[Nyabs] Fwd: [Nfbnet-master-list] Imagineering Our Future

Wed Feb 9 19:27:38 UTC 2011

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From: "Miller, Pat Woelfer" <PMiller at nfb.org>
Date: Thu, 03 Feb 2011 14:18:03 -0600
Subject: [Nfbnet-master-list] Imagineering Our Future
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Imagineering Our Future

      Issue 31
February 2011

In this issue:

    * Message from the Executive Director
    * What’s New
    * Education
    * Braille Initiative
    * Advocacy
    * Straight Talk About Vision Loss
    * Product and Access Technology Talk
    * From the tenBroek Library
    * Independence Market
    * Parent Outreach
    * Spotlight on the Imagination Fund
    * NFB Calendar
    * Citation

    []

    Message from the Executive Director

    Dear Friends,

    Wow, here we are on the other side of
history. Our historic debut of a car equipped
with nonvisual interfaces allowing a blind person
to drive independently has occurred at the
Daytona International Speedway on January 29. I
was deeply honored to represent the National
Federation of the Blind as the blind driver for
that historic demonstration. That historic drive
was only one piece of our overall Blind Driver
Challenge project, which has taken the energy,
intellect, and commitment of many. Most
importantly, we would not have reached this
moment without the commitment and enthusiasm of
the members of the National Federation of the
Blindthose working to build greater
opportunities for the blind in local communities all over America.

    On Saturday I received the key to our Blind
Driver Challenge™ vehicle from Congressman John
Mica, Chairman of the House Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee. I climbed into the car,
prepared the nonvisual interfaces, and drove a
1.5 mile portion of the famed speedway at
Daytona. Much like the experience of blind people
on a daily basis, my path around the course took
me past barriers which had to be maneuvered and
unexpected obstacles which had to be overcome.
During the drive I used nonvisual techniques to
gather information about the environment and I
safely directed the car through the winding
course without incident. If I had doubts along
the way, I had my confidence fueled by the four
hundred members of the Federation who were in the
stands to participate in this momentous achievement for our organization.

    While Saturday was a tremendously historic
day for the blind of America, I have to admit
that Friday, January 28, was personally as
moving. During our last practice drive in a
parking lot just outside of the speedway, I had
the opportunity to give my own family a lift. You
can only imagine the tremendous feeling of
independence I felt when I strapped my son and
daughter into their car seats, invited my wife to
take the passenger seat, and jumped in to take
them for a spin. Sure, it was only a few laps
around a parking lot, but it was a tremendous
beginning to a future full of opportunities. The
NFB Blind Driver Challenge is breaking new
groundmaking the seemingly impossible possible.

    Our historic achievement this weekend is just
one of many made on a daily basis by the National
Federation of the Blind in communities across the
country. We need to continue to find more ways to
build more imaginative programs at an even
greater rate of speed so that more blind people
have even greater opportunities in the future. We
continue to need your help in making those opportunities a reality.

    As I said to the press this weekend, “In
pursuit of the seemingly impossible dream, the
first mile of the journey is the most tenuous.
The blind have completed that mile, the roads to
our dreams are open, and the only limitation is
our failure to stay in the driver’s seat until we reach our destinations.”

    See you out on the roads,

    Graphic: Signature of Mark Riccobono

    Mark A. Riccobono, Executive Director, NFB Jernigan Institute

    P.S. Please consider giving a financial
contribution in honor of our historic drive at
Daytona. Visit
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=niu6bRLABpxi92LYqHr51A..>http://www.raceforindependence.org/goto/MRiccobono
today to make your contribution to help drive opportunities in the future.

