Complete Future Reflections Vol 35 No 4

Complete Future Reflections Vol 35 No 4

Future Reflections
Volume 35 Number 4Convention 2016
A magazine for parents and teachers of blind children published by
the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults in partnership
with the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children.
Deborah Kent Stein, Editor

ISSN-0883-3419
Copyright © 2016 American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults
For more information
about blindness and children contact:
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place, Baltimore, MD 21230 • (410) 659-9314
www.nfb.org/nopbc • [email protected] • [email protected]

Contents
FEATURE
The Understanding of Fear and the Power of Progress
by Mark Riccobono
NOPBC CONFERENCE
Kid Talk
by Mark Riccobono
Common Sense and a Lot of Heart
by Judy Lehman
Transitions: Where You Are and Where You Want to Go
by Kim Cunningham
Advocating for Myself
by Kayleigh Joiner
The Quest for Normal Independence
by Chris Nusbaum
Building a Bridge
by Sheila Koenig
GENERAL SESSIONS
Slam That! Living the Life She Wants Begins with the Federation
by Jordyn Castor
Equal Opportunity and Discovering Talent: From Discrimination to Particle Astrophysics
by Jamie Principato
Putting News First: Overcoming Stereotypes as a Blind Journalist
by Gary O'Donoghue
A Community of Practice: The National Federation of the Blind in Science, Technology,
Engineering, Art, and Mathematics
by Natalie Shaheen, Joseph Heimlich, Arianna Benally, Frances Hammond, Cricket Bidleman, and Salvador Villa
PROGRAMS
What Happened? Highlights from the 2016 Youth Slam
by Eric Guillory and Shannon Kemlo
The Parent Leadership Program
by Carol Castellano
VIEWPOINTS
More Important Than Fear, Or, How to Dance Like No One Is Watching
by Jameyanne Fuller
AWARDS
Skills, Not Sympathy: The 2016 Distinguished Educator of Blind Students Award
Presented by Carla McQuillan
The 2016 Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards
Presented by James Gashel
The 2016 NFB National Scholarship Awards
Presented by Patti Gregory-Chang
REVIEW
Painting in the Dark: Esref Armagan, Blind Artist, by Rachelle Burk
Reviewed by Ann Cunningham
ANNOUNCEMENTS
ODDS AND ENDS

Why Join the NOPBC?
Are you the parent of a blind or visually impaired child? Don’t know where to turn?
Founded in 1983, the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) is a membership organization of parents, educators, and friends of blind children reaching out to give each other vital support, encouragement, and information. We have thousands of members in all fifty states plus Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico.
The NOPBC offers hope, encouragement, information, and resources for parents of blind or visually impaired children. NOPBC provides emotional support and a network of other families dealing with the same challenges you are facing. We also provide information, training, and resources to empower you to take an active role in guiding your child’s development and education. We can provide information on your child’s rights and on the laws and legislative issues that will enable you and your child to become strong and effective advocates.
Have you ever wondered what your blind or visually impaired child will be capable of when he or she grows up? The answer to that question is that blindness/visual impairment does not have to stop your child from doing anything he or she wants to do. We can connect you with other families and blind adults who can serve as positive mentors and role models. They can teach you the attitudes and techniques that will enable your child to become independent and to succeed in life.
What is different about the NOPBC?
Our status as a division of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the largest and most influential organization of blind people in the world, provides many benefits. Our members are well informed about the societal, legislative, and technological issues that affect blind people. We also enjoy the resources, support, and expertise of fifty thousand blind people who can serve as mentors and role models for us and our children. Finally, as our children grow up, they have the Federation to belong to.
No other organization for parents of blind/visually impaired children offers more programs, activities, and training to families, children, and youth. One of our most exciting activities is our annual conference.Every year since it was established, the NOPBC has conducted an annual conference for parents and teachers of blind children as part of the national convention of the NFB. The program has grown to include five exciting days of workshops, training sessions, activities for all family members, including sighted siblings, and countless opportunities to meet blind adults and other families and children from around the country.
What is the mission of the NOPBC?
The purpose of the NOPBC is to:

create a climate of opportunity for blind children in home and society.
provide information and support to parents of blind children.
facilitate the sharing of experience and concerns among parents of blind children.
develop and expand resources available to parents and their children.
help parents of blind children gain understanding and perspective through partnership and contact with blind adults.
function as an integral part of the National Federation of the Blind in its ongoing effort to achieve equality and opportunity for all blind persons.

Most states have an NOPBC affiliate chapter. You can find your state chapter at <http://www.nopbc.org>. If your state does not have a chapter and you would like to start one, please contact us. We may be able to offer training and other assistance to start a state NOPBC chapter.
What are the programs, activities, publications, and resources of the NOPBC?

National and State Parent Seminars and Conferences
Future Reflections Magazine
NOPBC Website
Books and Videos
Blindkid & Other Listservs
Early Childhood Conferences
Pop-Up IEP Website
Slate Pals Pen Pal Program
AAF Free Braille Books Program
Share Braille Book Exchange
Writing Contests
Junior Science Academy
Youth Slam High School Science Academy
National Center for Blind Youth in Science Website
NFB-NEWSLINE® Newspaper Service
Where the Blind Work Website
Free White Cane Program
Blindness 411 Facebook Group for Teens
NFB-LINK Mentoring Program
Scholarship Program
Straight Talk about Blindness Video Series
Parent Leadership Program (PLP)

Contact Us:
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
[email protected]
<www.nopbc.org>
The Understanding of Fear and the Power of Progress
by Mark A. Riccobono
Reprinted from Braille Monitor, August/September 2016, Volume 59, Number 8
From the Editor: Each year the president of the National Federation of the Blind delivers an address at the annual convention banquet. Most NFB banquet addresses combine philosophical reflections with the practical experience of blind people who belong to the NFB. NFB President Mark Riccobono delivered this address at the convention banquet on July 5, 2016.
I am seven years old. I sit at the window of my bedroom in the early evening. The Midwest air is a beautiful balance of refreshing and warm. Listening to the sounds of summer, I contemplate my own hopes and dreams. The uncertainty of life comes to mind, and it sends shivers through my entire body. All I feel is fear. Do I run, or do I stay? Do I engage the fear, or do I let it shut me down? Does fear own me, or do I own it?
American author H. P. Lovecraft said, "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown." President Franklin D. Roosevelt remarked, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself," while First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt gave us the more actionable advice, "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do."
What is fear? Is it positive or negative? Why does fear matter and what, if anything, does it have to do with blind people? At its basic level, fear is a physical and emotional response to some external stimulus. Sometimes the stimulus is known--like a loud, unexpected crash in the middle of the night--but often the trigger for fear is subconscious and is not easily traced. Science tells us that some aspects of fear are evolutionary, a hardwired set of autonomic responses that have been critical to our survival. There is debate about the number of evolutionary fears, but two are commonly referenced--the fear of falling and the fear of loud sounds. Evolutionary fears may also be the root of other fears--consider, for example, the fear of heights--but there are many fears that do not show evidence of being hardwired into our brains.
Scientists categorize fears that are not evolutionary as conditional. Conditional fears are developed through a complex set of interactions with the world and often through observing the behaviors of others. One of the best-known psychological projects producing empirical evidence of the conditioning of fear is the "Little Albert" experiment that was performed by John B. Watson and his graduate student, Rosalie Rayner, at Johns Hopkins University. These researchers presented an infant child named Albert with fuzzy things that would not have otherwise been scary and, at the same time, they produced a loud sound triggering the evolutionary fear. The result was that poor little Albert was conditioned to fear the fuzzy things every time he saw them, even without the noise.
While most of the conditional fears we develop are not as explicitly established as were little Albert's, you can probably think of a number of circumstances in your own life that created conditional fears. I am certain that you can also recall instances where fear was used to alter your behavior. The biological fear response is most often triggered by very stressful circumstances that create a negative association with the feeling of fear.
Not all aspects of fear are negative. Nelson Mandela said, "The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear." Examining the definitions of fear in the American Heritage College Dictionary, Fourth Edition, we find another aspect of fear: "To be in awe of; (or) revere." Baltimore-born author and poet C. Joy Bell advises, "Don't be afraid of your fears. They're not there to scare you. They're there to let you know that something is worth it." The other side of fear--the positive power to stimulate action and unlock potential--is generally underestimated. If we resolve ourselves to face our fears, respect the power within those fears, and turn that power into action, we can take control of our own destiny, diminish the negative fears of others, and raise our expectations.
Blindness persists as being one of the most feared situations in the world. It is a fear as old as mankind. It has been passed down through centuries of tragic stories and by self-appointed caretakers who have utilized the fear of blindness to generate funding for their sheltering programs. Despite the conditioned fear associated with blindness, blind people have come to face the fear and have proved it to be unfounded. Not just one, or two, or ten extraordinary blind people but thousands of blind people from diverse backgrounds and with varied talents have made the case for seventy-six years that it is not blindness that is to be feared but rather the low expectations and misconceptions about blindness. We have walked alone and marched together; we have tested the possibilities, and we have not found the limits; we have faced the fear, and we have transformed it to hope--we are the National Federation of the Blind.
One of the significant ways that people have been conditioned to fear blindness is through literature that perpetuates misconceptions about the blind. In his 1974 banquet address to the National Federation of the Blind, President Kenneth Jernigan examines the nine blindness-related themes in literature, which he describes as "blindness as compensatory or miraculous power, blindness as total tragedy, blindness as foolishness and helplessness, blindness as unrelieved wickedness and evil, blindness as perfect virtue, blindness as punishment for sin, blindness as abnormality or dehumanization, blindness as purification, and blindness as symbol or parable." These themes can be further collapsed into the two sides of fear--creating a sense of anxiety or a sense of awe. It does not matter which side of fear is triggered, as the biological reaction cannot be differentiated by most individuals. Most sighted people do not have experience with the blind, and this feeds the fear of the unknown. For these individuals the conditioned fear of blindness is based on the perceived difference between the sighted and the blind. The themes of blindness in literature gain their power through the biological triggers that take place when the fear instinct is evoked.
In our current society we have many forms of media that can be used to exploit these themes and trigger fear. Consider the pending release of a new thriller by Sony Pictures, Don't Breathe, in which a blind man--who is assumed to be an easy target, always locked away in his house--terrorizes some would-be burglars who seek to take advantage of his perceived limitations. While playing on the conditioned fear of blindness might be a good plot for a horror film, it only works because of the low expectations that exist. The filmmakers are betting that the audience will understand that a blind person will not be able to perceive the threat coming, will certainly not be able to put up a fight, will not have much need for his fortune, and will not be expected to be evil. When things get really tense, we can predict that the plot twist will turn to total darkness--that mysterious land where the blind, through their super sensitivity (don't even breathe or we will hear you), are perceived to have a slight advantage. The impact of this film on society will be to perpetuate the perceived differences between the sighted and the blind and deepen the conditioned fear--even if it does make this Halloween really interesting for us.
It is easy to imagine how blindness has come to be such a powerful trigger for fear. Any sighted person at any time can create the mental illusion that they know the experience of being blind. I would assert that blindness above any other characteristic is so easily simulated in those who do not live with it daily--a sighted person need only close their eyes--that many sighted people establish a subconscious view of blindness without much intentional effort. In fact, the temptation is so subconscious that I suspect a number of sighted people in the room tonight just closed their eyes for a brief moment. How many times have you been told by someone that they tried to spend an hour with their eyes closed or they were temporarily blinded by something, and how it resulted in fear? Although those of us who understand the truth about blindness and live with it every day recognize that those brief experiences do not reflect our lives, we can appreciate how easy it is to establish the link between fear and blindness. The perceived knowledge of what it is like to be blind and the link to the fear trigger is what makes the conditioned image of blindness a powerful literary and marketing tool, and it is the formula that perpetuates the myths generation after generation.
Although we in the National Federation of the Blind have made tremendous progress in breaking down the misconceptions about blindness, much of the society around us continues to fall for the trap of conditioned fear. Unfortunately, some of the most harmful contributions to the fear come from individuals and organizations closely associated with the blind--often packaged as an attempt to validate the need for greater funding and research. The combination of the perceived expertise of individuals working with the blind and the use of triggers for the conditioned fear of blindness is one of our greatest barriers to full integration into society.
Consider a recent study commissioned by the Association for Research and Vision in Ophthalmology (ARVO), which says it is the largest eye and vision research organization in the world. In September 2014 they held a press conference detailing the findings of a poll that was conducted to examine the attitudes of people about blindness and the perceived value of research funding. Among their findings they show that blindness ranks among the top four "worst things that could happen to you" for all of their respondents. Although this research illuminates how powerful the fear factor of blindness continues to be today, it also exploits that misunderstanding to promote the need for more funding for prevent-blindness research.
The public message is that blindness is most feared, but the actual data collected tell a slightly different story. The poll administrators asked the question, "Which of the following diseases or ailments is the worst that could happen to you?" Respondents were given five choices and the order of the choices is notable: blindness, cancer, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, and not sure. While the public spin is that blindness was most often selected, the researchers do not emphasize that "Not sure" ranked higher than blindness for every subgroup of individuals sampled. Since the selection of blindness fits the desired result, there was no attempt to explore whether the selection of "not sure" told us anything different about the understanding of blindness. To further emphasize the fear factor, the respondents were asked--presumably regardless of how they answered the previous question--"Which of the following would concern you as a consequence of losing your vision?" The choices of response were limited to independence, productivity, quality of life, other, and not sure. Not surprisingly, independence and quality of life were top responses in the face of an existing fear about blindness and no information about the tools and techniques that blind people use to live the lives we want.
The researchers then predictably turned their questions to the importance of funding for research to prevent blindness. Responses were collected to the statement: "The federal government spends an average of $2.10 per person each year on eye and vision research. Would you say that is--" and the respondents could choose, "Not enough, enough, too much, or not sure." The reported finding--that illuminates further the fear of blindness--is that the majority of people feel that there is not enough money spent on research. The insightful finding that is not emphasized is that among the subgroup that was least likely to choose blindness as their top concern, only 35 percent said that the funding amount was not enough. It seems like common sense that those who fear blindness will want more research to be a priority, but why do the researchers fail to highlight the priority of those less likely to fear blindness? The entire poll is designed to amplify the conditioned fear of blindness for a political purpose. No discussion of rehabilitation training is included in this survey. No examination of misconceptions about the capacity of the blind is explored. No data is collected about experience with successful blind people. The entire promotional package of the survey findings serves to further deepen the conditioned fear of blindness. Fear has the power to generate action, and the researchers want to mobilize support for more funding.
The conditioned fear of blindness goes well beyond surveys. Many people have internalized the fear and project it onto blind people in ways that significantly limit our lives. This most often surfaces in the form of safety concerns. How many times have you been walking down the street using a long white cane, when suddenly a kind and mysterious stranger takes it upon himself to be the guardian angel that makes sure your cane touches nothing in the environment, because that would simply put you too close to danger? "There is a pole ahead," "You are coming up to a street," or my personal favorite: "You are getting ready to run into a wall."
Although most of these incidents are annoying, they can be shrugged off or used as opportunities to educate our fellow citizens and demystify blindness. The problem comes when the conditioned fear of blindness results in actions that have far more painful consequences. What impact is there on the blind mother who is denied custody of her child because there will not be a person with vision to protect the child in the home? What options are there for the blind young man who is let go from a job installing technology in an environment where his presence is perceived as a safety issue? What message is sent to the military veteran who goes blind later in life and is advised to retreat to a care facility rather than live in his own home? How painful is it when every career dream a blind person has is extinguished by an unimaginative rehabilitation counselor? Where are the opportunities for the blind student who is barred from physical education, math, or dozens of other academic activities? And how does a blind child build independence when she is told she cannot use a cane without supervision because she has not yet perfected the technique and might get hurt?
Often the limits placed on us are expressed through products and services. Dozens of products in the marketplace, solutions under research, and best practice guidelines for making the world safe for the blind attempt to emphasize the differences and play on conditioned fear. A simple Google search reveals many pages with guidelines for making a home or business safe for the blind, especially the newly blind older adult. Although many of the safety tips are useful reminders for all people, the guidelines gain power when amplified by the conditioned fear of blindness, and they strengthen the perceived difference between the blind and the sighted. The fear trigger is initiated by common statements such as, "Often, it is our homes that can pose the greatest risks to our safety, especially if you are blind or visually impaired."
Apparently, blindness also limits our ability to use our arms. Consider the PUSHUP GRID. The manufacturer tells us, "Some of the common fitness activities in which individuals who are Blind/Visually Impaired participate include yoga, stationary bike riding, aerobics, basketball, jumping rope, and weight training. With the introduction of the PUSHUP GRID, Pushup Training and Assessment Mat, the pushup exercise can now be added to this list with very little modification." The video demonstrating this tactile mat tells us that "After a few instructional sessions some individuals may be able to execute pushups independently." Upon further investigation, we find that this mat simply happens to have tactile features, and that the real innovation is making it easy for everyone to perform proper pushups with each hand at the same distance from the center of the body. Products that include a broad set of features for a diverse range of individuals should be celebrated for being well designed. Why must the marketers give the appearance that blind people have special difficulty performing pushups? Whether it is because they truly believe that we require special treatment to perform pushups or they recognize that a convenient marketing angle to drive sales is to play on the misconceptions, the underlying root of the problem is the conditioned fear of blindness and the action that the fear inspires.
Another popular method for triggering the conditioned fear of blindness is through the topic of food. The horrors faced by blind people in dealing with eating are discussed in podcasts, perpetuated through specialized products, and celebrated in "Dining in the Dark" activities. The Blind Abilities podcast recently shared the suggestion that one solution to eating out is to develop the courage to ask your waiter to cut your meat for you. Is that really the way we want to engage with the world?
Fear feeds fear. The harmful messages sometimes reach broader than we think. Two months ago I was at a restaurant in Chicago with some leaders of the Federation, enjoying a nice meal when--without our asking--our steaks were presented already cut for our convenience. Needless to say, that steakhouse is one cut below the rest. Despite the myths, I suspect that the assembled crowd here tonight prepared for our banquet with joyful anticipation rather than fearful anxiety.
When the product inventors are blind, we face an additional challenge. Take, for example, the Stress Less Drink Holder for the blind. The drink holder--which consists of a plastic tray with a safety cup holder and raised edges to contain spills--was created by a retired engineer who went blind. Here is a talented man who has had a successful career and who has absorbed all of the conditioned messages of fear about blindness. He faces a real problem of embarrassment as he adjusts to his own vision loss, and he has created a product that he believes will give blind people greater independence and hope. If the product were built out of meanness or to make fun of blind people, we should be outraged. However, this product was built to solve what one person has been conditioned to perceive as a significant problem. It was built by a blind person who has not yet faced the fear with the understanding that tens of thousands of us have come to know through our active participation in the National Federation of the Blind. It was built by a man who needs us. The challenge for us is how we help this blind person channel his innate talent and potential, and similarly to help the thousands of others out there who have not yet come to understand the true impact of the conditioned fear of blindness in our lives.
We reject the persistent feeding of this fear and the real harmful impact it has on the lives of blind people every day. While there is value in medical research and the development of meaningful accessible products and best practices, they fail to provide value to society when they are built upon fear. The real value to our society comes from giving blind people access to quality training and the confidence to meet the conditioned fear of blindness and disarm its false limits. Some want the fear to own us, but we know the truth, and we own our own lives. We have walked alone and marched together; we have tested the possibilities, and we have not found the limits; we have faced the fear, and we have transformed it to hope--we are the National Federation of the Blind.
The greatest opportunity for changing the conditioned fear of blindness rests within each of us as blind people. We must challenge ourselves to recognize that we all, blind and sighted, have fears, can face those fears, and must turn those fears into a source of power. This requires each of us to have the courage and humility to go beyond the limits of the conditioned fear of blindness. It also requires us to face the fear that comes from pursuing the untapped power within us to test our own assumptions, reach for new heights, and do the things we believe we cannot do.
No blind person is immune from the conditioned fear of blindness. In the National Federation of the Blind we know that blindness is not the characteristic that defines us or our future. We also know that in order to make this statement true, we, as blind individuals, need to develop the understanding and utilize the nonvisual techniques that will allow us to take control of our lives. More importantly, we recognize that we need to face the conditioned fears and challenge them on a daily basis. For those blind people who may still be immobilized by their conditioned fears, now is the time to act. It likely means standing at a street corner for a long time until you decide to take that first step. It might mean building a hot fire and learning to grill your favorite summer meal and, like all new chefs, potentially burning it. And it almost always means talking with blind people who have fought through the frustration and anger that comes with breaking down those conditioned fears about blindness. Regardless of where you are in that process, there are thousands of others who have been there before you who are ready to support you in that journey. And once you have begun to face those conditioned fears, we need you to help teach others to do the same.
Regardless of how much training, experience, and confidence any blind person has accumulated, each of us encounters the negative impact of conditioned fears on a daily basis. By working together, we continue to remind each other that this space--the space that we create together--where we raise expectations, challenge our fears, and encourage each other to go further is the normal experience in a world where we minimize the unfounded fears about blindness. The challenge for us is neither the training nor our own internal confidence; it is the continued struggle against the impact of the conditioned fears of others. When we go out in the world, there is no way to avoid encountering the impact of the misconceptions about blindness. We must recognize the fear exists, prevent others from using it to control our lives, and find new ways to overturn those fears.
This demands us to be firm, but also loving with those who act with sincerity. It also demands that we face outright cases of discrimination with action. We must have the courage and the maturity to be honest about the difference. We must also guard against accepting second-class treatment out of convenience to ourselves.
For example, each of us knows that the airport is one of the places where the conditioned fear of blindness is going to be in evidence. It is sometimes tempting, especially after a long and intense convention, to simply go along and not challenge the low expectations that others wish to force upon us--constantly asking us where we are going, trying to get us to ride the electric cart or not to ride the escalator, pushing and pulling us, insisting that we pre-board, offering to walk us down the jetway so we do not get lost, attempting to take our canes away, inviting us to stay seated in an emergency until someone comes to help, serving us drinks with a lid and a straw, and the list goes on. The decision for us is whether we choose to contribute to the conditioned fear of blindness by giving up control, or to work actively to eliminate the fears by using our full capacity.
Each of us has the opportunity, and I would argue the responsibility, to take the unrestricted view of blindness and to spread it broadly through our actions. If we do not take control of it, over time it will slowly gain more and more power over us. This requires us to constantly review our own actions, challenge our own assumptions, carry our portion of the responsibility, and never settle for second best.
We cannot stop there. If we truly desire to live the lives we want, there is one more powerful step we must take. We need to learn to positively harness the power of fear in our lives. Those who claim that they have no fear in their life are failing to utilize their potential to live their life fully. Consider love, for example, which I believe to be more powerful than any other influence. It is impossible to love without feeling some degree of fear. That is the fear my wife and I faced when we held our first child, our second child, and our third child, and the fear that we continue to face when considering their future. Positive situations also create uncertainty and trigger the fear emotion. If we act in awe of fear rather than acting in fear of fear, we can unlock the power that fear gives us. Fear gives us the awareness that we are getting outside of our comfort zone and challenging ourselves to go beyond the previous limits. When we choose to face fear and recognize that fear represents our own power to act, we take greater control over our own lives. As individuals we can choose to own the power and command our destiny; as a movement we must dare to focus the power and use it to create hope and opportunity.
