_______________________________________________________________________________
Vol. 68, No. 5 May 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
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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.
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Vol. 68, No. 5 May 2025
Convention Bulletin 2025
New on the Agenda: The United States Access Board will be at National Convention
From Fear to Empowerment: Moms' Stories of Raising Blind Children
by Z'Leah N. Liburd
Crossing the Bay Bridge
by Cassie McKinney
A Mother of Faith and Strength: Interview with Mississippi's Linda Lankston Clay
by LaShawna Fant
Beyond the Chatbot: Innovations in the Fast-Changing World of AI
by Jonathan Mosen
Plan for the Future
Blindness in Current Political Discourse: Stemming a Toxic Tide
by Chris Danielsen
From the President's Desk
National Federation of the Blind and Blind Students Sue West Virginia University for Discrimination
Resolution Reminders
by Donald Porterfield
Lawsuit Alleges that New York Courts Systemically Discriminate Against Blind Jurors in Grand Jury System
Disability Advocates Sue Social Security Administration and DOGE to Stop Unlawful Cuts to Social Security Services
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 .
The following are important dates to know as you prepare to attend convention.
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 March 1. 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.
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.
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.
Thank you to the hundreds of volunteers who help make national convention a big success. Please consider signing up to be a Convention Ambassador to assist in making the national convention a welcoming and empowering experience for all our attendees or for the Independence Market to serve as a demonstrator, storekeeper, pay-station representative, or line marshal during the days the market is open in the Exhibit Hall.
More details on shifts, schedules, and signups will be available soon. Register early to get access to all volunteer opportunities.
The United States Access Board will hold a public town hall meeting on Wednesday, July 9 from 9:00 – 11:30 a.m. (CT) at the New Orleans Marriott Hotel, 555 Canal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana. Presidentially appointed Access Board members and representatives from other federal member agencies will be present to hear from the local community about the state of accessibility in Louisiana. Representatives from the Office of Governor Jeff Landry and the City of New Orleans will also be present.
Following the public comment period, members of the public will be able to meet and speak with presidentially appointed board members and representatives from other federal agencies.
The town hall meeting is open to all members of the public. Please register for in-person attendance by July 2, 2025. To register, send an email to [email protected] with your name and organization (if applicable). The Access Board invites in-person comments on accessibility. Registrants who wish to make in-person comments must indicate their request to speak when emailing [email protected]. Public commenters will be allotted two minutes to make their comments. Please note that participation in this event is only available to in-person attendees, but the full town hall will be livestreamed to the Access Board’s YouTube channel.
American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters and Communication Access Realtime Transcription (CART) services will be provided. The Access Board has a fragrance-free environment policy and requests that all attendees refrain from wearing perfume, cologne, and other fragrances and use unscented personal care products. Requests for other reasonable accommodations must be submitted by June 25, 2025, to Rose Marie Bunales at [email protected].
Each year, the Access Board visits a city outside of Washington, DC, to learn about the state of accessibility around the country. During the week of July 7, 2025, the Access Board will, in addition to the town hall, host and attend a series of meetings to better understand the accessibility barriers and successes experienced by people with disabilities in the New Orleans area. Details regarding these meetings and their outcomes will be provided in a forthcoming news release.
US Access Board Town Hall Meeting
July 9, 2025, 9:00 – 11:30 a.m. (CT)
New Orleans Marriott
Acadia and Bissonnet Ballrooms (3rd floor)
555 Canal Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
Registration: Provide full name and organization (if any) to [email protected]
At the upcoming 2025 National Federation of the Blind National Convention, the United States Access Board will be providing three engaging breakout sessions on the following topics:
Access Board Section 508 Activity and Information Updates: Participants will be provided with current updates on the Board’s Section 508 activities.
Overview of the Access Board and the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA): Participants will gain a foundational understanding of the Access Board’s key functions, including enforcement of the ABA which requires all federal facilities to be accessible to people with disabilities.
Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG): Participants will be provided with an overview of the Board’s Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines with an emphasis on the guidelines for pedestrian access routes, detectable warnings, accessible pedestrian signals, roundabouts, and other components that are of particular interest to people who are blind or who have low vision.
In addition to the breakout sessions, the Access Board will be hosting their annual town hall meeting in conjunction with the National Convention at the New Orleans Marriott.
The US Access Board is an independent federal agency that advances accessibility through leadership in accessible design and the development of accessibility guidelines and standards. Created in 1973 to ensure access to federally funded facilities, the Access Board is now a leading source of information on accessible design. The Access Board develops and maintains design criteria for the built environment, transit vehicles, public right-of-way, information and communication technology, and medical diagnostic equipment under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and other laws. It also provides technical assistance and training on these requirements and continues to enforce accessibility standards that apply to federally funded facilities under the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 (ABA).
The Access Board is structured to function as a coordinating body among federal agencies and directly represent the public, particularly people with disabilities. Its Governing Board is a twenty-five-member board. Twelve of its members are representatives from most of the federal departments. Thirteen others, who are appointed by the President, are members of the public, and most of them must have a disability.
Some key functions of the Access Board include:
Development of Accessibility Guidelines and Standards: The Board establishes design criteria under the ADA, ABA, and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, among other federal laws. The Board is a leading source on accessible standards for the United States and engages with international partners to support their own accessibility standards and guidelines.
Enforcement of the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA): The Board ensures that facilities designed, built, altered, or leased with federal funds comply with ABA standards by investigating complaints and enforcing accessibility requirements.
Technical Assistance and Training: The agency offers guidance and training on its accessibility guidelines and standards to various stakeholders, including federal agencies, architects, and the public, to facilitate compliance and promote best practices in accessible design. The agency’s technical assistance (TA) services are available to everyone, including international partners. Contact the Board’s TA helpline at 1-202-272-0080, extension 3, and by email at [email protected] from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (ET) weekdays.
Learn more about the US Access Board on its website https://www.access-board.gov, where you can also sign up for email updates to get notified of upcoming Board meetings, webinars, trainings, and other events. General inquiries can be directed to [email protected].
by Z’Leah N. Liburd
From the Editor: Z’Leah Liburd is the president of the Statewide and Student Divisions of the National Federation of the Blind of Florida and an MSW candidate at the University of South Florida. She is also a participant in the 2025 Kenneth Jernigan Leadership in Service Program. In the true spirit of Federationism, she works with other blind, low-vision, and sighted people to understand and overcome their challenges. In honor of Mother’s Day, here are her interviews with moms—some blind themselves—raising blind and low-vision children. These women powerfully describe their experiences and share their advice for parents like them. The listing of the resources they share does not necessarily imply endorsement by the National Federation of the Blind.
When people encounter others with blindness or low vision, they often ask, “How do you live like that?” or say, “That must be so hard for you!” But rarely do they consider what it’s like for their parents. I’ve interviewed four mothers of blind and low-vision children to share their perspectives and experiences during a few short question-and-answer sessions. They include Jennifer Pascarella of St. Augustine, Florida, a Residential Instructor at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind (FSDB); Sarah Stolarczyk of Punta Gorda, Florida, a stay-at-home mother and homeschool teacher; Candice Miller from upstate New York, also a stay-at-home mother; and Tamika James from Zephyrhills, FL, an elementary school teacher. Readers on their own journeys of raising blind and low-vision children, or who are simply interested in helpful resources, can refer to the end of the article for their recommendations.
Can you share a little about your children—their ages and diagnoses?
Ms. Pascarella: Both of my children are now adults, ages twenty-seven and eighteen. They are diagnosed with ONH [optic nerve hypoplasia]. I also have a five-year-old granddaughter from my son, Alec. She is also diagnosed with ONH, which we have found is genetic because I also have ONH.
Ms. Stolarczyk: My son is fifteen years old. At two and a half years old, he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), which is a degenerative condition.
Ms. Miller: My two oldest children have retinal colobomas in both eyes. After they were born, we discovered that I was the carrier and my children had a 50 percent chance of having the condition. They both have some usable vision in the right eye, and less so in the left eye.
Ms. James: I have a twenty-two-year-old daughter who is a very ambitious, vibrant individual who takes life by the horns. She is always up for a good challenge and never lets any task hinder her from succeeding in whatever she puts her mind to. She has been diagnosed with RP. However, her ambition and strengths for living life to the fullest has served as the best role model for everyone in our family. She is simply amazing!
What were your initial thoughts and emotions when you learned about your child’s blindness or low vision?
Ms. Pascarella: With my son, I was sad because as I held him for the first time, I looked at him, saw his beautiful face, and knew looking at his eyes that he had my eye condition. Within eight hours of having my son, I was advocating for him. His pediatrician was not listening to me about his vision. So, I made an appointment at the Children’s Hospital ophthalmology, started the referral process, and had a new pediatrician shortly after leaving the hospital. Ten years later it was like, “OK, I know what I am doing,” and almost had a feeling of relief. By this time raising a sighted child scared me to death. I knew what I was doing with blind kids. With my granddaughter I knew but her mom was in denial, so I had to step back and let her learn. I am supportive in any way I can be.
Ms. Stolarczyk: There was definitely a period of grief as we processed what that might mean for [my son’s] life. It was especially hard to think about the extra challenges he would encounter in his life. My perspective has definitely changed over the years. Actually, my first change in perspective happened very suddenly and unexpectedly when, just six months after his RP diagnosis, he was diagnosed with leukemia. Having your child diagnosed with a potentially life-threatening disease certainly puts blindness into perspective! Thankfully, he has been cancer-free for more than ten years now. As I have had the opportunity to meet and interact with many blind people over the years, my perspective has further shifted. I now know that there are all kinds of tools and resources that will help my son to thrive in life despite his lack of vision.
