[NFBC-Info] Fwd: [NABS-L] ANNOUNCEMENT: NFBCS Virtual Meeting, December 14, 2025, 8 PM EST

[Gene Kim]

This is an incredible line up of speakers with very timely topics for blind
folks interested in computer science. Learn more and register below for the
seminar that's taking place December 14.


Cheers,
Gene


---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Louis Maher via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Date: Mon, Dec 1, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Subject: [NABS-L] ANNOUNCEMENT: NFBCS Virtual Meeting, December 14, 2025, 8
PM EST
To: Nabs List (nabs-l at nfbnet.org) <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Louis Maher <ljmaher03 at outlook.com>


Apologies to those who may see this announcement more than once.

The National Federation of the Blind in Computer Science is presenting a
Zoom meeting on how blind individuals are succeeding in careers in the
field of information technology.

The Zoom meeting will take place from 8 PM through 9:30 PM Eastern Standard
Time (EST), on Sunday, December 14, 2025.

Meeting Registration

To register for this meeting, go to
NFBCS Virtual Seminar Registration 2025<
https://web.nfbcal.org/nfbcsvirtual.html>. The seminar registration
deadline is Friday, December 12, 2025. The meeting link will be sent to
registered attendees on December 13, 2025.

Program

The speakers, talk titles, and presentation descriptions are:

Speaker: Michael Forzano, (michaeldforzano at gmail.com<mailto:
michaeldforzano at gmail.com>) 8:05 PM EST

Title: A Practical AI Approach For The Blind Developer

Description: The AI tools landscape changes fast - faster than any single
developer can keep up with, and especially fast for blind developers who
must constantly navigate accessibility challenges alongside rapid
technological change. In this talk, Michael Forzano shares how he adapts to
the shifting world of AI-assisted development and what actually works in
practice.
Drawing from his daily workflow as a blind Senior Software Engineer working
on accessibility at Amazon, Michael demonstrates how he uses AI to explore
unfamiliar codebases, reason about architecture, debug problems, generate
and refactor code, and work around inaccessible tools when necessary.
Rather than abstract hype, this session focuses on concrete techniques,
common pitfalls, and the accessibility considerations that truly matter
when you rely on AI every day.

Attendees will walk away with adaptable strategies for staying effective
amid rapid AI evolution, plus practical methods blind developers can use
right now - regardless of which tools or models become the next big thing.

Speaker: Lewis Wood (lewislwood at gmail.com<mailto:lewislwood at gmail.com>)
8:30 PM EST

Title: VS Code Introduction (navigation, how to, accessibility, and more)

Description: Lewis Wood started in Academic Computing at Southern Illinois
University of Edwardsville. 1986. (JCL, Unix, IBM 360, Cobol, Fortran,
Pascal 64, Ibgener, SAS/SPSS, REXX, and more.
Jumped on Borland Turbo Pascal when it 1st came out.  I fell in love with
object Oriented programming and ability to program on my IBM 286 and
display graphics on my CGA monitor.
My first real job was Clipper (dBase compiled language)
I was downsized so I became independent and never looked back. I worked
remotely for over 500 law firms. My final jobs/contracts were providing web
hosting services.

Speakers: Brian Buhrow, Curtis Chong, Steve Jacobson, and Harry Staley (
buhrow at nfbcal.org<mailto:buhrow at nfbcal.org>, chong.curtis at gmail.com<mailto:
chong.curtis at gmail.com>, steve.jacobson at outlook.com<mailto:
steve.jacobson at outlook.com>, and staleyh at gmail.com<mailto:staleyh at gmail.com>)
8:55 PM EST

Title: The Challenges Of Using Tools Which Are Not Blind-Accessible

Description:

Brian Buhrow has worked in IT in various capacities for more than 30
years.  His primary focus has been as a Unix/Linux system
programmer/infrastructure architect and as an Internet network engineer.
He began his career working in the central IT department of the University
of California at Santa Cruz where he designed and implemented their
adoption of the Andrew File System, as well as designing and implementing
various network services.  From there he moved to a company called Santa
Cruz Operation, the makers of SCO Unix, where he designed a proprietary
system for a fortune 500 company.  Next came a move to a small Internet
Service Provider, ISP, where he designed, implemented, and managed the
infrastructure for the back-end network services, think Web hosting, DNS,
and e-mail, as well as the customer relationship management process.  Over
time he expanded is knowledge of networking to include the management of
the network itself, including routers, switches, cross-country circuits,
and the management of the vendors who provide those circuits.

Brian also served as the chair of the NFB Research & Development Committee
from 1997 until it was dissolved around 2020.  He now serves as the
president of the NFB in Computer Science.

Brian is a firm believer in the NFB philosophy which says if we have
training and opportunity,
we can compete with our sighted colleagues and succeed as first class
citizens. That is why the
work of the NFBCS Division is so important. We need to show our students of
today they can
succeed in technical fields by giving them the knowledge and tools to
compete, as well as the
confidence to know they'll make it if they work hard and think creatively.
One of the ways we
give that confidence is to serve as role models for the next generation.

Curtis Chong spent more than 20 years working in information technology. He
programmed his first mainframe computer in 1972, at a time when computers
did not talk to the blind. As a designer/consultant at American Express
Financial Services (now Ameriprise), he provided technical support for
mainframe database and communications software, maintaining systems for
sighted coworkers within the company. From 1997-2002, Curtis worked as the
Director of Technology for the National Federation of the Blind, supporting
internal information technology for the Federation and its external
programs to improve nonvisual access technology and accessibility for the
blind in several different areas. He then spent ten years in Iowa as
Director of Field Operations for the Iowa Department for the Blind and five
years as an access technology expert with the New Mexico Commission for the
Blind.

Curtis Chong has served as the president of the NFB in Computer Science for
more than three decades and now serves as the treasurer of that
organization. Today, Curtis Chong has retired from paid employment but
still performs consulting in nonvisual access technology. He
continues his work to help blind people to live the lives they want
regardless of their blindness.

Steve Jacobson has worked in a number of different capacities in
Information Technology for almost fifty years, after majoring in
mathematics.  During that time, he has often had to deal with inaccessible
and changing technologies, often before there were any kinds of legal
protections.  Currently, Steve is semi-retired and works part time for 3M
Company as a Data Quality Analyst.

Final Remarks Brian Buhrow 9:20 PM EST

Adjourn 9:25 PM EST

Division Registration, And Division Email List Subscription Page

To either become a registered member of the National Federation of the
Blind in Computer Science, or to renew your membership, go to NFBCS
Membership Registration 2026<https://web.nfbcal.org/nfbcsreg>. The dues are
$5 a year per person. Dues paid in or after December 2025 will count until
the end of 2026. The registration page has yet to be updated to show this
early December registration date.

The "https://www.nfbnet.org/" website contains the Email/Web/FTP service of
the National Federation of the Blind. The first link on the page is where
you go to join or drop NFB mailing lists, as well as browse the archives.
Clicking that link opens a page containing the NFB e-mail lists. Search for
"NFBCS" and follow the subscription instructions.

Questions

If you have any questions, please contact Louis Maher (713-444-7838,
ljmaher03 at outlook.com<mailto:ljmaher03 at outlook.com>).

Regards
Louis Maher
Phone: 713-444-7838
Email: ljmaher03 at outlook.com<mailto:ljmaher03 at outlook.com>

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