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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body bgcolor="#FDFDFD" lang=EN-US link="#1A1A1A" vlink="#1A1A1A" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'> brl-monitor-bounces@nfbcal.org <brl-monitor-bounces@nfbcal.org> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Brian Buhrow<br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, November 1, 2024 1:17 PM<br><b>To:</b> brl-monitor@nfbcal.org<br><b>Subject:</b> [Brl-monitor] The Braille Monitor, November 2024<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div id=header><h1><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>The Braille Monitor, November 2024<o:p></o:p></span></h1></div><h1 id=braille-monitor><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>BRAILLE MONITOR<o:p></o:p></span></h1><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Vol. 67, No. 10 November 2024<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><em><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Gary Wunder, Editor</span></em><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><em><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Chris Danielsen, Associate Editor</span></em><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Distributed by email, in inkprint, in Braille, and on USB flash drive, by the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Mark Riccobono, President<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>telephone: 410-659-9314<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>email address: <a href="mailto:nfb@nfb.org">nfb@nfb.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>website address: <a href="http://www.nfb.org">http://www.nfb.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>NFBnet.org: <a href="http://www.nfbnet.org">http://www.nfbnet.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>NFB-NEWSLINE® information: 866-504-7300<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Like us on Facebook: <a href="http://Facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind">Facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Follow us on X (formerly known as Twitter): @NFB_Voice<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Watch and share our videos: <a href="http://YouTube.com/NationsBlind">YouTube.com/NationsBlind</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Letters to the President, address changes, subscription requests, and orders for NFB literature should be sent to the national office. Articles for the <em><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Monitor</span></em> and letters to the editor may also be sent to the national office or may be emailed to <a href="mailto:gwunder@nfb.org">gwunder@nfb.org</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><em><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Monitor</span></em><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'> 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 <strong><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'>National Federation of the Blind</span></strong> and sent to:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>National Federation of the Blind<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>200 East Wells Street <em><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'>at Jernigan Place</span></em><br>Baltimore, Maryland 21230-4998<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>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.</span></strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><em><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>ISSN 0006-8829</span></em><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>© 2024 by the National Federation of the Blind<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>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.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>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.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Vol. 67, No. 10 November 2024<o:p></o:p></span></p><h2 id=contents><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Contents<o:p></o:p></span></h2><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Reporter Calls his Blindness an Asset for Key Trump Shooting Interview: “Vision Could Get in the Way”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>by Ramon Antonio Vargas<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>A Season for Counting Our Blessings<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>by Barbara Pierce and Gary Wunder<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>So Much Regulation, So Little Change<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>by Peter Slatin<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Will the US Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Decision Burn Blind Students?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>by Carlton Anne Cook Walker<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Dreaming Big: The Influence of Blind-Centered Experience and Direction on Artificial Intelligence<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>by Bryan Bashin<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>The Sugar<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>by Anil Lewis<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Embracing the Challenge: A Personal Journey Through Diabetes Management<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>by Gary Wunder<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Expect Much, Give Much, Get Much!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>by Ronza Othman<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Invest in Dignity: A Matching Gift Challenge to Advance the Lives of Blind People<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>An Almost Forgotten Guide Dog School<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>by Peggy Chong<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Inspiration, Education, and Where We Fit in Speaking for Blind People<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>by Gary Wunder<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Community Cultural Wealth and the Empowerment of Blind People through the National Federation of the Blind<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>by Justin Salisbury<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>South Carolina’s White Cane Awareness Day Proclamation<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><em><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Monitor</span></em><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'> Miniatures<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>[PHOTO CAPTION: Gary O’Donoghue]<o:p></o:p></span></p><h2 id=reporter-calls-his-blindness-an-asset-for-key-trump-shooting-interview-vision-could-get-in-the-way><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Reporter Calls his Blindness an Asset for Key Trump Shooting Interview: “Vision Could Get in the Way”<o:p></o:p></span></h2><p><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>by Ramon Antonio Vargas</span></strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>CW: This article contains content related to gun violence and death.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>From the Associate Editor: The following article originally appeared in </span></strong><em><b><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>The Guardian,</span></b></em><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'> a newspaper based in the UK but also with a digital presence in our country. It was written by the weekend editor for Guardian US and is reprinted courtesy of Guardian News Service. Federationists may remember that Gary O’Donoghue, a senior North America correspondent for the British Broadcasting Corporation who reports both for radio and TV broadcasts, spoke at our 2016 convention, and his remarks were reprinted in the October 2016 issue of this magazine. His job placed him in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, to cover what would have been just another campaign rally were it not for the attempted assassination of Former President Donald J. Trump. Mr. O’Donoghue, who is also a personal friend, managed to get one of the first eyewitness interviews about the shooting, and that interview soon went viral. Readers may or may not agree with Mr. O’Donoghue that his blindness was an advantage in procuring the interview or with some of his other views, but what is certainly true is that he is a blind journalist working at the highest professional level, and that in this case he made a significant contribution to the immediate global understanding of a historic event. Here is how </span></strong><em><b><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>The Guardian</span></b></em><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'> reported the story:</span></strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>As Gary O’Donoghue interviewed the Donald Trump supporter who watched a man calmly climb onto the roof of a nearby building and fire a rifle at the former US president, the BBC television reporter could not see his subject.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>O’Donoghue, who is blind, could only hear him. And he came to regard that as an advantage upon later being informed that witness Greg Smith cut a bizarre figure to some—clutching a can of beer in his right hand while wearing a red, pro-Trump visor with wild fake hair styled to resemble the Republican presidential nominee’s signature coiffure.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“I wonder, if I could see, whether I would have given him the time of day … because he did look a bit odd,” O’Donoghue said recently. “But I’m glad I did, obviously.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>That’s because Smith delivered to O’Donoghue—while on live television—the earliest account of some of the most alarming aspects of the serious security failure that marked the 13 July assassination attempt targeting Trump at a political rally in rural Pennsylvania.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>As Smith relayed it into O’Donoghue’s microphone, he was just outside the rally site but close enough to hear Trump’s speech lobbying for a return to the White House. He described how he and others pointed out to police that a man carrying a rifle had gotten atop a bottling plant with a view to the stage where Trump spoke—but officers did not halt him before he fired about five shots at the former president. Ultimately, Smith said of the shooter, a US Secret Service agent “blew his head off.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>O’Donoghue, who was covering the rally as part of his duties as the BBC’s chief North America political correspondent, said he momentarily feared Smith might be fabricating “something incredibly inflammatory and dangerous and misleading and irresponsible, quite frankly.” But Smith’s account was markedly consistent, and his interview has withstood the test of time.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Multiple videos recorded on cell phones showed rally-goers warning authorities about the gunman, who investigators confirmed killed one spectator, wounded two others, and injured Trump’s right ear before a Secret Service counter-sniper shot the attacker to death.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>The apparent failures in communication among the Secret Service and different police agencies who were tasked with protecting Trump but failed to stop the shooter from firing are under congressional and FBI investigation. And they prompted the Secret Service’s director to resign.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>All of which only reminded O’Donoghue that the condition some in his life have tried to convince him is a disability—given his visually focused profession—can actually be the exact opposite.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“The vision could get in the way, and … the words were the thing that really counted” that day, O’Donoghue said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>While O’Donoghue was already well-known in the UK when a clip of his interview with Smith went viral on social media in the early aftermath of the Trump assassination attempt, many in the US only then got the opportunity to become familiar with the backstory of the reporter who had just played a key role in helping shocked Americans begin to understand how the shooting unfolded.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>O’Donoghue, 56, was born in Norfolk in eastern England with partial eyesight, but by age eight he had completely lost his vision. He has recounted how he soon attended boarding schools for people who are blind. But otherwise, there wasn’t much support available during O’Donoghue’s youth for him, his father—a semi-professional soccer player and taxi driver—or mother, a former ballroom dancing teacher.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>He doesn’t mince words when he discusses how difficult life could get for his family. As he previously told the <em><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Independent</span></em>, when he was older, O’Donoghue’s mother confided in him that she had contemplated killing them both—something he regarded as a brave admission.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>O’Donoghue eventually pursued degrees in philosophy and modern languages before embarking on a career as a reporter at the BBC. He does not recall the outlet initially being eager to hire him—in fact, he said someone there told him “a blind person couldn’t be a reporter” before he landed a job at the prestigious broadcaster.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“And I … never accepted that,” said O’Donoghue, who was 21 at the time he was told his disability would prevent him from being a journalist. “That’s why I pursued my career,” rising from a junior reporter on BBC Radio 4’s <em><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Today</span></em> show to the chief North America political correspondent post for the outlet’s television news network by 2015.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Having moved with his wife, fellow BBC journalist Sarah Lewthwaite, and their daughter, Lucy, to the US, O’Donoghue has since covered six of the nation’s highest-profile deadly mass shootings—none of which have led to the substantial gun control many Americans would like to see. He reported on Trump’s successful run to the White House in 2016, Trump’s defeat to Joe Biden during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, and he is covering the 2024 race between Trump and Vice-President Kamala Harris—a contest many believe could decide the future of American democracy.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>As he told it to the <em><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Telegraph</span></em> newspaper, O’Donoghue fights hard to accomplish his responsibilities while simultaneously trying to escape stereotypes associated with being blind. He doesn’t drive—but he did learn how, at a defunct air base while studying at one of his boarding schools. He doesn’t use a guide dog, suspecting one would be “more of an encumbrance.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>His producer colleagues sometimes help him get around—otherwise, he walks using a long white cane. He has joked that one perk of being a blind journalist is that it seems harder for people who don’t want to talk to him to shut doors in his face than it would be for them to do the same to his counterparts who can see.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Journalism students who are blind often respond to his work by contacting him. The parents of children who are blind occasionally stop him in the street—especially when he is in the UK but increasingly in the US, too. All tell him that seeing him thrive makes them dream that they or their children “will be able to have a fulfilling career,” O’Donoghue said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>O’Donoghue said he never tells those people it is easy “because it’s not.” For instance, as he once discussed with the <em><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Independent,</span></em> a producer once took one of his stories from him and gave it to another correspondent to present on air, prompting him to successfully press a discrimination complaint.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Nonetheless, hearing from those journalism students and parents makes him proud, he said, noting that he does not see many—if any—people who are blind or in wheelchairs reporting or presenting on cable news. He also said he knows of only two journalists who are blind working at newspapers in the US, which O’Donoghue did compliment for its 1990 passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, legislation that was meant to protect the civil rights of people who are disabled.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>O’Donoghue said he has struggled to overcome the emotions that coursed through his body when the Trump rally shooting erupted, forcing him to dive to the ground for cover while clad in a business suit.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Chiefly, O’Donoghue said, he felt sadness at how painful it can be to report on the US when politics and violence intersect.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Yet he quickly regained his footing, reached his hand out, ended up touching Smith as he passed by and nailed down perhaps the day’s most important interview.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>O’Donoghue said he hoped the grace he demonstrated in front of a global audience—under literal fire—leads more of the public to realize “that the barriers … often put in the way of disabled people do not need to be there.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“They’re constructed by the world,” O’Donoghue said. “They are not inherent to being blind or disabled, and … these great things can be done.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>----------<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>[PHOTO CAPTION: Barbara Pierce and Gary Wunder outside the Pierce home in Oberlin, Ohio.]<o:p></o:p></span></p><h2 id=a-season-for-counting-our-blessings><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>A Season for Counting Our Blessings<o:p></o:p></span></h2><p><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>by Barbara Pierce and Gary Wunder</span></strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>From the Editor: One of the things I have enjoyed most about being the editor of the </span></strong><em><b><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Braille Monitor</span></b></em><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'> is getting the opportunity to learn. In my training, I listened to tapes from Dr. Jernigan and had several classes under the tutelage of President Maurer who believed in me enough to hire me. But as important as all of these were, the person who worked longest with me and did her best to teach me what I was able to learn was Barbara Pierce. Most of our sessions were spent either in conversation or being linked together through the tandem utility that is offered by JAWS. On one occasion, however, I was invited for a four-day intensive training class and shared company with Barbara and Bob at their home. This is an experience I will never forget.