[Ohio-talk] NFB live Grand Opening celebration

[Cathy]

Hello all,

 

There is a grand opening on Saturday for this new service. All you need is a
computer, headset with mic and to download the free chat client. I joined
this group about two weeks ago and they are a welcoming and fun group of
folks. I love playing their games via voice chat. They have a game most
nights of the week. Here is the ad for the grand opening. 


Grand Opening Schedule of Events


Wow! There are 2 days until the Grand Opening of NFB Live!! 

Good Afternoon! NFB Live is proud to invite everyone to our Grand Opening
celebration Saturday August 30, 2014. The activities will begin at 2:00 PM
Eastern in the Events Center. If you are not an NFB Live member yet, we urge
you join our chat site <http://www.nfblive.org/join.htm>  and you will then
be able to participate in our Grand Opening's activities and the daily
events on NFB Live.

We have several presentations, games and activities in store starting with
the official launch of our site with Mr. Carl Jacobsen, Mr. Mark Riccobono
and Dr. Marc Maurer. We will distribute several great door prizes through
the day. Below is a schedule of the day's events on NFB Live. This schedule
may change as the date of the grand opening grows near.

Please note that our activities are all in Eastern Time. All events will
take place in the Events Center unless otherwise indicated.


Schedule of Events


If you have any questions or comments about our Grand Opening celebration,
please feel free to contact us through our Contact Us Page.
<http://www.nfblive.org/contact.htm> 


Time:

Guest:

Description of Activity


2:00 PM,

Shelley Gagnier, Carl Jacobsen, Mark Riccobono and Doctor Marc Maurer.

We will start the opening festivities with Shelley Gagnier who will
introduce Carl Jacobsen who will launch our site, and will then introduce
our guest speakers Mr. Mark Riccobono and Dr. Marc Maurer. 


3:00 PM, 

Mr. Art Schreiber,

Art Schreiber, one of two American reporters to travel with the Beatles on
their first US/Canadian tour in 1964, will tell about his experiences. Art,
who is a long time member of the National Federation of the Blind, played
Monopoly with John Lennon and George Harrison while on the tour. Art will
also explain how Paul McCartney saved his, Art's, career.

Schreiber spent more than fifty years in broadcasting. He was with the
Westinghouse Broadcasting Company for 17 years...serving as News Director in
Cleveland, Chief of the Westinghouse Broadcasting Companies domestic and
foreign news service in Washington DC, Assistant General Manager of KYW
Radio in Philadelphia, General Manager of WINS, New York, and General
Manager of KFWB, Los Angeles.

Art woke up blind in 1982 but after many eye surgeries and joining the NFB,
he continued his broadcast career. He has written a book, Out of Sight -
Blind and Doing Alright. <http://www.artschreiber.com/>  It is available at
your local book store, Amazon or Barnes and Noble. It's available on Kindle
and all e book distributors as well.

Art covered John F. Kennedy during his quest for the Presidency. He was a
civil rights reporter during the sixties and travelled with Doctor Martin
Luther King, Jr. throughout the South and reported on the Selma to
Montgomery march and James Meredith's march across Mississippi for voting
rights. Schreiber also covered manned space flight in its early days.

You can hear and talk with Art about his incredible experience with the
Beatles on NFB Live during our Grand Opening.


4:00 PM,

Mindy Jacobsen introduces James Gashal,

James Gashel was the Director of Governmental Affairs for the National
Federation of the Blind for over 30 years. In the mid 1970's, he, in a
chance meeting on an airplane, met Ray Kurzweil and told him that one of the
biggest problems blind people had was gaining access to the printed word.
Kurzweil saw this as not only a problem but a challenge. With the help and
support of Mr. Gashel and Dr. Jernigan, Kurzweil set out to conquer the
problem. The rest as we say, is history.

Mr. Gashel now works for KNFB Reading Technologies which developed the first
hand-held reading machine for the blind. The machines continued to get
smaller and our opportunities continue to get bigger.

