_______________________________________________________________________________

Braille Monitor

Vol. 63, No. 11                 December 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:

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.

Vol. 63, No. 11                        December 2020

Illustration: Celebrating the Life and Work of a Very Special Couple

A Correction for the November Issue
by Gary Wunder

Love, Leadership, and the Truth about Decisions
by Mark Riccobono

A Family Commitment
by Marc Maurer

A Day in the Life of the Director of Community Relations of the National Federation of the Blind
by Patricia Maurer

Maurer: Raising the Family and the Bar for the Blind
by Dianna Marie and David Patrick Maurer

How I Came to Know the Maurers and the Love of the Federation
by Anil Lewis

A Tribute to the Maurers
by Barbara Loos

Marc Maurer: Our Colleague, Our Leader, and My Life-Long Friend
by James Gashel

Tribute to a Dear Friend
by Kevan Worley

The Maurers: Mentors and Friends
by Scott C. LaBarre

What Marc and Patricia Maurer Have Meant to Us
by Pam and Roland Allen

One Doughnut or Two
by Jessica Reed

The Man I Feared Might Get Me Jailed Helped Set Me Free
by Gary Wunder

Braille Monitor from August of 1975 "...The Same as Everyone Else”
[Reprinted from the Broadcaster publication of Blue Cross in Indiana]

NFB 2021 Scholarship Program
by Cayte Mendez

The 2021 Blind Educator of the Year Award
by Robin House

The 2021 Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards
by Everette Bacon

The 2021 Distinguished Educator of Blind Students Award
by Carla McQuillan

Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship
by Tracy Soforenko

AbilityOne and Section 14(c): Dinosaurs of Disability Employment Policy
by Kyle Walls

“I Didn’t Feel Like I was Good Enough Because I Couldn’t See” Vision and Visions of a Young Artist: A Visit with Rebecca Bruyere
by Allan Schneider

NFB and Freedom Scientific Announce the More Than Ever Campaign

Social Security Facts for 2021
by Stephanie Flynt

Deafblind People Are Blind and Belong to the Blind Community, Too!
by Marsha Drenth

Recipes

Monitor Miniatures

Copyright 2020 by the National Federation of the Blind

Celebrating the Life and Work of a Very Special Couple

Seldom do we have a themed issue, but this comes very close. Were it not for the things that absolutely must get out in December, we might have given all of it to Marc and Patricia Maurer. We sincerely hope that readers understand the profound impact they have had on our movement and that the Maurers understand how much we appreciate them.

We give thanks to all who contributed to this issue and are well aware that, had we cast our net even a bit wider, we would have gotten many more articles speaking to the way these fine people have affected the lives of tens of thousands of blind and sighted people. Knowing their love of Christmas and the Christmas season, we dedicate this issue to them in the hope that it will add to the joy of their holiday season.

A Correction for the November Issue

by Gary Wunder

I am sorry to say that in my headnote about Maureen Nietfeld, I gave the wrong year for her scholarship award. It was 2017, and I thank Michael Hally who brought this to my attention. My thanks to him not only for being a reader but a careful one at that.

Love, Leadership, and the Truth about Decisions

by Mark Riccobono

From the Editor: Everyone who has contributed from the head and the heart has expressed how hard it is to distill into an article of reasonable length everything that Marc and Patricia Maurer have meant to them. This may have been most difficult for President Riccobono not only because of the position he holds but because he has known Patricia and Marc in so many capacities. I love the subject of his email that conveyed his submission: “The Long-Awaited but Hopefully Not Too Highly Anticipated Article.” He proceeds with his characteristic modesty and produces something that is second to none. Here’s what he says:

When I suggested to the Editor of the Braille Monitor that we consider celebrating the work of Marc and Patricia Maurer, I did not realize what I was getting into. I knew that I would be expected to write something, but I did not realize how difficult it would be to only write a small fraction of what I might say. Let me begin by extending to the Maurers my most heartfelt appreciation for their unwavering service to the blind of this nation during the past half-century. Having been mentored by them, worked alongside them, enjoyed their friendship, and even having the responsibility of guiding their work in my capacity as President over the past six years, I have a unique perspective on their contributions to the blind of the nation. I can say with complete certainty that they have acted with love and honesty in giving to this movement everything they have to offer. Personally I am grateful for their impact on shaping who I am. Organizationally this movement would not be as rich with love and determination had this couple not given in such a selfless manner. Thank you for what you have given to us, and we hope that retirement affords you the opportunity to more fully appreciate the difference you continue to make in the world.

This issue of the Braille Monitor is about celebrating. I also know from every celebration I have been in with Marc Maurer that the joy of recalling what has been only goes so far. At some point we are going to hear Dr. Maurer say, “Now!” in only the way he can to get the attention of a room. Then he will ask us all what is next. Thus, I will not use this article to praise what he has done but rather to use what he has done to teach some of what I have learned.

In 2020 it is most appropriate to talk about the side of leadership that rarely gets talked about—the hard and often lonely decisions. Leadership in our movement brings great joy. You can help impact people’s lives every day in a positive way. It also brings heartbreak and real struggle. When I came into the presidency, people often asked me what the hardest thing was. I told them that it was the realization that, despite our power, we only have so many resources compared to the things we need to do. The balance between utilizing the resources for good today and ensuring that we have a foundation to operate from tomorrow is very thin. I watched Marc Maurer do this many times, and I learned from him the character of who he is as a man and the nature of what is essential in leadership. That relationship stretches back to a letter I received in August of 1996 when he responded, to my shock, to a letter I wrote to him after my first national convention earlier that summer. Here is a small glimpse at what I have experienced knowing Marc Maurer.

I came to work for the National Federation of the Blind in the fall of 2003. Before that I served as president of our Wisconsin affiliate for five years, so I had a lot of experience calling upon Dr. Maurer in his capacity as our national president. My first assignment as a staff member was to fulfill a promise Dr. Maurer made to our national convention earlier that year. He told the convention that in the summer of 2004 we would have science programs for blind children. When I asked him what the plan was, he told me that was my job to figure out. Of course, I figured out later that there was a plan: identify someone with the passion, energy, and imagination to take the idea and make it into something in which the Federation could have pride—that was me. The idea that you could make a promise and pledge to take action based only upon a dream—an unshakeable belief in the people that dream was intended to benefit—was amazing to me. Of course, at the time I just understood it as a work assignment. However, through Dr. Maurer’s guiding questions and ability to push my ideas further than I thought was possible, I learned that the idea gains power when people are prepared to work toward making it happen regardless of how impossible it seems.

I knew blind people could do science, and it was my job to figure out how to get it done. I used the formula I had observed Dr. Maurer using. I reached out to as many blind people as I could—scientists, teachers, people who took science, and people who were excluded from it. I listened to their hopes and dreams, I synthesized the techniques they knew and the things they wanted to try but never had the opportunity to experience, and I invited people to help. We have been doing national science programs on various levels ever since.

Our President was always invited to participate in our programs and often served as the teacher. He brought genuine joy to every engagement he had, whether it was teaching youth how to cook hot dogs with a car battery, being pulled to the ceiling of the Members Hall in a chair rigged to a simple machine our students built, or speaking in the rain at the Lincoln Memorial (where the director of education—me—had not made a rain plan), Marc Maurer always took it as an opportunity to laugh, teach, and empower others.

Building stuff is not always easy, but it appears like lots of fun from the outside. Observing the excitement, the change in the participants, and the reinforced empowerment of our mentors is rewarding. However, there is a lot that happens behind the scenes. Getting the funding together, struggling to work through all the plans, ensuring we can manage emergencies and protect the youth who are entrusted to us, and facing difficult situations in the moment takes a lot of energy and requires that a lot of hard questions be answered behind the scenes. None of that gets any attention in the marketing or at the public celebrations, but careful planning is critical to the success of our work. We have been blessed to have Marc Maurer guiding those conversations behind closed doors for better than three decades. I knew when the call came to come to his office to talk through a plan or to consider a project that the questions were going to be hard. I knew he was seeking to find holes in what I put together. I quickly learned two things. The questions were always asked from a place of love—love for the organization but also love for me as one of the people dedicated to carrying out the work under his leadership. Second, the questions were to ensure that he knew where all the pitfalls were as much as I did. I learned that in leadership you need to trust and love your team, and you need to be prepared to own the actions the team takes. This combination of support and pushing me outside my comfort zone at the same time is what made my plans better and the Federation’s work stronger.

There is an even deeper layer to Marc Maurer that most people do not appreciate. As our longest-serving President, he shouldered personal responsibility for owning all of the hard decisions. When a program needed to be cut, when a staff member needed to be let go, when a request for legal assistance needed to be denied, and when a member needed to be removed from chairing a committee, he was ultimately responsible for taking the actions on behalf of the organization. The first time I truly began to understand this was in 2009 when we were in the middle of the NFB Youth Slam. During that summer the H1N1 virus was impacting many people (although comparatively small considering today’s coronavirus). We had a student who came down with flu-like symptoms. We isolated the student and began to analyze a plan for what to do. We did not know if it was the H1N1 virus or how many others in our program had been exposed to whatever was ailing this student. We did some research, including engaging with the health services at the University of Maryland College Park where we were hosting our program. I remember clearly sitting in the middle of this courtyard and really dreading calling Dr. Maurer. I felt like I had gathered all the data I could, but I knew he was going to ask me what I recommended as a plan of action. I really wanted him to make that decision—I just wanted to follow orders. I also knew that it was my job to advise him not the other way around. When I finally got him on the phone, it was clear he had been in the middle of something important. He gave me his full attention, and I gave him a rundown on the situation. He asked me one or two questions, which I had fortunately anticipated, so I was equipped with answers. To my surprise he told me the plan sounded good, and he trusted our work in executing the plan. Rather than raising the pitfalls and the concerns he might have had, he perceived that I was uncertain about my own ability to guide people through the situation, and he focused his time with me on telling me he had faith in my judgment. He was going to have to fix whatever went wrong, but instead of outwardly worrying about that with me, he chose to communicate his confidence, which in turn became my confidence and that of our program team. We worked harder on the plans because of his expression of faith. In that case, we minimized the exposure to other students and staff, and we called every single family to let them know what was happening. I believe that, as a result of the confidence that flowed from Marc Maurer to us and that we conveyed on the phone to parents, no parents elected to have their child sent home before the week was over.

I understood this in a sobering way in 2012. Uncertainty in our finances, significant growth in our staffing, and the demands of certain programs put our national organization in a difficult place. The goal is to operate our core activities while continuing to build a base for unexpected years (like 2020). In 2012, if actions were not taken, the sustainability of our movement and its future growth would be in question. By that time I was serving as executive director of our research and training programs and reporting directly to Dr. Maurer on a daily basis. He asked each of the top staff executives for proposals regarding the operations of our national office and the types of restructuring that might be done to put us on a stronger path for the future. I understood the gravity of the situation and that my most honest and well-reasoned reflections were needed. I drafted a document that included a number of recommendations including releasing staff members who I had personally recommended we hire and invested significant time in onboarding into our movement. I remember stressing about my recommendations and about the impact on the individuals involved. In the moment, I am certain I did not give as much thought to the impact on the person who would ultimately take my recommendations, as well as those of other staff leaders, and meld them into a plan that he would execute. I still remember quite vividly the management meeting we had to discuss the plans that the President felt would best put us on a path toward long-term success. In that meeting I realized that Marc Maurer, and only he, would have to carry the full weight of the decisions being made. It did not really matter who made what recommendations, and it would not matter who had the hard conversations with the employees affected. The responsibility and the weight of the actions, including any fall out, was on him.

As the plans unfolded, I observed how Dr. Maurer handled both the public and private aspects of the actions being made. This included observing him grapple with having to make the right decisions for our movement even though they negatively affected friends he cared deeply about. I have often said to people that the most difficult part of our movement is also its greatest asset. We come to know and love each other. We face adversity together, and we win significant victories together. These experiences bond us in a powerful way. Yet as elected leaders we are called upon to make decisions that are in the best interest of the organization overall which may at times negatively affect our friends. While debate can be undertaken about the details and ways those decisions are handled, we have to recognize that our leaders have the responsibility and sometimes the burden of carrying them forward.

During that period in our movement, I also observed how quickly people forget the real personal impact that has on a man like Marc Maurer who has accepted the call to lead our movement. As strong, intelligent, and dynamic as Marc Maurer is, he is fueled by a heart that loves generously. Anyone who knows the nature of love recognizes that this cannot be true without also feeling pain and ache for others, especially those closest to you. When those you love feel, even for a short time, that you have let them down, there is no way to avoid the personal toll.

I now live this reality every day as President of the National Federation of the Blind, and I strive to be like Marc Maurer in the way he truly puts his heart into this movement every day. I come from a business background, and I note that many of our emerging leaders have a similar orientation in terms of how they think about the work of the movement. My hope in sharing the reality of leadership expressed here is to say that the technical skills are not what make leaders. The heart is what makes great leaders effective, and it is the sharing of that heart with others that inspires hearts to action. I have been blessed to observe both the public heart and the private heart of Marc Maurer. I have been honored to sit with him when he has struggled, and I am honored that he has been vulnerable enough to share with me. I also recognize that there is undoubtedly more that he has not shared but that he still carries. In addition, I have recently watched him share with groups of Federationists things he might have done differently with the benefit of reflection, which affords us all the opportunity to grow. I urge all those seeking leadership in our movement to recognize that these are the qualities every leader should try to actualize in their own work and in their own way. Sometimes, when we only observe the public side of a leader, we neglect to realize that leaders are people who have been called to serve, and they carry all of the emotions that people experience—at least the best leaders do. You can understand the technical pieces of how our movement works; you can file the right reports; you can know the details of the laws. But if you do not put real heart and real vulnerability into the movement, you are going to miss the best parts of it.

I have had many opportunities to celebrate with Marc Maurer. Whether it was shaking his hand after I got out of the car I drove at Daytona, sharing the launch of the shuttle mission that carried our Louis Braille Coins into space, debriefing our NFB Youth Slam, or re-organizing a Federation affiliate, those times have taught me a lot about the joy of the work we do. However, so have the struggles behind closed doors trying to figure out the finances, how to navigate the details of hard decisions, picking apart plans that we spent hours on, and discussing the shared friends we have lost. Those of you who have had similar experiences with Marc Maurer know what I am talking about and are most certainly smiling right now. For those of you who have not been blessed to have those experiences with this leader of our movement, know that the most important question will always come, “Now! What are we going to do next?” What I learned from Marc Maurer and what I attempt to live every day is captured in this realization—that the answer always starts and ends with the heart. If you take no other lesson from the leadership of Marc Maurer, remember that the heart is a muscle, and you strengthen muscles by using them. The more we lead with our hearts, the stronger they get. This remains true despite the fact that sometimes they will break and sometimes they will ache. The more that we extend our heart to others, the greater the possibility that the next thing we do together makes them overflow with joy.

A Family Commitment

by Marc Maurer

From the Editor: I already have an article in this issue about Marc Maurer, but there are some things that come to mind as I read the thoughts he has presented about his work, growth, and presidency. Although he never asked that I do it, I felt some of his worry and strain from afar. In his article he didn't mention the adventure activities he encouraged during his tenure. There were two in particular that come to mind. The one that most will know about is Erik Weihenmayer's summiting Mount Everest. Less familiar may be our sponsorship of Hank Dekker and the trip he would take from Baltimore, Maryland, to Plymouth, England. Like many others, I was all caught up in the publicity, the adventure, the fact that our name was associated with such progress. But I was not on the receiving end of the letters that as much as accused us of being foolhardy, negligent, and imprudent. Some went so far as to suggest that our President was a potential murderer. I spent all my time thinking about the arrival and the celebrations; but he had to consider the very real possibility that these brave men might fail and die in the trying. Everest and the National Federation of the Blind might be tied together very differently. It wouldn't just be what was remembered about the voyage or the climb; it would be the retort that would come whenever we talked about expanding the opportunities for blind people and the artificial limitations placed on us by the low expectations of society and by blind people ourselves. Marc Maurer did not whine. He did not complain. He did not shrink from the challenge or the long-term damage that might come to the organization. He was what he thought he needed to be: strong, positive, forward-looking. Pioneers weren't revered just because they moved west. They were revered because there was danger in that movement, and, like them, he knew that progress and danger often go hand in hand. Here is what one of the most important leaders we have ever had has to say about his time in the National Federation of the Blind:

I became a member of the National Federation of the Blind in 1969 by joining the Des Moines Chapter. My first convention occurred in Columbia, South Carolina, that summer. The people in the organization seemed to me to be profoundly different from others I had met. They were energetic, demanding, and confident. Most of the discussion about blindness I had encountered prior to joining the organization had concentrated on how good the current medical research was and how exciting the prospects were for conquering the disadvantage of blindness. Occasionally people threw out the hope that despite the disability blind people could do meaningful work. However, this was a rare occurrence, and those making such assertions did not seem well informed. Federation members were different. They had plenty of hope, but they also had a lot of knowledge.

The first year that I participated in Federation activities I was a student in the program of rehabilitation orientation conducted under the direction of Dr. Kenneth Jernigan for the state of Iowa. I learned to cook—a valuable skill and, besides, a lot of fun, to use the machines in a woodworking shop and metalworking shop, to travel with a cane, to read Braille scientific notation, and to type effectively. All of these are good things to know, but the most important thing I learned was how to think.

When I reached Indiana to attend the University of Notre Dame, I joined the South Bend Chapter of the Federation. I was the youngest person in the chapter, and because I was from out of state and a college student, I was looked upon with suspicion by the other members. Nonetheless, I persisted in my participation and soon became friends. By 1971 I was elected to the vice presidency of our Indiana affiliate. I undertook to assist the affiliate in raising funds for our state treasury, and in doing so I traveled throughout the state and became familiar with members in every chapter. Furthermore, we managed to raise some money. I remember my first effort. I took a taxi to a local candy manufacturing company in South Bend, and I ordered 150 cases of candy. When they showed up at my dormitory in a few days, I persuaded my friends in the dorm to help me move them into my dorm room. They took up most of the space. I had to find a way to sell the candy to get my room back. I had ordered the candy on credit, and I had no idea why the candy company would sell it to me. When I had sold enough of the candy, I paid the bill, and the rest of the money went into the treasury.

In the same year, 1971, I was elected to the presidency of the student division of the Federation, now known as the National Association of Blind Students, a Division of the National Federation of the Blind. The student division had been created in 1967 because the special interests of students in addressing the need for blind people to get a quality education could be more easily addressed through student activities than through divided efforts in states around the country. I continued promoting educational programs for blind students in the office of the president of the division for six years.

By 1973 I had become dissatisfied with the leadership of the Indiana affiliate. The president of the affiliate said that the national organization had created the national policies of the Federation and that if it liked them so much, it could enforce them. The Federation affiliate in Indiana would make no effort to assist. I was elected to the presidency of the affiliate in the fall of 1973 by a very narrow margin. Some liked the energy that I brought in the organization, and some thought I was crazy. I served as president of our affiliate for four years, until I moved to Ohio. During the time when I was president of the affiliate, I graduated from college and matriculated through law school. I got my law degree, and I passed the bar examination in the spring of 1977; then I began to hunt for work. I got a job offer from Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, a public interest law firm in Toledo, Ohio. I took up my first law job in the fall of 1977.
Patricia Maurer and I had married in the summer of 1973. She had a teaching degree, and she had been employed as a teacher in Burlington, Iowa, her first fulltime job after college. When we moved to Indiana, she had trouble finding a full time teaching assignment. She worked for a time typing computer-generated letters for the Blue Cross company. She used what was then the state-of-the-art word processing equipment called the Magnetic Tape “Selectric” Typewriter, MT/ST. It wasn’t the work she had trained for, but it did keep the groceries and rent paid. In Toledo the job market for her was even worse. My salary as a beginning lawyer for a public interest law firm was slim, and Patricia found work when she could get it but also did volunteer work.

