [Applause] I know we will
continue to work for the National Federation of the Blind and the
Blind Driver Challenge, and together we will build the Federation.
[Applause]

President Riccobono earlier was talking about the museum, and a
little while back I called him and told him that when the museum
is built, I will donate the motorcycle for the display of the
Blind Driver Challenge. [Applause] We still have more records to
set with that Corvette. [Laughter] One day hopefully it will be
there too, but it ain't over with yet for it.

Today I want to present President Riccobono and the NFB one of the
moon disks, one of those aerodynamic wheel covers that made the
difference between the 205 and the 210 and the 212 passes that
came off the car. It has an inscription; I'll have Beth read it to
us in a minute, but I have more. Erroll, the tuner of the car, has
a son, and he printed a plaque with all the wording on the moon
disk in Braille. So when President Riccobono takes it back to
Baltimore and they put it on the wall, right beside it will be the
Braille inscription of exactly what the significance is of that
wheel cover and the meaning and historical part of the Blind
Driver Challenge it played. So Beth, are you here?

BETH BRAUN: I am. Do you want to hold it? And this one also,
President Riccobono?

DAN PARKER: This wheel cover is spun aluminum with a dome shape to
it with six holes where it bolts to the wheels so we can take them
on and off to service the wheels and brakes, etc.

BETH BRAUN: “On March 31, 2022, Dan Parker, representing the
National Federation of the Blind, the Blind Driver Challenge, and
Tragedy to Triumph racing, set the Guinness World Record for the
fastest car driven blindfolded, 211.043 miles per hour." Then
there's the Blind Driver Challenge logo, the National Federation
of the Blind logo, and the Guinness logo. And it says, "This moon
disk was a race-used wheel cover that provided an aerodynamic
improvement on the record run.” [Applause]

DAN PARKER: Thank you so much to everybody. I know we're so
blessed to be back in person at convention. The energy here this
week has been great. As I sat here behind President Riccobono
listening today, it's just amazing what we have accomplished
together. I'm a proud member of the NFB, and we're going to
continue working for everything we have to do. [Applause]

MARK RICCOBONO: Thank you, sir! Great job! Great job! [Applause]

----------


How Silver BELLS Led Me from Fear to Freedom


by Debra Hill

>From the Editor: What do we do for seniors? Too often we stop at
saying we give them hope, but what tangible things do we do to
make that hope real? This article begins to answer that question.
In Missouri we are getting ready to host a program, and I hope we
move people in the same way Ms. Hill has been moved. Here is what
she says:

I lost my sight completely over seven years ago due to
complications from diabetes type 2. I have had many years,
therefore, to adjust to the tremendous changes blindness has
brought to my life. With the daily support of my husband and the
helpful interventions of my family and friends, I thought I had
settled into a safe, well-organized, and secure life.

As I listened to the Zoom meeting about the National Federation of
the Blind’s new program, Silver BELLS, I began to feel an uneasy
fluttering of butterflies in my stomach and nervous tingling in my
palms. I heard the encouraging words of the instructors as they
spoke of the upcoming Silver BELLS weekend in Richmond, Virginia.
My heart beat a little faster as they spoke of the various
training programs that would be offered to attendees. I asked
myself why I needed to learn all that when I so conveniently had
my friends and family literally at my beck and call? My husband
reads my emails and writes down what I need to remember. I haven’t
cooked for years, and Door Dash knows my home address by heart.
Braille sounds much too complicated, like learning a foreign
language, and I stopped using my cane years ago, since it is far
easier to hold on to a willing elbow and have a human guide warn
me about obstacles ahead.

Suddenly it dawned on me that the comfortable life I had created
for myself actually had become a life of dependency, not
independence. I can now see that sometimes I unfairly took
advantage of the kindness and support of my friends and family
while limiting my own knowledge and personal growth. Perhaps it
was time for me to face my fears and trust that I can challenge
myself to live the life I want to live.

Sitting in the passenger seat as my husband drove thirty minutes
from our home in Richmond, Virginia, to the Hyatt Hotel in Short
Pump, Virginia, I breathed a deep sigh of relief. I was proud that
I had decided to face the challenges of this four-day weekend.
However, I was reassured that everything would be done to make
this a great experience for all the participants.

The Silver BELLS weekend from beginning to end provided a
welcoming atmosphere, a supportive learning environment, and
community bonding. The sixteen participants were divided into four
intimate teams of four persons. I was amazed to hear about the
diverse careers, family structures, the hobbies, and the learning
goals of my group members. I met six women who, like myself, loved
to sing gospel music. By the last day, we had formed a choir we
fondly named “The Silver BELLS Singers.” I could never have
imagined that this Silver BELLS program would bring so many new
friends into my life.

Each day of the Silver BELLS weekend was packed full from early
morning to evening with skill-building courses and times to mingle
with staff and participants over meals. The four training classes
covered techniques for using the white cane, communicating using
Braille and other devices, safe cooking skills, and phone and
computer technology tools.

Every instructor enthusiastically presented a ton of information
and patiently answered questions. Although there were some
technical difficulties, particularly during computer-related
demonstrations, the teachers remained in good humor and assured
everyone that they would be sending follow-up emails covering all
the information that was shared in each class. By the end of each
lively day, I was happily exhausted and fell asleep before my head
hit my pillow.

As my husband and I said our goodbyes to everyone on the last day,
I reflected on what I had experienced over the weekend. I was so
thankful to all the staff who had encouraged me to face my fear. I
learned that there are so many tasks that I can do on my own. As a
singer and writer, I look forward to using VoiceOver on my iPhone
and reading programs on my computer. As for me, for now I think I
will stay away from sharp knives in the kitchen, but I can help
with cleaning counters, measuring, pouring, stirring, and using
the microwave. Amazingly, I picked up Braille concepts very
quickly and discovered it is a language I can learn. Finally, I am
determined to practice, practice, practice using my white cane. I
have learned to accept it as an extremely valuable aid to help me
navigate safely and efficiently in the world.

I courageously look to the future, having become a new member of
the National Federation of the Blind. I will continue this life’s
journey toward greater independence with new friends and
resources.

---------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Curtis Chong]


The Technology around Successful Hybrid Chapter Meetings


by Curtis Chong

>From the Editor: If I was asked to identify someone who most
exemplifies a Renaissance man, someone who knows a little bit
about many things and a great deal about a few of them, Curtis
Chong would have to be at the top of my list. If it has a cord on
it, he probably knows how to use it and has an opinion about it.
The same is true if it is labeled a cordless device. But as
impressive as his knowledge is, the more impressive thing about
Curtis is that he can communicate what he knows in a way that
makes the rest of us feel a little bit smarter and informed. Here
is what he has to say about the best way to invite a good hybrid
experience into our chapter meetings:

A hybrid meeting is a meeting where members and friends can attend
in person or remotely using a platform like Zoom. Not only is the
meeting streamed over the internet, but remote meeting
participants can raise their hands, speak, and be heard by
everyone in the meeting, regardless of whether they are attending
in person or remotely.

What technology makes for a good hybrid meeting? First, you cannot
hold a hybrid meeting unless you have a reliable Wi-Fi or mobile
phone connection to the internet. If you plan to use a laptop
computer to host a Zoom meeting instead of an iPhone, a Wi-Fi
connection is a must. If, however, you plan to use a smartphone, a
strong cellular network connection will serve as a good
substitute.

The next thing that needs to be considered is support for audio
coming into or out of the meeting through the internet. After all,
you need everyone in the meeting to hear the person (or persons)
speaking remotely, and the remote participants need to hear anyone
who is talking at the in-person location. The internal microphones
and speakers on laptops and smartphones simply will not do the
job. In my experience, this is because of Zoom’s tendency to
suppress background sounds which meeting participants might need
to hear, such as someone talking from a distance or music playing
in the background.

To build my understanding of how a hybrid chapter meeting might be
conducted successfully, I bought two conference phone speakers
from Amazon: the Jabra Speak 510+ and the Plantronics Poly Sync
20+; the plus denotes a Bluetooth dongle which, when plugged into
your computer, enables a wireless connection between the computer
and the speaker. Assuming you have a good wireless connection to
the internet or good signal for a phone call, either one of these
speakers can connect to a Windows computer, an Apple Macintosh, or
your smartphone, and both speakers offer decent audio which a
small group can hear quite nicely and a built-in microphone which
picks up audio probably up to a distance of twenty feet or so. The
electronics in these speakers is smart enough to eliminate the
feedback and audio ducking which you often get when you use
separate speakers and microphones. Also, having one unit to keep
track of instead of a speaker and a separate microphone relieves
the Zoom host of having to keep track of yet another device in
support of the meeting.

I have tested the Jabra Speak and the Poly Sync in Zoom meetings
using both my Windows laptop (with a Bluetooth dongle connection)
and my iPhone (using the iPhone’s built-in Bluetooth). Here are my
findings so far:

Both the Poly Sync 20+ and the Jabra Speak 510+ have some form of
voice guidance built in. I believe that it is easier to hear the
verbal prompts generated by the Poly Sync 20+. On the Poly Sync
20+, the voice guidance consistently lets you know when the unit
is turned on or off. The Jabra Speak 510+ is not so reliable in
this regard.

The Jabra Speak 510+ does not have any physical buttons or
controls. The touch controls for this unit are located on a
circular ring and are in fixed positions which can be learned with
a bit of orientation. A click is heard if you touch one of the
controls.

The Poly Sync 20+ uses a touch strip with controls for volume,
muting/unmuting, and answering a phone call. Different tones are
heard when you touch these controls. The Sync 20+ also has two
physical buttons on one side which are used for turning the unit
on or off and establishing Bluetooth connections.

Both the Jabra Speak and the Poly Sync have a built-in USB Type-A
cable which you can use to connect to a Windows computer. Both
devices (note the + in the name) come with a Bluetooth dongle
which you can use instead of the USB cable to provide a wireless
connection to your computer.

In my humble opinion, the documentation for both products is less
than perfect. The manuals can be downloaded as PDF files, but the
shapes and meanings of the various touch icons are not spoken
through your screen reader.

The two conference phone speakers discussed here are intended for
meetings with fewer than twenty participants. Anticipate paying
somewhere around $150 for either device unless you are very good
or lucky at bargain shopping.

If you are thinking about a hybrid chapter meeting where the room
and number of participants is much larger, consider acquiring two
Poly Sync 40 units and pairing them together. When you do this,
you now have two good speakers and two good microphones, all of
which are communicating quite nicely with your computer or
smartphone. Place the first unit near the person who chairs the
meeting and the second unit at the other end of the room, and you
have a winning combination.

