[NFBMV] Membership in the National Federation of the Blind: Equality, Opportunity, and Security through Collective Action

[Carolyn Peters]

Great article
https://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm19/bm1904/bm190402.htm

Membership in the National Federation of the Blind: Equality, Opportunity, and Security through Collective Action
Braille Monitor                          April 2019

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by Mark Riccobono

From the Editor: Our elected President assumes responsibility for an incredible number of tasks, one of them overseeing our program to recruit, grow, and nourish our membership. It is obvious that President Riccobono sees this as a major priority, and here is what he says about his coming to the organization and what we must do to ensure that others keep coming:

One of the most important titles I have been able to put next to my name is member, National Federation of the Blind. I first became a member in 1996, and I cannot imagine a day in my life when I will decide to no longer be a member of this great organization. As I travel the country talking to people about the work of our movement, certain predictable questions come up including but not limited to: what does it mean to be a member; how do I join; and what are the benefits of membership? More often than not, I find that people have not joined because of misconceptions about membership in our organized blind movement. I also find that the idea of “membership” in an organization takes on different meanings depending on your background and perspective. In this article I will attempt to share with you what membership in the National Federation of the Blind means to me and what I believe we, collectively, hope it means for each of our present and future members. If you are not yet a member, this article is an invitation to explore joining us and an opportunity to create understanding about who we are and why we need you to be in our family. If you are already a member, I hope this article speaks to your experience in our movement and contributes to your growth as a leader. If you are not sure whether you are or are not a member, I hope this clears things up and encourages you to make your membership status definitive.

What Do We Mean by Membership?

It is important to begin with some organizational basics related to membership. Let us start by talking about what membership in our organization is not. I grew up in the 1980s when the Members Only brand emerged in the United States. It was a cool thing to have something that sported the name “Members Only,” and we sought opportunities to create social circles for ourselves that we considered “members only” regardless of whether you owned any of the merchandise. For example, in elementary school my friends and I had a Ghostbusters Club (based on the 1984 movie) where we could easily limit the participants since there just were not many characters in the movie. We created our own rules and expectations for participation—sometimes driven by the movie but often with our own agreed-upon alterations—and we had a good time. However, the goal was not to bring other people into our club. In fact, we liked that it was a closed membership. We were already friends and our “members only” club strengthened our bond. This notion of membership is much different from what I have found in the National Federation of the Blind over the past twenty years. In our organization we believe in an open membership policy where all are welcome to be considered for membership and, with only a few exceptions, our meetings are open to non-members to observe even if they cannot vote on matters of importance—only Federation members can determine its policies and elect its leaders. While only members of the Federation have certain rights and privileges within the organization, we hope to have as many blind people as possible join with us in our mission to improve the lives of all blind people.

Open membership means that we do not put significant qualifiers on being a member of our organization. It is worth talking about the handful of qualifiers we do have for membership.

To begin, you have to want to be a member, and you need to pay dues to a chapter, division, affiliate, or the national organization. Our goal is not simply to sign people up for the membership roll; we seek members who want to actively participate.

In general, another qualifier is that the majority of our members have to be blind. On a nationwide basis better than 90 percent of our members are. Thus, on a national basis, we do not need to worry about sighted individuals joining and taking over our organization. However, at the local level this sometimes becomes a problem when a small chapter starts inviting many sighted people to be members. The constitution of the National Federation of the Blind and every entity under the Federation requires a majority of the membership be blind. By blind, we mean a functional definition of blindness as Kenneth Jernigan so eloquently described it decades ago in his speech “A Definition of Blindness.” One major exception to this policy is our National Organization of Parents of Blind Children—one of our national special interest divisions—where a majority of the members in that specific division need not be blind. In fact, that division includes the vast majority of the Federation’s sighted members, but it is not the exclusive place where sighted people participate actively as members. I list this as a membership qualifier because we are, first and foremost, an organization of blind people, led by blind people, and directed by blind people. While we are on the topic, you cannot be elected to our national board of directors unless you are blind.

A final qualifier is that an individual must be prepared to uphold the standards we expect from each other in this organization. The standards of membership and for leaders of our organization are set by Federation members themselves. They are articulated in our Code of Conduct (https://www.nfb.org/about-us/history-and-governance/code-conduct). Essentially, we come together through the common bond of blindness to serve as a vehicle for collective action by the blind. We seek to treat each other with dignity and respect, and we value an atmosphere free from discrimination and harassment of any type. It is worth noting that those seeking to be leaders of this organization have additional responsibilities above those of everyday members. While all members of the organization are asked to support the policies and programs of the Federation—see the Federation pledge at the end of this article—leaders of the organization are expected to implement the policies and programs. This means that leaders need to take actions consistent with the organization’s policies and that leaders should not commit themselves to organizations that actively work against the Federation.

In short, the membership of the National Federation of the Blind is the class of individuals, a majority of whom are required to be blind, who pay dues to the organization at the local, state, or national level (joining at the local and/or state level gives you automatic membership in the national organization).

The mechanics of qualifying to be a member of the National Federation of the Blind are truly that easy. However, the process of understanding the power of membership in this organization and coming to be an active participant in the decision-making process of it often feels much more daunting to new members. This is why we have recently initiated an onboarding process for new members to welcome people into our organization and assist with navigating the things that long-time members like me take for granted today.

How Do you Become a Member?

In order to become a member of the National Federation of the Blind, you have to join one of the parts of our organization. While there is not one path to membership, keep in mind that where you join makes a difference as to when you can actively vote on Federation matters. Here is a simple breakdown.

Our organization operates at three levels: local, state, and national.

Local: The local level of the Federation is typically represented by a chapter—in my city I participate in the Greater Baltimore Chapter. Chapters are typically geographically organized, and in larger communities there are sometimes multiple chapters in order to facilitate local meetings more effectively. Again, using Baltimore as an example, we have three local chapters that meet in the Baltimore region comprising Baltimore City and Baltimore County. Local chapters are generally not incorporated but serve as a subordinate part of the state affiliate which is incorporated as a 501(c)(3) organization. Most chapters meet in person, but some state affiliates have established at-large chapters which are meant to bring together members who cannot, for one reason or another, meet in person regularly. Additionally, state affiliates will frequently establish special interest divisions which bring blind people together around a common topic. These divisions are distinguished from chapters in a couple of ways. Divisions bring people together around a topic area rather than organizing geographically, and they typically have one major business meeting each year as part of the affiliate convention—whereas most chapters meet every month. Although it is not required, it works best when members of a division also participate in a local chapter. Members of local chapters or divisions are automatically made members of their state affiliate and the national organization. Additionally, members of a state affiliate division are often automatically made members of the corresponding national division. Local division membership dues reflect inclusion of a small amount—generally $2—for dues to the state affiliate and national organization. Local chapters set their dues, and they are generally at $5 or $10 per year. The goal is to ensure that economic status is not a barrier to membership, and the Federation does not use dues as a fundraising activity.

State: There is one state affiliate in each of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Local chapters and divisions report to their state affiliate which helps to coordinate the activities of the organization. Each affiliate has an annual convention which serves as the annual business meeting and determines the policy direction for the affiliate. At the state level, the affiliate convention elects the board of directors and establishes the local priorities. Through the charter of affiliation with the national organization, the state affiliate work must be consistent with the policies and programs of the national organization, but otherwise there is significant discretion as to the implementation of program activities.

National: The state affiliates come together to form the national organization. According to the constitution of the National Federation of the Blind, the annual national convention is the supreme authority of the organization. The convention sets policy and elects the board of directors. The constitution sets forth the duties of the President of the Federation, who serves as the chief executive, and the duties of the board to manage the organization between conventions. Members who attend the national convention are invited to vote on policy matters with the exception of roll call votes where each affiliate gets one vote. Each affiliate selects a delegate to represent the affiliate at the convention and cast votes when necessary. The delegate frequently is the individual who serves on the organization’s nominating committee—the one committee in the Federation which is not appointed by the President. There are some members who only join the national level, but it is not the general membership path. Frequently people join the Federation as members of one of our national divisions. That membership only grants membership in the division and the national organization as a whole—it does not give you any membership rights at the local and state level. However, national divisions are a common way for people to come to know our organization. Frequently, this is an avenue for getting people connected with our local chapters and state affiliates where the real engagement in the work of the organization can happen. Individuals can also join as at-large members of the national organization. At-large members are typically people who wish to show their support without plans to be actively involved. However, this can also be an avenue for people to get to know us before they join at the local level. At-large membership at the national level is extremely small, and it is not a membership option we actively promote because it is much more effective if people participate in the organization through our local affiliates. What makes our organization strong is a powerful local network of organized and engaged members.

What Does It Mean to Be a Member?

Membership in the National Federation of the Blind opens up opportunities for service and for fellowship that I believe are unparalleled. Being a member gives you a connection to thousands of other members all over the country. In my experience, this means having thousands of people who are prepared to support and assist you at every turn in your journey as a blind person. That includes people who are newly blind and struggling to learn what blindness means in their lives as well as people like me who start to think we have it all figured out—until something new comes along or a blind person breaks into a new area that we had not considered previously. I find that every day I am learning something from the powerful network of the Federation.

Being a member also gives you the power of collective action when dealing with issues facing the blind in all aspects of life. This includes at the individual level where if I run into a problem—like someone wanting to take my children away because of my blindness—I know I can call upon my friends in the Federation for help. Membership also gives me access to the training and experts who can help me be a stronger self-advocate. So often the discrimination and artificial barriers we face can be dealt with when we are equipped with the knowledge and resources to understand the law and the expectations that should flow from it. On a broader scale, being a member gives us the power of individual effort collectively focused. In our organization, we select our direction together, and we push toward that end together. It makes our outcomes more effective and more likely to succeed. Similarly, we uphold the value of not dividing ourselves—when we pick a position, we all agree to push in that direction without fighting among each other. Together we are able to make significant progress that we could never accomplish alone.

This brings me to what membership is not. Membership is not giving up our own individual perspectives and beliefs. Those who are not members of our organization sometimes falsely say that we must be brainwashed. In fact, the membership of the Federation is as diverse and opinionated as you can find, and we continue to seek channels to strengthen our diversity. Debates happen throughout the membership about policies to pursue, what our shared philosophy about blindness means and how it applies today, and whether or not a specific concern is within the area of interest to our organization—blindness. Our diversity helps to make our decision-making better. Once we agree by a vote to have a policy or elect a leader, we support them until we vote in a different direction. To some degree, we are constantly testing our policy positions, sometimes through actions in the halls of power and sometimes on the streets of America where we face the low expectations of society. Those who do not know us mistake unity for lack of individuality. This is not the case.

It is worth saying that membership means supporting the will of the majority. This sometimes means that your idea wins, it sometimes means that someone else’s idea wins, but it most often means that a combined idea is the one we select and pursue. The membership moments I enjoy the most are when we get a room full of blind people discussing a topic, and in the end whatever action is decided upon cannot easily be credited to any one individual. It is important to recognize that being part of an organization like ours means that you will not, and should not, always get your way. We are a team, and that means members have an obligation to work together. From my perspective, it is actually the joy of working together. In fact, that is exactly why our membership medallions have the Braille contraction of the word “together” embossed on them.