The fall of 1977 and the spring of 1978 was a period of time when the Federation came under attack by the Minneapolis Society for the Blind, a sheltered workshop that had been paying subminimum wages and had justified its behavior by falsified time studies. The Minneapolis Society engaged a reporter from the Des Moines Register who prepared scurrilous articles about the Federation that repeated false statements about the purpose, behavior, and intent of the outfit and its president Dr. Kenneth Jernigan. By the spring of 1978 the attacks had become so virulent that the Maurers decided to return to Iowa to try to assist with the defense of the organization. I had come to know some of the members of the Iowa legislature, and I thought we could be some use in presenting fairly the work of the National Federation of the Blind in attempting to bring fair treatment to blind workers in sheltered shops. I did not know how bad conditions had become in Iowa until I talked to my friends in the legislature. They told me that Dr. Jernigan and his colleagues were “down for the count” and that I had better get away as fast as possible. However, I had come to know Dr. Jernigan and to trust him. I decided that to abandon him could not be done. During the months in the spring of 1978 I studied for the Iowa bar exam and passed it. Dr. Jernigan, who had then resigned from the directorship of the Iowa program, recommended that I look for a job in some other location. I started sending resumés to government offices in Washington, DC, and in late summer I became a staff attorney for the Civil Aeronautics Board. While I was studying for the bar exam in Iowa, Patricia Maurer had taken a position as a teacher in an adult training program for the blind. I left for Washington, and she stayed in Des Moines and continued teaching for a few months. By the end of the year she had moved with me to DC.

In my job at the Civil Aeronautics Board I did such things as writing an order for the board that changed the name of Alleghany Airlines to US Airways. I came to know a great deal about the economics of operating an air carrier. During the 1-1/2 years I worked for the board, the National Federation of the Blind was pursuing efforts to establish the right of blind workers to be represented in their employment by unions. The National Labor Relations Board, which supervises the rights of workers to be represented by unions, had decided decades earlier that sheltered workshops were not places of employment but places of service to the people who were in them. Consequently, unions were not permitted. In the Federation’s efforts in the 1970s the board adopted a new standard to determine whether workers could be in unions. If the primary purpose of the functioning of a sheltered shop was to provide training to workers in rehabilitation techniques and the like, a union would not be permitted. If the primary purpose was to produce products for interstate commerce, then a union could represent the workers. The Federation assisted with union organizing in Ohio and in Texas. I noted that Jim Gashel was writing briefs to be filed with the National Labor Relations Board. I assisted with research on the history and principles of law to be applied in the briefs to be filed with the board. This was not part of my day job but was ordinarily part of the work we did between 6:00 p.m. and midnight.
The pressure that had been brought on Dr. Jernigan and the National Federation of the Blind by the Des Moines Register in 1977 and ’78 included reckless charges of inappropriate use of government funds. I learned later that one of the charges had been that the Iowa program wasted its money by paying tuition at a private religiously-based university for me. The US Attorney had decided to investigate the Federation and Dr. Jernigan. I came to know this directly because I was served with a subpoena to provide information by the US Attorney. By December of 1980 the US Attorney announced that the investigation had been closed. Nothing had been found to justify the reckless charges of the Des Moines Register. However, the newspaper never reported this.

In 1981 I decided to leave government employment and to establish an independent practice in Baltimore, where Patricia and I had been living. Thus began a period of four years in which I represented individuals from many states, most of them having to do with discrimination on the basis of blindness.

Dr. Jernigan had been elected to the presidency of the NFB in 1968, a year before I had become a member. By 1977 he was sick. He had heart trouble and other ailments. His work as President of the Federation and his work as director of the program for the blind in Iowa had demanded so much energy of him that he had become unable to continue at the level that he thought was required. He resigned from the presidency of the Federation, and Ralph Sanders became President. I had worked with Ralph Sanders, and I had become convinced that his being President of the organization would not work. Dr. Jernigan resumed the presidency in 1978, and I was one of many who were delighted. He decided that he could not serve as director of the Iowa program and continue in the presidency. He resigned as director and moved the offices of the Federation to Baltimore. By the time of the national convention in 1978 he had identified a property in Baltimore that he thought would serve as our national headquarters. We bought what is now the National Center for the Blind.

By 1984, I had been working as legal counsel for individuals the Federation was seeking to assist. I met with Dr. Jernigan regularly to give him background on the state of the law and such cases as he asked that I pursue. I noticed that he was once again feeling unwell. I remembered that Ralph Sanders had come into the presidency when Dr. Jernigan resigned in 1977, but I did not want that to happen again. I told him so. He asked me if I wanted to be president, and I said yes. I was not anxious for the job if he was prepared to do it, but I was determined that Ralph Sanders would not come back into the office. At the 1985 convention Dr. Jernigan announced that he would not be seeking reelection in 1986 but that he would be supporting me for election to the office. Somebody said to Dr. Jernigan, “Why don’t we have an open election?” to which he responded, “What do you mean? I have told you a year ahead of time what I am going to do. If you have a candidate by all means get your candidate together, collect your votes, and come to the floor.” In the fall of 1985 I moved into space at the National Center for the Blind, and I began to work with Dr. Jernigan on a daily basis to gain background on the challenges, the programs, and the prospects for the Federation. In 1986 I was elected to the presidency of the organization.

The methods of doing business in 1986 are different from those we use today. Most of the transactions being conducted occurred on paper. The cost of a telephone call was less expensive than it had been in former decades. Consequently, a great deal of conversation occurred over the wires. However, letter communication was still vital, and the electronic transmission of documents had not yet become common. When I came into the presidency, the Federation had a staff of about twenty-five people. The task of the President included such diverse obligations as managing the politics and policy within the Federation, comprehending and dealing with the politics of the blindness field, interacting with and gaining advantage from information sources in the World Blind Union and other entities dealing with blindness in the international arena, locating funds sufficient to meet the ongoing needs of the Federation, conducting program activities to support the policies and purposes of the Federation, collecting and disseminating information about blindness-related matters that would affect blind people throughout the nation, establishing relationships with government entities involved with blind people, planning for campaigns to bring the correct understanding of blindness as a characteristic to public notice, finding ways to use to best effect the property at the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, supervising maintenance of the buildings that we own and conducting remodeling efforts, finding personnel to deal with the questions that must be managed in the course of conducting our program, creating and presenting policy matters to Congress and governmental agencies, and determining when to create innovative programs which had not been initiated in the past. Part of this demanding job increasingly was directed toward the development of access technology for the blind throughout the decade of the 1980s and into the 1990s. In the midst of all of it the President of the Federation was expected to create novel methods of presenting to the Federation and others the reason that the Federation was created and its long-term purposes. Part of the work required attempting to gain relationships with government and industry leaders to create partnerships that would focus energy to bringing new possibilities to blind people. Many of the relationships were personal. Consequently, part of it required bringing people to our national headquarters for conversation and entertainment. It became evident long before I assumed the presidency that this could occur only if the Maurer family would be a part of the commitment in the building process.

When we were putting the National Center for the Blind together in the late 1970s and early 1980s, we did not have places in the building for people to stay. Consequently, the Maurers often welcomed people into our home. One Saturday afternoon Dr. Jernigan called me to say that a gentleman from Israel had been visiting him and that he did not have a place to keep him overnight. He wondered if the Maurers could do it. Of course we did. Unfortunately, I had been cooking a ham for dinner, and I did not have anything else readily available. Our Jewish friend said that he was sure God would understand, and he ate the ham.

The personal computer was becoming a standard office product in the 1980s. In the Federation we had worried about access to use information from the computer in the 1970s, and this interest continued. The first of the universal access systems for the blind was conceived by our technology committee. The access system was known as the Speaqualizer, which gathered information from the computer and sent it to a voice box. Prior to the invention of the Speaqualizer, such access systems as had been built concentrated on single programs. A speech program might offer verbal feedback from a word processor, but not from other programs running on the computer. If a blind person wanted to program the computer, speech programs would not work. Because of the need to give equal access to information presented by computers, the Federation got into the access technology business. During the early part of my presidency, the concept of Windows was invented. Computer products prior to Windows presented text in character form, most often using the ASCII code. Windows presented information in pictorial form. Speech programs had previously been required to manage a code set of 256 characters. With the advent of Windows, the number of different characters that could be presented was almost unlimited. What could possibly be done? Many people felt that the problem was insoluble, but the Federation did not give up. Many years later in the early 2000s, a similar combination of circumstances occurred when colleges and universities adopted a plan to use cell phones or other flat screen devices to conduct education. Blind people could not get at the information. Flat screens have no buttons. What to do? Many people thought the problem was insoluble, but the Federation did not give up. The Federation did not invent the solution to equal access to information using Windows, but it did keep the pressure on to encourage inventive minds to seek such a solution. The same is true for access to information using flat screens. Not all of the answers regarding the proper methods for gaining equal access to information have been found, but the Federation does not give up, and progress continues to be made.

One of the more difficult challenges of serving in the presidency of the Federation is to determine when to be innovative and when to leave good enough alone. If innovation is to be sought, how much of the resources of the organization should be committed to it, and what will the damage be if the innovation fails? Such a question raises the ancient argument about the difference between a wise leader and a fool. A wise leader succeeds in the face of obstacles; a fool does not.
A number of us were imagining what the future should be when we had built our new building, which we opened in 2004. One of the ideas that came from the discussion was that we should build an automobile that the blind could drive. The complexities of operating an automobile can be broken down into discrete tasks. Vision is required for gathering information from outside the automobile, but what says it has to be? If the information that is ordinarily gained by sight can be obtained some other way and it can be done in real time, why cannot a blind driver operate the machinery? We set about the task of building the blind drivable car with the assistance of engineering experts at Virginia Tech university. Before we had the car completed, Parnell Diggs, now an administrative law judge for the Social Security Administration, secured the opportunity for us to drive the car on the Daytona International Speedway. When we knew that we had the right to drive it at Daytona, I announced to the convention of the National Federation of the Blind that we would put on the demonstration prior to the Rolex 24 race for 2011. The demonstration model was completed in the fall, and we rented a racetrack in Virginia to test it. Racetrack officials told us that part of the cost of the rental would be the cost of having an ambulance at the end of it with a crew in it to be present at any time we were on the track. They would save us if we destroyed the car and hurt the people in it. We said we weren’t going to wreck the car. They responded that if you want the racetrack you get the ambulance, and we agreed. Five of us practiced with the car. The two best operators were Mark Riccobono and Anil Lewis. Mark Riccobono drove at Daytona, but Anil Lewis was available if he was needed. The demonstration was a dynamic indication that a car could be driven by a blind person and that it would be possible to operate it with unexpected obstacles that could be readily avoided using the technology we had built. During the time that we worked on the project, I found that many people thought we were crazy to imagine that something like that could be done, and I learned that some of them thought that the Federation might not be crazy but that I certainly was. During the final twelve months that we pursued the project the Federation got more publicity than we had ever had in the history of the Federation.

Serving in the presidency of the Federation requires its principal officer to manage the day-to-day activities of the organization, but it also requires planning for tomorrow. If a president is doing the job properly, the president will plan for what happens to the organization when that president ceases to lead. I tried to gather about me leaders who could carry on the work of the Federation when my term of service came to a close. By 2013 it seemed to me that Mark Riccobono had demonstrated the kind of leadership that could bring the organization to greater heights of development than had been true in the past. In 2014 Mark Riccobono assumed the presidency of the organization. I have continued to work actively with him, and I believe that he is a leader to meet the standard that the Federation has established.

A Day in the Life of the Director of Community Relations of the National Federation of the Blind

by Patricia Maurer

From the Editor: Most of us who are or have been leaders know that we do not do the job alone. Often we acknowledge privately the work of spouses and other family members who give us the time and support we need to do the work of the Federation. Seldon do we acknowledge them publicly. Sometimes the people we acknowledge have commitments of their own that can be overshadowed by what we do and what they do for us. What I love about this article is it incorporates the work that Patricia did on her own and what she did as a result of being the longest-serving First Lady in the Federation. I hope she enjoys her retirement as much as I have enjoyed reading and publishing her article. Here it is:

I have been a part of the National Federation of the Blind since 1968, and I have served in many and varied capacities. For about thirty years I was the treasurer of the National Federation of the Blind Greater Baltimore Chapter. In the early 1970s I became president of the Greater Des Moines Chapter of the NFB. I have a teaching degree and have experienced teaching dozens of subjects in the classroom, having served as a substitute teacher in the Indianapolis Public School District traveling from school to school for an entire year. However, I suspect that my most memorable service in the Federation was the time that I spent as the director of community relations for the Federation, working from 1988 until 2020 at the National Center for the Blind. Although I have helped with organization in state affiliates in Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Indiana, and many other places, my work in our national headquarters probably has had as much variety as any of the other tasks I have undertaken. Even so, there were patterns to what I did. Now that retirement has come upon me, I am trying to learn that it is not really necessary to wake up at 5:00 a.m. to get ready for the activities of the day.

During much of the time that my husband Marc and I worked at our national headquarters, we would leave the house at 6:30 in the morning so that we could be available by 7:00 a.m. This was especially true during the times that we were having training programs at the Center or engaged in remodeling activities. Building contractors frequently proclaim that they start work at 7:00 a.m., and some of them do. So we needed to be on the spot in case of emergencies. When we were conducting training programs, plans involved getting people started by 7:00 or 7:30 so that the actual experience in the training programs could begin no later than 8:00. Besides, Marc likes breakfast, and he wanted us to get some before we left.

By 8:00 or a little before, I was ready for the day. I had many different responsibilities, but one among them was taking questions from anybody and everybody throughout the United States and the world. These would come by telephone or by letter. Over the decades many of the questions were repeated with variations. A great many people wanted to know how to get their sight back. Of course, they had already asked the doctor the same question, but the doctor did not have an answer. My answer depended on how the question was put. Most blind people don’t get their sight back, but they get the experience of life back, and this is the message I told. I had to reframe the question because to answer it directly would be simply discouraging. You can’t have your sight, but you can have the kind of life that sighted people have if you work to get it. In endless detail I answered this question for a third of a century. Most people who call (except Federation members, who were a substantial part of the group who asked me to find information for them) felt that they were alone. They did not know about blind people, even the ones who had met some or who had relatives who are blind. They thought the experience of becoming blind was a devastating disadvantage or something in the nature of a penal sentence. They wanted to know, “Why me? What did I do to deserve this?” Some were in sufficient despair that they wondered if it would be better just to die. It was my job to help them know that there was a community of people prepared to support them. Those who become part of the National Federation of the Blind increase their chances of success. This is partly because they meet others who have already had success, and it is partly because the Federation working as a whole can create opportunities that would not exist without the group. This is why I invited people to be a part of the organization because they would find kindred spirits who could help them know how to approach the challenges they met. If you are a blind person, can you be . . .? The answer is almost always yes. However, it may take some ingenuity. The Federation has more ingenuity than any other organization in the world, and those who embrace it also participate in this spirit. Building the Federation also assists the organization to have more capacity than it would without the members that come.

There were also hundreds of other calls, such as who is the chapter president in Anchorage, Alaska, or Tucson, Arizona? I was expected to have at my fingers’ ends answers to questions about what technology is the best for the blind, what gifts do blind people want for Christmas, where can I find a toy that blind children can use, what does the constitution of the National Federation of the Blind say, what is the address of the Federation headquarters, and many others like these.

The American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults has produced calendars in Braille that are available free of charge to the blind in the United States. For many years requests for such calendars came to me for management. A calendar may seem a small thing, but Braille calendars have been hard to get. Each year tens of thousands of them were delivered to blind people all over the country.

The American Action Fund also has created books in Braille that could be distributed to the blind. When the Braille lending library of the Action Fund closed, I took responsibility for gathering the books that it contained, sorting them, and distributing them to blind people who were looking to have Braille books of their own. Some thousands of these books have been shipped to individuals and schools.

Each year I also selected books to be produced in Braille for blind children each month. The American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults created this program and asked that the National Federation of the Blind manage the mailings for it. Since 1997 I have helped with selecting the books in the program and managing the effort to get them put into Braille and sent to more than 4,000 blind children each month. The Nancy Drew Mysteries, My Weirder School, the National Geographic Kids, and the Here’s Hank books were some of the selections prepared and delivered without cost to the homes of blind children.

One of my favorite programs was the Santa letter program. Blind kids don’t get much mail, and they almost never get Braille to read in the mail. The Santa letter program was an effort to assist Santa Claus to get Braille letters to blind kids each Christmas season. The National Federation of the Blind would announce in late fall that it would be serving as a Christmas elf for Santa Claus and that Santa had asked us to help get letters together to tell blind children about Christmas. Sometimes the letter would include a drawing project in Braille that a blind child could use to make a Christmas ornament. Sometimes the letter would contain recipes to make Christmas cookies. Sometimes included would be a tactile picture of Santa’s sleigh. Kids who requested letters from Santa would get them in early December.

These are the kinds of programs we operated every year, but there were also specialized programs. I was responsible for responding to questions about the nature of blindness and what kinds of programs were good for the blind to public entities. I spoke to classes in the education department in the University of Maryland each year for more than twenty years. Sometimes I was invited to give lectures to medical students. Sometimes I addressed gatherings of leaders from civic groups, professional organizations, or leadership entities. Occasionally I taught the skills of blindness to blind individuals who needed them or to sighted people who wanted to know how blind people get things done.

Working the telephone was often assigned to me, not just taking calls but making them as well. My husband Marc served as President of the National Federation of the Blind for more than twenty-five years, and he asked me to stay in touch with members of the Federation from throughout the country. I was the voice that invited individuals to participate in leadership seminars of the Federation. In performing this particular duty, I described the leadership seminar to those who were being invited to it, and I gave details about what would be expected of the participants. I have done this so often that I’m surprised I don’t dream about it. In conducting this work, I came to know and have great affection for hundreds of Federation leaders throughout the United States. I believe I have participated in each of the seminars that have occurred since 1988.

Then there were the entertainments. Part of the job of the First Lady of the Federation is to welcome people into the organization. For decades it was expected that I would participate in and assist with evening entertainments for people with whom the Federation was seeking to make alliances: Federation leaders, political leaders, and members of the Federation family. At least twice a week the Maurers entertained somebody, somewhere for most of the time that Marc served in the presidency. Beyond that, when I was free to do so, I participated in state conventions both in my home state and in places where Marc was serving as the national representative. Our children, David and Dianna, were born in 1984 and 1987. Consequently, I frequently had family obligations. However, the entertainments occurred at our house around the family obligations. I cooked thousands of meals and scrubbed as many plates. In the process we had the joy of meeting people from all over the world. I think of the time that I spent doing all of these things as demanding, strenuous, and joyful. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people. New people must now meet these challenges, but I admit that I will miss them.

Maurer: Raising the Family and the Bar for the Blind

by Dianna Marie and David Patrick Maurer

From the Editor: One of the pleasures in working on this issue has been compiling articles. All are wonderful tributes, but the one I feel special about is the interview I was granted with David Patrick and Dianna Marie Maurer, the children of Marc and Patricia. Dianna is thirty-three and works at Advanced Micro Devices as a program manager in new product instruction. David is thirty-six and works at Expedia as a concierge and tours salesman. We agreed that I would take their interviews, combine what they said, and write from their perspective. This was not a question-and-answer interview; I offered just enough prompting to get them started and then took notes. Here is what they want to say about their parents:

We are delighted to know that the National Federation of the Blind has decided to honor our parents with special mention in the Braille Monitor. We are also proud to be able to tell its readers about the two most special people in our lives.

Many people ask us if it was hard to be the children of Marc and Patricia Maurer given their strong commitment to the Federation. For us the answer is easy: It was not hard. The idea that we suffered for their commitment and hard work is just wrong: we were a part of it, and it was our lives as much as theirs.

We consider ourselves very lucky for many reasons. First and foremost, our house was filled with love. As part of that love, we learned the value of commitment, hard work, and that these never got in the way of us getting what we needed as children. We were the beneficiaries of that commitment and hard work both for the opportunities it gave us and for how good we felt when we realized there was always time for us.