Ms. Miller: I was surprised when I found out about my daughter’s blindness. When my parents had genetic testing done in the 1980s, they were told that my blindness was not congenital, but further research has been done since then. I was sad, but also relieved because I knew how to fight for my children being blind more so than another disability. I felt like I was more prepared than I feel most parents might feel in a similar situation.
Ms. James: My initial thoughts were how I am going to take care of her and provide a safe stable environment for her. I grew up in a community where blindness wasn’t common. I felt like she would be seen as the outcast. However, my perspectives have changed over time because I loved her enough to make a drastic change and relocate to the US mainland. As a parent with a low-vision child, my emotions fluctuate just like with any other parent. But the understanding of her disability enabled me to adapt to being a supportive mother who knew that just because she is low-vision, that doesn’t mean that she cannot perform and live in the same manner as a sighted individual. As a matter of fact, she has completed way more activities in life than most average individuals.
Has your perspective changed over time as they’ve grown?
Ms. Pascarella: I have learned over the years that there is not one set way to do something. You can find a way to make your goals come true even if it is not in the traditional sense. Our family stands by the mantra that “my normal is not your normal, your normal is not their normal, and that is OK.” Also, before becoming a parent all the things that I said I would not be like changed. Just because of their vision does not mean that my children do not have strong personalities.
Ms. Stolarczyk: My understanding of blindness has definitely changed. Blindness may present some challenges in my son’s life, but the obstacles are not insurmountable.
Ms. Miller: I have been saddened at how much fighting it takes to raise a low-vision child. With a sighted child or a blind child, there is a given about whether to teach Braille or print. When a child has usable vision, the line gets blurred. The school district generally wants to make things easier and cheaper, and wants to push for the students to use large print. It makes more sense to them, and makes it easier for the teacher. The student’s need for nonvisual skills is not taken as seriously. While fighting for my children to be taught in both mediums, I was given pushback from our special education department claiming that I just wanted my kids to know Braille because I know Braille, and it would not be an advantage to my children. Now, my kids are behind in reading, and are still smart, but they only know some Braille, and the print has to be very enlarged with my kids having their faces pressed right up to the screen or paper that they want to read. I found as a blind parent my thoughts were very much dismissed in meetings.
Ms. James: My experience raising a low-vision child has had its pros and cons. There are times when I see the world as a selfish environment where people have no remorse or respect for fellow human beings, disabled or not. Raising a low-vision child has afforded me the opportunity to see that having a visual impairment doesn’t completely disable a person. Yes, there are challenges, but they can be overcome by preparedness and proper training. I have learned that although my daughter doesn’t see the world the same way as a sighted person, she still has her own view through which she depends on her other senses to maneuver around and complete her daily routine.
What has been the most rewarding and the most challenging part of parenting a child with blindness or low vision? How has this changed over time?
Ms. Pascarella: The most rewarding thing about being a parent is watching them reach their goals and surpassing the low expectations that society places on the blind or anyone with a disability.
Ms. Stolarczyk: It has been rewarding to watch my son find many opportunities to thrive. From bowling to drama to music, he participates in many activities alongside his fully-sighted peers. He has also had the opportunity to successfully participate in competitions unique to the blindness community—particularly the Braille Challenge and the Abacus Bee. The most challenging part has been accessing the services that he needs in O&M, Braille, and assistive technology. As a homeschool family, we cannot access those services through the public school. Fortunately, now that he is old enough for the transitions program at DBS [Division of Blind Services], he can get some of those services through them and the Lighthouse [for the Blind organization]. Others we have had to pay for out of pocket and get reimbursed through a scholarship available for homeschooled students with disabilities.
Ms. Miller: The most rewarding part of having children with a visual impairment has been that my kids are able to try to look toward the outside for friendships and within for how they conceptualize the world. The most challenging part has been helping them be OK with themselves and what they can offer. I hate that they feel like they don’t belong in either place.
Ms. James: The most rewarding part of parenting a child with low vision is watching her grow to become who she is. She has never been one to let anything get in her way and hinder her from excelling in the way she is. She has used the skills taught to help her better her lifestyle. Because of this, she is at the height of success in academic and social standing. She serves on many committees such as her current role of being president of the National Federation of the Blind of Florida (NFBF) Statewide Chapter. She was also a member of the Dr. Lydia R. Daniel Honors program at Hillsborough Community College, National Collegiate Scholars, as well as Phi Theta Kappa Honor Societies.
How do you navigate the balance between protecting your child and encouraging their independence, especially at this stage in their lives?
Ms. Pascarella: My thought process is, “Would they be doing this if they had better vision? Is it normal behavior for the age?” I had to learn not to let my fear deter their dreams.
Ms. Stolarczyk: We have tried to encourage [my younger son] to be as independent as his older brother. As he approaches driving age, that may become more difficult as he will not be able to drive himself to different events.
Ms. Miller: I feel like as a blind parent I am less likely to be as protective, and instead want to encourage more independence, but I do find it harder to let go in places where I am unfamiliar because I’m more concerned about where I am and then stressing about what they might be into or what obstacles might be there.
Ms. James: Navigating the balance between protecting my child and encouraging her independence has been challenging, but her strong will to be the best that she can be has made the challenge somewhat easier. She was afforded the opportunity to attend FSDB [Florida School for the Deaf and Blind]. This boarding school in St. Augustine, Florida, is an amazing institution. They not only focused on academics, but they also taught the students independent life skills necessary to become independent adults. Aside from FSDB, my love and urge for my daughter to be the best that she can be has forced me to ease up on my role as a “helicopter mom.” I am now confident and have a sense of security as I realize that she has received all the necessary tools needed to live a successful life as a low-vision individual.
What is one thing you wish society better understood about raising a blind or low-vision child, both at their current life stages and in general?
Ms. Pascarella: That they are more than capable. Sometimes more so than the “normal” person.
Ms. Stolarczyk: I wish more people understood that blindness is not as awful as many seem to think it is. Yes, it provides extra challenges, but life can be fulfilling and wonderful even without sight.
Ms. Miller: I wish people knew that blindness does not mean we have a lack of interest in normal typical activities. I wish they were more inclusive when it does come to programs such as Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts. Most materials are not available in accessible options.
Ms. James: I wish that society could better understand that individuals who live in a blind and low-vision world should never be underestimated. I have seen too many times where individuals have doubted [my daughter’s] and others’ ability to perform daily tasks [like a] sighted person. Blind or low-vision individuals are able to do the same things that everyone else can do. They just require accommodation to ensure that the task that they are attempting can be successful. Giving low-vision and blind people the opportunity to become active participants across communities has proven that they are just as equal as anyone else.
Looking back, what advice would you give to yourself when your child was younger? And what do you think the future version of you might say to you now?
Ms. Pascarella: Relax and enjoy the moment I am in. Also, to hell with what everyone else thinks. It’s my life and my children’s lives, and it has no bearing on what other people think.
Ms. Stolarczyk: I wish we had started assistive technology training at a much earlier age. My future self may remind me that [my son] is doing great in spite of anything I wish I had done differently.
Ms. Miller: I would make myself fight harder before COVID. I wish I could go back and get a lawyer and fight harder for more Braille. I let the school determine a lot of what my kids’ needs would be because I knew my children did have more vision than I ever had, and I was not confident enough in my knowledge to push harder. I also was trying to work with the district because I didn’t want the school to take out the frustration with me as a parent on my children as students.
Ms. James: Looking back, I would trust more in God to know that he had everything strategically planned out. As individuals, we tend to want to move on our own judgment of what we feel is right, and while that may be normal common sense, it also serves as a test to know that God doesn’t give us more than we can handle. Because of all the trials that I have been through, the “future me” can confidently say that putting everything in God’s hands continues to build my faith in other areas that require the same trust and confidence as that of which she and I have endured. Proverbs 3:5-7 teaches this: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight.”
What resources have you used or would you recommend to other parents that are raising a blind or low-vision child?
Ms. Pascarella: Other parents of blind children, social media, MaxiAids, and just reaching out to community resources.
Ms. Stolarczyk: Hadley – classes for parents to learn Braille—it’s not that hard!
Lighthouse for the Blind – great programs for teens!
DBS – check into what services may be available.
National Library Service – get your child an account for access to audiobooks through BARD.
Bookshare – get your child an account for access to more audiobooks.
Attend at least one NFB national convention to meet many blind adults and learn about more resources.
If attending a private school or homeschooling in Florida, check into the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities.
Ms. James: There are so many resources out there to assist parents with a blind or low-vision child. The Tampa Lighthouse for the Blind has made a tremendous impact on helping my daughter gain resources she would need, such as teaching independent living and providing employment opportunities, which include computer and vocational training, direct job placement, rehabilitation engineering, and supported employment. There are tutoring sessions/homework assistance, early intervention programs, and a transition program for teens transitioning into the adult world.
The Florida Division of Blind Services assists with life-goal setting, which aids independent lifestyles. They were instrumental in assisting her with assistive technology, transportation, and college/university financial assistance. DBS also has a Blind Babies and Children’s Program as well as Vocational, Independent Living, Braille Library and Talking Books Library, and Career Technology Training.
[Supplemental] Security Income also serves as a financial resource.
Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind was instrumental in helping to pave the path for a successful life and became the best resource to ensure a great start to a wonderful and bright future.
National Federation of the Blind (NFB).
National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled. They offer Braille and audio books free of charge.
Florida Association of Blind Students, in which my daughter serves as president.
Florida Braille Challenge.
Florida Cane Quest.
* * * *
In the end, raising a low-vision or blind child is not about limitations or fears, but about feeling empowered. These parents agree that the journey does have its challenges, but is also filled with growth, joy, and many rewards. It’s about advocating for their child fiercely, stepping back and allowing them to navigate their world in their own way, all while trying to educate the world that just because the child is low-vision or blind, and their parents may be fully sighted, they can still live the lives they want.
