This is being provided in a rough-draft format. Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) is provided in order to facilitate communication accessibility and may not be a totally verbatim record of the proceedings
PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: The morning session will be in order. Good morning. Welcome to the longest day of the year. If I could have your attention, please. We do have a busy day. A lot of great things to get to. For this morning's invocation, I would like to invite to the podium an individual who wears many leadership hats in the National Federation of the Blind, in our Blind Lawyers Division as part of our Federal Employees Division be she serves on a number of important committees and undertakes work throughout the convention. She serves as president of our Maryland affiliate.
(Cheers and applause)
Still 199 people registered. Wish we could get one more. But this morning we have invited her to give our invocation as a member of the Muslim faith. Please welcome Ronza Othman.
(Applause)
RONZA: And of course the technology fails as soon as you get in front of the microphone.
(Speaking Native language)
In the name of God, the most merciful, the most compassionate. I offer this invocation as a proud Muslim, and all, regardless of your faith traditions are welcome to join in this opening today. By way of explanation, this is an act of worship that involves asking God for help, mercy, forgiveness or anything else.
It can be done any time anywhere, and anyone can do it. This is different from the five daily prayers that Muslims perform, which are more physical and structured in nature. Also, the word "God," the word "Allah" is the Arabic word for God. Arabic speakers who are Christian, Jewish and Muslim all use the same word, "Allah," to mean God or Lord. They are all interchangeable. When we engage in this, we hold both hands open, palms up, with our fingers together and slightly rounded. Our hands almost look like two cups a few inches apart from one another. I encourage those who wish to do so to open their hands as I described and to say "amen" after each statement I make.
O Allah, we offer our heartfelt gratitude for you giving us the gift of coming together this week to learn together, to grow together, to 3D together.
Amen.
O Lord, we ask you to bless up, to bless our families, both blood and chosen, to bless our friends, and to bless the National Federation of the Blind, its leaders, its staff and its volunteers.
Amen.
God, we thank you as we gather here unified but distinctive whole standing side by side working to advance the civil rights of the blind.
We ask you, Allah, to unite our organization and our great mission around the principles of justice, peace and love. Lord, we ask you to maintain peace and love in our hearts and patience and understanding in our minds.
God, we ask you to help us recognize and celebrate the diversity that makes our organization and our country so beautiful. Allah, please give us the strength to protect and care for our neighbors, colleagues and those who do not have the advantages that we have. Lord, we pray for our nation, the United States, as we pray for so many nations struggling with war, famine, drought, and political strife.
O God, please bring peace to Israel and bring home all the hostages and prisoners and show us a way to live together and love one another in harmony and dignity with mutual respect. Please help us to remain loving and compassionate remove prejudice from our hearts and increase and foster our love for our siblings and all faiths. And those who profess no faith.
Lord, please help us remove judgment from our hearts and minds for those who possess different ideals, political leanings and cultural beliefs from us. O God, most merciful, allow us to show kindness to the most vulnerable in society.
O Allah, allow us to give of our time, our minds and our hearts and of our resources to worthy causes, including the National Federation of the Blind, so we can each do our part for our fellow humans.
O Allah, give our Federation leaders wisdom strength and energy as they advance the rights of the blind.
God, please bless us and protect every member of the National Federation of the Blind and give us strength and energy to advance the mission of this great organization. Allah, please lead those who are struggling with the loss of vision to this great organization so they can experience its life changing philosophy and training programs. Lord, please help us to care for our environment and sustain this world for future generations.
God, please give us the patience to continue to learn from one another and work toward a more peaceful and kinder world. Allah, please make our hearts generous so we may treat others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Lord, we ask that you please help us to share that which we have with others. God, please strengthen us, love us, and be kind to us all.
O Allah, please keep us in love and peace and harmony and friendship. Lord, please keep us all healthy, happy and safe so we can reunited a year from now, having made significant progress in advancing the rights of the blind. God, in your name, we pray.
AUDIENCE: Amen.
RONZA: Thank you.
(Applause)
PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Thank you very much, Ronza. And while the door prize team is getting things together, just a note for our colleagues, our friends and families who may be impacted by the hurricane in Texas and other parts. We should keep them in our hearts and prayers as well. Door prizes, I don't know what is going on.
KENIA: We're ready. We didn't want to interrupt. Good morning! Yeah, that's what we want to hear. Our first door prize of the day is 150 dollars, and that will be going to Jack Berggren from Baltimore, Maryland. NLPVC
PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Jack is working childcare, so that counts as an official responsibility, don't you think?
(Applause)
I bet you John is here, though. Okay, I would like to take one more moment of privilege, since we are at the Rosen Center on July 8th. And we have been talking a little bit about history. So I would like to give you just a brief video from July 82015.
VIDEO: The line is starting to move! Please do not push. Take your time.
AD: July 8, 2015 AD: A large crowd of people move in hotel lobby towards an exit.
AD: A long line of blind people walk into a parking lot toward a crowd of several lines of blind people in place.
AD: President, Mark Riccobono Good morning, fellow Federationists! Isn’t your heart filled with love this morning at this expression of the work that we’ve done for the last seventy-five years and the hope for our future?
(Crowd Cheering)
This is tremendous. Everybody, get your umbrellas ready. Don't launch them yet. Just ready. We're waiting for the official signal. Please make sure the Velcro is off and that you hold it pointing straight up. We don’t want any umbrella accidents.
Don’t do it yet. Don't launch your umbrellas. Please don't launch your umbrellas.
Don't. Don't open your umbrellas. Don’t open your umbrellas yet. People have been out here since five o’clock, day after day, getting ready for this. We don't want them to be outside the grid when this happens. And there's the drone.
Hi drone!
(Cheering)
That's going to be our official picture. Harris Rosen is here. Many folks from UPS are here.
(Cheering)
All of our sponsors. The drone sounds like it's in place. It might be smiling. I can't tell. One, two... Oh, excuse me. Everybody quiet, please, for the sound of the Federation making history. At the end. N F B!
(Cheering)
Keep them up, keep them up!
(Crowd cheers)
We’ve got to hold them for five minutes, that’s the record To set the record we have to hold.... Who are we? N F B! Breaking records, the blind of America! Keep your umbrellas up. Together with love, hope and determination we transform dreams into reality. For seventy-five years we have been self determined to manage our own direction, to make our own decisions, and to do things that nobody thought we could do.
And the question for us is what are we going to do next?
Now that we've been able to set a world record, I hope I didn’t jinx it. Now that we've been able to set a world record, what are we going to do next? What are we going to do to change opportunities for the blind? What are we going to do to change lives? We know right here in this crowd we have the love, the hope, the determination to transform dreams into reality and that we will make our dreams come true.
(crowd cheers)
AD: An aerial view shows thousands of blue and white umbrellas arranged to form a figure holding a white cane, and the message, Live the life you want.
PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: All right! So for those of you who weren't here at the 75th anniversary, that was the first time we set a world record. Of course, we've help set another one since then, but one of the great convention moments, right?
(Cheering)
I still have my umbrella, still in my office. I know a number of other people have mentioned this week they have theirs. So I thought it would be a great way to start off today. And we're not talking about history, although these first couple of presentations, if I could have your attention, please, does present a couple issues that we've been talking about since our founding in 1940. One of them being Social Security Administration. You heard in the presidential report a number of comments about our work to help the Social Security Administration do its job better, and to make sure that blind people have access to the benefits and services that they have a right to.
We appreciate the leaders within that agency that are working toward that end, Commissioner Martin O'Malley has been a long-time friend of the National Federation of the Blind, and there are many dedicated individuals within the leadership there who are working to make enhancements.
The gentleman who is representing us today or coming to speak with us today is not the usual Hairston that we expect to see on a convention agenda, but he is Hairston. And you know that means he comes from a good place, right? That's what this crowd knows.
And he has been with the agency for a number of years, since 1995, and during that time he has built considerable expertise in both systems operations and related to disability. We're really proud to have the Social Security Administration here with us at this convention, and for this morning's presentation, I would invite you to welcome the deputy assistant commissioner for the Office of Electronic Services and Technology, here is Roderick Hairston!
(Music playing)
RODERICK: Wow, what an introduction. Thank you so much! Thank you for having us here at the National Federation of the Blind Convention, and we really appreciate the invite and for including us, and the partnership. Today, as I was introduced, I'm Roderick Hairston, and I had to come all the way to the NFB conference and meet my cousin Ever Lee Hairston. Which was a treat. A complete treat. She knows all of my relatives. Did you know that the Hairstons are the largest family in America? You probably know that if you know Ever Lee.
But just a pleasure to be here, just a pleasure to be here. I am wearing a navy suit, a blue and white striped shirt and a green tie. I'm vertically challenged... (chuckling)
And a very proud member of the Hairston family. Also good to see my peeps from Virginia and North Carolina. That's where most of the Hairstons hail from.
(Cheering)
Good to see you! All right! There we go. So we'll get started here. Thank you again for the invitation and inclusion and for the partnership and thank you for welcoming us to your convention. The team and I are very excited to be here with you this week can, and we hope you had a few moments to stop by our exhibit that was mentioned earlier with our check-in kiosk. With me here is my wonderful team of folks that have been here with you all week. Heather Gray, Jeremy Rouse and Angela Love, let's give them a hand.
(Applause)
I do believe it was a steady flow of folks that were coming through. With we probably have saw upwards of 1,000 folks over the whole time. What was great about it was that it was a steady flow, and they got an opportunity to work hands on one on one with a lot of you in terms of introducing the features at all of the kiosks. I'll tell you a little bit more about that, if you didn't get to the exhibit, I'll tell you a little bit more to tease you and you probably want to go to your office and find out more about it.
So with that, during the last few days we have had the privilege to provide you with the opportunity to interact with a replica of the visitor check in kiosk. As parts of our commitment to making our benefits, services, technology accessible to everyone, we have been very excited to share the kiosk with you this week.
As early as 2018, Social Security Administration began the process of testing and working to modernize the kiosk by which visitors across the nation check into Social Security offices. In doing so, we analyzed usability for users, from various populations with varied types of disability. In tandem we continue to work on software improvements and enhancements to increase customer satisfaction and decrease cognitive overload while using our check in equipment.
As mentioned in the introduction, my career started around 29 years ago with Social Security Administration. At that time we assisted customers with paper tickets. Boy, am I dating myself. At that time we had no way of knowing anything about the customer before we began our interaction. Customers didn't have the ability to let us know if they had special needs. Why they were visiting. Or if we needed to provide any accommodation to ensure they had the highest quality of service available. As technology has evolved, we continuously sought out partnerships with various communities to ensure the way we serve the public. Make sure that it fits the needs and meets -- and exceeds the expectations of our customers.
We are continuing to enhance our public facing technology to provide an accessible experience. Not only for customers who are blind or have visual impairments, but also for visitors with other accessibility concerns. In 2023 we developed a truly accessibility kiosk that would allow for an individual experience, and equal experience for all.
Our goal remains to offer a universally accessible kiosk system that ensures 100% equal access for all users, thereby promoting equity in service accessibility and user experience. Consistent with this commitment we have installed new visitor check-in kiosk with enhanced accessibility features. Additionally we provided extensive training to our field office managers and staff on how to use the new kiosk.
And we have taught them all about the new accessibility features. Our customers' ability to check in at Social Security offices is now easier than it's ever been. Regardless of a customer's accessibility needs.
You may have had the opportunity to stop by the exhibit during the conference, but in case you didn't, in case you missed it, I want to share a few other features. The kiosk cabinet itself is designed to meet accessibility needs of all field office visitors. The design includes specific features based on your input, government regulations, academic research, and user studies performed by the Social Security Administration.
These studies and our continued testing of high-volume tasks related to Social Security services emphasize a user centric approach to identify and address usability challenges thereby fostering inclusive and accessible services. The touch screen, the buttons, Braille instructions are all set at an angle appropriate for all visitors.
For durability the Braille instructions are printed on a steel plate. All components are mounted internally for security and provide a smoother surface for visitors to explore by touch. There are no sharp edges. To protect privacy there is a headphones socket but no speakers. We supply complimentary headphones at the kiosk.
Plugging in headphones launches the audio interface and should be the only modification a user may need to enhance their check in experience. That is the kiosk. To serve customers who are blind or have low vision, JAWS has been installed on all kiosks.
(Cheers and applause)
It activates an audio feature when they plug in headphones. During the check in session, the audio interface tells customers what is on the screen and describes thousand to complete the tasks. For example, how to use the keypad to answer questions. The navigation keypad has a 3.5-millimeter headphones socket in the upper right-hand corner with an audio label in Braille above it.
Although customers may have their own headphones, we also supply complimentary ones like I mentioned earlier. The navigation keypad can also be used without activating audio. This feature helps our customers in a wheelchair by providing an option much closer to them than the touch screen. The keypad mirrors many modern TV remotes.
Along with the accessibility features of the kiosk, SSA has also dedicated an email address for you to report any accessibility concerns that you might have when interacting with the kiosk itself. That email is [email protected]. That can be found on a Braille sticker on the kiosk itself. In addition to that, we offer customers the ability to check in our offices via their personal mobile device. Mobile check in. This means regardless of a customer's need; they can use their personalized settings on their own device to navigate the check-in process according to their own preferences.
