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Vol. 68, No. 2 February 2025
Chris Danielsen, Editor
Distributed by email, in inkprint, in Braille, and on USB flash drive, by the
National Federation of the Blind
Mark Riccobono, President
telephone: 410-659-9314
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National Federation of the Blind
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THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND ADVANCES THE LIVES OF ITS MEMBERS AND ALL BLIND PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES. WE KNOW 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. OUR COLLECTIVE POWER, DETERMINATION, AND DIVERSITY ACHIEVE THE ASPIRATIONS OF ALL BLIND PEOPLE. THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND IS NOT AN ORGANIZATION SPEAKING FOR THE BLIND—IT IS THE BLIND SPEAKING FOR OURSELVES.
ISSN 0006-8829
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Vol. 68, No. 2 February 2025
Convention Bulletin 2025
A Brief Report of the Meeting of the National Federation of the Blind Board of Directors Held December 6 and 7, 2024
by Gary Wunder
Blind Merchants Lift Off in Nashville
by Terry C. Smith
Bullish on BLAST and the Blind
by James Gashel
We Dare to Be Remarkable
by Anil Lewis
Evolving Principles, Practices, and Philosophy
An address delivered by Mark A. Riccobono
Evolving Principles, Practices, and Philosophy at the Rehabilitation Services Administration
by Danté Allen
Innovate to Elevate: Fostering Excellence in Rehabilitation Services for Blind Youth
by Carlos R. Serván
Shaping Twenty-First Century Rehabilitation Systems: Leadership, Partnership, and High Expectations
Moderator: Anil Lewis
We Need Your Help
Why Every Blind Postsecondary Student Should Apply for an NFB Scholarship
by Cayte Mendez
The 2025 Distinguished Educator of Blind Students Award
by Carla McQuillan
The 2025 Blind Educator of the Year Award
by Robin House
Monitor Miniatures
Copyright 2025 by the National Federation of the Blind
The 2025 Convention of the National Federation of the Blind will take place in New Orleans, Louisiana, this summer. Start planning your trip now.
Tuesday, July 8 through Sunday, July 13
The Marriott New Orleans and the Sheraton New Orleans
As our headquarters hotel, the Marriott will host convention breakouts, general sessions, and the banquet. Right across Canal Street, the Sheraton serves as our overflow hotel and will be home to the Exhibit Hall and Independence Market.
If this will be your first convention or if you need a refresher, check out our First Timer’s Guide at https://nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention/first-timers-guide.
Reserve your room by calling 888-236-2427 for the Marriott or 855-516-1090 for the Sheraton New Orleans. Ask for the “National Federation of the Blind 2025 Convention” block. Here are important things to know about the rates and booking the room:
The nightly rate for both the Marriott and the Sheraton is $119 for singles and doubles, while triples and quads can be booked for $129 per night. You should also anticipate the combined sales tax and tourism support rate of 16.2 percent and note there is a hotel occupancy fee of $3.00 per night.
At the time you make a reservation, a deposit of the first night’s stay is required for each room reserved. If you use a credit card, the deposit will be charged against your card immediately, just as would be the case with a check. If a reservation is cancelled before Sunday, June 1, 2025, half of the deposit will be returned. Otherwise, refunds will not be made.
Registration for convention will open in March. Registration will be $25 per person plus $80 per banquet ticket. Register early because prices go up if you register onsite in New Orleans. Registration includes the biggest event of the year, access to the event app, and communications on the latest news and events.
The 2025 Convention of the National Federation of the Blind will be a truly exciting and memorable event, with an unparalleled program and rededication to the goals and work of our movement.
Remember that as usual we need door prizes from state affiliates, local chapters, and individuals. Prizes should be small in size but large in value. Cash, of course, is always appropriate and welcome. We ask that prizes of all kinds have a value of at least $25 and not include alcohol. Drawings will occur throughout the convention sessions, and you can anticipate a grand prize of truly impressive proportions to be drawn at the banquet. If you have a prize that must be shipped in advance of the convention, please email Greater New Orleans Chapter President Tammy Green at [email protected] to make arrangements.
Over 200 sessions and meetings happen during convention. If you are a leader in a division, committee, or group that will meet at convention, please don’t wait to organize. Start planning your agenda, goals, and connections now. Stay tuned for details from the Convention Chair, John Berggren.
Thank you to the hundreds of volunteers who help make the national convention a big success. There are plenty of opportunities to pitch in throughout the week of convention. Visit https://nfb.org/convention to learn more about the following opportunities.
Ambassadors and the Independence Market are not the only areas where we need volunteers. Stay tuned for more details on shifts, schedules, and signups for the following areas.
If you are interested in learning more about how to get involved, please connect with your state affiliate president.
by Gary Wunder
On December 6th and 7th, 2024, the National Federation of the Blind Board of Directors met in person at the NFB Jernigan Institute to discuss current programs of the Federation, our successes, and our challenges for the future. After reviewing the minutes of meetings held since the last in-person meeting, board members talked about the reasons for their commitment to and faith in the work of the National Federation of the Blind. Some were inspired by the need, while others were empowered by the commitment shown by our members and leaders to help one another. Every person who spoke made it clear that real progress for blind people comes through the collective action we choose to take together and that they are grateful and uplifted by the confidence that has been placed in them as leaders.
The fundraising landscape has been drastically changed as the importance of mail through the United States Postal Service has diminished and electronic forms of communication have superseded it. We have been the beneficiaries of a robust mailing outreach program that has not only generated funds in response to our informational mailings but has also planted our name in the hearts and minds of donors who end up adding us as beneficiaries on their deaths. The decline in revenue through the mail has been evident for some time but is increasing at an alarming pace. Since we do not borrow money, our programs must function on the revenue we generate, and a failure to do this on our part will necessarily mean fewer programs and less money for those we continue to support. How we will replace this revenue and continue to expand our programs must be the responsibility of every Federationist to think about, offer suggestions, and help us devise a way of seeking substantial donations from members of the public. The problem we face is not for Baltimore or for the “national” to solve. This problem and solutions to it belong to us.
We will continue working to build the Museum of the Blind People's Movement with the understanding that much of the concept work will be wrapping up in May of 2025, and further progress will have to wait until funds are available. We are still interested in the ideas of members about what should go into the museum and what should not. Anyone having items they think should be a part of our exhibits is encouraged to contact President Riccobono. The longer we wait to do the physical construction, the more it will cost, but until we are ready to fund that construction, we must wait and continue to work on financing.
Our Jernigan Fund continues to grant many people the opportunity to attend their first national convention. In addition, it is helping support our Kenneth Jernigan Leadership in Service cohort.
We continue to certify Braille transcribers for the National Library Service. A task before us is to develop the code curriculum for mathematics using Unified English Braille. The team is working on developing strategies for creating tactile graphics for the American Printing House (APH) to use in building a library that can be viewed using the Monarch.
For very young children, we have our Braille Reading Pals Program and our Early Explorers Program. In both we teach parents to be teachers, offering to their children initial instruction in Braille with Braille/print books, and cane travel through providing a cane and guidance on beginning skills that the parents can teach.
Our NFB BELL® (Braille Enrichment through Literacy and Learning) Academy program continues to help children learn Braille and other skills during the summer. “I Can Lead” was the theme for 2024, with eighteen affiliates hosting twenty-three programs. The program saw eighty-eight new students and served a total of 222 students. The program thrived not only because of the support of our membership but also because of the generous donation of time by 214 mentors/volunteers/coordinators.
The STEM-2-U Program works with blind students to show that these fields are as possible and as lucrative for blind people as for the sighted. This has meant coming up with innovative approaches to teach blind people what others gain through vision. Programs have traditionally been held at the Jernigan Institute, but this year fourteen affiliates hosted programs that served 117 students. The theme was the James Webb Space Telescope, and ninety-one mentors/volunteers/coordinators made it happen.
The Teachers of Tomorrow Program links teachers of blind students with the real-life experiences of blind people. This year we selected twenty participants from a pool of fifty-five applicants. It takes twenty-five mentors to run this program and the support of all who help fund our Federation.
The Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is the most important document in mapping out what a blind primary or secondary student will need from school and measuring whether the needed services have been provided. Participating in negotiations with school districts is not something that is second nature. It requires training, confidence, and support. This year we offered the training to sixteen people who have pledged to be advocates anywhere they are needed. We thank our partners: the Professional Development Research Institute on Blindness (PDRIB) and the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children. We also wish to thank the Lavelle Fund for the Blind for their generous financial support.
Because employment is a significant goal, we have several programs to target acquiring skills and learning the ropes of getting and keeping a job. This year we had 760 people participate in our virtual and in-person career fairs, Where the Blind Work webinars, and training sessions.
Jonathan Mosen made his first presentation to the in-person meeting in his new role as Executive Director for Accessibility Excellence. We are working on outdoor and indoor travel technology, autonomous vehicles, and making a real effort to collaborate with product developers before their products hit the market. We need to remember that our “big stick” can be used for more than travel. We are actively working with Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, and Facebook. With this latter company we have seen many regressions that make the platform much more difficult and less pleasurable to use. Talks are ongoing and encouraging, but the real test is what happens, or fails to happen, as a result. More aggressive action may need to be taken if real progress is not evident soon.
Open AI, one of the most prominent players in the artificial intelligence space, is consulting with us, and this is a testament to who we are in the community given that so many organizations dealing with technology for the blind, such as Be My Eyes, are pressing this company for contacts and services. When a company comes to us, one of our major offerings is market intelligence. They know their products, but we know the people who need and will buy them. When we act, we are much more persuasive than a petition, no matter the number of signatures it may have.
One area where we must make progress is in hearing aids. Our hearing is essential, but too few companies are creating controls that work with screen-reading technology. While some settings are done by an audiologist, others such as adjusting the directionality and volume are under user control if one can see.
Infrastructure isn't always the most exciting thing to read about, but without it little tasks become big ones and big ones become impossible. John Berggren told the Board about updating our computer security, the updated wireless system in the building, and the replacement of ten-year-old printers with ones that are faster, cheaper, and have more functions. Our bandwidth is now 400 percent more than last year. The next major upgrade is our phone system, which we expect to move to the cloud. This will cut cost and increase reliability. To stay up-to-date, we replaced nearly three dozen laptops for the staff. Square is a system we now use to process credit cards, whether at the Jernigan Institute in our Independence Market or at our annual national convention.
Reporting for our Advocacy and Policy Department, John Paré briefly discussed the status of bills and the importance of doing what we can before the new Congress takes office on January 3. This year we will again be introducing the Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act, the Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act, and the Blind Americans Return to Work Act. We will again begin the work of finding sponsors and cosponsors, and as the Congress becomes more comfortable with these legislative concepts, our bills get ever closer to becoming the law of the land. We will continue to support the Access Technology Affordability Act as well as the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act. We strongly support an appropriation for distribution of the Monarch, the dynamic Braille and tactile graphics tablet which we have helped create along with the American Printing House for the Blind and HumanWare. Autonomous vehicles will remain a priority for us as we work to see that they are usable for the blind and become acceptable in the states. In some localities this will involve changing laws that currently require all persons operating a vehicle have a driver’s license.
Currently, twenty-three states have endorsed a full or partial phaseout of section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, meaning that businesses can no longer pay disabled people less than the minimum wage. We are continuing to work diligently for blind people to have the right to vote privately and independently. In addition to the systemic changes we seek, we are also involved in directly helping blind people with issues such as Social Security, with seventeen people being the beneficiaries of our work.
NFB-NEWSLINE® continues to be an important resource for blind people, and as with other changes in technology, it is moving to the cloud. Currently an Android version of the app is being tested, and we hope it can be released soon.
Stephanie Cascone, our Director of Communications and Marketing, made her presentation to the board. She reminded us that at the core of what we do must be the telling of our stories. Once we have told them, we must be strategic in seeing that they are not only preserved but actively shared and passed down. We must ensure that we use all of our publication assets in coordination to send our message.
Our branding has been updated, and it can be found at nfb.org/brand. Although several articles have been written about it in the past, it is always helpful to review the page and to have it available, either through memory or reference, for those we meet.
We are continuing to build Mark AI as another resource for people to use to learn more about the National Federation of the Blind. Currently the system reports having 4,476 memories it can use in conversing with people who want to know more about the Federation. Every person using it and building it will be helpful. We are doing research on other AI opportunities as well.
The organization generates a tremendous amount of material, and one of our jobs must be to see that it is retained in such a way that is easily findable and usable. The National Association of Blind Students, the Performing Arts Division, and the National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania each generate a quality podcast, and a number of affiliates have important speeches and presentations that they feature. Though the staff of the communications group does not coordinate these, it should be involved to see that branding, advertising, and retention have a high priority.
Our followers on social media continue to grow, and this provides one of the fastest and most effective ways to be involved in current discussions of importance to the organization. It is important that our members respond when questions and issues arise.
