[Ohio-talk] Winter Buckeye Bulletin
Eric Duffy
eduffy at deltav.org
Sat Dec 7 22:17:46 UTC 2013
Pasted in the body of this message and included as an attachment you will
find the winter edition of the Buckeye Bulletin.
Winter 2013
Buckeye Bulletin
A publication of the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
Barbara Pierce, Editor
237 Oak Street
Oberlin, OH 44074
bpierce at oberlin.net
http://www.nfbohio.org
(440) 774-8077
Eric Duffy, President
(614) 935-6965 (NFB-O Office)
eduffy at pobox.com
P.O. Box 82055, Columbus, OH 43202
Voice of the Nation's Blind
The National Federation of the Blind of Ohio is a 501 (c) 3 consumer
organization comprised of blind and sighted people committed to changing
what it means to be blind. Though blindness is still all too often a tragedy
to those who face it, we know from our personal experience that with
training and opportunity it can be reduced to the level of a physical
nuisance. We work to see that blind people receive the services and training
to which they are entitled and that parents of blind children receive the
advice and support they need to help their youngsters grow up to be happy,
productive adults. We believe that first-class citizenship means that people
have both rights and responsibilities, and we are determined to see that
blind people become first-class citizens of these United States, enjoying
their rights and fulfilling their responsibilities. The most serious
problems we face have less to do with our lack of vision than with
discrimination based on the public's ignorance and misinformation about
blindness. Join us in educating Ohioans about the abilities and aspirations
of Ohio's blind citizens. We are changing what it means to be blind.
The NFB of Ohio has ten local chapters, one for at-large members,
and special divisions for diabetics, merchants, students, seniors, parents
of blind children, guide dog users, and those interested in Braille. This
newsletter appears three times a year and is circulated by email, posted on
NFB-NEWSLINER, our digitized newspaper-reading service by phone, and can be
read or downloaded from our website, www.nfbohio.org. For information about
the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio or to make address changes or
be added to the mailing list, call (440) 774-8077 or email
bpierce at oberlin.net. For information about NFB-NEWSLINE, our free digitized
newspaper-reading service, call (866) 504-7300. Local NEWSLINE numbers are:
330-247-1241 (Akron), 330-409-1900 (Canton), 513-297-1521 (Cincinnati),
216-453-2090 (Cleveland), and 614-448-1673 (Columbus).
The NFB now has a vehicle donation program. For complete information go to
<www.nfb.org/vehicledonations> or call our toll-free vehicle donation number
(855) 659-9314.
Table of Contents
In This Issue
by Barbara Pierce
>From the President's Desk
by Eric Duffy
Report of the 2013 Convention
Of the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
by Shelbi Hindel
The NFB of Ohio 2013 Awards Report
by Barbara Pierce
Honor Roll Call of Chapters and Divisions
National Federation of the Blind of Ohio 2013 Resolution
by Deborah Kendrick
Bringing Camp Abilities to Ohio
by Jim Debus
120 Minutes: How the Federation Helped One Student Bound for College
by Deborah Kendrick
Building for the Future
National Federation of the Blind 2014 Scholarship Program
Buckeye Briefs
Activities Calendar
----------
In This Issue
by Barbara Pierce
This is the post-convention issue of our newsletter. If you attended
the convention, it will bring back some great memories. If you missed the
convention, reading the following articles will give you an idea of what you
missed. In fact, I hope it will persuade you not to miss another convention.
In addition to a summary of the agenda, Eric looks back over his
first year in office. Deborah Kendrick tells about encouraging an O&M
teacher who is fighting for her student.
The spring newsletter will probably be out in April, so the deadline
for material is April 1. That will leave a month till the deadline for the
Ohio scholarship applications. Information about the national scholarship
program appears in this issue.
In closing, the leadership of the NFB of Ohio wishes you and yours a
Merry Christmas and a peaceful and blessed New Year.
----------
>From the President's Desk
by Eric Duffy
Our convention agenda was so crowded this year that I did not take
the time to make a presidential report. So I have decided to use this column
for that purpose. A little more than a year and another convention of the
National Federation of the Blind of Ohio have come and gone since I was
elected president of the organization. Much has happened in my personal life
and within the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio during that time. In
order to plan for the future, it is constructive to look back at the past,
so here is a summary of this first year of my presidency.
Shortly after the conclusion of the 2012 convention, we began
working on the 2013 Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning (BELL)
Program. This program is a tremendous undertaking for any affiliate, and it
was certainly so for the new administration in Ohio. Those who attended the
2013 state convention, those who read the summer/fall issue of the Buckeye
Bulletin, and those who helped make the program a success know that we
changed what it means to be blind for blind children and adults during the
two weeks of BELL.
I wanted the organization to get off the ground running, so we held
our first meeting of the board of directors in December. At this meeting I
appointed the committees for 2013. In my memory at least this had never been
done in our affiliate before. But in order to grow the organization and to
foster the kind of success we want to have as an organization, we must all
work as a team, and much of our work is done through committees, so I
decided to give them an early start.
Just before the Washington Seminar Barbara Pierce and I attended a
legislative seminar sponsored by the Jernigan Institute. Ohio was recognized
for our work on bills that had been introduced recently.
Under the leadership of Barbara Pierce, who chairs our Legislative
Committee, we continue to be one of the leading affiliates in supporting the
legislative and advocacy efforts of the National Federation of the Blind.
Barbara and I can't take all of the credit for this, however. When we have
asked you to make phone calls, send emails, or write letters, you have come
through. This includes supporting such things as the Convention on the
Rights of Persons with Disabilities and writing letters to the FCC
concerning inaccessible e-readers. Individually each of you knows how much
effort you put forth in this area. I am certain, however, that we can all do
more in the year to come.
