[NABS-L] September NABS Notes

Mon Oct 1 18:51:15 UTC 2018

Hey NABSters,

September flew by! I hope the first month of your classes went smoothly.
It's just about that time of year for football games, apple picking, and
everything pumpkin. Make sure that you create a healthy balance between
academics and free time so that you have the chance to enjoy the beautiful
fall weather and fun activities. Feel free to read about what NABS has been
up to during the month of September. Please find the link to our online
version of the NABS notes below, followed by the notes themselves. A copy of
the NABS notes is also attached to this email for your convenience. We
continuously strive to update and improve the format and content of our
monthly bulletin, so your suggestions and recommendations are much
appreciated. What resources would you like us to share? Are there specific
topics that you would like us to cover? What general feedback do you have?
Don't hesitate to let us know. 

Happy fall!

http://nabslink.org/content/nabs-notes-september-2018

NABS Notes: September 2018  

In this issue, you will find:  

*         President's Note  

*         New Resource - NABS Phone Number  

*         Follow NABS on Instagram  

*         Training Center Information  

*         2019 AAPD Summer Internship Program  

*         Legislative Alert  

*         NABS Committee Updates  

*         September Blog Post  

*         NABS Facebook Group  

President's Note  

It is finally the beautiful season of autumn! With pumpkin flavors
everywhere, fresh smells in the air, and nearly mid-way through semesters,
the NABS Board is busy traveling across the country to mentor, grow, and
develop our youth. Each state convention, our leaders are rejuvenated to
pour love and dedication into the hearts and minds of new and current
leaders. During October, it is Meet the Blind Month; and though NABS is a
national organization, everyday someone is meeting a blind student - that's
us! It is our civic duty to take an extra moment out of each of days to
educate someone on our cane, guide dog, piece of technology, or ability to
succeed.just like everyone else! Educating society is exhausting, but
misconceptions diminish when we take that step toward enlightening others
based on our personal experiences. This month, I challenge you to be
thoughtful and intentional in responding when a sighted person offers
assistance. We all face tiring actions from the world around us that make us
want to absolutely scream. When this happens to me, I take a step back and
ponder - what if I am the first blind person they are meeting in their
entire life? I recognize, then, that I may be setting the stage for future
interactions with blind people, and thus paving a path for them. Be that
teacher, that role model, and that patient soul. At the end of the day, it
will benefit each of us! I challenge you to raise the expectations of at
least five people throughout the month of October. As always, reach out to
us; we want to hear from you, even if it is just a hello!  

New Resource - NABS Phone Number  

Our leadership wants to provide an outlet for students to voice concerns,
seek advice, and learn about resources you may otherwise not be familiar
with. With that, we launched our very own NABS phone number, where a NABS
leader is on call to speak with blind students across the country. Please
call 410-417-8360.  

Follow NABS on Instagram  

NABS has an Insta account now, so follow us @NABSLink!  

Training Center Information  

Please find recent news and information regarding our three fantastic NFB
training centers.  

BLIND, Inc.  

https://www.blindinc.org/  

https://www.blindinc.org/blog/  

Colorado center for the Blind  

https://cocenter.org/  

https://cocenter.org/blog/  

Louisiana Center for the Blind  

http://www.louisianacenter.org/  

http://www.louisianacenter.org/lcb-lagniappe/  

2019 AAPD Summer Internship Program  

Deadline to Apply: November 5, 2018 by 5pm Eastern Time  

The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is a convener,
connector, and catalyst for change, increasing the political and economic
power of people with disabilities.  

Since 2002, the AAPD Summer Internship Program has developed the next
generation of leaders with disabilities and offered host employers access to
a talented, diverse workforce. Each summer, AAPD places college students,
graduate students, law students, and recent graduates with all types of
disabilities in summer internships with Congressional offices, federal
agencies, non-profits, and for-profit organizations in the Washington, DC
area. Each intern is matched with a mentor who will assist them with their
career goals. AAPD provides the interns with a living stipend,
transportation to and from Washington, DC, and fully-accessible housing.  

At the beginning of the summer, interns participate in a 1-week orientation
session to learn about AAPD and the disability rights movement, meet the
other interns, and participate in a variety of engaging workshops and
events. As part of the AAPD network, interns also receive opportunities to
attend events on Capitol Hill, conferences, community events, briefings, and
more.  

Any undergraduate student, law student, graduate student, or recent graduate
from a US college or university who self-identifies as an individual with
any type of disability is invited to apply.  

Apply today:  

https://www.aapd.com/summer-internship-program/  

Legislative Alert  

Please find a legislative update from John Pare, Executive Director of
Advocacy and Policy at the National Federation of Blind Headquarters, copied
below:  

The Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act passed; and is on President Trump's
desk for signature.  

The Access Technology Affordability Act (H.R. 1734). We are up to 84
cosponsors in the House and 12 in the Senate. Special thanks to the National
Federation of the Blind of Illinois. Fourteen House members from Illinois
and Senator Tammy Duckworth have cosponsored this legislation.  

You can contact your member of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard
and asking for the office in question. The number is 202-224-3121. If you
email your representative, please copy me at JPare at nfb.org
<mailto:JPare at nfb.org%3cmailto:JPare at nfb.org> <mailto:JPare at nfb.org>.  

When you call or email, you might say something like the following:  

"Hello, my name is [your name] and I am a constituent of [your
representative]. I live in [city, state]. I am calling to urge [your
representative] to cosponsor H.R. 1734, the Access Technology Affordability
Act. This bill would increase the availability of Access Technology thereby
increasing educational and employment opportunities for all blind Americans.
The bill does this by creating a tax credit for the purchase of access
technology. The National Federation of the Blind has analyzed the cost
impact and the bill is either cost neutral or will save the government
money. I urge [representative] to cosponsor the bill. Thanks."  

