[Nfbf-l] FW: NFB Imagineering Our Future: Striving to make our dreams reality
Sherrill O'Brien
sherrill.obrien at verizon.net
Fri Jun 3 20:16:08 UTC 2011
Hello all,
As I look over this issue, one thing is undeniable...all these unique and
energetic activities, whether for seniors kids or teens, can't help but
make you proud to be a Federationist!
Please look over this newsletter yourself, and I hope it will inspire you to
make a contribution to the Imagination Fund. If you take the time to read
this, believe me, your spirits will be lifted.
Sherrill
-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Riccobono [mailto:JerniganInstitute at nfb.org]
Sent: Friday, June 03, 2011 3:53 PM
To: sherrill.obrien at verizon.net
Subject: NFB Imagineering Our Future: Striving to make our dreams reality
View this newsletter as HTML in your browser.
View last month’s newsletter.
Imagineering Our Future
Issue 35
June 2011
In this issue:
a.. Message from the Executive Director
b.. What’s New
c.. Education
d.. Braille Initiative
e.. Research
f.. Advocacy
g.. Straight Talk About Vision Loss
h.. Product and Access Technology Talk
i.. From the tenBroek Library
j.. Independence Market
k.. Parent Outreach
l.. Spotlight on the Imagination Fund
m.. NFB Calendar
n.. Citation
Message from the Executive Director
Dear Friends,
I spend a lot of time interacting with people from
all parts of this country and occasionally with people from other countries.
We talk about the hopes and dreams that blind people have, the
misconceptions about blindness that exist, and the interesting innovations
that are being undertaken by blind people. Since the NFB Jernigan Institute
is intended to serve as a place from which we can launch demonstration
projects and resources that will have wide impact on blind people, these
interactions are critical in informing the work that we do.
I recently had the opportunity to attend the
convention of the NFB of Utah, where the work of the Federation and the
impact of our Jernigan Institute is clearly evident. Under the leadership of
Ron Gardner, president of the NFB of Utah, our affiliate there has taken
hold of a number of the models started in the NFB Jernigan Institute and
taken them to the next level. Utah Federationists started Project STRIVE and
its blog and Facebook page in order to provide quality programs to meet the
unique needs of blind youth (ages 13-26) throughout Utah. This is the type
of innovative, take-charge empowerment that gets me energized. In contrast,
an article in the Salt Lake Tribune dated May 26 discussed debates about the
education of blind and deaf students in the state of Utah. Even where great
work is happening to spark innovation in the education of blind youth, there
is still a lot of work to be done.
Imagine the opportunities for blind youth if we
could have a Project STRIVE in every state in the nation. Imagine how we
could help reform education for blind children, maybe for all children, if
we put forth the innovation, energy, and positive attitudes that I witnessed
in the work of our Project STRIVE leaders. I am looking forward to the
upcoming NFB national convention, where we will have the opportunity to
gather together to discuss how we turn dreams like a Project STRIVE in every
state into reality. I hope you will get engaged with the work of the
Federation because together we are certain to find a future full of
opportunities.
Keep striving,
Mark A. Riccobono, Executive Director, NFB
Jernigan Institute
P.S. Please consider making a contribution to
support model programs from the NFB Jernigan Institute.
Featured NFB News
2011 NFB National Convention Update
The NFB 2011 National Convention, July 3-8 in
Orlando, Florida, is just around the corner, and it will be one for the
record books. Our host hotel, the Rosen Shingle Creek, has sold out for the
entire convention! Rosen Shingle Creek reservations agents are now booking
rooms at the nearby Rosen Centre Hotel. Make your room reservation as soon
as possible by calling (866) 996-6338.
