[Nyabs] {Disarmed} Fwd: National Federation of the Blind Newsletter - Convention Reflections

[Nihal Erkan]

> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> 
> Imagineering Our Future
> 
> Issue 66
> 
> August 2014
> 
> In this issue:
> 
> Message from the President
> What's News at the NFB
> Education
> Braille Initiative
> Advocacy
> NFB-NEWSLINE
> Product and Access Technology Talk
> From the tenBroek Library
> Independence Market
> NFB Calendar
> Citation
>  
> 
> Message from the President
> 
> Dear Friends:
> 
> The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) has had a busy month. We celebrated the twenty-eight years of service that Marc Maurer has given as President of the organization during our national convention, and I was honored to be elected as the Federation’s next President. Meanwhile, our programs continue to develop and make a difference in every part of this great country. In other words, although change is a constant part of our work, there is also a continuity and steady foundation that allows us to manage the complexity of what we do as an organization.
> 
> 
> Last week I had the pleasure of attending the White House ceremony where President Obama signed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act into law. This law represents some significant progress for people with disabilities, including provisions that will help prevent young people with disabilities from being tracked into segregated subminimum wage employment. With the recent celebration of the twenty-fourth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, I have called upon advocates to recognize that the full promise of equality has not been realized as long as people with disabilities are prevented by law from receiving fair wages for their work. Read my blog post on the road to equality.
> 
> This week, our building is buzzing with young blind children learning Braille in the NFB BELL program, which is being run by the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland. In other parts of the building we have been hosting meetings to advocate for equal access to educational information and services for those same children. We have a foundation to stand on and the Federation continues to provide high quality training and a community of support to the next generation of blind leaders. Yet, that future is threatened by the low expectations and misunderstanding that many have about the capacity of blind people and the tools blind people use to access information.
> 
> While the National Federation of the Blind has been tremendously successful in establishing a foundation of opportunities and rights for the blind in the twenty-first century, there is more work to be done. The young children tapping their way through the halls of the NFB Jernigan Institute remind us of why we continue to seek new ground and raise the expectations for our future. As we move into a new era for the Federation, I hope that each of you will commit yourself to being an active participant in helping us to build that future. We need your time, talent, and treasure to help us secure a bright future for all blind people.
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> 
> 
> Mark A. Riccobono, President
> National Federation of the Blind
> 
> P.S. On September 2, we will be launching our Seventy-five Days of Action campaign. To get involved, please send an email to 75days at nfb.org.
> 
> 
> 
> What's News at the NFB
> 
> A momentous national convention of the National Federation of the Blind came to a close on Sunday, July 6, 2014. A new President, Mark Anthony Riccobono, was elected. We honored Immediate Past President Marc Maurer after twenty-eight years of highly distinguished service. Twenty-two resolutions, or policies, of the National Federation of the Blind were passed by the convention. Thirty blind scholars were awarded scholarships at the convention banquet; the highest honor, the $12,000 Kenneth Jernigan Award, was awarded to Deja Powell.
> 
> If you weren’t able to attend convention, or just want to relive the excitement, many audio highlights—including the entirety of general sessions and Dr. Maurer’s final banquet speech—have been posted on our website.     
> 
> Thank you to all of our 2014 National Convention sponsors for making this historic event possible. Special thank you to our Accessibility Champion sponsors, Vanda Pharmaceuticals and Deque, and our Platinum sponsors, UPS, Oracle, HumanWare, and Google.
> 
>        
> 
> Education
> 
> NFB BELL 2014
> 
> Bells have been ringing for Braille literacy all over the country this summer. So far this summer, NFB BELL programs have taken place in Arizona, Colorado (Colorado Springs and Denver), Georgia (Albany and Atlanta), Idaho (Boise), Illinois, Louisiana, North Carolina (Lincolnton and Raleigh), Oklahoma (Tulsa), Pennsylvania, Tennessee (Nashville and Memphis), Texas (Houston and Rio Grande Valley), Utah, and Virginia (Richmond). Nine programs are currently underway: Idaho Falls (ID), Baltimore (MD), Glendale (MD), Saint Louis (MO), Perth Amboy (NJ), Columbus (OH), Oklahoma City (OK), Portland (OR), and Spartanburg (SC). The last four NFB BELL programs will begin in early August: Hampton Roads (VA), Northern Virginia (VA), District of Columbia, and Syracuse (NY). To learn more about the NFB BELL program or to apply to attend one of the four remaining programs, visit www.nfb.org/bell.
