[Nfbk] {Disarmed} National Federation of the Blind (NFB) Jernigan Institute Newsletter - October Opportunities
Nickie Pearl
njp at twc.com
Fri Oct 4 12:41:23 UTC 2013
From: Nickie Pearl
Sent: Friday, October 04, 2013 8:40 AM
To: njp at twc.com
Subject: Fw: National Federation of the Blind (NFB) Jernigan Institute Newsletter - October Opportunities
From: Mark Riccobono
Sent: Thursday, October 03, 2013 11:30 AM
To: NICKIE PRIDDY PEARL
Subject: National Federation of the Blind (NFB) Jernigan Institute Newsletter - October Opportunities
Imagineering Our Future
Issue 57
October 2013
In this issue:
a.. Message from the Executive Director
b.. What's News at the NFB
c.. Education
d.. Braille Initiative
e.. Advocacy
f.. Product and Access Technology Talk
g.. From the tenBroek Library
h.. Independence Market
i.. NFB Calendar
j.. Citation
Message from the Executive Director
Dear Friends,
October is NFB's Meet the Blind Month, and one of the best ways I know to help the public understand the capacity of blind people is to actively move around our communities. I began actively using a long white cane shortly after I met the Federation and learned that I did not need to pretend to see more than I was able and that it is respectable to be blind. Whether we like it or not, as blind people, every trip out the door is an opportunity to teach the public about blindness. It can also be frustrating to realize how much impact there is still to be made.
The other day I had an early morning appointment at the dentist. The office is about half a mile from my home. Knowing I would be going right from the appointment to work, I was dressed in my suit and tie. When I got to the final intersection where I needed to cross both streets to get to the dentist's office, an interesting thing happened. I crossed the first street which is wider and busier than the second street. As I turned to wait for the light to change a woman said to me that the light was green. The traffic rushing from my left to my right very clearly told me that the light in the direction I wanted to go was red. I told her I was fine and continued to listen to the traffic. As the traffic in front of me slowed down to a stop the woman told me the light was red and I could go. I admit I was very tempted to mention that I learned differently in kindergarten. I always wait until the parallel traffic closest to me begins moving to ensure that I do not wrestle with any vehicles turning left onto the street I am crossing. As I started to step off the curb she told me that it was okay because, "I've got you."
I learned from the NFB that I am the person responsible for me. So often people ask us to wait, tell us where we are going even though they have no clue what we are up to, or assert authority to be responsible for our safety even when it is not required. The question is: "How do we get the right type of encounters to happen to change the perception of the people in our communities?" More importantly, "How do we get to more newly blind people to teach them this empowering lesson before they resign their lives to being under the control of someone else?"
Although frustration happens, being out and about does make a difference. I have been going to this dentist office for about three years now. This was the first time that the staff in that office realized that I did not need a personal escort to go up and down the stairs, and that I could carry my file upstairs like everyone else.
When you are out in your communities this October, take a moment to look for opportunities to teach others about the capacity of blind people. Get involved in some of our NFB Meet the Blind Month activities and learn more about how we can change the negative perceptions the public has about blindness. I am tempted to go out and cross streets with no other purpose other than to talk about the tools and techniques blind people use to travel with every single person that wants to get me across safely. Maybe I can get some of my sighted friends to put on a blindfold and come out with me--I think they will be surprised by what we find together.
Sincerely,
Mark A. Riccobono, Executive Director
NFB Jernigan Institute
What's News at the NFB
NFB Meet the Blind Month
NFB Meet the Blind Month 2013 is officially underway! Affiliates and chapters are hosting a variety of events, including a walk-a-thon, a read-a-thon, an Orioles baseball game, health and wellness fairs, "Who's Whozit" classroom presentations, and interactive community discussions and demonstrations about blindness. Visit our new Events and Fundraising Web page to view the events listed by state.
Additionally, you can keep up with each state's fundraising progress by selecting the fundraising progress link located at the bottom of each state's event list. Fundraising updates will be communicated via Facebook and our affiliate listserv each Friday during the month of October.
For more information about this year’s campaign, please visit this year’s NFB Meet the Blind Month page and be sure to check the newsletter in December for the challenge results.