All of the presenters had much more to say than can be included in this report. It is clear that the work we have to do is extremely important and far from done. On the stairs to true equality, we continue to make impressive progress, and although our organizational knowledge and resources are greater than they have ever been, each step upward requires more planning and energy. Loving and respecting our traditions, addressing our current problems, and being a part of shaping the future are all commitments that the members of the Board of Directors embrace as representatives of our organization. With the spirit of optimism, commitment, and tremendous gratitude for being allowed to work together, the annual fall board meeting was adjourned.
by Terry C. Smith
From the Editor: Terry Smith is the Director of Training and Technical Assistance for the National Association of Blind Merchants (NABM), a division of the National Federation of the Blind consisting of Randolph-Sheppard vendors and other blind entrepreneurs. Terry left his position as director of Tennessee Services for the Blind in 2012 and joined NABM. In addition to his advocacy work, he currently assists NABM President Nicky Gacos in planning and coordinating training events, such as the conference he describes in this article, and provides technical assistance to state licensing agencies and elected committees of blind vendors. Here is his report on the return of the NABM’s Business Leadership and Superior Training (BLAST) conference after a long hiatus:
In November of 2024, Nashville, Tennessee, hosted the largest Randolph-Sheppard training event in history. Almost six hundred blind merchants, teaming partners, purveyors, state agency personnel, and other stakeholders converged on Music City for four days of outstanding training.
BLAST (Business Leadership and Superior Training) is the premier training event sponsored by the National Association of Blind Merchants (NABM), the National Federation of the Blind’s Merchants Division. BLAST dates back twenty-five years, with past conferences being held in such cities as Las Vegas, Orlando, Denver, Memphis, Austin, San Antonio, Indianapolis, Chicago, and three previous times in Nashville.
“COVID hit our guys hard, so we were hesitant to do a big event like this,” said Nicky Gacos, president of the National Association of Blind Merchants. “This was our first full-blown BLAST since 2018, and we were absolutely blown away by the turnout. I still have someone tell me every day that it was the best BLAST ever, and it got folks regenerated and excited about the future. Our goal is to educate, motivate, and stimulate creativity while having some fun too.”
NABM’s membership consists primarily of blind merchants who operate food services in government buildings pursuant to the Randolph-Sheppard Act. As a result of COVID, government workers left their offices to work at home. Five years later, the majority of government workers still work from home, meaning that there are fewer customers to buy food products from the blind merchants. Twenty-five percent of these merchants went out of business, and many more have lost significant income. The program is going through a transition and needs innovation if it is to be here for future generations of blind people.
“This is why BLAST was so important this year,” said President Gacos. “Superior training and creative thinking are more important than ever and hold the keys to building a bigger and better program.” One of the conference’s significant features was a full day of training for state agency personnel; the Randolph-Sheppard program is administered through licensing agencies in each state. One hundred and fifty state staff participated. The event’s high-energy keynote address was delivered by Emmy Award winner and bestselling author Clint Pulver. The America’s Got Talent alumnus’s presentation on building a winning culture featured not only his dynamic drumming but an impressive group performance by the attendees, who were all provided their own set of drumsticks. They learned what they could do all working together.
There were sessions on micro markets, legal issues affecting blind merchants, the new political landscape, investing and money management, social media, nontraditional opportunities, innate commissaries, marketing, artificial intelligence (AI), the violence epidemic, Social Security issues, and much more. The most impressive presentation may have been an AI-generated conversation between President Gacos and Senator Jennings Randolph, who sponsored the original bill that created the program in 1936. And there was plenty of entertainment along the way. What would an event be in Nashville without music? Whether you are a fan of Dolly Parton, Shania Twain, Tim McGraw, or not a country music fan at all, there was something for you.
BLAST has come to be synonymous with amazing trade shows. This BLAST did not disappoint, as sixty purveyors were there to show their goods and services. The big players like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Keurig Dr Pepper, and Mars were there promoting their products. Smaller startup companies shared new products. Vending machine manufacturers had their equipment on-site, as did micro market providers. Technology companies joined in the fun, along with companies selling their business-related services.
But the highlight of the entire event may have been the recognition of some outstanding contributors to this field. Foremost among these was the Lifetime Achievement Award presented to James Gashel. “It was a thrill for me to be able to present this award to a man who helped get key legislation passed and has been such an advocate for our program for over a half-century,” President Gacos stated. “No one has done more for blind merchants than Jim.” President Gacos paused and then added, “If there was a Mount Rushmore for Randolph-Sheppard, he’d be on it.” Mr. Gashel, who had just presented on his reflections of the program fifty years after the 1974 amendments, was surprised and humbled by the award.
Awards were also presented to three outstanding blind merchants. Ron Brown of Indiana received the Scott Young Award, which recognizes outstanding advocacy efforts. Melba Taylor of Maryland and Michael Colbrunn of Minnesota received Gold Star Awards for their distinguished service.
Where does BLAST go from here? Large four-day events like this are expensive and difficult to plan. President Gacos has hinted that the future may be smaller training events such as the one being planned for May 5-6, 2025, in Las Vegas in conjunction with the National Automatic Merchandising Association Show. But the community is already clamoring for another big BLAST. “Never say never,” laughed President Gacos. “Someone might just make us an offer we cannot refuse.” If they do, you can bet it will be even bigger and better.by James Gashel
From the Editor: The following article is adapted from remarks given by James Gashel at the Business Leadership and Superior Training (BLAST) conference held this past November in Nashville, Tennessee, by the National Association of Blind Merchants, a division of the National Federation of the Blind primarily consisting of participants in the Business Enterprise Program (BEP). Long-time Federationists will know that Jim Gashel served for over thirty years as director of governmental affairs for the National Federation of the Blind. He has also been the organization’s secretary, and he now lives in Hawaii with his wife Susan, an accomplished attorney who defends the BEP in court. Jim continues to be a staunch Federationist and is helping to build the Hawaii affiliate. His remarks tell the story of how the BEP sprung from humble beginnings in 1936 to the outstanding opportunity for blind entrepreneurs that it is today, largely due to the 1974 amendments to its enabling legislation, the Randolph-Sheppard Act. Jim was present for and a key participant in the passage of these amendments, and he was invited to speak to the conference to reflect on the progress made in the fifty years since their adoption. Following his reflections, Jim was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the NABM, although he is humble about his role. Jim’s remarks also touch on the program’s future and the role of the National Federation of the Blind in securing it. Here is what he had to say to the conference attendees:
It's good to be back at BLAST. Conferences like this make you proud. Fifty years ago, I was proud to be part of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) working to get a bill through Congress that became the Randolph-Sheppard Amendments of 1974. Kenneth Jernigan was president of NFB then. He hired me to be chief of our Washington office. The title was chief, but I was actually the bell, the clapper, and the cord, too. I'm sure some of you can relate. I started as chief on January 1, 1974, and soon I met Senator [Jennings] Randolph. He chaired the Senate Subcommittee on the Handicapped, later renamed the Subcommittee on Disability Policy.
Jennings Randolph was first elected to Congress in 1933, coming from Elkins, West Virginia, serving in the House. He sponsored a bill on vending stands for the blind after its original sponsor, Senator Thomas D. Schall from Minnesota, was struck by a car and killed in 1935. Representative Randolph was drawn to the Schall bill as a member of the Lions Club, which supports efforts to help the blind. He recruited Senator Morris Sheppard of Texas to move the bill forward in 1936. FDR signed it into law on June 20, 1936. That was fast, but it wasn't easy. There was actually little support outside Congress, except for Leonard Robinson, a blind attorney. There was no organized effort of blind people, no NFB until 1940. The Federal Public Buildings Service, then in the Interior Department, opposed Senator Schall's bill from the beginning. They didn't want a preference for the blind on anything, especially not cafeterias. Opposition from the Public Buildings Service was only part of the problem. Lack of interest, and even some outright opposition voiced by professional workers for the blind, was more troubling. The American Association of Workers for the Blind defeated a resolution of support that Leonard Robinson proposed and asked them to pass. Some even wrote to Congress opposing the bill. They wanted a different bill, which became the Wagner-O'Day Act when passed in 1938, today known as AbilityOne, where blind people work in direct labor, not as entrepreneurs. It's a different idea altogether. You can almost say that Randolph-Sheppard was ahead of its time.
There were few work opportunities for the blind in the 1930s. Many states had agencies for the blind, but the Federal Vocational Rehabilitation Law excluded them from getting federal funds until the law was changed in 1943. After that, and more so after the [Second World] War, things improved a little, but not so much for the Randolph-Sheppard program, which was essentially stuck with small vending stands that were being squeezed out by automatic vending machines, cafeterias, and other competing businesses. Amendments passed in 1954 did little good. Vending machines were preferred by [federal] employees, since proceeds after sales and commissions funded their morale, welfare, and recreation activities. By 1970, competition from vending machines threatened to stamp out Randolph-Sheppard opportunities altogether, which could have happened but for Jennings Randolph, by now a US senator from West Virginia. Also, unlike in 1936, the blind were organized, and agencies for the blind were mostly more enlightened.
Let me just step back and share a little bit of my background. I grew up in Iowa. Kenneth Jernigan was the main director there of our state agency, the Iowa Commission for the Blind. He started there in 1958. Ten years after that, he was elected president of NFB. In Iowa, before Dr. Jernigan, the best thing a blind boy could hope for—and I was a blind boy at that time—was to get the Commission for the Blind to set you up in a popcorn stand, or weaving rugs at home if you were a blind woman. That was what the Iowa Commission for the Blind would do for you before Dr. Jernigan. I kid you not, because I was there.
By 1970, Dr. Jernigan was on board for ten years. By that time, blind people were running large cafeterias in all the main state office buildings and in the state capitol in Des Moines.
I actually worked my first experience—I wasn't the entrepreneur, I was a dishwasher—in one of these cafeterias for one summer, starting at seven o'clock in the morning and working until, I think, around 3:30 in the afternoon. We served two thousand patrons at this cafeteria. We used regular plates and actual flatware. There was no plastic throwaway stuff for the Iowa state workers at that time. I don't know what they do now, but this was my early work opportunity as a college kid, made possible by the BEP and Neil Butler, the blind entrepreneur who hired me.
A new federal building was opened in Des Moines in 1966, when the Randolph-Sheppard Act still excluded cafeterias, but that didn't stop Dr. Jernigan. The building opened, and the cafeteria serving employees and the public was operated by a blind person from the first day until many years later when they ceased having a cafeteria in that building. But it was always operated by a blind person. It was under a permit that designated it as a “manually operated snack bar,” but it was truly a full-blown cafeteria. It took Dr. Jernigan and help from the Congressional delegation to get it that way because the law wasn't adequate to support it; we got it done through political influence.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Dr. Jernigan was bullish on blind entrepreneurs. In fact, he had been one; he had a small business of his own building and selling furniture as a young man growing up here in Tennessee. He showed me that furniture. Dr. Jernigan helped to convince me that blind people can be entrepreneurs.
By 1974, when I started at NFB in Washington, quite a lot of work had been done to get a bill in shape to strengthen the Randolph-Sheppard Act, but there was still lots of opposition. The Public Buildings Service, now part of the General Services Administration (GSA), was still against putting cafeterias under the Randolph-Sheppard law, as they had been since 1936. In fact, Senator Randolph told me he had to promise GSA back in 1936 that he wouldn't try to put cafeterias under this law. Well, he broke that promise in 1974, but they didn't forget about it either. But we had proof by 1974 that blind people can run large cafeterias. We proved that in Des Moines and some other places. So Senator Randolph agreed to take the battle on. I was thrilled. I recall sitting in his office talking this through and he said, “Well, I'll just go to the mat on this.” Imagine me; I was kind of a kid, and a US senator told me “I'll go to the mat on this.”
Well, we had to agree to exclude certain contracts; it was a bad agreement, but we had to make it. You don’t always get everything you want, but the priority was still supposed to apply, so that was good. The question of what to do about vending machine income almost upset the applecart. Federal employees just didn't want to give up vending revenue that they were getting to fund their morale, welfare, and recreation funds. Eventually this was resolved when a fifty-fifty split on indirect competition vending income, and additional concessions applying to the Postal Service, were agreed to.
The bill first (not last, but first) passed the Senate on June 20th, 1974, and that was thirty-eight years to the absolute day that FDR signed the original law. But the battle wasn't over because the vending machine deal wasn't done; it was still hanging out there. I remember organizing members from our nearby affiliates to make day trips into Washington to meet with members of Congress in September and October 1974. Carl Perkins of Kentucky was chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee. There was a need to extend some must-pass money authorizations in the Rehabilitation Act to keep services going in that program. So I learned that that's how you get things done in Washington: You find a bill that kind of has a deadline that has to pass, and then you just hitch a ride on that bill. Carl Perkins made our day when he agreed to make the Randolph-Sheppard Amendments Title II of the rehabilitation bill. That bill had passed the House months before without the Randolph-Sheppard provisions included, but Carl Perkins told us that what he would do is agree to include Randolph-Sheppard if the Senate would pass the bill with Randolph-Sheppard included. That was another lesson. When you want to get something done, hitch two bills together so they both have a better chance of passing. Elementary, but I was a kid out of college. I didn't know all that at that time. Perkins taught me that.
