[Nyabs] {Disarmed} Fwd: National Federation of the Blind Newsletter - Season's Greetings

[Nihal Erkan]

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind " <IOF at nfb.org>
> Date: December 1, 2014 at 6:40:25 PM EST
> To: Nihal Erkan <nihal_erkan at hotmail.com>
> Subject: National Federation of the Blind Newsletter - Season's Greetings
> Reply-To: "Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind " <IOF at nfb.org>
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> 
> Imagineering Our Future
> 
> Issue 70
> 
> December 2014
> 
> In this issue:
> 
> Message from the President
> What's News at the NFB
> Education
> From the tenBroek Library
> Independence Market
> Advocacy
> NFB-NEWSLINE®
> NFB Calendar
> Citation
>  
> 
> Message from the President
> 
> Dear Friends:
> 
> 
> That noise on the roof is not quite Saint Nick. Over the weekend I was up on the roof of our sun porch hanging lights for the Riccobono family's celebration of Christmas. While I was out there in the cold, I began wondering what people think when they see someone hanging around on a roof. Then I got to thinking about what some of the neighbors think when they see the guy down the street, who they know is blind, working on the roof. While a blind person walking down the street with the long white cane is no longer a new thing to many people, a blind guy simply decorating the house for the holidays from the top of the roof might still be something most have never experienced.
> 
> I am thankful that I have learned the alternative techniques that blind people use to live full and independent lives. There was a time when I did not know how a blind person could effectively manage a home and do all of the things that one might want to do to make that home special to the family. My wife Melissa, who is also blind, and I have owned our home in northeast Baltimore for a decade. We have been living the lives we want and building our family without making a big deal to the neighborhood that we are blind. However, it is easy to forget that by living the lives we want, we have a dramatic impact on the understanding of blindness in our neighborhood.
> 
> When I was about halfway through clipping the lights to our roof, I heard a neighbor coming down the street with her dog. I was prepared for her concern about my safety, or even for her to stand on the sidewalk and watch me protectively. Instead, she called up to me and remarked how beautiful the lights looked. From there we had a neighborly conversation about the demands of life and fitting in all of the things we hope to get done in the busy holiday season.
> 
> In the National Federation of the Blind we raise expectations for the blind because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. It is always heartwarming to know that by putting the techniques and positive philosophy of the Federation to work in our daily lives, we enrich ourselves and we make a significant contribution to how other blind people are viewed in our communities.
> 
> Although we have a substantial nationwide network of blind people, there are still many newly blind individuals who do not yet know about the National Federation of the Blind. During this great holiday season, please share the hope and opportunity we offer to blind people by telling those you know who are experiencing vision loss about the National Federation of the Blind.
> 
> From the Riccobono family to you and yours, have a joyous and warm holiday season with all of the meaning, fellowship, and hope that we are reminded of during this special time.
> 
> Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the rooftop,
> 
> 
> 
> Mark A. Riccobono, President
> National Federation of the Blind
> 
> 
> 
> What's News at the NFB
> 
> National Federation of the Blind Partners with Santa to Promote Braille Literacy
> 
> Once again, Santa has enlisted the help of the elves at the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute to get Braille letters out to hundreds of blind boys and girls this Christmas season. Between November 17 and December 19, parents can fill out an online Santa Braille Letter Request Form. The form can also be printed and faxed to (410) 685-2340. Beginning December 1, the Braille letters from Santa will start going out to blind boys and girls around the country. The Braille letter will also be accompanied by a print copy (for mom and dad to read). The deadline for letter requests is December 19, so be sure to get your requests in right away! More details on our program with Santa can be found in this fun video.
> 
> National Federation of the Blind to Award Thirty Scholarships in 2015
> 
> 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 merit-based, national-level scholarships in amounts ranging from $3,000 to $12,000. All scholarships awarded are based on academic excellence, community service, and leadership. The application period runs from November 1 through March 31, 2015. To learn more about our scholarship program and/or to apply online, please visit www.nfb.org/scholarships.
> 
> Save the Date for Our Seventy-Fifth Annual Convention
> 
> The date has been set: the 2015 National Federation of the Blind National Convention will be held from July 5-10, 2015, once again at the beautiful Rosen Centre in Orlando, Florida. More information about the exciting plans for this historic convention will be coming shortly.
> 
> Cardtronics Establishes Accessibility Center of Excellence
> 
> On November 24, Cardtronics Inc. announced the establishment of the Cardtronics Accessibility Center of Excellence. The Center of Excellence, which aims to deliver an industry-leading, voice-guided user experience at Cardtronics-supported ATMs, is part of a multi-year agreement by and among the company, the National Federation of the Blind, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The agreement resolves class-action litigation concerning the accessibility of Cardtronics’ fleet of ATMs to blind consumers and is subject to the approval of members of the class and the court. In collaboration with the NFB, Cardtronics will develop enhanced voice guidance software that will provide a fully accessible and superior user experience for blind customers at its ATMs. Within the Center of Excellence, voice guidance capabilities will be incorporated into new ATM technologies, helping to ensure that future ATM innovation is also fully accessible to blind users.
