[SC-CSTD] FW: [Brl-monitor] The Braille Monitor, April 2023

[Frank Loza]

From: brl-monitor-bounces at nfbcal.org <brl-monitor-bounces at nfbcal.org> On
Behalf Of Brian Buhrow
Sent: Monday, April 3, 2023 1:51 PM
To: brl-monitor at nfbcal.org
Subject: [Brl-monitor] The Braille Monitor, April 2023

 


The Braille Monitor, April 2023


BRAILLE MONITOR


Vol. 66, No. 4 April 2023

Gary Wunder, Editor

Distributed by email, in inkprint, in Braille, and on USB flash drive, by
the

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND

Mark Riccobono, President

telephone: 410-659-9314

email address: nfb at nfb.org <mailto:nfb at nfb.org> 

website address: http://www.nfb.org

NFBnet.org: http://www.nfbnet.org

NFB-NEWSLINER information: 866-504-7300

Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind
<http://Facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind> 

Follow us on Twitter: @NFB_Voice

Watch and share our videos: YouTube.com/NationsBlind
<http://YouTube.com/NationsBlind> 

Letters to the President, address changes, subscription requests, and orders
for NFB literature should be sent to the national office. Articles for the
Monitor and letters to the editor may also be sent to the national office or
may be emailed to gwunder at nfb.org <mailto:gwunder at nfb.org> .

Monitor subscriptions cost the Federation about forty dollars per year.
Members are invited, and nonmembers are requested, to cover the subscription
cost. Donations should be made payable to National Federation of the Blind
and sent to:

National Federation of the Blind

200 East Wells Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21230-4998

THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND KNOWS THAT BLINDNESS IS NOT THE
CHARACTERISTIC THAT DEFINES YOU OR YOUR FUTURE. EVERY DAY WE RAISE THE
EXPECTATIONS OF BLIND PEOPLE, BECAUSE LOW EXPECTATIONS CREATE OBSTACLES
BETWEEN BLIND PEOPLE AND OUR DREAMS. YOU CAN LIVE THE LIFE YOU WANT;
BLINDNESS IS NOT WHAT HOLDS YOU BACK. THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
IS NOT AN ORGANIZATION SPEAKING FOR THE BLIND-IT IS THE BLIND SPEAKING FOR
OURSELVES.

ISSN 0006-8829

C 2023 by the National Federation of the Blind

Each issue is recorded on a thumb drive (also called a memory stick or USB
flash drive). You can read this audio edition using a computer or a National
Library Service digital player. The NLS machine has two slots-the familiar
book-cartridge slot just above the retractable carrying handle and a second
slot located on the right side near the headphone jack. This smaller slot is
used to play thumb drives. Remove the protective rubber pad covering this
slot and insert the thumb drive. It will insert only in one position. If you
encounter resistance, flip the drive over and try again. (Note: If the
cartridge slot is not empty when you insert the thumb drive, the digital
player will ignore the thumb drive.) Once the thumb drive is inserted, the
player buttons will function as usual for reading digital materials. If you
remove the thumb drive to use the player for cartridges, when you insert it
again, reading should resume at the point you stopped.

You can transfer the recording of each issue from the thumb drive to your
computer or preserve it on the thumb drive. However, because thumb drives
can be used hundreds of times, we would appreciate their return in order to
stretch our funding. Please use the return envelope enclosed with the drive
when you return the device.

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Hilton Americas-Houston Convention Center Hotel]


Convention Bulletin 2023


There are plenty of reasons one might travel to Houston, Texas, the fourth
most populous city in the United States. The city's vibrant arts scene
boasts the largest concentration of theater seats outside of New York City.
And no Houston resident would let a visitor forget that the city is home to
the 2022 World Series Champion Houston Astros. There is little question that
Houston has a great deal going for it. The city's real draw, however, is
that it will play host to the National Federation of the Blind's 2023
National Convention.

It has now been more than fifty years since the largest gathering of the
organized blind last convened in Houston, Texas, and our return in 2023 will
be an event not to be missed. The Hilton Americas-Houston hotel (1600 Lamar
Street, Houston, TX 77010) will serve as our convention headquarters hotel.
Situated in the heart of downtown Houston across the street from the
beautiful twelve-acre Discovery Green Park, the Hilton Americas is an ideal
location for our annual event. Ballrooms, breakout space, and sleeping rooms
are all stacked in the same tower housed on a single city block, simplifying
navigation and minimizing travel distances. In-room internet is
complimentary to all attendees as is access to the health club and swimming
pool on the 22nd floor. There are several dining options on the hotel's
lobby level (including a Starbucks for those of you requiring a caffeine
fix) and many more choices within easy walking distance from the Hilton's
front door.

The nightly rate at the Hilton Americas-Houston is $119 for singles,
doubles, triples, and quads. In addition, the sales tax rate is 8.25
percent, and the hotel occupancy tax rate is 17 percent. To book your room
for the 2023 convention, call 1-800-236-2905 after January 1 and ask for the
"NFB Convention" block. For each room, the hotel will take a deposit of the
first night's room rate and taxes and will require a credit card or a
personal check. If you use a credit card, the deposit will be charged
against your card immediately. If a reservation is cancelled before
Thursday, June 1, 2023, half of the deposit will be returned. Otherwise
refunds will not be made.

We have also secured overflow space at the wonderful Marriott Marquis
Houston. The Marriott is only a three-block walk directly across Discovery
Green, or attendees can walk entirely indoors through the George R. Brown
Convention Center, connecting both hotels on the second level. You will find
many of the same amenities at the Marriott as well as a Texas-shaped lazy
river pool. The room rate at the Marriott Marquis is also $119 per night for
singles, doubles, triples, and quads. To book a room, call 1-877-622-3056
after January 1. Again, ask for the "NFB Convention" block. Similarly, the
same deposit and cancellation policies apply.

The 2023 convention of the National Federation of the Blind will be a truly
exciting and memorable event, with an unparalleled program and rededication
to the goals and work of our movement. A wide range of seminars for parents
of blind children, technology enthusiasts, job seekers, and other groups
will kick the week off on Saturday, July 1. Convention registration and
registration packet pick-up will also open on Saturday. Breakout sessions
continue on Sunday along with committee meetings. Monday, July 3, will kick
off with the annual meeting, open to all, of the Board of Directors of the
National Federation of the Blind. National division meetings will follow the
board meeting that afternoon and evening. General convention sessions will
begin on Tuesday, July 4, and continue through the afternoon of Thursday,
July 6. Convention ends on a high note with the banquet Thursday evening so
be sure to pack your fancy clothes. The fall of the gavel at the close of
banquet will signal convention's adjournment.

Remember that, as usual, we need door prizes from state affiliates, local
chapters, and individuals. Once again, prizes should be small in size but
large in value. Cash, of course, is always appropriate and welcome. As a
rule, we ask that prizes of all kinds have a value of at least $25 and not
include alcohol. Drawings will occur steadily throughout the convention
sessions, and you can anticipate a Texas-sized grand prize to be drawn at
the banquet. You may bring door prizes with you to convention or send them
in advance to the National Federation of the Blind of Texas at 1600 E
Highway 6, Suite 215, Alvin, TX 77511.

The best collection of exhibits featuring new technology; meetings of our
special interest groups, committees, and divisions; the most stimulating and
provocative program items of any meeting of the blind in the world; the
chance to renew friendships in our Federation family; and the unparalleled
opportunity to be where the real action is and where decisions are being
made-all of these mean you will not want to miss being a part of the 2023
National Convention. To assure yourself a room in the headquarters hotel at
convention rates, make your reservations early. We plan to see you in
Houston in July.

Vol. 66, No. 4 April 2023


Contents


Houston, We Don't Have a Problem

by Norma Crosby

Celebrating 2023 Women's History Month: Two Women Share a Historical
Position on how a Leader in the National Federation of the Blind has Helped
to Shape their Vision into Reality

by Suzanne Turner and Rachel Kuntz

Growing My Federation Heart Started with a Scholarship

by Kinshuk Tella

Normality: The Key to Low Expectations

by Cricket Bidleman

A Moving Report from the Director of the National Library Service for the
Print-Disabled

by Jason Broughton

Accessible Pharmacy Labeling in Each State

by Sharla Glass

NFB BELLR Academy: Raising Expectations, Changing Lives

by Karen Anderson

Federal Tech Is Inaccessible, but Now Blind People Can Do Something about It

by Eve Hill

Supreme Action to Shatter Low Expectations: Living Blind and Serving on the
Bench

by Richard Bernstein

Cooking Is My Passion

by Regina Mitchell

The Right to Participate Fully in Twenty-First Century America

by Anne Raish

Remarkably Unremarkable

by David Andrews

Lessons from my Federation Family

by Cassie McNabb McKinney

Monitor Miniatures

-------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Norma Crosby]


Houston, We Don't Have a Problem


by Norma Crosby

>From the Editor: Norma Crosby requires little introduction given she is the
treasurer of the National Federation of the Blind and the president of our
Texas Affiliate. If you had any doubts about whether there are things to see
and do in Houston in addition to our annual convention, read on:

H-Town and Space City are just two of the names you'll hear used for
Houston. This dynamic city may be a little different from what you imagine.
Do people wear hats and boots? Well, some do. Do we all ride horses? Mostly
during the trail rides associated with the world's biggest rodeo. Oh, and
some of our police officers in the downtown area ride them as well, but most
people drive cars or take the bus or train. Do we all speak with a Texas
drawl? Not really. Lots of folks from other parts of the country and around
the world move to Houston every day, and about 145 languages are spoken
here. So, some of us sound like we were born here, but what Houston sounds
like is changing.

Houston is a city with a world-class symphony, ballet, opera, and theater
scene. It is the epitome of southern cool, with a food scene that is the
envy of most American cities. It is a mix of old and new, oil barons and
tech geniuses. It boasts the world's largest medical center, and best of
all, it is host to the 2023 convention of the National Federation of the
Blind.

As every Braille Monitor reader knows, the Hilton Americas is the
headquarters hotel for the convention, and it sits just across the street
from the twelve-acre Discovery Green Park. Discovery Green is a mix of
beautiful gardens, art installations, and family-friendly fun. It plays host
to free musical events, yoga classes, and a playground for the kids. There
is a scent garden, the listening vessels, weekly jazz concerts, and more.
There are two restaurants in the park. They are The Grove and The Lake
House. This oasis in the middle of downtown is not to be missed, and you can
walk to everything it has to offer from either the Hilton or the Marriott
Marquis, our overflow hotel. For more information, go to discoverygreen.com
<http://www.discoverygreen.com> .

Of course, Houston's 665 square miles offers much more than Discovery Green,
and I'll tell you a little more about some attractions you might want to
visit while in town. Some of what I'll describe will be nearby, and, fair
warning, some won't. We have a saying here, and hearing it might help you
understand what traveling around Houston is like. We say, "It takes an hour
to get to Houston from Houston." That means it is a spread-out city, y'all.
With that in mind, here are some things to know about visiting Houston.

Space Center Houston is a main attraction in Space City. It sits
approximately twenty-five miles south of downtown and has daily tours. Our
affiliate is working to develop a scheduled tour with transportation to and
from the Center. For more information, check our website at nfbtx.org, after
May 1.

Galveston isn't inside the vast area that is Houston. In fact, it is about
fifty miles South, but I am mentioning it here because we know some of our
members use convention time as vacation time. Galveston is Houston's
playground, and it is a great place to visit if you love the beach,
waterparks, shopping, rides, and more. We aren't likely to be able to
arrange a tour because, even though it's close, you'll probably want to
spend more than one day there. We recommend that you look at Galveston.com
to decide what you want to do while you are there. You can also call our
office at 281-968-7733 for suggestions about Galveston. We go every chance
we get.

The Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) is working with our affiliate
to make sure visitors have a great time when they visit. We are planning to
provide a tour on Saturday, July 1, and other activities associated with the
museum may happen throughout the week. The museum's King Tut exhibit
includes an accessible 3-D piece built by John Olson and his team at 3-D
Photo Works, and that exhibit will be available during our tour. The staff
at HMNS wants to make our members feel welcome just as our affiliate does.
So we hope you'll join us for the tour we have planned. You'll be able to
learn more about registering and paying for your tour on our website,
nfbtx.org <http://www.nfbtx.org> , after May 1.