Here's another phrase I learned: The train was leaving the station. That's what we say in Washington when a bill's going to pass, and you might want to be on that train. The rehabilitation bill with Randolph-Sheppard included passed the Senate on October 10, 1974, and passed the House on October 16, 1974. But on October 18, 1974, President Ford vetoed the bill. He was having a dispute with the Congress over some unrelated matters, and it took about six weeks to work that out, and the bill had to pass Congress a third time, this time in November. But when the dust settled, President Ford signed Public Law 93-516 on December 7, 1974, with Title II as the Randolph-Sheppard Amendments.
Under the amendments, the preference for vending stands became a priority for vending facilities. The definition of vending facility was made much broader, including cafeterias. The bill declared—this was completely new—one or more vending facilities are to be established on all federal property to the maximum extent feasible, and priority shall be given to licensed blind persons. Couldn't be clearer. Of course, this isn’t what always happens, but it is what the law says. Every state must have an elected committee of blind licensees to participate with the state licensing agency in making major administrative decisions and doing other things. Vendors became entitled to income from vending machines, within specified limits. Hearing and arbitration rights were added to the law. New training opportunities were to include helping blind vendors achieve their maximum vocational potential. What strong words! That's not even in the Rehabilitation Act, but it is in the Randolph-Sheppard Act--their maximum vocational potential. How fast can you say the word entrepreneurs! And there was more, but we don't need to go through all that.
Eight years later, we got the priority extended to interstate rest stops as well when Connecticut Representative Barbara Kennelly sponsored an amendment to the 1982 highway bill. I didn't think representing the blind would ever get me into the highway bill, but it did. But getting that done was a walk in the park compared to the 1974 amendments.
The regulations implementing the ‘74 amendments came out in March 1977, and that's when I learned the battles weren't over. You could pass a law, but you still had battles. GSA still wanted more limits on cafeterias, for crying out loud, and that's when they got the bidding provision. That's in the regulations, not the law. Well, they got that, but we got the option of direct negotiations on contracts. So you lose some and you get some. The state committees’ role was emphasized in these regulations. This is where the word “actively” came from before “participate with.” In the first draft of these regulations that I saw—and I got it over the transom, I wasn't really supposed to see it, I think—instead of “participate with,” it had “consult with.” But we protested that and got it changed to “actively participate with.”
So, fifty years later, how's it going? In 1973, the average net vendor proceeds were $7,428. That's $51,025 after fifty years of inflation. By contrast, the average of net vendor proceeds in 2023 was $103,085, so that's a hundred percent above inflation. The total gross sales figure was $747,455,000. Twenty percent of this amount after expenses ends up in the pockets of blind people. That is just about three quarters of a billion dollars in gross sales.
The number of vendors and the number of facilities is going down every year, no question about it, and that is a problem. But the people who can solve that problem are in this room. You don't need amendments to the Randolph-Sheppard Act to solve that problem, you need to get to work. The facilities are much better, much more rewarding than the more prevalent vending stands before the 1974 amendments. There were no Randolph-Sheppard dining facilities on Department of Defense (DOD) property in 1974. So all things considered, I would say that today's vending facilities, and especially the work done by entrepreneurs, are by far a better demonstration of the abilities of blind people than the vending stands of fifty years ago. No question. Be proud.
What about the future? Well, there's the short-term and there's long-term, as they tell you when they talk about the stock market. Short term, I'm very troubled. Long term, I'm absolutely bullish.
Why troubled? Donald Trump announced that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will head a department—I didn't think you could just create a department if you were president-elect or even president, but anyway—they're going to add a Department on Government Efficiency. That raises red flags. Who isn't for efficiency? But Musk and Ramaswamy are private-sector billionaires who have made lots of money on federal contracts, and they would like to make more and to help their other private-sector buddies do the same. Privatizing is what they mean when they say government efficiency. Don't forget that food service and other concessions on federal property are very likely—I don't say they will be, but are very likely to be—low-hanging fruit. They have been before. How much longer will the Postal Service make it in competition with Amazon, Federal Express, UPS, and other delivery services? How many blind vendors do you know who are at work within private delivery service facilities as compared to USPS? Well, we'd like to think there are some, but I'm guessing it's not too many.
Consider this: employees who worked on accessibility for screen readers were the first—this is literally true—were the first group to get pink slips when Musk bought Twitter, now called X. That's why we've all fled to Mastodon and whatever those other services are. That's efficiency according to Elon Musk. Susan Gashel, that's my wife, she calls it ableism. She's really good at spotting that, taught me the term and how to think about it. There is talk that the Department of Education will go away, and the programs will be block-granted to the states. Programs like Rehabilitation and Randolph-Sheppard would be transferred to other federal agencies, and some of that block granting may happen too. Nobody knows for sure what's going to happen or even if this will be officially proposed. There's just talk, but you have to think about this: it is a time of uncertainty. The only certainty is it's a time of uncertainty, and uncertainty is not our friend. Be organized, be ready to mobilize.
I've seen this movie before. I remember when GSA and DOD tried to replace cafeterias with fast-food chains—McDonald's, Burger King, Pizza Hut, what have you. It helps to be around a long time because you do see these things coming back around. If you don't think that could happen again, you aren't on the same planet that I'm on. GSA’s out-leasing program, which excluded the blind from potential priorities, was another similar transgression. Thanks to our lawyers, we've fought these violations and most of the time won, but not always. Could violations like these happen again? You have to assume they will. Tough words, but you have to assume they will. Blind licensees have something other people want, and you know what? We're going to keep it. The question is, will what passes for government efficiency trump the blind priority? You have to be concerned. You don't have to panic. You have to be concerned.
I am concerned, but like I said, I'm also bullish because I've seen our power at work. We won in 1974 over opposition from federal employee unions, the postal workers' union, GSA, DOD, the Postal Service, and others. We believed we could win, and we did. Years later, we mounted a full court press when the Department of Veterans Affairs snuck an exemption from Randolph-Sheppard into a veterans health care bill. We got the provision pulled from the bill within hours of it going to the House floor under suspension of the rules, no floor amendments allowed. We also stopped a similar exemption effort by the Park Service.
When an effort was made in Congress to merge vocational rehabilitation with other federal job training programs, making funds less available for blind business enterprises, we got an amendment passed on the House floor to remove the Rehabilitation Act from that bill. Getting that done is almost unheard of under the House rules. It's like defying gravity, but that didn't stop us. After we beat him hands-down on the House floor, the chairman of the committee told me: “You guys won. We won't bring this up again on my watch.” Well, he's not in Congress anymore, so it’s somebody else's watch. He won't have to break the promise. Somebody else may try. Let them try.
I'm bullish on the law because I know it can work. I see it work. I watch it close to home. Susan Gashel represents states on arbitration panels where they're trying to rein in the federal violators. She's won 100 percent—she says, “Don't jinx it!”—100 percent after court review, twenty-five out of twenty-five. Wouldn't you like to have a batting average like that! Hats off to the state agencies who stand tall for blind vendors. Lawyers working with us often—not always, but often—win. Let's hear it for the lawyers! It's not to minimize the problems. There are problems. We need to get remedies—recovery of money damages—restored for blind vendors. We have the ability to do that.
I'm bullish because of your collective success, which I referred to earlier, gross receipts approaching a billion dollars a year. It's a reasonable goal to top a billion dollars in annual sales in 2026 for Randolph-Sheppard’s ninetieth anniversary. We should be able to do that if we think about that, if we work on that. Just don't live in fear; live in victory. A billion in sales would mean two-hundred million or more going to blind people. Be proud of what you're doing and what you're about to do, but don't be satisfied. Be bullish. Do more.
The Business Enterprise Program is by far the single most successful ongoing effort ever made on behalf of blind people in this country or anywhere else in the world. Just think about that. You know it's true. No matter your role—it could be managing, servicing, supporting, or advocating—you're important to the total effort. Successful business performance by blind entrepreneurs builds opportunities for all blind people way beyond BEP, so just keep it up, keep building, make more money. It is a win-win. That's the genius started by Randolph-Sheppard, but Randolph-Sheppard is only the floor, not the ceiling. Think of that. The ceiling is as high as we together can build it. I’m bullish on today's and tomorrow’s blind entrepreneurs because of what we do in our movement, what we can do working together. The smart money is on us. It's not on Elon Musk. He'll make his billions somewhere else. We'll make more than a billion right here. Don't ever bet against what we in NFB can do. Never bet against us. Just when you think we can't, we do. Dr. Jernigan taught me that. I've seen it happen over and over again in sixty years participating in NFB. Yes, I'm troubled. I'm concerned, worried, but I'm bullish and I just want to say you should be bullish too. I'm bullish on BLAST and on the future we are building together for the blind of 2074 and beyond. Thank you very much.
by Anil Lewis
From the Editor: Anil Lewis is the Executive Director for Blindness Initiatives at the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute. As such he oversees many of our professional collaboration initiatives, including efforts to build bridges between our organization and workers across rehabilitation, education, employment, and other areas. Here he writes about the most recent iteration of Dare to Be Remarkable, an ongoing effort to address the need for these collaborative relationships in the vocational rehabilitation field. More presentations from the Dare to Be Remarkable conference follow this introductory article. Here is Anil’s overview:
The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) Dare to Be Remarkable conference, held November 11-13, 2024, at the NFB Jernigan Institute, brought together professionals and advocates in the blindness education/rehabilitation community from across the country for an enriching and empowering event. This gathering was a unique platform for participants to engage in discussions, workshops, and presentations on the latest methodologies, challenges, and solutions in the field of blindness and low-vision services. The conference emphasized the transformative power of Structured Discovery (SD), a client-centered approach that fosters independence and self-determination for blind individuals through hands-on, nonvisual techniques. The schedule was packed with dynamic sessions and keynote speakers, each providing invaluable insights into improving rehabilitation practices and fostering greater inclusion in society for blind and low-vision individuals.
The opening keynote presentation by Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind, set the tone for the first day of the conference, focusing on advocacy, education, and training initiatives informed by the lived experience of blind people and connections with the organized blind that are essential to empowering blind people. The two subsequent mornings brought keynotes from Danté Allen, Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration, and Carlos R. Serván, Executive Director of the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Their addresses and others further explored the broader impact of effective blindness rehabilitation on employment and societal inclusion. All of the conference presenters, covering a variety of topics, emphasized the importance of innovation and continuous professional development in shaping the future of blindness services. Sessions were also designed to help participants learn how to meet the needs of various students with different cultural and life experiences, including those learning English as a second language, LGBTQ students, and students with additional disabilities including neurodivergence and cognitive challenges. Other topics included preventing students from “backsliding” after graduating from Structured Discovery training and specific techniques for teaching Braille, cane travel, and other skills. There were sessions for administrators, too, including one on successfully negotiating government contracts and requirements.
Some of the breakout sessions were inaugural meetings of groups of blindness professionals focusing on a specific area of training. These affinity workgroups offered a unique opportunity for attendees to network and plan for personal and professional growth. Conference attendees participated in diverse and thought-provoking discussions that were tailored to their specific professional roles, including instructors and administrators, with a focus on cultivating a deeper understanding of blindness rehabilitation techniques. These groups offered a chance for participants to interact with peers, exchange ideas, and share best practices in specialized areas such as orientation and mobility, home management, Braille, assistive technology, and administration of vocational rehabilitation programs.
The Dare to Be Remarkable conference served as an invaluable space for learning, networking, and growth. By bringing together experts and practitioners from across the nation, the event fostered a collaborative environment where participants can enhance their skills and broaden their perspectives on blindness rehabilitation, ultimately driving the vision of a more inclusive and accessible world for all.
We are already planning the next Dare to Be Remarkable conference, which includes determining whether to meet every two or three years. The affinity workgroups will continue to meet virtually between conferences. For more information, please email [email protected].
An address delivered by Mark A. Riccobono, President, National Federation of the Blind
From the Editor: This was the opening keynote address of the Dare to Be Remarkable Conference held at the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute from November 11-13, 2024. Here is what President Riccobono told this gathering of rehabilitation professionals:
Our nature as humans is to organize towards progress. Once we have met our basic needs, we desire, unless it is conditioned out of us, to explore, discover, and build something better than what has previously existed. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.” That is for you who have dared to show up, to seek to redefine and be remarkable as blind professionals. Thank you for being part of the dedicated core of people sacrificing to build a better future. Winston Churchill said: "To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” Of course we know that perfection is in reality unachievable, but his point should be well taken. Change, or evolution, is essential in progress. What is right for the time may only be partly right in a future time. If we fail to change while the world changes around us, progress remains elusive. In order to make informed decisions about where to change, we need to have some core beliefs that ground us in our work.