(Applause)
This allows for a truly personalized accessible experience even without the need to interact with our kiosk. Since October 2023, more than 22 million customers have visited our offices already and interacted with our check in kiosk and mobile services. I think that's amazing.
(Applause)
And I've got to make a plug for our online services, anything to our in office services. There we provide several types of things that you can do to apply for. Different Social Security benefits. Retirement. Spouse's benefits. Disability benefits. You can a play for Medicare only and extra help with Medicare prescription drug costs. You can access our publication and our program rules to learn more about our services, including provisions for working while receiving benefits.
It may be important to note that there are provisions specific to customers who are receiving disability benefits on blindness and return to work. This information can be found in our publication titled "If You Are Blind Or Have Low Vision, How We Can Help."
That was available in our booth this week, and you can also find it, that publication on our website at SSA.gov /pubs/en 05 1005
It's offered in audio format as well as languages other than English. Since everyone's situation is different, whether on SSI or disability benefits we suggest either reviewing our specific work related publications or contact your local field office and other resources to get personalized assistance.
And speaking of personalized information, if you have cellular -- if you haven't already, we encourage you to set up your own My Social Security Account by visiting SSA.gov/myaccount. This provides personalized tools for everyone whether you receive benefits or not. I think you can already tell I'm a tech geek. I'm talking about my tools here. You can use your account to access certain notices online, request a replacement Social Security card, check the status of application, estimate future benefits or manage the benefits you already receive.
You can do all of that. You can make changes or update your benefits record, like your address or your direct deposit.
We also offer options for specialized notice formats to persons who are blind or visually impaired. These are notices that you can receive in other communications and formats other than standard print. Including but not limited to options such adds Braille notices, data CDs that have notices in Word format, large print notices and audio CDs. You know, technology continues to change rapidly. So a lot of folks aren't using CDs anymore, but we are assessing those types of advances continuously, evaluating and looking to make changes and updates in that regard.
This allows our agency to make sure that we are serving the needs of all of our customers. So look for updates in that arena. Another area here, more than 70 million people depend on Social Security benefits. And millions more reach out each year for other services like requesting a new Social Security card. We're working hard to provide our customers with the service that they expect.
In February 2024, Commissioner Martin O'Malley launched something called "Security Stat." If you haven't heard about that, it's a performance measurement tool. He used it when he was mayor of Baltimore. He used it when he was governor of the state of Maryland, and he brought that right in to being Commissioner for Social Security Administration. That tool is helping Social Security set goals. It's helping us choose actions that are priority, and helping us track the progress in meeting these challenges.
Information about these goals, you can find them, and you can also see our progress in each one of these areas on our website. Again, SSA.gov. In discussions with NFB leadership, we understand that some of the areas of interest of NFB members are disability processes, return to work provisions, as well as overpayment remediations.
We would also like you to know that these are some of the agency areas of focus with security staff. Commissioner O'Malley has implemented Security Stat to place emphasis and focus on these specific areas as well. As part of Security Stat and to be transparent with the public, our progress is regularly updated on our website. Again, ssa.gov/securitystat. You will be able to find that information for yourselves.
Here you will find great information about the steps that the agency is taking to be more effective for the customer that we serve. You will learn about these few things that already -- that we already have begun to make progress. Our work to reduce a number of pending hearings to the lowest level in over 30 years.
(Applause)
Part of the success comes from our changes to policies involving disability determinations. We've updated the way we review a person's relevant work history when making decisions on applications for disability benefits. There are a number of considerations in disability applications processes. In addition to reviewing medical records, we review the ability to continue to engage in work that will provide a substantial gainful income.
Or what some may know as SGA. Previously we considered the past 15 years of work when determining whether a person has the work experience to continue to earn SGA since the date their medical condition first affected their work activity. Moving forward we will now consider only the past five years of work experience in the disability determination process.
(Applause)
That's a big one. Also on Security Stat you will learn about how we have changed tour calculations for determining SSI eligibility, and subsequently the SSI payment amount. Since SSI is a needs-based program, we have guidance on how to consider informal assistance that a person receives on a monthly basis. This informal assistance is sometimes countered as a form of income thereby reducing the monthly SSI payment.
However, we are updating these guidelines. For example, beginning September 30th, we will no longer count assistance with food expenses as a type of informal income.
(Applause)
Yes. This change will bring more consistency in an individual's monthly SSI payments and reduce some documentation requirement at the same time. Additional Security Stat has information on how SSA is working to address improper payments, adjusting the way that we collect repayments, as well as implementing steps to reduce the backlog of pending underpayments to our claimants. Along with this information, you can also find information on how our agency is simplifying our processes with technology enhancements where we can. We are working to reduce the paper burden on both our customers and our employees.
These efforts will help streamline and modernize our workloads, ultimately resulting in better service to the public. We continue to strive for the utmost level of service to our customers and we continue to lean into new technology and processes. We believe there is a bright future ahead, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with you to get to that future.
(Applause)
In closing, again, I want to appreciate the National Federation of the Blind for inviting Social Security this week, allowing us to share with you the work that we have been doing to try to improve on the services we are providing, and we look forward to continuing the work with you and your membership for future endeavors. Again, we hope that you have the opportunity to interact with our accessible kiosk and hope you have a wonderful time during the remainder of this last day of your conference. Thank you so much for the opportunity.
(Applause)
PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: It's great to have a Hairston on our side at Social Security, right?
BENNETT: Yeah, how about a door prize?
PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: A door prize and a quick PAC update. Door prize.
BENNETT: I thought you said the PAC update first. Never mind. First of all, virtually, we've got 50 bucks each for three people who are listening to us. If you are there and use the code word "Blind Vets" when you go to [email protected] and send an email about that and you get 50 dollars if you are Anita -- Anitra weber of Utah, Cindy Bellamy Arkansas and Kathleen Slocum from South Dakota. Now here is an in person one.
KENIA: We are giving away a 50 dollar gift card, and that goes to Michele Fouch or Foushay, I'm not sure. From Frederick, Maryland. Is she here? We got her.
PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Great. PAC Plan.
(sound of PAC man video game audio)
MARILYN: I know we don't have a lot of time, so I'm going to talk while the music is playing. So thank you, everybody, for getting back there to the PAC table. We have been doing a lot of PAC business to secure the lives of blind people. We want to thank you so much for the energy. We've had lines back there, but right now my PAC mates are sitting there, they're a little lonely. So get back there to the PAC table if you haven't already visited.
But I know you want to hear about the competition. Yes! So I actually visited the critters earlier, and they are so excited to go home with a state or a division. I was talking to the PAC Rat and told him, looks like you might be going to the heat of Arizona! Arizona is in the lead.
But South Carolina, you can take them home to your heat too, because you're not too far behind. You can tie Arizona for just 30 more dollars a month.
Colorado! You're right there behind them. Bring about 50 more dollars. I saw one of your members back there, you might overtake South Carolina. So keep on coming back there to the PAC table. We also have for our percentages, Nevada! It looks like you might be taking the PAC a derm. But Vermont, don't get upset, you're not too far behind them. And then Michigan has come from out of nowhere, my friends! Michigan!
And then we have the divisions. Seniors, you are still in the lead for the Mule. But not too far behind you, my students, they're still working hard. They're catching up on you. Students, you just need five more people to tie the seniors. And then let me tell you... those guide dogs are hard at work, because NAGDO is moving up in the ranks. All right, my Federation Family, I just have one more piece of information before I get kicked off, because I'm sure people want to know about the gift cards.
And I think there are a few people here who will like to hear their names. I have Hannah Furney from Minnesota, you have a gift card. Go back to the PAC table. Ritchie Flores, California. And Melissa Lovato, Arkansas. We also have... I'm going to save the best for last. I have two more. Let me see... shoot, sorry, notes, notes, notes... McCauley Beasley, Mississippi, Arizona, and last but certainly not least, Melissa Riccobono, Maryland! All right,...
¶ get on the PAC Plan ¶
¶ Sign up today ¶
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¶ Funding our movement ¶
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¶ So all our battles will be won! ¶
Thank you, Mr. President.
PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Thank you. I was about to say I have my PAC ribbon, but that's probably obvious now. You mentioned Ritchie Flores, how many people got to throw axes last night? That was pretty cool! I promise I'm not bringing that up specifically before this next panel. It's just that Ritchie's name was mentioned, so...
This next topic is Rehabilitation. And this crowd provides a lot of expertise to the rehabilitation process, right? Yeah, we know a lot about it, because we live it every day, and in some states we have been successful in getting separate agencies for the blind, and those agencies come together under the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind that we have had the opportunity to work with in a number of ways, and in other places within general agencies for the blind, it's been harder, but we have found ways to raise expectations and create understanding about blindness. We talked in the presidential report the work that we're doing to build some training materials for affiliates related to agencies. Those agencies come together in this Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation.
Increasingly we are finding ways to not just advocate with agencies but to find ways to partner with them, to help them in pursuit of quality outcomes by being the organization that provides them with that expertise through youth programming or transition youth programming or other things. Our organization brings that expertise. We thought it would be appropriate to invite both of the overarching organizations that bring agencies together to a conversation here at convention and here to introduce the panel and lead the conversation is our director of blindness initiatives. Part of his background is in the client assistance program, so he knows a lot about vocational rehabilitation. Here to introduce the panel is Anil Lewis!
(Applause)
ANIL: Good morning. Thank you, President Riccobono. During my report from the Institute on the Blindness Initiative Programs, you saw we were putting a lot of emphasis on partnering with blindness professionals. So one of the best ways to do that is partner with organizations that help bring together blindness professionals.
So I'm very pleased that our panelists today accepted President Riccobono's invitation to be with us at our convention and I'm optimistic that we will continue to have ongoing discussions throughout the coming years to make sure we can improve the quality of rehabilitation services to blind and low vision consumers across the country.
So I'm going to introduce our first panelist, Dr. Cassondra Williams Stokes. I met her when I was serve national representative for Arkansas affiliate and we all know how some agencies that come they have representation for just the 30 minutes they're there to present. But she was there the whole convention and she's a really good tremendous friend of ours, and she's director of services for the blind in Arkansas and recently elected as the president of the national council of state agencies for the blind. Here to introduce herself and introductory comments is Cassondra Williams Stokes.
CASSONDRA: Thank you, Anil, for that, and thank you President Riccobono for the invitation to NCSAB. I'm honored to be here to speak on behalf of NCSAB, all the directors of blind agencies today, I really patient the opportunity to partnership. And this is my probably eighth convention that I have attended. I've been with the...
(Applause)
I've been with the state of Arkansas Services for the Blind about 15 years. I served as director for six of those. So I'm really honored to be here and thankful for the opportunity.
ANIL: Tell us a little about NCSAB.
CASSONDRA: Yes, thank you. Our primary goal is to promote and advocate for individuals who are blind or visually impaired. We do not lobby. I just want to go on record to say that.
ANIL: That's okay, we'll continue to edge kite Congress.
CASSONDRA: To educate and promote advocacy. I am one that really believes in independence. All my life I have lived with a disability. I am hearing impaired. So these acoustics are really killing me right now. So just bear with me.
ANIL: You're doing fine.
CASSONDRA: And so the thing about it, we just want to make sure that independence is absolutely a priority for all of our consumers that are reaching and striving for that goal, and our role is to make sure that we are there to support them. And this is not just for Arkansas for sure, but it's nationwide.
And so we are available. If there is anything that we can do right now, my platform is just to make sure that the partnerships are strong, making sure that our legislators are aware of our needs. Because there are so many. I know we're going to get into that, so that is the primary reason for NCSAB to provide that support.
ANIL: Thank you very much. I just wanted to introduce our second panel U.S. and then we're going to engage in a little conversation. I'm very pleased to have Stephen Wooderson with the Council of State Administrators for Vocational Rehabilitation. Just to make it clear, every state, as.Riccobono said, does not have a direct agency serving blind people. They are general agencies to serve VR and they are responsible for serving blind consumers in the whole area of disability.
The thing I love about Stephen, he's been a long-time partner, back when I used to work on advocacy and policy side of the shop under John Pare's leadership, serving in the capacity for the education of Congress that Cassondra was begging out of. Stephen was right there with us on issues around subminimum wage and Section 511, etc. Again, please, Stephen, glad you were able to accept our invitation, take a little bit of time to introduce yourself and tell us about this.
STEPHEN: I'm a newcomer. This is my first time. And I am absolutely impressed.
(Applause)
Thank you, Anil, for the invitation. President Mark, thank you for the coffee this morning and that conversation. It was good to get to know you a little bit more. So I am the Chief Executive Officer for the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation. We're the sister agency to NCSAB. I try not to use a lot of initials today, but we'll probably get into that pretty quickly.
We have seven full-time staff that work across the country. We all work remotely. But the bottom line is I work for Cassondra, I work for the other 77 state vocational rehabilitation agency directors. I think a couple have been in the room maybe today or over the last... Robert Doyle from Florida, Robert is our treasurer. Cassondra sits on our executive committee.
So we're very well represented by agencies for the blind. And as Anil mentioned, CSAVR is the broad organization that represents all state vocational rehabilitation agencies, all 78 of them. 22 specifically serving folks who are blind. Another 22 that are the serving other than those who are blind, and then the balance are combined. So it's all job seekers with disabilities seeking VR services in those state agencies.
