[Nfbofnc] Fwd: [Nfbnet-master-list] Imagineering Our Future

Tim Jones tmjnc2 at gmail.com
Thu Feb 3 22:17:46 UTC 2011 

fyi

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Miller, Pat Woelfer <PMiller at nfb.org>
Date: Thu, Feb 3, 2011 at 3:18 PM
Subject: [Nfbnet-master-list] Imagineering Our Future
To: nfbnet-master-list at nfbnet.org




[image: Graphic Logo: NFB Jernigan Institute]   View this newsletter as HTML
in your browser.<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=7_spNMmV9nNmEMjNfx6OAg..>
View last month’s
newsletter.<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=qhzORJyK60700N6mMrxovQ..>

*Imagineering Our Future**     Issue 31
February 2011

In this issue:

    - Message from the Executive
Director<https://mail.google.com/mail/html/compose/static_files/blank_quirks.html#12ded9778497bbad_Executive>
      - What’s New<https://mail.google.com/mail/html/compose/static_files/blank_quirks.html#12ded9778497bbad_New>
      - Education<https://mail.google.com/mail/html/compose/static_files/blank_quirks.html#12ded9778497bbad_Education>
      - Braille
Initiative<https://mail.google.com/mail/html/compose/static_files/blank_quirks.html#12ded9778497bbad_Braille>
      - Advocacy<https://mail.google.com/mail/html/compose/static_files/blank_quirks.html#12ded9778497bbad_Advocacy>
      - Straight Talk About Vision
Loss<https://mail.google.com/mail/html/compose/static_files/blank_quirks.html#12ded9778497bbad_StraightTalk>
      - Product and Access Technology
Talk<https://mail.google.com/mail/html/compose/static_files/blank_quirks.html#12ded9778497bbad_Technology>
      - From the tenBroek
Library<https://mail.google.com/mail/html/compose/static_files/blank_quirks.html#12ded9778497bbad_Library>
      - Independence
Market<https://mail.google.com/mail/html/compose/static_files/blank_quirks.html#12ded9778497bbad_Independence>
      - Parent Outreach<https://mail.google.com/mail/html/compose/static_files/blank_quirks.html#12ded9778497bbad_Parents>
      - Spotlight on the
      <https://mail.google.com/mail/html/compose/static_files/blank_quirks.html#12ded9778497bbad_Spotlight>Imagination
      Fund<https://mail.google.com/mail/html/compose/static_files/blank_quirks.html#12ded9778497bbad_Spotlight>
      - NFB Calendar<https://mail.google.com/mail/html/compose/static_files/blank_quirks.html#12ded9778497bbad_Events>
      - Citation<https://mail.google.com/mail/html/compose/static_files/blank_quirks.html#12ded9778497bbad_Quote>


      [image: []]


      Message from the Executive DirectorDear Friends,

      Wow, here we are on the other side of history. Our historic debut of a
      car equipped with nonvisual interfaces allowing a blind person to drive
      independently has occurred at the Daytona International Speedway
on January
      29. I was deeply honored to represent the National Federation of
the Blind
      as the blind driver for that historic demonstration. That
historic drive was
      only one piece of our overall Blind Driver Challenge project, which has
      taken the energy, intellect, and commitment of many. Most importantly, we
      would not have reached this moment without the commitment and
enthusiasm of
      the members of the National Federation of the Blind­those
working to build
      greater opportunities for the blind in local communities all over America.

      On Saturday I received the key to our Blind Driver Challenge™ vehicle
      from Congressman John Mica, Chairman of the House Transportation and
      Infrastructure Committee. I climbed into the car, prepared the nonvisual
      interfaces, and drove a 1.5 mile portion of the famed speedway
at Daytona.
      Much like the experience of blind people on a daily basis, my path around
      the course took me past barriers which had to be maneuvered and
unexpected
      obstacles which had to be overcome. During the drive I used nonvisual
      techniques to gather information about the environment and I
safely directed
      the car through the winding course without incident. If I had
doubts along
      the way, I had my confidence fueled by the four hundred members of the
      Federation who were in the stands to participate in this momentous
      achievement for our organization.

