[NFB-Muslims] Fwd: [Brl-monitor] The Braille Monitor, October 2023
Heather Albright
kd5cbl at gmail.com
Mon Oct 2 21:09:13 UTC 2023
Asalamu alaykum wa Rahmatullah inshallah, I know we have several
international members especially from Africa and i enjoyed one of the
articles about the country in West Africa, Liberia. I know not all west
African nations are the same but,
the NFB is trying to make changes all threw out the world. They have
several nations inAfrica that hoast an NFB chapter. It only takes one
person to be the change in their community.
salaam wa-nor sister Heather
-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: [Brl-monitor] The Braille Monitor, October 2023
Date: Sun, 1 Oct 2023 20:54:09 -0700 (PDT)
From: Brian Buhrow <buhrow at nfbcal.org>
Reply-To: buhrow at nfbcal.org
To: brl-monitor at nfbcal.org
The Braille Monitor, October 2023 – The Braille Monitor, October 2023
The Braille Monitor, October 2023
BRAILLE MONITOR
Vol. 66, No. 9 October 2023
/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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NFB-NEWSLINE® information: 866-504-7300
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<http://Facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind>
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<http://YouTube.com/NationsBlind>
Letters to the President, address changes, subscription requests, and
orders for NFB literature should be sent to the national office.
Articles for the /Monitor/ and letters to the editor may also be sent to
the national office or may be emailed to 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/
© 2023 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 slot and insert the thumb drive.
It will insert only in one position. If you encounter resistance, flip
the drive over and try again. (Note: If the cartridge slot is not empty
when you insert the thumb drive, the digital player will ignore the
thumb drive.) Once the thumb drive is inserted, the player buttons will
function as usual for reading digital materials. If you remove the thumb
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. 66, No. 9 October 2023
Contents
Illustration: Celebrating our Work throughout the Movement
Together Living Blindfully: Perspectives on the Wisdom of the Shared
Blind Community
by Jonathan Mosen
Blindness, Hope, and Belief from Liberia to Littleton and Back
by Dan Burke
Idaho’s Blind Share Our Stories on YouTube
by Ramona Walhof
Yes, Virginia, Chapters Can Pass Resolutions
by Daniel Garcia
Guillory Presented the National Educator of Blind Children Award
by Cathi Cox-Boniol
Gary Van Dorn, “Go to Guy” at NFBCO, wins Minoru Yasui Community
Volunteer Award
by Cindy Piggott
Reflecting on the Ten-Year Anniversary of the Marrakesh Treaty
by Marc Maurer
We Should All Live Ambitiously
by John G. Paré
Aiming Big to Achieve Our Objectives
by Jeff Kaloc
Progress on Medical Access and Equal Wages
by Justin Young
My Journey of Discovery, Risk, and Reward
by Jesse Shirek
Save the Date: 2024 Washington Seminar
by Kyle Walls
/Monitor/ Miniatures
[PHOTO CAPTION: Mark Riccobono gives the September Presidential Release
at a Chicago restaurant with many NFB members in attendance.
[PHOTO CAPTION: NFB members clap and cheer for Dan O’Rourke’s completion
of the Ride for Literacy.
[PHOTO CAPTION: Mark Riccobono addresses the crowd at the Ride for
Literacy finale at the Chicago Public Library.
[PHOTO CAPTION: Dan O’Rourke speaks to the members at the Ride for
Literacy finale.
[PHOTO CAPTION: Mark Riccobono and Dan O’Rourke pose with Chicago
Chapter Ride for Literacy Committee, Michelle Ault, Patti Chang, Dustin
Cather, Marilyn Green, and Denise Avant.
Celebrating our Work throughout the Movement
On September 8, 2023, the last of several “pit stop parties” along Dan
O’Rourke’s Route 66 Ride for Literacy took place in Chicago, the city
where the historic highway he had just traversed reaches its end. A
preview of the celebration took place the night before as President
Riccobono broadcast the /Presidential Release Live/ from the Exchequer
Pub in downtown Chicago, and the pictures here come from that event. In
addition to celebrating Dan’s accomplishment, the release highlighted
the work of the Chicago Chapter through presentations by Chapter
President Denise Avant and Debbie Kent Stein, who spoke of both the
chapter’s history and its current initiatives. You can access their
remarks and the rest of the /Presidential Release Live/ at
https://nfb.org/presidential-releases. The event was a fitting
culmination of Dan’s journey, which had featured visits with several
other chapters and affiliates along the way, and an opportunity to once
again highlight the work that takes place in communities across the
nation every day in order to amplify the impact of the organized blind
movement. Similarly, this issue of the /Braille Monitor/ contains
several articles that highlight efforts by chapters, affiliates, and
individuals to advance our goals and spread our message. October is
Blind Equality Achievement Month, when chapters focus specifically on
community events to celebrate achievement and advance equality. We hope
these articles serve as revealing snapshots of the inspiring,
innovative, and powerful accomplishments that occur throughout the
Federation every day and the unsung heroes that make them possible.
-------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Jonathan Mosen]
Together Living Blindfully: Perspectives on the Wisdom of the Shared
Blind Community
*by Jonathan Mosen*
*From the Editor: The National Convention agenda listed Jonathan Mosen
as “CEO, Workbridge, and Producer and Presenter, /Living Blindfully/;
Wellington, New Zealand.” While accurate, the notation does not begin to
describe all that Jonathan Mosen does or all the ways in which he has
informed, inspired, and influenced the global blind community. It is no
exaggeration to say that he is a world thought leader in our movement.
Nor is his advocacy any less fierce and forthright for being delivered
with grace and good humor. With his characteristic humility, Jonathan
acknowledges that he might not be the advocate he is today without his
early contact via computer bulletin boards, that were not even yet known
collectively as the internet, with Federation philosophy as expressed in
the writings of Dr. Jacobus tenBroek and Dr. Kenneth Jernigan. The
thoughts that he shared with the convention on the morning of July 6
show that he absorbed that content, built upon what he learned, and has
now taken his place as a critical voice providing wise direction for the
work that still needs to be done so that “living blindfully” is also
living with equality. Here are his remarks:*
Thank you, Mr. President, for the introduction and for the invitation to
speak today, and good morning to my friends in the Federation.
I am delighted to be at another NFB convention. When I attend one, I
always feel replenished, ready to make more positive change, and prouder
than ever to be blind. [Applause]
Among the many things I’ve done in my life, I have a background in
radio. After all these years of hosting shows about blindness current
events, technology, providing entertainment to our community, and
raising money for an important cause or two, I still believe in the
power of the internet to do good, to be a vehicle for sharing knowledge,
to have a place that’s uniquely ours where we’re not trying to explain
blindness to sighted people; we are exclusively, unashamedly talking
about the things that matter to us.
My current podcast, /Living Blindfully/, brings blind people together
from, at last count, 113 countries. [Light applause] /Living Blindfully/
discusses a wide range of topics including policy, philosophy,
employment, parenting, and more. We also talk a lot about technology
because it can assist with equal participation in society. It’s
technology I’d like to focus on today.
I do so mindful of the enormous responsibility this organization bears.
The companies that develop the major operating systems and much of the
hardware we use are based here in the United States. So blind people
everywhere are counting on you to be articulate, focused, and resolute,
advocating in a way that honors your proud traditions. Any success you
have in bringing about more accessible technology has a direct positive
benefit to many millions of blind people beyond your borders.
In an age where technology plays a critical role in all aspects of
society, the Federation has been relentless in its advocacy for
accessible technology as part of its pursuit of security, equality, and
opportunity. To assess the effectiveness of that advocacy, we only need
to reflect on how much more information we have access to in 2023
versus, say, 1983. Computerization in general, and the internet in
particular, mean it is easier for everyone to work, shop, bank, travel,
communicate, be informed, and entertained. The increasing digitization
of society was inevitable because of technological change. But the
social change required for the blind to be included was not.
Accessibility didn’t magically appear out of the goodness of people’s
hearts. It happened because people in this room, alongside many pioneers
in advocacy and technology who are no longer with us, and who we
remember with appreciation and respect, put in the effort and made it
happen. [Applause]
Achieving the degree of accessibility we enjoy today required the use of
a range of advocacy tools, including building strong relationships,
being thought leaders, and, when it was absolutely necessary,
legislative and legal action. It was true then, and it is still true
today, that even some blind people decry the advocacy necessary to win
those battles using terms like militant, radical, whining, and entitled.
Now, in January I became a grandfather for the first time. [Cheers]
Thank you for that. My little granddaughter, Florence, is adorable. One
of the many cool things about being a granddad is that I’m reading kids’
books again. (Just wait until Christmas when I hit the toy stores!) So,
the story of the little red hen has been on my mind lately. For those
who don’t know it, spoiler alert, the short version is that the little
red hen tried to get help to plant the seeds, harvest the wheat, and
bake the bread, but the other farm animals couldn’t be bothered. Oh but
when the bread was ready, they happily volunteered to eat it. Isn’t it
ironic that those who malign us as militant, who denigrate the doers,
who ridicule us as radical, who attack the advocates, who berate the
bakers of the bread, are publishing that criticism using the very tools
that wouldn’t have been accessible were it not for the advocates they’re
criticizing. [Applause] To those critics, I say the proof of the baked
bread is in the eating, and you can eat it even if you didn’t bake it.
To my friends in the Federation, you are the ones who make a difference,
so wear the badge with honor, and take pride in being little NFB hens.
We have baked a lot of bread, but the work is far from done. If the
bread does not continue to be baked, we will starve.
And I wish today to suggest some of the bread we must bake next. The
provision of assistive technology by mainstream companies has created
new advocacy challenges just as important as the battles we have won. I
don’t begrudge for a moment the accolades these companies receive for
their accessibility initiatives. I applaud the fact that we can now walk
up to most computers and smartphones and have immediate access to them.
We have life-changing tools, some of them blindness-specific, in the
palm of our hand for a fraction of what they used to cost. That is
staggering progress. But there’s a little secret that tends not to be
covered in the media. While impressive innovation continues at pace, the
quality and reliability of some of the tools we use remains a serious
concern, as resolutions at several NFB conventions have recorded. I’ve
worked in the technology industry, and I know that software cannot be
bug-free. But today we are enduring show-stopping bugs unique to the
blind that significantly degrade our ability to use some of these
devices. In my own advocacy efforts, I have found it useful to apply a
concept of equivalency. In other words, what would be an equivalent bug
for the sighted, and would it be such a show-stopping bug that the
sighted would demand a speedy resolution? I’ll give you a few examples.