The Children's Museum of Houston has been rated the number one children's
museum in the nation by Parents magazine. With over 90,000 feet of
interactive exhibit space, kids twelve and under are welcome to explore all
the museum has to offer, and their parents are welcome too.

The world champion Houston Astros play baseball less than a half mile from
our hotel, and while I'm not encouraging you to miss the great evening
activities and meetings, I will say that the Astros will be home on the
weekend following our convention. We are currently exploring the possibility
of getting a group together for the game versus the Seattle Mariners
scheduled for July 7. If you're interested, let me hear from you. Just send
a quick email to astros at nfbtx.org <mailto:astros at nfbtx.org> , with the
subject line "I want to see a great baseball game." You can write beautiful
prose about your love for the Astros in the body of the email, and I'll
touch base with you if there is enough interest to get a group together. A
decision will be made by May 15, so respond soon.

I've told you some about what you can do while you are here, but let me give
a short bit of advice for getting here. Houston has two airports. George
Bush Intercontinental Airport is north of the city. It is approximately
twenty-two miles from our hotel. William P. Hobby Airport, commonly called
Hobby, is less than ten miles from the hotel. If you are flying, you'll save
cab or rideshare fares by flying into Hobby if you can. If you live close
enough to ride a bus or a train, both the Greyhound station and the train
station are located downtown. In fact, the Greyhound station is so close
that your driver may not be super happy about the one-mile trip.

President Riccobono and our team at the national office, the Texas
affiliate, and everyone who is planning a meeting or seminar are all working
hard to make certain you leave the convention with a renewed spirit and a
desire to go and build the Federation. The City of Houston is determined to
welcome our members with open arms, and we promise you'll leave town
reinvigorated for the coming year.

Come back next month for more information about what to expect at NFB 2023,
and go to nfbtx.org <http://www.nfbtx.org>  after May 1 for tour
information. Feel free to call our office with questions before the
convention. We can't wait to see all of you in Houston, and we will enjoy
hearing from you before you get here.

-------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Suzanne Turner]

[PHOTO CAPTION: Dick Davis]

[PHOTO CAPTION: Rachel Kuntz]


Celebrating 2023 Women's History Month: Two Women Share a Historical
Position on how a Leader in the National Federation of the Blind has Helped
to Shape their Vision into Reality


by Suzanne Turner and Rachel Kuntz

>From the Editor: This is an interesting perspective on celebrating Women's
History Month, an unexpected thank-you at an unexpected time. What a tribute
to the person they celebrate and we give a tribute to them for doing this.
This article is one in which a man is thanked for his commitment to the
cause of women in employment:

Suzanne Turner is a member of the NFB Employment Committee from the Ohio
affiliate and here are her thoughts.

The slogan "behind every great man there's a woman" was adopted in the
1960/70s feminist movement, first having been used in the 1940s. The
implication behind the saying is that the great woman is often ignored or
taken for granted. Since that time, women have been making enormous strides,
and that motto today is now a humorous cliché. Although women are continuing
to fight for equality in every aspect, there are men who have aided them in
that pinnacle fight. Those men who help you to raise your expectations,
seize your potential, and help to shape your future are a value to women's
history. Therefore, I want to take liberty in turning the tables on the
slogan to talk about a great man behind two blind women.

The month of March gives recognition to women across the world who have
achieved significant contributions. The 2023 theme is "Celebrating Women Who
Tell Our Stories." This theme recognizes "women, past and present, who have
been active in all forms of media and storytelling including print, radio,
TV, stage, screen, blogs, podcasts, news, and social media."

As I write this article, it is only fitting that I share with a dear and
honored friend in its creation. She and I respect and are grateful for the
National Federation of the Blind for supporting our groundbreaking ideas.
Although we reside in affiliates on separate coasts across the country, we
serve together in spirit. We also share in the love for inspiring, the hope
to motivate, and the determination to make a difference in the lives of the
blind. However, our greatest privilege is to work within the framework of
the Employment Committee chaired by Dick Davis, who is blind at heart.

In 2011 I met Dick at a national convention by attending my first employment
seminar. I was elated to be in the room with those who were collaborating on
solutions for assisting the blind with employment opportunities. I left
refreshed, reborn, and ready to pull up my sleeves and get to work. As a
benefit counselor and employment coordinator at a nonprofit, I knew that
talking about sourcing for jobs was cheap. Needless to say, I had a plan and
pitched it to Dick. He graciously gave me the green light to facilitate a
job fair at the 2012 National Convention. There were twelve employers
providing on the spot interviews and taking resumes. Although I am not sure
if any of the attendees back then were successful, it was the start of what
now is the National Federation of the Blind Career Fair. In 2022 over thirty
employers were present, hosting over one hundred job applicants.
Consequently, each year there are three National Federation of the Blind
Career Fairs that are open to all job seekers within and outside the
Federation.

Dick Davis is the innovator for creating seminars on resume writing, job
preparation, upper mobility, and more. He has created a network of
successful blind individuals who are committed and dedicated to assist the
blind with getting, keeping, advancing, and regaining a job. Moreover, his
article on the "70 Percent Solution" states that, "Employers don't want to
know what they can do for a blind job applicant; they want to know what the
applicant can do for them." This is why the Employment Committee's focus is
driven by communicating the importance of interpersonal skills, mobility
training, self-care, self-work, tolerance, and work direction, which mirrors
a vocational prospective.

Dick gave me an ability to share a dream that had been festering within for
years. I am an African-American blind female who was a victim of Section
14(c) who found herself packing spoons and forks in a box for less than the
minimum wage in 1985. I was told that I would never be a competitive
employee and this by someone who should have provided me with an informed
choice. After all, I graduated at the top of my class in high school and was
accepted into the University of Alabama. Despite those setbacks in the
workshop, I obtained a graduate degree, retired twice from the federal
sector, and now am living the life I want. Dick took a chance on me, giving
me an opportunity to prove that my talents and energy were valued. Without
the man behind this woman, I would not be completely invested in the
Federation. His confidence in my abilities has not waivered. I have known
Dick over a decade, and his leadership is a treasure. His manners and
civility should be taught since it is such an important life skill in how we
relate to one another. He has the ability to disagree without disrespecting
the opposing side, then offering a resolution. Dick truly cares about
people.

As I stated, there are two women that have been affected by Dick's
influence, discipline, and dedication. In 2016 during the Ohio annual state
convention, I invited him to participate in a panel discussion called
"Career Building Exchange Symposium" where he and six experienced
professionals in blindness discussed topics on career exploration, sourcing
and networking, and the importance of the first impression to name a few.
Dick also spoke to the general assembly, introducing programs and services
at BLIND Inc. His dialog captured the imagination of a young woman who was
newly blind and exploring her vocational options. Rachel Kuntz was
captivated by his presentation and soon enrolled as a student at BLIND Inc.
She was so impressive that the organization made her a job offer. After
accepting, Rachel is thriving professionally and fulfilling her purpose as a
confident and successful blind woman.

So, the great man behind the two women from Ohio has extended greatness
within us by providing equality, security, and opportunity, yes to Rachel
and me, but also to the Employment Committee and blind job seekers
everywhere. It is Dick's passion for the blind that binds us together
because he has shown us that we are part of something bigger than ourselves;
we are colleagues determined to help transform dreams into reality.

Rachel Kuntz is also a member of the Employment Committee from the Arizona
Affiliate and here is her tribute.

As Suzanne has thoughtfully noted, Dick Davis has been instrumental in
changing the course of my life. At the 2016 Ohio affiliate convention, I was
carefully reviewing my list of things to do, and I was interrupted by a man
who wanted to tell me a joke. I cannot remember the joke now, but I do
remember that I was so busy and focused that the joke went over like a lead
balloon. Who was this ill-timed jokester? I am sure that you could guess
that it was none other than Dick Davis.

Since our first meeting, Dick has never wavered in his support of me and
wholeheartedly encourages my ambitions. I am privileged to call him a mentor
and friend. I will never forget how Dick cared for me during those early
days of COVID quarantine while my family lived states away. His occasional
visits bringing me dinner made it possible to endure the isolation. I can
never repay him for his acts of kindness. He and his wife Pat have been an
important part of my life now for eight years.

Suzanne mentioned some of Dick's many accomplishments that have been a key
component to the success of the Employment Committee and job seekers. I am
going to take a moment to enlighten readers to lesser known work he does
behind the scenes. On any given day Dick will receive dozens of phone calls,
text messages, and hundreds of emails that will ask him for help with their
resume, job search, or job interview. No matter what he is doing at any
given moment, Dick will stop to give a job seeker a few words of
encouragement and helpful advice. If you have ever reviewed the jobs list,
you will no doubt note the volume of work this has entailed over the years.

Dick has taken many road trips to visit with an employer or business
interested in hiring a blind person for the first time. He has a
straightforward way about him that makes the employer feel as though they
have known him forever. Dick is tremendous at creating opportunities at
places like FedEx and elsewhere, assuring them that with the appropriate
accommodations blind people are capable of working on the same level as
their sighted employees. This action alone has opened more doors than could
be counted in our community.

Dick, who came to the organization by working for Kenneth Jernigan in Iowa,
holds a steadfast belief in the limitless potential of blind people. I can
only imagine that throughout his tenure as the Employment Committee chair,
he has helped thousands of people gain the knowledge and courage to land
that first job. This year, he is at last passing the torch to a new
Employment Committee chair. Because of his legacy of success, we know that
he has left every aspect of the committee strong and prepared for the next
generation of leadership. Thank you, Dick, for all that you have done for
our community and for continuing to be the great man behind great women like
Suzanne and me.

----------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Kinshuk Tella]


Growing My Federation Heart Started with a Scholarship


by Kinshuk Tella

>From the Editor: This article is gratefully reprinted from The Voice of the
Nation's Blind, Monday, March 7, 2022. As you can tell from the title, the
author is a winner of a national scholarship, but there is so much more that
he reveals. If I had to describe this contribution in one word, that word
would be wisdom. Enjoy:

For me, every day is Earth Day. Nature always fascinated me. It began with
catching insects in my backyard as a child and constructing miniature
rainforests in glass terrariums. It has now led me to conducting research in
the field of environmental geology at Miami University.

When I was growing up, I learned about the environmental issues we face
today: deforestation leading to the extinction of species, melting glaciers
leading to the decimation of our freshwater supplies, just to name a few. I
am driven to develop and apply science-based solutions for these
environmental problems and more. This drive is why I am on track to graduate
with my Bachelor of Science degree in geology and environmental science in
the spring of 2023, with an additional master's degree in environmental
science, focused on policy analysis. It is what takes me this summer to an
internship in the Silicon Valley of northern California, to ensure
environmental compliance for Tesla, the world's largest electric vehicle
company. Above all, it is why I'm dedicating my life to fighting climate
change, personally and professionally, for decades to come.

I didn't always have the confidence to pursue these dreams. Growing up in an
average suburban town in southwest Ohio, I lacked the positive blind role
models that I did not know I needed. Being raised in a traditional South
Asian household, my blindness was seen as a shameful disease to be cured. My
own parents unintentionally gave me vitamin A toxicity from the gallons of
carrot juice I was force-fed as a child. I internalized this mindset of
shame, sitting in the back of the classroom to look like I was sighted,
handwriting notes I could never actually read.

This mindset only changed when I found passions worth self-advocating for. I
joined the marching band in seventh grade and built confidence by finding
pride in the hours of hard work that I put into shows and concert
performances. This coincided with my entry into the natural sciences. I took
advanced placement classes in related fields, and finally I was able to put
a career choice to what I have always enjoyed. But despite these passions, I
still was missing a community.