Imagine how the world will be different because the blind resolve to conquer fear. Imagine what we can do for society in a world where the conditioned fear of blindness does not exist. Imagine a world where the conditioned fear of blindness is so diminished that it no longer ranks in the surveys, generates the sales, or captivates the filmmakers. Imagine not just the impact on you and me; imagine the enormous benefit to every individual on this planet in the future. The conditioned fear of blindness and so many other conditioned fears significantly and artificially limit the human race. When we succeed in lifting one more fear from the consciousness of humanity, there will be more space for the power of potential that exists among us. Imagine the hope that grows when fear no longer flows.
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit Blindness: Learning in New Dimensions (BLIND INC.), a training center affiliated with the National Federation of the Blind. At BLIND Incorporated blind individuals are challenged daily to break down their conditioned fears about blindness and to face the fears they will have from pursuing their dreams. During a seminar that I was honored to lead with the students and staff, I was asked to describe my top fear for the National Federation of the Blind. I answered by saying that my greatest fear is that we as blind people will get too comfortable with the progress we have made. Today is the best time in history to be a blind person. We have made tremendous progress. We have more opportunities than at any time before. Some might be tempted to get comfortable with the illusion that we have equality in society. Some might fear that we cannot reach any higher for blind people. Some might have bought into enough of the conditioned fear of blindness to believe that we no longer need the National Federation of the Blind. However, our experience over seventy-six years gives us the perspective to know that we have not reached the top of our climb, and an honest assessment of our lives reveals that we are not yet fully accepted in society without the artificial conditions that others place upon us. The society around us is advancing, and our failure to continue our march for independence would result in our steadily losing some of the ground we have gained. My fear for our organization is that our success will condition us to believe that the benchmark is based on how far we have come rather than on where we can go. My fear is that we will get comfortable, we will fail to face the fear that comes from testing the limits, and we will settle for second best.
When I was seven and sat at the window contemplating my future, I was afraid of the life questions that did not have answers. The fear was not related to blindness, but to the uncertainties and struggles that come with the human experience. I am now thirty-nine, and even though I better understand how to conquer fear, certain things remain true. The emotion is uncomfortable, the uncertainty pushes me toward feeling powerless, and my hardwired instinct is to run. But I have found there is value in that fear, and the opportunity comes in the chance to stay to face the fear and reveal its other side.
The other side of fear is power, and the truth of our power generates hope. When I face the fear of what we might be in the future, I think about a gathering of Federationists like we share here tonight. The thought fills me with hope, energy, and love, and I am in awe of what we will do together. For seventy-six years we have continued to raise expectations for the blind. We have diminished the false limits that the conditioned fear of blindness has artificially placed upon us.
Despite my fear that we might get comfortable and the many opportunities for our power to be displaced by complacence, we demonstrate only forward progress at an increasing pace. We have not settled for second best, and we will never be conditioned to do so. We have faced our own fears, and we will never give control of our lives to others. Although we have fears, they do not come from blindness, but from the power of our desire to complete our march to first-class status. Although we have challenges, they do not come from within us, and they are no match for the love, hope, and determination that keep us together in the National Federation of the Blind.
We will not be defined by the prevent-blindness researchers and their agenda to expand the conditioned fear of blindness. We will not be defined by the unfounded safety concerns of others who do not know the real, lived experience of blind people. We will not be defined by the marketing experts who seek to trigger the fear response in order to sell products that create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. My brothers and my sisters, we are the masters of our own future. The power to make change and to cultivate hope is within each of us. We bond together in the National Federation of the Blind to face the uncertainty of the future, to challenge ourselves to expand the horizons, and to take ownership of living the lives we want.
Society's fears of blindness will not stop us. Facing our own fears will make us stronger. And the power of our unwavering love, hope, and determination will lead us through uncertainty to new heights. Let us break down the conditioned fears of others. Let us challenge ourselves to conquer the fears that stand in our way. Let us overwhelm fear with our unstoppable engine of hope. Let us build the National Federation of the Blind.
Kid Talk
Presented by Mark Riccobono
Introduction by Kim Cunningham: It is a great pleasure to introduce to you the president of the National Federation of the Blind, Mark Riccobono. President Riccobono is married to NOPBC board member Melissa Riccobono, and they have three kids, two of whom are blind. This morning our kids have the chance to gather in a circle around Mark Riccobono for a conversation at the front of the room. Please welcome NFB President Mark Riccobono. [Applause]
Mark Riccobono: Good morning, everybody! Okay, I’m going to sit down on the floor here—I don’t get the chance to do this very often at convention! All right, we’re passing some stuff out to you kids. Don't open your boxes yet. Can you tell me your names real quick? . . . Okay, I've got Sydney, Julia, Niall, Emery, Andrew, Abby, Christopher. Now, do you guys like to build things?
Sydney: I like to build funny designs and funny pictures.
Mark Riccobono: Let me tell you something. In the National Federation of the Blind we're always building things. Did you ever notice that? We're always building something for blind people! We're building it for blind people and by blind people. A lot of times we're told that we can't build stuff. Have you ever been told that?
Sydney: No!
Mark Riccobono: Awesome! That's because you're here with the NOPBC! But you know, a lot of times we're told we can't build stuff because we're blind. I think one of the cool things we get to do as blind people in the Federation is learn how to build. We build our own lives every day by sharing with each other what we know about blindness. We get to go out and build things in society. We teach blind kids how to be engineers. We just had a bunch of blind kids build some boats. They all floated, and nobody drowned.
One of the things I like to do is build with LEGOs. Now, my daughter Oriana, who's six, loves cats. Recently I got to meet a cat who is blind. I thought Oskar is a pretty cool cat. He can do all sorts of things.
Sydney: How does he know if there are toys?
Mark Riccobono: That's a good question! How does he know?
Sydney: He has to feel them with his paws.
Mark Riccobono: There you go! Alternative techniques for cats! Maybe Oskar can teach his techniques to other blind cats.
Now, I thought maybe we could build a cat together. In your box there are ten different pieces. I want you to find the biggest piece. It's a LEGO brick that's two pieces by four. Those little bumps on top, those are called stets. Think you can find that piece? When you find it, take it out and put it aside. We're going to wait till everyone finds that piece.
Now you need to find a LEGO brick that's one by two. Now if you're raising your hand, that's not going to help me, because I'm a blind person. You have to say your name. Turn your first LEGO upside down, and put that one by two brick at the end of it.
Niall: I don't know how to do this.
Mark Riccobono: You know how you get good at something? By practicing! Now we're running short on time, so I'm going to build my cat and pass it around. Emery, you're the closest. Here's the cat. You guys can keep these LEGOs, and you can build this cat because we're going to put the video online.
I know that some of you haven't built with LEGOs before, and some of you have. I want you to take these kits with you. There's a video where you can watch the instructions. Don't forget that as a blind person, you can build the things that you want to build! Focus on your hopes and dreams, and know that the National Federation of the Blind is here to help you build them.
Thank you for coming to build LEGOs with me. I hope you stop by the Presidential Suite later, and we can build some more. [Applause]
Common Sense and a Lot of Heart
by Judy Lehman
Introduction by Melissa Riccobono: When we were planning the convention this past winter, I said, "I've got a great idea for a person who could speak. She's the parent of two blind kids who have grown up to have kids of their own and own their own homes and do what they need to do. She is now a paraprofessional who teaches blind kids and their families. When she was raising her kids, she didn't know about the NFB. She just had a lot of common sense and a lot of heart." The board said, "She sounds great! Who is she?" And I said, "Well--she's my mom!" [Applause]
I'm not just saying these things because she's my mother. I transitioned from being a kid, not always appreciating the things my mom expected me to do. The older I got, and of course when I became a mom myself, I realized all the things that she has done and the common sense that she has brought to parenting. It is my great pleasure to introduce my mother, Judy Lehman.
I am a mother of four and grandmother of eleven. In all my roles in life, the best has been being a parent.
You're here today to learn, to help, and to achieve. We want to achieve what's best for our children. I had the privilege of having two blind girls and two sighted boys. In our household some days it was really wild and crazy! We didn't know how to raise blind children. Nobody had ever given me a book or anything like that--I did it from my heart. I love my children, as you love yours. I thought, I have to be their very first teacher. I will teach them how to eat. I will teach them how to crawl, how to be potty trained, how to go ahead and become the persons we want our children to be.
It was sort of a challenge. In Watertown, Wisconsin, back in 1983, there wasn't an NFB. There wasn't much help at all. But I wanted my first child, Jennifer, to be out in society, to be helpful in society and not a hindrance.
We didn't find out that Jennifer was blind until she was nine months old. For the first nine months of her life I thought she had sight. She was a little cross-eyed, but that was it. I already had Jeff, my oldest, and he sort of took care of Jennifer. He talked to her all the time. We all did--we all love to talk! We didn't just say, "Let's go outside." We'd say, "Let's go outside and see how warm it is," or "Let's hear how the birds are singing," or "Let's see if it's cold out today." We did that even before we knew Jennifer was blind. We took it on ourselves--my husband and Jeff and I--to talk to Jennifer about the world.
Twenty months later I had another son, Mark, who was sighted. Every night before Jennifer went to bed she would say, "Jesus, if there's a baby up there in heaven that nobody else wants, my mommy will take her." Melissa came along five years after Mark. I was ready to go back to school to become a teacher. And there she was.
Right away everyone said, "She has sight! Oh, she has sight!" She had light perception, and she could look for the sun. But in my heart I knew that we had been sent another blind child. So after three-and-a-half months we found out that Melissa, too, was blind.
My son Jeff, who was in third grade, stayed with a neighbor while Jennifer and Mark and Melissa and my husband and I all went to a specialist in Madison and found out that Melissa was blind. All the way home I tried to think how I would present this to Jeff. He called the baby Sunny, and he had prayed very hard for her to have sight. When we pulled into the driveway Jeff came running across the street from the friend's house where he'd been staying. Before I could say a word, Mark got out of the car and announced, "Blind as a bat, just like the other one!" [Laughter]
At first Jeff was very upset. I said, "Jeff, Melissa hasn't changed. She's always been blind." Jennifer's comment was, "Jeff, were you this upset when you found out that I'm blind?" He said, "Well, I hardly knew you then." [Laughter]
So how do you raise a blind child? First of all, you need to learn how to teach. Don't take for granted that the teacher or the para or the neighbor will do it. You have to teach your child what you want your child to learn.
Love them, hold them, understand them! I guess that was something I didn't have to learn. I love children of all ages. When my grandchildren started coming I thought, This is marvellous! I think you should have grandchildren before you have children! [Laughter]
Next is help. Be a help and not a hindrance to your child. Make sure your child gets Braille, constant Braille! I learned Braille right along with Jennifer when she was in kindergarten.
We used to play games with Braille. At Christmas Santa would Braille the names on all the gifts under the tree. Jeff didn't like learning Braille, but at least he had to learn how his name was written! [Laughter]
As a parent, you are the most important teacher to your child. And grandparents are important teachers, too. Listen to that child! Be an advocate for her or him in grade school and high school, but allow your child to become an advocate for himself or herself. Kids need to get out there, get out of the nest. I often told my girls that I loved them very much, but they were not allowed to live in my house after the age of twenty!
Letting go can be very, very hard. I remember the first time Jennifer came home with a mobility assignment. She was supposed to walk around our block by herself. I said, "Yes, you can do that! Go ahead and walk around our block!" But after she left the house, I hopped on my bicycle and followed her all the way around.
I got to the house before she got back, and I was sitting on the porch when she came pow, pow, pow with her cane. She was so angry! She said, "Mother, you will sit here on the porch! I'm doing this on my own! I could hear the bike the minute you started!" I knew I had to let her go.
The year after that she went all the way to Black River Falls, about four hours away on the bus, to see a friend she had met at Lions Camp. And I remember the very first time I took her to St. Margaret's to college, up by Green Bay, and left her there. It was very, very hard! But as my husband said, "This is what we worked for all these years!" Let them go.
It's fun now to be my children's friend. They call to ask for advice, but most of the time they have advice for me. My children have super spouses--that's another thing I worried about constantly! Sometimes I saw them with friends who weren't so great, but I never said anything. If I'd said I didn't approve, they would have clamped onto that person for dear life!
I will be here the whole time at convention. I love to talk to people, I love to hear stories, and I love to share my stories with you. Please approach me and ask questions. I'd love to meet you!
Where You Are and Where You Want to Go
by Kim Cunningham
Introduction by Laura Bostick: Kim Cunningham is president of the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC). She has a great understanding of the program and a real-life appreciation of the theme of our conference, "Transitions: Where You Are, and Where You Want to Go." She has been leading us on the path of progress, and she has a remarkable vision of the future of the NOPBC.
Kim joined the NFB in 2007 after attending her first national convention. She has served on the board of the Texas Parents of Blind Children (TPOBC) for nine years, including serving as TPOBC president. Kim's husband, Bobby Cunningham, is a stalwart behind-the-scenes NOPBC supporter. You will meet him and come to know him as our official photographer.
I am humbled and honored to stand before you today as the president of the NOPBC. Thank you to all my Federation family members who have mentored me and my family on our journey.
Twenty-four years ago I heard the words, "Your daughter has a severe vision loss." Surely the doctors were talking to another family! I didn't sign up for this! I actually turned around to see if there were other people behind me--but no, the message was meant for me. The doctors were doing what they could, but nothing would slow the progression of the disease. In that moment I transitioned to become the parent of a blind child.
But actually I transitioned to become the parent of a legally blind, low vision, partially sighted child. Everyone seemed afraid to say the B word. The social worker at the hospital said to me, "Kim, you will need to advocate for your daughter. You will be her eyes."
I knew what the word advocate meant, but I had no idea how to do it. My head was reeling, and I had no idea what the social worker was talking about, but I nodded instead. Together we set up a support group for the NICU [neonatal intensive care unit] families. We talked about programs and organizations that could help babies and children with disabilities. We cried together and laughed together. Our group became a family, supporting each other through good times and bad.
But this wasn't enough. Soon I took my daughter home, and we transitioned to a family of five, with three kids--one of whom was legally blind, low vision, partially sighted--but not blind.
Then one day I had a meltdown. I cried to think of the hard life my precious daughter was going to live as a legally blind, low vision, partially sighted, not blind person. But I decided that was not going to happen on my watch! That day I transitioned into advocate-in-training--also known as Mama Bear! [Laughter] I promised my daughter I would do whatever I could to ensure that she had the tools to lead the best life to the best of her abilities.
The days grew into weeks and the weeks into months. I watched my little girl keep making progress developmentally. I saw more of what she could do than what she couldn't. I attended every conference, social event, and training I could find. I learned about IDEA, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. I learned about technology, and I met many families from across the US. I learned a lot of good things--informative, helpful things. But I also learned that the professionals made a huge distinction between being blind and being legally blind, low vision, partially sighted. If you had some vision, you were deemed a "visual learner." If you were blind, you were deemed a "Braille reader." I always thought it strange that professionals would force my daughter to use her weakest sense.
In my daughter's fourth-grade year, I began to notice how much trouble she had completing her work on time. It took forever for her to read visually, even with magnification. She was often told to sit and listen while the other students were engaged in fun activities.
Fast forward to the sixth grade, and I now transition to full-time advocate for my daughter. I quit my job and determined to be a constant pain until someone would listen to us. The school was going to follow the IEP and provide every accommodation listed! At this point I transitioned to the other B word. [Laughter]
I realized that the school was relying on the TVI (teacher of the visually impaired) to provide what my daughter needed. But the TVI didn't know what to do, because she was "emergency certified" and had no formal training! Our IEP meetings were mostly unproductive. The IEP team would look at me like deer in the headlights. Time was running out. We were more than halfway through my daughter's K-12 education. I was in panic mode.
During the summer of 2007 my daughter and I attended our first NFB convention in Atlanta. I had heard of the NFB, but I didn't think it was for our family. After all, my daughter wasn't blind. But nothing ventured, nothing gained--and off we went.
During almost every conference and training I had previously attended, I found there were only a few blind adults around. "Where are all the blind people?" I'd ask. "They have to be somewhere." Can you imagine my surprise when we walked into the hotel lobby on Day One of our first NFB convention! Jackpot! [Cheers] There were a few thousand blind people, all in one place! And they weren't moaning and groaning about their disability. Everyone was going about doing what we all do--attending meetings, eating dinner, and socializing with friends. Yes! This was what I had been searching for!
I was full of questions. How did these blind people reach this level of independence? How could I offer my daughter the same opportunities? Everywhere I went, people were tapping their canes.
During those first few days of convention, I attended as many workshops as I could. I heard Anil Lewis talk about high expectations for blind kids. I thought, Oh my goodness! Did he really say that? I'm not the only one? There are others who believe in my daughter's abilities?
I learned that Braille is a tool for all who have vision loss. Braille isn't reserved for the totally blind. I learned that most blind people have some vision, and that nonvisual skills would be crucial on my daughter's path to independence.
One speaker used this comparison: "When we meet a wheelchair user, we don't ask how much paralysis he has. Many of us know wheelchair users who aren't paralyzed. They still have the need to get around in an easier, less strenuous way. The same concept applies to people with vision loss. Braille and the cane are tools in your toolbox. You don't have to be totally blind to benefit from the use of these tools." Wow! These people really got it!
I learned about all the programs from the NFB training centers and our programs offered by the Jernigan Institute. I met Dr. Cary Supalo, a blind chemist. He had a grant to teach blind high school students to complete chemistry independently. He actually flew to my daughter's school, provided her with the equipment she needed, and instructed her classroom teacher on teaching chemistry to blind students.
I also met many blind college students who gave us advice on attending college as a blind student. They told us about rehabilitation centers such as the Louisiana Center for the Blind, the Colorado Center for the Blind, and BLIND Inc., where my daughter could learn the skills that blind people need to live bold, independent lives.
No one cared that my daughter had some vision. The skills of blindness would allow her to live the life she wanted. My belief in the message was so strong that I knew I had to share my knowledge with other families. Soon after I left the NFB convention, I joined the Texas Parents of Blind Children. I wanted to be the messenger of hope, not despair. So I transitioned to a board member, and a few years later I became president of Texas Parents of Blind Children.
Today I stand before you as the formerly lost mother who has transitioned into a strong advocate for all families of blind children. This past year I was appointed president of the NOPBC. I am now surrounded by other families who are equally as devoted to all families of blind children across the United States. I now embrace the B words, blind and Braille.
I will forever be grateful for all the words of wisdom I received from the NFB. I followed the Federation's advice. This past December my daughter graduated from college with a degree in elementary education. [Applause]
If you find that your story is similar to mine, I want to offer you words of encouragement to find your voice and advocate for your child. I hope you all transition to become families with high expectations. I pray you find that this week offers not only a convention, but a family you can be a part of. We are all dedicated to changing lives. Together we can change what it means to be blind.
Advocating for Myself
by Kayleigh Joiner
Introduction by Kim Cunningham: The person we're going to hear from next is the reason I'm here today. I'd like to introduce my daughter, Kayleigh Joiner.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak to the best parents of blind children organization in this country!
My childhood education revolved around the use of my residual vision. My TVI deemed me a visual learner. I used large-print textbooks and magnifying devices starting in the third grade all the way through high school. For this reason I spent countless hours every evening doing homework, homework, and more homework. No one ever dreamed of teaching me Braille to help speed things up.
Doing all my work visually was very fatiguing. My neck hurt and my eyes ached. I was given books on CD, but that didn't help me work much faster. No one listened to our concerns.
In seventh grade I decided I was done with the pain and strain of reading visually. I determined that I would teach myself Braille. While my mother began a five-year battle with the school district for Braille instruction, I signed up for distance learning courses on Braille from the Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired. [Applause] I worked hard, and I was able to complete my schoolwork on top of taking courses at Hadley. When I informed my TVI that I was teaching myself Braille, she criticized me, saying, "Why would you want to do that? We can always teach you later on!" This was my first step in learning that I am my own advocate and that only I know what works for me.
The week following my high school graduation, I moved to Ruston, Louisiana, where I had six months of intensive sleepshade training at the Louisiana Center for the Blind (LCB). [Applause] By graduation I had doubled my Braille reading speed, I was able to cook a meal for forty people, and I had traveled out of town independently. I also learned to use human readers to gain access to printed information. This training prepared me to be successful in college and beyond.
While I was in college I utilized my travel skills and newfound confidence when meeting friends for dinner off campus. In taking tests or doing research, I enlisted human readers, whom I directed to access the necessary information.
During my junior and senior years, I spread my wings even further and moved off campus into my own apartment. This was a perfect time to put to use the cooking and cleaning skills I had acquired at LCB.
College can be an exciting and challenging time for all students. During my freshman year I started to have a problem with my teeth. Home was three hours away. I had to use the skills I had learned at LCB to find a dentist and a driver who could take me there. I had to transition from having these things done for me to doing them myself.
While I was at college, the weather gave me some good opportunities to test my travel skills. Many times I had to travel to class in the rain, holding an umbrella in one hand and my long white cane in the other. I also had the opportunity to travel in snow. (And let me just say, this Texan isn't used to that!) I was able to venture out in the cold to get some boots at the mall.
I have always wanted to be a teacher. I recall playing school outside with my next-door neighbor for hours on end. I want to have a positive impact on future generations of children and give them the skills they will need for their future. I enjoy working with young children and love their natural curiosity and joy for learning. That is why I decided to major in elementary education.
I graduated in December 2015 with a degree in elementary education, early childhood through sixth grade. In the fall of 2014, as part of my degree program, I spent two hours a day, four days a week, in an elementary classroom teaching small group reading. One of our assignments involved writing a paper on the growth of the students in our small group. We had to perform assessments on our students to gather the necessary data. In order to perform these assessments, I Brailled out the protocol sheet and added Braille to the sight-word cards so I could determine whether the students were reading the words correctly. I also made copies of the students' guided reading materials so I could follow along as they read and provide them with strategies they could use to help them figure out difficult words. By having many tools in my toolbox to choose from when accomplishing a task, I can be just as effective as a sighted teacher.
I joined the Federation in 2007 when I attended my first NFB national convention in Atlanta. That year I was also a participant in the NFB's STEM program, Youth Slam. Fast forward to 2009, and I was elected to the board of my state student division. In 2011 I became a mentor for participants at Youth Slam.
As you can tell, I have transitioned from being a receiver in the NFB to someone who is now giving back to future generations. I strongly encourage you and your children to get involved with the NFB. The Federation can provide opportunities for networking with other blind students and parents of blind children, along with blind mentors who can serve as role models for you and your children. Through my involvement with the NFB I have learned that I can live the life I want. You and your children can, too. Thank you.
