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<title>Friday, December 4, 2009</title>
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<p class=MsoNormal align=right style='text-align:right'><a name="OLE_LINK2"></a><a
name="OLE_LINK1"><span style='mso-bookmark:OLE_LINK2'><b><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Georgia;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;
color:black'>Friday, December 4, 2009<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></a></p>
</td>
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color:black;display:none;mso-hide:all'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.75pt;mso-outline-level:2'><span
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style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;mso-font-kerning:
18.0pt'>Blind seek understanding and awareness<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span></p>
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<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:OLE_LINK1'><span
style='mso-bookmark:OLE_LINK2'><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:
Arial;color:black'>Marcus Schmidt carries a Braille laptop wherever he
goes. Schmidt is the president of the West Valley Chapter, National
Federation of the Blind. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
</td>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:2.25pt;mso-outline-level:6'><span
style='mso-bookmark:OLE_LINK1'><span style='mso-bookmark:OLE_LINK2'><b><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>By Carolyn Dryer<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='mso-bookmark:
OLE_LINK1'><span style='mso-bookmark:OLE_LINK2'><span style='font-size:
9.0pt;font-family:Verdana;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;color:black'>An
organization that mentors, trains, advocates and provides support for the
blind in research and technology development. Sounds like a lot of work,
and it is.<br>
<br>
Marcus Schmidt, West Valley Chapter president of National Federation of the
Blind of Arizona, and Allison Hilliker, vice president of the chapter,
opened a few eyes when they spoke to Peoria Rotary Club members last month.
Both are college graduates who have turned what some may describe as a
handicap into an asset that helps them reach out to others and assist them
in living successful lives.<br>
<br>
The NFB is a consumer advocacy organization, “whose ultimate purpose is to
assist blind and visually impaired people to become productive, independent
citizens who participate fully in their community.”<br>
<br>
It is the largest organization of blind in the world, numbering 50,000
members. Started in 1940, it has four chapters in Arizona.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
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style='mso-bookmark:OLE_LINK1'><span style='mso-bookmark:OLE_LINK2'></span></span></a><span
style='mso-bookmark:OLE_LINK1'><span style='mso-bookmark:OLE_LINK2'><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Verdana;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;
color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-bookmark:OLE_LINK1'><span
style='mso-bookmark:OLE_LINK2'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:
Verdana;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;color:black'>Schmidt said there are 1.5
million blind people in the United States, of which 150,000 are totally
blind. Among the elderly, macro-glaucoma is the major cause. He said 85
percent of blind children are integrated into the public school system.<br>
<br>
Schmidt said he and other blind people are working toward widespread
acceptance and understanding that the real problem is not loss of eyesight,
but misconceptions and lack of information.<br>
<br>
NFB, Schmidt said, “brings blind together for imaginative solutions.”<br>
<br>
“Our purpose is to help blind be successful,” Schmidt said, “and enable
them to live lives normally, independently and freely, achieve
self-confidence and respect and act as a vehicle for self-expression.<br>
<br>
“And last, but not least, educate the public.”<br>
<br>
Blind people run into problems not because of their loss of eyesight,
Schmidt said, but because of “attitudinal barriers.”<br>
<br>
Braille is what he wanted to focus on when he spoke, Schmidt said, because
it is an important tool for the blind. He carries a Braille laptop, but
said there is a “horrible illiteracy rate,” and 90 percent of the blind in
U.S. schools do not learn Braille.<br>
<br>
Hilliker, who works as a collection development associate for Benetech, had
some sight when she first started attending kindergarten. She was taught
with large print instead of Braille.<br>
<br>
“The overall attitude was Braille would be used as a last resort,” she
said.<br>
<br>
Further into school, it became more and more difficult for her to read even
the large print. In third and fourth grade, she could no longer keep up
with reading. Her family lived in Michigan at the time and her parents got
involved in a parents group of NFB.<br>
<br>
They went back to school, told the teachers they wanted Allison to be
taught in Braille.<br>
<br>
“There was so much about literacy I wasn't getting,” she said.<br>
<br>
NFB officials helped get Braille for her, but by the time middle school
rolled around, she was still behind. She said blind people have fairly
equal literary skills if they learn Braille at age 4 or 5.<br>
<br>
By the end of high school, Hilliker's vision was much worse and she could
no longer use print. So, she took an extended Braille class.<br>
<br>
She now has a degree from Arizona State University and works for an online
library for the blind accessible. This past summer, she gave a presentation
of her undergraduate research at a National Organization for Women
conference.<br>
<br>
“Aside from the stigma about Braille, there are not enough teachers or
funding,” Hilliker said.<br>
<br>
Schmidt uses Braille extensively. When his wife died recently, his aunt
helped him with labeling items around the house.<br>
<br>
The NFB has four main goals for the future, Schmidt said.<br>
<br>
1) Increase the number of school-age children reading Braille by 2015.<br>
<br>
2) All 50 states pass legislation requiring special education teachers
learn and maintain efficiency in Braille by 2015.<br>
<br>
3) Braille resources are made available to children.<br>
<br>
4) American public will learn blind people have a right to Braille literacy.<br>
<br>
There are ways people with sight can help.<br>
<br>
Spread the word, join the NFB in encouraging legislation for teaching
Braille, and financially contribute.<br>
<br>
Schmidt was raised in Germany and Austria, where he did all of the normal
physical activities with his family; hiking, skiing. He attended high
school in Vienna, and then moved to the U.S. because the country integrates
the blind so well.<br>
<br>
He graduated from Northern Arizona University, where he met his wife, and
holds a degree in electrical engineering.<br>
<br>
The West Valley Chapter NFB meets the fourth Saturday of every odd-numbered
month. The next meeting is 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Nov. 28 at Faith Presbyterian
Church, 16000 N. Del Webb Blvd., Sun City.<br>
<br>
In even-numbered months, the chapter gets together for an activity. Schmidt
can be reached at 602-942-0181 602-942-0181 . More information
about the NFB can be obtained by visiting the national Web site, </span></span></span><a
href="http://www.nfb.org"><span style='mso-bookmark:OLE_LINK1'><span
style='mso-bookmark:OLE_LINK2'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Verdana;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial'>www.nfb.org</span></span></span><span
style='mso-bookmark:OLE_LINK1'><span style='mso-bookmark:OLE_LINK2'></span></span></a><span
style='mso-bookmark:OLE_LINK1'><span style='mso-bookmark:OLE_LINK2'><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Verdana;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;
color:black'>.<br>
<br>
Reach the reporter at 623-847-4604 623-847-4604 .<br>
<br>
<br clear=all style='mso-special-character:line-break'>
<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
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