I have successfully hybridized one local chapter meeting using the
Poly Sync 20+. There were no complaints about the audio. For those
of you who use a screen reader such as JAWS or NVDA, you will
definitely want to switch your screen reader to another audio
device such as an earphone. Fortunately, both screen readers offer
this capability on a laptop computer but not so much on a
smartphone.

Some final comments should be made regarding Zoom audio settings
for hybrid meetings. It is critical to change some of the default
audio settings in Zoom. These settings are not available in the
Zoom client for the iPhone, but they are available on a Windows or
Macintosh computer. Making these changes will help to avoid music
not being heard properly (e.g., sounding distorted) or wildly
fluctuating volumes when people speak.

 

*	Automatically adjust microphone volume should not be
checked. This will prevent wild fluctuations in the audio folks on
the remote end are hearing.
*	Suppress background noise should be set to its lowest
setting for, low, faint background noises. This, too, reduces
volume fluctuation, keeping things at a constant volume for easier
listening.
*	Original sound should be on for the meeting. This gives
the audio a slightly richer tone and quality as heard by remote
Zoom participants.
*	Stereo and high fidelity should be on. This is more
critical if you want folks to listen to music from a remote
location.
*	Under no circumstances should you disable echo
suppression. I tried doing this when I first started doing hybrid
Zoom meetings, and the result was, to say the least, disastrous.

If you have any questions about my experience with or thoughts
about the Jabra Speak 510+ or the Poly Sync 20+, please reach out
to me by email or phone. My email address is
chong.curtis at gmail.com <mailto:chong.curtis at gmail.com> , and I can
be reached on the phone at 303-745-0473.

----------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Heather Bird with her guide dog Ilsa.]


Guide Dog or Cane: It’s not Either/Or for Me


by Heather Bird

>From the Editor: Heather wears many hats in the NFB. She is the
chapter president in Rochester, New York, president of the
affiliate’s guide dog users group, and the secretary of the
Parents of Blind Children division in her state. She serves as the
coordinator of the BELL Academy for the affiliate, and she enjoys
her other hobbies and interests in what spare time she has left.
Here is what she says about guide dogs and canes and not guide
dogs versus canes:

I recently and suddenly needed to say goodbye to my guide dog
Ilsa. She went in a matter of hours from an energetic, intense,
and vibrant dog to an apathetic, lethargic, and distressed dog.
Within two days, she was gone. This was due to a very fast-growing
and therefore hard-to-detect cancer, and I was devastated.

 

I have been working guide dogs since age sixteen, and I have been
a white cane user since I was a preschooler. I grew up watching my
mother use a succession of guide dogs, as well as a white cane.
She took me all over with her, demonstrating a variety of travel,
advocacy, and problem-solving skills. My mother made sure that I
had a tiny little toddler-size white cane in my hand when I turned
two, fought with the school district to ensure that I learned
Braille even though they were intent on pushing print, and refused
to let me settle for lower expectations from those around me. I
knew I wanted a guide dog from the time I was about five or six,
and I also knew that I needed to have good cane and other travel
skills before that was ever going to happen.

 

I graduated from The Seeing Eye in 2016 with Ilsa, and she had
been at my side since the beginning of my relationship with the
NFB. This was in the summer of 2016, when I met with the
representatives from our state affiliate board in the process of
chartering a chapter in Rochester, New York. Then, in the fall of
2016 when I attended my very first NFB state convention, Ilsa was
there at my side when I accepted the charter for our chapter. Ilsa
had been at every chapter meeting that I have led and took me to
my first NFB national convention in 2017. She was there at my side
when I was elected to serve on the board of NAGDU in 2019. She
worked confidently through the streets of New York City whenever I
traveled there to teach the parents workshop concurrent with our
New York State BELL Program. She laid patiently under a table
watching me wiggle and twist and jump around teaching some
energetic dance/exercise moves on a large Braille cell on the
floor while conducting a mini-BELL presentation at our 2019 state
convention. She lay patiently as blind children petted her and
explored her harness. I explained to them that, while it might be
great to get a guide dog someday, they were going to have to have
excellent white cane skills and orientation and mobility skills to
be successful in life, regardless of whether they ever got a guide
dog or not.

Ilsa heeled patiently along beside me or heeled not so patiently
with my husband while I demonstrated cane skills to BELL students
and their parents during our enhanced BELL activities in 2021. She
had been at my side at every single NFB national and state
convention, our New York State leadership training, and the BELL
training, both held at the Jernigan Institute. She has been
prominent at our state legislative seminars in 2017, 2018, and
2019. She loved dashing at high speed through the tunnel
connecting the legislative office building to the Capitol
building. The picture I supplied to accompany an article several
years ago regarding the benefits of the free white cane program
featured myself and my two children, all with our NFB white canes
and Ilsa, sitting proudly up in her harness on the front steps of
our home.

 

Ilsa was also there, ready to jump into my arms when I picked her
up from guide dog daycare while playing at the Beep Baseball World
Series. She rode the Hogwarts Express with me at Universal
Studios. She was there on my son’s first day of preschool and
kindergarten. She got very adept at helping me to sneak stealthily
along behind my preschooler while he practiced independent cane
travel on our ten-block-long route from home to preschool and
back. The picture of Ilsa and me running together in a 5K has
appeared on the screens during many Zoom meetings for NFB- and
non-NFB related activities over the last two years.

 

I had an especially proud moment during the 2017 National
Convention while I was assisting a friend who, due to a temporary
medical concern, needed to use a wheelchair. The strategy we
developed involved my propelling the manual wheelchair while my
friend used her cane to check the area in front of us for
obstacles. I had Ilsa on a special hands-free leash, and she
walked nicely alongside and was especially helpful when we needed
to explore a bit before proceeding. Our biggest concern was that
we avoid the stairs. When we knew we were close, I left my friend
temporarily and asked Ilsa to find them, which she did. I then
turned around and squared off with the top of the stairs at my
back and asked Ilsa to find my friend again. This she promptly
did. With those two reference points, I was able to proceed
onward, giving the stairs a wide berth. We used a similar strategy
when I asked Ilsa to find the elevators. I confidently returned to
my friend, knowing that muscle memory and navigation skills could
get us efficiently to the elevator.

While walking along through one of the main corridors, Lucas
Frank, an experienced and longtime trainer at The Seeing Eye, came
up alongside us. “Oh boy,” I thought, “We’re in for it; he’s going
to ask me why I’m not using my dog; he’s going to tell me what
we’re doing is dangerous; he’s going to criticize me; he’s going
to take my dog away!” All of these things flashed through my mind.
Instead, he simply asked me, “Hey, how’s it going?” After I told
him it was going well, he inquired, casual as can be, “Do you need
any help?” When I told him, “No, we’ve got it,” in a relaxed tone
of voice, he simply said something like, “Oh, OK, cool, see you
around.” I was so proud. I was proud of myself, I was proud of
Ilsa, I was proud of my guide dog school, I was proud of my
friend’s cane skills, I was proud of the teamwork between the
three of us—myself, Ilsa, and my friend—and I was proud of the
respectful attitude and high expectations of my guide dog training
program. I was proud to be surrounded by so many people traveling
independently with their canes and guide dogs all around us.

 

When we left for the urgent care vet, Ilsa was tired and wobbly on
her feet, and I was planning to simply take her on her leash. But
I brought my harness with me in case we needed to take a rideshare
at some point in our travels. She kept insisting on putting her
head through the harness and seemed distraught, so I put it on her
and worked her. Usually, you provide steady constant backwards
pressure on the harness so that the dog can provide resistance and
pull forward to guide you. This time I provided some pressure
backwards but most of the pressure gently upwards. This was to
help support Ilsa so that she could walk on her own and do the job
that she loved doing so much. It’s not fair to expect the dog who
is injured or ill to guide and help keep the team safe, so I used
my cane in the other hand to check for obstacle clearance. This
allowed me to safely give her back some of the independence and
dignity that she has provided to me over the years.

The tagline of The Seeing Eye is “Independence with dignity since
1929,” and dignity is something that I value greatly. While it is
not fair and it is not right, it is true that often the general
public perceives guide dog handlers as more competent travelers
than cane travelers. This incorrect assumption stems from the fact
that most people don’t understand how white canes are meant to
work. That is, when blind travelers encounter an obstacle with a
tap or a bump, the ignorant public believes that this is an
accident, a problem, a mistake, and it appears to them to be
awkward, or, in their uninformed view, makes the cane traveler
look bumbling or awkward. This, of course, is pure nonsense, since
a cane bumping into something is doing exactly what it is intended
to do—that is, to alert the user to the presence of an obstacle so
that they can explore and then navigate around that obstacle
safely.

I have spent a great deal of time over the years explaining to
kids that they shouldn’t be afraid to find things with their
canes. At the same time, I explain to their parents that
panicking, grabbing their kids, or scolding them for contacting
objects with their canes is ludicrous. However, being able to zip
quickly from point A to point B using a guide dog has real
advantages. This is so, especially in an unfamiliar environment,
one that I don’t need to navigate again anytime soon. Certainly we
face times when learning all the obstacles with a cane isn’t
really necessary. Being able to maneuver without distractions with
my guide dog while the public looks on appreciatively certainly
helps enhance my sense of dignity. I don’t take that for granted
and whenever possible I strive to educate the public that
traveling independently can be accomplished by a competent
traveler whether they have a cane or a harness in their hand.
Further, I try to help them understand that canes and guide dogs
are simply tools and that attitude, confidence, and a whole
variety of skills including map reading, cardinal directions,
route reversal, use of GPS, and other technologies goes into
making a good traveler. This is so whether they use a cane, a
guide dog, or both.

The tagline of the NFB is “Live the life you want” and for me,
living the life that I want involves having a well-trained,
well-socialized, and well-behaved guide dog as well as a cane of
the proper length, weight, and style. Of course, these serve along
with a whole host of other tools, techniques, and skills at my
disposal to meet my travel needs.

 

By the time we had left the urgent care vet and were transitioning
to the emergency vet, Ilsa was truly struggling to walk, and I
picked her up and carried her. I used my white cane while I did
it. Ilsa worked hard to keep us safe for six years, and because I
kept my cane skills up, I was able to, in the time of her need,
pick her up and help keep her safe or at least more comfortable.
There was nothing anyone could do at that point to keep her safe
from the cancer that was killing her. If I hadn’t brought my cane
along or hadn’t kept my cane skills up, I might have had to allow
someone else to carry her or been separated from her while she
went on a stretcher or some other conveyance. Instead, I was able
to hold her close and carry her where she needed to go.

When someone tells me, “When I get a guide dog, then I’m throwing
my cane away and never using it again,” I tell them, none too
gently, “Well, then you’re not being a very good handler are you?
The two of you are a team, you are partners. That dog is
responsible for helping to keep the two of you safe, as are you
when your dog needs you. That cane that you hate so much should be
a tool you can use to help return the favor. If you can’t do that,
then you can’t fully care for your dog.” It may sound harsh, but
that’s how I feel. When you’re responsible for a pet, a guide dog,
or a child, then you need to use all the tools and skills at your
disposal to do the best you can to care for them and keep them
healthy, happy, and safe.