</span></strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>When planning the November issue that would appear in 2010, both of us felt we would be remiss if we did not include something about Thanksgiving. Our associate editor Chris Danielsen and I both feel the same way, and so we take this opportunity to reprint that article. I hope it is able to kindle or strengthen the feeling each of you have that we are blessed to have one another and to share in the National Federation of the Blind. Here is the article:</span></strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>In the United States Thanksgiving is traditionally the season for taking stock and being thankful. Regardless of political persuasion or religious inclination, this is a time for looking about us and counting our blessings for what is best in our lives. These days it is easy to find plenty of bad news and rotten luck: homes or jobs lost, health or relationships compromised, even violence and personal danger for ourselves or those we love. Notwithstanding such problems, Thanksgiving is the time when we concentrate on the good, the healthy, and the generous in ourselves and in those around us.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>In the past few days the two of us have been thinking and talking about the special blessings that accrue to those in the Federation who have learned to give spontaneously and to give back to others. Leaders at every level have experienced the gratification and even joy of extending help to someone who accepts it and then turns around to ask what he or she can do to help the organization or someone else in need. We rejoice because the NFB has just become a little stronger and more effective and because we have found a new friend and colleague. That is always something for which to give thanks.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>In such situations we count ourselves lucky and blessed, but have you ever stopped to consider that such people are also among the very luckiest in our society? Sometimes, for the first time in their lives, they know the joy of giving, the feeling of self-worth when they are needed, and the cleansing of spirit which comes when they begin to believe they are repaying a debt. That debt is never totaled, never demanded, but always present in the conscience of those who are willing to admit to ourselves and others just how much we have been given to get where we are today. Sometimes it is the goodwill of others expressed through a kind word, the name of a passing bus, or the name on the next street sign. Sometimes it is the lunch we were bought when we came to convention on a hope and a prayer and with just enough money to get home. Sometimes it is money set aside by our fellow citizens for our vocational rehabilitation. At last we have hope that we can assume our places in the world as givers—grateful for what has been given or loaned, but equally grateful for the chance to pay it back. This is the one time in life when we're willing to pay interest because that interest means we are not only giving back what was loaned but adding to the treasure available for helping our fellow human travelers.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Consider for a moment those folks whom we reach out to help but who, after receiving the assistance, subside back into apathy or actively withdraw. Their actions are often cloaked in self-justification: I can't get to meetings; I don't have the skills to help others; I am too old to take an active part in things; my family wouldn't like for me to go out on my own; I did my part when I could see; I'm just not a joiner; I'm not a causist like you people. Then there are those who benefit in a substantial way from our help and with sincere-sounding words that make your heart want to burst, proclaim their allegiance to giving back to the people and the organization that has done so much to help them. It hurts when, after these promises, their names appear in a presidential report at a state or national convention, and you go to congratulate them on their victory, only to realize they have disappeared. The excuses vary, but the motivations are pretty obvious and depressing: insecurity, laziness, self-absorption, and passivity; the world has dealt me such a dirty hand that I just can't find it within myself to raise a finger in the service of others.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Blind people find it temptingly easy to fall into such habits of mind. The people around us usually don't believe that we can do the things they do, so their instinct is to protect us from failure by discouraging us from trying. If one's impulses to try new things are stifled long enough, it is no wonder that one eventually begins to believe that holding up one's end, returning favors, even talking about the interests of another person are social rules that do not apply. Down this road live the blind people who assume that they deserve free services, a place at the front of the line, and representation by the NFB when they are denied what they want or think they deserve.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Such shriveled souls are exasperating and frustrating, but mostly they are to be pitied. One of the most vivid pictures of such folks is the statement making the rounds that they play the game of life wearing catcher's mitts on both hands—always ready to receive but unable to throw the ball back. These are truly blighted souls, and we should pity them, for they have deprived themselves of a joyous feeling words can't begin to convey. They have missed one of the most fundamental components of the contented life—giving. Whether it is enabling a blind child to get the Braille instruction she needs or offering a stranger a listening ear, giving blesses both the recipient and the giver. It may be more blessed to give than to receive, but it is also much more fun and more rewarding.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>We who are members of the National Federation of the Blind can count among our blessings this Thanksgiving that we have the opportunity to give to each other and to our communities. We know the satisfaction of helping others and improving the world. By the grace of God our capacity to commit to others and to reach out with understanding has not been smothered by society's conviction that we have nothing to give. For this and for very much more, this Thanksgiving we are thankful.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>----------<o:p></o:p></span></p><h2 id=we-need-your-help><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>We Need Your Help<o:p></o:p></span></h2><p><em><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>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.</span></em><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'> - Trisha<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>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.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>With your help, the NFB will continue to:<o:p></o:p></span></p><ul style='margin-top:0in' type=disc><li style='color:#1A1A1A;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1'><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Give blind children the gift of literacy through Braille.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li style='color:#1A1A1A;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1'><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Mentor young people like Trisha.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li style='color:#1A1A1A;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1'><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Promote independent travel by providing free, long white canes to blind people in need.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li style='color:#1A1A1A;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1'><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Develop dynamic educational projects and programs to show blind youth that science and math careers are within their reach.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li style='color:#1A1A1A;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1'><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Deliver hundreds of accessible newspapers and magazines to provide blind people the essential information necessary to be actively involved in their communities.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li style='color:#1A1A1A;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1'><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Offer aids and appliances that help seniors losing vision maintain their independence.<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Below are just a few of the many tax-deductible ways you can show your support of the National Federation of the Blind.<o:p></o:p></span></p><h3 id=lyft-round-up><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>LYFT Round Up<o:p></o:p></span></h3><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>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.<o:p></o:p></span></p><h3 id=vehicle-donation-program><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Vehicle Donation Program<o:p></o:p></span></h3><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>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.<o:p></o:p></span></p><h3 id=general-donation><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>General Donation<o:p></o:p></span></h3><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>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: <a href="https://nfb.org/donate">https://nfb.org/donate</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><h3 id=pre-authorized-contributions><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Pre-Authorized Contributions<o:p></o:p></span></h3><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>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 <a href="https://www.nfb.org/pac">https://www.nfb.org/pac</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><h3 id=plan-to-leave-a-legacy><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Plan to Leave a Legacy<o:p></o:p></span></h3><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>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.<o:p></o:p></span></p><h4 id=percentage-or-fixed-sum-of-assets><strong><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Percentage or Fixed Sum of Assets</span></strong><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></h4><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>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.<o:p></o:p></span></p><h4 id=payable-on-death-pod-account><strong><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Payable on Death (POD) Account</span></strong><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></h4><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>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.<o:p></o:p></span></p><h4 id=will-or-trust><strong><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Will or Trust</span></strong><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></h4><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>If you do decide to create or revise your will, consider the National Federation of the Blind as a partial beneficiary.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Visit our Planned Giving webpage (<a href="https://www.nfb.org/get-involved/ways-give/planned-giving">https://www.nfb.org/get-involved/ways-give/planned-giving</a>) or call 410-659-9314, extension 2422, for more information.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>In 2023 our supporters helped the NFB:<o:p></o:p></span></p><ul style='margin-top:0in' type=disc><li style='color:#1A1A1A;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2'><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Send 401 Braille Santa and Winter Celebration letters to blind children, encouraging excitement for Braille literacy.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li style='color:#1A1A1A;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2'><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Distribute over six thousand canes to blind people across the United States, empowering them to travel safely and independently throughout their communities.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li style='color:#1A1A1A;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2'><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Deliver more than five hundred newspapers and magazines to more than 130,000 subscribers with print disabilities free of charge.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li style='color:#1A1A1A;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2'><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Give over seven hundred Braille-writing slates and styluses free of charge to blind users.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li style='color:#1A1A1A;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2'><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Mentor 321 blind youth during our Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning® Academy.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li style='color:#1A1A1A;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2'><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Award thirty scholarships each in the amount of $8,000 to blind students.<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>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.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>---------<o:p></o:p></span></p><h2 id=so-much-regulation-so-little-change><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>So Much Regulation, So Little Change<o:p></o:p></span></h2><p><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>by Peter Slatin</span></strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>From the Editor: It is interesting and sometimes difficult to understand the background of our laws here in the United States, let alone comparing and contrasting them with laws in other countries. Our author does a good job of describing the history of laws here and in Canada, complete with their difference in emphasis and their pros and cons.</span></strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Peter is a consultant, writer, and disability advocate. He lives in New York City and is the founder of the Slatin Group created in 2012. He also serves as a board member of the Colorado Center for the Blind. A version of this article appeared in the September issue of </span></strong><em><b><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Able News</span></b></em><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>.</span></strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>In late May I participated in “Accessible Canada, Accessible World,” (<a href="https://wecount.inclusivedesign.ca/initiatives/acaw/">https://wecount.inclusivedesign.ca/initiatives/acaw/</a>) a two-day conference in Montreal created by the International Design Resource Center at the Ontario College of Art & Design and sponsored by Accessibility Standards Canada, a federal agency tasked with developing what its name calls for. It was an extraordinary event, with most discussions held in a “flipped classroom” format: two people, in the somewhat interchangeable roles of facilitator and provocateur, guided attendees—most of whom were accessibility and disability scholars and advocates—in discussion while encouraging everyone present in person or virtually to contribute. Not surprisingly, the majority of attendees were Canadian, and the majority of discussions were framed around accessibility creation in Canada. I suddenly found myself outside of what I realized was my US-centric disability and accessibility comfort zone.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>The ACAW event allowed me to see how the different approaches to enabling and optimizing disability inclusion of a nation that is our very close geographic and cultural neighbor can highlight both positives and negatives in our own journey toward full accessibility.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>We pride ourselves here on having enshrined disability rights in law with the passage and signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act thirty-four years ago. Yet, in Canada the rights of people with disabilities are foundational: they are written into its 1982 Constitution. That’s as basic as it gets. Yet, against the backdrop of the long-running failure in the United States to pass the Equal Rights Amendment for women to our Constitution, it’s difficult to expect that an equivalent amendment guaranteeing equal rights to disabled people would get very far.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Even if it did, would it make it easier to increase the prevalence and quality of accommodations across society? If Canada’s history is any guide, apparently not much. So activists kept pushing, and thirty-seven years after the Constitution was adopted, the Accessible Canada Act (ACA) became law. The ACA, like the ADA, is a federal statute, but unlike the ADA, it seeks to regulate only federal entities and federally regulated business enterprises including banking, telecom, transportation, and federal services. In contrast, the ADA seeks to regulate private enterprise as well as government at the federal, state and local level, including education and employment. State laws offering stronger protections than the ADA override it, and vice versa.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Canada’s provinces, territories, and local governments are not under the ACA’s jurisdiction, although they can pass their own regulations. The strongest of these is the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), passed in 2005, which some provinces and territories have used as a partial template.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>The development and passage of both the ADA and ACA were driven by activists, and each reflects a seemingly robust mechanism for embedding accessibility into their respective national landscapes. But that outcome is proving illusory. The ADA is overseen by the US Department of Justice. It’s not exactly written in stone, but—other than through litigation—there is no formalized process for reviewing, revising, and updating the statute.