    []

Featured NFB News

The BDC vehicle on the Daytona track. Photo Credit: Virginia Tech
Photo: BDC vehicle on Daytona International Speedway track

NFB Blind Driver Challenge™

For the first time a blind individual has
performed a task most people thought
impossibledriving an automobile.  Mark Riccobono
was chosen to be the blind man behind the wheel
of the Ford Escape hybrid equipped with nonvisual
technology in the NFB Blind Driver Challenge™
(BDC).  The demonstration was made at the Daytona
International Speedway on January 29, preceding
the
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=EK8RvezYhK6dXwi5C80T-Q..>Rolex
24 at Daytona.  Mr. Riccobono successfully
navigated 1.5 miles of track, without any
assistance from a sighted person, including
making turns and avoiding obstacles, some of
which were stationary and some of which were
thrown into his path at random from a van driving in front of him.

The historic debut of the nonvisual driving
technology developed under the NFB’s Blind Driver
Challenge™ initiative was a
phenomenon.  Preliminary NFB BDC vehicle testing
conducted with
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=8YOjG3IfQPlhMxils175Vw..>Virginia
Tech College of Engineering and
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=k9vxBvBtZT7Mazf0by-hOA..>TORC
Technologies at the Virginia International
Raceway was reported on by
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=HXb5FuaDHOuqr9rCQBmhrw..>WSLS
10-TV in Roanoke, Virginia.  Excitement mounted
as NFB’s press releases heralding the event,
“<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=hbAdaZHIOputsaZkOAHEPA..>Congressman
Mica to Participate in NFB Blind Driver
Challenge™”
and
“<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=8zV08ff-TLVyhkz9XuRy4w..>Blind
Man to Take to the Road at Daytona International
Speedway,” were reported broadly.

Just prior to the event, the AP put on the wire
the article “Blind driver to debut new
technologies at Daytona,” and coverage in news
outlets and blogs too numerous to mention
followed, including
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=O00Gs2B8qXChy4IxwGIi4w..>NPR,
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=kl-lmVV_R09rzjmIZnzO8Q..>The
Miami Herald,
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=9IHk1DM6uF4ZS08EtXy5Yw..>Salon,
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=bCCdtXFNhwZpiV0Oev1Bug..>CBS
News,
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=IbFsqsOKVQqJA06Ynz6MvQ..>USA
Today,
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=plp-cIFRgti2jRDGVUbopg..>Bloomberg,
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=8GSThJ5J_-rnVEoTT8scOw..>Yahoo!
News, and
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=1bq-UfnzEwxImYuqsbXRlA..>CNET.
Post-demonstration articles appeared in the
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=wY3bANBjfMthB4m4h9qaOg..>New
York Daily News, the
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=2G6DB3NVO3F7zlZyVUBZzw..>Daytona
Beach News-Journal,
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=Y8PbSSvWTMBTkaJsuZnebQ..>ABC
Action News,
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=ZTOJG0f_wC1pQDgmGKum_A..>Gizmodo,
and many others places local, national, and
abroad, and new stories appear even as we publish this newsletter.

The development of the BDC project is nicely
chronicled on the
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=kK7TtE2Pxb3PFmz2VsEbHw..>Virginia
Tech Blind Driver Challenge™ blog.  You can also
obtain more information about the NFB Blind
Driver Challenge™ by visiting the official BDC
Web site,
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=cQ1X0zBDklx-FBb7-GJ2Jw..>www.blinddriverchallenge.org.

[]

Education

Catch the Literacy Bug!

Photo: Catch the Literacy Bug bulletin board

This spring-themed bulletin board features
twenty-six large, colorful butterflies. A hefty
tree trunk made out of corrugated cardboard
anchors the left side of the board. Two green
egg-crate caterpillars climb the tree trunk side
by side. The caterpillar on the left has the
numbers 1, 2, and 3 going down his back, and the
one on the right has the numbers 4, 5, and 6. The
caterpillar segments represent the layout of the
Braille cell. Two-thirds of the way up the trunk,
a hollow provides a resting place for a small
print/Braille board book. A few inches farther up
the trunk a tree branch juts to the right with a
small stuffed cardinal resting on it. At the very
top of the bulletin board, just above the bird’s head, are leaves made of felt.

