[Nfbsf] Imagineering Our Future
David Andrews
dandrews at visi.com
Wed Apr 1 20:25:50 UTC 2009
Graphic Logo: NFB Jernigan Institute
Imagineering Our Future
Issue 11
March 31, 2009
In this issue:
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list of 12 items
• Message from the Executive Director
• What's New
• Education
• Braille Initiative
• Straight Talk About Vision Loss
• Technology Talk
• From the Jacobus tenBroek Library
• Independence Market
• Parent Outreach
• Spotlight on the Imagination Fund
• NFB Calendar
• Citation
list end
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Message from the Executive Director
block quote end
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Our moment in history has finally arrived!
When Louis Braille first observed the night
writing code used by the French military, I
wonder, did he recognize what the moment meant and how that moment
would be a turning point in history? From our
perspective in time, all we can do is speculate
about the events of that moment and how they unfolded into
the code that gives knowledge to the blind even
today. However, we know much about our current
moment in time and the turning point that is represented
by the launch of the Louis Braille Bicentennial
Silver Dollar—hosted at the NFB Jernigan Institute on March 26, 2009.
On that day, we released
The Braille Literacy Crisis in America: Facing
the Truth, Reversing the Trend, Empowering the Blind.
This comprehensive report discusses the current
status of Braille literacy—the crisis facing the
blind—and provides our unwavering commitment to eliminate
that crisis through our Braille Readers are
Leaders Literacy Campaign. Of course, the Louis
Braille coin first went on sale that day, and over seventeen
thousand coins were sold—suggesting that this
coin is going fast. And the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration announced that two Louis Braille
coins will fly on the STS-125 mission scheduled
for later this year to provide servicing to the
Hubble Space Telescope (the subject of the book Touch the
Universe).
What will mark this moment that we cannot yet
recognize? What will it feel like to look back
when 20, 30, 50 percent of blind children are getting adequate
instruction in Braille? What will the
imaginative new opportunities be when we have
spread an understanding of Braille farther and wider than ever before?
It is hard to fully answer any of these
questions. However, we know with absolute
certainty that our complete dedication, our bold advancement, and our
hopeful spirit will forever be part of what makes this moment special.
Thank you for being part of this important moment
in time with the National Federation of the Blind.
Graphic: Signature of Mark Riccobono
Mark A. Riccobono, Executive Director, NFB Jernigan Institute
Featured NFB News
ANNOUNCING: Baltimore's new main event—the Cane Event!
Join the NFB for a night of decadence with all
proceeds benefiting our Braille literacy
programs! Ladies & gentlemen, now presenting Baltimore’s newest
main event, The Cane Event. Open bar, live
entertainment, seated dinner, and live & silent
auctions. Cocktail hour begins at 7:00 p.m. Black tie optional.
$120 a ticket. For info visit TheCaneEvent.org.
Braille is Beautiful. Logos: Deque Systems, Inc.,
BG&L, MDG, Smith Barney, IBM, M&T Bank
The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) will
host the Cane Event on April 4, 2009, at the
National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute in south
Federal Hill. The event will celebrate the NFB’s
Braille Readers are Leaders literacy campaign.
More than four hundred friends, colleagues, and blind people
from across the nation are expected to attend.
The event promises an evening of food, fun, and
entertainment—featuring a catered dinner, silent and live
auctions, and live music provided by Marquise.
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National
Federation of the Blind, said: “We are pleased
and proud to welcome our friends from the Baltimore community,
as well as friends from all over the country, to
our annual fundraiser the Cane Event. The evening
will surely be a remarkable celebration and will serve
to highlight the importance of Braille literacy
to the general public. There can be no doubt that
the ability to read and write Braille competently and
efficiently is the key to education, employment,
and success for the blind. Despite the
undisputed value of Braille, however, only about 10 percent of
blind children in the United States are learning
it. Please join us at the Cane Event as we work
together to reverse the downward trend in Braille literacy.”
Proceeds from this event will go to the National
Federation of the Blind’s Braille Readers are
Leaders campaign, a national initiative to promote the importance
of reading and writing Braille for blind children
and adults. The Braille Readers are Leaders
campaign kicked off in July of 2008 with the unveiling of
the design of a commemorative coin in recognition
of the two-hundredth anniversary of the birth of
Louis Braille (1809-1852), the inventor of the reading
and writing code for the blind that bears his
name. On March 26, the Louis Braille Bicentennial
Silver Dollar was released by the U.S. Mint.
