[stylist] Nonfiction Category in Contest

[Peter Donahue]

Hello everyone,

    I've been discussing a further expansion of our writing contest; the 
indlusion of a Nonfiction Category for blind youth and adults. One way we 
change public misperceptions of blindness and our abilities is by 
encouraging blind individuals to write stories of how they cope with 
blindness and what they have achieved in their lives and how they overcame 
predjudice, discrimination, and misunderstandings about blindness held by 
the public to succeed in their career of calling and the impact they made on 
society as a whole.

    One way to create a reservoir of writing by budding blind writers about 
their experiences with blindness and its challenges would be to include a 
nonfiction category in our writing contest for blind youth and adults. We 
all have wonderful stories to tell concerning dealing with our blindness and 
the state of the World in general. Including the nonfiction category would 
be a wonderful way to increase the number of contest participants and to 
build a large body of accounts of the experiences attitudes, beliefs, and 
stories of blind individuals in their own words.

    Mr. President I'd like to suggest that we discuss this at this year's 
NFBWD Business Meeting. Perhaps this new category could be added to the 
2010/2011 contest. See you all in Detroit.

Peter Donahue