[NFBofSC] FW: [Brl-monitor] The Braille Monitor, May 2024

[floza58 at bellsouth.net]

From: brl-monitor-bounces at nfbcal.org <brl-monitor-bounces at nfbcal.org> On
Behalf Of Brian Buhrow
Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 9:30 PM
To: brl-monitor at nfbcal.org
Subject: [Brl-monitor] The Braille Monitor, May 2024

 


The Braille Monitor, May 2024


BRAILLE MONITOR


Vol. 67, No. 5 May 2024

Gary Wunder, Editor

Distributed by email, in inkprint, in Braille, and on USB flash drive, by
the

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND

Mark Riccobono, President

telephone: 410-659-9314

email address: nfb at nfb.org <mailto:nfb at nfb.org> 

website address: http://www.nfb.org

NFBnet.org: http://www.nfbnet.org

NFB-NEWSLINE® information: 866-504-7300

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<http://Facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind> 

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<http://YouTube.com/NationsBlind> 

Letters to the President, address changes, subscription requests, and orders
for NFB literature should be sent to the national office. Articles for the
Monitor and letters to the editor may also be sent to the national office or
may be emailed to gwunder at nfb.org <mailto:gwunder at nfb.org> .

Monitor subscriptions cost the Federation about forty dollars per year.
Members are invited, and nonmembers are requested, to cover the subscription
cost. Donations should be made payable to National Federation of the Blind
and sent to:

National Federation of the Blind

200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, Maryland 21230-4998

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. YOU CAN LIVE THE LIFE YOU WANT;
BLINDNESS IS NOT WHAT HOLDS YOU BACK. THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
IS NOT AN ORGANIZATION SPEAKING FOR THE BLIND—IT IS THE BLIND SPEAKING FOR
OURSELVES.

ISSN 0006-8829

© 2024 by the National Federation of the Blind

Each issue is recorded on a thumb drive (also called a memory stick or USB
flash drive). You can read this audio edition using a computer or a National
Library Service digital player. The NLS machine has two slots—the familiar
book-cartridge slot just above the retractable carrying handle and a second
slot located on the right side near the headphone jack. This smaller slot is
used to play thumb drives. Remove the protective rubber pad covering this
slot and insert the thumb drive. It will insert only in one position. If you
encounter resistance, flip the drive over and try again. (Note: If the
cartridge slot is not empty when you insert the thumb drive, the digital
player will ignore the thumb drive.) Once the thumb drive is inserted, the
player buttons will function as usual for reading digital materials. If you
remove the thumb drive to use the player for cartridges, when you insert it
again, reading should resume at the point you stopped.

You can transfer the recording of each issue from the thumb drive to your
computer or preserve it on the thumb drive. However, because thumb drives
can be used hundreds of times, we would appreciate their return in order to
stretch our funding. Please use the return envelope enclosed with the drive
when you return the device.


Convention Bulletin 2024


Believe, Dream, Include, Lead, Champion. Join us for the biggest event of
the year, 2024 National Convention of the National Federation of the Blind.
Find important details in this bulletin.

Wednesday, July 3 through Monday, July 8, 2024
Orlando, Florida, at the Rosen Centre

Start planning your trip now. If this will be your first convention or if
you need a refresh, access our First Timer’s Guide
(https://nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention/first-timers-guide).


Book Your Hotel


For 2024 convention room reservations, please call the hotel at (800)
204-7234. Ask for the “NFB Convention” block. Here are important things to
know about the rates and booking the room:


Rates


Our 2024 convention room rate for singles and doubles is $129. Room rate for
triples and quads is $139.


Taxes and Deposit


*	Occupancy taxes and surcharges are an additional 13.5 percent.
*	There is no charge for children under eighteen if no extra bed is
requested.
*	At the time you make a reservation, a $146 deposit is required for
each room reserved. If you use a credit card, the deposit will be charged
against your card immediately, just as would be the case with a $146 check.


Cancellations


If a reservation is cancelled before Saturday, June 1, 2024, half of the
deposit will be returned. Otherwise, refunds will not be made.


Registration


Registration for convention opens in March. Registration will be $25 per
person plus $75 per banquet ticket. Register early because prices go up if
you register onsite in Orlando. Registration includes the biggest event of
the year, access to the event app, and communications on the latest news and
events.


Convention Season Schedule


The following are important dates to know as you prepare to attend
convention.

*	January 1: Hotel open for reservations
*	March 1: Convention registration opens
*	March 31: Scholarship application closes
*	April 15: Bolotin Award application closes
*	May 1: Blind Educator of the Year Award and Distinguished Educator
of Blind Students Award nominations close
*	May 31: Online Registration ($25) closes until convention. Onsite
registration ($30) will be available. Plan to register early to avoid the
increased registration fees.
*	July 3: Convention Begins!


Convention Week Schedule


*	Wednesday, July 3: Seminars, Breakout Sessions, Registration Opens
*	Thursday, July 4: Exhibit Hall Opens, More Breakouts, Resolutions
Committee
*	Friday, July 5: National Board and National Division Meetings
*	Saturday, July 6: General Sessions with Opening Ceremonies and
Presidential Report
*	Sunday, July 7: General Sessions with Presentations, Business, and
Financial Report
*	Monday, July 8: General Sessions with More Presentations, Banquet,
and Adjournment

The full agenda will be available in June.


Request for Door Prizes


Door prizes are submitted from state affiliates, local chapters, and
individuals. Prizes should be small in size but large in value, at least
$25. Cash is always appropriate and welcome. Please do not include alcohol.
Drawings will occur throughout the convention sessions with a grand prize of
truly impressive proportions drawn at the banquet. If you have a prize that
must be shipped in advance of the convention, please email affiliate
President Paul Martinez at president at nfbflorida.org
<mailto:president at nfbflorida.org>  to make arrangements.


Division, Committee, Group Meetings


Over 200 sessions and meetings happen during convention. If you are a leader
in a division, committee, or group who will meet at convention, please don’t
wait to organize. Start planning your agenda, goals, and connections now.
Stay tuned for details from the Convention Chair, John Berggren.


Volunteer


Thank you to the hundreds of volunteers who help make national convention a
big success. If you are interested in learning more about how to get
involved, please connect with your state affiliate president. Additionally,
register early to get access to all volunteer opportunities.


Countdown to Orlando


The best collection of exhibits featuring new technology; meetings of our
special interest groups, committees, and divisions; the most stimulating and
provocative program items of any meeting of the blind in the world; the
chance to renew friendships in our Federation family; and the unparalleled
opportunity to be where the real action is and where decisions are being
made—all of these mean you will not want to miss being a part of the 2024
National Convention. We can’t wait to be with you in Orlando in July. Visit
nfb.org/convention <https://nfb.org/convention>  for more convention
details.

-------


Contents


Vol. 67, No. 5 May 2024

Perhaps Corrections Should be a Regular Column

by Gary Wunder

Fostering Inclusion: Blindness Doesn’t Define Us

by Cricket Bidleman and Karen Smith

It’s More About the Fellowship than the Food

by Eileen Rivera Ley

Talk, Text, and Train the Trainers

by Jane Hager

On Becoming a Commercial Realtor: A Blind Person’s Pathway out of Poverty
and Penury

by Charles Innes

Tidbits, Quotations, and Words to Live by

by Gary Wunder

Dream Big: Give $25 Drive

by Rachel Held

Giving Time to NFB Changes Lives

by Shelley Keeland

Simple Accessibility Solutions

by Dan Tevelde

Seniors Making a Difference

by Glenn Crosby

A New Definition of Disability: Embracing Our Shared Humanity and Redefining
How We Perceive Abilities and Differences

by Michael Hingson

The Rest of Reality: An Address Delivered by Marc Maurer

An Exciting New Product for the Blind: A New Company with Very Familiar
People. Meet the BT Speak Pocket Computer from Blazie Technologies

by David Goldfield

Greater Expectations

by David Houck

Monitor Miniatures

[PHOTO CAPTION: Gary Wunder]


Perhaps Corrections Should be a Regular Column


by Gary Wunder

I regret that in our April issue we misspelled Matt Ater’s last name. In the
same article we misspelled Everette Bacon’s first name in the Table of
Contents. We regret the errors.

----------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Cricket Bidleman]


Fostering Inclusion: Blindness Doesn’t Define Us


by Cricket Bidleman and Karen Smith

Editor’s Note needed: This article speaks to so many issues for people who
are blind. How often must I ask for accessibility in my day-to-day
existence? When is it reasonable for me to demand it, and when should I just
leave it alone and stay on the sidelines? Will people do what I ask out of
obligation, or will they do it because it is, as we often say, really no big
deal to accomplish? When will they do it because they like me and really
want me to be involved?

Cricket works as our social media coordinator in the communications area at
our Jernigan Institute. Given that she has her own obligations to write, I
don’t press her very hard for articles, but what a blessing it is when she
sets her head and her heart to writing one. As you read what she says, watch
as the nuggets go by:

I didn’t have many games growing up, other than a Braille Monopoly® set, a
couple of decks of cards, and Uno®. I sometimes spent hours using my slate
and stylus to make cards; sometimes I had to staple packets of index cards
together to include all the information that was on one print card. By this
point, the “cards” were far too bulky to do anything with, and shuffling
decks was a real pain. If I was tag-teaming with someone, I could kick some
serious butt at Mario Cart. At one point, my brother taught me how to play
various Pokémon games on his Game Boy and Nintendo DS. Most of the creatures
made different sounds. Although I’d like to think that this was an
intentional accessibility feature, it was probably more a byproduct of
making the games enticing for others.

The first time I encountered a variety of games was in college, where my
friends had these impressive collections of card games, board games, social
deception games
 and most were inaccessible. Fortunately, my friends didn’t
mind adapting the games to make them more usable. One friend even went so
far as to make an all-online version of Avalon—a social deception game in
which certain characters had access to information that other players
couldn’t see. Essentially, certain characters knew who was on their team. My
friends didn’t necessarily understand the scope of inaccessibility, nor what
it’s like to live in a world where inaccessibility is so rampant, but I was
incredibly privileged to have friends who were willing to go the extra mile
to include me in recreational activities.

I met my friends Ryan and Maivboon (“My-boon”)—now essential members of my
family—in my second quarter of freshman year. Ryan’s enormous collection of
games truly eclipses all others. If I recall correctly, they took up almost
the entire back seat of a car in 2018. I had never heard of the vast
majority of these games, but fortunately, Ryan and his friends were very
willing to foster an inclusive gaming environment.

Some of those games were not that difficult to find alternative techniques
for. You could use a random number generator for games that needed number
sequences. You could use an Optical Character Recognition app to scan cards,
or have someone else read or text information. You could team up with
someone when boards had no tactile squares or when there were no tactile
differences between differently colored pieces. You could put stickers on
pieces that blind players are using, add labels to cards, etc.

As someone who constantly had to fight for accessibility, and who felt like
asking for accessibility was wrong and taboo because I was effectively
asking people to do “something extra” to facilitate my participation, I was
incredibly grateful. Blindness was never a big deal on board game nights—I
felt truly included and welcome. I didn’t feel like I had to sit on the
sidelines unless I wanted to. In fact, sometimes I would volunteer to not
play a game because I didn’t want to be an inconvenience, and someone would
come up with an alternative technique that would let me participate without
much trouble.

When Ryan brought his parents back to the dorm for some games one night
during spring break, I was really thinking about sneaking off to my room so
as not to be an inconvenience. I had learned to assume that people didn’t
know anything about accessibility and were automatically conditioned to be
resistant to it. While Ryan was used to finding solutions by now, I assumed
that his parents wouldn’t want to do something extra so that I could
participate. I ultimately decided to stay with them, which was the best
decision because we’re now family.

It has been over six years since that night. I periodically wondered what
kind of impression that my accessibility needs made on them. When I stayed
with them for part of Covid-19 and after, I tried to be as unintrusive as
possible in terms of accessibility. It wasn’t until they asked me why I
hadn’t already labeled their appliances that I ended up doing so. That was
one of the very few times when someone asked me to implement accessibility
rather than the other way around. I have tears in my eyes thinking about how
loved and welcome I felt in that moment, and honestly during all the time
that I’ve spent with them. They didn’t necessarily understand accessibility
at first, but they were and are willing to learn and implement solutions.

Nevertheless, I couldn’t get rid of this feeling that blindness was an
inconvenience to all of us, and that their introduction to accessibility on
that board games night ruined what should have been some family fun. I read
this Facebook post from Ryan’s mom Karen for the first time last weekend,
although she wrote it six years ago, and am sharing it with her permission.
It is so incredibly refreshing to find out that my blindness and
accessibility needs were not a burden for them either. I want to end with
what she wrote. Until the day when everyone recognizes the importance of
universal design in fostering inclusion, I hope that more people will
approach blind and disabled people with the open-mindedness and love that
the Smiths have constantly shown me.


Karen Gaupo Smith is with Dan Richard Smith


March 24, 2018 

Last night was a first for me. It was an amazing night. I have tears in my
eyes as I write this. Dan and I caught a plane yesterday to spend the
weekend with our youngest son, Ryan. He is on spring break during his senior
year in college. He is working during the break, so he was not able to come
home. We had a nice dinner together and then he invited us back to his dorm
for game night. Ryan brought down a selection of board games and we would
decide what to play as the evening progressed. And now the amazing part, one
of the college students that joined us is blind. Her name is Cricket. That
is all I know about her. That is because there was no focus on her
blindness. The focus was on the fun we were having playing these games
together (complicated games that were new to most of us, but a whole lot of
fun). The players just naturally described the game boards, the visuals,
things relevant to playing the game, and things that were just aesthetic
about the gaming pieces. One of the players also directed her hands to the
embossed areas on the pieces and on the game boards, even though it was not
needed to understand the rules. There were times when secret information on
the game cards needed to be provided to Cricket. When it was legit for one
of the other players to also know the information, they texted the info to
her phone so her app would read it to her earpiece. When the information
could not be shared with another player, one of the players escorted Cricket
to find someone else in the dorm that could read the card to her privately.
All this was done with a simplicity and naturalness that flowed as a part of
the game. Being a part of this evening and the amazing kids made me more
proud than I can express. I am in awe of both Cricket’s ability to quickly
absorb and play something that I needed all my senses to comprehend and the
other students’ abilities to improvise how we played the games. I may never
look at a game board the same way as I run my fingers across the embossed
areas.