> 
> 
> 
> Education
> 
> NFB STEM2U Baltimore
> 
> November 6-9, 2014, the National Federation of the Blind hosted the first of six regional STEM programs associated with its National Center for Blind Youth in Science initiative, which is funded by a three-year grant from the National Science Foundation. NFB STEM2U Baltimore brought together seventeen juniors (blind children in grades 3-6) and their parents, twelve teachers of the blind, and seven apprentices (blind youth in grades 9-12). The activities for the youth were developed through collaboration with staff from Port Discovery Children’s Museum. During the program, the juniors and apprentices engaged in STEM activities in green engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and nanoscience. On Friday, students learned about the engineering design process as they designed, built, redesigned, and rebuilt cars out of recyclables (e.g., cereal boxes, CDs, yogurt containers, soda cans). On Saturday, the youth spent the day at Port Discovery engaging in engineering and nanoscience activities as well as exploring the museum. During the program, parents attended workshops designed to provide parents with the information and resources that they need to ensure their blind children have access to all of the learning opportunities that they will need to grow up to be successful blind adults. The teacher workshops focused on various tools, technologies, and techniques for making STEM content accessible to blind students in the classroom. Photos from NFB STEM2U Baltimore can be found on the National Federation of the Blind’s Facebook page. Future NFB STEM2U programs will be held in Boston (March 12-14, 2015) and Columbus (May 14-16, 2015) later this school year. During the 2015-2016 school year, NFB STEM2U will travel to Minneapolis, San Francisco, and Phoenix.
> 
> 
> 
> From the tenBroek Library
> 
> The tenBroek Library is pleased to announce the latest addition to our growing collection of accessible exhibits! During the last ten years, the library has become home to many unique installations that document the work and history of the National Federation of the Blind. Joining our collection, which already features a space capsule, a rocket ship, and an ax stuck into a chunk of wood, is a red metal dune buggy.
> 
> For those familiar with the NFB’s Blind Driver Challenge and the 2009 Youth Slam, the addition of a dune buggy to our collection will make perfect sense. The Blind Driver Challenge was the result of collaboration between the NFB and the Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute. This project culminated in the world’s first car that could be driven independently by a blind person, which was successfully navigated by NFB President Mark Riccobono on the track at Daytona International Speedway on January 29, 2011. 
> 
> However, it is a lesser known fact that an earlier incarnation of the Blind Driver Challenge vehicle was a little red dune buggy, tested by blind students at the 2009 Youth Slam on a track at the University of Maryland, College Park. Student drivers, many of whom had never dreamed it was possible for them to drive a car, helped the Virginia Tech engineering students who had designed the vehicle by taking it for a spin. This invaluable user testing made later versions of the vehicle possible, and shattered society’s limited expectations of blindness for every one of the two hundred participants at the event!
> 
> The Blind Driver dune buggy is now on display on the library floor, along with all of our other exhibits and resources, which are available to visitors and researchers alike. Stop by and see for yourself! 
> 
> 
> 
> Independence Market
> 
> Our NFB Independence Market is a conduit through which we distribute information about learning to cope effectively with blindness, so you can live the life you want. This time of year many are very interested in the blindness products available for purchase through the NFB Independence Market. Here is some information about the newest items we added to our inventory in the past month.
> 
> We are excited to announce that we just started carrying the Bradley Tactile Watch. This unique timepiece is an innovative fashion watch that was designed with both the sighted and blind in mind. Instead of 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, with 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 watch face features distinct tactile markings at five-minute intervals. The body of the Bradley is titanium, making it sleek, easy to clean, and durable. The watch band is stainless steel mesh with a clasp. The advertised holiday retail price is $242.25, but if you contact the NFB Independence Market via phone, we can offer you an even better member price.
> 
> The next two new items are helpful in getting your wardrobe organized. We have been selling Braille clothing labels for a long time. But we have just added a new version that focuses on more conservative colors and may be more appealing for guys. The following labels are included in the pack of one hundred tags: twelve black, twelve dark blue, eight light blue, eight brown, eight gray, eight white, eight plaid, eight print, eight striped, four dark green, four light green, four dark purple, four red, and four tan. Just ask for the “guys” version of our Braille color labels. And if sewing in clothing labels is not your thing, we also have a talking color identifier.  We recently started carrying the Colorino Talking Color Identifier and Light Detector, which detects over 150 color shades. 