I am not going to call out any company by name, but if these examples
are affecting you, you’ll know the companies to which I’m referring.
If your screen reader suddenly and regularly stops speaking, that would
be the same as a sighted person’s screen flickering and then completely
blanking out at random intervals. Do you think the sighted would
patiently wait for months until their screen worked properly again?
[Shouts of “No!” from the audience] The media would be all over this,
and would be calling it “screengate.”
If you’re typing on your smartphone using Braille Screen Input and
you’re regularly experiencing unexpected behavior that slows you down or
results in you typing gibberish, then that would be the equivalent of
the virtual keyboard being next to useless for a sighted person, causing
them to understandably protest loudly about them not being able to do
their job, communicate, input data, and close the deal.
If you are blind and wear hearing aids, and your screen reader is quiet
to the point of being unusable when you’re on a phone call, this would
be the same as a sighted person having their screen so dim every time
they make a call that they can’t see it well enough to use it.
If you, in good faith, install the beta of an operating system only to
find that your screen reader doesn’t work at all, that would be
equivalent to a sighted person installing a beta, understanding that
there may be defects, but finding with horror that their screen was
blank, making their device completely useless. And imagine what would
happen to the reputation of that company if it was later revealed that
the team responsible released that software knowing full well that this
is what it would do.
If you scrimp and save to buy a popular Braille display, only to find
you can’t connect your smartphone to it via Bluetooth because a protocol
about which there was an industry-wide consensus, and that the company
promised to support, hasn’t been implemented, this is the equivalent of
a sighted person buying one of the leading printers on the market today,
only to find that the operating system developer hasn’t kept their
promise to support it.
I could fill the remainder of my time with examples. If bugs like these
were happening to sighted people, it would be headline news. Stock
prices would plummet. Senior leaders would be filled with their email
boxes overflowing, and eventually fired to give the public accountability.
The eaters who are not the bakers will say that we must be realistic and
patient. We shouldn’t expect prompt resolution to blindness-specific
show-stopping issues. They say assistive technology isn’t the core
business of these mainstream companies, so things are bound to be a bit
rough around the edges. We must be grateful, and thankful, or they might
take it all away. We are a tiny fraction of their customers, so we must
wait our turn. Well, the bakers know, because they baked it, that there
is no legislation covering consumer rights, civil rights, accessibility,
or government procurement that says it’s OK for companies to provide an
inferior product to blind people. [Applause] But I’ve found plenty of
law that gives this sort of behavior a name. They call it
discrimination. [Cheers of agreement] The National Federation of the
Blind has always been clear. Discrimination will not stand. [Applause]
A poorer standard of product for the blind is not merely a legal issue,
it is a moral one. It is also a financial one. These large, successful
companies undoubtedly have the means to resource accessibility properly.
But when they prepare their annual budgets, they are allocating
resources in a way that short-changes you and me. [Shout of “That’s
right! from the audience]
I’d like to address these manufacturers directly. You have made a
remarkable difference to our lives. Working with us, you have helped to
ensure that there has never been a better time in history to be blind.
Thank you for all you have done and all you continue to do. But we are
not charity cases. [Applause] Were you not doing what you are doing, you
would lose the business of many entities who would no longer be
permitted to buy your products. So, the relationship is a reciprocal one.
Our money is as good as anyone else’s. [Applause] We express our thanks
like any other customer, by helping to return a profit to your
shareholders when we buy what you’re selling. When we do this, we create
a contract that you will provide us with a product that is fit for
purpose. We then integrate your technology into our lives, and we come
to rely on it. These products should not have such egregious
accessibility defects that a blind person requires two degrees in order
to operate them: one in computer science so we can work around all the
bugs, and the other in Zen meditation.
For those of us fortunate enough to have found work, our jobs were
usually hard won. We got them knowing full well the fundamental truth
upon which the National Federation of the Blind was founded: that the
problem of blindness is not the lack of eyesight, the problem is what
people think blindness means. [Applause] If we, competent blind people
on the job, cannot do our jobs as well as we’re capable of because of
serious defects in your products you decline to fix in a timely manner,
you are perpetuating myths about blindness by making us appear foolish
in front of our employers. You are jeopardizing the security of our
livelihoods. If there is bias in your defect assessment processes
causing our mission-critical bugs to languish because they only affect a
small number of people, you are preventing our equality by implying
through your inaction that we are second-class customers. If your
products are not dependable, you tantalize us with the promise of
opportunity, but it is a promise that is not fully kept. This must stop!
[Applause]
I want to propose the following four-point plan to ensure these products
become as dependable for us as they are for everyone else.
First, in consultation with the organized blind movement, all mainstream
technology companies offering assistive technology should agree on, and
publish, a framework that seeks to define a line where an accessibility
bug is so critical that it requires extraordinary remedial action beyond
the normal software release cycle. As a working title, let’s call this
the defect equity framework, or DEF for short.
Second, with the DEF in place, mainstream technology companies should
collaborate with the organized blind movement to resolve the
under-resourcing that is contributing to this situation. This must
include hiring more blind people. [Applause] We use it; we are the best
people to test it and fix it.
I want to take a moment to express my profound admiration and gratitude
for all the blind people working in any capacity on the technology we
use every day. They can’t ever completely switch off, because when it’s
time to stop thinking about work for the day, they are still blind.
Sometimes, they’ll be fighting battles on the inside we can never know
about. It can be tough work, but it’s vital work. So, let’s be kind to
our own who are doing this work. [Applause] We need them there, and we
need many more of us there.
Third, each company should establish a public database for accessibility
defects, so the blind can check what bugs have already been submitted
and what priority they have been accorded. We must have input into that
prioritization. Right now, too many of us feel despondent and frustrated
about volunteering our time and expertise to these companies, filing
detailed bug report after detailed bug report, only to be ignored and
fobbed off with a canned response and no progress updates.
And fourth, every Global Accessibility Awareness Day, mainstream
technology companies must do more than just publish marketing hype about
new initiatives. They must provide a transparent, independently audited
report that demonstrates progress as measured against the defect equity
framework.
Second-class status is something we stopped accepting long ago. This
proposal is a constructive, specific, better way. Let the blind and the
technology industry work together and get this done. But if they will
not work with us, we should not continue to accept the status quo. As
Dr. Jernigan repeatedly put it, we know how to join together on the
barricades.
Inadequate quality control is not the only advocacy challenge we face.
Sometimes, a mainstream company can kill our productivity with kindness.
It’s often said that activity should not be confused with achievement. I
would also submit that accessibility should not be confused with
usability. If we’re not consulted, well-intentioned sighted people may
cause an app or operating system to be so verbose—and frankly, so
patronizing—that it slows us down and adds no value whatsoever. Blind
people must be involved in all aspects of the user experience.
And finally, as we’ve always done, we must be vigilant about talented
people who, out of a genuine desire to make a difference, use their
talent to create something they assume blind people need. As Dr.
tenBroek so brilliantly put it all those years ago, my road to hell is
paved with your good intentions. This behavior is a high-tech form of
colonization. It is also the high-tech equivalent of that person on the
street who genuinely wants to be helpful, but without permission or
knowledge of our destination grabs us and assumes that we need help and
that they know where we are going. Knowing the needs of the market you
seek to serve is Business 101.
The ideas I’ve shared with you today are a mere snapshot of the
important discussions that we’ve had on /Living Blindfully/. I hope that
you will be a part of this vibrant, stimulating global conversation, as
well as continuing to do the work so many of us around the world rely on
you to do at the chapter, affiliate, national, and international levels
through the National Federation of the Blind. Let us all continue to
bake the bread of progress, never forgetting for a moment that we are
worthy, together, living blindfully. Thank you so much.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: At the end of their two weeks with us, our Liberian
guests each spoke to the assembled staff and students about their
experience at CCB and what they will take back to their blind students.
They also received certificates from Julie. Left to right are Nokutula
Ncube, Julie Deden, Noah Z. Gibson, Maureen Nietfeld, Suahibu Paasewe,
Miatta Kollie, and Dan Burke.
[PHOTO CAPTION: Noah Z. took advantage of our computer lab while his
colleagues learned Braille. He completed over half of the 40 typing
lessons in two weeks.
[PHOTO CAPTION: Our guests were diligent learners, but especially in
their Braille class. Suahibu and Miatta examine a Braille page on a
Perkins Brailler.
[PHOTO CAPTION: There are few if any sidewalks, especially in Liberian
villages, let alone paved roads. ITP student Noah B. walks with Miatta
on the bike path near the Center, just for the experience of something
other than concrete and asphalt.
Blindness, Hope, and Belief from Liberia to Littleton and Back
*by Dan Burke*
*From the Editor: This article originally appeared on the official blog
of the Colorado Center for the Blind (CCB) at
https://cocenter.org/blindness-hope-and-belief-from-liberia-to-littleton-and-back/.
It is an account of how a visit from an Uber driver with a willing
spirit but a lack of expertise on blindness led to a collaboration that
is helping to bring hope and opportunity to a part of the world where
those priceless things are not always available, especially not to the
blind. Here is how Dan Burke tells the story:*
Late in the summer of 2022, an Uber driver named Ebenezer Norman dropped
into the Center and asked to speak to Executive Director Julie Deden.
Norman, as he prefers to be called, unfolded the incredible and
inspiring story of his efforts to raise money to build a school in
Liberia, his country of origin. Liberia is a small country on the west
coast of Africa which was originally founded by former slaves from the
United States. Norman, who was fortunate enough to come to the US and
attend Regis University, knows that good education is the future for
children in Liberia and for the country as a whole.
Following many tribulations, including tragic losses which required that
the school be rebuilt twice, his school, A New Dimension of Hope, is now
teaching seven hundred to eight hundred Liberian children. You can visit
the school on the web at https://www.ndhope.org/ and view a video of
Norman’s story and the tribulations of getting his school up and running
at https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=LVeCG7_EhrM
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=LVeCG7_EhrM>.
Norman raises funds for his school. He has excellent administrators and
educators, textbooks, a computer lab—all the things to build and
maintain an outstanding education for all those children. But there was
another, unexpected problem that troubled Norman and school officials.
Blind children wanted to come to school, too, but they had no idea how
to teach those children.
To the credit of Norman and the faculty at A New Dimension of Hope, they
didn’t want to simply send those blind kids away. They wanted them to
also have the hope that education can bring. They wanted to teach those
blind children.