Many thanks to Jennifer Pascarella, Sarah Stolarczyk, Candice Miller, and Tamika James for sharing their journeys of raising blind and low-vision children.
Resources:
[PHOTO CAPTION: Anna Adler, Courtney Kahlil, and Moe Kahlil get ready to start the Bay Bridge Run.]
[PHOTO CAPTION: NFB participants wear their medals at the end of the Bay Bridge Run.]
by Cassie McKinney
From the Editor: A version of the following article originally appeared in the Winter 2025 issue of Future Reflections, our sister publication for parents of blind children. Cassie McKinney is president of the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children, a division of the National Federation of the Blind. She writes about a fundraising activity that she and other members of the division undertook: participating in a 10K walk/run that crossed Maryland’s Bay Bridge as a finale to a meeting of its board of directors. Here is what she says:
As Federationists we embark daily on endeavors to change misconceptions about blindness. Frequently we cross metaphorical bridges that have been created between blind people and our dreams. On November 10, 2024, a group of Federationists joined more than eighteen thousand others in the physical challenge of a 10K walk that included crossing the four-mile Bay Bridge in Maryland. Our participation in this event was spearheaded by the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) and expanded to include other members of our Federation family. While its initial purpose was community involvement, the walk soon blossomed into a fundraising activity that helped support our organization.
The dream of crossing the Bay Bridge started with a few of the parents who planned to be in Baltimore for the NOPBC board meeting. We wanted to take part in the event, which has become a wonderful way to showcase the magnificent bridge and the community support that it brings to the area it touches. Corrigan Sports is the company that has backed the walk/run since 2014. Over time the event has grown, and more and more people take part every year. In 2024, the organizers anticipated that more than eighteen thousand people would be involved, both in person and virtually.
Our team, the NFB Dreamers, was branded with our NFB mission statement in mind.
Federationists walked to show the community that blind people can take part in the event and can do so on the same level as sighted participants. As parents we walked for our blind children, who face challenges in everything from education to extracurricular activities. For my part, I didn’t just walk as a blind person or as the mom of my son, Robert, who is blind; I walked for those parents and blind people who haven’t found us yet, the ones who don’t know that they can find a voice through the support system of the National Federation of the Blind.
Our team did more than just walking; through our participation we raised money for the Federation. Our efforts brought in several thousand dollars in pledges from our supporters, which were matched through a generous donation from HumanWare. Our walking didn’t just raise awareness for our Federation family; we were able to bring in the revenue that we need to fuel our work.
Many people have asked me, “What was it like to cross the Bay Bridge?” For me, the journey was full of emotion: a sense of triumph, self-awareness, accomplishment, endurance, and adversity. Let me begin with the adversity.
The overwhelming sense of accomplishment was foremost in my mind as I completed a 10K for the first time in my life. However, I also experienced the physical pain that came from a foot injury that I did not know I had until the walk was completed. I have suffered from issues with plantar fasciitis for several years. While I participated in the walk I assumed this condition was causing the pain I experienced. Two days after the walk, I learned that the pain was actually caused by a stress fracture!
In spite of the pain, I walked across the Bay Bridge with my white cane in my hand, putting one foot in front of the other. The passion that is in my heart for the work that we do in the Federation was the motivation and driving force that pushed me on.
From time to time along the journey I paused to stand by the railing of the bridge. All that my limited vision allowed me to see was the vastness of the Chesapeake Bay beneath us. My thoughts went to the endless numbers of people the Federation has not yet reached. My heart and my spirit were uplifted by our members who were supporting what we hoped to accomplish through this event. I knew that what we were doing was far more than crossing a bridge.
Stepping across the finish line was one of the most emotional moments of this journey. Although I had finished the task at hand, it was a metaphorical beginning, leading to the next bridge that will come. What will I be asked to do next to change the life of a parent in need, and how will I face that struggle with them? I know that this work of changing lives does not rest solely on my shoulders. It rests in the hearts of Federationists everywhere.
The work we do will go on, and we will cross many more bridges, both physical and metaphorical. (Indeed, members of the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children will cross the Bay Bridge again in 2025.) We will take one step at a time, joined by others who are dreamers, too. We will make a difference in the world we live in, as blind people and as parents of blind children.
The National Organization of Parents of Blind Children is proud to be a division of the National Federation of the Blind. We are devoted to finding more opportunities like the Bay Bridge Run, either as a division or in collaboration with our parent organization, through which we can bring in funds and be part of our communities. Stay tuned for information about efforts that are already in the works. When we take on challenges together, we share the love and philosophy at the heart of our movement.
No matter how you are able to be out in your community, be active and push yourself in new ways. For many this may not mean walking or running a 10K, and that is perfectly acceptable. Sometimes it is in small ways that we have the greatest effect on changing the misconceptions about blindness. Always remember that you can achieve anything you put your mind to. You will do it by putting one foot in front of the other. Someday you will be able to reflect on your accomplishment and see the bridges that you have crossed. Keep on dreaming!
by LaShawna Fant
From the Editor: Dr. LaShawna Fant, president of the National Federation of the Blind of Mississippi, has a knack for identifying people whom we should come to know because they have interesting or inspiring thoughts to share. Her Mother’s Day gift to Monitor readers is this interview with a blind mom who has experienced more than her share of trials but retained her capacity for faith, gratitude, love, and a willingness to give to others. Here is her story as told to Dr. Fant:
LaShawna Fant: I am so grateful for this opportunity to interview you. You are a very strong lady. Please introduce yourself to members of our National Federation of the Blind family.
Linda Clay: My name is Linda Lankston Clay. I was born in Silver City, Mississippi, to the late Richard and Annie B. Williams. Out of four kids, I was the baby of the bunch. In 1973, after my father died, I moved to Louise, Mississippi, with my sister Emma Session, and she died in 1977. In 1979, I moved to Chicago, Illinois, where I had my first son, Roderick. In January of 1980, the following year, I married his father, Eddie, and two more kids were born named Tytes and Nina.
LF: How long have you been a member of our organization, and what motivated you to join?
LC: In 2009, while at a funeral in Louise, Mississippi, I came in contact with the late Katie and Charles Evans. I was then invited to attend a state convention in Grenada, Mississippi. While at the convention, I saw a few people I already knew, and a couple of them were Barbara Hadnott and Kendrick Kennedy. The next month, Audrey Mays, the late Margaret Birrages, and I went to the Jackson Chapter meeting and then joined. Since then, I have been a chapter board member and vice president, and I am currently holding the position of the first vice president of the Jackson Chapter.
LF: Please let the readers know about your journey being a mother.
LC: In September 1979, my first child, Roderick, was born. All I wanted was to count all toes and fingers to make sure he had them. In August of 1981, our stubborn son Tytes came into the world. In 1983, during the hot summer, our "attitude-giver" made her entrance into the world. I was so blessed and happy to finally have a baby girl. Throughout the years, my lowest point started in May 2001 when my son Tytes died. That's when I really started leaning and depending on God. In July 2006, my husband Eddie died of a massive heart attack. I kept my faith in God. In August of 2008, my son Roderick was killed. At that point, I knew God had made no mistakes. Lord knows it was hard dealing with the fact that all the males in my life were gone. Those were the lowest points in my life, but God made a way. In 2016, God saw fit for me to find love again, and I married my current husband, Anthony Clay.
LF: What are a couple of memories as a mother you will always hold close to your heart?
LC: My memories as a mother are so priceless! I remember the day my three kids joined the church and were baptized. My kids gave their life to Christ during that time, and I was overjoyed! Having the memories of driving my kids and nephews up and down the dirt road we stayed on just warms my heart. Even though they knew I could barely see, they still let me drive them. I was also very proud to watch my kids grow up and witness all three graduate from high school, which I never got to do. One last precious memory is when my grandchildren were born. My late husband Eddie got the opportunity to meet our grandson Lazarious, who he called his "good fellow." Later came more grandchildren named Roderick Jr., Edwin, Raniyah, and Frank.
LF: As a blind mother, how did you juggle things with raising your children?
LC: The challenge of being a mother and blind was hard and very challenging, especially after my kids realized their mother couldn't see like everyone else around us. I was born totally blind in one eye and with glaucoma in the other eye. In later years, I had scar tissue and a detached retina. The little vision I had faded away. When I helped the kids with schoolwork, I always used a black Sharpie to help them learn their ABCs and 1-2-3s. Their dad would help match their clothes so they wouldn't be teased at school. I always had things organized and put in certain locations so I could cook and do everyday tasks, hobbies, and chores. My mother-in-law, Mrs. Lille, was the best at helping and taking me to town. After the kids got older, they began to take on the responsibility of helping and assisting me.
LF: What activities do you enjoy doing with your family?
LC: My family activities include attending church, shopping, family kickbacks, card games, barbecues, casinos, and going to the movies with my best friend Bonita. She would always explain everything that was going on in full detail.
LF: You are a big giver. What are some of your favorite things as we reflect on you?
LC: My favorite colors are black and gold, and my favorite food is seafood. I love crab legs the most. My favorite singers, to name a few, are Betty Wright, Pokey Bear, Tucka, and the Canton Spirituals, which is a gospel group.
LF: What would you like to say to encourage a blind mother who may be reading this article?
LC: I would say keep your faith in God. I would tell anyone to pray and lean on God's unchanging hands. I would tell them never to say never and never to say can't. Because you never know what you can do until you do it.
LF: Do you have any final words to leave with the readers?
