[Nfbf-l] FW: NFB Imagineering Our Future: Making the world's books accessible
Sherrill O'Brien
sherrill.obrien at verizon.net
Wed Mar 3 17:44:37 UTC 2010
Hi everyone,
This newsletter shows lots of exciting things going on through the efforts
of so many NfB members in Baltimore and across the country! Much of this is
because of the money raised through the Imagination Fund, which included our
marches for Independence. Keep in mind that our parents division, and our
legeslative activities have both benefitted immensely from grants our
affiliate has received. This year, we are not holding an actual march, or
walkathon. But members are nevertheless being asked to register and ask
friends, family and business associates to help in supporting a cause that
is so important in our lives. Money raised will go toward our same
worthwhile projects, plus some exciting new ones. Reading this newsletter
will help you explain to others how NFB is helping to improve life for blind
people throughout our nation. For example, our hard work on the Quiet Cars
bill, called the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act, is something all of our
acquaintances can understand and appreciate. Please check out the item
called Spotlight on the Imagination Fund. It will tell you how to register,
and how you can help our affiliate and local chapters receive money and
grants. I truly understand that raising money isn't easy for most of us,
but through doing so, we really do reap the rewards in our own lives.
Perhaps we don't see it immediately, but little by little, the efforts of
many working for meaningful change benefits each one of us!
In the Federation spirit,
Sherrill O'Brien
NFBF Imagination Fund Representative
Imagination Fund Committee Member
-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Riccobono [mailto:JerniganInstitute at nfb.org]
Sent: Monday, March 01, 2010 1:14 PM
To: sherrill.obrien at verizon.net
Subject: NFB Imagineering Our Future: Making the world's books accessible
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View last month's newsletter.
Imagineering Our Future
Issue 20
March 1, 2010
In this issue:
a.. Message from the Executive Director
b.. What's New
c.. Education
d.. Braille Initiative
e.. Advocacy
f.. Straight Talk About Vision Loss
g.. Technology Talk
h.. From the Jacobus tenBroek Library
i.. Independence Market
j.. Parent Outreach
k.. Spotlight on the Imagination Fund
l.. NFB Calendar
m.. Citation
Message from the Executive Director
Dear friends,
You may have noticed that in the last month
Baltimore took first place in the nation for snowfall this winter. Despite
the record snowfall that shut Baltimore and surrounding communities down,
the NFB Jernigan Institute remained open in order to continue progress on
the many important initiatives that are underway.
While we have made great progress, it might be
argued that our leadership and commitment is more important today than any
time in the past. While we have greater access to information, while more
quality training programs are available, while our network is stronger and
more vibrant, and while our reach is broader than ever before, we stand on
the edge of an uncertain history--a history that will be determined by our
actions today.
The continued expansion of digital information
stores and online services has the potential to greatly expand access to
information for the blind. These same resources have the potential to cut
us off from the progress we have worked so hard to make--particularly
progress made over the last two decades. If we continue in our conviction
that the blind deserve equal access, we can soon have more books than we had
ever dreamed would be available to us. If we continue our leadership,
emerging technologies in the workplace will not shut us out and, if
experience is any indication, they will be more usable for everyone. With
our determination, the growing number of silent electric vehicles on the
streets will not be a threat to blind and sighted pedestrians. And with our
innovation, we will engineer an interface that will empower the blind to
drive a car, and that same technology will change how we think about access
to information. Whether it is access to the emerging e-book revolution,
improved instruction in Braille, training for the blind leaders of the next
generation, or implementing best practices in Web site design, our constant
work to protect and provide access to information is the key to our success
in the future.
As you review this month's offerings from the team
at the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, remember that
the promise of the future is only available to us if we continue our
commitment to be an active part in securing the outcomes we desire. Despite
historic snowfalls in Baltimore, the NFB Jernigan Institute continues to
push forward toward that future with strength and determination.
Mark A. Riccobono, Executive Director, NFB
Jernigan Institute
Featured NFB News
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the NFB, testified at
a federal hearing in New York on February 18 to support a settlement that
will allow Google to create the world's largest digital Internet library.