There is no denying that one or both of our parents were sometimes traveling. When they went to state conventions, something special was always planned for us, and sometimes that meant going. The same was true of other trips. How many children can say they've been to Australia or Thailand. We got to accompany them because of the Federation's work in the World Blind Union. How many kids can say their parents routinely worked with world leaders to influence the direction of world governments, including our own? How many children got the training we did in learning to talk with adults about adult subjects because dinner with important visitors was our normal? Then there were the times when it felt good because Dad would end a meeting with important people at the center and say it was time to go home and have dinner with his family. We were never second place.

David remembers that when he was younger, his father was busier at the Center but still made time to become his scout leader in the Webelo’s. “It was clear from the first day that the other dad who was there didn't have a plan. He had us there reading a book. Dad realized quickly that if he didn't take the reins, we were going to be bored, so before you know it, we were flying airplanes in the parking lot, cooking hotdogs using a car battery, and building a track to take to the group for little racecars to run in the Pinewood Derby. That little track took up most of our living room because Dad was afraid if we built it in the basement, we’d never get it up the stairs in one piece. Dad didn't just come: he led, he bought supplies not just for me but for the rest of the troop. He made me feel proud.”

Both of us agree that Dad is the person who took the most abuse in our family, and he did it with good nature, usually remarking, "I believe I'm being criticized." As for Mom, she ran things. We call her Big Mom because there's no question she is in charge—in charge 100 percent. She taught us how to talk with other people, especially if we met blind people who had needs. We got good training because of her work in community relations. Dianna says, "I remember Mom hearing me playing with a keyboard in the basement. She signed me up for piano lessons and made sure I got there every week. It was so cool to have a recital and always having our Federation buds there. We always had about ten people—pretty good when the normal crowd was usually thirty.”

We both remember that it was cool to go up to people, find they were in the National Federation of the Blind, introduce ourselves, and then hear how our father had changed their lives. The fact that some of these people really had a fire built underneath them and that they could be independent made us sure that what all of us did really was important and made a life-changing difference.

Our only problem in having a mom and dad in such life-changing work they feel passionate about has been in finding jobs ourselves that let us experience the same passion and satisfaction as our parents. They say that perhaps it is normal for most people to think they have the best parents in the world, but for us we couldn’t have imagined having better people to call Mom and Dad. They are our roots, and we are proud to be Maurer.

How I Came to Know the Maurers and the Love of the Federation

by Anil Lewis

From the Editor: My friend Anil is the executive director of Blindness Initiatives for the National Federation of the Blind, and he is known for so much more. He was a former chapter president in Georgia, a former member of the National Federation of the Blind Board of Directors, and an active participant in our blind driver challenge. He is an introvert who is often placed in a position of doing the job of an extrovert, and two of his most endearing qualities are his ability to be reflective and his openness to new ideas. Here is what he says about two of the most important people in his Federation life: Marc and Patricia Maurer:

In 1997 I was employed as an advocate/counselor for the Georgia Client Assistance Program, assisting people with disabilities in getting access to vocational rehabilitation services to obtain employment. While giving a presentation at the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) of Georgia state convention, I was bombarded by questions from a gentleman at the head table. Although I had come to recognize the power of the NFB by attending my first annual national convention in 1995 in Chicago, my convention experience, which was life changing, was not very welcoming. My lasting perception of the NFB was as a rowdy, militant group of blind people, and although I had some good friends within the organization, I didn’t have the best relationship with the affiliate leaders at that time. So this aggressive interrogation fit my misconceived notion of what the organization was all about. Although I attempted to solicit questions from the audience, the gentleman at the head table insisted on taking the lead in asking relevant, challenging questions. This was my introduction to Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind.
Immediately after my presentation, during the break, I had a verbal confrontation with the first vice president of the affiliate. Again, not feeling very welcome by this organization of blind people, I went back to my room to prepare to leave the convention. I was done with the NFB. However, answering a knock at my door, I was invited by Dr. Maurer’s assistant to meet him in the convention hall. I prepared for an escalation of the confrontation.

To my surprise, he simply wanted to talk with me. We sat in the convention hall and discussed everything from my blindness, my access technology, my family, my education, and my life goals. Although I realized later that his convention questioning was intended to test my metal and the following conversation was a prelude to a formal job interview and subsequent job offer, he genuinely wanted to know about me. This was the beginning of one of the most cherished personal relationships of my life.

Shortly after the convention, I flew on a day trip to Baltimore, Maryland, and had the opportunity to meet the entire Maurer family, Dr. and Mrs. Maurer and their children David and Dianna. Dr. and Mrs. Maurer, both blind, nurtured a home filled with love, mutual support, and fun; they reshaped my perspective of blind parenting. We had lunch and each made our own sandwiches. I have since been blessed to share many meals with the family, all filled with good food, good fellowship, and good fun. Many of those meals were to celebrate our many accomplishments. Dr. Maurer loves to celebrate, but very quickly after, he states “What’s next?” looking for the next big, hairy, audacious goal.

Shortly after lunch, Dr. Maurer and I took a short walk from his house to the Action Fund building for the interview, which resulted in a job offer that I was unable to accept. (I often wonder what my life would have been like if I would have responded “Yes” to the offer of employment at that time.) On our way to the Action Fund building, I still had some functional vision at the time and was able to watch Dr. Maurer, totally blind, use his cane to navigate his way freely to our destination. I was impressed with his travel skills, but I supposed that his ability to travel this route so expertly was due to the fact that he obviously traveled this path on a regular basis. This supposition was revealed to be erroneous twelve years later when Dr. Maurer proved his mastery of independent travel during a visit to the Louisiana Center for the Blind (LCB) while I was attending as a student. Although this was his first time visiting LCB, he bested me during my mobility lesson, traveling streets for the first time that I had been traveling for several months. He truly lives and exemplifies the philosophy of the Federation.

Many of the stories of how he has tirelessly fought to secure equality, opportunity, and security for the blind as President of the NFB have been shared in the pages of the Braille Monitor and will be shared for years to come. He moved forward on the vision of Dr. Kenneth Jernigan to build the NFB Jernigan Institute, the first and only research and training institute of and for blind people, which has served as the incubator of projects and programs that continue to change the landscape of education, employment, research, and technology for the blind. He re-activated our work on the repeal of section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which has finally begun to reach the level of interest and action that actually makes substantive reform and even potential repeal an inevitability. He took the risk of initiating our Blind Driver Challenge to create technologies that would enable a blind person to operate an automobile, which affords us standing and credibility that allows us to participate as experts in the design and development of autonomous vehicles today.

There are so many other stories, both personal and professional, that I could share to demonstrate the heart and commitment of Dr. Maurer, who undividedly became more than one of the most influential mentors in my life. I would like to share a very personal story that explains how, through my budding relationship with Dr. Maurer, I came to know the heart of the Federation, recognized the value of this extended family, and continue to pledge my active participation.

The mother of my son and I were separated and headed for a very contentious divorce. As we are at our worst when we act out of anger, she threatened to take custody of our son in the divorce. She was dealing with her own personal demons at the time, and I was the best custodial parent, so I had physical custody of my son. He and I moved in with my mother, who had recently retired, so that she could help me with childcare as I continued to work full-time and attend school. My mother was soon diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, a blood cancer, and had been given a prognosis of less than two years to live. In a matter of months, I found myself a single father of a toddler and primary caregiver to my quickly failing mother. Faced with the belief that the courts would not award custody of a toddler to a blind man, and afraid of the responsibility of caring for my mother, this was the most frightening, challenging time in my life.

I don’t know why, but I reached out to Dr. Maurer, and this call made all of the difference. He mostly listened while I spent about forty-five minutes expressing my anger at the potential of losing my son, or conversely, my uncertainty of my capacity to be a single father. This was coupled with my feelings of being incapable of meeting the challenge of serving as primary caregiver to my mother. Understand that at this time, Dr. Maurer and I had personal interactions, but we had not established a true personal relationship that would have warranted this type of sharing. Yet, he listened just the same. Then he shared stories of his personal experiences as a father, which gave me confidence. He encouraged me to work things out with my son’s mother so that custody would not become a contentious aspect of the inevitable divorce, which grounded me. He pledged the support of the National Federation of the Blind if it did become contentious, which empowered me. Moreover, he reassured me that if I acquired the necessary alternative skills and obtained the appropriate medical supports, I would be fully capable of providing the care that my mother needed to live her remaining days with dignity, which gave me peace. The sincerity of his words and the conviction of his voice gave me strength and confidence to move forward.

My son’s mother and I were able to interact as reasonable adults, placing the well-being of our son first, and we were able to work out a divorce settlement in which I was awarded full physical custody. As a result, my son has enjoyed the involvement of family maternal and paternal, and through the support of my biological and Federation family, my son and I have been able to live the lives we want.

Cancer took my mother quickly. However, as she wanted, she was able to spend her last year on this earth at home. Although her last days were spent in hospice, I treasure those months we were able to spend together. We shared and said so much that may have otherwise gone unsaid. My fears of being able to care for her were unwarranted. I learned to use alternative skills and accessible equipment to monitor her blood sugar, take her blood pressure, administer her medication, and provide other fundamental care. Her doctors were impressed with the medical documentation I provided at every doctor’s visit. Reflecting on this now fills me with the sadness of the loss of my mother, but it also fills me with overwhelming joy that I was able to provide her with comfort and happiness during her transition as a final expression of my love. This would not have happened had it not been for one phone call to a man who has become more than a brother, and I am forever grateful for the love and support that manifested from our becoming acquainted through the National Federation of the Blind.

This is only one example of the many ways Dr. Maurer has played a meaningful role in my life, and I came to learn that this type of intervention and support was a significant amount of the work that he performed as President of a nationwide civil rights organization consisting of a diverse group of historically disenfranchised blind people. I can only imagine the physical, emotional, and psychological toll that this work placed on Dr. Maurer every day. Yet, he rose to the challenge for over twenty-eight years.

One who offers so much support must receive equal support from others. Dr. Maurer is blessed to have Mrs. Maurer as his key supporter, and in some form or fashion, she is always there by his side to offer support, encouragement, and counsel. Although I interacted with her during my many years serving on the NFB national board of directors, I came to know her affectionately and appropriately as “Big Mom” in a more meaningful way when I came to work at the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute in 2010. Having the opportunity to get to know Patricia Maurer in such a real way helps me better understand the ability of Dr. Maurer to be so giving with his time and attention. In many matters they work in concert. Working together, they have raised both their biological children, and many metaphorical children within the Federation.
After dedicating over twenty-eight years of her life as a volunteer for the NFB, she became a staff member as the director of community relations under my supervision in 2014. She handled information and referral calls, collected volunteer service hours, managed several essential projects and programs for the NFB, and continued with so many other responsibilities. Much of the work she performed in this role seemed simply programmatic. However, I quickly learned that this job requires more heart and compassion than I would have ever imagined.

I remember speaking to Mrs. Maurer shortly after she had completed an I and R call. She sounded like she had been crying. She explained that she had just spoken with a gentleman who had severe diabetes that had led to problems with his kidneys and his blindness, and he informed her that he would no longer be going to his dialysis appointments. He was effectively telling her that he was going to commit suicide. Until this point, I had never taken the emotional toll of this work into consideration, and I am sure very few people do. This work took on a whole new meaning for me. We must convince this gentleman and others that life is worth living and that they can live the life they want. We may never know the outcome of that particular call, but I have confidence and comfort in Mrs. Maurer’s ability to encourage and share with our callers on a level that made them realize that, even with the challenges they are facing, life is worth living. This work requires true heart, compassion, and dedication, all qualities Big Mom possesses in droves.

After serving as President of the NFB for twenty-eight years, Dr. Maurer chose not to seek re-election in 2014. I have no doubt that if he would have run, he would have been elected by acclamation. Recognizing that the organization needed new leadership to confront the contemporary challenges we face, Dr. Maurer supported Mark Riccobono as his successor, and Mr. Riccobono was elected in 2014. I realize this was an extremely difficult decision for Dr. Maurer to make because so much of who he is revolves around the work he does for the Federation. His decision is a true reflection of how he values the NFB above himself. Both Dr. and Mrs. Maurer continued to show up for work every day at the NFB Jernigan Institute from July of 2014 thru July 2020 to assist with the successful transition of our new administration, and they have now chosen to retire (for whatever that may really mean). Dr. and Mrs. Maurer continue to make themselves available for whatever work may need to be done to continue to build the National Federation of the Blind, and I look forward to celebrating many more accomplishments over meals filled with good food, good fellowship, and good fun in the future.

A Tribute to the Maurers

by Barbara Loos

When I think about Marc Maurer, my first thoughts aren't of the things I mentioned about him at our national convention in 2019 when celebrating the one hundredth anniversary of the American Action Fund, true and life-changing though those are for all of us. What I think of are moments with Marc Maurer the helper in times of trouble, the problem-solver, the fellow blind parent. And when I think of Patricia Maurer, her ready laugh and words of encouragement always feel like a ray of sunshine to me. I love and respect them both singly and as a couple.
In 1989, the year Jim Walker, my first husband and father of my biological children, died of a sudden heart attack, Marc Maurer, then NFB President, came as national representative to our Nebraska state convention. I was state president at the time. Jim had died in June, and our convention was in October, so the impact of his death was still an open wound. Many of my memories of that time hurt. Two that do not hurt feature President Maurer, first as a helper in a time of trouble and then as problem-solver.
During our banquet, as my voice was about to break during the singing of the PAC song (Jim had led our efforts until he died), I heard the strong, steady voice of our President coming closer and filling the microphone as he came to stand beside me while we finished the song. I recovered my composure as PAC contributions began to be offered, and the banquet remained a spirited occasion.

When our van wouldn't start as we were leaving that convention, President Maurer gleefully checked the vehicle, assessed the situation, did something to get it started, and suggested that we forego our plan to stop for lunch and go straight from York to Lincoln. Although we missed the opportunity to lunch with him before he left, his confident, take-charge handling of that situation not only put a hopeful cap on that difficult convention, but also it sparked continuing conversations about what blind people can do.

In 1992 it became clear to me that I needed to step away from the presidency of our affiliate to focus on issues with my children, who turned eleven and nine by the end of that year. Before that time, President Maurer had encouraged me to continue seeking that office. He listened as I expressed not only what I thought I needed to do but also my concern for the ramifications of it. His response was both affirming and encouraging as we spoke about our dual roles as Federationists and parents.

Our convention that year was uncharacteristically contentious, due to a plethora of issues surrounding who would be my successor, including a job opportunity that moved our prime candidate away and the tragic death of the infant son of another. Fortunately, both my personal and our Federation families weathered these tumultuous times.

In 2000, when he offered me the opportunity to give a presentation about employment creation at the 5th General Assembly of the World Blind Union in Melbourne, Australia, the offer included responsibilities for my offspring, nineteen and seventeen at the time, provided we could raise some money for airfare. We did, and that experience became a memorable part of our transition from mother and children to mother and young adults.

On March 4, 2013, on presidential release 415, President Maurer joyfully pronounced me "ecstatic" as he recalled our conversation at the birth of daughter Marsha's son, my grandson, Jameson Clifford McBride. I remember well my elation in that shared moment.

In 2017, on the other end of the spectrum, when I talked with him by phone about the death of my son John, Dr. Maurer offered condolences and a listening ear. And when I entered the room at the funeral home for the visitation, I heard there, in person, his calm, assured voice as he spoke with a fellow Federationist from Hastings, Nebraska. Mrs. Maurer stood by his side, offering her own quiet words of sympathy.

Dr. and Mrs. Maurer are, of course, human, with all that that implies. I am, too. One thing this means is that, on a few rare occasions, we have found ourselves on different sides of an issue. We have not, though, ever found ourselves divided at the heart. I am grateful to them for their leadership as colleagues in our movement, their example as fellow blind parents, and their love as cherished friends.

Marc Maurer: Our Colleague, Our Leader, and My Life-Long Friend

by James Gashel

From the Editor: James Gashel is a legend in the National Federation of the Blind. He distinguished himself as the first president of the Federation’s student division, served with distinction as the chief of our Washington office, and later served as the director of strategic initiatives, a position that expanded his responsibility beyond regulations and legislation and led to his work in seeing to the details of many programs we take for granted today. In this reflection he writes about two of his dearest friends in the movement. Here is what he says:

Marc Maurer has retired, and by all appearances he means it. Having served as President and the principal leader of our movement for twenty-eight years, we knew he would not just throw his keys on the desk and leave when Mark Riccobono was elected.

In 2014 Marc Maurer retired from the job he did so well—serving as our longest elected President. His next job, which he also did superbly, was to be a teacher and mentor for his successor during a long and smooth transition. Clearly it worked, which is a tribute to both Marc and Mark.

As Marc Maurer's friend for more than fifty years, and now retired myself, I can say with confidence that his decision to retire for good is certainly good for him, but it is also good for the rest of us in the NFB too.

In case there has ever been any doubt, the transition from the third generation of NFB leaders, led by Marc Maurer, to the fourth generation, led by Mark Riccobono, is now complete. Mark Riccobono is all we could hope he would be and more as our next long-term leader. He would be the first to say that our fourth generation leaders are standing on the shoulders of the third generation. Of course that's true, but Mark Riccobono and others in the present generation are leaders in their own right. No doubt about that.

I was age twenty-three but about to be twenty-four when I first met Marc Maurer. He had just turned nineteen. It was in June of 1970. After teaching high school speech and debate in Southern Minnesota, I was starting a new job as a teacher in the adult orientation center of the Iowa Commission for the Blind in Des Moines. Marc Maurer was one of our students and was right out of high school. I had been a student at the same center six years before.

Working at the Iowa Commission for the Blind, we were driven to infuse our students with a positive and realistic philosophy of blindness. Kenneth Jernigan was our leader in teaching this philosophy. Dr. tenBroek was his mentor, but Dr. Jernigan had grown to be a leader in his own right. I know he was larger than life for blind people throughout the world, but he was still very real and very close to his students and teachers at the Center in Des Moines.

With Dr. Jernigan as our leader, we knew that teaching philosophy and not just skills was job one. Life does not begin at 8 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. Our job was twenty-four hours a day seven days a week. We told our students: "No matter what you're doing, whether you're awake or whether you're asleep, when thinking about blindness and the life you want to live, it all starts with having a thoughtful and well-grounded philosophy of blindness based on the real world experience of blind people.”

I was assigned to live in the building and work with any student on any problem no matter the hour of the day or night, both weekdays and weekends too. When I started at age twenty-three, this was an awesome responsibility but ever so important in helping to change lives from dependence to independence.

Enter Marc Maurer. When Marc was a student, I ran a men's gym class beginning at 5:30 until about 6:30 each morning Monday through Friday. All men, Marc Maurer included, were expected to attend. Aside from being the teacher, I was the alarm clock they didn't want to hear. Of course I knew that, but I still made the rounds to knock on everyone's door at 5:15 and then met them at the elevator to go down to the gym about 5:25.

More than fifty years later, I can't say I remember much about Marc's performance in the gym at these morning sessions, but I know he distinguished himself as one of the most difficult students to roust out so he could be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the gym. After all, I thought, he is only nineteen, so what else can you expect.

During the rest of the day and often working late into the evening, I remember I could always find Marc Maurer in our ground floor workshop where he seemed to like to fix things or at least tinker with them. Staff member’s cars were his favorite. Better yet if the car was a Volkswagen. Making things work was his passion. Blindness was not an issue for him, which is what we learned from Marc Maurer during the time he was our student. Since that time I have always thought that he gave more to us at the Center than we were able to give to him.

I'm not sure when Marc left the Center as a student. I suppose that's because in one sense he never left. What I do know is it wasn't very long at all until I started to think of Marc Maurer more as a colleague in the National Federation of the Blind than as a student at the Iowa Commission for the Blind.

