[Nyabs] {Disarmed} Fwd: National Federation of the Blind Newsletter - Happy Spring!

Wed Apr 1 17:30:10 UTC 2015

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind " <IOF at nfb.org>
> Date: April 1, 2015 at 12:06:30 PM EDT
> To: Nihal Erkan <nihal_erkan at hotmail.com>
> Subject: National Federation of the Blind Newsletter - Happy Spring!
> Reply-To: "Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind " <IOF at nfb.org>
> 
> 
> 
> Imagineering Our Future
> 
>   Issue 74
> 
> April 2015   
> 
> In this issue:
> 
> Message from the President
> What's News at the NFB
> Education
> Access Technology
> From the tenBroek Library
> Independence Market
> Advocacy
> NFB Calendar
> Citation
> 
> 
> Message from the President
> 
> Dear Friends,
> 
>  
> Spring is emerging—change, revitalization, a breath of fresh air, a new perspective. Besides allowing us to get out of the house and to enjoy the outdoors with our families, it is also a time of new opportunity for the National Federation of the Blind. We have just completed our eighth annual Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium—the premier gathering for fresh new ideas and directions to advance the rights of people with disabilities. And that event came on the heels of a refreshing ruling in our case against Scribd where the court provided the understanding that the rest of us already know—the internet is a significant and critical “place” of commerce and the blind should not be shut out.
> 
> Despite the change that is in the air, there is still a significant need for our outreach. We recently received a letter from a mom of a blind eighteen year old, telling his heartbreaking story of receiving a third-class education—if you could call it education—and her desperate need for help. We are going to mobilize the Federation family and see if we can reverse the devastating impact of low expectations on this family’s future. The scary thing is that we know there are more families out there who we have not yet found. As we open up our homes to the fresh air of spring, let’s recommit ourselves to finding those blind individuals who have not yet connected with the National Federation of the Blind.
> 
> Speaking of refreshing and connecting, it is always such a great experience to travel across the country and engage with members of the Federation. I am looking forward to upcoming trips to Utah, Minnesota, California, and of course Florida, to reconnect with members of the Federation, to make new friends working on the frontier of change with us, and to promote the refreshing perspective of high expectations we bring to everything we do.
> 
> Warmest regards for a refreshing April,
> 
> 
> 
> Mark A. Riccobono, President
> National Federation of the Blind
> 
> P.S. You should check out our new program to give back to our sighted colleagues. 
> 
> 
> 
> What's News at the NFB
> 
> NFB Connect for iOS Is Here!
> 
> Great news! There’s now another easy way to stay connected with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) if you have an iPhone, iPad, or other iOS device. Our new mobile app, NFB Connect, is finally here! You can find it in the Apple App Store, or just use the following link on your iOS device to download it directly: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nfb-connect/id968434124. With NFB Connect, you can quickly and easily read the latest news about the NFB, find information about upcoming events, access the Braille Monitor and other publications, listen to presidential releases, find the NFB in your community, learn about ways to support the National Federation of the Blind, and more!
> 
> NFB Applauds Ruling in Scribd Case
> 
> The National Federation of the Blind applauded a ruling issued on March 19 by Judge William K. Sessions III of the United States District Court for the District of Vermont in a lawsuit filed by the NFB and Heidi Viens, a blind mother from Colchester, against Scribd, Inc. The court’s ruling denied Scribd’s motion to have the case dismissed. The lawsuit alleges violations of Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Scribd had argued that the ADA did not apply because the company does not offer its services from a public physical location. Judge Sessions rejected this argument, ruling that Scribd’s services clearly fall within at least one category of public accommodations covered by the ADA. The ADA therefore covers the claim that Scribd’s failure to make its services available to blind people who access its website or mobile apps violates the law. For more information on this important ruling, please read our press release.
> 
> NFB Leader Elected Chair of Access Board
> 
> The National Federation of the Blind congratulates member Sachin Dev Pavithran of Logan, Utah, who was elected unanimously as chair of the United States Access Board on March 12. Mr. Pavithran, who has served on the Access Board since his appointment by President Barack Obama in 2012, is program director of the Utah Assistive Technology Program at Utah State University's Center for Persons with Disabilities. Mr. Pavithran is a leader in the National Federation of the Blind of Utah, serving as the affiliate’s legislative director and on its board of directors, as well as serving on the NFB’s national Research and Development Committee.