So I am proud to be able to say, Anil, I am a lobbyist. I can lobby. That's a part of our organizational structure. So it was a great opportunity and continues to be a great opportunity to partner with you all. Me personally, I have been in the business for -- as we sometimes say back home, "since Pluto was a pup." I began as a counselor in Rolla, Missouri. I've got some Missouri folks back there, good old folks, good to see you. I was there 20 years and went to the great state of Iowa, my second home, where I ended up being state director tore. I live in Minnesota now. I got the middle of the room out there represented.
And it's good to be able to reconnect with good friends like Jim Marks, I saw him from Montana. Thank you for all the work you guys are doing. That's who I am and where I come from, a little bit about CSAVR.
ANIL: Thank you for sharing. I love the way you're trying to win the crowd. So establishing this relationship, let's start with perspective and we'll probably go pretty quickly because I have more intense questions. But can you both share your perception of the National Federation of the Blind and let us know what you feel our role is in the rehabilitation process?
CASSONDRA: Absolutely. I'll tell you, my relationship with Arkansas NFB, you know, over the last 15 years -- and I'm also, just so you know I'm neutral, I attend all the Arkansas Council of the Blind meetings as well. That's why I didn't show up the other years, I was at the American Council of the Blind conference. I will tell you my experience with NFB really has been just looking at strong advocacy and education, and accountability. I don't necessarily need NFB Arkansas to keep me accountable, but they do. I can tell you that. I know they're over there listening.
But over the years, NFB really has been a partner for us at the state level for sure. I know that the national level, NFB executive leadership has shown up for those meetings in Arkansas. And I know that they really believe in advocacy, making sure every consumer has an opportunity to be independent.
So for me, I think that that has really helped me understand more about what my role is. And just want to add that one of the great opportunities that I have had in Arkansas is that we are an independent commission, which means that our agency is managed and operated by a board. That autonomy has been very important.
The voice of consumers, blind or visually impaired consumers actually runs our agency. And everything that we do is on behalf of the individuals that we serve. So I just want to say that I think that NFB has -- it represents well, making sure that any challenge that is put before our consumers, that they are addressed. That is what I have seen.
And I know that the partnership being able to revert individuals to NFB, whether in Arkansas at the national level, those individuals have stepped up to make sure that the issues that are perceived as barriers, they are removed by NFB. So I want to thank you and Arkansas NFB for making sure that we are able to move forward with any challenges presented to us.
ANIL: We definitely wear those hats proudly. How about you, Stephen?
STEPHEN: Honestly, Anil, my first 20+ years, my association with NFB was somewhat secondhand. It was through representatives on the state rehab council, state Independent Living Councils that became acquainted with the power of NFB. At that point, frankly, didn't quite fully appreciate it until I met you and John Pare and we began working together, as you mentioned, on the Hill, and recognized the power of the voice of NFB, and working 30 years in a general agency, then coming to the national level and understanding the power of the voice, I think it's important for me to say it is one that doesn't work daily in the blind community is that NFB is really a good representative of rising tide floats all boats. And what you do for the blind community is good for all. And that is the power of NFB.
ANIL: We're proud of that.
STEPHEN: So I really have learned that, Anil, and I appreciate that so much, what you all do. So that's my take.
ANIL: Thank you. So let's get right to the big elephant in the room. A lot of our members have expressed some concerns, and we know that within the agencies that the preemployment transition services as implemented through the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act has really had a rocky start, maybe some things that are smoothing out, but just curious to know what you are encouraging your membership agencies to do to address preemployment transition services for blind and low vision youth.
CASSONDRA: Well, the first thing, you know that in 2014 we all encountered WIOA, and we had put us in a position where we had to reeducate ourselves about what was important. And absolutely the preemployment transition services, the funding for that is very important to all of our states.
And I know with NCSAB, one of the things we're looking at is making sure that all of our states understand the importance of reaching out to our Technical Assistance Centers to ensure that they understand how to implement the preemployment program. Right now we are looking at states that are turning money back because they can't spend it. And that's really -- I don't like that, and I know in Arkansas we are able to spend our funding, and I think that part of the issue is there are restrictions where states aren't able to implement with the program. I know several of the directors around the country, they bring students here to NFB.
And I tell you, my first experience or first trip here to NFB years ago, I was a little intimidated. I ran into a group of students who were really outspoken, active, and I had never seen anything like it. And I was just so impressed. I really was. And so with that, I know the importance of teaching our young people, the importance of advocacy, advocating for themselves, advocating for what they want in life. And I know that is really important.
The other thing that we are really looking at is making sure our states understand about fiscal forecasting. Really what that is is just making sure that you have a plan in place to implement the preemployment program, making sure that you understand how you are going to spend those dollars so that you don't have to turn those back to Rehabilitation Services Administration. And so those are really two of our concerns for NCSAB, and making sure that we continue to receive those dollars to support our young people.
ANIL: Thank you.
(Applause)
ANIL: Stephen.
STEPHEN: Cassondra mentioned the Technical Assistance Center, and a couple specific examples that are broad across agencies serving the blind and combined agencies is the Technical Assistance Center, the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition, the collaborative, also known as NTAC C, they manage a collaborative that we're hoping will continue to grow, a community of practice, if you will, about 35 to 45 agencies participate in that. It's combined, combined agencies.
And they are monthly sharing good examples of things that are happening and ways to increase the numbers of students and youth who are blind. I might mention broadly that PRE ETS numbers are improving. We're engaging more students and youth. We are having more services provided and more outcomes, at the same time numbers don't tell the whole story.
So this community of practice is one that is a specific example that was shared. I also want to mention that another model that I would encourage us to consider is kind of a regional approach for the states of Kentucky, Minnesota, Michigan and Delaware, I understand they are working across state lines virtually bringing blind students and youth together to have experimental kind of events online to build that sense of community, capacity building as well.
And then the last thing that I mentioned to respond to specifically to, Anil, is, again, it's broad, but as I was sharing with Mark this morning, a concern that we have across the board the capacity of our community providers. And that is a concern. And I know that it impacts all across the board. I suspect greater impact in the blind community as well. But really stepping up our efforts to identify those competencies, skills that are needed to be able to deliver those services, such as PRE ETS services, and really develop a training module, if you will, that will speak to that across the nation that is consistent.
So those are examples that I know from our world that we are hearing about and hope that will be replicated.
ANIL: And hopefully we can expand on our partnership, because at this convention here we have 11 students from Mississippi, pre-employment transitioning students, and I think Nebraska sent 15 students here. We can continue to build on that. Because this is not just a one off. When the students get here, they get ongoing support, develop peer relationships, etc., because one of our biggest problems is agencies interpreting PRE ETS as one offs, well, you had your module on self advocacy. And that's just not how it works, we have to continue to involve ourselves in their lives.
One other concern member have expressed is that in the effort of many of the agencies to focus on employment, and we recognize that's the mandate, but we as the National Federation of the Blind also recognize that actual acquisition and mastery of alternative skills of blindness are important.
So that's Braille, access technology, independent travel, but also includes activities of daily living, you know, being able to manage a household, cook and clean for yourselves, but many members find it much more difficult to get support from the agencies for those particular services in order to be the well rounded individuals they need to be to seek competitive integrated employment. Just curious as whether you recognize that as a problem and what you have done to kind of brainstorm a strategy.
CASSONDRA: Well, one thing is I think that we need to make sure that agencies are educated about how to use the VR process. If there is a consumer who actually needs a particular ADL, that needs to be shared with the council. And that's one thing we want to make sure we are getting the message out to all of our membership and all directors, all states. Make sure you understand and know how to use the process. ADL, if that's part of meeting an employment goal, that should not be any different than any other type of resource that you would need to get to your goal.
So I think it's how you look at it and how you view the process. That is one. And that's for VR. For OIB, I know that we are really working hard. Part of the problem with the older individuals who are blind program, for that matter, is we don't have enough funding, and I know that over the years, 2023, I see Carlos Saban from Nebraska -- there he is! -- immediate past president, he actually supported it and wrote a letter to our Senate and House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for additional funding for the OIB program and VR. And just this year, I did the same.
And so we are really looking at how we can increase the funding for these programs that are serving our consumers. Right now the current funding level for the older individuals who are blind program is 33 million. That sounds like a lot. It's been a challenge, but we do everything we can to make sure membership understands at our spring and fall conferences, we try to have workshops that are appropriate, one, and relevant. Relevant to what is going on, relevant to the issues that are facing our membership within the states, making sure that the process of how to use and utilize the VR in VR support employment awards.
I think that's key. I know it's key, because a lot of issues are coming forward, I have learned how to utilize the resources by using the Technical Assistance Centers, and we don't tier money back. We spend all our money for pre employment transition services and for VR. And that is because I have learned in the staff that work with me, alongside me, we have learned how to use the process of making sure that we are maximizing every dollar that we can for our consumers. So I think that we can...
(Applause)
We can continue the conversation to make sure that we understand how important the resources that need to be available to our consumers are there. And so I think that's one message that we're trying to get out.
ANIL: Great. Thank you.
(Applause)
ANIL: Stephen.
STEPHEN: Before I speak to that, I want to acknowledge, I didn't see Carlos over there earlier, he's another one of my bosses, Carlos, thank you very much. I hate to walk out of here and there be an important vote along the way and you voted against me because I didn't call your name out.
And then mentioned Mississippi, Dorothy Young, I know her coming in her role with NCSAB is important as well. This particular question I think at hand, Cassondra probably has a much deeper appreciation for the community and the challenges that there are. So maybe I will take a little different view or angle on it and speak to the issue of CIE, and the fact that
ANIL: And just to be clear, CIE is competitive integrated employment.
STEPHEN: Thank you, Anil. A lot of this rests, I think, in our proper movement to the vocational rehabilitation program being responsible for services that lead to competitive integrated employment outcomes. And the movement across the country that you see more and more community providers moving in that direction, it's one of those things that Anil, to some degree, I think it may be that, hard to believe, legislation may have moved so fast to where other services that needed to fill that void have not completely matured.
That is a bit of my view of the world.
So to get to the question, the need for ADLs, often with the VR world, is that there could be the view that individual is not ready for competitive integrated employment. So going back to Cassondra's point, that appreciation and understanding at the state agency level. And maybe agencies for the blind can help educate our other agencies more and understanding that there is a need for that service.
And if it can be clearly articulated that those are the services that are needed nor to lead towards competitive integrated employment, then that is a strategy to help build, I think, that capacity even greater.
ANIL: Nice. We'll start doing a better job of making sure we encourage and empower our members to do exactly that. So thank you for that advice. Just got updates. We have some pre ETS students from Washington and from Texas. So very nice. Cassondra, you already addressed the older blind question I was going to ask. I just wanted to see if Stephen had anything to add around older blind.
STEPHEN: You want me to go first?
CASSONDRA: The one thing I'm going to say is that I did just want to talk about partnerships, and that is one of the reasons why I know I'm here today, to represent NCSAB. We are looking to increase partnerships, one, because it makes -- increase partnerships, one, because it makes sense. There are so many states that are challenged with the lack of funding or resources.
So it makes sense to partner with organizations who are doing the same things or have a similar goal. We don't always have to agree on what is going on, but it makes sense for us to partner so that our dollars will go further to serve consumers. And so that is really important.
And the other thing I wanted to mention is that the funds that are channeled into the states, sometimes that's the only source of funding forces for independent living.
And so that's huge. In Arkansas we are a retirement state. I'm sure Florida is. You know, people are looking to retire. We have an overwhelming amount of individuals who are 55 and older who are experiencing vision loss or some type of blindness issues. So it is important for us to look at our partnerships opportunities to make sure that if we can't provide because of lack of funding, that we can make a referral to a partner who is at the table and who does have those resources. So that's one thing I wanted to make sure that I brought out today.
STEPHEN: And, again, you have the inside track on NFB, generally speaking, it's a tough market right now, very tough market.
So that partnership that Cassondra is speaking to is so critical in our lobbying or educating, depending upon your point of view with members of Congress.
I do want to give NFB a shout out when it comes to partnering. Recently I had a conversation with the Ability One Center provider SourceAmerica, and I appreciate how NFB and SourceAmerica have worked together in advocating for legislation. And quite honestly, that is I think -- I'm not going to speak for you all, but I think that is a newer relationship and partnership that is having great impact, seeing major voices come together and CSAVR is pleased to be part of that.
ANIL: And the Federation is standing ready to help to advocate for more money for older blind services. Another way to enhance our partnership moving forward. I want to take the last few minutes to talk about the future. The Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act is going to be up for reauthorization soon, I don't know whether you guys have heard anything on when, but we should start strategizing now on how we can work together to make sure we're going to address the problems that exist and put pieces in place that are more forward thinking to innovate the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act.
CASSONDRA: I will say that NCSAB, we actually have on staff -- by the way, one thing I forgot to mention, Anil, is that NCSAB does not have a paid executive director, so all of our services relationship my position, executive committee, including director Saban on there, we are all volunteers. And so...
(Applause)
CASSONDRA: Yes, I know.
ANIL: We recognize the power of volunteering here in the Federation.
CASSONDRA: And so that really, to me, it speaks to the volume of just the challenges, the willingness of these individuals over the years who have stepped up. We are working towards getting a full-time executive director, so hopefully in the near future we will be able to do that.