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>The Canadian federal department, Accessibility Standards Canada, was created through the ACA and is a framework for collecting and reviewing input from stakeholders across the diverse disability community to design, set, and implement accessibility standards.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>In simpler terms, the ADA is a reactive mechanism, permitting government to rely on the disappointment and anger of citizens at the ongoing failures of private and public-sector enterprises to acknowledge and act on the need for change. The ACA offers a proactive and collaborative approach to maintain a living legislative framework that theoretically gives citizens with disabilities the means to establish and strengthen the legislation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Yet, in their enforcement mechanisms, these two approaches also reflect each nation’s disinterested attitude toward a full-throated embrace of accessibility. The ADA invites—insists on—litigation, guaranteeing the entrenchment of adversarial attitudes toward disability inclusion. For its part, the ACA kindly requests—and hopes—that everyone will do the right thing. While it includes a procedure for processing complaints and even for asking entities to respond and comply or face fines, the actual mechanisms for doing so are buried in time—a consuming and tedious bureaucracy, a less than robust formula for successful remediation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Despite enormous effort on every front, and despite the plethora of regulation that has been enacted toward the creation of accessible societies, the movement continues to grind against the same basic entrenched barriers: public, business, and governmental indifference. Perhaps as the developed world ages and finds itself understanding accessibility as a personal need that might have something to do with how everyone else also functions, societal attitudes will recognize and accommodate to reality.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>----------<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>[PHOTO CAPTION: Carlton Anne Cook Walter]<o:p></o:p></span></p><h2 id=will-the-us-supreme-courts-loper-bright-decision-burn-blind-students><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Will the US Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Decision Burn Blind Students?<o:p></o:p></span></h2><p><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>by Carlton Anne Cook Walker</span></strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>From the Associate Editor: This article is reprinted from the Summer 2024 issue of </span></strong><em><b><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Future Reflections</span></b></em><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>, the magazine of the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children. Here is what its editor, Deborah Kent Stein, said to introduce the article:</span></strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>From the Editor: As many readers of </span></strong><em><b><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Future Reflections</span></b></em><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'> are aware, Carlton Walker is a fierce and tireless advocate for the rights of blind children. As an attorney, a teacher of blind students, and the parent of a blind child, she brings many layers of experience and expertise to the challenges blind children face today. In this article she explains a recent ruling by the US Supreme Court and ponders how blind students may be affected. </span></strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>School is out, but the summer of 2024 has kept me and other education advocates very busy! While we monitor the provision of Extended School Year (ESY) services to our students, we also support our families with ideas for summertime learning and fun.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Summertime also brings the annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), as well as the annual conference of the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) and the annual meeting of Professionals in Blindness Education (PIBE). (Both NOPBC and PIBE are divisions of the NFB.) This summer also marked the inaugural class of NFB’s IEP Advocacy Academy, and several participants presented IEP (Individualized Education Plans) workshops at the NFB Convention. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>As I eagerly prepared for the NFB Convention, the US Supreme Court issued a decision that seemed to change the very foundation of federal law. As you may know, federal law provides the basis for IEPs—the documents that guide the educational access, instruction, and tools for students with disabilities, including blindness and low vision. In addition, federal law serves as the bedrock of civil rights laws that secure the right to both reasonable accommodations and freedom from disability-related discrimination.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>In recent years the US Supreme Court issued three opinions that have expanded the rights of students with disabilities (<em><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District</span></em> (2017), <em><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Fry v. Napoleon Community Schools</span></em> (2017), and <em><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Perez v. Sturgis Public Schools</span></em> (2023). None of these decisions had a dissent. Each justice agreed with the judgments of the Court—judgments that solidified the rights of disabled students. Endrew F. clarified that IEPs must be “appropriately ambitious in light of [the student’s] circumstances.” Fry opened the door to allowing students with disabilities to enforce their civil rights to reasonable accommodations—even when the IEP team refuses an accommodation. The unanimous Perez decision further empowered disabled students with IEPs by removing a longstanding hurdle to enforcing their civil rights outside the IEP process.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>As an advocate for blind/low-vision students and their families, I eagerly embraced each of these rulings. Taken together, these three decisions strengthen my clients’ positions as we advocate for a free and appropriate public education (FAPE), including instruction in blindness skills such as Braille, Nemeth Code, tactile graphics, assistive technology, and orientation and mobility. The fact that the US Supreme Court reached each of these judgments unanimously served to reinforce the principles of these cases.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Meanwhile, the NFB has continued its tireless advocacy for blind individuals, including public school students. These efforts have resulted in notable federal protections for our students, including federal regulations and positive administrative regulatory guidance from the US Department of Education and the US Department of Justice (through Dear Colleague Letters, factsheets, and other publications). These documents help clarify the rights of blind/low-vision students to IEPs, Braille, assistive technology, and more in public schools, including public charter schools. These guidance documents have also clarified the right of students of all ages attending public or private schools or colleges to accessible curricular materials, effective communication, etc. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>On June 24, 2024, the US Department of Justice’s final rule regarding “Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability; Accessibility of Web Information and Services of State and Local Government Entities” became effective. Wow! And, in just a few days, the NFB Convention would bring together thousands of blind people and allies. NFB IEP Advocacy Academy participants would be presenting their first IEP workshops. Despite the suffocating heat of June, buds of equity abounded in the garden of blind students’ rights.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Yet, on June 28, 2024, before those buds had a chance to bloom, our US Supreme Court issued an opinion that threatens to scorch those buds and leave the garden wilted and weak. This case, <em><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo</span></em>, upended four decades of jurisprudence in the area of administrative law. In non-lawyer speak: Loper Bright diminished the power of many of the educational and civil-rights protections that blind/low-vision students enjoyed prior to June 28.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>In Loper Bright, the Court expressly overruled its own June 25, 1984, unanimous decision, <em><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council,</span></em> which recognized the expertise of regulatory agencies (such as the US Department of Education and the US Department of Justice) and directed the courts to give deference to reasonable agency interpretations of Congressional statutes in cases where those statutes were ambiguous. This interpretation became known as the Chevron Rule, and it served as the basis of administrative law for more than forty years. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>While we still do not know the full impact of the Loper Bright decision, we do know some things. Loper Bright does not have an impact on case law (court decisions) or federal law passed by Congress. Instead, Loper Bright removes the Chevron Rule, so courts will no longer defer automatically to federal agency regulations or guidance. Nevertheless, Loper Bright instructs that courts may use regulations and agency guidance to help determine the appropriate interpretation of ambiguous Congressional legislation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>For blind students, Loper Bright will likely impact civil rights (reasonable accommodations and freedom from disability-related discrimination) more than educational rights (IEPs). Congressional law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, plainly sets forth many IEP rights, including broad definitions of assistive technology devices and services, least restricted environment, members of an IEP team, and the explicit inclusion of orientation and mobility services as related services. Moreover, the IDEA statute (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) includes the Braille Provision, which ensures the rights of blind/low-vision students to Braille use and instruction unless such is deemed “inappropriate” for the student. Loper Bright does not impact these important educational rights. In addition, as noted above, other recent Supreme Court decisions have bolstered students’ educational rights.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Loper Bright will likely have far more impact in the area of civil rights. At its core, Loper Bright argues that the Chevron Rule stripped courts of their duty to interpret Congressional statutes and major civil rights statutes such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. These statutes tend to be less detailed and more controversial than is the IDEA. In particular, businesses and governments may well seek to use Loper Bright to challenge the long-awaited Web Accessibility rules referenced above. Other regulations and guidance relating to reasonable accommodations may face challenges as well.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Back to our initial question: “Will the US Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Decision Burn Blind Students?” I have to offer the typical lawyer answer, “It depends.” I do not expect Loper Bright to shake the foundations of educational rights for blind students. However, I fear that it will “burn” individuals who rely on civil rights protections contained in the ADA and the Section 504 regulations for guidance, including blind individuals of all ages. Let us be ever hopeful and ever vigilant!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>----------<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>[PHOTO CAPTION: Bryan Bashin]<o:p></o:p></span></p><h2 id=dreaming-big-the-influence-of-blind-centered-experience-and-direction-on-artificial-intelligence><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Dreaming Big: The Influence of Blind-Centered Experience and Direction on Artificial Intelligence<o:p></o:p></span></h2><h6 id=presented-by-bryan-bashin-vice-chair-be-my-eyes-berkeley-california><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Presented by Bryan Bashin, Vice-Chair, Be My Eyes; Berkeley, California</span></strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></h6><p><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>From the Editor: Here is one of the most enlightening presentations of the 2024 National Convention agenda, one in which the presenter was a facilitator who introduced us to an almost unbelievable dialogue with artificial intelligence and showed how it can be harnessed to assist us in our day-to-day living. Here is what President Riccobono said to introduce the presentation:</span></strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>MARK RICCOBONO: This presentation is from another entity which we supported through our partnership, along with SmartJob and the American Action Fund. We supported their exploration of artificial intelligence. This item is “Dream Big: "The Influence of Blind-Centered Experience and Direction on Artificial Intelligence,” and this gentleman is no stranger to this crowd. He brings his blind-centered intelligence to his role in helping to shape the work at Be My Eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Here is Bryan Bashin.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>BRYAN BASHIN: Good morning, fellow Federationists! You know, last year during convention, Be My Eyes CEO Mike Buckley stood here and told you about the thing that had just started, a little thing called Be My AI. Anybody use it here?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Today I want to tell you a little bit more about what happens when a company has leadership that is centered on blindness. Beginning ten years ago from our blind founder, furniture craftsman Hans Wiberg, who wanted more solutions, more tools, there are significant blind memberships at Be My Eyes on the board of directors, and our products are influenced by two hundred blind beta testers around the world.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>In fact, are there any blind beta testers from Be My Eyes in this room? [Cheers]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Since Mike Buckley spoke here in the last twelve months, we've had a profusion of new features that are blind-informed. Now you can do private friends and family circles, create your own. You have Be My Eyes for work, you have Be My Eyes on the Android platform for the Global South. You have Microsoft partnered with Be My Eyes for Windows Desktop AI. Anyone use it yet? [Cheers]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>A couple months ago we put out Be My Eyes' own inclusive language guide. What company puts out a disability language guide? One that is blind-informed. And we put out a service directory; it's in every app, maybe a thousand different companies and so forth, but also in there you will find the phone numbers and can be connected directly to every NFB affiliate president in the United States.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Centering on blindness really makes a difference. You know, those beta testers who started with us a little more than a year ago said one thing: “I want facial description,” and that loud and clear voice informed us. We're working with our partners at Open AI, and we said, “Our members need facial description.” They said, “No, we've got to blur it.” I said, “We need this description.” We're at a table demanding something from a one-hundred-billion-dollar company, and guess what? They gave us facial description. It's available in all forty-nine states except for the state of Illinois, which has its own rules. I think there are a few lawyers; Illinois, where are you? You've got some work to do.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>What we are finding in this last year is that blind people are using the hell out of AI. Last month our servers had 2,100,000 queries just for Be My AI. That means every 1.2 seconds around the clock somebody on the planet who is blind is asking for description through AI. To our surprise, that's seven times more queries for AI than the old volunteer service. But guess what? The volunteer calls are still as strong as ever, have themselves increased, and it's important to us that, if you need information, you have the choice: AI or human. It doesn't matter, as long as you use it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>The average person who uses AI uses it 4.7 times a day to find out information. This last sixteen months of experience has shown us that AI can really do amazing things. I'll tell you one example. Last week a woman—a blind woman in California who is using Be My AI— has figured out how to write the code to run a 3D printer, and those who have run 3D printers know that sometimes they go awry. Is the object being created properly or is it not? Be My AI will describe how the thing is going and how it worked. So, I was very impressed. At the end I thought to ask her what university she is with, and she said, “I'm in the eleventh grade.” That's the future of AI.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>So I want to talk to you a little about the future, and I want to do the most dangerous thing possible from the stage, which is a live demonstration. I'm going to ask my associate Kerns Lane to come and help with this demonstration. He's going to demonstrate our latest capability, which will be in your hands in a matter of weeks. It is GPT4.0, which is informed, I'm told, by one trillion parameters, things it sucked up on the Internet from God knows where. It's the largest model out there, apparently.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>So when we demonstrate it, I want you to notice how the world is changing. Instead of taking a picture and waiting ten seconds, which was a miracle all the way back in 2023, today AI will be quick, conversational, and interruptible.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>So, Kerns, where are you? Hello, AI, can you hear me?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>AUTOMATED VOICE: Hi, I can hear you.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>BRYAN: Can you describe the logo of the National Federation of the Blind?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>AUTOMATED VOICE: Yes, the logo of the National Federation of the Blind has three intertwined circles in red, blue, and green, symbolizing equality, opportunity and security for the blind. Have you seen this logo before?