NFB Bid for Equality
Mark your calendar for our fir-t annual NFB Bid for Equality online auction, beginning on Black Friday, November 29, 2013, and concluding on Giving Tuesday, December 3, 2013. Next month's newsletter, as well as the November Braille Monitor, will contain the auction’s Web site.
If you’re looking for a special get-a-way, we have vacation packages to Puerto Rico, South Carolina, and Illinois, just to name a few. If you’re looking for a unique experience, we have a Nevada helicopter tour and a Wisconsin boat tour. We also have several exciting state-specific gift baskets and restaurant gift cards to be included in the auction. We are grateful for all of the wonderful donations we've received and are excited for you to take advantage of this opportunity.
Please contact Ilana Posner at (410) 659-9314, extension 2283, or at iposner at nfb.org for more information or with any questions.
The Future Is in Your Bid. We appreciate your support!
Education
NFB BELL Program
This past summer, twenty-three NFB BELL programs were hosted in nineteen states (California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia). Over two hundred students applied for openings in the twenty-three programs.
During the two-week programs, students used Braille in every way imaginable. Children learned and used Braille music to sing and play songs. Students learned how refreshable Braille can be used with mainstream technology like iOS devices and computers. Students used Braille in activities at zoos, museums, parks, swimming pools, in the kitchen, in the woodshop, and on public transportation. Through the NFB BELL program, students learned that Braille is useful in all aspects of life; its usefulness is not limited to reading and writing in school.
Blind adult role models are an invaluable piece of the NFB BELL program. Many young blind children do not know any blind adults. By meeting adults like themselves, children learn that their opportunities are as numerous as those of their sighted peers. One child from Ohio remarked during the program, “So teachers can be blind.” The parent of a girl that attended the NFB BELL program in Philadelphia said, “This program has really helped my daughter realize that she's not the only one struggling with sight.”
To learn more about the NFB BELL program, visit www.nfb.org/BELL.
Braille Initiative
Braille Certification Training Program
Under a contract with the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress (NLS), the NFB administers the courses leading to NLS certification of Braille transcribers and proofreaders. Successful completion of these rigorous courses requires a great deal of time and effort on the part of the students. We congratulate the following individuals who earned certification during the month of July 2013:
Literary Braille Transcribing
California
Sal Moreno, Folsom
Connecticut
Kelvin Omar Martinez, Windsor
Indiana
Usama Ali Ammar, Bunker Hill
Roger Dale Coy, Bunker Hill
Robert Norris, New Castle
Maryland
Karen Marie Berardi, Bel Air
Michigan
Patricia Brown Balassone, Lansing
Missouri
Kevin Wayne Harmon, Jefferson City
Derrick Lamont Jones, Jefferson City
Joshua Allen Wolf, Jefferson City
Nevada
Jason Arthur VanBuskirk, Las Vegas
New Jersey
Kathy Rohr, Pompton Plains
New York
Eileen Susan Ryerse, Brockport
North Carolina
Emerson Hernandez, Lincoln
North Carolina
Darlene Faye Lowery, Rowland
Ohio
Patrick Francis Janson, South Euclid
Oklahoma
Tory M. Sweeney, Sayre
South Carolina
Kimberly D. Martin, Greenwood
Texas
Sonya Marie Mena, Gatesville
Bernadette Perusquia, Gatesville
Virginia
Donna M Mayberry, Concord
Wisconsin
Allen L. Heckert, Oshkosh
Advocacy
Self-Advocacy in Higher Education:
Accommodations
Colleges and universities are generally obligated to provide students with disabilities accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to ensure equal participation in college and university programs. Unfortunately, securing accommodations from a college or university is not always easy. While every campus is different, the following recommended best practices can help you to prevent or mitigate complications:
1. Request accommodations in writing from your school’s disability support services (DSS) office as early as possible and well before a new semester begins. Think through each accommodation you will need and list each accommodation with specificity. Be prepared to explain why you need the specific accommodation requested; for example, why you need all instructional materials in Braille rather than audio or other formats.