National Federation of the Blind members with white canes filled the
courtroom to support Dr. Maurer's testimony that the audio capabilities of
Google's system "will give us access to 10 million books." Google wants to
scan the books and make them available online but some authors and
publishers oppose it. Google's reply is that "No one seriously disputes
that approval of the settlement will open the virtual doors to the greatest
library in history, without costing authors a dime they now receive or are
likely to receive if the settlement is not approved." The court has not yet
made its ruling. See coverage of the hearing in articles in the New York
Times and the Associated Press syndicate.
Education
2010 NFB Leadership and Advocacy in Washington (LAW)
Program, April 16-20
It was a tough decision, but we have selected the
participants for this year's LAW program. Twenty-five middle school
students (ages 12-16) from across the country have been notified that they
were chosen. We thank all of those who applied and are pleased to report
that we received nearly one hundred applications for this first-time
program. More details to come about the exciting plans for this event later
this spring.
2010 NFB Junior Science Academy, July 28-August 1
and August 4-8
Preparations are heating up for this summer's Junior
Science Academy program. We are excited about some of the new activities
taking place this year. Participants will be "gearing up for greatness" as
they participate in a number of hands-on activities to teach simple
principles of physics in a nonvisual way. We are still accepting
applications for this summer's Junior Science Academy for children ages
8-12. We also are still accepting mentor applications. If you are
interested in learning more about NFB's science programs or in submitting a
JSA student or mentor application, please visit www.blindscience.org.
NLCSD Doctoral Fellows Announcement
The National Leadership Consortium in Sensory
Disabilities (NLCSD), funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of
Special Education Programs, is accepting applications to doctoral programs
in the areas of blind/visually impaired, deaf/hard of hearing, and
deaf-blindness. Full tuition and a minimum of $20,000 annual living stipend
will be provided to NLCSD Fellows for up to four years of full-time
on-campus study while they earn their doctorates at one of the twenty-five
Consortium Universities. Fellowships are available to U.S.
citizens/permanent residents who must first be accepted into a doctoral
program. The first cohort will begin Fall 2010. Applications for the first
cohort must be postmarked by March 26, 2010. Notifications will be made to
applicants by May 3, 2010.
The NFB is deeply concerned that we have strong
leaders in order to continue our work to improve the education of blind
children and the programs to train teachers to work with those children. We
encourage those interested in providing leadership in this area to consider
applying.
Braille Initiative
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and NFB
President Marc Maurer
Throughout the fall, the NFB collected testimony in
blind people's own voices about the power of Braille literacy. A
compilation of these personal stories formed a book called Let Freedom Ring:
Braille Letters to President Barack Obama. On February 1, 2010, U.S.
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan accepted the publication on behalf of the
President at a ceremony at the United States Department of Education. When
presenting the letters, we asked the Secretary to support the NFB's goal of
doubling the number of school-age children reading Braille. Secretary Duncan
will take back to President Obama the book and the knowledge that Braille is
vital to the independence of the blind.
We have identified three states for this year's
Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning Program (BELL). Utah, Texas,
and Virginia will facilitate a two-week program this summer for elementary
school children using the curriculum developed from last summer's BELL
program. The program aims to encourage the use of Braille by blind and
low-vision children, and to foster some of the early literacy skills for
Braille instruction. The facilitators of this program will meet at the NFB
Jernigan Institute next month for a training seminar to help them in the
development and facilitation of their summer programs.
If you'd like to help support the Braille literacy
efforts of the NFB Jernigan Institute, please consider making a matching
gift to the "Braille Readers are Leaders" campaign.
Advocacy
Washington Seminar
Once a year NFB delegates visit Washington to inform
Congress about issues of importance to the blind. Delegates to the
Washington Seminar meet with Members of Congress to make them aware of the
issues most important to blind Americans. This year, the event took place
in the first days of February.
Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz receives plaque
from NFB President Marc Maurer
On Wednesday, February 3, 2010, the NFB presented
the Distinguished Legislative Service Award to Congresswoman Debbie
Wasserman Schultz of Florida for her leadership in securing funding for the
Digital Talking Book program of the Library of Congress National Library
Service. Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz is also a cosponsor of the Blind
Persons Return to Work Act and the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act.