I have an acquaintance whose guide dog was suddenly injured (this
was before ridesharing really existed), and she could not get a
cab company to come and pick them up. None of their sighted
friends or family were available to help. She went and got her
kid’s wagon, lined it with blankets, put her dog in it, got out
her white cane, and walked over twenty blocks to the veterinary
clinic. Did her cane whack and smack and bang into all sorts of
newspaper boxes, trash cans, and manhole covers on the way to the
vet? I’m sure it did. And did it look awkward or bumbling to the
uninformed sighted public who might’ve been watching? Yes, quite
likely. Did that matter to my friend? Heck no! Did that matter to
her dog? Absolutely not. Her dog’s injury was treated, and her
guide recovered and was back to work soon. My friend’s cane skills
saved her dog from a lot of suffering and waiting around. Her
proficiency with a cane kept the two of them from being separated
and got her dog care faster than she otherwise would’ve been able
to if she had had to rely on a sighted person to come and pick
them up hours later. Her dog trusted her just as Ilsa trusted me
to keep her safe and take care of them, and with the help of our
white canes, we did just that.

 

I can tell you that ugly crying for hours into a COVID mask can
give one a heck of a migraine. By the time Ilsa passed away right
around sunset, I was in severe physical and emotional pain. My
head felt like it was going to explode, my heart was aching, and I
felt empty inside, hurting like I’d been kicked in the gut. The
well-meaning clinic staff offered to take my hand and offered me
an arm so they could guide me out. Some people, when they’re
hurting, want to fall into someone’s arms, get a pat on the back,
or have someone hold their hand. I am not one of those sorts of
people. I didn’t want to be touched by anyone; I didn’t want to
touch anyone; I wanted to be by myself with my thoughts and my
memories and my grief. Because I had my cane, I was able to make
my own way out of the vet clinic. I used my cane, I carried her
harness, I cried, I called an Uber, I rode home in silence, and I
walked in the door, and hung her harness on its hook, but this
time I added her collar as well. Beside it I placed my white cane.

I knew I would apply for a successor guide and that I had hundreds
of miles yet to walk, some with a cane and some with a dog. But
right then, all I wanted to do was crawl into bed, cry my eyes
out, and then sleep like the dead for about twelve hours.

 

Finding a new match could take a month or perhaps two years,
because The Seeing Eye puts a lot of effort into finding the
correct match. The school endeavors to call people into class, not
based on how long they’ve been waiting or how prestigious they are
or how much they’ve donated to the school or how much they call
and pester the school for a class date. The important thing is to
have a good match that will increase the success of the team.
Whenever I find myself called up for a class, I know that I will
walk in the door using a white cane, not walking sighted guide
with a trainer. I will walk out the door holding a harness handle,
with my white cane folded in my purse. On my way in and on my way
out, I will walk with my head held high, with independence and
dignity, living the life I want.

---------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Deborah Kent Stein]


Objection Sustained


by Deborah Kent Stein

>From the Editor: Debbie Stein needs little in the way of an
introduction. She is a professional writer with many books to her
credit. She is also a Federationist whose long and distinguished
service would be the envy of any of us. For all of her
accomplishments, the one barrier she has not broken is the one
that stands between her and performing her duty as a citizen in
participating on juries. Here is her story:

The morning I went for jury duty, I was braced for the challenge.
Justice is supposed to be blind, but only a handful of blind
people have ever been allowed to serve on juries in Illinois. I
wasn't just there to do my civic duty; I was there to make a
statement.

As I stood in line to be assigned to a group for selection, a hand
seized my arm. With no introduction a woman ordered, "Come on.
I'll give you a pass so you can go home."

"No thank you," I said, twisting free. "I just got here."

I had to say it twice more before she let me get back in line.
When I reached the clerk, he told me, "Three C."

I followed a crowd of 3Cs to an auditorium, where we were told to
wait. We waited for more than two hours.

Finally, a bailiff announced that the judge would speak to us in
Room 214. As I followed my group out the door, another hand
clamped around my upper arm. At least this time the stranger
introduced herself. "I'm Sophie," she said. "The bailiff told me
to take care of you."

"Let go of me, please," I said. "I'm fine."

Sophie let go, but she insisted on escorting me to Room 214. "I'll
get you when the judge is done," she said. "Don't move."

Judge Matthias told us that being a juror is an important social
responsibility. If we were chosen to serve, it was our duty to be
impartial. We must not be influenced by outward appearances. We
must listen to the evidence and make an unbiased decision.

As soon as he dismissed us, I headed for the door, and I managed
to escape before Sophie came to get me. I followed the sound of
pounding feet, found the stairs, and headed down. At the first
floor I caught the rancid smell of cafeteria food, and when I
descended to the basement, I followed the clatter of silverware.
The line snaked out the door, but it moved pretty fast. The woman
behind the counter dished up a burrito and fruit salad, and I
loaded them onto my tray.

"What have you got?" asked the man at the register. "You gotta
tell me. I'm blind."

"You are?" I cried. "Me too!" I reached for his hand and we
slapped palms. He said his name was Thomas.

"I've got jury duty," I told him. "They tried to send me home, but
I'm still here."

"Hang in there," Thomas said. "Don't let them take you down!"

Sophie caught up with me as I finished my fruit salad. "I told you
to wait," she fumed. "I had to look for you all over."

"You didn't have to," I pointed out.

"I'll take you to the office now," she said. "They'll give you
your check."

"Not yet," I said. "I'm due back in the auditorium."

In the auditorium Judge Matthias called on members of Group 3C one
by one. He asked each person a series of questions. "Where do you
live? How far did you go in school? What magazines do you read?"
And finally, "Have you ever been the victim of a violent crime?"
One by one people were sent to wait in another auditorium or told
to go upstairs for further screening.

When my name was called, I stood up with my white cane in my hand.
But the judge didn't ask me any questions. "Come with me," he
said. "We need to discuss this."

I followed Judge Matthias into a back room. He introduced me to
the defense lawyer and the lawyer for the prosecution. "Each
lawyer has two peremptory exclusions," the judge explained. "That
means either lawyer can say no to two jurors without giving any
reason. But if I take you out of the pool myself, the lawyers
won't have to use any of their peremptories on you. I just need to
ask you a few things, to help me think this through."

No way was I going to serve. It was just a matter of who would
exclude me. I remembered Thomas saying, “Don't let them take you
down!”

"How could you understand the evidence that's presented?" Judge
Matthias asked.

"I'll listen," I said. I couldn't resist adding, "Impartially."

"Other jurors take notes," the judge said. "I don't suppose you
can do that."

"I'll take notes," I told him, "in Braille."

"Well, I suppose," the judge said. "But—but—I just don't feel
comfortable. I have to take you out of the pool."

On either side of me the lawyers murmured in relief. Their
peremptory exclusions were safe.

Hang in there, Thomas had told me. As I rose to leave, I said,
"Your Honor, I'd like you to know a few things about me. I live in
Chicago. I have a master’s degree. I read Smithsonian and National
Geographic. And I've never been the victim of a violent crime."
But not all crimes are physically violent. I wished I dared to
remind him of that.

"I'll give this some thought," Judge Matthias said. "Maybe next
time I face this situation, I'll make a different decision."

Sophie was waiting for me at the door. Of course she was. "I can
get my check now," I said. "I'm done. For today."

----------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Chad Allen]


Chad Allen: The Blind Magician Strolling Magic with Sighted Guide


by Chad Allen

>From the Editor: The idea of a blind magician has always been
fascinating to me, someone who can use illusion to play tricks on
sighted folks but who does not enjoy vision himself. I revel in
the thought because it hints at the wide diversity of occupations
in which we who are blind can compete. But, when it comes down to
it, I’m intrigued by this particular gentleman because my grandson
wants to be a magician and a card mechanic, and through the
kindness of Chad, Ethan was received courteously by a man willing
to help him who had no obligation to do it.

Here is an article that speaks to many things: alternative
techniques, the beauty of having a goal and achieving it, and the
flexibility to operate within what is too often narrowly perceived
to be the NFB philosophy. Here is the magic of Chad in his own
words:

I am a blind magician. I love to entertain people with magic—no
easy task. The mission is always to utterly astonish someone with
something impossible. Every magician works towards this important
goal when given the opportunity to do magic. It’s got to be a
surprise!

My own personal achievements in the Art of Magic include: an
appearance on Penn and Teller’s Fool Us and a performing
membership at the World-Famous Magic Castle in Hollywood,
California. I work on stage, at formal events, and for parties,
celebrations, and birthdays. I typically perform for adults.

I recently performed for the American Printing House for the
Blind, HumanWare, and the National Federation of the Blind in New
Orleans at the 2022 National Convention of the NFB. I was hired to
perform in celebration of these three organizations coming
together to develop a tactile graphics and Braille display for
blind users. I was expected to perform magic while guests ate,
drank, and socialized with each other during the event.

This genre of magic called strolling magic lets the performer
entertain guests with ordinary objects like playing cards, coins,
napkins, wallets, or anything else that typically fits in a
pocket. Magic is a lot about practice. There is a great amount of
preparation involved in making a trick work. When performing
strolling magic, I must be able to perform surrounded. I couldn’t
find a reasonable way to perform under these circumstances while
also using my cane. I always kept fumbling either the cane or the
cards. I have the skills of traveling with a long white cane, and
I can do magic, but I can’t do both at the same time. There’s got
to be a way to make this work.

I had nothing. I was stuck. The best I could envision on my own
was to either: 1) do it one handed (I’m not that cool), or 2) I
don’t do the gig.

This is not the first time I needed to turn down strolling magic
gigs. Sometimes, clients would allow me to set up a table in the
corner of the room. However, that’s not strolling magic. This
genre of magic happens to also be the most common kind of magic
for hire. Many magicians perform strolling magic exclusively.
There’s enough work out there to do that if you are ambitious.

In the past I felt forced to refer other magicians. I always
strive as an artist to provide my audiences with nothing less than
the impossible. I did not have the confidence to do it to my
expectations. I explained this situation to the President of the
NFB, Mark Riccobono, and he, without skipping a beat, said, “Why
not use sighted guide? We’d be happy to provide you with someone
so you can perform for us.”

I considered his recommendation and quickly knew that he was
right. Sighted guide while I perform strolling magic. I usually
felt weird asking potential clients for accommodations, but since
this was a NFB event, everything made sense. I’ll do the gig. Chad
Allen Magic is going to New Orleans!

