[NFBofSC] Positive Note 1910

Mon Mar 20 11:20:38 UTC 2023

March 20, 2023
Memo To:  Executive Officers, Board Members, Chapter & Division Presidents & Others
From:  Marty R. McKenzie, President
Positive Note 1910
843-939-8091  marty2music at outlook.com

Dear Federation Family,

We begin this Positive Note with the sad news of the passing of long-time Federationist, Dale Wolthoff, on Friday, March 17, 2023. Dale and his lovely wife, Pat, arrived in South Carolina in the mid-1990's and started retirement life in an apartment on St. Andrews Road. When the time was right, they purchased their current home off Beltline which placed them closer to the Federation Center. Dale was a true friend to many and all who knew him loved and respected him. Known for his savvy business sense and knowledge of finances, he guided others to living the life that they want. He served faithfully in the Columbia chapter in various roles and on appropriate committees. While Dale did not seek leadership positions for the name only, he contributed in too many ways to be named here. Our thoughts and prayers are with Pat during this very difficult time. Let's support our sister in service during this sad season in her life.

The Annual Vision Summit titled Digital Literacy in the 21st Century: What Professionals and families Need to Know took place on Friday, March 17, 2023 at the SC Department of Archives and History. The entire Successful Transitions team was present along with Sonia Timmons who made many connections that will assist with the revitalization of the SCPOBC. Robbin Clark from the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind did a great job of defining digital literacy and participants learned what it is as well as what it is not. The ST team can use the information they gained to assist with their work with students ages 13 to 21. Additionally, Dr. Ugena Whitlock is the new Dean of the School of Education at USC Upstate and she briefly addressed the Vision Summit. We were excited to welcome her to South Carolina. The NFB of SC is a powerful partner within the Partnership and it was great to see Federationist in the house on Friday.

The Statewide Leadership Seminar will take place Saturday, March 25, 2023 at the Federation Center of the Blind. Due to the low number of board members and chapter presidents that have confirmed their attendance, we will now open the Leadership Seminar up for chapter executive officers who want to participate. Please contact David Houck by Wednesday morning, March 22, 2023 if you plan to attend. You can reach him at 803-254-3777 or via e-mail at nfbsc at sc.rr.com<mailto:nfbsc at sc.rr.com>. Please make sure you receive an acknowledgement as there have been recent challenges with e-mail.

There is only one week left in the Rocky Bottom ticket fundraiser. Currently there are 423 tickets sold totaling $2,115. You can also bring your tickets and checks or cash to the seminar next Saturday. Please make a hard push during the last week to make this fundraiser a huge success! We all love Rocky Bottom and it requires significant funding to keep it in good order. Reach out to David Houck at 803-254-3777 if you need additional tickets. Thank you all for making this important program a priority!

Important Things to Remember:

  *   Statewide Leadership Seminar on March 25, 2023
  *   Rocky Bottom ticket sales (Drawing on March 25, 2023)
  *   SCPOBC on April 13, 2023
  *   Lions Vision Services Fishing trip on April 21-22, 2023
  *   Houston ticket sales drawing on May 30, 2023

If you need additional information about any of the items above, please contact David Houck at the Federation Center at 803-254-3777. You can also contact me as shown above.

Here is David Houck's Federation Fun Fact for this week! Let's continue to read and learn together about our rich history in South Carolina.

A quality Education is important to the blind, being equal to their sighted peers and in the quality provided by teachers of the visually impaired. This also includes a proper assessment of the media used whether it is by large print or braille.

19.    1981 - A bill mandating the service of a blind person on the Board of Commissioners of the SC School for the Deaf and the Blind.

Early Education and Proper Assessment - students and teachers.
20.    1983 - A bill providing for four year-old blind children to attend public school kindergarten.
24.    1989 - A bill to provide that successful completion of a course in Braille of at least three credit hours is a prerequisite for graduation for students majoring in Special Education in the area of Vision.
25.    1992 - A bill providing for assessment of blind students to see if Braille is the best media for that student's education.

Retaining the Teachers of the Visually Impaired Program in South Carolina:
29.    1996 - Proviso in General Appropriations Bill to provide $50,000 to the University of South Carolina to retain the Chair for the Vision Teacher Program
32     2000 - A proviso was passed through the General Assembly moving the Vision Teacher Program from USC-Columbia to the USC-Spartanburg campus.

Using the state's Library system to gain technology access, helping the blind who cannot afford the technology.
33.    2000 - A proviso passed by the General Assembly providing technology access centers throughout the state.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbofsc_nfbnet.org/attachments/20230320/ae8bdb5e/attachment.html>