The Quest for Normal Independence
by Chris Nusbaum
Introduction by Melissa Riccobono: I met Chris Nusbaum years ago at an NFB of Maryland convention. He was a little boy, full of questions about everything. I remember he was very, very curious about my guide dog.
Chris's parents had been involved with the NFB from the time he was a baby. But it was when Chris attended an NFB program called the LAW program, Leadership and Advocacy in Washington, that he actually began to learn about NFB history and do some advocacy on our issues. That was when the NFB became Chris's NFB. It wasn't just for his parents anymore. He transitioned to become a full member of the organization. He realized what the NFB could do for him, and he understood that it could be more powerful if he became part of that building process.
Chris is now a high school graduate. He is on the board of the National Association of Blind Students, and he is president of the Maryland Association of Blind Students. In the fall he is not going to go straight to college. First he is going to get some quality training at the Louisiana Center for the Blind. I would like to introduce to you Chris Nusbaum.
Thank you, Melissa, and thank you to the leadership of the NOPBC. It's a great honor to speak with you today. I've been asked to talk with you about my educational journey and transition into adulthood. Those of you who know me well will know that I am hopelessly devoted to our NFB history. Forgive me for giving in to temptation and referencing my favorite speech from one of our former presidents, Dr. Kenneth Jernigan.
In his 1993 speech "The Nature of Independence," Dr. Jernigan proposed that there are three stages through which a blind person must travel in order to become truly independent: fear and insecurity, rebellious independence, and finally, normal independence. Not everybody reaches the third stage. Each stage is inevitable for a blind person's evolution from helplessness and despair to confidence and hope.
What, you may ask, does this have to do with education and transitioning into adulthood? I can answer by pointing out the number of times we hear the word independence when we talk about parenting and educating blind children. Independent travel. Independence in daily living. Improving independence in the classroom. IEP goals talk about independently completing this or that task at school. The word is pervasive in the blindness field, even at this very convention!
Since independence is the primary topic of concern related to transitioning into adulthood, I think it is imperative that we begin with a workable definition of the term. Dr. Jernigan's three stages are the best definition I can find.
So at the risk of stealing an idea from a much better speaker than I am, I'd like to expand on Dr. Jernigan's theme as I talk about my own educational journey. I want to touch on how I have gone through each of these three phases in my life so far.
I am totally blind and have been since birth. Naturally, my journey in the world of blindness education began at a very early age. I had what all the other blind kids had at that time: infant and toddler services, a special ed-affiliated preschool program, a TVI and cane travel teacher, and all the rest. I also was blessed with some benefits which, unfortunately, many blind children do not have. I had supportive and determined parents, a TVI who also served as an advocate for higher expectations, and a one-on-one aide who used her position to encourage my freedom rather than to stifle it. Most importantly, through my family and my teacher, I had an early connection with the National Federation of the Blind.
I didn't think about blindness much in those early years. When I did, I knew one thing for certain. I knew that it is okay to be blind! I didn't know it then, but I know now that even in kindergarten my parents were teaching me the philosophy they had learned from the Federation.
Then school began. I have always been mainstreamed, and I am thankful for that every day. But I remember learning in school that I was somehow different. All the other kids talked about what they could see, and for some reason I had no idea what they were talking about. But that was okay, I thought. I had already learned from my parents that blindness wasn't going to stop me from achieving my dreams.
In the summer after first grade, when I was six years old, I went to my first blindness-related camp. It was a now defunct program that sought to teach the basics of independence to blind elementary students. This was my first time living away from home. Though I was excited about the experience, I was afraid to do most of the things they asked me to do. I won't go into the details, but suffice it to say that I ended that week more afraid and insecure than I was when I began. Not only did I feel unsure of my capabilities as a blind person; I also felt that I was a failure, that I couldn't live up to the standards of independence that were expected of me.
Looking back, I think the people who ran that program had their hearts in the right place. However, they may not have had much experience teaching young children. They didn't know how to meet me where I was and gently guide me toward independence. When I heard their claims of adherence to NFB philosophy, my six-year-old mind was made up. I wanted nothing to do with that organization, and I had no intention of doing anything with its people ever again!
I continued with this mindset through elementary school and into middle school. I was content with who I was and where I was in terms of blindness skills. I didn't expect that I would make much more progress. My teachers seemed to think of me as a pretty bright kid. I was into acting and music and other extracurricular activities, and I had a tightly knit circle of friends. As far as I was concerned, I was doing pretty well.
Adults and students alike started to call me amazing and inspiring. I bought every word, basking in the glory of being that courageous blind kid. Still, lurking beneath that contented facade was that same underlying fear and insecurity--fear of failure, fear of frustration, fear of the future. These fears kept me complacent, and they resigned me to the status quo. After all, if I could be amazing without even trying, why waste the effort of raising the bar?
As adolescence approached, I began to yearn again for a community of blind people who would understand the unique problems I faced. Yet, in all my stubbornness, I was determined that that community would not be found in the National Federation of the Blind.
All that changed in the spring of seventh grade. For four short days I participated in my first Jernigan Institute youth program, the LAW Program. It changed my life! There I met mentors who showed me for the first time how I, too, can live the life I want. They gave me a reason to raise my expectations of myself. Most importantly, I met the Federation for what it truly is--a family that loves each other, encourages each other, and works together toward a common goal. I knew then that my passion is for the work of our community. That passion has fueled much of my energy for the past five years. I will confess, however, that I returned from mz NFB LAW Program experience with a little bit of rebellious independence.
Armed with the new skills I had learned, along with the brashness of a teenager, I wanted to prove to the world that I could do absolutely everything on my own! I think during this period I could be likened to a toddler who, faced with a challenging task, proclaims, "I do it myself!" [Laughter]
Fortunately, this attitude changed as I went through high school. I learned even more skills at the Louisiana Center for the Blind in the Buddy and STEP programs. I learned that the can-do attitude with which I had been instilled in the LAW program is just as applicable to me as it is to anybody else.
Most importantly, my parents and my Federation friends taught me to make my own decisions. This may seem strangely simple, but it is crucial. For the first time I learned that I could choose for myself what my independence would look like. I learned that it is okay to have my own informed opinions, even if those opinions differ from those of my parents or my teachers.
By learning this essential skill, I have been able to serve as my own advocate, making it clear to my sighted teachers and peers what I can do and what I truly need. In short, I am now able to say with confidence, "I can do this, and here's how I'd like to do it." To me, then, this ability to make choices is the best indicator that I have reached the stage of normal independence.
So as I stumble my way into adulthood, I reflect that I'm about as ready as I'll ever be. There are certainly many perks to childhood, and no longer having them will take some getting used to. However, because of the skills I have learned, the confidence I have gained during my educational journey, both in and out of the classroom, I know I can meet the challenges of adulthood with confidence, determination, and optimism.
There is still a great deal of work to be done, but I'll get through it, even if it takes nine months in Louisiana. There is still much to learn, and I'm eager to learn it. Above all, I know for certain that I can live the life I want and that I have a nationwide family that will be with me every step of the way.
In closing, what advice can I offer you as parents to help your blind child make a smooth transition into adulthood? When you get right down to it, it's really quite simple. First, come to know for yourself that it's okay to be blind, and show your child that positive attitude by word and by example from a young age. Second, start teaching the skills of blindness at home from the beginning. Nurture at home the skills that are taught at school throughout the childhood years. Third, teach your child to make his or her own decisions. Allow your child to succeed or fail on his or her own merit. This will help your child develop the decision-making skills that are essential for full, normal independence. Finally, and most importantly, get connected and get your child connected with the loving, supportive, edifying family that is the National Federation of the Blind.
As many of you already know, the Federation and our philosophy have the power to change lives. Let your kids experience that change for themselves. When we commit ourselves to these core principles, I believe you and I, working together through the collective action of this great movement, can and will ensure that the next generation of blind people can live the lives they want.
Building a Bridge
by Sheila Koenig
Introduction by Kim Cunningham: Sheila Koenig is a transitions coordinator for the Minnesota State Services for the Blind. The NOPBC had the opportunity to have her on one of our FIRE podcasts several months ago. It is posted on our website.
Thank you so much for having me! Not only do I get to share with you some of my experiences with teenagers and how to help them into employment, but I get to hear great family stories about friends of mine! I remember Kayleigh Joiner coming to the educators' meeting many years ago. Seeing her now as a college graduate who has completed student teaching is really exciting!
Speaking of transitions, I consider I'm in a bit of a transition myself. I taught ninth-grade English for fifteen years before I made a pretty dramatic career change last July. I moved from teaching English to working as a transitions coordinator at the Minnesota Services for the Blind. I have all of the joys of working with teenagers and helping them grow, minus the essay grading and lesson planning.
One of the things our program focuses on is the idea of a bridge. If we think about a bridge, it really is a connection between two distinct parts. For the purpose of this presentation, I'd like to think of it as the transition between being a teenager and being an adult. Because of my background as an English teacher, I prefer to think of a bridge as a metaphor. Other people in my state agency prefer to think of it as an acronym. It works both ways. You can decide what works for you.
The bridge between being a teenager and being an adult can often be shaky. There are a lot of cracks where kids can fall through. Our goal today is to help you build solid bridges for your children as they move from that tenuous time of being teenagers to become someone who is successful and happy. Each letter in our bridge acronym is meant to be a support that you can use to help your kids. The bridge, as an acronym, stands for:

Basic skills
Role models
Initiative
Discovery
Goal-setting
Experiences.

The hope is that by building all of those components, your child will be ready for whatever life brings after high school, whether it's college or career.
Basic Skills
When I taught high school, we focused on twenty-first century competencies, things like digital literacy, collaboration, communication, self-awareness, and global responsibility. Those are all skills that employers today are looking for in young people. I would say the most important thing is to make sure your children are required to complete the same assignments as their sighted peers. If their peers are working on maps and geography, your child should be working on maps and geography, too. Several speakers today talked about the importance of high expectations. We need to have the same expectations for our kids who are blind that teachers and parents have for kids who are sighted.
In addition to the basic skikls I just mentioned, there are basic skills that all kids who are blind really need in order to be successful. They need nonvisual access to print. Braille is of course very critical. I didn't learn Braille until just before I began student teaching. I was one of those kids who had some residual vision, and I was encouraged to labor over large print. My parents always knew when I was up too late reading because of the little black ink marks on my face. If I had been taught Braille, I would have been able to read much more fluently. I wouldn't have had to memorize all of the presentations I gave, and I could have had a much more poised and professional image.
Nonvisual literacy, orientation and mobility, use of access technology, and independent living skills are blindness-specific skills that can be learned at various summer programs such as BLIND, Inc., the Colorado Center for the Blind, and the Louisiana Center for the Blind. I really encourage you to investigate those programs. They can learn and strengthen those skills before they go off to college.
Role Models
The "R" in bridge stands for role models. For me this is the most critical piece of the bridge. I'm thrilled that you're all here today, because you could not be in a better place than the convention of the National Federation of the Blind to connect your children with role models. When I think about myself back when I was a teenager, I remember struggling with the concept of being blind. I used the term visually impaired back then. I didn't use a cane, and I didn't know Braille. I knew I wanted to be a successful, competent person, but because of the stereotypes I believed about blindness, I didn't think I could be both blind and competent. I struggled to bring together those two images.
Then I saw a video created by the National Federation of the Blind, showing various blind people going to work. My whole life shifted when I saw that video. There was a woman who is a lawyer, and she was stepping off a city bus. She was well-dressed, and she had a cane in one hand and a briefcase in the other. In that moment I thought, I really can be both of these things! I can be blind, and I can be successful!
I'd like to think those stereotypes have changed since I saw that video twenty years ago. But recently I read an article by Matthew King, a blind engineer at Facebook who created the video description app. One of the things he said in the interview was, "I didn't know you could be both blind and successful." When you introduce your children to role models, blind people who are happy and successful, your children can see that blindness really isn't a big deal. It might change how we do some things; I might use Braille, I might use a screen reader on my computer, but blindness really doesn't define me.
Initiative
The "I" in bridge stands for initiative. When I think about initiative I think of things such as confidence, problem solving, and growth mindset. During my last few years in teaching, we spent a lot of time learning about the fixed mindset versus the growth mindset. It's a philosophy that was developed by Carol Dweck at Stanford. She said that people can have two different mindsets in life. The fixed mindset believes that all of your abilities and talents are fixed, no matter what you do. I had students come into my English class and say, "I'm not a good writer," or "I'm not a good reader." That's a very fixed mindset.
In contrast to the fixed mindset is the growth mindset. The growth mindset believes that, with effort and practice, abilities can change. It may take a while, but you can develop abilities and talents.
Part of initiative is encouraging children to take risks and encouraging them to fail. That's really hard for a parent, and it can be difficult for kids, too, but it is an important part of growing. Some of what employers are looking for is that initiative, that ability to step out and solve a problem before the employer even knows that a problem exists.
Discovery
The "D" stands for discovery. The discovery part of the bridge includes things such as career exploration, job shadowing, and college visits. Again, here is a wonderful opportunity to connect students with adult role models. Can they do an informational interview? Find out how that blind person does his or her job. When I taught, people wanted to know how I took attendance, how I managed fire drills, how I planned lessons, how I graded papers. Brainstorming those questions with your child or student and connecting the child with an adult can help him or her get that information.
College visits allow the student to imagine what it is like to be on campus, not only in the classroom, but also in the dorm. Your child probably won't have the finances to order pizza every night, so he'll need to know how to do some cooking on his own. He'll need to learn how to do laundry. A lot of students don't realize that when they get to college there won't be a sighted person accompanying them everywhere. They need that sense of discovery, the willingness to try new things and to make mistakes sometimes.
Goal Setting
The "G" in bridge is goal setting. We've talked about the IEP and how important it is that you and your students be the leaders in that process. By the time a student is in high school, he or she can lead the IEP meeting. The student should be in charge of her goals. [Applause] She should be in charge of setting those goals and of the steps she must take to achieve them. She should be arranging to get her textbooks in alternative formats.
In the state rehabilitation agency where I work, we don't use IEPs; we use IPEs. IPE stands for Individualized Plan for Employment. Again, the student should be in charge of the IPE. He is setting his own goals, setting the direction for his life. The most important element of goal setting is that the child or student is at the center.
Experiences
The "E" in bridge stands for experiences. I like to think of this as extracurricular experiences and employment experiences. The growth mindset enters in here. It is absolutely okay for kids to try something and realize they don't like it. Then they can figure out something else they might like to try.
A lot of times at the beginning of the school year, high schools have a welcome fair. All of the clubs and organizations set up in the cafeteria or common area so students can walk around and find out about them. I strongly encourage you to go with your child or student or to have her go with a friend and check out those organizations and maybe pick two or three to try. When I was teaching, we took all of our ninth-grade students, who were still at the middle school, over to the high school for the organization fair. They would come back so excited! I remember one girl who was thrilled to find out that there was a Harry Potter Club.
In addition to extracurricular activities, it's important to get employment experience. That includes internships, volunteer opportunities, and paid work experiences. Your state agency for the blind can help with these things. Also, through the connections that you're building this week, you can get some ideas that will help as well. Any kind of work experience on a résumé gives a person a leg up in employment after high school. Building those experiences early is critical.
So that's the bridge we're building together: basic skills, role models, initiative, discovery, goal setting, and experiences. All of these elements will build a solid bridge as kids move from high school to the next stage. I think of a quote I read not long ago: "There are two gifts that parents can give their children--one is roots, and the other is wings."
Slam That! Living the Life She Wants Begins with the Federation
by Jordyn Castor
Reprinted from Braille Monitor, August/September 2016, Volume 59, Number 8
From the Editor: Jordyn Castor is a recent graduate of Michigan State University who has landed her dream job with Apple. In this presentation she talks about the heartbreak and triumph she experienced as she made her way through the education system and the encouragement she received from people in the Federation who believed in her.
Good morning, Federation family! It is such an honor and a privilege to be speaking with you today! I’ve been dreaming of this day ever since I attended my first NFB convention in 2009 in Detroit. The first time I heard Dr. Maurer speak at the March for Independence, I became so empowered and excited about joining the Federation that I was in tears. I knew from that moment forward that I would be a Federationist for life. [Applause]
Being a member of the Federation has shaped and molded me into the person I am today, and I'd like to share a bit of my journey with you. I was born in the lovely state of Michigan, fifteen weeks early, weighing only one pound, nine ounces. The doctors told my mother that I had a slim chance of survival. They said if I survived I would have many disabilities, and my quality of life would be poor. I was so small my grandfather could hold me in the palm of his hand; his wedding ring could fit around my arm and slide all the way up to my shoulder.
But my family believed in me from the start. They knew I would overcome any challenges I faced. When they asked my mother what she wanted to do, her answer came without any hesitation: "Save this child!" [Applause] And with that statement, my mother gave me my first opportunity: the opportunity of life.
Now I was the first child, and my mom was determined to treat me as she would any other child without a disability. My parents were always pushing me to learn new skills, and they had really high expectations for me. I had a lovely and fun childhood, participating in many activities such as goalball, bike riding, and rollerblading. I was always very curious, wanting to touch and play with anything I could get my hands on. I loved reading, and before I learned Braille or had any experience with technology, I would memorize my books page by page. When I entered elementary school, I loved it. I had amazing teachers and many friends.
From the beginning my teacher of the blind emphasized the importance of learning Braille. [Applause] She helped me understand that Braille is the key to literacy and employment for the blind and would not allow me to use any technology in the classroom until I was proficient in Grade 2 and Nemeth Braille. [Applause]
Although I didn't use technology heavily in the classroom until about the fifth or sixth grade, my love of technology started in the second grade when my family purchased our first desktop computer. I was fascinated with what the computer could do for me and others like me, and I had dreams of inventing a computer that could produce Braille someday. My teachers would hand me a piece of technology and they'd say, "Here, play with this. Figure it out, and then show us how to use it." I would spend hours playing with applications on the computer, looking at my email, and IMing [instant messaging] my friends. Little did I know the enormous role technology would play for me in the coming years.
One of my most treasured experiences in elementary school was participating in the Buddy Program. My friend and I would play with children on the autism spectrum at recess, and I realized then that these children wanted what every other little kid wanted--a friend; someone to share cookies and chips with at lunch; someone to slide down the twisty slide with while it was covered in snow, because, well, that made you slide down faster. Through those three amazing years, I watched my friends' lives change and transform. And with that my teachers gave me the opportunity to learn that giving back and helping others with disabilities was what I wanted to do as a career for the rest of my life.
But my childhood wasn't always a plethora of treasured memories and experiences. Around the age of thirteen I began to experience a feeling of isolation and loneliness I'm sure many of us know very well. When I attended middle school, I started to realize something was different about me. My elementary school friends no longer thought it was the cool and popular thing to do to hang out with the blind kid. Teachers and others treated me differently. I found myself alone at the lunch table, excluded from groups at school, and with no one to talk to in class. I was the only blind student mainstreamed into my particular elementary and middle schools, so most students and teachers had never seen or worked with a blind person before. My knowledge of other blind students and adults in the area was extremely limited, and I felt as though I was the only blind person in the entire world--it was so tough!
However, my life, my views, and my attitudes toward blindness began to change in the summer of 2006 when I attended a games and technology camp at Camp Tuhsmeheta, affectionately known as "Camp T." This is a camp specifically for blind students run by blind staff. Camp T was where I first encountered the NFB philosophy and where I was influenced by successful blind adults like J. J. Meddaugh and George Wurtzel. They showed me that everything would be just fine, and that blindness did not have to hold me back from pursuing my dreams. [Applause] Having blind friends and mentors is crucial to success. The individuals that I met at camp that summer are still great friends and mentors to this day. I'm so grateful for everyone that I met that summer because they helped pull me out of the darkest place I've ever been. When I went back to school that year my confidence was completely restored, and I knew that everything would be all right, no matter what battles lay ahead.
In the summer of 2007 my perceptions and expectations of what a blind person could achieve as a career were absolutely transformed as I attended a STEM academy known as the NFB Youth Slam. [Applause] I participated in the computer science track, where I wrote my very first computer program. I wrote a chatbot that could look up weather, news, and dictionary definitions, and even play fun games such as Simon Says. Having instructors such as Jeff Bingham, and successful, independent blind mentors such as Lindsay Yazzalino who believed in us and our ability to program was so empowering. It showed me that computer science was a possible career for me. I absolutely loved programming and was hooked. I was very emotional when I had to leave, because I felt that the opportunity to program a piece of software was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I might never have again.
One of the key phrases at Youth Slam was "Slam that!" Every time people said that blind people couldn't participate in STEM-related activities we'd say, "Slam that!" Throughout the week, whether it was dissecting sharks, programming chatbots, or launching rockets, we realized that no dream was too big for us to achieve. Blindness did not define us. [Applause] With the right tools, technology, resources, and support from our friends and family in the NFB, we could go anywhere and do anything we set our minds to.
Throughout the remainder of high school, I participated in other NFB programs, including a second Youth Slam and multiple leadership academies. At the 2009 Youth Slam, I participated in the astronomy track, where we touched space equipment and felt tactile graphics of images taken from space telescopes--I still actually have my tactile graphic of Jupiter. At the NFB leadership academies, we learned about NFB philosophy and were empowered by blind mentors.
At one particular leadership academy we had the choice of doing a variety of evening activities such as learning to play goalball, taking apart a computer, and applying makeup. Now the class that I chose was not the class for applying makeup, but the one for learning how to operate a chainsaw. My instructor was Mark Riccobono. [Applause] We all wore sleepshades as we sawed logs and broke down the barriers of blindness.
Participating in NFB activities has shattered even my own perceptions of what a blind person can achieve, and my NFB family continues to challenge, push, and inspire me beyond what I thought was possible.
After graduating from high school, I attended Michigan State University. [Cheers], I chose to receive my degree in computer science, but I faced many challenges along the way. Professors would say things like, "Are you sure you want to do this?" And I'd think to myself, Slam that! They'd say, "Isn't there a field that's more suited to you?" And again the only thing running through my mind was, Slam that!
I had to develop strategies with my professors to make seemingly visual projects accessible to me. For example, we had to create an aquarium and software to animate cartoon characters, and the tools that we used to write our software were not always the most accessible. So I found myself memorizing my code files and the locations of my various functions and classes, just like I memorized every page of my books when I was younger.
Even though there were some individuals who did not believe that I could achieve my dream of becoming a software engineer, many people did. The Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities at Michigan State was instrumental to my success in college. They helped by providing Braille math and science textbooks as well as 3-D printed models for calculus and physics. I leaned on my NFB family and friends when the challenges seemed to be greater than I could handle. Being a part of the NFB has allowed me to connect with members all over the world, to share tips, tricks, and advice for navigating the world of college--and not only that, but life as a professional as well. And this, coupled with my desire to help others with disabilities, got me to keep going, even though sometimes I wanted to give up.