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>BRYAN: Yes, absolutely. But now I want to change topics, because knowing about STEM and science is important to blind people. Could you describe to me the appearance of the asteroid Ryugu?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>AUTOMATED VOICE: Absolutely. Ryugu is a diamond shaped asteroid with a rugged surface covered in rocks and boulders. Its color is dark, almost black, and [it is] about half-a-mile wide. It's quite an intriguing sight. What got you interested in asteroids?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>BRYAN: I'm interested in many things, but can you tell me that same description in Spanish?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>AUTOMATED VOICE: [Speaking Spanish]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>BRYAN: All right, now I would love to change from just talking to live video, okay? Are you ready?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>AUTOMATED VOICE: Ready when you are.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>BRYAN: Can you tell me what you see?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>AUTOMATED VOICE: It looks like a conference room with lots of people seated and a podium at the front. There is a banner with logos, including Google, hanging behind the podium. Are you attending or presenting at this event?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>BRYAN: Can you tell me if the folks look like they are enjoying my presentation?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>AUTOMATED VOICE: They seem engaged and attentive.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>BRYAN: Okay. That's a first. I would like to ask Kerns to point the camera at the President of the National Federation of the Blind?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>AUTOMATED VOICE: How are you feeling about the presentation so far?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>BRYAN: This is Mark Riccobono; do you know who he is?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>AUTOMATED VOICE: Yes, Mark Riccobono is the President of the National Federation of the Blind. How are you feeling about how it's going?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>BRYAN: Excuse me, can you tell me what he looks like?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>AUTOMATED VOICE: Sure. Mark Riccobono is wearing a dark suit with a green shirt and a tie. He has short light-colored hair. He seems focused on his presentation. Anything else you would like to know?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>BRYAN: You said he has short light-colored hair. The other day he told us that after ten years his hair is receding. Is it really receding?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>AUTOMATED VOICE: Yes. Yes, his hair is receding. [Laughter]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>BRYAN: Okay, Mr. President, can I ask you to do something for the camera? Just do something, and I'll ask AI what you are doing.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Okay.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>AUTOMATED VOICE: Sounds good. I'm ready to describe what is happening.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>BRYAN: Tell me what he is doing.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>AUTOMATED VOICE: He's waving his hand at the camera. He's waving again. Anything else you would like to ask him?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>BRYAN: Try one last thing. What is he doing now?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>AUTOMATED VOICE: Now he is [raising] his hand up high, almost like he's waving or making a point. Seems like he … he's still keeping his hand up like he's making a point or signaling something.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>BRYAN: He's very determined like that. Thank you, AI. And thank you, Kerns.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Will this be something requiring high tech when it comes to Be My Eyes? No, that was an iPhone 13 using a regular cellular network. I'm going to tell you something: that today's AI is the worst AI you will ever use. It's only going to get better.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>We are seeing over the last year fewer hallucinations. But the blind-centered folks at Be My Eyes are seeing some things that are actually a little worrying about this too. The descriptions that AI is giving are increasingly bland, warm, and homogenous. If you ask, say, for a photo of a real estate broker, you are never going to get a real estate broker carrying a white cane. Blind people are missing from these large language models. So we're seeing deeper problems because of that.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Sometimes you will ask one of these models—and there are about twenty-four of them active right now, so I don't want to pick on any one. You will say, “I'm blind,” and it will respond with “I'm sorry.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Or sometimes you will hold up a business card—and you think that would be an easy thing—and you're happy that the business card is in Braille and print. You'll say, “Can you read the business card?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>The AI says, “I can't read it because I can't read Braille.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Sometimes it's taken a picture of me and described me like it described President Riccobono and said, “He's carrying a long, red-tipped cane.” Well, I've never used a red-tipped cane in my life. The models have to stop generalizing. [Applause]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>The models actually have told me that it's preferable to call somebody “visually impaired” than blind. Obviously, they weren't in resolutions yesterday. It's called a dog guide, “your best friend,” and sometimes we see that you get syrupy and condescending language when a blind person does the merest accomplishment.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Then it still has, guess what: the same ableist construct when you ask it, as the video will now tell you, “your Uber is here.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>But where is here?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>One day I thought, okay, I'm going to try one model. I'll get my mail, and I'll just go through it one piece at a time. So I picked out a piece of mail and held it up. I wanted to see who it is from. And it said, "It's an envelope."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Then I thought, okay, I'll ask it a second question. I did.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>And it said, “Oh, it has a return address and regular address and a stamp on it.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>It took me three times to get it to read who it was from. It never occurred to the model makers that users of this service would be blind or would hold paper upside down. These models are not unkind or prejudiced. We simply don't exist in them right now. We need to train these readers to be efficient as we train human readers. [Applause]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>This field is called "reinforcement training through human feedback." Large companies, the largest LLMs, are spending up to $100 million every year with humans training the models to be more accurate and more respectful. But to my knowledge, no blind person has yet been hired to join this team of reinforcement training. Would any of you like to be hired to train these models? [Cheering]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Some companies say they don't need us; they can train these models with theoretical models of blind people. Do you think that could possibly represent our lived experience?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>AUDIENCE MEMBERS: No!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>So how can we make things better? In the very near future, you will have a chance to train these models yourself. In fact, our friend Everette Bacon announced this week that his company, Aira, is already soliciting your input to train its models for better results.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Now, I know that some of your sessions, your video sessions particularly, may be private, and we want to find ways to respect that. So in our and other user agreements, you will always have the chance to opt out if something seems private to you. But we hope you are going to lean in and train these models. It's the only way that we can exist and show up in them. You know, we train teachers and employers, family, everybody on the street about blindness every day. Why is training AI any different from that? Actively speaking our truth has always been at the core of Federationism.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>And so I ask you: Did you sit and wait for the vision industrial complex to get rid of subminimum wages?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>AUDIENCE MEMBERS: No!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>BRYAN: Did you sit and wait for somebody else to put sounds on quiet electric cars?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>AUDIENCE MEMBERS: No!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>BRYAN: Did we put up with ATMs that didn't talk when they arrived?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>AUDIENCE MEMBERS: No!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>BRYAN: Do you want to sit and wait for the AI companies to get blindness right by themselves?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>AUDIENCE MEMBERS: No!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>BRYAN: So please, share your sessions. Consider it a revolutionary act to change the machine.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>You know, tech writer Tom Chatfield said it best. "There is no question that AI is changing the world. The question is... who will be changing AI? Whose majority models will be the ones that go forward? And who will be left out?"<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Federationists, we must not be left out. Thank you! [Applause]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>---------<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>[PHOTO CAPTION: Anil Lewis]<o:p></o:p></span></p><h2 id=the-sugar><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>The Sugar<o:p></o:p></span></h2><p><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>by Anil Lewis</span></strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>From the Associate Editor: Anil Lewis is a former affiliate and chapter president, among many other roles, and currently the Executive Director for Blindness Initiatives on the National Federation of the Blind staff.</span></strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>I remember growing up and hearing many of my family members and their friends consistently referring to an affliction they were experiencing called “the sugar.” “Did you hear that Mary has the sugar?” I had no idea what it meant and was definitely not threatened. How bad could it be? After all, like bacon, sugar makes everything delicious.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Recently diagnosed as diabetic, I have come to know “the sugar” as diabetes and realize the significant threat that it poses to my life and, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 38.4 million other Americans. Thankfully, this is another issue that the National Federation of the Blind works to address head-on.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. Glucose is your body’s main source of energy. Your body can make glucose, but glucose also comes from the food you eat—over time, high blood glucose can damage your heart, kidneys, feet, and eyes.” (From: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/what-is-diabetes)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Many members of the National Federation of the Blind are very familiar with diabetes because one of the potential negative health effects of the disease is diabetic retinopathy, which is “a progressive eye condition where the blood vessels around the retina get progressively damaged by high blood sugar levels, and is the top cause of blindness among working-age adults.” (From: <a href="https://assileye.com/blog/diabetes-leading-cause-of-blindness/">https://assileye.com/blog/diabetes-leading-cause-of-blindness/</a>)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Interestingly enough, with my mother, aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins, and other family members experiencing diabetes, I did not come to know blindness because of diabetes. I became blind due to retinitis pigmentosa at the age of twenty-five with no other health complications and paid no attention to the fact that I was at high risk for diabetes. Moreover, despite years of warnings from my primary care physician about being “borderline diabetic,” I still took no steps to alter my eating or exercise habits.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>For those currently exercising the same strategy of inaction, I offer the following: ignoring health concerns is not a good strategy for prevention. Additionally, I ignored common symptoms of diabetes. I appreciated the weight loss and attributed it to better living. The constant need to urinate just became part of my day-to-day life. Ignorance was only bliss for a little while.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Around age fifty-five, I finally crossed the borderline and became an official Type II diabetic. The actual diagnosis was intimidating. I had so many questions. How would this change my life? What would I need to stop eating? Would I need to have insulin injections? Most importantly, would I need to give up chocolate?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>An additionally disturbing potential consequence of diabetes is diabetic neuropathy, “nerve damage that is caused by diabetes that, in the case of peripheral neuropathy, typically affects the feet and legs and sometimes affects the hands and arms.” (From: <a href="https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/preventing-problems/nerve-damage-diabetic-neuropathies/what-is-diabetic-neuropathy">https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/preventing-problems/nerve-damage-diabetic-neuropathies/what-is-diabetic-neuropathy</a>) Diabetic neuropathy can be doubly damaging for blind people, as the loss of eyesight can also be complicated with the loss of sensitivity in the hands and feet, making it difficult for a blind person to read Braille or gain access to environmental information tactually through their hands and feet.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Now I realized why I had the tingling in my feet at night, which was scary because I had friends who had toes and other body parts amputated as a result of their diabetes. Thankfully my diabetes can currently be treated with oral medication, but I realize that I am at another borderline, and unless I make some significant lifestyle changes, diabetes could lead to so many other health complications. My overachieving Air Force colonel, trauma surgeon, ordained minister cousin made it plain when he told me that “You don’t know the damage diabetes is doing to your body until the damage has been done.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Finally, realizing that this is a serious health concern that I should address immediately, I began making better decisions on what to eat and started a simple exercise routine. My cousin emphasized the importance of changing my diet and increasing my exercise. He also explained that working out the larger muscles burns more sugar, so I added squats, lunges, and push-ups to my workout. I do not mean to infer that this is simple, and that I consistently adhere to a new diet and exercise regularly. It is difficult and takes work. I still cheat a little when there is a delicious chocolate cake on the menu, and I still miss a few days of my morning exercises. However, I am dedicated to continuing moving in a positive direction toward making these changes, and I take three steps forward for every one or two steps backward.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>It is somewhat advantageous that blindness came before diabetes. Otherwise, I may not have become aware of my greatest resource, the NFB Diabetes Action Network (DAN) (<a href="https://nfb.org/about-us/divisions-committees-and-groups/divisions/diabetes-action-network">https://nfb.org/about-us/divisions-committees-and-groups/divisions/diabetes-action-network</a>). The DAN is one of the many affinity groups of the NFB made up of blind diabetics that, through our collective action and a shared lived experience, provide information and support to one another; seek to promote systemic change to improve the lives of blind people; collaborate with technology developers to innovate dynamic means for blind people to access information; and in this particular case, strive to work with medical professionals to ensure that those individuals who experience blindness as a result of diabetes realize that they can still live the lives they want.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Members of the DAN have assisted me by sharing suggestions on healthy snacks that would replace my sugar-filled favorites and are equally delicious. Our conversations about accessible ways to monitor glucose initially helped me understand how to use an accessible glucometer and have evolved to my current use of a glucose sensor that monitors my glucose throughout the day and is accessed using a smartphone app. I can better understand the meaning of A1C as a result of common-sense discussions with others. I strongly encourage all blind diabetics to join this dynamic division.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>DAN members have done some initial work of assisting to develop accessible insulin pumps by engaging with several manufacturers through the creation of our Accessible Insulin Pump Task Force, and we will be expanding that work through our new Accessible Diabetes Devices Work Group. We believe this work will eventually lead to the development of an accessible bionic pancreas and will support our Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act legislative efforts because there is definitely a link between legislation and progress and the reverse of that, progress leading to legislation. Our participation in these initiatives will not only result in the development of medical devices that are nonvisually accessible to blind users; it will result in the creation of multimodal devices that are easier and safer for everyone to use.