> 
> Preregistration Open for 75th NFB National Convention
> 
> It's almost convention time again! Preregistration is now open for our seventy-fifth annual national convention, to be held July 5-10, at the Rosen Centre in Orlando, Florida. You won't want to miss this historic gathering, which will celebrate seventy-five years of raising expectations of blind Americans. Learn a little more about our national convention in a new video featuring NFB President Mark Riccobono. And preregister now at http://lx-web.nfb.org/convention/preregistration.php.
> 
> 
> 
> Education
> 
> NFB STEM2U Boston
> 
> In March, we hosted our second NFB STEM2U regional program, this time in Boston in collaboration with the Museum of Science. NFB STEM2U Boston served sixteen juniors (students in grades 3-6), who attended with their parents, and ten apprentices (high school students). Students spent all day Friday learning about the engineering design process by working on an engineering design challenge. Students then applied their knowledge to the various activities that they participated in on Saturday. These activities included engineering a bobsled, extracting and examining DNA, learning about electricity through hands-on exploration of the Theater of Electricity, and free exploration of the Museum of Science.  While the students were engaged with their activities, their parents learned about the tools and techniques that blind people use when learning and working in STEM disciplines, how to make informal STEM learning opportunities more meaningful for their blind children, best practices in formal STEM education for blind students, and how to connect with the various networks and resources available to them through the National Federation of the Blind. At the program we celebrated Super Pi Day with a party and a short rendition of Lindsay Yazzolino’s recitation of the digits of Pi. You can view a collection of photos from the program on our Facebook page.
> 
> 
> 
> Access Technology
> 
> The Access Technology Team has once more survived the Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference (CSUN). It was busier than ever, and the attendees are always a pleasure to present to. The team got an opportunity to learn more about anything from accessible math and accessible books to accessible comics, and got to see more than a few new products like the HIMS Smart Beetle Braille display and the Telorion Android phone overlay.
> 
> There are a few appearances from the Access Technology Team to look for in the next few weeks: the upcoming Blind Bargains podcast will include an audio tour of the IBTC. It’s something we had a great time doing and hope will prove useful to listeners. We’re also, as a sort of segue way from CSUN, going to be putting up a new blogpost on 3D printing that you might find interesting. Visit the access technology blog at https://nfb.org/access-technology-blog.
> 
> 
> 
> From the tenBroek Library
> 
> Since 2004, the Jacobus tenBroek Library has been diligently working to build a world-renown research collection on all aspects of blindness excluding medical topics. Our focus during the last ten years has been centered on the subjects of the NFB’s institutional history, the organized blind movement in America, the experiences and achievements of blind citizens, examples of obsolete writing systems for the blind, and the creative products of blind authors, musicians, and artists. Today it stands as the only research library on blindness in the United States that is owned and managed by the blind.
> 
> Researchers interested in using our unique library collection can explore our holdings online through the Blind Cat, our fully accessible open public access catalog (OPAC), which is available online at www.nfb.org/theblindcat. However, there is another way to get a taste of what the tenBroek Library has to offer. Over the years, library staff members have published reviews of books in our collection in the Braille Monitor, the NFB’s flagship publication. Known as the Featured Book from the tenBroek Library series, these reviews highlight some of the rarer and more intriguing pieces of literature housed in our collection, while providing glimpses into the lives, experiences, and stereotypes of blind people throughout history.
> 
> These book reviews are simply the tip of the iceberg at the tenBroek Library. If you are interested in getting a unique look at what our research collection has to offer, the Featured Book series is a great place to start!
> 
> Helen Keller: Sketch for a Portrait by Van Wyck Brooks
> 
> Poems by Thomas Blacklock
> 
> The Man in the Dark by John Ferguson
> 
> Blind Educator: The Story of Newel Lewis Perry by T. Hugh Buckingham
> 
> Drawing & the Blind: Pictures to Touch by John M. Kennedy
> 
> 
> 
> Independence Market
> 
> The National Federation of the Blind encourages blind individuals to reach for their dreams, so they can live the lives they want. Building one’s capacity to live one’s dreams usually includes developing various skillsets, such as independent travel and Braille and computer literacy. Many people are still using Windows-based computers on the job, at school, and at home. Often it’s difficult to find good training resources to learn how to use screen readers and various applications. Here is where the NFB Independence Market can help.
