[Nfb-science] Introduction and Other Stuff

Sun Jul 17 01:18:00 UTC 2016

I realize that last email of mine may have sounded a bit cold, so I
apologize for that. I don't want anyone getting the wrong impression.
On a list-serve where other people can see the emails, and even just
on emails in general, I feel that it is important to keep things
professional so that there is as little misunderstanding as possible.
Again, my apologies.

Best,
Cricket Bidleman

On 7/16/16, David Moore via Nfb-science <nfb-science at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hi Cricket,
> I am on this list, and am honored to hear from you. My name is David Moore,
>
> and I am a member of the Columbus, Ohio chapter of the NFB. I teach
> mathematics to sighted people as my own business. I worked at Columbus,
> State for a while. I received my BS in Math, and my MA in Math education
> both at The Ohio State University. I have light perception, and until I was
>
> 15, I could see large print. I learned everything and did my school work by
>
> seeing and writing in print. After that, I learned Braille, and I learned
> how to do calculus and much more using Braille. I have a Braille display, an
>
> iPhone, two laptops with JAWS and NVDA, a free screen reader, and I also use
>
> a tablet. I always loved math and science, but I grew up in a very small
> town an hour away from Columbus. I was blessed, because there was a special
>
> Ed teacher in this small town who was certified to teach Braille. I was way
>
> behind though. I never held a cane until I was 17 when the state agency for
>
> the blind found out about me by calling the regular public school I went to.
>
> This small public school I went to, did not have much for the sighted, much
>
> less for the blind. Mom had to read to me three hours a night, and I felt so
>
> guilty as a child. I thought that I would have to live with my parents for
> the rest of my life. When someone from the state agency called the school to
>
> see if anyone with a disability attended. there, someone came to our small
> town and really told off the school I went to. Going into my Senior year of
>
> high school, I went to Columbus and received some training at the Vision
> Center. I thought that I had been born again physically. However, my
> councilor told me that if I associated with an organization call the
> National Federation of the Blind, my funds for going to Ohio State might be
>
> cut off. They told me that these blind people are radical and only want to
> stir things up and be a pain in the neck. I worked a summer job at the state
>
> agency for the blind while I went to college at Ohio State. My boss told me
>
> that the federationists did not appreciate all that the state wanted to do
> for them, and they were just a bunch a whiners. that This was in 1986. I
> turned 18 in 1984, and that is when my councilor for the Ohio state agency
> told me to just stay away from these blind people who wanted to cause
> trouble, because they do not appreciate what they have as Blind people. I
> had not heard of the federation. My state counselor came right out and told
>
> me this. I was told that the NFB are just a bunch of whiners who weren't
> happy with what they were getting. I met someone in the NFB on campus, and
> they changed my mind. I have been a member since 1988. I dropped out of
> school at that time anyway. I tutored in the 90's, and went back to Ohio
> State in 2001 and finished my BS in math, and then received my ma in 2008.
> What a surprise! I could not find a job, and the state agency for the blind
>
> in Ohio wanted me to take a job doing telemarketing or working at a pizza
> place. In 2008, they told me that no one would hire me for a teaching job,
> because too many sighted people were looking for jobs. The state agency does
>
> not pay for anyone to go to college anymore, and they tell blind kids in
> high school that they must get a job right after school or they will get no
>
> help. The state of Ohio will not help anyone unless they do it on their own
>
> if they do not take a menial job. Well, I was on my own, because I wanted to
>
> use my Masters in math education, not work at a pizza place. In 2008, the
> NFB stepped in and helped me get my job at a community college actually
> teaching. I do not have the room here to tell you all about what the NFB did
>
> for me, but they really did a lot. I owe my life to the Lord and the NFB.
> Now, I am married to my wife, and I can provide for her, just like a sighted
>
> man. I have many of the benefits of a sighted person because of the NFB. I
> just had to tell you all of this, Cricket. Your name is very special to me,
>
> because my first love was Cricket, and it will always be a special name to
> me. Is your name Christy! That was her real name, but she went by Cricket!
> Take care all who reads this and here is my personal email:
> jesusloves1966 at gmail.com
> Email me at any time all of you. I am very up set about what happened over
> those two propositions 16-04 and 16-09. I have been following the convention
>
> and after the convention, on Twitter, and many people said they are leaving
>
> the NFB, because they think that Microsoft and Google should have been the
> ones that should be made to make their products accessible and not Apple.
> All blind people I know, think that Apple is so much better at making
> everything accessible. Two people I know have left the Federation.
> Take care, all, and let me know if there is anything I can do!
> David Moore
> Math Tutor
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Cricket Bidleman via Nfb-science
> Sent: Saturday, July 16, 2016 4:34 PM
> To: NFB Science and Engineering Division List
> Cc: Cricket Bidleman
> Subject: Re: [Nfb-science] Introduction and Other Stuff
>
> Hello Mr. Rasmussen,
>
> Thank you for the very nice email. I was honored to have been chosen
> to speak at convention, and am fervently hoping that it's not the last
> time I do so. It was quite a learning experience and the perfect way
> to spend my first real week away from school!
>
> I really can't describe the caliper in much more detail than was
> provided in the article. I can, however, provide more resources on
> Vernier scales if you're interested. Let me know ... Thanks!
>
> Best,
> Cricket Bidleman
>
> On 7/16/16, Lloyd Rasmussen via Nfb-science <nfb-science at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> That was a great article. I don't have a picture in my head of how this
>> caliper works, and I'm not in a position to build one right now. After
>> reading the article you co-wrote, I read a couple more articles from that
>> issue of Future Reflections.
>> You gave a great speech at the NFB convention, and I'm glad to see you
>> and
>> Jordan on the NFBCS e-mail list also.
>> The NFB continues to be where it's at!
>>
>>
>>
>> Lloyd Rasmussen, Kensington, MD
>> http://lras.home.sprynet.com
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Cricket Bidleman via Nfb-science
>> Sent: Saturday, July 16, 2016 1:59 PM
>> To: nfb-science at nfbnet.org
>> Cc: Cricket Bidleman
>> Subject: [Nfb-science] Introduction and Other Stuff
>>
>> Hi All,
>>
>> I wanted to introduce myself. Some of you may remember me from
>> Convention... I'm Cricket Bidleman. I live in Morro Bay, California,
>> and approaching my senior year of high school. I'm very interested in
>> physics and computer science, though I'm open to just about everything
>> STEM at this point. I very much enjoyed the Science and Engineering
>> Division meeting at convention and am looking forward to getting to
>> know all of you in the coming months.
>>
>> I suppose, since the subject of this email is "introduction and other
>> stuff", I should address the "other stuff". A problem that I've had
>> recently, especially with upper-level physics, is collecting precise
>> data. I got the Talking LabQuest, which I really love, so that
>> helps... But what about short-distance measurements? My AP physics
>> teacher, student teacher, and I think we may have found a low-tech
>> solution to this problem, and I thought at least some of you might be
>> interested. We published an article on this in the American Physics
>> Teacher magazine, but this one (which was published in Future
>> Reflections) is far more accessible. It's a good reminder that even
>> though technology has come a long way, sometimes it's important to
>> remember and use more
>> old-school methods for collecting data. I hope someone will find this
>> useful, and that perhaps some of you will even consider trying this
>> out some time.
>>
>> https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/fr/fr35/2/fr350207.htm
>>
>> Feel free to email me about anything on or off list--I love a good
>> conversation!
>>
>> Best,
>> Cricket X. Bidleman
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>>
>>
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>>
>
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