Speaking of the convention hotel, here’s a helpful
thing: “Rosen Shingle Creek Resort Geography,” by Mary Ellen Jernigan, in
the May Braille Monitor. Still quite useful from the April Monitor: “It’s
Going to be Hot in Orlando!” by Dan Hicks, “Tours of the Sights in Orlando,”
by Cheryl Echevarria and Maurice Shackelford, “Hearing Enhancement and
Spanish Translation Available at National Convention: Spanish Translators
Needed,” by D. Curtis Willoughby, and “Dialysis in Orlando,” by Mike
Freeman.
Online preregistration for the NFB convention is now
closed. On-site registration will open in Orlando at 9:00 a.m. on Monday,
July 4. To find out about everything on the schedule, download the
convention agenda.
See you in Orlando!
Education
2011 National Convention Youth Track
This summer at national convention in Orlando, the
Education team will once again be hosting Youth Track activities. These
activities are geared towards youth ages 11-18 and are designed to foster
positive attitudes about blindness. The theme of this year’s Youth Track is
“The Reality of Life.” The activities include fun and engaging games built
around our Federation philosophy that allow for students to sharpen their
writing skills, explore which division of the NFB is right for them, run the
Amazing Race around the Florida Mall, and attend a pool party! The games
kick off Sunday, July 3.
Driving Change Bulletin Board
Driving Change
The Driving Change bulletin board (pictured left) is
designed so that the observer is looking at the screen of a racing video
game. The board is split in half by a black horizontal strip containing the
words “Driving Change” in yellow letters and pieces of tire rubber strewn
randomly along the strip.
The bottom panel of the bulletin board resembles a
car dashboard or game console used by the gamer to drive a race car. On the
left is a steering wheel that can actually be turned. Also on the left side,
labeled in print and Braille, from left to right are an odometer registering
that the car has traveled 1.5 miles, a speedometer reading 27 mph, and a
fuel gauge saying “Fueled by 50,000 Federationists.” On the right side of
the console is the Blind Driver Challenge™ logo. The observer can see a road
stretching away from the console with grass on both sides. On the right side
of the road is a car. In the bottom right part of the grassy area is a sign
with a tactile map of the Rolex 24 course on which Mark Riccobono drove the
black Ford Escape.
Above the black strip the background is purple,
similar to the color of the shirts worn at the Blind Driver Challenge™. Four
road signs containing pictures, information blurbs, and quotes about the
Blind Driver Challenge™ are scattered across this space. The sign on the far
left is a yellow square with a picture of Mark Riccobono and the Blind
Driver Challenge™ car. The second sign is shaped like a stop sign with a
picture of the black Ford Escape he drove. The third sign is a yellow
pentagon containing a quote from President Maurer about the opportunities we
have created for increased technology using the nonvisual interface. The far
right sign is a red upside-down triangle with a picture of President Maurer
and Dennis Hong, director of Virginia Tech’s Robotics and Mechanisms
Laboratory, with the car in the background.
The border around the bulletin board is a
checkered-flag design with magnetic strips along it. Model cars on the
magnetic strips can be moved around the border.
On the floor to the left of the board is a
three-foot-tall toy stop sign. A button next to the bulletin board can be
pushed to hear audio of the Blind Driver Challenge™.
Braille Initiative
Towson University
On May 10, three members of the Jernigan Institute
staff traveled to Towson University to teach a class on Braille and
blindness philosophy. The Towson students learned about the Braille code
first by playing a round of Braille Twister and then by making their own
Braille using M&M’s. Everyone had the opportunity to look at Braille books,
different types of slates, a Braille display, and the Louis Braille coin.
There was plenty of time for discussion, and the students asked insightful
and honest questions. All the participants, including the Institute staff,
had a great time.
NFB Braille Programs in the News
The NFB’s BELL and Braille Readers Are Leaders
programs are once again in the news.
An Indiana article, “Three Have Vision Beyond What
Most Realize,” says that “Jessica Vaughn, 9, a third grader at Fort Branch
Community School; Chris Mossberger, 16, a freshman at Gibson Southern High
School; and Taengkwa Sturgell, 9, of New Harmony, were named winners of the
National Federation of the Blind’s reading contest, ‘Braille Readers Are
Leaders.’”