Upon getting involved with the National Federation of the Blind, I went from
lacking role models to having a community full of successful people who were
breaking down the barriers they faced. My love for advocacy has led me to
get involved in leadership in disability spaces at every level. I serve on
the board for the National Association of Blind Students (NABS), the
National Federation of the Blind of Ohio, and the Miami Valley Chapter. I
co-founded Prism Marching Arts, the first all-inclusive special needs
marching arts program in the Midwest. We put instruments in the hands of
people who otherwise never would have been given such opportunities in their
communities. In these ways I pay forward the opportunities that I have
received, to everyone, no matter who they are and where they come from.

The National Federation of the Blind's Scholarship Programs, at both the
state and national level, were the vessels that brought me into this
community. This program showed me that I was not alone, that there were
thousands of other blind people pursuing their dreams and redefining what it
means to be blind. At first I simply viewed this program as a monetary award
for my educational pursuits. But oftentimes the best experiences come as
surprises. I quickly realized that the scholarship program offered much more
than that scholarship; it offered invaluable mentorship, engaging community,
and surplus fuel for my growing Federation heart. Blindness is the
characteristic that brings us together, brings us to fight for our rights,
and brings us to make the world an equitable place. I truly believe that
programs like the National Federation of the Blind's Scholarship Program
help mold these characteristics and experiences into a vessel for collective
action and self-growth.

For me personally, I can say with certainty that the NFB Scholarship Program
has been a catalyst for allowing me to gain the confidence to pursue my
dreams, to take my career in the direction that I desire, and more.

If there is one lesson that I have learned, it is that we all live
internally in different worlds, but at the same time we live physically in
the same world. Our perspectives differ, but our resources and actions
affect us the same. We live in an era in which the Earth and its systems are
at a critical point, a point where climate change is arguably the greatest
issue we face. This is why I dedicate my studies and future work to the
environmental issues humanity faces today. I hope to work for the betterment
of tomorrow and to make a world we can call our own.

----------


We Need Your Help


Very soon after I went blind, I went to my first convention of the National
Federation of the Blind. Though as a six-year-old I was not scared about my
future as a blind person, learning about the NFB and going to conventions
showed me tons of independent blind people who I could look up to. Real life
superheroes that I could aspire to be like. - Abigail

Blind children, students, and adults are making powerful strides in
education and leadership every day across the United States, but we need to
continue helping kids like Abigail. For more than eighty years, the National
Federation of the Blind has worked to transform the dreams of hundreds of
thousands of blind people into reality. With support from individuals like
you, we can continue to provide powerful programs and critical resources now
and for decades to come. We hope you will plan to be a part of our enduring
movement by including the National Federation of the Blind in your
charitable giving and in your estate planning. It is easier than you think.

 


With your help, the NFB will continue to:


*	Give blind children the gift of literacy through Braille.
*	Mentor young people like Abigail.
*	Promote independent travel by providing free, long white canes to
blind people in need.
*	Develop dynamic educational projects and programs to show blind
youth that science and math careers are within their reach.
*	Deliver hundreds of accessible newspapers and magazines to provide
blind people the essential information necessary to be actively involved in
their communities.
*	Offer aids and appliances that help seniors losing vision maintain
their independence.

Below are just a few of the many tax-deductible ways you can show your
support of the National Federation of the Blind.

LYFT Round Up

By visiting the menu, choosing donate, and selecting the National Federation
of the Blind, you commit to giving to the National Federation of the Blind
with each ride.

Vehicle Donation Program

We accept donated vehicles, including cars, trucks, boats, motorcycles, or
recreational vehicles. Just call 855-659-9314 toll-free, and a
representative can make arrangements to pick up your donation. We can also
answer any questions you have.

General Donation

General donations help support the ongoing programs of the NFB and the work
to help blind people live the lives they want. You can call 410-659-9314,
extension 2430, to give by phone. Give online with a credit card or through
the mail with check or money order. Visit our Ways to Give Page at:
https://nfb.org/give.

Pre-Authorized Contributions

Through the Pre-Authorized Contribution (PAC) program, supporters sustain
the efforts of the National Federation of the Blind by making recurring
monthly donations by direct withdrawal of funds from a checking account or a
charge to a credit card. To enroll, call 877-NFB-2PAC, or fill out our PAC
Donation Form https://www.nfb.org/pac.


Plan to Leave a Legacy


The National Federation of the Blind legacy society, our Dream Makers
Circle, honors and recognizes the generosity and imagination of members and
special friends who have chosen to leave a legacy through a will or other
planned giving option. You can join the Dream Makers Circle in a myriad of
ways.

Percentage or Fixed Sum of Assets

You can specify that a percentage or a fixed sum of your assets or property
goes to the National Federation of the Blind in your will, trust, pension,
IRA, life insurance policy, brokerage account, or other accounts.

Payable on Death (POD) Account

You can name the National Federation of the Blind as the beneficiary on a
Payable on Death (POD) account through your bank. You can turn any checking
or savings account into a POD account. This is one of the simplest ways to
leave a legacy. The account is totally in your control during your lifetime,
and you can change the beneficiary or percentage at any time with ease.

Will or Trust

If you do decide to create or revise your will, consider the National
Federation of the Blind as a partial beneficiary.

Visit our Planned Giving webpage
(https://www.nfb.org/get-involved/ways-give/planned-giving) or call
410-659-9314, extension 2422, for more information.


In 2022 our supporters helped the NFB:


*	Send 371 Braille Santa and Winter Celebration letters to blind
children, encouraging excitement for Braille literacy.
*	Distribute over three thousand canes to blind people across the
United States, empowering them to travel safely and independently throughout
their communities.
*	Deliver more than five hundred newspapers and magazines to more than
100,000 subscribers with print disabilities free of charge
*	Give over seven hundred Braille-writing slates and styluses free of
charge to blind users.
*	Mentor 207 blind youth during our Braille Enrichment for Literacy
and LearningR Academy.
*	Award thirty scholarships each in the amount of $8,000 to blind
students.

Just imagine what we will do next year, and, with your help, what can be
accomplished for years to come. Together with love, hope, determination, and
your support, we will continue to transform dreams into reality.

----------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Cricket Bidleman]


Normality: The Key to Low Expectations


by Cricket Bidleman

>From the Editor: Cricket Bidleman is a name I think we will hear more often
in these pages. She is now our marketing coordinator, but many of us know
her from her winning of a national scholarship and her ongoing activity as a
Federationist both before and during her time at Stanford. She has
interesting observations on normality: is it something for which we should
strive, or is it a barrier given its definition and our difference as blind
people. Here are some of her thoughts:

"Wow, the way you did that was so efficient. I almost forgot you're blind."
This kind of rhetoric is annoyingly common in society. The first time I
heard something to this effect was when I was very young. I was bothered,
but not greatly so, and then I wondered why I was bothered. I couldn't
articulate my feelings, so I actively tried quashing them. After all, these
kinds of things are normal.

The explanation is simple, and yet in some ways, not so. What does normal
mean?

I read Dr. Kenneth Jernigan's Blindness: A Left-Handed Dissertation, which
asserts that normality is the comparison of a minority to a majority.
Jernigan uses the example of most of society being geared toward
right-handed people, because right-handed people are in the majority, and
are thus normal. He then asserts, and rightly so, that society is geared
toward the sighted "normal."

Think about it. Windowpanes, visual art, technology, movies, vehicles. very
few of these are designed from the start keeping the blind in mind. We are
an afterthought because we are not "normal."

This lack of universal design forces the blind to use alternative
techniques, which we must often create ourselves; or we are forced to ask
for accommodations for equal access, which again places the burden on us. In
most cases, we must do both of these.

Even the language that society uses, though perhaps not offensive, is still
in favor of a sighted majority. "He's blind to the issue." "I was blindsided
by that.". I am not advocating for the elimination of such expressions but
am using them to illustrate a point: the word "blind" is clearly used as a
negative here. Dr. Jernigan uses the example of someone being "left behind,"
or even that it's good to be "on the right side of history." The cases are
similar.

"Wow, the way you did that was so efficient. I almost forgot you're blind."
This, I believe, is intended to be a compliment. However, I don't view it as
one, and I'm confident that very few of my blind friends would either. Why
is it good for someone to forget an aspect of my identity? If they do this,
it's not unreasonable to guess that they are also forgetting the obstacles
that society puts in my way. It would be different to say, "You did that
efficiently, despite the extra steps you had to take because of society's
lack of accommodations." This is ignoring the fact that many women wouldn't
be pleased with people saying, "I almost forgot you're a woman," LGBTQ+
people wouldn't be happy with someone saying, "I forgot your sexuality,"
etc. Why does society expect me to be pleased with this language?

When I told people that I was accepted to Stanford, or later when I said I
was going to/had gone there, one of the common reactions was "I'm impressed.
I bet most blind people couldn't do that." I think that's true, but not
because of our disability. It is true, once again, because of the
expectations that society has of us. The blind are expected to work in
sheltered workshops, not as movie directors; we are expected to let others
take care of us rather than to get independence training; we are even
expected to let others dictate our needs, because somehow blindness is
associated with lack of intelligence, or hearing, or speech.

These expectations create notable obstacles between us and the fulfilling of
our potential. The world would have more blind movie directors if society
let go of the thought that blindness prevents us from doing it. If people
expected us to get independence training, the caretaker mentality would
surely lessen. If people asked directly what we need, listened to our
replies, and then internalized those, we wouldn't be forced to shout into
the void as often.

Circling back to the concept of the normal majority, I find the
contradiction between this constant comparison of blind people to sighted
people and the low expectations of the blind incredibly strange. The sighted
cannot have it both ways. If we are compared to the sighted, then the
expectations should be the same. If we are viewed as inferior as a product
of our disability (which is, by the way, out of our control), then why are
we being compared to a different population?

Why is normality even important? The concept automatically forces a divide
between majorities and minorities. Universal design is less possible if
people try catering to the majority rather than to everyone. If anything,
this concept of normality is a way for the privileged majority to not
stretch their horizons, to seek comfort in the fact that so many others are
like them.

Blindness can certainly be correlated with lack of success, but it should
never be mistaken as the cause. It is true that 70 percent of the blind
remain unemployed. It is true that blind people in general do not excel at
heavily visual tasks and that most blind people do not make a living through
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). However, it is
truest of all that this is not a product of blindness but a product of
society. Lack of proper education, lack of creativity, an unwillingness on
the part of the majority to stretch beyond what one perceives to be our
limits-the defeatist mindset that comes with the thought, "Oh, they're
blind, so they do blind-people-stuff. They can't see, so why should we try
to help them understand visual concepts?"

In the end blindness itself does not prevent us from doing anything. Low
expectations and lack of accommodations do. Start with the premise that
blind people should be held to the same standard as everyone else.
Acknowledge the difficulties that society puts in our way with lack of
universal design, and add that if this was not the case, we could do
anything that our sighted counterparts can. This is a much healthier
mindset.

----------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Jason Broughton]


A Moving Report from the Director of the National Library Service for the
Print Disabled


by Jason Broughton

>From the Editor: In this presentation you will see many notes about
laughter, cheering, and applause, but I have removed many of them because
they occurred so often that at times they get in the way of the written
message. It is clear that our librarian also has talent as a comic, so as
you read this, appreciate the uplifting feeling that moved our audience.
Here is what President Riccobono said to introduce our presenter:

We have just one more presentation this morning, and it is one that we
always look forward to, and the individual presenting to us is at his first
convention. The National Federation of the Blind has a long-standing
relationship with the National Library Service for the Blind and Print
Disabled. After all, we're the customers! We're really pleased to note that
the new director of this important government program has made the
relationship with the National Federation of the Blind a priority, and he
has elected to continue that relationship.

Prior to joining the Library of Congress in 2019, he became the first
African American to serve as Vermont's state librarian. For over a decade,
he held numerous library roles in both South Carolina and Georgia, where he
used his prior training as an educator to focus on such issues as workforce
development and public outreach. I've had the opportunity to meet with him a
number of times since he took the role-I think even during maybe his first
week or so. It was my first time getting to meet him in person. He's been
here for a number of days-I think right before the Presidential Report, he
came up. So he's not just dipping in and dipping out. He's actually here to
participate. Here to speak to us from the Library of Congress is Jason
Broughton:

[Intro music: Take a look, it's in a book, a reading rainbow! I can go
anywhere, friends to know, and ways to grow, a reading rainbow!