2. Request an accessible copy of your accommodation letter or form from the DSS office and review this letter to ensure accuracy. Note if the document includes the entirety of the accommodations you requested and if any specification is made as to when these accommodations will be provided. If there are discrepancies, note these in writing as an addendum to your accommodation letter and resubmit it to the DSS office.
Remember, too, that in an effort to gather current information regarding the technology that schools are implementing, particularly what is accessible versus inaccessible, the NFB maintains the Digital Technology and Accessibility in Schools survey. Please complete this survey every semester--your feedback helps to drive the NFB’s advocacy and legal agendas. You can locate the survey at http://nfb.org/digital-tech-access.
For additional information, contact Valerie Yingling, paralegal at the NFB, at vyingling at nfb.org, or (410) 659-9314, extension 2440.
Product and Access Technology Talk
In access technology news, the team has been busy behind the scenes, and some of that shows on the technology section of the NFB Web site--there is a new blog post up on talking magnifiers at https://nfb.org/at-blog. In addition, our even-more-epic-than-usual 2013 Technology Resource List is now available for download from https://nfb.org/technology-center in BRF, straight from our desks to your embosser!
As usual, we have our fair share of new technology in the IBTC for your perusal--the new Google Nexus tablet is being tested as we speak. A new Eclipse Scan and Read Station has been set up for those looking for a dedicated scan, read, and media computer. Probably the most exciting additions, however, are the Orion graphing calculator from Orbit Research and the Eye-Pal Ace. The Orion is a very welcome addition to the limited selection of tools for blind math and science students. The Eye-Pal Ace brings Abisee’s well-established expertise in scan and read devices to a completely new format. The Ace is small enough to travel easily, but it provides more features than similarly sized OCR devices. It displays magnified text, allows for saved photos and imported documents, and contains a built-in alarm. And it holds the promise of further improvements implied in the ease with which the software can be upgraded.
From the tenBroek Library
The NFB’s positive philosophy about the abilities of blind people who are given the opportunities and training to succeed spreads far beyond the fifty thousand members scattered across the country. This foundational belief in the capabilities and equality of blind people is also the basis for the techniques and teaching methods at the three NFB-sponsored training centers in Louisiana, Minnesota, and Colorado. Each of these facilities puts the theory into practice every day by helping to give blind people the skills they need to succeed, and each of them have enjoyed a long and positive relationship with the NFB.
The youngest of these training centers, the Colorado Center for the Blind (CCB), recently commemorated its twenty-fifth anniversary on September 13 and 14, 2013, with a two-day celebration at its headquarters outside Denver. Events included tours with current students, rides in the NFB’s Blind Driver Challenge vehicle, and a gala banquet dinner with students, alumni, staff, and friends.
One of the CCB’s earliest and staunchest supporters was Former NFB President, Kenneth Jernigan (1926-1998). Proof of his support is preserved in the archives at the Jacobus tenBroek Library in a letter that he wrote on the occasion of the CCB’s tenth anniversary. His heartfelt words leave little doubt that he would be equally pleased with the continued progress and accomplishments of the CCB throughout its twenty-five years of operation.
Here is what he wrote:
February 19, 1998
To the Staff, Students, and Friends of the Colorado Center for the Blind:
Ten is a wonderful birthday. It symbolizes moving out of childhood toward full maturity. Ten years ago the Colorado Center for the Blind came into being, and it now celebrates the completion of a decade of progress. You have not only made life better for the blind of the state of Colorado but throughout the country and, to some extent, the world. This is an achievement in which pride should justifiably be taken.
My purpose in writing is to congratulate all involved on the accomplishments of the last ten years and to express my hope and certainty that the next ten years will be even better for the Colorado Center.
Kenneth Jernigan
Independence Market
Through its Independence Market, the NFB sells blindness-related products that enhance the independence of the user. Many of the items fall in the low-tech, less-expensive end of our product range. Products such as signature guides and other writing guides, needle-threaders and self-threading needles, sock locks for keeping one's socks paired up while doing laundry, various stick-on bumps for marking items, 20/20 pens, Braille labeling tape, and more cost less than $5.00 each, and enable a person to accomplish basic everyday tasks.