We are proud and honored to welcome James Gashel to our Grand Opening and
look forward to some exciting announcements.


4:30 PM,

Mindy Jacobsen introduces J.J. Meddaugh from A T Guys.

J.J. Meddaugh is the president and cofounder of A T Guys
<http://www.atguys.com/>  which specializes in affordable assistive
technology. Hailing from Kalamazoo, he also enjoys playing the keyboard,
travel, and trying out new restaurants. He is an avid Detroit Tigers fan and
thinks this will be the year they go all the way.


5:00 PM,

Julie Dawson introduces James Boehm of KustomCane.

Since becoming blind in 2010, Mr. James Boehm, has continually challenged
himself, not allowing his loss of vision to keep him from the many available
opportunities in this new chapter of his life. James, former automotive
restyling business owner of 15 years, now uses his experience with
customization and design in his new enterprise, Kustom Cane.
<http://www.kustomkane.com/>  He designs and personalizes mobility canes,
dog harnesses, and other accessories such as protectants and charms to sell
on his web site. In 2012, James began furthering his education at MTSU with
the intention of acquiring a masters degree in psychology; in turn, James'
goals include becoming a rehabilitation counselor to empower others using
his own experience with vision loss, helping others to see that life has not
ended, but has just begun.

James is an active member in his community and in the NFB, serving as
president of his local Stones River chapter. James started the Tennessee
Association of Guide Dog Users and serves as president of the division. As
secretary of the state of Tennessee's affiliate, James serves on many
committees, including the fundraising committee with the National
Association of Guide Dog Users, the law and policy committee of the Human
Services division, and a member of his state's membership committee. James
regularly presents and maintains an email list regarding assistive
technology, with Apple products being his specialty. This year, James was a
winner of one of the national 2014 NFB scholarships and two other
scholarships, while maintaining a GPA of 3.9 at Middle Tennessee State
University.

Mr. Boehm's mission is to demonstrate and emphasize that with the
appropriate education, attitude, and training, blindness is a
characteristic, not a disability, and it should be embraced as one lives a
fulfilling life. Blindness does not limit, low expectations do! We can live
the life we want and be a strong contributor to society.


6:00 PM,

Mindy Jacobsen introduces Dan Parker.

Dan Parker grew up sighted and built and raced motorcycles and racing cars
for a living. In 2005 he was the ADRL (American Drag Racing League Pro
Nitrous world champion, but in 2012, he experienced a catastrophic accident
in the car with which he won the above mentioned award. A coma had to be
induced, from which he awoke totally blind. The usual depression and
hopelessness insued, but unlike many who lose their sight, Dan found some
information about the NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND and quickly came to
the realization that his blindness didn't have to create insurmountable
barriers and that the door to the rest of his life was still opened. His new
goal would be to race motorcycles so, with information and assistance from
the NFB, he built and designed one that would acomodate his needs. He has
become the first blind person to drive the Bonneville Salt Flats, which he
did at the speed of approximately 55 miles per hour. A student at the
Louisiana Center For The Blind, Mr. Parker asserts that the only tracks for
him now lead to the top!


6:45 PM,

Gail Smith.

Gail Smith has been embossing braille part time since the early nineties.
She says that Being active in the NFB of Alabama is a big part of my life.
Being secretary for the state and vice-president of our local chapter seems
to keep me busy. Also I am a member of the Blind Merchants Division and we
are working hard to grow in our state.

BrailleSmith <http://www.braillesmith.com/>  offers a wide array of braille
embossing services. The greeting cards are an enjoyable part of the
business. BrailleSmith is serving blind and low-vision people by providing
equal access to the written word. We can supply both large print and Braille
materials to meet your specifications, such as Documents, Greeting Cards,
Business Cards, Manuals, Menus, and Reports, to name a few.


7:30,

Shelley Gagnier

Shelley will host NFB Live's first TriBond Game, the game where you are
given three items and you and your team must find the common thread.


9:00 PM,

James and Shelley Gagnier