This brings us to how we change as dedicated professionals. An African proverb tells us, “If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Community is essential for sustained human progress. It is my belief that the community of practice that can best serve us in our effort to dare to be remarkable is the organized blind movement. In the brief time I have this morning, I would like to discuss the outline of our evolution as blind professionals and the next phase of our work.
Throughout history, the popularized narrative about blind people has not been one of progress. That narrative has been centered on the success of non-blind people in inventing methods to provide some meaning to the lives of blind people. It has been centered on charity, not equality. The expectations have been low, and any success stories among the blind were mythologized as extraordinary.
This was the foundation for the development of the vision-industrial complex, which came into maturity during the last century. The lack of a true belief in blind people combined with a vision-centered approach has limited progress within this system to a culture that has valued blind people as recipients of charity rather than leaders of innovation. Fortunately, blind people organized and resolved to dismantle the vision industrial complex through the building of our own community where the culture deeply believes in the inherent dignity and talent that we possess as humans who simply happen to have the characteristic of being blind. This community became a movement as the National Federation of the Blind grew on a nationwide basis. Since 1940, three generations of blind people have cultivated, tested, built, and refined our own system to raise expectations and explore the limits for blind people. And those limits remain undiscovered for us.
As we consider a fourth generation of our community, we must recognize that systems that are not continuously built will go away (even if the reduction happens slowly). We must also recognize that it is much easier to tear systems down than it is to build them up. Therefore, failure to evolve can make the future rebuilding exponentially more difficult. Today, I am calling on each of us to recommit ourselves to the revolution of blind-centered and blind-led training programs.
The first revolution in our community-building effort was the early experiments with blind-centered training. Blind people began by making small attempts to put our shared philosophy about blindness into action. This happened through one-on-one mentoring, testing ideas, and learning by doing. These early efforts bloomed into what some called the Iowa experiment—the successful program effort led by Kenneth Jernigan to put these ideas into formal programs of training.
Generations tend to meld together. The efforts of that first generation melded into the second generation, where our blind community developed more model programs including innovating work with blind youth. This is best exemplified by the training programs that grew out of the Federation state affiliates in Colorado, Louisiana, and Minnesota—training centers that get credit for multiple generations of highly successful blind people living the lives they want the world over. These programs were hosting transition programs before transition was even a concept in rehabilitation and before piles of money were available for the effort. These programs intersected with work done by Federation affiliates in places like Nebraska and New Mexico where the blind asserted their leadership, their advocacy, and their authenticity. All of these programs are represented in our community at this conference.
The third generation of work has been best represented in the development of a new, nondiscriminatory system of accreditation, which the Federation initiated and entrusted in the National Blindness Professional Certification Board. Parallel to that effort has been the development of blind-centered university training, innovative professional development like this Dare to Be Remarkable conference, the coordination of blind-centered research questions, and the establishment of an open access Journal of Blindness Innovation and Research. While more professional development efforts led by the blind are needed and we are hungry for more university training programs that are rooted in the lived experience of the blind, we are emerging into the fourth generation of our blind-led professional systems. So what is next?
The emerging generation of work is building a more mature community of blind-centered practice that continues to evolve and advance the systems we have built while forging professional relationships that foster greater cooperation and partnership. Our community of practice must value sharing our blind-centered wisdom with the goal of diminishing the harmful influence of the vision industrial complex. Those of us who are committed to advancing a positive philosophy about blindness and to protecting the dignity of blind people must unite around our common aim of deconstructing the vision-centered approaches that are all too influential even in 2024.
This blind wisdom community of practice will thrive if we can value challenging each other to be better without falling into the pitfalls of focusing on competing with each other. We are truly stronger together, and our deep belief in blind people is still far too rare among the vast systems that control much of the money and human resources in our field. Together, we can evolve and grow into an even more powerful force than we are today. We are the envy of those first-generation blind pioneers, but we cannot settle for what we have always done, or we will be the shame of the fifth generation as it rebuilds. There are far too few of us in this community, so we have to work together to go further.
This community must be willing to test new ideas and recognize the value when those approaches fail against our shared wisdom. We must not be afraid to take risks and to evolve our approach because that is precisely where innovation meets freedom for the blind. In testing these new ideas, the critical element is that we share in our learning, we evaluate what we could do differently, and we get right on with trying something else. As long as we stay centered on the belief that it is not the blind person who is broken but the failure to find the right approach in the teaching, our community will continue to evolve towards being remarkable.
Let me say here that new is not always better. What makes our community particularly effective is that we are rooted in some core philosophical principles. How we apply those principles changes, but it is important that we maintain those values. Some people are always seeking the new thing, and that sometimes results in compromising the principles that serve as our foundation. The road to evolving and building our community should never—yes, I said never—begin with something other than our core belief in blind people.
Our community must stay strongly blind-centered but draw inspiration, wisdom, and value from the shared knowledge of other communities. One example is the persistent idea that Braille is difficult to learn and even harder to become fluent in reading. Yet we have barely even utilized the best practices used to effectively teach reading in other contexts within our Braille teaching community. There are many other examples where we can borrow best practices and apply them to the shared wisdom of blind people.
Our community of practice must also lean into the idea of blind pride rather than continuing to default to non-blind norms that place blind people at a disadvantage in terms of advancement in the field. One example is that we should expect our community to grow the best blind leaders, and we should expect those leaders to reach the top positions in agencies for the blind and in key government positions affecting programs for the blind. Our community should invest in raising a generation of blind leaders who are not only highly qualified to lead but who proudly tell anyone they meet that it is respectable to be blind.
Finally, our community of practice must be prepared to be guided by the broader organized blind movement that is the National Federation of the Blind. Furthermore, each and every one of us needs to be contributors to building that movement. If we stand outside the movement, if we wall off our community of practice from the diverse community of blind people, it simply becomes another system which is not truly blind-centered. Let me call out many governmental agencies in this nation which tell blind professionals that it is a conflict of interest for staff to participate actively in the professional network that is the National Federation of the Blind but then offer those same people paid time to participate in professional efforts such as the Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER). I call for an immediate end to this discriminatory and harmful practice in the field. Agencies should encourage their staff to participate actively in organizations that professionally benefit their development and growth. Thank you to those agencies that already allow their staff the power to make that choice, and it is no surprise that the best among these have professionals choosing to participate in the National Federation of the Blind. To be clear, the professional development choice of any blindness professional should never interfere with the right that the people receiving services from that professional have to make an “informed” choice about their own professional network. Now is the time for agency leaders to stop preventing their staff from having access to our powerful community of practice within the National Federation of the Blind. Our community has been born from and evolved with the broader organized blind movement. That connection of being shaped by and contributing to the organized blind movement is the magic of our community of practice.
Do you dare to be remarkable? The question makes it sound much harder than it is. It is a choice: a choice to be blind-centered, a choice to challenge your own assumptions, and a choice to evolve in your own professional practices regardless of how many decades of experience you have behind you. You can choose to be remarkable by choosing to be a contributor to our blind community of practice. Thank you to each of you for making the choice to be here and to be part of this powerful community. Let us take the rest of the steps required to give every blind person the opportunity to be remarkable in their own lives by gaining access to the training and connections that will allow them to live the lives they want. Let us go build our evolving blind community of practice.
by Danté Allen
From the Editor: November 12, 2024, the second morning of the recent Dare to Be Remarkable conference, kicked off with remarks from Danté Allen, who was confirmed as commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) in December of 2023. Mr. Allen is a wheelchair user due to spina bifida who has worked in healthcare, communications, and disability policy. Here is what he shared with the conference attendees:
Good morning, everyone! I am so pleased to join you today. I’d like to thank Mark Riccobono and Anil Lewis for inviting me to speak with you. I truly appreciate their partnership and assistance in helping me prepare for today’s event.
The theme of this conference is “Evolving Principles, Practices, and Philosophy” which really resonates with me. It fits in quite well with my view of vocational rehabilitation, and I believe it is also reflected in my priorities. However, before I dig into those, I do want to take a moment to address the election. As we know, come January, there will be a change in administration. And with a change in administration will likely come changes in policies and personnel. What I’d like to make clear is, no matter what happens, VR will endure and the mission of our work here in RSA will endure. Those things do not change. They endure because we—as a country—recognize the basic human and civil rights of Americans with disabilities and the importance of good jobs. Those are some of the rare things that we can all agree on. And no election can change our beliefs around those things: around finding people jobs, around making the workplace as accessible and available as possible to as many people as possible, around achieving competitive integrated employment (CIE) to gain and to sustain independence. So while in some ways things may be different, in some ways things will not change at all. RSA will still provide leadership and resources to assist state and other agencies in providing vocational rehabilitation and other services to individuals with disabilities to maximize their employment, independence, and integration into the community and the competitive labor market. In short, the mission will endure. And I know everyone in this room believes in the value and the power of programs like vocational rehabilitation. You have the wisdom to help create more equitable communities and a more equitable country by ensuring individuals with disabilities, particularly individuals who are blind or who have low vision, have access to quality employment and good jobs. It’s people like you who make programs like VR tick. And for that I am deeply grateful and appreciative. Your work and the results you produce are a big deal, and I thank you for everything you do. So with all of this in mind, I’d like to talk a little more about the evolution of our work—of our principles, practices, and philosophy.
There is much to build upon from our past. The civil rights and disability rights movements of years ago are still very instructive and resonate strongly today. These movements changed policies and laws and—just as importantly—hearts, minds, and attitudes toward individuals from marginalized communities, including those with disabilities. I recognize that the National Federation of the Blind has, over many decades, led the civil rights movement for individuals who are blind. We know from experience that we will not get progress without persistently demanding it. We know from our hearts that there is nothing about us without us. We know from research and practice that a key tenet of universal design—the importance of planning for the needs of the widest possible population from the start, rather than retrofitting—is the best way to ensure a maximally inclusive society. And we all know just from living our lives the fundamental importance of being able to adapt to changing circumstances. And, more broadly speaking, we know and appreciate the invaluable insights that come from lived experiences. This hard-earned wisdom is also reflected in the words and actions of the leaders who preceded us. Their guidance continues to illuminate important truths for us, helping us make sense of today as we endeavor to create a better tomorrow. I’ll share with you some examples:
The early leaders of the National Federation of the Blind, Dr. Jacobus tenBroek and Dr. Kenneth Jernigan, dared to be remarkable, disrupting the common notions of blindness. Today, the organized blind movement stands firm, and blind people rally to the words “We know who we are, and we will never go back! We are changing what it means to be blind!” Through self-advocacy and innovation, the organized blind community is driving the progress in education, rehabilitation, and legislation—assuring first-class citizenship, equal opportunity, and full integration in society.
In a speech nearly sixty years ago, Mary Switzer, the first director of the federal vocational rehabilitation system, said that we cannot accomplish our mission for individuals with disabilities “simply by doing more of the same, in the same way … it calls for the minds and the experience and the courageous determination of many people in many places, to produce and use the improvements we will need.” The NFB has been at the forefront of innovation in delivering successful programs and services in both the educational and rehabilitation realms.
More recently, Judy Heumann, in her autobiography, wrote, “Change never happens at the pace we think it should. It happens over years of people joining together, strategizing, sharing, and pulling all the levers they possibly can. Gradually, excruciatingly slowly, things start to happen, and then suddenly, seemingly out of the blue, something will tip.”
We must recalibrate our practices and mindsets to adapt to a changing world, and we must do it in partnership with, as Mary Switzer said, many people in many places. And we must do it together, in a coordinated and collaborative manner, with persistence and urgency because as Judy Heumann noted, change is hard and it typically takes time.
I believe that we are rather clear-eyed about our present. At RSA, our expectation is that our collective efforts will result in increased numbers of competitive integrated employment outcomes for those we serve. As many of you know, this represents a paradigm shift from years past. A big reason for that is the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which significantly raised expectations for employment of individuals with disabilities. No longer is just enough good enough. As a field, vocational rehabilitation is focused on maximizing quality services and employment. We don’t just want to go to school. We want credentials and degrees. We don’t just want jobs. We want careers. We don’t just want wages. We want competitive salaries. And we know that quality employment outcomes come through meaningful participant engagement, informed choice, investment in post-secondary training, access to assistive technology and critical support services, work-based learning experiences and apprenticeships, and substantive partnerships within the workforce development system.