I had internships helping to make software accessible at USAA in San Antonio, Goldman Sachs in New York City, and Apple in Cupertino. [Applause] Last December I became the first totally blind undergraduate student to receive my degree in computer science from Michigan State. [Applause]
After graduation I moved to San Francisco to start my career as a software engineer. I now work at Apple full-time on the Accessibility Team. [Applause, cheers]
My job is incredible. I work with a passionate team of individuals dedicated to ensuring the accessibility of all of our products and features for everyone. Through my work enhancing the quality of features such as VoiceOver, I am able to give back to the blindness community that has given so much to me, as well as to make technology more accessible than ever for the future generations of blind people. I am so blessed and grateful for this opportunity. The author Tasha Hoggatt says, "You must never doubt your ability to achieve anything, become anything, overcome anything, and inspire everything."
I would not be where I am today without the encouragement and support of my family, friends, and NFB family pushing me to strive for greatness and never to give up. Thank you to my mom for believing that I had a fighting chance and that I would overcome any obstacles placed before me, even though the doctors felt otherwise; to my instructor, Mrs. Curtis, for her steadfast commitment to teaching me Braille, as I now use a Braille display every time I write a piece of code; to my teachers, friends, and playground buddies for showing me that giving back and helping others is one of the greatest feelings in the world, and that it's okay to get a little snow in your snow pants every once in a while; to Jeff and Lindsey for empowering me and showing me that I could achieve my dreams of becoming a software engineer; to this guy right here, Mark Riccobono, for helping me to step outside my comfort zone and try dangerous things I never knew were possible; and to everyone else who has inspired me to never give up, to strive for greatness, and to let nothing stand in the way of where I want to go in life. The future of the NFB is bright, and I look forward to all we will accomplish together as we continue to shatter the misconceptions and perceptions about blindness, while providing the opportunities, resources, and support to show the future generations of blind people that they, too, can turn their dreams into reality. Blindness does not define us and will never hold us back. [Applause, cheers] When times get tough, when people say you can't do something because you're blind, and when it seems like everything is falling apart, remember the phrase, Slam that! And rise up, rise up unafraid. You can live the life you want. Thank you so much.
Equal Opportunity and Discovering Talent: A Journey from Discrimination to Particle Astrophysics Research
by Jamie Principato
Reprinted from Braille Monitor, August/September 2016
From the Editor: As an undergraduate at Florida State University, Jamie Principato fought a long and grueling battle to gain access to the academic materials she needed. In this address at the NFB national convention she speaks eloquently about the need for access and the transformative part it can play in one's life.
Hello. I'm in the business of sharing ideas, and I have a big idea for you today. But, before I get to that, there's a story that I need to share that I've been learning this week is very important. It started not at Florida State University, but when I was in the eighth grade.
It was the end of our semester, and my teacher asked me to stay after class. She asked me to stay because I was failing eighth grade algebra. Up to this point I had never used a math book, and I'd never been able to write math that my teacher could read. I also could not read or write in Braille, and any work I did in math had to be done verbally.
As many of you understand if you've been to school and you are blind, it's very difficult to simplify an equation if what you're hearing is: "Two squared plus six over X divided by three squared plus two X squared plus the square root of five, all divided by three." I'm a mathematician now, and I don't know where to begin with that.
But my teacher had good news for me. She told me, "I'm not going to give you an F and prevent you from going on to ninth grade with your classmates, because I understand what you're going through."
"Really?" I said.
She said, "Yes, I do. You see, my daughter has intellectual disabilities, and she can't solve for X either." [Groans]
I was crushed. And I realized that I had two options: I could correct my teacher; I could tell her, "I'm intelligent, I can learn math, but I can't learn math if I can't read a math book or access your notes when you're giving lecture." Or--I'm fourteen years old, remember--I could walk away and never have to come back to that classroom again. I walked away.
Fast forward now to entering college. Somehow--I don't really know how this could have happened--when I entered Florida State University I managed to pass my placement test and be placed into college algebra. Meanwhile, up to this point I still can't solve for X, and I can barely multiply numbers greater than seven. But I'm placed into college algebra, and there happens to be another student in the class with me who is blind. We decide to go to class together that first morning. And when we walk in we are immediately stopped by the professor at the door. And she tells us, "You guys shouldn't be here."
"What do you mean?"
She tells us, "None of the materials in this department can be provided to you in Braille or in large print."
I remember telling her that shouldn't be a problem. "Florida State University has a disability resource center, and if you send them your materials, they can help you prepare them for us."
She told us, "Oh, no, no, no, we don't do that here."
"What? You don't do that?"
She told us that it was somehow against department policy to release any of their materials to disability resources, and it had always been so.
We proceeded to attempt to take the class. They weren't going to make us leave. Other departments were putting pressure on us to complete our college algebra requirement. It was either complete the requirement or be unenrolled in the institution, so we had to find a way to do it.
Meanwhile, at every turn there is something new stopping us: there are tests that we cannot take, homework assignments that we cannot complete, study materials we have no access to. Even when we go to our instructor's office to ask questions or to seek assistance, she insists on tutoring us using pen and ink, barely describing anything she's doing verbally. Needless to say it was impossible for us to pass college algebra. Soon after this first semester my fellow student and I, with the assistance of the National Federation of the Blind, entered litigation against Florida State University on the grounds that its programs were inaccessible to us and that it was engaging in discrimination on the basis of disability. [Applause].
Something that a lot of students don't realize when they enter into something like this is that litigation is a messy process. It's time-consuming; it's stressful. I ended up spending more time working with Brown, Goldstein and Levy during discovery, helping them get information about my school, trying to understand the law myself so that I knew how to communicate to people at my school when questioned--I spent more time working on these tasks than I spent on my studies. It was like a full-time job, and it lasted for more than three years. And when it ended, I burnt a bridge at my university and could not go back.
I moved to Colorado shortly after, and it was time for me to start over. It took a long time before I was ready to go back to school, because at this point I wasn't really sure if my teacher in eighth grade was right or not. Maybe I am stupid; maybe I can't do math. Almost every career I could possibly go into is going to require mathematics; math is everywhere. So maybe I'm just not cut out for college. They told me at Florida State that their programs simply were not for everybody, that there were some people they could not serve, and maybe I would be better off trying to find a school that served "my kind."
But eventually I worked up the courage to return to school. I started at a community college--Arapahoe Community College (ACC) in Littleton, Colorado. I decided that I would start slowly and that I would only take math courses in the beginning. Math was going to be the hardest thing for me to conquer, so it seemed like a good place to start.
I didn't want my instructors having any assumptions about what I could do as a blind person. So when I entered my college classroom on the first day of school and my professor asked the students to share with the class how they felt about math and what kind of experience they had had in the past, I lied through my teeth. I told my instructor with a straight face--a smile, in fact--that I was excellent in math and that it had always been my best subject.
"I'm only taking this class because I'm twenty-three--I've been out of school for a while. I need a little refresher in algebra, but I am confident I can get a perfect A in this class."
I spent the rest of the semester trying my hardest not to get caught in the lie. I have to say that it was not my own ability that made that possible. My school was incredible in terms of accessibility. Any time I needed help, any time I found materials that I could not access or information I could not read, there was somebody at my school, either in the math department or in the disability services office, who was willing to help me. They didn't doubt that with the right access I could be successful in math. Sure enough they were right, and I was right, and I pulled off an A in that class. [Applause].
I continued in mathematics at ACC. I wanted to try trigonometry, and when I finished that, I wanted to go into calculus. I ended up being the first blind student at ACC to progress through all of the math courses that that school offered, and I succeeded. [Applause].
I still wasn't sure what I wanted to do. When I was at Florida State I majored in psychology, not because I was particularly thrilled with psychology--it's a great field--but I was doing it because it seemed like the only likely science a blind person could be successful in. But now I was being successful in things I thought I could never do, so I started rethinking my career choices.
I remember one night a friend of mine who was a sighted mathematician was sitting with me, going over a problem I found particularly interesting from class that day. I started telling him about my dilemma, about how I wanted to do science; it was all I really ever wanted to do. "I just want to understand how the universe works."
He looked at me, and he said, "Well then, why don't you major in physics?"
"I'm blind; physics has a lot of math, a lot of labs, and all kinds of equipment and technology that I'm not used to."
I started panicking, and he looked at me and said, "I'm not joking; you can do math, so you can do physics."
So I thought about it, and it occurred to me that there's really nothing to lose in trying, just like I tried algebra. So I went to school a few months later when the new semester was starting, and I changed my major to physics.
From that point on, doors were opening for me. I met with the chair of the physics department, and I told him that I was a little concerned about the laboratory component of his classes. He said to me, "I don't understand why."
I said, "Well, sir, I'm blind."
He said, "Sure, but sighted people can't see radiation or electricity or momentum. You can do math, so you can do physics."
He was right. With the tools that my school already provided to its sighted students, the LabQuest system in particular for collecting data in laboratories, I was able to compete with my sighted peers in the laboratory.
Pretty soon I had the opportunity to start doing my own research. I joined a team of researchers who were sponsored by NASA through the Colorado Space Grant Consortium. We began building instruments that would fly through the stratosphere and even into space. My focus became instruments that would allow sighted people to see things they can't even see, things like radiation, things like cosmic rays and subatomic particles, things like the molecular composition of the atmosphere that you can't see even with a working eye. I as a blind student, just an undergrad, was building the tools that scientists could use to visualize these things and that I could use to visualize these things, too. [Applause]
Only two weeks ago I was at Wallops, Virginia, at the Wallops Flight Facility at NASA. I was integrating a device that I built that allows us to see when the sensor collides with subatomic particles from a cosmic ray from the radiation produced when stars and distant galaxies explode. We launched this device on a rocket. From a thousand feet away my teammates and I recorded the launch, and I'd like to share that with you now. Can we cut to the video?
[The tape commences with a countdown starting at ten, nine, eight, and when the countdown reaches zero and the word mark is spoken, one can hear and see the rocket lifting off. On the recording one can hear the cheers of excited participants, and in the background one can also hear the excited cheers of those of us in the audience at convention.]
This is what can happen when blind people have access to math and science. Since then I've also found a talent for teaching, and I'm a tutor now to many sighted students in college-level math. However, I am most proud of my students in the college prep program at the Colorado Center for the Blind (CCB).
Now I want to come to the idea that I promised I would share. Teaching math to students who want to pursue college, I started noticing some very interesting patterns. With the permission of my students I started collecting data and keeping track of things that we talked about, things that we worked on, and the patterns that I perceived. A very common pattern: virtually 90 percent of my students would come to me and tell me in the beginning of our sessions, "I can't learn math; I had a teacher in middle school who told me that I was intellectually disabled there, and I just can't do it." And my students really believed this--that somehow because they were blind, there was something else wrong with them that made it impossible for them to learn about math.
In the short time I've been teaching--the longest duration has been four months, and the shortest has been one month--my students go from believing that they are incapable of learning math--from exactly where I was, feeling that they can't even multiply numbers together if the numbers are greater than seven--to performing at a perfectly acceptable precollege level, some even testing not just into, but beyond college algebra. This is simply because they have been given access to mathematical information at CCB. [Applause]
Once students have access to the information, once they have a mentor who can show them how to use it and who believes that they are capable of using it, they can do tremendous things. They not only can reach their grade level, but exceed it.
So this is my idea: we are a large organization with a lot of resources. There are people here with many talents, ranging from music to science and mathematics. We also have many children in the organization who are blind, who are entering school, or who are already in school and finding that when they reach a certain grade level they no longer have access to the information their peers can use. I propose that as a Federation we start pairing talented adults and professionals and college students who have succeeded in science and mathematics with the families of children who are struggling, with the families of children whose teachers believe that they are cognitively delayed and cannot possibly learn math because they are blind. I want the students to have access to a network of people who not only know the skills of blindness, but also know the skills of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. [Applause]
I'm in the process of collecting the data I compiled at the Colorado Center for the Blind, and I'm trying to find ways to make a program like this a reality. I would not be where I am right now if not for the mentorship and encouragement I received from my friends in the field and my friends in the Federation. I want blind children who need to learn math for their careers to have the same opportunity to find their talent. In addition, I would not be where I am if it were not for somebody who showed me how to build tools that could go into space. The Colorado Space Grant Consortium has a program called RockSat-C. This program allows students to purchase space through their institutions on a suborbital sounding rocket and do exactly what I did: launch an experiment.
I was recently given the opportunity to participate in this program again, and I was asked what kind of payload I would want to design. My response was that I want to design a workshop payload. I want to dedicate my half canister of space to blind children between grades six and twelve so that I can help teach them the skills that they need to put an instrument at the edge of space and beyond. Soldering, programming, building circuits, reading schematics, interpreting their data, designing an experiment, thinking like a scientist: none of these are things a blind person cannot do, and I know because I've done them. I want to make sure that my peers can do them too, because it's a much more interesting field when I have competition.
We can do amazing things when we have access to information. When we don't have access to information, we can start thinking some pretty terrible things about ourselves. I thought I was stupid; I thought I would never learn to do math and should avoid it like the plague. I thought there was something wrong with me, that somehow when people told me, "No, you should not be in our classroom; you do not belong here," it was my fault. I had done something wrong. I've learned since then that that is not true. I can do anything I set my mind to, and so can the rest of us.
I really hope the Federation can help me in these endeavors so that I can bring access to mathematics to everybody in this room and beyond.
Putting News First: Breaking Down Stereotypes as a Blind Journalist
by Gary O'Donoghue
From the Editor: Gary O'Donoghue is the Washington correspondent for the British Broadcasting Company (BBC). Being a successful journalist in his position requires extensive travel, the ability to turn an event into a story, and the flexibility to see that blindness does not get in the way of being where the action is. At the NFB national convention, Gary O'Donoghue shared his story.
It's great to be here! I'm very grateful for the invitation from the president to come and speak to you and to tell you a little bit about what I do in my work as a journalist. This isn't my first NFB convention; I was lucky enough to be here last year to witness that famous record-breaking umbrella mosaic--an amazing moment, of course.
What I want to do today, at the invitation of your president, is to give a bit of an insight into my work as a BBC correspondent and how I go about doing that as a visually impaired person. First of all, perhaps the potted life story: I was born with poor eyesight, which led to me having one eye removed when I was a baby. I retained some useful vision in the other eye until I was eight years old. But after the retina kept detaching itself, admittedly once after I went headfirst over the handlebars of a bicycle, there was nothing more to be done, and I've been totally blind ever since then. As was the norm in those days, I was immediately packed off to a couple of boarding schools for blind people, and, as luck would have it, it got me a much better education than I could have hoped for if I'd been sighted.
From boarding school I headed off to Oxford University to do a degree in philosophy and modern languages. Shortly after that I joined the BBC as a reporter, and I've been there ever since, so I'm about as institutionalized a blind person as you can get. [Laughter].
When I started in this field there were only very basic forms of computers; mobile phones were only just getting going; and access to research materials and daily newspapers as a blind person meant getting hold of other colleagues and getting them to take time out of their schedules to assist. One could, of course, take all the bits of paper home for a girlfriend to read, but I'm pretty sure one left because asking her to read a wedge of newspaper cuttings in bed wasn't the most alluring offer she could have from a guy--right? [Laughter]
I worked at first producing reports from our Parliament for the BBC's network of local radio stations. From there I got a job on a national daily news program called "The Today Program," which is a bit like NPR's "Morning Edition" here. It's a significant force in setting the political agenda in Britain each day. During those five years I did a range of stories. I traveled to Africa several times, here to the US a few times, and to the Far East during the handover of Hong Kong back to the Chinese. I spent a couple of nights on the Macedonian border while NATO bombed Serbia--thousands of Kosovan refugees flooded out of the country, many of them driven out by their Serb neighbors.
I did lots of lighter things as well. I had to cuddle a koala in Australia--now apparently they pee a lot, but fortunately this one did not pee. I had to drink lots of strong lager for a piece on alcohol content--all in the line of duty, of course. And I had to talk to people about the shape of tea bags on Oxford Street, would you believe? I must say, I did draw the line when I was asked to do a bungee jump off a bridge over the river Thames--I thought that was just a little step too far for me.
For a stint at the BBC World Service, I became one of the BBC's political correspondents, ending up as the chief political correspondent for our main news network. And that, my friends, is what brought me here to the United States. Since I arrived here, I've spent a lot of time chasing presidential candidates across the country as they eat their corndogs at country fairs, eat plate-loads of beef at cookouts, and do their fifteen minutes flipping burgers or serving behind diners the length and breadth of this country. I've been chilled to the bone in New Hampshire; I've been so close to Canada in Vermont I could almost touch it. Texas was pleasant in spring, but I have to tell you that I'm relieved not to be there today, because apparently it's going to be 102, which kind of makes Orlando seem fine, doesn't it? You only need to listen to Americans talking to realize how big this place is. Even just a couple of hours west of DC it almost sounds like you're in a foreign country. Donald Trump did actually divert to a foreign country ten days ago when he made a speech at his golf course in Scotland. I have to say, sitting at the ninth tee at Turnberry, surrounded by Secret Service agents, was one of the most bizarre places I've ever attended a press conference.
Not only does the presidential election campaign reach every person in the US, it also seems to go on forever, doesn't it? I was with Hillary Clinton in Iowa when she launched her campaign in the spring of last year--and today we're still four months away from the general election and six months away from Inauguration Day. Compare that to the process going on in Britain in the moment: ten days ago the Prime Minister, David Cameron, announced he'd be standing down after his side lost the EU referendum vote. Today, as I'm speaking to you, conservative MP's (members of Parliament) are voting on who their next leader should be. Of course it won't be decided today; there'll be more votes among MP's, and then conservative membership of the country will get their say, but Brits will have a new conservative leader and a new prime minister by the beginning of September. So I'm afraid our political chaos is at least a little bit shorter than your political chaos. [Laughter]
Whether standing outside a diner in Iowa waiting for Hillary Clinton to show up, or in corridors of Westminster waiting for the results of a vote among conservative MP's to be announced, one thing is absolutely crucial to my job: information. As you all know, information and access to it are the central challenges in a blind person's life, both personal and professional. Technology has done wonders for us in this field, whether it's the accessible iPhone that allows me to read the New York Times each day and to keep up with the endless Twittering and bloggings in the politisphere; or the Braille display that allows me to read out my radio and television scripts when I'm delivering a broadcast--I'm reading from a Braille display right now, and can I just say in this forum how much I rate the NFBs NEWSLINE service? Scott White and his team who run it: I can't thank you enough! It makes my job infinitely easier! For all of us who rely on the ability to read a daily newspaper quickly and efficiently, I simply don't know what I'd do without it, so thank you very much. [Applause]
A word about Braille here. I know learning Braille is hard for those who lose their sight later in life. I'm all for encouraging people with useful vision to maximize their use of it to use it when it works for them. But Braille, to me, is an absolute necessity. [Applause] I simply couldn't do my job without it. I'm convinced that Braille displays and notetakers have given Braille a new lease on life that we should spread to as many of our blind youngsters as possible. [Applause, cheers]
Another thing I believe we have to impart to the young people with visual impairments is some sense of what you might call resilience. It's a very difficult subject, because by that I mean the kind of sophisticated toughness it takes to live an independent life as a blind person. It's about finding the strategies to overcome barriers when they present themselves and live an independent life that takes on the world. It's about doing those challenging, high-profile jobs that people who can see traditionally have thought might not be for us. Now what I don't mean is being thick-skinned. We don't want our young people to become hardened or unable to empathize with others, but it's crucial we give them the confidence to believe in themselves and to pick themselves up after the world has knocked them down. Most importantly, the skills that will allow them to function in a world that--let's face it--is not designed for blind people. [Applause] They'll also have to learn that even when they've built up years of experience they'll come across people who treat them like novices when they move into a new job.
I got quite a lesson in resilience a few years ago. I had some difficulties in my work, and I had to make a decision about whether to confront a situation that had developed. I'm afraid for legal reasons I can't go into great detail, but it was an incredibly hard decision to make. It took an awful lot out of me and those around me, and my family in particular. But I'm glad I did confront it. Some good did come from it, but more importantly, I could live with myself for going forward. We can't fight every battle there is, but when the real ones come along, it's our duty to stand up, not just for ourselves, but for those who come after us. [Applause]
But back to the practicalities of the job. There's a pattern I've noticed over the past twenty years or so: technological leaps forward have unquestionably helped us as blind people to do a much wider range of things, but each time we seem to catch up, a new innovation threatens to reverse the advance. The old DOS computers--they had screen readers developed for them that worked just fine--then Windows came along of course, and we were back to the drawing board. We get that sorted, and a bit later the touchscreen comes into vision over the horizon, and it looks like there will be a problem yet again. My point here is that we must continue to focus on what's next, and ensure that the digital divide doesn't open up for blind people. We know what that will mean for the chances of getting a job and leading an independent life.
In the realm of journalism there are some big challenges ahead for young blind people wanting to get into that field. Most notably in my view is the ever-growing importance of multimedia journalism that requires the reporter not just to get the story, but also to gather her own pictures and video. Couple that with the speed with which one has to work in the news-gathering field now. It's going to require someone with high levels of technical skills and personal resilience to make it in this trade when they have a disability.
One word of encouragement--I don't want to sound like I'm discouraging people--journalism, at heart, remains the business of telling stories. So for blind people, who inevitably rely on verbal communications and verbal skills, it's still a very, very good fit. Conducting an interview still only requires that a conversation take place, along with the means to record it or film it. Visually impaired people are well-accustomed to having to go the extra mile to understand others, and that again is a hugely useful skill in the realm of journalism.
Now I've rambled on for long enough, so let me just say this to you: I feel hugely privileged with how life has panned out for me. Most of the time I see my blindness as an inconvenience, and that's the extent of it. [Applause] I'm not naive enough to believe that blind people don't face huge barriers to overcome, some natural, some put in our way. But the truth is that there is no other option than to get out there and do it. Some days it will be hard: walking into lampposts--if I may borrow one of your American idioms. Some days we have to deal with a world that doesn't really get it, and worse, stands in the way of one making the most of oneself. But we have to--I think--in the words of Winston Churchill, "keep buggering on," and that's all there is to it. Thank you very much.
A Community of Practice: The Federation in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math
by Natalie Shaheen, Joseph Heimlich, Arianna Benally, Frances Hammond, Cricket Bidleman, and Salvador Villa

From the Editor: Among the most exciting initiatives of the NFB Jernigan Institute is a series of programs that give blind students hands-on experience in subjects often considered beyond their reach. In this presentation, project coordinator Natalie Shaheen leads a panel of participants in programs made possible through a generous grant from the National Science Foundation.
Natalie Shaheen: As a kid I really liked math, and I was pretty good at it, too. In high school I took extra math just for fun, and I loved it! Science class, on the other hand, wasn't as interesting to me in my freshman and sophomore years. I found the subject matter rather straightforward and the pace of the classes too slow. I was bored because I wasn't challenged. In my junior year I decided to take advanced chemistry, hoping for more of a challenge. Well, ask and you shall receive!