---------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Eileen Rivera Ley]


It’s More About the Fellowship than the Food


by Eileen Rivera Ley

>From the Editor: This article was written for Future Reflections, but the
Braille Monitor received a copy. With the concurrence of Editor Debbie
Stein, we decided that the Braille Monitor could run this, and it will
appear in Future Reflections, which is devoting an entire issue to cooking.
Here is the way Debbie Stein has written her introduction for the article:

Eileen Rivera Ley graduated from Harvard University and the Wharton School
of Business, where she learned the fine points of communication in the
business world. She first met the Federation when she won an NFB National
Scholarship in 1986. For many years she served as editor of the NFB’s
publication Voice of the Diabetic.

Eileen Rivera Ley and her husband, Tom, who was a blind IT manager at UPS,
recognized that blind people are at times challenged when it comes to
navigating social settings. As innovative entrepreneurs, they founded Blind
Savvy USA to teach blind people success skills that enhance community and
professional engagement. All over the country, Blind Savvy conducts
workshops that introduce people of all ages to the blindness nuances of
networking, conversation, dining, etiquette and more.

Helping blind people shine is our mission. We at Blind Savvy work on the
premise that by teaching essential life skills, we are making a real
difference in people's lives.

Throughout our career journeys and our advocacy work with the Federation,
Tom and I had wonderful opportunities to network and collaborate, often
during receptions and over meals. We realized that many blind people don't
have practice navigating these social settings. One very practical
confidence building skill is refining our table manners. Surprisingly, poor
table manners can hold us back socially and professionally. We deliver
practical, empowering workshops to blind people in these crucial areas.


Mysteries and Manners


I grew up in a family of seven children. Three of us were blind, my sisters
Millie, Suzanne, and me. We were rather poor, but we didn’t know it. Like
most Puerto Rican families we subsisted on rice and beans, eaten with a fork
or spoon. We rarely had much meat that we would need to cut up. We never
went to restaurants or other settings where we could observe people using
knives and forks. As blind children, we also missed visual cues about table
manners.

When I was five years old, our dad used to say, “Keep your elbows off the
table!” That admonition made me aware of table manners for the first time.
My siblings and I were very competitive, and we worked hard to sit up
properly at mealtimes. We always ate dinner together and were encouraged to
practice our conversation and listening skills.

As in the past, blind and low vision children were typically encouraged to
use fingers or to hunch forward to figure out what was on the plates. But
there is a better way. Through our Savvy workshops, we work on truly
practical skills such as examining our plate nonvisually by using our knife
and fork in the Continental style of dining and finding our beverage without
toppling our water glass. In addition, we problem solve those minor
catastrophes and blindness bloopers, such as forking a lemon wedge into our
mouths or managing an extraordinarily long piece of pasta.

One thing I learned as an adult was the correct way to manage my
utensils—fork, spoons, and knives. Too many blind kids hold silverware by
wrapping the palm of their hand over the handle. Regrettably, we often find
some blind adults using this childlike technique. The palm is on top, and
they use the fork to shovel the food in. They are never challenged to
practice using a more graceful technique.

Parents, who are naturally protective, are too often tempted to cut up the
food for their blind children. Frequently, families have so much on their
minds that they don’t make table manners a priority. They are focused on
securing Braille instruction and orientation and mobility training for their
kids. Parents are arranging transportation to appointments and after-school
activities. They manage family problems and deal with issues at work.
Parents simply don't have the bandwidth to focus on their child's table
manners, and they may not recognize the importance of social integration.
Parents understandably become accustomed to how their kids eat, and
practicing table manners never gets onto the to-do list.


Founded on Food


When I grew up, I moved out into the wider world to go to college. I ate
with enough other people that eventually I realized that proper manners made
a difference. Some people were fun to dine with and some people were not,
either because of their table manners or their conversation skills. I
discovered that most professional and personal relationships begin over
food. Eating is a foundational aspect of how we connect with other people. I
wanted to teach blind people to be successful in the sighted world, and I
understood that dining could play an important role in that success.

With my husband's encouragement, I started to study proper etiquette. I
wanted to discover the right and wrong ways to do things in various
settings. My husband and I pondered everything I discovered. Then we set out
to teach what we had learned.

We did a lot of teaching through sessions we called practicums. We would
break down each task into its various steps. How do you slice a piece of
chicken? How do you get the right amount of food onto your fork? How do you
eat spaghetti without making a mess?


Continental Dining


One of our priorities is to teach the Continental style of dining (as seen
on Downton Abbey). In this style, you hold the knife with your dominant
hand, and your other hand holds the fork. You use the knife to explore your
plate, much as you use a long white cane to explore your surroundings. I
tell students, "Think of the knife as your white cane on your plate."

When stopping for conversation, or to take a drink, you can rest your knife
and fork on the upper edge of the plate. The tip of your knife might be at
two o'clock, and the tip of your fork at eleven. I think of them as the tip
of a pyramid. Your utensils are always in the same place. You never have to
search around for them, because you know exactly where you put them!

Another nice thing about Continental dining is that you use the side of your
knife to push food onto the tines of your fork. When you pick up your fork,
you will know by its weight whether it contains food.

Napkins are very important. I love teaching students to use cloth napkins.
Fold the napkin in half like a taco. Wipe your fingers between the layers,
keeping all the sticky mess in the middle, away from your clothes. That way,
the outside part stays clean. If you need to wipe your mouth, pick up your
folded napkin and use a clean corner.

Once we had the privilege of collaborating with a blind woman who was a
national advocate and had been a model in Brazil. She was a very
accomplished person. When we introduced to her the Continental style to cut
her steak, she started to cry. She told me that whenever she attended an
event, even if she was the keynote speaker, her mother would cut up her meat
for her! She had always believed that blind people could not cut up their
food independently.


The Great Buffet Challenge


Buffets and networking receptions are often part of social and professional
gatherings, and buffet dining can be quite a challenge. It's hard
simultaneously to balance a plate full of food, carry a drink, and use a
cane to find a table. We encourage participants, "Don't overfill! You can
always go back later for more."

As you go through the buffet line, it's perfectly acceptable for you to ask
the person ahead of you what's coming up next. Usually, the handle of the
serving utensil is extended over the side of the bowl or platter. If someone
offers to put some food onto your plate, it's perfectly alright to accept
the favor. It's even fine for you to ask for help as you go through the
line. Interaction can be an opportunity for you to get to know someone new.
We want to be especially careful about spreading germs, so use a napkin to
reach for and pick up finger foods.

Keep in mind that dining with people is less about the food and more about
the fellowship. We encourage people to think about conversation. One way to
help people feel comfortable is to ask them open-ended questions. Most
people are pleased when they realize you are interested in getting to know
them.

We have practice banquets, and we talk about all the things that could go
wrong. For instance, what do you do if you get a piece of gristle in your
mouth? You can't spit it into your napkin; that would be gross! I suggest
you bring your fork to your mouth, get the gristle onto the fork, and slide
it off to the side of your plate. Fortunately, people aren't as observant as
you might expect. Just remember where you put the gristle, so you don't pick
it up again!


Blind Savvy Strengths Training


We conduct workshops all over the country, focusing on how to be savvy
physically. For instance, how can we make the maximum positive impact at a
professional reception? At such an event, many participants will be milling
around in a big noisy room. There are folks you would like to meet, people
who might help you professionally—but how are you going to find them?

One idea I suggest is to contact the event organizers ahead of time and ask
for a list of participants. In that way you'll have people's names and the
names of their organizations or companies. Then, when you attend the event,
you can tell people who you are looking for. You can get people to tell you
who's in the room and help you find them.

Never let someone stick you in a chair with a plate and a drink! Don't let
anyone put you in a corner! And do not go to a reception hungry; you are not
there for the food. Carry either a plate or a drink, but never both. You
need to be able to use your cane in one hand so you can move around freely.

In a social situation such as a professional gathering, we can get our
blindness to work to our advantage. We are noticeable, and we should not be
ashamed of it! We stick out, and we can turn that to our advantage. If
employers are in a room with a hundred people, who are they going to
remember? They'll remember the person who is unique, the person who stands
out from the rest of the crowd.

In Blind Savvy workshops we frequently discuss nonverbal communication. Your
posture, your hairstyle, and how you dress communicate nonverbally about who
you are. Take the initiative and offer a warm, friendly handshake with a
smile. Say, "I'd like to shake your hand," and hold your hand out to the
other person. Once you shake hands with someone, you're in the perfect
position to have a conversation. You're facing them, and you're at just the
right distance.

So now you're standing with someone you wanted to meet. What do you talk
about? One thing you don't want to talk about is your blindness! If the
person focuses on your blindness for more than thirty seconds, it's up to
you to change the topic. You might transition to technology or travel. Show
them you have many dimensions.

Naturally some people go home after our workshops and slip back into their
old ways. But some people take what they learn and build upon it. We love
sharing! We love that we've found a niche where we can make a difference in
people's lives.

To learn more about Blind Savvy, visit https://blindsavvyusa.com.

----------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Jane Hager]


Talk, Text, and Train the Trainers


by Jane Hager

>From the Editor: Learning about the technology is critical for blind people
wanting to make the most of the alternative techniques available. So too is
learning where one can get equipment and what help exists to assist. This
article is oriented toward a Maryland program, but in many states there are
similar ones, and readers are encouraged to inquire by starting with
affiliate presidents and moving on to the technology committees that exist
in almost every state.

Jane Hager works as a specialist for the Maryland Accessible
Telecommunication Program, also known as MAT. MAT is a program under
Telecommunication Access Maryland, an agency housed at the Maryland
Department of Disabilities. Her life experience as an individual with
severe/profound hearing loss has led her to a career in working with people
with a variety of disabilities. She graduated from University of Maryland,
holds a professional certificate in Peer Mentoring from Gallaudet University
and has completed training in the field of positive psychology. The MAT
Program is her latest and favorite career incarnation. Here is what she
says:

Talk, Text and Train is a pilot program created to help bridge the digital
divide while providing accessible device training to Maryland citizens of
the low-vision and blind community through the Maryland Accessible
Telecommunication (MAT) equipment distribution program and partners.

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) was the host for the inaugural
event of the Maryland Talk Text Train (TTT) program held at the NFB Jernigan
Institute on September 27, 2023. Telecommunications Equipment Distribution
Programs (TEDP) exist in thirty-eight states throughout the country. While
each program is tailored to an individual state according to its laws and
the needs of its citizens, the purpose is to provide telecommunication
devices that are accessible and usable—regardless of a person’s differing
ability. Telecommunication has evolved to include video platforms, texting,
emailing, and traditional phone calls. The means to do this are smartphones,
cell phones, iPads, and tablets. The TTT is a pilot program created to help
bridge the digital gap. The NFB hopes that by supporting this and other
similar pilot projects, we can inspire other states to establish and execute
this type of innovative program to positively affect the lives of their
blind, low-vision, and deafblind citizens.

Maryland is fortunate to have an excellent equipment distribution program
known as the MAT Program, which is housed under the Maryland Department of
Disabilities. The MAT Program distributes accessible telecommunication
equipment to any qualifying Marylander with a disability that prevents them
from using standard devices such as a phone or tablet. The MAT Program has
been on the cutting edge of learning about the growing body of wireless
devices designed for the low-vision and blind community, and several of
these devices are now available to qualifying MAT customers. Those devices
include the BlindShell, the Pixel 6a, the iPhone, the Hable One, the
RealSAM, the SmartVision 3, the MiniVision2, and the RAZ Memory Cell Phone.
MAT recognizes that users often need a lot of training to successfully use
these devices. The MAT staff, although small, is mighty and determined with
just four team members, but MAT cannot provide adequate training for all
customers statewide. To address this concern, the TTT program was developed.


Introducing the TTT Program


Talk Text Train is a partnership with Marylanders Online, a program through
the University of Maryland, whose goal is to close the digital divide by
being a resource to support anything digital. Their technology navigators
can help with printer installation, understanding how to navigate an iPad,
or assisting those who qualify for the Affordable Connectivity Program so
they can receive a federal and state discount on their internet service.
Other partners include the Maryland Division of Rehabilitation Services
(DORS); BlindShell USA; RAZ Mobility; RealSAM Pocket, USA; Teltex; and Hable
One.

The TTT trainer participants master various telecommunication devices so
they can train other people who are blind to use them. Using a
train-the-trainer model, TTT recruited existing blind professionals employed
by organizations throughout the state to support others who are blind by
providing a variety of training in assistive technology, independent living,
orientation, and mobility. Simultaneously, TTT is generating employment
opportunities for other Marylanders who are blind by helping them become
independent contractors paid to provide the training once they become
qualified by TTT. To fill in the geographical gap, a few key digital
navigators with the Marylanders Online program also participated in the
Talk, Text, Train event.


The MAT Program and the National Federation of the Blind Host a Day of
Training


To achieve this, the MAT Program teamed up with the National Federation of
the Blind and hosted a kick-off day on September 27, 2023, at the NFB
Jernigan Institute. This is one of the many projects we are able to host
with assistance from the state of Maryland’s Nonvisual Access Initiative
grant administered by the Maryland Department of Disabilities. Over sixty
participants and lead trainers attended. The day was jam-packed with brief
introductions to each of the devices, motivational speakers, and valuable
resource information.

The event was a delightful success. Master of Ceremony Marguerite Woods,
president of the Seniors Division of the NFB of Maryland, introduced the
presenters. Diane Ducharme, senior sales manager for BlindShell USA,
partnered with Freek van Welsenis from Denmark who presented on the Hable
One via Zoom. Following Freek, Diane continued highlighting the BlindShell.
Next up were Robert Felgar and Kenny Washington from RAZ Mobility presenting
on the MiniVision2, SmartVision 3, Pixel 6a, and RAZ Memory Cell Phone.
Brief overviews and profiles of who these devices are typically the best
solution for were given. Finally, Carmen Oche, business development manager
for RealSam Pocket, USA wrapped up the day of intense learning.

