Announcements

Announcements

Future Reflections Winter 2015
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Announcements
SCHOLARSHIPS
2015 NFB National Scholarships
<www.nfb.org/scholarships>
Contact: Patti Gregory-Chang, (410) 659-9314, extension 2415
Application Deadline: March 31, 2015
The National Federation of the Blind offers thirty 2015 NFB scholarships in amounts ranging from $3,000 to $12,000. To qualify, a candidate must be legally blind and must plan to be enrolled full-time in a US postsecondary institution of higher learning in the fall semester of 2015. All scholarship finalists will be assisted to attend the entire 2015 NFB National Convention, to be held in Orlando, Florida, July 5-10. The convention gives finalists a unique opportunity to network with other blind students and with blind mentors working in a wide variety of professions.
CONTESTS
2015 NFB Youth Writing Contest
<http://writers.nfb.org/2015YouthGuidelines.html>
Application Deadline: April 1, 2015
The NFB Youth Braille Writing Contest is designed to promote Braille literacy. It is for students who are studying or know contracted Braille. Entries must be hand-embossed by the student, using either a slate and stylus or a Braillewriter. Entries will be judged on creativity and the quality of the Braille. There are two categories: fiction and poetry. Any topic is fair game, though this year the number seventy five should be included in some way in honor of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the NFB. There is no charge for entries. Cash prizes will be awarded to winners at elementary, middle, and secondary school levels.
Dream It. Code It. Win It.
<www.dreamitcodeitwinit.org>
Contact: Cristina Dolan, (212) 359-4149
Email: [email protected]
Submission Deadline: March 29, 2015
Trading Screen, Inc., and the MIT Enterprise Forum of New York announce the launch of the second annual Dream It. Code It. Win it. contest for high school and college students. The student coding competition promotes creativity, diversity, and innovation in the field of computer science. Entries are judged on the quality of the problem being tackled as well as the solution.
2014 Onkyo Braille Essay Contest Winners
<https://nfb.org/national-federation-blind-announces-winners-2014-onkyo-…;
The Onkyo Braille Essay Contest is an international essay contest sponsored by Onkyo Corporation, a Japanese consumer electronics manufacturer, and the Braille Mainichi, part of the Mainichi Newspaper Company in Japan. Each year the National Federation of the Blind administers the contest on behalf of the North American/Caribbean Region of the World Blind Union. The contest was designed to promote Braille literacy and to encourage the sharing of social and cultural information among blind persons. The essays were required to be written in Braille and to pertain either to how the individual gains knowledge or independence through Braille or to the concept of world peace from the viewpoint of persons with disabilities. The list of the 2014 winners can be found at the link above.
AWARDS
2015 Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards
<https://nfb.org/bolotin-award-main>
Application Deadline: March 31, 2015
Applications are now being accepted for the 2015 Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards. Cash awards are presented each year at the national convention of the National Federation of the Blind to individuals and organizations that have demonstrated exemplary leadership and extraordinary accomplishments in improving the lives of blind people in the United States. Individuals or organizations are encouraged to apply on their own behalf or on behalf of others.
Distinguished Educator of Blind Children Award for 2015
<https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm14/bm1411/bm141116.htm>
210 Cambridge Drive
Louisville, KY 40214-2809
Contact: Cathy Jackson, (502) 366-2317
Email: [email protected]
Application Deadline: May 15, 2015
The National Federation of the Blind will recognize an outstanding teacher of blind children at the 2015 NFB convention. Anyone who is currently teaching or counseling blind students or administering a program for blind children is eligible to receive this award. Teachers may be nominated by colleagues, supervisors, friends, or parents of current or former students. The letter of nomination should explain why the teacher is being nominated for this award.
2015 Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes
<www.barronprize.org>
Contact: Anita Southwick
Email: [email protected]
Application Deadline: April 15, 2015
The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes invites nominations for its 2015 awards. The Barron Prize celebrates inspiring, public-spirited young people ages eight to eighteen who have made a significant positive difference to people and to our environment. Ten winners each will receive a cash award of $5,000 to support his or her service work or higher education.