LC: I would encourage anyone to never settle for the bare minimum. Always push yourself to exceed expectations in life. Stay positive and always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and loved more than you know. I would encourage them never to give up.
by Jonathan Mosen
From the Editor: Jonathan Mosen is well known to Monitor readers, but he now writes in his capacity as Executive Director for Accessibility Excellence of the National Federation of the Blind. In this article he shares his insights about the rapidly proliferating artificial intelligence (AI) tools that help us manage our everyday lives, some of which are designed or have benefits for blind people. Jonathan, sometimes with help from other staff of our Center for Excellence in Nonvisual Accessibility (CENA), shares more insights, interviews, and technology news on the Federation’s weekly Access On podcast, and he and the CENA team are also primarily responsible for managing and developing relationships with key players in the technology industry, including some of the AI companies mentioned here, in order to share the expertise and lived experience of blind Americans. Here is what Jonathan has to say about some of the latest AI tools:
On November 30, 2022, a little-known San Francisco-based company, Open AI, launched a free research preview of a tool called ChatGPT. Within five days, it had attracted over one million users, an unprecedented rate of adoption representing a significant shift in public engagement with artificial intelligence. Users were struck by its ability to generate coherent, contextually-aware responses across a wide range of topics, from composing essays to writing code and engaging in thoughtful dialogue. For many, it represented a major leap forward—an AI system that felt not only useful, but accessible and intuitive.
Since then, generative AI has advanced at a remarkable pace. Models have become more capable, handling longer and more complex inputs, integrating real-time web access, image generation, and even multimodal reasoning that combines text, vision, and audio. This technology is still far from perfect. The abundance of AI-generated content requires us to be savvy, vigilant consumers. AI can still produce plausible-sounding but incorrect information—commonly known as hallucinations.
While AI has delivered tangible benefits to blind people, there are also risks. In the National Federation of the Blind, we know the truth about blindness. It is not blindness that holds us back, but rather outmoded stereotypes that translate into lack of opportunity. Generative AI is like a giant sponge, soaking up all the material on the internet. In that material, you will find plenty of inaccurate information about blindness and blind people. It is critical that we correct these models so they depict blindness accurately. AI is now finding its way into all walks of life, from tools to help make job recruitment selections to tools that help design public policy. So, while a chatbot dispensing inaccurate stereotypes about blind people is bad enough, there are many other far-reaching consequences of AI not being informed about blindness.
We are heartened by the commitment of all the major players in the AI industry to responsible, ethical AI when it comes to the depiction of blind people. In my personal use of AI, it has thankfully been some time since I have encountered an expression of sympathy from a large language model when I told it I was a blind person. Several AI companies are collaborating with services blind people use every day to obtain quality data about what it is like to be blind. The National Federation of the Blind is often at the table when these projects are being scoped, and I am encouraged by some of the products blind people will be using soon because of our direct involvement.
Large language models possess a lot of information. We extract that information by asking the AI a question or giving it some sort of instruction. Designing these inputs is known as “prompt engineering.” Giving the AI a clear, specific instruction can make all the difference to the quality of the output it produces. If you are interested in this topic, the Federation’s Center of Excellence in Nonvisual Accessibility recently produced a webinar on prompt engineering. You can hear or read the transcript of an abridged version of it in Episode 16 of the NFB’s technology podcast, Access On.
Many of us are already using blindness-specific AI tools regularly, particularly for scene or image description, including Be My AI® from Be My Eyes; Access AI from Aira, which offers the ability to obtain free verification of AI’s findings via a professional agent; and PictureSmart, which is built into JAWS. There are intriguing AI tools emerging all the time. Here are a few that illustrate how AI is impacting every aspect of our lives. My mentioning of these tools does not constitute an endorsement by the National Federation of the Blind. I draw them to your attention in case you are curious to try one of these services so you can determine if they prove useful to you.
First, let’s discuss AI’s ability to simplify complex research tasks. Conducting research is time-consuming for everyone, but it may be more frustrating for a blind person because some of the information we want might be on an inaccessible website. New technology offered by generative AI called “Deep Research” can circumvent those accessibility barriers.
The two most common Deep Research tools are from ChatGPT and Gemini. Simply visit the websites or use the app for the service in question. If you have access to the Deep Research tool, you will find a button near where you enter a query labelled as such. Simply press the button to toggle Deep Research on, type your query, and submit it in the usual way.
When you use Deep Research, your AI service of choice explores, synthesizes, and summarizes information from extensive, complex sources beyond surface-level facts. Unlike traditional search engines or basic AI tools, generative AI performing Deep Research can analyze large quantities of data, interpret context, and identify nuanced insights—such as hidden patterns, subtle trends, or meaningful relationships among topics. This process involves the AI going beyond straightforward keyword searches, instead delving into multiple layers of interconnected data, including academic papers, industry reports, historical records, and diverse media. The AI can then output coherent, insightful summaries or detailed explanations that previously would have required extensive human effort and considerable time. Deep Research also provides detailed citations, so you can consult the original sources if you wish.
It is still necessary to exercise caution, because sometimes the summarization process can yield inaccurate results. Yet overall, I have had outstanding results from Deep Research, particularly the one offered by ChatGPT. It is quite extraordinary, even a little eerie, to watch it “thinking” about the task you have set it: looking at sources, reasoning about whether that source is relevant to the tasks it has been assigned and growing in understanding about what it is finding. Sometimes, Deep Research takes a long time thinking about the task it has been set, but it is usually worth the wait.
Recently, I was in the market for a new smart scale after the company producing my previous scale went out of business. I gave the Deep Research functions of ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini the same extensive prompt, telling them that I was seeking a smart scale that had compatibility with Apple Health, an app accessible with VoiceOver on iOS, the ability to collect data well beyond weight such as body fat percentage and hydration, and if possible provided some sort of haptic or audible feedback when the weighing process was complete. Both Deep Research tools went to work and produced comprehensive reports, with slightly different recommendations. This process saved me considerable time. I didn’t have to perform repeated searches and try to keep all the information in my head or take copious notes.
In another example, I asked Gemini’s Deep Research to produce a guide on using the Ecobee thermostat that my wife Bonnie and I have in our new Baltimore apartment, mindful that I use VoiceOver on an iPhone. This can be a useful strategy for getting information about new appliances, because many online or printed manuals use graphical symbols when describing buttons to press or steps to take.
ChatGPT’s Deep Research feature is excellent, but there is no free tier available. If you subscribe to ChatGPT Plus for $20 per month, you get ten Deep Research queries per month. If you haven’t paid for Google Gemini, you have limited access to Deep Research. Google appears not to have published the specifics of how many Deep Research queries you are allowed on the free tier, but users suggest it is around five per month. If you subscribe to Google One, which includes access to Gemini’s advanced features for $19 per month, you seem to get many Deep Research queries with your plan.
Another useful research tool from Google is called NotebookLM, available at https://notebooklm.google.com. NotebookLM allows users to organize, summarize, and interact with personal research materials and documents, enhancing productivity and understanding. It has not always been the most accessible of sites, and we would like to see accessibility improve further, but the site has improved since its initial release.
Users begin by creating a digital notebook and uploading up to fifty sources—ranging from PDFs and Google Docs to websites and YouTube videos—with a combined limit of 25 million words. NotebookLM then uses artificial intelligence to summarize documents, generate concise explanations, and respond to queries based on the uploaded content. Let’s say, for example, that you are interested in accessible televisions. You’ve watched some YouTube clips, read a few blog posts, and looked at many product descriptions. Once you provide NotebookLM with all this content, you can ask questions about it as if you were talking to a full large language model. The answers it returns will be based solely on the material you provided. As an experiment, I created a new notebook and uploaded every Presidential Report delivered by President Riccobono. I was then able to ask questions about the Federation during the Riccobono presidency and get accurate results.
One of the most intriguing features of NotebookLM is its ability to generate podcast-style audio overviews. These take the form of two AI personas, who sound quite humanlike, discussing the subject matter in question. It’s easy to download this audio and copy it to a device such as a media player or notetaker. It’s a fun way to distill complex topics. The summary it produced of the work of the NFB was engaging and accurate. Google has also added the audio overview feature of NotebookLM to Gemini, so you can upload content such as documents and slides to Gemini, then press the “Generate Audio Overview” button.
Finally, let’s look at the impact AI is having on shopping, and a product specifically designed for blind people. Featured in Episode 8 of Access On, Innosearch is a platform designed to make shopping easier for blind people. It aggregates over 500,000 retailers, from large players like Amazon and Walmart to smaller niche stores. Simply enter what you want in the search field, and Innosearch will come back with matches from a variety of stores. This has accessibility benefits, because as we all know, some stores are more accessible than others. Innosearch prioritizes results based on the best price.
Another powerful feature of Innosearch is the ability to query AI about the products it finds. It will also describe pictures of the products, and you can ask questions about those pictures. For example, when shopping for certain audio cables, it was very important to me to know precisely what type of plug was on the cable. Innosearch was clear about this and ensured I got the correct cable the first time.
There are some downsides at the moment. While Innosearch is an accessible, efficient experience, you may not be able to leverage the benefit of store-specific programs like Amazon Prime. Amazon features like Subscribe and Save are not available. These are tradeoffs that you may be willing to make, at least in certain circumstances, for an experience that is very easy to use.
Customer service is excellent and responsive. Recently, I ordered a specific MagSafe battery for my iPhone that shipped from China. It took a long time to arrive. Innosearch was monitoring the purchase, noticed it was taking a while, and followed up with the retailer without me having to ask. That was exceptional service.
On the website, Innosearch uses its technology for two product categories—shopping and flight search. The company is considering adding new categories in future.
The most exciting use of AI from Innosearch is a version of the service that can be used over the phone. To use it, call toll-free 1-855-ShopGPT (855-746-7478). Shopping hands-free with your voice is beneficial to everyone. But this is a particularly compelling use of AI because most blind people become blind later in life, and some don’t wish to learn to use a computer or smartphone nonvisually.