NABS Committee Updates  

Get involved!  

*         Legislative Advocacy Committee  

When: third Sunday of the month | 8pm eastern  

Chair: Kenia Flores (kenia.flores at furman.edu
<mailto:kenia.flores at furman.edu> )  

The NABS Legislative Advocacy Committee is working on content for our NABS
Student Advocate Program. Each student advocate will complete modules about
IEP's, parental rights, self-advocacy, and higher education. We are also
beginning to plan for our workshop during Washington Seminar. Washington
Seminar will be taking place January 28-31, 2019, so please begin making
your plans to attend. Additionally, our committee is working on the NABS Now
Podcast to educate our members about policy and legislation. If you are
interested in any of these initiatives, please contact Committee Chair Kenia
Flores.

*         Fundraising Committee  

When: Second and fourth Sunday of the month | 8pm eastern  

Chair: Kathryn Webster (nabs.president at gmail.com
<mailto:nabs.president at gmail.com> )  

You cannot say fundraising without saying fun! We are gearing up for Giving
Tuesday, putting together a small business funding packet, exploring swag
and merchandise for our cherished members, and ramping up for a Text-to-Give
campaign! Come join us, even just once, to lend a hand or share an idea!  

*         Outreach Committee  

When: first Monday of the month | 9pm eastern  

Chair: Janae Burgmeier (Janae.burgmeier at gmail.com
<mailto:Janae.burgmeier at gmail.com> )  

Web Master: Dustin Cather (cather.dustin at gmail.com
<mailto:cather.dustin at gmail.com> )  

The outreach committee has been working to strengthen their existing
projects and add in a few new ones as well. We have different themes each
month, which we will be encompassing into each project. September's theme is
unique employment and October's will be meet the blind month. The outreach
committee prepares social media posts, blog entries, NABS notes content and
we will also be releasing a podcast called NABS Now, as well as YouTube
posts that will also relate to each month's themes. To give your suggestions
or to get involved, please contact the outreach chair, Janae Burgmeier!  

*         Special Projects  

When: Meetings as Needed  

Chairs: Syed Rizvi, Tarik Williams, and Mausam Mehta  

This unique committee is working on launching our nationwide mentor program
with our national office, getting feedback from our members through our
online survey, and working toward greater recruitment and retention. Reach
out to help!  

September Blog Post  

http://nabslink.org/content/september-blog-post-working-audio-engineer-when-
you-are-blind  

>From the Editor - Angie Castro is a resident of Wisconsin; and an active
member of the Wisconsin affiliate. Angie's passion for music, sound, and
audio editing proves true through her eagerness to get her foot in the door,
regardless of what it takes. If you know Angie, you immediately think of her
kind heart, loving personality, and loyal soul, but many don't know about
her hidden talent. Please join us in reading more about Angie's unique skill
set; and how she is making it happen through her successes.  

I have been in the Audio Production Field for about a year now. But, first
let me introduce myself. My name is Angie Castro and I am currently living
in Madison, Wisconsin. I am an aspiring Audio Engineer who happens to be
blind. I say aspiring because, I don't have a whole lot of experience in the
field yet, to really call myself an audio engineer. Well at least, those are
my thoughts. I will be sharing some of my experiences I've had while getting
my feet wet in the field.  

I have been told that I have a great advantage to work in this field because
my hearing must be great. While yes, I do have an advantage with working in
this field because I use my hearing more than my vision, there are
challenges that also come with it. Whether you are producing audio or mixing
audio, you rely on your ears. But, for some things it can be a challenge
because sometimes vision is needed, in the practical sense. Fortunately, I
learned to adapt and adjust as needed. I have worked in the live sound
aspect of audio engineering. While it is a great and ideal place for people
to get their feet, wet and get started in this field, it can be hectic and
stressful at times.  

One of my professional experiences was when I worked as a stage hand at the
theatre at a university in Madison. Prior to my start date, I spoke to my
boss about my blindness, what I was able to do, and what I maybe was less
likely to be successful doing. One adjustment I made was memorizing the
faders and knobs on the board. I would also have a session set up a certain
way so it was easiest for me to access the channels where the microphones
were set up. I helped my coworkers with setting up and striking down
afterwards. Some of my roles included: setting up microphones and cables,
putting microphones away, and wrapping cables when we were done with shows.
Powering off the board and the amps were really intriguing to me, letting me
get more hands-on exposure to audio engineering. There were times where I
would have to have someone help me when I had difficulty with something. My
coworkers were always mindful of telling me if there was something on the
ground such as a cable or chair or what have you.  

Audio engineering is not just about producing or making music. It's more
than that. It's making sure a song or a performance sounds great. It's about
ensuring the levels are not clipping or distorting and it all sounds clean.
Another thing that you need to have is patience and communication skills to
talk and work with an artist or performer. Ask them what they need and if
they need help in any way. That is a big thing about this field. Whether you
are working at a studio or a venue, you must be able to work with several
different types of personalities. While I still have a lot to learn and more
to experience, I can truly say, I love this field! It may have its
challenges at times, but I don't let blindness stop me from doing what I
love.  

NABS Facebook Group  

Join our Facebook group by visiting:  

 <https://m.facebook.com/groups/173482726798026>
https://m.facebook.com/groups/173482726798026  

The National Association of blind Students  

A proud division of the National Federation of the Blind  

Nfbstudents.org  

(410) 417-8360  

Melissa Carney

Secretary | National Association of Blind Students

   A proud division of the National Federation of the Blind

(860) 391-9319

Carne23m at mtholyoke.edu

| 

www.nabslink.org <http://www.nabslink.org> 

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