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Braille Monitor

Vol. 68, No. 7               July 2025

Chris Danielsen, Editor

Distributed by email, in inkprint, in Braille, and on USB flash drive, by the
National Federation of the Blind

Mark Riccobono, President

telephone: 410-659-9314
email address: [email protected]
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Letters to the President, address changes, subscription requests, and orders for NFB literature should be sent to the national office. Articles for the Monitor and letters to the editor may also be sent to the national office or may be emailed to [email protected].

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

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

THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND ADVANCES THE LIVES OF ITS MEMBERS AND ALL BLIND PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES. WE KNOW THAT BLINDNESS IS NOT THE CHARACTERISTIC THAT DEFINES YOU OR YOUR FUTURE. EVERY DAY WE RAISE THE EXPECTATIONS OF BLIND PEOPLE, BECAUSE LOW EXPECTATIONS CREATE OBSTACLES BETWEEN BLIND PEOPLE AND OUR DREAMS. OUR COLLECTIVE POWER, DETERMINATION, AND DIVERSITY ACHIEVE THE ASPIRATIONS OF ALL BLIND PEOPLE. THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND IS NOT AN ORGANIZATION SPEAKING FOR THE BLIND—IT IS THE BLIND SPEAKING FOR OURSELVES.

ISSN 0006-8829


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

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


Contents

Vol. 68, No. 7                      July 2025

Taking Back My Life: A Journey from Control to Freedom (HTML)
Taking Back My Life: A Journey from Control to Freedom (MP3)
by Mary Azatyan-Witmeyer

No Sights Necessary: Firearm Safety and Range Experience (HTML)
No Sights Necessary: Firearm Safety and Range Experience (MP3)
by Christine Faltz Grassman

Dedicated Determination Can Help Create Change (HTML)
Dedicated Determination Can Help Create Change (MP3)
by Cindy Scott-Huisman

Looking Towards Our Future: Making Healthy Aging Accessible (HTML)
Looking Towards Our Future: Making Healthy Aging Accessible (MP3)
by Rishika Kartik and Christopher Liu

Social Determinants of Health: A Framework for Communicating with Health Care Professionals and Policy Specialists about the Work of the Organized Blind Movement (HTML)
Social Determinants of Health: A Framework for Communicating with Health Care Professionals and Policy Specialists about the Work of the Organized Blind Movement (MP3)
by Justin Salisbury

Plan for the Future (HTML)
Plan for the Future (MP3)

Building a Museum Beyond Expectations: Blueprints for Change (HTML)
Building a Museum Beyond Expectations: Blueprints for Change (MP3)

Book Review: Connecting Dots: A Blind Life (HTML)
Book Review: Connecting Dots: A Blind Life (MP3)
by Joshua A. Miele with Wendell Jamieson
Reviewed by Deborah Kendrick

Legislative Update (HTML)
Legislative Update (MP3)
by Chris Danielsen

Living by Standards: When Blindness Isn't the Limitation (HTML)
Living by Standards: When Blindness Isn’t the Limitation (MP3)
by Kristopher I. Crawley

Innosearch AI and National Federation of the Blind Announce Strategic Partnership to Advance Digital Accessibility for Blind and Low-Vision Communities (HTML)
Innosearch AI and National Federation of the Blind Announce Strategic Partnership to Advance Digital Accessibility for Blind and Low-Vision Communities (MP3)

Google and Aira Launch AI Visual Interpreter Pilot Project (HTML)
Google and Aira Launch AI Visual Interpreter Pilot Project (MP3)
by Chris Danielsen

From the President's Desk (HTML)
From the President's Desk (MP3)

Monitor Miniatures (HTML)
Monitor Miniatures (MP3)

Complete Braille Monitor

Complete Braille Monitor (Zipped Word Version)

Complete Braille Monitor (Braille Version) Vol. 1 | Vol. 2

Complete Braille Monitor Audio File (Zipped MP3 Version)

Complete DAISY Audio File (Zipped MP3 Version)

Copyright 2025 by the National Federation of the Blind