I had been elected in July of 1967 for a two-year term as the first president of the National Federation of the Blind National Student Division. I was reelected for a second two-year term in July 1969. At that time, I was in fact still a student although not for very long. But by July 1971, when my second term was ending, I was a teacher at the Iowa Center with my student days fading in the rear-view mirror. I needed to find a replacement, and I knew I needed a good one.
Enter Marc Maurer again. Unlike me in July 1971, Marc was definitely a genuine student. And what do you know, he was planning to go to law school too. Electing Marc as my replacement would be a brilliant move because of his leadership potential but a likely bonus on top of that since we could have his time as a student leader for several years ahead. These were my thoughts when I approached Marc with the idea that he should serve as the second president of the NFB National Student Division.

When Marc and I discussed this, I had been the only president of the division, and I had served for four years in that position. I was not a student. I had to make a change. So in meeting with Marc my thought was he's perfect for the job. Promise him anything, which, according to Marc, I did. As I have heard him tell the story years later, I promised to be available at his side for any ongoing support he might need, but in his words, not mine: "I have never seen him since."

On December 28, 1973, I moved to Washington, DC, to start a new job on January 1, 1974, as chief of the NFB's Washington office. I'm not sure when it happened, but by some time around 1977, or more likely 1978, Marc and Patricia Maurer also moved to the Washington area where Marc took a job as an attorney with the Civil Aeronautics Board, known as the CAB.

CAB was a federal agency set up to regulate airline rates and routes. The CAB office was right on Connecticut Avenue, about two blocks north of Dupont Circle, and the NFB office was immediately south of the Circle at Suite 212 in the Dupont Circle Building. This was great. Marc and I could have lunch, and we did. I’m not sure what we ate for lunch, but I do remember making lots of plans which later became efforts we would make together working in the NFB.
Marc's job at the CAB ended some time after 1980 in the early days of the Reagan administration or maybe just before. That's when the CAB was closed down to deregulate the airline industry. This was good since Marc was now on his own to practice law and to do even more work on behalf of the NFB if that was possible.

With Dr. Jernigan's move from Des Moines to Baltimore in the fall of 1978, we began to realign our NFB programs and offices, culminating in opening our newly remodeled space on the fourth floor at 1800 Johnson Street in South Baltimore. This also came to be the location of our Washington office, which was also spruced up with a new name called Governmental Affairs. I was the director not the chief.

Dr. Jernigan was first elected president of the NFB in 1968. He was reelected every two years after that until 1977 and resumed serving again with the improvement of his health in 1978. He believed in planning ahead. He talked for several years about needing to find a successor. Aside from managing the day-to-day progress of our movement, he had to secure the NFB's leadership for decades to come. He needed a successor with the right combination of youth, dedication, and intellect.

Enter Marc Maurer again. He was practicing law in downtown Baltimore. He was experienced, was only in his mid-thirties, had served as president of our Indiana and Maryland state affiliates, and he was whip smart in law and business. Just as I had done in passing the gavel of the Student Division on to Marc in 1971, Dr. Jernigan had found his successor in Marc Maurer.

Marc was elected president of the NFB in 1986. Unlike my transition to Marc, Dr. Jernigan remained quite active and really was around for anything our new president might need.
Dr. Jernigan died in 1998 after a yearlong battle with cancer. Working in our national office as our director of governmental affairs, I watched with great respect as Marc Maurer gave Dr. Jernigan his full-time caring and support while continuing to manage our movement. As our President, Marc Maurer didn't miss a beat. He was clearly the leader of the third generation of our movement.

Dr. Jernigan attended our 1998 convention in Dallas. It was his last. He knew his time was ending, so, ever the planner, he started to lay a plan for our future. If you knew Dr. Jernigan, you knew he was not just a planner; he was also a builder. In the 1960s he converted the six-story abandoned YMCA building in Des Moines into a world class training and rehabilitation facility, not to mention the largest Braille and talking book library in the world. Beginning in 1978 he took the factory and warehouse building at 1800 Johnson Street in Baltimore and converted it into a first-class office, event, and program space for the NFB. By 1998 it was time to build again.

Dr. Jernigan envisioned a research and training facility—planned, built, and directed by the blind—to support the growing preeminence of the NFB's consumer power in the blindness field. Space for a new building was available on the city block we owned already. Working with architects, Dr. Jernigan thought the cost would come in at about $8 million but not more than $10 million, which we did not have at the time. This was a dream. He knew we would need something to do for the future rather than thinking about the past.

We say in the NFB that we turn dreams into reality. We shared Dr. Jernigan's dream in 1998, but we honestly had no idea how to make the dream come true. Estimates of the cost kept going up. Before the end of 1998 we learned that $12 million to complete the project would be more likely than $10. Dr. Jernigan was gone, but the dream was still alive. Dr. Maurer saw to that. Backing out was not an option.

It's hard to realize that sixteen years have gone by since we gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the building with new space for the Jernigan Institute. We didn't know if we could fulfill the dream, but with Marc Maurer urging us on, we came to believe in him. Nothing could stop us. By the time the building had opened, we had raised $12 million and at least $8 million more, which we needed. With Marc Maurer at the helm, the project was completed, and the NFB was and still is debt free.

If Marc Maurer had not been available when needed to meet the challenge of the third generation, we would have had to invent him. He was the perfect leader for the time. He led with his wisdom and words, but also with his example of patience, dedication, and determination. He had it all.

Speaking of example, let's not forget Patricia Maurer, an unsung hero of our movement. On the phone and in many other ways, she was the voice of NFB. You may not know it, but she was also a full-time volunteer, not just for a little while but for most of every day for twenty-eight years. Imagine that.

As if they didn't have enough to do, David Maurer was born in 1984 followed by Dianna born in 1986. They are grownups now, but as the Maurer children they became well-known members of our Federation family. I found it exciting to watch them grow and to admire the Maurer's parenting skills both at home and in our movement. We really felt that members of the Federation were part of the Maurer family too. Susan and I were especially proud when Marc agreed to serve as best man in our wedding in Denver on September 2, 2012.

For the time Dr. Maurer was president of the NFB, I always looked forward to hearing his annual presidential report to the convention. The content was packed with new information each year, presenting a snapshot in time of our movement. Even though the details would change from one year to the next, I could always count on being moved at the end by his call to action and his positive future focus followed by the Federation standing as one. The report he gave on July 4, 2014, was his last, but he looked to the future with joy. Please join me in recalling these final words again. This is the essence of Marc Maurer the man, my friend, and the third generation leader of NFB. Here is what he said:

As I contemplate what we have done during the past year, during the past decades, I cannot help some reflection on the time I have served in the presidency. You have offered to me the greatest honor we have—the presidency of the National Federation of the Blind. I have tried to live up to the trust that you have given. Leadership demands both judgment and generosity as well as a proper balance between the two. I have tried to lead with my mind informed by my heart, and you have given me your unwavering support.

We have accomplished much together, but there is much more yet to be done. However, I know the minds that you our members bring to this movement. I have been inspired by your toughness and the depth of joy in your hearts. I know the determination that we share, and I am certain to the innermost portion of my being that this Federation will continue to build, to flourish, and to prevail. We will keep the faith with ourselves and each other. We will carry the battle into any realm where it is needed, and nothing will stop us. We possess the energy and the drive to make our future what we want it to be. This is what I have observed in our Federation. This is what I know. This is my report for 2014.

Tribute to a Dear Friend

by Kevan Worley

From the Editor: Kevan is known to most people as the successful businessman from Colorado, but when we met, he was a frustrated Missourian looking to find his way in a world that didn’t understand nearly enough about blind people, a world that was making his life a whole lot harder than it needed to be. He found the National Federation of the Blind, and after concluding that we were in a battle to change how the world felt about blind people and how blind people felt about themselves, he decided to throw his emotion and energy into the movement. Here is his story about Marc Maurer and the part he and Patricia have played in the significant contributions Kevan has made using the conviction of his heart combined with the strategy and planning of his head:

I will let others speak to the power of the man’s intellect, his leadership, and his legacy. I just want to write about my friend—and a dear friend he has been to me and my family for almost forty years now. Make no mistake about it: during a good deal of that time I also considered him my boss. I was part of a rank-and-file movement of blind people who were marching together to change the world. I was one of thousands proud to take direction and complete tasks as assigned by our President to the best of my ability.

I first met Marc Maurer almost immediately upon my arrival at the 1983 convention of the National Federation of the Blind in Kansas City. I was new to the outfit, having only stumbled in and out of the local Austin, Texas, chapter over the previous year or so. I had just been marking time living a laid-back Austin lifestyle, dabbling in music, radio, and TV. I didn’t really much want to hook up with a bunch of blind people. What was in it for me? But the chapter gave me $50, set me up with a couple roommates, bought me a Greyhound ticket, and encouraged me to go to the convention. I had nothing else happening.

The convention was at a venerable old luxury hotel in downtown Kansas City, The Muehlebach. Arriving at the convention a little late, following a twenty-hour Greyhound ride from Austin, I was struck by an energy, an intensity, a warmth. But, also, a bit of a dislocation. These were almost all blind people. Most were scurrying about as though what they were doing mattered and having good fun at it. I felt a bit out of place—disjointed—what was this all about? Where was I supposed to go?

Blending into a stream of folks, I found myself at the top of an escalator. I stopped and spoke to a man on my right who was instructing people how to find a meeting of some sort. He asked me my name. He introduced himself as Marc. He asked me if I had anything to do at that moment. I thought he was nuts! Of course, I had nothing to do; what was I supposed to be doing? By the way, he was and still is a bit nuts—in a kind of enduring way. Marc Maurer said, “Ok, here is your first job in the Federation. Stand right where I am, at about a forty-five-degree angle to the side of the down escalator. Yeah, right here, and tell people ‘Escalator down, this way!’ and just keep doing it until people stop coming.” He patted my shoulder, and just like that he was gone! That was my first job in the National Federation of the Blind, just the first of many assignments I would get from Dr. Marc Maurer, or “The Big Man” as I later began to call him. “The Big Man?” I guess because to me he really became a giant.

Three years later he would be elected to the presidency, but our relationship didn’t really change much. Somehow I knew I could call upon him if I was ever in trouble, and I know he knew I would give him my best effort.

Was it with dread or delight, those phone calls at 5:00, 5:30, 6:00 in the morning, Colorado time? Coming up out of deep slumber, I would grasp for the landline, knocking all manner of detritus off of the table to hear a warm, chipper, kind voice saying, “Kev, do you know how to make a mint julip?” Trying to sound as awake as I could at 5:15 in the morning, I would say, “No sir, I don’t. But I know that you do. It’s 5:15 in the morning.” My quirky, dear friend would say something like, “Well, I thought you blind vendor types were already up for hours.”

I said, “Sir, that is one of those myths and misconceptions about blindness you are always talking about.” Then my friend, the President of the National Federation of the Blind, would give me some kind of assignment, and I was proud to have it. That was the nature of our relationship. Occasionally I have shared with my colleagues how much I have appreciated Dr. Maurer’s friendship, suggesting that I and only a handful of others had this unique friendship. But what I heard from them was all of the times they have been befriended or encouraged or challenged by The Big Man.

In 2007 Marc and Patricia’s son David was thinking about finding work in Colorado. My company had a job opening, so young David Patrick Maurer came to work for us. What a blessing he was. DPM, as we all called him, was five years older than our son Nijat, who was still in high school. Nijat could not have had a better big brother than Dave the Rave! This also gave our family even more time to spend with Dr. and Mrs. Maurer. Every visit was a joy. Sometimes folks would ask me, “So, what do the Maurers do over Thanksgiving weekend?” My response, pretty much what everyone else does. Eat, read, listen to football, challenge their son with advanced algebra assignments, help me put together a basketball goal, go shopping at the outlet mall, shovel snow. Speaking of basketball, I always wanted a basketball hoop on a pole in front of my house. So I bought one to assemble. Dr. Maurer, DPM, and I had great fun getting all of the parts out of the box and spreading them all over the driveway. Of course, we are men, so we didn’t fool with directions. Dr. Maurer seemed to know what he was doing. After about three hours of assembling, we had a wonderful basketball hoop in my driveway. There seemed to be a lot of leftover parts, but the thing worked. However, the thing that we brainiacs didn’t count on was my house being on a very steep hill. So, if you didn’t get the rebound immediately, you were chasing that ball, and good luck to you. Still, as in many of the things I did with Marc Maurer, I gained confidence learning from him that I could do things I never considered doing as a person who was blind. Marc Maurer was a role model who in word and deed instilled in me, his friend, that I could live the life I wanted. I still don’t know what all those other parts were for.

I was extremely honored to work with and for President Maurer on our three March for Independence events in 2007, 2008, and 2009. We had a wonderful crew of Federationists working to imagine and manage an event that would be up to Federation standards. Late one afternoon, a group of half a dozen or so gathered around Dr. Maurer’s desk to brief him on the program logistics, marketing, and fundraising for the event. As the overall chair of the event, I was in the hot-seat ready to facilitate the event outline from the team to Dr. Maurer. The Big Man was a little late. He stormed in and said, “Kevan, this better be good. It’s been quite a day. I’ve already given several people hell today.”

I mean, this was the President. I was in the hot seat. I was a little novice. After our team outlined the event, Dr. Maurer said, “Okay! We’re good.” Turning to me he said, “Kev, have you ever had lobster thermostat?”

“What,” I said, “Lobster thermostat? I have heard of lobster thermidor.” My friend may have had a hard, hard day, giving people hell and all, but he got on the phone to make several calls to inquire about where we could get lobster thermidor. He found a place, and he and Mrs. Maurer took me to dinner. He was right about lobster thermostat. It was great! And I guess it is fairly rare because I haven’t found it on a menu since! As I think about it, he is also the guy who introduced me to crème brûlée. He seemed to take great delight in explaining the whole process of crème brûlée to me. I have taken great delight in eating crème brûlée many times since.
Dr. Maurer taught me about blindness, but he also taught me about life. On more than one occasion, I must admit, I showed up on the phone or to his office in tears struggling with a bad business decision I had made or difficult personal life choice. No one has ever treated me with the kind of graciousness, warmth, and challenge. Sometimes the challenge part of the equation wasn’t all that easy. Sometimes he could be abrupt and even dismissive when he thought it necessary.

Dr. Maurer enjoys the corniest of jokes with the hardiest of laughs. He enjoyed calling me out at state conventions. “Kevan, who was the first president of the National Student Division?” Out of the blue, “Kev, who developed the Nemeth Code?” I once accompanied Dr. Maurer to a state convention at which he was providing the banquet address. Butler, a University in Indianapolis, was playing in the semi-finals of the NCAA basketball tournament. Many Monitor readers are familiar with Professor Matt Maurer, Marc’s brother, who professes at Butler University. A truly fine and very funny man in his own right. Before Dr. Maurer’s banquet address, I told him, “Don’t worry sir, I’m not going to listen to the game during your speech. I would never do such a thing.” Of course, I immediately turned on the game in one ear. My friend was no fool. Somewhere in the middle of the speech he said, “So Kev, what’s the score of that game down there.” Lucky I was paying attention to both. “Fifty-six to fifty-four,” I said.

So many memories. So many teaching moments. So many challenges. And so much love. At a dinner party several years back, Dr. Maurer and I witnessed some people having a debate about the existence of God. I decided to strut my stuff by quoting authors such as Christopher Hitchens and others. Later Dr. Maurer pulled me aside and said, “You know Kev, it’s relatively easy to bluster and hold forth but, what it really comes down to is faith. You either have faith or you don’t.” That’s probably the most important lesson my friend shared with me. He is a man of deep faith. He is a man with a faith in God, a faith in country, and faith in his sisters and brothers who make up the family of the National Federation of the Blind—a family he has helped to nurture and lead for more than half a century. Now he is retiring from direct day-to-day engagement in the Federation. But I know he and Mrs. Maurer are not leaving their friends and families in the movement he worked tirelessly to build.

As I write this, I think about the time he called me at 1:00 a.m. in the morning to tell me I needed to be in California by 1:00 the next day to help manage a protest we were launching. “But Dr. Maurer,” I stammered, “I have a big contract negotiation in the morning.” But much like the time at the top of the escalator many years ago, Dr. Maurer was already gone. I rearranged my schedule, and I went. But make no mistake: If I couldn’t have done it, he would have understood and found someone else. The thing is, there were many of us willing to fight the good fight and get into the good trouble with and for the President of the National Federation of the Blind, or as I called my friend with such great respect, The Big Man.

The Maurers: Mentors and Friends

by Scott C. LaBarre

From the Editor: Scott LaBarre is a successful attorney who lives in the state of Colorado where he is our affiliate president. He oversees much of our legal work and is a significant leader in the American Bar Association. Here is what Scott has to say about his friends and mentors:

When I think about Marc and Patricia Maurer, the words that come immediately to mind are mentors and friends. I have always felt a special link with the Maurers because we embarked upon significant journeys in our lives at the same time. It was at the 1986 National Convention that we elected Dr. Maurer to our presidency, and it was at that same convention that I received an NFB National Scholarship. For the Maurers the convention represented the beginning of the longest term presidency in the Federation, and for me, I began my life-long relationship with our Federation family.

From the moment I met him, I knew I had found a significant friend in Marc Maurer. At the 1986 convention in Kansas City, I first encountered Dr. Maurer at some kind of reception where he offered me a beverage and some food. I had just graduated high school, I was quite overwhelmed by the size and intensity of the convention, and Marc made sure I felt comfortable and welcomed. From that time forward, our friendship has only grown and become more significant.

Beyond the warmth and loyalty Marc Maurer has shown me and my family, his role as one of my key mentors cannot be overstated. Once I had determined that I would go to law school and pursue a legal career, Dr. Maurer has always been just a phone call away to provide advice when necessary and help when needed. He has never hesitated to support me in any way. Over the years I have handled hundreds of cases where I have either represented our members or the Federation itself. Mostly we have won these cases, but there have been some defeats. Every time I have lost one of these cases, I felt devastated because I feared that I had let my Federation family down. Without exception, Marc Maurer has reassured me that we would win the next battle, and he has always gone out of his way to make sure that my spirits were restored. Over these years Dr. Maurer has entrusted me with some very important cases and projects such as our involvement with the successful adoption of the Marrakesh Treaty. His trust and belief in me have meant so very much and for which I am incredibly grateful.

I also treasure my friendship with Patricia Maurer. She has been just as supportive and kind as her husband. For the past several years, I have worked with her closely at the PAC table during national conventions. We can’t thank her enough for the hard work she has put in helping us manage the PAC program! Beyond the work, though, is the camaraderie we have developed at those conventions. Quite frankly, it is fun to be at the back of the room with her, a little freer to pass comments on various aspects of the convention.

A quality I greatly admire of the Maurers is their loyalty. There is so much that is undependable and unpredictable in life. The same cannot be said about the Maurer’s friendship. You know that they will be there and they will have your back, from small things to major ones.

Six years ago now, we began a transition of leadership in the Federation when we elected Mark Riccobono. Because I’ve been in the Federation for thirty-four years plus, I have observed many transitions at all levels of the Federation—some that have gone exceedingly well and some that have not met with so much success. The way that the Maurers have handled the transition to the Riccobono generation has been outstanding. First of all, they had the wisdom to recognize that it was in the Federation’s best interest to commence a period of transition. During it, they have been immensely supportive and not too directive of President Riccobono. They have allowed him to flourish and feel free to establish his own unique brand of leadership.

One of my fond memories is of the night, about four years ago, when the Maurers, my wife Anahit, and I were sitting around our fire pit on a crisp early fall evening. The Maurers were here in Colorado to attend Julie Deden and Dan Burke’s wedding. We basked in the warmth of the flames while sipping on some fine beverages, sharing significant memories of our Federation involvement, and reflecting on the work we had done over the years and the successes achieved. One of the reasons that our Federation is so strong and in such a healthy place is directly related to their leadership, love, and commitment to all of us! Dr. Maurer and I share a love for good scotch. So now as I close this piece, I raise my glass in salute and celebration of the Maurers’ great contributions to our movement, with gratitude for their loyalty to our Federation and to my family, with tremendous appreciation of their mentorship of me, and in honor of our friendship. Marc and Pat, I wish you the absolute best as you begin a new journey in life; a journey not in departure from us but rather a new one of building our Federation even stronger.