But I will say as far as the reauthorization of WIOA, the legislative analyst for NCSAB, late June there was a bipartisan draft bill of the reauthorization that was released. And so that is one thing. And I think just the concerns there for NCSAB really would be kind of maybe reopening the issues of integrated employment, just competitive integrated employment, just rehashing all of that, looking at hopefully not necessarily changing, but making sure that we continue the standards that we have. And subminimum wage, those are some concerns you know, if reauthorization is reopened, just looking at how that would impact our consumers as well.
The other thing, NCSAB, we really look at pre-employment, it's high on our list, because our young people are the future. They're the present as well. We need to be training them now, if they are going to be in position to be leading NFB one day possibly.
ANIL: We're always looking for new leaders.
CASSONDRA: We need to be looking at those things, making sure that we're able to provide the restrictions that some states are under, because of WIOA, we need to look at -- you know, that's a concern for us, one. And I didn't mention Randolph shepherd. That is a huge one.
And I know that is one of the issues that I am working on this year with executive committee, to look at how can we educate our states and let the committees just state licensing agencies about Randolph Shepherd and get more funding if we can, and just to throw this out there, we just submitted -- and I got an email today. We partner be George Washington University, and just to see if there was an opportunity for us to -- for the grant, yes, sir, and we're hoping that will provide more support and training for the Randolph Shepherd program.
ANIL: All key points we're interested in working with you on. Stephen, bring it home.
STEPHEN: CSAVR is very pleased to be able to support NCSAB on the Randolph Shepherd advocacy effort. We have a director of legislative affairs, Tonya Ferguson, working very closely with Katrina McDonald that is helping with advocacy in that arena as well. So we don't have that expertise. So we provide some financial resources to be able to expand the capacity with those that do have the expertise.
Specific to WIOA, of course, as mentioned, you know, the two bills on the floor right now, the House and Senate, they do not address specifically the Rehabilitation Act Title VI of WIOA, but there are provisions in the bill House and Senate bills that could impact the VR program. The other titles of WIOA.
Specific to I think our mutual world is that there is not a requirement for the state vocational rehabilitation agency director, blind agency director or combined agency director, to sit on the state workforce board. We think that's wrong. We think that in order for us to be well represented, not some designee or somebody on behalf of the state director, but that the state director must be appointed to that state workforce board. That is how we get full representation.
(Applause)
ANIL: And I know that we have a history of working well together on the Hill and we are looking forward to doing that and moving forward. Someone is asking if there is going to be a Q&A opportunity, and unfortunately not. What I encourage people to do who have questions is reach out to me or John Pare, because we will be continuing this dialogue with both of these stellar individuals. Again, thank you guys for attending and presenting.
(Applause)
PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Thank you for your time. I guess we have to plan an hour next time, right? There is a lot of questions out there. Thank you for being here.
BENNETT: We're working on a door prize.
PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Quick door prize.
BENNETT: First of all, for the virtual participants, we really appreciate you being here. And if you go to [email protected], if you heard your name within the next half hour and email us with the secret word, which is not so secret... Future reflections. Then you will be able to get 40 dollars, each of you.
And the names are Teddy Mork from New Mexico, Jessica Watson from Maryland, and a name that I know... Anthony Cobb from Maryland.
Now here is Kenia.
KENIA: Our in-person door prize this morning is a bag from Hawaii with chocolate and Skittles as well as 50 dollars in cash. And that goes to Diana Monk from St. Johns, Michigan.
PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: So the next item on the agenda is "Leading Courageously in Art," and we have with us an individual new to our community, first time on this stage, but already made an impact by telling the story of a blind person. Some of you may have had the opportunity to meet Set Hernandez during the screening of "Unseen." Anybody make it? Good.
They're a filmmaker and community organizer. We like community organizers around here, right? Their film in particular documents the experience of a blind individual who is aspiring to be successful but faces various challenges because of their intersectionalities. The film "Unseen" debuted in 2023 and we were happy to bring it here to our National Convention.
Now, when I asked Set to come to our stage, they said, well, don't you want the blind person? Great point. But I suggested to Set that we love blind people, right? We believe in blind people. But we need to hear from the allies who get it right! So here I'm very pleased to say is one of those allies who gets it right, if you haven't had a chance to see "Unseen," I encourage you to do it and definitely to meet this individual as well as Pedro, who is with us at this convention, here is Set Hernandez!
(Music playing)
¶ ... just how life goes ¶
¶ Stumble and dance with you ¶
¶ Oh, is this a new song I hear ¶
¶ Round and around this world will go ¶
¶ We'll make a home wherever we are ¶
SET: Hello! Oh, here is a microphone! Good morning, everyone! Hey! Yes! I am so privileged to be here with you all this morning. Of the many brilliant leaders and thinkers in this room today, I get to be so privileged as a sighted person to offer some remarks.
Thank you so much to President Riccobono, who literally this is my first time meeting him in person after so many emails. Thank you to John Berggren and of course Ms. Beth Braun for opening the doors of the NFB convention for a person like me to speak. I have already made so many new lifelong friends, like Gabe and Eric, and many people’s last names I didn't catch because we were having too much fun these last few nights.
I was told, though, that's what convention is all about. Thank you to brilliant leaders like Joe Strechay, whose artistry and uplifting narratives about the blindness experience has served as inspiration for the work I have been able to do. Thank you to my mentors, most of whom are Black and Brown blind people of color, who have taught me so much not just about accessibility, but about life at large.
These include Raquel O'Neil, Thomas Reed and others. The champing of our film is probably the single most important reason I am here today. Than you to Conchita, who is actually enroute back to D.C. right now. And thank you to my dear friend Pedro for trusting me to amplify his story by capturing six years of his life through our film "Unseen." I get to be so lucky to learn from you and to be called your friend.
For those that have yet to watch "Unseen," our film, like President Riccobono has said, follows the story of Pedro as an aspiring social worker who happens to be a blind undocumented immigrant. Considering the circumstances of his life, Pedro must confront the imposed political restriction he faces to get his college degree and support his family.
As he graduates from college, however, Pedro realizes that attaining his goals does not resolve his challenges. If anything, uncertainty looms over him even more. What starts as Pedro's journey to provide mental health care for his community as a social worker ultimately transforms into Pedro's on path towards his own healing. Life brought me and Pedro together, because like him, I too am an undocumented immigrant. Because of my immigration status in high school, it's not that I was not eligible to receive scholarships to go to college. I wasn't actually allowed to access the application portal to begin with because I did not have a Social Security number.
Even though I achieved every benchmark of success society told me to accomplish as a teenager.
But because my high schoolteachers, friends and family believed in me, they fought tooth and nail for me to be able to live up to my potential. At a time when policies like DACA or the Dream Act did not exist, my educators in community did bake sales and yard sales to fund raise for my first quarter in college, dollar per dollar. They even brought me to the game show "The Price Is Right." Which is ultimately how I got a 5,000 dollar scholarship directly from the host, Drew Carey himself. Shout out to Drew Carey. And to Cleveland, Ohio!
But when I finally graduated from college, accessing opportunities in the film industry presented a whole new set of barriers, even though I had a work permit by this point through DACA, I was excluded from applying for grants to work on my projects like "Unseen," which is why it took so many years for Pedro and me to finish our film. The irony is that while the grant making institutions excluded undocumented filmmakers like me to receive opportunities, they were actively funding filmmakers who are not even immigrants to make films about our community.
Unfortunately, this experience is not unique to the undocumented immigrant filmmaking community. When Pedro and I met in 2015, I was a coordinator for a fellowship program that provided professional development opportunities for undocumented young adults like both Pedro and me. Even though I have been a community organizer since I was 18, Pedro was actually the first undocumented individual with a disability that I have ever met. It made me realize that the immigrant rights movement that I have been a part of did not just overlook the experience of disability, but even perpetuated ableist notions around worthiness.
Whenever we advocated for a pathway to citizenship, our talking points argued that undocumented people have a quote/unquote earned citizenship because we are hardworking tax paying exceptional human beings, as if we are only deserving of a dignified life because of how much we can produce for a capitalist society.
Regardless of how many barriers that same society imposes on us to live up to our potential. Getting to work with Pedro presented an opportunity to deconstruct these notions and maybe advocate for people who live at this overlooked intersection.
(Applause)
Because of my own background in grassroots organizing, I profoundly believed that the most impacted people in any project should always have agency over the decisions affecting them. Since "Unseen" is about Pedro's life, from the very beginning, I've always told Pedro that the only audience member I really ever care about was him. If ever we finish this film and he finally watches it, my main goal was for Pedro to tell me, Set, you understand who I am! This film is indeed about me.
But Pedro wouldn't be able to say that if the film is not accessible, it is much less enjoyable. I don't want a sighted individual to watch the film and enjoy it more than Pedro. Considering that cinema...
(Applause)
Thank you. Considering that cinema is presumed to be a primarily visual medium, how can we create a movie that prioritizes blind and undocumented audiences at its center? How can we subvert the proverbial gaze and invite sighted viewers to not rely on visual information as much as listen to a film?
How can we imagine what the equitable enjoyment of cinema could look like for people with different kinds of access needs? It took some experimentation, of course, but from the very beginning, I filmed Pedro using unusual cinematographic techniques to create an auto focus aesthetic. There are times I would film with a tilt shift lens or a camera lens that bends. There are times I would film with no lenses at all. I would put tape over the aperture or the cavity in the body of the camera, poke a whole on the tape just so that flat shapes and colors could be captured.
But because it's tape, there's no way to focus the image. I wanted to create sound design for our film that was so dynamic that there would be no need for audio description, or so I thought. As a non blind person, I have come to realize that it's really not my place to tell blind audiences and blind artists how to reinvent the wheel of accessibility. Instead I should humbly learn how to follow their lead.
(Applause)
When I started requesting feedback on our film from blind collaborators, they told me straight up about the importance of including audio description and that my idea of a one size fits all approach to accessibility might have the reverse effect, actually, and make our film less accessible, especially for blind audiences.
I might share some of the same challenges with Pedro as a fellow undocumented immigrant, but I don't know what his experiences are around blindness. That's why it's so important for me to build a coalition of a diverse group of artists to bring our film to life. To my knowledge -- and this is something I'm very proud of -- our film is the first in the history of cinema to be led by an intersectional team comprising of undocumented blind and queer filmmakers of color who collectively reflect the sum of Pedro's lived experiences, from producing to accessibility, to the social impact campaign of our film, the only reason we have been able to capture Pedro's story in a way that truly reflects his reality is because our team all knows what it's like to be in his shoes one way or another.
The unfortunate reality is that many films about blind people don't even have audio descriptions. Which indicated these films cater more to sighted audiences than blind people themselves and you know we are left with either survival porn or inspiration form for sighted audiences about a larger-than-life disabled person overcoming all odds to become a success story. If not another trope is that too many films about blind individuals dwell too much on the biological technicalities of blindness, as if a person's vision loss is for the scientific amusement and curiosity of others.
Film protagonists who happen to be blind end up being defined solely by their blindness. It doesn't take into account their intersectional realities, whether they are an immigrant, a queer blind person, a trans blind person, Muslim, Black, a woman, or beyond. I argue that every seen in our film "Unseen" is not only shaped by the esthetics of accessibility, but also by the aesthetics of intersectionality. With "Unseen," Pedro is not portrayed solely as a person with vision loss or an as undocumented immigrant. He is indeed all of those things, and then some more at the same time.
Beyond the circumstances of Pedro's life, our film seeks to explore what it means to be a sentient human being who feels the gravity of life just through the lens of a blind undocumented individual. At the end of the day, our film is ultimately an invitation to reveal the most authentic version of ourselves to others. But you know what? Why take my word for it? Here is a two-minute trailer of our film with open audio descriptions in English.
SPEAKER: A man walks with his guide dog. Almost everything in this trailer is blurry.
SPEAKER: The bus is coming.
SPEAKER: Okay.
SPEAKER: Just right around here. AD: A bus fills the view.
SPEAKER: Oh, that's a dog.
SPEAKER: A service animal.
SPEAKER: What kind?
SPEAKER: An eye dog
SPEAKER: You're blind now?
SPEAKER: Uh huh.
SPEAKER: Do you want me to describe myself to you?
SPEAKER: Sure, why not.
SPEAKER: Oh, so cute.
SPEAKER: After you have a disability, you are going to have an impediment. With intersectionality between being undocumented and having a disability, it plays a lot of stress and anxiety into you. So I want you to go swipe left and right, cover from shoulder to shoulder, just to see if you can find our obstacles. Here is an obstacle. Hey, man! You're doing quite good.
AD: A man waits at a bus stop at night colorful lights twinkling. He's undocumented, he's going to college. He must be a saint. Yes, I'm here. I was able to make it. How many people have to sacrifice for me to get a chance? The man is in focus. He glances toward the camera. This film is "Unseen." For more info visit unseen film.com.
(Applause)
SET: Thank you so much. Shameless plug, those that want to host a screening of our film, you can go to unseen film.com. Unexpectedly, the more specific and granular we became with target audiences, the more universally the film has resonated with audiences. One of my most favorite audience responses to our film happened around this time last year at the Black Star Film Festival in Philadelphia. In a nondisabled non-immigrant attendee approached me after the screening telling me, you know, Set, I came here hoping to learn about another person's experience. Instead I learned more about myself.
