[Nfbv-fairfax] {Disarmed} FW: National Federation of the Blind Newsletter - Kicking Glass, Raising the Bar, and Moving Forward

Cathy Schroeder cathy at sks.com
Thu Mar 3 15:49:45 UTC 2016 

I am forwarding this so that anyone may subscribe to this Newsletter if they desire.
 
 
There are several links at the bottom and throughout the newsletter to locations that more information on special interest topics may be obtained.
 
Cathy Schroeder, Vice-President
National Federation of the Blind,
Fairfax Chapter
 
From: Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind [mailto:IOF at nfb.org] 
Sent: Wednesday, March 02, 2016 10:22 AM
Subject: National Federation of the Blind Newsletter - Kicking Glass, Raising the Bar, and Moving Forward
 


  <http://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/image/nfb_logo_2.jpg> 

Imagineering Our Future



  Issue 84
March 2016   
In this issue:
*	Message from the President <> 
*	What's News at the NFB <> 
*	Braille Certification Training Program
*	Education
*	From the tenBroek Library <> 
*	Independence Market <> 
*	Advocacy
*	Access Technology
*	NFB Calendar <> 
*	Citation <> 
  <https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/images/Divider.gif> 

Message from the President

Dear Friends:
How much do low expectations impact our lives? Recently, I have worked with blind people in a couple of states where it is very clear that they are being conditioned by agencies serving the blind to settle for a bar that is lower than their talent, spirit, and potential should predict. It got me thinking about how strong the barrier is between artificially low expectations and a future full of unimagined opportunities. 
During the past few weeks the hashtag #KickingGlass has been making its way around in social media. It struck me that this is also a fitting hashtag for the work of the National Federation of the Blind over the past month—kicking through the glass ceilings that place artificially low expectations on our participation in society. We secured a landmark victory in Ohio where an employer was artificially limiting people with disabilities by falsely using an outdated provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act to pay far below minimum wage. In Maryland, the appellate court for the fourth circuit upheld a previous victory giving all people with disabilities in Maryland the right to a secret, verifiable, absentee ballot. These big glass breaks were accompanied by smaller individual kicks that shattered low expectations faced by individuals. The barriers ranged from the low expectations of internship-placement specialists who denied a qualified blind dietician access to a required internship slot, to helping a blinded vet get the equal access needed at his university, to assisting newly blind people get connected with blind mentors and quality rehabilitation resources.
Many more blind people have the opportunity to pursue their dreams because of the artificial barriers through which we have already kicked. However, our experience is that there are still far too many barriers and that the strength, determination, and consistent effort of the National Federation of the Blind is needed to continue #KickingGlass. Please continue to join with us in our quest to knock down all of the artificial barriers on the road to freedom and to make our understanding of blindness the #RealNormal in today’s society. 
Sincerely,
  <https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/images/MAR_signature.jpg> 
Mark A. Riccobono, President
National Federation of the Blind
  <https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/images/Divider.gif> 

What's News at the NFB

Disability Rights Ohio, National Federation of the Blind, and Autistic Self Advocacy Network Celebrate Landmark Decision Ordering Fair Pay from Sheltered Workshop
In a precedent-setting opinion <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4715&qid=1194755>  issued by an administrative law judge from the US Department of Labor (USDOL), three clients have been awarded minimum wage going forward and back pay from Seneca Re-Ad, a sheltered workshop run by the Seneca County Board of Developmental Disabilities. Follow this link to find out more: https://nfb.org/disability-rights-ohio-national-federation-blind-and-autistic-self-advocacy-network-celebrate <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4716&qid=1194755> .
The NFB Applauds Affirmation of Ruling on Access to Absentee Ballots
The ruling in National Federation of the Blind et al. vs. Linda H. Lamone et al. upheld a lower court ruling requiring the state of Maryland to make an accessible online ballot-marking tool available to blind voters who wished to vote by absentee ballot. You can read more at this address: https://nfb.org/national-federation-blind-applauds-affirmation-ruling-access-absentee-ballots <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4717&qid=1194755> . 