This is an excellent concept in early development, with a few wrinkles at the time I am writing this article in April 2025. Sometimes, speaking the name of a product you’re searching for yields relevant, clear results. You can ask to hear more information about any of the choices offered, add one to your cart, and check out.
Other searches I tried were less successful. When I searched for the Zoom H6essential Handy Recorder, Innosearch thought I was saying “zoo” not “Zoom” no matter how clearly I enunciated. It also stripped part of my search, so it came back with “searching for Zoo h handy recorder,” which didn’t deliver the results I wanted. Hopefully this will improve over time, as it’s great when it works, and opens online shopping to a neglected market segment.
We’ll have more to say on new AI tools in a seminar at national convention in New Orleans. We hope to see you there. The National Federation of the Blind is monitoring developments and having input into much of this innovative new technology. For further information, subscribe to Access On wherever you get podcasts.“What if I was never blind? In April 2013 I received a diagnosis of Stargardt Disease. I often felt adrift, uncertain of how to chart a course towards a fulfilling life. At that time, I was employed at McDonald's and had temporarily paused my undergraduate studies. If I hadn't received that diagnosis, my life might have followed a completely different trajectory. I would have continued working at McDonald's, feeling stuck and uncertain about my future, but without the guidance and support that I found through the National Federation of the Blind, I might have struggled to navigate the challenges of vision loss. Instead, that diagnosis became a turning point for me by forcing me to confront my circumstances and seek out resources and communities that could help me thrive despite my blindness. The NFB helped me realize that my vision loss didn't have to define me or limit my aspirations. By believing in my abilities, by entrusting me with leadership positions, and through intensive mentorship, the Federation changed my life. My community helped me excel beyond where I would be if I were sighted. Mentorship is what has brought me to this point in life thus far. Without my mentors I am not sure where I would be right now. I just hope I can pay it forward someday.” - Dustin
Blind children and adults are making powerful strides to live the lives we want every day across the United States, but we need to continue helping blind people like Dustin. 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.
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 2024 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 Chris Danielsen
Because we encourage the use of the word “blind” and discourage euphemisms for it, it is easy for many longtime Federationists to forget why people might want to avoid it. But the National Federation of the Blind and its leaders have always understood that part of the reason is that the way the word “blind” is used often points to negative characteristics that have nothing to do with lack of eyesight, and the associations created by these characteristics increase the stigma attached to blindness. Indeed, part of our determination to reclaim and redefine the word “blind” is intended as a deliberate counterpoint to these many harmful usages.
One needs only to consult any dictionary, even today, to find that the so-called “b word” is synonymous with willful ignorance, among other things. For example, the WordNet® entry for the adjective “blind” provides three senses for it. The first is “unsighted,” but the other two are “unable or unwilling to perceive or understand” and “unreasoning.” (An interesting and encouraging side note: Even though WordNet includes definitions we abhor, its example sentence using blind in the sense of unsighted is an attributed quote from Kenneth Jernigan that readers will recognize: “a person is blind to the extent that he must devise alternative techniques to do efficiently those things he would do with sight if he had normal vision.”) We have always rejected the framing of blindness as anything other than a physical characteristic, and yet this framing continues to permeate public discourse, even among people who claim to be our allies.
This is to be expected, if not accepted, given the toxic nature of today’s political climate. But it does not follow that we as blind Americans should stand for the characteristic of blindness being used to define or demean us; after all, the belief that blindness does not in fact define us is core to who we are and what we believe.
This is why some recent examples of political speech, from different points on the political spectrum, are troubling. On Wednesday, February 12, 2025, Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette, a Federation member who works for the Project on Government Oversight, testified before a hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency. Dylan had been invited by the subcommittee’s Democratic members to testify about the actions of the Trump Administration’s new DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) Service. Because his testimony was solicited by the party out of power and perceived as critical of DOGE and the administration, he became a target of their defenders. According to the Washington Post, DOGE’s director, Elon Musk, “retweeted a post on X noting that the ‘blind director of watchdog group funded by George Soros testifies that he does not see widespread evidence of government waste’ and added two laughing/crying emojis. The tweet garnered more than 21 million views, and sparked dozens of hateful messages to Hedtler-Gaudette’s account.” (George Soros is a philanthropist who contributes to many organizations and causes that are associated with the political left.) The tweet was clearly meant to undermine Dylan’s credibility because of his supposed incapacity and perhaps to imply that he was “unable or unwilling to perceive or understand” that widespread government waste exists. In response, the National Federation of the Blind issued the following statement:
Baltimore, Maryland (February 15, 2025): The National Federation of the Blind strongly condemns the inappropriate and harmful stereotyping of blind people that has been highlighted in the response to a recent Congressional hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency. The online mockery and skepticism directed at a blind witness reflect a broader aggressive and deeply troubling pattern in today’s political discourse—one that wrongly assumes blind people, and people with disabilities more generally, lack the capacity to participate fully in public life, including in complex and technical fields. We specifically condemn all media outlets that are actively perpetuating these horrible misconceptions and are falsely validating low expectations that harm our society.
Amplifying misunderstanding about blind people is never appropriate and should never be exploited as comic relief. The idea that blindness equates to incompetence is not only false but profoundly damaging. Blind people serve as scientists, lawyers, educators, engineers, and business owners. We navigate and contribute to society with skill, knowledge, and independence, often despite systemic barriers and outdated misconceptions about our abilities. The public ridicule and dismissive attitudes being used to reject a blind expert witness in last week’s hearing perpetuate the very discrimination that blind Americans continue to fight against in employment, education, and civic participation.
The use of disability as a political tool—whether through outright mockery, insinuations of unfitness, or performative outrage—dehumanizes people with disabilities and reinforces harmful stereotypes. It will not be tolerated by blind people, who vote and pay taxes, and it should be rejected by all Americans. We call on all elected leaders, policymakers, and media outlets to engage in informed, respectful discourse that recognizes the capabilities of blind individuals rather than exploiting ignorance for political gain.
The National Federation of the Blind remains committed to challenging these misconceptions and advocating for a society where blindness is understood not as a limitation, but as a characteristic that does not define one’s ability to contribute meaningfully. We are prepared to work closely with elected officials and media professionals to provide accurate and meaningful information about the true lived experience of blind Americans.
Senator Bernie Sanders, a vocal independent from Vermont who caucuses with Democrats and who has run for president, apparently didn’t see our statement. As he began barnstorming the country to call attention to what he claims is a takeover of our government by an oligarchy of billionaires, he repeatedly said words to the effect that people have to be blind not to see what is happening. Federation President Mark Riccobono sent him the following letter:
Dear Senator Sanders:
On behalf of the National Federation of the Blind, I strongly encourage you to stop using being "blind" as a metaphor in your political statements as has been highlighted frequently in media reports related to your Fighting Oligarchy Tour. While we share your concerns about the fundamental dismantling of key programs and protections for people with disabilities, your statement that people must be "blind" if they cannot see what is going on contributes to the harmful notion that blindness is linked to incapacity. We urge you to stop using our community to make your point.
This is not a new concern for us as politicians have used blindness as a means to highlight problems for decades. However, it is at the forefront of consciousness because of the current concern for the future of disability rights but also because of the attack against an expert who testified in Congress who happened to be blind. On February 15, 2025, we released a Statement on the Harmful Stereotyping of Blind People in Political Discourse. That statement said in part, "The online mockery and skepticism directed at a blind witness reflect a broader aggressive and deeply troubling pattern in today’s political discourse—one that wrongly assumes blind people, and people with disabilities more generally, lack the capacity to participate fully in public life, including in complex and technical fields." We are calling on you to recognize our concern and to actively work to not use disability references to make your point.
We appreciate your work to push back on efforts to diminish programs and protections for people with disabilities. We hope that you will match that commitment with one that supports the positive framing of blind people and others with disabilities in society. We would be pleased to be a resource to you on this or any other topic related to the full participation of the blind in our nation.
Sincerely,
Mark A. Riccobono, President
National Federation of the Blind
We protest some harmful usages of the word “blind” and stereotypes of blind people because they stymie our efforts to integrate with the wider society, but also because they filter into blind people’s perceptions of themselves. Terry Sutherland, a blind man in Indiana, wanted to demonstrate his belief that his state needs more restrictions on permits to carry concealed firearms. To do that, he went to his local sheriff’s office to apply for such a permit, which he was able to acquire with no trouble. He uses a white cane, so his blindness was not in question. His argument to the media outlets that eagerly picked up the story was that if Indiana is giving such permits to blind people, its gun laws and policies are clearly nonsensical. A popular syndicated radio program called The Breakfast Club praised Mr. Sutherland for his common sense, while at the same time demonstrating its hosts’ ignorance about how blind people live our lives. They wondered how Mr. Sutherland would read a letter containing his permit or declining to issue one, or even be aware that he had received it in the first place, and were mystified as to how he might write a letter of his own. Many Federationists will remember that this same program questioned the ability of a blind teenager to take babysitting jobs a few years ago, calling into question the capacity of blind people to be parents by implication.
The tragedy of the situation is not that Mr. Sutherland got a permit to carry a weapon, but that he expected that he would or should be denied one based on blindness alone. He has absorbed the low expectations of blind people that are held by much of society, at least in certain respects. It is highly doubtful that he has ever met a blind person like Jim Marks, president of our Montana affiliate and member of the national board of directors, who owns roughly ten firearms, uses them when he goes hunting, and has taught hunting safety. It also stands to reason that the hosts of The Breakfast Club have never met such a person either, which is why we featured Jim in a video responding to their segment on the topic, along with other blind people reading their mail and using their computers. You can view it on our YouTube channel. Whatever one believes about firearms policy, it is encouraging that Mr. Sutherland was treated no differently than any other Indiana citizen seeking a permit. Laws should be applied equally, without respect to blindness, whether they restrict gun rights or grant them more freely.