In addition to these great product representatives, the event began with a
keynote from Jo Berman, former lawyer with the federal government
Environmental Protection Agency. Later in the day, Vishnu Desai from
Marylanders Online discussed what the TTT program does and how it can assist
organizations with events to get those who qualify signed up for the
Affordable Connectivity Program. Anil Lewis and Marguerite Woods welcomed
all attendees to lunch and informed them about the activities of the NFB.
The day wrapped up with Tandra Hunter-Payne from the Maryland Department of
Rehabilitation Services (DORS) and the division’s support to provide device
training, resulting from the TTT initiative to people enrolled in the
Independent Living Older Blind program, as well as those with employment
goals receiving DORS support.


What Happens Next?


Training did not end after the in-person opening event—there are now virtual
sessions held twice a week for a deep dive into each device. Participants,
working with devices from their kits, are becoming prepared to instruct
others.

With support from TTT, MAT can continue to provide awesome devices
specifically designed for the blind community that make phone calls, text
messages, and apps more accessible. It also ensures Maryland has a team of
mentors and master trainers ready to accelerate independence for others!


Interested in Applying for Equipment Through MAT?


To qualify for MAT services, an individual must live in Maryland, have a
verifiable disability, receive Social Security or Veterans Affairs benefits,
or live at or below four hundred percent of the federal poverty level, and
be at least three years old. MAT works with applicants to assess the right
solution and issues the devices at no cost. It is the applicant’s
responsibility to provide their own telephone or internet service. MAT may
provide information on programs for free or discounted telephone or internet
service, but it will not pay for or provide a discount for such service. The
service must be obtained through a third-party provider. Visit
https://mdod.maryland.gov/tam/Pages/mat.aspx to learn more and get started.

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[PHOTO CAPTION: Charles Innes]


On Becoming a Commercial Realtor: A Blind Person’s Pathway out of Poverty
and Penury


by Charles Innes

>From the Editor: I know from previous conversations that this article has
been years in the making and has made it from thought to paper. Some of the
phraseology reflects the age of its author, and unless we judged it
difficult to understand, we left it.

Finding a blind realtor is not something one happens upon every day. Some of
this story will be familiar to those of us who have tried to sell the
rehabilitation system on a good idea and have refused to take no for an
answer. Sometimes the simple truth is that if we want something badly
enough, we just have to do it ourselves. When you finish this article, you
will know a bit more about real estate and have traveled through some real
emotional ups and downs with its author. Here is what Charles has to say:

This account was originally written as a "Thank you" to an inspiring
president of the National Federation of the Blind, the late Kenneth
Jernigan. In one of our conversations, I remember Ken telling me, out of the
blue, "Saint Paul turns to Light at Baltimore." It was elementary local
geography, since Light Street starts where Saint Paul Place ends, at
Baltimore Street. But I got it; it was time for a personal revolution.
Perhaps my experiences gaining real estate licensure will offer hope to
other blind and low-vision people who are contemplating this type of
livelihood.

My name is Charlie Innes. I am now in my seventies. I spent thirty-one years
as a licensed commercial realtor in the state of Maryland, though totally
blind. I was active as a sales agent from 1988 through 2018.

By 1986, I had been unemployed and receiving food stamps and welfare for a
decade. It was embarrassing. Even with a college degree, no one would hire
me to do anything, a blind man with dark glasses tapping his way around with
a white cane. "What can a blind person do?"

After college, successive attempts to make a living on my own in several
vocations failed. I worked for a time at a sheltered workshop called Blind
Industries in the Baltimore outskirts. BISM was a non-profit facility which
afforded employment for low-vision people of all genders. It offered
specialized training in life-skills like white-cane mobility, the use of
adaptive computers, and food preparation. Miraculously, it also housed a
woodshop for blind clients which was supervised by a shop instructor from
the Dominican Republic. Ramon Lugo, the instructor, was also a talented
millwright and, I found out, had designed and fabricated a variety of
original wooden toys. Ramon and I tried to figure a way to mass-produce the
toys in partnership. So I had photos taken of the toys, rocking animals for
toddlers and indestructible toy cars and trucks made from hardwoods. I
publicized the gentleman and his work in an article submitted to Catholic
Review. With a loan, I then purchased an industrial machine to make the
toys, an Ekstrom Carlson plunge-router. Even with the participation of a
friendly cabinetmaker and the use of an industrial bench saw and drill
press, however, it eventually became apparent that this was not going to be
a profit-making operation. Handmade wooden toys would have to be a work of
love, not a livelihood.

When a doting grandmother died and left me two thousand dollars, I bought a
pair of business suits from Joseph Banks Clothiers and had them custom
tailored. Then I ordered a thousand embossed business cards advertising
Innes Consulting, bearing the family crest, post office box address, and
phone number. We didn't have emails in those days. At the time, I lived in a
seedy tenement house in the blue-collar area of Hampden in Baltimore. The
apartment building was infested with mice. I taught my fiancé how to set
mousetraps, and we caught 110 mice in ninety days. She couldn't stand it and
who could blame her? She finally left me.

One day I noticed a condescending tone in the grocer's voice when I put food
stamps on the check-out counter. It registered in my brain. This stupidity
has to stop.

The Hampden-Woodberry area where I lived happened to be the cabinet-making
capital of the state. Now with some carpentry background, I'd become friends
with business owners in the industrial parks. The neighborhood is called
Woodberry, which is now well-known for its transplanted yuppie businesses
and fashion.

One day an opportunity presented itself for me to be of service and earn a
consulting fee. It looked and sounded like I'd get paid for helping someone.
Old Mr. Geis had experienced heart failure, and his family's architectural
millwork factory had to be sold off. It was a facility where workers use
milling machines, shapers, sash-machines and planers to manufacture trim,
wood windows and architectural molding, things like baseboard and
windowsills. After meeting the gentleman, I agreed to help him sell the
business and building, publicize the sale, and find him a prospective buyer,
for a fee. Mr. Geis was grateful for the help and agreed. He then gave me a
complete tour, explaining the hundred-year-old business and telling me how
much money he wanted to get for the family business.

I did a lot of research among cabinet-makers. The business and 90 percent of
its machinery turned out to be obsolete, and the business couldn't be sold
to anyone. The technology had changed. On the other hand, the building was a
solid, four-story masonry structure with 20,000 square feet of space,
tractor-trailer portal, loading dock, and a sixteen-foot freight elevator.
Someone was going to have to re-purpose this building, which is to say,
re-think the building's utility. Mr. Geis promised to pay for my time, but
he wouldn't put anything in writing. I wrote up a detailed specification
sheet for the property, accompanied by photographs, then advertised it in
the newspaper at my own expense. Over a year and a half, I brought him
eighteen prospects to whom we showed it. Using my sale flyer, Mr. Geis
eventually sold the building for a whopping $450,000. I sent him a bill on
my Innes Consulting letterhead for $2,200, charging him for eighty-eight
hours of work at $25 per hour. It was much less time than I had actually
spent. To my chagrin, Mr. Geis offered me $100 and a leather-top stand-up
desk, in compensation. He said, "You don't have a real estate license," so I
wouldn't be allowed to claim a fee. The old codger was going to try to turn
me into a volunteer. A volunteer is defined, in real estate, as someone who
doesn't get paid.

So I wrote to the attorney general of Maryland, J. J. Curran, enclosing my
work product and log. I received a written reply from an assistant attorney
general who had oversight of the Real Estate Commission. To my satisfaction,
the AAG gave me permission to bill Mr. Geis for my work as a consultant. Old
Mr. Geis and I met at our usual spot, a working-class breakfast nook amongst
the mills. I renewed my request to be paid and he re-offered the $100. I
handed him the Assistant Attorney General's letter, which he read, and then
became agitated. Wish I could have seen his face at that time. He replied,
"I have to make a phone call. He rose to use the payphone to consult with
his lawyer, then returned, and wrote me a check for $2,200. It was the
biggest paycheck I'd ever received. More importantly, his check validated my
year's honest work.

The other lesson I gleaned from these events was that if I wanted to get
some of the real money that was out there, it would be necessary to obtain a
real estate salesperson's license. Sales commissions on big properties can
be substantial. It all had to be street-legal.

At first, inevitably there were problems relating to getting licensed,
because I am legally blind. Fortunately, Catonsville Community College had a
real estate pre-licensing course and also provided limited numbers of
readers for blind students. Getting the real estate textbook recorded so I
could listen to it and fully participate in the classes was going to be a
problem. There was no way to pass the course without reading this textbook,
especially because our instructor had in fact personally authored it. There
would not be any way to fake it. Recordings for the Blind (RFB) in
Princeton, New Jersey, didn't have a recording of the book either. It would
take a year after I sent two copies of the printed textbook for volunteers
to record it for me on reel-to-reel audio tape. Other blind folks hadn't
previously asked for this kind of recording.

Then there was the problem of a blind candidate taking the course's final
examination and state certification test. They would have to be read aloud
by impartial proctors. Readers employed by me would not be permitted to
administer the tests. Fortunately, again, the college provided an impartial
proctor to read me the questions. I passed the two tests and was awarded a
sales person’s license.

Then there was the problem of finding a broker who would be willing to
employ me. All agents must work under a broker, and the additional problem
of using assistants and readers to take listings, show properties to
prospective buyers, and prepare contracts of sale for signature created
something more than the normal challenge. I would have to hire and train
persons to do all those things.

There are a couple of things one should understand about what then took
place. I am totally blind and use buses and a white cane for travel, Braille
for writing, and talking software for computer access. For those who are not
as familiar with blindness as readers of the Braille Monitor, Braille is
tactile writing, paper with raised dots that allows fingers of a blind
person to read words embossed on paper. Slate and stylus are used to write
things down. A long cane, fifty-five inches in length, permits me to move
quickly down sidewalks and cross streets.

At first, I applied to several companies. Two brokers refused to hire me at
all because of my blindness. One brokerage CEO wrote me a letter saying, "I
don't know how you would show properties. I can't employ you." Finally, a
large firm in Towson permitted me to hang my license on their wall and use a
cubicle on the commercial agents' floor. Suit and tie were required dress.
With assistance, some paid and some voluntary, I listed seven properties
during my first year as an agent and put four under contract.

There were internal conflicts and some problems in their corporate office,
and I determined to transfer within a year. I found another broker who hired
me over the telephone without being aware of my blindness. My new boss was
grateful enough later when I solved all problems related to my handicap and
dropped commission checks on his desk, all with no special help from any of
his staff.

Transportation was the most difficult challenge of all, since if you don't
drive, there are only buses and impossibly expensive taxicabs. I met and
became friends with a social worker who worked for a state agency and
figured out how to purchase an old van for her. The van was inoperable, and
I worked on it myself in the backyard, using mechanic's skills acquired
before losing sight. I also employed other persons to assist me to repair
the van, like a guy to fix the transmission and another to epoxy a cracked
engine block. Later on, with some income earned from sales commissions, I
eventually bought my social worker friend a used Toyota 4Runner, which she
drove and loved.

I joined the statewide and national realtors' organizations and the local
board, all of whom were helpful and remarkably supportive. Paid secretaries
and drivers assisted me with realtor's chores. My customers generally
appreciated my personal service.

I haven't made a huge living from the realty trade, of course, but have sold
two or three listings every year since that time. In 1992, after receiving a
relatively large commission check, I put down $2,500 to purchase a house
from a friendly client. The gentleman was pleased to extend owner-financing
to me, since I'd given him personal service and proven trustworthy. No bank
would have lent me purchase money based upon my slim Social Security check,
so this worked out very well. The house I bought was a huge, aging brick and
mortar Victorian with wrap-around porch. It was in terrible condition and
needed lots of work. It was going to be, however, all mine, my first home!

I kept the Social Security Administration apprised of qualifiable income all
the while and paid taxes during years in which I earned a profit. I enrolled
with SSA in a PASS Plan (a Plan for Achieving Self-Support) which permits
disabled persons engaged in trial work to escrow and report business income
for use in starting a business. When the income was sufficient, I
surrendered the entitlement checks.

After I became owner of the huge old house, I repaired it with my own labor
and employed skill-tradespersons, such as a drywall mechanic and painters. I
learned roofing and household electricity. Then I rented rooms to students
at a nearby college. A furnished bedroom with the use of common areas would
bring in $350 to $450 per month. Presently home-share rent income is $500 to
$600. Using rent income, I eventually fixed the place up, paid off the
initial mortgage, and re-financed with a bank.

All the while, I juggled finances so as not to lose SSDI income during hard
times and forewent monthly entitlements checks during times of profit. It is
especially important to be fastidious in reporting income if one is a
recipient of entitlements.

In general, for tax purposes, blind agents have higher expenses than
sighted, non-handicapped persons. Extra expenses that would be listed on
one's annual Form C, business profit and loss, and SE (self-employment
income form), include readers, secretarial help, drivers and cabs—and
especially adaptive equipment like OCR and screen-review software. These
specialized apps were indispensable. Some proprietary programs used by real
estate professionals were entirely inaccessible to blind people. Smartphones
have now simplified some, though not all, of these problems.

In 1994, my first computer cost $2,200, which had to be paid in cash.
VocalEyes software was about $400 and OpenBook cost $1,200 more, all of
which I had to save and personally pay. The state Department of Vocational
Rehabilitation, Services for the Blind had funds put aside to purchase
reading devices and software for blind people, but I wasn't to receive any
of it. I had satisfied the medical requirement for eligibility, that of
being without light perception. However, an agency psychologist assessed me
and concluded that I was "psychologically and educationally unsuited for a
grant to receive an assistive device.” That was a remarkable finding,
considering I already had, as a blind student, completed studies in
behavioral science at a university. I hold a bachelor of arts degree and had
passed the sixty-four-hour real estate education course and the state
salesperson's exam.

Without assistive technologies, I would be completely dependent upon paid
readers to make a living. The agency supervisors probably wished to allocate
available public funds to administration, rather than direct assistance to
blind clients. They might have been primarily interested in paying their own
salaries. "Screw the blind, protect your paycheck."

The National Federation of the Blind, an organization of blind people,
helped me understand what I was up against and to push back. To be fair, the
state agencies employ a number of dedicated and caring people. Nevertheless,
it is always necessary to advocate for oneself. Motivated blind people can
find help.