Lawsuit Filed against US Department of Health and Human Services through Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

The National Federation of the Blind and individual plaintiffs Juan Figueroa, Derek Manners, and Martti Mallinen announced the filing of a major federal lawsuit today in US District Court, District of Massachusetts, Western Division. The lawsuit charges the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through its sub-agency, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and its CMS sub-contractors, with systemically violating the civil rights of blind Medicare recipients. More information is available in the full press release at https://nfb.org/national-federation-blind-and-disability-advocates-charge-federal-health-agency-civil-rights <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4718&qid=1194755> .

Marrakesh Treaty Transmitted to US Senate

The National Federation of the Blind applauds President Obama's transmission of the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled to the United States Senate for ratification, and urges the Senate to act immediately to ratify the treaty. For more information on the treaty, please visit https://nfb.org/marrakeshfactsheet <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4719&qid=1194755> .
  <https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/images/Divider.gif> 

Braille Certification Training Program

Under a contract with the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress (NLS), the National Federation of the Blind administers the courses leading to NLS certification of Braille transcribers and proofreaders. Successful completion of these rigorous courses requires a great deal of time and effort on the part of the students. We congratulate the following individuals who earned certification during the month of December 2015:

Literary Braille Transcribing


Alabama

Anna Marguerite Trotman, Birmingham

California

Gregory Kent Bowlan, Nevada City
Mary Elizabeth Bradweill, Newcastle
Rayvaughn Royce Embry, Camarillo
Michael Karl McNeil, Vacaville
Jaimini Bhavin Mehta, Anaheim
Tanisha Shaunte Robinson, Long Beach

Connecticut

Patricia Anne Webb, Gales Ferry

Delaware

Jillian Hope Queen, Laurel

Florida

Taniuska Ramona Dulin, St. Augustine
LaVancy Prince Lawton, Hastings

Georgia

Marcellina Leihuanani Andrews, Douglasville

Indiana

Kimberly Jean Taylor, Lafayette

Kentucky

Li Zhou, Louisville

Massachusetts

Frances Renette Way, Teaticket

Michigan

Allison Marie Bandy, Saline

Missouri

Bethany Anne Fraley, Kansas City

Nebraska

Darci F. Welling, Ashland

Nevada

Ryan Oshun Moore, Las Vegas

North Carolina

Michael John Horton, Laurinburg

Ohio

Daniel S. Barich, Gambier

South Carolina

Carman Jenkins, Greenwood
LuRene' Kelso, Greenwood
Joshua Cam Truong, Rock Hill

Texas

Debbie Lynn Baker, Baytown
Katrina Michelle Hoelscher, Gatesville
Angeline Christine McInnis, Gatesville

Virginia

Patricia Lee Droppers, Arlington

Washington

Nicole DiFuria McCaslin, Vancouver

 


Literary Braille Proofreading


South Carolina

Denise Edgar Hagan, Greenwood

 


Mathematics (Nemeth) Braille Transcribing


Indiana

Michael Christianson, New Castle

Michigan

Edward Nicholas Holtz, Jackson

Ohio

Donald T. Sumser, Grafton
  <https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/images/Divider.gif> 