      While Saturday was a tremendously historic day for the blind of
      America, I have to admit that Friday, January 28, was personally
as moving.
      During our last practice drive in a parking lot just outside of the
      speedway, I had the opportunity to give my own family a lift.
You can only
      imagine the tremendous feeling of independence I felt when I
strapped my son
      and daughter into their car seats, invited my wife to take the passenger
      seat, and jumped in to take them for a spin. Sure, it was only a few laps
      around a parking lot, but it was a tremendous beginning to a
future full of
      opportunities. The NFB Blind Driver Challenge is breaking new
ground­making
      the seemingly impossible possible.

      Our historic achievement this weekend is just one of many made on a
      daily basis by the National Federation of the Blind in communities across
      the country. We need to continue to find more ways to build more
imaginative
      programs at an even greater rate of speed so that more blind people have
      even greater opportunities in the future. We continue to need
your help in
      making those opportunities a reality.

      As I said to the press this weekend, “In pursuit of the seemingly
      impossible dream, the first mile of the journey is the most tenuous. The
      blind have completed that mile, the roads to our dreams are open, and the
      only limitation is our failure to stay in the driver’s seat
until we reach
      our destinations.”

      See you out on the roads,


*[image: Graphic: Signature of Mark Riccobono]
Mark A. Riccobono, Executive Director, NFB Jernigan Institute

P.S. Please consider giving a financial contribution in honor of our
historic drive at Daytona. Visit
http://www.raceforindependence.org/goto/MRiccobono<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=niu6bRLABpxi92LYqHr51A..>today
to make your contribution to help drive opportunities in the future.



[image: []]


*Featured NFB News*The BDC vehicle on the Daytona track. Photo Credit:
Virginia Tech
[image: Photo: BDC vehicle on Daytona International Speedway track]

*NFB Blind Driver Challenge™*For the first time a blind individual has
performed a task most people thought impossible­driving an automobile.  Mark
Riccobono was chosen to be the blind man behind the wheel of the Ford Escape
hybrid equipped with nonvisual technology in the NFB Blind Driver Challenge™
(BDC).  The demonstration was made at the Daytona International Speedway on
January 29, preceding the Rolex 24 at
Daytona<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=EK8RvezYhK6dXwi5C80T-Q..>.
Mr. Riccobono successfully navigated 1.5 miles of track, without any
assistance from a sighted person, including making turns and avoiding
obstacles, some of which were stationary and some of which were thrown into
his path at random from a van driving in front of him.

The historic debut of the nonvisual driving technology developed under the
NFB’s Blind Driver Challenge™ initiative was a phenomenon.  Preliminary NFB
BDC vehicle testing conducted with Virginia Tech College of
Engineering<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=8YOjG3IfQPlhMxils175Vw..>and
TORC
Technologies<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=k9vxBvBtZT7Mazf0by-hOA..>at
the Virginia International Raceway was reported on by WSLS
10-TV <http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=HXb5FuaDHOuqr9rCQBmhrw..>in
Roanoke, Virginia.  Excitement mounted as NFB’s press releases
heralding
the event, “ Congressman Mica to Participate in NFB Blind Driver
Challenge™<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=hbAdaZHIOputsaZkOAHEPA..>”
and  “ Blind Man to Take to the Road at Daytona International
Speedway<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=8zV08ff-TLVyhkz9XuRy4w..>,”
were reported broadly.

Just prior to the event, the AP put on the wire the article “Blind driver to
debut new technologies at Daytona,” and coverage in news outlets and blogs
too numerous to mention followed, including
NPR<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=O00Gs2B8qXChy4IxwGIi4w..>,
The Miami Herald<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=kl-lmVV_R09rzjmIZnzO8Q..>,
Salon <http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=9IHk1DM6uF4ZS08EtXy5Yw..>,
CBS News<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=bCCdtXFNhwZpiV0Oev1Bug..>,
USA Today<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=IbFsqsOKVQqJA06Ynz6MvQ..>,
Bloomberg<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=plp-cIFRgti2jRDGVUbopg..>,
Yahoo! News<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=8GSThJ5J_-rnVEoTT8scOw..>,
and CNET<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=1bq-UfnzEwxImYuqsbXRlA..>.
Post-demonstration articles appeared in the New York Daily
News<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=wY3bANBjfMthB4m4h9qaOg..>,
the Daytona Beach
News-Journal<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=2G6DB3NVO3F7zlZyVUBZzw..>,
ABC Action News<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=Y8PbSSvWTMBTkaJsuZnebQ..>,
Gizmodo<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=ZTOJG0f_wC1pQDgmGKum_A..>,
and many others places local, national, and abroad, and new stories appear
even as we publish this newsletter.