It continues, “Vaughn was recognized as a winner of
the Twin Vision Award, given to a reader who reads Braille and print.
Mossberger, the former motocross rider, was named the Community Service
Award winner and Sturgell was named the Jennifer Baker Award winner for
overcoming multiple obstacles besides her lack of eyesight.”
In “Local Arlington Lions Club Brings the Gift of
Literacy to Blind Youth,” the Virginia local media reports “The 2011 Braille
Enrichment for Literacy and Learning (BELL) program scheduled for July will
be able to host more students this year thanks to a generous donation to the
National Federation of the Blind of Virginia (NFBV) from the Arlington Host
Lions. The Arlington Host Lions Club donated one thousand dollars to support
the BELL initiative that will help students learn new skills to do well in
school and to eventually be employed.”
“‘When they become adults, the one factor that
enables them to be employable is their Braille skills. Odds are, if you don’
t know Braille, you don’t have a job,’ said Sandy Halverson, the Coordinator
of the BELL program.”
“This is the second summer where the NFBV will be
organizing a BELL program in our area. In a pilot program in August of 2010
held in Arlington, Virginia, seven blind and low vision students
participated in a two-week program of exploration of how many uses there are
for Braille in school and at home.”
“Theresa Willis from Virginia Beach, a blind parent
of a blind student who attended the 2010 pilot program, said, ‘I have
Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) and have never read a book in my life. I would try
to read a chapter but would give up because it was too hard with eyestrain
and headaches. I don’t want that for my child and this program has given her
what our school district could not. My daughter also has RP and if she
learns Braille, she will not have to come home from school crying because
her eyes are tired and she has headaches. I want her to be able to read the
books that I have never been able to.’”
Research
Mark Riccobono demonstrates driving simulator
NFB Blind Driver Test Track
Participate in the research behind the building of
nonvisual interfaces empowering a blind person to drive. Test the current
NFB Blind Driver Challenge™ interfaces on a simulator operated by Virginia
Tech graduate students and complete a short survey.
Visit the Blind Driver Test Track, near the exhibit
hall at national convention, during the following hours:
Sunday 10:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Monday 9:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday 8:00 to 11:00 a.m.
Wednesday Noon to 1:45 p.m. and 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Thursday Noon to 1:45 p.m.
Advocacy
NFB Commends Department of Education for New
Accessible Technology Guidelines: Urges Schools to Deploy Technology That
Blind Students Can Use
The National Federation of the Blind urges all
elementary, secondary, and postsecondary schools to follow guidelines issued
by the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights and to deploy new or
emerging technologies only if they are accessible to blind students. The
guidelines, in the form of Frequently Asked Questions, were issued to
supplement the department’s Dear Colleague letter of June 29, 2010. That
letter informed all college and university presidents that their
institutions must be sure that emerging technologies that they plan to
deploy to students are accessible to the blind and other students with
disabilities. A second Dear Colleague letter makes clear that the same legal
obligations apply to elementary and secondary schools.
Learn more in NFB’s press release on the new
accessible technology guidelines.
Straight Talk About Vision Loss
Dennis Hong. Photo credit: James Duncan Davidson /
TED
Professor Dennis Hong directs the Virginia Tech
College of Engineering Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory. His team took up
the NFB’s Blind Driver Challenge™ in 2004. Dr. Hong spoke about the BDC in
a prestigious TED Talk in March of this year. Fast Company reported on it in
its piece “Welcome to the TED Revival: Blind People Drive, Paralyzed People
Walk”:
Yesterday morning at TED resembled an old-time
faith-healing session—except instead of the Bible, the force was technology.
First Dennis Hong presented the results of his
robotics lab RoMeLa’s collaboration with the National Federation of the
Blind. They equipped a car with an accelerometer, GPS, two cameras, and
laser rangefinders, and then created a set of novel nonvisual
interfaces—vibrating gloves and seat mats, and a brand-new screen called the
AirPix that looks like a tiny air hockey table. It uses puffs of air like
pixels to create an “image” of obstacles in the road ahead.