Norman found the Colorado Center for the Blind’s website and, while out
driving his Uber one day, made his way to the Center and talked with
Julie Deden, and a new partnership for Norman’s school and our Center
took hold. Julie, indeed all of us at the Center, were and still are
moved by the thought of blind children wanting so desperately to come to
school with their sighted siblings and friends, hungry for their chance
to learn. We believe that blind people around the globe are our brothers
and sisters, and blind children everywhere are our kids, too.
Last September, six educators from A New Dimension of Hope in Liberia
and a partnering school in neighboring Ghana came for two weeks. We
taught them all the Braille they could hold in that time, put learning
shades on them, and gave them lessons in traveling with a white cane,
taught them hands-on kitchen techniques, and generally did our level
best to instill in our guests the notion that blind people can learn and
become productive. Sadly, with few opportunities for blind people, many
must turn to begging to support themselves in both Ghana and Liberia.
Like Norman, these educators thought there could be more for those blind
children, should be more for them.
Liberia’s is a different physical environment than what most of us have
experienced in the United States. There are few paved roads and almost
no sidewalks or intersections with traffic lights. Many people in the
villages surrounding the school still cook over fires every day, so no
microwaves with tactile markings or Instant Pots with Bluetooth
controls. But knife skills and basic measurements and determining when
food is fully cooked are still useful. And so is the use of the white
cane so that blind children can travel more independently and safely in
their village and, soon, on their way to school.
For the past two weeks, we hosted another four educators from A New
Dimension of Hope, including the school’s principal, Suahibu Paasewe;
nurse, Nokutula Ncube; and math teacher Miatta Kollie. Once more, we
stuffed them with Braille, including lots of slate and stylus practice,
as well as some work on the Perkins Brailler. There was regular cane
travel under learning shades and time in the kitchen again. In fact, our
guests traveled back to the Center’s apartments with Independence
Training Program (ITP) students and instructors.
This group included the first blind person from Liberia we had the
privilege to host. Noah Zowie Gibson teaches history at A New Dimension
of Hope and another school. He is active in the United Blind Association
of Liberia and spent all the time he could using our typing program so
he could master the keyboard by touch. He finished more than half of the
program’s forty or so lessons in just two weeks!
For blind children everywhere, Braille is the bedrock of true literacy
and lifelong learning. In a small, poor country struggling to come into
the internet age, Braille is even more critical, if that is possible.
So, we are very grateful to the American Action Fund for Blind Children
and Adults for donating 75 slates and styli to A New Dimension of Hope
for the blind children to use at the school.
When it comes to technology access, we showed our Liberian guests how
the free, open source screen reader, NVDA worked with a Windows laptop
and on the internet. Since they have primarily Chrome Books in their
computer labs, we invited Showe Trela from Colorado’s Blind & Low Vision
Services to give a demonstration of the accessibility options with that
device’s built-in Chrome Vox screen reader. And our own Charlie Acheson
spent a couple of sessions with our guests discussing smart phones like
the accessibility features available on Android phones, as inexpensive
Android devices are most prevalent in Liberia.
“What struck me most was just how limited the opportunities were for
blind people there,” says Julie Deden. “We’re happy to do these small
things that can give those blind children greater opportunities in their
lives.”
Nonvisual blindness skills are essential elements for success, of
course. But that’s only one aspect of what we aspire to teach at the
Colorado Center for the Blind, whether we are talking about our
students, older blind participants, the kids in our youth programs, or
sighted members of the community, because skills aren’t enough without
belief—belief in the value of those skills, in yourself as a blind
person, and in the potential of all blind people to learn, grow, and
contribute. Belief is the secret sauce and, working with our guests from
Liberia, it is obvious that they were open to embracing that belief and
carrying it home to those blind kids who are so hungry to learn that
they will walk to the school and wait, all the while hoping for their
opportunity to learn.
For many of them, the next few months will bring the start of the new
school term and an end to waiting.
-------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Ramona Walhof]
Idaho’s Blind Share Our Stories on YouTube
*by Ramona Walhof*
*From the Editor: Ramona Walhof needs little introduction. She has
served in various capacities in the National Federation of the Blind for
the past six decades, including as secretary of the national
organization. Ramona is always eager to share what she has learned
through her various leadership roles with other national, affiliate, and
state leaders, and she has a knack for finding and explaining good ideas
to grow our movement. Even as she steps back from the spotlight, she is
still learning and sharing, and we all benefit from her wisdom. In this
article, she tells us about Idaho’s journey starting and maintaining a
channel on the video-sharing platform YouTube. Although Ramona
acknowledges that, like many of us, she still has much to learn about
making and editing videos, she understands the importance of visual
storytelling and has gained a great deal of insight about what kind of
content drives engagement. Here is what she has to say:*
I have been active in the National Federation of the Blind since the
1960s. I have held both state and national offices, and I have lived and
worked in four different affiliates, the latest being the National
Federation of the Blind of Idaho. Since I am growing older (I am almost
eighty), I am no longer a primary leader, which is as it should be. But
as long as I am able, I hope and believe that I will never stop finding
useful things to do. Long ago I learned that the best way to get
something done is to pitch in and do it yourself or to lead the way and
hope that others will catch the fever. They usually do.
In 2016, a member of the National Federation of the Blind of Idaho who
was a senior in high school offered to create a YouTube channel for us.
What a good idea to help more people learn about blindness and to give
our members a chance to share their stories! This young lady, Siera,
created the channel and helped us shoot an introductory video. Then she
moved out of state for college. For a while, we struggled to keep the
channel going. Our webmaster, Kevin Pirnie, put up a few more videos and
used some material from our national site. A few videos were shot at
state conventions. We added a few more during the COVID pandemic, but
none of this was enough to build real momentum. Too few of us had
experience shooting and editing high-quality video, and it was too
expensive to hire professionals more than occasionally.
I have always struggled with computer technology. I didn't get started
learning about it until after I retired, and using it does not seem to
come as easily as using things that I can get my hands on physically.
But recently I have had a teacher a couple or three times a month and
have been learning slowly and painfully to do some things with my
iPhone. Then I hired a reader who is a college student and is interested
in shooting videos. An NFBI member who is a YouTube afficionado also
began helping. Bailie Weir found some inexpensive Rode lapel microphones
on Amazon; these connect to an iPhone and produce good-quality sound.
Stephanie Cascone, who directs communications and marketing efforts at
the NFB Jernigan Institute, advised me to chop up some longish videos
into shorter ones for new posts. My daughter has editing experience and
is willing to do a limited amount. Our treasurer, Don Winiecki, has done
some simple editing as well. I recruited people I barely knew or just
met to shoot videos at our recent national convention in Houston, and
Linda Hurlock from Montana and Grace Anderson from Alabama shot some
particularly good stuff! Also during national convention, our Treasure
Valley Chapter President, Susan Bradley, shot some videos and learned to
operate WeTransfer, the platform we use to share the videos with each
other prior to posting. I want to take this opportunity to thank
everybody who has helped and everybody who has been the subject of one
or more videos, whether you are named here or not. With all of this
recent acquisition of knowledge, equipment, and helpers, our YouTube
effort has really begun to take off. We will have more people involved
as we go along, hopefully some from every chapter! I will never run out
of ideas for videos, and I know that more blind people from Idaho and
beyond have interesting stories to tell. So, as we grow our collective
capacity to shoot and edit videos, the opportunities to use YouTube as a
platform become more exciting.
One of the wonderful things about YouTube and other social media is that
there are ways of measuring whether your messages are reaching a wide
audience. YouTube shows us how many people view, like, and comment on
our videos, and this number is steadily increasing. As of this writing,
we have 120 subscribers and 125 videos posted, with an additional
twenty-five or so ready to be posted. Many people are intimidated by
social media because they are unsure what to post. We have found that
the only way to learn what messages resonate and engage our audience is
to try posting a wide variety of videos and then to observe audience
reaction. It is impossible to predict which videos will be most popular,
but videos of people using a white cane independently are often viewed
by many. Indeed, the first video on our channel to receive three
thousand views was of me crossing the street with my white cane. Not
surprisingly, kids are often fun to watch. Although a close-up of
somebody talking about a hobby or experience may be viewed a lot,
interesting locations and activities make a high number of views more
likely. The titles matter, too. They should be catchy, descriptive, or
both. Kevin Pirnie is naming most of our videos; one called “Beautiful
Blind African Lady Riding Idaho Cowboy's Horse into the Sunset” is very
popular. Kevin also creates themed playlists: state convention, Cycle
for Independence (our annual fund-raising bike-a-thon), national
convention, employment, BELL and Beyond, and "kids loving Braille.” At
last count, twenty-two of our videos had been viewed more than a hundred
times each, and this will change soon because several have close to a
hundred views. So far our highest number of views is 3,100, but you
never know when something new will take off. And you never know when
something not so new will suddenly get some attention. We shot a video
about library services for the blind which sat there with little
attention for a month or more. Then suddenly it shot up to 153 views in
a couple of days. It is fun for Kevin and me to track our video metrics
and learn from what we observe. Right now we have more than 21,000 views
altogether, and that number will hopefully be much higher by the time
you read this. This means that we have reached somewhere between 3100
and 21,000 people with a bit of the Federation message.
Our videos are intended to interest, educate, and entertain sighted
people about blindness and blind people. Of course, we also welcome
blind and low-vision subscribers and viewers, their family members, and
professionals, all of who may benefit from exposure to our positive
philosophy of blindness. The videos have turned out to be an excellent
way to help members learn more about each other as well.
I do not believe that every affiliate needs to do a similar channel, but
I do think it is wise for as many affiliates as possible to have a
presence on social media. Many affiliates already have a presence on
Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), TikTok, Instagram, or some
other platform. While some of these platforms allow text-only posts,
many also allow the posting of images and videos, and TikTok, like
YouTube, is primarily intended for video content. As mentioned in an
informative article in the July issue of the /Braille Monitor/,
affiliates are now being encouraged to establish a presence through our
new nfb.social instance on Mastodon. The NFB national channel there,
@nationsblind at nfb.social, is helpful to all of us and sets a high
standard. With all of these platforms, as Idaho has learned from our
YouTube experience, there is no substitute for posting items that might
be of interest and then seeing what sparks engagement.
I have plans for many more videos when I have time and have help to
shoot them. Perhaps I can eventually learn to shoot some of the videos
myself, as many of my blind friends do. In the meantime, I am always
looking for more help shooting, editing, and thinking up new things to
post. As long as the NFB of Idaho remains active and new people join, we
have new raw material! Everybody has stories worth sharing.
