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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Ohio,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Today Deanna sent out information on one of our Fundraisers. So, if you wonder why we fund raise, read below.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Please pass this fundraiser far and wide to help support our programs and services. I have also included her info for you.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>We all should do whatever we can to promote the efforts of the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio. It is with hope, love and determination that dreams are transformed into reality.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Suzanne<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>///<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>And now the news everybody has been waiting for!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Malley's Chocolates Easter Fundraiser is back!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>I know your mouth has been watering just thinking about the delicious Malley's Chocolates and Candy! Malley's chocolates and candy will make an excellent gift for your loved ones (or yourself). Remember that Easter is April 12th this year.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Please place your online order to help the NFB of Ohio raise money. Visit this link to check out all of the wonderful goodies that Malley's offers:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><a href="https://malleys.com/fundraising/campaign/natl-fed-blind-ohio/">https://malleys.com/fundraising/campaign/natl-fed-blind-ohio/</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Feel free to share this info with your friends, family, co-workers, church members, neighbors, etc. And remember that the deadline for online orders in Monday, April 6th. Orders of $75 or more will receive FREE SHIPPING! You may want to coordinate a group order.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>You can place your online order now; Malley's will start shipping items on March 9.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Thanks so much for participating in this wonderful fundraiser! Again, feel free to share the link with others!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Check out what your contribution does for the blind! Read below!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Deanna Lewis<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>NFB of Ohio Fundraising Committee<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Bells Ring Again in 2019<br>by Debbie Baker, Marianne Denning, and Eric Duffy <><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Editor’s note: Debbie Baker and Marianne Denning are both seasoned teachers of blind children. They are all blind themselves, so their teaching and leadership are shaped and sharpened by personal experience. Ohio is incredibly lucky to have Debbie and Marianne as the instructors in our Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning Academy for the sixth year. We are also very fortunate to have Eric Duffy back in Ohio and back in the saddle as BELL coordinator. Half the students were returning campers, and half were new to Ohio BELL, though three of them had attended BELL in another state. Here is the report on BELL 2019 from the teachers’ and coordinator‘s point of view:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>The Bell program began in Maryland more than ten years ago with one clear idea in mind: “If the schools won’t teach blind children Braille, then we will.” For far too long blind and low vision students around the country were not given the opportunity to learn Braille even when deteriorating eye conditions or other circumstances meant that Braille was the only form of real literacy for these students. Other NFB affiliates soon began replicating the efforts of the Maryland affiliate. Bells now ring in thirty-five states.<br><br>The first Bell program took place in Ohio in 2013. We weren’t sure about a lot of things including how we were going to fund it and how we were going to find students and volunteers, but it all came together.<br><br>We got funding because chapters, divisions, and individuals saw the value of the program and raised money and made personal contributions. Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) and DD Council provided support as well. DD Council has continued to support the program since then.<br><br>At that point we operated a two-week program, and the students went home each day. Although teaching and learning Braille was our primary focus, we soon learned that there were many other things we needed to concentrate on. We had students who didn’t know how to put their shoes on the correct feet or how to tie their shoes. We had students who didn’t know how to dress themselves. We knew we had to change the expectations parents had for their blind children and the expectations that the blind children had for themselves. Of course we began working on expectations immediately.<br><br>In 2016 Ohio conducted our first residential Bell program. We thought this would be the best way to address some of the issues mentioned above. We had to teach students how to prepare for the next morning, how to find clothes for the next day, how to find shoes in the morning and pajamas at night, and where they had left their canes. We could address many issues in a residential setting that are normally addressed at home.<br><br>A great deal of planning and preparation go into a program of this magnitude. Fund raising is an ongoing process. Planning usually begins in November, and our work ends with a conference call to talk about the program that just ended and what we might do differently next year.<br><br>For some time we have wanted a nurse to be on site at all times. We also knew that we needed a dedicated cook. This year we were fortunate to have Ruth Boggs as a volunteer. She met both of these needs. Her service went above and beyond the call of duty. Even in times of real stress and seeming chaos, Ruth was competent, courteous, and professional. Her enthusiasm was contagious, and her work was very much appreciated. Ruth is already looking forward to volunteering for Bell in 2020, and we are certainly looking forward to having her with us again.<br><br>Some of our students have been returning since that first program in 2013. At least two of these students, MaKenzie Love and Phillip Sotak, have participated in a national Braille reading and writing competition. We knew that we had to offer these returning students more than the existing Bell curriculum has to offer. So we set out to find volunteers to help teach STEM subjects: science, technology, engineering, and math. Caroline Carbowski and Emily Kiehl were the answers to our prayers. Caroline is now a sophomore at the Ohio State University. She is sighted, but as Dr. Jernigan used to say, “In her heart she is as blind as we are.” She began learning Braille in junior high school, and she is now learning to use a cane under learning shades. Emily has low vision and is a student at the University of Cincinnati. You will read about some of the amazing things they did later in this article.