Cane Event tickets may be purchased
online
; by phone at (410) 659-9314, extension 2419; or by
e-mail.
Education
Parent gives her young son a cane lesson
The NFB Jernigan Institute is holding an innovative
Beginnings and Blueprints Early Childhood Conference
in collaboration with the National Organization
of Parents of Blind Children and various
professionals in the early childhood field from across the Mid-Atlantic
region. This two-day conference (May 8-9, 2009)
will bring together families of blind children
and early childhood service providers, teachers, and professionals
in order to disseminate the NFB's approach to
best practices in early childhood education for blind children.
Families of blind and low vision children ages
birth to seven who live in the Mid-Atlantic
region are encouraged to attend. Families who live outside
of the area are also welcome to attend if they
desire, but should be aware that some of the
exhibits and information will be region-specific. Families
can choose among a variety of breakout sessions
on topics such as early movement, literacy, and
active learning. Families will also be able to consult
with early childhood professionals. Children are
encouraged to attend with their parents as there
will be activities with young blind children in mind.
Please complete the
online
or
print
registration form and submit by April 15, 2009. For more information please
e-mail Mary Jo Thorpe,
Education Programs Specialist, NFB Jernigan
Institute; call (410) 659-9314, ext. 2407; or visit the
Beginnings and Blueprints page.
Plans are in full swing for the NFB Jernigan Institute’s
Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning (BELL)
program in the summer of 2009. The BELL program
is designed to serve as a demonstration program
that provides intensive Braille instruction to low vision
children during the summer months. Statistics
show that only 10 percent of blind and low vision
children receive Braille instruction. Therefore, the NFB
aims to promote intensive summer programs, led by
its affiliate members, to help improve the amount
of exposure to Braille by young blind and low vision
children, raise literacy levels of this
population, and stir up greater interest in Braille education.
This pilot program will be modeled after the
successful 2008 BELL Program led by the NFB of
Maryland state affiliate. The NFB Jernigan Institute will expand
this program into Wisconsin and Georgia as well
during the summer of 2009. The program dates are:
Wisconsin, June 15-26; Georgia, July 13-24; and Maryland,
August 3-15. The states will host the Jernigan
Institute’s BELL Core Team during the two weeks
of their programs. BELL Core Team members will facilitate
a variety of fun, hands-on lessons ranging from
group activities to one-on-one instruction
designed to teach Braille to low vision children ages four to
twelve. Children will also be mentored by older
blind role models with positive attitudes about
blindness and visit various field trip sites. The NFB Jernigan
Institute plans to make the curriculum from this
program available to other states for future use
in developing their own BELL summer programs.
Braille Initiative
Photo: Coin launch ceremony
On March 26, 2009, the official launch ceremony
of the Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar
took place at the NFB Jernigan Institute. More than three
hundred NFB members and friends, as well as
variety of special guests and speakers including
Dr. Abraham Nemeth, Dr. Marc Maurer, Dr. Frederic K. Schroeder,
and U.S. Mint Director Ed Moy, gathered in the
Members Hall to celebrate this special day and to
have the first opportunity to purchase their piece of
the Braille literacy movement.
During the launch program guests were treated to
the reading of a very special resolution by
MarChé Daughtry, Brandon Pickrel, and Jason Polansky. Additionally,
White House Representative Kareem Dale was presented with a copy of
The Braille Literacy Crisis in America: Facing
the Truth, Reversing the Trend, Empowering the Blind,
and Dr. Joyce Winterton of NASA announced that
the Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar will
be the first commemorative coin to travel to space. If
you missed the event or just want to relive it, you can
watch
or
listen
to the coin launch program, including speeches
from Dr. Maurer and U.S. Mint Director Ed Moy.
In addition to the formal launch ceremony in
Baltimore, we had significant proclamations from
over thirty governors or state legislatures, and thousands
of members of the National Federation of the
Blind gathered in about fifty towns and cities
across America to celebrate this monumental day in history.