Our YouTube channel is an important part of our activities during
Blindness Equality Achievement Month, but like many such efforts, it
will be most successful if we keep it going strong all year long! Blind
Equality Achievement Month is intended to be a time when we share our
experiences as blind people with the public. While the in-person events
that we create during the month are a part of this sharing, posting
videos and other content expands the potential audience, allowing our
friends and neighbors to learn about our lives whenever they wish to do so.
The NFB of Idaho welcomes you to subscribe to Idaho's Blind on YouTube.
You can do so by visiting https://www.youtube.com/@idahosblind. We will
appreciate your comments, since feedback will help us create more
engaging content, but you are also welcome to just silently “lurk”
there. We often post five or six new videos in a week. You will
recognize some of your friends, and you will meet people you do not
know! If you want to contribute something, we love to receive videos
from outside Idaho as well. After all, you are our friends and our
Federation family! See you soon!
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Daniel Garcia]
Yes, Virginia, Chapters Can Pass Resolutions
*by Daniel Garcia*
*From the Editor: Chapters are the local organizational units of the
National Federation of the Blind, and they act not merely as social
clubs, but as a means for blind people to engage in collective action on
the local level. They can do the same things that affiliate conventions
and the national convention can do, including passing resolutions, as
long as their activities are in line with the national constitution and
do not conflict with affiliate or national policy. In this short
article, Daniel Garcia, president of the Kansas City Chapter of the
National Federation of the Blind of Missouri, explains how his chapter
and a neighboring one engaged in advocacy on local transportation issues
with which we can all identify through the passage of a resolution. Here
is what he has to say:*
In 1897, eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor
of the /New York Sun/ newspaper asking a most profoundly important
question: “Is there a Santa Claus?” The answer she received was an
unequivocal: “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.” In the same way
that many people are unaware of the true existence of Santa Claus, many
Federationists may not realize that passing resolutions is not the
exclusive purview of national and state conventions. Chapters can (and
should) pass resolutions. The Kansas City and Ivanhoe Chapters recently did.
The December 2022 issue of the /Blind Missourian/ featured an article I
wrote about how the Kansas City Chapter promoted the goals of Blind
Equality Achievement Month. In that article, I explained that I had
contacted the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) about
the inaccessibility of the application for the complementary paratransit
service. I then received a call from Lewis Lowry, Chief Transportation
Officer for the KCATA, and he agreed that the KCATA and the NFB would
work to resolve this issue. This conversation led to Mr. Lowry attending
our November 12 chapter meeting. In January and February 2023, we
attempted to contact the KCATA to continue our conversation about issues
of concern to blind Kansas City passengers. Our efforts were
unsuccessful, so during the March 18 chapter meeting, we passed a
resolution calling on the KCATA to meet with representatives of the NFB
of Missouri, Kansas City Chapter. The Ivanhoe Chapter passed a similar
resolution during its March 25 meeting. The text of the resolution
passed by the Kansas City Chapter is below.
As I was writing the draft resolution in February, I was reviewing some
old Kansas City Chapter records that have been given to me to sort and
upload to our affiliate archive. I was humbled by the realization that
what we were about to do on March 18 was nothing novel. The Kansas City
Chapter has passed resolutions before. It gives me great satisfaction to
know that our chapter is continuing a proud tradition of strong advocacy
in Kansas City.
A Resolution Regarding Improving Public Transportation for Kansas
City Passengers
WHEREAS the National Federation of the Blind is the oldest and largest
nationwide organization defending the rights of blind Americans; and
WHEREAS the Kansas City Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind
of Missouri is one of two chapters in Kansas City, Missouri that
advocates for the rights of blind Kansas Citians; and
WHEREAS the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority is a bi-state
agency responsible for providing public transportation in the Kansas
City area; and
WHEREAS blind Kansas Citians have experienced various problems with
public transportations recently including: the inaccessibility of the
application for the RideKC Freedom complementary paratransit service,
paratransit trips being canceled without the passengers’ consent,
paratransit passengers being picked up after the agreed upon time window
to initiate the trip, RideKC Freedom on-demand trips not being honored,
shortage of fixed-route bus drivers causing passengers to have to wait
for the next regularly scheduled bus, and fixed-route buses not
announcing the bus number and route at the bus stop; and
WHEREAS over the past few months the National Federation of the Blind of
Missouri, Kansas City Chapter has repeatedly tried to secure a meeting
with Kansas City Area Transportation officials to address these issues
and share ideas about how to improve transportation for blind Kansas
Citians; and
WHEREAS our efforts have so far been unsuccessful: Now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Missouri,
Kansas City Chapter, assembled this 18th day of March, 2023, that we
urge Kansas City Area Transportation Authority officials to meet with
representatives of the National Federation of the Blind of Missouri,
Kansas City Chapter, and reengage the Rider Advisory Board; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we call upon members of the city council and
Mayor Quinton Lucas to renew the Mayor’s Committee for People with
Disabilities; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Federation of the Blind of
Missouri, Kansas City Chapter will continue to advocate for improved
transportation services in the Kansas City Area by various means such as
contacting our elected officials, engaging in public relations to bring
media attention, and partnering with other like-minded organizations
representing people with disabilities and passengers.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Krystal Guillory]
Guillory Presented the National Educator of Blind Children Award
*by Cathi Cox-Boniol*
*From the Editor: Those who attended the Board of Directors meeting at
the 2023 National Convention, or who read about it in the
August/September issue of this magazine, may recall that Krystal
Guillory was surprised when, instead of simply being called upon to give
a presentation about the annual Braille Book Fair, she instead found
herself receiving the Distinguished Educator of Blind Students Award.
Others present were perhaps not quite as surprised as she was, since
Krystal is well known for her advocacy for blind students and her many
activities within the Federation. But she received the award
specifically for the work she does every day in the schools of Lincoln
Parish, Louisiana, and the local papers there took notice of the
recognition. This article originally appeared on July 14, 2023 in the
/Ruston Daily Leader/, the newspaper serving the hometown of both
Krystal and the Louisiana Center for the Blind. It is reprinted here
with the newspaper’s kind permission. Here it is:*
When Krystal Guillory headed to Houston for the National Federation of
the Blind conference, she had one thing on her mind—ace her
presentation. So, when her name was called as the recipient of the
annual Distinguished Educator of Blind Students Award, she was caught
completely off guard.
“I was in shock to say the least,” Guillory said. “Never in my wildest
dreams did I think I would win a national award for teaching. I pour
into my students daily, but I think as teachers we are always thinking
what’s next, and there’s so much more to do.”
A teacher of blind students for over twenty years, Guillory credits her
involvement in the National Federation of the Blind with dramatically
increasing her effectiveness in inspiring and motivating her students.
She also serves as coordinator for NFB BELL academies in the state of
Louisiana and is a board member of the Louisiana division of the
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children.
“Krystal Guillory has an outstanding track record of raising
expectations for blind students and their families in Louisiana, both
those whom she instructs directly and others throughout the state,” said
Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind. “She
is an advocate for Braille literacy, early cane travel, and other
critical blindness skills. She was instrumental in helping to create NFB
BELL Academy In-Home Edition to serve blind students across the nation
during the pandemic, and she enhances that program and other Braille
literacy efforts across Louisiana and the United States. These qualities
make her an outstanding recipient of our Distinguished Educator of Blind
Students award.”
The Distinguished Educator of Blind Students award carries with it a
$1,000 cash prize and an opportunity to address hundreds of parents of
blind students and network with other blind individuals and teachers of
blind students.
Pam Allen, Executive Director for the Louisiana Center for the Blind,
said the recognition was well deserved.
“Krystal serves as the treasurer for the NFB of Louisiana, is a loving
and devoted wife, mother, and leader in church,” Allen said. “She always
goes the extra mile and has incredibly high expectations. Because of her
creativity, commitment, leadership and dedicated service, the lives of
blind children and their families have been truly transformed.”
In addition to Allen’s submission, Guillory was nominated by several
individuals including parents of students she has served, students, and
colleagues. Because she wasn’t involved in the nomination process, the
honor came as a complete surprise.
“My colleagues and husband were all in cahoots on the nomination and I
did not know about it until I was at the conference and prepared to
speak about a Braille Book Fair that I help to coordinate,” Guillory
said. “I think that I am the first teacher that they have ever surprised
as normally the recipients prepare a speech.”
Guillory also gives credit where credit is due. Noting the support of
her husband Eric and the encouragement of Ruby Ryles, who championed the
push for Braille for students regardless of their functional vision, she
also offers gratitude for the immense support at the local level.
Sharing that Lincoln Parish benefits from supportive administrators,
colleagues and paraeducators that believe in blind children, she sees
the award as a recognition for a superb team.
“Pam Allen has been a huge support for me, my students, and families
throughout our state,” Guillory added. “She has never told me no about
any need when it comes to our students. She has helped us secure
teaching materials and equipment, supported families to come to
conventions, provided a means for us to have weekend events, and other
things. And while I am so blessed to have received the Distinguished
Educator of Blind Students award, I have only been successful because I
work with phenomenal teams filled with hardworking teachers and blind
mentors.”
In reflecting on how the award might impact her ongoing commitment and
work, Guillory is notably moved.
“As teachers, there usually aren’t many accolades received. We receive
intangible gifts—a student reading for the first time, a student
graduating with honors—but this tangible plaque is something I can have
in my classroom reminding me even in the long, hard days that I am
making a difference and touching lives. This award has rejuvenated and
inspired me to dream bigger for my students and the future.”
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Gary Van Dorn and Jean Kerr]
Gary Van Dorn, “Go to Guy” at NFBCO, wins Minoru Yasui Community
Volunteer Award
*by Cindy Piggott*
*From the Editor: Cindy Piggott chairs the Minoru Yasui Community
Volunteer Award Committee, which presents an award each month to an
outstanding volunteer in the Denver area. According to their website,
the award’s namesake was “a community leader dedicated to improving the
quality of life for all people. Educated as an attorney, Minoru Yasui
served as the Executive Director of the Denver Commission on Community
Relations for sixteen years and was a champion of civil rights. Mr.
Yasui died in 1986.” In August of 2023, the committee recognized Gary
Van Dorn, who was nominated by his Federation family. Here is the
profile that the committee shared with local readers through a community
blog hosted by the /Denver Post:/*
Gary Van Dorn’s motto is “to believe in the security, equality and
opportunity for the blind.” The blind should be able to do all the
things that everyone else can do! A sunny day on the 16th Street Mall
was the stage for the August celebration honoring Van Dorn with the
Minoru Yasui Community Volunteer Award in celebration of his
extraordinary volunteer efforts with the National Federation of the
Blind of Colorado.