Why should all of this matter to us? Don’t we, as individuals and as a movement, have bigger things to worry about? Perhaps, but one of those things at the present moment is whether and to what extent the policies and programs that allow us to live the lives we want remain in full effect and whether our rights are rigorously enforced. We cannot and will not give politicians of any party or ideology or anyone else seeking to score political points permission to belittle us and refuse to take our expertise and lived experience seriously. We can never afford to do so, but certainly not when our value as citizens and human beings is being openly questioned. If we are not respected, we will not be heard when we speak about our lives and the effects that shortsighted funding decisions or bad public policy have on us. We should not lash out, but neither should we tolerate disrespect, even or perhaps especially when it is dressed up as humor. Those who say that we must “lighten up” should perhaps instead consider more thoroughly what is at stake.
To be sure, we can tailor our reactions to the magnitude and style of the provocation. Our video in response to the segment on The Breakfast Club strikes a humorous tone, in recognition of the fact that the hosts were trying to be funny and might respond better to a light touch than a heavy-handed one. Because their boundary-pushing format relies in part on drawing reactions that they would perhaps turn into new occasions for mocking or attacking us, a low-key approach seemed like the best option. Public officials, on the other hand, are operating in a realm where what they say is taken very seriously by their followers and the media, and our responses should reflect that. Either way, however, staying silent in the face of harmful discourse—whether it stems from misunderstanding, misguided good intentions, or mockery—is not who we are or what we do.
It is also true that we need not protest every usage of the word “blind.” I do not object to the window hangings in my apartment being referred to as “blinds,” as their purpose is to occlude the light coming into my living space. When we talk of “blind justice,” the characteristic is intended as a positive trait of our judicial system meant to suggest that justice does not focus on superficial characteristics of individuals, such as wealth or race, but rather the lawfulness of their actions or inactions.
Ultimately, whether or how we proceed in the face of perceived provocation is always a topic for intelligent and informed discussion within our movement, and so I invite continuation of that discussion. Have we struck the right notes in our recent statements or in our response to The Breakfast Club? How should our approach be altered or improved? I look forward to hearing from the engaged, thoughtful, and well-informed readership of the Braille Monitor so that everyone in our community can consider all angles and nuances of this continuing and crucial conversation.
From the Editor: Advocacy is always a full-time job for our President, and the past few months have been no exception. Indeed, the rapid pace of activity from President Donald J. Trump has perhaps necessitated more outreach to policymakers than usual in the first months of a new administration. Below are two letters that Federation President Mark Riccobono has written to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and members of Congress. The purpose of the first letter was to express our concerns about recent changes at the United States Department of Education (DOE) and plans to shut it down entirely as they affect DOE programs that serve the blind. The second letter addresses an imminent threat to library services for the blind (and indeed many other library services) across the nation. Also included is a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) concerning recent action that agency took against accessiBe, a company with whose activities many readers will be all too familiar. Here are the letters:
March 25, 2025
The Honorable Linda McMahon
Secretary
United States Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202
Dear Secretary McMahon:
The National Federation of the Blind, the transformative membership and advocacy organization of blind Americans, is deeply troubled by the recent executive order regarding the directive to close the United States Department of Education. The programs outlined below are essential to promote education, independence, and economic opportunity for millions of American citizens. Without clear plans for how these statutorily established programs will be maintained, blind Americans and their families have no transparency into future plans, no clear lines of advocacy for due process, and an abundance of uncertainty regarding their current educational and rehabilitation services.
Within the Department of Education is the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services that houses the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) providing essential resources for blind people to obtain education and employment. These divisions are responsible for the enforcement and oversight of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq.), the American Printing House for the Blind’s (APH) federal quota program (20 U.S.C. § 101 et seq.), vocational rehabilitation services (29 U.S.C. § 701 et seq.), the Randolph-Sheppard program (20 U.S.C. § 107 et seq.), and the Independent Living Services for Older Individuals who are Blind (OIB) program (29 U.S.C. 796j-796l). Additionally, the loss of the Office for Civil Rights, including its Digital Accessibility Team, will mean schools can discriminate against blind and other disabled students without recourse. We are gravely concerned that the drastic reduction in workforce, and the ultimate closure of the Department of Education, will result in diminished service for millions of students, employees, entrepreneurs, and older Americans with disabilities across the country who utilize the above programs.
According to the OSEP webpage, it is “dedicated to improving results for infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities ages birth through 21 by providing leadership and financial support to assist states and local districts.” This office ensures that blind students have the right to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment available outlined under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The IDEA provides federal funding to states to provide required “special education” services for public school students with disabilities. While states provide most of the special education funding, the federal government provides about 15 billion dollars. This serves some 7.5 million students. Special education services for the blind include Braille instruction, access technologies, and specialized teachers of the blind. This instruction is important for blind people to learn so we may be able to use the skills to find employment in our chosen fields. Any reduction in services and funding to enforce these laws will leave blind and disabled students vulnerable to civil rights violations and loss of services.
The OSEP also plays an essential role in supporting the APH’s Federal Quota Program, which was established by Congress in 1879, nearly 150 years ago. According to the APH website, the Federal Quota Program determines “the per-student funding allocation for purchasing educational materials from the American Printing House ... Educators and parents can use these funds to obtain specialized educational products and materials for students who are blind or low vision.” Without this statutorily required federal funding, blind and low-vision students will lose access to these critical products and materials, which will in turn create a new barrier to our education.
The RSA oversees vocational rehabilitation services that provide formula grants to State agencies assisting blind people in finding employment opportunities after we have concluded our educational endeavors. Specifically, these grants provide vocational rehabilitation programs to help people with disabilities become employed. The federal government provides about 79 percent of the funding, with states providing the rest. Vocational rehabilitation programs serve over 800,000 individuals each year. A reduction in this funding will lead to service cuts in these programs, leaving blind people who want to work, travel independently, or learn Braille and technology unable to find the support they need.
In addition, the specialized employment program governed by the Randolph-Sheppard Act, one of our nation’s oldest programs specifically intended to promote the entrepreneurial spirit of blind business owners, receives assistance from the RSA helping blind people be a productive driving force in the American economy. The Randolph-Sheppard Act provides blind vendors a priority to operate on federal properties like military bases, government buildings, and highway rest stops. This priority has existed in federal law for nearly ninety years and the program is currently administered by the Department of Education. The closure of the Department may leave blind vendors vulnerable to being shut out of these facilities.
The Independent Living Services for Older Individuals who are Blind program provides grants to states to support services for blind individuals aged fifty-five and older in order to help these Americans adjust to their blindness by increasing their ability to care for their individual needs. This often comes in the form of specialized blindness mobility training and learning how to use various pieces of access technology. The OIB program is currently under the jurisdiction of the Department of Education, and the closure of the department could lead to increased dependency upon other governmental programs for these Americans who simply want to live a dignified and independent life.
While we are sympathetic and understanding of the need to reduce overall federal spending, we also believe that these programs are essential to promote education, independence, and economic opportunity for all American citizens, particularly those who are blind or have other disabilities. We urge you to maintain the personnel and capability to administer these four programs to their fullest and most beneficial extent to serve blind and other disabled Americans.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Mark A. Riccobono, President
National Federation of the Blind
March 19, 2025
The Honorable Robert Aderholt, Chair
House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
272 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Rosa DeLauro, Ranking Member
House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
2413 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Shelly Moore Capito, Chair
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
170 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Tammy Baldwin, Ranking Member
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies
141 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Chairs Aderholt and Capito, and Ranking Members DeLauro and Baldwin:
The National Federation of the Blind, the transformative membership and advocacy organization of blind Americans, is deeply troubled by the recent executive order regarding the instruction to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Specifically, IMLS funding is essential for many of the state libraries for the blind and print disabled, which serve as a critical source of Braille and other specialized audio books for blind and low-vision Americans. Without this funding, the critical services provided by these libraries will be dramatically reduced or eliminated altogether.
We call upon the House and Senate Appropriation Subcommittees on Labor, Health & Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies to ensure the Library Services and Technology Act (20 U.S.C. § 9121) and its supporting Grants to States program (20 U.S.C. § 9141) remain fully funded for the 2025 Fiscal Year and beyond, ensuring the institutions it funds may remain open and operational for all communities served.
According to the 2023 American Community Survey conducted by the United States Census Bureau, there are approximately 8.3 million blind or low-vision Americans. That is about 2.5 percent of the overall population. According to the most recent census, 66 million Americans live in rural areas. Even if only 1 percent of those living in rural areas are blind or low vision, that still amounts to more than half a million people who are at risk of losing access to a vital source of Braille and other specialized services provided by state libraries for the blind in rural settings.
However, it won’t only be the blind who are affected by a decrease or elimination of funding. There are an estimated 124,903 libraries across the United States. These locations serve as important centers for community engagement, the furtherance of literacy, extended research, and internet access for Americans in every locality. In rural communities these libraries are doubly essential because they may be the sole source of free available internet, allowing for people to study and research for school assignments, search for employment, and engage with the wider world.
It is of the utmost importance that these critical institutions continue to be funded, and we urge you to ensure the funding continues in the next fiscal year appropriation authorization under consideration by your subcommittees. If you have any further questions, or if the National Federation of the Blind can be of assistance in any way, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Mark A. Riccobono, President
National Federation of the Blind
January 27, 2025
Office of the Secretary
Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20580
RE: accessiBe; File No. 222 3156
Dear Secretary:
The National Federation of the Blind appreciates the opportunity to comment on the terms of the consent order regarding accessiBe’s alleged deceptive practices. This is an issue that the National Federation of the Blind has been aware of for several years, and we applaud the Federal Trade Commission’s (the “Commission”) actions in this area.