Education

Embrace Your Engineering Quotient (EQ) 
Are you interested in pursuing work in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) after high school? Do you enjoy investing your talent and energy in solving real-world problems? Join the National Federation of the Blind for one of the 2016 NFB EQ programs—week-long engineering programs for blind and low-vision high school students to be held this summer from June 19-25 and July 31-August 6. At these programs, you will collaborate with other students to solve problems that exist in developing countries. You will spend the week working on a team to engineer solutions to these problems. Your team will create proposals with accompanying models, which you will pitch to various stakeholders. After constructing life-size prototypes of your designs, you will test them in authentic settings. You will also have the opportunity to meet and collaborate with a number of engineers from across the country, some of whom happen to be blind. Throughout the program, students will work to demonstrate mastery of the engineering design processes, as well as engineering concepts such as prototyping, design viability, and data collection and analysis. This program will provide teens with the opportunity to hone their engineering skills—from technical knowledge, to problem-solving ability, to the understanding that through engineering one can improve other people’s quality of life. The program curriculum was developed by engineering educators and is aligned with both the Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards. To learn more and apply, please visit: http://www.blindscience.org/NFBEQ <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4722&qid=1194755> . 
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1322855.  Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
  <https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/images/Divider.gif> 

From the tenBroek Library

Despite the complications caused by a historic blizzard, which dumped about two feet of snow on our nation’s capital, the National Federation of the Blind recently completed another successful Washington Seminar on January 26-29. This unique and effective event has been going on since the early 1970s and brings Federation members from across the country to speak directly with their elected officials in Congress about important legislative issues. But did you know that the NFB has had a presence in Washington, DC, almost since its inception in 1940? As early as the spring 1941 session of the Seventy-Sixth Congress, the Federation was sending representatives to lobby for or against bills that could drastically affect the lives of blind Americans and, in fact, lobbying with the federal government is one of the main reasons that the NFB was founded. The February issue of the Braille Monitor featured an article by the tenBroek Library’s own Anna Kresmer, which details the early efforts of the NFB to lobby for changes in the Social Security Act during our organization’s first decade. To learn more about the Federation’s early work in Washington, DC, and our first major legislative victory, please read the  <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4730&qid=1194755> Braille Monitor article about those efforts.    
  <https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/images/Divider.gif> 

Independence Market

The National Federation of the Blind Independence Market has a dual function. It is one of the conduits through which we distribute NFB literature <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4740&qid=1194755>  to our members and the general public. It is also our NFB store <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4741&qid=1194755> , which sells mostly low-tech items that enhance the independence of individuals who are blind or have low vision.
In case the start of daylight saving time on March 13 reminds you that you or someone you know needs a new clock or watch, the NFB Independence Market can help. Many individuals who are new to severe vision loss or blindness are looking for an independent way to tell the time. Even those of us who have been blind for a long time and use some of the latest smartphones, still frequently prefer having a timepiece independent from our gadget. The Independence Market carries a variety of Braille and talking watches <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4742&qid=1194755>  as well as talking clocks <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4743&qid=1194755> . 
The advantage of using a Braille watch <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4744&qid=1194755>  is that it gives one a discrete way of telling the time, without being a disruption to others. The term Braille watch is actually a misnomer for a tactile watch. No knowledge of Braille is required to use such a watch; you just have to know how to interpret an analog watch face. The crystal on a Braille watch typically opens from the six o’clock position, so that the user can touch the hands. The face has tactile markings; usually the twelve o’clock position is labeled with a line or three dots arranged in a line or pyramid; the three, six, and nine o’clock positions are indicated with two dots; and the other five minute intervals are marked with one dot. The Independence Market carries both men’s and women’s Braille watches with either expansion or leather bands. The watches range from functional no-name brands to the Seculus (Swiss-made) wrist and pocket watches.
We also carry the Bradley tactile watch <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4745&qid=1194755> . This unique timepiece is an innovative fashion watch that was designed with both the sighted and blind in mind. Instead of with traditional watch hands, time is shown by two ball bearings—the one on the face indicating minutes and the one on the side indicating hours. These two ball bearings are connected by magnets to a watch movement beneath the watch face. The magnets make it so that even if the ball bearings are moved when touched, they spring back to the correct time with a gentle shake of the wrist. The 1 1/2-inch watch face features distinct tactile markings at five-minute intervals. If you are interested in the Bradley watch, you should contact the Independence Market via phone, as we can offer you a better price than advertised online.
Many blind people prefer a talking watch <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4746&qid=1194755> , because it can have more features. At the minimum, talking watches give the time at the press of a button. Most also feature an alarm and an optional hourly announcement, which, when turned on, announces the time at the top of each hour. Some talking watches also announce the date, have multiple alarms and feature a stopwatch. The Independence Market carries a variety of talking watches with a combination of features and styles for both women and men.
We also sell a number of different talking clocks <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4743&qid=1194755> . As with the talking watches, the clocks announce the time at the touch of a button. Many also feature an alarm and an hourly announcement function. Some also can give the date and may have multiple alarms and a stop watch. Clocks range from keychain and travel clocks to desktop models. The larger clocks tend to have a bigger visual display. Both digital and analog displays are available.
We have just released our winter 2016 catalog update. You may download a Microsoft Word or BRF version from our website <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4748&qid=1194755>  or request our catalog, or just the supplement, in print or Braille by contacting the Independence Market.
For more information about any of the clocks and watches, as well as any of the other items available from the NFB Independence Market, please contact us via email <mailto:independencemarket at nfb.org?body=javascript%3Avoid(0)>  or by phone at (410) 659-9314, extension 2216. Our staff will be glad to assist you during regular business hours.
  <https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/images/Divider.gif> 