We assisted Macy McClain in her effort to receive training at the
Louisiana Center for the Blind. The National Federation of the Blind has
been a part of Macy's life since she was very young. When it became clear to
her that she needed additional training in developing blindness skills, it
was only natural that she wanted to attend one of the best residential
training centers in the country. Macy spent approximately nine months at the
Louisiana Center for the Blind. She did it with our help. The rest of the
story remains to be told. We believe in Macy. We will continue to do what we
can to help her be successful, because that is what we do in the National
Federation of the Blind.
Here is an example of some of the contacts we regularly respond to.
I received this email shortly after the 2012 convention. I will include only
a part of the text here: "I am asking for help on behalf of my father. He
recently suffered a pretty serious heart attack and as a result an anoxic
brain injury and severe vision loss due to oxygen deprivation of the optic
nerve. He is only fifty-six and was a very independent person before this
happened. He was active physically with softball, volleyball, and bowling
(to name a few sports) and loved cognitive challenges such as crosswords,
Sudoku, and chess. He was also very handy and had remodeled most of the
house he shares with my mom, as well as being an electrical technician for
his current job. The doctors are not optimistic that he'll regain enough
vision to return to a normal life and are pretty sure he cannot return to
his current field of work. I would love any information you may have that
could help us begin to understand how to handle the new circumstances and
how to help my dad be able to do the things he enjoys again."
What other organization has a service at all comparable to
NFB-NEWSLINER to tell this man's daughter about? There is none. What other
organization has our positive philosophy and can-do attitude when it comes
to blindness that can give someone facing blindness for the first time hope
for the future? Again, the answer is simple and clear. There is none. It is
up to you and to me as members and leaders of the National Federation of the
Blind to see that our programs continue and to spread our message about what
blindness is and is not throughout the land.
We continue to have a good working relationship with the
rehabilitation agency in Ohio. This agency, which we have known as the
Rehabilitation Services Commission, is now known as Opportunities for
Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD). Quarterly I meet with OOD Director Kevin
Miller and others on his staff to discuss issues of importance to the blind
of the state in relation to vocational rehabilitation. These are productive
meetings with valuable exchanges for both sides. If they were not, neither
Director Miller nor I would keep them on our schedules. We are both too busy
for that.
Because of the support of OOD, we continue to have NFB-NEWSLINE in
Ohio. It is my hope that Director Miller and OOD will continue to work with
us to fund this service and that they will help us identify alternative
funding sources should that become necessary.
Our work with blind children and their families has increased during
this time. In part here is one email I received from the mother of a blind
child: "Mr. Duffy, hello. My name is _______, and my five-year-old daughter
Evie has albinism. She'll be starting kindergarten in the fall, and I think
it's very important that she learn Braille. She is beginning to read print
already and doing an awesome job, but I noticed that, as she's moving from
the simple readers with one sentence of print on a page to the more advanced
beginner books with an entire page of print, her eyes are beginning to show
signs of fatigue. This is not a work avoidance technique on her part. She's
very motivated and will continue to read until she says she's finished. Then
she'll rub her eyes, sometimes even cry, and say that her eyes hurt. She's
very sensitive to the light, and according to her the light makes the white
page too bright and makes her eyes hurt. The print in these readers is the
same size as the print in the simpler readers, so it isn't the size of the
print. I haven't had her IEP meeting yet, but I'm a teacher at a special ed
preschool in another district. The teacher for the visually impaired who
will be working with her also works with a child in my building. She stopped
by my classroom to talk to me about Evie's meeting, and, when I mentioned
Braille instruction, I could tell immediately she is against it for children
with albinism. I've looked at what IDEA has to say about it, and it seems
that the school district should provide her with Braille instruction.
However, I think it may be a battle to get it in place for her in the fall.
I'd appreciate any help you could give me in figuring out how best to go
about getting the school district on board with Braille instruction. Any
information you have would be great. Evie is a very bright child, and I
don't want her to be held back by her vision at all. Thanks." And the mother
signs it.
We have helped Evie, and we will continue to support her family. We will see
that she gets the Braille instruction that she needs. Nothing that we do or
say is more important than helping blind children in every way that we can.
If that's not what we are about as an organization, then we are about
nothing that matters. Let's continue to work together to build a brighter
future for blind children like Evie.
A great deal of our work is done by chapters and divisions. I have
worked hard to provide weekly updates to the organization concerning not
only my activities but those of chapters and divisions. I do this because I
want everyone to have access to current information, and because so much is
happening that I can't save it all for this report.
The Parents Division had a fall retreat weekend in October. This
hasn't happened in a number of years until this past October. I want to
thank Cindy Conley for making this happen for us.
I am encouraged by the growth and activity of our Student Division.
Blind children and older students are the future of our organization.
Judging by what I see today, our future is bright. We will march forward
with hope and energy.
Because of the generous donations of many individuals as well as
chapters and divisions, we were able to provide two college students with
scholarships at our most recent convention. It should be remembered that at
its 2012 convention meeting the board of directors voted to suspend the
scholarship program until we had more funding. The McClains donated money
specifically for a scholarship at the 2012 banquet. Other members, chapters,
and divisions also made contributions to support the program during the
weeks and months ahead.
It is because of generosity and spirit such as this that we are such
a strong organization. We have many challenges ahead of us, but we will meet
them with confidence. Funding our organization has to be our greatest
priority in the year to come. We cannot operate without money. We did a good
job of finding individual pockets of money for programs such as BELL and
scholarships last year. We must continue to do that, but we must also do
more. We must raise money for the general operating fund of the National
Federation of the Blind of Ohio. Without this money I could not have asked
Debbie Baker and Shelley McCoy to travel to Cincinnati to help Evie's
family.
We must create new funding opportunities, but we must all find ways
to get new people participating in our Scrip Program. This program does not
require that we sell anything, and it gives us new income each month.
We must continue to increase our profile in the education of blind
children in Ohio. The future of the next generation of the blind is in our
hands, and we must apply all of the love, resources, knowledge, and talent
that we can toward making a better future than the generation that came
before had. That is what we are all about: making life better for the next
generation of the blind.