What Marc and Patricia Maurer Have Meant to Us

by Pam and Roland Allen

From the Editor: As many readers will know, Roland Allen is a cane travel instructor at the Louisiana Center for the Blind. He is a wonderfully gentle man and is not given to putting himself front and center unless encouraged to do so. It probably goes without saying that Pam has the more public role as the first vice president of the National Federation of the Blind, the chairman of the Federation’s national board, the president of the National Federation of the Blind of Louisiana, and the executive director of the Louisiana Center for the Blind. Both Roland and Pam are blessed to have one another, and the Louisiana Center for the Blind and the National Federation of the Blind benefit greatly from their partnership, their love, and the example it sets for us all. Here is what they have to say about two people they love very much:

In celebrating and reflecting upon the contributions of Dr. and Mrs. Maurer, Roland and I reminisced about so many amazing memories. Our initial connection with the Maurers has grown into a deep and cherished friendship from which we draw strength and joy. As we have grown as Federationists, our bond has deepened.

Like so many, Dr. and Mrs. Maurer have served and continue to serve as mentors and teachers to us. Initially we were both a little intimidated, but we soon learned how much the Maurers cared about us individually and wanted to help us on our journey.

I remember attending my first national convention in 1991 in New Orleans. As busy as Dr. and Mrs. Maurer were, they made time to talk with me and made me feel that I had something valuable to share. They also were willing to open their hearts and share their stories, which made me realize I also had much to learn.

Roland and I can recount multiple times when we were challenged to take on a new project or role in the Federation with the encouragement of the Maurers. Even though some of those projects seemed larger or more difficult than we thought possible, the knowledge that we were entrusted with the job helped us develop our leadership skills and gain invaluable knowledge about ourselves and our organization.

And we thought about how many times we called Mrs. Maurer, always a wealth of information to find solutions. So many people came to training and/or to the Federation because of the initial contact they had with her to find out what was possible—sometimes when they were at their lowest point, and their obstacles seemed insurmountable. Through her they found hope, a sense of belonging, and possibility.

Roland and I witnessed how the Maurers supported each other as a couple and maintained a strong and loving family. We loved seeing them interact with David and Dianna during the many times we shared meals and celebrated at Federation family gatherings. Juggling all of the responsibilities is not an easy task, but their commitment and sacrifice made it possible!

The loving and honest feedback and conversations that we have had over the years have taught us lessons that we still employ each day in the work we do at the Louisiana Center for the Blind and in the National Federation of the Blind. First as teachers and now as beloved friends, Roland and I take seriously the responsibility of carrying out the example and legacy set by Dr. and Mrs. Maurer. Though we are celebrating their retirement from their official jobs, we are truly celebrating the thousands of lives changed because of the time, energy, knowledge, and most importantly love that they have poured into us.

This quote from John Cage also made us think of Dr. Maurer: “People are afraid of new ideas. I am frightened by the old ones.”

Dr. Maurer always challenged us to think of what was the next problem to solve. Thankful for the friendship, guidance, and love, we look forward to celebrating many more joyful moments in the future together!

With never-ending gratitude,
Pam and Roland

One Doughnut or Two

by Jessica Reed

From the Editor: Jessica Reed is the mother of two children and the coordinator of the blind parents group of Virginia. She has been a Federationist for almost sixteen years, and in her Federation work she has worn many hats. She currently serves as the first vice president of her local Fredericksburg, Virginia, chapter. Here is what she says:

It is hard for me to believe that I have been in this organization for about fifteen years now. I often feel I have so much more to learn, but memory is ephemeral. As much as each talk has been inspiring, I am a pessimist, which I like to refer to as realist. I am not and nor will I ever be “super blind.” Throughout each talk I sit and wonder what little me can take away.

There has been one talk in particular though that I have ruminated on now for over ten years. I was in my early twenties at the time, and the thought of having my own children was little more than a future dream. Dr. Maurer was speaking to a small group of us at the national center in Baltimore. As only part of his talk, he recounted a short story while on Christmas vacation with his family in New York City. After viewing the glittering lights of the famous Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, as they made their way back to the hotel, Dr. Maurer mapped the route in his head and realized there was a shortcut. To his surprise, his son (about thirteen) stopped dead in his tracks. He argued that the family should stay with the map. He was more than a little nervous to divert from the beaten path. Dr. Maurer recognized that there was a significant kink in the chain of trust he and Mrs. Maurer spent a lifetime building with their children. His son clearly was panicked to follow his blind parents through an unknown route when the map showed differently. During this speech I remember the group laughing as Dr. Maurer recounted how he was pretty certain, but oh boy, did this have to work. He had to prove to both his kids that blindness had nothing to do with traveling, and even in an enormous and unfamiliar city, their blind parents were still in charge and perfectly able to expertly take care of them. With bated breath, the Maurers did indeed make it back to their hotel quicker than before. Dr. Maurer had been right, and the Maurer kids learned that they would be kids and never parental caretakers even when traveling throughout a monstrosity like New York City.

I remember soaking up every word and desperately wanting to be that type of parent. My travel is good, even very good, but to successfully embark on such an adventure seems laughable.
I became a parent in the spring of 2014. From the beginning I determined that, as much as I could prevent it, my blindness would not hold my children back from educational or adventure opportunities. My husband and I bought a home within walking distance of playgrounds, the library, countless eateries, and shops. With my husband working, we have hired drivers who drive “my” Chevy Traverse. From the beginning I have consistently taught my daughter that my being blind has nothing to do with taking good care of her and now her brother.

As she grew, so did Lila’s recognition and understanding that Mama couldn’t see. It wasn’t until age five, however, that Lila and I truly faced our first Mama blind test. It was a warm sunshiny Virginia morning. Lila was thrilled when I suggested we go on a rare mommy-daughter date without her little brother to get doughnuts at our local doughnut shop. I just really wanted coffee. We headed down the sidewalk like we had countless times before. When we reached the first intersection, Lila obediently took my hand. Instead of crossing though, she began trying to pull me to cross our parallel street. My explaining that we had one more intersection to go before turning right got us nowhere. I relented, just figuring we could dog-leg our way there. To my surprise, we had the same argument at the next intersection. Lila refused to turn left! This time my normally congenial little girl was plopped on the ground in panicked tears, insisting we go straight and not turn left. “Mama, you don’t know where you are going,” she wailed. “Your eyes are broken!”

Lila’s words could not have been more jarring. Standing there next to my screaming little girl, I knew I had to act quickly and correctly. I realized my preschooler believed she had to take care of me and get us to the doughnut shop. I equally worried that some member of the public would hear her screaming that Mama didn’t know where she was going because she couldn’t see. Swallowing my own feelings, and with Dr. Maurer’s long-ago story rushing back, I bent down to her level. In a calm voice I asked Lila if she would like one doughnut or two? Like magic, her tears stopped. I explained that if she were cooperative and followed mommy, if mommy was wrong she would get two doughnuts instead of one. With a pep in her step, Lila enthusiastically followed. Lila was twice disappointed, both because my little firecracker hates to be wrong, and the second doughnut she didn’t get left her indignantly deflated.

During our walk home that day, Lila argued all the reasons why technically we were both correct, and therefore she should still get the second doughnut. We both knew I had been correct, but most importantly my little lawyer began to trust that her mama did indeed have a clue about goings-on. I could see the wheels turning in her little mind, and I knew that my little bunny was more rested and assured in the care of her blind mother.

I see my membership in this organization as a muscle. This muscle gives me knowledge and strength to triumph over the daily challenges of being a blind person. I look forward to continuing to exercise my NFB muscle by engaging in thought-provoking discussions, reading the literature of my fellow Federationists, and soaking up all the wisdom I can from the many speakers at conventions. It is to these speakers that I wholeheartedly say thank you. You don’t always know who is listening.

The Man I Feared Might Get Me Jailed Helped Set Me Free

by Gary Wunder

When I came into the Federation, Kenneth Jernigan was the national President. That was 1972, and I wouldn't meet him until attending my first national convention in 1977. I remember hearing a voice in the Braille Monitor and at that first convention on the microphone, and the name associated with it was Marc Maurer. Sometimes he was identified as the president of the National Federation of the Blind’s student division. Sometimes he came to the microphone as the chairman of the PAC Plan. Sometimes he was introduced as this young lawyer from Iowa who had quite a future.

I don't think I really got to know him until 1984. He came to help with a squabble or two we were having in Missouri. For about a decade we were involved in a fight to use the name National Federation of the Blind of Missouri. We were sued a number of times by the Missouri Federation of the Blind (the American Council of the Blind affiliate) and were eventually told we could not use the words Federation, blind, and Missouri in any combination. This hurt our morale and confused our relationship with the National Federation of the Blind. Marc Maurer came to see if he could help.

The Missouri Federation of the Blind had recently voted to change its name to the Missouri Council of the Blind to better reflect its own national affiliation, but the organization had no intention of relinquishing its former name or releasing us from the terms of the lawsuit. What it had not done was check to see if the name it intended to use was available through the office of the Missouri Secretary of State. When it did, it found that there were a number of corporations already in existence. One was the Missouri Council of the Blind; one was the American Council of the Blind of Missouri. There may have been one other, but all of them shared a noble purpose and were filed with our secretary of state by a lawyer named Maurer. They were all run by Gary Wunder. The organization wanting to call itself the Missouri Council of the Blind wrote several letters to me suggesting that I would be taken to court, might have to pay a fine, and might be jailed. I didn't know much about the law, but I knew enough to know that court and jail were not on my bucket list. I nervously talked with Lawyer Maurer, who was considerably less upset than was I. He was almost dismissive, and I wondered if this would be his attitude when they came to take me away and when I would have to make my case to get out. In desperation I called Dr. Jernigan, at that time Lawyer Maurer’s boss, and whined to him. He assured me no one was going to jail, that our lawyer knew what he was doing, and that I should relax and give it some time.

So we waited, I sweated, and soon we could use our rightful name. So too could the Missouri Council of the Blind, a real win for all involved. That's the story that almost got me jailed. That’s the story that started to convince me that the lawyer from Notre Dame knew a lot more about the law than I did and that part of being a Federationist was learning to trust.

Here is the second story, one that set me on a career path I could never have imagined. This time our lawyer was in St. Louis working on other business. We started talking about his visits, and I observed that people reading the Braille Monitor should know more about the controversies going on in Missouri. With that comment I intended to not so subtly imply that perhaps one of Lawyer Maurer's neglected jobs was to write an article. He caught on right away and said, "Yes, there should be an article.” Ah, such was the power of persuasion I brought to things. “What about you writing it?" he asked. That was a turn in the conversation I hadn’t anticipated. Saying no wasn’t an option, especially since it was my idea that the people had a right to know. In that small crowd of Missourians and our lawyer, I had to admit I wasn’t sure how to begin. "Begin at the beginning,” he said. "Often the hardest part of writing an article is getting started. Do you have a tape recorder? I'll show you."

I almost always had a recorder, so I showed him how to pause and resume recording, and he got to his feet and started to pace. The room was narrow but long, and back and forth he went, outlining why we were in the courts and what we were fighting about. About five minutes into it, he stopped, gave me back the recorder, and said, "Now transcribe this, fill out the story, and finish it."

"Me?” I said.

"Who better than you? When you've transcribed, added to it, and polished it enough that you consider it finished, call me with your draft. You can read it over the phone, and I'll give you suggestions."

"I’ll probably need many of them. You'll probably have to finish the article."

"I don't think so," he said, and then he was off to the airport, and I was off to see whether I could write an article fit for the Braille Monitor.

A week or so went by, and with some trepidation I called with my draft and shyly asked for Mr. Maurer. After what seemed an eternity on hold, a familiar voice came on the line but not the one I expected. It was Dr. Jernigan, and he urged me to begin reading. I did, he made three corrections, and I was in the Monitor. Marc Maurer never spoke up to say that the initial construction was his or demanded to be on the byline. He now claims he doesn’t even remember this incident, but I remember it well enough for us both, and it convinced me that his faith was not misplaced.

I got to know Dr. Maurer much better when I joined the national board in 1985. Since then I have marveled at the work he has done year after year: the crowded three-day board agendas, the ever-exciting convention agendas, the presidential reports that really did get better each year, and coming up with something new and different to say about long-established themes in a much-anticipated banquet speech.

What I most admired about my friend and colleague in our early days was the way he followed Dr. Jernigan and saw it as a privilege rather than a burden. If he diverged even a little from the way Dr. Jernigan did something, the critics, of which there were many, observed that he was no Dr. Jernigan; if he followed in his mentor's footsteps, he lacked creativity and was a Jernigan imitator. I was awed by anyone who would take on what I saw as a tremendously difficult job and irritated that people would make fun of him. But at that time I didn't have the backbone to say so. I hoped my silence would communicate that I wasn’t playing that game, but in my heart I knew it demonstrated a weakness and was a poor substitute for standing with a man facing the most difficult and consequential time in his life. Hearing someone out with respect is one thing, but failing to say how I felt was cowardly and unworthy of the friendship I wanted from him and intended to show him.

As I watched in those first few years, I asked myself again and again how he could win, but he won and did so with distinction. Marc Maurer came to be the longest-serving President in the history of the Federation, and he did so by keeping with tradition when it served, coming up with new programs when we needed them, being strong when we needed steadfastness and strength, and being compassionate when we needed a listening ear and a feeling heart. If things were tough for him, he seldom showed it; but when things were tough for me, he was my confidant, wise advisor, and steady friend.

Marc Maurer’s accomplishments in office are significant. Learning how to use the ADA has to be one of the major ones. Figuring out how to fund, build, and use the Jernigan Institute certainly is another. But other things also deserve notice and comment. I admire the way he energetically kept doing the day-to-day work of the Federation and at the same time found time to think about and plan for the future and where we needed to be in five or ten years. I admire the fact that he did not think he had to choose between Federation and family and that he has a wife and two fine children to show that love isn’t just a feeling but love is something that you do. I will be forever grateful for the fact that Marc and Patricia Maurer had a large Federation family and that I was one of those they invited to their home and to their table. Above all, I am glad that he decided to use his talent and energy to help me and thousands of other blind people do more than we thought we could do and become more than we dared dream. This is a gift that I cannot give to him, so I will do what so many of us do: work to keep alive for others the hopes and dreams he made possible for us through sustaining and growing the organization we share.

I want to wind up this tribute with a nod to my drinking buddy, Patricia Maurer. It might appear to be unseemly to recognize her in this way, but I bet it draws a smile as she reads it. You see, neither of us are real consumers of alcoholic beverages, and when asked if we want a drink, we tease that we prefer a thimble full or half a sippy cup. Both of us admire the knowledge and appreciation that Dr. Maurer has for fine wines, so we ask for just enough to taste and have something with which we can make a toast. Patricia was particularly helpful to me when I wanted to bring my daughter Missy to Baltimore, and she would often arrange for my little girl to have playmates while I was in meetings. Missy has fond memories of those times and of her friendship with Dianna and David Maurer. So often unsung are the people who give our heroes time to do what we recognize them for, but Patricia has managed to be a supportive rock and at the same time has established a place of honor for herself through her volunteer and paid work as the voice of the Federation to those on the other end of the phone who are searching for a lifeline. We couldn’t have asked for a more patient ambassador, someone who would bring a message of hope without scaring the sometimes fragile people who thought that their lives or the lives of those they loved were over. Both they and we have been exceedingly blessed by this wonderful couple who allowed their lives and hours to become intertwined so that truly we were a part of one, big Federation Family.

Braille Monitor from August of 1975 "... The Same as Everyone Else"

[Reprinted from the Broadcaster publication of Blue Cross in Indiana]

Most of the dictated letters sent to Word Processing [division] for preparation touch the hands of Pat Maurer. A word processor since September 1974, Pat types the variables of the letters (name, address, date, et cetera) from the dictator onto her Redactron machine, which records them onto tapes. These tapes are then combined with basic form letter tapes to produce final letters.

This is Pat's first typing job, and, "I like it really well," she smiled. According to her supervisor, Mike Brown, "Pat is an excellent performer and usually exceeds one hundred per cent of her standards. She makes every effort to go above and beyond the normal workload and is always enthusiastic about it."

Born premature and weighing two-and-one-half pounds, Pat was an incubator baby for a dangerously long time. As a result, her retinas detached causing blindness. "I have about two percent vision, but, for all practical purposes, I'm totally blind," said Pat. "Occasionally, I can see shadows but can't really distinguish them."

Pat grew up near Des Moines, Iowa, and graduated from Drake University in 1973 with a degree in elementary and special education. She taught reading to third, fourth, and fifth graders during the summers in the public-school system in Burlington, Iowa. "In the beginning I was hired for one 'trial' week with no pay to prove I could really do it. I guess they were convinced because they paid me from then on," Pat laughed.

People would ask Pat how she could teach reading, not being able to see. She explained: "I used Braille textbooks that exactly matched the children's workbooks, line for line. If a child had difficulty reading a certain word, I would just count over to that word and help him with it."

Pat also used flashcards with written words on one side and Braille on the other and made up a lot of games to help the children read. "I hired a student to help me with the paperwork—marking the workbooks and doing the grades. Discipline was not much more of a problem than for any other teacher. Some of the children tried to see how much they could get away with . . . but they do that in any teacher's class."

Pat's husband, Marc, is also blind. They met at a rehabilitation program and were married in the summer of '73. While Marc completed his education at Notre Dame, Pat taught a program for the visually impaired in the South Bend schools.

"We moved here last summer so Marc could begin his first year at Indianapolis Law School. I wanted to get away from teaching because I like my evenings free. But, since my husband is a student, one of us had to work, so I decided to see if I could handle a typing job. The Corporation hired me, trained me on the job, and it has worked out really well.”

"In the past, I've had trouble getting a salary equal to that of other people, but I didn't have any problems here. All the people have been really nice to me. At first, the girls did some of my work for me because they didn't think I was able to do it. But I changed their minds. Now no one worries about me. I'm treated the same as everyone else, and I like it that way."

Off the job, Pat reads a lot at the library for the blind, where Braille books and cassettes are available. Pat also enjoys cooking. Just recently, she entertained thirty people for dinner. "It was really an all-day affair getting ready for them, but it was worth all the effort."

Both Pat and Marc are active in the National Federation of the Blind. Marc is currently the president of the local affiliate, the Indiana Council of the Blind, a state-wide organization numbering about five hundred members. The organization works to change public attitudes about blindness and helps blind people become adjusted in jobs and daily living. The Council also works with legislation for the blind. "I really enjoy the group," commented Pat, "I feel I'm helping other blind people, as well as myself."

Pat explained her daily routine: "Our household is the same as everyone else's; it gets messy and has to be cleaned up, and we work just as hard at home as other people. In the past, we have had problems renting apartments—I guess some people think we are going to burn the place down. But in Indianapolis, we had no difficulty finding a place to live. They were very receptive to us."

Pat and Marc take the bus to work and school, and "We don't get lost anymore," she laughed. "It's just like anyone—after you learn the way it's easy. If we do get lost trying to go somewhere, we just ask someone for directions. People are usually more than willing to help."

Pat goes grocery shopping once a month. "I make out a Braille list, and one of the store workers goes around with me to help pick out items.” She also does all her own clothes shopping. "The clerks help me with colors, and I can usually tell the styles by feeling the clothes. In choosing what to wear, I have an advantage over my husband because I know what color each of my dresses is from the material or style. Marc's shirts and pants, which are harder to tell apart, are marked with Braille tags."

Pat uses a white fiberglass cane, almost as tall as she is, to help her navigate. When walking, she arcs it from side to side, always holding it about eight steps in front of her. "I don't usually find places by counting steps as some blind people do," said Pat. "My steps are not always the same length, so I would wind up in the wrong places. I learn the streets and find doorways with my cane."

"Crossing the street is easy. I just listen. When the traffic is moving in front of me, I know not to cross. When I hear it going beside me, I cross. Many people think that blind people have super hearing powers," commented Pat. "We just learn to use our hearing and develop it more than a person who can see. We learn to know things from their sounds rather than their looks."