The development of the BDC project is nicely chronicled on the Virginia Tech
Blind Driver Challenge<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=kK7TtE2Pxb3PFmz2VsEbHw..>™
blog.  You can also obtain more information about the NFB Blind Driver
Challenge™ by visiting the official BDC Web site,
www.blinddriverchallenge.org<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=cQ1X0zBDklx-FBb7-GJ2Jw..>
.



[image: []]

*Education


* *Catch the Literacy Bug!*[image: Photo: Catch the Literacy Bug bulletin
board]

This spring-themed bulletin board features twenty-six large, colorful
butterflies. A hefty tree trunk made out of corrugated cardboard anchors the
left side of the board. Two green egg-crate caterpillars climb the tree
trunk side by side. The caterpillar on the left has the numbers 1, 2, and 3
going down his back, and the one on the right has the numbers 4, 5, and 6.
The caterpillar segments represent the layout of the Braille cell.
Two-thirds of the way up the trunk, a hollow provides a resting place for a
small print/Braille board book. A few inches farther up the trunk a tree
branch juts to the right with a small stuffed cardinal resting on it. At the
very top of the bulletin board, just above the bird’s head, are leaves made
of felt.

The display title in tactile print letters­Catch the Literacy Bug!­extends
across the middle of the board in a wave pattern. Four circular pictures of
blind children reading Braille fit snugly between the waves. The Braille
title of the board appears twice: once superimposed on the word “literacy”
in the center of the display and again in the bottom left corner. Twenty-six
butterflies flit above and below the title. Each features one letter of the
alphabet. The spots on the butterflies’ wings form jumbo Braille letters;
with dots 1, 2, and 3 on the left wings and dots 4, 5, and 6 on the right.
For example, the “R” butterfly has dots 1, 2, and 3 on her left wing and dot
5 on her right wing. The butterfly wings are made of craft foam, and the
dots are made of textured paper. The popsicle stick body of each butterfly
bears its print letter once and the standard-size Braille letter several
times, embossed in a column. Each butterfly is secured to the board with
Velcro. Interspersed across the board are smaller, three-dimensional
butterflies made of soft fabric. A real butterfly net continues the line
created by the title and extends past the right side of the board. A few of
the smaller fabric butterflies are caught in the net. Visitors are invited
to catch the literacy bug and move the alphabet butterflies to the Velcro
strip at the bottom of the board to spell a word in Braille.



[image: []]

*Braille Initiative*The January 2011 Braille Monitor features two very
different articles about Braille:

   - In “ One Summer, Fifty Blind Children, Five States, and Six
BELLs<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=xnp0PmWpQ4FOIr7IFuIRAg..>,”
   Natalie Shaheen and Jackie Otwell discuss the NFB Jernigan Institute’s
   Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning (BELL) program.
   - “ The Top Ten Benefits of Tactile Reading for the
Sighted<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=LJQNWM1vfQNCz7OmYy50Vw..>”
   gives Father Ephraim’s reasons why sighted people should learn to read
   Braille tactually.




[image: []]

*Advocacy*Once a year around the first week of February, several hundred NFB
members visit Washington, D.C., to inform Congress about issues of
importance to the blind.  On the evening of January 31, delegates
representing NFB affiliates around the country­all fifty states, D.C., and
Puerto Rico­gathered to review our highest priorities for the upcoming year
in the opening session of the Washington Seminar.

Riccobono and Lewis cut cake at January 31, 2011, BDC reception following
Washington Seminar Great Gathering-in Meeting.
[image: Photo: BDC reception following gathering-in meeting]

Three initiatives make up the legislative
agenda<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=i1hZyoqy_Q6Z7-0AhCQCwg..>that
blind Americans bring to the 112th Congress.  We urge Congress to work
with blind Americans on these issues.

Issue 1: Technology Bill of Rights for the
Blind<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=Ro-pW_oCESwOjeVTqad2Yw..>
Create a bill which mandates that consumer electronics, home appliances,
kiosks, and electronic office technology and software provide user
interfaces that are accessible through nonvisual means.