I could report on much more in this column, but space and time are
both limited. We have accomplished much in this past year, but there is
still much more to be done. I pledge to you once again to lead the National
Federation of the Blind of Ohio with as much love, strength, courage,
wisdom, passion, and compassion as I can give. I ask of you to give me your
trust, your energy, and your commitment. I ask for your dedication and your
willingness to follow me and the leaders of this organization even when the
path seems uncertain. If we continue to give each other the love and support
that have been mutually given during this past year, there is nothing we
cannot accomplish.
Let us march into the future together. Let us hold our heads high
given what we have already accomplished. We must see the challenges that are
before us as opportunities for growth. Most of all we must remain united,
and together we will make our dreams come true.
----------
Report of the 2013 Convention
Of the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
by Shelbi Hindel
Editor's note: Shelbi Hindel is NFB of Ohio secretary. Here is her report of
the convention:
This year we had an absolutely wonderful convention that we dedicated to the
memory of Robert (Bob) M. Eschbach. It started on Friday morning, November
1, at 11:00 a.m. with a meeting of the board of directors. General session
was called to order at 1:30 that afternoon by our president, Eric Duffy.
Although he has been master of ceremonies at the banquet for several years,
this was his first convention as our president. He put together a wonderful,
jam-packed agenda from start to finish. We received a warm and lively
welcome to Miamisburg by Richard Payne, president of the Miami Valley
chapter; by Dick Church, mayor of Miamisburg, who also gave a brief history
of the community; and by an energetic pep band that our own Kaiti Shelton
plays in. First-time attendees were recognized along with long-time
attendees. It is noteworthy that Paul Dressell attended his first full
convention in 1964. Two of our regular convention attendees, Annette
Anderson and Mary Pool, were absent this year, and everyone agreed that
they would be missed.
The Rev. Sam Gleese, president of the NFB of Mississippi and a long-time
member of the national board of directors, came to our convention as the
national representative. He delivered the national report on Friday
afternoon, gave the banquet address on Saturday evening, and participated in
several panel discussions throughout the weekend. Sam is an interesting
person who has performed a variety of jobs in his working career. His quiet
good sense and commitment to the principles of the Federation shone out in
all his comments.
Mindy Duncan, director of the Bureau of Services for the Visually
Impaired, spoke to us Friday afternoon. Although our bureau has not changed
its name, the umbrella agency, the Rehabilitation Services Commission, has
done so. It is now Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD). She
indicated a desire to provide services in a timely manner and to develop a
stronger partnership with us. Mindy assured us that she wants to learn about
blindness.
Judy Knisely spoke to us about being deaf-blind in Ohio. She was a very
interesting, informative, and entertaining speaker who imparted a lot of
information to us. Nationally a program called I Can Connect enables
deaf-blind people to learn accessible technology such as the Braille Sense,
the iPhone, the Internet, Facebook, and more. She told a delightful story
about a determined deaf-blind woman named Angie and her experience riding a
motorcycle. If you did not hear this story, you certainly missed out on a
good laugh. Judy is willing to answer questions about services to the
deaf-blind. Her email address is jknisely at columbusspeech.org. The contact
information for Ohio's I Can Connect program is <www.icanconnect.org> or
(800) 825-4595. In the Columbus Speech and Hearing Center office the contact
is Gayle Stanford, (614) 261-5792.
The Friday afternoon session wrapped up with a panel presentation
from the Business Enterprise Program. Annette Lutz, president of the Ohio
Association of Blind Merchants, led this discussion, and she was joined by
Karen Whalen and Jarett Roush. They gave some history of the program,
described where it is currently, and outlined their hopes for the future
Friday evening was filled with meetings of the Nominating Committee, the
Resolutions Committee, Ohio Association of Blind Merchants, and the At-Large
Chapter. The Not the Royal Shakespeare Company presented a Sam Spade radio
play, "The Hot Hundred Grand Caper." The cast read their parts in Braille.
The play was directed by Bob Pierce and was sponsored by Ohio NAPUB. The
evening ended with hospitality where people could snack, enjoy a cash bar,
and socialize with one another.
Saturday morning the Diabetes Action Network and that National Association
to Promote the Use of Braille of Ohio kicked off the day's activities with
breakfast meetings. The general session was largely filled with our own
presenters, which was extremely interesting. Kaiti Shelton told us why she
is a Federationist as a young person in our student division. William H.
Turner, chairman of the Membership Committee, spoke on building the
Federation. He had several people speak to this topic. Marianne Denning
spoke on bringing the world into your home through hosting exchange
students. She and her family have hosted students from a variety of
countries and cultures. She currently has a young blind woman from the
Philippines whom she introduced to us. This young lady, although very shy,
did speak briefly. Cheryl Fields shared her powerful personal experience of
domestic violence. She is obviously passionate about the problem. Our last
presentation by NFB members was about attending college. It was a panel
discussion and had presenters from the past and the present. They shared a
variety of access struggles, both good and bad.
Tracy Grimm joined us from the Ohio Library for the Blind and Physically
Disabled to give the annual report on the Talking Book Program. The biggest
news that she had concerned the app for the iPhone having been released
earlier this year. She also reported that the app for the Droid platform is
not progressing very well. Cassette players are still available to
interested patrons, if they wish to have them. Tracy played a trivia game
with the audience and gave thumb drives as prizes. It is important that we
continue to have a representative from the library at our conventions
because this program is the most widely used one in the blindness community
and requires our time and energy.
During the lunch recess several divisions held annual meetings. These were
Parents of Blind Children, Ohio Organization of the Senior Blind, Student
Division, and Ohio Association of Guide Dog Users. The Diabetes Action
Network held a health screening at which people could have their blood
pressure and glucose level checked. An information session on domestic abuse
was also available for people to stop in and visit. Though the recess was
two hours long, it passed quickly.