The original launch of the Members Only brand in the 1980s used the tagline "When you put it on, something happens." This tagline applies equally to membership in the National Federation of the Blind. I know that when I started being a proud member of the Federation my confidence completely changed. As a Federation member I walked more confidently because I learned the techniques that blind people used to be successful, and also because I knew that thousands of people had my back. Furthermore, I wore the pride of knowing that I had their backs as well. Even more importantly, through my active participation in the National Federation of the Blind I got to know other members in a very personal way, and I came to think of them as part of my Federation family. I now have family members all over the country and not just family in name only. I know them, and I know I can count on them. This is something you can really only understand by coming to be a member of our organization and participating actively in it. When you start wearing your membership in the National Federation of the Blind—understanding it in your heart and your mind—things will happen to change your life for the better. These are the benefits of membership that are too priceless to value and too intangible to measure. If you make the commitment to participate actively in our movement, you will begin to discover the reasons that I am a lifelong member and wear this organization proudly in my daily life.

There are lots of other things that membership means and benefits that membership provides to us. I think it is more meaningful if you come discover them for yourself, and by becoming a member you get to help decide how we use our resources and what our priorities will be in the future. Very selfishly, I hope you become a member because it will enhance my own membership experience. I will have another person to work with, another friend to lean on, and another blind person to steal nifty tips and tricks from. I know from my experience that we are stronger together and that your diversity will enhance and improve our organization. Once you join, please share your ideas about how we can do what we do even better, including articulating the meaning of membership and the benefits of our collective action.

Braille Monitor                          April 2019

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by Jeannie Massay

From the Editor: Jeannie is the chairman of our membership committee, and the enthusiasm she brings to the task is infectious. Here is the story of her finding the Federation and the role we have played in her life:

The National Federation of the Blind became a part of my life in a lasting way in the summer of 2008. I had received help in attending my first national convention. I didn’t really know much about the Federation but figured that I should check it out. Don’t get me wrong; I had heard plenty about the Federation, mostly negative. However, these comments were primarily from people who had only misinformation, myths, and misperceptions to talk about with me. As I was later to find out, they did not truly know the Federation.

I was told that the leaders and members of the Federation were unforgiving and had no tolerance for blind individuals who did not have perfect Braille skills, perfect mobility and orientation skills, perfect technology skills, and well, if you were not a perfect blind person, then you did not belong in the Federation. I was not at the time nor am I today a perfect blind person. There is no such thing. I had also heard that the Federation did not like guide dogs and were rather intolerant of those who chose a guide dog for orientation and mobility. Although I am not a guide dog user, I thought that was horrible. I had also heard crazy rumors about the national convention. Were any of these things true? I didn’t know. What I did know was that I do not take someone else’s word about anyone or anything. I like to find out for myself.

The week that I spent with close to 3,000 attendees at the 2008 convention in Dallas forever convinced me that the Federation was the place for me to be. I met what seemed at the time to be all 3,000 people at the convention. I had never been present with that many blind people—so many blind people. Blind children, blind students, blind seniors, blind parents, blind lawyers…well, you get the idea. The Federation has members from all walks of life and from all states, but the thing I discovered we all had in common was that we were blind, and it was not just okay, it was great! I was welcomed with open arms to participate in whatever interested me. I learned about new technology, took my first trip to the Exhibit Hall, and heard Dr. Maurer bring down the gavel to call General Session to order for the first time. I remember it like it was yesterday. Bang, bang, bang. The yells and screams resounded throughout the convention hall. I still get goose bumps when I think of the first time and always get them every convention since.

I was thirty-seven when I began losing vision. I did not know a blind person. I did not know anything about blindness. The reason that I came to find the Federation was money. I had applied for a scholarship but did not receive one at that time. The most valuable gift that I have received was going to that first convention. That single event has continued to shape the trajectory of my life ever since and will continue to do so until I am no longer able to participate actively, if that day ever comes. What I found in the Federation was a group of like-minded blind people who were kind and loving, a bit tough when necessary but who stood up for the rights of the blind to be an active, equal part of society. That is what caught my interest. Many people and many causes have lent themselves to my continuing active participation.

When I returned home from the 2008 National Convention, there was a fire in my belly for the Federation. I knew that I couldn’t keep it a secret and needed to find every blind person that I could to tell them about what I had found to be the truth of the NFB. A group of Federationists met to form a second chapter in Oklahoma. We have continued to grow ever since. This is not due to me alone. Many people in Oklahoma and across the nation have had a hand in shaping the Oklahoma affiliate into what it is today—a proud affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind that is continually growing and seeks to spread the news that you can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back. We are better, stronger, and louder as a means of collective action when we come together and stay together.

The members supported and encouraged me throughout the earliest days of blindness. They answered technology questions, helped me to find accessible textbooks, and instilled in me their unwavering belief that I could and would succeed at whatever it was that I wanted to do. It seems in looking back that my friends in the Federation believed in me more than I believed in myself.

As I continued growing with the Federation, my level of participation grew as well. I found myself volunteering to take on projects and continued to meet more and more people who wanted to change the world for the better. In 2011 I became president of the Oklahoma affiliate and was elected to the national board of directors in 2013. I now serve as treasurer and membership committee chair.

My most important role then was the same as it is today—being a member of the National Federation of the Blind. I am so glad to have found out for myself what the Federation was all about. You should too!

The National Federation of the Blind welcomes all blind people, parents of blind children, blind students, those losing vision, and more. We are a family of members and friends who know that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. You can live the life you want.

We invite you to attend a chapter meeting, a state convention, our national convention, or any number of events that we hold.

How does one become a member of the National Federation of the Blind?

The best way to become a member of the NFB is to attend a chapter or division meeting in your local area. You can find your nearest chapter or division meeting by reaching out to your state affiliate president. Membership in a chapter or division will automatically grant you membership in your state affiliate and the national organization. Go to https://nfb.org/about-us/state-affiliates to find your state’s affiliate president and their contact information.

What are some of the benefits of being a member of the National Federation of the Blind?

Access to national and local resources and information
The support of a powerful local, statewide, and national community
Connections to blind mentors
Access to training
National and local NFB voting rights
A subscription to our monthly e-newsletter
A beautiful membership coin to carry with you as a reminder that you are a part of something larger than yourself
Our new National Federation of the Blind Membership coin is made of pewter and is about the size of a half-dollar. On the front side of the coin is our logo which depicts six blind figures with long white canes moving forward together. The other side of the coin has “National Federation of the Blind” around the perimeter, the word “Member” in raised letters, and the letters t, g, and r in Braille (which is the Braille contraction for the word together) above that. Together as members of the National Federation of the Blind there is nothing that we cannot accomplish.

Braille Monitor                          April 2019

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by Barbara Pierce

 From the Editor: I am always uplifted when I get an article from Barbara Pierce. I know from long experience that I will be inspired and educated. I also know from experience that what she sends will be a piece I can drop in without worrying much about editing. No article I write ever frees me from wondering, “What will Barbara think of this? What mistake would I not have made were I still reviewing every article with her?” Maybe this is always the way it is between teacher and student, but here are Barbara’s thoughts on becoming a member:

I was twenty-nine before I was exposed to the philosophy of blindness developed by the National Federation of the Blind. Until then I had had virtually no contact with other blind people, and I am ashamed to say that that suited me quite well. I was then called and handed a stack of recordings of banquet speeches delivered by a man named Kenneth Jernigan. It was a formidable stack of recorded disks, and I simply dumped them in a corner and forgot about them. I forgot them until a January weekend when my husband was out of town, and I was stranded at home with three small children, including an infant with a cold, and no Talking Books to help me keep my sanity.

In desperation I remembered the speeches and decided that reading them while I walked the baby in a steamy kitchen would be more interesting than listening to the radio. I don’t recall which speech I read first. It doesn’t matter. It was like eating potato chips. As soon as I finished one, I was reaching for the next record. The ideas I discovered that weekend have now become so familiar to me that I can hardly separate them to remember my first reactions. I can remember the staggering shock it was to have Dr. Jernigan point out the magnitude of the discrimination that blind people, even me, were still facing. This was 1974. Cities were burning, and Jim Crow was not yet dead. Suddenly I was discovering that blind people were being denied second-floor rentals because of the danger that they would be trapped in a fire. They were having to bring a sighted person along to travel with them when they wanted to buy a bus or train ticket.

Needless to say, these ideas turned my world upside down. I organized a chapter in my county and became its president. I found and became friends with blind people who lived near me. I naturally became active in the Ohio affiliate. I went to my first national convention in 1975, and I met amazing blind people from across the country. I observed truly effective cane travel for the first time, and—more important—I observed what personal confidence in managing the business of living looked like. My cane began to grow as I abandoned the folding cane and found out how responsive and light a straight fiberglass cane could be. I noticed that people with sighted spouses continued to use their canes when they were walking together. My husband and I tried it and discovered that we could safely walk side-by-side because I was taking responsibility for finding curbs, rough places in the sidewalk, and staircases. I realize now that word about me was spreading through the convention, and people would stop by my chair to meet me during hospitality in the evening—yes, back then convention evenings were open enough that we had hospitality with a cash bar each evening. I began meeting Federation leaders and talking about philosophy and NFB activities. I returned home after that convention feeling that I had made blind friends all across the country, people that I could turn to and get advice from at any time, and I discovered that I had absorbed an entirely new set of attitudes about blindness and what constituted independence. These friends were not apologetic about blindness. They went where they wanted to and did what they needed to, asking for information when they needed it but completely comfortable with the accommodations they used to get things done.

I read the Braille Monitor as soon as it came out each month. I was soon elected to the governing body of the affiliate and was elected first vice president a couple of years after that. I learned to write press releases and do interviews for newspapers and radio and TV. And all the time I was growing. I noticed that blind people whom I knew traveled independently and retrieved their own suitcases from the luggage carousel. I asked people how they did it, and I then tried it myself. To my delight it was as easy as they told me it would be.

By 1981 I was ready to go back to work. My youngest child was eight, and I thought that I might be ready to put all this Federation philosophy to work for myself. I returned home from the 1981 National Convention to be met in the jetway of my plane by my two girls shouting that I had been offered a job at the college. That is when the panic set in. I had been fearlessly saying that the average blind person could do the average job in the average place of work and do it as well as his sighted neighbor. I even believed it—until I had to think about juggling three children, a thirteen-room house, entertaining students for my husband, and holding down a fulltime job in the college Alumni Office. Could I really do it all? I turned to my Federation friends. They were mostly working, and they seemed to be convinced that I could do it. I took a deep breath and, trusting the members of the NFB, accepted the job.

Within three years I was president of the affiliate, and then I really was busy. But I had discovered that my blind friends had been right. There were enough hours in a day for me to get everything done. As president I did not travel around the state as much as I should have done, but I found lots of hours for NFB work. By 1988 Dr. Jernigan was urging me to leave Oberlin College and come to work for him, learning to edit the Braille Monitor. By this time my son was in college and the girls were in high school. Those next twenty years flew by because I was so busy. I pretty much dedicated all of my free time to Federation work, what with acting as national rep at other state conventions and trying to take a stand for good rehabilitation here in Ohio.

Before I quite knew where I was, I was facing retirement from the Monitor, and I had put in twenty-four years as president of the Ohio affiliate. That also seemed long enough, so I began seeking successors for these two jobs and looking around for other work to do in the organization.

I served for a couple of terms as president of the Ohio Association to Promote the Use of Braille, but it became clear that the Ohio Senior Division needed leadership. So I have stepped in to see what I can do to meet this need. I now live in a retirement community, so I see firsthand the growing population of seniors losing vision. This is a hard group to serve because these people don’t want to learn new techniques for doing the things they always did using vision. Rehabilitation funding is scarce for teaching them to travel using the long white cane, and they are terrified to go out into the community trusting that insubstantial wand to tell them where they are going. But the need for information and friendship is acute. I talk on the phone to seniors and their family members about ways of coping with vision loss. The division now conducts monthly calls for anyone losing vision regardless of age. I am trying to work with Departments on Aging to teach their staffs to work constructively with blind seniors. It is slow going, but it is very necessary work.