2014 TIPTOE Awards
<www.campramah.org>
Contact: Nancy Scheff, (212) 678-8881
Email: [email protected]
The Ramah Camping Movement and the Ruderman Family Foundation are delighted to announce the winners of TIPTOE (The Inclusion Project: through Our Eyes), an inclusion-themed video contest for participants from all Jewish camps. The goal of TIPTOE is to increase awareness of the inclusion work happening at Jewish camps across North America. The Ruderman Family Foundation will award a cash prize to the top three winners and make donations to the inclusion program at the winners' camps. The winning videos can be viewed at the link above.
CONFERENCES
2015 Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium
Contact: Lou Ann Blake, (410) 659-9314, extension 2221
Email: [email protected]
Location: NFB Jernigan Institute
200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, MD 21230
Dates: March 26-27, 2015
At the 2015 Jacobus tenBroek Law Symposium, "The ADA at Fifty: The Future of Disability Law and the Right to Live in the World," leading disability-rights advocates from throughout the United States will celebrate the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 by looking ahead to the next twenty-five years. The symposium consists of plenary sessions and workshops facilitated by distinguished law professors, practitioners, and advocates who will discuss topics including the future of disability; how to enable the participation of people with disabilities in court proceedings; the unique challenges faced by criminal suspects and offenders with intellectual and developmental disabilities; and a vision for the next twenty-five years to improve and augment the ADA, Rehabilitation Act, and IDEA.
National Braille Association Professional Development Conference
<www.nationalbraille.org>
Location: Doubletree Hotel, Austin, TX
Conference dates: April 16-18, 2015
Registration Deadline: March 29, 2015
Transcribers, educators, parents, and Braille readers are invited to attend the spring 2015 National Braille Association Professional Development Conference, the kickoff event of the NBA’s seventieth anniversary year. The conference will include a three-day training session on the Unified English Braille Code (UEBC), a “Braille Boot Camp,” training on CorelDraw, and a series of half-day workshops on other topics related to Braille transcription.
Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy Conference
<http://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/15.04.md.htm>
Colony South Hotel and Conference Center
7401 Surratts Road
Clinton, MD 20735
Date: April 23, 2015
This conference is sponsored by Loud Voices Together Educational Advocacy Group. The program will focus on special education law, rights and responsibilities; tests and measurements to measure progress and regression; smart IEPs; and tactics and strategies for effective advocacy. Wrightslaw programs are designed to meet the needs of parents, educators, health care providers, advocates, and attorneys who represent children with disabilities in relation to special education. The program is not disability specific.
Envision Conference on Low Vision
<www.envisionconference.org>
Contact: Shamain Bachman, (316) 440-1551 or (316) 258-6996
Email: [email protected]
Location: Grand Hyatt Hotel, Denver
Dates: September 9-12, 2015
The Tenth Annual Envision Conference will offer ophthalmologists, optometrists, occupational therapists, teachers of the visually impaired, and others ninety hours of clinical education and research sessions pertaining to low vision. Many sessions can earn attendees continuing education credits. Abstracts for presentations are now being accepted.
22nd International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions World Congress (IACAPAP 2016)
Sea to Sky Meeting Management, Inc.
Suite 206, 201 Bewick Avenue
North Vancouver, BC, Canada V7M 3M7
Contact: (604) 984-6448
Email: [email protected]
Child psychiatrists and members of allied professions including nursing, social work, pediatrics, and education from around the world are invited to exchange research and information for the betterment of child mental health. The theme of the 2016 conference, which will be held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is "Fighting Stigma, Promoting Resiliency and Positive Mental Health."
INTERNSHIPS
RespectAbility
<RespectAbilityUSA.org>
4340 East-West Highway
Bethesda, MD 20814
Contact: (240) 744-0546
RespectAbility is a public policy organization that works to educate government leaders, workforce development boards and agencies, faith-based organizations, employers, and the media about issues related to people with disabilities. The RespectAbility Fellowship Program is designed for college and graduate students who want to gain skills and contacts while making a difference. Fellowships last for two months, and fellows are reimbursed for travel expenses. Another RespectAbility fellowship focuses on the inclusion of Jews with disabilities in Jewish society.