> 
> NFB STEM2U Junior Application Deadline Extended!
> 
> The deadline for students in grades 3-6 (juniors) to apply for the upcoming NFB STEM2U program has been extended to August 15, 2014. We are looking for at least sixty students to apply to attend one of three regional STEM2U programs.
> 
> Baltimore, Maryland; November 6-8, 2014
> Boston, Massachusetts; March 12-14, 2015
> Columbus, Ohio; May 14-16, 2015
> NFB STEM2U participants will have the opportunity to engage in accessible STEM learning at some of the country’s largest museums and science centers. Students will also have the opportunity to provide feedback to staff and educators about how the museum could better meet their nonvisual learning needs. In this way, participants will act as both learners and teachers. In the NFB STEM2U learning community, there is an understanding that no one person has all of the answers, but together we can overcome any barrier that we may encounter. Please encourage the students and families in your network to apply for NFB STEM2U today!
> 
> For more information, please contact the NFB STEM2U team at STEM at nfb.org or (410) 659-9314, extension 2312.
> 
>  
> 
> Braille Initiative
> 
> 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 months of April and May 2014:
> 
> Literary Braille Transcribing
> 
> California
> Rita Davis, Oroville
> 
> Colorado
> Michael Copenhaver, Burlington 
> John (Joe) Joseph Green, Burlington
> 
> Connecticut
> Scott Shefelbine, Cheshire
> 
> Florida
> Viola Tibbles, Saint Johns
> 
> Indiana
> James A. Merritt, Bunker Hill 
> Jackie Ohime, LaPorte
> 
> Maryland
> Cheryl Walcutt, Odenton
> 
> Missouri
> William Oster, Jefferson City
> 
> Nebraska
> Timothy Peterson, Lincoln 
> Petr Strizheus, Lincoln
> 
> Nevada
> Jess Anscott, Las Vegas 
> Daniel Cook, Las Vegas 
> Emmanuel Dozier, Las Vegas 
> Stephen Lafever, Las Vegas 
> Jesus Miguel Martinez-Rodriguez, Las Vegas 
> Carey Walker, Las Vegas
> 
> New Jersey
> Barbara Grames, Hopatcong 
> Denise Segal, Basking Ridge 
> 
> New York
> MaryByrd, New Hartfort 
> Linda Sherwood, Hamlin
> 
> North Carolina
> Jivon Darden, Laurinburg
> 
> Ohio
> Ryan Hlavsa, Grafton 
> Larry Honaker, Columbus 
> Heather Jones, Cincinnati 
> Dennis Stambolia, Grafton
> 
> Pennsylvania
> Donna Martorano, Cambridge Springs
> 
> Texas
> Brandy Bonsall-Howard, Gatesville 
> Angela Lamping, Misson 
> Amanda (Mandy) Ramirez, Edinburg 
> Andria Stanley, Gatesville
> 
> Mathematics (Nemeth) Braille Transcribing
> 
> Iowa
> James Williams, Anamosa
> 
> Ohio
> Charles Wilson-Bey, Grafton
> 
> Literary Braille Proofreading
> 
> Indiana
> Russell Small, Bunker Hill
> 
>  
> 
> Advocacy
> 
> Fair Wages
> 
> One of the general themes that emerged at our national convention was the need to pay fair wages to workers with disabilities. Under Section14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, entities can apply for special wage certificates that allow them to pay people with disabilities subminimum wages. The intent of this law was to pay people with disabilities training wages while they prepared to obtain competitive, integrated employment. However, only 5 percent of people with disabilities who take jobs at subminimum wages ever transition into competitive integrated employment.