We made our first public objection to accessiBe’s practices in July 2021 with our national Resolution 2021-17 “Regarding accessiBe’s Disrespectful and Misleading Business Practices.” In this resolution we brought to light that accessiBe both “overstates the effectiveness of automated testing” and “promotes the false claims of attaining Web Content Accessibility Guidelines compliance through the integration of one line of code.” The Commission’s consent order appears to agree with our assertions through the prohibitions and requirements of Provisions I, III, and V. These provisions are a tacit acknowledgement that accessiBe’s representations of what its products are capable of were misleading and deceptive, as the National Federation of the Blind had been stating for years.
True accessibility is essential for blind people to be able to live, work, and participate in their communities. Rather than improving accessibility, misleading and exaggerated claims about accessibility tools undermine and inhibit the full participation of the blind. Unfortunately, such claims have gained tremendous traction in the digital sphere, leading many businesses to contract with providers like accessiBe. It is essential that such bad actors be held accountable for their misrepresentations and that businesses be aware that their claims are untrue.
For the reasons above, the National Federation of the Blind fully support the Commission’s proposed consent order as it is currently written. We hope you will broadly disseminate the consent order to the business community and we would be happy to help in that regard. If there are any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.
Sincerely,
Mark A. Riccobono, President
National Federation of the Blind
From the Editor: The following press release was issued on March 20, 2025. It recounts the struggles of two blind students at West Virginia University who are filing a lawsuit with the Federation’s help in order to make systemic change at that institution, where lack of equal educational opportunity has set back not only their education but also their careers. Here is the press release:
Charleston, WV: Today, the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the National Federation of the Blind of West Virginia (NFBWV), and two blind graduate students filed a federal lawsuit against the West Virginia University (WVU) Board of Governors, alleging that the university systematically denies blind students equal access to its educational programs, services, and activities.
The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, alleges that WVU violates Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 by failing to provide blind students with accessible course materials, educational technology, and field placement opportunities required to complete their degrees.
The university has also failed to provide required auxiliary aids and services such as qualified human readers. Harold Thomas Rogers and Miranda Lacy, both students in WVU’s online Master of Social Work program and members of the National Federation of the Blind of West Virginia, allege that the university has consistently failed to accommodate their needs. The lawsuit highlights several discriminatory barriers they have faced, including:
Inaccessible Course Materials – WVU has provided textbooks in improperly formatted digital files such as PDFs that are improperly tagged for reading order and do not have image descriptions, making them unreadable with screen readers. This delays or denies access to assignments and forces blind students to rely on family members to read course materials aloud, since the university does not provide qualified readers. At one point, Ms. Lacy had to rely on her son, a minor at the time, to help with her assignments.
Inaccessible Online Learning Platforms – WVU’s use of inaccessible software, such as Blackboard, VoiceThread, and Tevera, prevents blind students from navigating their coursework and logging required internship hours independently.
Barriers to Field Placement Participation – The university has failed to ensure that internship placements, which it vets and which are required for graduation, provide accessible technology and reasonable accommodations. This has resulted in academic penalties for blind students stemming from the university’s failure to follow the law rather than any inability of the students to complete the requirements. As a result, Mr. Rogers in particular, who was an honors undergraduate student and is one of only twenty-three rural integrated behavioral health trainees in the country through a program funded by the United States Health Resources and Services Administration, will graduate a full two years after he originally expected to do so.
Deliberate Indifference to Accessibility Concerns – Despite repeated complaints and requests for reasonable accommodations, as well as ample notice of its legal obligations, WVU has intentionally failed to take meaningful action to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities.
“These students enrolled at WVU to pursue careers dedicated to helping others, but instead they have been met with institutional barriers and unlawful discrimination that threaten their futures,” said Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind. “The university’s behavior is inexcusable, as its legal obligations are not new and it could have followed the lead of any number of other academic institutions with whom blind Americans have collaborated to institute systemic accessibility solutions. The National Federation of the Blind simply cannot and will not tolerate this deplorable conduct at WVU or anywhere else.”
“Upon completing my undergraduate program at West Virginia State University, a historically black college that provided me with the necessary accommodations to graduate with honors, I sought to pursue my master’s degree in social work,” said Miranda Lacy. “I chose West Virginia University because it is the largest in the state and I thought it offered the best accommodations. Unfortunately, I have continued to experience ongoing barriers and discrimination and have been unable to receive the same educational opportunities as my sighted peers.”
“As the oldest land-grant institution in West Virginia and home to the state’s oldest Master of Social Work program, established in 1941, I would have expected West Virginia University to set the gold standard in providing accommodations for students in field placements,” said Harold Thomas Rogers. “Unfortunately, that has not been the case. I am grateful for the National Federation of the Blind’s unwavering commitment to advocating not only for blind students in West Virginia but for students nationwide.”
The plaintiffs seek a court order requiring WVU to implement accessibility reforms, provide blind students with equal educational opportunities, and compensate them for the harm they have suffered.
The plaintiffs are represented by Brown Goldstein & Levy, LLP, https://browngold.com/, and Disability Rights West Virginia, https://www.drofwv.org/.
by Donald Porterfield
From the Editor: Donald Porterfield is a member of the board of directors of the National Federation of the Blind and president of the Arizona affiliate. He is also an attorney who works as a prosecutor in Pima County, Arizona, and his legal skills no doubt serve him well in his role as chairperson of the National Federation of the Blind Resolutions Committee. Here is what he has to say about the writing and submitting of resolutions, which will very soon need to be composed and sent to him:
Do you want to make a difference in the lives of blind people today and in the future? Do you think we should change a government policy, take a stand concerning an agency for the blind, or create new regulations? If you do, consider writing a resolution. Here are a few reminders to help you, as well as some questions to think about when writing a resolution. First, the questions:
Please be mindful of our deadlines. To ensure that your resolution will be considered by the committee, please send it to President Riccobono or to me by June 9, 2025, one month before the committee meeting. Since things are always busy leading up to the convention, we appreciate you sending them earlier if you can. If you send a resolution to me by email and do not receive a response acknowledging your email in two or three days, please call me at 520-850-2180 or send it again. If you miss the deadline, you must get three members of the committee to sponsor your resolution and then get it to me before the meeting begins. I will be pleased to accept resolutions by email at [email protected].
All resolutions will be placed on the NFB website shortly before the committee meets at convention on the afternoon of July 9. This procedure will give the membership a chance to look over the resolutions before the meeting and advocate with the committee members to support or defeat the resolutions.
Here are some reminders, taken from the January 2014 edition of the Braille Monitor, offered by Gary Wunder and Barbara Pierce and slightly adapted and updated. These reminders are as applicable today as they were in 2014.
A resolution is one very long sentence divided into two parts. In the first part, a case is made that certain events have taken place or certain conditions exist that require action. The events are described in short statements that begin with the word WHEREAS. These statements should clearly set forth the reason a resolution is being written, without being so detailed that they make the reader wish the resolution had never happened. The second part of a resolution explains what will or should be done based on the argument laid out in the first section. Resolves are used to say what the NFB will try to persuade others to do. These, too, should be brief and to the point: long enough that they are not ambiguous and concise enough that they avoid repeating what has already been said.
The most efficient way to write a resolution is to make a simple outline or list of premises which you will turn into the WHEREAS clauses and a similar simple list of phrases for the RESOLVED clauses. In fact, you should begin by determining what your RESOLVED clauses are, that is, how many there should be and what their basic thrust is. You will know how many by the number of entities we need to address or the number of problems we need to fix. After you decide specifically how you want the problem fixed, determine the smallest number of concepts you need to explain to a person unfamiliar with the problem to convince them that there is a problem. The best resolutions can be picked up by a person unfamiliar with the issue and hold that person's attention (in other words, they are as short as possible) while still actually explaining the problem and the solution or solutions. This method, deciding the ending first and then crafting the arguments to reach it, will result in the simplest and clearest resolution. Then, when you actually write the formal resolution, you can focus on the writing and the style, having already done the planning part.
Here are the punctuation and layout rules for writing resolutions:
Remember that the resolves are couched in the subjunctive mood, which is rarely used in English. This means that the third person verbs look singular instead of plural, with the s removed: the organization urge, the NFB condemn and deplore, etc. This is because the subjunctive mood is invoked by words like suggest, wish, demand, request. Compare the following two sentences:
She visits her cousin every week.
I suggest that she visit her cousin every week.
The second sentence is in the subjunctive mood because of the verb “suggest,” so the correct verb form is “visit” instead of “visits.” It is the same with resolutions.
The rather strained form of the resolution makes it sound unnatural and formal. Do not attempt to add to this effect by indulging in jargon and verbosity. Even though resolutions are frequently long, brevity is a virtue. Each argument should be made concisely but clearly. Jargon never helps this process. Substituting "utilize" for the short, vigorous word "use" and referring to people as "persons" or "individuals" are good examples of counterproductive inflation of the pomposity quotient. On the other hand, because resolutions are formal statements of a policy position, you should avoid slang or informal words like "exams" instead of "examinations" or "quotes" for "quotations." Verb forms like "hunker down" or "get going" are also a bit too casual for use in resolutions.
You will remember that the NFB is on record as opposing people-first language, except as it happens for some reason to sound euphonious. We are also on record as opposing the use of the terms “visually impaired” or “visual impairment” in favor of “low vision” (hyphenated when used as an adjective) if any distinction needs to be made between totally blind people and those with some eyesight. In other words, “blind people” is perfectly acceptable, or, if there is a good reason to make the distinction, “blind and low-vision people.”