The National Federation of the Blind of Colorado is made up of visually
impaired people of all ages, their families, and friends. Their members
and leaders provide advocacy and support to blind and visually impaired
Coloradans across the state. They work together to promote full
participation and integration of blind people in all areas of life. They
serve as an advocate for change when equal access and treatment of the
blind is denied. Their specific mission is to achieve widespread
emotional acceptance and intellectual understanding that the real
problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight but the misconceptions
and lack of information that exist. They do this by bringing blind
people together to share successes, to support each other in times of
failure, and to create imaginative solutions.
Van Dorn, who is legally blind, has worked for the past thirty years as
a policy/risk analyst for the Internal Revenue Service. During that
time, he also has volunteered at NFBCO, serving on its board of directors.
He attends every meeting of the [Federation] and provides professional
advice regarding tax code and filing expertise. Quietly outgoing, he
never seeks the limelight and always reaches out to new members on the
fringe of the organization making them feel welcome. Van Dorn is always
there to lend a hand setting up for conventions and meetings. He is the
“Go to Guy” for any and all transportation questions or general
information about Denver. His phenomenal memory provides accurate
detailed information for those he talks with to quickly access the
details they need or help them find the proper contact to answer questions.
In 2011, Van Dorn recognized that while NFBCO currently had a chapter in
the Littleton area, there was a significant need for a chapter that
would meet in downtown Denver. He sprang into action and organized the
Mile High Chapter, which meets in the downtown area on Wednesday
evenings. Van Dorn served as the president of this chapter from
2011-2015. He continues to serve as the treasurer of the chapter and
remains very involved.
Van Dorn’s focus is transportation. Public transportation is challenging
for people who can see. For those who are visually impaired or blind, it
can be harrowing. Van Dorn has served as an extraordinary advocate for
transit in the downtown Denver area. Not just an advocate, he is one of
the 16th Street Mall “project champions.” He volunteers as a board
member for the Downtown Denver Partnership and ensures that the mall and
the business occupants of the mall are aware of any accessibility issues
for the blind. He is actively involved in meetings regarding the Colfax
redevelopment project. He is the spokesperson for the blind for RTD and
frequently attends RTD meetings representing the Mile High Chapter of
NFBCO. Van Dorn pays particularly close attention to changes in routes
to ensure equal accessibility for the blind community.
As the organization’s Transportation Committee chairperson, Van Dorn has
inspired committee members to focus on critical issues affecting the
blind community. These include:
*
Ensuring that audible announcements on the 16th Street Mall Free Bus
work, even when the buses are detoured due to construction;
*
Working with the Denver International Airport to improve rideshare
pickup and drop-off procedures for the blind;
*
Studying state regulations governing transportation networks such as
Lyft and Uber to prevent price gouging; and
*
Collaborating with technology experts to ensure that transportation
schedules are non-visually accessible.
In his nominating letter, Curtis Chong wrote, “Mr. Van Dorn is a caring
and warm-hearted individual who never seems too busy to help someone in
need. He believes in the innate normality of people who are blind or who
struggle with other disabilities while at the same time, holding them to
a high standard of accomplishment.”
Van Dorn donated the $2,000 cash award to The National Federation of the
Blind of Colorado.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, ”The purpose of life is not to be happy.
It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it
make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” The Minoru
Yasui Community Volunteer Award celebrates those extraordinary
volunteers who make a contribution and change lives. They choose to
“live well.”
The Minoru Yasui Community Volunteer Award is now a program of Spark the
Change Colorado. Sponsors of this award include The Yasui Family, Lanny
and Sharon Martin, Lynne Butler, Don and Liza Kirkpatrick, Sharon
Bishop, About Time Awards, and MYCVA Committee members. If you know of
an extraordinary volunteer or would like to donate to this award, please
visit our website at www.minyasui.org <http://www.minyasui.org>.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Marc Maurer]
Reflecting on the Ten-Year Anniversary of the Marrakesh Treaty
*by Marc Maurer*
*Editor’s Note: On the afternoon of Monday, July 3, the National
Association of Blind Lawyers convened for its annual meeting. One of the
first items on the agenda was this presentation from Dr. Marc Maurer,
the Immediate Past President of the National Federation of the Blind.
Here is what he said to the gathering:*
The Marrakesh Treaty, officially entitled Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate
Access to Published Works for Persons Who are Blind, Visually Impaired,
or Otherwise Print Disabled, is a document created in a meeting that
took place in Marrakesh, Morocco, in June of 2013. The meeting was a
diplomatic conference attended by representatives from dozens of
countries, known by the cognoscenti as a dipcon. I was then serving as
President of the National Federation of the Blind, but I could not
attend the meeting because I was working to get ready for our 2013
National Convention. I sent Scott LaBarre to be our representative, and
a very fortunate choice that it was for us.
The World Blind Union had proposed that such a treaty be created in
2008, and the National Federation of the Blind strongly supported the
treaty. Long before we reached the gathering in Morocco, officials in
the Obama administration had tried to talk us out of the treaty. They
said they would support a non-legal international understanding (a “soft
law” approach they called it) that would facilitate lending accessible
books for the blind across country borders. They said that this would
have the same effect as a treaty. Getting a treaty adopted would be next
to impossible, they told us. Even if we could get it adopted, the Senate
would never ratify it.
Within a few months, we hosted an executive committee meeting of the
World Blind Union in Baltimore. Maryanne Diamond, who has served as
president of the World Blind Union, asked, “Why are you giving up
without a fight? Don’t you believe that we should share materials for
the blind throughout the world?” This changed the approach of the
National Federation of the Blind. We informed the Obama administration
that we wanted a treaty, that we would do our best to get it, and that
we would not settle for inferior substitutes that do not have the force
of law.
In Marrakesh, Scott LaBarre had the tricky assignment of finding ways to
negotiate the proper language for the treaty. He was required to be
sufficiently demanding to get the language in the treaty that we wanted
and sufficiently charming to get people to want the language to be
there. Everybody seemed to want to water down the treaty. Libraries
could (some people said) share books with each other, but they would
have to keep records of who borrowed the books and produce those records
on demand along with proof that the people borrowing them met the
definition of print disability. The librarians had a fit. They said that
they could not violate the privacy rights of all their patrons and that
the workload of keeping such records would be intolerable. The
publishers said that lending books in Braille would be fine but that
lending electronic books couldn’t be in the treaty. Blind organizations
from around the world said that the treaty would have to include
electronic books because the entire publishing industry was headed that
way. Some publishers said that recorded books could not be lent across
borders because a print book has its copyright, and as soon as you make
a recorded book, it’s a different book with a different copyright. The
new book has its own protection, and even if there’s a copyright
exception to the print book, it doesn’t apply to recorded material.
The arguments seemed endless. When Scott LaBarre got to Marrakesh,
thirty-seven distinct differences in language remained for discussion in
the proposed draft of the treaty. As negotiations continued, additional
differences in language and arguments about what the treaty should say
were presented by the representatives of the countries involved in the
diplomatic conference.
The proposed treaty was regarded with alarm by rights holders of
intellectual property from many, many different disciplines. Copyright
law in the United States is intended to protect the rights of those who
own the copyright. Most treaties dealing with copyright are written to
give added emphasis to the protections required for the holders. This
treaty was directed toward creating exceptions to copyright protections,
and the rights holders were worried that it might be the forerunner of
other efforts to loosen copyright protection. Not only the Motion
Picture Association of America but also Exxon Mobile, GE, Caterpillar,
Adobe, IBM, Association of American Publishers, International Publishers
Association, and many, many others opposed the treaty. Our job was to
change their minds or silence the criticism. Many of our opponents came
to recognize the value of the treaty and joined us in supporting it
before the end of negotiations. On June 25, 2013, the language was
complete. The final version was adopted on the 28^th .
In October 2013, the United States signed the treaty. Then began another
negotiation to get the treaty through the executive branch and onto the
Senate floor. Once again, the arguments seemed endless. The State
Department creates a packet of material to be presented to the Senate so
that the treaty can be considered. The treaty cannot come into force,
however, unless conforming legislation is adopted by Congress to bring
American law into line with the provisions of the treaty itself. When
the Senate considers a treaty, it can reject it or accept it. If the
Senate determines to accept a treaty, it can do so with exceptions,
known in the trade as RUDs—reservations, understandings, and
declarations. If the Senate loads a treaty with enough of these
exceptions, the force of that treaty is diminished. Scott LaBarre’s job
was to get a clean packet of material out of the State Department so
that the treaty could come to the Senate floor with as few exceptions as
possible.
In the meantime, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO),
the segment of the United Nations that deals with copyright around the
world, formed in the spring of 2014 the Accessible Book Consortium to
manage accessible titles that could be transported across borders to
libraries for the blind. Scott LaBarre served as one of the founding
board members of this international organization.
The State Department finally completed the package of materials for the
Senate in the spring of 2016. In the spring of 2018, the Foreign
Relations Committee of the Senate received testimony from the State
Department, the National Federation of the Blind, and others before
unanimously recommending the treaty for passage to the Senate. The
chairman of the committee noted that in a most unusual occurrence in
Washington, there was bipartisan, enthusiastic support for the treaty.
The Senate ratified the treaty by unanimous consent in June 2018 and
adopted implementing legislation to conform US law to the treaty
language. The House of Representatives adopted the same conforming bill
in September. The president signed that bill into law on October 9,
2018. In February 2019, an emissary from the United States carried a
ratification document to Geneva to indicate that the treaty was in
effect in the United States. The United States was the fiftieth country
to ratify the treaty. The title of the treaty, the Marrakesh Treaty to
Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who are Blind, Visually
Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled, is significant. In Marrakesh,
arguments occurred repeatedly that this title was too long, too
cumbersome, too verbose. Scott LaBarre said we have done all this work,
we have negotiated with so many for so long in good faith, we are not
leaving blind out of the title. It must show that this treaty is to
serve blind people. His argument to maintain the descriptive title was
successful.