Reflecting for a moment, Pat said, "You know, many blind people are hired to do mechanical jobs—jobs stressing the use of machines rather than the person's intelligence. I think other occupational fields should be opened to the blind, and opportunities broadened, so we can have the chance to prove our abilities. It's something to think about...."

NFB 2021 Scholarship Program

by Cayte Mendez

From the Editor: Cayte Mendez is the very capable chairman of our Scholarship Committee. Here is a brief announcement alerting would-be applicants to the opening of the competition:

The National Federation of the Blind is pleased to announce our 2021 scholarship program. We offer thirty scholarships to blind students from across the United States and Puerto Rico who will be enrolled in full-time post-secondary degree programs during the 2021-2022 school year. These scholarships range in value from $3,000 to $12,000 and will be awarded at our 2021 National Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The application period began November 1, 2020, and closes at midnight EST on March 31, 2021. Go to www.nfb.org/scholarships. To apply during the five-month open period: read the rules and the submission checklist, complete the official 2021 scholarship application form (online or in print), supply all required documents, and request and complete an interview by an NFB affiliate president. Remember, the only way to win is to apply!

The 2021 Blind Educator of the Year Award

by Robin House

From the Editor: Robin House is an experienced educator in her own right, with many titles to her name: MEd, LPC, RPT. She was named Blind Educator of the Year in 2018. She chairs the 2021 Blind Educator of the Year Award Selection Committee, and she holds a Master of Education, is a licensed professional counselor, and is a registered play therapist. This is what she says:

A number of years ago the Blind Educator of the Year Award was established by the National Organization of Blind Educators (the educator’s division of the National Federation of the Blind) to pay tribute to a blind teacher whose exceptional classroom performance, notable community service, and uncommon commitment to the NFB merit national recognition. Beginning with the 1991 presentation, this award became an honor bestowed by our entire movement. This change reflects our recognition of the importance of good teaching and the affect an outstanding blind teacher has on students, faculty, community, and all blind Americans.

This award is presented in the spirit of the outstanding educators who founded and have continued to nurture the National Federation of the Blind and who, by example, have imparted knowledge of our strengths to us and raised our expectations. We have learned from Dr. Jacobus tenBroek, Dr. Kenneth Jernigan, Dr. Marc Maurer, and our current President Mark Riccobono that a teacher not only provides a student with information but also provides guidance, advocacy, and love. The recipient of the Blind Educator of the Year Award must exhibit all these traits and must advance the cause of blind people in the spirit and philosophy of the National Federation of the Blind.

The Blind Educator of the Year Award is presented at the annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind. Honorees must be present to receive an appropriately inscribed plaque and a check for $1,000.

Nominations should be sent to Ms. Robin House by email to [email protected] or by mail to Stix ECC, 647 Tower Grove Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110. Letters of nomination must be accompanied by a copy of the nominee’s current résumé and supporting documentation of community and Federation activity. All nomination materials must be in the hands of the committee chairperson by May 1, 2021, to be considered for this year’s award. For further information contact Robin House at 314-265-6852, or [email protected].

Leave a Legacy

For more than seventy-five years the National Federation of the Blind has worked to transform the dreams of hundreds of thousands of blind people into reality, and with your support we will continue to do so for decades to come. We sincerely hope you will plan to be a part of our enduring movement by adding the National Federation of the Blind as a partial beneficiary in your will. A gift to the National Federation of the Blind in your will is more than just a charitable, tax-deductible donation. It is a way to join in the work to help blind people live the lives they want that leaves a lasting imprint on the lives of thousands of blind children and adults.

With your help, the NFB will continue to:

• Give blind children the gift of literacy through Braille;
• Promote the independent travel of the blind by providing free, long white canes to blind people in need;
• Develop dynamic educational projects and programs that show blind youth that science and math are within their reach;
• Deliver hundreds of accessible newspapers and magazines to provide blind people the essential information necessary to be actively involved in their communities;
• Offer aids and appliances that help seniors losing vision maintain their independence; and
• Fund scholarship programs so that blind people can achieve their dreams.

Plan to Leave a Legacy

Creating a will gives you the final say in what happens to your possessions and is the only way to be sure that your remaining assets are distributed according to your passions and beliefs. Many people fear creating a will or believe it’s not necessary until they are much older. Others think that it’s expensive and confusing. However, it is one of the most important things you will do, and with new online legal programs it is easier and cheaper than ever before. If you do decide to create or revise your will, consider the National Federation of the Blind as a partial beneficiary. Visit www.nfb.org/planned-giving or call 410-659-9314, extension 2422, for more information. Together with love, hope, determination, and your support, we will continue to transform dreams into reality.

Invest in Opportunity

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back. A donation to the National Federation of the Blind allows you to invest in a movement that removes the fear from blindness. Your investment is your vote of confidence in the value and capacity of blind people and reflects the high expectations we have for all blind Americans, combating the low expectations that create obstacles between blind people and our dreams.
           
In 2019 the NFB:

• Distributed over seven thousand canes to blind people across the United States, empowering them to travel safely and independently throughout their communities.
• Hosted forty-eight NFB BELL Academy programs, which served more than three hundred- and fifty-blind students throughout the United States.
• Provided over one hundred thousand dollars in scholarships to blind students, making a post-secondary education affordable and attainable.
• Delivered audio newspaper and magazine services to 118,900 subscribers, providing free access to over four hundred local, national, and international publications.
• In the third year of the program, over three hundred fifty Braille-writing slates and styluses were given free of charge to blind users.

Just imagine what we’ll do next year, and, with your help, what can be accomplished for years to come. Below are just a few of the many diverse, tax-deductible ways you can lend your support to the National Federation of the Blind.

Vehicle Donation Program

The NFB now accepts donated vehicles, including cars, trucks, boats, motorcycles, or recreational vehicles. Just call 855-659-9314 toll-free, and a representative can make arrangements to pick up your donation—it doesn’t have to be working. We can also answer any questions you have.

General Donation

General donations help support the ongoing programs of the NFB and the work to help blind people live the lives they want. Donate online with a credit card or through the mail with check or money order. Visit www.nfb.org/make-gift for more information.

Bequests

Even if you can’t afford a gift right now, including the National Federation of the Blind in your will enables you to contribute by expressing your commitment to the organization and promises support for future generations of blind people across the country. Visit www.nfb.org/planned-giving or call 410-659-9314, extension 2422, for more information.

Pre-Authorized Contribution

Through the Pre-Authorized Contribution (PAC) program, supporters sustain the efforts of the National Federation of the Blind by making recurring monthly donations by direct withdraw of funds from a checking account or a charge to a credit card. To enroll, visit www.nfb.org/make-gift, and complete the Pre-Authorized Contribution form, and return it to the address listed on the form.

The 2021 Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards

by Everette Bacon

From the Editor: Everette Bacon is a member of the national board of directors and the affiliate president in Utah. He also chairs the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award Committee. Here is his announcement about the 2021 Bolotin Awards program:

The National Federation of the Blind is pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards. These prestigious awards, granted each year as funds permit, seek to honor initiatives, innovations, and individuals that are an exemplary positive force in the lives of blind people and advance the ultimate goal of helping them to live the lives they want. Award winners will be publicly recognized during the 2021 annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind in New Orleans, Louisiana. Each recipient will receive a cash award determined by the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award Committee and will also be honored with an engraved medallion and plaque.

Dr. Jacob W. Bolotin (1888-1924) was a pioneering blind physician, the first in history who achieved that goal despite the tremendous challenges faced by blind people in his time. Not only did he realize his own dream; he went on to support and inspire many others in making their own dreams a reality. The awards which bear his name are supported in part by the Alfred and Rosalind Perlman Trust, left as a bequest by Dr. Bolotin’s late nephew and niece to the Santa Barbara Foundation and the National Federation of the Blind to present the annual cash awards.

As chronicled in his biography, The Blind Doctor by Rosalind Perlman, Dr. Bolotin fought ignorance and prejudice to gain entrance to medical school and the medical profession. He became one of the most respected physicians in Chicago during his career, which spanned the period from 1912 until his death in 1924. He was particularly known for his expertise in diseases of the heart and lungs. During his successful career, Dr. Bolotin used his many public speaking engagements to advocate for employment of the blind and the full integration of the blind into society. Interested in young people in general and blind youth in particular, Dr. Bolotin established the first Boy Scout troop consisting entirely of blind boys and served as its leader.

Jacob Bolotin’s wife Helen had a sister whose husband died suddenly, leaving her to raise a son, Alfred Perlman. The Perlmans moved in with the Bolotins when Alfred was eleven, and for four years (until Jacob Bolotin’s untimely death at age thirty-six), “Uncle Jake” became Alfred’s surrogate father. Alfred later married Rosalind, and the couple worked on a book about Dr. Bolotin’s life. After Alfred’s death in 2001, Rosalind dedicated the rest of her life to completing and publishing the book, The Blind Doctor: The Jacob Bolotin Story, published by Blue Point Books, http://www.west.net/~bpbooks/mhp.html, with standard inkprint and large type editions available, and also available in digital audio format from the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) program.

Past award winners have:

1. Broken down barriers facing blind people in innovative ways.
2. Changed negative perceptions of blindness and blind people.
3. Pushed past existing boundaries to inspire blind people to achieve new heights.

Award Description

In 2021 the National Federation of the Blind will again recognize individuals and organizations that have distinguished themselves in accordance with the criteria established to receive a Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award. The committee will determine both the number of awards and the value of each cash award presented. The Federation determines the total amount to be distributed each year based on income received from the trust supporting the award program. The award categories for each year are blind individuals, sighted individuals, and organizations, corporations, or other entities. Individuals may apply on their own behalf or may submit a third-party nomination, or the committee may also consider other individual or organizational candidates.

Who Should Apply?

Individuals: Only individuals over eighteen years of age may be considered for a Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award. Applicants must demonstrate that they have shown substantial initiative and leadership in improving the lives of the blind. Examples of such initiative include but are not limited to developing products, technologies, or techniques that increase the independence of the blind; directing quality programs or agencies for the blind; or mentoring other blind people. All individual applicants or third-party applicants nominating other individuals must demonstrate that the work to be recognized has been conducted within the twelve months preceding the application and/or that the work is continuing. Applications by or on behalf of individuals must include at least one letter of recommendation from a person familiar with or directly affected by the work to be recognized.

Organizations: Organizations may apply for a Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award in order to further programs, services, technology, or techniques of unique and outstanding merit that have assisted and will continue to assist the blind. Applications from third parties nominating an organization will also be considered. The organization category includes for-profit or nonprofit corporations or organizations, or other entities, such as a specific division within an organization. Organizations or third-party applicants must demonstrate that the programs or services to be recognized include substantial participation by blind people as developers, mentors, administrators, or executives, and not merely as clients, consumers, or beneficiaries. For example, an organization operating a program for blind youth might demonstrate that a substantial number of the counselors, teachers, or mentors involved in the program are blind. The organization or third-party applicant must demonstrate that it has substantially aided blind people within the twelve months prior to application and that an award would support efforts to build on previous successes. The application must also include at least one testimonial from a blind person who has benefited substantially from the programs or services.

To qualify for an award, both individuals and organizations must provide programs, services, or benefits to blind people in the United States of America.

Procedures

More information, including an online application, can be found on the National Federation of the Blind website at https://nfb.org/bolotin.

Online submission of nominations, letters of support, and other relevant materials is strongly encouraged, but applications sent by mail and postmarked by the deadline will also be accepted. The 2021 deadline for application submission is April 15, and recipients chosen by the committee will be individually notified of their selection no later than May 15. Receipt of all complete applications will be acknowledged, but only those applicants chosen to receive an award will be notified of their selection. All decisions of the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award Committee are final.

The awards will be presented in July during the annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind. Individuals selected to receive an award must appear in person, not send a representative. Organizations may send an individual representative, preferably their chief executive officer. Recipient candidates must confirm that they will appear in person to accept the award at the National Federation of the Blind annual convention. Failure to confirm attendance for the award presentation by June 1 will result in forfeiture of the award.

Ineligible Persons

Those employed full-time by the National Federation of the Blind may not apply for a Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award for work performed within the scope of their employment. Students may not apply for both a Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award and a National Federation of the Blind Scholarship in the same year.

The 2021 Distinguished Educator of Blind Students Award

by Carla McQuillan

From the Editor: Carla McQuillan is the president of the National Federation of the Blind of Oregon, a member of the national board of directors, and the owner and executive director of Main Street Montessori Association, operating two Montessori schools. She is the chairman of the Distinguished Educator of Blind Students Award Committee, and she has written this announcement seeking applications for the 2021 award:

The National Federation of the Blind will recognize an outstanding teacher of blind students at our 2021 National Convention taking place in New Orleans, Louisiana, from July 6 through July 11, 2021. The winner of this award will receive the following:

• An expense-paid trip to attend the convention
• A check for $1,000
• A commemorative plaque
• A place on the agenda of the annual meeting of the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children to make a presentation regarding the education of blind children, and
• The opportunity to attend seminars and workshops that address the current state of education of blind students, as well as a chance to meet and network with hundreds of blind individuals, teachers, parents, and other professionals in the field.        

The education of blind children is one of the National Federation of the Blind's highest priorities. We are committed to offering and supporting programs that enhance educational opportunities for this group. Please help us recognize dedicated and innovative teachers who provide quality education and meaningful experiences and opportunities for their blind students.

Q: Who is eligible for this award?
A: Anyone who is currently a teacher, counselor, or the administrator of programs for blind students.

Q: Does an applicant have to be a member of the National Federation of the Blind?
A: No, but attending the national convention in New Orleans is required.

Q: Can I nominate someone else for this award?
A: Yes. Applicants can be nominated by colleagues, parents, supervisors, or friends who have first-hand knowledge of the individual’s work with blind students.

Q: How would I apply?
A: You can fill out the application at the end of this article or find it on our website at https://nfb.org/images/nfb/documents/pdf/distinguished-educator-of-blind-students-award-form-fillable.pdf.

Q: What is the deadline to submit an application or make a nomination?
A: All applications must be received no later than May 1, 2021.

Please complete the application and attach the required documents specified in the application. If you are submitting a nomination for someone other than yourself, please answer the questions to the best of your ability. Your experience and observations of the nominee will assist the selection committee in their decision. Questions? Contact Carla McQuillan at 541-653-9153, or by email at: [email protected].

National Federation of the Blind
Distinguished Educator of Blind Students Award
2021 Application

Deadline: May 1, 2021

Name: _______________________________________________________
Home Address: _________________________________________________
City, State, Zip: _________________________________________________
Phone: (H) ____________________ (W) ____________________________
Email: ______________________________________________________
School: ______________________________________________________
Address: _____________________________________________________
City, State, Zip: _________________________________________________

Please list any awards or commendations you have received.

How long and in what programs have you worked with blind children?

In what setting do you currently work?

Briefly describe your current job and teaching responsibilities.

How would you describe your philosophy of blindness as it relates to the education of blind students?

What are your thoughts on teaching Braille and cane travel? When and at what age would you begin? How do you determine whether to teach print or Braille?

What was your most memorable experience working with blind students?

Why should you be selected to receive this award?

Email is strongly encouraged for transmitting nominations; letters of support and other relevant materials should be included as attachments. Applications sent by mail and postmarked by the deadline will also be accepted. Send all material by May 1, 2021, to Carla McQuillan, chairperson, Teacher Award Committee, [email protected] or by mail to 522 65th Street, Springfield, OR 97478; 541-653-9153.

Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship

by Tracy Soforenko

From the Editor: Tracy Soforenko is the chairman of the Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship Fund and is the president of the National Federation of the Blind of Virginia. The Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship Fund plays a big role in helping first-timers attend the national convention, and here is what he has to say:

Have you always wanted to attend an NFB annual convention but have not done so because the experience seemed daunting or due to a lack of funds? At this time, we do not know whether the convention will be in person, virtual, or a hybrid of both. In 2020 the program expanded to pair each approved applicant with a mentor from the Kenneth Jernigan Committee. The Kenneth Jernigan mentors worked with the first-time Kenneth Jernigan mentees to help them make the most of the virtual convention experience. While 2020 Kenneth Jernigan mentees did not receive funding to attend the convention virtually, the relationships and networking was beneficial for these first-time convention attendees. Our commitment to help make the convention experience great for first time attendees is unchanged.

For 2021 the Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship Fund invites you to make an application to be a Kenneth Jernigan mentee and for an in-person convention scholarship grant. Approved mentees will be paired with an experienced mentor who will help you build your Federation network and make the most of the learning opportunities at the largest and most important yearly convention of blind people in the world. If an in-person convention is possible in July, you too can be joining us in New Orleans, Louisiana, with the support of a Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship grant. Virtual attendees will not receive grants but will receive mentoring.

The three biggest ticket items you need to cover when attending an NFB national convention are the roundtrip transportation, the hotel room for a week, and the food (which tends to be higher priced than at home). We attempt to award additional funds to families, but, whether a family or an individual is granted a scholarship, this fund can only help; it will not pay all the costs. Most years the grants were in the range of $400 to $500 per individual. In 2019, ninety grants were offered.

We recommend that you find an NFB member as your personal convention mentor, someone who has been to many national conventions and is able to share money-saving tips with you and tips on navigating the extensive agenda in the big hotel. Your mentor will help you get the most out of the amazing experience that is convention week.

Who is eligible?

Active NFB members, blind or sighted, who have not yet attended an NFB national convention because of lack of funding are eligible to apply. If you attended your first convention at the 2020 virtual convention and would like to attend in person, you are also welcome to apply.

How do I apply to be a Kenneth Jernigan Convention mentee and for funding assistance?

This year, we will be accepting applications online. Since applications must be completed in a single session online, we strongly recommend you prepare your responses in a document, then cut and paste your responses into the application form. The application form does not support complex formatting, so we recommend avoiding formatting such as bullet points and fonts/styles.

Effective January 1, 2021, the application form can be found at the following link:
https://www.nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention/kenneth-jernigan-convention-scholarship.

The application will ask for the following information:

Contact information: Include your full name and both your primary phone where you can be contacted by your state president and your mobile phone you might use at convention, if available.

Please include your mailing address and, if you have one, your email address. If you do not have an email address, please consider if there is a friend or chapter member who might be able to assist with email correspondence.

State affiliate/chapter information: Include your state affiliate, your state president, chapter, and chapter president, if you attend a chapter.

Mentor information: Include your personal convention mentor and provide that person’s phone number.

Funding request: Include your specific request and explain how much money you need from this fund to make this trip possible for you. We suggest you consult with other members to make a rough budget for yourself.

Write an essay: Explain why this is a good investment for the NFB. How do you currently participate in the Federation? Why do you want to attend a national convention? What would you receive? What can you share or give? Provide any special circumstances you hope the committee will take into consideration.

If you cannot apply online, you can still apply by writing a letter to your state affiliate president answering the above questions. This letter should be emailed to your state affiliate president. Once you have decided you will apply, please contact your state president in person or by phone to request his or her help in obtaining funding. Be sure to tell the state affiliate president when to expect that your application will be submitted and mention the deadline.

Once your online application has been submitted, your application will be provided to your state president via email. It is still your responsibility to contact your affiliate president. He or she must email a president’s recommendation directly to the Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship Fund Committee at [email protected]. Your president must email the recommendation no later than the deadline of April 15, 2021. If you have applied outside of the online form, the state affiliate president must email both the recommendation and the application letter.

Notification of Award

If you are chosen to receive this scholarship, you will receive a letter with convention details that should answer most of your questions. The committee makes every effort to notify winners by May 15, but you must do several things before that to be prepared to attend if you are chosen:

• Make your own hotel reservation. If something prevents you from attending, you can cancel the reservation. (Yes, you may arrange for roommates of your own to reduce the cost.)
• Register online for the entire convention, including the banquet, by May 31.
• Find someone in your chapter or affiliate who has been to many conventions and can answer your questions as a friend and mentor.

If you do not hear from the committee by May 15, then you did not win a scholarship this year.