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>We believe that by bringing blind people, medical professionals, technology developers, and medical device manufacturers together, we can build on our collective knowledge toward creating enhanced treatment strategies that will result in improved quality of life for all. Our first “Knowledge is Sweet” conference held earlier this year educated, entertained, and inspired others to take control of their diabetes and was a successful start to what we hope to be an ongoing annual conference. We are already making plans for our 2025 conference that will be held at the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute on a date to be announced.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>The National Federation of the Blind continues to assert that blind people have the right to live in the world. The work we conduct through our NFB Diabetes Action Network actively seeks to bring awareness of the intersection of blindness and diabetes and highlights how society can be improved through our full participation. We are happy to recognize November as National Diabetes Awareness Month and celebrate November 14 as National Diabetes Day.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Whether you are blind or sighted, you can take steps to prevent acquiring diabetes. If you have diabetes, “you can lower your chances of developing diabetes health problems by taking steps to improve your health and learning how to manage the disease. Managing your blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels can help prevent future health problems.” (From: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/what-is-diabetes) Most importantly, if you are blind and have diabetes, remember that you can live the life you want; neither blindness nor diabetes holds you back.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>----------<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>[PHOTO CAPTION: Gary Wunder]<o:p></o:p></span></p><h2 id=embracing-the-challenge-a-personal-journey-through-diabetes-management><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Embracing the Challenge: A Personal Journey Through Diabetes Management<o:p></o:p></span></h2><p><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>by Gary Wunder</span></strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><strong><i><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Delivered at the Knowledge is Sweet Seminar, St. Louis, Missouri, April 27, 2024</span></i></strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Good morning, everyone. Today, I stand before you not just as a speaker, but as someone who walks the same challenging path as many of you do—a path marked by a constant companion named diabetes. This journey is not just about the physical hurdles we face daily; it's profoundly shaped by our knowledge of this disease, an honest acceptance of ourselves, and a realistic look at what it takes to change our behaviors.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>My journey into the world of diabetes management began with a mix of anger, denial, and disbelief. Like some of you, diabetes was not a stranger in my family. Yet, I carried on with life as if I was somehow immune to its grasp and consequences. My attitude toward managing this condition through diet was passive at best, summed up to my doctor and family by the statement "I can do that," rather than by a commitment, "I will do that." Unlike some of you, I was warned by my doctor and had a clear sense that I was on the road, being what she called prediabetic.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>My lax approach continued until the day I received my first bottle of Metformin. I remember calling my pharmacy with anger, being convinced that they had made a mistake and had given me my wife's medication. Yes, I was riding that big white horse, sword in hand, wishing to recite to them all of the dangers in medication mix-ups that could be caused through their inattention. They listened politely, and then they read me the prescription from the doctor saying that Metformin was in order because my A1C was 7.2. A1C is a measurement of one’s blood sugar for the three-month period prior to the test. The blood sugar for a person not yet a diabetic is about one hundred, meaning an A1C of about 5.0. My blood sugar level was at 163, firmly placing me in diabetic territory.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>I hung up the phone and started experiencing denial, anger, and frustration. Normally when I feel these emotions, I look around me and figure out who is to blame. I didn't have to look far.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>I grudgingly took my first dose of Metformin, and then bought my lancets, the Prodigy meter for announcing my sugar, and plenty of test strips. All of that showed resolution, right? But using it was a different matter, and every finger stick reminded me I had not been smart, especially when I did not get enough blood for the strip or in some cases did not get any blood at all. Every time I got ready to do the finger stick, I heard a choir standing behind me singing the chant, "stupid, stupid, stupid." They were singing it to me, for in fact it was a musical version of part of my autobiography of which I was not proud.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>When I came to the dinner table, I was not a happy camper. For me, it brought back memories of childhood restrictions: a time when choices were made for me, not by me. Suddenly, I was that child again, facing a world of "can't haves" and "shouldn't eat that.” I never thought I would face such a psychological battle when it came to my plate. Suddenly I realized with new clarity that food is not just sustenance; it's a source of joy, a centerpiece of social gatherings, a cultural identity. When we become a diabetic, suddenly we are watched whenever we eat. This statement is not all about being paranoid. Take a piece of pie and listen as someone says, "Is that really good for you?" It made me want to yell, "Do you remember when, two weeks ago at the family picnic, you urged me to have a piece of your cake and assured me that you had made it just for me, it always having been one of my favorites?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Once you decide that the drugs only go so far and that it's really up to you to determine what and how much you will eat, the question then becomes what you will eat, what you won't, and how often you will make an exception. Before I got my continuous glucose monitor (CGM), I made many more exceptions. There wasn't any problem with that small piece of sweet roll or that generous serving of mashed potatoes. They wouldn't affect my blood sugar much, and if I didn't bother to test that day, there was no evidence to argue I was wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>If I was going to have to limit what I ate, who was the authority I could rely on to help me figure out what to eat and what to avoid? I find reading easy and enjoyable, but when you don't want to give up eating certain foods, it is easy to argue that with regard to nutrition, nobody knows what they're talking about. The case is easily made given all the contradictory theories and their numerous opponents and proponents. This is a great excuse for not acting, but it doesn't bring down the blood sugar one little bit and therefore does not lessen the damage occurring to the diabetic.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>After listing all of the excuses, the question then becomes what motivates us to embrace this challenge? For some, it's the desire for longevity, to be there for our loved ones. My wife dreams of seeing our grandchildren graduate and perhaps find their callings. For others, including me, it's more about the fear of complications, the desire to maintain quality of life. Although I have no desire to hasten death and shorten my time with loved ones and friends, I find that my motivation has much more to do with holding onto the quality of life I have now. I want to maintain the feeling in my feet so that I can have a better chance of keeping my balance. I like feeling the texture of my wood floors and using my feet to tell me whether I’m doing a good job while vacuuming. I love being able to feel Braille under my fingertips and the softness when petting a golden retriever. The thought that I might lose feeling in my hands or feet helps me to make better choices. The CGM keeps me honest; the desire to maintain my sense of touch makes hard choices easier. Just how important is the Frosty or the banana split blizzard? I don't always make the right choices, but the easy availability of my blood sugar number and the fear of what I might lose does keep me on a narrower path.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>In an age where information is abundant, finding the right path to manage diabetes can feel like navigating a labyrinth. Competing theories on diet, exercise, and medication can leave us feeling lost and frustrated. I find myself constantly trying to find a balance as I sift through this information, armed with knowledge from healthcare professionals and a personal understanding of my body. I'm frustrated by all we don't know but challenged to figure out what seems to be right for me. I’m also challenged to keep in mind that I am a learner and not a teacher, and what proves true for me may not be for someone else.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Using psychological tools and seeking support can transform our approach to diabetes management. Mindfulness, cognitive-behavioral strategies, and support groups offer us a compass in this journey, guiding us through moments of temptation and frustration with a renewed sense of clarity and purpose. This is part of what we do in the Diabetes Action Network: help provide good information and then help each other be honest with ourselves. Have I been adhering to a reasonable eating regimen, have I been exercising, have I been taking my medication regularly, and have I shared my numbers to get a gentle prod or some congratulations from those who understand?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>My journey with diabetes has been filled with ups and downs, moments of denial, and eventual acceptance. It has taught me that managing diabetes is not just about the physical aspects—monitoring blood sugar, adjusting my diet, or taking medication. It's about confronting the psychological battles, embracing change, and finding a sense of balance.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Let us move forward, not with a spirit of denial but with a commitment to action. Let us not see diabetes as a barrier that will stop us but as a challenge to live our lives more fully, more consciously. Together, we can navigate this journey, supporting one another in embracing the challenge with courage, determination, and hope.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>----------<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>[PHOTO CAPTION: Ronza Othman]<o:p></o:p></span></p><h2 id=expect-much-give-much-get-much><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Expect Much, Give Much, Get Much!<o:p></o:p></span></h2><p><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>by Ronza Othman</span></strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>From the Editor: Ronza Othman serves as president of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland (NFBMD). Below is the introductory remarks she made in the </span></strong><em><b><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Presidential Report</span></b></em><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'> she gave at the NFBMD convention on February 17, 2024. When placed alongside the remarks by President Riccobono and the comments I’ve written about being a self-advocate and a person committed to educating the public, this should either be very instructive or give some of us the desire to sit down and write an article that supports very different views. Here is what Ronza said to our Maryland convention:</span></strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>As a kid, I wanted to be a cartoon character when I grew up. I loved the way cartoon characters experienced a challenge, and through their own pluckiness and creativity overcame that challenge. They made it all look easy, often with a clever or wisecracking sidekick along for the ride. My favorite cartoons were those that had an anvil fall on their head and then they jumped up and went on to the next adventure.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>As an adult, I can reflect on the fact that I was attracted to the concept of wanting to be a cartoon character because of the unapologetic way cartoon characters occupy their space and their resilience in times of adversity. Road Runner never apologized for existing. Buster and Babs Bunny never worried about what society thought of them. I wanted that for myself, and I slipped into a world of cartoons and imagination because, as a blind child, I didn’t know how to make that my reality. I still want to be a cartoon character when I grow up, but maybe without the anvils.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>The blind share a desire to want to feel a sense of belonging in society. This desire to belong is natural—everyone wants to belong. But for us, our desire to belong is rooted in the sense of exclusion many of us feel as a result of society’s low expectations about us due to our blindness.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Society’s low expectations shouldn’t be our problem, but we in the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland will continue to fight them as long as it takes to annihilate them.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>One afternoon, I stood at a street corner with a four-way intersection waiting to meet a friend so we could travel together. Time has dulled my recollection of where we were going or what we were going to do when we got there. But more than a decade later, I can still feel the sun on my face and the breeze wrestling my clothes. I can still smell the exhaust fumes from cars and buses going by and the scent of weed that together make up that unique but recognizable city smell with which we are all familiar. I can still hear the air brakes on a city bus and the horn of a vehicle too impatient to wait the five seconds it’ll take people to get off the bus. I can still taste the Pepsi that I undoubtedly held in my hand.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>That afternoon, as I waited at that street corner, leaning on a lamp post, a random stranger walked up to me, and she said with pity in her voice, “Don’t worry, hon, I’ll help you cross the street.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>I thanked her politely and said I didn’t want to cross the street. She persisted.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“It’s OK, hon, I’m willing to help you. I have a few minutes to spare.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>I persisted some more, but she continued to offer help crossing the street.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>In my mind, I had an internal debate that went something like this:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Self?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Yes?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Why does she think I want to cross the street?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“I don’t know.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Is it the way I’m standing?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Maybe.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Is it the way I’m leaning against this pole?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Maybe.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Is it that people don’t just stand around in public?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“I don’t know about that—I’ve seen a lot of people standing around in public.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Is it that blind people can’t just stand around in public?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Yes, that’s probably what she thinks. She thinks I’m lost.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“But I’m not asking for help, so why does she think I’m lost?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Probably because she can’t imagine a blind person could be alone in public and not be lost.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Why are her assumptions my problem?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Because I’m the one in her space right now.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“But it’s my space. I was here first.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“But blind people don’t get to own space if it rubs up against what well-meaning sighted people think is supposed to be happening.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Meanwhile, the random stranger and I continued to politely debate whether or not I needed help crossing the street.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Self?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Yes?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Why are we still having this conversation with her?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Because I don’t want her to think I’m rude.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“So what if a random stranger thinks I’m rude?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Well, then she’ll think all blind people are rude.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>So, eventually I gave in and let her escort me across the street, mostly to keep the peace. We started at the southwest corner and crossed directly in front of us, so we were at the southeast corner of the intersection.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>She asked me where I was going next.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Here’s the discussion that went on in my head.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Self?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Yes, still here.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Why does she want to know where I’m going? She’s a stranger.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Because she thinks I can’t get there on my own.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Is it safe for me to tell her?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“No, probably not, because she’s a random lady chatting up a stranger on a street corner.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“But why does she get to ask a random stranger where I’m going and actually expect me to tell her? Isn’t that a bold thing to do to someone you don’t know?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Yes, if the same rules applied to me that apply to everyone else.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“They should.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“But in her mind, her low expectations about blind people mean she gets to violate social norms.