SURVEY
Non-24 Registry
<www.non24registry.com>
Contact: (844) 361-2424
Email: [email protected]
Parents and guardians of blind children and teens who have recurring sleep or napping problems are needed to participate in a survey and/or take part in a clinical research study. The treatment being studied for children is currently approved for use with adults. Eligible volunteers who take part in the clinical research will be compensated for their time and will receive all study-related investigational medication and medical evaluation at no cost.
SUMMER CAMPS
Each of the three training centers sponsored by the National Federation of the Blind—the Colorado Center for the Blind; the Louisiana Center for the Blind; and BLIND, Incorporated (Blindness: Learning in New Dimensions)—operates summer programs for blind children and teens. Blind Industries and Services of Maryland (BISM) also operates summer programs based on the NFB model. Children and teens who attend these programs practice their Braille and travel skills; learn to shop, cook, and clean; and have fun swimming, camping, and visiting water parks, all under the supervision of blind counselors who "walk the walk." Teens learn skills they will need for college and career, and gain the confidence they will need to find and keep a job. Classes include Braille, cane travel, access technology, career exploration, and home management. Students in some programs also gain paid employment experience in local businesses and agencies. Below is information about all of these exciting summer opportunities.
BLIND, Incorporated
<www.blindinc.org>
Contact: Charlene Guggisberg, (612) 872-0100, extension 251, or (800) 597-9558
Email: [email protected]
PREP (Postsecondary Readiness Empowerment Program)
Open to blind high school students
June 14-August 7, 2015
Buddy Program
Children ages 9-13
July 18-August 7, 2015
Colorado Center for the Blind
<coloradocenterfortheblind.org>
2233 West Shepperd Avenue
Littleton, CO 80120
Contact: Brent C. Batron, (303) 778-1130, extension 222, or (800) 401-4632
Email: [email protected]
Application Deadline: April 1, 2015
Confidence Camp for Kids
Day program for children ages 5-10 who live in the Denver metro area
June 5-June 26
Initiation to Independence
Children in middle school, age 11-14
June 10-July 1
Earn and Learn
High school students
June 5-July 31
Summer for Success
College-bound high school students
June 5-July 31
Louisiana Center for the Blind
<www.louisianacenter.org>
101 South Trenton Street
Ruston, LA 71270
Contact: Eric Guillory, (318) 251-2891 or (800) 234-4166
Application Deadline: April 13, 2015
Buddy Program
Children Grades 4-8
First Session: June 7-June 27, 2015
Second Session: July 19-August 8, 2015
STEP (Striving for Success Summer Training and Employment Project)
Students entering tenth, eleventh, or twelfth grades in fall 2015
June 14-August 8, 2015
Blind Industries and Services of Maryland (BISM)
<www.bism.org/youth>
3345 Washington Boulevard
Arbutus, MD 21227
Contact: Sarah Baebler or Melissa Lomax, (410) 737-2642
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Application Deadline: April 1, 2015
Work to Independence
High school students and recent graduates
June 20-August 8, 2015
Independence 101
Students grades 5-8
July 18-August 8, 2015
ENGINEERING CAMP
Summer Engineering Experience for Students with Visual Impairment or Blindness
<https://www.engr.ncsu.edu/theengineeringplace/summerprograms/experience…;
Contact: Leyf Starling, [email protected]
Dates: July 19-July 24, 2015
Application Deadline: March 27, 2015
During this one-week residential summer camp, twelve to fifteen blind or visually impaired high school students will explore the challenges of engineering through participating in hands-on activities at the Engineering Place at North Carolina State University. Topics will include an introduction to the principles of engineering and a focus on the grand challenges, including providing access to clean water, engineering the tools of scientific discovery, making solar energy more economical, securing cyberspace, and engineering better medicines. Students will conclude the week with a group capstone design project.

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