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Braille Monitor

Vol. 64, No. 1 January 2021

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

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

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

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

ISSN 0006-8829

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

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

Vol. 64, No. 1 January 2021

Illustration: The Five Hundredth Presidential Release: Communication is the Key (HTML)
Illustration: The Five Hundredth Presidential Release: Communication is the Key (MP3)

A Walk Taken Today and a Walk Taken Eighty Years Ago (HTML)
A Walk Taken Today and a Walk Taken Eighty Years Ago (MP3)
by Mark Riccobono

2021 Washington Seminar Update from Government Affairs: The Issues (HTML)
2021 Washington Seminar Update from Government Affairs: The Issues (MP3)

National Federation of the Blind Code of Conduct (HTML)
National Federation of the Blind Code of Conduct (MP3)

The National Federation of the Blind Stands in Solidarity with Victims and Survivors (HTML)
The National Federation of the Blind Stands in Solidarity with Victims and Survivors (MP3)

Open Letter of Apology from President Riccobono (HTML)
Open Letter of Apology from President Riccobono (MP3)

From My Head to My Heart (HTML)
From My Head to My Heart (MP3)
by Michael Colbrunn

Remote Science Learning Advancements for the Blind (HTML)
Remote Science Learning Advancements for the Blind (MP3)
by Ashley Neybert

From the Director's Desk (HTML)
From the Director�s Desk (MP3)
by Jennifer M. Kennedy

Tolling Bells and Ocean Swells (HTML)
Tolling Bells and Ocean Swells (MP3)
by Stacie Dubnow

Navigating Healthcare When All They Can See is that You Can't (HTML)
Navigating Healthcare When All They Can See is that You Can�t (MP3)
by Deborah Kent Stein