Issue 2:  Ensuring Equal Education for Blind Children: Setting Standards
that Promote Excellence<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=NgZeH-edfw98SeFNSTiZiw..>
Establish a commission within the Department of Education to set uniform
national standards for the education of blind students in grades K–12.  The
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and other existing laws and
regulations do not currently provide objective standards to measure the
educational progress of blind students.

Issue 3:  Americans with Disabilities Business Opportunity
Act<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=U4r3pQeigIiRG1ZUfjU2uQ..>
Enact legislation to increase business opportunities for disabled Americans.


For more information about these priorities, please consult the legislative
agenda and fact
sheets<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=MW6Kg9WvWcduNaZYdAouMQ..>.


Blind Americans want to have economic security, increased opportunity, and
full integration into society on a basis of equality.  Enactment of these
legislative proposals will represent important steps toward reaching these
goals.  We need the help and support of each member of Congress.  Our
success benefits not only us, but the whole of America as well.


[image: []]

*Straight Talk About Vision Loss*[image: Photo: The BDC vehicle on the
Daytona track]

The Jernigan Institute presents to our Straight Talk About Vision
Loss<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=YmtzQ-vALurdfXAXY-39gQ..>viewers
videos of another kind­a video produced by the Associated Press
prior to the Blind Driver Challenge™ demonstration at Daytona International
Speedway, “ First Person:  Tech Lets the Blind Take the
Wheel<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=sArGlmRveyoB25JVh-lXUQ..>.”


Four hundred NFB members traveled to Daytona to witness history. For those
of you who could not make the trip, download a podcast of trackside coverage
of the drive<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=RlNh8Gt5fg97jjSn9ajDIw..>and
a recording of the live audio stream of the press
conference<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=a5bkx4PEzY6SBuio1ZCBkw..>following
it.

Foxnews.com<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=UHLLF4J2PunXu5uyBRbvjg..>linked
to WOFL FOX 35-TV in Orlando’s morning program interview with the
blind driver, Mark Riccobono.  Mark’s radio and TV interviews continued
clear to KABC-TV Los
Angeles<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=A8wpX-Aos1ADzYhMt1TR6A..>on
a coast-to-coast satellite media tour.

For additional information, see NFB’s digital news
release<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=-2mGeoHj9IGCkYin9s_tyA..>,
where we've collected audio and video clips of the actual drive and on-site
interviews with Mark Riccobono and Dr. Marc Maurer.




[image: []]

*Product and Access Technology Talk*The Access Technology team has started
the year with a flurry of activity, some of which you can find reported on
the Access Technology
blog<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=N4jVCw_Erp4nz_mePEtZOw..>.
Our annual visit to the Consumer Electronics
Show<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=Jp4cmsTuAXH-bBbNhP3z5w..>in
Las Vegas proved to be very fruitful, and some of our more exciting
finds
are written up in the blog. You'll find ways to grill with your smartphone,
exercise with it, charge it wirelessly . . . as well as a few items that
don't relate to smartphones. Keep an eye on the Braille Monitor for a more
in-depth review of that same trip.

The home front in Baltimore meanwhile played host to a group of educators
visiting the National Center during the EDUCAUSE Mid-Atlantic Regional
Conference<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=WtHxZEYT3mFMfHjYmx7IwQ..>.
After hearing the case for accessibility in education made by our own Tony
Olivero while speaking at the conference (in conjunction with Dan Goldstein
from Brown, Goldstein & Levy, and Professor Jonathan Lazar from Towson
University), attendees were welcomed to the Jernigan Institute by Dr. Maurer
and given a tour of the building by Mark Riccobono, and they ended their
visit by exploring the International Braille and Technology Center.

The team is delighted to congratulate
Newegg<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=JsSrPpA0AfybMsr5V1njaA..>on
their re-certification at the Gold Level of the NFB
Nonvisual Accessibility Web
Certification<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=T5maQpHPn_Y_H_O3zRiY7g..>.
Newegg continues to be a market leader in their field and we applaud their
work.

In other news, you will also find a quick review of two solutions that give
blind users access to otherwise inaccessible Internet music
services<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=uWjxPkXUL1spPRMcpbwz9w..>,
Rhapsody and Pandora, on the Access Technology Blog.

And with that, we look forward to another year of exciting new finds and
improved accessibility.