Well, it worked. Jeff from the Jernigan Institute was asked to be
my sighted guide. We met about ten minutes prior to the event, and
I explained how I needed to know who was sighted and who wasn’t. I
needed to know if the group I planned to entertain was willing or
not to watch magic. I did not want to take away from people’s own
amusements. You never know if an old friend or a new flame is
happening at parties. Nobody wants magic over engaging
conversation with a friend or a loved one. I choose to increase my
odds by going to folks who are relaxed and in search of the next
opportunity. Often, that group is the most accepting to experience
magic.

Jeff explained to me who was eating and who wasn’t, who looked as
if they were simply spending time together or not available? I
asked him to check back from time-to-time to see if the people we
passed over were free. I need to be sure that everyone who wants
magic gets it.

My opening line was: “Hi, I’m Chad. And you are? I’m the magician
and like a vampire, I need to be invited. Would you like to
experience some magic?” We were in New Orleans, so the line was
well received.

I made tiny red balls appear and disappear to the astonishment of
guests. A ring vanished and reappeared on blind people’s thumbs
with gasps of, “How did you do that?” and “What? I felt nothing.
That’s impossible.” Braille playing cards signed by spectators
found themselves impossibly hidden inside wallets and pockets
throughout the small groups of guests. Coins moved without
detection from hand to hand, and cards kept rising to the top of
the deck magically. I was able to easily share my art with other
blind people like me. It was wonderful. It was a blast!

I had not performed strolling magic professionally for almost
twenty years. Now, I can’t wait to do it again! From now on, I’ll
coordinate with clients to supply a sighted guide for me. Thanks,
Mark, and the National Federation of the Blind for the lovely
assist, and please feel free to contact Chad Allen Magic for your
entertainment needs anytime. My doors are always open at:
www.chadallenmagic.com <http://www.chadallenmagic.com> . Mention
this article and I’ll supply a ten percent discount for any of my
performances. Thanks for reading!

--------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Joanne Wilson]

[PHOTO CAPTION: Pam Allen]

[PHOTO CAPTION: Julie Deden]

[PHOTO CAPTION: Jennifer Kennedy]


Owning Our Future: Continuous Revolution in Training through the
Organized Blind Movement 


>From the Editor: Often those who follow President Riccobono on the
day of the Presidential Report make some reference to the
difficulty in following him, but his construction of the agenda
left no doubt that his report was to be the start of a fantastic
afternoon. Dan Parker spoke with us about a race to the finish
line, and in this presentation, our three center directors and the
founder of the Louisiana Center for the Blind talked about our
joint race to the top. Here is the way President Riccobono
introduced this panel:

MARK RICCOBONO: We thought this item would be important to talk
about—the training centers that participate specifically as part
of the National Federation of the Blind. These are our training
centers. These training centers are independently managed, and
they have boards that are independent from the National Federation
of the Blind that are responsible for their operation. However,
they make a specific commitment to link to the National Federation
of the Blind through a memorandum of understanding, and it's not
just a written piece of paper. Not only do they bind their
operations to be guided by the Federation and subject to the
Federation's policies, which means that they're inevitably shaped
by us, but they also make a significant contribution to this
convention by shaping the expectations for blind people all over
this nation. They shape the future that many blind people have the
opportunity to experience.

What do I mean? Well, how many of you, like me, are a graduate of
a Federation training center? [Applause]

Tell me they don't have an influence on the convention!

Here we have our current directors of our training centers, but
also, we are honored to have with us on this panel the founder of
the Louisiana Center for the Blind. So please welcome Joanne
Wilson, Pam Allen, Julie Deden, and Jennifer Kennedy. [Applause]

JOANNE WILSON: Good afternoon. I'm Joanne Wilson, and as usual,
I'm going to begin with one of my favorite stories. This story is
about fleas. Now, if you take fleas and you put them in a jar, and
you put the lid on the jar, the fleas will try and jump out of
that jar. They'll jump once, twice, three times—each time banging
their head on that lid and then falling back down into the jar. If
you take the lid off of the jar, the fleas will continue to try
and jump out, but this time they will jump just right below where
that lid used to be. They never realize that, with one more push,
they would be free of the jar and would have freedom!

The real problem with blindness is not the loss of eyesight. The
real problem with blindness is the misconceptions, the
misunderstandings, the stereotype notions that exist about
blindness. And these misconceptions exist within blind people and
the sighted public. We are often kept in the jar.

In 1940 there was a group of blind leaders who said: You know, if
we are ever going to get out of this jar, we need to organize, and
we need to speak for ourselves. We need to tell what the new
truths are about blindness. So, the National Federation of the
Blind was started.

In the 1950s, some of our Federation leaders—Jacobus tenBroek,
Kenneth Jernigan, and others--said: we've got all these beliefs
about blindness. But now we need to put them into action. We need
to show that they really work so that the sighted world can see
that our ideas work, and the blind can see that as well.

So, in 1958 Kenneth Jernigan took over the worst agency for the
blind in the country. It was in Iowa and was the Iowa Commission
for the Blind. It was there that he started our first NFB center.
We had high expectations. He and we believed and continue to
believe that blind people can live normal lives, that we can live
the lives that we want. He put our philosophy into action with
conviction, with passion, and with real belief.

I was a student at Dr. Jernigan's NFB center in 1966-1967. Dr.
Jernigan used to have a lot of his students over to his apartment
when he was entertaining public officials, state legislators, so
that we could mix and mingle with them and educate them about
blindness. I was at one such dinner one night, and the dinner was
over, and I was hanging around the kitchen. Someone came up to me
and said, "Joanne, would you go refill the coffee cups of the
state legislators?"

I said, "Um, let Marge over there do it. She has a little more
eyesight than I do." So, Marge took the coffee pot and went and
refilled the coffee cups. I thought, whew! I got out of that one.

The next morning I got called into Dr. Jernigan's office. He sat
me down, and he said, "Joanne, what do you want to do when you
leave this training center?" By then I knew all the right answers:
"Well, I'm going to go to college, I'm going to become a teacher,
I'm going to get married and have children, and live a normal life
as a blind person."

He said, "Joanne, do you really believe that?"

I said, "I do."

He said, "But you wouldn't refill the coffee cups last night?"

I thought, that doesn't make any difference. What's that all
about?

He said, "Joanne, I want to tell you something. If you start
saying no to filling the coffee cups, pretty soon you'll start
saying no to crossing a busy street or cleaning your house or
taking a college class.” He said, “Life is made up of a series of
little things, and if you say no to the little things, pretty soon
the days will pass, the weeks will pass, the months will pass, and
the years will pass, and you'll never achieve the big things.” Dr.
Jernigan always said, "Philosophy bakes no bread, but without a
philosophy, no bread is baked."

Now let's fast forward to the 1980s. Diane McGeorge and the
Colorado affiliate were running around trying to reform sheltered
workshops in the state of Colorado. Joyce Scanlan and the
Minnesota affiliate were running around trying to close homes for
the blind in Minnesota. I and the Louisiana affiliate were trying
to kill a particularly awful piece of legislation for the blind.
Then suddenly, simultaneously, almost like spontaneous combustion,
in 1985 the Louisiana Center for the Blind was started. In 1987,
on the same day, the Colorado Center for the Blind and BLIND Inc.
were started. We did not compare notes on this, you guys. We did
not know what each other were doing. We had no idea that we were
planning these things. There was no thinking ahead about it. It
just happened because it was meant to happen.

Of course these three centers had the same expectations: the high
expectations that our first NFB center had. It had the same belief
in the normality of blind persons. It had very, very rigorous
courses in skills training. But the most important thing our
centers had, and have, is that we help our students develop their
own personal, defined philosophy about blindness. Our students are
pushed by words and deeds. Old notions that they have about
blindness, the old stereotype misconceptions, are taken out of
their heads and hopefully replaced with new truths about
blindness.

In 1998 there was the reauthorization of the Federal
Rehabilitation Act. In this reauthorization, there was a new
amendment called the Choice Provision. It was introduced by
Congressman William Jefferson from Louisiana because members of
the National Federation of the Blind asked him to introduce that.
What did this mean to us, this new provision? It meant that
disabled people that receive federal funds could choose where they
wanted to go for training and what kind of rehabilitation center
they wanted to go to. In this case, in this country right now,
there are probably ninety residential training centers for blind
people. But we had the right to choose, even if it is not in our
own state, where we want to go for rehabilitation training.

In 2001 the National Blindness Professional Certification Board
was started. This is a board that now certifies what we call
Structured Discovery Centers or NFB Centers. The centers are still
certified based on methods and philosophy. There are six such
centers now certified in our country. There are three state ones
and our three private centers.

I have one more very important and critical element that needs to
be part of our NFB Centers. The centers need to connect our
students with the NFB. Why? Because when the students leave the
centers, they will have a structure, a support group that will
continue to mentor them, give them role models, give them
advocacy, give them a network so that they can keep growing for
the rest of their lives as blind people.

Our students also need to be shown how to give back. And why not?
We're blind people. So a logical thing to give back is to the NFB.
Giving back is often thought as one of the secrets to happiness
and true equality. You know, I think each of us desires to give
our lives to something bigger than ourselves. You here in this
audience right now who are listening to these words are part of
our training. You are part of it because you are part of the
National Federation of the Blind. Yes, you can be the force that
pushes other blind people out of their jar and into new freedom.
Thank you. [Applause]

I now want to pass the mic on to Julie Deden, the director of the
Colorado Center for the Blind.

JULIE DEDEN: Good afternoon to my Federation family. I am honored
to be part of this panel, to be up here today to talk to you about
how our NFB training centers have transformed the lives of blind
people across the country and the world.

In 1978, forty-four years ago, I attended my first convention of
the NFB in Baltimore, Maryland. [Applause] I cannot believe that
it was so long ago, because in so many ways it seems like it was
just yesterday. I was eighteen and had just completed my first
year of college at the University of Colorado in Boulder. I had
floundered, and I was so scared that year because I did not use a
cane, and I did not feel good about myself as a blind person. I
was even afraid to go down for breakfast by myself. So I skipped
it.

Walking across campus one day, I fell into a drainage ditch
because I thought it was a sidewalk. I tried hiding my blindness,
my identity.

I attended my first chapter meeting in April, and even though I
did not know very much about the NFB, I picked up on everyone's
passion and caring and their excitement to teach me about being
proud to be blind. In May of that year, we all watched a film
entitled "We Know Who We Are." I actually still remember sitting
there, and at the end of the film, Dr. Jernigan says, "We know who
we are, and we will never go back!” [Applause] This sparked
something inside of me, and I began thinking that I did not need
to feel ashamed about being a blind person.