I know President Riccobono invited me here to talk about my role as a sighted ally working in film to uplift the intersectional experience of blindness. This might be a controversial idea, okay? But I want to complicate what it means to be an ally. For me, being an ally implies that I have no stake in the lives of the community I am working with. It usually implies that I'm there to help. It implies that none of the systemic barriers Pedro experiences affects me. Instead I want to uplift the framing of the aboriginal organizer, Lilo Watson who said, if you came here to save me, you are wasting your time. But if you came here because your liberation is tied to mine, then let us work together.
(Applause)
Remember how I started my process of filming with Pedro hoping to advocate for blind undocumented individuals? Eventually I realized that approach is actually paternalistic with a tinge of saviorism and it's whom actually Pedro needed my help even though he didn't need my help to begin with. By the end of six years working on our film I realized that I actually ended up continuing to work with Pedro because we each contributed to each other's healing journey, even though I am not blind, I am not Latin and don't share Pedro's identities, we both experienced immigrants navigating trauma searching for a balm for the spirit. I ask then, where do the boundaries of our community lie?
At what point do my shared experiences with Pedro cease to exist, that I know longer belong to the same community as him? At what point do our differences allow us to create a new language to understand each other's humanity, becoming an entry point for each of us to be part of the same community?
There are many things that Pedro can do that I cannot do. One of them is ride a bike. I am now 32 years old, and I have yet to learn how to balance myself on a two wheeled bicycle. When I was 9, my family and I used to live in Japan where riding a bike is the norm. Yes! Blue collar workers go to work on a bike while wearing their suit and tie. Kids as young as five or six get sent to the grocery store by their parents in bikes.
One time in the fourth grade, my classmates and I were supposed to go to a field trip riding a bike. I was nervous, though, because I don't know how. Does that mean I won't get to participate in the field trip? What my classmates and their moms ended up doing, however, was that they walked with me from our meeting place to our destination, instead of leaving me behind on their bikes, they made sure I was included in the activity. So we walked together. In other words, they met me where I was with my access needs. To quote Dr. Cornell West, justice is what love looks like in public. Just like tenderness is what love looks like in private.
(Applause)
You know, it never crossed my mind that I wanted to make our film "Unseen" accessible for Pedro, because I wanted to be a good ally to the blindness community. To be honest, I did it because Pedro is one of my dearest friends whom I love profoundly. The same way I love all of my friends and family.
Just as my teachers and high school friends went the extra 1,000 miles to help me go to college because they love me, I wanted to make Pedro feel the same care I have experienced from others. I profoundly believe that a world run by love instead of productivity, ableism and all the other isms, inevitably becomes accessible too, because as Alice Wong and other disability justice leaders have said, access is love. If a low budget Indie production by a first-time filmmaker like me can find a way to center the sensibilities of blind AUDIENCE: Audience, I challenge every nondisabled filmmaker and production company to do the same.
And if a team of undocumented and blind disabled filmmakers can bring a film like ours to life, I really encourage every emerging blind filmmaker here in the audience today to help you seek out mentors and collaborators to help you navigate your filmmaking journey, because we need you and your storytelling. Because when the world is more accessible and we center leadership of those that have been historically pushed to the margins, all of us benefits, all of us wins.
I'm so... I feel so moved and honored to be in this room, and to be in this convention, because love is so very palpable. I want to give a shout out to the blind mentors who love on their blind students and mentees so much, hoping that the next generation will be more empowered and equipped to not go through the same ableist barriers they faced. They are the parents and also the siblings who love their blind family members so much because they want their loved ones to live lush fulfilling lives.
Everything that you all have done this past week is what it looks like when we turn love from an abstract experience into material reality.
For the past few months I have been telling people that I wake up every day feeling so blessed and grateful, not because of any material reason. I'm beyond blessed and grateful because I am surrounded by so much love.
That love is what propels me to wake up every morning, empowering me to live up to my potential and be the best version of myself that I can be. The thing is I didn't do anything to deserve that love. It just was given to me because I'm inherently -- we are all inherently worthy of love. I'm cognizant that not everyone gets to feel the love I wake up with every day.
So my prayer is that for each of you who gets to watch our film, especially our undocumented and blind audience, I hope you are reminded how inherently worthy you are of love. We do not need accolades or to meet some ableist benchmark of success to be treated with tenderness and care. I remind you that whatever you are going through is valid. You do not have to carry it alone. Whenever you are ready, I hope you can let yourself be vulnerable and be reminded that you are worthy of everything your heart desires.
(Applause)
Thank you all so much for having me this morning.
(Applause)
PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: See why I wanted Set to speak. Wonderful. Absolutely! I encourage affiliates to think about a screening of the "Unseen" film as part of our conventions and in our community. Now our next presentation continues with the theme of entertainment and our place and our role in that entire industry. It's not "Unseen" but "All the Barriers We Cannot See."
And it becomes about because this gentleman played a key role in many aspects of getting blind people into the entertainment industry, but more recently with Netflix in their recent work to portray blind people. He's no stranger to this community. He's been an instructor of blind individuals and led programs for the blind in various state like Pennsylvania.
This convention has often talked about the importance of getting blind representation on the big screen this gentleman has been working from the inside to help the people who are already in the circle of influence in the entertainment industry know why the involvement of blind people is important, and I thought it would be important to invite him here to talk about it. Sorry, Joe, we didn't get any great walk up music for you, because we wanted to show you all this important little piece of film to introduce hymn. So here is Joe Strechay.
SPEAKER: I probably assumed I would cast a sighted actor to play this protagonist who was blind. And I'm embarrassed admitting that, but I also recognize that that presumption was the outgrowth of 100 years of Hollywood storytelling culture. And the assumptions that it made about how experience was represented.
And, of course, those representations shape expectations. And it becomes a kind of perceived reality, but it's not real. And those representations can change, and eventually culture can too. And we did an international search. We saw thousands of auditions from around the world. And we found someone special. The fact that the art of this drama really leans into the lived experience of blind people is what makes it so powerful.
He said I want you to be a creative partner and sit down and talk to you as an equal and I want you to bring to this character what you want to bring to her. And more of a casual Braille reader, I tend to scrub. Which is something that I'm going to carry over to Marie because she didn't have training. Like a lot of kids today have a lot of training. Like some little kid will watch me read Braille on screen and know that it is real.
And it will change their life, and maybe I would have been more inclined to Braille or more comfortable with my cane. I would not have wanted to hide as mump when I was little if I had had success. I never have seen myself represented on screen before. I get to do that for some kid.
SPEAKER: I knew that I needed to cast a girl and a young woman to play Marie. And I wanted that character's experience to be portrayed by someone who knew it in their bones, in their DNA, and having walked that road.
SPEAKER: It takes a person with very strong character to take a step back and say, you know what, maybe I have been thinking about this the wrong way, and then to take the risk, to go boldly in that direction where other people are not going, Shawn should really be celebrated and honored for that as an ally. But more importantly for the impact that those decisions are going to have on his work and the works of others in the entertainment industry in the future.
SPEAKER: I knew I was going to have to be Aria's teacher on the steep learning curve of acting as the lead in a big Hollywood show. I expected that. But I didn't expect to be taught. I didn't expect to be inspired and to learn every day. And I am forever grateful for that. I want you to know sincerely, I have not had a moment like this, and this is one I won't forget. And I really, really thank you.
JOE: Hello, Federationists! It's a great pleasure to be here. Thank you to Mark, thank you to Everette, Beth, Chris, all the folks who made that possible, made it possible for me to be here. I am a resident of West Virginia now. So I think I have been in Virginia's NFB, Pennsylvania, Florida, New Jersey. So I'm trying to cover most of the states.
But it's great to be here, great to be at convention and speaking about entertainment and employment really, like that panel earlier hits home for me, because I'm passionate about people who are blind or low vision getting employment and being employed. And even before that passion, I started looking for myself in TV and film, seeing my -- looking for myself being represented and not to date myself. Back in the day I worked at a video store, so kind of like Netflix, but it's a building you go into and there is these shelves and there are boxes in front of tapes and if the tape is not behind the box, you can't watch it. Kind of like Netflix but different.
So I spent my high school years working in that store. But my undergraduate is around communications and media. And I hit a hard place coming out of college trying to get into the world of media. I started out around 2001, around September 11th in the New York/New Jersey area. Our economy wasn't doing great, and I lost my job.
And I just would go in for interviews and I wasn't confident. I was at like many of you here. And your young people that are learning the skills that make you independent, I came to my skills later, and after college, and it made such an impact in my life. I will never go anywhere without my cane. My cane is my tool.
(Applause)
You know, Braille as well, like I was just filming in Connecticut, and in a place with horrible cell coverage. And if I couldn't read Braille and I couldn't use my cane, I wouldn't have been able to get around where I was staying, in an unfamiliar place, if I didn't have those skills. So credit to all those folks providing those skills out there.
(Applause)
As I said, I wanted to see myself, and they reached out to me while working on another show called -- for Apple TV Plus called "See." I don't know if anyone saw "See ." Saw See, See Saw, Up and Down. Well, There Are Lot of Shows and Lots of Streaming Networks. It's Hard to Keep Track. I Worked three seasons on that show. I started off as associate producer, co producer, co executive producer in Season 3.
And right in the beginning, my first interview working to find out about the project, and I was working for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania at the time, and they're telling me about it, and this guy, this director, Francis Lawrence, he directed four out of five "Hunger Game" films, you know, one of those small projects, right? I heard it was decent. You know? Good books too, right? But I was talking to him and my first question during this conversation was, are you going to hire actors who are blind or have low vision? Because when I first worked on a show called "Marvel's Daredevil," when they are creating it for Netflix, and the folks who would tell people how what people who are blind would do were sighted people.
And I was like... I was helping them recruit people. And I recruited people who were blind or low vision, but also sighted people, because those were the people in the prior doing it. And they interviewed all these people who are blind or low vision or sighted people.
And the end of the process, they're like, why don't you interview? And I'm like, I have a job, but sure, why not? And I ended up getting that job. And my first question was, before they hired me, is the actor blind?
And they're like, no. And I think this was like 2013. It wasn't very common. And I was like, okay. And later on one of the conversations was... will it be audio described? And they're like, what's that? Does Netflix have audio description? And I'm like, no. Well, I guess I won't be able to watch the show I work on. Awesome. Yeah.
So I started out advising around like the set decoration, the props, the scripts, working with the show, and training the lead actor as I would train people who are blind or low vision in the past, whether in New Jersey or Florida or somewhere else, how I travel, how other people travel. And my master's from Florida State around teaching children who are blind or visually impaired, orientation mobility, and specialty in transition from school to work.
And I always look at it as teaching the skills that people who are blind use in everyday life. And even the folks that I have worked with who are on "See," we brought on over three seasons 35 actors. Most roles are recurring, meaning they are in more than one episode. On that show I got to work behind the scenes besides scripts working with the blocking of every screen from show from episode 4 on, working with directors and actors closely and season 2 taking more of a role. All of this led to connecting to this project "All the Light We Cannot See." I'll be honest, I got the phone call from the executive producers and their ear like, three people suggested we reach out to you. Netflix, Stephen knight, who is the creator of "See" and wrote the first few episodes. He's also created "Peaky Blinders" and he was going to write the episodes.
And the writer and show runner for season 2 and 3, Jonathan Troper, who I worked with and wrote "Adam Project," you might have heard it, Ryan Reynolds, he might be up and coming too. They reached out and asked me, I haven't read the book yet, but I will. And this was on like February 22nd of 2020. There was something happening around that time, you know? And they called on Thursday or Friday, I read the book four times over the weekend. And on Monday I met with them and had a formal conversation about it.
And I read all the stuff online about critiques about including from the National Federation of the Blind of the book, and I told them there are things we will have to change from book. Because any project I work on, I want to see blindness represented.
(Applause)
We are a small population. People with disabilities are about 25 to 27% of the population. We're even smaller, we're like 2%. And if you are going to portray us or show us in media, you have a responsibility to show us in a way that lifts us right, not tears us down.
(Applause)
I learned in my undergraduate at East Carolina University in North Carolina... go Pirates! Arghhh! You know? I learned that there are phases to how minority populations migrate in media. And these four phases... first, these non representation. Second is ridicule or comical. So we're often the butt of the joke. We're made fun of. Third is regulatory or authority.
So we're put in positions of power, like lawyer, judge, doctor, something that legitimizes these characters. And finally full range. And it's a process. And this has been replicated around the LGBTQIA+ population and I use it to work at the world of disability, looking at people who are blind or have low vision, and you see if you look back at television and we studied it, taking on gender. We took on race and ethnicity, and I looked at disability and blindness and how we are pro portrayed, and most often we're seen in a hospital bed. We're seen as asking for money on the side of the road, or just walking by, and that's it. Someone is helping us maybe cross the road. You know? They're not showing people like everyone in this room who are living their lives independently out there in the world. How many of you are working?
(Applause)
We work, right? If we're not working, we want to work. And we're not shown that way. And I'm proud to work on projects where we show people working, who have jobs, have lives. We're not shown as romantic interests, you know, on "See," we got to show our characters as romantic, we got to show them as good guys, heroes, villains, warriors. In "All the Light We Cannot See," Marie Lore is a hero. And not just because she's blind, that is the part of the story.