In the end, it was alright that I got turned down for the portable camera,
or whatever it was. I was making enough from sales commissions to buy my own
computer. That machine, of course, had to be custom built. Back in the day,
computer operating systems were not particularly friendly for blind users.
It was necessary to consult extensively about computer-design in order to
obtain a machine that would support an external voice synthesizer. That
device was called a Multi-Voice and plugged into a serial port on the back
of the desktop and cost me $1,200 more. Today, it is used by people
suffering from ALS who are losing the power of speech, since it generates a
robotic voice.

In the later Nineties, after Microsoft DOS operating systems were superseded
by Windows 3 and Windows 95, sound cards and voice synthesizer chips were
routinely installed in desktop computers in “expansion slots.” Fortunately,
for blind folks, the general public was interested in listening to music on
computer speakers and downloading music from the internet. Towards the year
2000, most computers came with sound cards that were compatible with
software and chip-based voice synthesizers.

Initially, the technological barriers were difficult, getting computers to
talk to users. Plus software manufacturers like Microsoft showed little
regard for their blind customers. That situation ended when the National
Federation of the Blind sued Microsoft in United States courts and obtained
a consent decree that obligated Microsoft to fashion its operating systems
to be "actively accessible" to handicapped users.

That took some doing—blind attorneys suing a mega-corporation in US Court in
1996. When Microsoft released its Internet Explorer 4.0 browser in 1995, it
was all graphics, all pictures, and few existing screen readers could read
the screens. After imposition of the consent decree, which is still in
effect, all Windows and Windows Logo programs must incorporate active
accessibility, must label all links and graphics, and provide key-stroke
equivalents for mouse movements. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA),
signed under President Bush in 1991, enabled the United States government to
decline to purchase inaccessible products, hence boycott Microsoft in the
event of non-compliance. Microsoft didn't need to listen to the blind, but
it needed to listen to its major customer, the government.

But that's enough of technology. The important things that need to be
learned by anyone wishing to become a realtor include figuring out how to
create and use listing agreements, releases, disclaimers, and contracts of
sale. Nowadays the forms are downloadable digitally from such websites as
the Maryland Real Estate Commission and Maryland Association of Realtors.
Some forms may be filled out online, then printed or emailed to clients and
customers.

Generally, all real property transactions must be in writing, and an agent
must obtain physical signatures from buyers and sellers. For this, any blind
agent is best served by having an assistant or cooperating fellow agent to
guide the client or customer as to where to sign. It is necessary for
someone to witness that the documents have been, as it is said, "fully
executed." Without a signature, there isn't going to be a deal. There are
electronic means of signing documents like e-sign, of course, but they don't
apply to some essential documents and to property deeds. Following a
millennium of custom in property law, actual signatures are necessary on
documents that are to be filed in county land records offices.

So that's it. It helps if one has, in addition to fairly good social skills,
some higher education. It is better if one has an AA or BA degree to prepare
for the real-estate vocation, since the legalities can be complex. Some
agents rely upon their broker or office staff for document preparation, but
that's not very professional. It may be necessary, for instance, to explain
the meaning of a contract’s provisos to a buyer as one reads through it with
them. In Maryland, an ordinary residential contract of sale might comprise,
with addenda, as many as nineteen pages.

Things are generally simpler in commercial real estate transactions than in
residential ones. I chose to specialize in commercial transactions.
Statutory consumer protections are fewer in commercial deals. The condition
of a commercial or investment property is often negotiable, as are
contingencies relating to inspection, verification of business income, and
scheduling of settlement. A new owner may wish to build out the location to
suit their own business needs. In residential sales, the state mandates
legal protections for buyers, whereas in commercial transactions, almost
anything goes. Also, commercial buyers and sellers are more likely to be
fully aware of their objectives and the kind of properties or businesses
they are seeking. Residential buyers, on the other hand, may want to go on a
sightseeing tour with the hapless agent as a captive tour guide. One may use
a sighted assistant to offer buyers a virtual preview in the office, but all
of this will be at the agent's expense.

In this business, one doesn't get paid unless a meeting of the minds between
buyer and seller has taken place and put in writing, and until the
transaction and all of its sub-parts and financing arrangements, if any,
have been approved. Verbal agreements are problematic and difficult to
enforce. Sometimes loan officers and bank appraisers like to run the
transactions, so cash customers who weren't using bank finance were my
favorites. One must be patient. One may wait three to nine months for a
so-called “done deal” to go through, and for the settlement officer to write
your broker's commission check.

Back in the day, the "nut" or break-even total commission was about $17,500
for the year. With that amount of gross income, an agent might cover the
unavoidable expenses of maintaining licensure and operating as an agent.
Brokers and agents need to pay professional dues, errors and omissions
insurance, and computer access fees on an annual basis. At 4 percent and 5
percent commission, split two or four ways, do the math: one might earn as
little as 1 or 1.25 percent of a multi-broker sale and have to sell
$1,300,000 worth of property each year to break even. Lots of people do this
easily, and some are selling three to ten million per year.

The realtors’ social events are fun. It’s a great job. One gets to meet lots
of people and serve the public while doing so. There aren't many of us who
are blind realtors, of course. Many of my customers and clients are
delighted with the service I provide. Because so much of the work is by
phone and computer, many of my clients don't even know that I am blind and
don't find out till we meet at a property or at a settlement table in an
office. I don't tell them unless I have to.

If you're blind, you should be better than average at the same tasks
performed by other agents. It doesn't hurt to acquire extra skills. In my
case, I taught myself commercial appraisal, which is a little complicated. I
wanted to be better able to advise clients about the value and marketability
of their property. Auditing a course in civil procedure at law school was
useful. I obtained a CD-based crisscross telephone directory to identify
specific businesses using the Standard Industrial Classification Code (SICC)
within a particular zip code. This enables me to assess the level of
competition and predict the likelihood of their business's success. I
purchased a talking tape-measure from the Federation's store to take the
dimensions of offered properties. One can't always rely upon the reports of
others or upon aging official records. If it's smaller than they thought it
was, an agent might find themselves compensating a buyer's disappointment.

It is good to be able to do a title search on a given property by visiting
land records offices. The records clerks are generally happy to assist a
citizen. If, for example, a parcel to be sold has too many recorded liens,
it might not be saleable, and one might attend what is called a dry
settlement. That means you get no paycheck, and you just wasted a whole lot
of your time.

It’s always necessary for an agent to be honest and trustworthy. Often,
there's a lot of money involved in a real estate transaction, and you can't
touch any of it. Large deposits you receive don't belong to you, at least
till your client writes your broker and you a check out of it. Customers’
deposits, for example, remain in your company's escrow accounts and are not
touched until the time of transaction or refund to a buyer.

It got better later. After improving and refinancing my first home, I
borrowed $20,000 from equity to purchase a shell, a vacant property in the
city. With cash, a partner and I obtained a considerable bargain. As they
say, sometimes "Cash is king." That property was a complete wreck and a lot
of work to fix. To accomplish that gut-rehab, I had to find craftsmen, such
as a plumber and carpenter, to do the things that I as a blind person
couldn't do by myself, plus one guy whose only job was to watch the
sub-contractors. In order to obtain an occupancy permit for this formerly
vacant property, we had to comply with stringent building codes. If an
inspector had a hand out, we would just approach the agency director and let
them know. Everything eventually worked out.

The happy ending to this was that I graduated from being an agent to
becoming an owner and landlord. The better part of the happy ending was that
the social worker and I hooked up and got married. I kept the cars fixed,
and she drove me around and we loved each other a lot. Kathleen Swords, my
partner, passed in 2008. Rest in peace, dear lady.

I owe thanks to many individuals and no thanks to a few others. Real estate
is sometimes a rough business. The support and encouragement of the
organized blind, including the late Kenneth Jernigan and members of the
Federation, were key elements that put me on a path to dignity and
independence. Thank you all.

----------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Gary Wunder]


Tidbits, Quotations, and Words to Live by


by Gary Wunder

There are times I see wonderful quotations and have a yearning to share them
but am never quite sure where to do it. It seems to me that perhaps a small
column that would run from time to time in the Braille Monitor might be
appropriate. Maybe you saw something in a book of fiction that struck you as
being something to remember. Maybe you saw something explained so well in a
book of nonfiction that you wanted to share the concept so that others could
benefit. What I share here came from my brother, who is definitely not a
reader and in fact considers reading a struggle. Nevertheless, he thought
enough of this to wade through it and share it with me. I gladly share it
here with you and encourage you to do some sharing of your own:


The Seven Rules of Life


Author unknown

1.	Make peace with your past so it won't disturb your present. This
rule emphasizes the importance of letting go of past grievances and
mistakes, understanding that they cannot be changed and should not impede
your current happiness or peace of mind.
2.	What others think of you is none of your business. This principle
encourages individuals to focus on their self-worth and goals rather than
seeking approval or validation from others. It's a reminder that one's value
does not decrease based on someone's inability to see their worth.
3.	Time heals almost everything. Give it time. Patience is at the core
of this rule, suggesting that with time, the intensity of pain, grief, and
hardship lessens, allowing for healing and perspective.
4.	No one is in charge of your happiness, except you. This rule places
the responsibility for one's happiness squarely on their own shoulders,
advocating for a proactive approach to seeking joy and fulfillment instead
of expecting it to come from external sources.
5.	Don't compare your life to others, and don’t judge them. You have no
idea what their journey is all about. This principle warns against the
pitfalls of comparison and judgment, reminding us that everyone's path is
unique and filled with unseen challenges.
6.	Stop thinking too much. It’s alright not to know the answers. They
will come to you when you least expect it. This rule speaks to the
importance of living in the present and not overanalyzing or obsessing over
uncertainties or future outcomes.
7.	Smile. You don’t own all the problems in the world. A reminder to
maintain perspective and not allow oneself to be overwhelmed by problems or
to take on unnecessary burdens. Smiling and seeking joy, even in small
moments, can have a profound impact on one's outlook and mental health.

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[PHOTO CAPTION: Rachel Held]


Dream Big: Give $25 Drive


by Rachel Held

Each year, thousands of Federation members and friends of the Federation
contribute before and during National Convention to various funds that
support blind people. In 2024, generosity is still needed to fund our great
programs. When you give $25 or more between May 16 and July 6, 5:00 p.m.
eastern time, you will be entered into the Dream Big: Give $25 Drive
Drawing. Each $25 increment is a chance to win.

Why “Dream Big?” Because we know that blindness need not hold you back. One
of our members recently shared:

I joined the National Federation of the Blind, and one of their initiatives
is promoting STEAM education for all blind persons. Prior to my membership,
I was unaware of the blindness perspective and what was possible for blind
persons in the visual arts, technology, and beyond. Most importantly, art
and technology simultaneously complement one another and allow endless
possibilities to emerge. —Joy

We want our community to feel empowered to dream big; and we’ll work with
determination so those dreams can be realized. There are no limits to what
we can accomplish.

When you contribute to the Dream Big: Give $25 Drive, you’ll be entered to
win:

*	Roundtrip transportation for two for the 2025 NFB National
Convention
*	Hotel at the convention
*	Registration and banquet tickets for two
*	$1,000 in walking-around cash

Or

*	$2,000 cash.

There’s more! This year, thanks to the collaboration among HumanWare, the
American Printing House, and the National Federation of the Blind, you may
also be entered to win a Monarch Dynamic Tactile Device! With each entry,
just indicate that you’d like to also be entered into the Monarch drawing by
either checking the box on the
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=45> Give $25 Drive
online form, mentioning it on the phone, or including a note with your
check.

New this year: Donations in honor of you! Maybe you want to help the
Federation but are not in a position to give. Or you just want more chances
to win. Do you have friends or family that want to contribute and give you a
chance to win the prize? If they place your name and phone number or email
into the field on our
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=45> Give $25 Drive
form, you will be placed into the drawing an additional time for each $25
they give.

The campaign supports several funds:

Kenneth Jernigan Fund: The proceeds from this fund are used to bring
attendees to their first national convention and more. It is named for Dr.
Jernigan who planned our conventions for more than forty years and who did
so much to make them what they are today.

SUN Fund: These funds are being set aside for a rainy day.

White Cane Fund: These dollars go directly to the general treasury of the
Federation to be used where needed most.

tenBroek Fund: These dollars go to the tenBroek Memorial Fund which owns the
property at 200 East Wells at Jernigan Place in Baltimore for the benefit of
blind people.

How to contribute and qualify:

You must specify a fund to enter the drawing. You can do this by using our
Give $25 Drive online donation form
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=45>  at
https://nfb.org/Give25Donate, specifying a fund when you phone us, or in the
memo if giving by check. Choose one of the funds outlined above. Your
donation will be counted for the drawing regardless of which fund you
designate. If you are not sure which fund to elect, please select our White
Cane Fund as it allows the most flexibility to meet changing organizational
needs.

Give to the Dream Big: Give $25 Drive
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=45>  campaign online
by using our Give $25 Drive contribution form at
https://nfb.org/Give25Donate.

*	Give via phone by calling our donation line at 410-659-9314,
extension 2430.
*	Send a check to National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute,
200 East Wells Street Baltimore, MD 21230. Be sure to have #Give25 and the
fund you are donating to in the memo, and let us know if you are entering
the drawing for the Monarch.
*	Note: The drawing is for individuals and is not intended for
contributions by divisions, state affiliates, or chapters.

The winner of both drawings will be announced July 8, 2024, at the banquet.

Don’t forget to help us share the Federation with others, and thank you for
your generosity!

----------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Shelley Keeland]


Giving Time to NFB Changes Lives


by Shelley Keeland

>From the Editor: This is a wonderful story about retiring, transitioning to
something else that gives structure and has meaning, and the fear that goes
along with trying something new.