Chemistry presented a significant intellectual challenge, one that, at the time, I felt was beyond me. I put 110 percent into chemistry class, but I could never quite grasp the concepts. I ended up getting a C. It sounds sort of goofy, but that C was traumatic. At sixteen I was a perfectionist. I left that class angry, embarrassed, and fed up with science. I concluded that I just wasn't smart enough for the hard sciences.
It wasn't until I came to work for the National Federation of the Blind and was assigned to make a wide variety of STEM subjects accessible for blind students that I realized what had happened to me all those years ago. In chemistry class I didn't do the experiments. In order for me to see what I was doing, I would have had to get dangerously close to toxic substances and fire. The teachers, of course, didn't want me to get hurt. They didn't know how I could do chemistry if I couldn't see what I was doing. And I certainly didn't have any answers for them. I couldn't even phone a blind friend to ask for advice--I didn't have any blind friends. I didn't have a community of practice of blind people who could help me figure out how to do science nonvisually.
So I suffered through chemistry class as the notetaker for my group, trying to understand the content without having full access to the activities. The C I received did not, as I once thought, reflect my lack of capacity for doing chemistry; it reflected my lack of access to the subject matter. Thanks to the work of the National Federation of the Blind, today blind high school students have a community of practice of blind people who can share wisdom and advice about how to do all kinds of STEM subjects nonvisually.
What, exactly, is a community of practice? So as not to bore you with the long academic definition, I'll give you the Twitter-style definition--140 characters or fewer. A community of practice is a group of people who organize themselves, share information, and apprentice novices to become experts.
Our community of practice, the National Federation of the Blind, organized itself in 1940. To this day we share information and advice with each other about how to be successful in the world, and we apprentice novice blind people to become expert blind people. Though we do not commonly use the term apprenticeship, we practice apprenticeship every day in the Federation. If you all will help me, we can demonstrate the prevalence of apprenticeship in our organization. Are you all listening? All right.
If you have been mentored by an older, more experienced blind person in the Federation, say "Aye!" [Many affirm they have.] If you have mentored a younger, less experienced blind person who was just entering the Federation, say "Aye!" [Again a significant response is heard from the crowd.] That's our community of practice, all over this banquet hall and all over the country.
My first mentor in the Federation was Dr. Larry Streeter, who is unfortunately no longer with us. Today I am mentored by numerous people in the Federation, including President Mark Riccobono. Just as more experienced blind people mentor me, I, in turn, mentor the young blind students who walk into my classroom or bump into me out in the world. That's how a community of practice works, that's how the Federation works, and that is why this organization is such a powerful resource for blind students of all ages.
As you listen to the other speakers on this panel today, take note of how our community of practice is referenced both explicitly and implicitly. All of the speakers on this panel have participated in one way or another in our National Center for Blind Youth in Science (NCBYS) programs, which are currently funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation. This three-year grant is comprised of three intertwined components. The first component is our regional STEM programs, called NFB STEM2U, which serve blind students, parents of blind children, and teachers of the blind. The second component is NFB EQ, a week-long advanced engineering program for blind high school students. The third and final component involves working with six science museums across the country to increase accessibility for blind visitors. Today our speakers represent each of those three components of the grant.
Our first speaker is Dr. Joseph Heimlich, the executive director of the Center for Research and Evaluation at the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) and the principal researcher at Lifelong Learning Group. Dr. Heimlich has donned many hats as a part of this project. He has been a great advisor with respect to navigating the museum world, and he has been a tremendous resource as our external evaluator, giving us advice about how to make our programming even more effective. Here is Dr. Heimlich.
Joseph Heimlich: Thank you, Natalie. As President Riccobono said yesterday, this program is exciting, it's innovative, and it's powerful. My role and my team's role in this project is a fun one: we get to help the National Federation of the Blind succeed. Our goal--our role--is to make sure that the good programs get even better and that we can give critical feedback and watch how Natalie and her team turn that into better and better programming for the benefit of the youth.
There are several things we've learned on this project. One of them is that these programs are working. They're working for the youth, they're working for the parents, they're working for the educators, and they're working for the museums. One major learning is that the NFB is strongly committed to STEM learning, and this is important for the National Science Foundation. And finally, we're learning that parents want and need tools to help their children do science at home.
So I'm going to take just a moment and make you do some work for me. I want you to take one minute and talk to the people next to you, and identify three reasons why you think these programs are important. You've got one minute. Go! [Audience starts talking.]
All right, so what are some of the reasons these kinds of programs are important? Shout them out. Equity! Education! Yes, career choices! Problem-solving, empathy, raising expectations--absolutely! These programs are doing all of those things and more. Oh man, that's a big one--learning about themselves and who they are.
What we are seeing--the number one thing we're seeing--is an increase in confidence in the youth, a discovery of what they can do and how they can do it and how they can be engaged in making their own decisions for the future. A second is an exposure to skills. These students have not been given, in many cases, the opportunities to manipulate, to learn tactilely and haptically around these various issues. And finally they're receiving tools to help them perform in the classroom and beyond.
Most of the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) that we learn, and almost all the STEM we use, is outside the classroom. We use STEM skills in daily life. This means that museums and other informal organizations also need the support to work with youth who are blind and with blind adults. This program is taking the traditional educational approaches used in blind education into museums and beyond, where we are seeing a transformation. The reason is that access and accessibility are the real issue for a lot of these youth in science. We're seeing that these are amazing young people who really need the opportunity to succeed, and this program, and programs like this in the future, will continue to give them opportunities to succeed. [Applause]
Natalie Shaheen: Thanks, Dr. Heimlich. Next up is Arianna Benally, one of our younger blind students. She participated in two NFB STEM2U programs. At NFB STEM2U Phoenix, Arianna told me she was writing a story about our program for her school newspaper. Now she's going to share her story with us!
Arianna Benally: Hello. My name is Arianna Benally. I'm eleven years old and going into the sixth grade. I went to two NFB STEM2U programs. We did a lot of engineering. Engineering taught us to make something new with recyclables. It inspired us to build and imagine.
At the NFB STEM2U program in Columbus, Ohio, the museum was called COSI. COSI has exhibits about the human body, the ocean, and electricity. One exhibit was a timeline from when we did not have electricity until present day when we have a lot of electronics. COSI was a lot of fun!
I met a lot of kids in Columbus, and we built many projects together. We built racers, brush bots, and a flash-card tower. I learned that even though a person is visually impaired or blind, they can still build anything. [Applause] I also learned how to work in a group. With our parents' help, we tried to build the tallest tower out of big blue blocks. My group won. These activities helped me learn more about STEM.
At the NFB STEM2U program in Phoenix, Arizona, the museum was called the Arizona Science Center. That museum has exhibits about the human body. One exhibit was about a woman having a baby. Another exhibit was about the wind. In that exhibit you had to stand on a platform, and you could feel the wind and see the lightning.
We pretended to build a machine. It was fun and imaginative. With our parents, we learned how the digestive system works. The museum brought out a bowl with food in it. We smashed the food with a potato masher, which is like our teeth chewing. Then we put the mashed food in a plastic baggie, which was like our stomach. The museum brought out tubes that were the same size as the small and large intestines. We got to look at them. Finally, we learned what our food turns into after we digest it. It was gross! The program was fun and creative, and it helped me understand that I can do and accomplish anything, even though I am blind.
So, there you have it. Now you know that the NFB STEM2U program is great for children and their parents. It is great to be connected with the National Federation of the Blind because their programs help us live the life we want.
Natalie Shaheen: Thanks, Ari. Frances Hammond is Arianna's mother, a board member of the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) and an NFB STEM2U parent participant. Frances is going to tell us what it was like to be a parent at the program.
Frances Hammond: Thank you, Natalie. My eleven-year-old daughter, Arianna, and I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We have been members of the NFB of New Mexico since 2012, and since then I have been in awe over the amazing work you have been doing to support each other and blind adults and children across the country. With the support of the NFB, our NFB of New Mexico, and our Parents of Blind Children of New Mexico, we were given the opportunity to attend two of the NFB STEM2U programs. We attended the program in Columbus, Ohio, at the Center of Science and Industry in May of 2015, and we attended the Phoenix, Arizona, program at the Arizona Science Center in November of 2015.
I learned a great deal about how to make science, technology, engineering, and math more accessible for Arianna. I tried to make our attendance at the Columbus program a learning experience from the beginning. Arianna and I had never been to Ohio before, and we had never traveled alone with each other before. I let her guide me through the airports, which she quickly found is not always an easy task. She found out that rather than roam around aimlessly to read signs too small for her to read, she had to ask for help--this was a big step for her. Then we had our first ride in an Uber. These small, simple transportation details are steps that Arianna had never taken before. We were learning by leaps and bounds, and we had not even arrived at the NFB STEM2U program yet.
When we got to the hotel for the program, we met our facilitators and other parents and children from across the country. Like me, they were searching for ways to make the STEM fields more accessible for their blind children. We all came from very different experiences in regard to our children's educations. Over the course of the next couple of days I heard about instances where services for blind students were extremely limited and examples of technology not being accessible to blind students. I learned that it is a struggle for our students to be as proficient as their sighted peers, simply because of accessibility issues. I also learned how blessed Arianna has been to have blind teachers who are NFB members for four of the five years she was in elementary school. The NFB and the NFB philosophy make a difference in accessibility for our children.
At the Columbus program, we learned about advocacy and what tools are available to blind children in the STEM fields. We talked about our children's Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and the impact they have on a child's education. We were given a crash course on ways to make tools in the STEM field more accessible. We learned how to use tactile calipers and how to tactilely mark a plastic milliliter syringe for measuring. We were shown an audio pen/book combination that could read the periodic table and all of the information it displays. Dr. Cary Supalo showed us his wonderful talking LabQuest that makes taking measurements in a scientific setting as accessible as can be. I was surprised that I had never even heard of any of these tools before, and I was grateful that the NFB had put the STEM2U program together to help us sighted parents understand more about accessibility issues.
Before the program I thought I had a good understanding of what Arianna needed, but I was amazed at the wealth of information I had received. After the program Arianna and I went home with a new outlook on what Arianna's education would look like. I started wondering about her future. Then we heard about another NFB STEM2U program much closer to home in Phoenix. I was overjoyed, because the proximity meant that my husband, Bryce, could attend. Originally I planned for him to take her alone, but I could not resist another weekend of attending an NFB program--after all, this is why we're Federationists.
We were able to drive to Phoenix, and upon our arrival, I was expecting the program to mirror the Columbus program. I was excited to learn that a fellow NOPBC board member, Pat Renfranz, had come with her husband, Dave, to facilitate most of the parents' activities. Pat and Dave are scientists, and learning from them was a much different experience because they have a deeper understanding of the STEM fields. Bryce and I were in for a long weekend of learning.
For this program we were asked to bring Arianna's latest IEP. We talked about IEP advocacy, and then we really delved into the IEP and what should be in it. We were told to highlight words such as technology, science, math, and measure. Our IEP was the most highlighted in the whole room. This meant that our IEP team must be doing a good job, but there were other IEPs that were less than adequate. I am thankful that the NFB shed light on this problem through the STEM2U program. Now there are so many more informed parents out there who can advocate more effectively for their child's educational needs.
As the program continued I once again found myself with inadequate knowledge of how to make things more accessible for Arianna. Pat and Dave gave us specific examples of how to make science accessible. I had never considered how to explain to Arianna about lunar cycles, the relative size of planets in our solar system, or the distance between planets. Pat and Dave showed us how. We used a very long piece of string and beads to show the relative distances between planets. Using this method, it was easy to deduce that Mercury, Venus, and Earth are much closer to the sun than Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
Then we were paired in teams of two to tour the Arizona Science Center, armed with different tools to make the museum more accessible to our blind children. At each exhibit one partner would wear sleepshades while the other explained the exhibit, using some of the tools to make it more tactilely accessible. One of the tools we found most useful was the Sensational BlackBoard. We were able to use it to sketch a tactile representation of an exhibit. Bryce and I took turns. We learned more about the dynamics of helping our daughter get the most out of future trips to museums than we ever had before.
The NFB STEM2U programs educated us in the importance of making the STEM fields more accessible for Arianna to succeed in her future educational endeavors. I am thankful that the NFB shared with us how to approach accessibility issues within the STEM fields. Now I know that even though she has had great NFB teachers, I still need to raise my expectations of her educational needs in the future.
This coming year Arianna will not be assigned a full-time teacher of the visually impaired because she is starting middle school. All of her teachers will be sighted. I am worried about how they will help make things accessible for Arianna, but I know that I can help where they lack. The NFB STEM2U program has given us knowledge that we would not have obtained otherwise. Thank you, NFB, for providing a program that empowers parents with the knowledge to help their children succeed in the future. [Applause]
Natalie Shaheen: Thanks, Frances. Cricket Bidleman was an apprentice in our NFB STEM2U San Francisco program and a participant in NFB EQ 2015. She is going to share her NFB EQ experience.
Cricket Bidleman: Good morning, fellow Federationists. I'm Cricket Bidleman, a twelfth grader from Morro Bay, California, and I am incredibly honored to have the opportunity to share my experiences with the National Center for Blind Youth in Science initiative regarding the National Federation of the Blind Engineering Quotient program. A man named Edward Prescott once said, "The only man who can change his mind is a man who's got one." This is true, but how much impact can just changing one's mind really have?
Before ninth grade I thought about a career in law. Since then, however (and no offense to the lawyers out there), I have wanted to go into science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, also known as STEM. The only problem was that I didn't think such a career would be practical due to my blindness. That all changed after I attended NFB EQ.
After arriving at the Jernigan Institute--having flown independently for the first time--I met nineteen other blind high schoolers. I was assigned to a team with three other students. After everyone had been split into teams, each group was given a marshmallow, dry spaghetti noodles, a paper bag, string, and a piece of tape. We were challenged to make the tallest structure possible, using only the materials we had. My group taped the tips of our canes to the ground in a square, then stood them all upright and tied the paper bag over the handles to keep them together--imagine a square pyramid kind of shape. Then, we put the marshmallow on top and waited for the verdict. Though we did stretch the rules just a little, our creativity had allowed us to make the tallest structure, using only the materials we had. I do want to point out that no one said anything about using only the materials we were given.
The next day we began our project, which took four days to complete. Each group constructed a boat and oars out of PVC pipes, wood, a tarp, and duct tape--and they weren't those little model boats that people put on shelves and forget about. We learned safety techniques for using drills, saws, and other tools. We also learned to make charcoal water filters out of recyclable materials, and each group was responsible for designing their own filter. At the end of the week, we raced the boats in the nearby reservoir. Thankfully, all of them floated, and although my team did not win the race, we did our best and learned a lot about engineering in the process. In the end we won the award for the best filter design. [Applause]
The NFB EQ program taught me a lot. I learned independent travel skills by navigating multiple airports. I learned about the engineering process, about water filtration, and about how to use sharp tools safely. Most of all, the program developed my passion for the STEM field.
As I mentioned earlier, Edward Prescott once said, "The only man who can change his mind is a man who's got one." I changed my mind in ninth grade and am now interested in going into some area of the STEM field. However, just changing my mind was not enough. At the National Federation of the Blind Engineering Quotient program, I was able to gain the experience that allowed me to realize that science is a practical career for me and that, with certain techniques, I can be just as independent as my sighted peers. In other words, NFB EQ taught me that I can live the life I want. Thank you, NFB. [Applause]
Science, technology, engineering, and math is so much more than numbers and equations. STEM is about sharing how each person's individual perspective allows them to see and explain the world differently. As a blind person I definitely see things differently, and thanks to NFB EQ, I now have the courage to share my perspective. And this is why we need more programs like NFB EQ--to inspire blind youth to pursue careers in STEM and to give young blind people the skills and confidence to share their perspective with the world. [Applause] Thank you.
Natalie Shaheen: Thanks, Cricket. Salvador Villa just participated in NFB EQ 2016, and he was an apprentice at NFB STEM2U Phoenix. Sal is going to tell you what it was like to be an apprentice at NFB STEM2U.
Salvador Villa: Good morning, my Federation family. How are you all doing this morning? My name is Salvador Villa, but everybody calls me Sal. I am from McAllen, Texas, and I will be a senior in high school this upcoming August.
Last fall I participated in the NFB STEM2U program. At the program I learned leadership skills, had the opportunity to mentor younger students, make friends from different parts of the country, and travel across the country to new places.
The aspect of the program that was most meaningful to me was being an apprentice at my regional program in Phoenix, Arizona. I enjoyed this part of the program the most because I was able to use the leadership skills I have gained from working in the NFB of Texas BELL Academy and at the NFB STEM2U Leadership Academy in Baltimore.
When I was a kid, many people helped and mentored me. Being an apprentice at STEM2U finally allowed me to give back to my community. To me, nothing feels greater than watching a child be successful and reach their goals, and NFB STEM2U gave me a firsthand experience of this feeling.
In this program I was in charge of a small group of children, and my job was to mentor them as they learned about science. I remember teaching them different cane skills as we walked around the museum looking at exhibits. I was also able to share my story on what I have done in order to reach my goals and give them advice on how they can reach their goals.
I am thankful and grateful that I was given the privilege to be a part of NFB STEM2U, and I hope that other teenagers like me can have the same experience I had last November.
Natalie Shaheen: Our last presentation is a virtual presentation of sorts. We had participants from all of our National Center for Blind Youth in Science (NCBYS) programs send in tweets about their experience, and we pulled a selection of them together to share with you. Here is our spoof on the Jimmy Kimmel skit "Celebrities Read Mean Tweets."
Anil Lewis reads and inserts some of his own comments into these tweets; his comments are in parentheses.
@CuriousKid: At the Museum of Science in #Boston, I picked fake boogers out of a really huge model of a nose in the Hall of Human Life. #Yucky (absolutely) #STEM
@ProudMama: (It's a great handle) Overheard my son saying, "I want to be more independent at home." (big mistake, Kid) That spoke volumes to me. (I'm sure it did.) #Grateful for AwesomeOpportunity #NCBYS (And I'll add #NowYou'llHaveToMakeUpYourBedAllByyourselfAllTheTime. Good luck.)
President Riccobono reads: @ScientistSarah: I asked a child at NFB STEM2U #Bmore to watch the experiment . . . "don't forget, I'm blind!"
@apprenticeSTEM2U: piano keys on the floor, 'Do Re Me,' give me more! #science museum #NCBYS
@aoates: Favorite overheard #Exploratorium #STEM2U moment: "I'm having so much fun, I'm forgetting about growing up! Does this make you forget about growing up?"
Anil narrates: @allieykatt13: Dissecting starfish was amazingly spongy at Arizona Science Museum #NCBYS #STEM2U (I just learned something; starfish are spongy.)
@DuctTapeKing: I used 10 million rolls of #DuctTape to build my boat at NFB EQ #Engineering #STEM (Hopefully that was an over exaggeration of the amount of duct tape.)
President Riccobono narrates: @PatriotsFan29: All the boats floated! #WeDidIt #OhSnap #WeAreAwesome
@nlshaheen: 2 years, 6 states, 11 programs, 400 participants (students, parents, teachers), hundreds of volunteers, 1 awesome @NFB_Voice team! #Time4AN-AP
@riccobono: Great job, @NFB_Voice#whatsnext
Natalie Shaheen: In closing I would like to thank each and every one of you for making our education programs possible. Everyone in this room contributes to our community of practice, and without that community of practice our education programs would not be successful. Pat yourselves on the back, and give your neighbor a high five. Together with love, hope, and determination, we transform young blind students' dreams into reality. Thank you.
What Happened? Highlights from the 2016 Youth Track
by Eric Guillory and Shannon Kemlo
From the Editor: Each year at the NFB national convention, teens and preteens keep busy with a series of activities known as Youth Track. The 2016 Youth Track was coordinated by Eric Guillory and Shannon Kemlo. Eric Guillory has been director of Youth Services at the Louisiana Center for the Blind since 2007. He also serves as president of the National Organization of Professionals in Blindness Education (PIBE), a division of the NFB. Shannon Kemlo is the statewide children and youth services program manager for SAAVI Services for the Blind in Arizona.
We sometimes joke that when a student prefaces the answer to a question with "See, what happened was . . ." we are guaranteed to hear a tall tale or an entertaining excuse. But rest assured, when we discuss Youth Track happenings, in no way are we being hyperbolic.
In the Youth Track activities at the 2016 NFB convention, students between the ages of eleven and eighteen had fun, gained important information, and forged new friendships. Dynamic presenters and role models demonstrated in very tangible ways that these young men and women can, through love, hope, and determination, live the lives they want.
Before we detail what took place in beautiful Orlando, special thanks are in order to those who worked so tirelessly and collaboratively to make Youth Track a success. We would like to offer particular recognition to Melissa Riccobono, Kim Cunningham, and the entire NOPBC board. All provided expert guidance and invaluable logistical support. The summer students and staff of SAAVI Services for the Blind and the Louisiana Center for the Blind took the lead in the planning and organizing. Students and staff of the Colorado Center for the Blind, BLIND Inc. (Blindness Learning in New Dimensions), Blind Industries and Services of Maryland (BISM), and the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired also contributed greatly to the quality of all of the events.
One of the questions students and their families ask us most often is, "What can the national convention offer me?" Our first Youth Track session served to answer that question and to get students engaged in dialogue with one another. The discussion was both serious and hilarious, candid and telling. Participants learned a great deal about themselves and one another, and about the strength and welcoming spirit of the National Federation of the Blind. We also reviewed portions of the convention agenda and stressed the importance of active participation and the fun of deliberately seeking out mentors and new friends.
Many of today's youth are savvy on social media, where the Federation has an influential presence. Inviting students and young professionals to remain connected on Facebook and other sites is a critical component of our outreach to students, families, and educators.
The session entitled "Feeling Good and Looking Good: Self Confidence, Fashion, and Style" focused on four main topics--fashion, confidence, involvement, and relationships. Often students are told, "It doesn't matter what you wear or how you hold yourself in the world, as long as you're being yourself." This is great advice in theory, but it can add to the challenges when blind young people try to build and maintain friendships with their peers. The students asked a ton of questions, from "How am I supposed to get a girl when I don't drive?" to "My family told me only to date sighted people so they can take care of me. But I don't agree--how do I tell them?" The kids really opened up and were honest about their feelings and concerns. We are grateful to Jean Brown, First Lady of the Indiana affiliate, for her wisdom and candor.
Speaking of fashion, students cranked up the music and took to the runway at the NOPBC Youth Style Show. Some people, blind and sighted alike, have the erroneous notion that if a person can't see, he or she has no need to keep up with current styles. This idea leads to diminished expectations and all of the associated negatives. It is important that our students always put their best foot forward--and that includes personal hygiene, grooming, and fashion.
The fact that each Youth Track session was led by a blind mentor, usually a young adult, seemed to have a huge impact. The mentors were professionals and college students, and all of them were Federationists. The youth loved it.
During the NFB Board of Directors meeting, youth ages eleven to fourteen were invited to go on a scavenger hunt and explore the wonders of the Exhibit Hall. They were divided into teams led by young blind mentors. The Youth Track kids had a blast checking out all the things on offer in that vast space. They hardly noticed that they were learning about the importance of teamwork, listening for clues, problem solving, and using their canes. Shhhh! Having fun while you learn skills is the best!