I urge all chapters to reach out to seniors losing vision. These people can benefit from getting to know their blind neighbors and other blind seniors. We have much work to do with seniors losing vision. I am not worried that I will run out of things to do to keep myself busy.
Braille Monitor                          April 2019

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by Mark A. Riccobono

From the Editor: One of the most challenging pieces to write is a final goodbye to those we love, admire, revere, and respect. When we take on this task, we give our mortal best, and no matter how hard we try, we are never satisfied that we have drawn the real picture of the human life that so thrilled us, spoke to our hearts, and made us feel uniquely blessed by a special friend and loved one. What follows is an article about just such a special person. It is a reflection of her keen mind, her inquiring spirit, her heart that extended itself in the service of others, and the heart of the man who has tried to put it all down for us. Here is President Riccobono’s tribute to a person whose loss we mourn and whose soul we were glad to have among us:

This article is about one of us, but in so many ways it is about all of us who are proud to be members of the National Federation of the Blind. In sharing her story, it is my hope that you get a sense of the beautiful person who touched so many members of the National Federation of the Blind. It is a difficult task because there really is not enough space to write the words that can capture who she was to us and how she contributed to our movement—not to mention her contributions beyond the Federation family. I certainly cannot capture my twenty years of knowing her and growing together in this organization. This is why I say this article is also about all of us.

The members of this organization have a bond of faith that we share from generation to generation. We receive the gift that previous generations of the Federation have given to us, and we have the joy of securing it and passing it to a future generation and, if we are lucky, observing what we do together with that gift. When you come to understand what membership in this movement really means, you understand the bond that we share with each other and the opportunities that come from sharing in the advancement of blind people. This also means a real sadness when we lose one of our Federation family, especially someone who was only thirty-six years old. Let this article be a tribute but also a legacy that urges each of us to dig a little deeper in our hearts and dedicate ourselves more firmly to that bond of faith for all of the wonderful things that happen when we work together to turn dreams into reality.

Rachel Amelia Olivero was born on September 22, 1982, and by all accounts her personality and talents began emerging as soon as she began to walk and talk. It did not really matter that she was blind because she had a natural way of getting the information she wanted, and she always had a sense of what she wanted.

I first observed Rachel when she testified at a hearing at the Wisconsin School for the Visually Handicapped in 1999. I had been elected president of the National Federation of the Blind of Wisconsin about six months earlier, and improving the educational services for blind children was a top priority for our affiliate. I joined the National Federation of the Blind three years earlier, and the members of the Federation blessed me with an understanding of the truth about blindness—that it was not a tragedy—and they also blessed me with a network of resources and people that were there for me at every step in my journey. I was still really figuring it out for myself, but I knew the difference in my life between before the Federation and after it, and I wanted every blind student in Wisconsin to have the gift I had been given. When I listened to Rachel testify to the panel of state legislators and public representatives, I was impressed with her poise, but I recognized myself in what she said. She was settling for lower expectations, she was fooling herself that she had it all figured out, and she was faking it the rest of the way. I knew it because I had lived it, and I wanted to help.

I was fortunate that a year later I landed in a position where I could share the gift of the Federation with Rachel and all of the other students at the school because I was hired to direct the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, which included the residential school. Rachel knew what she wanted, and it was clear when I showed up that she wanted to contribute to the technology infrastructure of the school. She also wanted to know how I did what I did as a blind person. A natural mentoring relationship formed, and my wife Melissa and I began to answer her questions about how we did things and the advocacy work of the Federation.

Melissa and I found that inviting students into our home was a good way to provide mentoring without having it feel like teaching. We had a number of opportunities to do this, and Rachel was often part of the crowd. One time that sticks out is when I attempted to teach a couple of students how to cook over a charcoal fire. The cooking was not the only part of the teaching experience because you had to prepare something to cook. I taught the students how to form hamburger patties out of raw meat. I then left them to form them in whatever way they wanted. The cooking went very well, but Rachel had prepared very spherical hamburgers. I think they were probably the best grilled meatballs I have ever had, and we often laughed about the experience. It did not take long before she was passing on the ideas and techniques that we shared with her in true Federation fashion, although I do not think she ever was eager to teach someone how to make hamburgers.

Rachel became a part-time employee at the school for the blind, providing technology support. She often knew the technology better than the full-time staff, and she was persistent in finding answers to questions she could not answer. She knew that I was eager to increase our technology infrastructure, so she frequently shared new product announcements or ideas about things we could do. It was always fun to consider the future, and I always learned from her in these conversations. Once in a while I would know about something before she would, and I always delighted when I could find a technology nugget to pass on to her, even if it was a rare occasion. Somewhere in this back and forth mentoring there began to emerge a mutual admiration and friendship.

Rachel decided to join the Federation near the time of our national convention in Philadelphia. This was a good opportunity for me to help her to understand how to be an independent traveler. She was interested in the idea that we were going to travel through the airport without assistance, but then I informed her we were also going to do so under sleepshades. I had received training at the Colorado Center for the Blind, and I understood the power of having confidence in your heart and your mind that vision is not a requirement for success. I wanted her to recognize that she was over-relying on an unreliable sense—her eyesight. When Rachel was internalizing a conversation, she would stop talking and really sit with an idea in her own mind. I had many more opportunities to fly with Rachel, but our flight to that national convention was the quietest trip we ever took together. Rachel completely absorbed the experience of traveling the airport under sleepshades, and she carried the spirit of structured discovery through the rest of the convention. Although she never received formal training at an NFB training center, she committed herself to improving her own skills on a daily basis and stretching herself to try new things. She later started mentoring others with what she had learned.

Rachel quickly began to apply her talents to the building of the National Federation of the Blind. She urged our affiliate to buy its own sound equipment for conventions, researched the appropriate equipment at an affordable price, and volunteered to manage sound at our events. She was not interested in being the only one that could use the equipment, so she looked for members who were interested in learning how to help with the sound and shared her expertise with them.

Rachel was a great advocate for our legislative initiatives by always bringing a unique perspective to whatever the issue was that we were tackling. She quickly emerged as a leader in our affiliate and was elected to our board where she provided valuable insights and always volunteered to do what was needed, often before the need was identified.

Her love for technology and gadgets was known by anyone who spent about ten minutes with her. She always had an interesting device before the rest of us did, and this meant that I, too, was interested in having gadgets—even if I did not seek them out as aggressively as she did. Her gadgets were handy. There was the time we drove from Janesville, Wisconsin, to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to take a contingent of Federationists to a protest that our Minnesota affiliate was holding in front of a state agency. It was a long trip, especially since we went up and back in one day. However, the tunes that Rachel’s new music device provided from the back of the van gave us all the entertainment and laughs we needed to make the time fly past.

It was in that same year that Rachel and I invented a new holiday. We got together on the day after Christmas and spent some time at a mall on the south side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Each of us found a new gadget to purchase, although today I do not remember what thing we thought was missing from our Christmas cheer that we just had to have. Rachel was a very giving person, and I often encouraged her to make sure she was looking out for herself—for that matter she did the same for me. After securing our new stuff, we decided that our technology trek should become an annual tradition to be celebrated every December 26. We christened the holiday New Gadget Day. If it was convenient, we celebrated this holiday together by going out to get gadgets. Over the years we were generally not together on New Gadget Day, so we would exchange the customary greetings of the day—Happy New Gadget Day—followed by a discussion of what new gadget was on our list. One or both of us did not always make a purchase on the holiday but simply used the day to plan a gadget purchase. With the rise of internet shopping, going out was less important. Yet, we maintained the tradition mostly among ourselves and a small handful of loved ones who came across our strange celebration. Now I am opening up the holiday to the entire Federation so that it does not get lost. The important lesson that I took from Rachel related to this day was that giving generously is important, but you have to allow a little space to give to yourself in order to effectively contribute to others.

Rachel began making her own mark on the Federation at our national convention in 2002 when she was a national scholarship winner. She did not take the money and run. She found her places to contribute at the convention. She became central to the Amateur Radio Division and could often be found at the table for distributing listening devices or helping with important marshalling assignments. With certainty, most Federationists were kindly yet firmly marshalled into the right elevator queue before banquet by Rachel.

After Melissa and I moved to Baltimore, Rachel often showed up and stayed at our house. It was always like having a member of the family come to visit, and it unfailingly resulted in creating new memories and laughing about the adventures we had in the past. Rachel moved to Baltimore in 2007 to be an access technology specialist at the NFB Jernigan Institute, and she stayed with us while she searched for an apartment. Her stay overlapped with our son Austin’s first birthday. Rachel was always afraid she was going to break one of our children, but she loved them as strongly as any member of our family, and she was an important part of their village of support. However, not everything she did to help worked out. She offered to use her camcorder to capture Austin’s first birthday. As blind parents, we love reliving the memory of that occasion, but apparently sighted viewers of the tape get tired of looking at the walls of our living and dining rooms. Knowing Rachel, after that experience she went off and figured out how to effectively shoot video as a blind person, and I would not be surprised if she taught her techniques to others.

While we are on the topic, we thought she was finally getting comfortable with children when our daughter Oriana was born. Rachel really enjoyed holding baby Oriana, but we figured out it was mostly because Rachel was telling her about their joint quest to take over the world together. It was a classic example of Rachel’s sense of humor and her snarky attitude all wrapped up into one. So far Oriana has not revealed what the evil plans were and, for our sake, I am hoping she has forgotten them, although I am sure Rachel’s love will continue to be a strong memory in her heart.

In 2012 Rachel moved to Nebraska and began working on accessibility for Humana. We were sad that she was not nearby, but she always made sure we kept in touch. When I was elected President of the National Federation of the Blind, Rachel was one of the first people who came to the stage after the banquet to say she had my back. I held her to that when I called her a few months later and told her that we very much needed her in Baltimore to help direct our internal technology efforts at our national headquarters. This is when my relationship with Rachel, which had moved from mentor to friend, advanced from friend to partner. Rachel and I anticipated each other’s moves and what might be needed. Whether it was playing cards against another pair of opponents at lunch or meeting with executives at Google or Amazon, Rachel and I shared the joy of working together to advance the work of the Federation. She was much sharper at multi-tasking than I was, so she would often complete action items that came up during a meeting while we were still heavily in discussion, and she never missed a beat in the conversation. As President I could count on her wise counsel and dedication to seeing the job through to the end. As a friend, I could count on her sharing the truth with me—those things I wanted to hear and those I needed to hear from a friend—and I knew that I could give her the same feedback because we trusted each other.

Her move back to Baltimore at the beginning of 2015 marked an important event in the circle of mentoring within the Federation and for Rachel personally. For our movement, her return to Baltimore was essential to the transition we experienced in the office of the president. I was getting on-the-job training in how to lead this tremendous organization, and I knew that accelerating our technology infrastructure was critical to what we hope to achieve. Executive Director for Operations John Berggren, who had overseen our technology efforts, had many new things on his plate in addition to technology, and we needed to build a core of internal managers at our national office for the next generation of our work. Rachel stepped into that, bringing a tremendous amount of skill and a deep understanding of the heartbeat of our organization. More importantly, she was willing to challenge herself to tackle the big job in front of us. Having her voice in the mix of planning new initiatives for our organization was critical to the things we have done over the past four years.

Even as her responsibilities at the national office increased, she found time to provide mentoring to the next generation. One of her final weekends was spent with our NFB of Maryland mentoring program.