Download and read the full Legislative Agenda of
Blind Americans: Priorities for the 111th Congress, Second Session here.
Fact sheets on the three main issues give a lot more detail: Enhancing
Pedestrian Safety: Ensuring the Blind Can Continue to Travel Safely and
Independently, A Technology Bill of Rights for the Blind, and Removing the
Earnings Penalty: A Common Sense Work Incentive for Blind Social Security
Beneficiaries.
Pursuing Her Professional Dream
On February 4, 2010, a federal court ruled that the
National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) must provide individualized
testing accommodations to a blind law school graduate. The judge found that
it will cause irreparable harm not to have the technology-based testing
accommodations the graduate requests when taking the exam to become a member
of the California Bar.
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National
Federation of the Blind, said: "The National Federation of the Blind is
extremely pleased with the ruling in this case. Law and equity simply do
not permit the NCBE to dictate a one-size-fits-all solution for all bar
candidates with disabilities. We hope that this ruling will cause the NCBE
to think long and hard before it denies the requested accommodations of
applicants to take its examinations."
The plaintiff said: "Tonight I can go to sleep
knowing when and how I can effectively take the exams to fulfill my dreams."
Now other individuals can pursue their professional
dreams despite high-stakes testing providers who take a rigid approach to
disability accommodations. Read more about the NCBE's refusal to allow the
plaintiff to use the technology that she was accustomed to during the test
and the NFB's suit under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in this
February press release.
Straight Talk About Vision Loss
We invite followers of the Straight Talk About
Vision Loss Web-based video series to join us in our Race for Independence.
This is not a race in the traditional sense. We are not content with merely
traveling by foot--our imagination is putting us in the driver's seat as we
speed toward our goal of first-class citizenship in society at an
ever-increasing pace! This video will tell you more about empowering the
blind to do something most believe is impossible.
Product and Access Technology Talk
The Access Technology team of the Jernigan Institute
has some very exciting news--Target received the Gold level NFB nonvisual
accessibility certification for its Web site target.com. The increasing
acceptance of the certification with online retailers bodes well for blind
and low-vision shoppers.
During the annual Washington Seminar last month, the
team co-hosted a booth with Blackboard to showcase to students attending
Washington Seminar the improvements Blackboard has made to Blackboard Learn.
The AT team worked with Towson University on how
blind technology users take advantage of groupware applications to keep
track of tasks, meetings, and other appointments. Towson interviewed five
National Center for the Blind staff members to get an understanding of how
applications such as Microsoft Outlook are used for group collaboration and
to identify problems that blind users encounter when using groupware
applications.
After consulting the Access Technology blog readers,
the team locked in the last session for the technology day at National
Convention in Dallas this summer. The day will consist of one long morning
session and two shorter afternoon sessions. The first session of the day
will be devoted to the increasing number of fully accessible Apple devices.
The first afternoon session will take a look at Blackboard Learn and the
great strides it has seen in enhancing accessibility in its latest release.
At our readers' behest, the day's final topic will be eBooks. The Access
Technology team will examine the rapidly expanding market of digital books
and the devices used to access them.
Finally, the team also conducted a low vision
demonstration at the North Oaks retirement community, thereby increasing
awareness in the area of the NFB's activities in low vision.
From the tenBroek Library
BIG NEWS!! We're pleased to announce the public
launch of our online library catalog. There is now a link from the library'
s Web page, or you can surf directly to the catalog.
When you visit the library catalog, please be sure
to read the information on its home page, and you may want to take a look at
the "link to FAQs" for answers to some frequently asked questions. If you
have any questions or comments of your own, please click on "questions about
this catalog." This will bring up a form you can use to let tenBroek
Library staff know of your questions or concerns. We promise prompt replies
to all questions, comments, or criticisms.
Last September we announced a contest to choose a
name for the catalog. In honor of the launch, we've extended the deadline
for entries to April 15 (an easy date to remember for deadlines). This is
the first general purpose library catalog developed with the collaboration
of blind access technology experts. It deserves a fitting name. Let us
know what you think it should be!