> 
> The NFB has been involved with the development of the next two products. This fall we started selling the InTACT Sketchpad and the InTACT Eraser. The lightweight and durable design of the inTACT Sketchpad enables blind children and adults to easily create raised line drawings on plastic sheets. The InTACT Eraser is essentially a handheld battery-operated iron; it is used to flatten raised lines the user has created with the intact Sketchpad on the plastic drawing sheets. The eraser can be used to correct mistakes, change lines when the user has new ideas, and generally edit what has been drawn—in short it functions just like a rubber eraser used by a sighted person to fix pencil drawings. We also sell the InTACT Sketchpad and Eraser as a kit, which is more cost effective than buying the items separately.
> 
> Of course, the NFB Independence Market carries many other blindness products that enhance the independence of blind individuals. Remember to check out the Independence Market this holiday season when you are shopping for gifts for your blind family members and friends. Visit us online or contact us with any questions via email at independencemarket at nfb.org, or via phone at (410) 659-9314, extension 2216. Be sure to place your order by phone, if you need expedited shipping.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Advocacy
> 
> Effective Communication for Students
> 
> In November, the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice jointly released guidance regarding effective communication for public elementary and secondary students with communication-related disabilities, including blindness. Whether a parent, student, or educator, understanding students’ legal rights and the guidance surrounding them is critical to effectively advocating for auxiliary aids, accommodations, and instruction in the classroom. The Departments’ guidance defines effective communication under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and is provided in the form of a letter to educators, frequently asked questions, and a fact sheet for parents. Please take time to review and share these documents:
> 
> Dear Colleague Letter (November 12, 2014)
> Frequently Asked Questions on Effective Communication for Students with Hearing, Vision, or Speech Disabilities in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools
> Fact Sheet for Parents
> For additional information, contact Valerie Yingling, paralegal, at (410) 659-9314, extension 2440, or Vyingling at nfb.org. 
> 
> 
> 
> NFB-NEWSLINE®
> 
> NFB-NEWSLINE® Continues to Expand Its Publications List
> 
> Recently we have added a number of international newspapers to our growing service, including Japan Times, the Montreal Gazette, the Vancouver Sun and Daily News Egypt.  The Japan Times is a daily newspaper from Tokyo, and was first published on March 22, 1897. It contains domestic, world, and business news; opinion/editorials; lifestyle; entertainment; and sports coverage. The Montreal Gazette, an English-language newspaper based out of Montreal, Canada, was founded in 1778 by Fleury Mesplet and is Quebec's oldest daily newspaper. The Vancouver Sun, a daily newspaper from the province of British Columbia, was first published on February 12, 1912. Rounding out the newest international selections is the Daily News Egypt, which is Egypt's only daily independent newspaper in English. The newspaper originally launched in 2005. It provides news articles on politics, business, opinion, lifestyle, and culture, as well as investigative features, tourism articles, and interviews.
> 
> You can access these new international publications, along with four-hundred others, on the free NFB-NEWSLINE® service via your touch-tone telephone by dialing your local NFB-NEWSLINE® number and entering your subscriber ID and your security code, then pressing five for newspapers in a different state, and then pressing six for international newspapers. If you are not yet a subscriber to NFB-NEWSLINE®, you can visit our website at www.nfbnewsline.org to fill out an application, or call the National Federation of the Blind at (866) 504-7300.  
> 
>  
> 
> NFB Calendar
> 
> Upcoming Events
> 
> December 2, 2014: NFB #GivingTuesday
> 
> January 26, 2015: NFB Washington Seminar Great Gathering In
> 
> March 12-15, 2015: NFB STEM2U Boston (MA), Museum of Science
> 
> March 26-27, 2015: Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium
> 
> May 14-16, 2015: NFB STEM2U Columbus (OH), COSI
> 
> July 5-10, 2015: 75th Annual Convention of the National Federation of the Blind
> 
> August 2-8, 2015: NFB STEM2U EQ 
> 
>   
> 
> Citation
> 
> We are altering the course of our history—not only when the time is right but as the need arises. The future is not a matter of prediction but decision—our decision. We have the example of our founder, Dr. tenBroek, and our leader, Dr. Jernigan. With growing momentum we are building upon what we in the Federation have already accomplished. Each of us must contribute our energy, and the combined effort has already become the strongest force that the field of work with the blind has ever known. The wing of the butterfly has flapped. But more than that, we have made it flap. The winds of change that are blowing will sweep away the old ideas, and we who are blind will gain our freedom. This is our promise—to ourselves and to the blind of coming generations! This is the commitment that was made at the time we first came to organize. This is the commitment we reaffirm today. We always keep our word. Our future is in our own hands. Let us go together to meet it!
> 
> --Marc Maurer. "Let the Wing of the Butterfly Flap.” 1994 NFB National Convention, Detroit, Michigan, July 6, 1994.
> 
>   
> 
>  Thank you for reading the NFB’s Imagineering Our Future.
> 
> Help make a significant difference in the lives of blind people across the country.
> 
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> Interesting links:
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> Archive of Straight Talk About Vision Loss videos
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> National Center for Blind Youth in Science
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> Access Technology Tips
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> TeachBlindStudents.org
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