Many met with public officials and participated
in ceremonies to demonstrate our commitment to
Braille literacy and full participation in society.
Fifty thousand Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver
Dollars have been sold as of the publication of
this newsletter. To purchase yours, please visit the
U.S. Mint Web site. For more information about
Braille, the 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial
Siver Dollar, and the NFB's other Braille literacy efforts,
please visit
Braille.org,
join the
literacy campaign mailing list,
or follow on the social networking site
Twitter.
Straight Talk About Vision Loss
The 2008 scholarship class of the NFB.
Photo: 2008 scholarship class of the NFB
The
Straight Talk About Vision Loss
team presents
Straight Talk About Vision Loss Episode 24.
Anil Lewis discusses the NFB scholarship
program with the Jernigan Institute executive
director. TMarch 31 is the last day to apply for
thirty NFB scholarships,
ranging from $3,000 to $12,000, to be awarded at
the NFB National Convention in July. Anil Lewis
is chairman of the NFB scholarship committee as well
as a national board member.
Product and Access Technology Talk
The NFB Jernigan Institute Access Technology team
provides ongoing access technology awareness
services for universities and colleges in the area. On March
3, Dr. Jonathan Lazar, associate professor in the
Department of Computer and Information Sciences
at Towson University, and a group of his students visited
the International Braille and Technology Center
for the Blind (IBTC). The team has reached out
to groups of young engineers and computer scientists to
help further accessibility in the next generation.
As mentioned as an upcoming event in the previous
newsletter, the Access Technology team attended
and made three presentations at the California State
University at Northridge’s annual Technology and
Persons with Disabilities Conference this month.
In addition to the preparations for this conference,
they received a
tech tip from Adobe on accessible PDFs
and contributed three new posts to the AT blog—a final report on the
Consumer Electronics Show
in Las Vegas, a post on the
Plextalk Pocket digital talking book player,
and a write-up of the new
KNFB Reader Mobile software update.
The team also added a
list of manufacturers of CCTVs
—digital magnification devices using a camera and
screen—to their technology list, broadening the
resources available for low vision visitors to the site.
From the tenBroek Library
Several major events have happened recently or
are about to happen at the National Center. The
tenBroek Library wants to help you enjoy them, even if you
cannot be here.
On March 26, of course, the Jernigan Institute
hosted the official unveiling of the
Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar.
The tenBroek Library contributed some interesting
items to be viewed (visually and tactilely) at
the celebration, including several historic books in tactile
codes other than Braille. We are especially
pleased to have arranged to borrow, for this
event, an extremely rare copy of the
embossed pamphlet of 1829
in which Louis Braille first published the
Braille code. For more information, take a look at the
annotated bibliography
of books on Louis Braille and the development
of the Braille Code housed in the tenBroek Library.
April 4 is the date of the
Cane Event,
a gala dinner party that will no doubt be the
main event of the Mid-Atlantic social season. To
honor the cane, the tenBroek Library presents this link
to the NFB’s publication, Tom Bickford’s
The Care and Feeding of the Long White Cane.
Finally, the Jernigan Institute is presenting the second
Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium
on April 17. The Obama administration will be
represented by an official with great
responsibility for programs related to blindness and other disabilities.
The symposium will be of concern to lawyers and
all interested in disability rights. More than fifty years ago, in his speech
Within the Grace of God,
Jacobus tenBroek laid out key arguments regarding
blindness that have become fundamental to the disability rights movement.
Please join the tenBroek Library as we celebrate
Louis Braille, the long white cane, and Jacobus tenBroek!
Independence Market
The upcoming Cane Event celebration highlights
the long white cane as a key to independence and
freedom for blind people. With good mobility skills blind
people gain control over their own movements and
can travel freely and independently in both
familiar and unfamiliar environments. Thomas Bickford's
Care and Feeding of the Long White Cane
(mentioned above) is a self-help guide that
encourages blind individuals to grow their cane travel independence. The
author shares his own experiences about learning
how to use a long white cane and traveling
independently in a variety of settings. The reader learns about
choosing a cane, negotiating steps, walking down
a city sidewalk and using landmarks as travel
cues, making use of various modes of public transportation,
and traveling in adverse weather conditions and
in rough terrain. This practical how-to guide,
encouraging blind individuals new to cane travel to venture
out with their long white cane, is available from the Independence Market in
print, Braille, and four-track cassette.