Capitalization should be consistent. Do not capitalize words for emphasis. Quotation marks should not be used for this purpose either. "Federal" is not capitalized unless it is part of an actual title or is the first word of a sentence. Since WHEREAS clauses begin with capital letters, federal is almost never capitalized in resolutions. "Congress," on the other hand, is, as are "House of Representatives" and "Senate." Names of departments and organizations are capitalized, but terms like "departments of education" or "vocational rehabilitation agencies" are generic and should not be.
Resolutions often pile up nouns as adjectives. When this happens, the terms should be hyphenated: access-program producers.
Congressional bill numbers are written H.R. 0000 or S. 0000.
Resolutions are an important part of the work of the national convention. The Braille Monitor is a good sounding board for new ideas and new policies. Consider writing an article about your new idea or policy so that the conversation can begin, and you will be ready to write your resolution for 2026. However, the most immediate task is to start working on the resolutions for 2025. Resolutions guide our organization. Put your thinking cap on, and get your fingers typing. Let’s make sure we have a great set of resolutions for the 2025 convention! The job of the membership is to make sure the committee has resolutions to consider. I look forward to receiving yours!From the Editor: Readers of this magazine are familiar with the struggles that blind people sometimes experience when seeking to perform our civic duty as jurors, and recently we had the opportunity to publish a more positive experience reported by Marilyn Green, President of the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois and member of our national board of directors. Sadly, we still have work to do in the state of New York, and the following is a press release about a lawsuit we have filed in our fight for systemic change in the Empire State:
March 25, 2025 (Brooklyn, New York): Today, Brooklyn resident Albert Elia and the National Federation of the Blind – New York filed a federal lawsuit against the New York State Unified Court System and the Kings County Commissioner of Jurors challenging their systemic discrimination against blind individuals who report for jury duty. Plaintiffs are represented by Disability Rights Advocates and Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP.
Mr. Elia, an attorney and graduate from Northeastern University School of Law and Harvard College, was sworn in as a grand juror in Kings County Supreme Court in fall 2024. He met all the requirements to serve as a juror. But on his first day, the Court excluded him from deliberating on cases that involved video or photo evidence, under the incorrect and harmful assumption that Mr. Elia could not interpret that evidence because he is blind, and he was ultimately dismissed altogether. The Court refused to allow Mr. Elia to use assistive technology or receive verbal descriptions of evidence, which would have allowed him to fulfill his civic duty alongside his fellow grand jurors. The lawsuit alleges that the Brooklyn courts fail to have appropriate policies and procedures in place to avoid these exclusionary practices.
“Juror service is one of the most important civic duties in a democracy, and in New York, it is a civil right,” said Victoria Pilger from Disability Rights Advocates. “Federal law requires courts to ensure no person is excluded from jury service on the basis of their disability. And New York stopped categorically excluding people with disabilities from serving on juries in 1983. Yet, decades later, New York courts continue to deny blind individuals their right to serve on a jury.”
“This unlawful exclusion not only deprived me of the honor and duty of jury service,” said Plaintiff Albert Elia, “it also deprives those facing criminal charges a grand jury composed of a fair cross-section of New Yorkers.”
“The National Federation of the Blind is committed to the full integration of blind people into all aspects of society, including performing our civic duty as jurors,” said Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind. “The evaluation of evidence, including so-called visual evidence, is possible with the proper accommodations required by law, and juror functions like determining the credibility and value of testimony and weighing the evidence presented by the parties do not require eyesight. Of all government entities, the courts ought to be the most aware of their legal obligations and of the right of blind people to participate in the judicial process, and blind Americans will not tolerate anything less.”
From the Editor: The following press release was issued on April 2, 2025, by the National Federation of the Blind and other entities who are collaborating with us in taking legal action to protect the interests of blind and disabled Americans in the face of rapid, and we believe unlawful, changes at the Social Security Administration (SSA). Seven blind or disabled individuals, many of whom are Federation members, are also part of the lawsuit, which asks the court to issue emergency orders to stop the changes. This magazine will keep our readers informed as the litigation proceeds. Here is the press release:
WASHINGTON, DC (APRIL 2, 2025): The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), Deaf Equality, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, and Massachusetts Senior Action Council, along with individual plaintiffs, filed a federal lawsuit today against the Social Security Administration (SSA), Acting Commissioner Leland Dudek, DOGE Acting Administrator Amy Gleason, and Elon Musk in his de facto role as head of DOGE. The lawsuit alleges that recent mass staffing reductions, policies requiring individuals to seek services in person at field offices, and the elimination of critical offices within the SSA unlawfully harm Americans with disabilities and older adults who rely on Social Security services. Justice in Aging and Brown Goldstein & Levy, LLP, join the lawsuit as co-counsel.
Filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, the complaint seeks emergency, declaratory, and injunctive relief to halt the dismantling of the SSA’s infrastructure, including the abrupt closures of the Office of Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity (OCREO) and the Office of Transformation (OT), and the termination of 7,000 SSA employees.
“The Social Security Administration is being gutted without regard to existing law, without transparency, and without any obvious plan as to how services will be provided to applicants and beneficiaries going forward,” said Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind. “Many blind Americans rely on Social Security benefits for their survival and for the support of their families. Given the technology and transportation challenges many of us face, the dramatic reduction in force and the new so-called anti-fraud requirements will work significant hardship or deny access to benefits altogether. In the most severe cases, these cuts could endanger people’s very lives. The National Federation of the Blind supports greater government efficiency and recognizes that much can be done to improve the SSA, but careful planning and collaboration with blind Americans and other disability advocates are the right ways to handle reform.”
At the center of the lawsuit is the allegation that the federal government has undertaken a campaign to “reform” the SSA by gutting the very infrastructure designed to ensure fairness, accessibility, and timely delivery of benefits.
"Americans with disabilities deserve a functioning Social Security system, not arbitrary shutdowns and inaccessible service,” said AAPD President and CEO Maria Town. “We filed this lawsuit because disabled Americans are already suffering—and without urgent court intervention, the harm will only grow. Even before efforts by DOGE and the administration to weaken SSA, approximately 30,000 disabled people died in 2023 while waiting for their SSDI application to be approved. Working Americans pay into Social Security for their entire career because they recognize the protections of SSI and SSDI are part of our moral obligation to one another. These benefits have been funded by working American taxpayers with the understanding the funds will protect their futures and their communities. Making SSA harder to access is not only denying disabled Americans their right to access that protection, it is theft.”
Howard Rosenblum, founder and chair of Deaf Equality, said “Our federal government is abandoning people with disabilities, and this lawsuit seeks to hold it accountable by asking the federal courts to restore the government’s obligations to us. The SSA is a lifeline for millions of people with disabilities including Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, Hard of Hearing, and Late Deafened Americans. By throwing out essential services, the federal government is disregarding its legal responsibilities and failing to protect these American individuals who rely on these programs. Many of these Americans have dedicated a lifetime of work and service, only to be disrespected and disserved when they need support the most.”
“Social Security has been lifting seniors, people with disabilities, and survivor children out of poverty for nearly 90 years. It is the benefits we have earned and represents a contract between generations,” stated Rosa Bentley, President of the Massachusetts Senior Action Council. “We cannot look away as the Trump Administration, Elon Musk, and DOGE push forward aggressive personnel cuts and operational changes that undermine access to our earned benefits and demonstrate a complete disregard for the hard-working people of this nation.”
The plaintiffs argue that the mass restructuring violates the Rehabilitation Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, and multiple Constitutional provisions, including due process and the First Amendment right to petition the government for redress of grievances. With more than 1.1 million disability claims already pending, and thousands dying or going bankrupt each year awaiting decisions, the plaintiffs allege that the SSA’s recent actions are both unlawful and life-threatening.
Max Richtman, President and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, said, “Under the influence of Trump, Musk, and DOGE, the leadership of the Social Security Administration has been recklessly slashing services, offices, and staff. These harmful policies have already hindered our members and supporters (mostly seniors, people with disabilities, and their families) from collecting the benefits they have paid for.”
Plaintiffs are requesting that the Court reverse the closures of OCREO and OT, halt all staffing reductions, reinstate employees who were wrongfully terminated, and roll back the policies that require in-person appointments.
by Cassie McKinney
Summer will be here before we know it, and you all know what that means: Convention! The National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) is getting ready for our Annual Seminar during the National Federation of the Blind National Convention, July 8 to 13 in New Orleans. While the biggest decision that many face is how on earth they are going to fit all their stuff in their suitcase, the NOPBC realizes that this time is when we are able to come together and work on some of the most important challenges that our children face. It is one of the only weeks during the year when blind people from all across our nation and other parts of the world come together for one purpose, and that’s not just to enjoy the jazz and beignets; it is to work for the future of our organization and for the future of blind children everywhen, and to have a little fun. NOPBC welcomes you to join us for our EDUCATE Seminar, where we will talk about everything from how to help your child learn how to play, how to get the most from the IEP at school, how blind children can help with chores, how technology can help blind children, and so much more. We hope that you will be able to join us. Registration is open on our website: nopbc.org.
No summer is complete without taking part in the convention of the National Federation of the Blind. If you have been coming for years, you already know this. If you have never been to a convention, come on in; make yourself at home; and know that our Federation family believes in you, your children, and your future. We can’t wait to be with you in NOLA.
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FOR SALE: Perkins Brailler in good condition. Asking $600 or best offer. For inquiries, please send text or voicemail to Kim at (816) 806-8165, or send email to: [email protected].
I pledge to participate actively in the efforts of the National Federation of the Blind to achieve equality, opportunity, and security for the blind; to support the policies and programs of the Federation; and to abide by its constitution.
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