Shelley has two passions since she retired, music and writing. She loves
listening to all types of music and also singing in the church choir.
Writing is where she is taking the steps to grow and branch out as much as
she can. Shelley loves writing with a steno and also enjoys her two jobs as
secretary of NFBAR, but she is so excited to learn that she can write
articles like this one. She loves to tell stories, both hers and those of
others. She’s never thought about writing a novel, but maybe that will come
someday, and we can do a book review. Here is her contribution:

I would love to share my personal experience with the National Federation of
the Blind of Arkansas and how, in my giving, I received much more. I became
a member of the affiliate in the spring of 2021 at a time when my life was
about to change in a major way. I was planning to retire in the fall from my
job as a court reporter that I held for twenty-eight years. I wanted to see
if there might be a way I could become involved with an organization where I
could help others who are blind.

I decided to join a chapter and attend some meetings. My thought was to dip
my toe in and see if NFB is where I belong. I was employed most of that year
and attended chapter meetings on and off until the spring of 2022, right
before our state convention. The position of state secretary was up for
election, and several NFB friends encouraged me to run because they felt I
had the skills and experience. I agreed to do so, having no real idea of
what we do in the affiliate, because I had only attended chapter meetings.

Despite still feeling exhausted after my recent retirement and my misgivings
about whether I could do a good job, I ran and won the election. As I
assumed my new secretary duties, I started to believe I didn’t have the
skills at all. My previous job involved a different type of word processing
program just for court reporters, so I was fumbling as I learned how to use
my old 2010 version of Microsoft Word. I didn’t know how much to include in
the minutes. This wasn’t a job where verbatim transcripts were required, and
I agonized about what to put in and leave out from the minutes each month.
As a court reporter, we could change the outcome of a proceeding if we made
a mistake, and my perfectionist nature got the better of me, because I made
human mistakes.

Instead of feeling more confident in the next few months, I would beat
myself up for any errors I made. Retirement was still new, and I hadn’t
given myself enough time before jumping into the fire. After about ten
months on the job, I felt so overwhelmed with self-doubt that I decided it
would be better to hand over the responsibility to someone who might do a
better job. I didn’t know how to take a different path toward being able to
change, grow, and belong. With the support of my affiliate president and my
friends within the organization, I made the shameful and painful decision to
step away.

Fortunately, President Chadwick found someone to take on the responsibility.
Some seven or eight months later, I found out the appointed secretary was
going to move and that the position would be open again for the rest of the
term. I had time by that point to have rested a little and feel ready to
take on the responsibility, and I realized I was holding myself back. No one
was criticizing me but myself. I have a close friend who says, “Other people
can tell you no, but never tell yourself no.”

After stepping away, the tasks didn’t seem that daunting. I approached
President Chadwick and asked if she would appoint me or if she felt the
affiliate might say they had no trust in me. I couldn’t blame them if they
had. She appointed me and asked me to attend the first affiliate board
meeting and explain why I left. As I did so, my heart was pounding because I
felt so ashamed of myself and expected the worst. The president could
appoint whomever she chose, but it seemed likely to me they might not
support her decision. I apologized for stumbling and asked for their trust
and for another chance. I was welcomed back to the board and told how much
they supported me, because we’re a family. They only requested that I ask
for help when needed.

As I updated my version of Microsoft Word and began to feel more confident
that I had the ability to adjust to the job as affiliate secretary, it was
time for elections within the At-Large Chapter. I felt encouraged and
decided to step up to the plate and run for the position as chapter
secretary and won that election. Now I have less desire to try for the
impossibility of perfection, but instead do the work in these secretary
roles both because I love writing and out of love and respect for NFB and
the blindness movement. I wanted to write this article to say that change is
always painful and difficult, especially when we’re blind. There are moments
of doubt and weakness when taking on a new task, whether large or small.
We’re not alone. It’s a gift to truly understand what it means to be part of
the blindness community. It’s not about what any individual member can or
can’t do. It’s about what we all do together. We always hear that when you
give, you shall receive. Hearing the stories and life experiences, as well
as sharing ideas from other members, is so enriching. The Arkansas
affiliate, as all of them do, has much to offer. We have several writers who
can share our successes and experiences, members who are skilled and willing
to take on the difficult job of fundraising and to share the load in various
working committees, and amazing affiliate and chapter boards. We have
members who may not feel comfortable speaking out in meetings or acting as
leaders or board members but who do what they can, when they can, to support
all we do. Some people are so busy they can rarely attend, and they’re truly
valued and loved, whether or not they can be present. No member is more or
less special than another. The best lesson I learned is that we all have an
unconditional family and a place at the table, and I only had to retire and
start giving my time from the heart to get here. It’s more fulfilling than
my paid job ever could be.

----------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Dan Tevelde]


Simple Accessibility Solutions


by Dan Tevelde

>From the Editor: When many of us hear the words assistive technology, we
think of something computer-based, how much it costs, and how difficult it
might be for us to replace it. But as Dan reminds us, not all assistive
technology is complicated or expensive. It is a good reminder, for as
helpful as technology is, its use depends on the confidence we have in
ourselves based not only on training but the attitude we hold about the
things we can do.

Dan lives with his husband Chris in the Chicago suburbs, and they are active
in the Chicago NFB chapter. He is also the chair of the Illinois Website
Committee. Dan works in the accessibility testing field and is seeking
future opportunities. At sixty-three years of age, he considers himself
semi-retired, and to fill the time he enjoys reading, travel, and living
with their ten-year old feisty cat. He’s passionate about Braille literacy,
accessibility, and advocacy. Dan and Chris have been members of the Chicago
Chapter since 2014. Here is his article:

I recently had an experience using a cane which made me think about how some
of the tools we use do not need to be associated with a computer or mobile
device. I want to point out that my experience using a cane is a matter of
personal preference. I am not suggesting that using a cane is better than
using a guide dog. Whether a person travels with a cane or dog is a matter
of personal preference. I work in the accessibility field and have learned
that accessibility is not just about making websites and mobile applications
accessible. Accessibility includes any tool a blind person may use to
function independently. A cane, guide dog, or a slate and stylus are some of
the tools blind people use. This thought occurred to me while I was at a
doctor’s appointment. I had just checked in and was invited to take a seat.
I could tell by the ambient sound that the room was not large. I decided to
use my cane instead of asking for help. I turned away from the check-in
counter and started walking toward where I thought I might find a seat. I
was slowly sweeping my cane left and right until the tip touched a solid
surface. I decided to move toward the object while keeping the cane tip in
contact with the object. I could tell that changing the angle of my cane
from horizontal to vertical moved me closer to the chair. I touched the
object and determined it was an empty seat. I turned around, sat down, and
put my cane away.

It occurred to me that I had used the cane as an accessibility tool. I
identified a task I needed to do and completed it independently. If I had
not used a cane, I might not have found the chair or aimlessly wandered
around the office. I would have given the impression that I was helpless and
could not do something as simple as navigating an office building. I do not
know if anyone was paying attention to me, but I assumed that someone was
observing if I needed help finding a chair.

I felt a sense of pride and satisfaction that I had used a simple device to
solve a simple problem. We often get caught up by the idea that we need
complex tools to be independent. There is a place for computers, phones,
screen readers, Braille displays, and any other technological devices we may
use daily. I would encourage anyone to use a cane and think about ways they
can be creative while traveling. Never feel ashamed to use a cane. It does
not matter what a sighted person thinks or, more accurately perhaps, what we
fear they think. Every time I attend a chapter meeting of the National
Federation of the Blind, I hear people using a cane and know they are living
the lives they want. I appreciate the value the National Federation of the
Blind places on independence by making slates, styli, and canes available to
anyone free of charge.

----------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Glenn Crosby]


Seniors Making a Difference


by Glenn Crosby

>From the Editor: Glenn Crosby is now a senior, and he has earned it. If
there has been a job to do, whether locally, statewide, or nationally, Glen
has been the man. A longtime state president and board member, he has now
been elected to focus on blind seniors while at the same time being the kind
of support for Norma, his wife and affiliate president, as she has been for
him. Here is his report about the latest life-changing activity of the
Senior Division:

During the week of February 11-17, the National Federation of the Blind
Seniors Division hosted its annual Senior Retreat. This year’s event was
virtual, and we had presentations by Federation leaders nationwide. Topics
included cooking, cane travel, home organization and repair, the importance
of Braille, and more. Thirty-two blind seniors participated, and we already
have reports that they are using what they learned to become more
independent and to begin the process of reclaiming their ability to live the
lives they want.

As just one example following the retreat, we got an email informing us that
one of the retreat participants was starting to use what he had learned to
get back into baking. Here is that email. The subject line was “Ricky Made
Cookies!”

Today, he used Seeing AI to read the baking directions, FaceTime to call his
oldest sister to help him set the oven temperature, and baked his wife a
tray of chocolate chip cookies while she was away at work. He used some of
the new skills he learned this week. Oven mitts are one of them! He said he
had not baked anything in years!

His wife was stunned and impressed. She loved the cookies. He just used
Sweet Martha’s frozen cookie dough balls. He is standing taller today!
Thanks, NFB

—Linda

Since receiving this email, we have had additional correspondence with
Linda. She tells us that Ricky is visiting his daughter and grandkids, and
that he has taken a tactile tic-tac-toe game and some sleep shades so he can
play with his grandchildren. He has also taken a muffin tin and tennis balls
so he can work on beginning Braille.

The retreat only lasts for a week, but the work our division does during the
retreat and throughout the year makes a profound difference in the lives of
the seniors we serve. If you don’t believe it, just ask Ricky.

----------


We Need Your Help


Attending my first National Convention in Orlando, Florida, I was
overwhelmed by not only the resources, mentorship, and national community of
students, but the love that filled every corner of the organization. The
National Federation of the Blind gave me the world. —Trisha

Blind children, students, and adults are making powerful strides in
education and leadership every day across the United States, but we need to
continue helping students like Trisha. For more than eighty years, the
National Federation of the Blind has worked to transform the dreams of
hundreds of thousands of blind people into reality. With support from
individuals like you, we can continue to provide powerful programs and
critical resources now and for decades to come. We hope you will plan to be
a part of our enduring movement by including the National Federation of the
Blind in your charitable giving and in your estate planning. It is easier
than you think.

With your help, the NFB will continue to:

*	Give blind children the gift of literacy through Braille.
*	Mentor young people like Trisha.
*	Promote independent travel by providing free, long white canes to
blind people in need.
*	Develop dynamic educational projects and programs to show blind
youth that science and math careers 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.

Below are just a few of the many tax-deductible ways you can show your
support of the National Federation of the Blind.


LYFT Round Up


By visiting the menu, choosing Donate, and selecting the National Federation
of the Blind, you commit to giving to the National Federation of the Blind
with each ride.


Vehicle Donation Program


We accept 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. 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. You can call 410-659-9314,
extension 2430, to give by phone. Give online with a credit card or through
the mail with check or money order. Visit our online contribution page at:
https://nfb.org/donate.


Pre-Authorized Contributions


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 withdrawal of funds from a checking account or a
charge to a credit card. To enroll, call 877-NFB-2PAC, or fill out our PAC
Donation Form https://www.nfb.org/pac.


Plan to Leave a Legacy


The National Federation of the Blind legacy society, our Dream Makers
Circle, honors and recognizes the generosity and imagination of members and
special friends who have chosen to leave a legacy through a will or other
planned giving option. You can join the Dream Makers Circle in a myriad of
ways.

Percentage or Fixed Sum of Assets
You can specify that a percentage or a fixed sum of your assets or property
goes to the National Federation of the Blind in your will, trust, pension,
IRA, life insurance policy, brokerage account, or other accounts.


Payable on Death (POD) Account


You can name the National Federation of the Blind as the beneficiary on a
Payable on Death (POD) account through your bank. You can turn any checking
or savings account into a POD account. This is one of the simplest ways to
leave a legacy. The account is totally in your control during your lifetime
and you can change the beneficiary or percentage at any time with ease.


Will or Trust


If you do decide to create or revise your will, consider the National
Federation of the Blind as a partial beneficiary.

Visit our Planned Giving webpage
(https://www.nfb.org/get-involved/ways-give/planned-giving) or call
410-659-9314, extension 2422, for more information.

In 2023 our supporters helped the NFB:

*	Send 401 Braille Santa and Winter Celebration letters to blind
children, encouraging excitement for Braille literacy.
*	Distribute over six thousand canes to blind people across the United
States, empowering them to travel safely and independently throughout their
communities.
*	Deliver more than five hundred newspapers and magazines to more than
130,000 subscribers with print disabilities free of charge.
*	Give over seven hundred Braille-writing slates and styluses free of
charge to blind users.
*	Mentor 321 blind youth during our Braille Enrichment for Literacy
and Learning® Academy.
*	Award thirty scholarships each in the amount of $8,000 to blind
students.

Just imagine what we will do in 2024, and, with your help, what can be
accomplished for years to come. Together with love, hope, determination, and
your support, we will continue to transform dreams into reality.

----------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Michael Hingson]


A New Definition of Disability: Embracing Our Shared Humanity and Redefining
How We Perceive Abilities and Differences


by Michael Hingson

>From the Editor: Michael has a message that he transmits every chance he
gets, and each new experience gives him that chance. Michael has lived a
life full of experience from being a physicist who worked on the Kurzweil
Reading Machine and then to a career in finance that found him coming down
from his seventy-eighth floor office on September 11. What is most important
to me is that this man has consistently chosen to be a part of us, even
after his training, natural aptitude, and motivation could have let him sell
himself as a very exceptional blind person. But he is unabashedly one of us,
and he still wants to change the world so that it better understands who we
are and we too come to share that understanding. Here is what he says:

Before getting to the crux of this article, let me briefly explain why I
wrote it. In March, 2023, I happened to be at a hotel in Los Angeles with my
niece and nephew. As we walked down the stairs toward the first floor about
3:00 p.m. on a sunny Saturday afternoon, suddenly I heard most people on the
first floor begin to scream and panic. My niece, being very used to me did
not panic. When I asked her what was going on she said that the hotel and
the surrounding area had just lost power. My niece told me that people were
scrambling trying to find smart phones and flashlights so that they could
get light again even though there was plenty of sunlight streaming in from
outside.

As I thought about this later, I realized just how dependent sighted people
really are on having direct light on demand. I realized that in reality the
people who panicked in the hotel and most sighted people have their own
disability. What follows contains the results of my thinking and why I
believe it is high time that we reframe the definition of “disability.”