> 
> Recently JAWS® users gained access to new training materials developed by Freedom Scientific. The new training bundle contains over fifty hours of training on the use of JAWS for Windows with various productivity applications, such as Windows 7, Windows 8, Microsoft Office 2010 and 2013, and more. Lessons also include learning how to browse the internet and read PDF files with JAWS. This JAWS training bundle is now exclusively available from the NFB Independence Market on an NLS cartridge.
> 
> This portable training medium offers many advantages. Since the training content is on an NLS cartridge, legally blind individuals can obtain playback equipment from their library for the blind at no charge. It no longer matters if students live in an urban or a rural area. They can study from the comfort of their own home or any other convenient location. Students set their schedule and learn at their own pace. It is easy to start and stop training, jump to, or repeat specific lessons. Purchasing the training bundle is less expensive per hour than paying for one-on-one training. It is evident that the training bundle on the NLS cartridge is a great JAWS training solution for both individuals and agencies.
> 
> For more information about the JAWS training materials on the NLS cartridge or other products and literature available from the NFB Independence Market please email us at independencemarket at nfb.org or call us at (410) 659-9314, extension 2216. You may also browse our catalog and ecommerce site online.
> 
>  
> 
> Advocacy
> 
> Touchscreen Self-Service Kiosks in SSA Offices
> 
> Many Social Security Administration (SSA) offices use touchscreen kiosks for purposes of registering information prior to meeting with SSA personnel. The NFB is currently investigating the accessibility of touchscreen self-service kiosks used in SSA offices. If you have recently visited an SSA office and were prompted to use a touchscreen self-service kiosk to sign in for your meeting, the NFB needs to hear from you. Specifically, the NFB wants to know whether or not the kiosk was accessible and at what office the kiosk was located. Please contact Valerie Yingling, paralegal, at (410) 659-9314, extension 2440, to share this important information.
> 
> 
> 
> NFB Calendar
> 
> Upcoming Events
> 
> 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 
> 
> State Conventions
> 
> April 10-12: NFB of Oklahoma
> 
> April 10-12: NFB of New Hampshire
> 
> April 10-12: NFB of New Mexico
> 
> April 10-12: NFB of Wisconsin
> 
> April 17-19: NFB of Louisiana
> 
> April 30- May 3: NFB of Utah 
> 
>   
> 
> Citation
> 
> Some of us have been in the Federation a long time, going back half a century; some of us are new to the cause. Some of us are college-educated with post-graduate degrees; some of us are not. Some of us have financial security; others have barely enough to make ends meet. Some of us have learned cane travel and the other skills of blindness; some of us are only now becoming aware of specialized techniques. Such minor differences are of no importance whatsoever. In everything that matters, we are one—we are the blind—we are the people of the movement who have come together to make things happen, to create opportunity, to dream, to work, to explore. Our diplomatic service is the force for change. Some may become discouraged; we will not. Some may be tempted to quit; we will not. Some may be encouraged to believe that the defeats which inevitably come to us all will end our journey; they cannot. Our organization will not be deflected from its course or turned from its purpose. The struggle for recognition of our basic humanity has been long—reaching back through more than half a century to the time of the beginning of our movement, and the effort to fulfill our dream of being able to use our talents to the fullest stretches ahead of us. But, we are closer to it than we have ever been, and our momentum is accelerating.
> 
> -- Marc Maurer. "Independence and the Necessity for Diplomacy.”   2001 NFB National Convention, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 6, 2001.
> 
>   
> 
> 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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> If this issue was forwarded to you and you would like to subscribe, please email JerniganInstitute at nfb.org.
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> Please check with your company to see if it offers a matching program that will match your gift.
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>  
> 
> Interesting links:
> 
> Archive of Straight Talk About Vision Loss videos
> 
> National Center for Blind Youth in Science
> 
> Access Technology Tips
> 
> TeachBlindStudents.org
> 
>  
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> 
> Blogs:
> 
> Access Technology
> 
> Voice of the Nation's Blind
> 
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> Support the National Federation of the Blind through the Imagination Fund.
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> 200 East Wells Street
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> Baltimore, MD 21230
> United States
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