The display title in tactile print lettersCatch
the Literacy Bug!extends across the middle of
the board in a wave pattern. Four circular
pictures of blind children reading Braille fit
snugly between the waves. The Braille title of
the board appears twice: once superimposed on the
word “literacy” in the center of the display and
again in the bottom left corner. Twenty-six
butterflies flit above and below the title. Each
features one letter of the alphabet. The spots on
the butterflies’ wings form jumbo Braille
letters; with dots 1, 2, and 3 on the left wings
and dots 4, 5, and 6 on the right. For example,
the “R” butterfly has dots 1, 2, and 3 on her
left wing and dot 5 on her right wing. The
butterfly wings are made of craft foam, and the
dots are made of textured paper. The popsicle
stick body of each butterfly bears its print
letter once and the standard-size Braille letter
several times, embossed in a column. Each
butterfly is secured to the board with Velcro.
Interspersed across the board are smaller,
three-dimensional butterflies made of soft
fabric. A real butterfly net continues the line
created by the title and extends past the right
side of the board. A few of the smaller fabric
butterflies are caught in the net. Visitors are
invited to catch the literacy bug and move the
alphabet butterflies to the Velcro strip at the
bottom of the board to spell a word in Braille.

[]

Braille Initiative

The January 2011 Braille Monitor features two
very different articles about Braille:
    * In
“<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=xnp0PmWpQ4FOIr7IFuIRAg..>One
Summer, Fifty Blind Children, Five States, and
Six BELLs,” Natalie Shaheen and Jackie Otwell
discuss the NFB Jernigan Institute’s Braille
Enrichment for Literacy and Learning (BELL) program.
    *
“<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=LJQNWM1vfQNCz7OmYy50Vw..>The
Top Ten Benefits of Tactile Reading for the
Sighted” gives Father Ephraim’s reasons why
sighted people should learn to read Braille tactually.

[]

Advocacy

Once a year around the first week of February,
several hundred NFB members visit Washington,
D.C., to inform Congress about issues of
importance to the blind.  On the evening of
January 31, delegates representing NFB affiliates
around the countryall fifty states, D.C., and
Puerto Ricogathered to review our highest
priorities for the upcoming year in the opening
session of the Washington Seminar.

Riccobono and Lewis cut cake at January 31, 2011,
BDC reception following Washington Seminar Great Gathering-in Meeting.
Photo: BDC reception following gathering-in meeting

Three initiatives make up the
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=i1hZyoqy_Q6Z7-0AhCQCwg..>legislative
agenda that blind Americans bring to the 112th
Congress.  We urge Congress to work with blind Americans on these issues.

Issue 1:
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=Ro-pW_oCESwOjeVTqad2Yw..>Technology
Bill of Rights for the Blind
Create a bill which mandates that consumer
electronics, home appliances, kiosks, and
electronic office technology and software provide
user interfaces that are accessible through nonvisual means.

Issue
2:
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=NgZeH-edfw98SeFNSTiZiw..>Ensuring
Equal Education for Blind Children: Setting Standards that Promote Excellence
Establish a commission within the Department of
Education to set uniform national standards for
the education of blind students in grades
K–12.  The Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act and other existing laws and
regulations do not currently provide objective
standards to measure the educational progress of blind students.

Issue
3:
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=U4r3pQeigIiRG1ZUfjU2uQ..>Americans
with Disabilities Business Opportunity Act
Enact legislation to increase business opportunities for disabled Americans.

For more information about these priorities,
please consult the
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=MW6Kg9WvWcduNaZYdAouMQ..>legislative
agenda and fact sheets.

Blind Americans want to have economic security,
increased opportunity, and full integration into
society on a basis of equality.  Enactment of
these legislative proposals will represent
important steps toward reaching these goals.  We
need the help and support of each member of
Congress.  Our success benefits not only us, but
the whole of America as well.