In a world that often classifies people based on what they can or can't do,
let's rethink the term "disability" and look at it in a new, more inclusive
light. Instead of seeing it as a lack of ability, let's embrace it as a
unique characteristic we all share, manifesting in various ways.

To embark on this journey of understanding, it's important to recognize that
each person has a unique blend of characteristics, abilities, and
limitations. By embracing the idea that disability is a part of being human,
we can build a society that values diversity and promotes inclusivity.

Let's consider the concept of light dependence, not just for individuals who
are sighted but for everyone. Thomas Edison's invention of the electric
light was more than just a technological breakthrough; it responded to a
fundamental characteristic we all share—our reliance on light.

Sighted individuals, relying on eyesight, are fundamentally dependent on
light. Edison's electric light wasn't about superiority; it highlighted a
unique manifestation of a universal characteristic. This light dependence is
hidden in our daily lives, especially with the prevalence of artificial
lighting, making it easy for sighted individuals to navigate seamlessly.

Acknowledging this shared "disability" prompts us to reconsider how we
perceive abilities and limitations. When we realize that everyone,
regardless of their abilities, has inherent characteristics that might be
considered disabilities in certain contexts, we lay the foundation for
empathy, understanding, and unity.

This new definition encourages empathy and understanding among individuals
with diverse characteristics. Instead of perpetuating a hierarchy of
abilities, we can appreciate the unique contributions each person brings to
the human experience.

Consider individuals who are blind or have low vision, facing challenges in
a sight-oriented society. Acknowledging that both sighted and blind
individuals share the characteristic of light dependence, albeit in
different ways, helps break down the barriers that divide us.

Embracing this new definition opens the door to a more inclusive society,
where diversity is celebrated, and everyone's contributions are valued. It
challenges the notion that disability is a rare exception and positions it
as an integral part of the human experience.

The goal shifts from accommodating perceived differences to creating
environments that consider and embrace the diverse characteristics inherent
in all individuals. It's about creating a world that accommodates the full
spectrum of human characteristics, from physical spaces to inclusive design
principles in technology.

Changing the definition of disability requires a shift in perspective,
moving away from viewing differences as deficiencies and toward recognizing
the shared characteristics that connect us. This transformative perspective
empowers individuals with disabilities by emphasizing their abilities,
contributions, and unique strengths.

Understanding disability as a universal characteristic challenges stigmas
associated with perceived limitations. It prompts us to rethink the language
we use, replacing terms that reinforce negative stereotypes with inclusive
and empowering expressions. For example, persons who have little or no
eyesight are often referred to as “visually impaired.” The very fact that
the word “impaired” is often included in describing these individuals
implies that they are less than persons with full eyesight. If we replace
“visually impaired” with “blind or low vision” we take a major step toward
recognizing that having, or not having, a dependence on light to live and
function does not represent an impairment or lack of one. Instead removing
“impaired” from a description of a person who is blind or who has low vision
helps level the playing field and helps to influence all of us not to view a
lack of eyesight as anything other than a particular characteristic that
some people manifest.

In conclusion, by redefining disability as an inherent characteristic, we
move towards a more compassionate and inclusive understanding of the human
experience. Recognizing that everyone carries their own set of
characteristics that might be considered disabilities in specific contexts
breaks down artificial barriers and allows us to celebrate our shared
humanity.

----------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Marc Maurer]


The Rest of Reality: An Address Delivered by Marc Maurer


President, National Federation of the Blind at the Banquet of the Annual
Convention

Louisville, Kentucky, July 3, 2003

>From the Editor: In this and several recent issues, there are recurring
themes that emerge. One of them is taking responsibility for making a life
when all that has been granted is existence. One is determining the right we
have to demand admission and accessibility and to determine when it is being
given because it is required and when it is being given because we are
acknowledged as normal and capable. Then there is the issue of our worth as
human beings: When it comes to resource allocation, how much are we worth?
When those with the power to make decisions think about quality of life, how
are we assessed? To put it as President Riccobono might, do they have
anything like a truly authentic view of what it is to be a blind person?

In this stellar speech, Immediate Past President Maurer addresses in a way
that few could the ways in which these questions are asked and the
Federation’s way of addressing the answers. For those of you who have not
heard or read this speech before, take the time to enjoy the message found
in every sentence. For those of us who were there when the speech was given,
enjoy the memory and the opportunity to appreciate that the work we do is no
game; it is as serious as any work we are likely to encounter in this life.
Here is the address:

The velvet black of the night sky bedight with jeweled stars beckoned;

The ever-changing rivulets among the waves along the shore reflected the
dancing flashes of sunlight;

The enthusiastic restless breakers summoned the shore-bound to come
a-roving.

The dappled shadows almost concealed the water nymph, who winked at the
sojourner across the rippling rapids.

The captains came marching to open new countries, explore unknown frontiers,
establish trade routes.

The blind man quietly waited;

He did not see the flashing sun, the wink of the water nymph, the beckoning
stars.

He waited.

Others told him, when they were not too busy, of the far frontiers; of
mighty commerce; of the beauty of sun, sky, and stars.

He waited.

And when the waiting was ended, he was old.

Such is one summation of blindness, which even today constitutes the
thinking of many members of the general public, some people in the field of
work with the blind, and a few blind people themselves. This summation has
no harsh criticism of the blind; no suggestion of cruelty toward us; no
obnoxious restriction on our behavior, our activity, or our livelihood.
Nevertheless, the depiction is completely erroneous and totally false. In
one sense it is more devastating than harshness or cruelty because it
contains an implied gentleness toward the blind, who are permitted to wait,
and because within it is an assumption that we are irrelevant—that we have
nothing to contribute—that we are without hope, without spirit, without an
irrepressible internal driving force. Exploration, romance, and adventure
are for somebody else—not for the blind. Beauty may be observed in the
heavens, the sea, or a woodland glade, but none of this is for us. We are
relegated to a closed set of experiences which are determined by somebody
else. The exhortation, though kindly meant, is as restrictive as an iron
band. It is to wait; always to wait.

In 1652 John Milton wrote a poem about his blindness. The most famous line
of this poem, which has ever since been regarded as reflecting a proper
humility, is, "They also serve who only stand and wait." Of course this line
was written 350 years ago; matters must have changed since then. My own
experience demonstrates that, despite the advances we have made (and we have
made many of them), blind people are often asked to wait. Much of the time
we are told to wait for somebody else to get us something, for somebody else
to show us where we are to go, for somebody else to invite us to participate
in activities in our communities. We are encouraged to believe that the
waiting is valuable—if not a high ideal. In 1863 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
wrote, "All things come round to him who will but wait." However, Longfellow
did not have the extensive experience that we possess. If waiting is the
coin that must be paid for all things that can come round, the blind should
have such blessings in abundance.

We must have understanding for the goodwill that we encounter, and we must
exercise politeness because this is the attitude that promotes growth in
civilized society. But we must not forfeit our right to self-determination.
No amount of politeness requires the blind to wait for somebody else to make
our decisions for us. If we were to take this course, the waiting might
continue indefinitely. In 1825, Lord Macaulay warned of the danger inherent
in this method of thought. He said: “Many politicians of our time are in the
habit of laying it down as a self-evident proposition that no people ought
to be free till they are fit to use their freedom. The maxim is worthy of
the fool in the old story, who resolved not to go into the water till he had
learnt to swim. If men are to wait for liberty till they become wise and
good in slavery, they may indeed wait forever.”

Thus spoke Lord Macaulay, and what he said of the generality of individuals
is equally applicable to the blind. There may be some who will call us
precipitant. Be it so. Some will think us rash. This cannot be helped. A few
will proclaim us to be nothing short of radical or militant. Let them call
names if they like; our lives are on the line, and we will live them to the
fullest. As the spirit of our Federation has made abundantly clear, we will
seize the liberty that is our right; we will not defer; we will not delay;
we are no longer prepared to wait.

The notion that blind people should wait suggests that we do not have the
same capacity as others and that somebody else should supervise our actions.
It implies that we are inferior to the sighted.

If blindness means a fundamental diminution of ability, the blind should be
content to receive support and assistance, and they should recognize that
waiting is part of the process. If, however, the blind possess all of the
capacity of the general public except the ability to use vision, it is fair
to expect as much from the blind as from the sighted. It is also necessary
to demand of society that blind people be accepted on terms of equality.

To illustrate certain factors that have an impact on the lives of the blind,
consider a fanciful analogy. If all mature human beings who are taller than
six feet two inches in height were regarded as less capable than those of
shorter stature, there would be an immediate and dramatic classification
along the lines of physical size. Short people would be favored, and tall
people would be shunned. Growth inhibitors would be sold to prevent the
development of excessive height. High heels would no longer be the fashion.

Benevolent societies would be initiated to offer counseling and comfort to
the unfortunate tall. Special places would be set aside where these folk
could interact with one another out of the sight of their superiors, the
short. Homes for the tall would be established in which the tall could live
without being constantly reminded of their deformity. Fundraising drives
would be undertaken to reduce the disadvantages of financial want for the
lanky and to provide adequate funding to pay the administrators of
institutions for the tall. Probably, in the course of time, specialized laws
would be established to prevent unreasonable exploitation of the tall.
Certain trades of a simple and repetitive nature with a suitably modest
financial return (the tall trades) would offer the tall meaningful
occupations. Orientation classes would be constructed to teach the tall
techniques for managing their awkward and ungainly frames.

Eventually an entire structure of agencies to provide service to the tall
would be established, and an association of individuals involved in the
field of rehabilitation for the tall would come into being. Most of the
members of this association would be normal—not drawn from the ranks of the
tall. However, occasionally an almost normal person, a member of the tall
with a small enough stature to pass for normal, would be allowed to join.
This would demonstrate appropriate concern for including the views of the
tall. But of course the majority of the members of the association would be
short and would possess high-powered degrees from accredited universities
with programs established to train the professionals in the proper methods
for providing instruction to the tall. These charitably inclined instructors
of the tall would interpret the needs of their clients to the public and
would minister to the wants of the disadvantaged minority.

The instructors would also serve on the President's Committee for the
Employment of the Tall and other entities established for the benefit of the
group. After several decades of exploration and professional development
with appropriate scholarly examination of the psychological impact of being
tall in a society established by and operated for the short, there would be
an adequate understanding of the specialized problems faced by the tall, and
all that would remain for the professionals to accomplish would be the
refinement of the tools and techniques of the profession.

Of course there would be a need to assure quality standards within the ranks
of the professionals in service to the tall, and standard-setting bodies
would be created. The tall would be rigidly excluded from consideration of
such standards except now and then as a matter of tokenism. This would be
done to ensure the high quality of programming for the tall. As
administrators of programs for the tall would observe, to invite the tall to
assist in determining standards for the programs that serve them would be
equivalent to asking patients in the hospital to design medical procedures.

But suppose that the tall examined their condition and disagreed with the
classification assigned to them. Suppose they argued that the assumption of
inferiority had been based on false premises—that the length of one's body
is no determiner of mental capacity or of other characteristics that make a
human being productive. They might come together in a national organization
to protest the arbitrary determination of inability that had been imposed.
They might petition the government for a change in status. They might
conduct public campaigns to alter the way they were perceived by the members
of the public at large. They might attempt to have laws adopted that
guaranteed their right to live in the world on an equal basis with others.
They might proclaim their determination to speak on their own behalf. They
might insist on the fundamental equality of the tall. They might reject the
assertion that the length of their bodies made them awkward and ungainly.
They might decide to abandon the homes and retreats for the tall, asserting
as they left them that they intended to be accepted within society, not
isolated from it. They might declare with unmistakable vigor that they would
decide for themselves what their lives would be. In the process of coming to
this understanding, the tall would say to certain of the administrators of
programs established to meet their needs, "You have offered what you believe
is kindness to us, but your kindness has included condescension and the
attempt to hold us in bondage. You have treated us like children, but we
reject your comprehension of our ability, and we insist that we be accepted
as your equals. Your assumptions are not ours. You have said that you will
interpret our lives for us, but this can no longer be done. If you will work
with us, we will welcome you in partnership. But you will no longer dominate
our existence because we will not permit it."

>From such a declaration conflict would probably erupt. Administrators of
programs for the tall (or, at least some of them) would regard the
obstreperous malcontents as ungrateful and would tell the members of the
general public that these upstarts were seeking to grab power—were
attempting to dictate to agency administrators. Undaunted by these attacks,
the members of the organized tall movement would build their own programs
for training the tall and would find adherents among officials in the ranks
of those in work for the tall. After a period of confrontation, greater
harmony and cooperation than had previously existed would emerge in the
field of work for the tall.

With growing cooperation and increasing harmony, the tall and administrators
of programs for the tall (an increasing number of them drawn from the ranks
of the tall themselves) would begin to wonder why there had ever been any
conflict.

Is this an apt analogy? Some will deny it. How can the physical height of a
human being reasonably be compared to blindness? Height is no barrier to
employment or social acceptance, they will say. However, consider no less an
authority than the military of the United States. A height requirement has
sometimes been imposed on applicants who seek to serve as fighter pilots.
The planes were small, the story goes, and nobody taller than five feet six
inches would be accepted.

The philosopher Francis Bacon has also added his weight of opinion. "Wise
nature [he said] did never put her precious jewels into a garret four
stories high; and therefore ... exceeding tall men had ever very empty
heads." No social stigma? No impact on employment? Don't you believe it! At
times the tall have been an oppressed minority.

But what of the blind? What have we done, and how have we fared since the
time of the founding of our movement at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in 1940?
When the National Federation of the Blind came into existence, the task
before us was monumental. Blind men and women were almost completely without
jobs except in a few sheltered workshops and a small number of vending
stands. Education existed for some at the school for the blind but rarely
beyond. Participation in the broader activities of the community was almost
unknown. Public aid to the blind programs had been established in a number
of states, but these were often interpreted in the most restrictive way. Our
founder, Dr. Jacobus tenBroek, himself was informed shortly after he
graduated from high school that public assistance would not be available to
him if he attempted to enroll at the University of California.