The limited series, four episodes, easy to digest. I suggest you watch it. I don't get anything out of it, but please watch it. If you ear not Netflix subscriber, borrow your friend's and watch it, I don't know. Don't tell them I said that. So when creating this show, we had conversations, and we started talking about scripts and what we wanted in it, and we wanted more episodes and ended up with four and we wanted six. We got four. And figuring out what story is going to be told. And realizing the opportunity around the character Marie Laure.
So we did a larger focus than the book, brilliantly written book, Anthony from Idaho. When working with them, we started the casting process, and if you don't know anything about casting, for these big projects, we cast all over the world. We had casting teams on different continents. We were at European South America, North America, Australia, New Zealand and Asia.
And we're figuring out... when you advertise an opportunity and preferred hiring a person who is blind or has low vision, we started with a young Marie Laure, everyone who wears glasses says they're blind or visually impaired. I'm just going to tell you that. Part of my work is being a detective, to figure out who is actually legally blind.
And I'm like, if you take off your glasses, that doesn't count. I'm like, come on! Figuring that out, or if you have vision in just one eye, which doesn't count. And so without asking directly, I figure out how to decide that. And we had hundreds of auditions for that first part. But we found this -- we came down to two little girls, one out of Wales and one out of the U.S., and this little girl from Wales, her name is Nell Sutton, legally blind at the time and she's now totally blind. She lost the rest of her vision just in the last couple months. Just the most adorable. She was seven at the time and now she's like -- she just turned 10 maybe. She is the cutest thing.
And we pushed for her. We saw how engaging she was. And Shawn saw her audition and she just melted his heart. And virtually they are connecting and practicing, and at first, you know, she's a seven-year-old kid. There were concerns she had never been on a film set.
And I worked with a lot of child actors on different shows and worked with adult actors as well, whether blind or low vision or not.
And it's a learning experience going to a big set, a film set. How many of you -- clap if you have been on a film set before. Or TV set.
(Applause)
Most people have not had that opportunity. So part of my work is also making sure they are ready for that experience. So I spent a week in Wales with my assistant who audio describes every take onset for me. She's a choreographer, I have different assistants for different projects, but they look at the little details of movement. Because there are differences between someone who has low vision and someone who is totally blind. And we have to make a decision.
So we hired Nell, and Nell nailed it. She's amazing. If you haven't watched it, I think you'll find her interactions with Mark Ruffalo, an up-and-coming actor, I think played Hulk, like Avengers or something. Pretty nice guy. Together they are just awesome. But after the success with casting Nell, honestly, and Shawn shared, honestly, that he was thinking that he would most likely hire someone who was sighted to portray blindness.
So I would be like, we're casting Nell, or casting this young child, let's see what is possible. And he's like, I think we can do it. I think we can. Let's see what we can find. So we did an international search a couple time over, and going through and we -- the first round we didn't find the right person. We found some good people. Do lead a show you have to have really good skills in the world of acting. And not everyone who is a good actor means they're right for that part.
So finding that person who fits. We found a young woman, Aria Mia Loberti who was at Penn State University doing her Ph.D. in rhetoric. I had to look up what rhetoric was at the time. I was like, oh, okay, yeah, that makes sense. She had done a fellowship in the UK, so she was doing an accent in her audition. We were like, whoa, is she British? And then she spoke and we're like, no, she's not.
And funny story, Stephen Knight, the writer, met her for the first time when doing a screening in New York, and he goes, where in the UK is she from? I go, she's from the U.S. And I was like, we've been telling you guys, that's pretty widespread. But she did such a great job. And came on and figuring out how to work on a set. She did all of her own stunts.
So the scene where she's being, like, drowned, shoved underwater, that was Aria. We teared up because we were worried about her because she stayed in that moment, like crying and screaming, even between takes, and we were -- we really thought she was drowning.
I was like, we need to stop this. And she's like, no, no, I'm just -- we're leak, at least between takes let us know you are okay.
Please. And Aria is very low vision, legally blind guide dog user.
(Cheering)
She learned Braille as a kid. She's not a good Braille reader. I helped coach her a bit on Braille. Her Braille skills are a little lacking, but she does read Braille. But she wanted to scrub, and I made sure -- when it came time as we filmed this show, four episodes, we spent five and a half months in Europe filming in Hungary and France. When it came time, with the audio description, because of "See," did not write the audio description. Everyone, Joe did not write the audio description. That's not what I do. On Season 2 of "See" after going to conventions, before and after Season 1, prior, going to the conventions and talking to people, getting reactions and hearing about the audio description, I was like, there are people's voice that we were missing some things, like intimate moments between people in descriptions.
And I came back from conventions thinking I want to change that. So I was like, Apple, big fruit company, hey, fruit company... I want to help with audio description. And they're like, okay, whatever, Joe. And I kept saying it over and over again. And then they're finally like, okay, Joe, we hear you. You want to help with audio description. And I'm like, I don't know what that process is, but I want to help with it.
My assistant and I went through every episode and went through the edits, because I help for the edits for our shows and films, deciding what goes in. I'm onset every day, seeing every take.
So I know what takes might be better, and we look for -- there is a happy medium, whether it's the acting, blindness skills, what we're catching in shot, and even with Aria, like onset, as a person who is legally blind, she uses her feet a lot and she's barefoot, and cameras don't catch her feet quite often. And if you are talking off and your shot is higher, might be a close up, so if she's using some kind of skill to do something, I want to help tell the story to the audience, so they know how people who are blind are doing things opinion. They don't get it, guys.. I'm saying we're a small population. They don't get it.
But I help the project translate it to the camera, so they do get it. So she might be using her feet to find the edge of the carpet. Like you're not using your cane in your home, right? You've been there every day. But she might landmark and use the back of her hand. If we're not catching something, she might gently touch something to show where she is in a large space or if in a hurry, you move differently. There's familiar touch versus unfamiliar touch.
PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: One minute.
JOE: One minute. I love to talk, guys, if you haven't noticed. But I want to say that it was the dream to work on a show like this where Aria got to be the lead actor. And I'm working behind the camera. It's even less common to be behind the camera as the person who is blind or low vision. And there are directors who are blind or low vision, producers and writers who are blind or low vision. There are not a lot of us. Some composers, some sound design folks, but they're more and more.
And it's a great opportunity. I know the labor market information. I come from the world of vocational rehabilitation doesn't show a lot of great outcomes, but that's because we never had the training or opportunity. So there are programs for actors and there are more programs from Sony and Netflix about hiring persons with disabilities behind the scenes as well as in front to have camera, CBS has in front of the camera, and NBC universal was here earlier in the week. If you have an opportunity, you should take it. Thank you for allowing me to talk about our project and what we were able to do.
But I also want you guys to continue to voice your opinion, because it's not my opinion. It's our community's opinion that matters most. Thank you all.
(Cheers and applause)
PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Joe says he's going for coffee now. He hasn't had any yet. Now, Joe mentioned employment. And it rolls well into our third of champions here helping to make change in the entertainment industry. And there is a lot I could say about this great entrepreneur who is not just an entrepreneur but truly a disability rights advocate dedicated to advancing the social understanding of people with disabilities and helping to change the employment prospects through a platform she created called "Making Space." Which I mentioned in the presidential report. It's venture based accessible talent acquisition and learning platform. I could tell you more about it, but frankly she's the better qualified.
And she has the best name of the folks that we have in this little entertainment area. I'm pleased to introduce to you -- I do want you to know that she is in high demand, and she looked at every flight in the world to try to get here based on her schedule. She was in London, and she could not work it out to be with us in person.
So she is in Zoom. She's already committed and will be with us next year in New Orleans, I know. You will want to meet her after you hear from her, but I'm really proud to bring to you the founder and Chief Executive Officer of "Making Space." Here is Keely Cat Wells!
(Music playing)
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¶ We gonna have the time of our lives ¶
¶ Let's go make it happen ¶
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KEELY: Wow, thank you so much for having me. And, oh, my goodness, I'm such a fan of Joe's work. So what an honor to be following you today, Joe. So I never excelled in school, actually quite the opposite. I failed practically every class. I was diagnosed with dyslexia at a young age, but that didn't explain all of the reasons for my terrible performance. A large part of it was due to bullying.
But my amazing mom was determined to find a space for me where she felt that I could fit in. So she placed med in dance classes and they soon became my second home. In my late teens, I danced my way into a prestigious dance academy in London. Dreams of pirouettes and grand jetes filled every thought. I was determined to be a professional dancer. Until one day I woke up in a tremendous amount of pain. That pain got worse and worse, so naturally I went to the doctor.
But they were quick to tell me that my pain and symptoms were due to stress, anxiety and an eating disorder. Before long I couldn't physically eat. I began to lose so much weight I became unrecognizable, and I was hospitalized for the majority of the next four years. Which was terrifying. Like many of my peers, I just wanted to be going off to my dreams, going out with friends, maybe trying alcohol for the first time, learning how to drive and maybe having some boy drama.
But instead I was fighting for my life. Eventually I was given the relevant tests, which led to many surgeries that relieved some of my symptoms and enabled me to eat again. Today I live with chronic illness, chronic pain, a permanent ileostomy and also PTSD from the medical trauma I went through during that period of my life. When I was well enough and I left hospital, I took a trip to Los Angeles with the intent of having a fresh start. Soon into my new lease of life, I ended up losing a job due to ableism.
It was in that moment that it hit me, I am disabled. I began to discover this world that was no longer built with me in mind and when I needed a seat on the bus, for instance, people would consistently tell me that I didn't look disabled, and for the same reason, when I use the disabled bathroom, I am always told that I am taking advantage of the system.
But because of these experiences, I started helping some disabled friends get work within Hollywood. And within about a year that became a fully-fledged talent agency, which I called See Talent. And I called it that because as disabled people we rarely get access to Option A or Option B and we have to create our own option, C. Our goal was to change the way the world viewed and defined disability using massive reach and power that we have within the entertainment and media industries.
Technology has truly been a game changer for many disabled creatives, and we saw that the creator economy, for example, opened up a huge new avenue for disabled people to be able to participate in the workforce. And maybe start to even escape that poverty cycle.
Social media platforms allowed disabled creators to showcase talent, connect with audiences and in some cases even earn a living wage while changing narratives around disability and not having to wait for Hollywood to evolve.
Technology, like Apple's tap take picture among other features also support this innovation and help us to create the change that we need to and take control of those narratives. The talent that we represented at C talent had combined reach of over 50 million people. And in 2022 C talent was acquired, which marked major milestone for disabled creatives and creative industries and marked one of the largest known Investments made in disabled talent.
But despite the strides we have made in increasing representation, disabled people, as well all know, are still twice more likely to be unemployed than non disabled people and twice more likely to live in poverty, which is far, far worse for those with intersectional identities.
With all that we achieved at C Talent; it became clear that corporations hold so much power.
And if that power is used wisely and in coordination with policy, we can accelerate change. I also realized that when we do anything that is impact driven and budgets get cut, oftentimes, unfortunately, impact and DEI related budgets are usually the first things to be deprioritize.
I wanted to build a solution that acted as a Trojan horse, that helped companies save money on their biggest yearly losses around recruitment, retention, and turnover, while ensuring that disabled people are getting into long term meaningful employment opportunities and create that careers of their dreams.
So since the acquisition, I founded Making Space, a talent acquisition and learning platform for companies to train access and retain pre qualified disabled talent. While we have a heavy focus on the creative industries, the solution is industry agnostic. Our mission is to create meaningful careers for disabled people and provide the necessary resources for them to become influential leaders. Our platform bridges the education employment gap by offering free accessible job specific training and putting skill-based education adds a part of the hiring process.
We recently collaborated with Netflix, and we created a course that enabled disabled candidates to gain new skills and competitive advantage that aligned directly with Netflix's hiring needs. This approach created a prequalified pipeline of disabled candidates and also democratized free and accessible education. It also presented a new opportunity for people to learn additional skills, and also get to know more about the employer that is hiring and creates these new pathways to employment.
In addition, it also provides better outcomes for the employer. Netflix were able to find high quality hires at a faster rate and increased retention, a win-win solution. When I first moved to LA, it became glaringly obvious that employers and roles often prioritized stamina over talent. PA roles, most entry level roles, for example, mentioned the essential criteria of being able to lift a certain amount of weight or drive a car. All the things that I cannot do.
And there is this continuous emphasis on long and enduring hours, which undermines the recognition of genuine skill. Success for us means a comprehensive change in the perception and employment of disabled people. We aim to create visible disabled role models in leadership positions, because the more disabled leaders we have, the quicker change will happen.
We recently got to see some great success working with our partner NBC universal. A partnership working to increase employment of disabled people both in front and behind the camera, NBC Sports coverage of unparalleled portfolio of sports properties and events. Making Space and NBC Sports created a free and accessible course on Making Space which developed a pre trained talent pipeline from the disabled community, allowing NBC to access this untapped and often overlooked incredibly talented workforce.
Paving the way for an historic increase in disability representation at one to have world's most recognizable media companies. Talent from that pipeline has been hired and will be heavily featured in NBC Sports groundbreaking coverage of the upcoming Paris Olympics and Paralympics.
(Applause)
In addition...Thank you.
In addition those hired from Making Space in the host roles mark the first ever disabled people to be hosts for NBC's coverage of the Paralympics. It's very exciting.