[]

Straight Talk About Vision Loss

Photo: The BDC vehicle on the Daytona track

The Jernigan Institute presents to our
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=YmtzQ-vALurdfXAXY-39gQ..>Straight
Talk About Vision Loss viewers videos of another
kinda video produced by the Associated Press
prior to the Blind Driver Challenge™
demonstration at Daytona International Speedway,
“<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=sArGlmRveyoB25JVh-lXUQ..>First
Person:  Tech Lets the Blind Take the Wheel.”

Four hundred NFB members traveled to Daytona to
witness history. For those of you who could not
make the trip, download a podcast of
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=RlNh8Gt5fg97jjSn9ajDIw..>trackside
coverage of the drive and a recording of the live
audio stream of the
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=a5bkx4PEzY6SBuio1ZCBkw..>press
conference following it.

<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=UHLLF4J2PunXu5uyBRbvjg..>Foxnews.com
linked to WOFL FOX 35-TV in Orlando’s morning
program interview with the blind driver, Mark
Riccobono.  Mark’s radio and TV interviews
continued clear to
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=A8wpX-Aos1ADzYhMt1TR6A..>KABC-TV
Los Angeles on a coast-to-coast satellite media tour.

For additional information, see NFB’s
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=-2mGeoHj9IGCkYin9s_tyA..>digital
news release, where we've collected audio and
video clips of the actual drive and on-site
interviews with Mark Riccobono and Dr. Marc Maurer.

[]

Product and Access Technology Talk

The Access Technology team has started the year
with a flurry of activity, some of which you can
find reported on the
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=N4jVCw_Erp4nz_mePEtZOw..>Access
Technology blog. Our annual visit to the
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=Jp4cmsTuAXH-bBbNhP3z5w..>Consumer
Electronics Show in Las Vegas proved to be very
fruitful, and some of our more exciting finds are
written up in the blog. You'll find ways to grill
with your smartphone, exercise with it, charge it
wirelessly . . . as well as a few items that
don't relate to smartphones. Keep an eye on the
Braille Monitor for a more in-depth review of that same trip.

The home front in Baltimore meanwhile played host
to a group of educators visiting the National
Center during the
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=WtHxZEYT3mFMfHjYmx7IwQ..>EDUCAUSE
Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference.  After hearing
the case for accessibility in education made by
our own Tony Olivero while speaking at the
conference (in conjunction with Dan Goldstein
from Brown, Goldstein & Levy, and Professor
Jonathan Lazar from Towson University), attendees
were welcomed to the Jernigan Institute by Dr.
Maurer and given a tour of the building by Mark
Riccobono, and they ended their visit by
exploring the International Braille and Technology Center.

The team is delighted to congratulate
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=JsSrPpA0AfybMsr5V1njaA..>Newegg
on their re-certification at the Gold Level of
the
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=T5maQpHPn_Y_H_O3zRiY7g..>NFB
Nonvisual Accessibility Web Certification. Newegg
continues to be a market leader in their field and we applaud their work.

In other news, you will also find a quick review
of two solutions that give blind users access to
otherwise inaccessible
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=uWjxPkXUL1spPRMcpbwz9w..>Internet
music services, Rhapsody and Pandora, on the Access Technology Blog.

And with that, we look forward to another year of
exciting new finds and improved accessibility.

[]

 From the tenBroek Library

The Federation in Africa and AsiaIndependence
from Colonialism and Independence from Custodialism!

We’re pleased to inform Federationistsand all
who support the right of blind people to lead
independent livesthat the tenBroek Library has
received two cartons of material from Alan
Calhoun, grandson of Isabel Grant. You don't have
to be too much of an old-timer in the NFB to
remember Dr. Grant. And if you don't remember
her, you ought to make a point of learning about
her. A friend and co-worker of Jacobus and Hazel
tenBroek, Isabel Grant came to prominence in the
NFB during the 1950s and remained an active
Federationist until her death in 1977.