The Books for the Blind program had come into being in the Library of
Congress in the early 1930s. State programs for the blind had been initiated
in many places, but rehabilitation was largely rudimentary and often
unavailable. Despite these dismal prospects, or more likely because of them,
Dr. Jacobus tenBroek and a handful of others brought the Federation into
being. It was an act of hope and faith, and it began a national movement
that has for more than six decades been encouraging the blind to recognize
their own capacity and to act upon this understanding. In one sense we who
make up the organized blind movement are not what we were at the time of our
founding. There are more of us; we have become better organized; we have
gathered more resources; and we have more experience. In another sense the
Federation has not changed for all of the decades of its expansion and
growth. It is composed of the blind, and we have the same dreams, the same
dedication, the same history, and the same purpose as those who have
preceded us. Furthermore, we very often face the same dangers, and we are
required to exhibit the same determination and the same courage.

In 1940 the cruelty to the blind that had been permitted in former times was
no longer acceptable. Part of our heritage tells us that in Roman times
blind infants were exposed on the hills to die. Later, blind women were sold
into slavery, and in the medieval period blind men were exhibited at country
fairs dressed in donkeys' ears. They were made to fight each other for the
amusement of the crowd. Blindman's buff is a vestige of the game. One person
is blindfolded while others jostle, prod, and poke the blinded one, who is
supposed to try to catch them. The "buff" is a slap on the rump, probably
shortened from the word "buffet."

The cruelty that was once associated with blindness is brought to mind
because, despite all of the progress we have made, there are still those who
would deny us our fundamental rights and who would assert their domination
over us.

Dan W. Brock, who claims to be a medical bioethicist, has written an article
entitled "Health Care Resource Prioritization and Discrimination against
Persons with Disabilities," published as part of a book issued in the year
2000 with the title Americans with Disabilities: Exploring Implications of
the Law for Individuals and Institutions. In his paper Brock says that, if
medical resources are scarce, they should be used to enhance the lives of
those who are most likely to have the best quality of life. Quality is
defined by Brock. He assumes that any disabled person will necessarily
suffer a life with less quality than the nondisabled. Hence, if there is one
procedure to give, the able-bodied applicant should get it. Brock does not
explain why the life of an able-bodied person contains more quality than the
life of a disabled person. He assumes that because individuals seek to avoid
disabilities, this is an objective measure of quality, which can be applied
to all life.

Of course, other characteristics might be inserted in Brock's so-called
objective analysis. For example, many people seek chocolate. Those who do
believe that the absence of chocolate is a disadvantage. The
chocolate-deprived have a lower quality of life than the
chocolate-fulfilled. According to Brock's so-called objective analysis, the
chocolate-fulfilled (probably fatter than the chocolate-deprived) should
receive scarce medical procedures because of their superior quality of life.
I suspect Brock would quibble with this analysis, but it is based upon his
own approach.

There is one term in Brock's writing which has a pseudo-scientific
appearance. It is QALY, which stands for Quality Adjusted Life Year. Here,
in part, is what Brock says:

Suppose two patients, of whom one is blind but who are otherwise similar,
each need a lifesaving organ transplant, and there is only one available
organ. Should the disability and lower health-related quality of life of the
blind patient, which will result in fewer QALYs produced if she receives the
transplant, give her lower priority for the transplant? Many would say it
should not, and so, presumably, does the ADA [Americans with Disabilities
Act]. Since one individual would prefer an outcome where she survives in
full health to one where she survives blind, we can grant that in this
respect the former is a better outcome.

Brock assumes that the possession of the capacity to see makes the seeing
life qualitatively better than the one without sight. He claims that the
lower quality of life of a blind person indicates that from an objective
point of view health care benefits should be reserved for the sighted.

It is not surprising that Brock also believes the fetuses of babies who are
likely to be born with disabilities should be aborted. In other words, kill
the blind while they are in the womb. If you can't kill them before they're
born, withhold treatment afterward. While you're at it, tell people that
this is being done in the name of ethics and fairness and impartiality and
improving the quality of life. What a shameful display of presumption,
arrogance, and ignorance.

Brock also tells us that the disabled require specialized services, that the
money for specialized services could have been spent on the able-bodied, and
that the able-bodied have a better quality of life than the disabled.
Therefore, to maximize quality of life, give the money to the able-bodied
and eliminate programs for the disabled. If programs for the disabled are to
be tolerated, the only justification for them (according to Brock) is the
kindness and generosity of the public.

The assessment of diminished quality of life is made by Brock, who tells us
that he knows more about the quality of our lives than we do. The value of
specialized training for the disabled is determined by Brock, who tells us
that he knows more about its effectiveness than we do. The claim of moral
superiority is that of Brock, who asserts his right to decide what system
will be used to justify our future and our very existence. After telling us
that we do not deserve it, Brock says that he will permit us to work and
travel and live as a matter of kindness.

Brock may think that he can interpret our lives and specify our futures, but
he is wrong! We the blind have something to say about what happens to us. We
will meet him in the lecture halls, in the pages of scholarly journals, in
the corridors of Congress, and (if necessary) we will meet him in the
streets! We will do battle for ourselves and for those who come after us.
Let anybody who doubts this determination come to our convention tonight. We
will not let anybody belittle us, bamboozle us, or betray us. Brock is not
the deciding factor; we the organized blind of the United States fill that
role. If Brock recognizes the quality that is within us, we will permit him
to have a voice in affairs affecting our lives. If he does not, he may turn
his attention to any other field of endeavor for which his limited
capabilities make him qualified. We demand the liberty that is our right. We
will accept nothing less than full equality, and we will not defer; we will
not delay; we are simply no longer prepared to wait.

Are blind people fatter than sighted people? Do we eat more than our sighted
neighbors? Such speculation has inspired much debate. Blind people, it is
argued, are more sedentary than others—after all, we are often told to wait.
Sports are often for sighted people—baseball, basketball, football, and
volleyball. Tastebuds (some people say) are enhanced in the blind because
the brainpower which might have been used for seeing is assigned to other
sensory organs. The enhanced sense of taste tempts the blind to eat. With
these factors influencing the lives of the blind, are blind people fatter
than sighted people?

An article appearing in the October 2002 issue of Prevention magazine
provides the following:

In a recent Swedish study subjects ate 22 percent less food when they were
blindfolded, but they felt just as full as usual (Obesity Research, Feb
2002). So taking vision out of the picture may work in your weight loss
favor.

Without the sense of sight [continues Prevention], you are forced to rely on
internal signals of satisfaction from your stomach and brain. Most of us
normally rely on external cues—an empty plate, the end of a TV show, or the
bottom of the bag—to tell us when we're full.

That is what Prevention magazine said. The blindfolded get full faster than
those who can see what they're eating—22 percent faster. Probably we also
save money on groceries. Blindness, apparently, has hidden advantages.
According to Prevention, because we're blind, we're also slim.

Another peculiar portrayal alleges that we who are blind have lost our
sexuality. In an article entitled "Folklore of Blindness" by A. Wagner-Lampl
and G.W. Oliver, which appeared in the May-June, 1994, issue of the Journal
of Visual Impairment and Blindness, the writers tell us that castration and
blindness are equivalent. They cite Sigmund Freud's analysis of the ancient
Greek play Oedipus Rex as evidence.

The equation of blindness and castration [these authors tell us] is also
shown in the Irish myth in which prisoners are given the choice between
emasculation and being blinded. Many blind men and women who are in
counseling report feeling generally impotent and castrated and find
themselves being treated by others as though they were asexual.

So state these authors. As I think about what they have said, I wonder how
many blind people they have met. I don't want to be personal about these
things, but is this the way you feel? My observation tells me that blind
people are as bold, as charming, as intriguing, and as sexy as anybody else.
Those who believe that we have been emasculated have something to learn. We
will handle such matters with the discretion they demand, but we will handle
them, and we will take second place to nobody. We have within us excitement,
romance, and the capacity for love, and we will not permit these virtues to
be unrecognized. This, too, is part of what must and will be ours!

In 1987, as I came to our banquet table for the first time as President of
the Federation, I reported to you about the Mary Bryant Home for Blind Men
and Women in Springfield, Illinois. The administrator of the home, Frances
Trees, had sent a letter to directors of rehabilitation agencies to try to
drum up business for the home. Included with the letter was a packet of
information describing the home and its services. A portion of the letter
reads as follows:

Dear Director:

As you are aware, there comes a time in the lives of many visually impaired
persons when they are unable to live independently. Some younger persons
return to their homes following their education from a school for the
visually impaired. In many cases these young men and women are returning to
homes where both parents are employed outside the home and find themselves
staying alone all day with nothing to do.

The Mary Bryant Home is a resource I wish you would consider when it comes
to assisting individuals or families to deal with the issue of placement.
Currently our residents range in age from twenty-four to ninety-six years of
age.

Sincerely,

Frances J. Trees

Administrator

The nature of the resource represented by the Mary Bryant Home is described
in the material which accompanied the letter. Here is part of the
description:

The home is arranged for convenience, on one level—no stairs. Handrails are
installed throughout the home. Our full and part-time staff provide
round-the-clock service to the residents seeing to their health, safety,
nutritional, recreational, and emotional needs. Leave of absence may be
taken by residents for a short period of time providing the person taking
the resident out signs a release of responsibility for injuries, accidents,
or illnesses which might occur during the time they are away from the Mary
Bryant Home.

[I interrupt to wonder what would happen if the resident wanted to leave the
Mary Bryant Home unaccompanied. What would happen if the resident did not
have somebody available to sign a release of responsibility? Apparently this
kind of independent action is not permitted. But back to the information
from the home.]

Personal property, other than clothing, may be brought to the home only with
the prior approval of the Administrator. Food is prohibited in the resident
rooms. Beer, wine, and other intoxicating liquors: Only when approved by the
resident's physician please, and all items of this nature are to be kept at
the Medicine Room, not in resident's room. Incoming calls for residents may
be received on the house phones, but it would cause less confusion and less
interruption if these calls were to be made between the hours of 1:00 p.m.
and 4:30 p.m.

As I said in 1987, there is much more that might be said about the Mary
Bryant Home, but this is enough to make the point. For the blind,
independence of action cannot be found at the Mary Bryant Home; for the
blind, there is no future. Decisions are made not by the blind but by the
administrator.

Not long after our 1987 convention, I received a letter from the parents of
twin blind women who were residents at the Mary Bryant Home. Here is part of
it:

We have in our possession the Braille Monitor regarding an address delivered
by Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind at a
banquet of the annual convention in Phoenix, Arizona, July 2, 1987.

We are in agreement in this article that some blind people can and should
achieve academically and to their greatest capabilities. However, when they
are not able to do so, other arrangements must be made. Therefore, we as
parents of twin blind daughters appreciate the fact there are homes
available for such situations.

When we were faced with the fact that it was time that we should be making
some kind of arrangements for our twins, who were thirty-two years old, and
we might add, they realized a home was to be found for their particular
needs, we were very fortunate and greatly impressed with the Mary Bryant
Home.

One of our daughters chose to go live at the home very soon and has been
there since May 1986. However, our other daughter did not make a decision
until after spending a three-week period there while we were on vacation. It
was then she chose to make the move in December 1986.

We, and our daughters, have a deep respect for the rules at this home, for
they have their independence but also are well taken care of.

[I interrupt to ask what kind of independence do you believe can be found at
the Mary Bryant Home? The parents leave us in no doubt. Here is what they
say.]

It is our opinion this home certainly meets the requirements of our
daughters' needs. There is freedom to attend church of their choice, join
the choirs, participate in community affairs as well as many activities at
the home.

In closing, it is our hope that a retraction of the statement made against
the Mary Bryant Home and Mrs. Frances Trees would be in order for the
purpose it serves for those who desperately need help.

Sincerely,

The letter from the parents of these blind women says that there are blind
people who desperately need help. I believe the need is desperate, but it is
not what these parents believe it to be. When I checked a few weeks ago,
these twin blind women were still at the Mary Bryant Home; still subject to
the rules and requirements, arrangements and restrictions; still told when
they can come, and when they can leave; still forced to have somebody else
assume responsibility for them whenever they wish to be taken out of the
home; still prohibited from having food or drink in their rooms; still
expected to make their phone calls between 1:00 and 4:30 p.m. But of course
the blind women can attend a church of their choice and can sing in the
choir.

The twin blind women who became inmates of the Mary Bryant Home in 1986 have
been waiting for an opportunity to gain independence for almost two decades.
The tragedy of their lives speaks loudly to me because, during the same year
that they entered the home, I was first elected President of the National
Federation of the Blind. I have participated in the growth of our
organization and the expansion of our activities during the years that these
women have waited. We have heard from their parents, and we have heard from
the administrator of the home, but we have not heard from the twin sisters
because they have been convinced that others should speak and act on their
behalf and that their role is to wait. In their case the waiting might
continue forever.

The impact of such restrictions, no matter how kindly meant, can be
devastating. Some years ago I received a letter from a former employee of a
different home which says, in part:

I don't know if you can help, but I don't know who to turn to. I know a
woman who is blind and living in a group home. I have been told that
blindness is her only disability and that before living in the group home
she led herself with a cane and could talk. Now she does not talk and is
completely withdrawn. She has been in the group home for several years and
has been allowed to slip farther and farther into her darkness. She has
little stimulation and has been allowed to completely withdraw from the rest
of the world.

I am not a relative, so I don't know how I can help her. I am just someone
who used to work in the group home. I had tried to get the supervisors to
take an interest in her specific needs and to find ways to stimulate her and
to teach her. I can't keep from wondering how her life could be if she had
the attention and training that she has been without for so many years.

Such is the simple and heartfelt plea of one human being seeking assistance
to regain hope for another. This plea emphasizes the urgent need for us to
reject the demand that we wait interminably for others to decide that there
is a future for us. For this blind woman and for all others who have been
stashed away in warehouses for the blind without stimulation, without
independence, and without hope, we say this: we will give you the spirit of
determination and the guts that we have come to know so well in the National
Federation of the Blind. There is something better to do with your lives and
ours than to move to the home for the blind and wait for life to ebb away in
idleness and despair. The lives we have as blind people are as important as
any that exist, and we will live them. A life deferred is a life denied, and
we cannot tolerate delay. As we experiment with liberty, we will make
mistakes, but they will be our mistakes. We will learn from them, and with
the increased knowledge we will surmount the challenges that come.