Mark Riccobono, blind since age 5, drove the
specially outfitted Ford Escape around the track at Daytona one month ago,
successfully dodging obstacles along the way. There are more than a few
safety issues to be worked out before the legally blind can take the wheel
but the interfaces their team developed have other possible applications as
well.
The long-anticipated video of Dr. Hong’s
presentation has finally been posted on the TED Web site. Here, Dennis Hong
talks at TED2011 about making a car drivable by the blind.
Product and Access Technology Talk
May has been a tremendously exciting—and
public—month for the team here at the National Center. Access Technology has
been everywhere; Anne Taylor, director of Access Technology, presented at
the CHI conference in Vancouver, Canada, as part of a panel on “Increasing
Legal Requirements for Interface Accessibility” with Dan Goldstein and Eve
Hill from Brown, Goldstein and Levy, Jonathan Lazar from Towson University,
Alice Siempelkamp from the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board,
and David Lepofsky from the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities
Act Alliance.
Anne also represented the NFB at the Learning Impact
conference in Long Beach, California, with a presentation on “Accessible
Technology in Post-Secondary Education: Online Learning, E-books, Clickers
and More.” This session discussed the legal and technological initiatives
being undertaken by the disability community to address these developments,
the steps that educational institutions can take to ensure that disabled
students have mainstream access to technology, and the resources available
to technology developers who wish to offer out-of-the-box accessibility.
The Possibilities Fair on May 19 was a great
opportunity to show the visiting groups of seniors how technology could help
them reclaim their independence.
Finally, the team gave a keynote address to the
Business Forms Management Association’s annual symposium here in Baltimore.
The topic was the importance of accessible forms. Topics included best
practices in form design and coding, the importance of accessible forms, and
suggestions for remediating frequently encountered problem areas.
On the technology tips section of the site, we’ve
added a great post from G.W. Micro about App Central in the new release of
Window-Eyes—have a look!
eBay Jobs Development Program Update
In previous issues we’ve told you about the class
held at the Jernigan Institute for aspiring eBay entrepreneurs and trainers.
There’s far more to the story. The project also reaches blind people who
did not attend the class to encourage and inform. We’ve created an e-mail
list called eBay-talk.
This mailing list is a forum for blind people
interested in buying and selling on eBay to share experiences and
information, whether their interest is in casual buying and selling or in
creating money-making businesses. Topics include accessibility questions,
where to find books and other eBay-related resources in accessible formats,
and dealing with blindness-specific eBay questions. It is intended to
supplement, not to replace, resources available to the eBay Community. Join
the the eBay-talk listserv on nfbnet.org.
From the tenBroek Library
Documenting the History of the Organized Blind
It only happened a few months back in January of
this year, but the first major success of the Blind Driver Challenge™ is
history. In fact it was history the minute Mark Riccobono stepped out of the
car and wept as he hugged the president of the NFB of Maryland.
The BDC is history. And we mean history in the best
sense: something worth recording and remembering for a good long time.
Libraries and archives have been preserving pieces of history at least since
the time of classical antiquity, and your Jacobus tenBroek Library is
keeping up the tradition.
We’ve made a point of collecting reports of that
great day in Daytona, some in paper, some electronic, and some in both
formats. They are all being added to the Blind Driver Challenge™ file in the
NFB archives, and our intrepid cataloger Carolyn Baron has created records
for most of them in our online library catalog, THE BLIND CAT. Catalog users
may click on links in the descriptive record to access HTML, PDF, and media
links. Here are some of the more impressive reports:
a.. Virginia Tech Magazine has published an
article entitled “Blind Driver Makes History at Daytona.” Our record
provides a link to the HTML article and video of highlights on Virginia Tech
’s Web site.