The Independence Market also sells books
geared toward teaching independent cane travel skills to children and youth:
Independent Movement and Travel in Blind Children: A Promotion Model
(by Joseph Cutter) is full of practical tips
and strategies about how parents and teachers can
help a blind child develop normal and independent movement.
It includes detailed instructions and information
about canes—what kind, when a child should get
one, etc.—and introduces the "Bottom-Up" approach to teaching
orientation and mobility to young children of
developmental ages birth through kindergarten.
Modular Instruction for Independent Travel for
Students Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
(by Doris Willoughby and Sharon Monthei) is a
practical guide for the mobility teacher,
classroom teacher, or parent, that offers a thousand creative suggestions
for teaching cane travel to preschool through
high school blind and low vision students in
every possible setting. And, of course, the Independence Market
also has
long white canes
available in all sizes.
Parent Outreach
In honor of the two-hundredth birthday of Louis
Braille, we are issuing a special edition of
Future Reflections, our quarterly magazine for parents and
teachers of blind children. The "Special Issue: A
Celebration of Braille" edition features a brief
biography of Louis Braille by children's author Deborah
Kent-Stein; a fascinating historical timeline
about the "War of the Dots"; a playful poem about
Braille from deaf-blind author, John Lee Clark; descriptions
of innovative Braille programs; inspiring stories
that celebrate the impact Braille has had in the
lives of ordinary blind people; and much more. The edition
will be available online by mid-to-late-April and
in print by the end of the month.
Future Reflections
has a print format domestic circulation of over
fourteen thousand, and thousands more read it
internationally and in other formats. The magazine informs,
inspires, raises expectations, and provides a
blueprint for change and action to improve the
lives and education of blind and low vision children.
Spotlight on the Imagination Fund
Photo: NY Tweens and Teens program
The Imagination Fund
provides support for the outreach efforts of
local Federation chapters and affiliates
throughout the United States as well as the research, technology,
and education programs and initiatives of the NFB
Jernigan Institute. The Imagination Fund was
established January 2004 with the Grand Opening of our NFB
research and training institute. On May 17 and
18 of last year the National Federation of the
Blind of New York and its Parents of Blind Children Division (POBC)
held a two-day seminar for children, parents,
educators, and other interested parties. The
emphasis was on “tweens and teens.” The seminar addressed
all aspects of the lives of blind children and
focused on the changes in their needs and their
dreams and goals. All aspects of their development were
considered as presenters interacted with the
participants. Every group was challenged
concerning the need for and the use of such things as Braille,
the long white cane, and adaptive
technology. Attendees discussed the wide-ranging
possibilities of career choices for young blind people. There was much
hands-on exposure to Braille and alternative
techniques. A cane walk in Midtown Manhattan was also included. The
Tweens and Teens Seminar
was supported by the fundraising efforts of the
NFB as part of the Imagination Fund grant program.
NFB Calendar
2009 Year of Louis Braille's Bicentennial,
launch of the U.S. Louis Braille Bicentennial
Silver Dollar, and kickoff of the
NFB Braille Literacy Campaign.
March 26, 2009
U.S. Mint
began sales of the
Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar.
March 31, 2009 Deadline to apply for
thirty NFB scholarships,
ranging from $3,000 to $12,000, to be awarded at National Convention in July.
Get more information
or
fill out an application online.
Image: The Cane Event banner
April 4, 2009
The Cane Event: Celebrating Braille Readers are Leaders,
Members Hall, NFB headquarters, Baltimore.
Image: Whozit wearing a top hat
Break out your top hat and be a part of the Cane
Event: Celebrating Braille Readers are Leaders,
at the NFB Jernigan Institute. Please join us the evening
of Saturday, April 4, for entertainment, food,
and silent and live auctions. Support the
Jernigan Institute and have fun. Visit
thecaneevent.org
for details and to
buy your tickets online.
You can be a Braille Literacy Champion! This
ticket package option includes recognition for
you or your company, two Cane Event tickets, and one Louis
Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar, all for $500.