> 
> Some entities, realizing that paying people with disabilities subminimum wages is immoral and discriminatory, have already transitioned their business model to one that pays all of their workers the minimum wage or more. For example, Mr. Platt Allen, III, the president and CEO of the Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth, spoke to the convention about how the Lighthouse of Fort Worth no longer utilizes a 14(c) certificate. They employ over seventy individuals who are legally blind. Although the Lighthouse of Fort Worth gave up their 14(c) certificate, over two thousand other organizations, the majority of them nonprofits, still have 14(c) certificates and still pay people with disabilities less than the minimum wage.
> 
> Congressman Gregg Harper has introduced the Fair Wages for Workers with Disabilities Act (HR 831), an act that will gradually phase out and eventually repeal Section 14(c). If passed, this bill will give 14(c)-certificate-holding nonprofits three years to transform their business model as the Lighthouse of Forth Worth did. Currently, the bill has ninety-four cosponsors.
> 
> Encouraging steps to ensure fair wages for workers with disabilities were also discussed at the national convention. Many speakers, such as Laura Fortman, the deputy administrator of the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor, and Eve Hill, the deputy assistant attorney general for civil rights of the Department of Justice, addressed the recent executive order that President Obama issued entitled: Establishing a Minimum Wage for Contractors. Under this order, all federal contractors that provide services will be required to pay all employees, including those who used to be paid under Section14(c), $10.10 an hour. This is a step in the right direction, but many other people with disabilities are still being paid subminimum wages, some as low as pennies per hour.
> 
> 
> 
> NFB-NEWSLINE®
> 
> Once again NFB-NEWSLINE® had a strong presence at this year’s national convention of the National Federation of the Blind in Orlando. There were presentations and demonstrations of the latest features added to NFB-NEWSLINE®, and exciting prospects for the future were discussed.
> 
> A beta version of the NFB-NEWSLINE® Mobile App, Version 2.1, was demonstrated to participants at the NFB-NEWSLINE® seminar on Wednesday, July 2. The new app provides access to more information on the system than ever before, and provides easier access to services directly on the home screen of the app. For the first time, subscribers can receive their emergency weather alerts and full weather forecasts based on their current location through the use of the GPS service on the iPhone. Two new buttons have been placed on the home screen of the app, one that will provide the subscriber with a seven-day weather forecast and a second button that will allow access to retail ads. For more information on additional features in the upcoming Version 2.1 of the NFB-NEWSLINE® Mobile App, stay tuned to your email inbox and visit the message board contained within the app. We expect to release the updated NFB-NEWSLINE® Mobile App within the next few months.
> 
> In order to apply for service or learn more about NFB-NEWSLINE®, please call (866) 504-7300 or visit www.nfbnewsline.org.
> 
> The NFB-NEWSLINE® team would like to thank the volunteers who gave of their time to help us in the demonstration room and at the exhibit hall table this year in Orlando. Your participation truly made this year’s events a success! We look forward to seeing you at the 2015 convention!
> 
> 
> 
> Product and Access Technology Talk
> 
>  The national convention had no shortage of exciting content this year, and the access technology (AT) team was glad to contribute to the packed agenda with the access technology seminar. We covered Android accessibility, with guest speakers from Odin Mobile and Sprint. We learned about Ticketmaster’s work on accessibility directly from their staff. Anne Taylor and Amy Mason talked about accessible cloud computing on a desktop, as cloud computing makes up an increasingly large section of what we do on our computers. Those were the morning sessions. The afternoon took a more explicitly educational turn with the team from E.A.S.Y. LLC doing a hands-on demo of what their tablet can do to change how we create, change, and reproduce tactile graphics. The final session was copresented by Mike Kolitsky, online adjunct professor for biological sciences at the University of Texas at El Paso, and the AT team’s Clara Van Gerven. Mike has been doing exploratory work on how to turn digital learning objects into 3D tactile objects, and has been an avid ambassador for the nascent field of 3D tactile graphics.