Now, nonprofit organizations or governmental entities that have a
primary part of their business to serve as libraries for the blind can
share books across country borders for the use of the blind. The books
can be recorded, electronic, Braille, or large print. More than 130,000
books from the blindness collection in the National Library Service for
the Blind and Print Disabled of the Library of Congress have been shared
with the World Intellectual Property Organization. Almost 5,000 titles
from the World Intellectual Property Organization have been added to the
Library of Congress collection of books for the blind. WIPO has books in
eighty different languages, and since the adoption of the Marrakesh
Treaty, books in thirteen new languages have been added to the Library
of Congress books for the blind collection. According to the latest
information from WIPO, there are more than three quarters of a million
books in its collection.
The Accessible Books Consortium came into being only nine years ago. Its
collection of books being distributed for the World Intellectual
Property Organization will undoubtedly be one of the world’s greatest
libraries for the use of the blind. This happened because of the work of
the National Federation of the Blind, but especially because of the
contributions of Scott LaBarre.
----------
We Need Your Help
/Very soon after I went blind, I went to my first convention of the
National Federation of the Blind. Though as a six-year-old I was not
scared about my future as a blind person, learning about the NFB and
going to conventions showed me tons of independent blind people who I
could look up to. Real life superheroes that I could aspire to be like./
- Abigail
Blind children, students, and adults are making powerful strides in
education and leadership every day across the United States, but we need
to continue helping kids like Abigail. 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 can continue to provide powerful programs and
critical resources now and for decades to come. We 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.
*
Mentor young people like Abigail.
*
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.
Below are just a few of the many tax-deductible ways you can show your
support of the National Federation of the Blind.
LYFT Round Up
By visiting the menu, choosing donate, and selecting the National
Federation of the Blind, you commit to giving to the National Federation
of the Blind with each ride.
Vehicle Donation Program
We accept 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, extension 2430, to give by phone. Give online with a
credit card or through the mail with check or money order. Visit our
Ways to Give Page at: https://nfb.org/give.
Pre-Authorized Contributions
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
877-NFB-2PAC, or fill out our PAC Donation Form https://www.nfb.org/pac.
Plan to Leave a Legacy
The National Federation of the Blind legacy society, our Dream Makers
Circle, honors and recognizes the generosity and imagination of members
and special friends 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.
Percentage or Fixed Sum of Assets
You can specify that a percentage or 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.
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_
<https://www.nfb.org/get-involved/ways-give/planned-giving>) or call
410-659-9314, extension 2422, for more information.
In 2022 our supporters helped the NFB:
*
Send 371 Braille Santa and Winter Celebration letters to blind
children, encouraging excitement for Braille literacy.
*
Distribute over three thousand canes to blind people across the
United States, empowering them to travel safely and independently
throughout their communities.
*
Deliver more than five hundred newspapers and magazines to more than
100,000 subscribers with print disabilities free of charge.
*
Give over seven hundred Braille-writing slates and styluses free of
charge to blind users.
*
Mentor 207 blind youth during our Braille Enrichment for Literacy
and Learning® Academy.
*
Award thirty scholarships each in the amount of $8,000 to blind
students.
Just imagine what we will do this year, and, with your help, what can be
accomplished for years to come. Together with love, hope, determination,
and your support, we will continue to transform dreams into reality.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: John G. Paré]
We Should All Live Ambitiously
*by John G. Paré*
*From the Editor: John is the executive director of our Advocacy and
Policy Team, and he led the team in providing information about the
programs he supervises and the legislative proposals we support. Along
with his team, which some call the four J’s (John, Justin, Jeff, and
Jesse); they gave us both our progress and our marching orders. Here is
what John said to the 2023 National Convention:*
CNBC recently began promoting the tagline “Live Ambitiously.” Their
website includes a video where each of their anchors and newscasters
describe how their ambition helped get them to where they are today. I
wonder how many people think about blind people when they think about
living ambitiously. Do they think we have dreams of a good education,
rewarding jobs, a welcoming home, and a family? Or are their
expectations so low that they think we are happy to just sit at home
fighting inaccessible websites, applications, and technology?
The Cambridge Dictionary defines ambition as “a strong wish to achieve
something.” That’s exactly what I observe with the members of the
National Federation of the Blind. We are determined to live the lives we
want and we are willing to work as hard as necessary to ensure all blind
Americans have this opportunity.
This concept is not new for us. In his 1956 speech, “Within the Grace of
God,” Dr. tenBroek said: “Our access to the mainstreams of community
life, the aspirations and achievements of each of us, are to be limited
only by the skills, energy, talents, and abilities we individually bring
to the opportunities.” Not only are we individually ambitious, but we,
the whole of the National Federation of the Blind, have collective
ambition as well.
One example is our effort to pass laws and influence regulations that
would improve opportunities and protect the civil rights of blind
Americans. You will be hearing more about our specific bills in a few
minutes.
On May 18, Tony Coelho, the father of the Americans with Disabilities
Act, and Newt Gingrich, Speaker of the House from 1995 to 1999,
published an article on Websites and Software Applications
Accessibility. They said: “It’s about time that businesses embraced
digital accessibility as a key brand imperative and took ownership of
the role that web and software design play in the employee and customer
experience. People with disabilities should be able to universally
access technology even as new innovations occur.” We could not agree more.
We are working with Senator Duckworth and Representative Sarbanes to get
the Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act reintroduced in
both the Senate and House respectively. Regarding ADA website
accessibility regulations, the DOJ must move forward on both the Title 2
and Title 3 NPRM. They began this work in 2010. Twelve years is long
enough. The DOJ Civil Rights Division must move forward NOW.
On March 27, 2023, Elizabeth Schoen, a member of the National
Association of Blind Students, was scheduled to fly on JetBlue from
Minneapolis to Boston. But JetBlue refused to let her board her plane
because she was traveling with a guide dog. They said there was a
problem with her paperwork but refused to work with her to resolve the
issue. JetBlue employees even mocked her when she took the initiative to
call customer service. While she did not fly that day, Elizabeth did not
stop advocating for herself. She reported the problem to JetBlue and
filed a complaint with the US Department of Transportation.
On April 27, 2023, Al Elia, Justin Young, and I accompanied Elizabeth to
the Department of Transportation in Washington, DC, to meet with Blane
Workie, the Assistant General Counsel for the Office of Aviation
Consumer Protection. Elizabeth told her story once again reliving each
traumatic moment. It is because of Elizabeth and so many others who have
reported airline discrimination that we now have the attention of the
Department of Transportation. Blind people who travel with guide dogs
have the right to travel on airlines and we will do everything in our
power to protect that right.
California SB581 is a bill that would dramatically hinder our legal
advocacy in that state. Tim Elder, the president of the NFB of
California wrote the bill sponsor with our concerns and offered edits to
rectify the issue. At the last moment, the state legislature scheduled a
hearing on this and other bills. We contacted Shannon Dillon, who
coordinates our California state-level advocacy, and asked her if she
could attend and speak at the hearing. She dropped everything she had
planned and went to the state legislature for the morning hearing. After
several hours, the hearing was adjourned until the evening. Shannon went
home and then returned at 5:00 p.m. to learn that nearly forty bills
would be discussed. She had to wait until 10:30 p.m. to testify. As a
result of Shannon’s perseverance and persuasive testimony, I am happy to
report the bill was suspended.
Scott White is responsible for our NFB-NEWSLINE® service. NFB-NEWSLINE
is the largest and most effective newspaper and information service
available to the blind anywhere in the world. It is available via the
telephone, the web, the Victor Reader Stream, the NLS digital talking
book player, the Amazon Echo, and the IOS app. There are 577
publications and some portion of NFB-NEWSLINE is accessed every 1.4
seconds. Recent additions include the /Modesto Bee, Bismarck Journal,
Hickory Daily Record, Shanghai Daily,/ and /Kiev Independent./ There are
also TV listings for every cable and satellite provider, seven-day
weather forecasts, emergency alerts, and job listings. If you do not
already use NFB-NEWSLINE, I urge you to sign up.
Sean Seward is our manager of the Independence Market. He, along with
our organizational technology group, is working hard to launch our
eCommerce system. In the meantime, you can browse our catalog on our
website and order items by calling our main number. We have over 400
items in our catalog including white canes, Braille and audio watches,
kitchen aids, measuring tools, and games. We also have NFB logoed
shirts, jackets, and hats. If you don’t already have any NFB logoed
attire, check out our catalog.
United States Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens, once said: “We all have
dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful
lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.” Our
dream is a world where blind people can live the lives we want as valued
and respected members of society.
We will not let low expectations of blind people diminish our dreams for
an equal education.
We will not let low expectations diminish our dreams for employment and
career advancement. We will not let the discrimination we experience
diminish our ambition. When we encounter an inaccessible website, we
will demand that it is fixed. When we encounter an inaccessible medical
device, we will strengthen our advocacy. When regulations hinder our
opportunities, we will demand that they are changed.
This work is not easy but we are up to the task. Our resolve is
steadfast, our determination is relentless, and our ambition is strong.
We will work together with love, hope, and determination, and we will
live the lives we want ambitiously.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Jeff Kaloc]
Aiming Big to Achieve Our Objectives
*by Jeff Kaloc*
*From the Editor: As John Paré pointed out when introducing him to the
convention, Jeff Kaloc has experience as a staffer on Capitol Hill. Now
he brings that expertise to the other side of the table in helping us to
craft our legislative efforts. Here is what Jeff said to the convention:*
It is good to be with everyone here in Houston! The fact that you are
here at this convention, the largest gathering of blind people, speaks
volumes about what becoming a member of the National Federation of the
Blind means by expressing our voices, contributing to the organized
blind movement, and making progress each and every day!
Houston is known for many things. The same can be said about the entire
state of Texas. The saying goes that everything is bigger in Texas. Now
that I’ve been here a few days, I’d have to agree. Let’s keep that
sentiment in line with our goals, to aim big with our policy objectives.
The Access Technology Affordability Act’s support has grown enormously
since it was introduced several Congresses ago. With politics becoming
more partisan, it is refreshing to forward a bill that is bipartisan
because accessibility isn’t solely a Republican or Democratic policy, it
is an American ideal. The bipartisan support is evident in its
reflection of cosponsors. In the 117^th Congress, the bill had 165 House
cosponsors and forty cosponsors in the Senate. In the current Congress,
the 118^th Congress, the bill has been introduced by Representative Mike
Kelly, a House Republican, with Representative Mike Thompson, a
Democrat, as the lead cosponsor. In the Senate, the bill is sponsored by
Democratic Senator Ben Cardin and Senator John Boozman, a Republican, as
the lead cosponsor. The support for this bill has grown in other ways,
too. It is legislation known by committee staff and recognized by
Congressional leadership.