Like all leaders of the Federation, Rachel shaped us, and she was shaped by us. When she left Baltimore the first time, she said the last thing she wanted to do was management. Partly she came back because she knew she could push herself further, and the Federation was where she wanted to devote her energy and imagination. It was the Federation that taught her how to go beyond where she perceived her limits to be. Like so many of us, Rachel thought she knew who she was, but she had suffered under low expectations for so long that it took time and experience for her to really find herself and exhibit the confidence to live the life she wanted. She found that confidence and that direction during the last four years. More importantly, when she found it, she shared it with others in the Federation. She spent countless hours reaching out to people, encouraging them, passing on what she had learned from the Federation philosophy, and loving them into the Federation family. In the process, she continued to grow from every experience she had in teaching others, and in the same way, I grew from being blessed by the opportunity to mentor her, become her friend, and eventually her partner in raising expectations and building our movement.

Even more powerfully, Rachel had an impact in the broader software developer and accessibility communities, and I doubt she ever really knew how deep it was. When news of her death spread to the Drupal open source community, they immediately began compiling an article about Rachel’s impact on accessibility and improving the overall Drupal platform. Dozens of notes have come to us about feedback she had provided that fixed bugs in mobile applications, improved major processes for managing accessibility in corporations, and everything in between. In providing all of this feedback, she always shared the message that she was one blind person and that if developers really wanted to understand equal access for the blind, they needed to work with the National Federation of the Blind, where they could meet thousands of blind people. In many ways, Rachel was allowed to find her own voice because of her membership in the National Federation of the Blind.  

We have only explored a fraction of who Rachel was to us as a movement and to me as her mentor, friend, and colleague for the past twenty years. Rachel became who she was through the personal relationships and dedicated service she provided to the organization. She, like our strongest long-term members, opened her heart to our movement and shared herself with others. The members of the Federation have benefited from that, whether they knew Rachel personally or through people she mentored or through the systems she helped us build. It is humbling to me that I could play a small role in her journey to being able to live the life she wanted. Then again, I am humbled that members of the Federation have done and continue to do the same for me. I stick with the Federation because I know that I am not done learning and that the real changes in my life come from the continued effort to share the gift of the Federation with others.

Rachel Olivero is one of the people I think of when I hear the question of what it means to be a member of the National Federation of the Blind. In closing I must relay one of our shared moments that always makes me smile. My first national convention as President was 2015, and I decided that we should attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the largest umbrella mosaic ever. I was on stage during the morning of the record attempt. Rachel was in her element providing logistical support, especially helping people who needed medical attention. This was often how Rachel and I worked together—I was on stage, and she was making things happen behind the scenes. At the peak moment, I did the countdown, and 2,480 umbrellas opened in unison—setting the world record and making us all officially amazing according the Guinness tagline. Except Rachel did not raise an umbrella. She had been helping someone who was dealing with a medical issue, and she was near the ambulance when the countdown started. This was outside of the qualified area, and there was no time for her to get into the mosaic. I only learned what happened after the convention, and I was sad that she had not been included in this historic event. Rachel wasn’t; she was proud that she did what was needed for the team. Some of us were designated as officially amazing that day, but in the hearts of those who knew Rachel, she already had that title. She was not amazing because she was blind, but rather she was amazing because she did not let blindness stand between her and her dreams. She wore the title of “Member, National Federation of the Blind” with pride and confidence and did so in a way that was authentic to her own personality. She shared everything she had with as many people as she could find. I believe that Rachel gave all that she could in the time she was with us, and very few of us can make that claim. When asked who Rachel Olivero was, what comes to mind is that she was everything that makes membership in the National Federation of the Blind meaningful.
Braille Monitor                          April 2019

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by Stephanie Cascone

From the Editor: Stephanie is one of the latest additions to our national staff in her capacity as the director of communications and marketing. She is the parent of a blind child, and her talent and enthusiasm are a joy to behold. Here is what she says about finding one’s own level of participation in the Federation:

As soon as we get to any beach, my wife Lisa runs right into the water. I’m always surprised if she even gives herself enough time to drop off her belongings before heading in, because she can’t wait to be swimming in the sea—the cool water on her skin and the hot sun on her face. It’s amazing at how different we are. Me? I prefer to relax on the beach with a book in my hand and feet in the sand.

What does this have to do with being a member?

Sometimes members are like my wife at the beach—all in right away. They become a member, volunteer for committees, and engage with the waves of endless opportunities. Engage. Lead. Repeat. We need those members, but not all members are the same. However, all members are valuable. Some members prefer staying on the sand.

What about those members who prefer to hang back or maybe just get their feet wet? They’re needed, too. I have been one of those members. On social media, they call people like us the lurkers. We are a large volume of any audience who observe what’s going on but don’t actively participate much. We’ve been to a few meetings or maybe volunteered for an event or two. Or, we simply watch from a distance either on social media or through the available publications.

Don’t count us out or forget about us. We believe in the mission; that’s most likely why we joined. We also have potential to participate more.

I am a parent of a blind child. Sometimes I want to be more active as a member while other times I would rather not. My son is similar; it’s probably safe to say that he gets a lot of his personality from me. I’ve encouraged him to be involved in the community, whether it’s our local community or the blind community, but being engaged can feel difficult at any age. A few years ago we joined the National Federation of the Blind but started off simply lurking. Eventually, I helped at a couple of local events and attended some family connections. Most importantly, I began getting to know other members. I’ve started to become more involved—slowly making my way into the water. The water is nice.

Be the member that you are comfortable with being. All members are needed to help build the Federation and reach our goals to raise expectations. I asked my fourteen-year-old son why he thought membership is important. He said, “If you ever wanted to change the world, being a member allows you to do that.” His wisdom is clear and simple: when you are a member, you are making yourself be part of the mission—no matter how big or small your splash is.

Dive into the water or stand with your feet in the sand. Let’s change the world together.
Braille Monitor                          April 2019

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For more than seventy-five years the National Federation of the Blind has worked to transform the dreams of hundreds of thousands of blind people into reality, and with your support we will continue to do so for decades to come. We sincerely hope you will plan to be a part of our enduring movement by adding the National Federation of the Blind as a partial beneficiary in your will. A gift to the National Federation of the Blind in your will is more than just a charitable, tax-deductible donation. It is a way to join in the work to help blind people live the lives they want that leaves a lasting imprint on the lives of thousands of blind children and adults.

With your help, the NFB will continue to:

Give blind children the gift of literacy through Braille;
Promote the independent travel of the blind by providing free, long white canes to blind people in need;
Develop dynamic educational projects and programs that show blind youth that science and math are within their reach;
Deliver hundreds of accessible newspapers and magazines to provide blind people the essential information necessary to be actively involved in their communities;
Offer aids and appliances that help seniors losing vision maintain their independence; and
Fund scholarship programs so that blind people can achieve their dreams.
Plan to Leave a Legacy

Creating a will gives you the final say in what happens to your possessions and is the only way to be sure that your remaining assets are distributed according to your passions and beliefs. Many people fear creating a will or believe it’s not necessary until they are much older. Others think that it’s expensive and confusing. However, it is one of the most important things you will do, and with new online legal programs it is easier and cheaper than ever before. If you do decide to create or revise your will, consider the National Federation of the Blind as a partial beneficiary. Visit www.nfb.org/planned-giving or call 410-659-9314, extension 2422, for more information. Together with love, hope, determination, and your support, we will continue to transform dreams into reality.

Invest in Opportunity

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back. A donation to the National Federation of the Blind allows you to invest in a movement that removes the fear from blindness. Your investment is your vote of confidence in the value and capacity of blind people and reflects the high expectations we have for all blind Americans, combating the low expectations that create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. 
            
In 2018 the NFB:

Distributed over seven thousand canes to blind people across the United States, empowering them to travel safely and independently throughout their communities.
Hosted forty-eight NFB BELL Academy programs, which served more than three hundred and fifty blind students throughout the United States.
Provided over one hundred thousand dollars in scholarships to blind students, making a post-secondary education affordable and attainable.
Delivered audio newspaper and magazine services to 118,900 subscribers, providing free access to over four hundred local, national, and international publications.
In the third year of the program, over three hundred fifty Braille-writing slates and styluses were given free of charge to blind users.
Just imagine what we’ll do next year, and, with your help, what can be accomplished for years to come. Below are just a few of the many diverse, tax-deductible ways you can lend your support to the National Federation of the Blind.

Vehicle Donation Program

The NFB now accepts donated vehicles, including cars, trucks, boats, motorcycles, or recreational vehicles. Just call 855-659-9314 toll-free, and a representative can make arrangements to pick up your donation—it doesn’t have to be working. We can also answer any questions you have.

General Donation

General donations help support the ongoing programs of the NFB and the work to help blind people live the lives they want. Donate online with a credit card or through the mail with check or money order. Visit www.nfb.org/make-gift for more information.

Bequests

Even if you can’t afford a gift right now, including the National Federation of the Blind in your will enables you to contribute by expressing your commitment to the organization and promises support for future generations of blind people across the country. Visit www.nfb.org/planned-giving or call 410-659-9314, extension 2422, for more information.

Pre-Authorized Contribution

Through the Pre-Authorized Contribution (PAC) program, supporters sustain the efforts of the National Federation of the Blind by making recurring monthly donations by direct withdraw of funds from a checking account or a charge to a credit card. To enroll, visit www.nfb.org/make-gift, and complete the Pre-Authorized Contribution form, and return it to the address listed on the form.

Braille Monitor                          April 2019

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by Gary Wunder

As I try to figure out ways to recruit new members to the National Federation of the Blind, I work hard to remember what it was like before I knew about and came to love this organization. While it was clear that I was as blind as one could get, my family and I thought that being a blind kid was very different from being a blind man. As sad as it is, I have to admit that I was afraid of becoming a blind man and had been assured that I would not. Science would save me from that fate. We firmly believed that, by the time I was of driving age, I’d be driving. Before I finished high school, I would be reading the newspaper. Just around the corner I would be able to see the faces of my mother and father, my brothers and sister. But for me the real excitement was going to be that I could see things that I could not detect through my ears, my fingers, or my other working senses.

So in my early years blind men and women were the other, the different, the people who were not like me. I would thrive as the exceptional blind child, but I would never be that blind man walking out on the street with a stick.

Of course, as the years ticked by and I was still blind, I began to have my doubts. So too did my family. We all began to prepare for the reality that, not only was I blind, but I would likely have to navigate my adult life as a blind man. Could I live on my own? Could I travel safely without someone’s arm? Could I get a job, and, if so, what in the world might it be? My grandma thought I could be a preacher, my cousin a lawyer, and my dad was certain I could be a musician. The tape recorder ruled out musician, the lack of what people referred to as “the calling” ruled out being a preacher, and learning that Perry Mason’s work life as a lawyer was television fiction and that he did more than work one hour a week for twenty-six weeks a year tainted my image of how wonderful it would be to adopt his profession.

When leaving home was not a distant possibility but something that was a little over a year away, I decided to look into what a guide dog might do for me. This required reaching out to blind adults, and it was the blind people with this information who loved me into the Federation. Their only agenda was listening to my interminable questions. When we shared experiences, I talked, and they listened. Only after it was clear that they cared about me did they ever so gently try to mold me, convince me that there were others like me, and help me to see a future I had not considered before. They introduced me to a successful blind vendor, an office supply salesman, a teacher, a law student, an accountant, the owner of an insurance agency, the proprietor of a hardware store—and all of this within Missouri and Kansas. They said there were lots of folks doing even more, and all of them were available to help me on my journey to independence and employment. I could come to know them through this organization they called the National Federation of the Blind.