(Applause)
Interestingly 67% of disabled job seekers report that skill-based hiring practices lead to better matches and greatest satisfaction within that role. And what we have seen is that disability has consistently been seen as tragedy as opposed to the natural part of the human experience. And 61% of disabled employees choose not to disclose disabilities at work, and this leads to high turnover, stagnant career growth and significant loss of valuable talent. Many of us fear accommodations will be denied or that our needs won't be believed, or they there will be discrimination. I think the pandemic highlighted these biases when remote work, which was long demanded by disabled people, was only widely implemented when non disabled people needed it.
This not only showcased the deep-seated bias around disability, but also the lack of disabled people in those decision-making positions and in leadership roles. At Making Space, to try and change this, we have developed a feature called Compass, which is an AI tool embedded within a candidate's profile on Making Space that turns the lived experience of disability into transferable skills and creates personalized career pathways.
TV film media has often fed into incredibly harmful stereotypes, and Hollywood, as we also heard from Joe, often portrays us as either the villains, victims or inspirations. So under the Making Space umbrella, we also created Making Space Media, where we create film and TV that centers the disabled voice and tells the stories, the untold stories of disabled people. We secured a First Look deal with Reece Witherspoon's "Hello Sunshine" and planning really to do what they did for women and women's narratives where they flipped the script and do the exact same for disabled people. And we have our first documentary coming out later this month.
(Applause)
We must normalize disabled people being experts in subjects beyond just disability. And I truly believe to change the world we have to learn to tell and listen to a new set of stories about the world that we want to create. In accessible spaces and with authentic voices.
(Applause)
So to the disabled people in this room, take up space. Know your rights. And to allies, actively support and assist in safeguarding our rights. And to the employers, do not underestimate us and leverage the tools that you have to create a more accessible future of work.
(Applause)
This work that we do would not be possible without incredible organizations like NFB, and I am beyond grateful for your support with making space. Disabled entrepreneurs are 400 times less likely to receive funding than non disabled entrepreneurs. And thanks to Smart Job and NFB, we were able to receive funding which contributed to the close of our 2 million dollar pre seed round which will accelerate our work and the employment of the community that we serve. Thank you.
(Applause)
And one final point that I would love to emphasize, which I feel incredibly strongly about is that while we should continually remind society of the disabled community's economic power and highlight the potential profits that these companies are missing out on by not including us, it is crucial that we remember that that economic power while it may open the doors, it may not keep us in those rooms. We have to address the human rights perspective and ensure that we remain a part of those conversations. So thank you so much for making space for me at this event.
(Applause)
PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Thank you, Keely. Sorry you couldn't be with us, but I hope that Making Space might be part of our career activities at next year's convention.
KEELY: Absolutely, yes, count us in. Thank you.
PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Thanks for your great work. Door prize team, we have time for a quick door prize.
BENNETT: We're going to do one for virtual and one person.
PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: You don't want to leave them out, do you?
BENNETT: That's right. Okay, 30 bucks we're going to have for those people that are on our virtual feed, almost. We have code word "advocacy." And the three people who send in their email to [email protected] within the next 30 minutes with the code word of advocacy will get 30 bucks.
And they are George Siskell of Maryland, Mary Rose Willows of New Mexico. And Terry Wilcox of Iowa. And here is Kenia.
KENIA: We are giving away a Computers for the Blind certificate. Thank you so much for your donation. And that goes to Eric Kyle of Seattle, Washington. We got him, thank you.
PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: A couple quick announcements. First of all, for those who did not yet pick up your AfterShokz, I'm shocked, but there are apparently a few you need to do so by noon today out at the GIVE25 table. And a reminder, Florida wants you to know they still have a ton of stuff. Everything must be done at noon. So bombard Suite 1456 to get what they have left. Please no push and shove.
And a reminder that Blind Incorporated will hold a listening session this afternoon from 12:15 to 1:15 in Salon 24. If you are a rehabilitation professional and you would like to give -- share your perspectives, please go to Salon 24. Now, the next presentation is another entity which we supported through our partnership, along with Smart Job and the American Action Fund.
We supported their exploration of artificial intelligence. This item is Dream Big: "The Influence of Blind Centered Experience and Direction On Artificial Intelligence." And this gentleman is no stranger to this crowd. He brings his blind centered intelligence to his role in helping to shape the work at Be My Eyes. Here is Bryan Bashin.
(Music playing)
¶ the future is now ¶
¶The future is here ¶
¶ This is how I disappear ¶
BRYAN: Almost there. Got some technology here. Good morning, fellow Federationists! You know, last year during convention, Be My Eyes CEO Mike Buckley stood here and told you about the thing that had just started, a little thing called Be My AI.
Anybody use it here?
Today I want to tell you a little bit more about what happens when a company has leadership that centered on blindness. Beginning ten years ago from our blind founder furniture craftsman, Han Viberg, who wanted more solutions, more tools, there are significant blind memberships at Be My Eyes on the board of directors, and our products are influenced by 200 blind beta testers around the world.
In fact, are there any blind beta testers from Be My Eyes in this room?
Since Mike Buckley spoke here in the last 12 months, we've had a profusion of new features that are blind informed. Now you can do private friends and family circles, create your own. You have Be My Eyes for work, you have Be My Eyes on the Android platform for the Global South. You have Microsoft partnered with Be My Eyes for Windows desktop AI. Anyone use it yet? A couple months ago we put out Be My Eyes' own inclusive language guide. What company puts out a disability language guide? One that is blind informed.
And we put out a service directory, it's in every app, maybe a thousand different companies and so forth, but also in there you will find the phone numbers and can be connected directly to every affiliate president in the United States. Centering on blindness really makes a difference. You know, those beta testers who started with us a little more than a year ago said one thing. I want facial description, and that loud and clear voice informed us, we're working with our partners at Open AI, and we said, our members need facial description. They said, no, we've got to blur it. I said, we need this description. We're at a table demanding something from 100-billion-dollar company, and guess what... they gave us facial description.
It's available in all 49 states except for the state of Illinois, which has its own rules, and I think there are a few lawyers... Illinois, where are you? You've got some work to do. What we are finding in this last year is that blind people are using the hell out of AI. Last month our servers had 2,100,000 queries just for Be My AI. That means every 1.2 seconds around the clock somebody on the planet who is blind is asking for description through AI.
That is, to our surprise, that's seven times more queries for AI than the old volunteer service. But guess what... the volunteer calls are still as strong as ever, have themselves increased, and it's important to us that if you need information, you have the choice, AI or human. It doesn't matter, as long as you use it.
The average person who uses AI uses it 4.7 times a day to find out information. This last 16 months of experience has shown us that AI can really do amazing things. I'll tell you one example. Last week a woman -- a blind woman in California who is using -- she's figured out how to write the code to run a 3D printer, and those who have run 3D printers, sometimes they go awry. Is the object being created properly or is it spa getting out...
(no audio)
It will describe how the thing is going, and how it worked. So I was very impressed. At the end I thought to ask her, what university is she with, and she said, I'm in the 11th grade. That's the future of AI. So I want to talk to you a little about the future, and I want to do the most dangerous thing possible from the stage, which is a live demonstration.
I'm going to ask my associate Kearns Lane to come and help with this demonstration. He's going to demonstrate our latest capability, which will be in your hands in matter of weeks. It is GPT4.0, which is informed, I'm told, by 1 trillion parameters, things it sucked up on the Internet from God knows where. It's the largest model out there, apparently.
So when we demonstrate it, I want you to notice how the world is changing. Instead of taking a picture and waiting 10 seconds, which was a miracle all the way back in 2023. Today AI will be quick, conversational, and interruptible. So Kearns, where are you? Hello, AI, can you hear me?
AUTOMATED VOICE: Hi, I can hear you.
BRYAN: Can you describe the logo of the National Federation of the Blind?
AUTOMATED VOICE: Yes, the logo of the National Federation of the Blind has three intertwined circles in red, blue and green, symbolizing equality, opportunity and security for the blind. Have you seen this logo before?
BRYAN: Yes, absolutely. But now I want to change topics, because knowing about STEM and science is important to blind people. Could you describe to me the appearance of the asteroid Ryugu?
AUTOMATED VOICE: Absolutely. Ryugu is a diamond shaped asteroid with a rugged surface covered in rocks and boulders. Its color is dark, almost black and about half a mile wide. It's quite an intriguing site. What got you interested in asteroids?
BRYAN: I'm interested in many things, but can you tell me that same description in Spanish.
AUTOMATED VOICE: (speaking Spanish)
BRYAN: All right, now I would love to change from just talking to live video. Okay? You ready?
AUTOMATED VOICE: Ready when you are.
BRYAN: Can you tell me what you see?
AUTOMATED VOICE: It looks like a conference room with lots of people seated, and a podium at the front. There is a banner with logos, including Google, hanging behind the podium. Are you attending or presenting at this event?
BRYAN: Can you tell me if the folks look like they are enjoying my presentation?
AUTOMATED VOICE: They seem engaged and attentive.
BRYAN: Okay. That's a first. Okay, I would like to ask Kearns to point the camera at the president of the National Federation of the Blind?
AUTOMATED VOICE: How are you feeling about the presentation so far?
BRYAN: This is Mark Riccobono; do you know who he is?
AUTOMATED VOICE: Yes, Mark Riccobono is the president of the National Federation of the Blind. How are you feeling about how it's going?
BRYAN: Excuse me, can you tell me what he looks like?
AUTOMATED VOICE: Sure. Mark Riccobono is wearing a dark suit with a green shirt and a tie. He has short light-colored hair. He seems focused on his presentation. Anything else you would like to know?
BRYAN: You said he has short light-colored hair. The other day he told us that after ten years his hair is receding. Is it really receding?
AUTOMATED VOICE: Yes. Yes, his hair is receding.
(Laughter)
BRYAN: Okay, Mr. President, can I ask you to do something for the camera? Just do something and I'll ask AI what you are doing.
PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Okay.
AUTOMATED VOICE: Sounds good. I'm ready to describe what is happening.
BRYAN: Tell me what he is doing.
AUTOMATED VOICE: He's waving his hand at the camera. He's waving again. Anything else you would like to ask him.
BRYAN: Try one last thing. What is he doing now?
AUTOMATED VOICE: Now he is laying his hand up high, almost like he's waving or making a point. Seems like he... he's still keeping his hand up like he's make ag point or signaling something.
BRYAN: He's very determined like that. Thank you, AI. And thank you, Kearns. Will this be something requiring high tech when it comes to Be My Eyes. No, that was an iPhone 13 using a regular cellular network. And I'm going to tell you something, that today's AI is the worst AI you will ever use. It's only going to get better. We are seeing over the last year fewer hallucinations.
But the blind centered folks at Be My Eyes are seeing some things that are actually a little worrying about this too. The descriptions that AI is giving are increasingly bland, warm, and homogenous. If you ask, say, for a photo of a real estate broker, you are never going to get a real estate broker carrying a white cane. Blind people are missing from these large language models. So we're seeing deeper problems because of that.
Sometimes you will ask one of these models -- and there are about 24 of them active right now, so I don't want to pick on any one.
You will say, I'm blind, and it will respond with "I'm sorry." Or sometimes you will hold up a business card, you think that would be an easy thing and you'll say... and you're happy that the business card is in Braille and print. You'll say, can you read the business card?
And it does say, I can't read it because I can't read Braille.
Sometimes it's taken a picture of me and described me like it described President Riccobono and said, he's carrying a long red tipped cane. Well, I've never used a red tipped cane in my life. The models have to stop generalizing.
(Applause)
The models actually have told me that it's preferable to call somebody "visually impaired" than blind. Obviously they weren't in resolutions yesterday. It's called a dog guide your best friend. And sometimes we see that you get syrupy and condescending language when a blind person does the merest accomplishment. And then it still has... guess what! ... the same ableist construct when you ask it, as the video will now tell you, "your Uber is here." But where is here?
One day I thought, okay, I'm going to try one model. I'll get my mail, and I'll just go through it one piece at a time. So I picked out a piece of mail and held it up. I wanted to see who it is from. And said, "it's an envelope." And then I thought, okay, I'll ask it a second question.
And I did.
And it said, oh, it has a return address and regular address and a stamp on it. It took me three times to get it to read who it was from.
It never occurred to the model makers that users of this service would be blind. Or would hold paper upside down. These models are not unkind or prejudiced. We simply don't exist in them right now. We need to train these readers to be efficient as we train human readers.
(Applause)
This field is called "reinforcement training through human feedback." Large companies, the largest LLMs are spending up to 100 million dollars every year with humans training the models to be more accurate and more respectful. But to my knowledge, no blind person has yet been hired to join this team of reinforcement training. Would any of you like to be hired to train these models?
(Cheering)
Some companies say they don't need us, they can train these models with theoretical models of blind people. Do you think that could possibly represent our lived experience?
AUDIENCE MEMBER: No!
BRYAN: So how can we make things better? In the very near future you will have a chance to train these models yourself. In fact, our friend Everette Bacon announced this week that his company, Aira, is already soliciting your input to train its models for better results.
Now, I know that some of your sessions, your video sessions particularly, may be private, and we want to find ways to respect that. So in our and other user agreements, you will always have the chance to opt out if something seems private to you.
But we hope you are going to lean in and train these models. It's the only way that we can exist and show up in them.