Life for blind people in 1978 was very different from what it is
now. There were no NFB training centers. Most of the training that
blind people received was limiting. We the blind were not in
charge, but rather we had sighted professionals dictate to us what
we could and could not do. At my first convention, I observed that
blind people mostly did not travel on their own. Blind people were
not using canes. They latched onto each other fairly often because
they didn't have the training they needed.

The Teamsters union came to that convention to help us organize
because hundreds of blind people were being paid subminimum wages
and being abused in sheltered workshops. We demonstrated at the
Federal Aviation Administration because blind people were getting
their canes taken away on planes. As you can only imagine, I loved
my introduction to the National Federation of the Blind.
[Applause]

I wanted to be part of this. I wanted to make a difference. But
first I had to figure out myself as a blind person. Today, when I
look back on my journey in the NFB, I can only thank all of you
from the bottom of my heart for taking me in, for believing in me.
I have learned and been mentored by so many and continue to always
learn.

Diane McGeorge and her husband Ray took me under their wings. Ray
encouraged me in his gentle way to use a cane. Diane took me to
North Dakota and to Wyoming to teach me about building the NFB. In
Wyoming she told me that I would need to be the emcee at a
banquet. I was really scared and nervous about this. She said,
"Julie, you can handle this."

It is often the case at our NFB training centers that we believe
in our students long before they come to believe in themselves as
blind people. Diane believed in me. This belief and the high
expectations that we have for our students at our centers build
them up and propell them forward so that they will believe in
themselves.

In 1988 Diane became the first director for the Colorado Center
for the Blind. Her love, commitment, passion, and understanding of
the NFB, along with her strength and tenacity, were key to the
center's success.

I never had the opportunity to be a student at one of our training
centers. My training came from the National Federation of the
Blind. I would not have had the understanding, passion, or belief
to direct the Colorado Center for the Blind if I did not have a
solid grounding and love for the NFB.

Several years ago many of us had a wonderful opportunity to visit
each other's centers. In Louisiana I felt right at home. Pam began
the day with announcements, just like we do in Colorado. She
encouraged one of the students who had a challenging travel route.
The energy at LCB felt just like the energy that I am lucky to
experience every day in Colorado.

When we visited Minnesota, one of their students was serving her
meal for forty, and there was so much celebration around this
accomplishment. Students were playing air hockey, and we could
hear the fun throughout the building. Blind people teaching blind
people: this concept was not accepted in the blindness profession
thirty years ago. Many still feel that it is dangerous and that
the blind who have blind instructors truly can't learn anything.

We have worked tirelessly to change this attitude, and we'll
continue to do this.

We have come a long way. Most of our staff members at our centers
have been students themselves. They have the passion and the
caring and the dedication that it takes, always encouraging,
teaching, and working right alongside each student. Our centers
have the best staff in the world, and we applaud them! [Applause]
They too are grounded in the positive philosophy of the NFB.

At our centers, our students always come first. We never take what
we do for granted, and we enjoy working with a wide variety of
people who just happen to be blind. We want every student to feel
welcome and to feel secure and excited to take on challenges. We
know that skills alone are not enough. That extra edge, that
confidence is the key to jumping into life and not letting
blindness stop us.

Just the other day a student came into my office and said, "Julie,
I really do not have time for rock climbing. I need to practice my
Braille."

I said, "I know you might feel a little nervous about climbing,
but I know you can do this." The student went climbing and came
back to my office the next day to thank me. She told me that
getting on the rock face and figuring out how to get to the top
was exhilarating. Somehow she felt changed.

This is what our training is about. What do we want the future to
bring for us as blind people? We have revolutionized the training
center landscape. We still have a long way to go. Most of the
agencies in the country are still run by people who have degrees
but do not have intrinsic beliefs in blind people. We in the
organized blind movement have shaken down many of the barriers
that we have faced. We still have much work to do. Remember this:
We know who we are, and we will never go back! Let's keep
building! [Applause] Let's look forward to our future, where we
are in charge of our training and our destiny. Thank you.
[Applause]

Next, it is my true honor to introduce to you Pam Allen, director
of the Louisiana Center for the Blind. I just want to say that we
in our three NFB Training Centers work really closely together,
and I love Pam and I love Jen, and I love Joanne. Here is Pam.

PAM ALLEN: Once upon a time, a long, long time ago in 1991, I was
very new to the blind community. I had been selected as an NFB
scholarship winner and had the opportunity to travel to this great
city to attend my first convention. Luckily, I have amazing
parents and family, but I needed to hear the positive message
about blindness from blind people themselves. I could never have
imagined where that path on which I embarked all those years ago
would lead.

The year prior to receiving my scholarship, when I first came to
the Louisiana Center for the Blind in Ruston for an internship, I
thought I was going to New Orleans. Clearly, I was geographically
challenged. What I experienced at LCB was like no other blindness
program I had ever seen. Joanne Wilson was the director, and she
also had five kids, and somehow she juggled it all, making it look
easy. Incredibly, Jerry Whittle as my Braille instructor, Ruth
Sager as my cooking and home management instructor, Suzanne
Mitchell, assistant director, and Arlene Hill as my travel
instructor were also all blind and were managing their lives and
families effortlessly. Joanne's love and mentoring were
invaluable!

When I came to the center for that May term, Barbara Pierce told
me that I would be immersed in the "heart of NFB philosophy" and I
could not have been nurtured in a more loving and challenging
environment. LCB was a place where people who barely knew me gave
me opportunities to grow and learn so many lessons. Joanne and the
staff and my peers believed in me and had high expectations for
me.

At LCB, I met incredible people who changed and enriched my life.
Many of them have become my closest friends and mentors. Roland
Allen and I worked together, and ultimately fell in love and got
married, and I could not imagine my life or this work without him.
Today as then, the dedicated staff share the journey with students
to build rapport, model independence and respect, and cultivate
lasting and meaningful relationships.

The NFB training model has transformed the landscape of our field.
We believed in the fundamental abilities of the blind and that,
with the right training and attitude, blind people could live
productive, independent, rich lives, the lives we want. Our
philosophy on blindness was perceived as radical at first (and in
some spaces still is). But as our students went out into the world
and did remarkable things previously not done by the blind, the
expectations in the field correspondingly changed. Once we proved
that it could be done, others began following our lead. The result
is higher expectations, better training, better philosophy across
the country, and brighter futures for all blind people.

We partner with various entities throughout the country to ensure
high quality adjustment to blindness training. Among the most
impactful partnerships is that of LCB with Louisiana Tech
University. The idea that blind people could run a university
program and train both blind people and sighted colleagues who
believed in our philosophy was unheard of. Just like our centers,
many waited for the Louisiana Tech program to fail, but it not
only succeeded, it flourished. The dream Joanne began and that Dr.
Bell and our dedicated team continues has revolutionized our field
and changed the lives of thousands. Now so many of our Louisiana
Center for the Blind and Louisiana Tech graduates are teaching
others, determining policy, serving as change-makers, and leading
in the field of rehabilitation.

The consumer-based Structured Discovery model sets our graduates
apart. Our alumni come from diverse backgrounds, life experiences,
may have additional disabilities, but they all are seeking hope,
possibility, and connection to other blind people, which is the
greatest gift of the NFB.

This hope, sense of possibility, and culture of shared connection
with other blind people is not fostered by one person alone, or
even a handful of people. It is cultivated through all of
us—including every single person in this room, those listening at
home, and those who came before to make our training center
possible. This hope, sense of possibility, and culture of shared
connection is the embodiment of the hopes and dreams of blind
people who themselves experienced the life-changing impact of
training, those who never had the opportunity to attend training
but believe in its power to transform the lives of others, those
who may never get the opportunity to attend training and yet know
the difference it can make so they help others to get there. It is
about the countless people at this convention who are serving and
leading and connecting in big and small ways to demonstrate that
message of hope and resiliency!

I see the tangible impact of our philosophy when I encounter
students heading out to find the theater to see Hamilton or when I
hear about a new job someone just accepted in corporate America or
when I ring the bell for someone who used their cane around their
family, or when I witness someone begin to view their blindness in
a more positive way or when I learn that someone was elected to
their child's school's parent-teacher organization or local city
council or when I hear stories of how people traveled abroad. The
list goes on and on.

Someone who worked at a non-NFB affiliated training center once
visited LCB and asked, "I hear everyone talking about positive
philosophy. What is this philosophy? We do not have a philosophy
of blindness at our center." I thought, "Oh, but you do! And
therein lies the problem!" Our philosophy is steeped in the
generations of advocacy, transformative thinking, love and
self-determination that gives us the freedom from fear, low
expectations, and isolation. We embrace and amplify this
philosophy and reject the limitations society tries to place on
blind people each and every time we ring our Freedom Bell!

Our centers work, our students succeed, and our philosophy
transforms because of our shared story regardless of when we
became blind. The analysis and critical thinking we cultivate
through Structured Discovery, the high expectations we set, the
communities we build, the safe and inclusive spaces we cultivate,
the transformation we engender. It not only changes the lives of
the individuals who attend our programs, but it changes the
landscape for the blind and the communities where we live, work,
contribute, and thrive!

The Federation remains invaluable in guiding us as we continue
revolutionizing and shaping the next generation of adjustment to
blindness training. Our shared philosophy on blindness was
informed by Federationists who had an unshakeable belief in the
inherent abilities of blind people. That positive philosophy
serves as the heartbeat and cornerstone of everything we do in the
Federation, including at our training centers.

Success of our NFB training centers is attributable to: 1) the
importance of philosophy regardless of a person's individual
learning style or experiences; 2) the sincere, unwavering belief
in blind people and their abilities; and (3) the power of the
ongoing connection with the NFB. For those contemplating training,
please know that you start where you are, and we will meet you
there; that blindness may feel overwhelming but it does not have
to stay that way; that you will be challenged to grow but also
supported in the process; that training will open doors; that
blindness doesn't define you; that you are surrounded by people
who care and by thousands who are there for you; that you are not
alone; that we and the world need your ideas and contributions;
that you can be successful, productive, and independent; that you
do have choices about who you become. You are the author of your
story, and the possibilities are limitless!

The journey I began in 1991 is not my journey alone, and it is not
a unique story. Our several thousand graduates share this journey
and story. They give the gift of our philosophy every day as they
interact with their families, friends, colleagues, and
communities. It is the greatest and most humbling honor and
responsibility of my life that I am part of our shared story, and
I'm so excited to be part of the journey as we write our next
chapter together. Let our Freedom Bells ring! (Rang bell) Thank
you!

I am so fortunate to work with dedicated colleagues here with me.
I love Joanne and Julie and Jen. It is now my pleasure to
introduce to you the director of BLIND Incorporated, Jennifer
Kennedy. [Applause]

JENNIFER KENNEDY: As you have heard from my colleagues, many of us
have impacted the abilities within the rehabilitation field. For
me, my journey in blindness began by not knowing anyone. At the
age of fourteen, I decided it was no longer a journey that I felt
the medical professionals could make. They couldn't change it. The
only thing that could change was what my future would look like.