The first part of the afternoon session was devoted to technology. Marc
Solomon of GW Micro presented some examples of new technology available to
blind consumers. Eric Duffy and Deborah Kendrick presented information
concerning accessing the printed word. Angie Hoschouer spoke to us about the
WORDS radio reading service she directs. She spoke about the programming,
equipment, requirements for service, and the challenge of coordinating the
volunteers. Angie wants to work with us to give all blind people the best
services possible and does not see any reason that we should compete for the
same scarce dollars if we can work together. Her contact information is
Angie Hoschouer, PMP
Radio Reading Service Program Manager
Goodwill Easter Seals Miami Valley
1511 Kuntz Road
Dayton OH 45404
(937) 528-6564
Toll-free: (877) 363-3303 x564.
Angie said she would speak with her colleagues about working with the NFB
of Ohio in the future .
The afternoon highlight was the presentation of the Braille Enrichment for
Learning and Literacy (BELL), Program. Two of our summer 2013 BELL families
joined us. Brandon and MaKenzie were very well received by the audience, as
were their parents. Six-year-old MaKenzie impressed us by reading a very
nicely written speech in Braille. Several of our members who volunteered at
the summer program spoke. The entire group sang the songs, "Ring My Bell"
and "The Braille Rap Song," with great energy. The audience was caught up in
the enthusiasm and really got a taste of the magic of the BELL Program.
Judy Hacker spoke to us about Lions Clubs. She arrived in time to see the
BELL presentation, and she promised to carry back the need for funding of
this important program.
The afternoon session was running behind schedule, so Suzanne Turner and her
guest, ???, spoke very briefly about employment and Social Security.
John Mitchell, executive director of the Cincinnati Association for the
Blind and Visually Impaired, spoke to us. He was conscious of the late hour,
so he made his remarks brief and to the point. He reported that CABVI has
worked with our Cincinnati Chapter for a number of years now to put
together a very successful white cane walk. This is something that he and
his staff look forward to each year. CABVI and the Clovernook Center for the
Blind are working together to decrease duplication of services so that each
agency can provide the best services possible to the blind and visually
impaired of the area given the limited resources they have.
We did not have much time between the adjournment of Saturday afternoon's
general session and the start of the banquet. The banquet started at 6:00
p.m. Pat Eschbach joined us at the head table in honor and loving memory of
her late husband, Bob. In recognition of her work with NFB and friendship to
us, she was asked to offer the invocation. We enjoyed a meal of chicken,
mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, salad, rolls, and cheese cake. After
dinner the Rev. Sam Gleese delivered the banquet address, and then awards
and scholarships were presented. Paul Dressell presented the awards, and
Barbara Pierce presented the scholarships. A full report of these
presentations appears elsewhere in this newsletter. The banquet concluded
with Money for the Movement and several drawings for prizes. The Honor Roll
Call of Chapters and Divisions is printed elsewhere in this issue. Saturday
night post-banquet activities included games, Karaoke, and music.
Sunday morning started with a breakfast for first-time convention attendees
with the president. This was an opportunity for Eric to get to know them and
for them to ask questions.
General session started at 9:00 a.m. with the memorial service conducted by
Paul Dressell. This is always a somber time. A list of those remembered
appears elsewhere in this issue.
We had a presentation on a new possible way to vote independently by Yung
Nguyen, president of IVS LLC. Some states are using his company's system,
which allows voters to use the telephone while at their polling place to
vote. Voting independently is something we all want to do. It is possible
with the technology available to us today. It was interesting to learn the
different requirements that states have regarding electronic voting and
paper trails. Many of us do participate actively in the voting process.
Barbara Pierce and Paul Dressell presented our history in song. A CD
of twenty-seven NFB songs is available for $5 from the NFB of Cincinnati. If
interested, you can purchase it from Judy Cook. Call her at (513) 407-4036.
Just before we started the business meeting of the convention, Barbara and
Sam Gleese led a discussion of NFB philosophy. These are interesting and
informative discussions each year. Each national representative brings to us
a different perspective, memories, and experiences.
The business meeting started with the second reading of the proposed changes
to our state constitution. The first reading was done Friday afternoon, at
which time Shelbi Hindel read the proposed changes and Eric Duffy read the
existing language. On Sunday morning the proposed changes were voted on. The
vote carried. We now have a revised constitution. Sherry Ruth gave the
treasurer's report for fiscal year 2012 It was approved.
Sherry then gave the report of the Nominating Committee, and elections were
held. This was the year to elect board members. Elected were Sheri Albers,
Debbie Baker, Susan Day, Deborah Kendrick, Barbara Pierce, and William
Turner. Congratulations to those elected to serve.
President Eric Duffy adjourned his first convention. What a fantastic
convention it was! Those not able to attend missed a wonderful weekend
crowded with interesting reports and activities.
----------
The NFB of Ohio 2013 Awards Report
by Barbara Pierce
Banquet mistress of ceremonies Shelbi Hindel invited Paul Dressell,
who chaired the 2013 Awards Committee, to come to the podium to make this
year's presentations. He presented four certificates: two Gavel Awards and
two individual awards.
Paul called Sherry Ruth to the stage to receive the Chapter Gavel
Award on behalf of the Lorain County chapter. This award is presented to the
outstanding chapter. Here is the text of the award:
Chapter Gavel Award
Presented by
The National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
to
The National Federation of the Blind
of
Lorain County
The Lorain chapter encourages members to read all Federation publications,
then discusses relevant issues at monthly meetings; contacts local, state,
and national officials about concerns of importance to the blind; and
assists newly blinded residents of Lorain County to adjust to blindness. No
problem is too insignificant, whether it is assisting a theater goer so that
she will not be an embarrassment to herself or a burden to movie management,
or just offering friendship and counseling to an elderly blind resident.
You are an example and an inspiration
to us all.
Eric Duffy, President
November 2, 2013
The Division Gavel Award was presented to Barbara Pierce, president
of the National Association to Promote the Use of Braille of Ohio. Here is
the text:
Division Gavel Award
Presented by
The National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
to
The National Association to Promote the Use of Braille
of Ohio
For its creative and continuous support of Braille.