<br><br>We had several first-time volunteers this year, and we had many returning veterans. This program truly is a labor of love. The children we serve are not our biological children, but they are our spiritual children. They are the next generation of the blind, and we must do what we can to build a better future for them than the one we inherited. We do that through BELL and many of the other programs of the National Federation of the Blind.<br><br>Parents, you must help us build this future. Reinforce positive attitudes about blindness even if they challenge your own beliefs. Find a way to stay in contact with the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio throughout the year. Don’t wait until the next BELL program before we hear from you again. Start spreading the word about the next program now. Plant the seed with other families. Although we don’t yet have a date for the next BELL program, we will have one next year. Help us raise funds. Chapters and divisions please do the same.<br><br>That is what the 2019 BELL Coordinator has to say. Here is what our two lead teachers say:<br><br>Twelve students and their families arrived at the Ohio State School for the Blind on Sunday, July 21, between noon and 2:00 p.m. While parents, grandparents, and guardians met for discussion with NFB National BELL trainer Cayte Mendez and Ohio BELL staff, students met upstairs in the science room to explore fossil bones and to create crafts. This year’s Academy experience offered two learning tracks. Students above 11 years old learned STEM activities related to science, and younger students concentrated on activities related to reading and writing Braille. All students participated in activities related to cooking and baking, played Red Light Green Light using their canes, and practiced cardinal directions in the gymnasium.<br><br>Parents were encouraged to promote and maintain the level of independence that their children would learn during the residential BELL week. They were urged to incorporate the NFB philosophy and advocacy in students’ IEPs. They also received NFB literature, and President Payne invited them to attend our state convention in November.<br><br>During the second introductory hour, students returned to sit with their families and to hear an overview of the upcoming week. They were introduced to the concept of “bell ringers”—first-time attempts or accomplishments of new skill or knowledge.<br><br>Visiting families, BELL students, and staff were invited to eat pizza and enjoy fellowship. After dinner students prepared molasses cookie dough for baking. They rolled the dough into balls, rolled them in white sugar, and placed them on cookie sheets for baking. When the cookies were cool, students were invited to eat at least one cookie each. The rest of the dough was frozen for baking later in the week for dessert. BELL participant MaKenzie Love agreed to put the cookie sheets into the hot oven and to remove them when the baking time was up. In prior years, when MaKenzie was a young BELL student, she had been frightened of hot stovetops and ovens and was not permitted to be near them in her home kitchen. This was the first of many breakthrough moments that BELL students and staff shared during the week.<br><br>Students and staff met each morning to walk together to the main school building. As we walked, Miss Paula, retired music therapist from Cincinnati, led us in a new song, “It’s all about that Braille, ‘bout that Braille, no print.” Students’ academic day always ended with their writing a journal entry about the activities of the day. Students also wrote and decorated thank-you cards to the ice cream truck driver who came to the school on Thursday evening, to airport staff from John Glenn International Airport, and Gateway Theater staff, who provided the audio-described version of The Lion King.<br><br>Students of the STEM track learned about genetic DNA, the behavior of water molecules, basic computer coding, and 3-D printing. Younger students learned to locate and name parts of the Perkins Brailler, recited basic sight word vocabulary, read and wrote UEB contracted Braille, and practiced pouring liquids. All students used Braille recipes and directions to prepare Pigs in a Blanket for one lunch and ‘Tater Tot Casserole for dinner and prepare and bake two sheet cakes and a set of cupcakes for the traditional Louis Braille birthday party. They frosted and decorated the cakes and cupcakes, using M ’n M’s to spell the Braille letters for “Happy birthday Louis Braille.” Students enjoyed breaking a pinata in the shape of an airplane during the Louis Braille party.<br><br>We visited John Glenn International Airport on Tuesday. The kids learned about the check-in talking kiosk, experienced screening through security, and explored the carousel at baggage claim.<br><br>On Thursday the older students donned disposable gloves and dissected dogfish sharks. Later that day the younger students handled the sharks to learn what their classmates had discovered. The children touched the thick shark skin, explored and named the various fins along the body, and found the heart, brain, stomach, liver, and intestines. They discovered that some of the sharks were female, containing fully formed baby sharks. The dogfish is one shark that gives birth to live young. Stomach contents contained some fishbones and whole fish. All of the science activities were led by Caroline Carbowski and Emily Kiehl.<br><br>Older students also visited that afternoon with a representative from Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) to discuss their transition from middle school into high school and then future employment. Everyone enjoyed the chance to discuss these issues with Sarah Kelly, and we hope Sarah enjoyed the chance to get to know the students a little and to learn more about our Bell program.<br><br>Evening activities included the audio-described performance of The Lion King, a shopping trip to Target for which each student was given $15 to spend, a goalball game for the boys, and polishing nails for the girls. And, of course, don’t forget the visit from Mr. Ray in his ice-cream truck.<br><br>Coordinator Eric Duffy and the teachers, Marianne and Debbie, extend special thanks to all our volunteers for another fun and successful Academy, especially those who joined us for the first time. Among those who came for the first time were Ruth Boggs, who served as our nurse and cook, and four interns from the OSU higher ed program, who joined us as teachers of blind students and orientation and mobility specialists. Mrs. Paula Jordan, who had joined us two years for one day as music therapist, spent the entire week this year. Her daily music time was a highlight of each day. This was a very musical group of youngsters, and the songs Miss Paula chose were clearly meaningful.<br><br>We saw marked changes and growth in the students this year. Quiet kids were speaking up, and noisy ones were learning to listen to others. They were deeply respectful of each other and concerned when someone was having trouble. We hope and trust that the lessons we taught will stay with our students when they return to school this fall. We know that the things they taught us will stay with us forever.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>