My family and I struggled to understand why. Why had this
happened? What would my life be like? Who would marry a blind
woman? What kind of work would she do?

I had no idea that when Carl Jacobsen called me in the summer of
2001, those dark clouds that had surrounded us for four years as
we grieved vision loss were about to part. I entered the hotel in
2001 at the Philadelphia National Federation of the Blind annual
convention as a scholarship winner. Never before had I seen so
many blind people moving about happily, not being concerned about
the tools they were using or where they were going. They were just
out living. I couldn't figure it out. There were people who had
less vision than me who were kicking my butt! They were finding
their mentors in the audience with no problem. They were not
hunting through the hotel to find the perfect lighting to read
their large print agenda. How did I get to be that kind of blind
person?

They also called themselves blind. It didn't matter how much
vision you had; they were all blind people. I realized something:
the hierarchy of sight, the idea that your value is based off of
how much vision you had. I had internalized that in the three
years that I was a blind person. I didn't know it, but I really
believed that I would only be successful based on that residual
vision. The people who called themselves blind with that residual
vision did so proudly. How did I get to become that person?

Well, Pam already mentioned it: my training at the Louisiana
Center for the Blind. [Applause] I took a year off between my
first and second year of undergrad and spent eight months walking
through rainstorms similar to the one we had yesterday, suffering
through handmade pasta, transcribing Michael J. Fox's very first
autobiography, and walking seven miles for a hamburger down a
little road we call I-20. I figured if I could do all of that,
then crossing a college campus probably shouldn't be that hard.

I gave consideration as to what I would do next. I even considered
moving to Louisiana and starting my college career over. But what
would that mean? Did I really have the skills to continue as a
blind person? I knew I couldn't do that, that I had to prove
whether I really believed and could act on what I had learned. So,
back to Kent State University in Ohio I went.

Going back out into the sighted world meant taking a risk. It
meant I had to face the demons of not being able to keep up with
the work. It also meant that I needed to leave my dorm room and
not order pizza three nights a week as the prisoner that I had
become.

Over the next four years I did indeed live the life I wanted as a
college student. I stayed up late cramming for finals, and pouring
over research notes so that I could finish my papers on time. I
joined the Delta Zeta sorority and lived in a house with
twenty-nine other women. If you've never lived with that many
people, you should; there's endless numbers of people willing to
take you to Taco Bell at two o'clock in the morning. [Laughter]
And let us not forget the pivotal change of spending too many
hours on this thing called the Facebook.

Throughout my college career, I also continued to immerse myself
in involvement in the National Federation of the Blind. I spent
summers out building NFB chapters in Maryland with Richie Flores
and Sandy Halverson. I spent summers teaching at the Louisiana
Center for the Blind Buddy and STEP programs. It was through
teaching that I realized two things. First, I loved teaching. I
loved the process of people learning, the excitement that they
had. Second, I hated teaching technology and Braille. It was too
monotonous. There wasn't enough creativity. I needed something to
let me get up and move.

I was convinced though, as I was wrapping up my senior year in
2006 and 2007 that I had to be part of this movement. I was
already part of the people's movement--the National Federation of
the Blind--but I decided that the field of blindness
rehabilitation was mine for the taking. Off to the Louisiana Tech
program I went.

I want you to think about your very first cane. For many of us the
cane that was prescribed was the appropriate cane based on your
height and the hypotenuse to the ground by which mathematically
your stride should fit. It was at a national convention that
Derrick Williamson gave me my first NFB cane lesson and showed me
how incredibly important this tool was. Remember, I knew that
teaching Braille and technology weren't giving me that same jolt.
But I knew the Louisiana Tech program was using this cane, and I
had proven to myself over the many miles that I traveled that this
cane was powerful, beautiful, and the taller the cane, the faster
I could move. This meant I could keep up with my students who were
taller than me, which is hard to do when you're five feet tall. It
also meant I could wear whatever shoes I wanted at Washington
Seminar because the heel size no longer mattered.

As I worked my way through that rigorous course, I was reminded of
all the things that had happened and all the people who had made
that college possible. I was joining a small crowd of trailblazers
in 2007 once more. I was entering into a program that not only
said that the hierarchy of sight was false; it didn't take vision
to teach; it didn't take vision to be safe.

You could also build a high quality program with our Structured
Discovery approach to learning through a university program. This,
of course, was thanks in part to Joanne Wilson, Dr. Ruby Riles,
and Mr. Omvig. [Applause]

Structured Discovery to me is a nonvisual approach to thinking
about the world, gathering information, and a strategy for our
students to evaluate the world and make their own decisions. It is
not about how I perceive the world, how we as professionals
prescribe that you do something. The Louisiana Tech program has
grown many other professionals who are sitting among you today.

I run an NFB center, right, but that's not exactly how I got here.
I felt that there were some things that I still needed to prove to
myself, much like my journey in blindness training. Rather than
going to apply for a job at a training center where Structured
Discovery was the norm, I found a few fellow Federationists in
Virginia who would take me on. Melody Roan, the director at the
Virginia Rehabilitation Center for the Blind, and Maurice Peret
were my confidants in my first job. Because of Maurice's spirit
and grip and some of his really bad jokes, we were able to keep
the naysayers at bay. Nobody thought the blind guy would last. And
heaven help us when it was two blind travel instructors running
around the building! We made a great Bonnie and Clyde for a number
of years, and thankfully we only had a handful of run-ins with the
police.

I felt myself needing a change, and I knew that I had a lot to
share. But I also knew that I was interested in other places and
how they operated. Thus, I moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, and
worked for the Division of Services for the Blind. [Applause] Now,
the state agency in Utah—mind you, while they were a little bit
further ahead in their understanding of blindness—was just a
little skeptical about a blind travel instructor. A gentleman by
the name of Nick Schmittroth paved the way for me. Nick was one of
our very own Louisiana Tech graduates. He had been challenged with
a number of situations that I learned about after I took my job.
This included a supervisor who refused to supervise him. That
supervisor said, "Nope, I'm not going to do it. It's not safe."
Your own boss doesn't even believe that you can do it. So he was
required to report to what I believe was either an assistive
technology person or someone with a slightly lower rank. He was
given the hardest students that they had, those having multiple
disabilities and language barriers. But Nick stuck with it. It is
because of that, because of his commitment to what they were doing
in Utah, that I believe I was called to go. You see, Nick's time
among our rehabilitation professionals was cut short when he lost
his battle with melanoma. I am today still the only recipient of
the National Federation of the Blind scholarship in the name of
Nicholas R. Schmittroth the Third. [Applause]

While I did not know Nick well, I have always felt the spirit that
he and many others have had in their fights for us to be
considered real rehabilitation professionals. Now, as the
executive director of Blindness, Learning in New Dimensions, I am
the first of our Louisiana Tech University graduates to run one of
our own training centers. [Applause] While I did not come into
this position with quite the same challenges and struggles that
Joyce Scanlan did in the 1980s, I certainly feel that pressure to
make sure that the training opportunities for the blind of
Minnesota and the nation are always at the forefront of what we
do.

Additionally, this organization is governed by blind people, run
by blind people. I'd never worked at a place like that. In some
ways it is a little bit similar to state government because I have
seven bosses. However, these seven bosses are all sitting among us
with the highest of expectations, a much more fearful meeting than
I ever had working in the state agencies. This is an empowering
thing to be thinking of: to be the blind speaking for ourselves
thirty some years later in our training centers. Our centers are
constantly challenged to address new ways, new thinking
methodology, and still remain true to the confidence that we build
today. After all, that's what we do here in the National
Federation of the Blind. We challenge one another to examine our
own beliefs, the angles by which we approach things, try to find
ways to feel respected and welcomed among our community members,
and find value in each and every member.

We must continue to develop the teaching techniques that are used
by our blind brothers and sisters and our blind-at-heart members
because we do it best. Whatever comes our way, we have risen to
that challenge. This includes running training centers during the
time of the COVID pandemic. The Louisiana Center for the Blind,
the Colorado Center for the Blind, and BLIND Incorporated were the
only training centers in the nation that were open for
face-to-face instruction for a number of months. I cannot imagine
being a director and having to have my staff for twelve, fourteen,
or sixteen months working from home, and I'm so glad that the
National Federation of the Blind believed that we, too, could
operate safely in the time of the pandemic. [Applause]

We kept all of our employees. We did not furlough them, even when
times were tough. We knew how important it was to maintain
employment and a sense of purpose in a time when so many of us
felt lost. Pam, Julie, and I had many calls going, "What are we
doing? How do we handle this?" And it was comforting to know that
we were all trying to figure this out together. After all, it's
kind of scary when you're the new guy in the group.

We are required by our various state contracts to do things that
are related to employment, and we always have. We looked at ways
in which we could revamp our career programs so that they call
attention to things like reasonable accommodation, sexual
harassment, misconduct, diversity and inclusion, racism, building
a more welcoming community, and understanding boundaries and
consent, because that is what is required in the workplace and
that is what is required of a National Federation of the Blind
training center staff member. [Applause] I can tell you that with
all of the work that we have done and the meetings that we have
had with the directors across the nation of various blindness
agencies, they too recognize how important this is to the success
of employment for blind people.

I am often asked why BLIND Incorporated was not named the
Minnesota Center for the Blind. In my research of this, I will
offer you the following: Joyce Scanlan, our founder, thought hard
about the name. She wanted "blind" to be the prominent word. Much
like me and my understanding of what vision loss was, she wanted
blindness to be the thing that was in your face, and it was a
thing to be proud of. Structured Discovery really is exactly
learning in a new dimension. So blindness learning in our new
dimensions fits perfectly with the work that we do. We only fear
the word blind because of what society has thought that it is. We
only fear blindness because for many of us, myself included, it is
the unknown. And it is only because of the community of members in
this room that I believe and live out every day the conviction
that blindness need not be the thing that defines you, and it is
not the tragedy that society tells you it is. [Applause] I proudly
describe myself as a blind person. I encourage our students to
describe themselves as a blind person. And most importantly, I
encourage all of my staff and students to participate in the
National Federation of the Blind. It is because of each of you,
both in person and now online, that our programs have the track
record that they do. It is because of you that we continue to find
people in all corners of the country and the positive stories to
share with each other. It is because of you that for the last two
and a half years I have been in this job, I am still sitting here
today. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for believing in
our training centers, and thank you for believing in all of the
work that was done to get us here. [Applause]

MARK RICCOBONO: Let's hear it for our NFB training centers!
[Applause] We will continue to shape them, and they will continue
to shape us. Thank you to the leaders and founders of our centers
for giving us this legacy that we can continue to build on.