NAPUB has strongly endorsed Braille through its financial contributions to
the Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning (BELL) Program, as well as
having eight members participate in its first successful statewide venture.
For the third year its Not the Royal Shakespeare Company has presented a
radio play as a fundraiser at this convention.
You excite and inspire us by your dedication to the NFB and the values for
which it stands.
Eric Duffy, President
November 2, 2013
The Alfonso Smith Award, presented to the outstanding blind person of the
year, was given to NFB of Ohio First Vice President Richard Payne. Here is
the text:
Alfonso Smith Award
Presented by
The National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
to
Richard Payne
For his many years of dedicated service to the National Federation of the
Blind of Ohio
And for his mentoring skills with chapters and individuals.
He has worked with agencies for the blind, service groups, and individual
Federationists,
And his charismatic personality enables him to reach blind people in all
walks of life.
Eric Duffy, President
November 2, 2013
The final award presented was the Ruth Garwood Award, presented to a
sighted person who has given much to the blind of Ohio. This year it went to
David Lichtenfeld of Cincinnati. Deborah Kendrick nominated David. Here is
the text of the certificate:
The Ruth Garwood Award
Presented to David Lichtenfeld
This second day of November, 2013
For his true understanding of what it means to be blind
For his devotion of time, talent, and treasure to benefit blind Ohioans
For his invaluable assistance in NFB-O's mentoring program
And for volunteering in our fundraising concert.
It is not so much what he does, but how he does these tasks, that makes
David Lichtenfeld
a worthy recipient of the 2013 Ruth Garwood Award.
Ruth Garwood dedicated her life to helping her brother carry out his
leadership responsibilities for the affiliate. You empower all your blind
friends to reach further and accomplish more than they dared to dream. For
these gifts we give you our heart-felt thanks.
November 2, 2013
Eric Duffy, President
There you have the report of the work of the Awards Committee: Paul
Dressell, chair; Shelbi Hindel; Jerry Purcell; Colleen Roth; JW Smith; and
Cathy Withman. Seven chapters competed for the Chapter Gavel Award, and four
divisions competed for the Division Gavel Award. This is a hard-working
committee, and we look forward to having more work for it to do next year.
----------
Honor Roll Call of Chapters and Divisions
At the close of the banquet each year we take time to raise money
for the affiliate in much the way the national organization does in the
Honor Role Call of States at the national convention. In future years we
will call the roll of chapters, but here is the list of chapters and
divisions as the treasurer took it down this year. We will invite individual
contributions and pledges as well, but these are not noted here.
Chapters
Capital Chapter
NFB of Cincinnati
NFB of Cleveland
NFB of Cuyahoga County
NFB of Lake County
NFB of Lorain County
Divisions
National Association to Promote the Use of Braille of Ohio
Ohio Association of Guide Dog Users
Parents of Blind Children Division
Seniors Division
----------
National Federation of the Blind of Ohio 2013 Resolution
by Deborah Kendrick
Editor's note: Deborah Kendrick chairs the Resolutions Committee.
Here is her report of activity at the convention:
We considered one resolution at this year's convention. It passed
unanimously. Here is the text:
Resolution 2013-01
Regarding Advocacy to Make Diabetes Tools and Technology Accessible to the
Blind
WHEREAS, since 1940 the National Federation of the Blind has championed the
independence of the blind and worked to make the world accessible to and
safe for the blind; and
WHEREAS, to help increase the independence of blind people, the National
Federation of the Blind has fought to make the technology used by sighted
people also accessible to the blind; and
WHEREAS, according to the National Eye Institute (NEI) of the National
Institutes of Health (NIH) diabetic retinopathy is the most common cause of
blindness, affecting 4.1 million American adults over age forty, and
WHEREAS, very little technology currently on the market for the purpose of
constantly or periodically monitoring blood glucose, accurately delivering
insulin, or performing other tasks to control diabetes is accessible to the
blind, and insulin pens carry a disclaimer that they should not be used by
the blind without supervision; and
WHEREAS, technology has been demonstrated to increase diabetes control in
the sighted, and the same technology, if accessible, would increase diabetes
control for the blind, and
WHEREAS, the need for improved accessibility of lifesaving diabetes
technology has been largely overlooked: Now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio in Convention
assembled this third day of November, 2013, in the city of Miamisburg, Ohio,
that the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio and its Diabetes Action
Network division work closely with companies developing pens, pumps,
glucometers, and other lifesaving diabetes control tools and technology to
integrate accessibility for the blind into the design and manufacture of
such items; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
enlist the support of the American Diabetes Association, the American
Association of Retired Persons, the American Association of Clinical
Endocrinologists, and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services to
establish and implement accessibility standards for diabetes technology; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we urge manufacturers of technology that provide
information to the blind about diabetes management to recognize that
creating technology useful only to the sighted creates a circumstance that
discriminates against the blind, and urge such manufacturers further to
recognize that the blind of Ohio will join with other blind people
throughout the nation to take such action as may be necessary to end this
discrimination; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Ohio Diabetes Action Network publicize
widely the inaccessibility of diabetes tools and technology as they are
currently marketed, and the unnecessary hardship their inaccessibility
creates in the lives of blind diabetics.
----------
If you or a friend would like to remember the National Federation of the
Blind of Ohio in your will, you can do so by employing the following
language:
"I give, devise, and bequeath unto the Ohio Council of the Blind dba
National Federation of the Blind of Ohio, P.O. Box 82055, Columbus, Ohio
43202, an Ohio nonprofit corporation, the sum of $
(or " percent of my net estate" or "The following stocks
and bonds: ) to be used for its
worthy purposes on behalf of blind persons."
