Announcements

Announcements

American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults
Future Reflections Winter 2016
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Announcements
SUMMER PROGRAMS
Each of the training centers sponsored by the National Federation of the Blind—BLIND, Inc. (Blindness: Learning in New Dimensions), the Colorado Center for the Blind, and the Louisiana Center for the Blind--hold summer programs for blind children and youth. Blind Industries and Services of Maryland (BISM) also operates summer youth programs based on the NFB model. Children and teens who attend these programs enhance their Braille, technology, and mobility skills; learn to shop, cook, and clean; and have fun swimming, camping, and visiting malls and water parks, all under the supervision of blind counselors who "walk the walk." Teens learn skills they will need for college and career. Students in some programs gain experience with paid employment, working part-time in local businesses and agencies. In most cases applications are reviewed on a first come, first served basis, so get your child's application in as soon as possible!
Here is some basic information about these exciting summer opportunities.
BLIND Inc.
<www.blindinc.org>
100 E. 22nd St.
Minneapolis, MN 55404
Contact: Charlene Guggisberg, (800) 597-9558
[email protected]
Buddy Program
Open to children ages 9-13
Dates: June 12-24, 2016
Summer Transition Programs (three two-week programs over the course of the summer)
Living on Your Own: July 18-22, 2016
Success in Postsecondary Education, July 25-29, 2016
The World of Work: August 1-5, 2016
Colorado Center for the Blind
<www.coloradocenterfortheblind.org>
2233 W. Shepperd Ave.
Littleton, CO 80120
Contact: Brent Batron, (303) 778-1130
[email protected]
Initiation to Independence
Ages: 12-14
Dates: July 11-29, 2016
Earn and Learn
Ages: Completed ninth grade
June 3-July 29, 2016
Summer for Success College Prep Program
Ages: Completed junior year of high school with focus on college
June 3-July 29, 2016
Application deadline for all programs: Applications must be received by April 15, 2016.

Louisiana Center for the Blind
<www.louisianacenter.org>
101 S. Trenton St.
Ruston, LA 71270
Contact: Eric Guillory, (800) 234-4166
Buddy Program
Open to students entering grades 4-9 in the fall of 2016
Dates: July 17-August 6, 2016
STEP Program: Summer Training and Employment Project
Open to students entering grades 10-12 in the fall of 2016
Dates: June 12-August 6, 2016
Blind Industries and Services of Maryland (BISM)
<www.bism.org/youth>
3345 Washington Blvd.
Baltimore, MD 21227
Contact: Melissa Lomax, (410) 737-2642
[email protected]
Independence 101
Ages: Middle school
Dates: July 16-August 6, 2016
Work to Independence
Ages: High school students
Dates: June 18-August 6, 2016
SCHOLARSHIPS
2016 National Federation of the Blind Scholarship Program
<www.nfb.org/scholarships>
Application Deadline: March 31, 2016
To recognize achievement by blind scholars, the National Federation of the Blind annually offers blind postsecondary students in the United States and Puerto Rico the opportunity to win one of thirty merit-based, national-level scholarships worth from $3,000 to $12,000. All scholarships awarded are based on academic excellence, community service, and leadership. In order to be eligible, applicants must be legally blind in both eyes; reside in the United States, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico; be pursuing or planning to pursue a full-time, postsecondary course of study in a degree program at a US institution in the fall semester of the 2016 scholastic year; and must participate in the entire NFB national convention and in all of its scholarship activities. In addition to a scholarship, each winner will receive assistance to attend the 2016 NFB convention, which takes place June 30 to July 5 in Orlando, Florida, providing an excellent opportunity for high-level networking with active blind persons in many different professions.
ACLS Medical Training
<https://www.aclsmedicaltraining.com/financial-aid-opportunities-for-dis…;
This website lists multiple scholarships, awards, and grants available to students with disabilities that can make it easier to afford higher education. Awards are listed according to specific disability, including chronic health conditions, hearing impairment, visual impairment, intellectual disability, learning disability, mental illness, and physical disability. There is also a general disability category.