----------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Maurice Peret]


The Elephant in the Room: Where the Blind Work


by Maurice Peret

>From the Editor: Maurice is enthusiastic about many things but
none more so than helping blind people get good jobs. When he is
passionate about something and decides to write about it, we are
the beneficiaries. Here is what he has to say:

As we celebrate Blind Equality Achievement Month in October, I
would like to highlight the Where the Blind Work series from our
Center of Employment Opportunities (CEO), one of our Blindness
Initiatives programs. You can read more about it at
https://nfb.org/index.php/programs-services/employment.

This is an ongoing opportunity for us to hear from blind and
low-vision workers and professionals performing in a wide range of
jobs and careers. As we get the word out about this program, it
may contribute to helping to change perceptions and attitudes of
employers and of ourselves about what we can do by hearing from
blind people doing them.

As of this writing, we have heard from blind people performing in
professions such as:

*	Independently Employed Architect, Chris Downey

*	Freelance Graphic Designer & Project Cost Estimating
Consultant, Luis E. Garcia

*	Senior Vice President & Investment Management Consultant,
Gena Harper

*	Account Vice President, Certified Financial Planner, and
Retail Investment Management for Individuals at UBS Financial
Service, Harrison Hoyes

*	Chief Evangelist of GoodMaps, Mike May

*	Machinist and 2005 American Drag Racing League Pro Nitrous
Drag Racer, Dan Parker

*	Machine Operator & Teamsters Local 100 Shop Steward,
Cincinnati Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired, Dave
Perry

*	Operator and Journalist, Romeo Edmead

*	Custom Woodworker, Marcus Sands

*	Mary Kay Consultant & Nanny, Brittany Savage

*	Chemist and Research Director at Educational Testing
Service (ETS), Cary Supalo, Ph.D.

And Educators,

*	Jackie Anderson

*	Harriet Go

*	Brian Quintana

With over twenty years of professional experience in the field of
work with the blind, I have been employed in a variety of private,
integrated and non-integrated, and nonprofit work environments
that ranged from newspaper delivery and subscription sales to
telemarketing and fund-raising, industrial assembly work, teaching
cane travel and coordinating rehabilitation projects, talent
recruiting and human resources, and, presently, coordinating the
National Federation of the Blind Career Mentoring and Employment
Programs. One might surmise that if I can claim expertise in
anything based upon how much time I spent doing it, it might be in
searching for jobs. On this journey, I have directly confronted
public misconceptions and addressed employer inquiries about
blindness. Probably the most common curiosity that I have either
implicitly or explicitly encountered from employers, the
proverbial elephant in the room, has been what can a blind
employee actually do, and what will the cost be to the
organization? If there is one thing that I have learned well in my
many years as a job seeker, it has been the internalization of my
responsibility to successfully demonstrate an ability to perform
the essential functions of the job and to sufficiently articulate
what adaptations are needed to ensure success.

I cannot resist sharing a story that illustrates problem-solving
and quick thinking on my feet. During a stint of unemployment
while living in West Virginia, I received a phone call from the
local employment office asking if I was still interested in
working. I was rather taken aback since I could not recall ever
having gotten a call like this from what has become known today as
the American Job Center or AJC. The person on the other line
informed me that the employer would be outside the mall where a
Walmart was being set up, and workers were needed to unload
tractor trailers. I vividly remember asking, “Do you know who you
are speaking with?” I found it hard to believe that they were
contacting me in the first place, let alone whether they were
aware that I was blind. The caller clearly did not know me, but I
quickly answered that I would show up at the designated spot. So,
the next day off I went with my long white cane to find a few men
standing around waiting for the trucks to arrive. After figuring
out who the boss was, I announced that I was here to work. After a
few awkward silent moments, he asked, “Can you see?” I answered
frankly, “No.” Then came the negotiation. Since this was not, by
far, the first time I would encounter a sense of surprise and even
shock at my determination as a blind person to perform the job as
advertised, I was prepared to answer his objection. I told him
that I had a friend, a big guy who stood six foot five, who just
happened to be laid off from the railroad and who would be willing
to join me and provide whatever assistance it was thought might be
needed. The boss muttered something to the effect of “I don’t have
time to babysit you, but if you can come up with someone who you
can work with, fine.” With this opportunity on the line, I called
my friend and got his voicemail box, and I left a detailed message
about the worksite. I quickly called up another friend, a man of
more wiry and diminutive stature. He stood five foot six and was
laid off from his regular job in the coal mines. He answered and
ultimately showed up for the job. Eventually, my story was
verified when the original friend that I had described and with
whom I had left a message came out and put in a couple of days
work along with the rest of us.

Although we began working together on the same truck, as the day
progressed, my ability to work swiftly and independently became
clear, and we each migrated to different trucks for the duration
of the job. The boss made a point at the end to tell me that,
despite his earlier doubts, he was convinced that I was perfectly
capable of pulling my own weight and performing equally with my
workmates.

In my present-day capacity as a blindness professional helping to
prepare job seekers for success, the key elements I emphasize to
blind job candidates include problem-solving skills, ability to
navigate safely and independently in both familiar and unfamiliar
environments, and an ability to adapt and learn new technologies.
Outside of these blindness-specific elements, the expectations
must be the same, e.g., strong resume, including educational and
training background, effective oral and written communication
skills, good work habits, etc. The National Federation of the
Blind has a full complement of programs necessary to prepare blind
employees to be successful, including comprehensive blindness
emersion, confidence building, and academic and technical skills
training.

The NFB’s Where the Blind Work series is designed to demonstrate
the breadth and variety of jobs and careers performed by
individuals who are blind or have low vision. Just as with
everything we do as a people’s movement of the blind, this effort
requires your help and support. If you or someone you know who is
blind or has low vision is working in an interesting job or
career, we need to hear from you! For the eighty years of our
collective existence, we in the Federation have known that, given
proper training and opportunity, we as blind people can and do
compete on terms of absolute equality. The way we perform tasks
might not always look the same, but we know how to get the job
done effectively and efficiently. Through strategic partnerships
between employers and the National Federation of the Blind,
together we can ensure that opportunities for success begin to
bridge the gap of societal inequality that stubbornly persists
today.

Who will we hear from next in our Where the Blind Work series? You
may hold the answer. For more information or to tell us about your
interesting or unique job, contact Maurice Peret, Coordinator of
Career Mentoring and Employment Programs at 410-659-9314,
extension 2350 or mperet at nfb.org <mailto:mperet at nfb.org> .

----------

[PHOTO CAPTION: LaShawna Fant]


Connected to Her Purpose: An Interview with Mississippi’s Barbara
Hadnott


by LaShawna Fant

>From the Editor: Lashawna is well-known to many readers, and one
of her many talents is interviewing others so we may get to know
them. Here is her latest and appreciated contribution to our
becoming a closer family:

LaShawna Fant: Hello, Ms. Barbara. Thanks for agreeing to do this
interview. Let’s start with you introducing yourself to this
publication’s audience.

Barbara Hadnott: My name is Barbara Ann White Hadnott. I was born
and grew up in Jackson, Mississippi. My hobbies are singing,
reading, and public speaking. I find fulfillment in encouraging
and inspiring others. My fun time is spent shopping by way of TV,
the internet, and delivery services.

LF: Please tell us about your family.

BH: I am the fourth child of the crew. Two of my sisters are also
blind. We are very close-knit to our two other sisters and three
brothers. My mother and father were great parents. They knew
nothing about blindness, so they chose to bring us up by treating
us just as they did the other siblings. They had high expectations
of what we would do, how we would do it, and what we would become.
For example, we were expected to say Bible verses before meals and
before putting money in the offering plate. We were expected to
bring home good grades and to participate in school, church, and
community activities. We learned to roller skate, ride a bicycle,
and twirl the baton while marching through the neighborhood along
with the other kids.

LF: It’s wonderful that you grew up in a close-knit family. What
has been your journey of being a member of the National Federation
of the Blind?

BH: My journey with the Federation began one evening while
watching the CBS evening news. It showed clips of the national
convention, which was held in Baltimore, Maryland, in July 1981.
Shortly after that, I listened to Dr. Jernigan as he was being
interviewed on the Tonight Show. Closer to home, my long-time
friend and adopted sister, Gwen Stokes Byrd, asked me to go to the
national convention held in Phoenix, Arizona. This was in 1984. Of
course, my sister, Patricia White Montgomery, and I went and had a
great time. It was at this convention that I met Wilbert L.
Hadnott Sr., who became my husband in August the following year.
Also, that same year, my sister and I attended our first state
convention which was held in Meridian, Mississippi.
Fast-forwarding to 1994, while living in Shreveport, Louisiana, my
husband and I joined the Jackson Chapter of the Mississippi
affiliate. After his death on November 9, 1996, I returned home to
Mississippi and continued to grow and serve in the Jackson Chapter
and the state affiliate under the administration of President Sam
Gleese. Some of the offices I held were affiliate 1st and 2nd vice
president, secretary of the Jackson Chapter, and chapter and
affiliate board member. Chairing our annual walkathon and
coordinating registration for our state convention were times of
excitement, enjoyment, and fulfillment for me. My sister, Rhonda
White, and I also became responsible for producing materials in
Braille. I had a lot of help with everything that I did because
most of my family and some of my friends were very active members
and became involved and supportive of all of my endeavors. I still
currently serve on the membership committee of the Jackson
Chapter.

LF: What do you like to do for fun or hobbies?

BH: I am an avid reader of both audio and Braille books. I enjoy
spiritual and inspirational books. I also like reading religious
fiction, historical fiction, mystery and suspense, and books and
short stories by African-American authors. I have always sung in
various choirs, including church, school, and in the community. I
will never forget being a member of the chorus of Porgy and Bess
performed by the Shreveport Opera. I also sang in the Congress
Choir during the National Congress of Christian Education of the
National Baptist USA, held in Houston, Texas, in 1999. I will
always remember this because I was only a few feet away from Rev.
Jesse L. Jackson as he delivered the message that night. I also
enjoy traveling, especially before the pandemic. I often tell
people that I am still sheltered in place.

LF: I enjoy reading and singing, as well. Ms. Barbara, please let
us know about your education and your vocational experiences.

BH: I received my early education at the Mississippi School for
the Blind, where Mrs. Martha Louise Morrow Foxx served as its
first principal, teacher, and house mother. The school had its
beginning for black boys and girls on the campus of Piney Woods
Country Life School, founded by Dr. Lawrence C. Jones. Actually, I
attended the school while it was located on Capers Avenue in
Jackson, Mississippi, and was valedictorian of the class of 1971.
Four years later, I graduated from “Thee I Love,” Jackson State
University in 1975. In fact, two of my sisters and I received our
undergraduate degrees between 1974 and 1975. My field of study was
Mass Communications. After graduation, I enrolled in graduate
courses at Jackson State University in the same field of study.
During the years that followed, I completed several correspondence
courses through Hadley School for the Blind.