[image: []]

*From the tenBroek Library


* *The Federation in Africa and Asia­Independence from Colonialism and
Independence from Custodialism!*We’re pleased to inform Federationists­and
all who support the right of blind people to lead independent lives­that the
tenBroek Library has received two cartons of material from Alan Calhoun,
grandson of Isabel Grant. You don't have to be too much of an old-timer in
the NFB to remember Dr. Grant. And if you don't remember her, you ought to
make a point of learning about her. A friend and co-worker of Jacobus and
Hazel tenBroek, Isabel Grant came to prominence in the NFB during the 1950s
and remained an active Federationist until her death in 1977.

Dr. Isabelle Grant preparing Braille books to ship overseas.
[image: Photo: Dr. Isabelle Grant]
Dr. Grant lost her vision to glaucoma as an adult, in mid-career, while a
teacher and administrator in the Los Angeles public school system. She
fought back against attempts to deprive her of the right to work in her
chosen profession, and she was determined to demonstrate to the world that a
newly blind woman could function independently wherever she went.

And, boy oh boy, did she demonstrate this!

Grant became proficient in Braille and twice won Fulbright scholarships that
enabled her to go to Asia and Africa. She traveled alone­visiting some newly
independent countries that lacked many of the basic amenities expected by
most Americans­with the aim of encouraging her fellow blind to organize
themselves, assert their own independence, and participate fully in public
life. Using Grant’s letters to Jacobus tenBroek, Lou Ann Blake of the
Jernigan Institute staff published an excellent introduction to Grant’s life
and work<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=E-YjYBXAg9qi7urRnk7eUA..>in
the Braille Monitor of March 2007.

Though a fairly small collection, the Isabel Grant Papers comprise an
extremely rich source for research on the history of the organized blind.
The collection includes correspondence, notes for articles, photographs,
awards, and a complete draft of an unpublished book on her travels in the
third world. Included are typed letters, Braille notes, and handwritten
material. We will begin processing this collection soon and will announce
its availability as soon as it is ready for use by researchers.


*The 2011 Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium*Registration is now open
for “Bridging the Gap between the Disability Rights Movement and Other Civil
Rights Movements,” April 14-15, 2011, at the NFB Jernigan Institute. The
2011 Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium will consist of plenary
sessions and workshops facilitated by distinguished law professors,
practitioners, and advocates who will discuss issues such as how to
translate what worked for the civil rights movements to the disability
rights movement, how the disability community can learn to speak with one
voice while respecting and maintaining its diversity, and how to erase the
misconception that disability rights is not a civil rights issue.

Documentation for CLE credits will be provided.  The registration fee is
$175, or $25 for students.  A limited number of scholarships to cover the
registration fee will be available to individuals with demonstrated
financial need.

To learn more about the symposium and its sponsorship
opportunities<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=GQ_6ffbBluAyxvuu0_YDNQ..>,
download the agenda<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=azI7kj9BSJ4Psd8omMVF7A..>,
and register online<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=xsNPuw37-ZDldT5xkUjjSA..>,
please visit the symposium Web
site<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=X8JYGACRcDen3nPvOF8LjQ..>,
or contact Lou Ann Blake <lblake at nfb.org>, JD, Law Symposium Coordinator,
for additional information.



[image: []]

*Independence Market*The National Federation of the Blind is characterized
by its positive approach to dealing with severe vision loss and blindness.
We know from our own experience that armed with self-confidence grounded in
good alternative, nonvisual blindness skills, we can live independent,
productive, and fulfilled lives.  We encourage each other to take charge of
our own lives, that is, to get back in the metaphorical driver’s seat.  The
literature we produce and distribute through our NFB Independence Market
plays a vital role in inspiring us to strive to reach our potential.

With the NFB Jernigan Institute’s Blind Driver Challenge™ initiative we are
pushing the envelope to drive technological innovation farther to develop
nonvisual interfaces which will enable blind people to compete in new arenas
in the future.  Two articles in particular, available through the NFB
Independence Market, discuss the NFB Jernigan Institute’s work and the
vision of the Blind Driver Challenge™.


   - “ Driving Independence and Innovation Through Imagination: The NFB
   Blind Driver
Challenge<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=WR7uzd-T0mJMRvLLcjc-nw..>™,”
   first published in 2009, which explains the BDC’s background and goals, and
   - Mark Riccobono’s 2010 convention address, “ Calling All Drivers:
   Advancing Leadership, Collective Action, and the Boundaries of
Independence<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=Xmuz7ED-IEW-PZJ_glx2Lw..>.”



