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Braille Monitor

Vol. 56, No. 5 May 2013

Gary Wunder, Editor

Distributed by email, in inkprint, in Braille, and on USB flash drive (see below) by

The National Federation of the Blind

Marc Maurer, President

National Office
200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
telephone: (410) 659-9314
email address: [email protected]
website address: https://www.nfb.org
NFBnet.org: http://www.nfbnet.org
NFB-NEWSLINE^®information: (866) 504-7300

Letters to the president, address changes,
subscription requests, and orders for NFB literature
should be sent to the national office.
Articles for the Monitor and letters to the editor may also
be sent to the national office or may be emailed to [email protected].

Monitor subscriptions cost the Federation about forty dollars per year. Members are invited,
and nonmembers are requested, to cover the subscription cost. Donations should be
made payable to National Federation of the Blind and sent to:

National Federation of the Blind
200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, Maryland 21230-4998

THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND IS NOT AN ORGANIZATION
SPEAKING FOR THE BLIND--IT IS THE BLIND SPEAKING FOR THEMSELVES

ISSN 0006-8829

Each issue is recorded on a thumb drive (also called a memory stick or USB flash drive). You can read this audio edition using a computer or a National Library Service digital player. The NLS machine has two slots--the familiar book-cartridge slot just above the retractable carrying handle and a second slot located on the right side near the headphone jack. This smaller slot is used to play thumb drives. Remove the protective rubber pad covering this slot and insert the thumb drive. It will insert only in one position. If you encounter resistance, flip the drive over and try again. (Note: If the cartridge slot is not empty when you insert the thumb drive, the digital player will ignore the thumb drive.) Once the thumb drive is inserted, the player buttons will function as usual for reading digital materials. If you remove the thumb drive to use the player for cartridges, when you insert it again, reading should resume at the point you stopped.

You can transfer the recording of each issue from the thumb drive to your computer or preserve it on the thumb drive. However, because thumb drives can be used hundreds of times, we would appreciate their return in order to stretch our funding. Please use the return label enclosed with the drive when you return the device.

Orlando Site of 2013 NFB Convention

Palm-lined drive leading to front entrance to Rosen Centre Hotel The 2013 convention of the National Federation of the Blind will take place in Orlando, Florida, July 1-6, at the Rosen Centre Hotel at 9840 International Drive, Orlando, Florida 32819. Make your room reservation as soon as possible with the Rosen Centre staff only. Call (800) 204-7234.

The 2013 room rates are singles, doubles, and twins, $79; and triples and quads, $85. In addition to the room rates there will be a tax, which at present is 13.5 percent. No charge will be made for children under seventeen in the room with parents as long as no extra bed is requested. The hotel is accepting reservations now. A $90-per-room deposit is required to make a reservation. Fifty percent of the deposit will be refunded if notice is given to the hotel of a reservation cancellation before May 13, 2013. The other 50 percent is not refundable.

Rooms will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations may be made before June 1, 2013, assuming that rooms are still available. After that time the hotel will not hold our room block for the convention. In other words, you should get your reservation in soon.

Guest-room amenities include cable television; in-room safe; coffeemaker; hairdryer; and, for a fee, high-speed Internet access. Guests can also enjoy a swimming pool, fitness center, and on-site spa. The Rosen Centre Hotel offers fine dining at Executive Chef Michael Rumplik’s award-winning Everglades Restaurant. In addition, there is an array of dining options from sushi to tapas to a 24-hour deli. The hotel has first-rate amenities and shuttle service to the Orlando airport.

The schedule for the 2013 convention is:

Monday, July 1           Seminar Day
Tuesday, July 2           Registration Day
Wednesday, July 3      Board Meeting and Division Day
Thursday, July 4          Opening Session
Friday, July 5              Business Session
Saturday, July 6          Banquet Day and Adjournment

Requests for Accommodations Based on Disability:

The convention of the National Federation of the Blind is designed and implemented to be accessible especially to blind people in that materials are offered in accessible formats and other nonvisual aids are provided. Therefore special requests for these items are not required. If you require specific accommodations based on your disability other than the blindness-related accommodations mentioned above in order to participate fully and equally in the convention, we urge you to let us know as soon as possible. Specific accommodations for which requests are required include requests for deaf or deafblind interpreters.

Due to the size and complexity of this convention, as well as the need to plan appropriately for additional human and other resources, requests for specific accommodations must be submitted no later than May 31, 2013. In order to make a request, please 1) Preregister for the convention by visiting <http://www.nfb.org/registration>; and 2) send your specific request for accommodations in writing to the NFB Jernigan Institute by email at <[email protected]>. Please include your name, the dates you plan to be at the convention, information on the best way to follow up with you, and your specific request.

Vol. 56, No. 5 May 2013

Illustration:
NFB Sponsors Family Engineering DayListen Now (MP3)

Section 508 and the Blind: One More Battle in the
Fight for Equality in the WorkplaceListen Now (MP3)
by Gary Wunder

How Braille Turned Me into a Purse JunkieListen Now (MP3)
by Audrey T. Farnum

My Historic Recollections of the NFBListen Now (MP3)
by Jean Dyon Norris

Kenneth Jernigan Library for Blind ChildrenListen Now (MP3)
from The Zine Line

Calling in the CarsListen Now (MP3)
by Joanne Wilson

My Search for AccessibilityListen Now (MP3)
by Robert Kingett

From the President’s Mail BasketListen Now (MP3)

A Blind Senior’s Journey to IndependenceListen Now (MP3)
by Diane McGeorge

Deep Sea Fishing AdventureListen Now (MP3)
by Gordon Chan

No Limits! 2013 National Organization of
Parents of Blind Children ConferenceListen Now (MP3)
by Carlton Walker