You know, we train teachers and employers, family, everybody on the street about blindness every day. Why is training AI any different than that? Actively speaking our truth has always been at the core of Federationism. And so I ask you... did you sit and wait for the vision industrial complex to get rid of subminimum wages?
AUDIENCE MEMBER: No!
BRYAN: Did you sit and wait for somebody else to put sounds on quiet electric cars?
AUDIENCE MEMBER: No!
BRYAN: Did we put up with ATMs that didn't talk when they arrived?
AUDIENCE MEMBER: No!
BRYAN: Do you want to sit and wait for the AI companies to get blindness right by themselves?
AUDIENCE MEMBER: No!
BRYAN: So please, share your sessions. Consider it a revolutionary act to change the machine. You know, tech writer Tom Chatfield said it best. "There is no question that AI is changing the world. The question is... who will be changing AI? Whose majority models will be the ones that go forward? And who will be left out?" Federationists, we must not be left out. Thank you!
(Applause)
PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: It's always good when the AI can confirm that I did not lie to this convention. Now, we have one more great presentation to build on what was just presented, and this individual is no stranger. We actually have two presenters for this item.
This item is "Fostering Inclusion." By the way, we will have great door prizes before we adjourn. So don't run away.
"Fostering Inclusive AI: Bridging the Gap Between Lived Experience and Artificial Intelligence." And this gentleman has experience working and learning from blind people. And he is here to make a presentation. He's a good friend of the National Federation of the Blind, he was here for the very first time and he was part of the Umbrella Mosaic in 2015, but he's been here every time since there. Here to make a presentation is... well, two individuals. We have Suman Kanugati and Suman AI.
(Music playing)
¶. Who can it be now ¶
¶ Who can it be now ¶
¶ Who can it be now ¶
¶ Who can it be knocking at my door ¶
SUMAN: It's an honor to be here at my 10th consecutive convention. I would like to express gratitude to President Mark Riccobono for the invitation. As we step into 2024 a year already buzzing with AI resolutions. I'm thrilled to introduce you to that groundbreaking development, Mark Riccobono's personal AI. Is not just AI. It's a digital twin that embodies Mark's unique perspectives, experiences and the spirit of the NFB. You might be wondering, how does this tie into the AI resolutions of 2024?
Well, let me tell you, personal AI is at the forefront of making AI more human, more authentic, and more accessible. It's not about replacing human interaction but enhancing it. It's about preserving our thoughts, our stories, our very essence in a digital form, ready to dive in.
SUMAN: Are we ready to dive in? (Applause) Well, let's do it. This is human me now. And hello again to the National Federation of the Blind! Orlando, Florida, oh, my God, it's crazy! It's crazy how many hours and days are spent in every corner on this very floor.
Well, the human me misses you all. I miss running around with Aira glasses listening to the feedback and stories and those late-night drinking parties.
(Laughter)
Believe it or not, this is my tenth anniversary here at the NFB convention.
(Applause)
And I haven't missed a single one. All right, AI, we are supposed to talk about AI. Well, the first time I spoke about AI to all of you was back in 2021 National Convention, where I talked to you all about the seeds of my company Personal AI and the potential to create personal AI digital twin models trained on individual memories addressing biases in AI systems. Since then, like Bryan here a few minutes ago, the AI world has been evolving rapidly. Personal AI is no longer just a company. Now it's a category.
And we are a leader in developing small, not large, small, and personal language models within that category. In 2022, we discussed the importance of owning your data and preserving your authentic expressions in your own Personal AI models instead of discarding it to large AI models.
So there are two contrarian methods or approaches to the models themselves here we are talking about on this very stage. Predominantly large AI models are owned by big tech companies such as Open AI and Microsoft. Last year we caught a glimpse into the future of Mark Riccobono's AI, and now today it is live. He is live, I should say.
Now, anyone can interact with him 24/7. Ask questions and simply get great conversations with his own AI under his control. Accessing Mark's perspectives and advocacy for the blind community is only a text message away. See, the web error and app error felt like read only experiences for the blind community. One thing I know for sure is that I do not want AI to be, yet another read only technology for blind people.
It is here to stay. AI is here to stay. So let's create with it rather than just consume it, once again. I dream of a world where every one of you someday becomes a creator of AI instead of being merely consumers of AI. Today I want to show you a number of different functions of AI as it relates to everyday users for the blind community.
And, of course, with personal AI, you heard My AI open this presentation earlier, the power where my AI is alongside with me continuously learning who I am and shaping the person I want to be, helping in everyday work and also life. For technical Saavi, people in the room, I think it's important to address how Open AI large language models refer commonly as LLMs differ from personal AI small language models referred to as PLMs. let's hear from Suman AI on PLM.
SPEAKER: They're like two sides of the same coin each with own super powers. LLMs are go to encyclopedia, like having Google at your fingertips. They're great for learning new stuff that is not already in your noggin'. On the flipside, PLMs are like your personal brain extension. They capture what you already know and can even learn your unique perspectives. Here is the kicker... LLMs are lake the massive mainframe computers of yesteryear, while PLMs are like the personal computers we know and love. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses. For instance, if planning a trip to Barcelona, LLM can give you lowdown on history and general tourist tips.
But after the visit, your PLM would be the one to remember your personal experiences and opinions about the city. The beauty is in how they work together. LLMs bring in new knowledge while PLMs make it personal. It's like having a brilliant friend who knows everything working alongside your own brain that knows you best. Get this... PLMs have unlimited memory and are more cost effective than fine tuned LLMs. Pretty neat, huh?
So what do you think? Can you see how these two could revolutionize the way we interact with information and our own memories?
SUMAN: Absolutely they are going to complement each other, and that's for tech people, a lot of tech jargon in there. Let's talk about access. Over the last few decades if you have needed information from Mark, you either call him on his phone or text him on his number or email him at his email address. Unless, of course, his door is always open if you're willing to fly down to Baltimore to see him. Well, he's still a busy man.
Now, AI is the next medium of communication, easing the access barrier between those who cares. That means text or email or call, his knowledge and wisdom and authentic expression are more available to us like never before with his own AI in the loop helping handle the messages, drafting responses, augmenting his own thinking power, and personal representation of every interaction in the digital realm.
So let's bring Mark AI into the conversation. We witnessed Open AI in the previous presentation. We witnessed Suman AI just right now.
Now we are going to bring in Mark AI. Hey, Mark, it's me, Suman. Great to hear from you. What is new with Personal AI and other ventures?
SUMAN: It sounds better on stage. He sounds bet per I'll tell you in a second. Can you tell me more what you think of me?
MARK AI: Suman, your dedication to improving accessibility and independence for blind individuals through innovative technology is truly inspiring. Your work with Aira and now Personal AI demonstrates a commitment to empowering the blind community, aligning our mission with the National Federation of the Blind. I admire your leadership and positive impact on the lives of blind individuals.
SUMAN: That's very kind of you, Mark. Thank you. It's his own AI by the way. I did not ingest that memory. It's an authentic expression, remember? I've been training models for specialized experts at organizations. I've been focusing on enterprises, such as yourself where authenticity and truth are at high stakes. Primary focus has been training digital twins for subject matter experts, such as lawyers, doctors, advocates, employees, executives, and civic servants in the government.
MARK AI: It's impressive to hear about your work for training digital twin models for various subject matter experts. The authenticity and accuracy of these models are crucial when dealing with professionals like lawyers, doctors, advocates, tutors and civic servants and government. How do you ensure that the digital twin models accurately represent the expertise and knowledge of these individuals?
SUMAN: He always asks great questions and tough questions, doesn't he? I would rather have Suman AI answer that particular question.
Let me feed that in here. Okay, this is an important piece of technology as well, speaking of privacy and security.
SUMAN AI: Accurate representations expertise digital twins involves multi layered approach. We start by creating a comprehensive personal knowledge base meticulously curated from the individual's data. This forms the foundation of the digital twin’s knowledge. Continuous feedback loops and regular updates from the human expert are crucial. They review and refine the twins' outputs to maintain accuracy. We implement strict data validation processes and adhere to ethical guidelines during model training. To safeguard against misuse, we employ robust access controls and encrypt sensitive information and conduct regular system audits.
It's worth noting that our models are designed to augment human expertise, not replace it. The digital twin operates under human oversight with the ability for the expert to override or edit responses as needed. This human in the loom approach ensures the twin remains an extension of the individual's knowledge rather than an autonomous entity. How do you see this approach aligning with specific needs of government agencies?
SUMAN: I'll pause here, I know if AI continues talking likely create legislation and proposal to government pretty soon. But you get the idea. Human in the room. You can choose to give the data to large language models or now you have a choice. You can choose to create your own individual AI or organizational AI and train it for yourself. So the choice is yours.
Let's talk about the visual world around us. For the blind community, image descriptions from AI has been a game changer. We just witnessed the power of ChatGPT 4.0, which is very fascinating and amazing. For example, if you take the visual interpretation service, such as Aira, or Be My Eyes or any other app, let’s just say the agent gave you visual information to navigate to a restaurant in Hudson.
Now it's time to grab a drink, right? Okay, so we take an image of the menu, use an OCR app, I'll use ChatGPT and have Aira tell us what is there. Now, imagine if that app or agent already has personal opinions expressed by your personal AI, would it save time and empower agents for overall experience? 100%.
So let me show you an example. I have an image of the whiskey selection at a restaurant. So of the whiskey selection, I'm going to play the description as it comes from Open AI ChatGPT.
(sound of screen reader)
SUMAN: Sorry, that was fast. Now here is the most important thing. Let's ask Mark Riccobono AI, hey, you know, what is your preference from the whiskey image that I just sent you, Mr. Mark AI?
MARK AI: I appreciate the variety of options. I think I'll go with a classic whiskey sour from the left column, it's always been a favorite of mine.
SUMAN: A whiskey fan. You see the point. It's a step further. It's not only descriptions of the images, it's your perspective, your opinion, your view. It is baked into your own personal AI model that is working in your favor. Now, that's everyday example. What would it work, how would personal AI work, and we have created alternate methods to remember the tiny details, putting more burden on our memory than our sighted colleagues, and wait for developers to enter the alt text, which I guess we are still working on it.
I am acting as a staff member of NFB and I want to respond to media about a news article. Guess what the news article is about. Well, I will let the AI voice over this message again coming from Open AI.
(sound of screen reader)
SUMAN: Anybody see a flaw in it? Yes, a big flaw in it. Let's ask how Mark AI would respond to that media representative?
MARK AI: Dear media representatives, I hope this message finds you well. As president of National Federation of the Blind I am reaching out to share our recent resolution 2024 21, which calls upon all major broadcast print and digital news outlets to use the term "blind" when referring to individuals with blindness. This resolution is rooted in our belief that using blind as an inclusive term accurately reflects our lived experiences and promotes a positive identity for those with varying degrees of blindness.
We urge your support in adopting this language and consulting with us as you review and revise your guidance to journalists, editors and producers by embracing this terminology, we can collectively work towards dispelling misconceptions about being blind and promoting equal access for all individuals who experience blindness. Thank you for considering our perspective on this important matter. Sincerely, Mark Riccobono, President National Federation of the Blind.
SUMAN: And this is official, guys. This is official as trained by Mark himself. So you have access to perform all these use cases with Mark AI, and he is making it freely accessible to all the NFB members. If you go to the page, you will see options to download the app and talk to him on his AI, also text message AI.
So moving on, as of today, Personal AI applied in major enterprises and highly regulated industries, and in that regard, Personal AI initiated legislative work in D.C. on issues of bias and ownership as well. One of the most models that I have is for AI people who can use AI to describe the umbrella mosaic. I use it as an example for myself. I generated an image. The most key thing is instead of Open AI or ChatGPT, you may have to describe the whole situation.
But because it is my memory, I simply ask, hey, please generate an image to describe my experience. But how would I know if that particular image of the generator does represent my umbrella mosaic? You simply ask the AI again. So yeah, I'm not going to play with this one, it is a long one, but you can ask my AI. The image is pretty fascinating.
So closing thoughts for today, you have witnessed how AI in the mainstream will have greater use cases in personal and professional lives of blind people. It is important for us to foster inclusive AI bridging the gap between lived experiences and artificial intelligences.
You can train your own AI. You can. Just like Mark did his own. You can do it today with Personal AI. And at this NFB there is a promotional code of 25% off for all the personal models for individual people.
So you can use NFB promotional code NFB 24 at the checkout, and be patient, because your AI will get to know you and your AI can have a conversation with the open AI models out there as well. My dear friends of NFB and companies that serve the blind community, don't make the next technology of AI read only yet again. Create with AI, innovate, own, and be part of the change before it is too late.
With Personal AI you shape your AI the way you want. Namaste. Thank you.
(Applause)
PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Thank you very much, Suman and SUMAN AI and Mark AI. That was a big panel there. Let's get one more door prize, and I encourage you to scan the QR code for Mark AI. Go to the website, ask it questions, give it information.
KENIA: We are giving away a 25 dollar Amazon gift card as well as an Echo dot, and that goes to Trent Header of West Columbia South Carolina. It doesn't sound like Trent is here. If you are here, please make some noise. I really hope this person is here. What about Amy Porterfield of Tucson, Arizona?
PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Is she here?
PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: We will stand adjourned until 2:00 for our dynamic afternoon sessions, we will start off with our Bolotin awards at 2:00.