b.. The May issue of Popular Science features the
article “Driving Blind.” Our catalog record provides a link to their HTML
article.
c.. AUVSI, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle
Systems International, has launched a new magazine entitled Mission
Critical. Their premier issue features an article entitled “Amazing Race:
Blind but Now Able to Drive.” We will soon offer links to the PDF file and
an accessible text version. Stay tuned!
d.. Here’s a podcast link to ViewPoints, “a weekly
program devoted to the ever-changing world of accessibility,” where radio
hosts Nancy Goodman Torpey and Peter Torpey devote their March 30 broadcast,
number 1113, to the theme of driving for non-drivers. The NFB’s Blind Driver
Challenge™ is discussed along with the DARPA Urban Challenge and Google’s
self-driving car.
Happy reading and listening!
Independence Market
The NFB Independence Market is the conduit through
which our members, other blind individuals new to the NFB, and their friends
and families order NFB publications and blindness products.
We receive calls from members all around the country
who wish to order our literature to distribute at their local public
outreach events. Some know exactly what they need while others consult the
Independence Market staff for literature recommendations to best suit their
particular event. We also send out packets of information to newly-blinded
individuals and their families who have contacted us to learn more about the
resources available to them. Through our literature we share our hopeful
message that people who are blind can gain the skills and confidence to live
independent, productive, and fulfilled lives. To review the NFB publications
offerings available through the Independence Market visit our literature
page.
Customers from all parts of the country as well as
overseas order blindness products from the NFB Independence Market. They
purchase items online, over the phone, through the mail, or in person. Our
staff is always happy to answer any questions and make recommendations.
Those who visit the Independence Market in person
here in Baltimore have the opportunity to examine all the products we offer.
Groups visiting the NFB Jernigan Institute usually include a visit to the
Independence Market in their schedule of activities. Most recently the
two-hundred-plus attendees of the NFB of Maryland Possibilities Fair for
Seniors Losing Vision had a chance to browse our offerings. Those who will
be attending our national convention in Orlando, Florida, in July will also
have the opportunity to look at all our products and shop to their heart’s
content.
Visit the NFB Independence Market online to learn
more about what we have to offer. For more information contact us via e-mail
or by phone at 410-659-9314, extension 2216, Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00
p.m. eastern time.
Parent Outreach
Parent Activities at National Convention
The spring 2011 issue of Future Reflections magazine
is out, and it contains the article “When I Grow Up
2011 NOPBC Conference
for Families and Teachers” by Laura Weber, updated to include more detail
about special activities for families since it appeared in the April Braille
Monitor.
Barbara Cheadle sends out this call for volunteers
to help at convention:
The Braille Book Fair (formerly called the flea
market) needs enthusiastic, hard-working volunteers throughout the afternoon
and evening on Tuesday, July 5, at the NFB Convention in Florida. We need
Braille and print readers; teens and kids (kids under 12 must be accompanied
by an adult) are welcomed, too.
Volunteers can sign up for one or more two-hour
shifts: 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.; 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., 4:45 to 6:45 p.m., and 6:45 to
8:00 p.m. (or until we have finished cleaning up).
If you are interested, e-mail me and/or call my home
phone (410-747-3472) and I will answer your questions, and send you the
information you will need for that day. After we get to convention, then
use the cell phone number (410-300-5232), of course!
The National Organization of Parents of Blind
Children (NOPBC) reminds that you must make several separate convention
registrations: with the hotel for a room (phone 866-996-6338), with the
parents division for the NOPBC conference to be held on July 3 (can be done
on site), and, to get your name badge, agenda, eligibility for door prizes,
and the negotiated room rates, you must have preregistered already with the
national NFB online or do so in person, beginning on July 4. Child care at
convention should have been reserved in advance, and details were given in
“Child Care at Convention” in the April Monitor.
The NFB has announced the thirty winners in our 2011
Scholarship Program! Who gets which prize will be announced at the
convention banquet on July 8. Congratulations to all on this list of
finalists and their families. Get more information on the National
Federation of the Blind Scholarship Program online.