None of this progress would have been possible without our hard work and
dedication to advocate for this legislation. Whether it be attending
Washington Seminar, calling and writing your members of Congress,
attending at town halls, and being active on social media, we made sure
our voice was heard and this bill has gotten the attention it deserved.
We understand the importance of addressing the high cost of access
technology that places far too many blind people at a disadvantage.
Affordable access technology is often the determining factor to passing
a class or applying for a job opening. It allows blind people to
interact in the digital world that has now become a necessity for
everyday life. That is why we must stay vigilant in our efforts by
continuing to advocate until this legislation is passed and signed into law!
None of our advocacy would be possible without the ability to cast a
ballot. How can we feel that our ballots matter if it cannot be cast
both privately and independently? That is why we at the National
Federation of the Blind have been relentless in our efforts to ensure
that whether you choose to go to the polls or remain at home, voting can
and must be accessible for all blind Americans. We need to continue to
advocate for enhanced training at polling places. Poll workers need to
be properly trained and equipped to operate ballot-marking devices. We
need to ensure that ballot-marking devices are set up and fully
operational from the beginning of Election Day. In addition, we also
urge that more blind people become poll workers, thereby becoming
involved in the election process.
Since the pandemic, remote voting has increased significantly. Countless
states have allowed voters without disabilities to cast their ballots
from the safety and convenience of their homes. The same principle must
be allowed for blind voters. Thirteen states permit accessible remote
voting for the blind and print-disabled by allowing blind voters to cast
ballots through electronic ballot delivery and return. These states have
worked with security experts to ensure that this process is both
accessible and secure. Over thirty states have allowed for blind voters
to request a ballot to be delivered electronically. While this helps in
requesting and marking the ballot, the entire process is not accessible,
as it requires us to still print, sign, and return a ballot by mail. We
know there is a better way to provide security and accessibility
because, as mentioned previously, thirteen states allow electronic
ballot delivery and return.
These policies are more important now than ever. We now face new
challenges that impede our path to accessible remote voting. Relentless
attempts from organizations entrenched with ill-advised policies have
provided state legislatures and governors’ offices with misguided and
nonfactual information about election security concerns regarding
electronic ballot return—attempts cloaked in fear rather than expertise.
The baseless attempts have caused havoc, thereby stalling our efforts to
provide electronic ballot return in numerous states.
But the National Federation of the Blind has never been known to back
down from a fight! That is why we cannot stop our advocacy now. That is
why we are continuing our efforts to educate our lawmakers and state
officials about the practice that can be put into place to ensure
election security and enhance accessibility. Everything that we have
worked for is on the ballot in 2024, and we will continue to advocate
until every blind voter in the United States can vote with the same ease
of use as voters without disabilities!
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Justin Young]
Progress on Medical Access and Equal Wages
*by Justin Young*
*From the Editor: John Paré told the convention that Justin Young is
sometimes called the smartest member of the government affairs team
because he has associates, masters and doctorate degrees. Here is what
Justin told the convention about progress on his areas of focus:*
/The Merriam-Webster Dictionary/ defines progress as “a forward or
onward movement to an objective or goal.” Over the past year, we have
made progress in the areas of nonvisual access to medical devices,
accessible prescription labels, and ending the payment of subminimum wages.
On March 1, 2023, Representative Jan Schakowsky from Illinois, along
with thirty-two initial cosponsors, introduced H.R. 1328, the Medical
Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act. The bill authorizes the FDA to adopt
nonvisual access standards for class II and III medical devices with
digital interfaces. Some examples include continuous glucose monitors,
insulin pumps, and CPAP machines. By adopting these new nonvisual
accessible standards, it would ensure we are able to independently,
safely, and accessibly operate our medical devices. Between the months
of March through May, as a direct result of our hard work, we have
gained an additional sixteen cosponsors, bringing the current count to
forty-eight. This is significant because for the 117^th Congress, which
is a two-year cycle, we had a total of sixty-five. I know we can meet
and exceed that number in the 118^th Congress. We are working diligently
to ensure there will be a companion bill in the Senate this Congress.
Along with having access to medical devices, we must also be able to
correctly identify prescription medicine. Several affiliates have done
work to ensure that pharmacies are required to provide accessible
prescription drug labels. In 2023, the states of Maryland and Hawaii
passed laws mandating that prescription drug labels are nonvisually
accessible. Additionally, the State Boards of Pharmacy in Washington and
Florida are working on regulations to adopt guidelines for accessible
prescription labeling. Furthermore, Tennessee, which passed a law on
accessible prescription labeling last year, has begun the implementation
process.
Along with making progress on accessible medical devices and
prescription labeling, we are also making progress on eliminating the
practice of subminimum wages both at the federal and state levels. On
February 27 and 28, 2023, the Transformation to Competitive Integrated
Employment Act was introduced in the United States Senate and House of
Representatives respectively. The Senate bill is S. 533, and the House
bill is H.R. 1263. This bill will phase out, over a five-year period,
Section 14C of the Fair Labor Standards Act, ensuring we all have the
right to a fair wage. It is time to eliminate this antiquated and
discriminatory practice. In addition to the introduction of the
Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act, the AbilityOne
Commission adopted a policy that went into effect on October 19, 2022,
which prohibits subminimum wages on AbilityOne contracts. At the state
level, there has also been progress to eliminate subminimum wages. On
April 12, 2023, the Virginia Governor signed HB1924, which phases out
the payment of subminimum wages completely by 2030, making it the
seventeenth state to eliminate or limit the use of subminimum wages.
There have also been efforts in Minnesota, Illinois, and Kentucky to end
subminimum wages over the past year. It is past time for us to earn a
fair wage for the work we perform. With the strong determination of the
National Federation of the Blind, we will achieve our goal of living the
lives we want as valued and respected members of society.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Jesse Shirek]
My Journey of Discovery, Risk, and Reward
*by Jesse Shirek*
*From the Editor: Jesse Shirek is the newest member of the government
affairs team in the Advocacy and Policy Department at the NFB Jernigan
Institute in Baltimore. He was originally hired to work with the
NFB-NEWSLINE® team after proving himself in multiple technology and
affiliate leadership roles. Here is what Jesse had to say to the
national convention:*
My path to our national convention stage has been a journey of
discovery; of risk and reward.
I have served in many capacities in the National Federation of the
Blind, including serving on the national scholarship committee and as
NFB of North Dakota affiliate president. My dreams came true when I was
invited to become a national staff member in 2021, advancing our
NFB-NEWSLINE program.
Let me take you back to my first job delivering newspapers in North
Dakota at age twelve. Yes, people used to be paid to deliver newspapers.
What do you think is the biggest struggle for a blind person delivering
a newspaper? I bet you cannot guess. The biting thirty-below-zero cold?
Uh-uh. Trying to keep your eyes open, walking a mile at 5:00 a.m. every
morning? Not it. The hardest thing is watching your father read the
newspaper that you just delivered. You are separated by those pages; you
cannot read the words on the page because you are blind. As a young
blind person, there were many things out of my reach. I did not believe
I could hold a job at a restaurant, give a speech, graduate from a
university, convince a congressman to cosponsor legislation, and I did
not believe I could downhill ski. But yet I have done all of these
things and many more. [Applause] Each milestone I conquered involved
risk, physical or emotional. I was terrified starting out, and in some
cases, the first and second time, I failed.
Let me tell you about learning to downhill ski. This activity involves
risk, in my case more to other skiers than myself. If you have not skied
blind, you are matched with a person, hopefully an advanced skier, to
give instructions like “turn left, turn right, slow down, stop, stop,
STOP!” I skied the beginner hill for a half-hour, feeling shaky and
nervous. We went up the ski lift to the intermediate hill. What could
possibly go wrong? My first run, gravity took over and I slid under the
orange fence meant to keep me out of the trees. I made my way down with
my guide and was willing to give it a second chance. On the next run, he
told me to turn left. I turned left. I sensed someone in front of me and
quickly shifted right. I felt two bumps under my skis. I realized I just
ran over someone’s skis and I hit the ground. I sat there shocked. I
then heard a familiar voice say, “What was that?” Her ski guide, Dale,
responded, “That would be your boyfriend.” My now wife, Sherry, with her
infinite wisdom, said to her guide, “Dale, you have to teach him how to
ski. His ski guide does not know what he’s doing and he’s going to kill
somebody.” With Dale’s good instructions, soon I was skiing from the top
of the mountain. I share the story because I want to remind us there is
no reward without risk. It is always important to get up when we crash,
and be careful who we trust to guide us. If we want to find success as a
blind person, look within our Federation family. Reach out and ask for
help. And be guided down the mountain by a fellow Federationist.
Each person in this room guides government affairs as we ski our
legislative priorities down the mountain. We share what issues are
important to blind people. We share personal stories. Legislation is
crafted based on the collective experience of our movement, and our
leadership formulates a plan.
You may have guessed that I have traversed my way from NFB-NEWSLINE to
government affairs. I have two major areas to move: autonomous vehicles
and Social Security.
We will get the Blind Americans Return to Work Act introduced in
Congress. This legislation affects blind people who receive Social
Security disability benefits. Currently there is a limit to the amount
of money a blind person can earn each month before completely losing
their benefits; it is called substantial gainful activity or SGA. We
refer to this as the earnings cliff because we, as blind people, are
harmed by the earnings cliff if we fall off. For example, if a blind
person receives $1,000 in disability benefits, you would lose $12,000 in
earning potential. That's what it looks like to fall off the earnings cliff.
Blind people are limiting our opportunities because we don't want to
fall off the earnings cliff.
Our movement wants to make working less risky for blind people.
[Applause] We are asking the government to eliminate the earnings cliff.
[Applause] We propose a two-for-one phase-out. For every two dollars of
income that a blind person earns after SGA, you would give back one
dollar of benefits. We would gradually be moved down the hill to full
employment without the need for benefits. [Applause] When this
legislation is introduced, we will hear about it through our many
channels of communication. And we will call on the organized blind
movement to contact our congressmen and senators to ask them to
cosponsor our legislation.
I want to encourage each of us: take some risks in our lives. Help the
National Federation of the Blind with our advocacy efforts. We cannot
expect the future to change unless we are willing to change our beliefs,
question what is possible, try something new, push harder. We have a
strong voice. Our voice matters! I challenge each of us: change our
future! Push forward our priorities today! Thank you!