I can be anything, take a look, it's in a book.

JASON singing along: It's in a book...

[Music fades out]

How nice to be welcomed with that. [Applause] How nice! Oh, a microphone is
a deadly thing for me to have, because I like to talk! So just know that I
hope to keep my comments concise and informative and engaging.

Well, good afternoon. My name is Jason Broughton, and I'm the new director
for the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, and some
would say I am the new Karen Keninger, who was the prior director, whom I
also know as well. If I had to use descriptive text to describe myself, for
those who want to know, Black male, bald headed, 6'4", 225, and the body of
a Greek god! [Laughter and cheering, and applause] That's just what you need
to remember. Well, I did lie a bit. I'm only 6'1''. The rest is true.
[Laughter]

As I said, I bring you greetings from the Library of Congress, and with
that, I'd like to thank you for having me here today. I and our deputy
director, Jason Yasner, are both in attendance, so there are two Jasons at
the NLS. [Applause] Thank you to President Riccobono and NFB leadership for
the invitation and the opportunity to talk about the importance of literacy,
collaborative partnerships, and the National Library Service.

Literacy begins with an understanding of one's world, which includes people,
the environment, and daily activities. Providing people with meaningful,
diverse, and robust library resources and collections helps to develop basic
concepts and contributes to independence as well as enhancing one's quality
of life.

As we know, literacy is more than just reading and writing. I grew up in a
rural area in South Carolina, out in the boonies, known as Craws. In stating
that, I loved learning, which meant I enjoy reading a lot. But that
sometimes was at odds with my parents and in the community, because when you
read a lot, sometimes you think you know a lot. I used to get some
feedback-so you might have heard the following phrases as well if you enjoy
reading-"How can you learn so much yet know so little?" "Book sense is not
common sense." And of course, my favorite that I heard on a show known as
the Prairie Home Companion: "To those people who think they know all of it,
it is especially annoying to those of us who do."

Communication and literacy are interconnected; when you have a literary and
literacy rich environment, it supports people in being their best selves. It
helps a person to grow. Right now, in the library world, the new sexy thing
is guess what? Accessibility. It's the talk of the town in libraries! With
that, however, at NLS, we believe that accessibility should always be done
at the beginning of a project or process-[applause]-Not shoehorned in at the
end. Accessibility leads to discoverability, which aids in literacy.
Democracy depends on literate people navigating through the bureaucracy,
dealing with the hypocrisy, being pushy about equality, ensuring there is
diversity, while keeping their curiosity. [Applause] It's important!

You have a lot of different choices-still not as many as I think a lot of
you would like to have. But there are more. And amongst them is the National
Library Service. So why choose us? Well, we celebrate our ninety-first year
this year for being the library for the blind and print disabled. Thank you!

I'm going to list off a few things as an update to let you know what we're
doing to help with literacy and ensure we are hearing from you. With that,
in conversation and collaboration with NFB, we work together to discuss with
the US Postal Service what Free Matter for the Blind should be with respect
to distribution of mail, packages, and parcels. You should expect an
announcement from them this month about what they plan to do to improve Free
Matter for the Blind. Our deputy said something interesting, however, during
the conversation that I think all of you should know, and I want him to take
credit for this if it makes it in the report. One of the things that became
very unique is that in some cases, people did not realize that free matter
for the blind is a first-class mail service. With that, the comment was made
that maybe we should change it from calling it Free Matter for the Blind and
calling it First-Class Matter for the Blind because we all know you are
already first-class.

Other actions that we're doing: We are piloting Braille On Demand, where you
can be provided one Braille book a month. We are ensuring that our workforce
at NLS, within the Library of Congress, is representative of the service
population. So we are still growing and also working on that.

When it comes to our collection, we've started to modernize that through the
Marrakesh Treaty. We now have over 2,800 new works on our Braille Audio
Reading Download, which you know as BARD. Thanks to you and others, we've
had over 41,000 patron downloads this year, and we've added 131,000 NLS
titles to the World Intellectual Property Organization, known as WIPO. We
also have thirteen new foreign languages we have introduced. Something that
has surprised us in a wonderful way: some of you have personally emailed me
and called me to learn how to get into this pilot for our refreshable
Braille displays. We now have them in thirty-seven states, and that number
is growing. Over 4,000 are now distributed, and by the end of the year we
hope to have an additional 6,000 deployed. The expectation has gone beyond
what we could have ever imagined. It is absolutely stunning, and we are
reporting this to the Library of Congress and to Congress itself, who is
also aware.

We have eased access for the reading disabled. We now serve over 10,000
reading-disabled individuals, a 50 percent increase to our service. We also
have duplication on demand where you can have one cartridge with multiple
titles. That's going to be a cost-efficient item and also a space-saving
item for our network libraries.

For the future, here's what we're thinking. We have, in a sense, some
updates that we're going to do to BARD when it comes to microservices. We're
also doing things with large print and embossed Braille; tactile and graphic
displays will be things of prominence in our future.

For those who have been waiting for us to research and hopefully develop
something that's really going to be a game changer that takes some time, we
are working to research a smart speaker, an Alexa for you to simply audibly
say "Alexa, I'd like to have..." and it becomes available. It is taking us
some time, but we are still in a positive mode to look to see when that will
become available.

We're also expanding our collections. We're having wonderful outreach and
partnerships with the United States Postal Service, and one of our biggest
and most proud items is doing what we're doing with the Veterans
Administration in the form of a VA rapid signup. We hope this will help more
people who, in a sense, have unfortunately had vision or impairment come to
them to ensure that they understand that we are here to help assist in their
quality of life.

I would like to thank NFB for your continued support on an effort that has
been going on, as I understand it, for over twenty years. For those who
might not know, and again, this is just what my staff tells me, we once were
on the Capitol Complex in DC, and we were temporarily moved for a unique
little reason, and unfortunately, fifty years later, we are still on that
temporary move. Congress itself has the decision to decide if NLS will
relocate back to the Capitol Complex. [Cheering and applause] Conversations
continue. We are very optimistic. With that, I'd like to thank NFB for your
support and words and kindness.

As I begin to close, I'd also like to thank and give you an update on an
award we give known as Library of the Year, and with that, our regional
winner was going to be, and is, the Washington Talking Book and Braille
Library in Seattle, Washington, and the sub regional was the Panelis Talking
Book Library in Clearwater, Florida. I'm quite sure that makes a lot of
people happy, which is wonderful and a thing that we love to have every
year.

As I begin to close, I want you to know that we have a focus group that
we're conducting from 12:30 to 1:30 in Gallery 4. We seek your input, your
insight, your comments, and also if you'd like to sign up for any beta tests
that we're looking at with our NLS technology. Because we want to hear from
you. As I tell my staff, one of the things that's really important that they
need to understand as I take the helm is that we don't need to worry about
being right. We need to GET it right. And that's very important in this
business.

I'm making my comments concise because we are getting close to 12:00, and
since we are in an international food city, one thing I've learned is you do
not come between people and their food! So, as they say here in New Orleans,
let the good times roll! [Cheering and applause]

----------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Sharla Glass]


Accessible Pharmacy Labeling in Each State


by Sharla Glass

>From the Editor: At one time labeling by a pharmacy would have seemed
nonsensical to me. I only had a few bottles, and I could certainly label
them myself. Then things became more complicated: now I have a stack of
prescriptions, and little techniques such as looking at the pill size,
looking for a unique bottle, or remembering exactly where I keep a certain
medication aren't as reliable. Of course I've never had good access to the
instructions, so over time I've come to learn how important they are. Enjoy
this article by Sharla from Envision about the way states are implementing
legislation to see that we too have labels we can read:

"We see what's happening and know it's just a matter of time before our
state has a mandate," the pharmacy executive said. These encouraging words
are because NFB affiliates have been approaching their legislatures and
Boards of Pharmacy to say accessible prescription labels are a health equity
and health literacy issue which needs to be addressed immediately.

Due to the hard work of many NFB affiliates, we've reached the point where
the industry is anticipating a shift in public policy nationwide in the near
future. Who are these affiliates? What have they done to create this shift
in pharmacy thought? How do we push forward to make this prediction a
reality?

The first two states to pass accessible prescription labeling laws were
Nevada in 2017 and Oregon in 2019. The pandemic didn't stop Frank Perez at
the National Association for the Blind of Puerto Rico from advocating over
and over again to achieve a victory in Puerto Rico finally signed by the
governor in January 2023.

In 2022 the NFB of Tennessee championed a bill and navigated a unique
situation because their state is one of the few that actually owns and runs
its own pharmacy services through TennHealth. This meant having to make some
amendments to avoid legislation getting caught up in fiscal reports. In the
end their law passed directing the Board of Pharmacy to do the work of
gathering stakeholders to help determine the rules. That rulemaking process
is just beginning.

These were all quickly followed by an amazing collaboration in Washington
between the NFB, ACB, and Health Equity Circle to pursue accessible
prescription labeling and prescription label language access simultaneously.
So many people testified for this bill. Though it died on the House floor,
advocates so inspired the legislators and Board of Pharmacy that they
committed to rulemaking even without a bill. Rulemaking is officially
underway, a rough draft and public comment period already completed. One of
the things that I will always remember is the House Health Committee chair's
comment that she was appalled that this was not already something being
provided. She and many others assumed that this was already standard
practice.

This has further inspired other affiliates who have difficulty getting a
bill sponsored to try this alternative route. In January 2023 Camille Tate
went before the Florida Board of Pharmacy and gave a presentation. The
Board's first response was that they thought it would cost too much to be
implemented and needed to be legislated, but after more questions about ADA
and Braille technology, they agreed they would need to do more research and
discuss it again at a future meeting. Once again, like in Washington, we
found that people assumed that it was already being done or it was
impossibly difficult to do, but education is the key to progress!

January also brought Roger Crome and Sheila Wright in front of the Missouri
Board of Pharmacy. They gave a wonderful presentation which was followed by
comments at length given by Board Member Douglas Lang R.Ph., who,
surprisingly, had served as a pharmacy representative on the US Access Board
working group that developed the
<mailto:https://www.access-board.gov/rx.html> "Best Practices for Making
Prescription Drug Container Label Information Accessible to Persons Who are
Blind or Visually-Impaired or Who are Elderly"
(https://www.access-board.gov/rx.html) in 2013. The board also had another
pharmacist with a vision impairment who said she herself could benefit from
a large print or audible label. The board felt that knowledge of labeling
options and best practices are not widely known, and perhaps a public
relations campaign to pharmacists and the public would be a help. They also
agreed to work with the legislature on the multiple bills the NFB was able
to get introduced this session.

We also are following efforts by the NFB of Hawaii and the NFB of Maryland
who both found sponsors and have bills scheduled for committee hearings in
the coming weeks. There are many other affiliates that are seeking sponsors
or gearing up to approach their Board of Pharmacy including NFB of New York,
NFB of Arkansas, and NFB of Michigan.

Links to all the bills mentioned and sample draft language can be found
https://www.staysaferx.org/p/blog-page_10.html.

If any other affiliates are interested in helping create the snowball effect
nationwide, you can find more resources at www.StaySafeRx.org
<http://www.StaySafeRx.org>  and
<file:///C:/Users/Gary%20Wunder/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Co
ntent.Outlook/H63ZULFC/Medication%20Label%20Safety%20Awareness%20Campaign>
Medication Label Safety Awareness Campaign.

If your affiliate or bill wasn't mentioned in this article or included on
www.StaySafeRx.org <http://www.StaySafeRx.org>  or you would like help
tracking accessible labeling bills in your state, contact Sharla Glass at
En-Vision America, 941-702-6602 or sglass at envisionamerica.com
<mailto:sglass at envisionamerica.com> .

----------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Karen Anderson]


NFB BELLR Academy: Raising Expectations, Changing Lives


by Karen Anderson

>From the Editor: The National Federation of the Blind is deeply committed to
building opportunities for blind children. One of our longstanding youth
programs is BELLR Academy. The program launched in Maryland in 2008, and it
quickly spread nationwide. In this article BELL coordinator Karen Anderson
shares her passion for the program and explains what it can mean for blind
children and their families.