Advocacy

Self-Service Kiosks in Healthcare Settings  
The NFB is investigating the accessibility of self-service healthcare kiosks used at doctors’ offices, pharmacies, hospitals, and urgent care facilities. We are currently seeking feedback from members regarding kiosks used for check-in purposes, as well as those used to provide basic health screening services, such as monitoring blood pressure and temperature. These kiosks have become prevalent within the healthcare industry and are oftentimes inaccessible, forcing blind patients to share their private heaIth information with sighted strangers in order to enter the data and receive medical care. If you recently visited a healthcare setting and were prompted to use a healthcare kiosk, the NFB needs to hear from you. Please contact Valerie Yingling, paralegal, at (410) 659-9314, extension 2440, to share this information. 
  <https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/images/Divider.gif> 

Access Technology

With five presentations in the works for the Thirty-First Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference (CSUN), the Access Technology Team has been busy doing testing and gathering information on the topics we will cover. Those topics will be optical character recognition on mobile and desktop, technology for increasing Braille literacy, and mainstream reading platforms for blind and visually impaired students. The team is excited to be working with co-presenters Yue-Ting Siu from San Francisco State University & tplus educational vision services, and Richard Orme from the DAISY Consortium for those last two presentations. In addition, Anil Lewis, executive director of the NFB Jernigan Institute, will be co-presenting with Mike May, longtime pioneer in navigation for the blind. Their presentation is titled Facilitating Accessible Indoor Navigation Technology. 
Amid the frantic preparations for the CSUN, the access technology team has also written a review of the Orion TI30XS talking scientific calculator, which you can find at https://nfb.org/blog/atblog/orion-ti30xs-multiview-talking-scientific-calculator <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4747&qid=1194755> . Testing of the new twenty-cell Transforming Braille Display also continues apace, and we look forward to seeing the final product released later this spring.
  <https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/images/Divider.gif> 

NFB Calendar


Upcoming Events

March 3-5: NFB STEM2U San Francisco
March 31: NFB Scholarship Program application deadline, https://nfb.org/scholarships <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4731&qid=1194755> 
March 31-April 1: 2016 Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium; Diversity in the Disability Rights Movement: Working Together to Achieve the Right to Live in the World, https://nfb.org/law-symposium <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4732&qid=1194755> 
April 15: Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award Program nomination deadline, https://nfb.org/bolotin-award-main <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4733&qid=1194755> 
April 25: NFB EQ student application deadline, https://nfb.org/nfb-eq-form <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4734&qid=1194755> 
May 1: Distinguished Educator of Blind Students Award application deadline, https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm15/bm1511/bm151117.htm <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4735&qid=1194755> 
May 17-20: BLAST, Chicago
May 19-21: NFB STEM2U Minneapolis
May 21-26: International Council on English Braille 6th General Assembly, http://www.iceb.org/iceb6thga.html <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4736&qid=1194755> 
June 19-25: NFB EQ (first iteration)
June 30-July 5: National Federation of the Blind Convention, Rosen Shingle Creek, Orlando, Florida, https://nfb.org/convention <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4737&qid=1194755> 
July 31-August 6: NFB EQ (second iteration)
August 18-25: WBU-ICEVI General Assembly, Rosen Centre Hotel, Orlando, Florida, www.wbu-icevi2016.org <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4738&qid=1194755>  
    <https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/images/Divider.gif> 