Receiving the Award

At the convention you will be given a debit card or credit card loaded with the amount of your award. The times and locations to pick up your card will be listed in the letter we send you. The committee is not able to provide funds before the convention, so work with your chapter and state affiliate to assist you by obtaining an agreement to advance funds if you win a scholarship and to pay your treasury back after you receive your debit or credit card.

More Information

For additional information, please contact the chairman of the Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship Fund Committee, Tracy Soforenko, at [email protected] or 410-659-9314, extension 2415.

Above all, please use this opportunity to attend your first convention on the national level and join several thousand active Federationists in the most important meeting of the blind in the world. We hope to see you in New Orleans.

AbilityOne and Section 14(c): Dinosaurs of Disability Employment Policy

by Kyle Walls

From the Editor: Kyle works for the National Federation of the Blind as our research and regulatory specialist. His duties include everything from crafting responses to federal regulations to acting as a Washington Seminar pack mule. He’s been with the Federation for five years, and he’s learned far more about politics than his humble public school education ever taught him. He’s also learned to enjoy politics and political strategy more than he ever imagined he could. When he’s not feverishly monitoring his email waiting for a new federal rule, he’s usually watching hockey, football, or auto racing. He also likes to read. Here is the fine article he has prepared:

On October 14, 2020, the National Council on Disability (NCD) published a report titled Policies from the Past in a Modern Era: The Unintended Consequences of the AbilityOne Program & Section 14(c). It is not the first report on the impact of sheltered workshops and subminimum wages that has come from a government-sponsored source; it’s not even the first such report in 2020, but it does contain some of the strongest language regarding these programs to come from a federally-funded entity. The report reviews, in great detail, the genesis and evolution of Section 14(c) and the AbilityOne program throughout the twentieth century, the way attitudes regarding disability have changed since the inception of both programs, the negative impacts that both have on disabled workers today, and NCD’s recommendations for the future. The purpose of this article is to give you a brief overview of the report.

Origins & Amendments

It’s difficult to talk about how AbilityOne and Section 14(c) have so thoroughly missed the mark without first discussing how and why they were implemented in the first place. That being said, I’m sure most readers are already at least somewhat familiar with both programs, so I will do my best to keep this section brief.

The AbilityOne program’s first incarnation was as the Wagner-O’Day Act, a part of the New Deal reforms signed into law on June 25, 1938, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Coincidentally, the Fair Labor Standards Act containing Section 14(c) was signed into law that same day, but we’ll get to it in a moment. The Wagner-O’Day Act’s specified intention was to increase the employment of blind Americans by creating the Committee on Purchases of Blind-Made Products, which encouraged the Federal Government to purchase items produced by blind workers at nonprofit agencies. In 1971 Congress expanded the program to include goods and services provided by nonprofit agencies that employ people with significant disabilities. This expansion was known as the Javits-Wagner-O’Day Act, or what we who speak policy jargon sometimes call “JWOD,” and it created the Committee for Purchase from People who are Blind or Severely Disabled. In 2011 this committee was renamed the U.S. AbilityOne Commission, but the stated mission of the program effectively remained the same.

As stated above, Section 14(c) was also signed into law on June 25, 1938, but its origins can be traced a few years earlier to the National Industrial Recovery Act, passed in 1933, which included a productivity-based subminimum wage specific to people with disabilities. This law was declared unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court just two years after passage, presumably for something unrelated to subminimum wages for disabled workers because that idea was then rolled into the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 as, you guessed it, Section 14(c). The first change to Section 14(c) occurred in 1965 when Oregon Senator Wayne Morse proposed a three-year transition to get all disabled workers up to the federal minimum wage. His act also proposed a minimum wage floor which would guarantee that no disabled worker would be paid less than 50 percent of the prevailing minimum wage. The wage floor was adopted, but the phase out was not. The most recent amendment to Section 14(c) in 1986 eliminated the wage floor and instead called for wages based on an individual’s productivity commensurate to wages paid to workers without disabilities doing the same work in the same area. Sadly, the elimination of the wage floor has resulted in some disabled workers earning just pennies per hour.

Although both laws have been amended numerous times over the last eighty-two years, their initial purpose is still rooted in what has become a severely outdated perception of people with disabilities. As the NCD report states: “Based on the medical and charity models, people with disabilities were not seen as possessing the capacity to work in the regular economy. Special exemptions and programs were deemed necessary—and perhaps the only option for people with disabilities—to participate in a primarily industrial and agricultural economic system.”
Additionally, the report states that “both signal a separate path in society for people with disabilities through a federally sanctioned segregated jobs system.” Fortunately, this model for disability is not one that we still maintain, as we’ll discuss in the next section, which makes the outdated approach of Section 14(c) and the AbilityOne program all the more troubling.

Societal Changes Regarding Disability Policy

The NCD report notes that the civil rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s helped to spark a discussion about how we viewed disability. Rather than the medical and charity models we used before, we now started to think of disability through the social model, which the report defines as moving “away from the view that disability is something to be fixed, cured, or pitied, and promoted the idea that the obstacles affecting persons with disabilities are caused by the lack of integration and universal accessibility within society.”

These updated attitudes were reflected in the laws that passed regarding people with disabilities. In the 1970s Congress passed the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1975. The NCD report describes portions of IDEA as being “a clear signal of congressional intent that the nation must focus on greater integration of students with disabilities into the educational system.”

Then in 1990, Congress took a massive step forward with regard to disability policy with the bipartisan passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This landmark law instigated “sweeping changes in all facets of life for people with disabilities, and … prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in the areas of employment, public accommodation, public services, transportation, and telecommunications.” In 2008 Congress strengthened the ADA by passing amendments to the law that reversed unnecessarily restrictive interpretation by federal courts.
Most recently, Congress passed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), again with broad bipartisan support, in 2014. With the passage of this law, the NCD report says, “Congress unequivocally stated that work is an important and valued activity for people and society,” and “established the employment of people with disabilities as a national priority.” The report further notes that one of the most important achievements of WIOA “is the codification of the definition of competitive integrated employment,” which it defines as a job that meets three specific criteria: (1) it pays people with disabilities at least the minimum wage and not less than what is paid to people without disabilities for similar work (a prevailing wage); (2) it is performed at a location where significant interaction with people without disabilities is possible; and (3) it provides workers with disabilities the same opportunity for advancement as their coworkers without disabilities.

The passage of these four laws over the past fifty years illustrates a clear shift away from the policies and ideology embraced by the pre-World War II models of Section 14(c) and AbilityOne. In summary, the report unequivocally states: “Since the passage of the Rehabilitation Act, disability-related statutes and policies have all sought to remedy inaccessibility, inequity, and segregation. On the contrary, Section 14(c) and JWOD now stand out as significant exceptions to the norms of modern disability policy.”

Effects of Section 14(c) and AbilityOne on Workers with Disabilities

So now we’ve reached the crux of the issue: are these laws effective in their stated goal to employ more workers with disabilities? According to the National Council on Disability, the answer is a resounding “no.” But unfortunately, it’s worse than that. Not only is the AbilityOne program not accomplishing this goal, it is also rife with other problems including “a lack of transparency and overlapping and sometimes unclear responsibilities among the various program entities.” As documented in the previous section, the report also states that the AbilityOne Program is “stymied by conflicting goals and an outdated legislative approach that runs counter to modern federal disability policy.”

The NCD found that “while overall AbilityOne Program sales have increased since FY 2011, the employment of people who are blind or have a significant disability … has decreased.” The report also found that in FY 2011, 20.09 percent of the sales revenue was being paid as wages to people with disabilities. However, in FY 2018 that number had decreased to 18.19 percent, a decline of nearly 2 percent. If the money being received isn’t being used to hire more people with disabilities or to increase the wages of people with disabilities, what is it being used for? Additionally, the report found that only about 4 percent of employees in the AbilityOne program exited the program for competitive integrated employment. Only about 3 percent of employees achieve a promotion. The conclusion is that fewer people with disabilities are being trained by the program to work in a competitive job, 96 percent are never leaving the program to actually find competitive integrated employment, and 97 percent are never promoted within the program. Based on these figures alone, the AbilityOne Program is nothing short of a colossal failure.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, the NCD also found that a significant number of work environments were segregated. In the compilation of the report, NCD found many “call centers … where the most direct interaction at the worksite was only between people with disabilities, or supervisors and managers without disabilities.” At another location, employees with disabilities worked in a mailroom in the basement of a hospital, completely separated from other hospital employees and just down the hall from the morgue. The site was deemed integrated because the employees with disabilities sometimes delivered and picked up mail throughout the building. I can’t imagine how it feels to know that your boss thinks you’re only capable of working around dead people.

I would like to tell you that’s it, that the worst of it is over, but sadly, I can’t. Technically, AbilityOne nonprofit agencies with a federal service contract are required to pay a minimum wage of $10.80 per hour even if that agency has a 14(c) certificate (a mandate required by an executive order that went into effect in January 2020). However, these agencies are not required to pay a prevailing wage, so their disabled employees could still be making far less than non-disabled employees performing the same work. Additionally, that $10.80 minimum only applies to disabled employees working on a federal services contract. The agency can still have other disabled employees working unrelated jobs making far less than the federal minimum wage.
Do you remember the three criteria I gave earlier that define a job as competitive integrated employment under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act? Of course you do, but just in case, they were: (1) paying at least the prevailing wage; (2) significant interaction with employees without disabilities, and; (3) similar opportunities for advancement as coworkers without disabilities. Based on that definition, the AbilityOne Program utterly fails each of those conditions, and therefore cannot be considered as competitive integrated employment. This is not a fact that was lost on the National Council on Disability, as they wrote: “The very structure of the program perpetuates the segregation of people with disabilities and further does not provide incentives for the advancement of people with disabilities to supervisory or managerial positions and does not recognize the importance of supporting functions other than direct labor.” And:

“If greater federal purchases from the program do not result in more employment opportunities, … then the nation needs to consider different models for how to improve the employment outlook for people who are blind or have significant disabilities.”

Recommendations of the National Council on Disability

On an October 22, 2020, group phone call to summarize the report, Neil Romano, chairman of the National Council on Disability, stated that he wanted the focus of his tenure to be examining challenges to employment for people with disabilities. In that regard, he learned that NCD had never previously engaged in a comprehensive review of the AbilityOne Program. He then said that this review was “long overdue.” Considering the report’s findings and subsequent recommendations, I think it’s safe to say that we agree with him and should be grateful for the investigative work NCD has done here.

The National Council on Disability does not mince words in its recommendations for the future of AbilityOne. The report states clearly that “to achieve true integration of people with significant disabilities or who are blind, Congress should phase out the AbilityOne Program.” Their suggestion to accomplish this goal is to phase out the program over a span of eight years and replace it “with a new requirement under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act that federal contractors hire at competitive wages a percentage of people with significant disabilities or who are blind.” This eight-year phase out would include a study, not to last longer than two years, to determine how to best transition all current AbilityOne employees into competitive integrated employment, and the funding required to offset any potential loss of employment services to workers with disabilities.

The report notes that the stated mission of the AbilityOne Commission is “to enable all people who are blind or have other significant disabilities to achieve their maximum employment potential.” Based on the research conducted for this report, the NCD concludes that the program is “not achieving the desired results.” In the face of overwhelming evidence, it’s hard to argue against that.

“I Didn’t Feel Like I was Good Enough Because I Couldn’t See” Vision and Visions of a Young Artist: A Visit with Rebecca Bruyere

by Allan Schneider

Becca’s art and her relationship with the individual pieces reveals a uniqueness of character and creativity as singular as the artist herself. Her wonderful works involve watercolor, acrylic, egg shells, hot glue, cardboard, and more. Her musical interests involve viola, cello, violin, ukulele, guitar, and piano. Because of a rare eye cancer, her vision involves unpredictable fluctuations ranging from 20/100 to 20/900. Becca’s remarkable art, her varied interests, and her resilient soul acknowledge adversity and celebrate diversity.

[PHOTO/CAPTION: "Cardboard Portrait"]

Rebecca (Becca) Bruyere, daughter of Brett and Amanda Bruyere, is a seventeen-year-old senior at Boise High School in Boise, Idaho. She has loved art all her life but concedes with her characteristic humility, “I didn’t think I was good enough because I couldn’t see.” All the more, one art teacher discouraged her from taking art because of her low vision.

Not so with her current teacher, Ms. Katy Shanafelt, who applauds not only Becca’s talent but also her attitude toward her work. “Becca comes with a strong desire which translates into her ability because she really wants to create work that she’s proud of.” She adds that Becca’s originality as far as medium has inspired the whole class. In fact, sometimes other students ask why they don’t get to do what she’s doing. “She’s not afraid to try things whether they turn out or not. And that to me is like the hallmark of someone who is going to be successful, because she’s not afraid to fail.”

[PHOTO/CAPTION: "Red Umbrella"]

Becca is active in the blind community teaching Braille at BELL (Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning) camps and participating in the VISTA (Visually Impaired Students Transitioning to Adulthood) leadership program. She would like to study art in college, and her dream school is the School of Visual Arts in New York. “I want to do something I feel is important.” Imagine that: a blind student in a visual arts school. “People are afraid to try.”

Ms. Shanafelt says, “I have enjoyed working with Becca more than I could have imagined. She has such a great attitude and welcomes challenges in her work. She has a great drive to create and shows the world that there is nothing she can’t do. She communicates her ideas to me, and we have such fun brainstorming how we will accomplish her plans. Sometimes we fail and try again. We learn by doing and are constantly surprised by the results of our play and experimentation. I think that the more Becca works, the less I have to set up any stages for her to work in—she is very independent and wants to be 100 percent responsible for her work. I admire her and have loved working with someone who, although she might appear sight-challenged to some, is one of the purest visionaries I have had the pleasure to know.”

NFB and Freedom Scientific Announce the More Than Ever Campaign

Thanks to supporters like you, the National Federation of the Blind reached our goal of $50,000 in donations during the month of October to meet a matching gift from Freedom Scientific, a Vispero brand and the maker of Jaws for Windows.

But we’ve got even more exciting news to announce—a second generous matching gift from Freedom Scientific. The Freedom Scientific More Than Ever campaign will double each dollar donated up until $50,000 to the Federation between November 12 and December 31.
This $50,000 matching gift from Freedom Scientific comes at an important time when the Federation is working to meet critical needs in education and employment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As our shift to at-home schooling and work become long-term, those without equal access to technology fall farther and farther behind. Freedom Scientific’s partnership will help the Federation support families and connect and protect blind people across the country.
If you are in a position to give, please contribute. To support the work of the Federation and help ensure that we fulfill this matching gift, you can give by phone, mail, or online.

• Visit nfb.org/donate to give online.
• You can mail a check to National Federation of the Blind, 200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place, Baltimore, MD 21230.
• If you wish to contribute by phone using your credit card, please call 410-659-9314, extension 2282.

You can also do your part by spreading our message and asking your friends and family to contribute. Thank you for your support of the National Federation of the Blind and everything you do to raise the expectations of blind people.

Social Security Facts for 2021

by Stephanie Flynt

From the Editor: Stephanie is one of the bright stars who makes up our national staff. She inspires, informs, and spreads the message of the Federation in a way that is uniquely hers, and we are the beneficiaries of her creativity and talent. She is a native of Jackson, Mississippi, and a proud graduate of Mississippi State University. Currently she works as a government affairs specialist in our Advocacy and Policy Department. She specializes in public policy areas that affect blind Americans including education, labor and employment, nonvisual accessibility, Social Security, the transportation of service animals. When she isn’t working to advance the Federation’s legislative priorities, you can find her volunteering in her local community, making a mess with a new recipe or DIY project in her kitchen, or hiking with her fiancé Ashlyn and their two dogs, Nala Belle and Bailey. What she presents here is our annual update about Social Security benefits:

It’s that time of year again when we provide you with information regarding annual adjustments to the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs. In 2021 approximately sixty-seven million Americans will see a 1.3 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) increase in their benefit amounts. Thus, come January, monthly checks will be a few dollars higher.

The 2021 amounts are below along with some general concepts pertaining to the Social Security and Medicare programs, in case you want to better understand or refresh yourself about your rights. The COLA (if any) is based on the consumer price index (CPI-W), which measures the rate of inflation against the wages earned by the approximately 173 million workers across the nation over the previous four quarters starting with the third quarter of the previous year. Okay, here are the numbers.

Tax Rates

FICA and Self-Employment Tax Rates: If you are employed, you know that you do not bring home everything you earn. 7.65 percent of your pay, for example, is deducted to cover your contribution to the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) Trust Fund and the Medicare Hospital Insurance (HI) Trust Fund. 6.20 percent covers OASDI, and 1.45 percent is contributed to the HI Trust Fund. Additionally, your employer is required to match this 7.65 percent for a total of 15.30 percent. 

For those who are self-employed, there is no “employer” to match the 7.65 percent, which means a self-employed individual pays the entire 15.30 percent of their income. These numbers will not change in 2021 regardless of whether an individual is employed or self-employed. As of January 2013, individuals with earned income of more than $200,000 ($250,000 for married couples filing jointly) pay an additional 0.9 percent in Medicare taxes; this does not include the above amounts.

Maximum Taxable Earnings

There is a ceiling on taxable earnings for the OASDI Trust Fund, which was $137,700 in 2020 and will jump to $142,800 in 2021. Thus, for earnings above $142,800, there is no 6.20 percent deducted for OASDI. As for Medicare, there is no limit on taxable earnings for the HI Trust Fund.

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Quarters of Coverage

The OASDI Trust Fund is kind of like an insurance policy. You have to pay a premium to participate. Therefore, to qualify for Retirement, Survivors, or Disability Insurance benefits, an individual must pay a minimum amount of FICA taxes into the OASDI Trust Fund by earning a sufficient number of calendar quarters to become fully insured for Social Security benefits.
In 2020 credit for one quarter of coverage was awarded for any individual who earned at least $1,410 during the year, which means that an individual would need to earn at least $5,640 to be credited with four quarters of coverage. In 2021 the amount increases to $1,470 for one calendar quarter or $5,880 to earn four quarters of coverage for the year.

A maximum of four quarters can be awarded for any calendar year, and it makes no difference when the income is earned during that year. Basically, the taxes you pay into the OASDI and HI Trust Funds are your premiums to take part in the Social Security and Medicare programs.
The total number of quarters required to be eligible for benefits depends on the individual’s age. The older the individual, the more quarters are required. Furthermore, a higher average income during an individual’s lifetime means a higher Social Security or SSDI check when benefits start. Remember the above quoted numbers for quarters of coverage to become fully insured are only minimum amounts. 

Trial Work Period (TWP)

This concept is often misunderstood. The amount of earnings required to use a trial work month is not based on the earnings limit for blind beneficiaries but instead on the national average wage index. In 2020 the amount required to use a TWP month was only $910, and this amount will increase to $940 in 2021. 

If you are self-employed, you can also use a trial work month if you work more than eighty hours in your business, and this limitation will not change unless expressly adjusted.

Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA)

The earnings limit for a blind beneficiary in 2020 was $2,110 per month and will rise to $2,190 in 2021. Again, it’s important to remember this is not the amount of money an individual makes to use a trial month. This is to say that the TWP can be exhausted even if your income is well below $2,190 per month. See the above information about the TWP.

In 2021 a blind SSDI beneficiary who earns $2,191 or more in a month (before taxes but after subtracting unincurred business expenses for the self-employed, subsidized income for the employed, and impairment-related work expenses) will be deemed to have exceeded SGA and will likely no longer be eligible for SSDI benefits.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

The federal payment amount for individuals receiving SSI was $783 in 2020 and will increase to $794 in 2021. For married couples, the federal monthly payment amount of SSI will rise from $1,175 to $1,191.

Student Earned Income Exclusion

In 2020, the monthly amount was $1,900 and will increase to $1,930 in 2021. The annual amount was $7,670 in 2020 and will be $7,770 in 2021. The asset limits under the SSI program will remain unchanged at $2,000 per individual and $3,000 per married couple.