SCIENCE
NFB EQ (National Federation of the Blind Engineering Quotient)
<www.blindscience.org/nfbEQ>
Contact: Natalie Shaheen, (410) 659-9314, Extension 2418
[email protected]
Dates: Program 1, June 19-25, 2016; Program 2: July 31-August 6, 2016
Location: National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, Baltimore, MD
Deadline for Applications: April 25, 2016
During the summer of 2016 the National Federation of the Blind will facilitate two week-long advanced engineering design programs for blind students in grades 9-12. Students will collaborate to solve problems that exist in developing countries. Teams will create proposals with accompanying models, which will be pitched to various stakeholders. Life-size prototypes of designs will be tested in authentic settings. Students will have the opportunity to meet and collaborate with engineers from across the country, some of whom are blind.
AWARDS
2016 Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards
<https://nfb.org/application-information>
Contact: James Gashel, (720) 878-4248
[email protected]
Application Deadline: April 15, 2016
The National Federation of the Blind is pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for the 2016 Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards program. The awards will be presented at the convention of the National Federation of the Blind in Orlando, Florida, during the first week of July. These awards recognize individuals and organizations working in the field of blindness that have demonstrated exemplary leadership and extraordinary accomplishments toward achieving the full integration of the blind into society on a basis of equality. Named for a pioneering blind physician who practiced early in the twentieth century, the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards are made possible through the generosity of his late nephew and niece. Their bequest, the Alfred and Rosalind Perlman Trust, allows the National Federation of the Blind to provide direct financial support to people and organizations that are improving the lives of the blind throughout the United States.
CONTEST
2016 Writing Contest for Youth
Deadline for Submissions: April 1, 2016
The NFB Writers Division will award cash prizes to young writers in the categories of fiction and poetry, as well as a new category of work related to Federation history. The youth contest is divided into three groups, determined by grade level: elementary, middle, and high school. Entries in the Federation history category may be written in any genre, and all grade levels compete equally. In each contest there may be first, second, and third place winners, as well as an honorable mention. First-place winners will receive $30, second-place winners $20, and third-place winners $10. Entries must be written by the entrant in hand-embossed contracted Braille (EBAE or UEB), produced with a Brailler or slate and stylus. An identical copy of the submission and cover letter must be submitted electronically in Word or RTF formats. The cover letter must include the entrant's name, address, phone, email, school, and grade, and the title of the entry. Direct submissions to:
Eva Marie Sanchez
202 E. Louisiana, Apt. 2
Ruston, LA 71270
[email protected]
PRIZES
2015 AppleVis Award
<www.applevis.com/blog/advocacy-applevis-ios-apps-mac-apps-news/applevis…;
The KNFB Reader, an app that gives the blind access to printed material, was chosen by the AppleVis community as the winner of the Best Assistive iOS App of the Year for the second consecutive year. AppleVis Golden Apple Awards are awarded by community votes to developers in recognition of excellence in iOS apps. AppleVis reports that KNFB Reader won the vote for 2015 in a "landslide." This award follows the 2014 AppleVis Golden Apple win for Best Assistive App and the induction of KNFB Reader into the AppleVis iOS Hall of Fame. The KNFB Reader is a fast, accurate, and efficient text recognition mobile app that delivers near instantaneous results. To learn more about the KNFB Reader, visit <www.nfb.org/knfbreader>.
2015 Onkyo Braille Essay Contest
The National Federation of the Blind is proud to announce the winners of the Onkyo Braille Essay Contest, which it administers on behalf of the North American/Caribbean Region of the World Blind Union. The essay contest, sponsored by Onkyo Corporation, a Japanese consumer electronics manufacturer, and the Braille Mainichi, part of the Mainichi Newspaper Company in Japan, was created to promote Braille literacy and to encourage the sharing of social and cultural information among blind and visually impaired 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 an individual concept about world peace from the viewpoint of persons with disabilities. There were two groups of competitors: a junior category for persons up to age twenty-five and a senior category for persons age twenty-six and older. Each winner receives a substantial cash prize, a plaque, and other gifts from the Onkyo Corporation. The seven winners from the North American/Caribbean Region were as follows: Otsuki Prize: Danielle Burton, KY; Excellent Work Award, Senior: Tara Briggs, UT; Excellent Work Award, Junior: Kayla Weathers, GA; Fine Work Award, Senior: Tracy Spittle, SC and Sharon Eiland, WA; Fine Work Award, Junior: Abby Burton, MO and Daniel Dintzner, MA.