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Again, why is that my problem?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Because I’m occupying the same space as her.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“What if I tell her I’m going to my job as a circus juggler?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“She won’t believe me.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Well, what if I told her I was going to visit my Baltimore Ravens player millionaire fiancé?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“She won’t believe me.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“What if I told her I was going to a meeting of the Board of Directors for the Fortune 500 company I lead?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“She won’t believe me.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“What if I told her I was going to court to try a case as the lead attorney?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“She won’t believe me.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“But that one could be true. All of them could be, but that one is sometimes true.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Her low expectations for blind people mean she thinks I am going either somewhere where I can be taken care of or nowhere at all.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Then I got a brilliant idea.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>I answered the stranger that I was crossing the street kitty corner from where I’d come from. As I expected, my new friend decided she had to help me cross the street.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>So, we crossed and now I stood at the northeast corner of the intersection, diagonally from where we started.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Predictably, she asked me where I was going next, and this time I was ready for her.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>I told my new best friend that I was crossing the street and pointed at the opposite corner. She was thoroughly confused. I could practically hear the conversation she was having with herself in her head.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Random stranger?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Yes?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“This poor pitiful blind girl doesn’t realize she could have crossed just one time instead of three times to get there.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“I know. She must not be very bright.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Once we got to the northwest corner, my new best friend asked where I was heading. I told her I was going to cross the street and pointed to the corner where we’d started.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>With a deep sigh, she “helped” me cross the street. We were right back where we started.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Ummm…hon, do you realize we’re right back where we started?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Yes,” I responded.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Where do you want to go,” she asked?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Exactly right here,” I answered confidently.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Then why did we cross all four corners,” she asked completely puzzled and a little annoyed?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“Because you insisted, so you must have needed a walk.” I answered cheerfully.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>It could have gone one of two ways—she could have reacted badly and given me the business for wasting her time, or, she could have learned from what I was trying to make a teachable moment.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Fortunately, she, after a moment of processing what had just happened, began to laugh and said, “I was pretty insistent, wasn’t I?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>We were able to chat about her low expectations for me because I was blind and my own capitulation so as to not offend her. In the end, she said, “Oh, hon, if I’m being a total idiot, please, offend me.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>This is one example of how we let society tell us that we don’t belong and that we shouldn’t occupy the same space as others. There I was, minding my business, just literally standing there leaning against a pole on a busy city street. But because I was blind, this stranger assumed I was lost and needed help. Then, though I tried for a bit to disabuse her of that notion, in the end I gave up and went with what she wanted in order to keep the peace. How many times have each of us done something because society wanted us to conform to their misconceptions about us? We belong in this world, and we deserve to exist in our space. And yet, because society’s expectations for us are low, we find ourselves falling into the pattern of “going along to get along.” There’s no shame in that—we all do it. But I’m here to tell you that you belong in this space and in any space you choose to occupy.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>----------<o:p></o:p></span></p><h2 id=invest-in-dignity-a-matching-gift-challenge-to-advance-the-lives-of-blind-people><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Invest in Dignity: A Matching Gift Challenge to Advance the Lives of Blind People<o:p></o:p></span></h2><p><em><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“One of the key elements for us to live the lives we want is to bring a community of blind people together. The other key is that everybody gets to bring the ingredients that they like to the table in our organization…we bring lots of diverse individuals with individual preferences, backgrounds, and diversities to work together in a shared experience as blind people.”—Mark Riccobono, President, National Federation of the Blind</span></em><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>In the National Federation of the Blind, we believe our strength lies in the collaboration with partners who share our vision. One of our most valued and enduring partnerships is with HumanWare, a global leader in assistive technology for the blind and people with low vision. You may know them for their innovative products like the Victor Reader Stream, the Mantis Q40, or the newly introduced Monarch dynamic tactile graphic display. Together, we are making strides to ensure blind individuals have equal opportunity and access to the world around us, especially through Braille literacy and tactile graphics.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>We’re excited to announce that HumanWare and additional anonymous donors have presented us with a Matching Gift Challenge. From October 1 through December 31, 2024, every dollar contributed will be matched up to $100,000. This is your chance to double the impact of your gift and help us reach our goal.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Your support is an investment in dignity, empowering blind people to live full, independent lives. Dignity is built on equality, respect, and opportunity, and by contributing to this campaign, you are helping create an environment where blind people can share information, make choices, and take control of our futures. With your generosity, we can continue advancing the next generation of access technology and fostering inclusion in the classroom, at home, and in the workplace.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Please share this opportunity with friends and family, and if you are able, here’s how you can contribute:<o:p></o:p></span></p><ul style='margin-top:0in' type=disc><li style='color:#1A1A1A;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo3'><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Give online at <a href="https://nfb.org/donate">nfb.org/donate</a><o:p></o:p></span></li><li style='color:#1A1A1A;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo3'><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Call 410-659-9314, extension 2430, to make a gift by phone<o:p></o:p></span></li><li style='color:#1A1A1A;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo3'><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Send a check to National Federation of the Blind, 200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>With the support of our partners like HumanWare and the generosity of supporters like you, we can build a community where equality and opportunity are brought to life, empowering blind individuals to live the lives we want.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Thank you for your investment in dignity and for helping us expand possibilities for blind people everywhere.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>----------<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>[PHOTO CAPTION: Peggy Chong]<o:p></o:p></span></p><h2 id=an-almost-forgotten-guide-dog-school><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>An Almost Forgotten Guide Dog School<o:p></o:p></span></h2><p><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>by Peggy Chong</span></strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>From the Editor: When many of us think about the guide dog coming to America, the story of the Seeing Eye, Morris Frank, and the year 1929 come to mind. But as important as the school, the person, and the date may be, perhaps we are missing out on some history. This is the case made by Peggy Chong in her capacity as the Blind History Lady. Here is one of the many treasures she so generously donates to the </span></strong><em><b><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Braille Monitor</span></b></em><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'> and the National Federation of the Blind:</span></strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>October is White Cane Awareness Month. In past years I have written about the cane. Today is about a dog guide school almost forgotten.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Someone once told me that one man’s fact is another man’s fable. I knew what he meant at the time but have come to realize that statement is so true in so many ways. Today we have many sources from which to get our information. It is getting harder and harder to determine which source has done in-depth research on any issue and if it is as accurate as possible.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>The blindness community has terrific researchers and sources to reference. These seekers of the truth work with the material, archives, and professionals available in the blindness field. As many of us know, what little history we have is in print, written for the sighted. The Braille/New York Point diaries, letters, files, and reports of the past written by and for the blind are all but gone as family, friends, and even agencies for the blind cannot read these formats. So, researchers can only work with what they know about.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Today, I want to highlight a piece of history that pre-dates many of the written articles regarding dog guides in the United States. Most of the records from this school were burned in a fire in 1935. Few graduates of the program left written testimony about their dogs and the school. All we have are a handful of personal stories and a few newspaper articles to help us to unearth the first guide dog school in our country, Master Eye Foundation of Minneapolis, Minnesota.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>John “Jack” Sinykin (1891-1984), a Russian-Jewish immigrant from St. Paul, Minnesota, owned a successful cosmetic company with endorsements by famous Hollywood actresses. While riding a train between Chicago and St. Paul, he saw a blind veteran of the recent World War asking for assistance. In his travels, Jack remembered his dog who saved his life several years back when he was thrown from his horse in the middle of nowhere on his father’s ranch in South Dakota. He speculated on how a dog might have helped that blind man.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Jack already was well-known for his ability to train dogs. So it was that he began to investigate dogs and blindness. Germany had a successful program for almost ten years training dogs to guide blinded veterans. He contacted them, and in 1925, the first two of his more than 3,000 dogs trained for the blind came over from Germany.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Lux came first with no instructions. The dog was extremely agitated by the trip to such an extent that Jack had to take the kennel with Lux inside to a small, private room. Lux only understood German. Jack found a friend who gave him a few German words to calm the dog. Jack almost had second thoughts. He could not bring the dog to his house out of concern for his small child and family dog at home. In a few days, Lux relaxed with the constant companionship of Jack.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Lambert Kreimer, the most successful trainer of dogs for the blind in Germany, arrived several months later. Jack and Lambert worked with the other dogs, helping to enhance Jack’s techniques for teaching dogs to guide the blind.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>While waiting for the dogs to come to his La Salle Stables in Wayzata, Jack gave careful thought as to who the first few people to receive his dogs should be. The blind recipient needed to have a high profile in order to help promote the idea of a guide dog for a blind person. That blind person also needed to be successful in the use of the dog. Jack chose blind Senator Thomas Schall of Minnesota.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Jack traveled to Washington, DC, and approached the blind senator in a hallway where he laid out his plans. At first, Schall was skeptical. He had been blind twenty years by then and had designed his own methods for travel and other blindness techniques. Schall agreed to meet with Jack and later came to La Salle Stables to meet and train with the dogs.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Senator Schall was impressed. Schall learned the German words that Lux trained under until Lux grew accustomed to and understood the English commands. Schall now walked alone to and from places he wanted to go both in Minneapolis and in Washington, DC. Lux and Schall became a team for the next seven years until Lux died in 1933.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>The second dog, Eric, was partnered with Colonel Fred Fitzpatrick, (1880-1962). Fred retired in 1919 after twenty years in the military, a hero of the 1916 Mexican War and World War One. Fred lost his sight about 1923. He headed his own mortgage firm and was serving as sheriff of Salina, Kansas, when he received his dog in 1927.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>More German Shepherd dogs were being raised and trained at La Salle Kennels. The third dog, Junker, was assigned to Ruth Hoefer of Michigan, and the fourth, Blackie, was paired to Dr. Francis Naegeli, an osteopath of Durango, Wisconsin.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Jack wanted every blind person who wanted a dog as a guide, no matter their race, religion, employment status, or income to have one. He spent his own money to bring the first dogs and trainers to Minneapolis and expanded his own fifty-acre stables to include kennels to house and train the dogs. If a potential recipient could not afford to travel to Minnesota to train with the dog, he financed their travel and housing during their stay. After the first few dogs demonstrated the dramatic impact on the lives of the blind men and women who received his trained dog guides, the Twin Cities Jewish community became regular and significant contributors to the Master Eye Foundation (MEF).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>The MEF school raised funds through donations and collaborating with a pet food company. For every few labels from Perk Dog Food cans mailed back to the foundation’s post office box in Minneapolis, the Perk Company donated money to the MEF.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Dog guide schools that followed in the next few years required the blind person to pay $150 towards their first dog. Their philosophy was that if the blind person paid a significant part of the cost of the dog, the blind person would appreciate the dog and take better care of it. Yet, most adults could not afford the dog on their own. They went to family, community groups, churches, or charities to ask for funding to travel to New Jersey to obtain their guide dog. This brought a higher public profile to the other schools.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) in New York warned of several fraudulent schemes regarding the blind and dog guides. Although the AFB never said the Perk labels were fraudulent, their articles had a dampening effect in the many states where Perk was sold.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Celebrity contacts Jack made in Hollywood through his wholesale cosmetic company such as V. E. Meadows and Eve Parshalle, raised funds for the foundation. He traveled to Hollywood several times in the 1930s when proposed legislation to allow dog guides for the blind into public places was introduced in the California State House. He held press conferences to emphasize his support. The Hollywood contacts hosted glamorous dances, even during the Depression for the foundation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>William A. Christensen, owner of a manufacturer’s distribution firm and chiropractor in Hollywood, California, received Almo from MEF. William later founded the National Eye Dog Association that began training dogs primarily for WWI vets living in California. Almo was the first dog ever awarded a medal of honor by the City of Los Angeles after awakening his master, alerting William to a fire in the hotel they were staying at. Almo was credited for saving several lives that day.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>One of Jack’s most famous students was Geraldine Lawhorn, a Black, deafblind actress and pianist. Blondie, her dog, received the most public attention after Senator Thomas Schall’s dog. Yet, there were thousands of owner and guide partnerships that went unmentioned in the media. MEF did not have a PR department, advisory board of influential and wealthy contributors, or the regular support of the blind themselves. A few pictures remain in archives at the University of Minnesota showing blind men and women, white, Indian, Black, and Asian. Sadly, no names grace the backs of the pictures.