ABLE Act

Signed on December 19, 2014, the ABLE Act has a significant impact on resource limits associated with the SSI and Medicaid programs for those who were blind or disabled by the age of twenty-six. Traditionally, SSI beneficiaries have been required to adhere to strict resource limits: such as a maximum of $2,000 in the bank for an individual receiving SSI benefits. Under the ABLE Act, however, the amount deposited in an ABLE Account can be much higher. ABLE Account contributions must be designated specifically for purposes such as education, housing (with a cautionary warning to follow), employment training and support, assistive technology, health, prevention and wellness, financial management, legal fees, and funeral and burial expenses. The required implementing regulations are being enacted in most states. Check with your financial institution of choice for a status of ABLE Act regulations in a specific state and to see if an ABLE account is right for you.

As to the warning about ABLE Account contributions for housing, it is important to note that SSI beneficiaries may still face the traditional $2,000 resource limit for ABLE Account funds designated for housing. Thus, SSI beneficiaries should consider the many other purposes not subject to the traditional resource limits when making ABLE Account contributions, since there are also tax advantages associated with ABLE accounts.

In previous years this article has featured information pertaining to Medicare and Medicaid insurance programs. As of the date of publication, the updated adjustments have not been announced by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid services. You can rest assuredthat we will cover this topic further in January’s issue of the Braille Monitor.

Deafblind People Are Blind and Belong to the Blind Community, Too!

by Marsha Drenth

From the Editor: As we strive for diversity, we must do more than push away those who may initially seem different from us. We must seek them out, and not just invite them to be present but encourage and welcome their full participation. Like most things of consequence, this is easier said than done.

Marsha serves as an officer in our Deafblind Division. As you read her article, think about how many attitudes she finds reflected in her treatment by some Federationists that we find objectionable in the way we are treated as blind people. It would be wrong to suggest that the difficult attitudes she encounters are representative of the Federation any more than it would be fair to suggest that a comment by one Federationist means this is the position of the Federation. The comments she has gotten can certainly serve to help us think twice about the things we say and whether our actions are consistent with the Golden Rule by which so many of us try to live. Here is what Marsha has to say:

I grew up immersed in the blind community. Not only was my mother involved in the National Federation of the Blind, but both my grandparents, Beatrice and JQ Sutherlin, were instrumental in the creation of the National Federation of the Blind of Texas. My earliest memories are of marching and singing "Glory Federation" while walking down the street during the March on Washington, which we now call Washington Seminar. It was the summer of 1980, and I was three years old. I did not yet understand the words, the meaning, what the song meant in our movement, and how it would impact my life. Other memories include playing with other children during chapter meetings and before a Texas NOPBC division meeting. My grandparents lived every day as the most independent individuals I knew. I learned Braille because my mother and grandmother fought with the Dallas Independent School district for years so that I would have an equal education. I eventually attended the Texas School for the Blind (TSBVI) in Austin. Through much of my early years and young adult years my vision was up and down. After a new surgery or procedure, I could see better, or with new glasses I could see better, but those were only temporary fixes. At the school for the blind I learned Braille, although I was a naughty student and threw my books at my teacher because I did not want to learn it. During this time, I had a lot of anger and negative emotions regarding vision loss, but being only nine, I had no idea of how to properly express my feelings. At TSBVI, I also learned orientation and mobility with cane travel, activities of daily living, and how to use assistive technology. Like others in their teen years, I rebelled and wanted nothing to do with all of those older, Caucasian blind folks, since I could not imagine what I could possibly gain from attending those meetings.

Fast forward past the birth of my three children, and suddenly most of my remaining vision was gone. After several years of coming head to head with my vision loss, the roller coaster finally stopped. All of those skills that I reluctantly learned at the school for the blind were taken out of deep storage and dusted off, because now I really needed them. In 2004 as an adult and parent, I was now dealing with some of the same challenges as my parents. My son Bryan was born with the same eye condition in addition to some extra disabilities, and just like my own educational hurdles, the district wanted to fight us on every additional skill that I knew was important. With the help of my mom and Tommy Craig, I started to travel to different places in Texas to drum up other parents with blind children. In 2006-07, the Texas Parents of Blind Children Division came to fruition. During this time, I served as the Dallas Chapter secretary and volunteered to help the affiliate in other ways. Several years later I moved to Baltimore and lived there for one-and-a-half years, working with parents, teens, children, Youth Slam, technology, and legislative work. In 2009 I met my now husband Joseph and moved to Pennsylvania.

Since then I have served on both local and national boards for guide dogs and the deafblind. I finished my social work degree at Temple University and have been working with blind and deafblind individuals for the past five years. I use Braille every day, and I continuously promote its use and the value of learning it. I have traveled independently for both work and pleasure with either a guide dog or a long white cane. My household consists of four blind people, which is unique in and of itself. I lovingly refer to myself and others who grew up in the NFB with blind parents, singing the songs, going to chapter meetings, state conventions, and national conventions as NFB brats! So now what part of me isn’t blind?

Because once it was revealed that I had a significant hearing loss and I started to identify as deafblind, things changed. I wasn’t just a normal blind person anymore. I now was a person who could no longer hear in large crowds. I now needed sign language interpreters at national convention in order to keep up with the speeches and presentations. I now used equipment that helped me hear a person’s voice directly in my hearing aids. Sometimes I now need to use relay for phone calls, and I much prefer facetime calls over standard phone calls because of the clearer audio. Now I use support service providers (SSP) to help with my equal convention experience. Now I request the transcripts of presidential releases and speeches. Now I use haptics, touch signals, or pro-tactile to receive additional information about the people, places, and things around me.

What changed about me? I am now a person with a hearing loss. No longer am I just blind. I think I am still Marsha. I have heard some people say that, because I use alternative techniques, I am not doing it the “NFB way.” If I ever get lost in a very large convention room because I can no longer localize sounds for orientation and have to ask for help, people tell me that I just need more O&M training. Because I use a street crossing card to safely get across a street because I cannot tell where the traffic noises are coming from, people say that I am not independent. Because I prefer to use an SSP while at the national convention to enhance and equalize my convention experience, people look down at me and say I am being led around by the nose by a sighted, hearing person. When I now ask at meetings that only one person speak at a time and that they say their name first, people disregard the seriousness of my request and talk over each other, making it impossible for me to understand any of the speech. When I use a relay service to place a call, some blind people have hung up on me, justifying it by saying that it is too slow, unfamiliar, or they think it’s a spam call. At most of the meetings, people are not familiar with my technology, captioning, or CART for meetings and interactions. Sometimes when I say I do not understand what is going on in a meeting and ask that someone repeat themselves, I’m assured that someone will explain it to me after the meeting. Too frequently when I am using a microphone that directly puts the speech into my hearing aids to be passed around, some forget to pass it, don’t want to touch it, or don’t believe that I have a hearing loss. This happens because I sound so “normal;” I don’t sound deaf or like I have a hearing loss, and I must be faking. I think you understand what I am getting at. 

I try not to take it personally, you know, but for so long I haven’t felt accepted or normal within the blind community I was born into. I keep pondering the question: How did I go from a very involved blind child who learned all the skills, was born into the right family to get the message, a family who lived the philosophy, to someone who is now considered to have two heads in the blind community? I am saddened that now I look at the blind community and realize that there were almost no deafblind people truly INTEGRATED with the blind community and that most blind people who also have a hearing loss can’t or won’t even admit it.

The first step in recognizing that there must be progress in the blind community is acknowledging that deafblind people are a part of the blind community. It is just that their ears are damaged, unable to hear at all or with some limited degree of hearing. Most of our population is aging faster than we realize, and the largest growing population are those who are over the age of sixty-five years old and who have either a hearing loss or a vision loss or both. Not all deafblind persons call themselves deafblind, which is fine. It’s okay if you want to identify as blind hard-of-hearing, or hard-of-hearing visually impaired. However you decide to describe yourself is your decision and yours alone.

The difficulty comes when people don’t seek out ideas, information, suggestions, or experiences of those who are deafblind because it’s too expensive to use interpreters, or support service providers go against our philosophy, or it’s too much trouble to use relay, or that you truly do not know what to do or say to a deafblind person. Any way you look at it—if we’re born blind, acquire hearing loss later in life, or in my case while in my thirties, we are still a part of the blind community. When you look at me, I want you to understand that I am the same person I once was before but am now deafblind. I think it’s time that the blind community learned about accountability—toward its very members—all races, all genders, all ethnic backgrounds, all cultures, the general disability community, the deaf, etc. and truly learned how to INTEGRATE that into our community.

It’s also the responsibility of deafblind people to meet the blind community half-way; to educate them on communication accommodations, alternative techniques, supports, best practices, methods for integration, experiences, knowledge, and information. Just like the blind community has worked so hard since 1940 to be included in the conversation, the deafblind are asking the same of the blind community. The next time a committee is formed, many questions should be asked; but the one I am pushing is “Would this directly affect persons who are deafblind?” Seek out information and ideas about how deafblind persons can add to that conversation. The next time an outreach is planned, would deafblind people be able to help and participate? Seek out a person who is deafblind who might want to help reach out to the community and work out a plan so that all members can work together.

Did you realize that the National Federation of the Blind has a thriving division just for persons who are deafblind? In fact, I am the first vice president of the division and would love for state affiliates, chapters, other divisions, groups, or individuals to come stand alongside us in solidarity and learn something about us. Although right now we are a small division, we are comprised of many individuals from many backgrounds, parts of the country, experiences, communication styles, and identities. We would love to sit down and break bread with you. 

I love being blind, and I equally love being deaf. The two parts make me who I am, who I was meant to be: a person who happens to be deafblind.

Recipes

Recipes this month were provided by previous contributors throughout the early 2000’s December issues, with a special current Christmas dinner recipe from Marc Maurer.

Cheesy Potato Casserole (2001)

by Neita Ghrigsby

Ingredients:
8 to 10 good-sized potatoes (either white or red will do fine)
3-4 strips of crisp fried bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 roll Kraft garlic cheese
1 roll Kraft jalapeño cheese
1 jar Cheez Whiz (if you like things really hot, use the jalapeño Cheez Whiz)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 stick oleo
salt and pepper to taste

Method: Peel and cut potatoes into good-sized chunks. Wash and drain. Place them in a large pot and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil on the stove and cook covered until almost tender. While they are cooking, melt 1/2 stick of oleo in a small skillet, add finely chopped onion and bell pepper. Sauté until tender. In another pan mix milk, Cheez Whiz, and the rolls of garlic and jalapeño cheese cut into small pieces. Cook over low heat to melt cheeses, stirring constantly to keep mixture from sticking. Add the oleo, onion, and bell pepper mixture and stir together. After potatoes are cooked, drain completely and spread them into a buttered thirteen-by-nine Pyrex or other baking dish. Sprinkle the crumbled bacon over potatoes. Then spread with cheese mixture. Bake uncovered in a 350-degree oven for twenty to thirty minutes or until the potatoes are completely tender and mixture is bubbly.

Frozen Oreo Delight (2002)

by Ryan Osentowski

Ingredients:
1 package Oreo cookies, crushed
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream
1 small jar crunchy peanut butter
1 8-ounce container of Cool Whip
1 jar hot fudge sauce

Method: In large bowl soften ice cream and stir in peanut butter, then fold in Cool Whip. Set aside 2/3 cup crushed Oreos and spread the remaining cookie crumbs over bottom of 9-by-13-inch pan. Pour ice cream mixture over crushed cookies. Top mixture with remaining crushed cookies. Place in freezer for two to three hours, until set. To serve, remove from freezer and cut into squares. Top with warmed hot fudge sauce. You'll be happy for a week.

Christmas Sweet Potato Casserole (2003)

by Cary Supalo

Ingredients:
1 can sweet potatoes, undrained
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup flour

Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a two-quart baking dish. Place the sweet potatoes and their liquid in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook for fifteen minutes or until potatoes are tender. Remove from heat, drain, and mash. In a medium bowl, mix the mashed potatoes, white sugar, eggs, 1/3 cup butter, milk, and vanilla extract. Spread evenly in the prepared baking dish. In a separate bowl mix brown sugar, chopped pecans, flour, and 1/3 cup melted butter and sprinkle over the sweet potato mixture. Bake for thirty-five minutes in a preheated oven or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Just-Another-Taste Casserole (2005)

by Betty McNally

The story behind this one is that it was created during a blizzard in Western Massachusetts. Our friend's mother, who was with us, kept saying "just another taste" as she took another spoonful until the bowl was empty. Thus the name.

Ingredients:
3 cups sliced potatoes
2 cups sliced carrots
1 cup sliced onion
1 pound ground meat
1 4-ounce can mushroom stems and pieces
1 10-ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 8-ounce container sour cream

Method: The day before you plan to serve, bring potatoes, carrots, and onions to a boil and cook for about ten minutes. Drain and place in a 2-quart casserole. Brown ground meat and spoon over vegetables. In drippings, sauté drained mushrooms. Stir in can of soup. Blend in sour cream. Pour mushroom mixture over meat. Cover and refrigerate overnight. When ready to bake, place casserole in preheated 350-degree oven for about an hour. Serve immediately. Serves six to eight.

Wassail (1998)

by Priscilla A. Ferris

Ingredients:
4 cups water
2 cups sugar
3 cinnamon sticks
12 whole cloves
6 allspice berries
1/2 teaspoon chopped ginger root (ground ginger may be
substituted if necessary).
1 6-ounce can frozen lemonade concentrate
2 6-ounce cans frozen orange juice concentrate
2 quarts apple cider

Method: In a large pan combine and boil the water and sugar for five minutes. Tie together in a small clean cloth cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and ginger, and add to the sugar syrup. Add the frozen lemonade concentrate, orange juice concentrate, and apple cider. Simmer covered to blend flavors. Remove bag of spices. Serve hot. Yields eighteen six-ounce servings.

Christmas Dinner

by Marc Maurer

Christmas Dinner is always a big deal in the Maurer household. The Maurers get together for Christmas every year unless unforeseen natural disasters or other large-scale disruptions of humanity prevent it. Imagination can change the menu for the dinner, but tradition is also part of it.

In Charles Dickens’ memorable book, A Christmas Carol, the Cratchit family had goose. When Scrooge recovered from his encounters with the spirits, he sent a prize turkey to the Cratchits. This has made me believe that goose was fair for the poor and turkey was available to the wealthy. Nonetheless, I almost always cook a goose.

Goose is a bird that contains a lot of fat. The old recipe books say that goose would be put in a 450-degree oven for half an hour to render out the fat. After this half an hour the temperature may be reduced to 350 to let the goose cook. I have tried this method of cooking a goose, and I don’t like it. I have tried to add things to the goose to change the product of this cooking method, such as champagne and cream, but I still don’t like the result. My experience tells me that rendering the fat from the goose makes it tough.

I much prefer to cook a goose low and slow. I thaw the bird, remove the neck and the giblets, salt and pepper the bird inside and out, stuff it, and cook it in a slow oven 300 to 325 degrees for fifteen to twenty minutes for each pound of bird. A little water in the bottom of the roasting pan will help to keep the bird from sticking to the pan. However, you don’t need much grease because the bird has a lot of it. I like a bird that weighs from twelve to fifteen pounds.

The stuffing is a modified version of Yankee dressing. I begin with a bag of seasoned croutons, seasoned with sage and sometimes other spices. With this in a large bowl, I pour over the croutons broth that I have made from cooking the giblets and neck in about a quart of water. I cut the meat from the neck into small pieces and cut up the giblets to add to the dressing as well. Because the other Maurers are not fond of goose liver, I leave that out. Sometimes I put the goose liver into my pan to roast in the oven. I like goose liver very much, and this gives me a snack to have before dinner. I chop about a cup of celery and a cup of onion to add to the mixture. The croutons should absorb all the liquid and make a soft consistent result. I do not add all of the liquid at the same time because the dressing should not be sloppy. If after pouring all of the liquid into the dressing it is still not a consistent product, I add a can of cream of mushroom soup to give it enough liquid. This depends a lot on the amount of broth created in the cooking of the giblets. Then I add a chopped tart apple and about a dozen prunes cut in half. Finally, a little salt and a little pepper. I stuff this in the bird before baking it. Often dressing is left to roast in the oven. Placing this in a greased baking dish and baking it for half an hour to 45 minutes will finish it. This is the meat dish.

Of course, a festive dinner needs nice warm bread, cranberries of some kind, a potato or two, and a vegetable—at least one. Then, there is dessert.

Most of these are fairly straightforward, but I have come to know about creamed spinach, and it has come to be a favorite. The very best is made with fresh spinach, but it takes a great deal of it. I put it into a frying pan and it almost disappears. Consequently, it is possible also to make it with frozen spinach. I would never use canned spinach—Popeye notwithstanding. About twenty ounces of frozen spinach will do or about a half a bushel (or as much as you can possibly get into the pot) of fresh spinach. Add olive oil to the bottom of the pan before the spinach is inserted. If you’re using a large pan, 3/4 of a cup of milk, light cream, or coconut milk will do. Otherwise, add half a cup. Sauté the spinach with a little chopped onion (about half of one) for five minutes and then add salt, pepper, and a 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg for a large pot or 1/4 teaspoon for a small one. Sauté for another three or four minutes stirring occasionally, and you’re done.

Dianna Maurer is a great fan of good food. She liked to cook very much with her grandma, who always thought a recipe was better with butter and sugar. She has persuaded me that among the best desserts of Christmas is a linzer torte bar. We have cooked it together from time to time, and here is the recipe she recommends. May your dinner be festive and joyful!

Linzer Torte Bar

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cups walnuts or slivered blanched almonds
3 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
1 cup apricot or raspberry preserves
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Method: Preheat oven to 350. Line a nine-inch pan with aluminum foil. Butter foil.
In blender or food processor, coarsely chop the nuts. Add the three tablespoons granulated sugar and process finely. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and baking powder. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the butter, the 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and the vanilla. Using an electric mixer set on high speed, beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and beat until fluffy. Reduce the speed to low, add the nut and flour mixtures, and mix until just blended.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Top with preserves. Refrigerate for twenty minutes. Bake until the preserves begin to bubble and the crust is just firm to the touch, about forty minutes. Remove from oven, let cool, and dust lightly with confectioners’ sugar.

Monitor Miniatures

News from the Federation Family

Braille Calendars Available:

The Braille calendars we have all come to want and love are available again for 2021. You may get yours by calling the Independence Market or by going to https://www.actionfund.org/resources/braille-calendars and filling out the form. The Action Fund provides calendars directly to individuals, and any blind person who can use a Braille calendar may request up to three of them.

In Brief

Notices and information in this section may be of interest to Monitor readers. We are not responsible for the accuracy of the information; we have edited only for space and clarity.

National Braille Press: Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation:

The Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation is an annual prize of $10,000 awarded to a project, or projects, that show the most innovative idea in the field of Braille and tactile literacy. Winners and applicants have submitted projects for professional software and apps, educational software and apps, gaming software or apps, and Braille or tactile-related hardware or leaning paraphernalia.

Innovators have come from all over the world in the fields of education, technology, engineering, tactile graphics, and literacy. This is the only prize to foster and reward innovation in the area of Braille and tactile literacy for the blind and deafblind communities. NBP encourages all applicants to think outside the box to what can be used to help improve the lives of blind people.

The Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation is funded through support from The Gibney Family Foundation, since its inception in 2007. The Gibney Family Foundation supports nonprofit organizations to help them develop sustainable products and provide services or support.

This prize was developed to inspire an innovator to continue the promotion of Braille literacy for blind and deafblind people worldwide. The publication of Louis Braille: A Touch of Genius by National Braille Press was a huge success in promoting Braille literacy to a wider audience. The promotion surrounding the book provided a springboard for launching the Touch of Genius Prize, providing the exposure needed to inspire an innovator.

Full application details and more information can be found at www.touchofgeniusprize.org. The deadline to apply is January 15, 2021. All questions can be directed to [email protected]. We look forward to seeing your innovative ideas!

NFB Pledge

I pledge to participate actively in the efforts of the National Federation of the Blind to achieve equality, opportunity, and security for the blind; to support the policies and programs of the Federation; and to abide by its constitution.