----------
Bringing Camp Abilities to Ohio
by Jim Debus
Editor's note: Jim Debus is a member of the Capital Chapter of the NFB of
Ohio. He has a background in adaptive physical education and now a master's
in orientation and mobility from the Ohio State University. He has a
wonderful way with children, as we saw in the BELL Program last summer. He
is eager to bring the Camp Abilities Program to Ohio. This is what he says:
Camp Abilities is a weeklong developmental sports camp for children ages
nine to nineteen who are blind, visually impaired, or deaf-blind. The Camp
Abilities concept was started by Dr. Lauren Lieberman, leading researcher
and author of many textbooks geared to appropriate social and functional
development of those in the blind community. Since its inception Camp
Abilities has grown to over thirty recreational camps in the United States
and abroad. This residential camp usually welcomes between ten and thirty
participants, depending on the number of sport facilitators and the demand
for such a camp in a given geographic area.
The activities featured at a typical Camp Abilities consist of goalball,
beep baseball, swimming, archery, boating, horseback riding, and martial
arts, among others. Something unique about Camp Abilities is that organizers
bring in other blind and visually impaired people to speak or present a
particular sport. This helps some of the participants to identify a role
model, since many younger school-aged students often grow up without blind
or visually impaired mentors.
The camp recruits volunteers from backgrounds in blindness studies, so these
undergraduate and graduate professionals already have a vested interest in
the population they are serving. These students are in fields such as
orientation and mobility, TVI, or adaptive physical education or are in a
student organization exploring a new or unique service project. In camp the
one-to-one, volunteer-to-participant ratio provides an excellent setting for
the multiple studies that take place. Research at the camp includes topics
such as self-efficacy, self-determination, assertiveness training, and
aspects of functional development associated with motor skills in physical
activities. For more information regarding other study topics, as well as
contact information for other Camp Abilities, please visit
<www.campabilities.org>.
Now that I have introduced you to the concept of Camp Abilities, I
want to explain my personal mission and why it is so important to me that
Ohio hosts such a camp. I have lived in two other states that have offered
various camps to blind or visually impaired young people. At these
recreation-based camps I formed friendships with people that I still keep in
contact with to this day. While it's perfectly normal and healthy to have
friendships from a wide array of backgrounds, the friends that seem to stay
with you the longest are the ones with whom you share similar life
experiences; maybe one of these friends helped you through your pregnancy or
wrote you a letter of recommendation for that job that you got. These are
both scenarios that I have seen play out first hand in the past year with my
visually impaired friends.
No one has a better grasp of what it is like, including our families and
other sighted acquaintances, than those people with whom we have an unspoken
understanding. That is why I know that there is no better time than right
now to start planning to host a Camp Abilities here in Columbus, Ohio for
the summer of 2014. We have tentatively determined the site to be the Ohio
State School for the Blind and in partnership with the School anxiously
await word on a grant issued by the Columbus Foundation. This financial
support would go a long way toward making this Camp Abilities Ohio a
reality. However, we are still seeking individual contributions from donors
or sponsorship from any area businesses. A call for sport facilitators,
volunteers, and especially participants starts now. If you are interested,
please contact Jim Debus, Camp Abilities Ohio fundraising chair at
<jdebus at columbus.rr.com> or (586) 876-7359.
----------
120 Minutes: How the Federation Helped One Student Bound for College
by Deborah Kendrick
Editor's note: Deborah Kendrick is a member of the NFB of Ohio board
of directors. Here is her account of a recent assignment that Eric Duffy
gave her. Note that Deborah acted immediately and provided constructive
support to the teacher who was looking for assistance. Here is the story as
Deborah reconstructed it:
One Friday afternoon in late October, I returned to my hotel room while on
some work-related travel and checked my email. One from our NFB of Ohio
president Eric Duffy, said simply at the top: "Please respond to her and
copy me."
I was tired and pressed for time. There were only a few minutes till the
group I was meeting with would be heading out for dinner. But I read that
message and knew I could not let it slide. Time was critical. I replied to
Eric that I would address the issue later that evening. The message in
question was from an orientation and mobility instructor in northeast Ohio,
and this is what it said:
My name is Staci Wills, and I am a newly certified O&M instructor in
northeast Ohio. I have a very important meeting on Monday, and I'm trying
to get as much supportive information and perspective as I can before I
present my case. I currently provide services for a twelth-grade, college
bound student who is blind. Her current IEP [Individualized Education
Program] states that she will receive 120 minutes a month of O&M services.
There was to be an amendment meeting to increase her O&M to five hours per
week to include outdoor travel, business districts, bus travel, and more,
but now the special education director says that's not necessary and that we
should be able to do all of that in the given 120-minute time frame. She
doesn't understand expanded core curriculum [ECC] or O&M at all. I've tried
to explain that we are preparing this student to transition into a new and
more independent environment (college) and that these services are
imperative.
Any suggestions you might have would be fantastic. Yes, the parents are
aware of this conflict and want the extended services.
Thank you in advance.
Staci Wills, M.Ed., COMS
At 10:00 p.m., back from dinner and exhausted, I wrote her a quick message.
The essence of her problem disturbed me so much that I used the subject line
that had been percolating in my brain all evening: "120 minutes." I wrote:
Dear Staci,
I am a member of the board of directors of the NFB of Ohio, and our
president, Eric Duffy, has asked me to respond to your message regarding the
meager 120 minutes per month to prepare a college-bound senior for the
independent travel that is soon to be required. As a sometime teacher of
blind kids and adults, but primarily as one who has been there, I find this
lack of understanding appalling. The transition from high school to college
is borderline traumatizing for every student, with or without disabilities.
For a blind student the best plan for making that transition with any
semblance of smoothness is to, first and foremost, have all blindness skills
mastered before entering the first class. To suggest that a high school
senior could master the necessary skills of independent travel in a mere two
hours per month could easily be interpreted as an abusive and unnecessarily
cruel decision.
My guess is that the educator in charge is neither abusive nor cruel, but
simply ill informed. You need to clarify for this individual the essential
nature of travel training, particularly for a teenager soon to enter the
competitive environment of a college campus and the fact that she requires a
significant amount of practical experience. As a blind professional and
former blind college student, I would be happy to help in any way I can. You
know what you need to teach the student in question. If you need assistance
in clarifying it for managers in charge, feel free to call upon me or Eric
or the entire National Federation of the Blind to help. To deny this student
appropriate training to enter college as an independent young person is to
deny her the real opportunity to experience college as an independent young
adult.