> 
> The access technology seminar is always a great experience, but there is no time for resting in the remainder of July. With the Web Accessibility Training Day coming up on September 9, there is no time for complacency. The lineup for that event is now online at https://nfb.org/web-accessibility-day, and it is worth a look for anyone dealing with the ups and downs of trying to make a website or application accessible. Registration for that closes on August 29. Not long after that, the AT team will be running the more hands-on Train the Trainer event, which over three days will go over different types of access technology, aiming to bring access technology trainers and experts up to speed on the latest developments and less obvious tools. Seating for that event is very limited, so early signup is encouraged. You can find the full list of topics at https://nfb.org/training-the-trainers.
> 
> Finally, we have also posted a new review to the access technology blog that talks about the Samsung Gusto 3 talking feature phone. You can find that at https://nfb.org/at-blog.
> 
> 
> 
> From the tenBroek Library
> 
> Reflecting the Flame: Passing the Torch
> 
> History was made this year at the 2014 NFB National Convention. Dr. Marc Maurer, the longest serving president of the National Federation of the Blind, stepped down after twenty-eight years in office. One of the most influential leaders the Federation has ever known, he has steered the organization during a time of great change in the lives of blind people, and overseen its expansion into exciting new frontiers.
> 
> Shown during the final presentation of the convention general session, Reflecting the Flame: Passing the Torch discusses the many challenges met and successes enjoyed over the last three decades, and provides insight into why Dr. Maurer’s leadership has been so effective. Utilizing historical film footage and photographs from the NFB archives, along with interviews from Dr. Maurer’s family, NFB officers, board members, employees, and other leaders and allies in the organized blind movement, the video is a fitting tribute to the man who has meant so much to the movement while celebrating the accomplishments of both. This video is available for viewing on the NFB’s YouTube channel at http://youtu.be/j-E1Vp7l_MQ.
> 
> 
> 
> Independence Market
> 
> At the beginning of July, the NFB Independence Market could be found in the exhibit hall at our annual national convention in Orlando, Florida. Visitors had an opportunity to browse our entire collection of sales products and much of the free literature available from the NFB on various blindness-related topics. We bring all our sales items, because we know that our customers appreciate the chance to closely examine products before making a purchase. We also bring some of the free literature the NFB produces to acquaint convention attendees with the NFB’s positive can-do approach to blindness. This year, for the first time, we made our new product list available online together with descriptions of the Independence Market and the free literature areas for the convenience of our visitors. These documents could also be accessed via QR codes at the information table.
> 
> We would not be able to operate the Independence Market at convention without the hundreds of volunteers who assist with product demonstrations and processing orders. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who volunteered one or more shifts as product demonstrators, storekeepers, pay station attendants, and cashiers. Your contributions were invaluable and we would not have been able to do it without you. Thanks again for all your help. We hope that we can count on many of you again to assist next year.
> 
> A question we frequently hear is “What’s new at the Independence Market this year?” Here is a partial list: 
> The big hit this year was our new Tuck-Away Stylus. This metal stylus measures 1 ¾ inches in length and features a reversible tip for comfortable storage. We sold out at convention, but don’t worry, we have more back in Baltimore. We now also sell a regular child-sized stylus more suitable for small hands.
> 
> We have added some materials for teaching pre-Braille and math literacy skills to young blind children. The Braille/Print Alphabet Flash Cards feature print and Braille letters as well as tactile illustrations. The Braille/Print Raised Shape Counting Cards feature numbers in Braille and raised print as well as the corresponding number of raised shapes. The accompanying activity guide in print and Braille suggests various activities and games.
> 
> We have expanded our card game offerings to include Braille Phase 10 and Braille Skip-Bo. For the convenience of our Braille reading players, we have also included Braille directions.
> 
> We also have two new clocks. The Talking Calendar Clock is simple to operate. When the main button on this screenless clock is pushed, the time and date is spoken in a male voice. It also has an alarm. The Talking Clock with Four Alarms and Stopwatch is more feature-rich, as the name indicates. It also features a female voice, an hourly announcement, and a volume control.