These articles, like much of our literature, can be viewed
online<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=xfDm9gwdR56wtqCi5Gs4ZA..>.
there’s also a procedure<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=vfBzUwJoANI-PKhGr79y1w..>to
order hard copies in various formats.  For further information contact
the Independence Market staff by e-mail <IndependenceMarket at nfb.org> or by
phone at 410-659-9314, extension 2216.


[image: []]


*Parent Outreach


* *Do You Want a Scholarship for College?*To recognize achievement by blind
scholars, the National Federation of the Blind annually offers blind college
students in the United States and Puerto Rico the opportunity to win one of
thirty national scholarships ranging from $3,000 to $12,000.  The thirty
winners are also assisted to attend the 2011 NFB Annual Convention in
Orlando, Florida.  For further information, including eligibility
requirements, the online application
form<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=4hZvPrdr1fqGip-tNNYUNA..>,
and the checklist<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=h9x28m_PLpDWj8vmSGHZBg..>detailing
all required documents, go to the 2011
Scholarship Program<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=lYEtaM9VkuTU9jHhiMNP_w..>page.
 The deadline is March 31, 2011.



[image: []]

*Spotlight on the Imagination Fund *Eric Guillory
[image: Photo: Eric Guillory]

The Imagination Fund provides support to the affiliates and divisions of the
National Federation of the Blind through grants for many types of projects
and programs.  The National Federation of the Blind of Louisiana applied for
and was awarded an Imagination Fund grant to hold an informative and fun
student seminar.  The seminar, designed to provide outreach and education,
attracted blind high school and college youth from all across the state.

Eric Guillory, the Director of Youth Services at the Louisiana Center for
the Blind, believes that “projects like these highlight and reaffirm the
importance of the work of Federationists to mentor and otherwise provide
support and opportunity for the blind of all ages and their families.”

The success of this seminar is illustrated by Dimitrios Kouniaris, a senior
at the Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired, who said the
“thought-provoking discussions and mentoring opportunities helped each of us
to grow and reinforced a very important truth­that it is okay to be blind
and that we can be successful in spite of the low expectations of others.”

To learn more about this empowering seminar, please visit the Louisiana
student seminar Web
page<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=P4LQ4DJoL8V-ZheGuK-2jw..>.





[image: []]

*NFB Calendar

*January 29, 2011   Blind Driver
Challenge<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=nsXJUJN_whHqwfQogx9hQA..>™
first public demonstration at the Rolex 24 at
Daytona<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=HOrOjqjm0qZ03xRx-Gm64g..>International
Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida.


January 31-February 3, 2011   NFB Washington
Seminar<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=1HvsSCc7aCnQsen9kkg76w..>,
Holiday Inn Capitol, 550 C Street, S.W.; Washington, D.C.


February 1, 2011    Registration deadline for NFB Leadership and Advocacy in
Washington, D.C.<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=Zta2r-FqMdTDdUZrTUl4rg..>,
(LAW) program.


March 1, 2011    NFB 2011 Youth
Slam<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=i09EoVS15cHGjQOfok8v8Q..>application
deadline.


March 31, 2011  Deadline for 2011 NFB college
scholarship<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=kry6L7gal3p3zWovbLiUAw..>applications.


March 31, 2011   Deadline for Dr. Jacob Bolotin
Award<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=dvdOtwMXEbQL3ewiGMPDtw..>nominations.


April 8-12, 2011    Leadership and Advocacy in Washington,
D.C.<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=KCSXmyB7mEfd6_nbRrFZ0w..>,
(LAW) Program, Baltimore and D.C.


April 14, 2011   Deadline to apply for financial assistance to attend
National Convention. For details, contact Kenneth Jernigan Convention
Scholarship Fund chairman Allen Harris <allen.harris at dwx.com> or read
“Convention Scholarships
Available<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=eMLp0KnR9mqzHxScywc5UA..>,”
January 2011 Braille Monitor.


April 14-15, 2011   Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law
Symposium<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=EW7fJ9hvCq7MYnOoQsXBtw..>,
National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, Baltimore.
Registration<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=ke3le5kQfdVdKM5s8JxQTg..>is
now open!


May 15, 2011     Distinguished Educator of Blind Children Award nominations
close.  Go to the December Braille Monitor
article<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=H7T3yaWFloVnuooycsh7JA..>for
details.