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Kyle Walls]
Save the Date: 2024 Washington Seminar
*by Kyle Walls*
*From the Editor: Kyle Walls does a great deal of work behind the scenes
that is crucial to advancing the legislative and policy goals of the
National Federation of the Blind, including writing, research, and
logistical support. Here is his reminder about our annual midwinter
visit to the halls of Congress:*
The 2024 Washington Seminar is only a few months away! Next year’s event
will be held at the Holiday Inn Washington Capitol (550 C Street, SW)
from Monday, January 29, through Thursday, February 1, and we can’t wait
to hear the sound of hundreds of white canes once again confidently
striding through the halls of Congress. In accordance with longstanding
tradition, the Great Gathering-In, one of the premier Federation events
and the official kickoff meeting of the Washington Seminar, will take
place on Monday, January 29, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Capitol
Ballroom at the hotel. Then all of you will meet with your members of
Congress over the next three days. We will have more details, including
hotel reservation information, the legislative priorities, and a full
schedule of events as the date gets closer. We look forward to seeing
all of you in our nation’s capital!
----------
/Monitor/ Miniatures
News from the Federation Family
Rookie Roundup Report
by Pam Allen and Tracy Soforenko
*From the Editor: Pam Allen, the first vice president of the National
Federation of the Blind and chair of its board of directors, organizes
the Rookie Roundup, a gathering for first-time convention attendees,
each year. Tracy Soforenko, president of the National Federation of the
Blind of Virginia and also a member of the national board, chairs the
Jernigan Fund Committee, which provides financial assistance to
individuals attending their first convention. Here is what they have to
say about this year’s gathering:*
Enthusiasm at our first day of convention reached Texas proportions as
we kicked off our Rookie Roundup. As first-time convention attendees
arrived, we observed everyone singing and clapping to “Deep in the Heart
of Texas.” Using a rodeo theme, 400 attendees learned tips and tricks
from a diverse set of Federation leaders from across the country.
Presentations included welcoming remarks in English and Spanish; a
special greeting from President Riccobono and First Lady Melissa; and
remarks from Norma Crosby, NFBTX president and national treasurer, along
with several members of our Jernigan Fund Committee and Texas affiliate,
all designed to help our first-time attendees make the most of their
convention experience. John Berggren, convention chair extraordinaire,
reviewed some logistics to help the week run smoothly. We were delighted
to hear reflections from Dr. and Mrs. Maurer as our evening concluded.
One attendee commented that they could not wait to put some of the
networking strategies shared into practice, while another said that they
were motivated by the positivity and energy in the room, reassuring them
they were not alone and were part of a larger community. The rookies
felt especially welcomed by the many veterans who greeted them
personally and by the team of Louisiana Center for the Blind staff and
alumni who helped distribute special ribbons and tote bags as the
evening ended and they headed out to experience all the convention had
to offer. Throughout the week, it was exhilarating to hear the cheers
from the first-timers whenever they were recognized from the stage.
Thanks to all our affiliates who work throughout the year to find ways
to encourage members to attend convention and to all who support the
Jernigan Fund, which offers convention scholarships. We are already
planning for 2024!
First-Time Conventioneers Share Their Experiences:
A Hot Time in Houston
*by Maryanne Melley*
*From the Editor: Maryanne Melley is president of the National
Federation of the Blind of Connecticut.*
The National Federation of the Blind Convention in Houston this year was
hot and steamy both outside and in. There were many pleasurable moments
and some disappointments. For the most part the positives outweighed the
negatives. I send my sincere gratitude to Norma Crosby and the Texas
affiliate for hosting an amazing event. I can only imagine the magnitude
of effort it takes to prepare for such a task, and Norma handled it with
such grace and grit. It was a wonderful surprise to have the return of
local tours at the convention again. The last time I recall this taking
place was in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2007. Tours of the Museum of Natural
Science, The Houston Space Center and a Houston Astros baseball game
offered a variety of choices. Having President Riccobono throw the first
pitch at the ball game to chants of “NFB!” from the crowd was
incredible. And that’s just the fun stuff. The vast array of meetings
that we were offered, the opportunity to attend and learn about so many
products and issues was enough to keep anyone busy throughout the week.
The speakers during General Sessions were compelling and informative. It
is difficult to pick favorites for this article and not take up ten
pages so I will only pick three.
Saturday’s “What’s New with JAWS, ZoomText, and Fusion” seminar shed new
light on many new keystrokes that are up and coming that will make using
our computers much more streamlined. But one of the best new features
coming out in the autumn will be JAWS assisting you to line yourself up
properly for a Zoom meeting. It will be able to tell you if your face is
on the screen rather than your shirt; also if you forgot to put the
dirty laundry away, it will let you know that also. Imagine how
professional you will look in a job interview or in a meeting with your
legislators if they are seeing your face and a clean background.
Another informative meeting was the National Association of Guide Dog
Users. President Raul Gallegos held a meeting with updates on the Air
Carrier Access Act for travelers with guide dogs. We have been having
issues with the airlines which you may recall hearing President
Riccobono speak about. They require us to fill out a form for our dogs
before they can fly with us. These forms are inaccessible. Though we
would prefer the airlines to have the same ADA laws apply to us, for now
thanks to NAGDU there is progress being made toward these forms becoming
obsolete.
Finally, at the “How to Get Legislation Passed in Your State” session,
the information that was shared on electronic ballot delivery and return
was frustrating but helpful. Hearing about the hard work that was done
on bills being passed just to be vetoed by the state governor was
disheartening. However, we are not deterred. With what I learned at the
meeting plus the language of Resolution 2023-04, I now feel more
confident than ever to approach my legislators in Connecticut to achieve
accessible independent voting for the blind.
The only disappointing part of this convention is the same I find at
every national convention. It is the lack of common courtesy at the
elevators. Many people do not allow those that are on the elevators to
get off before they go charging in. They also trample over people who
are in front of them waiting in line, even though they have been told
that they are there. Why does this happen every year? What happens to
“we are a loving family” when it comes to elevators? Don’t get me wrong,
plenty of people were very kind and helpful with swiping their card so
people could then press their floor number. Doing both was a challenge.
I just wish people would remember from year to year how to behave in a
more generous manner. We are all going to the same places. We all must
be patient and wait our turn. In the big scheme of things this is a
minor matter but an important one. All in all, let us all keep deep in
our hearts and minds what President Riccobono said in his banquet
speech: It is up to us, the blind, to change our world for the better.
Whether it be accessible websites, voting, medical devices, and more.
Nobody is going to do it for us.
A First-Timer’s Convention Story
*by Cindy Scott-Huisman*
I hadn’t solo traveled since college days in the 1980s, but I didn’t let
that keep me from making plans to attend my first National Convention of
the National Federation of the Blind 2023.
I first attended an NFB meeting in late 2019, and became Central
Arkansas Chapter president in 2020. I joined the State Board in March of
this year.
Once I made my decision to attend convention, I wasted no time making
reservations for the Houston-Americas Hotel, and air travel. I was on
the same flight with my friends, Cindy and Kyle Kiper, departing Little
Rock, but I had a different connection in Dallas, so I was on my own for
that leg of the trip and from the airport to the hotel. I made friends
along the way.
I have traveled extensively, both during the fifty-one years of my life
before central-eyesight loss and the five-plus years since becoming
legally blind, almost entirely with family and friends. My husband of
almost thirty-three years was confident I would be fine, yet somehow it
felt a bit like when a parent drops their child off at kindergarten on
the first day of school. Although I had reservations about a few of the
details, everything went perfectly smoothly!
I experienced so much friendliness every step of the way on this adventure.
During the weeks after making reservations and as the time approached
for my departure, I thought through all kinds of preparations, and
worked towards being organized. I felt at ease throughout the entire
trip. I uploaded the Hilton Honors app, and was so pleased by its
accessibility.
The first evening after I arrived a small group went to Xin Chao, one of
[blind chef] Christine Ha’s restaurants. This was a definite highlight.
I had just finished watching her win Season 3 of Master Chef the day
before I left town.
There’s so much to do during convention days. With plans already on my
calendar before and after convention dates, I opted to arrive on July 3.
Lesson learned! In order to feel like there is enough time to get
through the Exhibit Hall and everything else, I want to attend the
entire convention in the future.
I volunteered in the Independence Market. This was a fun opportunity to
interact with fellow attendees. Another memorable activity was going to
the hot tub with a friend from my chapter. She and I grew closer
throughout the week.
I truly appreciate the information provided on NFB-NEWSLINE® about
surrounding restaurants, the room service menu, and the item about the
layout of the hotel and convention facility.
One evening twelve of us went out to eat together at a nearby restaurant
owned by Pat Green, The Rustic. I made new friends and got to reconnect
with others.
I loved all the teamwork on display for getting around. One time I was
waiting in the elevator bay in the lobby, and someone suggested that we
spread out and pay attention to each of the six elevators, and when the
next one arrived, alert the others. Everyone present seemed to think
this was a great idea.
For future convention plans, I hope to figure out how to meet up with
people more successfully. There were a couple of folks I tried to find,
and I never did. I did make it up to the Presidential Suite one morning,
and I was happy to get to meet President Riccobono. While I was there, I
also got to have a quick visit with Shawn Callaway. He had spoken to the
Central Arkansas Chapter a couple of years ago.
I was amazed by the packed-full schedule of speakers, punctuated by fit
breaks and door prize announcements throughout the three days of General
Sessions. The culmination of the banquet was remarkable.
My travels home were seamless.
All in all, I am proud of myself for reaching a bit out of my comfort
zone, and learning so much in the process.
In Memoriam: Tom Anderson:
*From the Editor: Rob Tabor, first vice president of the National
Federation of the Blind of Kansas, shared the sad news of Tom’s passing
to the affiliate listserv. Rob said:*
We of the Kansas affiliate regret to announce the loss of a good man and
a longtime Federation leader. Tom Anderson passed on Tuesday of this
week in the late afternoon hours at Advent Health in Overland Park,
Kansas, where he was hospitalized to treat very severe COVID symptoms.
Many Federationists will fondly remember Tom's eloquently delivered
invocations at NFB national conventions over many years. Those involved
with the Communities of Faith Division will miss his leadership in the
devotional services which take place every morning at convention. As a
Braille and communications instructor at Colorado Center for the Blind,
Tom touched untold hundreds of lives over many years before retiring and
returning to Kansas. Back in Kansas, Tom went immediately to work,
serving on several state advisory committees pertaining to blind
Kansans, while serving as a member of the Kansas affiliate board of
directors. Above all, Tom was a wonderful husband to his wife Linda,
also a long-time Federationist. Tom will definitely be missed by all and
forgotten by none.
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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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