Spotlight on the Imagination Fund
The Imagination Fund builds programs of the National
Federation of the Blind at the national, state, and local levels.
The NFB of Delaware received a grant for a LEAD
(Leadership, Education, Advocacy, and Determination) program in their
affiliate. This program assists blind youth as they transition into high
school or the “real world,” with mentors, education, and skills that these
students can take with them as they progress into becoming productive
members of society.
Dress for Success Workshop
Among the skills the students are learning and
practicing while involved in the LEAD program are using assistive
technology, advocating for issues that affect the blind, coordinating their
wardrobes, and learning how to shop for and prepare their own meals.
One activity is a “Dress for Success” workshop held
at a Boscov’s Department Store. After learning strategies for presenting a
professional appearance, Kevin Creedon, a student participant, said, “After
this workshop I know what colors look best on me, and I will be dressing
professionally for upcoming interviews. I know I will be able to hook a job
for this summer.”
Catherine Newman, the NFB youth coordinator in
Delaware, said, “The LEAD program could have never accomplished what we did
without the Imagination grant.” Learn more on the NFB of Delaware LEAD
program page.
Congratulations to Gary Ray from North Carolina who
won an official Rolex 24 poster signed by Mark Riccobono—the driver of the
Blind Driver Challenge™ vehicle that was first demonstrated at the Daytona
International Speedway.
NFB Calendar
July 3-8, 2011 The 71st Annual NFB National
Convention, Rosen Shingle Creek Resort, Orlando, Florida; More details are
found in the 2011 Convention Bulletin.
NOTE: The Rosen Shingle Creek Resort is now out of
rooms. To make your reservation for the overflow hotel, the Rosen Centre,
please call (866) 996-6338.
Our heartfelt thanks to the 2011 NFB National
Convention sponsors: eBay Inc., HumanWare, UPS, Ingram Content Group and
VitalSource Technologies, Market Development Group Inc., Oracle, Adobe
Systems, Freedom Scientific, IBM, National Industries for the Blind (NIB),
Research in Motion (RIM), C & P Chris Park Design, En-Vision America, GW
Micro Inc., HIMS, Independence Science, Learning Ally (formerly Recording
for the Blind & Dyslexic), LevelStar, Perkins Products, Sendero Group, and
Toyota.
Summer 2011 Braille Enrichment for Literacy and
Learning (BELL) program dates
a.. June 6-17, Houston, Texas
b.. June 13-24, Utah
c.. June 20-30, Austin, Texas
d.. July 11-22, Atlanta, Georgia
e.. July 11-22, North Carolina
f.. July 11-22, Northern Virginia, Virginia
g.. July 25-August 5, Colorado
h.. August 1-12, Savannah, Georgia
i.. August 1-12, Virginia Beach, Virginia
j.. August 8-19, Maryland
k.. TBD, Eastern Shore, Virginia
July 17-23, 2011 The 3rd Biennial NFB Youth Slam,
Towson University, Maryland.
Citation
I never come into one of our convention sessions
without feeling a lift of spirit and a surge of joy, for I know to the
depths of my being that our shared bond of love and trust will never change,
and that because of it we will be unswervable in our determination and
unstoppable in our progress.
—Dr. Kenneth Jernigan, President Emeritus, “The
Day After Civil Rights,” an address delivered at the banquet of the annual
convention of the National Federation of the Blind, New Orleans, Louisiana,
July 4, 1997
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
TeachBlind Students.org
Blogs:
Access Technology
Voice of the Nation’s Blind
Publication archives:
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.
Forward this newsletter.
If this issue was forwarded to you and you’d like to
subscribe, please e-mail JerniganInstitute at nfb.org.
Dennis Hong. Photo credit: James Duncan Davidson / TED
Unsubscribe from receiving email, or change your email preferences.
nonprofit software
More information about the NFBF-L
mailing list