"Every day we work to raise the expectations for blind people, because low
expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams."

I have committed these words to my memory and to my heart. When someone asks
me what the National Federation of the Blind is, and, specifically, what I
do within the organization, these are some of the first words off my tongue.
I keep them in mind as I work with our members to develop our education
programs. High expectations for blind people are at the center of everything
we build. Our NFB BELLR Academy has been running for more than a decade now,
raising expectations for blind kids across the country. We have changed a
tremendous number of lives, and that number is growing all the time.


How It All Began


The National Federation of the Blind Braille Enrichment for Literacy and
Learning (BELL) Academy was started by members of the Federation in
Maryland. They realized that blind and low-vision children were being held
back by low expectations and weren't getting access to nearly enough Braille
instruction. For two weeks in the summer of 2008, kids came to the Jernigan
Institute for learning and fun. They made edible Braille dots, cooked using
Braille recipes, and listened to blind mentors read Braille stories. They
didn't have to learn Braille; they got to learn Braille alongside their
peers in a space where they were encouraged and challenged. These kids
learned that Braille wasn't just about boring worksheets; they discovered
that literacy could be fun. Equally as important, they learned a host of
skills that helped them become independent. These students learned to carry
their own trays while they used their canes in the lunch line. They learned
to pour their own drinks, to open their own snacks, and to clean up after
themselves. All of these skills were modeled by blind adults who used these
skills every day and who had high expectations for the BELL students.

Over the following decade NFB BELLR Academy spread across the country. Blind
adults volunteered to show blind kids what is possible, and in many cases
those blind kids grew up and came back to the program as BELL volunteers.
Each summer we raised expectations for blind kids and their families.

When COVID-19 hit the world, we took NFB BELLR Academy to Zoom. From the
extensive BELL curriculum we chose lessons that we thought would work well
in a virtual setting. We sent boxes of materials for those lessons to
hundreds of families across the country. While the structure of the NFB
BELLR Academy In-Home Edition looked different, the core message was the
same. The program promoted high expectations for blind children, supported
by blind mentors and role models.


Return to BELL in Person


In the summer of 2023 bells will be ringing across the country once again.
As we have since 2020, we again will hold our NFB BELLR Academy In-Home
Edition. This year's virtual BELL Academy will run for three weeks, from
July 24 through August 11, and it will be very similar to the programs of
the past two summers. Students will be placed in the beginner, intermediate,
or advanced track, based on their current Braille skills. Each participant
will be sent a box containing materials specifically geared for their track.
Each track will meet on Zoom for an hour every weekday, doing various
lessons together along with a teacher and blind mentors. In addition,
because we know how important it is for blind kids to have a chance to talk
with one another, we will hold a social hour on Zoom every weekday. This
social hour is a space where students can talk with each other and with
blind mentors. They can discuss those things that are unique to the
experience of blind students-what do you do with your cane on the
playground? How do you find a spot where you want to sit in the lunchroom at
school? During social hour we also learn things that many sighted kids learn
simply by observing, such as how to do popular dances. I love hearing from
former BELL participants that they were able to dance with their peers at a
birthday party or family wedding because of what they learned in BELL.

I am also delighted to share that several states are planning to hold
in-person NFB BELLR Academies this coming summer. Nothing is more powerful
for a blind child than being in the same room with other blind children and
blind adults. I look forward to hearing about all of the activities our BELL
students participate in with their blind mentors. I want to hear about their
new ways of decorating their canes and learning shades. I look forward to
hearing about the community-based instruction (or field trips, for those of
us who don't speak Educationese) that each BELL Academy goes on. I
especially look forward to hearing about the mentoring relationships and
connections that will last far beyond the summer of 2023.


Making a Difference


I know that what we do makes a difference. I know that our programs stand
apart from other programs offered to blind children. Still, talking with the
parents and students from previous NFB BELLR Academies impresses upon me
just how much of a difference we actually make.

In January of 2022 I got a call from a parent who was trying to figure out
how to help her daughter, Lynn. This twelve-year-old had spent her life
struggling to read and process visual information. Only recently had she
been diagnosed with cortical visual impairment, or CVI. The parent had
started teaching Lynn Braille and it was going well, but the family wasn't
sure Lynn was eligible for BELL Academy. I beamed when I told Lynn's mother
that yes, absolutely, we would love to have Lynn join us for the 2022 NFB
BELLR Academy In-Home Edition. The family was actively working on Braille
throughout the winter and spring, so I agreed to touch base with them closer
to the start of BELL. At that point we could figure out which track Lynn
should be placed in so she could be challenged but not overwhelmed. By May
this young lady, who had struggled with reading for her entire life, had
learned the entire Braille code and was placed in the advanced track. She
attended our social hour nearly every day, and she was always eager to ask
questions and give suggestions to her peers and to the younger students.
Almost every day she came back with a story about how she had tried a new
nonvisual technique she had learned in BELL Academy. I saw her confidence
grow throughout the three weeks of the program. This young lady was
realizing she was not a broken sighted person, but a blind person who could
use alternative techniques to live a full and happy life.

Recently I talked with Lynn's mom again, and we discussed what Lynn was
going to do for the 2023 summer. She expressed surprise that so few programs
she had found throughout the past year demonstrated the high expectations
her family had become accustomed to during BELL. One program Lynn attended
told students that, if they learned to do their chores well at home, they
could someday get a job doing piecework. Lynn's mom knows that Lynn is
capable of more. I am so glad that Lynn's family has connected with the
National Federation of the Blind and become surrounded by a group of people
who know that Lynn is capable of more as well.

If you want to register for the NFB BELLR Academy In-Home Edition or see
whether your state or a state near you is hosting an in-person BELL Academy,
visit nfb.org/bell <https://nfb.org/bell> . I look forward to hearing more
from Lynn and our other BELL participants about how their expectations have
been raised by participating in NFB BELL!

----------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Eve Hill]


Federal Tech Is Inaccessible, but Now Blind People Can Do Something about It


by Eve Hill

>From the Editor: Eve Hill has been a highlight of many convention sessions
in her many roles as a litigator with Brown, Goldstein & Levy, an official
in the Department of Justice, and now as the chief counsel of the National
Federation of the Blind. Here she speaks directly about whether the laws
pertaining to accessibility are enforceable and ultimately to whether the
law is just the law or whether it can become our reality. Here is the first
of many articles that I hope she will write for the Braille Monitor.

The United States Department of Justice just released a report
<https://www.justice.gov/crt/section-508-home-page-0>
(https://www.justice.gov/crt/section-508-home-page-0) on the federal
government's compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Section
508 requires federal agencies to make sure all their technology is
accessible to people with disabilities.

But the DOJ report shows that many agencies are not taking this duty
seriously, even twenty-five years after Section 508 was passed. For example,
although across all tested agencies one out of ten websites were
inaccessible, if one agency were removed from the count that number rose to
three out of ten websites being inaccessible. Across the federal government,
two out of every three pdf documents on federal websites are inaccessible.
Most of the inaccessible pdfs aren't even tagged-meaning there has been no
effort to make them accessible.

Some agencies have dedicated virtually no resources to accessibility, some
barely test any of their external websites, and several don't even test the
accessibility of their internal websites. Less than half of internal
(intranet) websites that were tested were compliant. More than half of the
agencies reviewed haven't even made their accessibility statements compliant
with Office of Management and Budget requirements. This is not a sign that
compliance is difficult-it's a sign that federal agencies can't be bothered.

Part of the reason federal agencies take their accessibility
responsibilities so lightly may be that it has been hard to enforce those
obligations. But that is about to change. The District of Columbia Circuit
Court of Appeals just issued a decision that gives us the tools we need to
insist that these statistics improve. In
<https://nfb.org/blog/understanding-orozco-v-garland-appeal-and-why-it-impor
tant> Orozco v. Garland
(https://nfb.org/blog/understanding-orozco-v-garland-appeal-and-why-it-impor
tant), the Court held that a blind federal employee can sue his employer
under Section 508.

The federal government tried to argue, and the lower court agreed, that
federal employees could not enforce Section 508 against federal agencies
because it incorporated the "remedies, procedures, and rights" of Section
504, which applied to federally-funded entities, not federal agencies
themselves. The DC Circuit disagreed, finding that such a reading would make
no sense, since Section 508 only applies to federal agencies, not
federally-funded entities. The court found that Section 508 only
incorporates Section 504's "remedies, procedures, and rights." It does not
incorporate Section 504's coverage limitations. The court also found that
Section 508 enforcement was available to federal employees, not just members
of the general public with disabilities.

So federal employees with disabilities can now sue to enforce their right to
accessible technology. They can no longer be ignored by their federal agency
employers. They can no longer be forced to rely on part-time or ad hoc
work-arounds while the underlying technology they're forced to use remains
inaccessible.

The National Federation of the Blind was proud to support Mr. Orozco's case
and looks forward to holding the federal government accountable. Hopefully,
as a result, the next Section 508 report from DOJ will show more progress.

--------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Richard Bernstein]


Supreme Action to Shatter Low Expectations: Living Blind and Serving on the
Bench


by Richard Bernstein

>From the Editor: This was a very moving presentation from a blind person who
exercises the levers of power. It is one that kept us in our seats as we
were ready to bolt for the stairs in preparation for the banquet. The
presenter is a Supreme Court Justice on the Michigan Supreme Court, and this
is what President Riccobono said in introducing him:

We've talked during this convention about the difficulties in getting
support through the courts of this nation for the viewpoints that we hold
about disability and equal access. One reason that we struggle with the
courts is that, when you look at the judiciary system, especially at the
federal level, you don't see any people who exhibit the qualities that we
have, especially as it relates to disability! In fact, you might think by
the folks that are serving on the bench that America doesn't have any people
with disabilities! Well, our speaker here is a blind person, and he's
serving in a significant position on the court. He's doing so in the state
of Michigan. He's bringing his lived experience to the effort, of course.
You'll recall that in our leadup to the 2020 elections, one of the states we
worked in was Michigan on accessible voting. And, you know, blind people
face trouble with voting all the time. But when one of the blind people who
has trouble voting is a justice to the state supreme court, it gets a lot of
people's attention! [Laughter and applause] So don't think that just because
he serves in a significant position, he's immune from the problems that
blind people have. He's still a blind person, and he brings that
authenticity, that lived experience to the work he does every day, and it
drives his passion. He uses his legal talents to advance our nation, but
also through his lived experience, our cause as blind people.

He has come to our convention. We're glad to have him. And he is someone who
I think is at this convention for the first time. Here's the Honorable
Richard Bernstein!

I got a call a short time ago, and it was a call that probably many of you
have had-and a conversation that many of you have had. It was a wonderful
young prosecutor, and he told me, "I love practicing law, I love being a
prosecutor, and the thing that I want to do more than anything is to serve
as a judge. But I went before the committee," and he said they told him,
"You have all the qualifications, would be an outstanding judge, but we
simply can't take you because you're blind." [Crowd jeering and booing].

In what other situation, in what other group would that be okay? Imagine to
say to somebody, "The only reason you can't have this job, the only reason
you can't be promoted, the only reason you can't have advancement is solely
and exclusively because of the way that God made you and the way that you
were ultimately created?"

I am certain that every single person in this room, throughout their
educational process or at their workplace has had to contend with that
self-appointed expert who feels that they know everything about
blindness-when they have no knowledge, no training, and no expertise. Yet,
so often in our workplaces, we have to be subservient to this mindset and to
these types of people.

I would venture to say that even in our social lives, blindness will always
play a role. It's always so funny that as you're growing up, people will
say, "I found the perfect girl for you!" And I'll say, "Oh, that's great,
tell me all about her," and they'll say, "Oh, she's blind." [Laughter] And
I'll say, "What else?"