> 
> We have also diversified our selection of Brailled Measuring Cups and Brailled Measuring Spoons. Last year we started selling the Nine-Cup Brailled Measuring Cup Set and the Twelve-Spoon Brailled Measuring Spoon Set. But not everyone wants that many cups and spoons. Consequently we now also have the more customary Braille measuring cup and spoon sets with four of each.
> 
> We also wanted to mention our new handy folding scissors and our Thick Line Notepads. The scissors can be attached to a key ring, so it is easy to always have them along. When they are unfolded, they are five inches long. The 5 ½ x 8 ½ inch notepads are sold in sets of four. These handy notepads are just the right size to keep near the phone, on the kitchen counter, or on the nightstand to jot down that important thought.
> 
> For more information about the products and literature available from the NFB Independence Market, please visit us online or contact us via email at independencemarket at nfb.org or by phone at (410) 659-9314, extension 2216.
> 
>  
> 
> 
> 
> NFB Calendar
> 
> Upcoming Events
> 
> NFB BELL Program - Summer 2014
> 
> Web Accessibility Day at NFB Jernigan Institute – September 9, 2014 
> 
> NFB Access Technology Train the Trainers - October 15-17, 2014
> 
> Start of the NFB's Seventy-fifth year – November 16, 2014
> 
> State Conventions
> 
> NFB of South Carolina – August 8-10, 2014
> 
> NFB of West Virginia – September 11-14, 2014
> 
> NFB of Arizona – September 12-14, 2014
> 
> NFB of North Dakota – September 13, 2014
> 
> NFB of Hawaii – September 13-15, 2014
> 
> NFB of North Carolina – September 18-21, 2014
> 
> NFB of Kentucky – September 26-28, 2014
> 
> NFB of Wyoming – September 26-28, 2014
> 
>   
> 
> Citation
> 
> One of the most precious gifts I have is my friends in the Federation. Without you I could not have become the person I am. The friendship we have is a bond of trust. It means that when the challenges come we will not flinch. It means that when the demands are made we will pay the costs and find the energy to meet them. It means that when the charges come of inadequacy, weakness, or indecisiveness we will reject them. We will love, support, and believe in each other. 
> 
> --Marc Maurer. "The Challenge and the Limit." Banquet speech, 2014 NFB National Convention, Orlando, Florida, July 6, 2014
> 
>   
> 
>  Thank you for reading the NFB’s Imagineering Our Future.
> 
> Help make a significant difference in the lives of blind people across the country.
> 
> 
> Make a Gift Today
> 
> Back to Top
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Make a Gift Today
> 
>  
> 
> To donate a vehicle to the NFB, call toll-free 
> (855) 659-9314
> or visit our 
> vehicle donation 
> page.
> 
>  
> 
>  To donate clothing or household items to the NFB, 
> visit 
> www.nfbpickup.org/ 
> or call toll-free 
> (888) 610-4632
> to schedule a pickup or to find drop locations.
> 
>  
> 
> 
>  
> 
> If this issue was forwarded to you and you would like to subscribe, please email JerniganInstitute at nfb.org.
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Please check with your company to see if it offers a matching program that will match your gift.
> 
>  
> 
> 
> Interesting links:
> 
> Archive of Straight Talk About Vision Loss videos
> 
> National Center for Blind Youth in Science
> 
> Access Technology Tips
> 
> TeachBlindStudents.org
> 
>  
> 
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Blogs:
> Access Technology
> 
> Voice of the Nation's Blind
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Support the National Federation of the Blind through the Imagination Fund.
> 
> National Federation of the Blind 200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place, Baltimore, MD 21230 
> 
> 
> Unsubscribe 
> 200 East Wells Street
> at Jernigan Place
> Baltimore, MD 21230
> United States
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nyabs_nfbnet.org/attachments/20140801/bcceb280/attachment.html>