April 15, 2009
Jacob Bolotin Awards
online
application and nomination
deadline. April 15, 2009 Deadline to sign up for
Beginnings and Blueprints Early Childhood Conference.
Sign up
online
or download a
print
registration form. April 17, 2009
Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium.
Register online.
View the
agenda.
May 8-9, 2009
Beginnings and Blueprints Early Childhood Conference,
open to parents of blind children ages birth to
seven. Part of NFB Jernigan Institute's
Early Childhood Education initiative.
May 30, 2009
Pre-registration
cut-off for
NFB 2009 National Convention.
When purchased online before May 31st, the
pre-registration fee for convention is $15 ($20
on-site) and the cost of a banquet ticket is $35 ($40 on-site).
June 8-13, 2009
Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning (BELL)
program Core Team Member training at NFB
Jernigan Institute. June 15-26, 2009
Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning (BELL)
program in Wisconsin.
July 3-8, 2009
NFB 2009 National Convention,
Marriott at the Renaissance Center, Detroit,
Michigan. For reservations, write directly to
the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center, 100 Renaissance Center,
Detroit, Michigan 48243, or call 1-800-266-9432.
Information for sponsors, exhibitors, and other attendees is
online.
Now available—discounted
online pre-registration and banquet ticket sales.
July 13-24, 2009
Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning (BELL)
program in Georgia.
July 6, 2009
Motor City March for Independence,
A Walk for Opportunity, Detroit, Michigan.
Register to participate
in the third annual March in Detroit. Hear an
audio report on last year's Dallas March.
July 26-August 1, 2009
NFB Youth Slam:
A STEM Leadership Academy, University of Maryland, College Park. View a
video
about this exciting event! August 3-15, 2009
Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning (BELL)
program in Maryland.
Citation
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A good education is the key to success, and every
American deserves an equal opportunity to receive
a good education. Inherent to being educated is being
literate. The ability to read and write means
access to information that, in turn, leads to
understanding and knowledge. And knowledge is power—the power
to achieve, function in the family, thrive in the
community, succeed in a job, and contribute to
society. Nearly 90 percent of America’s blind children
are not learning to read and write because they
are not being taught Braille or given access to
it. There is a Braille literacy crisis in America. The
National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the
largest and most influential membership
organization of blind people in the United States, is taking swift
action to reverse this trend. This year, 2009,
marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Louis
Braille, inventor of the system that allows blind people
to read and write independently. Coinciding with
this anniversary, the NFB has announced specific
action to address the education of America’s blind children
so that every blind child who has a need for
Braille will have the opportunity to learn
it. In this report to the nation on the state of Braille literacy
in America, the NFB examines the history and
decline of Braille education, addresses the
crisis facing the blind today and key factors driving it, and
proposes a number of action steps to double the
Braille literacy rate by 2015 and eventually reverse it altogether. —
The Braille Literacy Crisis in America: Facing
the Truth, Reversing the Trend, Empowering the Blind,
A Report to the Nation by the National Federation
of the Blind Jernigan Institute, March 26, 2009
Back to Top
Thank you for reading the NFB Jernigan
Institute's Imagineering Our Future.
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Mentor Trevor Attenberg leads campers along the nature trail
Photo: Group on white water raft
Support the Jernigan Institute through the
Imagination Fund
Photo: Young woman playing flute
Interesting links:
Archive of Straight Talk about Vision Loss videos
National Center for Blind Youth in Science
Access Technology Tips
Photo: Youth practicing martial art
Blogs:
Access Technology
Voice of the Nation's Blind
Photo: Senior couple
Publication archives:
Voice of the Diabetic
Future Reflections
Braille Monitor
Photo: Mom and son take a moment and a hug
Graphic Logo: National Federation of the Blind
Visit us at
nfb.org
Photo: Blind little girl with cane
Photo: Blind youth reading Braille book
Photo: Blind girl examining model of constellations
Photo: Blind boy with tactile globe
Blind Teens Carry the 2007 Youth March for Independence Banner
Imagine a Future Full of Opportunity
Jernigan Institute, National Federation of the
Blind, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, MD 21230
(410) 659-9314 Fax (410) 659-5129 E-mail
JerniganInstitute at nfb.org
Visit us at www.nfb.org
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