Dr. Cary Supalo and other Federationists engaged students in hands-on science exploration. They used common household items as well as innovative equipment available through Independence Science. Some educators still believe that STEM subject matter is out of reach for blind students. Dr. Supalo and others are proving that this assumption is incorrect. Science is fun, and it is essential to a good understanding of our world. Not only did Youth Track students conduct meaningful and enjoyable experiments; they also learned about why matter acts the way it does.
The final Youth Track session was called "Deal Me In." A deck of cards is a portable instrument that allows us to have fun and spend quality time with friends and family almost anywhere. Students learned to play various card games as they socialized with one another and with young blind professionals. Playing with a Braille deck is one more proof that "Braille rocks!"
In planned and spontaneous discussions, we talked with the young people about the importance of ongoing involvement with the NFB. We emphasized that it is important for blind youth to take part in their local chapters, to meet blind peers and mentors, and to participate in summer programs in order to gain confidence and reach new levels of skill.
The energy, enthusiasm, intelligence, and camaraderie displayed by the 2016 Youth Track participants mirrors that of our Federation family and adds value to our national convention. Preliminary planning for the 2017 Youth Track is already underway. Let's go build the Federation by empowering our students!
The Parent Leadership Program
by Carol Castellano
From the Editor: For more than three decades Carol Castellano has been a driving force behind the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC). She is a past president of both the NOPBC and the Parents of Blind Children-New Jersey. She is the author of four books, including Making It Work and Getting Ready for College Begins in Third Grade.
The Parent Leadership Program (PLP) began in 2006 with the goal of empowering new parent leaders throughout the United States. The program strives to give parents the critical leadership and advocacy skills they need to found or strengthen state Parents of Blind Children chapters and to advocate on the local, state, and national levels for equal rights and a full education for blind children.
The PLP endeavors to inspire new parent leaders with Federation philosophy, connect them with Federation leaders, and teach them to work toward policy and legislative changes that will improve the lives of blind people. The program seeks parents who show the commitment and leadership potential to take on these tasks. Each year the PLP invites recommendations from NFB and POBC state leaders. It also encourages parents to express their interest in joining the program. During the ten-year history of the PLP, nearly two hundred parents from forty-three states have taken part in the program. Most participants have gone on to found or serve on the boards of state POBC chapters. Many have served on the NOPBC board as well.
The Parent Leadership Program consists of special workshops and training sessions, supplemented by mentoring, phone conferences, and opportunities to meet key Federation leaders. The main events take place at the NFB national convention and at the Washington Seminar, where participants have the chance to see the Federation in action.
At convention the PLP focuses on philosophy, interaction, and networking, with each participant being provided with NFB mentors. Workshops at the Washington Seminar focus on the nuts and bolts of getting a parents' division up and running. Participants also learn advocacy skills and meet national leaders and members of state affiliates. Each participant has the opportunity to go to Capitol Hill with his or her state affiliate to advocate for laws that improve the lives and further the rights of blind people.
If you would like more information about the PLP, or if you would like to nominate someone to participate, please contact me or NOPBC President Kim Cunningham. Feel free to nominate yourself if you're interested in getting involved! We would welcome your participation!
You can reach me at [email protected] or (973) 377-0976. Kim Cunningham can be reached at [email protected], (713) 501-9659.
Fear, Or, How to Dance Like No One's Watching
by Jameyanne Fuller
From the Editor: Jameyanne Fuller was awarded the Mimi and Marvin Sandler scholarship at the 2016 convention. She is a first-year student at Harvard Law School and an aspiring writer. On her way home from the convention in Orlando, she wrote this blog post for her friends and family, and she has graciously agreed to share it with our readers.
I am sitting on a plane returning to Boston from Orlando, Florida, where I just spent the most incredible week at the national convention of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). I went to the NFB convention because I was a scholarship finalist, but I went with negative expectations. Now I'm struggling to find words to describe what a powerful and transformative experience the convention was for me.
Here's a little background for you. I was born blind. I have aniridia glaucoma, which means I don't have irises. My eyes can't adjust to light and dark, and I am extremely sensitive to bright light. Also I have higher than normal pressure in my eyes. I have some residual vision in my left eye. I can see light and dark, shapes, and colors. I had similar vision in my right eye until three years ago, when the pressure skyrocketed and my retina detached. I lost the vision in that eye, and I was in so much pain the eye had to be removed. Now it's as if there's a big black hole where my right eye used to be (at least in terms of what I see there). I would be lying if I said it was no big deal to me when I lost the vision in my right eye. On the whole, though, I've always been very comfortable with my blindness.
Because I was blind, I had a really hard time socially in middle and high school. Among other things, I could never tell where my friends were sitting in the cafeteria, and I would always end up eating lunch by myself. I thought at the time that this was fine with me, because I could use the time to read and write. It was only when I went to college and met friends who banged on the table and yelled across crowded rooms for me to come sit with them--without me having to ask--that I realized what I'd been missing. Just as it was no big deal to me that I'm a blind person, it was no big deal to my friends, and this was fabulous.
I don't think I ever made a conscious decision to do so, but I began to distance myself from my blindness. I lost touch with my blind friends back in New England and threw myself into any activity that someone even hinted might be difficult for me. I shot down anyone who suggested I consider writing about my experiences as a blind person. Through social media, I saw many of my blind friends become enthusiastically involved with national organizations of the blind, such as the National Federation of the Blind or the American Council of the Blind, but I didn't understand why they wanted to do that. Personally, I never posted anything about my blindness except to make a joke or to tell funny stories about Mopsy, my guide dog. I didn't want the world to perceive me as a blind person, as if nothing else about me was important.
Then I went to Italy, where almost everyone saw me as blind and nothing else. In Italy I realized that I wanted to go to law school and become a disability rights lawyer. By advocating for my own independence in Assisi, I changed minds about what blind people are able to do. By the end of my year in Italy, people were approaching me to say that they knew a blind person and were going to tell her about everything I'd done. I thought, If I made such a difference just by existing, what could I do if I tried to make a difference?
In Italy I also decided that I wanted to see more representations of people with disabilities in fiction. If I wanted to see that, why shouldn't I be the one who did the representing? Who better is there? At the same time, I was uncomfortable with the idea that I would be perceived as a lawyer who's interested in disability rights just because I'm blind, or as a blind writer who includes characters with disabilities. These concerns continue to trouble me.
Last March I applied for a National Federation of the Blind scholarship. I was hesitant to apply. I'd heard that the NFB was radical, even militant. Worst of all, I'd heard that the organization is opposed to guide dogs. Since my scholarship essay focused on my experiences with Mopsy in Italy, I was sure the NFB would reject me. But my parents encouraged me to apply anyway. Law school is expensive, guys, and as my parents put it, "Money is money." I applied for an NFB scholarship, and I won. And I spent this past week at the NFB national convention.
As I said, I went with negative expectations. I planned to take the money and run for the hills. I planned to spend the convention making snarky tweets about what happens when three thousand blind people swarm through a hotel lobby.
I did make some snarky tweets, because let's be fair, with three thousand blind people, the jokes are rife for the picking. But I very quickly found that I did not want to stand aside and joke around, and I certainly did not want to run for the hills after convention. The people in the NFB are fighting for causes I am passionate about. They recognize that our society has made tremendous progress toward equality for the blind, but they also recognize that there is still so much to be done, and they are continuing to fight for that equality. There are definitely some things I don't agree with, but on the whole, what the NFB says makes sense.
Most of the things I was told about the NFB before I went to convention were exaggerations or downright wrong. NFB is not opposed to guide dogs. The first lady, Melissa Riccobono, is a guide dog user. NFB does not insist on complete and total independence at all times. Federation philosophy expresses that it's important to know how to be independent and to know that you can, as a blind person, navigate the world without assistance, but it really comes down to knowing what's best for you under your particular circumstances.
The Federation is not litigious. Rather, it uses the law to pursue change when it is the only way to force large corporations to take action. And the NFB is not fighting with Google over the self-driving car because it doesn't want blind people to rely on machines. The Federation wants the self-driving car, which has been hailed as an innovation for people with disabilities, to have an interface that will be accessible to the blind. It seeks to prevent and combat laws that are already being passed requiring a licensed driver to operate a self-driving car--effectively excluding the blind from an opportunity to expand their independence.
Finally, to me, the NFB didn't seem radical or militant. It seemed energetic and committed to moving forward without settling for what we have.
At convention I met so many amazing, intelligent people. I was mentored each day by a different member of the NFB Scholarship Committee--writers, editors, lawyers, and more. I attended meetings where I learned about exemptions in the Fair Labor Act that allow people with disabilities to be paid substantially less than the minimum wage. I heard about the battles blind parents must fight for the right to raise their children, and I learned what the NFB is doing about it. I learned more about my rights as a blind student. I screamed myself hoarse for Braille literacy, the Accessible Instructional Material in Higher Education Act (Aim High), the Marrakech Treaty to end the worldwide book famine for the blind, and accessible fitness equipment.
I learned how to navigate an unfamiliar area, such as an airport or our hotel (which someone described as being larger than the city of Pisa, and I've been to Pisa, and I believe it!) I found out the trick is to ask for directions and walk independently rather than taking a sighted person's arm and following without a clue where they're taking me. (Like I said earlier, there are definitely times for human guide technique, but it's nice to know how to do things without it.)
At convention I took a ballroom dancing class and learned the basic steps for waltz and swing. I'm normally super self-conscious about dancing. I can't see what everyone else is doing, and I'm afraid I'm doing it wrong. But here no one could see what anyone was doing. Not only was our teacher--who was also blind--able to describe the steps effectively, but it really was the perfect time to dance like no one was watching.
The only thing I didn't do at convention was sleep and eat.
I also took a One Touch class. One Touch is a self-defense program designed for the blind. I loved it, and I'm really interested in taking a longer, more intensive course, maybe even becoming an instructor myself. I think it's really important for us as blind people to be able to defend ourselves. As long as mainstream culture, and particularly predators, see us as vulnerable, we have to face the possibility of assault and be prepared. In the class I took, we learned some basic ways to move away from someone who has grabbed us. I also know now how to break someone's arm. I learned that if someone is simply being aggressively helpful ("Let me seize your arm and drag you across this street you clearly shouldn't be crossing yourself!"), it's better to twist free, step back, and tell them you're all right and that they should ask first next time. On the other hand, if someone grabs you with the intention of hurting you, you want to grab them back and not let go. That way you know where they are at all times, and you're in control. But all that aside, our instructor said something that really struck home for me, not just regarding self-defense, but daily life. "Bravery is when there's something more important than being afraid."
I spent nine months in Italy absolutely terrified that I was going to be killed by a maniac with a motor vehicle. Since then I have been unwilling even to stick a toe outside my comfort zone. It's safe in my comfort zone. But it's also incredibly freeing and empowering to walk through an airport without sighted assistance, to find my gate and the bathroom and the food court on my own, to know where I am in the world rather than feeling like a package that's being delivered to who-knows-where. It was definitely outside my comfort zone--actually almost everything I did this week was outside my comfort zone--but once I did it, I found that my comfort zone grew to accommodate my new skills.
During his keynote address at the banquet Tuesday night, NFB President Mark Riccobono actually said that fear can be a good thing. Fear is powerful, he said, because it tells us that what we are doing is valuable. With everything wonderful comes fear. We must use our fear to discover and push past our limits.
So as I crossed the stage Tuesday night and received my scholarship award, I made a decision. Not a decision to be brave, which I've done before. Not a decision to push away my fears. But a decision to embrace them, to make something new of them, to turn them into strength.
Maybe I've been brainwashed, but I have decided that I want to join the NFB. (And just for the record, I don't think I've been brainwashed; there are some philosophies and methodologies I definitely disagree with, and that's all right.) I want to be a part of this dynamic, energetic, strong organization. I want to add my strength to its drive and commitment toward true equality for the blind, not only in the United States, but in the world. I want to dance like no one's watching and not care if they are.
But first, I really, really need to get some sleep!
Educator of Blind Students Award
Presented by Carla McQuillan
Carla McQuillan: In our efforts to ensure the success of our blind children through their lives with Braille literacy and the skills of independence, the National Federation of the Blind recognizes teachers who are leaders in the field of education of blind students. This award recognizes and honors the best of the best.
I'd like first to thank the members of the committee. We had Laura Bostick, Michelle Chacon, Dan Wenzel, and Mary Willows. We had many highly qualified applicants, but one stood out above the rest. This year's Distinguished Educator of Blind Students has spent thirty-nine years in the field of education of the blind. She received her certificate as a teacher of blind students from Florida State University, her bachelor of science from Louisiana State University, and a degree in low vision therapy from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. She began her career in 1977, working with preschool students who are blind. Throughout her thirty-nine years she has worked with children from birth through high school in many different settings: in home settings as an itinerant and in the classroom; now she serves as an educational consultant for the Louisiana Center for the Blind.
Pam Allen says that this teacher is passionate about Braille literacy; Eric Guillory, who as a child was a student of this distinguished educator, remembers that she said that her students needed skills, not sympathy. He also says that she is a full-blown parrothead Jimmy Buffet fan. And, while this was not one of the criteria for our decision, it doesn't get much better than a cheeseburger in paradise.
To put it in her own words, [in a Southern accent], "I can stand my ground with those professionals who say that this student doesn't need Braille because he is keepin' up just beautifully with his sighted peers. Well, as you might guess, of course he is in kindergarten. I've had to battle with administrators, teachers, and even parents, but I always advocate for the children."
I have with me a check for one thousand dollars. I also have with me a plaque that reads:
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND HONORS
JANET BERNHARDT
DISTINGUISHED EDUCATOR OF BLIND STUDENTS
FOR YOUR SKILLS IN TEACHING BRAILLE AND OTHER ALTERNATIVE TECHNIQUES OF BLINDNESS,
FOR GRACIOUSLY DEVOTING EXTRA TIME TO MEET THE NEEDS OF YOUR STUDENTS,
AND FOR EMPOWERING YOUR STUDENTS TO PERFORM BEYOND THEIR EXPECTATIONS.
YOU CHAMPION OUR MOVEMENT. YOU STRENGTHEN OUR HOPES. YOU SHARE OUR DREAMS.
JULY 2, 2016
At the annual board meeting of the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children, Janet Bernhardt was invited to speak about her philosophy of teaching. She gave the following address.
When I started teaching, I never intended to work this long. I intended to work until I got married and had babies. Now, I knew all about Gloria [Steinem] and her bra-burning friends, and I liked them! I still like Gloria! But I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom and have lots of babies.
I became a teacher before I became a mom. Something wonderful happened! I fell in love with my students--your kids. They became my kids, too. I was an old mother hen in my twenties, and you better not ruffle my feathers, because I would fight for my little chicks. When a science teacher would tell me that my students couldn't be in their class because they didn't know how to teach blind kids, I'd say, in my nicest way, "You don't have to know how to teach blind kids. That's my job. All you have to do is teach science."
I worked for directors of special education who believed that I knew what I was doing. Imagine that! I was a brand-new teacher, and I didn't have a clue what I was doing. I knew the Braille code backward and forward, but not one person taught me how to teach Braille or how to work with a blind child. I thought it was all very simple, though. I just went to the other classroom teachers and found out what they were teaching, and I made sure my students could do the same things in Braille. It worked.
Today we teach to the test, and I am sick to death of teachers teaching to the test! They don't have the opportunity to experience the joy of teaching as I did. I was able to plant, grow, and harvest a garden with my students. We would make invitations from the lavender and invite the moms to a Mother's Day luncheon. We would cook in an electric skillet, make table arrangements from the flowers, and set a table properly.
We were able to hatch chicks in the classroom. Heck, one day we did the entire life cycle of a chicken! We hatched them, we loved them, we killed them, we buried them. We didn't mean to kill the chicks, but I had a kindergarten student who loved them so much that he wrapped them very tightly in a towel before we went to lunch. When we came back and didn't hear the little cheeps, we knew something was wrong. Since I like to teach that all life is precious, we had to bury them. I mean, you can't just flush a chick like you can a goldfish. So we found the janitor and borrowed a shovel, dug a hole, and buried the little chicks. We all went around a circle and said something sweet about them, and I said a prayer.
I was able to teach about chicks being hatched. The children could hold the egg in their hands and feel the chick peck out of the shell. They could hold the egg to their ear and hear the little cheeps. They could feel the wet feathers when the chick hatched out, and then they could feel the soft down of the baby chick after it dried. Today, teachers read a story about a chick and maybe show the children a raised-line drawing of a chick, but you can't tell me it's the same thing! Our students need to experience things in the world, not just read about them.
One day I read an article about Blind Outdoor Leisure Development and a group of skiers in Aspen, Colorado. The more I tried to answer the kids' questions about skiing, the more confused they became. Remember, this was in Louisiana, and we don't get snow there. I wasn't able to describe the feeling of snow or how to make snow angels or how to snow plow. One student asked how you got down from a mountain and another answered, "You use a ladder, silly!" I immediately said, "Field trip!"
We drove to a shop in a nearby town that had a simulated mountain. The kids were able to feel the long skis that fit onto snow boots, put them on, and actually ride up in a gondola and ski down a simulated mountain. After a couple of lessons, the instructor was a bit depressed because my students would probably never get to go snow skiing. So I thought, Why not?
So we started raising money. I didn't want my students to think, I'm blind, so people pay for me to go on trips. That's the philosophy that leads to adults believing they don't need to work, they can just get a check because they are blind. None of us wants that for our students! So we started to raise money. We sold sterling Braille jewelry; we had garage sales; we worked bingo games with a local charity; we sold pickles at recess. You'd be surprised how much an elementary student will pay for a pickle!
We went snow skiing in Aspen, and when we returned I started a Louisiana Blind Outdoor Leisure Development (BOLD). We went camping, fishing, and hiking. We went to Disney World and enjoyed breakfast with Mickey and rode every ride there, I think. We went to SeaWorld, where we had a behind-the-scenes tour. We touched dolphins and fed baby manatees. We thought the manatees felt just like baked potatoes. Just like a baked potato, their rough skin would make an indentation when you pressed it.
National Federation of the Blind, thank you, not only for this award, but also for teaching me how to be a good teacher. When I first started teaching, I'd call Joanne Wilson, Don Banning, and Warren Figueiro. Now I call Pam Allen and Eric Guillory. I wanted to learn from blind people who are working, contributing to their communities and churches, and living the lives they want. So I humbly share this award with each and every one of you.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards
Presented by James Gashel
Reprinted from Braille Monitor, August/September 2016, Volume 59, Number 8
James Gashel: Thank you, Mr. President and fellow Federationists. The presentation of the Jacob Bolotin Awards is a high honor that I have on behalf of this organization, the Santa Barbara Foundation, and the Alfred and Rosalind Perlman Trust. A biography entitled The Blind Doctor: The Jacob Bolotin Story by Rosalind Perlman is a must-read for all of you. It really should go down among our Federation literature. It is available from the Independence Market. Get it, and read it by next year, okay?
Jacob Bolotin's story defines what it means to live the life you want. He was born in 1888, and he lived to be age thirty-six. But during that short life, he fulfilled his dream of becoming the first blind doctor--blind since birth. And he wasn't just a psychology doctor; he was a heart and lung doctor. Nothing wrong with psychology doctors, now, but this guy got right into it.
After graduating from the Illinois School for the Blind, Bolotin supported himself and his family as a door-to-door salesman in Chicago. He sold kitchen matches, brushes, and typewriters. The hours were long and the work was hard, but Bolotin persevered, and he even saved up enough money to put himself through medical school. There wasn't any vocational rehabilitation back then; there wasn't any section 504 or ADA back then. In the spirit of Jacobus tenBroek, Kenneth Jernigan, Marc Maurer, and Mark Riccobono, Jacob Bolotin was, in fact if not in name, a Federationist.
Supported in part by a bequest left to the Santa Barbara Foundation and by the National Federation of the Blind, the awards we give include money that each recipient will get. They also include an engraved plaque and a medallion. Here's the text on the plaque:
Presented to [name of the recipient] by the National Federation of the Blind and the Santa Barbara Foundation
July 2016
The text on the obverse side of the medallion suspended above the plaque says this: "The Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award" with our logo under that, and it says immediately below the logo, "Celebrating Achievement, Creating Opportunity." Now the reverse side of the medallion says "Dr. Jacob Bolotin," and then there's a depiction of his bust below that text. Below the bust are the years of his birth and death, with this text below: "Celebrating His Life/The Alfred and Rosalind Perlman Trust."
And now for the 2016 Bolotin Awards.
Audio and Braille Literacy Enhancement (ABLE), $5,000
Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, ABLE started more than fifty years ago, mostly as a Braille transcription service, but audio services were added soon thereafter. In 2013 the service was further expanded to fill requests from teachers for more than just textbooks, including accessible Braille versions of daily math and science materials and Spanish and German materials for foreign language classes. Assessments, quizzes, and exams were included; books and short stories for literature classes are now included; and raised-line drawing of charts, graphs, and pictures are done by ABLE. With a sound studio that is now equipped for the NLS [National Library Service] program, ABLE now produces audio books by Wisconsin authors that are not included in the national NLS program. If you want to visit a museum exhibit that's accessible, visit Crossroads of Civilization at the Milwaukee Public Museum. It was made fully accessible by ABLE.
Meeting the standard set by Dr. Jacob Bolotin, ABLE is providing services of the highest quality. Excellence is only the floor, not the ceiling at ABLE. Here to receive the award is Cheryl Orgas, executive director of ABLE.
Cheryl Orgas: Good afternoon. As executive director of a creative and innovative volunteer staff team at ABLE, I am deeply honored to receive this Jacob Bolotin Award. ABLE creates quick-turnaround materials such as hundreds of math and science tactiles for a rising junior in his international baccalaureate program and books that can be downloaded on BARD [Braille and Audio Reading Download] by the 550,000 individuals and organizations that are a part of the program. We have a signature relationship with the Milwaukee Public Museum; Crossroads is accessible, but we're moving on to the butterfly exhibit and to the dinosaurs. Even bigger than that is what ABLE has done in partnership with the Milwaukee Public Museum. We've changed their paradigm from "Just look, don't touch" to "How can we make exhibits accessible from the ground up?"
And I can tell you, we are not stopping there. We've moved on to the Urban Ecology Center. Because of our work at ABLE, and because of our passion and commitment, blind people are going to be able to live the lives they want. My deepest gratitude to James Gashel, Ron Brown, and Mary Ellen Jernigan for this wonderful gift of money, and may I also say the greater gift of having ABLE associated with such a great man, such an exemplary leader as Dr. Bolotin. Thank you from my family: Bill Meeker; and Christopher, our son, who is in Utah fighting fires right now. As blind parents we taught him to live the life he wants! And to our great friends and leader President Riccobono, Dr. Maurer, and all of you, my family, thank you.