Independence Market
The NFB Independence Market carries products that
enhance the independence of a blind or visually impaired individual. Our
new product offerings include the following:
Wilson One-Hour Digital Voice Recorder This unit
has the capacity to record fifteen messages up to four minutes in length.
Easy three-button operation: record, play/stop, and delete. Buttons are easy
to feel and beep tones give audio feedback during operation. Measures 2 x 3
x 1/2 inches and features a belt clip. Requires two AAA batteries
(included).
PenFriend Voice Labeling System A tool for labeling
household items. Records voice labels of varying lengths and associates them
with stick-on labels. Has 1 gigabyte of internal memory (seventy hours of
recording time). Features volume control, external speaker, and headphone
jack. Includes 127 re-recordable labels and 2 AAA batteries.
These products would be especially helpful to
someone who is not able to use Braille to label various items or jot down
short notes. For further information, please contact the Independence
Market staff by e-mail at IndependenceMarket at nfb.org or by phone at
410-659-9314, extension 2216.
Parent Outreach
Braille Reading Pals Club--A Pre-Literacy Program
for Blind and Low-Vision Children
Registration is now open! The Braille Reading Pals
Club is an NFB Jernigan Institute early literacy program that encourages
parents to read daily with their blind or low-vision child (ages infant to
seven). Participating club members will receive: a print-Braille book, a
plush reading pal, a monthly parent e-newsletter promoting tips for early
Braille literacy, quarterly Braille activity sheets for young children,
Braille birthday cards for child participants, access to a network of
resources devoted to serving parents of blind children, an electronic
reading log to track the time read with children each day, and a free
subscription to Future Reflections, a publication for parents of blind
children. This program will introduce young children and their families to
Braille. The Braille Reading Pals Club will help parents promote early
literacy skills, a love of reading, and a positive attitude about Braille
through daily reading with their blind children. The Braille Reading Pals
Club is co-sponsored by the National Organization of Parents of Blind
Children (NOPBC). To learn more about this new, exciting program, or to
register, please visit www.nfb.org/readingpals.
New Addition to the 2010 NFB Youth Track at National
Convention
We are pleased to announce an addition to our Youth
Outreach education initiatives. This summer at the NFB convention in
Dallas, Texas, there will be Junior Youth Track activities for youth ages
11-14, timed to coincide with the main convention week and activities of the
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children. Additionally, we will
continue our facilitation of the NFB Youth Track for high school students
ages 14-18. A more complete listing of activities during the week will be
available in future Braille Monitors or in the convention agenda when it
becomes available. Please contact Mary Jo T. Hartle, Jernigan Institute
Director of Education, at (410) 659-9314, extension 2407, for more
information.
Spotlight on the Imagination Fund
"Hundreds have already made the commitment to
support the 2010 Race for Independence. But we need you. We must make
workplace technology and home appliances accessible to the blind now! Sign
up at www.raceforindependence.org or call (410) 659-9314, extension 2371.
"During 2010, we are building a nonvisual interface
that can be installed in an automobile. If we can do it with a car, we can
do it with anything. Come on, let's race toward tomorrow together!"
--Parnell Diggs, Chairman, Imagination Fund
The Imagination Fund provides support for the
outreach efforts of local Federation chapters and affiliates throughout the
United States as well as the research, technology, and education programs
and initiatives of the NFB Jernigan Institute. The Imagination Fund was
established January 2004 with the Grand Opening of our NFB research and
training institute.
NFB Calendar
Now Open: Room reservations for 2010 National
Convention. Write directly to the Hilton Anatole Hotel, 2201 Stemmons
Freeway, Dallas, Texas 75207, or call (214) 761-7500.
Now Open: Nominations for the 2010 Dr. Jacob
Bolotin Award Program. Please visit the Application Information and
Materials page to submit a nomination or letter of recommendation.
March 1, 2010 Pre-registration begins for 2010
National Convention.
March 22, 2010 Registration deadline for Braille
Reading Pals Club to guarantee the receipt of your print-Braille book and
plush reading pal.
