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Braille Monitor

Vol. 63, No. 2 February 2020

Gary Wunder, Editor

Distributed by email, in inkprint, in Braille, and on USB flash drive, by the

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
Follow us on Twitter: @NFB_Voice
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

Houston Site of 2020 NFB Convention

The 2020 convention of the National Federation of the Blind will take place in Houston, Texas, July 14 to July 19, at the Hilton Americas—Houston hotel, 1600 Lamar Street, Houston, TX 77010. Make your room reservation as soon as possible with the Hilton Americas—Houston staff only. Call 1-800-236-2905 to reserve your room in the main hotel. If you wish to stay in our overflow hotel, the Marriott Marquis Houston, the number to call is 1-877-688-4323.

The 2020 room rate at our main hotel is $105.00 per night and applies to singles and doubles as well as triples and quads. Hotel and sales taxes are 13.38 percent and 8.25 percent, respectively. The rate for the overflow Marriott Marquis is slightly higher at $119 and includes Hotel and sales taxes of 13.38 percent and 8.25 percent, respectively. As with our main hotel, this rate is good for up to four in a room. Both hotels will take a deposit of the first night’s room rate for each room and will require a credit card or a personal check. If you use a credit card, the deposit will be charged against your card immediately. If a reservation is cancelled before Friday, June 1, 2020, half of the deposit will be returned. Otherwise refunds will not be made.

Rooms will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations may be made before June 1, 2020, assuming that rooms are still available. After that time the hotels will not hold our room block for the convention. In other words, you should get your reservation in soon.

The schedule for the 2020 convention is:

Tuesday, July 14         Seminar Day
Wednesday, July 15    Registration and Resolutions Day
Thursday, July 16       Board Meeting and Division Day
Friday, July 17              Opening Session
Saturday, July 18         Business Session
Sunday, July 19            Banquet Day and Adjournment

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.

Vol. 63, No. 2 February 2020

Illustration: Leading with the Heart (HTML)
Illustration: Leading with the Heart (MP3)

Having a Voice and More (HTML)
Having a Voice and More (MP3)
by Cassie McKinney

From Struggle to Success: How Honesty, Skills, Philosophy, and Engagement Helped Me (HTML)
From Struggle to Success: How Honesty, Skills, Philosophy, and Engagement Helped Me (MP3)
by Rebecca Stevens

Houston Proud: The 2020 National Convention is Closer than You Think (HTML)
Houston Proud: The 2020 National Convention is Closer than You Think (MP3)
by Norma Crosby

Leave a Legacy (HTML)
Leave a Legacy(MP3)

The Secret to Winning a National Federation of the Blind Scholarship (HTML)
The Secret to Winning a National Federation of the Blind Scholarship (MP3)
by Cayte Mendez

Sighted Privilege: Recognition of the Problem is the First Step Toward Resolution (HTML)
Sighted Privilege: Recognition of the Problem is the First Step Toward Resolution (MP3)
by Justin Salisbury

Teaching Access Technology Using Structured Discovery Techniques (HTML)
Teaching Access Technology Using Structured Discovery Techniques (MP3)
by Chancey Fleet and Matt Hackert

Who Are the Blind Who Lead the Blind? (HTML)
Who Are the Blind Who Lead the Blind? (MP3)

Protect Yourself from Phone Scams (HTML)
Protect Yourself from Phone Scams (MP3)
by the Social Security Administration

Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship (HTML)
Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship (MP3)
by Tracy Soforenko