Oskar and Klaus Publishing, $10,000
Jim Gashel: Now you say, "What is Oskar and Klaus Publishing?" Well, I'm going to tell you. Mick Szydlowski and his wife Bethany adopted a six-week-old blind kitten named Oskar. This was five years ago, and Oskar was adopted to join their adopted sighted cat named Klaus. They didn't know what to do except just to stay out of the way while Oskar basically found his way around his new home. He was fearless, running around the place, navigating through. And Klaus didn't know what to do either, so he just stayed out of the way. Compared to Klaus, Oskar was the first one to show up at mealtime. He was climbing Bethany's leg as the cans of cat food were being opened, while Klaus just sat back and watched.
Oh, Klaus accepted his new companion. Through their play and wrestling about, it was clear that Oskar was in charge, and Klaus was just following along--that's the way it ought to be. Mr. President, the blind should be in charge! Yeah, let's hear a Federation cheer for the blind being in charge! [Applause]
Fascinated by the antics of their blind cat and their much more timid sighted cat, Mick and Bethany started posting pictures and videos on the internet, and the thing just went viral. That's when they called on their friend Travis Bossard to help out. Travis is now part of this business to manage the growing social media. This includes not just appearances at the local pet shelter, which they've had, but on national television shows such as "Good Morning, America," "Ellen," "Fox and Friends," and others.
Now the adventures of Oskar and Klaus are being recounted in books. Two books are out, and a third one is in process. You can get these books at <https:www.oskarandklaus.com>. Just follow the link for books. Or you can order them on Amazon.com. An audiobook of the first book, which is Oskar and Klaus: The Search for Bigfoot is available, and a Braille version of the second book, The Mission to Cataria, is the same price as it is in print, and that is supported by the American Action Fund. Barbara Loos, president of the Action Fund, is consulting on the text.
Now meeting the standard set by Dr. Jacob Bolotin, Oskar and Klaus Publishing is reaching a worldwide audience of adults and children with a positive image of blindness. Just imagine that: through the fun and frolic of their fearless blind cat Oskar and his timid sighted companion Klaus, the world is learning that we can live the lives we want. So here to accept the award on behalf of Oskar and Klaus is Mick Szydlowski, father of Oskar and Klaus.
Mick Szydlowski: Thank you for this incredible honor. I stand before you today as one man, but I'm also accepting this award on behalf of my longtime friend and partner in Oskar and Klaus Publishing, Travis Bossard, who is unable to be here today. We are grateful to have been recognized by the awards committee and thankful for the opportunity to attend the National Convention. Our time in Orlando has only strengthened our commitment to creating a book series that aligns with the goals of the Federation by challenging readers to live lives full of limitless adventure, free from the burdens of society's prejudices, misunderstandings, and low expectations. Although we would love to think of the Bolotin Award as the prize at the end of a long journey of self-publishing, we know that it serves as the milestone marker to celebrate our first steps. It's both a signpost that shows that we are traveling in the right direction and a gust of wind at our backs pushing us forward. Travis and I both read the biography of Dr. Jacob Bolotin, and we understand that it is the power of will that propels one to achieve great things in life. We shall thus carry on writing and take comfort in knowing that the NFB is by our side. Thank you again for this honor; we are moved, we are encouraged, and we are very proud to be part of your family.
Winston Chen, $15,000
Jim Gashel: Winston Chen may not be a household name, but perhaps you'll know our next awardee if I just say, "Voice Dream Reader." Winston Chen is the father of Voice Dream Reader. If you're blind and have an iDevice--like an iPhone--you probably already have Voice Dream Reader--I do. If you don't have it, you're definitely missing out.
Here are just a few details about Voice Dream Reader. In text-to-speech it has one premium a cappella voice, your choice of several other free a cappella voices, and thirty-six iOS voices in twenty-seven languages; in-app purchase of two hundred plus premium voices in thirty languages; and a corrections dictionary so you can correct pronunciations. All voices play in the background, and even when the screen is locked--do you like that? I like that! And, by the way, it's optimized for VoiceOver. Supported file formats include PDF, plain text, MS Word, PowerPoint, RTF, GoogleDocs, web articles, DRM-FREE ebooks, Bookshare books, Daisy text and audiobooks, and other MP3 and MP4 formats. Other features, such as text navigation and text annotation, are available. In short, if you're looking for a high-quality reader, this reader does just about everything.
You know, Winston is truly an interesting guy. In 2011 he was firmly established in a software company as an executive in Massachusetts, but Winston and his family decided to take a year off from this great career in the United States. The entire family moved for a year to a remote Norwegian island north of the Arctic Circle. There in the dead and dark of winter, Winston had to have something to do, so he created Voice Dream Reader. Really an interesting guy--you've got to meet this guy!
Meeting the standard set by Dr. Jacob Bolotin, Winston Chen has raised the bar in accessible reading for blind people. Through his single-handed efforts in creating the Voice Dream Reader app, Winston Chen is making lives better for all blind people so we can definitely live the lives we want. Here to receive the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award is Winston Chen.
Winston Chen: Thank you, Jim, and thank you NFB. You know I feel really lucky. I get to wake up every morning and work on products that really make a difference in people's lives. Sometimes customers email me, "My life has changed because of your products." When I think about it, it's not luck. Thirty-two years ago I immigrated to the United States from China. America welcomed me with open arms, gave me a terrific education in a public high school and a public university, and that's how I learned how to write software. Then you have the Apple ecosystem, where one guy can make products, and everybody in the world can enjoy and benefit from his work. And because of that, I can make sure that the products are affordable, and also I can support my family.
Voice Dream exists because of America's generosity toward immigrants, and it exists because of this global economy. Now these things are increasingly becoming contentious around family barbecues and in ballot boxes around the world. I would just like to add that hopefully my personal story will add a perspective to it. There are a lot of benefits that come from these things. Thank you, thanks everyone. I feel like I haven't earned this honor, and I promise to work hard and make the products better and earn this honor. Thanks.
The Semitic Scholars, $20,000
Jim Gashel: For our fourth and final award (this is a group), we call them the Semitic Scholars, and their award is $20,000. Now, Jacob Bolotin knew that blind people can compete on equal terms, given the right tools and given opportunities. If you've ever considered becoming a Biblical scholar, then you have found that that understanding the Semitic languages such as Biblical Hebrew, classical Greek, Aramaic, Syriac, Coptic, Akkadian, and Ugaritic--I can't even pronounce these languages--it's a real challenge. It's especially a challenge if you use Braille. The group we call the Semitic Scholars includes three very bright, very creative, and very devoted blind people: Sarah LaRose, Dr. Raymond McAllister, and Matthew Yeater. Through their combined efforts, and with help from David Holladay and Caryn Navy at Duxbury Systems, the Semitic Scholars have built the tools needed to convert ancient languages and ancient content into Braille.
Sarah LaRose graduated from Anderson University with a master's degree in divinity and developed the Braille tables for using JAWS with Biblical Hebrew, Syriac, and polytonic Greek. Dr. Raymond McAllister earned his PhD in Hebrew from Andrews University, and he discovered how to make ancient texts accessible by opening the text in Microsoft Word and then converting the ancient characters into modern characters, and then opening this hybrid file in a BrailleNote. Consequently he could read hundreds of ancient documents in ancient languages on the BrailleNote--something that had never been done before. Matthew Yeater built on these accomplishments by creating the code to access primary source materials for both the Old Testament and the New Testament. He worked with McAllister further to develop the code for three strands of ancient Syriac. Through contacts with a publisher, he then made it possible for downloadable files of these Braille materials to be available so blind students anywhere can study along with their sighted colleagues. [Applause]
This is ground-breaking stuff these guys have done. Meeting the standards set by Jacob Bolotin, all three of our Semitic Scholars have demonstrated pioneering success in breaking down barriers and opening new fields of study for blind people, both today and tomorrow. Through their combined contributions, these three scholars are walking in the footsteps of Dr. Jacob Bolotin, and they are helping to make it possible for all blind people to live the lives we want. So I have the first of the Semitic Scholars, Sarah LaRose.
Sarah LaRose: Hi, guys. I want you all to imagine receiving emails that say, "Is it possible for a blind person to succeed in Biblical studies?" And another email that says, "My college exempted me from this subject and suggested that I change my program to a master of arts in ministry because I cannot take Biblical languages." That's the type of emails that I used to receive from people who wanted to study Biblical languages. That is why I do this. I want to say thank you to the NFB for this tremendous honor. And we will not stop this work, because there should be no more exemptions for anybody who wants to study these languages.
James Gashel: Next is Dr. Raymond McAllister.
Dr. Raymond McAllister: When I wished to work on my PhD, I had to use technical documents with a lot of symbols in them that aren't in your usual Braille Hebrew Bibles. So I used these computer code texts that are really a pain. That's what I had to do to read my Bible the way I wanted to. Well, now we've got better texts, we've got them in Braille, and I helped code the Hebrew accents so they can be readable. They're being distributed to the blind who get hold of these organizations. What we want to do with this award is make more ancient Semitic documents and more ancient languages digitized so that they can be converted into Braille.
I want to thank the NFB for helping us to be able to push this vision further. I want to thank my wife, Sally, for supporting me, and I want to thank God for making all this possible. I'm going to leave you with a hearty thank you very much in Hebrew. Thank you very much in Hebrew is "todam ode."
Jim Gashel: The last of the three Semitic Scholars is Matthew Yeater. Matthew, here is your plaque, and you're going to say thank you very fast, please.
Matthew Yeater: Thank you. The beauty of the Biblical language profile found on Duxbury (it's available there) is access to the critical apparatus of Biblical scholarship. The critical apparatus has a bunch of weird symbols that stand for abbreviations, and it has a multitude of languages on the same page. What's really cool is that through this project we can have a multitude of ancient languages on the same page and convert them all into Braille at the same time. And it's available in 147 different languages. Thank you, National Federation of the Blind, for pouring into me your philosophy; thank you Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary; Paul Kine; Lauren Johns for helping us write the code; Duxbury, David and Caryn--you guys are the greatest; Brent Graber--you guys are awesome; thank you, Bolotin committee. God bless you.
The 2016 NFB National Scholarship Awards
Presented by Patti Gregory-Chang
From the Editor: The presentation of the annual National Federation of the Blind Scholarship Awards is a high point of every annual NFB convention. Each year thirty blind students pursuing postsecondary studies are recognized for their community involvement, leadership potential, and academic excellence. The thirty scholarship finalists introduce themselves at the meeting of the NFB board of directors. The 2016 scholarship class included three tenBroek Fellows, students who also received an NFB scholarship in a previous year. Patti Gregory-Chang, who tirelessly chairs the NFB Scholarship Committee, introduced the finalists at the board meeting and announced the winners' names and awards at the NFB convention banquet. At the board meeting she introduced each finalist by reading the student's name, followed by his or her home state and school state.
Patti Gregory-Chang: I won a scholarship way back in 1985 in Louisville, and in fact some of the mentors who mentored me are still on the scholarship committee. I intended to take the money and run as fast as I could. I hope that this year's class is just as successful at doing that as I was. Now here are the 2016 scholarship finalists.
Tara Abella, Indiana, Indiana: Thank you, Patti Chang and board of directors. I am so honored and humbled to be here today. I will be a senior at Ball State University, double majoring in elementary education and special education. One of the reasons I wanted to go into education is that I believe that there needs to be reform in education. I want to work with students from low-income families in an inclusive setting. Through the convention I've realized that reform needs to take place here, too, in the policies, in the attitudes that affect people who are blind in order to reach equality. I want to give my leadership and my mentorship and my heart to all of my students and to the National Federation of the Blind so that we can attain the dignity and respect that we deserve, as well as live the lives we want. Thank you very much.
Justine (JJ) Aragon, Colorado, Colorado: Good morning, everybody. Thank you, Patti Chang; thank you, board of directors. I am a senior at the University of Northern Colorado. I'm studying human services with an emphasis on rehabilitation. I also hold minors in English and special education. I serendipitously joined the NFB in 2013 after not winning an NFB national scholarship, and the last three years have taught me so much. I have learned what amazing opportunities I have had in my life that not all blind people had, number one being that I learned Braille when I was four. I have also learned how many opportunities there still are to come in my life that I intend to take full advantage of. I am so excited to continue to work in the NFB, and my passions within the NFB are membership and outreach. I want to bring more people in and bring those opportunities to our nation's blind, so thank you.
Deniz Aydemir-Doke, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania: Hello, and thank you, Ms. Chang and board of directors. It is an honor to be here. This is my third time at the national convention, and it is my third year in the USA. I am originally from Turkey. I am studying counseling education and supervision at Penn State. This is going to be my third year in my program as well. I am interested in my research, and I am interested in postsecondary transition of blind youth so we can lead the lives we want. I am also interested in microeducation in daily living and counseling settings. I am an advocate for a long time both here in the USA and back in my country, back in Turkey. I continue to be an advocate with my Federation family through my research and daily living as well. I am grateful to be here; I love being part of this family, and I hope you have a great convention.
Samrawit (Sam) Biyazin, Oregon, Oregon: Hi, all. My name is Sam from Oregon. I am originally from Ethiopia. This is such a privilege to be here, standing in front of you guys, and thank you so much to the committee for choosing me. Back home I was a lawyer, and now my goal is to become a CPA and treasurer of the National Federation of the Blind. This will happen only if you guys will remember to vote for me when the time comes. Until then, I'll keep learning. Thank you.
Megan Borella, California, California: Good morning, everyone. First I would like to thank the scholarship committee and the National Federation of the Blind for giving me such an amazing opportunity. It is such an honor and a privilege to be here with you today. I am from California, and I am going to be a freshman at UCLA. I am currently majoring in business economics, and I hope to take classes in computer science and learn more about programming. In the future I hope to go into business, potentially with an emphasis on programming and coding and computer science. Thank you all.
Riki Danielle Burton, Kentucky, Kentucky (tenBroek Fellow): Good morning, fellow Federationists. It's a pleasure to be here this morning. I want to say thank you to the scholarship committee for having me here today. I am currently a senior at Morehead State University. I'm majoring in elementary and special education with an emphasis in moderate to severe disabilities. Then I will continue on to get my certification as a teacher of the blind and visually impaired. I love teaching blind children how to be independent and that nothing can stop them and not to let anyone hold them back. Thank you again to the scholarship committee for having me here. Thank you.
Brennan Carman, New York, Connecticut: Hello, everyone, I'm Brennan. I'm going into my freshman year at Yale University, and I'm studying biochemistry. Hopefully one day I will do translational research to help address upcoming medical issues like antimicrobial-resistant diseases. This is my first experience with the Federation, and it's been really amazing so far getting to meet all of my fellow scholarship finalists and all of my mentors so far and all of you, and it's been really amazing and one of the most inspirational experiences I've ever had, actually. So I wanted to thank the Federation and the scholarship committee in particular for giving me that opportunity.
Merry-Noel Chamberlain, Nebraska, Oregon: Hello, everyone. I am so happy to be here with my NFB family. My daytime love during the week is being a teacher for students with visual impairments and an orientation and mobility instructor outside Omaha, Nebraska. My evening and weekend love is working on my doctorate degree through Concordia University in the area of educational leadership, and my dissertation is focusing on orientation and mobility. My all-time love is being a parent of a blind teenager, who I just found out is helping out in the Independence Market. I thank everybody for being here today; I'm so excited to be with my NFB family, and I'm happy and honored that I am here today as a scholarship winner. Thank you.
Nathan Clark, Maryland, Maryland: Good morning. My name is Nathan Clark; I am from Maryland. I am attending Towson University in Towson, Maryland, majoring in criminal justice, sociology, and anthropology with a goal to be a juvenile probation officer working with at-risk youth in the juvenile justice system. I am currently the vice president of the Maryland Association of Blind Students and the legislative chairman for that committee for the division. I am also a proud graduate of the Louisiana Center for the Blind, and this is my eleventh National Convention. I want to thank the scholarship committee, my mentors, and my fellow scholarship winners for an awesome experience so far this week. God bless the National Federation of the Blind.
Elif Oksuz Emir, Ohio, Ohio: Good morning, everybody. I'm so glad and honored to be here as a scholarship finalist. Thank you to all of the scholarship committee and NFB. I am a mental health counselor, and I am a counselor education and supervision PhD student at the University of Cincinnati. I am coming from Ohio, but I am from Turkey originally. I would like to be a faculty member and educate counselors--mental health and school counselors--to work with people with disabilities when they need counseling from a multicultural counseling perspective. Hopefully I will be able to do that, and I will be able to practice as a mental health counselor. My journey with the NFB started four years ago. As soon as I arrived in the United States, I reached out to the Cincinnati chapter of Ohio, and I would like to thank Ohio and Cincinnati for making my adjustment very smooth and easy. NFB as a family has motivated me to learn Braille. I'm still in the process, but the more I become involved the more I strongly feel that I need to do it as soon as possible. Thanks for the motivation and support to everybody, and have a great convention.
Laura Etori, New Jersey, New Jersey: Hello, everybody. My name is Laura Etori, and I'm from Kenya, but I live and study in New Jersey. I go to Rutgers University Newark, and I'm majoring in finance and actuarial science. I want to be an actuary. My vocational goals are to be in consultancy and eventually teach actuarial science to blind and visually impaired students because we need more blind actuaries. I would love to give a big thank you to the scholarship committee for giving us this chance. I would like to give a big thank you to the NFB and also the scholarship finalists; I would love to congratulate all of them. I know I might have a bit of an accent, but I'd love you to listen to what I have to say next very carefully: For those of us who are here I would love to challenge you: think of the people who have come ahead of you. Because, if it were not for them, we wouldn't be here. And we all have to learn how to give, because that's the message I'm getting from this board meeting today. We all learn how to give; that's the only way we can grow and become better people. So thank you once again, and I hope you all enjoy yourselves. Have a good day.
Jameyanne Fuller, New Hampshire, Massachusetts: Hi, everyone, my name is Jameyanne Fuller. I am from New Hampshire. I graduated from Kenyon College in 2014. I spent a year teaching English in Assisi, Italy, on a Fulbright scholarship, and then I spent another year volunteering for the New Hampshire Disability Rights Center. This fall I will be a 1L [first year law student] at Harvard Law School. I am very interested in studying and hopefully practicing in the area of disability law and policy. This is my very first NFB convention experience. I want to say thank you so much to everyone who has welcomed me so warmly and enthusiastically and a huge thanks to the scholarship committee for giving me the opportunity to meet the NFB and explore the NFB. I've personally faced discrimination in academics, in my daily life here in America, abroad in Italy, and others have advocated for me, and they have taught me to advocate for myself. Now I am aiming to advocate for others and pay it forward so that everyone can achieve their dreams. Thank you.
Deanna Greco, New Jersey, District of Columbia: Hello, everyone. I'm very excited to be here. This is my first convention, and I swear that by the end of the week I will be saying "live the life that I want" in my sleep. But honestly that sleep doesn't sound like too bad a thing, because I am exhausted. I recently graduated from Camden Catholic High School in my home town of Cherry Hill. I was in every academic honor society, I was president of the French Honor Society, and I graduated fourth in my class, which I see as a big accomplishment--I'm proud of myself. This fall I will be starting at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. I will be studying biology on the premed track. My ultimate goal is to go to medical school and become a neurologist. I want to practice neurology as well as conduct research on diseases such as Alzheimer's. I find it very important that diseases that have memory loss get treated, because the one thing nobody can take from you is your memories, and I want to help prevent those diseases. Lastly, I would like to thank the scholarship committee for giving me this wonderful opportunity. Thank you.
Maria (Conchita) Hernandez, District of Columbia, District of Columbia (tenBroek Fellow): First I want to thank the members of the scholarship committee, members of the board, and President Riccobono for believing in me and selecting me as a scholarship finalist. I'm a teacher of blind students in Washington, DC, and I'm tired of professionals telling us that our blind students will not get Braille because they have too much vision. In the Federation we know that Braille is vital and leads to success. They say there is no research that proves we need it. We know what we need, and as Dr. Maurer said today, we will not wait for it. We will conduct our own research that will lead to the independence of our blind students. That is why I am pursuing a doctorate degree at George Washington University to do research on learning media assessments for blind and low vision students. I could not do any of this without my Federation family, who taught me Braille when no one else would, and now I hope to pass this on to others. Thank you.
Nazanin Mina Heydarian, Texas, Texas: Good morning, everyone. My name is Nazanin Heydarian, and I'm a PhD student at the University of Texas at El Paso. I have a master's degree in clinical psychology, and I'm working toward a PhD of health psychology. I am interested in conducting research to improve the communication between health care providers and people with disabilities from the perspective of people with disabilities. My career goal is to become a research scientist at a medical school, where I will pursue my research interests in the applied setting. This is the second day of my first NFB convention, and I have already learned so much from mentors, other finalists, and convention sessions. I will bring back these learnings to my community back in El Paso, Texas, and my work as a researcher. I'd like to congratulate the other finalists, and I'd also like to thank the scholarship board and the funding mechanisms that make this opportunity to support blind scholars in a significant way possible. I am humbled to be here, thank you very much, and enjoy your convention.
Sharon Jose, Virginia, Virginia: Thank you, Ms. Patti Chang and the board of directors for allowing me to speak here. I just graduated from high school and will be a freshman at George Mason University this fall majoring in computer science. I have had the opportunity to work in the neural engineering lab at GMU for the past two years. I would like to continue interdisciplinary research in neuroscience and artificial intelligence, and I hope to pursue a career in the computer science and engineering fields. I heard about the NFB through this scholarship program, and this is my first convention. I am truly grateful to the scholarship committee and the Federation for selecting me as a finalist and welcoming me into the Federation family. Thank you so much.
Matthew Miller, Illinois, Michigan: Hello, my name is Matthew Miller. I have just graduated high school, and I'll be beginning my first year at Michigan State University this coming fall, studying actuarial science. I would also like to thank the NFB. While this is my first convention, I attended several programs when I was younger that encouraged me, such as the STEM EQ program, which really encouraged me to pursue a STEM field, even when people--even my own parents, in a loving way--were discouraging me, because they worried about whether it was possible. The program showed me it was possible, and part of the reason I plan to join the ever-growing population of blind students and blind employees in STEM fields.
James Garret Mooney, Arizona, Arizona: Good morning, everyone. First I would like to thank the committee and the Federation for awarding me this scholarship. I am a senior at Arizona State University, where I will attend law school in a year and hopefully practice family law. Being a scholarship winner has been one of the most rewarding opportunities I have ever had. Being mentored by this committee has shown me that the Federation does exactly what it says, and it changes what it means to be blind. And we show everyone here that we can live the lives we want. Thank you.
Kathryn (Katy) Olsen, Iowa, Iowa: Hi, everyone, my name is Katy Olsen, and I'm from Granger, Iowa. I'll be entering my junior year of my undergrad this fall at Central College. I'm a double major, majoring in kinesiology and psychology. After my undergrad I hope to attend physical therapy school to get my doctorate in physical therapy and hopefully work with children. I also do a lot of mission work, and I'm really passionate about that. I'd really love to do something involving that, maybe going over to Haiti--it's one of the locations I do most of my mission work in. I would love to go over and empower blind people overseas. I really want to thank my scholarship mentors and the scholarship committee for this great opportunity. I'm looking forward to a great week. Thanks.