March 31, 2010 Deadline to apply for a 2010 NFB
Scholarship, thirty awards ranging from $3,000 to $12,000, plus a trip to
the 2010 National Convention, for blind postsecondary scholars.
March 31, 2010 Final day to submit nominations
online for the 2010 Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award Program. Please visit the
Application Information and Materials page for more information.
April 1, 2010 Program year begins for Braille
Reading Pals Club, A Pre-Literacy Program for Blind and Low-Vision Children,
Sponsored by the National Federation of the Blind and the National
Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC)
April 15-16, 2010 2010 Jacobus tenBroek Disability
Law Symposium, National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute.
April 16-20, 2010 NFB Leadership and Advocacy in
Washington (LAW) Program, for blind students in grades 6-9, National
Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute and Washington, D.C.
April 30, 2010 Deadline for Onkyo Braille Essay
Contest, administered by the NFB for the North America-Caribbean Region of
the World Blind Union.
May 1, 2010 The Cane Event, National Federation of
the Blind Jernigan Institute.
Our annual fundraiser features casino games, live
entertainment, heavy hors d'oeuvres, drinks, dancing, and more! The
proceeds from the evening benefit our Imagination Fund, supporting programs
at the NFB Jernigan Institute and in our state affiliates. For more
information or to become a sponsor of The Cane Event, e-mail Karen Zakhnini
or call (410) 659-9314, ext. 2297. Ticket information coming soon.
June 10-12, 2010 Research in the Rockies
international seminar devoted to Braille reading and writing, Denver,
Colorado. For more information, please contact Dr. Judith Chwalow, NFB
Jernigan Institute Director of Research.
July 3-8, 2010 NFB National Convention, Hilton
Anatole Hotel, Dallas, Texas.
The annual meeting of the NFB and the largest
gathering of the blind in the country, drawing approximately three thousand
blind people from all across the United States. Become a convention sponsor
or exhibitor--contact Karen Zakhnini, (410) 659-9314, ext. 2297.
July 28-August 1 and August 4-8, 2010 2010 NFB
Junior Science Academy, A STEM program for blind children in grades 3-6
offered by the NFBJI's National Center for Blind Youth in Science (NCBYS).
See a video about the 2009 NFB Youth Slam science academy for high school
students.
Coming Summer 2011-NFB National Convention in
Orlando, Florida!
Citation
Dear New York Times Magazine Editor:
The article "Listening to Braille" in the January 3
issue of the magazine highlighted one of the most serious misconceptions
faced by blind Americans: the idea that technology is a replacement for
Braille literacy. No one would seriously argue that sighted children should
learn exclusively by means of the spoken word, yet this is exactly the
argument propounded by Laura J. Sloate and some others in the article who
falsely believe that Braille has outlived its usefulness. The National
Federation of the Blind, the nation's oldest and largest organization of
blind people, believes that all blind children must be given the opportunity
to learn Braille for the same reason that sighted children must learn print:
so that they are able to read and communicate using the written word.
Braille is the key to literacy for the blind, and proper Braille instruction
is essential if blind children are to receive an equal education.
Sincerely,
Marc Maurer, President
National Federation of the Blind
--"Listening to Braille," February 2010 Braille
Monitor
Back to Top
Thank you for reading the NFB Jernigan Institute's
Imagineering Our Future.
Support the Jernigan Institute through the
Imagination Fund
Interesting links:
Archive of Straight Talk about Vision Loss videos
National Center for Blind Youth in Science
Access Technology Tips
Blogs:
Access Technology
Voice of the Nation's Blind
Publication archives:
Voice of the Diabetic
Future Reflections
Braille Monitor
Visit us at nfb.org
Jernigan Institute, National Federation of the Blind
200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place, Baltimore,
MD 21230
(410) 659-9314 Fax (410) 659-5129 E-mail
JerniganInstitute at nfb.org
Visit us at www.nfb.org
The National Federation of the Blind meets the
rigorous Standards for Charity Accountability set forth by the BBB Wise
Giving Alliance and is Top-Rated by the American Institute of Philanthropy.
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