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Jack trained dogs for the blind personally until several months before his death in 1984. His son continued for a few more years, but the training of dogs for the blind ceased. The assets of the MEF were purchased by Can Do Canines, a dog training school focusing on service dogs for the deaf. Unfortunately, Jack remains an all-but-forgotten contributor to the independent travel of many blind men and women.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>----------<o:p></o:p></span></p><h2 id=inspiration-education-and-where-we-fit-in-speaking-for-blind-people><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Inspiration, Education, and Where We Fit in Speaking for Blind People<o:p></o:p></span></h2><p><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>by Gary Wunder</span></strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Perhaps it is just me, but I recently observed several points of tension when it comes to the message we want to send about blind people through the National Federation of the Blind. Two issues come to mind, and I hope to be able to spark discussion on both as a result of this article.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>The first issue deals with the question of when we think it is acceptable to recognize something that a blind person is doing and when that crosses the line to become so-called “inspiration porn.” When most of us listen to the news, we often find ourselves brought down. Whether it is the stories of war, school shootings, gang violence, or drug overdoses, we don't usually find a lot to cheer about in the headlines. Is it any surprise, then, that we look for things that are good and positive, things that will motivate us, things that will show us that the world is more than it appears to be?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>I know that when I hear all of the bad in the news, I look for the story of inspiration, the story of odds overcome, the story of the Golden Rule prevailing over selfishness and greed. I think this tendency for inspiration is also true for our publications, which range from the <em><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Braille Monitor</span></em> to the literature we use for public education. Where is the line drawn between inspiration porn and something being newsworthy because it doesn’t happen every day? More to the point, how will the blind people whom we have not yet reached learn of the possibilities they might aim for if these stories are not told?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Forty-five years ago we got television coverage because we marched in the American Royal Parade in Kansas City, Missouri. What were we doing? In the words of the man who was then our state president, we were demonstrating exceedingly bad judgment by exposing our wingtip shoes to the same street that one minute ago had been trod by horses. Certainly we were not demonstrating our best in independent travel by simply following the crowd, but the event made the news because the public was surprised that blind people would leave our homes and participate actively in a major community event.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Not only did we get footage during the parade—something almost every participant got—but we got way more time on camera, much more glowing commentary, and even made the six and ten o’clock news. Inspiration porn? We didn’t think so. We were, rightly or wrongly, quite proud; we were raising the expectations for blind people and hoping that our small march would make life better for ourselves and others.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Our website, our convention, and our <em><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Braille Monitor</span></em> are filled by examples of blind people doing things that we and others have considered noteworthy. Is it amazing that Brian Buhrow goes to work every morning, brings home a good salary, goes to concerts of his choosing, and takes one or more major vacations each year where he explores everything he can get his hands on? With the right kind of promotion, I bet I could get that into almost any newspaper in the country and could certainly do so in the local ones. Is he amazing? When I listen to the plumbing and electrical work he does around his home, hear his descriptions of the way digital equipment works, observe how much he is able to detect when feeling things I never think to put my hands on, I would say yes, my friend is amazing. Was Dick Edlund amazing for running his own hardware store, closing it to become a civil rights worker for the blind, and later becoming a member of the Kansas State Legislature? I would label him amazing. When James Omvig left high school and spent the next seven years of his life in near seclusion but turned all of that around when he met Kenneth Jernigan and the Iowa Commission for the Blind, was Jim amazing? Was Kenneth Jernigan amazing when he moved from poor farm boy with little opportunity to become the leading civil rights figure for the blind in the twentieth century? Is the country that made such a rehabilitation process possible amazing? Perhaps I’ve set the bar too low, but my answer to all of these is yes.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>The second issue is public education. When I joined and for quite a long time thereafter, we saw it as one of our core missions to educate the public. Never did we underestimate the mammoth job we were undertaking, but we considered it as both an obligation and a privilege to take on this task. Certainly we have all had times when we admitted that we didn’t feel like educating, when we didn’t do all that we might have, and even times when we were rude or dismissive because the day had been too long and too hard. But only recently have I begun to hear a very different proposition that seems to go something like this: members of the public are ignorant, mostly because they choose to be, and it isn’t my responsibility to set them straight. If they want to know more about blindness, let them go to the library or to the internet. I’m tired of hearing about how amazed they are that I can go to an airport, catch a plane, visit a new city, go to a hotel I’ve never stayed at before, and manage to pull down a salary for the productive work I do that requires all of this. If they don’t give a second thought to the fact that they can do it, why do they bother to make such a fuss over me? And why, in the name of good sense, should I be bothered with their never-ending chatter and amazement?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>To many of these questions my only answer is that there is a lot to learn about the world and the diverse people who make it go round. Sometimes our lack of information or our ignorance is intentional. We’ve already made up our mind, and we don’t want it to be more complicated than it already is. We are comfortable with the stereotype that elevates us above others, that makes us believe that everything good that happens to us was a matter of making the right choice and, in keeping with that, everything that happens that is sad or unfortunate was, at its root, a matter of bad choices. That kind of ignorance gets us off the hook. But most people who are ignorant—or to be gentler about it, those who lack information—aren’t even aware that they don’t know. When they realize they don’t know, they want to learn. If in ignorance they have held the belief that turns out not to be true, it may take more persuasion than we like to convince them that they should change.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>I think the question we have to ask ourselves is quite simple: If not us, who? Whether we want or accept the task every minute of every day, to whom would we entrust the responsibility of educating people about blind folks? Yes, I am tired of the repetitious questions about other senses that are heightened, my strong sense of empathy for others, my ability to see through the obstacles sight offers and to be the visionary who sees the real person inside. I’m tired of having to constantly make the case for accessibility, but to whom do I wish to entrust this job?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>As members of the National Federation of the Blind, we carry the unique responsibility to educate the public. While this task is sometimes daunting, it remains a crucial part of advocating for and representing blind people accurately and respectfully. It is a part of raising expectations, and just because it can sometimes be repetitious and time-consuming is no reason to avoid the challenge and the opportunity it presents. Isn’t it a major tenet of our philosophy that we are the people who should speak for blind people as a matter of principle, and don’t we generally believe that we know more about blindness than others who would presume to speak for us? Is carrying this load an unwanted burden, or is it part of getting what we have demanded all along? We have demanded the right to speak for ourselves as the people most qualified to do so, and to take responsibility for explaining to the public what it means to be blind and what those of us who are blind can do as caring, giving, and competent human beings. Is carrying this load an unwanted burden for part of getting what we have demanded all along: the right to speak for ourselves as the people most qualified to do so and to take responsibility for explaining to the public what it means to be blind and what those of us who are blind can do as caring, giving and competent human beings? I suggest that among ourselves we growl a bit from time to time but that we never lose track of how many have tried to speak for us and how hard fought has been our struggle to be recognized as the experts on what it is to live Blindfully.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>----------<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>[PHOTO CAPTION: Justin Salisbury]<o:p></o:p></span></p><h2 id="community-cultural-wealth-and-the-empowerment-of-blind-people-through-the-national-federation-of-the-blind"><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Community Cultural Wealth and the Empowerment of Blind People through the National Federation of the Blind<o:p></o:p></span></h2><p><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>by Justin Salisbury</span></strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>From the Editor: One of the things I admire about Justin Salisbury is that he is constantly trying to incorporate what he learns with what he practices and knows to be the philosophy of the National Federation of the Blind. In terms of the gap between consumers and professionals, he is constantly trying to narrow it, and he doesn’t for one moment hide the fact that the National Federation of the Blind is the key to real progress forward for blind people. Here is what he has to say about cultural capital and what we might say to those who ask why they should be concerned about and encourage their clients to be involved in the National Federation of the Blind.</span></strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Science and research have sometimes been harmful to the blind, but there are indeed forms of science and research that we can use to our advantage. The theory of community cultural wealth was not specifically developed by the blind or for the blind, but I believe it is a powerful tool that we can use to explain a type of strength that we hold as a community.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>I am currently in my fifth year of life as a PhD student, and I have continued to be fascinated by how this important theory in educational research matches up so well with the kinds of benefits that I have received from my participation in the National Federation of the Blind. The term <em><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'>community cultural wealth</span></em> can be used to explain to many educational administrators, teachers, researchers, and gatekeepers how blind people of all ages can benefit from connecting with the National Federation of the Blind.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Before the framework of community cultural wealth was first published by Dr. Tara Yosso in 2005, it had been far too normal for education scholars and administrators to argue that students from marginalized racial groups were struggling in education and employment because they lacked the cultural capital required for success in education and employment. It was commonly argued that white people were the primary holders of this cultural capital, and if the people of color could just get better at whiteness, they could succeed. It was a way of blaming the marginalized people for their own struggles, arguing that the white way of doing things was the right way of doing things, and justifying an inherent superiority of the dominant group. Yosso used critical race theory to turn the old theory of cultural capital on its head and instead focus on the strengths that socially marginalized groups bring with them into education and employment. Yosso argued that marginalized groups cultivate and nurture community cultural wealth through six forms of capital, which I will define and explain soon. (The definitions are taken from Dr. Yosso’s original article, which is cited at the end of this one.) These forms of capital are (1) aspirational, (2) linguistic, (3) familial, (4) social, (5) navigational, and (6) resistant. With the introduction of this framework, leaders in education had a powerful framework to talk about the positive ways that marginalized communities were succeeding in the face of oppression.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>For those of us who are blind, we are used to society framing us as having deficits. We carry a kind of collective trauma from centuries of researchers assuming that something was wrong with us and trying to figure out what that was. This continues today, and we should not assume that it is over. There are ways that we can focus on the strengths of blind people and those things that help us to succeed the way that we want to succeed. I am not proposing that I am the first one to do this; in fact, there are researchers who belong to the National Federation of the Blind who work to uplift those strengths of the blind community. This theory is another tool for explaining what we already do, especially if we are talking to people with graduate degrees in education. When educational administrators want to know why they should help a blind child connect with the National Federation of the Blind, an answer in their jargon might be “community cultural wealth.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><em><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Aspirational capital</span></em><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'> is “the ability to maintain hopes and dreams for the future, even in the face of real and perceived barriers.” The National Federation of the Blind helps blind people to hold onto hopes and dreams, even in the face of structured inequality and societal misperceptions and low expectations. I had a dream of becoming the first person in my family to earn a college degree, and I also had a dream to go into the United States Coast Guard. I had thought that I would do both by attending the United States Coast Guard Academy, but becoming blind during my sophomore year of high school put an end to that. Before I met the Federation, I struggled to hold onto hope that I could really succeed in college. The Federation provided me role models who helped me to keep dreaming and hoping. I still hope that blind people can one day serve in the military, and the National Federation of the Blind is advocating for this change.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><em><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Linguistic capital</span></em><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'> means “the intellectual and social skills attained through communication experiences in more than one language and/or style.” Braille is not a language, but thankfully, this definition allows other options. Braille is a style of communication which supports us to develop and maintain intellectual and social skills. Braille gives us strength. It allows us to record important information and share it with each other. When I give presentations, I use notes in Braille, and I have the uncommon ability to read while maintaining eye contact with my audience. Some Braille readers like to have Braille versions of the most difficult things that they need to read because it can help them to grasp the information more fully. Using screen readers is also part of our linguistic capital. I catch a lot of spelling errors that sighted classmates miss because JAWS makes the awkward words sound noticeably different.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><em><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Familial capital</span></em><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'> means “those cultural knowledges nurtured among familia (kin) that carry a sense of community history, memory, and cultural intuition.” The Federation gives us kinfolk who share community history, memory, and intuition. We teach each other how to sense when something seems good or bad for us as blind people. We teach each other about histories of our movement and the blind community, from asylums to working homes to sheltered workshops to today. We know how hard blind people have fought to expand and protect Braille literacy. We know that we share a responsibility to manifest the dreams of our founders. Someone once told me that those who came before us are our blind ancestors, and I absolutely agree. I inherited many rights that my blind ancestors created for me. We share our history intentionally.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><em><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Social capital</span></em><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'> means “networks of people and community resources.” Quite simply, the Federation gives us social capital because the Federation gives us networks. Some of us may slip into the trap of thinking that the Federation is a referral service to send blind people to agencies that will handle all the learning. I emphasize that the Federation itself is the most important resource for blind people. When I need to learn something about the city where I live, I can go to a local chapter meeting of the NFB and ask. I may need to ask someone how to make a certain argument to advocate for myself or how to vote accessibly in the federal elections. My social capital through the Federation helps me to access other kinds of capital.