Citation

Although our past is filled with the pain of restriction and denial, our future will be constructed according to an expanded and inclusive standard that we will determine. It can and it will offer equal access to information presented in forms that we can comprehend. It can and it will incorporate employment opportunities commensurate with our innate abilities and training. It can and it will make education available that will take advantage of the fullest range of our talent. Our future can do these things, and it will do these things because we have the energy, the commitment, the determination, and the love essential to make it happen.  
— Marc Maurer. "The Intersection of Law and Love <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4739&qid=1194755> ." 2012 NFB National Convention, Dallas, Texas, July 5, 2012.
    <https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/images/Divider.gif> 
Thank you for reading the NFB’s Imagineering Our Future.
Help make a significant difference in the lives of blind people across the country.

  <http://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/image/bbb.jpg>     <http://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/image/cfc_logo.gif>        <http://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/image/cw-top-rated.jpg>          <http://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/image/gximage2.png> 
 <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4049&qid=692780> Make a Gift Today
Back to Top

 
 <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4749&qid=1194755> 
 
  <http://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/image/jinewsletter/youth-slam.jpg> 
Make a <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4050&qid=692780> 
Gift Today
 
To donate a vehicle to the NFB, call toll-free
(855) 659-9314
or visit our 
vehicle donation <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4051&qid=692780> 
page.
 
 To donate clothing or household items to the NFB, 
visit 
www.nfbpickup.org/ <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4052&qid=692780>  
or call toll-free 
(888) 610-4632
to schedule a pickup or to find drop locations.
 

  <http://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/image/jinewsletter/littlegirl-with-toy.jpg> 
 
If this issue was forwarded to you and you would like to subscribe, please email JerniganInstitute at nfb.org. <mailto:JerniganInstitute at nfb.org.> 
 

  <http://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/image/jinewsletter/street_good_color.jpg> 
 
Please check with your company to see if it offers a matching program that will match your gift.
 

  <http://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/image/jinewsletter/man-reading-menu.jpg> 
 
Interesting links:
Archive of Straight Talk About Vision Loss videos <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4053&qid=692780> 
National Center for Blind Youth in Science <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4054&qid=692780> 
Access Technology Tips <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4055&qid=692780> 
TeachBlindStudents.org <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4056&qid=692780> 
 

  <http://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/image/jinewsletter/boy-leaves.jpg> 
 
Blogs:
Access Technology <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4057&qid=692780> 
Voice of the Nation's Blind <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4058&qid=692780> 
 

  <https://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/image/jinewsletter/girls-braille.jpg> 
 
Support the National Federation of the Blind through the Imagination Fund <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4059&qid=692780> .
 
  <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/open.php?q=692780> 

National Federation of the Blind
200 East Wells Street
at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, MD 21230
United States
(410) 659-9314  <https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/unsubscribe?reset=1&jid=2323&qid=1194755&h=80f5b02d8538837a> 


Unsubscribe from this mailing or unsubscribe from all future mailings <https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/optout?reset=1&jid=2323&qid=1194755&h=80f5b02d8538837a> .   <http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/open.php?q=1194755> 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbv-fairfax_nfbnet.org/attachments/20160303/e49f8838/attachment.html>

More information about the NFBV-Fairfax mailing list