The people who recruited me knew that, if they moved too quickly, they would push me away, but, if they put caring about me uppermost, they might just draw me in. I was offered help before I was asked to help. They proved how much they cared about me, and I wanted to return that care in any way I could.

Part of demonstrating caring on my part was being tolerant when they kept talking about this National Federation of the Blind. Part of caring meant going to some meetings because they wanted me to and not because I had some particular feeling of commitment to the organization’s goals. Last, coming to the meetings had something to do with dogs and donuts: the guide dogs I wanted to see and the donuts I was glad to eat.

I was sixteen when I came to my first meeting of the organization, and fighting discrimination, injustice, and unfair treatment against the blind were not a part of my agenda. It wasn’t that I came without a conscience; I simply didn’t know such mistreatment existed. At sixteen I was still under the protection of my mother and father and had never really had to face significant problems as a blind person. When I first began hearing about the unequal treatment of blind people, I am ashamed to admit that I wanted to blame the victims. That was easier than changing my view of the world. No agency had ever tried to bully me or narrowly restrict my options, and I was confident that, if they did, I’d just persuade them differently—me, the man with the silver tongue. Not surprisingly it wasn’t until I became a victim of some discrimination, some arbitrary treatment by powerful people and some choices that were given to me as “take it or leave it. I have all the power and you have none,” that I began to look with more compassion and understanding at those who alleged discrimination based on blindness.

The closer I came to graduation, the more the fear of growing up challenged the desire to do it. When you fear that despite your best efforts you will grow up to be a disappointment to those who respect hard work and success, and then you find a group that says, “We have lived through those fears and will show you how to push beyond them,” the world comes alive in a very new way. Narrow channels for staying afloat become wide rivers of opportunity.

Joining with an organized group of blind people meant rejecting some things I had heard and believed about myself and others who were blind. In my elementary school my parents were warned that they should be cautious about letting me associate too much with other blind folks. This could too easily lead to an unhealthy reliance on having only blind friends and not mixing with people who could see. When I mentioned to a blind friend that I was going to attend an NFB meeting, he became angry and said, “Now Gary, I really thought you were smarter than that.” I was confused and told him so. “I can’t believe that you would want to go and be a part of those Jernigan jumpers,” he said.

“What is a Jernigan jumper,” I asked, and “For that matter, what is a Jernigan?”

He said, “Kenneth Jernigan is the president of the National Federation of the Blind, and when he says ‘jump,’ people don’t ask why. They ask, ‘How high, sir?’ Now if you want to join an organization of the blind, you ought to join the one that I’m a part of. My God: going to a meeting of the Federation: I really thought you were smarter than that.”

These Federation people who had been nice to me had never said anything bad about the organization to which he belonged, and in fact they demonstrated the utmost regard for him as a man who had been quite successful in working a difficult job in private industry. If I had any doubts about going, he gave me the critical push by calling into question my brains, my good sense, and the character of people I had come to care about. There is a lesson in this when we are tempted to talk about other organizations of the blind. It is far better to speak about what we do than to characterize what they do. Presume that people will have the brains to find the organization that is best for them, and, if they are on the fence, encourage them to look. Last, my friend who questioned my brains never once told me he was a member of another organization until he challenged me about going to a Federation meeting. As much as I am sure that the Federation philosophy is just the right fit for me, I have the niggling sense that, had he asked, I might have chosen a different path. How many of us have friends who don’t know we are members of the NFB?

After attending several meetings, I decided to join, and that meant asking for admission. My request became a part of the agenda, I was introduced by those who knew me, I was given a chance to say hello, and then I was voted in unanimously. There followed a number of welcoming comments by people I knew as chapter leaders and by rank-and-file members I could not identify. All of them were clearly happy to see that I had joined, and I have to admit that I was impressed by the ceremony that officially tagged me as a member of this organization.

Finding the Federation began a paradigm shift in my life. What are the jobs I can do as a blind person soon turned into what are the few jobs I cannot do. Instead of fearing that I would have to be exceptional to get any kind of job at all, I began to hear and believe that the average blind person could do the average job in the average place of business and could do it as well as his sighted neighbor. If these people were as truthful as they were loving, they were offering a world very different from the one I thought I was about to walk into as I came closer to being an adult.

“We have some good news for you,” they said. “If you don’t have the talent or the desire, you don’t have to become a musician, but neither do you have to face the music of deprivation, disappointment, and despair you say you fear. You may think that your life is about to change for the worse because you don’t have everything figured out, but you don’t have to fear growing up. There are those who will tell you that because you are blind you are less capable, have fewer opportunities, and must choose among the small number of jobs fit for the blind. But don’t you believe it!”

Sometimes we make a judgment about whether people are interacting with us in a welcoming or off-putting way. Often it is a matter of perception and perspective. In my own case this usually means making the decision about whether to be open or defensive. When Federation members suggested that I should be doing better academically than I was, my first reaction was that the organization was off-putting. But when I listened to their message with the love they had amply demonstrated for me, I knew that they were not offering a criticism but a promise of things that could be. The choice would be mine about whether or not to embrace the opportunity to live a full life as a normal human being or a full life as defined within the small box of what I thought blind people could do. When I could get beyond the idea that my little box was being attacked and realized that it was being opened so that I could experience a greater sense of the world, I knew that any off-putting feelings came from my defensiveness and not their love.

Sometimes I talk with people who say, "Before I join the NFB, I have to decide how important it is to me. You see, I'm really an all-or-nothing kind of person. When I commit to something, I go all the way."

On the surface this sounds reasonable and even admirable. But at least in my life it doesn't stand up to the test of the way I really function. I am a supporter of public radio. I am saddened by world hunger and contribute to foundations that are fighting it. I care about equality of opportunity and a better chance for people of all races, so I contribute to education funds and civil rights organizations. I care about chronic illnesses and give to research for their cure and care for those afflicted, and I even donate so that caretakers can have a time to recharge. I don't believe I am letting any of these causes down because I do not give my all to them. I give greater time to my family than anything else. My job and my Federation involvement are a big part of my identity and thus get a big part of me. But I don't count myself out as a force for good in dealing with other issues affecting my community, my country, and even the world. I think the truth is that we all operate with many priorities and that each is brought to the forefront as the situation demands.

Not everyone needs to put the amount of time that President Riccobono does into the organization. Some are leaders, and some of us play different but important roles. The fact that we divide our loyalties, our energy, and our financial resources among many different interests should not determine whether or not we are Federationists. What I give this week will be very different next week if I have a family crisis, if there is a need in my community, or if a friend falls on hard times and needs much more from me than usual. Being a Federation member does not mean that the organization automatically gets a certain part of me or that my effort won’t vary. I am an active member, but I also try to live a life that is balanced: work and play, listening to music and enjoying silence, listening to and taking part in good conversations, being involved in all that is going on around me but then taking time for quiet time and meditation. The NFB wouldn’t have it any other way for me and for all of those we seek to help become integrated into the mainstream of our world.

Another reason I was given not to join the NFB was that they were interested only in the super blind. The term “super blind” was never quite defined, but I gathered from snippets of conversation that these people were those who were extremely bright, were employed in tremendously well-paying jobs, enjoyed fantastic travel skills, were excellent cooks, and could read Braille at hundreds of words per minute, some of them rivaling the print speed readers who were alleged to read more than 1,200 words a minute. I wondered if the warm invitation I had been receiving would be retracted when I was found to be lacking in so many areas. To this day my cane travel skills are pretty good: I manage to avoid head-on collisions with poles, find the stairs and make my way up when they go up and down when they go down; but my orientation is a different matter altogether. Sometimes I can walk into a restaurant, exchange pleasantries with the hostess, be guided to my seat, interact with my dinner companions, enjoy my meal, pay the bill, and then realize I have absolutely no idea which way is out. It has to be the opposite of the way I came in, but I somehow don’t have that information. My sense of level is atrocious. If you hand me a cup of coffee, the first thing I would do is say thank you; the second thing I would do is take a drink from the cup to determine its fullness and then decide an acceptable sense of level. This is a fine technique for me, but I suspect that not many people will be asking me to bring coffee to their table if holding it level means I take the first sip. I can read Braille all right, but I would lose out to both the hare and the tortoise in any slate-writing contest. I have been blessed with a good job for most of my life, but I won’t be leaving much to my children, the thing of most value being my advice to work hard and try to get along with others. No, the Federation has not demanded that I become a super blind person. They have instead encouraged me to be honest with myself—to push when my skills can be improved and to accept with gratitude those innate talents I got when placed upon this earth.

Do we admire and reward people who are outstanding in their field? Of course we do. Do we use their experience to motivate others and to change the public’s perception of our limits? Most certainly we do. But do we who are rank-and-file members have to meet this high bar? We do not, and we are loved and nurtured just the same. We are the examples who speak eloquently to members of the National Federation of the Blind being a cross section of the population.

Now comes the something really special that makes me glad to be a member. Blind people are quite frequently the recipients of help, sometimes needed, sometimes thrust upon us. But our Federation helped me see that I too have something to give—what a chance to turn the tables and to be a helper, a mover, and a shaker. In my time as a member, I have seen the passage of the Model White Cane Law; the right to vote by bringing a person of one’s choice to the polls; a massive expansion of the Randolph-Sheppard program to include cafeterias; a change in the insurance laws of many states so that blind people can buy life and health insurance; the Air Carrier Access Act, which clarified that we could keep our canes with us while flying; the Americans with Disabilities Act; the Help America Vote Act; the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act; the Space Available Act; and now the Marrakesh Treaty. Some of these changes have benefited me directly, but all have benefited me indirectly because I had some small part to play in bringing about something good in the world that did not exist before we willed it into being.

Before I became a part of an organization of the blind, I encountered a number of organizations for the blind. The difference is significant. Organizations for the blind invited me onto their luxury cruise ship and almost demanded to do everything for me. But the National Federation of the Blind invited me into one of their canoes, gave me an oar, and asked me to dip it in the water, move the canoe forward, and help determine its direction along with the rest of our fleet. When taken together, we make up an impressive armada fighting for change, but we are nothing without each canoe. We are not just the blind speaking for the blind; we are the blind acting in concert to make real the dream of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for a segment of the population which historically has not enjoyed these fruits but has endured existence, restrictions on our freedom and activity, and the denial of many opportunities others have all-too-often taken for granted.

When we tackled quiet cars that put at risk our freedom to travel, Debbie Kent Stein wrote something that is deeply meaningful. She said:

As blind people we contend with a host of barriers and concerns. There are inaccessible websites and kiosks, and there are standardized tests with a visual bias. Setbacks and inequities are rooted in a long history of ignorance, prejudice, and discrimination. Furthermore, along with the rest of the world, we face more threats and dangers than we can count, from the fraying ozone layer to the constant menace of war. Before the enormousness of the world's ills I often feel overwhelmed and helpless. Our success in tackling the issue of quiet cars seems a featherweight in the balance. Yet the passage of the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act stands as proof that we as individuals have the ability to make a difference. When we commit ourselves to a cause and win the commitment of others, we harness the power of collective action. When we stand together, we can change the world.

What a fitting observation she makes about why we have the Federation.

I am thankful that I know what it's like to be enriched by finding a cause larger than myself, to tap into the expertise that collective action allows, and to speak with the amplification that the Federation provides. I share this with the hope that others will join and benefit in their own special way. I urgently want people to become a part of us so that their dreams and their views will come to constitute this wonderful force we call the National Federation of the Blind.