Dr. Isabelle Grant preparing Braille books to ship overseas.
Photo: Dr. Isabelle Grant

Dr. Grant lost her vision to glaucoma as an
adult, in mid-career, while a teacher and
administrator in the Los Angeles public school
system. She fought back against attempts to
deprive her of the right to work in her chosen
profession, and she was determined to demonstrate
to the world that a newly blind woman could
function independently wherever she went.

And, boy oh boy, did she demonstrate this!

Grant became proficient in Braille and twice won
Fulbright scholarships that enabled her to go to
Asia and Africa. She traveled alonevisiting some
newly independent countries that lacked many of
the basic amenities expected by most
Americanswith the aim of encouraging her fellow
blind to organize themselves, assert their own
independence, and participate fully in public
life. Using Grant’s letters to Jacobus tenBroek,
Lou Ann Blake of the Jernigan Institute staff
published an excellent
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=E-YjYBXAg9qi7urRnk7eUA..>introduction
to Grant’s life and work in the Braille Monitor of March 2007.

Though a fairly small collection, the Isabel
Grant Papers comprise an extremely rich source
for research on the history of the organized
blind. The collection includes correspondence,
notes for articles, photographs, awards, and a
complete draft of an unpublished book on her
travels in the third world. Included are typed
letters, Braille notes, and handwritten material.
We will begin processing this collection soon and
will announce its availability as soon as it is ready for use by researchers.

The 2011 Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium

Registration is now open for “Bridging the Gap
between the Disability Rights Movement and Other
Civil Rights Movements,” April 14-15, 2011, at
the NFB Jernigan Institute. The 2011 Jacobus
tenBroek Disability Law Symposium will consist of
plenary sessions and workshops facilitated by
distinguished law professors, practitioners, and
advocates who will discuss issues such as how to
translate what worked for the civil rights
movements to the disability rights movement, how
the disability community can learn to speak with
one voice while respecting and maintaining its
diversity, and how to erase the misconception
that disability rights is not a civil rights issue.

Documentation for CLE credits will be
provided.  The registration fee is $175, or $25
for students.  A limited number of scholarships
to cover the registration fee will be available
to individuals with demonstrated financial need.

To learn more about the symposium and its
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=GQ_6ffbBluAyxvuu0_YDNQ..>sponsorship
opportunities, download the
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=azI7kj9BSJ4Psd8omMVF7A..>agenda,
and
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=xsNPuw37-ZDldT5xkUjjSA..>register
online, please visit the
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=X8JYGACRcDen3nPvOF8LjQ..>symposium
Web site, or contact <mailto:lblake at nfb.org>Lou
Ann Blake, JD, Law Symposium Coordinator, for additional information.

[]

Independence Market

The National Federation of the Blind is
characterized by its positive approach to dealing
with severe vision loss and blindness.  We know
from our own experience that armed with
self-confidence grounded in good alternative,
nonvisual blindness skills, we can live
independent, productive, and fulfilled lives.  We
encourage each other to take charge of our own
lives, that is, to get back in the metaphorical
driver’s seat.  The literature we produce and
distribute through our NFB Independence Market
plays a vital role in inspiring us to strive to reach our potential.

With the NFB Jernigan Institute’s Blind Driver
Challenge™ initiative we are pushing the envelope
to drive technological innovation farther to
develop nonvisual interfaces which will enable
blind people to compete in new arenas in the
future.  Two articles in particular, available
through the NFB Independence Market, discuss the
NFB Jernigan Institute’s work and the vision of the Blind Driver Challenge™.

    *
“<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=WR7uzd-T0mJMRvLLcjc-nw..>Driving
Independence and Innovation Through Imagination:
The NFB Blind Driver Challenge™,” first published
in 2009, which explains the BDC’s background and goals, and
    * Mark Riccobono’s 2010 convention address,
“<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=Xmuz7ED-IEW-PZJ_glx2Lw..>Calling
All Drivers: Advancing Leadership, Collective
Action, and the Boundaries of Independence.”