"Well, she's blind." [Laughter] That's it! She's blind. She's perfect for
you because she is blind. [Laughter]

You know, it's interesting. We as blind people have to contend with so much.
It is always the same people who feel that we aren't capable of handling
certain jobs or doing certain things, and yet these are the same people that
will always say things to you like, "Oh, have you read about this blind guy
that climbed Mount Everest?" As wonderful and amazing as that is, we don't
all climb Mount Everest! And the irony that so many of us who are blind have
to contend with each and every day is this paradox. [Crowd agreeing]

When we try to go for employment, try to go for jobs, people have this
natural instinct to exclude us because they can't believe that we can
actually perform the duties that are before us. But then, at the same time,
there are these ridiculous expectations that they feel that we have to meet
because they always know about that one blind guy: "There's this ONE blind
guy that I know! And he does all these things." So we get compared to people
in an unrealistic fashion.

I think the reason that I am so excited to be a part of the NFB is I thank
God for this organization; thank God for its work! [Cheering and applause]
Thank God for its efforts! But most importantly, thank God for its advocacy.
Because it's people like the NFB who are making life better for each and
every one of us. They're not exploiting us. They're advocating for us.
They're dedicated to doing the types of things that make our life better.

Listen: for all of us who are here today, whether you were born blind or
whether you're in a more challenging situation where you have lost your
vision suddenly and are now having to learn how to be blind, there are real
challenges that come with blindness. There are real difficulties that come
with blindness. It is something that we have to contend with and live with
and experience each and every day.

Yes, there are so many people that are out doing extraordinary things, and
that is fantastic. But what we have to focus on are the basics. We have to
focus on the fact that, according to the Census, over 80 percent of our
population is currently unemployed. Now, that is not because we are not
capable. That is not because we are not talented. That is not because we are
not hardworking. It is solely and exclusively socioeconomic, which is
exacerbated by our disabilities.

You know, I want to be very direct, because I think it's important. The
worst thing that someone can stand up here and say is, "Well, if I can do
it, you can do it," which I find to be infuriating. That is so outrageous!
[Laughter and applause] And it is so offensive, and so arrogant! Because
ultimately, what we know here at the NFB is that every one of us has our own
story. [Cheering] Every one of us has our own unique experience. And I just
like to be honest, direct. That's just my nature as a judge. You just say it
honestly and directly to people. Let's just put it out there. If I had not
been born and blessed to come from the family that I come from, where I had
the absolute best of everything-I had the best of schools, I had the best of
teachers, I had literally the best of everything because my family was able
to provide that-but if I hadn't been given those advantages, those
unbelievable socioeconomic advantages, there is no question that I would be
part of the 80 percent who are currently unemployed and having to struggle.
[Applause]

So I think the idea of this conference and the idea as to why we gather and
as to why we are together is because the NFB represents the reality of the
world, and the NFB represents the reality of what blind people have to face
and contend with each and every day. I don't have a lot of time to be with
you today, because you've got some extraordinary speakers, but I'm hoping
that we will have much more time in the future.

There's a certain thing that I really do want to highlight, and I really do
believe needs to be focused. When people say-like they said to this young
prosecutor-that being a judge is simply unattainable for you because how can
you do this if you can't see, they are missing the most important element of
this. What makes a good judge is not your academics. It's not your
intellectualism. It's not your ability to research and to write and to
publish, and it is certainly not your ability to see. What makes a good
judge, what makes a good leader, is what every single person in this
audience has. It is life experience. Everyone here today understands what it
means to truly have to struggle. Everyone in this room understands what it
feels like to be left out. Everyone in this room understands the general
feeling you have when people discriminate against you for something that is
beyond your control. [Applause] The reason that the NFB has to be loud, the
reason that the NFB has to be active, the reason that the NFB has to be
engaged is because often it's the case that, when you ask what makes a good
judge, when you ask what makes a good lawyer, when you ask what makes a good
doctor, when you ask what makes a good professional, when you ask what makes
a good person, it is solely and exclusively the notion of living with
struggle-understanding struggle, understanding adversity.

Here's what I want to say to everybody who is here at this conference. This
is the notion. If you learn to live with struggle, and you learn to face
adversity like everybody has here today, you can live your life with
passion. You can live your life with purpose. You can live your life with
meaning. And you can live your life with a mission that will allow you to
transform the world which we know. You're here because you have that
mission. You're here because you have that passion. You're here because you
understand why you were ultimately created. We're a powerful organization,
for we are a powerful people. And when we go forth into society and into the
world at large, and people give us opportunities, they are not doing it out
of charity. They are doing it because we add to their organization. They're
doing it because we teach people the lesson of resilience. We teach people
the lesson of strength. We teach people the lesson of struggle. We teach
people the lesson of mission and purpose.

I conclude with my favorite biblical story that goes to the essence and
heart of why we are here and why we're so dedicated to doing what we do.
It's the story of the angel coming upon Jacob deep into the night. As the
Bible teaches us, there existed an intense battle that ranged until dawn.
And when the sun rose, the angel blessed Jacob and gave him a new name, the
name of Israel, which translates to mean "one who struggles with God." But
as scripture teaches us, Jacob was not left uninjured. For after the
struggle, he was given a shattered hip. He would walk with a limp, and he
would know great pain for the remainder of his days.

I believe that scripture teaches us this valuable lesson because it was only
through Jacob's struggle, it was only through his setback, it was only
through his frustration that he was able to connect, appreciate, and
understand the challenges and the hardships of his fellow man. And it was
only through that ability that he was able to become a leader and the father
of a nation.

Let us go forth and take our struggle, find our passion, and continue to do
what we do as blind people: make the world better for everybody. [Cheering
and applause]

---------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Wearing a chef's uniform, Regina Mitchell spoons food onto a
plate.]


Cooking Is My Passion


by Regina Mitchell

>From the Editor: This is taken from the Spring 2023 issue of Future
Reflections. This is what Debbie Stein said to introduce the article:

When Regina Mitchell received an NFB National Scholarship in 2017, she
planned to become a neurobiologist. Yet, as so often happens, life led her
in a very different direction, back to her true passion-cooking. In this
article she recounts the long journey of this passion, from its roots in her
early childhood to the work she is doing today.

I've loved cooking for almost as long as I can remember. I grew up as a
fully sighted child in southern California, the oldest of four. When I was
very small, my mother allowed me to assist her in the kitchen when she
prepared small dishes such as salads and dressings. Later she taught me to
make meals that included more steps, such as tacos, enchiladas, spaghetti,
and my childhood favorites: sloppy joes and awesome tuna melt. I grew to
appreciate every process of cooking, and I loved creating dishes that my
family enjoyed.

Both of my grandmothers lived within a few blocks of one another, and they
shared their knowledge and love of cooking with me. My maternal grandmother,
born in Arkansas and the mother of thirteen children, taught me the secrets
of making southern family-style meals such as casseroles, burritos, fried
and smothered chicken, gravy, biscuits, and fruit preserves. My paternal
grandmother, born in New Orleans, taught me the secrets of refined French
Creole cuisine. She also introduced me to the rustic fare of Cajun cooking
with bold flavors of étouffée, all kinds of gumbos, jambalayas, and seafood
Creoles. In addition, I learned the magic of cooking vegetables such as
squash, green beans, beets, and the mysteries behind great salads.

After I got married, I learned more cooking secrets from my husband's
mother, who was born in Texas. She taught me to make a wide variety of
dishes such as smoked brisket, grilled salmon, pastas, and pilafs. One dish
for which I never got the recipe was her outstanding spaghetti sauce.

After a few years of marriage, my husband and I moved to British Columbia,
Canada, and we also lived in Seattle, Washington. The advantage of living
between two countries was that I discovered the totally different cuisine of
the Pacific Northwest. Instead of the Southwestern dishes I was used to, I
began to enjoy the abundance and varieties of fresh coastal seafood and the
offerings of coffee houses, vineyards, farmers' markets, and herb farms. My
curiosity led me on a quest for more knowledge of the fundamentals of food
science. I took my passion for cooking to another level; I decided to pursue
it professionally. I followed a lead and enrolled at the Seattle Culinary
Academy.

In culinary school we were taught fundamental, technical, and safety skills.
A huge emphasis was placed on proper knife skills. We moved from basics to
advanced lessons in stocks, soups, sauces, international cuisines, culinary
trends, and the use of fresh herbs (I even started my own herb garden). I
learned to cook for vegans, vegetarians, and pescatarians, and I studied
organization, discipline, and time management. I learned how to run a
kitchen, and I received training in how to manage a restaurant. Although I
chose culinary cuisine, courses in the baking school were required. I hadn't
had much experience in baking, and I found it a bit challenging, yet it was
a powerful tool in my creativity and understanding. During my two years in
culinary training, I learned well over 120 lessons, concluding with several
externships. All of my training began with basic skills, then layered those
skills upon others, just as one builds a dish by layering flavors.

When I completed my schooling in Seattle, I applied for a fellowship to
train under master chefs in Great Britain. I lived and worked in Scotland
for four months while I trained at the Stakis Hilton Hotel in Edinburgh.
>From there I went on to train at the Metropole Hotel in London. I studied in
Paris, Barcelona, and Rome, and I finished my fellowship at the film
festival in Cannes on the French Riviera. Altogether I trained in Europe for
eighteen months.

I finally returned to the United States in the late 1990s. In the early
2000s I worked with master chef Julia Child and Emeril Lagasse at NOLA's. At
Sur La Table in Seattle, I worked with local and guest celebrity chefs, and
I assisted chefs behind the scenes at food shows on Seattle stations.
Eventually, I created a wildly successful niche for myself, providing a
restaurant-style service in the homes of elite clients and creating
corporate executive team building experiences.

One day I got a call from the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. They were building
a new boutique hotel in Las Vegas, and they wanted to hire people who were
used to dealing with high-end clientele. I had worked with several Fortune
500 executives and many celebrities, and I felt I would be a good fit. I
went to Las Vegas for the interview.

The interview was a grueling process that stretched over three days. In the
end I was one of fourteen people who were hired. My family packed up and
relocated to Las Vegas. I transitioned from being a chef in the culinary
profession to being a butler in the hospitality industry that specialized in
personalized elite services to global nomads, royalists, celebrities, and
gamers. My favorite guests were those who saved for months to enjoy just one
night of luxurious pampering.

Then my life underwent a dramatic change. Between 2012 and 2013 I was
diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called lupus. Lupus can affect any
system in the body. In my case I started to have severe eye pain. In 2014 I
was diagnosed with bilateral panuveitis (inflammation of all layers of the
uvea, from the front to the back of the eye). To my consternation my doctors
suggested that I take a medical retirement. They were convinced that my work
in hospitality would be impossible due to my vision loss.

So I left my job. I sat at home week after week, month after month. While
sitting there I realized my losses; I had lost my sight, lost my career, and
lost the independence of driving, cooking, and navigating my previous world.
I was utterly disheartened, discouraged, and disappointed that life had
dealt me such a traumatic blow. I was a burden to myself, and I felt I was a
burden to my family and friends.

There had to be something I could do to become active again! I made a
decision to return to school to finish my bachelor's degree. I enrolled in
classes at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).

I had no idea what was ahead of me as a returning blind student. I still had
some residual vision, but I soon realized it wouldn't be enough. I sat in
class and could barely see my professor's face. I ordered textbooks and
could barely see the print on pages. I truly didn't understand the gravity
of my circumstances.

One day I met with one of my professors about the problems I was having. He
referred me to the Disability Resource Center (DRC) on campus. There I met
my advisor, Raquel O'Neill. Raquel was the first blind person I ever knew.
Almost overnight my life was transformed. The DRC reformatted my books and
showed me how to use a CCTV and the speech output on my smartphone. I
learned many other skills that I needed for academic success. Raquel later
referred me to BlindConnect, the only blindness training program in Las
Vegas, which provides life skills training, employment training, and peer
support programs. At BlindConnect I learned the basics of daily living
skills and the use of a long white cane. I signed up for paratransit
services and gained peer support.

In 2017, nearing my last year at UNLV, I found myself running low on funds.
I did a Google search for scholarships for blind students, and I found a
scholarship program run by an organization called the National Federation of
the Blind. I applied for a national scholarship, and to my joy and
amazement, I received a call from Julie Deden in Colorado. She told me I was
a finalist, and I would be attending the national convention of the NFB in
Orlando, Florida.