Braille Monitor                          April 2019

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by Barbara Loos

From the Editor: This issue focuses on membership—what it is, why it is worth being a member, and just how it is that some of us were invited and have been blessed by participating. When I mentioned that we were dedicating an issue to this subject, one of my favorite authors asked if I would consider something she had written. When she asked, I knew it was going to be a wonderful day, and it is a pleasure to run this. She provides enough biographical information that I will not do it here. I hope you enjoy her experience as much as I do:

If we look carefully at what motivates us, we'll often discover a pattern in what draws us in, hooks us, and compels us to act. For me, from the time I was a small child, I have been deeply influenced by literature. I've always loved to read and have often figured out how I feel about things by writing about them. I vividly remember what hooked me on the National Federation of the Blind, even though it happened over forty years ago. I invite you to join me on a brief walk down Memory Lane, close to where it intersects with Action Avenue.

As early as 1941, one year after its founding, there was an affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind in Nebraska. There was even a National Convention in Omaha in 1955. The former predates me and the latter would have found me to be a child of four, about to get my education at the school for the blind, where the Federation ranked among the unpopular. So it wasn't until 1971, when Mary Ellen Anderson (now Jernigan) and Arlene Gashel (later Hill) came to Nebraska as part of a team to reorganize the affiliate, that I had my first brief encounter with the organization. That January, although my sister, Laurie, and I, both of us blind and students at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, met with them, we neither attended the organizing meeting nor joined the movement. We did agree, though, to receive the Braille Monitor, the Federation’s monthly magazine.

Our initial response to the Monitor was heavily influenced by the approach at the school for the blind, where Federationists were said to be pushy "pie in the sky" radicals with respect to expectations for the blind who would do anything to get their way. We derisively dubbed the publication the “Jernigan Journal,” because it was replete with articles and editorial comments by Kenneth Jernigan, who was, at the time, the Federation's President.

Typically, I read, ridiculed, and rejected the Monitor out of hand. I did so, that is, until the September 1974 issue. That one included the convention banquet speech entitled “Blindness: Is Literature Against Us?” Upon reading that speech, I found myself quietly, almost guiltily slipping it into a shelf reserved for things to ponder. And ponder it I did.

I was fascinated by his opening statement: “History, we are told, is the record of what human beings have done; literature the record of what they have thought.” But what caught and held my attention were his comments concerning the future of the blind as seen through literature:

If we turn to the future, the answer is that the future—in literature as in life—is not predetermined but self-determined. As we shape our lives, singly and collectively, so will we shape our literature. Blindness will be a tragedy only if we see ourselves as authors see us. The contents of the page, in the last analysis, reflect the conscience of the age. The structure of literature is but a hall of mirrors, giving us back (in images slightly larger or smaller than life) exactly what we put in. The challenge for us is to help our age raise its consciousness and reform its conscience. We must rid our fiction of fantasy and imbue it with fact. Then we shall have a literature to match reality, and a popular image of blindness to match the truth, and our image of ourselves.

Poetry is the song of the spirit and the language of the soul. In the drama of our struggle to be free—in the story of our movement and the fight to rid the blind of old custodialism and man's ancient fear of the dark—there are epics which cry to be written, and songs which ask to be sung. The poets and novelists can write the words, but we must create the music.

We stand at a critical time in the history of the blind. If we falter or turn back, the tragedy of blindness will be great, indeed. But, of course, we will not falter, and we will not turn back. Instead, we will go forward with joy in our hearts and a song of gladness on our lips. The future is ours, and the novelists and the poets will record it. Come! Join me on the barricades, and we will make it come true!

That didn't feel like "my way or the highway" to me. It felt like choice! And literature as "the song of the spirit and the language of the soul" certainly resonated with me, and I sure did want to go forward with that joy in my heart and song of gladness on my lips. I even longed to be one of those creating the music. Was it really "pie in the sky"? I determined to find out.

In December of that year, I was offered an opportunity, as part of my job at the Nebraska Rehabilitation Services for the Visually Impaired (now the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired), to go to another agency for the blind to see how it operated and bring back possible suggestions for the fledgling Orientation and Adjustment Center we were in the process of creating. That was a no-brainer for me. I wanted to meet the author of that literature speech and see if the agency he directed, the Iowa Commission for the Blind, was as good as the rumor mill claimed. I came away from that experience not only believing that it was, but doing all I could to ensure that the center we built here emulated that one.

On Louis Braille's 202nd birthday, January 4, 2011, I purchased a booklet from National Braille Press by D. Croft. Entitled “Monday Morning Quotations,” it contains fifty-two leaves, each of which offers words of wisdom. The first quote on the second leaf, attributed to Bertrand Russell, aptly summarizes what I learned at the Iowa Commission: "Even when all the experts agree, they still may well be mistaken." The second quote on that page, penned by William Safire, succinctly comments on the growing connection with reality I was experiencing: "Never assume the obvious is true." Things, indeed, aren't always what they appear to be.

Once I began to engage with those who both truly believed that it is respectable to be blind and that the average blind person, given proper training and opportunity, could do the average job in the average place of business as well as his/her sighted colleague, life began to unfold for me in most fascinating ways. As my expectations for myself and those blind folks I was teaching rose, so, too, did our confidence. And with confidence came competence. Ken Hakuta's quotation on the first leaf of the aforementioned booklet conveys, to some degree, how things next began to play out: "People will try to tell you that all the great opportunities have been snapped up. In reality, the world changes every second, blowing new opportunities in all directions, including yours."

In January 1975, about a month after my trip to Iowa, I joined the Lincoln Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Nebraska. The following month, I was elected its president. Before the year was out, I had attended both my first state and national conventions, a leadership seminar in Des Moines, and a demonstration against the National Accreditation Council for Agencies Serving the Blind and Visually Handicapped (NAC) in Little Rock. Since then, I have held numerous positions, both elected and appointed, within the movement.

Many of the opportunities which have blown my way have involved literature. One of the first was a request from Mr. Regler, superintendent of the Nebraska school for the blind, who asked my sister (who had also joined the NFB) and me to write a song for the school's centennial celebration. He told us that the theme was a quote from its blind founder, Samuel Bacon, "Not just a living, but a life." Pleased to so soon have a chance to be part of writing a song which had, in fact, asked to be sung, I fleshed out that quote for the chorus and wrote a couple verses, then handed it off to Laurie to write the literal music. It was truly awesome to hear blind youth proclaiming that message of equal expectation and to have it adopted as the school song, knowing that the National Federation of the Blind, the organization that had been maligned there, had had a hand in it through my sister and me. Our mom, who had discussed our change of perspective with Mr. Regler at some point, mentioned that his response to her had been that if we raise children to think independently, we shouldn't be surprised when they do.

With increased involvement in the Federation, I found myself writing letters, delivering testimony to legislators, drafting resolutions, writing reports, and generally immersing myself in the business of contributing to the voice of our nation's blind. In 1990, when the NFB celebrated its half-century mark, I received the awesome privilege of being one of two Federationists to represent the 1970s on a panel of ten, two from each decade, at our National Convention in Dallas. A video of that session, items from chapters, divisions, and state affiliates as well as other selected materials were placed in a time capsule to be examined in 2040. That panel discussion is available in an article entitled “The National Federation of the Blind: Five Decades of Progress.” In December of 1998, exactly twenty-four years after I had first met and questioned him, I received the sad but unparalleled honor of paying tribute to Dr. Jernigan at his memorial service in Baltimore with remarks entitled “Making It Count.” Two years later, I was thrilled to be invited to deliver a speech, “Employment Creation,” at the Fifth General Assembly of the World Blind Union in Melbourne, Australia. The following year found me speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the building we now call the Jernigan Institute, those comments appearing in an article entitled “A New Day Dawning: The NFB Breaks Ground for the National Research and Training Institute for the Blind.” (A precious side note is that I got to stand beside a seven-year-old blind boy as we used giant scissors to cut the ribbon for the Institute's grand opening in 2004.) When I served as the first chairman of the newly-established Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (NCBVI) board of commissioners from 2000 through 2007, I was mindful of setting precedents for future commissioners as we wrote formative documents and as I delivered annual reports to state conventions as NFBN's designee on the board.

Over the years, I have attempted to meet the challenge Dr. Jernigan spoke of "to help our age raise its consciousness and reform its conscience" about blindness through both presentations and vignettes. A partial list includes my introduction to the Federation (The Missing Piece), grieving (A Vinegar and Oil Federationist), alternative techniques (Fueling the Fire), teaching and networking (The Cribbage Game), Braille (A Morsel to Chew On), parenting (A Lesson From Marsha), mentoring (United We Stand), living our philosophy in the world at large (For Laura), giving back to society (Feeding Our Future), influencing blind youngsters (Laying the Groundwork for Independence), experiencing convention through streaming (Dancing in the Rain), going outside the comfort zone (Corky Canvas) and unusual blindness-related experiences (A Boa in My Brailler and Barring the Chaos Factor). Interestingly, not only have these and other writings of mine appeared in our NFBN newsletter, the Federation's Kernel Books and Future Reflections, but they also have found their way into the Braille Monitor, that publication that I once found so unnerving. I now find it to be both a treasure trove and a lifeline, and I hope you do, too.

Whether serving as state president, treasurer, board member, committee appointee, or, my personal favorite, rank and file member of this organization, literature of some kind is always influencing my approach. As I was writing this article, for instance, I received an observation in an email message by Bob Perks which I think sums up well how the Federation can turn around your life, whatever your initial hook may be. He wasn't talking about blindness, but I think it applies. He said, "I used to say, 'I'll believe it when I see it.' Now it's, 'I'll see it when I believe it!'" The first part of that statement is, of course, a slight rewrite of that old, untrustworthy stereotype "seeing is believing." The second part could be restated in a phrase I have often heard my husband say which I liked so well I used it for the title of another of my writings about mentoring, "Attitude is everything." The former sets a trap, while the latter sets you free. And that, really, is what the National Federation of the Blind has done for me. It has set me free, and it can do the same for you.

I think our stroll down memory lane has taken us right up to that intersection I mentioned earlier, the one with Action Avenue. Yes, a submission deadline is just around that corner. I hope I'll find you there, too, either on the pages of this publication or responding to your hook in another place along the avenue, living the life you want and changing what it means to be blind in positive ways.

Braille Monitor                          April 2019

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by Chris Walker

From the Editor: Chris Walker is an active member in our Virginia affiliate. He comes to the Federation at a later date than some of our contributors, having gone blind in late 2009. A little research by talking with his fellow Virginians tells us he is the chapter president in Winchester, and in a very admiring voice one member said, “The thing I love about Chris is that he is such a nice guy.” I admire people who are so kind that they rate the title “nice,” and I can’t wait to meet him. Here is what he writes:

To help explain my motivation and commitment to the NFB, I would like to provide some of my personal background. During the last two months of 2009 I went from being a sighted person to being completely blind from Acute Retinal Necrosis (ARN). In December 2009, when I was discharged from the hospital after going blind at age forty-four, I was given a normal, supportive, walking cane and sent on my way into a sighted world with no information on what to do next. During the next six months I received blind services in Las Vegas, developed orientation and mobility skills, and began to learn the blindness skills needed to become an independent person.

My partner and I decided to move back to Northern Virginia to be closer to our families. Shortly after the move my partner passed away suddenly. I knew from that point that I needed to be independent and self-supporting. I also knew that once I got my life back together, I wanted to be able to be there for the next person who lost his/her vision.