These articles, like much of our literature, can
be viewed
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=xfDm9gwdR56wtqCi5Gs4ZA..>online.
there’s also a
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=vfBzUwJoANI-PKhGr79y1w..>procedure
to order hard copies in various formats.  For
further information contact the Independence
Market staff by
<mailto:IndependenceMarket at nfb.org>e-mail or by
phone at 410-659-9314, extension 2216.

[]

Parent Outreach

Do You Want a Scholarship for College?

To recognize achievement by blind scholars, the
National Federation of the Blind annually offers
blind college students in the United States and
Puerto Rico the opportunity to win one of thirty
national scholarships ranging from $3,000 to
$12,000.  The thirty winners are also assisted to
attend the 2011 NFB Annual Convention in Orlando,
Florida.  For further information, including
eligibility requirements, the
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=4hZvPrdr1fqGip-tNNYUNA..>online
application form, and the
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=h9x28m_PLpDWj8vmSGHZBg..>checklist
detailing all required documents, go to the
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=lYEtaM9VkuTU9jHhiMNP_w..>2011
Scholarship Program page.  The deadline is March 31, 2011.

[]

Spotlight on the Imagination Fund

Eric Guillory
Photo: Eric Guillory

The Imagination Fund provides support to the
affiliates and divisions of the National
Federation of the Blind through grants for many
types of projects and programs.  The National
Federation of the Blind of Louisiana applied for
and was awarded an Imagination Fund grant to hold
an informative and fun student seminar.  The
seminar, designed to provide outreach and
education, attracted blind high school and
college youth from all across the state.

Eric Guillory, the Director of Youth Services at
the Louisiana Center for the Blind, believes that
“projects like these highlight and reaffirm the
importance of the work of Federationists to
mentor and otherwise provide support and
opportunity for the blind of all ages and their families.”

The success of this seminar is illustrated by
Dimitrios Kouniaris, a senior at the Louisiana
School for the Visually Impaired, who said the
“thought-provoking discussions and mentoring
opportunities helped each of us to grow and
reinforced a very important truththat it is okay
to be blind and that we can be successful in
spite of the low expectations of others.”

To learn more about this empowering seminar,
please visit the
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=P4LQ4DJoL8V-ZheGuK-2jw..>Louisiana
student seminar Web page.

[]

NFB Calendar

January 29,
2011
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=nsXJUJN_whHqwfQogx9hQA..>Blind
Driver Challenge™ first public
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=HOrOjqjm0qZ03xRx-Gm64g..>demonstration
at the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida.

January 31-February 3, 2011   NFB
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=1HvsSCc7aCnQsen9kkg76w..>Washington
Seminar, Holiday Inn Capitol, 550 C Street, S.W.; Washington, D.C.

February 1, 2011    Registration deadline for NFB
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=Zta2r-FqMdTDdUZrTUl4rg..>Leadership
and Advocacy in Washington, D.C., (LAW) program.

March 1, 2011    NFB
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=i09EoVS15cHGjQOfok8v8Q..>2011
Youth Slam application deadline.

March 31, 2011  Deadline for 2011 NFB
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=kry6L7gal3p3zWovbLiUAw..>college
scholarship applications.

March 31, 2011   Deadline for
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=dvdOtwMXEbQL3ewiGMPDtw..>Dr.
Jacob Bolotin Award nominations.

April 8-12,
2011
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=KCSXmyB7mEfd6_nbRrFZ0w..>Leadership
and Advocacy in Washington, D.C., (LAW) Program, Baltimore and D.C.

April 14, 2011   Deadline to apply for financial
assistance to attend National Convention. For
details, contact Kenneth Jernigan Convention
Scholarship Fund chairman
<mailto:allen.harris at dwx.com>Allen Harris or read
“<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=eMLp0KnR9mqzHxScywc5UA..>Convention
Scholarships Available,” January 2011 Braille Monitor.

April 14-15,
2011
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=EW7fJ9hvCq7MYnOoQsXBtw..>Jacobus
tenBroek Disability Law Symposium, National
Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute,
Baltimore.
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=ke3le5kQfdVdKM5s8JxQTg..>Registration
is now open!