In July of 2017, I flew to Orlando and attended my first NFB National
Convention. I was the oldest student in my scholarship cohort, but blindness
and NFB have no age barriers. At the convention I found a safe place where I
truly belonged! The whole experience was inspiring and beautiful! I was
honored to receive a STEM scholarship contributed by Oracle.

When I returned home from the convention, I was eager to get involved with
the NFB of Nevada Southern Chapter. It wasn't long before I became president
of the Southern Las Vegas Chapter.

In 2018 I graduated with honors from UNLV. In addition to the general
commencement ceremony, I was asked to present as a guest speaker in the
African American Heritage commencement ceremony.

In the summer of 2019 I returned to BlindConnect to attend weekly peer
support meetings. Shortly, I shared with Raquel O'Neill my desire to join in
partnership with BlindConnect and share my cooking skills and passion with
this new community I am embracing. I had exceptional culinary skills, but I
needed some techniques specific to blindness, which in time I would learn.

A few months later, however, the COVID-19 pandemic brought face-to-face
classes to a halt for several months. The cooking classes later resumed on
Zoom, and for eight weeks I taught theory and techniques. People really
enjoyed the classes, but I wanted to give more. I decided to demonstrate,
describing my cooking process step by step. I tried to describe everything I
was doing as I went along. I call it, "Intuitive Cooking." I give an audio
description of what an ingredient should feel like and how it should taste
and smell. The students were thrilled. Many had never cooked on the stove or
in the oven. Now they began recreating the same meals in their own kitchens.

Because I held my classes online, geography was no barrier. My classes
opened up to people all over the country. The media was curious: Who is this
blind chef who is teaching blind people? The media began to pursue
interviews for podcasts. The LA Times ran an article about my work. CNN flew
down and observed one of my classes and later featured a small segment on
The Human Factor with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and the local paper's Review Journal.

National Federation of the Blind President Mark Riccobono invited me to
chair a group for cooking and food enthusiasts. We called it the NFB in the
Kitchen Group.

As I reflected on my long history with cooking, I realized that it's very
important to give children experience in the kitchen from an early age. The
Wisconsin Parents of Blind Children reached out to me to teach a few cooking
sessions to their families. We started with monthly sessions during the
summer. I've taught them blindness skills and tool use, such as using a
pizza cutter and a food processor in place of a knife. Safety always comes
first! We've learned how to make lava cake, meatballs, smoothies, quiche,
and pumpkin pie. Currently my youngest student is eight years old. These
children are fearless, learning independence in their own kitchens and
challenging obstacles!

I feel tremendously blessed as I look back over my life! Blindness has
brought its challenges, but it has enriched my life as well. I've often said
that one of my superpowers is welcoming new experiences, and so it is here!
I have met many amazing people, people I never would have known if I hadn't
lost my sight. I have learned new skills I never would have mastered as a
sighted chef.

I'll do whatever I can to encourage people to get into the kitchen! I tell
students to start without heat: making salads, sandwiches, and vinaigrettes.
Visit the deli and find out what's available to taste. Discover herbs such
as lavender, verbena, basil, and rosemary. Be open to spices such as anise
and cardamom, and try leeks, golden beets, wild mushrooms, and other
produce. Experiment with making your own spice blend. Don't be intimidated
by long-winded recipes. Read them carefully and pare them down to the
essentials. Just make something. Enjoy eating what you create.

I learned patience from my mother and grandmothers, and I learned to love
what I do. I think my students sense that. They understand that my knowledge
is freely given.

Sometimes every day becomes the same as the one before. Sometimes in the
midst of it all we lose our joy of eating, let alone cooking. And we are
desperate for a little dose of kindness and an open, safe space.

The table is central to our lives. It's safe, open, and inviting. We believe
in sharing life through great food at our own table. Over food, stories are
told, our days unfold, our family histories are gleaned, and often we sort
out our differences. The table is a safe space, the place where we are
nourished. As blind people we can take that step into the heart of our
homes, make the kitchen our friend. We can make space at the table and fully
take part in our nourishing traditions.

Editor's Note: You can visit Regina Mitchell at her website, chefregina.com
<http://chefregina.com> . To get in touch, email her at
friendinthekitchen at gmail.com <mailto:friendinthekitchen at gmail.com> .

----------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Anne Raish]


The Right to Participate Fully in Twenty-First Century America


by Anne Raish

>From the Editor: Civil rights has no meaning if there is no enforcement, and
Anne Raish came to the 2022 Convention to say that there would indeed be
enforcement. These are the words President Riccobono used to introduce her:

Earlier this week, we talked about using all of the tools at our disposal to
secure equal access protections for blind people from all branches of the
federal government. We continue to recognize that we do have many allies in
our work, especially to secure 21st century access rights for blind people,
and one of those is our next presenter, who is the principal deputy chief
for the Disability Rights Section, Civil Rights Division in the United
States Department of Justice.

She has been with the Disability Rights Section since 2010, serving as a
trial attorney before coming to be in her currently appointed position. She
has a long resume of contributions to civil rights work. We're very honored
to have her here at this convention, especially as we continue to be very
concerned and feel quite an urgency about making sure that we set the
standard for all websites, from employers, public accommodations, and other
public entities, that they be fully accessible to blind people! [Applause]
So we welcome her to discuss the right to participate fully in 21st century
America. Here, from the Department of Justice, is Anne Raish.

Good morning, everyone. I am really delighted to be here to have the
opportunity to speak with you all about the Justice Department's work to
advance the right to full participation in 21st century America. And I'm
especially excited to be gathering in person for the first time in a really
long time! [Cheering and Applause] At the Justice Department, we recognize
that perhaps nothing is more fundamental to participation in the 21st
century than technology. Now more than ever, technology is the cornerstone
of how we communicate, learn, and do business. This was made even more
abundantly clear during the height of the pandemic. During that time, to
stay home and physically distance, we relied on technology even more to do
our grocery shopping, to work, and to consult with our health care
providers.

We are at a critical point for people with disabilities and technology. The
pace of technological change is staggering. While advancing technology can
open doors for many people with disabilities and provide the means to move
closer to the goal of full, equal, and truly integrated access, cutting-edge
technological advances can leave people with disabilities behind, especially
if the entities that develop, manufacture, and offer them do not make their
products and services accessible on the front end.

When Congress enacted the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504,
the internet and information technologies as we know them today did not even
exist. For that reason, although the ADA provides and guarantees rights in a
variety of acts and activities, it does not mention the internet.
Accessibility must be built into the digital environment just like
accessibility must be built into the physical environment. [Applause]
Enforcement of these laws by the Department of Justice has resulted in
public entities, businesses, and some technology developers taking new
approaches to accessible technology. My goal today is to share with you all
the department's role and tools as it relates to enforcing the ADA in
accessible technology. I'm going to talk about some recent work in this
area, and then I'm going to talk about how we can work together to enforce
full participation

The Disability Rights Section, where I work, is in the Civil Rights Division
of the Justice Department. Our work is to advance the rights of people with
disabilities using the ADA. We have many tools to achieve this. One of them
is regulations. Congress tasked us to provide regulations for the ADA, and
we can clarify the obligations imposed by the ADA and how those obligations
can be met. Currently the Justice Department is working on a rule to provide
technical standards to help state and local governments comply with their
existing obligations to make their websites accessible to individuals with
disabilities. [Applause] But I want to make clear-because we hear this from
some entities-that even without final regulations, the ADA applies to the
accessibility of web information and services. [Applause] That's been the
long-standing position of the Justice Department, and courts around the
country have recognized that web information and services must be accessible
to people with disabilities, even without formal technical standards.

As another tool to advance disability rights, the department also provides
information and technical assistance to entities who have responsibilities
to comply with the ADA. To that end, the department has several technical
assistance documents regarding web accessibility and services. Most
recently, in the spring, the department published new guidance that explains
that state and local governments who offer their programs, services, and
activities on the web must take steps to ensure that their communications
with people with disabilities are as effective as their communications with
others.

This includes services like paying a parking ticket, registering for school,
applying for an absentee ballot, and any other government program provided
on the web. The guidance also explains that businesses open to the public
must ensure that individuals with disabilities have full and equal access to
their goods and services, including the services they offer on their
websites. This includes retail stores, banks, hotels, medical offices,
entertainment venues, and restaurants. The guidance provides examples of
common barriers, such as poor color contrast, using color itself to provide
information, failing to provide text alternatives to images, and
inaccessible online forms, where the forms use labels that can't be detected
by screen readers. The guidance then provides a variety of features that
businesses and state and local governments can use to make their websites
accessible. It also discusses the deficiencies in automated accessibility
checkers and states that a manual check of a website can provide a better
sense of accessibility.

This may sound like basic stuff. But our hope is that by putting a document
out like this from the Department of Justice, it will prompt businesses and
state and local governments to put a stronger focus on making their web
service accessible. [Applause]

You can find this document on our website, ada.gov, and if there are topics
or areas where you feel that it would be helpful for the department to issue
guidance, please reach out and let us know. We value your insights and your
expertise, and we would like to know about recommendations that you have.

We have another tool that we can use when these other tools fail to bring
about sufficient compliance. We also have our enforcement tool, and we can
sue government entities under the ADA. [Applause] The department has
jurisdiction over all state and local government employers, the activities
of all of those state and local governments, and businesses open to the
public, like hotels, restaurants, movie theaters, grocery stores, and
others. We have jurisdiction to enforce the ADA at all of these entities and
have brought enforcement actions against many of them. As you know, many
technologies that have access barriers include not only commercial and
public websites, but mobile applications, educational software, audio visual
multimedia, self-service kiosks, e-books, and much more.

I'm going to talk about employment first. Employment is key to how so many
of us spend our days, make a living, and even define ourselves. Under the
ADA, employers must provide reasonable accommodations to employees with
disabilities, unless it would impose an undue hardship. Assistive technology
and accessible technologies are just some examples of reasonable
accommodations. Employers must also test in a way that tests skill and
ability on the job, not just measuring disability. Advances in technology
have had an enormous impact, but new ways of doing business, if not
implemented with access in mind, can limit accessibility or lead to
discrimination.

For example, many employers now use algorithm-driven hiring tools to
interview job applicants. Job applicants must answer interview questions on
video, and those video recordings are then analyzed to see how applicants'
facial and voice expression compare to the facial and voice expression of
"successful employees." The risk that the tool might disqualify individuals
with speech impairments or facial tics is obvious, but less obvious is how
such tools may disqualify individuals with other disabilities. Perhaps more
troubling is that job seekers may not know that the tool was used or that it
led to their failure in the hiring process. Rejected applicants may have no
way of knowing that they have been discriminated against or that they could
have asked for a reasonable accommodation.

The department also has many settlement agreements with public employers
including a requirement that online job applications comply with web content
accessibility guidelines, including Dekalb, Illinois; Isle of Palms, South
Carolina; and village of Ruidoso, New Mexico.

Moving on to Titles II and III of the ADA, state and local governments and
public accommodations must ensure that their communication with people with
disabilities is as effective as communications with others. To that end,
they must provide auxiliary aids and services to ensure effective
communication. An example of those aids and services are accessible
electronic and information technology. They must provide those aids and
services in a timely manner and in a manner that protects the privacy and
independence of the individual.

In an example of a recent case we did, the Justice Department reached a
settlement agreement with the Champaign-Urbana mass transit system in
Illinois. An individual who was blind noted that when the mass transit redid
their website, they did so in a way that reduced usability for blind users.
Specifically, it limited their ability to plan their trips online and travel
independently. The Justice Department conducted a survey of the district's
website and identified sixteen different accessibility barriers, including
insufficient color contrast, inaccessible hyperlinks, and limited keyboard
access. We asserted that, because of the redesign of the district's mass
transit website, they excluded people who were blind and with other
disabilities' ability to participate in the mass transit program in
violation of the ADA. Under the agreement, the district must make the mass
transit website accessible for blind users and users with manual
impairments. The agreement requires the district to comply with WCAG2.1AA.