With this knowledge in mind, I set out three priorities for RSA earlier this year: Build true partnerships with other federal agencies and stakeholders, including VR agencies and their coalitions, to promote earlier and deeper engagement and highlight best practices to achieve the best outcomes for individuals with disabilities; elevate community expectations for competitive integrated employment by showcasing success stories of individuals with disabilities; and encourage integration of assistive technology and artificial intelligence tools to fuel competitive integrated employment in the twenty-first century for individuals with disabilities. I am pleased to report that RSA is making substantial progress on all of these priorities.
We are proactively engaging with VR agencies on a weekly basis to gain insight into their successes, challenges, and goals for the future. The focus of this outreach is not to monitor agencies, but rather to let them know that we are partners in this work and will highlight their achievements and promote their best practices. On a related note, we are bright-spotting VR agencies’ success stories through our website and email listservs. Each month, we are amplifying the great outcomes our agencies and participants are achieving, whether it is working as an auditor for Dell or fulfilling a lifelong dream of opening a café. The stories are piling in, and we will share as many as we can.
This brings me to my last priority, which very purposefully is focused on the future. It is intended to be a catalyst for change—for new ways of thinking. As I mentioned earlier, it is about artificial intelligence. As President Biden has said, “Responsible AI use has the potential to help solve urgent challenges, while making our world more prosperous, productive, innovative, and secure.” I believe that, and I believe we can leverage AI to help improve VR services and outcomes. Some of us may be energized about working with artificial intelligence. However, for some of us, particularly the less technologically-gifted among us—and I consider myself a part of that group—AI may give us pause. It is something a bit foreign and decidedly out of our comfort zone. Please do not let that stop you. In fact, now is the time to lean in—to embrace the challenge and let it invigorate or re-invigorate your work. We can all contribute to improving access, advocacy, and employment in this new environment. To be sure, it is your experiences, your determination, your solution-oriented mindset, and your values that have driven progress in VR. We need those qualities now, and we need them more than ever to shape a better tomorrow for individuals with disabilities.
In a recent “dear colleague” letter released last month, RSA has identified three ways that AI has the potential to support individuals with disabilities in achieving competitive integrated employment and solve urgent challenges in the field. VR should prepare individuals with disabilities for careers in AI. VR must provide the services and supports necessary for individuals with disabilities to gain the technical skills to achieve CIE in AI-related careers, if that is the individual’s choice. VR can leverage AI to support CIE in any career field that an individual with disabilities chooses. AI has the potential to remove longstanding barriers to CIE by providing needed accommodations and support. For example, AI-backed software applications using speech synthesis and Braille, AI navigation for blind or visually impaired users, and reasonable accommodations that leverage AI are all now available. States may use AI to create efficiencies in the operation of VR programs. Examples of this are surfacing with increasing frequency. AI chatbot tools can help agencies improve customer service, AI algorithms can be leveraged to enhance assessment and planning services, and AI-powered smart technology can remotely deliver VR services in hard-to-reach areas.
From our vantage point at RSA, we are seeing increased interest and enthusiasm for AI-related work in VR. However, for all of this interest and enthusiasm, there are still lots of unknowns about AI, and if we are not vigilant, lots of potential pitfalls. We must give ourselves the time and the space to fully and deliberately consider how AI and other advanced technology can best support our goal—our expectation—of competitive integrated employment for all VR participants. And we know—right now, in the present—that there are more questions than answers around the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace. So therein lies the challenge: how do we answer those questions? How do we ensure artificial intelligence tools fuel competitive integrated employment in the twenty-first century for individuals with disabilities? How do we build for the future, with AI?
We do it together, in partnership. We do it by drawing upon our experiences, our values, and our determination. We do it before answers are handed to us by those who may not share our values, our lived experiences, or our vantage points. We do it by leaving behind the status quo and the idea of retrofitting, and by focusing on active, real-time participation in the development of the AI-influenced workplace. AI is still in the early stages of its impact on the American and global workplaces. Let’s make sure that we are not only at the table, but that our voices are heard loudly and clearly as new AI-driven technologies take shape. If we want to empower future generations of individuals with disabilities to be prosperous and productive, we must act swiftly and persistently. And to be clear: now is the time to do it.
The voice of individuals who are blind is incredibly important in general, and your voices need to be heard now, for a variety of reasons. Two come immediately to mind. Number one, innovation is part of the DNA of the NFB and the blind community, in general. It is difficult to name another population that has had to create solutions to make this world more accessible. Those skills and abilities are vitally important in this work. Number two, the sooner we get involved, the better our chances of mitigating and eliminating potential biases. Put another way, the sooner we get involved in this work, the more likely that AI tools and resources will be maximally inclusive in their scope.
If we do this right, AI can actually help us address longstanding biases. For example, we must recognize and support the certification of blind education and rehabilitation professionals in fields such as orientation and mobility, rejecting any notions that blind persons are incapable or unsafe instructors simply because they are blind. Better orientation and mobility tools, informed by AI, can help further this cause. So let us explore how AI may intersect with our current issues—around recruitment, retention and staffing challenges for teachers of the visually impaired and rehabilitation professionals; or enhancing the standing of strong blind professionals in the workplace, for example—and how it can potentially help us do our jobs more efficiently and effectively.
From a VR professional standpoint, I am hopeful that AI will allow us to focus on those core, fundamental aspects of our careers that drew us to the blindness field and to VR in the first place. I encourage you to find ways to ensure your voice is heard. You can always reach out to us. Our contact information is on our website, which is located at rsa.ed.gov.
To return to the words of Mary Switzer, let us harness “the minds and the experience and the courageous determination of many people in many places, to produce and use the improvements we will need.” Let us work together on the evolution of our principles, practices, and philosophy to push for excellence in vocational rehabilitation, and to meet the challenges of our incredibly important mission to empower this—and future—generations of individuals with disabilities.
I thank you for your time and attention today. It is certainly a privilege to speak with you.by Carlos R. Serván
From the Editor: Until recently, I had personally never heard the term “Pre-Employment Transition Services,” let alone its shorter form, “PRE-ETS.” Apparently, the concept as such is relatively new, although training centers affiliated with the National Federation of the Blind and some other rehabilitation programs have offered outstanding services to blind children and youth for many years. Other programs, however, continue to fall short in this critical area. My own experience, admittedly over thirty years ago, was that these services left a lot to be desired, so I ultimately continued my rehabilitation journey at the Louisiana Center for the Blind.
Carlos Serván is the Executive Director of the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, where he was the deputy director for services from 1998 until 2017. Before working in Nebraska, he coordinated transition from school to work programs in New Mexico where, according to his official biography, “he developed a model of training and work experience for blind youth, including those with multiple disabilities and minority backgrounds, based on a model of high expectations. The program he developed became nationally recognized as a model for other transition training programs across the country.” This is unsurprising given Carlos’s background; he came to the United States shortly after being blinded and losing his right hand in an explosion while training with the police force in his native Peru. Consequently, he found himself learning blindness skills at the same time he was learning the English language and navigating a new country and culture. To say that he successfully met the challenge is an understatement; Carlos holds both a master’s in public administration and a law degree and is a longtime Federation leader, having served as president of the student division and the Nebraska affiliate, among other roles. On the final day of the recent Dare to Be Remarkable Conference, he spoke about his belief that collaboration with the National Federation of the Blind and other blind-led entities is crucial to successful PRE-ETS. Here is what he had to say:
As I prepared for this presentation, I reflected on the name and meaning of our conference, “Dare to Be Remarkable.” It is more than just a title; it is more than just a buzzword. It is about striving for greatness, aiming to be extraordinary, and challenging ourselves to excel. It means embracing our uniqueness and going beyond the ordinary. It’s about having the courage to stand out and pursue excellence. Each of us has the potential to be remarkable. It begins with a mindset—a belief that we are capable of more than we think. It requires us to step out of our comfort zones, take risks, and push our boundaries. It’s about setting high standards for ourselves and not being afraid to fail, because every failure is a stepping stone to success. Remarkable people are not afraid to dream big and work hard to turn those dreams into reality. Being remarkable is not always easy, but it is always worth it.
Why do I start with these words? The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) mandates that at least 15 percent of basic support funds be expended on Pre-Employment Transition Services (PRE-ETS). Yet many state agencies are returning funds to the federal government because they don’t know how to utilize all of that 15 percent. They get stuck in red tape and fiscal obligations and become gatekeepers. While fulfilling these responsibilities is necessary, we must not allow them to paralyze us. Furthermore, in several cases, some states are allocating funds in areas that do not yield meaningful outcomes. We need to focus on having high expectations, challenge ourselves, and be innovative.
For decades, we have worked on transition services, investing time and resources into what we know is achievable. We uphold high expectations and determination, ensuring our students master non-visual skills and know how to deal with public misconceptions about the capability of blind individuals. It took several decades for the federal government to recognize that investing in youth is essential for successful rehabilitation. I recall being monitored in the early 2000s when the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) suggested we focus only on adults rather than providing services to those under eighteen. Today, the law requires us to allocate 15 percent of our budget to youth services.
While the law can influence behavior, it does not necessarily foster understanding. Many agencies allocate funds, but often to unproductive areas. To shift attitudes and raise expectations, we must first recognize that blind individuals can live full, productive lives when given proper training and opportunities.
It is highly fitting to mention Dr. Jernigan during a Structured Discovery conference, at the institute bearing his name, and especially on November 13, his birthday. Dr. Jernigan revolutionized the Iowa Department for the Blind, establishing the best services ever known in the nation. At a time when the rehabilitation system did not believe in the capabilities of blind individuals and most states considered them too severely handicapped to benefit from rehabilitation, Dr. Jernigan dared to challenge the system, dared to raise expectations, dared to invest in quality services, and dared to confront federal officials who prioritized fiscal responsibility over innovation.
In February 2024, RSA Commissioner Danté Allen wrote a letter of introduction to the rehabilitation community. Some highlights from his letter and his remarks from yesterday include:
Individuals with disabilities must experience equity in the workforce and every aspect of our society to take their rightful place as first-class citizens who lead purposeful lives. “Just enough is not enough.” If RSA programs do not add value to the lives of those we serve, we are wasting our time and resources. We must raise our expectations, leave behind the status quo, and deliver on our nation’s promise of economic security, equal opportunity, and independence for Americans with disabilities… If you have not done so already, I encourage you to take steps within your programs to revisit longstanding practices and implement strategies to maximize VR services, fully engage with individuals with disabilities, and advance high-quality competitive integrated employment.
In other words, Commissioner Allen urges us to rethink our methods and discover innovative ways to provide high-quality services for individuals who are blind. This includes helping them secure jobs on par with their sighted peers. He emphasizes the importance of engaging consumers—partnering with organizations of blind individuals—to foster new and creative ideas.
As society advances rapidly, we must prepare our students to succeed in various fields. PRE-ETS services are designed to equip blind students with the skills, knowledge, and confidence necessary for a smooth transition from school to the workforce. These services include a range of activities, featuring five required activities, four coordination activities, and nine authorized activities. The five required activities are job exploration counseling; work-based learning experiences; counseling on postsecondary education opportunities; workplace readiness training; and instruction in self-advocacy, including peer mentoring. These categories offer a framework for innovation and diversity in service delivery. Examples include job fairs, university tours, college workshops, résumé writing, drafting cover letters, mock job interviews, meeting blind role models, finding mentors, attending placement conferences, on-the-job experience and on-the-job training, participating in integrated summer work experiences, mobility training, social skills development, advocacy and self-esteem activities, networking with employers, training at orientation centers, technology training, and opportunities for integrated school or after-school activities. The National Student Seminar and Washington Seminar are particularly well-suited for many of these activities. Students have the chance to engage with blind mentors, learn about colleges and universities, practice social and mobility skills, network with peers from across the country, develop advocacy skills, and advocate for initiatives with US Congress members.
When contracting for these programs, it is crucial to collaborate with entities that believe in the capabilities of blind individuals—those who have high expectations and challenge us and our students. In Nebraska, we have partnered with organizations like the Jernigan Institute for our mentoring program for PRE-ETS consumers and job-hunting skills for center students; JB&K Services for summer work experience, including attendance to national convention, retreats for independent living and advocacy skills, and national college workshops including the Washington Seminar; Independence Science for STEM activities such as organ dissection, chemical experiments, and forensics; and Blind Savvy and Sky’s the Limit for networking skills development, employment conferences, college workshops, financial literacy, and events for blind seniors. These organizations, led by successful blind individuals, share a core belief that blind people can live full, productive lives and perform on par with their sighted peers when given proper training, encouragement, and opportunity.
Now, let’s discuss the importance of sending consumers and staff to state and national workshops and conventions organized by organizations of the blind. As directors or counselors, we often find ourselves buried under red tape, reports, and a number of administrative tasks, leaving us little time or energy for innovation. However, these opportunities are knocking on our doors, reaching out via email, or presenting themselves during conferences and networking events like this one. If we focus solely on what feels safe, we may inadvertently filter out valuable possibilities.
