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Braille Monitor

Vol. 58, No. 6 June 2015

Gary Wunder, Editor

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

The National Federation of the Blind

Mark Riccobono, President

telephone: (410) 659-9314
email address: [email protected]
website address: http://www.nfb.org
NFBnet.org: http://www.nfbnet.org
NFB-NEWSLINE® information: (866) 504-7300
Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind
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Watch and share our videos: YouTube.com/NationsBlind

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 KNOWS THAT BLINDNESS IS NOT THE CHARACTERISTIC THAT DEFINES YOU OR YOUR FUTURE. EVERY DAY WE RAISE THE EXPECTATIONS OF BLIND PEOPLE, BECAUSE LOW EXPECTATIONS CREATE OBSTACLES BETWEEN BLIND PEOPLE AND OUR DREAMS. YOU CAN LIVE THE LIFE YOU WANT; BLINDNESS IS NOT WHAT HOLDS YOU BACK. THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND IS NOT AN ORGANIZATION SPEAKING FOR THE BLIND--IT IS THE BLIND SPEAKING FOR OURSELVES.

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 envelope enclosed with the drive when you return the device.

Orlando Site of 2015 NFB Convention

Palm-lined drive leading to front entrance to Rosen Centre Hotel The 2015 convention of the National Federation of the Blind will take place in Orlando, Florida, July 5-10, at the Rosen Centre Hotel at 9840 International Drive, Orlando, Florida 32819. At this time the Rosen does not have any rooms during convention, but there is an alternative. There is an NFB hotel block at the Doubletree by Hilton Orlando at Seaworld. Located at 10100 International Drive Orlando, Florida, the Doubletree is less than a mile from the Rosen Centre.

Rates at the Doubletree are $89 for the nights of July 7-9, $159 per night for July 3-6, and $179 per night for July 10-11. Amenities at the Doubletree include flat-screen televisions and microwaves in the rooms, a swimming pool, and several on-property restaurants. To make a reservation, call (800) 327-0363 and ask for group code NFB.

The schedule for the 2015 convention is:

Sunday, July 5               Seminar Day
Monday, July 6             Registration Day
Tuesday, July 7             Board Meeting and Division Day
Wednesday, July 8      Opening Session
Thursday, July 9            Business Session
Friday, July 10               Banquet Day and Adjournment

Vol. 58, No. 6 June 2015

Illustration: Federation Recognized at ConcertListen Now (MP3)

Decisions, Bad Choices, and ForgivenessListen Now (MP3)
by Ronald Brown

The KNFB Reader Becomes the
Property of the Nation’s BlindListen Now (MP3)
by Marc Maurer

Civil Rights and the Disabled:
A Report from the Department of Justice Listen Now (MP3)
by Vanita Gupta

People with Disabilities: The Orphan MinorityListen Now (MP3)
by Fredric K. Schroeder

Once Upon a Time: Becoming a TeacherListen Now (MP3)
by Harold Wilson

Our Latest Battle in the Right to Read:
The Blind Strive for Access to 40 Million Titles Listen Now (MP3)
by Gary Wunder

The Federation at Twenty-Five:
Postview and PreviewListen Now (MP3)
by Jacobus tenBroek

Human Rights versus Legal RightsListen Now (MP3)
by Ed Vaughan

A Letter to the New Summer InternsListen Now (MP3)
by Justin Salisbury

Federation AlphabetListen Now (MP3)
by Joe Ruffalo