[Nfbf-l] Reaching our youth; blindness and disability awareness

[Bill Outman]

Hello, list members.  

 

I would like to share a positive way we can impact the topic of diversity,
disability awareness in general and blindness awareness in particular.  

 

A couple weeks ago I was wrapping up a Thanksgiving visit with my mother and
other relatives here in Florida and I had a chance to give a presentation
about disability.  

 

It occurred following the last service at my mom's Episcopal church on the
Sunday following Thanksgiving, November 30.  I was speaking to the Cub Scout
den at the church about blindness and the overall topic of disability.  The
scouts have been learning about disability in their program for a number of
weeks, and I had been asked to speak to this particular group so they would
have a personal experience with this subject.  I showed my iPhone with
VoiceOver and my laptop with Jaws.  I also showed my cane and talked about
pedestrian safety for all with mobility challenges.  The scouts asked a
number of questions.  One thing they asked about is how a blind person
handles money, as it occurred to them that all the bills are the same.  The
scouts had a chance to participate by doing sighted guide drills with me.
What was originally envisioned as about a 15 minute talk turned into an hour
program.  

 

I had been a scout myself at the age of these children.  I think it is
important for all the blindness and disability organizations to reach out to
such youth organizations whenever possible.  This helps build awareness from
the ground up.  

 

Bill Outman