Again please let me know whatever I can do to help.
Best,
Deborah Kendric
Early the next morning I received this reply:
Sent: Saturday, October 26, 2013, 8:45 a.m.
To: Deborah Kendrick
Subject: Re: 120 minutes
Thank you so much for your response and expertise! I spent the last two
days compiling spreadsheets and background information for the special ed
director. As of right now, I have a list of skills the student knows,
skills the student needs to know, location that the lessons should take
place, estimated time for each lesson, and estimated number of lessons. I
also have a description of the Expanded Core Curriculum from AFB, minutes
from the May, 2012 State Board of Education referencing the ECC, a
description of O&M as a related resource, and a description of O&M training
from the Institute of Educational Sciences.
The parents want this extended service. The student has time in her
schedule for the extended service. If you don't mind, I will also share that
the NFB is willing to get involved. As the parent of a visually impaired
child and a professional in the field, I truly can't thank you enough!
Thank you,
Staci Wills, M.Ed, COMS
Back in my home office Sunday afternoon, I replied to her with the
following:
Dear Staci,
So glad my comments were useful to you. It sounds as though you are well
prepared for this struggle, the real shame being that there is a struggle at
all. As a board member of the NFB of Ohio, I am not in a position to say you
have the NFB behind you. I'm sure that you do, but Eric Duffy, as
president, is the one who officially needs to add that sanction. I can,
however, say that, as a newspaper columnist (Columbus Dispatch) and
award-winning writer throughout the disability field, not to mention former
blind student and occasional teacher in the blindness field, I am 100
percent (no, 120 percent) behind you. If I can do anything else, please let
me know. You must get this student's O&M approved and done! And thanks for
being the kind of advocate that you obviously are.
Best,
Deborah
Within the hour Staci replied:
I truly appreciate your support in this situation, and I'm sure my student's
parents will support it as well. The meeting is at 4:00 tomorrow afternoon.
I'll be sure to let you know how it goes.
I have put together information on the ECC, IDEA, and O&M as a related
resource. I have a spreadsheet of current skill function, and skills she
still needs to learn. Included in that spreadsheet is the location for the
lesson, estimated time for each lesson, and minimum lessons needed to
address the skill. I came up with a total of 46 lessons and a minimum of 61
hours. I also created a Braille map of a major intersection that I am
currently using to teach intersection analysis and included a lesson plan
that illustrates the length of a typical O&M lesson of this skill level. And
I'm bringing my blindfold and cane. I doubt she will go for it, but I would
love for her to walk from her office to her car under blindfold and then
deny the extended hours. Again I truly appreciate your support, and I will
let you know how this goes.
Thank you,
Staci
Sunday evening I wrote to her:
Staci,
Wow, your preparation sounds really impressive--and brilliant. I'll be
thinking of you at 4:00 tomorrow and look forward to hearing from you.
Congratulations on being fully well-armed for what I hope will turn out to
be just a minor struggle with a victorious outcome!
Deborah
Monday at 5:49 P.m., I received the following wonderful message:
Subject: Re: 120 minutes
You probably could have heard me celebrating from Cleveland to Toledo! I got
the increase in hours and didn't even have to mention the NFB. I am going to
suggest that my student and her family get involved in the NFB. Right now
I'm just in celebration mode. Again I can't thank you enough for your
support and expertise.
Staci
Of course it didn't really end there. We exchanged more email messages
regarding this teacher and the student's family learning more about the NFB
of Ohio. And I'm sure there will be more communication as this particular
instructor and particular student expand their adventures and learning.
What matters and what feels so fine right now is that one blind student
desperately needed help. Her amazing advocate/instructor reached out to the
NFB of Ohio, and we were able to help. She won this round. But the
struggle isn't over-because the struggle will never be over until every
blind person is treated simply with dignity and equality in every
circumstance. And that's why it's important that we, the National
Federation of the Blind, are here.
----------
Building for the Future
Help build a future full of opportunity for the blind by becoming a member
of the Jacobus tenBroek Legacy Society. Your legacy gift to the National
Federation of the Blind can be made in the form of a will or living trust,
an income-generating gift, or by naming the NFB as a beneficiary of a
retirement plan or life insurance policy. You can also become a member of
the Jacobus tenBroek Legacy Society by making a legacy gift to your state
affiliate. By committing to support an NFB affiliate, you will benefit both
local and national programs since all bequests made to affiliates are split
evenly with the NFB national treasury. In addition to having the
satisfaction of contributing to the future success of the NFB's mission,
tenBroek legacy society members will also receive a specially designed
thank-you gift and other benefits. For additional information about the
Jacobus tenBroek Legacy Society, please contact Lou Ann Blake at the NFB
Jernigan Institute by email at <lblake at nfb.org>, or by telephone at (410)
659-9314, extension 2221.
----------
National Federation of the Blind 2014 Scholarship
Program Website: <www.nfb.org/scholarships >
Email: <scholarships at nfb.org>
Deadline: March 31, 2014
Are you a legally blind college student living in the United States or
Puerto Rico? This annual program offers 30 scholarships worth from $3,000 to
$12,000 to eligible students, from high school seniors beginning their
freshman year in the fall semester of 2014, up through grad students working
on their PhD degrees. These merit scholarships are based on academic
excellence, community service, and leadership. In addition to the money,
each winner will receive assistance to attend the July 2014 NFB annual
convention in Orlando, Florida, providing an excellent opportunity for
high-level networking with active blind people in many different professions
and occupations. To apply, read the rules and the submission checklist; by
or before the deadline, complete the official 2014 scholarship application
form (online or in print), supply all required documents, and request and
complete one interview by an NFB affiliate president (unless the president
requests a later date). Applications are accepted for five months, from
November 1, 2013, to March 31,2014. Go to <www.nfb.org/scholarships> for
complete rules and requirements.