June 1, 2011    National
Convention<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=38WgvaAe0X23N3BHjI55hQ..>block
of rooms released.  Rooms are already filling up fast.  To make your
reservation, call (866) 996-6338.


July 3-8, 2011  The 71st Annual NFB National
Convention<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=bsZ6Y9BrIRBU-T8oR9WPRA..>,
Rosen Shingle Creek
Resort<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=l2H0gfQ0W6LfZpTRGvRlDQ..>,
Orlando, Florida; More details are found in the 2011 Convention
Bulletin<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=EQuz-ErwTTcQH0avkwzx_Q..>.


The National Convention draws approximately three thousand people each
year.
Become a sponsor<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=NrdWevW_-SscytvIVd1CDw..>or
exhibitor<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=2GNxi49CTKVjIOX4i3FXNA..>for
the largest gathering of the blind in the country!



July 17-23, 2011  The 3rd Biennial NFB Youth
Slam<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=s_1WIvUsNM3dLdNVg8Y4Gg..>,
Towson University, Maryland.



[image: []]

*Citation*Hello, the blind made history today, what did you do today?
#NFBBDC<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=XXIAiisIgfBZVQ-eND8P6Q..>


 ­Mark Riccobono’s
tweet<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=9feEQf_d0yQACKc5Vtgm4Q..>following
independent drive around Daytona International Speedway road
course, January 29, 2011



Back to Top<https://mail.google.com/mail/html/compose/static_files/blank_quirks.html#12ded9778497bbad_Top>

Thank you for reading the NFB Jernigan Institute’s Imagineering Our Future.






* *[image: Mentor Trevor Attenberg leads campers along the nature trail]




[image: Photo: Group on white water raft]


Support the Jernigan Institute through the Imagination
Fund<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=udoojWKUYvaY28bYQ4iYUg..>







[image: Photo: Young woman playing flute]







*Interesting links: *Archive of Straight Talk about Vision Loss
videos<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=Hv8TAsWw5Jvw-03ewYAZNA..>

National Center for Blind Youth in
Science<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=bUjgwrMpA_XM75I7eoSNKQ..>

Access Technology
Tips<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=uCnToJc0VqfqxgrPv2My2w..>






[image: Photo: Youth practicing martial art] *






Blogs:*Access Technology<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=5Sr5WvSmDm1um-HAj329mg..>

Voice of the Nation’s
Blind<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=vd1cyfr8cbankifq1O2_DA..>








[image: Photo: Senior couple]







*Publication archives: *Future Reflections

<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=r6OQkHQX3-Lq-t-XZM7cvQ..>Braille
Monitor<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=PJVGsiPUn6zyBTDIAO48Kg..>









[image: Photo: Mom and son take a moment and a hug]





[image: Graphic Logo: National Federation of the Blind]















[image: Photo: Blind little girl with cane]










[image: Photo: Blind youth reading Braille book]









[image: Photo: Blind girl examining model of constellations]











[image: Photo: Blind boy with tactile globe]











[image: Blind Teens Carry the 2007 Youth March for Independence Banner]

Visit us at nfb.org<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=lJaoJCUNOgWxet0lroRJtw..>



[image: Imagine a Future Full of Opportunity]



[image: []]

Jernigan Institute, National Federation of the Blind
200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place, Baltimore, MD 21230
(410) 659-9314      Fax (410) 659-5129      E-mail
JerniganInstitute at nfb.org<JerniganInstitute at nfb.org?subject=Reply%20to%20Imagineering%20Our%20Future>
Visit us at www.nfb.org
  [image: Better Business Bureau logo] [image: American Institute of
Philanthropy logo]<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=tlDN_rh8La6M-wKXhXJLHw..>

The National Federation of the Blind meets the rigorous Standards for
Charity Accountability set forth by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance and is
Top-Rated by the American Institute of Philanthropy.

Forward this newsletter.<http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/R?i=6eC_y4tQuskRwKTM4L61Ow..>
If this issue was forwarded to you and you'd like to subscribe, please
e-mail JerniganInstitute at nfb.org<JerniganInstitute at nfb.org?subject=Reply%20to%20Imagineering%20Our%20Future>
.

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-- 
Tim Jones
North Carolina Food Service
Fort Bragg, NC
Office:  910-396-2297
Cell:  704-491-1486

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