President's Message

by Mark Riccobono

From the Editor: This message was taken from the January issue of Imagineering our Future, a monthly email publication that helps in keeping members, friends, and donors up-to-date on the programs of our organization. The message is tremendous, and any chance to emphasize Braille Day and our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is one we are glad to use.

Dear Friends,

The National Federation of the Blind began 2023 by celebrating World Braille Day on January 4—the birthdate of Louis Braille. Braille is an important tool for so many aspects of life. I was not given instruction in Braille until the summer I turned twenty-one years old. It was like a renewal; it opened new doors and it allowed me to make new resolutions for my future. It always feels appropriate to launch a new year celebrating Braille.

On January 4, our partners at the American Printing House for the Blind announced the name for the dynamic tactile display they are developing in partnership with both HumanWare and the National Federation of the Blind. Because the most efficient way to read Braille is two handed and the motions outline the frame of a butterfly, the new multi-line display, which will simultaneously display tactile graphics and Braille, is named Monarch.

Monarch could revolutionize the way we teach blind children by giving them access to graphics at the same time and with the same ease as sighted children. As a parent of two blind children, I experience the hardship that comes when my daughters are denied the same educational materials as their peers. And I might enjoy access to tactile displays of maps and art myself. I doubt we have imagined all the applications for a dynamic tactile display yet, but I look forward to discovering them.

Shortly after World Braille Day, our nation celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a day of service. To my knowledge, Dr. King and the Federation’s first President, Dr. tenBroek, never met, but I sometimes imagine the lively discussion that would have occurred between these two civil rights champions. The work of these important figures and the intersections of their work continue to be as pressing as ever in 2023. In the organized blind movement, we continue to seek a deeper understanding of intersecting characteristics within our community. The diversity of our membership and fostering an inclusive organization is essential to the future of the National Federation of the Blind.

I hope you will take time to work on our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, attend some of our DEI events, and visit our DEI page to learn more and read my letter about the meaningful process of improving our movement. These can be found at https://nfb.org/get-involved/diversity-equity-inclusion.

Sincerely,

Mark A. Riccobono, President
National Federation of the Blind