Some states hesitate to send staff and clients to national conventions, fearing RSA disapproval. However, in Nebraska, we have consistently sent staff and consumers to national conventions for over twenty-five years. Throughout this time, RSA has never questioned our decision, as long as we document how these experiences benefit our clients’ vocational goals. Like any other services, we simply need to document the benefits, emphasizing exposure to mentors, advocacy events, social skills training, mobility skills, job counseling, networking with professionals, and learning about new technology. Attending national conventions aligns perfectly with Informed Choice and the required PRE-ETS activities.
Initiatives by the National Federation of the Blind, such as science camps and leadership programs, provide substantial benefits that RSA and state auditors also recognize as valuable. They evaluate these experiences just as they would any other program and acknowledge the significant advantages they offer.
In addition to the five required activities, four PRE-ETS Coordination Activities help foster relationships between schools and businesses to support students. Collaborating with local educational agencies and American Job Centers is vital for creating work opportunities for students with disabilities. Furthermore, once a VR agency reserves sufficient funds for direct services to students, it may allocate any remaining funds for the nine authorized activities. However, the agency is not required to wait until all students have received direct services before spending on these activities.
The nine authorized areas broadly address activities that enhance support for PRE-ETS students in obtaining services. These activities can include financing agency staff and teachers of blind students to attend the same conferences we send our consumers to.
As we examine WIOA, the letter “I” stands for innovation, and the letter “O” stands for opportunity. Innovation is the driving force behind advancements that shape our world. It ignites new ideas, powers growth, and transforms challenges into opportunities. In every aspect of our lives—technology, health, employment, and rehabilitation—innovation plays a crucial role in creating a promising future.
The enemy of innovation is complacency. We risk becoming outdated and disconnected from the realities of those we serve. It is about improving what exists and finding better ways to meet their needs. Collaboration with consumer organizations enhances our ability to innovate. As Commissioner Allen reminded us yesterday, innovation is in the DNA of the National Federation of the Blind.
Opportunity represents the potential for growth, change, and success. It allows us to step out of our comfort zones and embrace the unknown. In the context of rehabilitation, this is our greatest opportunity to be innovative.
Opportunities often appear as challenges. As Thomas Edison said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Our ability to see potential where others see problems sets us apart.
Three weeks ago, during a national conference, Commissioner Allen reminded VR state administrators to be bold and invest in clients. Yesterday, he quoted Mary Switzer: “We cannot accomplish our mission for individuals with disabilities simply by doing more of the same in the same way. It calls for the minds, experience, and courageous determination of many people in many places to produce and utilize the improvements we will need.”
Several organizations who have high expectations are already focusing on developing innovative ideas and programs for the blind. We don’t need to “reinvent the wheel.” By collaborating, we can challenge and support one another, exposing our consumers to successful partnerships. In Nebraska, we actively seek diverse opportunities. If the NFB offers science training for youth, we send our students. The same applies to mentoring, advocacy, and employment programs.
Pre-employment services for blind students are not just about preparing them for employment, but for high-quality employment; they empower them to live fulfilling, independent lives. We need to reflect this belief through our policies, our training, our programs, and the risks we take. It is our collective responsibility to expose our students to high expectations—expectations drawn from the collective experience and wisdom of blind people. We need to be innovative, ensuring these services are accessible, timely, effective, and tailored to each student’s unique needs. We need a rehabilitation system that does not primarily see itself as a gatekeeper. While we must fulfill certain fiscal responsibilities, approaching rehabilitation solely from that perspective risks hindering our ability to be remarkable and help individuals reach their full potential. Such gatekeeping can lead to dysfunction. There are countless examples: if you’ve ever sought authorization from RSA or your state to implement a new idea, by the time you receive a decision, it may be too late, and the funds could be returned to the federal government after navigating unnecessary red tape.
In conclusion, good rehabilitation means consumers leave the system knowing they have received timely and valuable services that elevated their expectations. We need to provide innovative, high-quality services so blind youth will not just survive but thrive, not just get by but get ahead, and not just move forward but charge forward. As we look to the future, let us dare to be remarkable; let us embrace the spirit of innovation, nurture our curiosity, and work together in partnership with consumers to create new ideas and opportunities.
Moderator: Anil Lewis
From the Editor: The panel discussion that follows was moderated by Anil Lewis, Executive Director for Blindness Initiatives for the National Federation of the Blind. He was joined by Cassondra Williams-Stokes, President, National Council of State Agencies for the Blind (NCSAB); and Stephen Wooderson, Chief Executive Officer, Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR). Keep in mind that this was a free-flowing conversation that, were it transcribed verbatim, would probably do more to obscure than to clarify the issues and innovations described. We have therefore taken more liberty in editing than we normally would in transcripts of speeches. Those wishing to hear the original audio can find it by going to www.nfb.org/convention and then clicking on Past Conventions.
This is what President Riccobono said in introducing the panel:
This next topic is rehabilitation. This crowd provides a lot of expertise to the rehabilitation process, right? Yeah, we know a lot about it, because we live it every day, and in some states we have been successful in getting separate agencies for the blind, and those agencies come together under the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind that we have had the opportunity to work with in a number of ways. In other places within general agencies for the blind, it’s been harder, but we have found ways to raise expectations and create understanding about blindness. We talked in the Presidential Report about the work that we’re doing to build some training materials for affiliates related to agencies. Those agencies come together in this Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation.
Increasingly we are finding ways not just to advocate with agencies but to find ways to partner with them, to help them in their pursuit of quality outcomes by being the organization that provides them with that expertise through youth programming or transition youth programming or other things. Our organization brings that expertise. We thought it would be appropriate to invite both of the overarching organizations that bring agencies together to a conversation here at this convention, and here to introduce the panel and lead the conversation is our Director of Blindness Initiatives. Part of his background is in the Client Assistance Program, so he knows a lot about vocational rehabilitation. Here to introduce the panel is Anil Lewis!
[Applause]
ANIL: Good morning. Thank you, President Riccobono. During my report from the [Jernigan] Institute on the Blindness Initiative Programs, you saw we are putting a lot of emphasis on partnering with blindness professionals. One of the best ways to do that is to partner with organizations that help bring together blindness professionals.
So I’m very pleased that our panelists today accepted President Riccobono’s invitation to be with us at our convention, and I’m optimistic that we will continue to have ongoing discussions throughout the coming years to make sure we can improve the quality of rehabilitation services to blind and low-vision consumers across the country.
So I’m going to introduce our first panelist, Dr. Cassondra Williams-Stokes. I met her when I was serving as national representative for the Arkansas affiliate. We all know how some agencies come, and they have representation for just the thirty minutes they’re there to present. Cassondra was there the whole time. She’s been a really good, tremendous friend of ours already, and now in her capacity as director of services for the blind in Arkansas and recently elected as the president of the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind. Here, to introduce herself, is Dr. Cassondra Williams-Stokes.
CASSONDRA: Thank you, Anil, for that, and thank you, President Riccobono, for the invitation to NCSAB. I’m honored to be here to speak on behalf of NCSAB and the state of Arkansas, as well as all the directors of blind agencies today. I really appreciate the opportunity to engage in our partnership. This is probably my eighth convention I have attended. [Applause]
I’ve been with the state of Arkansas Services for the Blind about fifteen years. I served as director for six of those, so I’m really honored to be here and thankful for the opportunity.
ANIL: Tell us a little about NCSAB.
CASSONDRA: Yes, thank you. Our primary goal is to promote and advocate for individuals who are blind or visually impaired. We do not lobby. I just want to go on record to say that.
ANIL: That’s okay; we’ll continue to advocate in Congress.
CASSONDRA: Our purpose is to educate and promote advocacy. I am one who really believes in independence. All my life I have lived with a disability. I am hearing impaired, so these acoustics are really killing me right now. Just bear with me.
ANIL: You’re doing fine.
CASSONDRA: We just want to make sure that independence is absolutely a priority for all of our consumers who are reaching and striving for that goal, and our role is to make sure that we are there to support them. This is not just for Arkansas for sure; it’s nationwide, so we are available. If there is anything that we can do right now, my platform is just to make sure that the partnerships are strong and making sure that our legislators are aware of our needs. Because there are so many. I know we’re going to get into that, so that is the primary reason for NCSAB to provide that support.
ANIL: Thank you very much. I just wanted to introduce our second panelist and then we’re going to engage in a little conversation. I’m very pleased to have Stephen Wooderson with the Council of State Administrators for Vocational Rehabilitation. Just to make it clear, not every state, as President Riccobono said, has a direct agency serving blind people. There are general agencies to serve VR, and they are responsible for serving blind consumers in the whole area of disability. But the thing I love about Stephen is that he has been a longtime partner. Back when I used to work on the Advocacy and Policy side of the shop under John Paré’s leadership, serving in the capacity for the education of Congress that Cassondra was begging out of, Stephen was right there with us on the issues around subminimum wage, Section 511, etc. Again, please, Stephen, glad you were able to accept our invitation. Please take a little bit of time to introduce yourself and tell us about CSAVR.
STEPHEN: Well, thank you, Anil. I’m a newcomer. This is my first time, and I am absolutely impressed. [Applause]) Thank you, Anil, for the invitation. President Mark, thank you for the coffee this morning and the conversation. It was good to get to know you a little bit more.
I am the chief executive officer for the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation. We’re the sister agency to NCSAB. I’ll try not to use a lot of initials today, but we’ll probably get into that pretty quickly.
We have seven full-time staff that work across the country. We all work remotely. But the bottom line is I work for Cassondra; I work for the other seventy-seven state vocational rehabilitation agency directors. I think a couple have been in the room maybe today or over the last few days: Robert Doyle from Florida is our treasurer. Cassondra sits on our executive committee, so we’re very well represented by agencies for the blind. As Anil mentioned, CSAVR is the broad organization that represents all state vocational rehabilitation agencies, all seventy-eight of them. Twenty-two specifically serve folks who are blind, another twenty-two serve others than those who are blind, and then the balance are combined, so it’s all job seekers with disabilities seeking VR services in those state agencies.
I am proud to be able to say, Anil, I am a lobbyist. I can lobby. That’s a part of our organizational structure, so it was a great opportunity and continues to be a great opportunity to partner with you all.
Personally, I have been in the business, as we sometimes say back home, since Pluto was a pup. I began as a counselor in Rolla, Missouri. I’ve got some Missouri folks back there—good old folks—good to see you. I was there twenty years, and then I went to the great state of Iowa, my second home, where I ended up being state director. I live in Minnesota now. I’ve got the middle of the room out there represented, and it’s good to be able to reconnect with good friends like Jim Marks. I saw him this morning and of course he is from Montana. Thank you for all the work that you guys are doing. That’s who I am and where I come from and a little bit about CSAVR.
ANIL: Thank you for sharing. I love the way you’re trying to win the crowd. So establishing this relationship, let’s start with perspective, and we’ll probably go pretty quickly because I have more intense questions. Can you both share your perception of the National Federation of the Blind, and let us know what you feel our role is in the rehabilitation process?
CASSONDRA: Absolutely. I’ll tell you. Just so you know, I’m neutral. I attend all the Arkansas Council of the Blind meetings as well. That’s why I didn’t show up the other years; I was at the American Council of the Blind conference. I will tell you my experience with NFB really has been just looking at strong advocacy in education and accountability. I don’t necessarily need NFB Arkansas to keep me accountable, but they do. I can tell you that. I know they’re over there listening.
But over the years, NFB really has been a partner for us at the state level for sure. I know that at the national level, NFB executive leadership has shown up for those meetings in Arkansas, and I know that they really believe in advocacy, making sure that every consumer has an opportunity to be independent.
So for me, I think that has really helped me understand more about what my role is. I just want to add that one of the great opportunities that I have had in Arkansas is that, because we are an independent commission, this means that our agency is managed and operated by a board. That autonomy has been very important. The voice of consumers, blind or visually impaired consumers, actually runs our agency. Everything that we do is on behalf of the individuals that we serve.
I just want to say that I think that NFB represents you well, making sure that any challenge that is put before our consumers is addressed. That is what I have seen. I know that the partnership and being able to refer individuals to NFB, whether in Arkansas or at the national level, has served our consumers well and has helped to remove many barriers. So I want to thank you and Arkansas NFB for making sure that we are able to move forward with any challenges presented to us.
ANIL: We definitely wear those hats proudly. How about you, Stephen?
STEPHEN: Honestly, Anil, for my first twenty plus years, my association with NFB was somewhat secondhand. It was through representatives on the State Rehab Council, and the state Independent Living Councils, that I became acquainted with the power of NFB. At that point, frankly, I didn’t fully appreciate it until I met you and John Paré, and we began working together on the Hill, as you mentioned, and recognized the power of the voice of NFB. Working thirty years in a general agency, then coming to the national level helped me in understanding the power of the voice of your organization. I think it’s important for me to say, as one who doesn’t work daily in the blind community, that NFB is really a good representative of the observation that “A rising tide floats all boats.” What you do for the blind community is good for all. And that is the power of NFB.