Chelsea Page, Louisiana, Louisiana: Good morning, Federation family. I would like to first thank the members of the scholarship committee, as well as the NFB board and the NFB as a whole for allowing me to have this wonderful opportunity. I am attending Louisiana Tech University, at which I am attaining my masters of arts in teaching blind students, where I want to work in particularly with blind infants and toddlers and their families to ensure that they get the services they deserve so that the blind students can live the lives they want and compete on terms of equality with their sighted peers.
Precious Perez, Massachusetts, Massachusetts: Hi, everyone. I am thrilled to be here today. I will be starting my freshman year at Berklee College of Music in the fall, and I plan to pursue a double major in music education and vocal performance in the hopes of changing what it means to be blind by living the life I want and teaching others to do the same. I am immensely grateful for this opportunity. Thank you, Patti Chang; thank you to the scholarship committee; thank you, board of directors, and thank you to my Federation family; I love you all so much. Thank you.
Donna Lynn Posont, Michigan, Michigan: Hello, Federation family; I'm really glad to be here. Yesterday I realized that this is not my first NFB scholarship. I remembered that, in 1974 when I graduated from high school, I was given a scholarship by the National Federation of the Blind of West Virginia to attend college in the fall. That is so memorable because I was going for a degree in biology. But one week into school my dreams got rerouted because no one knew how to teach a blind girl about biology or chemistry, and I sure didn't know how to learn, because I had no skills of blindness. I graduated with a degree in social work and headed off to Philadelphia to have a job there, but thankfully the greatest thing that happened was that I met the National Federation of the Blind and attended my first national convention in 1979 in Miami Beach. Fast forward thirty-four years later, after rubbing shoulders with many blind people, especially blind parents and blind vendors. I still wanted to learn about the science stuff, so I went back to the University of Michigan, where last year I graduated with a degree in environmental studies. I started a Birding by Ear and Beyond program in the environmental center. After I graduated I was hired to continue that work there with the university, and I am so thankful to have gotten this scholarship so I continue and will be able to continue to be a graduate student while I'm working at the university. Thank you so much.
Syed Rizvi, Massachusetts, Texas: Brought to the United States by my parents, in part to escape genocide, but also in the hopes of seeking a bright future, to our dismay the streets were not paved with gold. Blindness began to consume my life, but luckily I was found by the Federation, and they guided me to put on hold my undergraduate education, quit my job, and move two thousand miles away to LCB. There I not only gained the tools I needed to live the life I wanted, but also learned from mentors like Pam and Roland that blindness didn't have to dictate my happiness. With newfound vigor I threw myself into work for the Federation. I currently stand as the MASSABS [Massachusetts Association of Blind Students] president and now the NABS [National Association of Blind Students] second VP. I'm working this summer for the Massachusetts State House in Boston to enforce ADA compliance. In the fall I continue my college education at the University of Texas at Austin. One day I will be the best civil rights lawyer in the world, fighting for all underrepresented minorities. Thank you.
Joe (Dexter) Rowell, Massachusetts, Massachusetts: Hey, everybody. First off I'd like to thank the NFB Scholarship Committee for giving me this opportunity. I'm a rookie at convention, and the time I've spent has been really, really inspiring. I graduated in 2014 from Northeastern University, and in the fall I'll be a 1L law student at Northeastern School of Law. One of the things that my blindness has taught me is something about social alchemy. What that means to me is taking resources and things that have been underused and overlooked and turning them into gold. I hope to use my skills that I learn as a lawyer to bring economic development and food justice to those areas most in need of social alchemy. One of the things I'd like to close with is that one of the other things my blindness has taught me is about patience. Through that, I've learned that life is about who makes it, not about who makes it the fastest.
Kartik Sawhney, California, California: Good morning, everyone. My name is Kartik, and it's a pleasure and an honor to be here. Thank you, scholarship committee and the NFB, for not only the scholarship, but for my first--but definitely not my last--convention. I will be a senior at Stanford University majoring in computer science with a focus on artificial intelligence and human/computer interaction. I grew up and spent most of my life in India, where I personally faced several challenges, especially studying sciences. I also saw many of my friends facing the same challenges, and that was when I decided that things had to change. So I developed technology that can empower blind students across the world to truly live the lives that they want, and with the Federation I think we definitely will be able to achieve a day when all blind people around the world can live the lives that they want. I am looking forward to getting to know you, learning from you, and working with all of you. Thank you.
Kennedy Stomberg, Minnesota, Iowa: Good morning, everybody. I am going to be a junior at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I am studying neuroscience, and after my undergraduate I would like to pursue some sort of research, because I am really, really fascinated and interested in learning how biology and chemistry affect the way that we think and behave. I really love being here at convention, and I am super grateful to the committee and happy for my fellow scholarship finalists. Thank you.
Corgan Waters, Tennessee, Tennessee: Hi, my name is Corgan Waters. I am from Dayton, Tennessee. This fall I will be attending the University of Tennessee as a biology major on the premed track. I will be working toward becoming a pathologist, and I would like to eventually work in regenerative medicine with stem cells. I think that medicine has come very far, but it has a very long way to go, and I would like to be a part of that. Gandhi did say, "Be the change you wish to see in the world," and that's exactly what I want to do. I would like to thank the scholarship committee and the entire Federation for giving me the opportunity to be here. This is my first time at convention, but it definitely won't be my last. Thank you.
Kathryn Webster, Connecticut, North Carolina (tenBroek Fellow): Good morning, my Federation family. Thank you, President Riccobono; Chairwoman Patti Chang; the scholarship committee; and the entire National Federation of the Blind for providing me with this incredible opportunity. I am a rising senior at Wake Forest University studying statistical business and computer science. I would not be and could not be succeeding in these courses if it was not for the National Federation of the Blind. This organization has taught me and continues to teach me the necessary tools to advocate, educate, and compete on an equal playing field with our sighted counterparts. Let us continue to change and to challenge our limits as proud members of the National Federation of the Blind. Thank you.
Kassidy Wilde, Utah, Utah: Hello, Federation. I will be attending the University of Utah for the fall semester, majoring in psychology. I have a passion for helping people, and I want to become a life coach so that I can help others to live the lives that they want to live. I'd like to thank the scholarship committee, the National Federation of the Blind, and President Riccobono for this opportunity and for letting me be a scholarship finalist. I'd like to say that you will not regret this, and I will be paying it forward and helping others in my career. Thank you.
Johna Wright, Georgia, Georgia: Hey, everybody. First I just want to say thank you to Chairman Patti Chang, the scholarship committee, and the entire Federation for giving me this opportunity. I never thought growing up as a kid in small-town Georgia that I would be at the National Federation of the Blind convention, but it is amazing. I will be attending Mercer University this fall as a double major in psychology and holistic education to achieve my ultimate goal of becoming a teacher of the visually impaired. I believe that all children should have access to equal education and not feel excluded or alienated in any way. I love to advocate, so that's why I plan to be a TVI [teacher of the visually impaired], and I also plan to maybe hold a leadership role in the NFB one day. Again, thank you so much for having me here today.
At the banquet Conchita Hernandez won the $12,000 Kenneth Jernigan Scholarship. Here is what she said:
Thank you, Federation family. Thank you, Patti Chang, members of the committee, President Riccobono, every single one of you that believed in me. Before I joined the Federation I didn't have a horrible life, but I settled. I settled for having a less independent life. I settled for not doing everything for myself. I settled for not achieving the best that I could achieve. You all believed in me; the National Federation of the Blind does not settle. We tell parents, "Do not settle for less than the ultimate, excellent education for your children." We tell students, "Do not settle when your materials are not accessible and you cannot get your textbooks." We tell parents, "Do not settle when you are being denied the right to parent as a blind individual." We tell our children, "Do not settle when you are not allowed to participate in activities." And so I just want to say thank you for teaching me not to settle.
I'm a teacher of blind students in Washington, DC, and every day I see how students are settling and parents are settling. I plan to do research on learning reading media assessments so that we can prove that our children do need Braille. Because we will not settle until we get it. Thank you so much, and we can all live the lives we want.
Following is a complete list of the 2016 scholarship finalists and the awards they received. In addition to the awards listed below, each finalist also received $1,000 and additional prizes personally donated by Dr. Ray Kurzweil; $1,000 from Google and the newest Chromebook; and a $1,000 certificate for the purchase of Independence Science technologies, specifically the new Sci-Voice Talking LabQuest.
$3,000 NFB Scholarships (15): Tara Abella, JJ Aragon, Deniz Aydemir-Doke, Danielle Burton, Nathan Clark, Deanna Greco, Nazanin Heydarian, Matthew Miller, Katy Olsen, Chelsea Page, Donna Posont, Dexter Rowell, Kennedy Stomberg, Corgan Waters, and Johna Wright.
$3,000 Charles and Betty Allen Scholarship: Samrawit Biyazin
$3,000 Expedia Scholarships (2): Megan Borella and Kartik Sawhney
$3,000 Charles and Melva T. Owen Memorial Scholarship: Merry-Noel Chamberlain
$3,000 NFB Science and Engineering Division Scholarship: Kassidy Wilde
$3,000 Adrienne Asch Memorial Scholarship: Sharon Jose
$3,000 E.U. and Gene Parker Scholarship: Garret Mooney
$5,000 NFB Scholarship: Brennan Carman
$5,000 Pearson Scholarship: Elif Oksuz Emir
$5,000 Mimi and Marvin Sandler Scholarship: Jameyanne Fuller
$5,000 Larry Streeter Memorial Scholarship: Precious Perez
$8,000 Oracle Scholarship for Excellence in a STEM Field: Laura Etori
$8,000 Oracle Scholarship for Excellence in Computer Science: Syed Rizvi
$10,000 Charles and Melva T. Owen Memorial Scholarship: Kathryn Webster
$12,000 Kenneth Jernigan Scholarship: Conchita Hernandez
Painting in the Dark: Esref Armagan, Blind Artist
by Rachelle Burk
Illustrated by Claudia Gadotti
Tumblehome Learning, Inc., 2016, 32 pages
201 Newbury St., Suite 201, Boston, MA 02116
[email protected]
ISBN: 978-1-943431-14-4
Reviewed by Ann Cunningham
From the Editor: Ann Cunningham is a sculptor who works to promote the tactile appreciation of art. She teaches art at the Colorado Center for the Blind.
In this slender book for middle-grade and older readers, Rachelle Burk tells the extraordinary story of painter Esref Armagan. Armagan was born totally blind into a working-class family in Istanbul, Turkey. From early childhood he had a boundless thirst for knowledge. Burk recounts how he investigated the world through touch and endless questions, and, in the process, learned to make pictures.
I read the book with Anton, a twelve-year-old blind friend of mine. Anton was thoroughly engaged with the beginning of the story. He thought it was very funny when he realized he wasn't the only one who exasperated his parents with questions! He thought this would be a good book to read in his class at school. Anton felt that kids at school might understand him better if they heard Esref's story.
As an artist who is focused on making access to information available tactually, I was fascinated with the story from beginning to end. Armagan's tenacity and creativity are awe-inspiring! Anton and I made a date to try out Armagan's glue-and-string painting technique. When we followed the directions (the illustrations added a lot to my understanding of how to recreate some of Armagan's techniques) we enjoyed success and were eager to try out other ideas. This book gave us a great jumping-off point to explore tactile painting.
This book is the story of a real person and the many challenges he faced to make his life what he wanted it to be. It is hard to imagine the fortitude that kept Armagan moving forward, despite many major setbacks. Ms. Burk does not shy away from the barriers of culture, illness, and social limitation Armagan had to overcome in addition to his blindness. Neither does she avoid Armagan's emotional struggles on his journey to success.
An audio version of Painting in the Dark with picture descriptions and a Braille version with tactile representations of some of Armagan's paintings are due to be available in December 2016. The first print edition is full of brightly colored pictures that give the reader a good idea of the environment in which Armagan grew up and present a sampling of his artwork. However, the text consists of white print with a black outline, which might be difficult for readers with visual impairments. The publisher is redesigning the text, and the next edition will have black text on a lighter background.
This book will be of keen interest to blind children, their parents, and their teachers; to anyone who wonders about techniques for making art tactually accessible; and of course to anyone who loves an inspiring, true-life story. I highly recommend this book, and I am excited that the author and publishers are so dedicated to making it as accessible as possible.

Announcements
SCHOLARSHIPS
National Federation of the Blind Scholarships
<www.nfb.org/scholarships>
Contact: [email protected]
Deadline for Applications: March 31, 2017
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 merit-based scholarships worth from $3,000 to $12,000. Scholarships are awarded based on academic excellence, community service, and leadership. Applicants must be legally blind, must reside in the United States or Puerto Rico, and must be pursuing or plan to pursue a full-time, postsecondary course of study in a degree program at a United States institution in the 2017 scholastic year. Scholarship winners must participate in the entire NFB national convention and in all of its scheduled scholarship activities. Each winner will receive assistance to attend the 2017 National Federation of the Blind annual convention, which will take place July 10-15, 2017, in Orlando, Florida. The convention will provide an excellent opportunity for networking with active blind persons in many professions and occupations.
Scholarship America for People with Disabilities
<scholarsapply.org/pwdscholarship>
Contact: (844) 402-0357
[email protected]
Deadline for Applications: January 17, 2017
In honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Wells & Company has committed $1 million over the next four years to Scholarship America to develop and implement a special scholarship program to help people with disabilities obtain the education or training necessary to succeed in the career path of their choice. This program is administered by Scholarship America, the nation's largest designer and manager of scholarship tuition assistance and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals. Applicants must have an identified disability, have a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, be a high school senior or graduate who plans to enroll or who is already enrolled in full-time or half-time undergraduate study at an accredited two-year or four-year college or university in the United States for the 2017-2018 academic year.
The 10th Circle Semiannual Student Scholarship and Worldwide Community Ambassador Award
<www.the10thcircle.com>
Contact: [email protected]
Deadlines for Applications: December 1, 2016 and June 1, 2017
The 10th Circle's Corporate Student Scholarship and Worldwide Community Ambassador Awards are for anyone attending a college or university worldwide. Scholarship grants are aimed at assisting undergraduate or graduate students furthering their education and expanding their social responsibility and community service footprint in the world. One thousand scholarships will be awarded to students who write essays answering the following questions: How will you use your talents and education to make the world a better place for future generations? What are your career and personal goals, and why? Scholarships will be awarded by August 15 and February 15 of each year.
INFORMATION
NOPBC Family Information Call Series
<http://nopbc.org/component/k2/item/88-podcast-announce>
Call-in Number: (712) 770-4010, Access Code 869131#
The Family Information Raising Expectations (FIRE) podcast is brought to you by the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC), a division of the National Federation of the Blind. Through friendly discussions with expert guests, FIRE provides information to families, friends, and educators of blind and low-vision children. Anyone interested is welcome to call in real time or to listen to the podcasts later on. Upcoming programs will include "Learn All about the Educational Programs of the NFB Jernigan Institute," "Raising Expectations of Low Vision Children," and "Blindness and Babies, Toddlers, and Transitions." Check the webpage for dates and times.
TECHNOLOGY
Free Accessibility Training Boutique on Chromebooks
Contact: Clara van Gerven, [email protected]
Date: December 8, 8:00-10:00 AM, EST
The National Federation of the Blind sponsors a series of free accessibility training boutiques. Chromebooks are now used widely in schools and households, and they have an entirely new approach to screen readers. This boutique will help you get started.
SPORTS AND RECREATION
No Barriers Summit
No Barriers USA
224 Canyon Ave., Suite 207
Fort Collins, CO 80521
Contact: (970) 484-3633
[email protected]
Location: Resort at Squaw Creek, North Lake Tahoe, CA
Dates: June 1-4, 2017
At its four-day summit, No Barriers USA envisions a world where the power of the human spirit transcends barriers. You will be surrounded by a community that knows that what is in you is stronger than what is in your way. Choose to embark on any of more than fifty barrier-breaking activities, be motivated by phenomenal speakers, and be inspired by innovative technologies that are transforming lives. This family-friendly event is for people of all ages and abilities.
Tenth Annual Winter Ski Festival
USABA (US Association of Blind Athletes)
<www.usaba.org>
Contact: Tom Alcorn, (802) 353-7584
[email protected]
Dates: February 10-13, 2017
Location: Pico Mountain, Killington, VT
Application Deadline: January 10, 2017
USABA is partnering with Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sport to host the tenth annual Vermont Winter Ski Festival. Participants will have the opportunity to learn or practice skills in Alpine skiing or snowboarding or Nordic skiing.
CONTESTS AND AWARDS
2017 Youth Writing Contests
NFB Writers Division
<www.writers.nfb.org/ContestPage.html>
Contact: EvaMarie Sanchez, [email protected]
Submissions Accepted: January 1-April 1, 2017
2017 will be the thirty-seventh year for the NFB Writers Division Contests for Youth and Adults. No fees are required from K-12 students who wish to enter the youth contests. Categories for youth entries are short fiction and poetry. The youth contest is divided into three groups: elementary, middle school, and high school, and three prizes may be awarded at each grade level in both categories. Contest winners will be announced at the business meeting of the NFB Writers Division in July 2017. The youth contest is a contest for students who use Braille, and only entries produced by the student in contracted Braille or UEB will be considered.
Community Service Awards
<www.nfb.communityservice.org>
Contact: Tara Abella, [email protected]
Program Period: October 2016-June 2017
The NFB Community Service Division announces the establishment of the NFB Community Service Awards. To join the program, email the address above with a monthly account of the community service you have performed and the number of hours you worked. Awards spreadsheets are posted at <www.nfb.communityservice.org/serviceawards>. Awards will be given as follows: 60-79 hours for bronze, 80-99 hours for silver, and 99 or above hours for gold. Hours are only granted for direct service; attending meetings or lectures will not be considered.
IN MEMORIAM
We are saddened to report the passing of Harley Fetterman, who died on July 31, 2016, at the age of eighteen, after a thirteen-year struggle with cancer. Harley was a strong advocate for blind students and served on the board of the Texas Association of Blind Students (TABS). He was an avid Braille reader and took part in the national Braille Challenge nine times. He participated in the NFB Washington Seminar, STEM EQ, and STEM2U. Harley will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
Odds and Ends
HOLIDAY CARDS
Holiday Cards 2016
National Braille Press
<www.nbp.org>
Wish your family, friends, and colleagues peace and goodwill with a unique print/Braille card from National Braille Press. The front of this year's card has the word Peace in Braille and print, with the picture of a dove carrying an olive branch.
Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired
<www.hadley.edu/holidaycard>
700 Elm St.
Winnetka, IL
(800) 323-4238
Hadley has sold Braille holiday cards every year since 1956. Each card carries the interior greeting, "Wishing you peace, happiness, and the spirit of the season" in print and Braille. The picture on the front of the 2016 card incorporates a tactile tree and falling snowflakes.
TOYS
When holidays, birthdays, or other special occasions approach, you may find yourself searching for fun toys that are fully accessible to your blind child. Many toys found in mainstream toy stores are fully accessible off the shelf or easily can be adapted by Brailling cards or adding markings with clear Dymo Tape. In addition, several organizations sell adapted games and toys that can be enjoyed by the whole family.
NOPBC Good Toys for Blind Kids
<https://nfb.org/nopbc-good-toys-blind-kids>
This webpage lists mainstream toys that can be purchased through local shops or toy stores. The age categories are those listed by parents, not by the manufacturers.
Toy Guide for Differently-Abled Kids
Toys “R” Us
<www.toysrus.com/shop/index.jsp?categoryId=3261680>
Toys “R” Us takes a unique approach in its listing of toys. Instead of suggesting toys for children with specific disabilities, it lists toys based on areas of interest and strength. Categories include auditory, creativity, fine motor, gross motor, language, tactile, thinking, and visual. Toys “R” Us is a generous supporter of the NOPBC.
The Best Christmas Toys for Blind Children
<www.wonderbaby.org/articles/best-christmas-toys-blind-children>
This page offers several groupings of toy suggestionss, including toys for babies, toys for toddlers and younger kids, toys for parties and get-togethers, sensory toys, toys for older kids, and video games.
Perkins eLearning
<www.perkinselearning.org/scout/toys-play-young-children-visual-impairme…;
This site provides links to a wide variety of articles and other resources about toys and play opportunities for blind children with and without other exceptionalities.
Future Aids, the Braille Superstore
<http://playabilitytoys.com>
33222 Lynn Ave.
Abbotsford, BC, V2S 1C9 Canada
Contact: (800) 987-1231
The Braille Superstore sells a number of toys, as well as books, clocks, kitchen implements, and more.
Playability Toys
<http://playabilitytoys.com>
Contact: (520) 547-0921
The toys marketed by Playability are categorized by the disability for which each may be suited. Disabilities include blindness and visual impairment, autism spectrum disorders, cognitive disabilities, muscular dystrophy, and Down syndrome.
COMPUTER GAMES
7-128 Software: Computer Games for Everyone
<www.7128.com>
7-128 sells computer games for blind toddlers, children, and adults. Games work with Mac and Windows programs, including Windows 10. Games can be purchased on CD or downloaded directly to your computer. Games include audio descriptions and background sounds.
BOOKS
Adapted Physical Education and Sport, Sixth Edition
by Joseph Winnick, EdD, and David Porretta, PhD
Human Kinetics, 2016, 680 pages
ISBN: 978-1-4925-1153-3
This new edition incorporates information about the most recent changes in the fields of physical education and sport for people with disabilities. Chapters discuss relevant inclusion practices; stand-alone apps that can be used in behavior management, fitness development, communication, social interaction, and physical education activities; and the issue of obesity. The book is packaged with an instructor guide, test package, presentation package, and web resource with video.
iOS 10 without the Eye
by Jonathan Mosen
National Braille Press
Available in hard copy Braille and in Daisy, eBraille, and Word formats
iOS 10 is more powerful, more open, and more accessible than iOS has ever been. Jonathan Mosen has written a new book to explain it all.
MUSEUMS
Andy Warhol Museum
<warhol.org>
117 Sandusky St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15212-5890
Contact: (412) 237-8300
[email protected]
One of the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, the Andy Warhol Museum has launched an audio guide called Out Loud. Out Loud offers location-based content, screen reader optimization, and enlargeable text. It includes descriptions of Warhol's artworks and stories about his life and art, including archival audio. The museum has also developed tactile reproductions of several of Warhol's works. The contours and colors are represented as different layers of relief.
BUILDING
LEGO for the Blind
<legofortheblind.com>
Contact: Matthew Shifrin, [email protected]
Developed by a blind high school student and his friends, this website provides detailed text-based instructions for commercially available LEGO sets. By following these instructions a blind builder can assemble these sets independently. Instructions are available for free download; the site does not sell LEGO sets or printed instructions. LEGO for the Blind is featured on BrainCraft, a psychology/neurology video channel, and can be seen at <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVy5E2DZkKM>.

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