Also in Illinois, the department is in ongoing litigation against the city
of Chicago to ensure that people who are blind or deafblind have equal
access to pedestrian crosswalks. It was filed in district court and last
year the Justice Department intervened as a plaintiff, alleging that there
are no accessible pedestrian signals at over 99 percent of Chicago
intersections that have a crossing signal. Chicago is the third largest city
in America, and to put the number in perspective, only fifteen of the city's
roughly 2,700 crossing signals have accessible signals.

The lawsuit alleges that this widespread failure by the city subjects people
who are blind or deafblind to added risks and burdens that are not faced by
sighted pedestrians, such as fear of injury or death. We are continuing to
litigate that case, and it remains ongoing.

I want to also highlight some matters we've had with public businesses.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Justice Department learned
of widespread problems experienced by individuals with disabilities trying
to access vaccine websites for the COVID-19 vaccine. [Applause] These
websites obviously provide critical information about COVID vaccinations and
enable people to schedule appointments online. A number of major retailers
operated vaccine registration portals that were not accessible to people who
use screen readers or have a hard time using a mouse. [Applause] In response
to this feedback, the Justice Department reviewed the websites of several
large businesses, including Rite Aid, Hy-Vee, Kroger, and CVS. The
department determined that these corporations' COVID-19 vaccine portals were
not accessible to people with some disabilities. For instance, the calendar
on Rite Aid's website used for scheduling vaccine appointments did not show
screen readers any available appointment times, and people who used the tab
key instead of a mouse could not make a choice on a consent form that they
needed to fill out before making their appointment. People who use screen
readers could not hear the questions on Hy-Vee's online medical screening
forms, and people who used the tab key instead of a mouse could not select
appointment times. These are obviously critical functions needed to make a
vaccine appointment!

The corporations agreed to make content about the COVID-19 vaccine,
including the forms for making appointments, conform to WCAG2.1 level AA.
[Cheering and applause] We have also done work in the area of self-service
kiosks. Last fall the department filed a brief clarifying that the ADA
requires public accommodations to provide auxiliary aids and services so
that individuals with disabilities can fully and equally enjoy all of their
services. Quest Diagnostics provides health care and diagnostic testing
services, and requires patients to use an electronic self-service kiosk to
check in, input personal information, choose where to wait, and perform
other tasks. No staff are allegedly present in the check-in area, so
patients who are blind must ask strangers for assistance or bring
companions. Our brief explained that the ADA prohibits public accommodations
from treating individuals with disabilities differently because of the
absence of auxiliary aids and services, including failing to provide
effective communication with respect to services offered through visual and
electronic means, like self-service kiosks.

I want to mention one more case involving accessible technology, because on
this one we are specifically seeking your feedback if you have experience
with it. Several years ago, the Department of Justice issued a letter of
findings to the University of California at Berkeley, concluding that
Berkeley's free online content is inaccessible to individuals with
disabilities in violation of the ADA. Berkeley creates and publishes free
online content, including courses on its Berkeley X platform, and it
provides thousands of hours of audio and visual content featuring
conferences, lectures, and other university events and programming. Its
online content is made available to the public for free, but much of it is
inaccessible to blind individuals and individuals with other disabilities.
If you have tried to access UC Berkeley's online content, but you were
unable to do so because it was inaccessible, we'd be interested in hearing
about your experience. I have an email address that I hope is easy to
remember! If you would like to reach out on this, that email address is
UCBerkeley at usdoj.gov <mailto:UCBerkeley at usdoj.gov> . I'll also leave the
information up here so you can reach out if you'd like to.

I'd like to end by talking about how we can work together to dismantle
barriers to access in 21st century American life. There are many ways that
we can collaborate. As you may have done in the past, you can report an ADA
violation through the Civil Rights Division's website, which is
civilrights.justice.gov. You can contact us to inform us of lawsuits filed
under the ADA in which we might participate by filing a brief or intervening
as a plaintiff. You can recommend technical assistance, and you, of course,
can comment on our pending regulations when they are published. Together we
can have a significant impact in eliminating barriers to access. The Justice
Department will continue to use every one of its tools to advance full
participation in 21st century life. Thank you again for having me here today
to share some of our work in this important area, and we look forward to our
continued collaboration. [Cheering and applause].

MARK RICCOBONO: Thank you very much, Anne. We appreciate the work that the
Department of Justice is taking on, and we certainly appreciate the notion
that regulations are not needed, that the law is very clear about the
requirement for the internet to be accessible. We agree with that! [Cheering
and applause] On the other hand, the Department of Justice has a lot of
weight and tools that it can apply in this area, and we just want to share
by show of voice our support for strong regulations from the Department of
Justice protecting our rights on the internet. How about it, folks? [Loud
cheering and applause]

If you could just share that message back at the Department of Justice, we
would appreciate it! Thank you for being with us today. [Applause]

----------

[PHOTO CAPTION: David Andrews]


Remarkably Unremarkable



by David Andrews

>From the Editor: This article appeared in the Spring Issue of the Minnesota
Bulletin. Here is the way it was introduced:

(Editors' Note: Dave Andrews is a Federationist well-known for his
management of the listservs and technological acumen-and possibly just as
famous for his talents as a cook. In this article, we have the privilege of
his thoughts on raising children and advice to new and aspiring parents.)

We can read stories in the Braille Monitor and other places about blind
parents who have problems with the medical or social services establishments
believing that blind people are unable to parent kids. It's true that
children do get taken away from blind parents, and blindness can be used
against us in divorce proceedings and other legal matters.

I am pleased to tell you that none of this happened to me. I think there are
a number of reasons that this was true including being prepared, talking to
other blind people who are parents, and having a spouse that believes in the
capacity of blind people to raise our kids. There is probably also a dash of
luck!

First, I tried preparing myself to raise a baby. I practiced things like
changing diapers and feeding on a life-sized doll. My wife was extremely
helpful in showing me how to do things-thanks Michele!

Second, I talked to other blind people. Nadine and Steve Jacobson and others
were very helpful. Since I am also the owner of NFB lists, I asked questions
there. There are a number of lists which can be helpful. They include Blind
Parents (blparent-subscribe at nfbnet.org
<mailto:blparent-subscribe at nfbnet.org> ), Blind Kid-for sighted parents of
blind children (blindkid-subscribe at nfbnet.org
<mailto:blindkid-subscribe at nfbnet.org> ), and in Minnesota, Minnesota
Parents (mn-parents-subscribe at nfbnet.org
<mailto:mn-parents-subscribe at nfbnet.org> ). On these mailing lists people
help each other, and support each other. None of us has all the answers-we
now call this "crowd sourcing."

This is not to say that everything was smooth sailing. For example, the kids
and I were at Lumberjack Days in Stillwater one year and went up to a ride
for the kids to get on. The operator said to Rosa, "Isn't it wonderful the
way you are able to take care of your dad and lead him around." Rosa was
five at the time. Who was leading whom? I calmly explained things to him. A
couple times in public parks I was told that I shouldn't have kids because I
couldn't adequately supervise them. This is a small sampling of the bumpy
road of a blind parent.

This illustrates my first point, "be prepared." You need to think about
these kinds of situations in advance and rehearse possible answers. These
incidents seemingly always come out of the blue when you least expect
them-so you need to be prepared. You don't want to answer out of anger or
not answer at all. This is hopefully an educable moment for people, and you
don't want to lose the opportunity. I always want to come back with a
sarcastic answer. But they may not get it, and if they do, it will only make
them mad. So stay calm and logical. Thinking of possible situations that may
occur in the future and their answers will help you keep your wits about
you.

Finally, things did not ultimately work out between Michele and me, but when
we got divorced, we agreed we would try and do what was best for the kids. I
think she believed in me and knew I could take care of the kids when they
were with me. She has always been willing to give me advice in those areas
that I did not know much about.

Together we have raised two bright, engaging, and committed young adults.
Carlos is a sophomore at Century College majoring in computer science and
doing well. Rosa joined the Navy and is about to be stationed on the
aircraft carrier George Washington. They say it takes a village-and it does!

---------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Cassie McNabb McKinney]


Lessons from my Federation Family


by Cassie McNabb McKinney

>From the Editor: This article is taken from Future Reflections, Spring 2023.
Many of us know the message we send about being blind, but the Federation is
so much more as it shapes our view of life and the respect we have for every
human being. Cassie is the mother of two, and here is a moving and
interesting story she relates about being a mom:

The lessons that we are taught in life come from those who are the closest
to us, those in the inner circle with which we surround ourselves. My
parents and grandparents served as examples for me. They taught me to be
respectful of all people and to show love rather than hastening to anger.
Above all they taught me to believe in myself and the dreams and goals I had
for my life.

During the summer of 2003, I extended my circle when I met the National
Federation of the Blind. Leaders in this organization reinforced the lessons
I had learned from my family. They set an example by living full and
productive lives as blind people.

Throughout the years I have had many opportunities to serve our organization
in positions of leadership. Each time one of these situations has arisen, I
have learned even greater lessons about myself. All of the roads I have
journeyed within my Federation family have prepared me for one of the most
challenging and rewarding opportunities in life: parenthood.

On January 13, 2016, Robert Dennis McKinney came into this world. He was a
healthy baby boy with a lot to say and the lungs to make sure that everyone
heard him. As he grew it became evident that he had inherited not only my
nose and my sass; he also inherited my eye condition. This knowledge was not
the stress to me that it might have been without my growth through the
Federation. My Federation family had empowered me to be the very best
advocate for Robert that I can be.

At seven years old Robert is now quite the self-advocate. He has no trouble
voicing his needs to his teachers and instructors. He tells them exactly
what he needs to be able to learn alongside his peers. His immersion in the
Federation from a young age has put all of this into motion.

Now, fast forward two years. On May 19, 2018, Timothy Otis McKinney made his
grand entrance into the world. His brother had been more vocal, but Timothy
was simply a force to be reckoned with. We soon learned that Timothy has
autism. The day we received his formal diagnosis, I froze in my seat. I was
utterly speechless.

Where had all my courage gone? I had had the courage to fight for my oldest
son, to get him what he needed. Was it not the same for Timothy? Of course
it was!

The Federation is a movement of the blind, for the blind, but it is so much
more. At its core the Federation supports individuals who struggle with so
much more than blindness. It is an organization that builds and empowers. It
is an organization whose core belief is that we are a family. A family does
what it has to do to help where help is needed.

I have had wonderful support from my family and friends throughout my life.
My Federation family has taught me invaluable lessons about advocacy and
self-advocacy. It takes real courage to stand strong when the rights of our
children are on the line and it is our duty to protect them. Not only must
we defend the rights of our own children; we must fight for the rights of
the children of our nation.

Years from now, when Robert and Timothy are older, they may reflect on their
lives and the people who have shaped who they are. No doubt there will be a
circle of people who have surrounded them, a circle of people they have
learned from. I know in my heart that when they think of those important
people in their lives, they will think of the National Federation of the
Blind.

----------


Monitor Miniatures


In Brief


Notices and information in this section may be of interest to Monitor
readers. We are not responsible for the accuracy of the information; we have
edited only for space and clarity.

A Music Competition for the World

>From the Editor: This comes from Rudolf Volejnik, Vice President Emeritus of
the Czech Blind United.

Dear music-loving and music-creating community,

You are cordially invited to take part in the International Competition for
Blind Composers 2023. All essential information, including the Application
Form, can be found under the link
https://jandeylconservatory.cz/competition-2023/index.php?lng=en.

The prize-winning compositions will be financially rewarded, appropriately
promoted, and performed live in public. Don't hesitate to apply; the
deadline is June 30, 2023. Together with our appreciative audiences, we look
forward to experiencing your best creative achievement.

This new contest represents the continuation of a long tradition of
organizing prestigious international performance and composition
competitions of blind music professionals in the Czech Republic dating back
to the 1970s.

This invitation message has been issued by:

*	Ondřej Štochl - the Jury Chair
*	Stanislava Lustyková - Jan Deyl Music Conservatory Principal and
*	Luboš Zajíc - President of Czech Blind United

----------


NFB Pledge


I pledge to participate actively in the efforts of the National Federation
of the Blind to achieve equality, opportunity, and security for the blind;
to support the policies and programs of the Federation; and to abide by its
constitution.

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