ANIL: We’re proud of that.
STEPHEN: I really have learned that, Anil, and I appreciate so much what you all do. That’s my take.
ANIL: Thank you.
So let’s get right to the big elephant in the room. A lot of our members have expressed some concerns, and we know that within the agencies that the Pre-Employment Transition Services (PRE-ETS) as implemented through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) has really had a rocky start. Maybe some things are smoothing out, but we're just curious to know what you are encouraging your membership agencies to do to address Pre-Employment Transition Services for blind and low-vision youth.
CASSONDRA: Well, the first thing: You know that in 2014, we all encountered the WIOA, and that put us in a position where we had to reeducate ourselves about what was important. Absolutely, the Pre-Employment Transition Services funding is very important to all of our states. I know with NCSAB, that we are making sure that all of our states understand the importance of reaching out to our Technical Assistance Centers to ensure that they understand how to implement the pre-employment program. Right now we are looking at states that are turning money back because they can't spend it. I don't like that. I know in Arkansas we are able to spend our funding, and I think that part of the issue is there are restrictions where states aren't able to implement the program.
I know several of the directors around the country bring students here to NFB. I'll tell you that, as a result of my experience on my first trip here to NFB years ago, I was a little intimidated. I ran into a group of students who were really outspoken, active, and I had never seen anything like it. I was just so impressed. I really was. With that, I know the importance of teaching our young people the importance of advocacy and their advocating for themselves, and how essential it is that they be advocating for what they want in life. I know that is really important.
The other thing that we are looking at is making sure our states understand about fiscal forecasting and what that is. It is making sure that you have a plan in place to implement the pre-employment program, making sure that you understand how you are going to spend those dollars so that you don't have to turn those back to the Rehabilitation Services Administration.
Those are two of our concerns for NCSAB, and making sure that we continue to receive those dollars to support our young people.
ANIL: Thank you. [Applause] Stephen.
STEPHEN: I agree with Cassondra and that problems in smoothly implementing the Pre-Employment Transition Program came from not fully understanding what states could and could not do under WIOA. I hope that through the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition and the collaborative of nearly forty-five agencies, some of this will be clarified, and states can proceed to offer quality programs with the knowledge that they are complying with the law. They are sharing good examples of things that are happening and ways to increase the numbers of students and youth who are blind. I might mention that PRE-ETS numbers are improving. We're engaging more students and youth. We are having more services provided and more outcomes. At the same time, numbers don't tell the whole story.
I also want to mention that another model that I would encourage us to consider is kind of a regional approach. The states of Kentucky, Minnesota, Michigan, and Delaware—I understand they are working across state lines, virtually bringing blind students and youth together to have experiential kinds of events online to build that sense of community and capacity building as well.
The last thing that I want to mention to respond to Anil is our concern about community providers having the expertise to meet the needs of our PRE-ETS programs. I know that it impacts all across the board. I suspect there is even greater impact in the blind community as well. Our goal is really stepping up our efforts to identify those competencies, those skills that are needed to be able to deliver these services for those in our pre-employment programs. We’d like to see or develop a training module to help in this.
ANIL: Excellent, and hopefully we can expand on our partnership, because at this convention we have eleven students from Mississippi who are pre-employment transitioning students, and I think Nebraska has fifteen students here. We can continue to build on that because this is not just a one off. When the students get here, they get ongoing support, develop peer relationships, etc. Because one of our biggest problems is that many of the agencies are interpreting PRE-ETS as one offs: like, well, you have had your module on self-advocacy. And that's just not the way it works; we have to continue to involve ourselves in their lives and continue to have them involved. Thank you for what you are doing, and hopefully we can build on that.
One of the other concerns that our members have expressed is that, in the effort of many of the agencies to focus on employment—and we recognize that's the mandate—but we as the National Federation of the Blind also recognize that actual acquisition and mastery of the alternative skills of blindness are important. That's Braille, access technology, independent travel, but it also includes activities of daily living, you know, being able to manage a household, cook and clean for yourselves, but many members find it much more difficult to get support from the agencies for those particular services in order to be the well-rounded individuals they need to be to seek competitive integrated employment. I'm just curious as to whether you recognize that as a problem and what you have done to brainstorm a strategy?
CASSONDRA: Well, one thing is I think that we need to make sure that agencies are educated about how to use the VR process. If there is a consumer who actually needs a particular ADL (activity of daily living) skill, that needs to be shared with their counselor. That's one thing we want to make sure we are doing is getting the message out to all of our membership and all directors in all the states: make sure you understand and know how to use the VR process. If ADL is part of meeting an employment goal, it should not be any different from any other type of resource that you would need to get to your goal.
For OIB (Older Individuals Who Are Blind), I know that we are really working hard. Part of the problem with the Older Individuals Who Are Blind Program, for that matter, is that we don't have enough funding. I know that this has been true for many years. In 2023, Carlos Serván from Nebraska, our former president, wrote a letter to our House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees for additional funding for the OIB program and VR. Just this year, I did the same. So, we are really looking at how we can increase the funding for these programs that are serving our consumers. Right now, the current funding level for the Older Individuals Who Are Blind Program is $33 million. Now that sounds like a lot, but many of these states who can receive these funds are getting less than $300,000, and Arkansas is one of those. It's been a challenge, but we do everything we can to make sure that our membership understands.
At our spring and fall conferences, we try to have workshops that are one, appropriate; and two, relevant. I think that's key. I know it's key, because a lot of issues are coming forward. I have learned how to utilize the resources by using the Technical Assistance Centers, and we don't turn money back. We spend all of our money for Pre-Employment Transition Services and for VR. That is because I and the staff who work with me have learned how to use the process of making sure that we are maximizing every dollar that we can for our consumers.
I think that we can continue the conversation to make sure that we understand how important the resources that need to be available to our consumers truly are and that they are there. That's one message that we're trying to get out.
ANIL: Great. Thank you. [Applause]
ANIL: Stephen.
STEPHEN: Before I speak to that, I want to acknowledge that I didn't see Carlos over there earlier. He's another one of my bosses. Carlos, thank you very much. I would hate to walk out of here and then there be an important vote along the way, and you voted against me because I didn't call your name out. And then you mentioned Mississippi—Dorothy Young—and I know her coming into her role with NCSAB is important as well.
On this particular question, I think that Cassondra probably has a much deeper appreciation for the community and the challenges there. Maybe I will take a little different view or angle on it and speak to the issue of CIE (Competitive Integrated Employment), and the fact that a lot of this rests, I think, in our proper movement to the vocational rehabilitation program being responsible for services that lead to competitive integrated employment outcomes. In my observation, across the country you see more and more community providers moving in that direction. It's hard to believe, but perhaps the legislation may have moved so fast that other services that needed to fill this void have not completely matured. That is a bit of my view of the world.
To get to the question, the need for ADL and other basic skills need to be there before we can get to getting people into competitive integrated employment, and our state agencies need to see this as a strategy that is essential to employment. Maybe agencies for the blind can help educate our other agencies more in understanding that there is a need for these services.
ANIL: Nice. We'll start doing a better job of making sure we encourage and empower our members to do exactly that. Thank you for that advice. I just got updates saying we also have PRE-ETS students from Washington and from Texas. Cassondra, you already addressed the older blind question I was going to ask. I just wanted to see if Stephen had anything to add around older blind services.
CASSONDRA: The one thing I'm going to say is that I did want to talk about partnerships. That's one of the reasons I know I'm here today to represent NCSAB. We are looking to increase our partnerships: one, because it makes sense. There are so many states that are challenged with the lack of funding or resources. It makes sense to partner with organizations who are doing the same things or have a similar goal, even when we don't always agree on each and every point. It makes sense for us to partner so that our dollars will go further to serve consumers.
And two, the other thing I want to mention is that the Older Individuals Who Are Blind Program funds that are channeled into the states sometimes are the only source of funding for services for independent living. That's huge. In Arkansas we are a retirement state. I'm sure Florida is. We have an overwhelming number of individuals who are fifty-five and older who are experiencing vision loss or some type of blindness issues. It is important for us to look at our partnership opportunities to make sure that, if we can't provide a service due to the lack of funding, we can make a referral to a partner who is at the table and who does have those resources.
STEPHEN: Again, you have the inside track on OIB. Generally speaking, it's a tough market right now, a very tough market. That partnership Cassondra is speaking to is so critical in our lobbying or educating with members of Congress. I do want to give NFB a shout out when it comes to partnering. Recently I had a conversation with the AbilityOne Center provider, SourceAmerica, and I appreciate how NFB and SourceAmerica have worked together in advocating for legislation. Quite honestly, I'm not going to speak for you all, but I think this is a newer relationship and partnership that is having great impact, seeing two major voices come together. CSAVR is pleased to be part of that.
ANIL: And the Federation stands ready to help advocate for more money for older blind services. That's another way to enhance our partnership moving forward.
I want to take the last few minutes to talk about the future. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act is going to be up for reauthorization soon. I don't know whether you guys have heard anything on the Hill as to when, but we should start strategizing now on how we can work together to make sure we address the problems that exist and put pieces in place that are more forward thinking to innovate the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
CASSONDRA: NCSAB does not have a paid executive director, so all of our services and relationship are all from volunteers. [Applause]
ANIL: We recognize the power of volunteering here in the Federation.
CASSONDRA: To me that really speaks to the people who, over the years, have addressed the challenges and who stand ready to address them today. We are working toward getting a full-time executive director, so hopefully in the near future we will be able to do that.
But as we consider the reauthorization of WIOA, NCSAB hopes we will consider clarifying outstanding issues that make it difficult for agency administrators. One issue has to do with competitive integrated employment. Some agencies place consumers in work settings in which the Rehabilitation Services Administration lets the agency take credit for a placement while other such placements that seem similar are not allowed. Then we have the issue of subminimum wages. Some agencies are in states where this is accepted, and they make the placements while others cannot. Again, what we need in the reauthorization is clarification so administrators know what we can and cannot do, and this clarity is what NCSAB hopes will come out of the reauthorization.
One thing that is certain and unambiguous is that at NCSAB we really look at pre-employment; it's high on our list, because our young people are the future. They're the present as well. We need to be training them now if they are going to be in position to be leading NFB one day.
ANIL: We're always looking for new leaders.
CASSONDRA: We need to address the restrictions some states are under, with the goal of helping them provide the best service possible with the money that is available.
I didn't mention the Randolph-Sheppard Act. That is a huge issue I am working on this year with our executive committee, to look at how we can educate our states and let the elected committees and the state licensing agencies know more about Randolph-Sheppard and get more funding if we can. We are trying to partner with George Washington University to gather more support and training.
ANIL: All key points we're interested in working with you on. Stephen, bring it home.
STEPHEN: CSAVR is very pleased to be able to support NCSAB on the Randolph-Sheppard advocacy effort. We have a director of legislative affairs, Tonia Ferguson, working very closely with Catriona Macdonald, who is helping with advocacy in that arena as well. We don't have that expertise, so we provide some financial resources to be able to expand that capacity with those that do have the expertise.
Specific to WIOA, of course, there are two bills on the floor right now. They do not address specifically the Rehabilitation Act Title IV of WIOA, but there are provisions in the bills that could impact the VR program and the WIOA. No language requires that state agency directors, blind or general agency, serve on the state workforce board. We think that's wrong. We think that, in order for us to be well represented, the state director must be appointed to that state workforce board. That is how we get full representation. [Applause]
ANIL: And I know that we have a history of working well together on the Hill, and we are looking forward to doing that and moving forward. Someone is asking if there is going to be a Q&A opportunity; unfortunately not. What I encourage people to do who have questions is reach out to me or John Paré because we will be continuing this dialogue with both of these stellar individuals. Again, thank you guys for attending and presenting.
Attending my first National Convention in Orlando, Florida, I was overwhelmed by not only the resources, mentorship, and national community of students, but the love that filled every corner of the organization. The National Federation of the Blind gave me the world. - Trisha
Blind children, students, and adults are making powerful strides in education and leadership every day across the United States, but we need to continue helping students like Trisha. For more than eighty years, the National Federation of the Blind has worked to transform the dreams of hundreds of thousands of blind people into reality. With support from individuals like you, we can continue to provide powerful programs and critical resources now and for decades to come. We hope you will plan to be a part of our enduring movement by including the National Federation of the Blind in your charitable giving and in your estate planning. It is easier than you think.
With your help, the NFB will continue to:
Below are just a few of the many tax-deductible ways you can show your support of the National Federation of the Blind.
By visiting the menu, choosing Donate, and selecting the National Federation of the Blind, you commit to giving to the National Federation of the Blind with each ride.
We accept 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. We can also answer any questions you have.