2016 Schneider Family Book Awards
<www.ala.org/yma>
In January 2016 the American Library Association (ALA) announced the winners of the 2016 Schneider Family Book Awards, which honor an author or illustrator for the artistic expression of the disability experience for child or adolescent audiences. The award was announced during the ALA's midwinter meeting in Boston. Each winner will receive $5,000 and a framed plaque. The 2016 award for a book for young children went to Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboa by Laurie Ann Thompson and illustrated by Sean Qualls (Schwartz and Wade/Random House). Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt (Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin) and The War that Saved My Life by Kimberley Brubaker Bradley (Dial Books for Young Readers) won awards in the middle-grade category. The teen award went to The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B by Teresa Toten (Delacorte Press).
CONFERENCES
Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium
"Diversity in the Disability Rights Movement: Working Together to Achieve the Right to Live in the World"
<https://nfb.org/law-symposium>
Location: NFB Jernigan Institute, Baltimore, MD
Dates: March 31-April 1, 2016
Registration is now open for the 2016 Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium. Join leading disability rights advocates from throughout the United States to examine the status of diversity in the disability rights movement and explore ways to increase diversity so that all may achieve Dr. tenBroek's vision of equality of opportunity.
No Barriers Summit
<www.nobarriersusa.org>
224 Canyon Ave., Suite 207
Fort Collins, CO 80521
(877) 627-1425
Location: Copper Mountain, CO
Dates: June 23-26, 2016
The No Barriers Summit is a four-day event that will inspire you with speakers and showcase cutting-edge innovations. Choose from more than fifty adaptive activities that will help you and your family break through barriers and connect with the No Barriers community.
EYE Retreat 2016 (Envisioning Youth Empowerment Retreat)
<www.eyeretreat.org>
Location: Raleigh, NC
Dates: July 23-July 30, 2016
Application available at: <http://www.eyeretreat.org/apply-now/summer-retreat-applications>
The EYE Retreat is a week-long camp for blind and visually impaired youth who want to learn about college and careers. Activities focus on self-advocacy, assistive technology, job shadowing, college campus exploration, and more.
World Blind Union (WBU) and International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI)
<www.wbu-icevi2016.org>
Location: Rosen Centre Hotel, Orlando, FL
Dates: August 18-25, 2016
Registration is now open for the WBU/ICEVI Joint Assembly. The assembly will give the WBU, ICEVI, and all of their members the opportunity to share important information, knowledge, and best practices while promoting even greater collaboration among blind individuals, organizations of the blind, service providers, and other stakeholders at the global level.
INFORMATION EXCHANGE
From Our Family to Yours
<nopbc.org>
(712) 770-4010, Access Code 869131
The NOPBC and the NFB are pleased to announce a new information call series for parents of children who are blind or have low vision. Each conference call will feature invited guests who will speak on topics of importance to parents and will be moderated by the NOPBC. Callers will have the opportunity to ask questions of the experts and to discuss the topic in detail. Specific dates will be posted as soon as they are scheduled. Information will be posted on the NOPBC website and Facebook page, and on Twitter and the Blindkid listserv. Recordings of each call will be made available. The March 2016 call will preview the NFB national convention, the April call will cover education programs at the Jernigan Institute, and the May call will examine low-vision issues.
SURVEY
Health and Physical Activity of Individuals with Visual Impairment Survey
<https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HAPAOIWVI>
Contact: Dr. Suneeta Kercood, [email protected]
Dr. Suneeta Kercood of Butler University, in collaboration with Dr. Edward Bell of the Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness at Louisiana Tech University, is conducting a research project on the health and physical activity of individuals with visual impairments. The purpose of this research is to help medical and education professionals understand how best to address the health needs of people with visual impairments and to provide positive examples to others with visual challenges. Some survey participants may be selected to do a twenty-minute telephone interview with Dr. Kercood and will have the opportunity to enter a raffle for a $25 gift card.

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