With regard to work, my places of employment include Mississippi
Industries for the Blind, Mississippi Disability Determination
Services, the Advocacy Center in Shreveport, Louisiana, Goodwill
Industries of Mississippi, and Mississippi Department of
Rehabilitation Services, where I retired in 2016. Specifically, I
worked at the Addie McBryde Rehabilitation Center for the Blind as
an instructor of various assistive technology software and
devices, interacted with the clients through various
group-oriented programs, and was one of the faces and voices who
provided outreach for the Center. After two years, I returned to
the Center, where I continue to work part-time in retirement.

LF: Mentorship is important. Why have you mentored many people,
especially those who are blind?

BH: Each of us has the ability to persuade others. I have always
wanted to influence others in a good way. I wanted to encourage
others to maintain a positive attitude and to be all they could be
by reaching their fullest potential. I also wanted to keep others
from making some of the same mistakes as I did and to help them
avoid some of the obstacles and barriers that are still out there,
especially for those who are blind. What better way is there to
serve others than through counseling and teaching individuals to
navigate through parts of their life journey?

LF: Who have been some of your inspirations and why?

BH: Time does not permit me to really answer that question, so I
will mention a few groups of people. First of all, I would have to
say, my family. They have always been supportive and have been
there for me. Next would be the church. Through ministry and other
experiences, I have learned a lot and have been able to share that
knowledge and experience with others. The friends I have made
through school and college have been a blessing for a lifetime.
The Federation family, local and national, has been a life-changer
for me. It has helped me to be more independent, grow personally,
and bravely meet and overcome the challenges of life. My work
experience has afforded me the best training possible in
leadership and staff development and has enabled me to work with
others successfully. Through Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., I
have gratefully served the community by working with various
projects and programs.

LF: Ms. Barbara, you have inspired so many along the way, too. How
do you want people to remember you?

BH: I want people to remember me as one who believed in the
almighty God and strived to live by His Word. I want my life to
speak for itself. As an old gospel song says, “May the Work That
I’ve Done Speak for Me.” Additionally, I want to be remembered as
one who liked sharing with others by helping to meet their needs
and providing some of their wants.

LF: Thanks again for sharing segments of your life in this
interview. Do you have any final words?

BH: I would just like to say that life is precious, and for me, as
a person who is blind, life is challenging, but it has been oh so
rewarding and very fulfilling. I challenge others to live their
life purposefully, intentionally, and Godly.

----------


You Can Make a Difference 


Blind children, students, and adults are making powerful strides
in education and leadership every day across the United States.
For more than eighty years, the National Federation of the Blind
has worked to transform the dreams of hundreds of thousands of
blind people into reality. With support from individuals like you,
we continue to provide powerful programs and critical resources
for decades to come. We sincerely hope you will plan to be a part
of our enduring movement by including the National Federation of
the Blind in your charitable giving and in your estate planning.
It is easier than you think.

 

With your help, the NFB will continue to:

*	Give blind children the gift of literacy through Braille.
*	Promote independent travel by providing free, long white
canes to blind people in need.
*	Develop dynamic educational projects and programs to show
blind youth that science and math careers are within their reach.
*	Deliver hundreds of accessible newspapers and magazines to
provide blind people the essential information necessary to be
actively involved in their communities.
*	Offer aids and appliances that help seniors losing vision
maintain their independence.


Plan to Leave a Legacy


The National Federation of the Blind legacy society, our Dream
Makers Circle, honors and recognizes the generosity and vision of
members and special friends of the National Federation of the
Blind who have chosen to leave a legacy through a will or other
planned giving option. You can join the Dream Makers Circle in a
myriad of ways.


Fixed Sum of Assets


You can specify that a fixed sum of your assets or property goes
to the National Federation of the Blind in your will, trust,
pension, IRA, life insurance policy, brokerage account, or other
accounts.


Percentage of Assets


You can specify that a percentage of your assets or property goes
to the National Federation of the Blind in your will, trust,
pension, IRA, life insurance policy, brokerage account, or other
accounts.


Payable on Death (POD) Account


You can name the National Federation of the Blind as the
beneficiary on a Payable on Death (POD) account through your bank.
You can turn any checking or savings account into a POD account.
This is one of the simplest ways to leave a legacy. The account is
totally in your control during your lifetime and you can change
the beneficiary or percentage at any time with ease.


Will or Trust


If you do decide to create or revise your will, consider the
National Federation of the Blind as a partial beneficiary.

Visit our Planned Giving webpage
(https://www.nfb.org/get-involved/ways-give/planned-giving) or
call 410-659-9314, extension 2422, for more information.

Together with love, hope, determination, and your support, we will
continue to transform dreams into reality.


Ways to Contribute Now 


Throughout 2021, the NFB:

*	Sent nearly one thousand Braille Santa and Winter
Celebration letters to blind children, encouraging excitement for
Braille literacy.
*	Distributed over five thousand canes to blind people
across the United States, empowering them to travel safely and
independently throughout their communities.
*	Delivered audio newspaper and magazine services to 126,823
subscribers, providing free access to over five hundred local,
national, and international publications.
*	Gave over six hundred Braille-writing slates and styluses
free of charge to blind users.
*	Mentored 232 blind youth during our Braille Enrichment for
Literacy and Learning® Academy in-home editions.

Just imagine what we’ll do next year and, with your help, what can
be accomplished for years to come. Below are just a few of the
many diverse, tax-deductible ways you can lend your support to the
National Federation of the Blind.


Vehicle Donation Program


The NFB accepts donated vehicles, including cars, trucks, boats,
motorcycles, or recreational vehicles. Just call 855-659-9314
toll-free, and a representative can make arrangements to pick up
your donation. We can also answer any questions you have.


General Donation


General donations help support the ongoing programs of the NFB and
the work to help blind people live the lives they want. You can
call 410-659-9314 and elect option 4 to donate by phone. Donate
online with a credit card or through the mail with check or money
order. Visit our Ways to Give webpage
(https://www.nfb.org/get-involved/ways-give) for more information.



Pre-Authorized Contribution


Through the Pre-Authorized Contribution (PAC) program, supporters
sustain the efforts of the National Federation of the Blind by
making recurring monthly donations by direct withdrawal of funds
from a checking account or a charge to a credit card. To enroll,
call 410-659-9314, extension 2213, or fill out our PAC Donation
Form (https://www.nfb.org/pac) online.

If you have questions about giving, please send an email to
outreach at nfb.org <mailto:outreach at nfb.org>  or call 410-659-9314,
extension 2422.

----------


Monitor Miniatures


News from the Federation Family


A New Chapter in our Texas Affiliate:

On Saturday, August 20, the National Federation of the Blind of
Texas formed its Bay Area Chapter. The chapter is located in
Alvin, home to our affiliate office, and it serves Brazoria and
Galveston counties. These are communities south of Houston.

Our officers are: president, Kayleigh Joiner; vice president,
Tamer Zaid; secretary, Heidi Tran; treasurer, Emily Gibbs; and
board member, Glenn Crosby. Congratulations to the new chapter and
those who have chosen to and have been elected to serve.

First Blind User to Explore with New Tactile Map:

>From the Editor: Nathan Ostergaard is the president of the Utah
branch of the Blinded Veterans Association. He writes to tell us
that he wants to share his good fortune at being given the
opportunity to try a new tool.

As a result of an invitation of the United States Capitol
accessibility office, I was given the opportunity to be the very
first blind user of the US Capitol's new 3D tactile map. This new
tactile map replaces its 1988 predecessor. It was installed the
previous night, August 23, 2022.

At approximately 10:40 a.m. on August 24, 2022, I was able to
demonstrate the use of the new and greatly improved tactile map
displaying the US Capitol area in a quite detailed model of
monuments and important buildings, streets, and other features
with distinct textures for touch. This was a project overseen by
the US Capitol accessibility office. I was able to experience both
the old version on prior visits and the new version on this latest
trip, and I am greatly excited about all the many new tactile
features of this new map. It is very wonderful and a great new
addition to the Capitol for blind and visually impaired visitors
to our nation's capital.

In Brief

Notices and information in this section may be of interest to
Monitor readers. We are not responsible for the accuracy of the
information; we have edited only for space and clarity.

Applications Now Being Accepted for 2023 Ski for Light
International Week:

The Forty-Eighth Annual Ski for Light International Week will take
place from Sunday, January 29 through Sunday, February 5, 2023, in
Granby, Colorado. Ski for Light, an all-volunteer nonprofit,
organizes an annual, week-long event where blind and
mobility-impaired adults enjoy the sport of cross-country skiing.
The event attracts approximately 250 skiers, guides, and
volunteers from throughout the United States, as well as
international participants. During the Ski for Light week, each
participant is paired with an experienced, sighted cross-country
skier who acts as a ski instructor and on-snow guide.

This winter, attendees will ski and stay at Snow Mountain Ranch,
part of the YMCA of the Rockies, located near Winter Park. In
addition to skiing on one hundred kilometers of wide and
wonderfully groomed Nordic trails, participants will have the
opportunity to compete in the Olav Pedersen Race/Rally and enjoy
many off-snow activities.

“I Discovered Ski for Light at the 2012 event, and my life
changed. Through skiing and the opportunities to work with other
Ski for Light enthusiasts, I began to imagine what was possible
and spent less time and energy dwelling on what I could no longer
do after experiencing vision loss,” wrote skier Tim McCorcle.

If you have never before attended what many have called “the
experience of a lifetime,” please consider participating in the
2023 Ski for Light International Week. Registration forms and
pricing for skiers, guides, and volunteers are now available at
www.sfl.org <http://www.sfl.org> . The website also provides
additional details about the event and frequently asked questions.
For more information about participation by individuals who are
visually impaired or other aspects of the program, contact the
Visually Impaired Participant Recruitment Coordinator, Bob Hartt,
at bobmhartt at gmail.com <mailto:bobmhartt at gmail.com> , or call him
at 703-851-8149.

Monitor Mart

The notices in this section have been edited for clarity, but we
can pass along only the information we were given. We are not
responsible for the accuracy of the statements made or the quality
of the products for sale.

For Sale:

I have a Bose Life Style V35 Home Audio Theater System. It
Includes Jewel Cube speakers with an acoustic module, and all
wiring connections. It is in excellent condition and provides
excellent sound for music and movies. I am asking $2,600 or will
entertain other offers. Please email Bob by writing to
bobac8dz at gmail.com <mailto:bobac8dz at gmail.com>  or call me at
734-281-8025.

----------


NFB Pledge


I pledge to participate actively in the efforts 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.

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