General donations help support the ongoing programs of the NFB and the work to help blind people live the lives they want. You can call 410-659-9314, extension 2430, to give by phone. Give online with a credit card or through the mail with check or money order. Visit our online contribution page at: https://nfb.org/donate.
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 withdrawal of funds from a checking account or a charge to a credit card. To enroll, call 877-NFB-2PAC, or fill out our PAC Donation Form https://www.nfb.org/pac.
The National Federation of the Blind legacy society, our Dream Makers Circle, honors and recognizes the generosity and imagination of members and special friends who have chosen to leave a legacy through a will or other planned giving option. You can join the Dream Makers Circle in a myriad of ways.
You can specify that a percentage or a fixed sum of your assets or property goes to the National Federation of the Blind in your will, trust, pension, IRA, life insurance policy, brokerage account, or other accounts.
You can name the National Federation of the Blind as the beneficiary on a Payable on Death (POD) account through your bank. You can turn any checking or savings account into a POD account. This is one of the simplest ways to leave a legacy. The account is totally in your control during your lifetime and you can change the beneficiary or percentage at any time with ease.
If you do decide to create or revise your will, consider the National Federation of the Blind as a partial beneficiary.
Visit our Planned Giving webpage (https://www.nfb.org/get-involved/ways-give/planned-giving) or call 410-659-9314, extension 2422, for more information.
In 2023 our supporters helped the NFB:
Just imagine what we will do this year and, with your help, what can be accomplished for years to come. Together with love, hope, determination, and your support, we will continue to transform dreams into reality.
by Cayte Mendez
From the Editor: Cayte Mendez chairs the National Federation of the Blind Scholarship Committee. She is a full-time elementary school teacher in the New York City public schools and serves as president of the National Organization of Blind Educators as well as second vice president of the NFB of New York. Here is what she has to say about the benefits not only of receiving an NFB scholarship, but of the application process itself:
In July of 2001, I was privileged to be one among a group of thirty winners who received National Federation of the Blind scholarships at our annual convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I had just graduated high school and at the time had absolutely no concept of how that experience would direct the course of my professional and personal life. For the past eight years, I have served as chair of the NFB Scholarship Committee. When I look back on my own experience as a scholarship winner, I can’t help but reflect on how the most significant part of that experience had nothing to do with the scholarship check I received.
The rewards of the scholarship experience begin, believe it or not, with the application process. Each year at our national convention, the banquet closes with a ceremony during which thirty blind students from across the fifty states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico are awarded $8,000 in recognition of their academic aptitude and demonstrated leadership qualities. While the attention and admiration of the Federation focuses on these deserving individuals, it is worth mentioning that beyond these thirty winners are several hundred applicants who may not have come away with a check, but who have participated in an experience that has the potential to help them grow personally and professionally.
Each year, the NFB Scholarship Program receives many times the number of applications than we have scholarships to award. As a result, many winners have applied more than once before being selected. Through the years, as these students, undaunted, continue to submit their evolving applications, the members of the Scholarship Committee have the privilege to observe them grow and develop as scholars, as leaders, and as individuals. Some of this growth comes from the dedication and perseverance required to complete the scholarship process and the accompanying interview with an NFB affiliate president. Our youngest applicants gain experience through this process that can be applied to their college and career advancement as they take on the responsibility of gathering and submitting all the required application components. Our more experienced applicants gain the opportunity to reflect on their own sense of themselves as blind people and their impact on the world as they complete the essay and the president’s interview.
One of the most important goals of our national scholarship program is to find, recruit, and encourage new members. As our state scholarship chairs reach out to students in their states and our affiliate presidents conduct their individual interviews, hundreds of potential new leaders and members of our Federation have the chance to get to know us for the first time each year. Even before the Scholarship Committee meets, these applicants have an opportunity to receive the gift of the Federation, a gift that will last far longer than scholarship dollars. For those applicants who are already familiar with and involved in the Federation, the scholarship application process provides an excellent opportunity to deepen existing relationships with state presidents, as well as to take stock of their personal leadership experiences and the ways they give back to the organization.
For the thirty finalists that the Scholarship Committee selects annually, the announcement of the prizes on banquet night is only one facet of the award. During the NFB’s National Convention, which all finalists are required to attend in full, scholarship finalists can network with other blind students, exchange information and ideas, and meet and talk with hundreds of blind people who are successfully employed in many occupations and professions. Our past winners often comment that the money was quickly spent, but the contacts they made and the information they gathered at the convention have continued to make their lives richer than they ever imagined.
There is no monetary value that can be assigned to the friendships that develop among the members of a scholarship class as they support one another during an action-packed week of getting to know the Federation and sharing their own accomplishments and goals with us. Likewise, there is not a financial equivalent to the unprecedented access our finalists gain every year to the outstanding leaders who serve as members of the Scholarship Committee. Through discussions with these successful blind mentors, scholarship winners have an unequaled opportunity to get to know our organization’s leaders by asking questions and discussing their own ideas and opinions. They also have the chance to make all our Federation experiences richer as they share their own diverse experiences and perspectives with us during the Board of Directors meeting and at student division events.
When the gavel drops each year and the convention draws to a close, the rewards of the scholarship program do not come to an end. Our winners continue to deepen their connections and maintain their collaboration with one another as they pursue their various academic degrees and professional goals. They continue to build relationships with the Federation through involvement with their state affiliates, strengthening and evolving the foundations laid during those initial applicant interviews and enriched during the week of the convention. Our winners develop and strengthen professional networks with other blind people in their chosen fields and with members who share in their intersectional identities through the work of our divisions and groups. They serve on division boards or committees; take on the work of the Federation in their affiliates; and carry what they have learned about the capacity of the blind into their schools, communities, and families. The scholarship checks are mailed and cashed in August, but the rewards of being an NFB scholarship recipient last for a lifetime.
Twenty years ago, when I won my NFB national scholarship, I had previously had no direct exposure to the Federation. I expected to “take the money and run” and did not go into the process with the hope of receiving anything more than some financial aid. Through the application process, I came to know my state affiliate president, who took the trouble then and in subsequent years to encourage my involvement in Federation work and to engage me in discussions and debates that broadened my understanding of myself as a blind person and my role in the NFB community. During the week of being a scholarship finalist, I laid the groundwork for friendships and relationships with my classmates that I still maintain today. Many of these people have since taken on leadership roles in the Federation across the country. I now serve as second vice president of the New York State affiliate of the NFB, president of the National Organization of Blind Educators, and as scholarship chair, and it all started with an NFB scholarship.
It is my sincere wish that as many blind students as possible take the opportunity to engage in the scholarship process each year, as each step along the scholarship pathway brings with it tangible rewards, most of which will far exceed and outlast the financial benefits of a scholarship check. The 2025 application deadline is March 31. If you are a legally blind student, will be enrolled full-time in a US degree program in the fall of 2025, and are able to attend the Annual Convention of the National Federation of the Blind from July 8-13 in New Orleans, Louisiana, I hope that you will grasp the same opportunity that I did twenty years ago and apply for one of the National Federation of the Blind scholarships.
This year, the committee is excited to announce a small but impactful change to the NFB scholarship eligibility requirements. Traditionally, each year one of our scholarships has been made available to an otherwise qualified applicant who is attending school part-time and simultaneously working full-time. Beginning this year, the National Federation of the Blind may award up to five scholarships annually to applicants enrolled part-time who meet all other eligibility requirements. We recognize that employment, family caregiving, or ongoing medical care concurrent with post-secondary enrollment can contribute to the need for students to carry a part-time courseload. Our application has been revised to allow students who will be enrolled part-time in the fall to share additional information with the committee.
The application window closes at midnight EST on March 31, 2025. Go to www.nfb.org/scholarships. To apply, do the following: read the rules and the submission checklist, complete the official 2025 scholarship application form, supply all required documents, and request and complete an interview with an NFB affiliate president.
Remember, the only way to win is to apply! The benefits of engaging in the process will be yours for a lifetime.by Carla McQuillan
From the Editor: Carla McQuillan chairs the board of directors of the Minnesota Center for the Blind (formerly BLIND Inc.) and is the owner and executive director of Main Street Montessori Association, operating two Montessori schools. She is the chairperson of the Distinguished Educator of Blind Students Award Committee, and she has written this announcement seeking applications for the 2025 award:
The National Federation of the Blind will recognize an outstanding teacher of blind students at our 2025 National Convention, taking place in New Orleans, Louisiana, from July 8 through July 13, 2025. The winner of this award will receive the following:
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 2025 National Convention of the National Federation of the Blind in New Orleans, Louisiana, 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, 2025.
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. Direct questions to Carla McQuillan at 541-915-0896, or by email at [email protected].
Deadline: May 1, 2025
Name: _______________________________________________________
Home Address: _________________________________________________
City, State, Zip: _________________________________________________
Phone: (H) ____________________ (W) ____________________________
Email: ______________________________________________________
School/Program: ______________________________________________________
Address: _____________________________________________________
City, State, Zip: _________________________________________________
Please list any awards or commendations the applicant has 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, 2025, to Carla McQuillan, chairperson, Teacher Award Committee, at:
Carla McQuillan
2378 11th Street
Florence, OR 97439
Phone: 541-915-0896
by Robin House
From the Editor: Robin House has many initials after her name for her educational credentials: MEd, LPC, RPT. In other words, she holds a Master of Education, is a Licensed Professional Counselor, and a Registered Play Therapist. Selected as our Blind Educator of the Year in 2018, Robin now chairs the NFB’s 2025 Blind Educator of the Year Award Selection Committee. What is harder to convey is that, beyond the tremendous admiration we have for her accomplishments, the thing that makes us blessed is that Robin is Robin and that she chooses to be an active part of us. 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 educators’ 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 effect 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, 2025, to be considered for this year’s award. For further information contact Robin House at 314-265-6852, or [email protected].
Kane Brolin, the treasurer of the National Federation of the Blind of Indiana, submitted the following announcement:
The most recent biannual election to the Board of Directors of the National Federation of the Blind of Indiana was held on Saturday, October 5, 2024, as part of the Indiana affiliate's state convention, which was held that weekend at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Indianapolis North. The NFB Indiana Board now is composed of the following members: Diane Graves, president; Lee Martin, first vice president; Ray Montgomery, second vice president; Abby Fleenor, secretary; Kane Brolin, treasurer; Daniel Belding, board member; Tammy Hollingsworth, board member; Dr. Evette Simmons-Reed, board member; and Tyler Sherck, board member.
Lesley Landry, secretary of the Greater Portland Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Maine, submitted the following announcement:
On January 2, 2025, the Greater Portland Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Maine held its elections, and the results are as follows: Sarah Bellavance, president; Gerard Landry, vice president; Randy Bellavance, treasurer; Lesley Landry, secretary; Frances Bergeron, trustee 1; and John Lee, trustee 2.
When: Friday, March 7 – Sunday, March 9, 2025
Where: Holiday Inn Chicago O'Hare, 5615 North Cumberland Avenue, Chicago, IL 60631
Join us for the National Federation of the Blind Midwest Student Seminar, hosted by the National Association of Blind Students. This year’s theme, “Beyond the Handshake: Networking in the Windy City,” focuses on career exploration and planning, offering practical insights and strategies to help you thrive. Together, we will dive into how to forge meaningful connections, open new doors, and envision possibilities beyond the expected.
Get ready for a mix of interactive activities, thought-provoking conversations, and exciting presentations that will provide essential tools and encouragement for tackling obstacles on your journey. Reserve your spot and pay the $100 registration fee using the form located at https://nabslink.org/civicrm/event/info?id=5&reset=1 by February 14, 2025. Reserve your room at the Holiday Inn Chicago O’Hare for $119 plus taxes/fees per night by calling 800-465-4329 and using the group code National Federation of the Blind Student or visiting www.hiohare.com and typing in the group code: NFB. The hotel block deadline is February 8, 2025. Please direct all questions to Joshua Olukanni at 678-313-1543 or [email protected].
by Debbie Wunder
From the Editor: Debbie Wunder is president of the Diabetes Action Network and is married to Gary Wunder, the immediate past editor of this publication. She shared the following announcement:
The Diabetes Action Network of the National Federation of the Blind will be holding its second annual Knowledge Is Sweet seminar on Friday, May 16, and Saturday, May 17, 2025. It will be held at the NFB Jernigan Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. Not only do we want you to come, but we want you to help us figure out agenda topics and who might present them. If you have contacts with professionals in the field, we would like to talk about having them come and using your influence to get them there. For more information about the seminar, you may write me at [email protected] or call 573-268-6989.
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.
With hundreds of thousands of audio and Braille books and magazines available from the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS), for some patrons it’s hard to know where to start when searching. Collections Connections, a free email newsletter from the NLS Collection Development staff, can help! Each month it highlights fiction and nonfiction titles focused on a timely theme. To sign up, send your name and email address to the Collections Connections team at [email protected].
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