Some items available for purchase, such as the New Generation Victor Reader Stream book reader/multi-media player and recorder, are more in the high-tech end of the product spectrum. While we introduced this product in an earlier edition of the newsletter, the most recent software upgrade has added some enhanced functionality that we thought would interest our readers and any potential customers. The Stream's navigation functions and book-marking features make it easy for the user to read and study any materials downloaded to this device. Users can listen to several different types of audio books and magazines, including those from the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Learning Ally, and Audible.com, as well as text-based materials from such sources such as BookShare and NFB-NEWSLINE®. For those who don't know, NFB-NEWSLINE®, a free service available to anyone who is legally blind, makes the texts of hundreds of local and national newspapers, as well as television broadcast schedules, localized weather alerts, and job listings available on demand to blind readers in an easily accessible format, through various interfaces. The most recent free software update for the New Generation Victor Reader Stream makes use of its built-in Wi-Fi capability, so that users can now download content from NFB-NEWSLINE® and BookShare directly onto their reading device without having to resort to a computer. If one has access to Wi-Fi, one can automatically receive the latest editions of the NFB-NEWSLINE® publications in one's favorites list, even before indulging in the first cup of coffee in the morning. Of course, starting immediately, the Victor Reader Stream units purchased from the NFB Independence Market will have this latest software update installed.
For more information about any of our products and literature, please contact the NFB Independence Market by e-mail, or call us at 410-659-9314, extension 2216, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. You can also browse our product offerings online.
NFB Calendar
Upcoming Events
Washington Seminar – Great Gathering-In – January 27, 2014
State Conventions
NFB of Alaska -- October 4-6, 2013
NFB of Arkansas -- October 4-6, 2013
NFB of Iowa -- October 4-6, 2013
NFB of Kentucky -- October 4-6, 2013
NFB of New York – October 4-6, 2013
NFB of Georgia – October 10-13, 2013
NFB of California -- October 11-13, 2013
NFB of Vermont -- October 12, 2013
NFB of Colorado -- October 17-21, 2013
NFB of District of Columbia -- October 17-20, 2013
NFB of Indiana -- October 18-20, 2013
NFB of Michigan -- October 18-20, 2013
NFB of Washington -- October 18-20, 2013
NFB of Illinois -- October 25-27, 2013
NFB of Maine -- October 25-26, 2013
NFB of Minnesota -- October 25-27, 2013
NFB of Montana – October 25-27, 2013
NFB of Nebraska -- October 25-27, 2013
NFB or Rhode Island -- October 25-26, 2013
NFB of Virginia -- October 25-27, 2013
NFB of Connecticut -- November 1-3, 2013
NFB of Nevada -- November 1-3, 2013
NFB of Ohio -- November 1-3, 2013
NFB of Oregon -- November 1-3, 2013
NFB of Kansas -- November 8-10, 2013
NFB of Maryland – November 8-10, 2013
NFB of New Jersey -- November 8-10, 2013
NFB of Pennsylvania -- November 8-10, 2013
NFB of Texas -- November 8-10, 2013
NFB of Puerto Rico -- November 16, 2013
Citation
When I look into the hearts of Federation members, I know that there is absolutely nothing that can prevent us from completing our mission. It will not be easy or simple. However, we know our business, we know the language of diplomacy, we are prepared to bide our time if we must, and we know how to work. We possess the dedication, the commitment, the courage, and the talent; nothing else is required.
Whatever the costs, we will pay them. Whatever the challenges, we will meet them. Whatever the sacrifices, we will make them. We have the capacity to wait if we must, but not forever. We are on the move; the opportunities are great; and the time is now.
Ours is an unquenchable spirit. We go to the work with joy, and we will not fail. Our future cannot be determined by others; the decision is in our own hands. Join me, and we will build our own tomorrow!
--Marc Maurer. "Independence and the Necessity for Diplomacy." Banquet speech, 2001 NFB National Convention, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 6, 2001.
Thank you for reading the NFB Jernigan Institute’s Imagineering Our Future.
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Interesting links:
Archive of Straight Talk About Vision Loss videos
National Center for Blind Youth in Science
Access Technology Tips
TeachBlindStudents.org
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