The poets tell us to wait and urge us to believe that there is honor in the
waiting. The bioethicists claim that our lives are less important than those
of others and that those of us who were blind before birth should have been
aborted. Prevention magazine alleges that our appetites change because of
our inability to see food. The keepers of the homes for the blind prey upon
our lives to keep themselves in business with restrictive rules, and they
call their restrictions independence. Such assertions are part of the
reality of our lives, but this reality is changing because it cannot
withstand the force of our movement. Furthermore, this part of the reality
is only a small segment of the whole. The rest of the truth about blindness
is upbeat, spirited, and vibrant because we are writing the poetry and
creating the music for our own song of liberation. When we come together in
our thousands in the organized blind movement, we learn from each other,
inspire each other, support each other, and believe in each other.

Dr. tenBroek founded our movement. Before he ceased to lead the Federation,
Dr. Kenneth Jernigan had come to be his student, his colleague, his beloved
friend. Dr. Jernigan became our beloved leader, and he dreamed of a future
for us beyond anything that we could have imagined.

People come to visit the National Center for the Blind from all over the
world; the phones ring; and the mail comes pouring in. Coordination of
effort occurs with state affiliates, with local chapters, with special
interest divisions, with our training centers, and with other programs we
have initiated. The National Federation of the Blind Research and Training
Institute is rising from the ground and taking shape. Programs to address
the special needs of the blind come into being, and future programs are
being planned. The number of hands that come to the task is increasing at a
rapid rate, and innovation occurs at all levels within the movement.

Dr. Jernigan, the man who established the National Center for the Blind, who
took so many of the phone calls, who wrote the articles and edited the
books, who traveled from our Center to all parts of the world, and who
inspired his colleagues with the beautiful cadence of his voice, comes no
more. But the spirit that was his—that spirit which he shared with Dr.
tenBroek—is as bright in our midst today as it has ever been, and our
determination is as strong. The articles continue to be written; the books
continue to be published; the programs continue to be planned; and the
message continues to be delivered in our own country and in lands beyond our
borders. The message is simple, straightforward, and noncomplex. It is this:
we are the blind, and we carry the responsibility for building our own
future.

Many come to the task weary and dispirited; they gain strength. Some feel
discouragement; they gain faith. Some are overwhelmed and disheartened; they
gain hope. When the challenges come, we will surmount them. When the
doubters attempt to disparage our cause, we will persuade them. When our
detractors tell us that the price of freedom is too great to be paid by the
blind, we will demonstrate that we have the capacity to do whatever is
required for our own independence. We will not falter or hesitate or
diminish our effort. We take the path that we are destined to travel with
the spring of gladness in our step and the lilt of laughter in our hearts;
and we will prevail. With our imagination, with our courage, with our
dedication, and with our determined spirit, we must and will have liberty,
and no force on earth can stop us or turn us back. We will not defer; we
will not delay; we are no longer prepared to wait. The days ahead belong to
us. Come, join me, and we will make it come true!

----------


An Exciting New Product for the Blind: A New Company with Very Familiar
People, Meet the BT Speak Pocket Computer from Blazie Technologies


by David Goldfield

>From the Editor: I have lived through what I believe any fair-minded person
would consider a special time. For the first fifteen years of my life, no
one talked much about and certainly did not have a computer. Why a person
would want one was a mystery. So those of us who used Braille wrote our
draft school papers on a Perkins Brailler, read it to ourselves or a parent,
realized it wasn’t good enough, and wrote a second draft that we hoped would
be the final product. Of course, it wasn’t the final product, for those of
us in public school had to put it in print so our sighted teachers could
read it. When we thought about all of the work that went into those papers,
we would take some time out to daydream: what if my teacher could read my
latest Braille copy? What if I didn’t have to type it over again, this time
on a machine whose output I could not see but would be graded on?

Some ten years after I was out of college, I went to the convention of the
National Federation of the Blind, and there was this fellow selling a device
that weighed about two pounds that he said would let me type in grade 2
Braille, listen to what I had typed, modify it to make it better, and then
send it to a printer where it would be translated from grade 2 Braille into
print. It turns out the man who brought that device had no real money of his
own, had maxed out his credit cards, and had brought ten machines, which he
demonstrated and promptly sold. He knew he was onto something when he left
with enough orders to keep him busy for months, and with every happy
customer came several more orders. For a time it seemed that blind people
had more power on our laps than sighted folks had with their bulky
computers, and all of a sudden a document was no longer Braille or print: it
was either or both.

David Goldfield has been working in the assistive technology industry for
over thirty years. His career began at Blazie Engineering, where he had
several key responsibilities: he provided customer support, ensured product
quality assurance, and wrote and proofread product documentation. He has
also worked for two nonprofit organizations for the blind where he provided
computer training to blind children and adults. He worked at Comcast for
over seven years providing accessibility testing for the company’s apps and
services. He is currently the marketing manager for Blazie Technologies, and
this is what he has to say:

Back in 1987, Deane Blazie invented an exciting and revolutionary product
called the Braille ‘n Speak. It was a small, compact, and user-friendly
computer with a Braille keyboard providing speech output. With that product
he created Blazie Engineering, a company many of us still fondly remember.
People still miss the Braille ‘n Speak and wish that we had something
similar today. Deane Blazie felt the same way and that wish has now come
true. He has invented a new product, a new company but with many familiar
names from the days of Blazie Engineering who remembered the days when Deane
and his staff provided personalized support to its customers by phone as
well as by email.

The company’s staff includes some familiar names, including Bryan Blazie as
CEO and Deane Blazie who is the company’s Chief Technology Officer. Deane’s
other sons, Chris and Stephen, are some of the people providing software
development.

The new product is called the BT Speak and is available to order from Blazie
Technologies. The BT Speak will be familiar to those who remember the
Braille ‘n Speak, but it will be user-friendly for those who don’t. It uses
an eight-dot Braille keyboard along with speech output. You can create and
edit documents and can even write using UEB or the older EBAE (Grade 2)
Braille code. Using familiar chorded commands you’ll be able to insert,
delete, as well as cut and paste text. The BT Speak also comes with other
applications, including a dictionary, a scientific calculator, and calendar
appointment features. In addition, it also contains a desktop mode where you
can access powerful PC-style applications including:

*	LibreOffice Writer, a powerful word processor supporting a variety
of file formats, including Microsoft Word documents
*	Mozilla Thunderbird for sending and receiving email
*	Two mainstream Web browsers: Mozilla Firefox and Chromium
*	The BT Speak also provides an HDMI port, and you can add storage
thanks to its USB C port along with a Micro SD card slot. It includes Wi-Fi
and Bluetooth. Updates are sent out via Wi-Fi; gone are the days of waiting
for a floppy disk to arrive in the mail.
*	The BT Speak is even smaller than the Braille ‘n Speak, measuring
just 6.1 by 2.9 by 0.8 inches., similar to an iPhone 14 or 15 Pro.

Blazie Technologies isn’t just here to sell the product. As we wrote
earlier, they’ve hired people who worked for Blazie Engineering and who are
available to provide the same level of personalized support that you came to
expect from Deane’s former company.

The BT Speak is available now, and you can see it for yourself at this
year’s NFB national convention. The device costs $1,195.00.

For more information, you can contact Blazie Technologies by calling (772)
214-1616. You may also email info at blazie.net <mailto:info at blazie.net> , and
the website is www.blazietech.com <http://www.blazietech.com> .

The Blazies are back in business and look forward to serving you.

----------


Greater Expectations


by David Houck

>From the Editor: David has for almost four decades operated as the executive
director of the National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina’s
affiliate office. Since he is the only paid staff member, a big part of his
job is coordinating the work of volunteers and helping to see that the
president and Board of Directors of the affiliate are able to translate
their ideas into action. Here is what he has to say about the all-important
issue of building the National Federation of the Blind by meeting the needs
of blind people:

Please forgive the reference to the book, however, our one-minute message
clearly states: 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. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back.

Affiliates, chapters, divisions, and committees should take stock and
challenge each other as to how high our expectations are. Do you ask the
following questions?

• What are our objectives, and do they make a real difference to the blind
we serve?

• Are we achieving our purpose?

• Are our goals reasonable
“and then some”?

• Do we challenge ourselves? Or do we settle for less?

• Do we look for ways to overcome? Or are we overcome by things?

• Are we eager and optimistic?

When we get into a rut, the longer we stay in it, the harder it is to get
out of it. When we look at activities just thinking about what we get out of
it, we lose sight of the fact that instead we should be asking what are our
fellow blind getting out of it?

We get more out of what we do when our activities are designed to recruit
and help teach others what we have already learned. Satisfaction is derived
from seeing the change in others who also want to live the life they want.
Of course, we want to get something out of the meetings, conferences,
seminars, and conventions we attend. We must continue to learn and grow as
well. But it is important that we grow and share in order to help others.
This is how we grow the Federation by enlarging our outreach and giving
others the hope we have been able to enjoy.

----------


Monitor Miniatures


News from the Federation Family


Capital Chapter Elections:

At the March 16, 2024, meeting of the Capital Chapter of the NFB of New
Jersey, the following members were elected to the indicated offices:
President, Mary Jo Partyka; Vice President, Marian Lee; Secretary, David
Mostello; Treasurer, John Lipton Jr. Board members elected were Jocelyn
Santiago and Jim Byrnes.

The Blind Canadian Magazine Available:

The Blind Canadian is the flagship publication of the Canadian Federation of
the Blind (CFB). It covers events and activities of the CFB, addresses
issues we face as blind people, and highlights our members. The Blind
Canadian:

*	Offers a positive philosophy about blindness to both blind readers
and the public at large
*	Serves as a vehicle for advocacy and protection of human rights
*	Addresses social concerns affecting the blind
*	Discusses issues related to employment, education, legislation and
rehabilitation
*	Provides news about products and technology used by the blind
*	Tells the stories of blind people
*	Archives historical documents

To read issues of the magazine, go to the Blind Canadian page where the
magazine is available in both pdf and web versions at www.cfb.ca
<http://www.cfb.ca> .

The Value of NFB-NEWSLINE® in Keeping up with the World:

Joe works in the assistive technology field. He extensively uses
NFB-NEWSLINE® to keep up to date on all the latest innovations in both
mainstream and assistive technology. Joe says, “I am grateful to
NFB-NEWSLINE® for providing access to such mainstream publications as
AppleInsider, Macworld, and Wired. Having access to these publications helps
me to stay up to date in my vocational field. I prefer using a refreshable
Braille display with the iOS app to read these publications. Since I always
have my iPhone with me, it makes accessing these publications quick and
easy. I can read them on the bus as I travel to and from work. I appreciate
the ease and portability of using the iOS app to access NFB-NEWSLINE®.”


In Brief


Notices and information in this section may be of interest to Monitor
readers. We are not responsible for the accuracy of the information; we have
edited only for space and clarity.

News Release

US Department of Labor | March 21, 2024

US Department of Labor unveils new resource to increase competitive
integrated employment for people with disabilities

Offers practical guidance, policy information, evidence-based best practices

WASHINGTON—The US Department of Labor today introduced a new resource aimed
at boosting the participation of people with disabilities in competitive
integrated employment.

The Competitive Integrated Employment Transformation Hub brings together
resources from across the federal government to provide practical guidance,
policy information, and evidence-based best practices for people with
disabilities, their families, employers, employment service providers, and
state agencies. Competitive integrated employment ensures that people with
disabilities are paid competitive wages and work in environments where the
majority of employees do not have disabilities.

“A large and dedicated movement across America is working to advance a
competitive integrated employment model in our workplaces, and we want to
give them easy access to resources that will help them succeed,” said
Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment Policy Taryn M. Williams.
“Families and workers need guidance on benefits planning and wraparound
services, for instance. Providers need technical assistance to adapt their
service delivery models. State agencies need information about funding
options. Employers need support regarding accommodations and inclusive
policies and practices. The Competitive Integrated Employment Transformation
Hub is a central tool they can all rely on for help.”

The hub is part of the Office of Disability Employment Policy's broader
effort to promote competitive integrated employment. Through various
innovative initiatives, ODEP collaborates with federal partners, states, and
employment service providers to enhance opportunities for people with
disabilities to participate and excel in competitive integrated employment.

These initiatives align with the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to
a whole-of-government approach to enhance the economic security of disabled
people, including those from historically underserved communities.
Additionally, the hub contributes to the administration’s Good Jobs
Initiative, offering essential information to workers, employers, and
government entities focused on improving job quality and ensuring universal
access to good jobs.

The Braille Circulating Library Has Large Print Books:

The Large Print section of the Braille Circulating Library recently has
grown with the addition of two complete fictional series and a new
standalone fictional book!

Enjoy the Song of Acadia series by popular Christian authors Janette Oke and
T. Davis Bunn. From the first meeting of two young women who live in French
and British settlements in mid-18th century Canada, you’re sure to be caught
up in their lives as they navigate that unsettled period in North American
history.

Read about the aspirations of American-born children of Norwegian immigrants
and how they chaff against both the dreams of parents and the norms of
society in the late 1890s. In this three-book series, Return to Red River,
Lauraine Snelling draws readers into the lives of her engaging characters as
they struggle through historical realities that faced many immigrant
families of that time.

The Orchard, by popular writer of Amish fiction, Beverly Lewis, has also
been added to the large print shelves. In this story, Lewis weaves the
backdrop of the 1970s war years into her fictional Amish community. Find out
what affect the social tensions of that era had on the lives of its people.

Join the Braille Circulating Library to receive Christian and inspirational
material in Braille, large print, cassette, or MP3 formats. Contact can be
made either by calling (804) 359-3743, sending an email to
Braillecirculatinglibrary at gmail.org
<mailto:Braillecirculatinglibrary at gmail.org> , or going to
Braillecirculatinglibrary.org <http://Braillecirculatinglibrary.org>  and
using the Contact page. Whichever method you choose, we look forward to
hearing from you!

----------


NFB Pledge


I pledge to participate actively in the efforts of the National Federation
of the Blind to achieve equality, opportunity, and security for the blind;
to support the policies and programs of the Federation; and to abide by its
constitution.

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