May 15, 2011     Distinguished Educator of Blind
Children Award nominations close.  Go to the
December Braille Monitor
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=H7T3yaWFloVnuooycsh7JA..>article
for details.

June 1,
2011
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=38WgvaAe0X23N3BHjI55hQ..>National
Convention block of rooms released.  Rooms are
already filling up fast.  To make your reservation, call (866) 996-6338.

July 3-8, 2011  The
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=bsZ6Y9BrIRBU-T8oR9WPRA..>71st
Annual NFB National Convention,
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=l2H0gfQ0W6LfZpTRGvRlDQ..>Rosen
Shingle Creek Resort, Orlando, Florida; More
details are found in the
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=EQuz-ErwTTcQH0avkwzx_Q..>2011
Convention Bulletin.

The National Convention draws approximately three thousand people each year.
Become a
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=NrdWevW_-SscytvIVd1CDw..>sponsor
or
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=2GNxi49CTKVjIOX4i3FXNA..>exhibitor
for the largest gathering of the blind in the country!

July 17-23, 2011  The 3rd Biennial NFB
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=s_1WIvUsNM3dLdNVg8Y4Gg..>Youth
Slam, Towson University, Maryland.

[]

Citation

Hello, the blind made history today, what did you
do today?
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=XXIAiisIgfBZVQ-eND8P6Q..>#NFBBDC

  Mark Riccobono’s
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=9feEQf_d0yQACKc5Vtgm4Q..>tweet
following independent drive around Daytona
International Speedway road course, January 29, 2011

Back to Top

Thank you for reading the NFB Jernigan Institute’s Imagineering Our Future.

Mentor Trevor Attenberg leads campers along the nature trail

Photo: Group on white water raft

Support the Jernigan Institute through the
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=udoojWKUYvaY28bYQ4iYUg..>Imagination
Fund

Photo: Young woman playing flute

Interesting links:

<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=Hv8TAsWw5Jvw-03ewYAZNA..>Archive
of Straight Talk about Vision Loss videos

<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=bUjgwrMpA_XM75I7eoSNKQ..>National
Center for Blind Youth in Science

<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=uCnToJc0VqfqxgrPv2My2w..>Access
Technology Tips

Photo: Youth practicing martial art

Blogs:

<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=5Sr5WvSmDm1um-HAj329mg..>Access
Technology

<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=vd1cyfr8cbankifq1O2_DA..>Voice
of the Nation’s Blind

Photo: Senior couple

Publication archives:

<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=r6OQkHQX3-Lq-t-XZM7cvQ..>Future
Reflections

<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=PJVGsiPUn6zyBTDIAO48Kg..>Braille
Monitor

Photo: Mom and son take a moment and a hug

Graphic Logo: National Federation of the Blind

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

Visit us at
<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=lJaoJCUNOgWxet0lroRJtw..>nfb.org

Imagine a Future Full of Opportunity

[]

Jernigan Institute, National Federation of the Blind
200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place, Baltimore, MD 21230
(410) 659-9314      Fax (410)
659-5129      E-mail
<mailto:JerniganInstitute at nfb.org?subject=Reply%20to%20Imagineering%20Our%20Future>JerniganInstitute at nfb.org
Visit us at www.nfb.org

Better Business Bureau logo
 <http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=tlDN_rh8La6M-wKXhXJLHw..>
American Institute of Philanthropy logo

The National Federation of the Blind meets the
rigorous Standards for Charity Accountability set
forth by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance and is
Top-Rated by the American Institute of Philanthropy.

<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=6eC_y4tQuskRwKTM4L61Ow..>Forward
this newsletter.
If this issue was forwarded to you and you'd like
to subscribe, please e-mail
<mailto:JerniganInstitute at nfb.org?subject=Reply%20to%20Imagineering%20Our%20Future>JerniganInstitute at nfb.org.