I began the next phase of gaining my independence by moving from my family’s home in Warrenton to the city of Winchester, Virginia, where I rented a room from a recent acquaintance. Once settled, I began looking for an organization that would be able to guide me through this new life. I tried to find local organizations around Winchester that could help assist me on this journey. One day as I walked around town with my friends, we met a blind couple who suggested I visit the National Federation of the Blind website. I went home and joined the NFB that night. As I learned more about the NFB, I found the Virginia affiliate’s at-large group and attended several of that group’s monthly conference calls. I later discovered there was a local Winchester chapter of the NFB, and I have been an active member of the chapter since joining in 2015. While attending my second chapter meeting, I expressed a desire to set up an information booth at a local community’s Fourth of July celebration. I was immediately nominated and elected as the outreach chair for the Winchester Chapter of the NFB. After joining the local chapter I realized that being a member of the NFB was what you made it. The more I put into the organization the more I got back.

In the summer of 2015, I listened to the NFB national convention through the internet and social media simulcasts. That fall I attended my first state affiliate convention and was asked to join the Virginia affiliate’s Leadership Fellows Program, which gave me the opportunity to begin learning about the different operational areas of the national organization and the state affiliate. The next year I attended my first NFB national convention and was inspired by the thousands of attendees not letting blindness be their defining characteristic.

As an active member of the NFB, I have been provided with many opportunities to become involved at the local and state levels of the organization. The NFB has helped me to grow personally and professionally. I have been involved with all sorts of fun recreational events from climbing a thirty-foot rock climbing wall to judging a chili cook-off event. I have also attended fun learning events like “Connecting the Dots, the Federation Philosophy.” The NFB has also provided me with opportunities to become a more confident public speaker by inviting me to be a guest speaker at other Virginia chapter meetings and by encouraging me to speak to the Lions Club, Kiwanis Club, and other local service organizations.

I have learned the importance of advocating for the rights of the blind by contacting the local voter registrar about issues that the members of the Winchester chapter were experiencing while trying to vote. Through my efforts the training for the local poll workers changed from “telling a visually impaired person to have someone help them vote” to the poll workers being trained on how to use the ADA-compliant voting devices and how to instruct people on the procedures for voting with the device. I was also invited to the poll worker training sessions to describe my experiences and to discuss proper etiquette when working with the blind/visually impaired.

I am not saying that being a member of the NFB has always been a walk in the park—it’s just like life: there are ups, and there are downs. But I have found, when I focus on my natural gifts—which have a special place in my heart—there are many more ups than downs. My natural gift is volunteering to provide outreach to the blind/visually impaired who have not found the support of the National Federation of the Blind.

I have been very involved with social media, and I am a member of many blind/visually impaired discussion groups and chat rooms. Through my social media presence I have stayed on top of what's going on at the national, state, and local levels across the United States. By being part of the heartbeat of the National Federation of the Blind, we can encourage and challenge each other to serve in many different capacities, to give back to others, and to serve in our local community. We can all help to console, empathize, support, and educate people about our experiences with being blind and how the NFB has helped us to embody the axiom, “You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back. The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams.”

Braille Monitor                          April 2019

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by Pamela Allen

From the Editor: If Federationists were to describe Pam Allen, these would be the words they would use: kind, humble, intelligent, genuine, friendly, and caring. What is so wonderful about this person is that with all of these positive attributes, she is not full of herself. She cares deeply about paying back those who have created the opportunities she has taken advantage of and is equally committed to paying it forward so that others have even greater opportunities. Here is what she has to say about what brought her to the Federation, what keeps her, and her intense desire to see that others benefit both from the programs and activities of the organization and from the blessing that comes through giving back and bettering the lives of others:

As I grab my keys and my purse, I reflect upon my day.  I am grateful that the conference call that just ended was productive and that we were able to make some positive suggestions to the teachers trying to establish an IEP that will give the student strong blindness skills.  I think about the senior who stopped by to inquire about techniques for maintaining independence though her vision was decreasing.  I am energized by the prospect of the passage of the legislation my colleague and I met earlier to discuss which will protect the rights of blind parents.  I close the door behind me and head to my local chapter meeting.  As we recite the NFB pledge together, I think about how “participating actively in the National Federation of the Blind” has made such a positive difference in my life.

I have been blind since I was about two years old.  I was incredibly blessed to have parents, siblings, teachers, and friends who did not see blindness as a limitation.  They held high expectations for me and taught me that I could achieve the dreams and goals I set for myself. As I transitioned from childhood to adulthood, I began to have questions that my sighted friends and family members could not answer fully.  I began searching for successful blind mentors who could give me advice and share their experiences about living independently and excelling in various careers.  I was not interested in interacting with people who were content to be passive and limited by the stereotypes about the inadequacies of blind people.  Rather, I was determined to find people who were not afraid to challenge the negative misconceptions about blindness so prevalent in society.  While in college, I attended a seminar for blind college students sponsored by the NFB of Ohio and the Student Division of the NFB.  While there, I met competent and confident blind people who challenged and inspired me.  I also learned about scholarships for blind students and about an internship opportunity at the Louisiana Center for the Blind, one of our three NFB training centers.  Prior to my senior year of college, I had the distinct honor of winning a national scholarship from the NFB.  As part of my award, I attended my first national convention in New Orleans and immediately knew I wanted to be part of this dynamic Federation family.  I realized how many of the opportunities I had been afforded were a direct result of the systemic change brought about by the work of the National Federation of the Blind.  Little did I know how much my life would be forever changed.  

During the years since that first convention, I have had the true honor and privilege of being mentored and guided by so many incredible role models.  I have benefited directly from the life-changing training approach which was developed by Dr. Jernigan and is now carried out at the Louisiana Center for the Blind of which I am a graduate and at our sister centers in Minnesota and Colorado.  My involvement has allowed me to travel to numerous conventions and presentations around the country where I can share with and learn from others who are committed to working together to help blind people live the lives they want!  I have witnessed the extraordinary transformation that occurs when a person realizes and internalizes the belief that blindness does not have to be a barrier to success! I have also been blessed to have met my incredible husband, Roland, whose support and dedication to our work serve as a catalyst for such positive growth.

As the chapter meeting continues, I am motivated by listening to President Riccobono’s remarks on the Presidential Release as I dream about the possibilities! I think about the members gathered at the meeting where representing so many different backgrounds and experiences are joined together by the common belief that blindness is not a tragedy and that we have the power and imagination to create positive change!  From our youngest members who happen to be daughters of blind parents to our oldest member who lost her vision later in life, we are all committed to supporting each other and helping one another gain the tools and the confidence needed to accomplish our goals.  I reflect on a report given about a recent yard sale held by our chapter where members not only raised funds but equally importantly, showed themselves and the public that blind people can organize and execute a successful event! As our meeting adjourns and members begin to head out to dinner together, I am moved by the expression of love I witness as one offers some pointers on cane travel to someone who is still unsure and just beginning the journey toward independence. 

As we swap stories and laugh together over dinner, I think about the thousands of Federationists meeting in chapters around our country.  Our philosophy and core values of collective action, courage, respect, full participation, democracy, and love are demonstrated in large and small ways through the work we do together.  I am grateful for the foundation our philosophy provides as we work on conquering our individual fears about blindness and as we implement policies and programs that will bring about the needed societal change.  I am encouraged by the risks we will take to redefine blindness. 

Just as I know it has for so many others, my involvement in the NFB has enabled me to be part of and an active leader in the most powerful organization of blind people in the world, one that has opened doors of opportunity and given hope to so many! From my first convention to the present, I have found so many ways to give and serve.  

In the beginning, I believe I benefited more than I gave, but with time and nurturing, I was able to find ways to share.  I continue to take and give, to be a learner and mentor, and to be challenged never to settle or lower my expectations.  Even when the battle seems daunting or the goal hard to attain, I draw strength from our collective experiences and from the knowledge that there is still so much more to do together! Like an orchestra that combines so many different instruments to perform a symphony, we all have a place in this organization to utilize our talents and knowledge to create something that is more powerful and beautiful than we could have imagined.

One of the things I love most about the Federation is that we have so much to offer—something to share, a mentor to meet, a way to grow—whether you have recently joined or have been a member for decades.  The Federation is comprised of blind people from diverse backgrounds and different life experiences who know the power of working together to shatter misconceptions about blindness.

Being a member of the National Federation of the Blind will challenge you as it has and continues to challenge me.  It will shape your ideas and attitudes about blindness and will push you out of your comfort zone.  You will find hope and will increase your belief in what is possible.

After we get home from dinner, I sit in front of my computer preparing for a seminar class the following day with students at the center, many of whom are learning about the National Federation of the Blind for the first time.  We will be discussing President Riccobono’s 2016 speech, “The Understanding of Fear and the Power of Progress,” delivered at the annual convention banquet.  One of my favorite passages from the speech is:

My brothers and my sisters, we are the masters of our own future.  The power to make change and to cultivate hope is within each of us.  We bond together in the National Federation of the Blind to face the uncertainty of the future, to challenge ourselves to expand the horizons, and to take ownership of living the lives we want.  Society’s fears of blindness will not stop us. Facing our own fears will make us stronger. And the power of our unwavering love, hope, and determination will lead us through uncertainty to new heights.  Let us break down the conditioned fears of others. Let us challenge ourselves to conquer the fears that stand in our way.  Let us overwhelm fear with our unstoppable engine of hope.

I am grateful for the small part my active participation contributes to accomplish these goals, and I am thankful for each member’s tireless commitment to creating a world free from fear and full of opportunity. We need you! Together, let’s go build the National Federation of the Blind!
Braille Monitor                          April 2019

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by Everette Bacon

From the Editor: Everette Bacon is a member of the national board of directors and serves as the president of the National Federation of the Blind of Utah. He is energetic, hardworking, and ever so approachable. It is always a pleasure when he submits an article for the Braille Monitor, and I am sure that you will enjoy his latest contribution. Here is what he says:

I am blind. I have always been blind. When I was a child all the way up until I became a young man, I never wanted to admit this fact. I knew plenty of blind people, I even came from a family with hereditary blindness. I was told, and I came to believe, that my partial sight was different and that I was not ever going to be like “those” blind people!

Boy, was I wrong!

I came to know the Federation because of a bad job experience. In 1997 I became the lead store manager of a Blockbuster Video store in Irving, Texas. I love movies and pop culture, and this job was fun and rewarding. I was able to move from lower performing stores to the third highest revenue Blockbuster store in the greater Houston area. I received awards, promotions, and in 2002, I had trained ten other store managers in Houston and surrounding areas of Texas. All the while, my vision was slowly decreasing. It became more difficult to perform my responsibilities, and I knew that I needed to do something about it. I was aware that there was assistive technology such as video magnifiers and software like ZoomText available, and I thought if I went to my human resources manager at Blockbuster, I could request and receive these accommodations. In January of 2003, I made a formal request for accommodations, and a little over a month later, I was called into the regional director’s office and was informed that I was being terminated for fraudulent inventory practices. I was never given any physical proof of this; I was only told that there was evidence. The ironic thing is that in October of 2002 I had just received an award for the top inventory control store for that fiscal year. Needless to say, I was devastated. My wife and family were furious! I did not know where to turn, and I really did not know what I was going to do. My wife, who happened to be in medical school at the time, drafted an email that was titled “Blind man discriminated against by Blockbuster Video!” This was shared with all of our contacts, and my mom had forwarded it to a listserv that just so happened to include the email address of Scott LaBarre. For those of you who do not know, Scott LaBarre is an attorney who does significant legal work for the National Federation of the Blind. Scott was able to reach out to me and became my attorney. He also told me that the NFB was very interested in my case and that if need be, they would also provide assistance to me. I did not know about the NFB. I did not know any members of the Federation. I had never heard of Dr. Kenneth Jernigan, Dr. Jacobus tenBroek, Dr. Marc Maurer, or anyone else. I knew nothing of the significant work the Federation has done on behalf of blind people. Scott told me the NFB only asked one thing in return for its representation and assistance: that I check out their website and maybe attend a chapter meeting. I was really impressed by Scott and the generosity of the Federation, and I promised I would look into the NFB.