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><em><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Navigational capital</span></em><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'> means “skills of maneuvering through social institutions.” I am not using navigational capital to describe cane travel skills. Still to this day, when I navigate through the vocational rehabilitation process, the knowledge and skills that I have gained through the National Federation of the Blind have been essential. When I first needed to learn how to negotiate accommodations in the classroom in higher education and learn who was responsible for what, the Federation was my key resource. I still use that knowledge today. We help each other learn to navigate systems all the time.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><em><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Resistant capital</span></em><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'> is “those knowledges and skills fostered through oppositional behavior that challenges inequality.” Resistant capital can show up when blind people advocate for ourselves individually or collectively. We could be meeting with Senators to pass a bill that eliminates the legal practice of paying disability-based subminimum wages. We could be pushing back when a vocational rehabilitation counselor denies our request to attend an out-of-state training center. We could be marching to protest service denials from rideshare drivers. We could be attending an individualized education plan meeting to help ensure that a blind child is taught Braille.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>From my understanding of community cultural wealth, every socially marginalized group has its own special flavor of community cultural wealth, but what is consistent is that we have one. The kinds of resistant capital that one marginalized group needs may be different from the kinds of resistant capital that another marginalized group needs because we are marginalized in different ways. Some of the stereotyping I receive as an Indigenous person in the United States is different than the stereotyping that I experience as a blind person, so I need different ways of pushing back on those stereotypes. If we look at linguistic capital, I have different phrases or words that I may use in primarily Indigenous spaces that differ from how I speak in an NFB affiliate board meeting. If I am in an NFB affiliate board meeting, I may use the term “VR counselor” and feel no need to explain it because it is part of the linguistic capital of the blind community.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Marginalized groups often share some kind of identity, and these identities can be separated into vertical identities and horizontal identities. These different kinds of identities are outlined in Solomon’s book referenced below. Vertical identities are identities where most people with that identity share it with their biological parents. Horizontal identities are identities where most people with that identity do not share it with their biological parents. In other words, a horizontal identity is simply a characteristic that members of a group have in common with others but that doesn’t come directly through their family or ancestry. Either the identity most often comes vertically down the family tree, or it most often does not. Therefore, blindness is a horizontal identity; it can, of course, be genetically inherited in some cases, but not all blind people acquire it in that way.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>With communities based around horizontal identities, organizations of people with that identity have a powerful role in defining the community values and positions, and they also act as a mechanism for transferring community cultural wealth. Since my sighted parents could not teach me about the community cultural wealth of the blind community, I needed to go outside the family and learn our community cultural wealth through the National Federation of the Blind. With vertical identities, biological parents can share it with their children, so the community organizations do not play as heavy a role in that process. The Federation is the primary hub for community cultural wealth in the blind community in the USA.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>For blind children and adults in the education and rehabilitation processes, learning about and embracing the community cultural wealth of the blind community helps us to become more successful. When we know how to dream and aspire, use Braille and other communication styles, navigate complex social systems, grow and maintain networks of supporters and allies, learn the knowledge from our blind ancestors, and know how to push back effectively against discrimination and low expectations, we become better equipped for success. To all the parents, teachers, special education administrators, vocational rehabilitation counselors, and college professors: If your blind student or VR consumer gets connected to the National Federation of the Blind, we will share our community cultural wealth with them. We will give them important tools to make them successful. We know our community cultural wealth better than anybody, and we are eager to share it with everybody. Sharing it does not deplete it. The more we share it, the stronger our community becomes, and the more our community cultural wealth grows. Let us share it with your student. Let us share it with your consumer. Let us share it with you.<o:p></o:p></span></p><h3 id=references><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>References<o:p></o:p></span></h3><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Solomon, A. (2012). <em><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Far from the tree: Parents, children and the search for identity.</span></em> Simon and Schuster.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Yosso, T. J. (2005). “Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community cultural wealth.” <em><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Race ethnicity and education</span></em>, 8(1), 69-91.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>----------<o:p></o:p></span></p><h2 id=south-carolinas-white-cane-awareness-day-proclamation><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>South Carolina’s White Cane Awareness Day Proclamation<o:p></o:p></span></h2><p><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>From the Associate Editor: Every chapter and affiliate is encouraged to request that their state or local government issue a proclamation recognizing White Cane Awareness Day (also known as White Cane Safety Day, although we prefer the former) on October 15. A template proclamation is available at</span></strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'> <strong><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif'>https://nfb.org/programs-services/blind-month. Here is what South Carolina’s governor said in his version of the proclamation for 2024:</span></strong><o:p></o:p></span></p><h3 id=state-of-south-carolina-governors-proclamation><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>State of South Carolina Governor's Proclamation<o:p></o:p></span></h3><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>WHEREAS, the white cane, which every blind citizen of South Carolina has the right to carry, demonstrates and symbolizes the ability to achieve a full and independent life and the capacity to work productively in competitive employment; and<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>WHEREAS, by allowing every blind person to move freely and safely from place to place, the white cane makes it possible for the blind to fully participate in and contribute to our society and to live the lives they want; and<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>WHEREAS, every citizen should be aware that the law requires that motorists and cyclists exercise appropriate caution when approaching a blind person carrying a white cane; and<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>WHEREAS, South Carolina state law also calls upon employers, both public and private, to be aware of and utilize the employment skills of our blind citizens by recognizing their worth as individuals and their productive capacities; and<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina has promoted independent living, mobility training, Braille literacy rights, and voting and jury duty rights, not to mention the White Cane Law passed in 1972; and<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>WHEREAS, the South Carolina Commission for the Blind came into existence in 1966 by the National Federation of the Blind advocating for legislation in order that this state agency shall assist in implementing vocational, assistive technology, Braille and computer literacy so the blind may find competitive employment and the elderly blind may live independently; and<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>WHEREAS, the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind, celebrating its 175th year of service this year, prepares this generation of blind children for their educational goals; and<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>WHEREAS, with the cooperative assistance of the National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina, along with the Commission for the Blind and the School for the Blind, South Carolina can and should facilitate the expansion of employment opportunities for greater acceptance of blind persons in the competitive labor market as the General Assembly has done by defeating subminimum wages for the blind and disabled workers in this state going into full effect in 2024.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>NOW, THEREFORE, I, Henry Dargan McMaster, Governor of the great State of South Carolina, do hereby proclaim October 15, 2024, as WHITE CANE SAFETY DAY throughout the state and encourage our schools, colleges, and universities to offer full opportunities for training blind persons, employers, and the public to utilize the available skills of competent blind persons, to open new opportunities for the blind in our rapidly changing society, and encourage all South Carolinians to recognize the white cane as a tool of independence for blind pedestrians on our streets and highways.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>HENRY DARGAN MCMASTER<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>GOVERNOR<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>----------<o:p></o:p></span></p><h2 id=monitor-miniatures><em><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Monitor</span></em><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'> Miniatures<o:p></o:p></span></h2><h3 id=news-from-the-federation-family><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>News from the Federation Family<o:p></o:p></span></h3><h4 id="american-action-fund-for-blind-children-and-adults-reaches-milestone-of-shipping-100000-free-white-canes-in-the-us"><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults Reaches Milestone of Shipping 100,000 Free White Canes in the US<o:p></o:p></span></h4><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>The American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults (Action Fund) has recently achieved a significant milestone by shipping its one hundred thousandth free white cane to a blind person in the United States. This accomplishment marks a pivotal moment in a program that was initiated in 2008 in collaboration with the National Federation of the Blind, the transformative membership and advocacy organization of blind Americans.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“As we celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of White Cane Awareness Day today, the Action Fund is proud to support an effort that has enhanced the independence and mobility of blind people across the nation,” said Barbara Loos, President of the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults. “For over a century, we have provided the keys to literacy and independence, including Braille books and white canes, to blind and deafblind Americans. Our partnership with the National Federation of the Blind has amplified our reach and helped to make this program an outstanding success.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>“The impact of the free white cane program extends far beyond the physical tool itself, spreading independence, empowerment, and equality,” said Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind. “No blind person should be without a white cane, regardless of ability to pay, and the Action Fund has helped us make this a reality. We look forward to the continued growth of this critical program, which advances the lives of all blind people in the United States.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Blind people of all ages in the United States can receive a free fiberglass white cane as often as every six months through this program. For more information or to order your cane, visit <a href="https://nfb.org/programs-services/free-white-cane-program">https://nfb.org/programs-services/free-white-cane-program</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>To learn more about the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults and its other programs and services, visit <a href="http://www.actionfund.org">www.actionfund.org</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Please consider supporting the Action Fund. You can make a direct contribution at https://actionfund.org/index.php/donate or call 410-659-9315.<o:p></o:p></span></p><h4 id=bringing-fun-and-good-cheer-to-children><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Bringing Fun and Good Cheer to Children<o:p></o:p></span></h4><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>It’s the time of the year when the National Federation of the Blind helps bring fun and good cheer to children all over the country. Our Santa/Winter Celebration Braille letter program does just that. Children birth through age ten can receive a Braille letter from Santa or a Braille Winter Celebration letter in either English or Spanish. Along with the letters, children will receive a packet of activities that they can share with their parents, siblings, and grandparents because all of the items in the packet are sent in Braille and print. The program doesn’t last long. This year’s celebration runs from November 11 through December 16, 2024. You can find more information and request your letter at <a href="https://nfb.org/programs-services/early-childhood-initiatives/santa-letters">https://nfb.org/programs-services/early-childhood-initiatives/santa-letters</a>. Don’t waste time!!<o:p></o:p></span></p><h3 id=in-brief><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>In Brief<o:p></o:p></span></h3><p><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Notices and information in this section may be of interest to </span></strong><em><b><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Monitor</span></b></em><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'> readers. We are not responsible for the accuracy of the information; we have edited only for space and clarity.</span></strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><h4 id=the-touch-of-genius-award><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>The Touch of Genius Award<o:p></o:p></span></h4><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Dear Innovators,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Now that the school year has started, we would like to remind all of you that the Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation is taking applications for the 2025 year! Please continue to help us spread the word with your friends and colleagues. Applications are due January 10, 2025.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>The Touch of Genius Prize was developed to inspire entrepreneurs, educators, or inventors to continue the promotion of Braille and tactile literacy for blind and deafblind people worldwide. This prize can be granted for innovative and accessible computer software applications, tactile hardware, or curriculum that promotes Braille and/or tactile literacy. NBP (National Braille Press) encourages all applicants to think outside the box for what can be used to help improve the lives of blind people. Even if you have applied in previous years, we encourage you to apply again! The winner of this prize will receive up to $10,000, which will help them to continue to innovate in the fields of technology and education for the blind community. The Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation is provided by the support of the Lavelle Fund for the Blind.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Full application details and more information can be found at <a href="http://www.touchofgeniusprize.org">www.touchofgeniusprize.org</a>. All questions can be directed to <a href="mailto:geniusprize@nbp.org">geniusprize@nbp.org</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><h3 id=monitor-mart><em><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Monitor</span></em><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'> Mart<o:p></o:p></span></h3><p><strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>The notices in this section have been edited for clarity, but we can pass along only the information we were given. We are not responsible for the accuracy of the statements made or the quality of the products for sale.</span></strong><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'><o:p></o:p></span></p><h4 id=wish-to-buy-tape-tutorials-for-older-access-technology><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>Wish to Buy: Tape Tutorials for Older Access Technology<o:p></o:p></span></h4><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>I am interested in buying tape tutorials for access technology from the 80s and 90s for the purpose of preservation, including but not limited to tapes for any of the following:<o:p></o:p></span></p><ul style='margin-top:0in' type=disc><li style='color:#1A1A1A;mso-list:l3 level1 lfo4'><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>JAWS for Windows 3.0 or earlier<o:p></o:p></span></li><li style='color:#1A1A1A;mso-list:l3 level1 lfo4'><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>JAWS for DOS<o:p></o:p></span></li><li style='color:#1A1A1A;mso-list:l3 level1 lfo4'><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>The Phil Scovell "talk me through" tutorials<o:p></o:p></span></li><li style='color:#1A1A1A;mso-list:l3 level1 lfo4'><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Project Assist tutorials produced by the Iowa Department for the Blind<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>If you have any of the above or similar, please email <a href="mailto:ameer.armaly@gmail.com">ameer.armaly@gmail.com</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>----------<o:p></o:p></span></p><h2 id=nfb-pledge><span style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>NFB Pledge<o:p></o:p></span></h2><p><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1A1A1A'>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.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></body></html>