----------
Buckeye Briefs
We regret to report that on Monday, November 11, Paul Dressell
suffered a stroke. Luckily he was awake when it happened and his wife Bernie
realized what was happening and got medical help to him immediately. The
result is that he spent only four days in the hospital, and he is at home
recuperating. This is proving to be a full-time job, but our money is on
Paul to make a full recovery.
The NFB of Springfield held elections on October 12, 2013. The
following were elected: president, Susan Day; vice president, Arlie Ray;
secretary, Debbie Baker; treasurer, Crystal McClain; and board members,
Eleanore Brown, Jo Cordell, and Ginny Cutlip.
At its annual meeting in late November, the NFB board of directors
received an announcement that is of interest to the entire organization.
President Maurer announced that he will not stand for president next July
but will instead support the candidacy of Mark Riccobono, who is currently
the executive director of the NFB Jernigan Institute. He made the
announcement this early in order to allow anyone else to decide to run for
president and also to allow the organization to adjust to the notion that a
transition is upon us. President Maurer assured the board that he is in good
health and is very able to assist with the transition process.
Mark Riccobono is thirty-seven. He is married to Melissa, who is
president of the Maryland affiliate. They have three young children. The two
girls have Mark's vision problem and will probably learn Braille. Mark was
the driver of the car in the Blind Driver Challenge two years ago in Daytona
Beach. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and has worked at the
Jernigan Institute for ten years.
The Lake County chapter held its elections on November 4, the day
after the convention, with the following results: president, Anne Marble;
secretary, Barb Fohl; and treasurer, Joel Sarich.
The At-Large Chapter elected Dudley Roth as secretary/treasurer in
an off-year election for one year. Our full election will be held next year.
We sold $86 of drawing tickets at convention. The second prize (a weather
radio) went to Barbara Pierce. Our first prize, half of the pot, went to
Marilee Medlen of Toledo. We welcomed a new member, Amber Melloy. Anyone who
does not have a chapter in your area is welcome to join the At-Large
Chapter. We hope you will join us until you get enough people to form a
chapter in your area. Our teleconference call meetings take place the fourth
Sunday of every month at 7:30 p.m. Call (605) 475-4875. The access code is
201-909 pound key. If you have any topic you want more information about,
please feel free to bring it to the teleconference call. We are trying to
make this teleconference call as much like a chapter meeting as we can.
Please join us.
November 9 the Dayton chapter of the NFB had a great meeting. We had
a room of motivated people. Gus White, who has been sick, attended the
meeting and was uplifting and committed to the NFB. We had our elections and
gained four new members. You will remember that the Parents Division sent
out an email requesting help for two families of blind children. We invited
Dalton, who is sixteen, and his family to the meeting. At the end of the
meeting his family joined the chapter. We are ending the year with great
cheer and ready for a positive new year. The election results are as
follows: president, Richard Payne; vice president, Gloria Robinson;
secretary, Kathryn Withman; treasurer, Gus White; and board member, Dr.
Carolyn Peters.
The Seniors Division had a good meeting at the convention. We
elected Annette Anderson to fill an at-large position on the board. We
talked about useful gadgets that have made it easier to complete tasks now
that we are older. We also discussed having a raffle for an electronic
device, such as an iPad or an mp3 player. Finally, we said that we want to
be more helpful to seniors around the state. What would you like from us:
a resource directory, frequent conference calls with speakers on particular
issues, techniques of blindness tips, something else? Please call me, Barb
Fohl, at (440) 964-7824, or email me at <barbfohl at pobox.com>.
Beth and Jim Debus report the birth of Max Brody Debus on September
28, 2013, at 2:31 a.m. Max weighed eight pounds three ounces and was 19.75
inches long. Congratulations to the Debus family.
In Memoriam
Paul Dressell conducted the memorial service again this year. He read from
the Gospel of John, chapter 9, and offered reflections. Although a large
part of the memorial service this year was a tribute to Bob Eschbach's life,
service, and work in the Federation, we did remember several other people.
Here is a list of their names and NFB chapters :
Clara Mae Rowland, NFB of Youngstown;
James Capers, Cleveland chapter;
Frank Jenkins, NFB of Cuyahoga County;
Jim Stowe, Mahoning Valley chapter (Youngstown);
Ellen Walker, NFB of Lorain County;
Jeanette Wade, Cincinnati chapter;
Shawn Denise Dotson, NFB of Springfield;
Robert (Bob) Eschbach, Miami Valley chapter, Capital Chapter, and Cincinnati
chapter.
All of these people will be missed within our affiliate and their chapters.
May they rest in peace.
The Ohio Association of Blind Students (OABS) recently held elections to
fill missing officer positions. The list of officers is as follows:
president, Kaiti Shelton; vice president, Aleeha Dudley; recording
secretary, Lillie Pennington; corresponding secretary, Amber Meloy;
treasurer, Abby Bolling; and board members, Emily Pennington and Joy
Mistovich.
We are delighted to report that on November 21, 2013, Macy McClain
graduated from the Louisiana Center for the Blind. She has now returned to
Ohio. Congratulations to Macy.
The NFB of Cincinnati conducted its election on November 25 with the
following results: president, Deborah Kendrick; vice president, Marianne
Denning; secretary, Deanna Lewis; and treasurer, Emily Pennington.
Ohio NAPUB has established a listserv. To join it, go to
<nfbnet.org> and follow the directions for signing up. We hope to get all
NAPUB members and those who love Braille onto this list. If you have trouble
signing yourself up, email Eric Duffy with your request, and he will help
you get the job done.
----------
Activities Calendar
January 4 to 11, Braille Literacy Week
January 26, Legislative seminar, National Center
January 27-30, Washington Seminar
March 31, Deadline national scholarship applications
March 31, Bolotin Award nominations deadline
May 1, Deadline Ohio scholarship applications
July 1-6, National convention, Orlando, Florida
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