By early 2004 my wife was accepted into a medical residency program in Utah. We moved to Utah in the spring of 2004, and I reached out to NFB of Utah president Ron Gardner. I received a call from a local chapter member by the name of Milt Taylor, and I attended my first chapter meeting in Salt Lake City. There I was welcomed by members such as Nick Schmittroth, Tai Tomasi, Dave Sarle, and so many others. What I found in that local chapter meeting and in the Utah affiliate was people just like me! Some were completely blind, some had partial vision, but they all had something in common that I did not have: they were proud of their blindness. They were motivated to make changes that would affect them directly and many other blind people as well. They were living the life they wanted, and blindness did not hold them back.

I kept attending monthly chapter meetings, and Nick and I became close friends. Nick showed me how to use a cane with confidence, and later that year I was hired by the Utah Division of Services for the Blind. I officially joined the chapter that summer, and in 2005 I was elected to the chapter board of directors. In 2006 I was elected to be treasurer of the chapter. I also attended my first national convention in Dallas, Texas. The convention was a wonderful experience, and I am proud to say that I have only missed one convention since 2006.

Unfortunately, my good friend Nick passed away in 2006, and I was elected to serve as the Salt Lake City chapter president. I have gone on to become the Utah affiliate president and am currently honored to serve on the national board of directors.

I am a member of the National Federation of the Blind because I found a community of people who are just like me. They have hopes and dreams, they want careers, and they want families. They want and are not afraid to do whatever it takes to achieve these things—and oh, by the way, they also happen to be blind! I am proud to be blind, and I am proud to be a member of the National Federation of the Blind.

Braille Monitor                          April 2019

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by Daniel Garcia

From the Editor: Daniel Garcia is a bright young professional who has decided to give some of his intelligence, enthusiasm, and energy to our organization. After studying the history of blind people and looking at the needs that confront us, he came to the decision that in recognition of those who worked before him, he would give back. To help those who would come after, he would pay it forward. Here is what he has to say:

The first time I came in contact with members of the National Federation of the Blind was in November of 2011. At the time I was receiving skills of blindness training at the Training Center for the Blind in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The actual training center was undergoing a $5 million renovation at the time, so the training was being held at what was then the Clarion Inn. By pure coincidence, the National Federation of the Blind of Michigan had its 2011 Convention at the same hotel that year. On Friday evening, many training center students and I walked around the exhibit hall. I talked with a few members of the Western Wayne County and Ann Arbor chapters who encouraged me to attend their chapter meetings once I graduated from the center. Little did I know at the time that this would foretell the journey that I would embark upon a mere three years later.

Once I finished my training, I went home and decided to learn as much as I could about the history of the blind. I came upon a book titled Walking Alone and Marching Together. This book is enormous not only in size, but also in the profound way that it changed my thinking about blindness. While reading the pages of this monumental book, I started to get acquainted with the core philosophy of the National Federation of the Blind: that it is respectable to be blind, that with the proper training and opportunity blindness can be reduced to the level of a nuisance, that blindness is merely a characteristic, and that the real problem of blindness is not blindness itself but people’s negative reactions to it.

In 2013 I decided to go to World Services for the Blind in Little Rock, Arkansas, for training to become a collections representative at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Though I was not an NFB member at the time, I started reading the Braille Monitor, and I decided that whatever city I ended up working in, I would join the NFB. In March of 2014 I started working for the IRS in Kansas City, Missouri. In August of that same year I joined the Kansas City Chapter of the NFB. In 2015 I was asked to serve on the state affiliate board of directors; I was elected to fill a partial one-year term when another board member was elected to the position of corresponding secretary. In 2016 I was asked to serve as my chapter’s first vice president.

I have been privileged to be a part of many NFB of Missouri events. In February of 2016 I attended my first Jefferson City Seminar, the NFB of Missouri’s equivalent to the Washington Seminar. Though I was a novice, I was still expected to do the work and to get around the Capitol building by myself. On the second day of Jefferson City Seminar, another NFB newcomer and I were paired up and assigned to visit the offices of various state legislators. The fact that two beginners were entrusted with such a huge responsibility was nothing short of empowering. In October of 2016, the NFB of Missouri had an employment seminar in St Louis, and I was asked to give a presentation. Since I am part of the lucky 30 percent of working-age blind people who have a job, I thought it important that I do whatever I could to try to put a dent in the unemployment rate of the blind. In 2017, I started to chair the NFB of Missouri’s Public Relations Committee. Our committee has had moderate success in promoting the goals and programs of our state affiliate.

I was elected chapter president and started serving in this capacity in January of 2018. It is certainly not an easy job, but I do have a great chapter board who help me run the chapter. At the state convention in Jefferson City in 2018, I introduced a resolution about the AV START Act which was passed by the convention. I also gave a fifteen-minute speech about the AV START Act and the coming age of the fully autonomous vehicle. As I write this, the chapter is experiencing explosive growth in membership. In fact, we had a chapter membership seminar in February of 2019 to introduce to the NFB the nine members who joined our chapter since October of 2018. This increase in membership is due to the work of the state membership committee and the work of chapter members telling our story and asking blind and sighted people to join our ranks.

Looking ahead, I am very excited about the Strategic Plan for 2019 through 2021 that was recently launched by our national body. I am particularly enthusiastic about the NFB’s goal of developing leadership as well as the opportunity to enhance our advocacy skills. Though doing the work of the Federation can at times be exhausting, I am committed to becoming a more effective leader and advocate for the blind. I dream of a world, hopefully in the not-so-distant future, where all blind people can own and operate a voice-activated fully autonomous vehicle.

We all need to work collectively to define what we need, demonstrate that need to the public, and then make sure that it is translated into products and services that make everyone’s life better. The autonomous vehicle is the most obvious example of something that will both transform our lives while at the same time making society safer and more productive.

If history has taught me anything it is that freedom is not achieved easily. Freedom is not something that is merely granted to us just for the asking; we have to continually fight for it.

Braille Monitor                          April 2019

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by Rilee Sloan

From the Editor: Sometimes people joining our organization think they are joining only one division, but to most the reality quickly emerges that without all of us, none of our groups, committees, or divisions can have any substantial unity or strength. Rilee has been quick to recognize this, and through his actions and words demonstrates that the health of the body isn’t maintained or improved by concentrating on a single organ. Here is what he says about building a bridge between seemingly different interest groups to form one active and vibrant organization committed to helping everyone who is blind:

After winning one of the National Federation of the Blind’s national scholarships last year, it came as no surprise when I announced that I would be using the scholarship funds to pursue a degree in history and political science. My love for history has always been apparent among my chapter members. When I attended my first meeting of the NFB, I immediately professed my appreciation for the history of the organization and the legacy of Dr. Jacobus tenBroek. I had read countless speeches by Dr. tenBroek, as well as other historic leaders within the NFB. At my first meeting, I was excited to pursue my dream of advocating among other devoted Federationists. My knowledge of the organization’s history offered tremendous advantages, among them a strong feeling of insight and passion. However, it also created a problem of its own.

In my glorification of the origins of the organization and its leaders, I overlooked the most important issue of all: grassroots organizing. Without members we can’t discern needs, dreams, and aspirations. Without grassroots members we can’t begin to bring them about.

After getting more involved in the National Federation of the Blind and other organizations, I discovered the power of grassroots movements. The greatest source of this wisdom was discovered at the NFB’s 2018 National Convention. Here I was surrounded by thousands of other Federationists. My fellow Federationists have always inspired me, but it was at this gathering where they profoundly altered my perspective toward grassroots organizing. I met hundreds of Federationists, all from different backgrounds and walks of life. Almost every single person I met discovered the National Federation of the Blind through their local chapter. I realized that one of the most significant contributions I could make to the work of the organization was to promote my local chapter and expand its membership.

This idea was enhanced further by my involvement in the ACLU’s Smart Justice Campaign and the National Association of Blind Students (NABS). While serving as an intern at the ACLU’s Smart Justice Campaign, I worked directly in grassroots organizing. Among other things, I met with local organizations, promoted events, and organized teams of volunteers. Soon after the 2018 National Convention, I got more involved in the National Association of Blind Students. This strengthened the connection I had begun to form between grassroots organizing and the National Federation of the Blind. While serving as the co-chair and secretary of the NABS legislative advocacy committee, I reached out to local chapters to get more students involved in legislative advocacy. By working with the NABS Legislative Advocacy Committee, I learned that the NFB’s influence is predominantly strengthened by the size of our local chapters, as well as the passion of its members.

As a student, it is especially critical that I understand the importance of grassroots organizing at all levels. NABS has long served as a tool to attract new, diverse members to the state and national organization. In his speech, “The History of the National Association of Blind Students,” Michael Baillif, past president of NABS, said, “We need students to be reaching out to other students in a way that only you can.” Without a full understanding of NABS’ role in membership recruitment, my leadership skills are inhibited within the National Association of Blind Students and the National Federation of the Blind. I must be aware of the effect of grassroots organizing and membership recruitment. This awareness will undoubtedly help me promote the success of the NFB and its student division.

In addition to NABS’ role in membership recruitment, it has strong origins as a grassroots organization. It was founded by a small group of students at the Federation’s 1967 National Convention. Since then, NABS has experienced tremendous growth. It has become one of the largest and most active divisions of the National Federation of the Blind. Without the early leaders of NABS and the place that grassroots organizing played in their priorities, the organization never would have formed into what it is today.

As members of the National Federation of the Blind, you can support the NFB’s grassroots efforts and its goal to recruit new members in a variety of ways. First, you should promote collaboration and interaction among your current members. You know that one member of your chapter who always seems too shy to introduce themselves? Go ask him or her to join you for a cup of coffee. Maintain excitement among your members, attract new members, and organize social meetings in your community. The chapter in Austin, Texas, has already begun organizing social events for its members. In an interview with Syed Rizvi, a member of the Austin chapter and the vice president of NABS, Rizvi said, “The Austin chapter has monthly meetings like all chapters, but what they add to that is a social after every meeting where they go out for lunch in the city.” In addition to this, the Austin chapter has reached out to other organizations to expand membership and promote awareness for the organization. When asked about the impact of this form of outreach, he said, “It’s all very informative. It creates a social network of blind people you can relate to.” There are numerous opportunities to expand membership in your local chapter. Many chapters like the one in Austin have taken action to reach out to their communities and attract new members. Public outreach may seem intimidating, but it’s necessary for the cause. Your fellow Federationists will be more than happy to give you tips and assist you in your efforts, and they will in turn be inspired by them.

Grassroots organizing and membership recruitment are critical for the success of the National Federation of the Blind. Without public outreach, our organization cannot gain the resources and membership it needs to effectively help blind people achieve their fullest potential. Again, quoting from my interview with Syed, he said, “All of the most successful social movements have always been successful through their social network. Constantly working on building that social network will lead to an organization’s success.”

Through my own experiences in the National Federation of the Blind, I have learned the tremendous value of grassroots organizing. Only through our membership can we gain the resources we need to help blind people live the lives they want. As a student leader, I recognize that the efficacy of grassroots organizing can predict the success or failure of an organization. Fortunately, there are many ways to demonstrate grassroots organizing and expand membership. The National Federation of the Blind is counting on you to help us grow.



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