_______________________________________________________________________________
Vol. 68, No. 9 October 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.
ISSN 0006-8829
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Vol. 68, No. 9 October 2025
What is Braille Monitor Early Access?
by Chris Danielsen
Twenty Years of Dr. Edward C. Bell and the Institute on Blindness
by Gary Wunder
Remembering the Why, the Purpose, and the Philosophy: My Journey to Becoming a Structured Discovery Cane Travel Teacher
by Denise Mackenstadt
The New NLS DTB Player: A Compelling Upgrade
by Karl Belanger
"Access On" through Collective Action: Mobilizing Leadership through Blind-Centered Technology Perspectives
by Jonathan Mosen
Collective Action through Financial Technology: Utilizing Disability Wisdom to Build Meaningful Innovations
by John Ciocca
From the NFB Archives: A Story of tenBroek's Groundbreaking Work in Civil Rights
Plan for the Future
A Bridge to Myself, a Bridge to Our Dreams
by Melissa Riccobono
Remembering Ruth Miriam Swenson: Advocate, Leader, and Friend
by Gary Wunder
From the President's Desk
Monitor Miniatures
Copyright 2025 by the National Federation of the Blind
by Chris Danielsen
Since 1957, with some exceptions, the Braille Monitor has been published in print, Braille, and audio formats eleven times a year. Issues in those formats were mailed to subscribers for most of that time, but soon after we established our website, we began publishing the magazine online as well and making it available as an email to subscribers who opted in. Today, subscribers can still receive hardcopy Braille and print editions and emails, and the audio edition is available as a thumb drive mailed to readers, online, and as a podcast. Our magazine can also be read on NFB-NEWSLINE®. In short, while remaining consistent, the Braille Monitor has also evolved with changing times and new methods of distribution.
Braille Monitor Early Access is our latest effort to continue that evolution. As of now, we will make an effort to publish new, relevant content and connect to other timely Federation resources, such as our press room, on the section of our website dedicated to the flagship magazine of our movement. As some stories develop, we may update them, and we will clearly indicate when we have done so. We will not compromise truthfulness and accuracy in posting this content. Our aim is to make the Braille Monitor the go-to source for the most current information about the Federation and the blind community. We will do this in a manner that is consistent both with our own standards and the standards of modern journalism. Many stories that appear in Early Access will also appear in the “regular” publication but they may be different from how they originally appear, and if so we will clearly indicate that. Some other content may be exclusive to this page, depending on whether it is still relevant when the next regular issue goes out. But all of it will be Braille Monitor content that conforms to the quality and standards that our readers expect.
In his article introducing me as the new editor of this magazine in our December 2024 issue, President Riccobono said: “As we move to a new editor, we have another opportunity to rethink and reformulate how our flagship publication represents our aspirations for the future. If we do it right, in twenty years, the Braille Monitor will be the source of accurate information for how we dealt with the pressing issues we face today. Furthermore, it will serve as a reliable measuring stick for the progress we have made as it has since 1957.” The new Early Access feature seeks to advance and enhance those goals. The communications team who helped make this a reality, particularly my colleagues Erin Rodney and our team lead Stephanie Cascone, join me in looking forward to your feedback on this feature, as well as on all of our content and on other innovations we might make to enhance the voice, reach, and power of our flagship magazine. Reach out to me directly at [email protected], or shoot an email to [email protected]. Happy reading!
by Gary Wunder
The Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness (PDRIB) is marking the retirement of Dr. Edward C. Bell after twenty years of leadership—two decades that turned aspiration into program and program into a pipeline of professionals who expect competence from blind people and teach accordingly. Dr. Bell is the institute’s third director and, by far, its longest serving. During his tenure, approximately two hundred students have passed through PDRIB’s programs, many of them now shaping classrooms, centers, and agencies across the country.
What makes this institute singular is not just its location on a university campus. It is the first sustained, university-affiliated training center in blindness created by leaders in the organized blind movement and operated according to the philosophy of Structured Discovery pioneered by the National Federation of the Blind. Through its cane-travel track, it remains the only university-based degree program that explicitly prepares instructors to teach Structured Discovery Cane Travel.
The institute grew out of a late-1990s partnership between Louisiana Tech University and the Louisiana Center for the Blind (LCB), a center run by blind professionals. That collaboration has now spanned more than twenty-five years and continues to anchor PDRIB’s immersion training and mentorship model.
When Dr. Bell assumed the directorship twenty years ago, the institute’s goals were more aspirational than specific. His first job was to refine the mission, then build the machinery to carry it out—curricula, clinical placements, faculty development, and a credentialing pathway that could certify new graduates and recertify working practitioners at regular intervals. Today PDRIB’s close work with the National Blindness Professional Certification Board (NBPCB) links preparation to standards, examinations, and ethics.
Structured Discovery is not a bag of techniques but a philosophy for teaching and learning that puts the blind learner at the center. Where the traditional approach treats blindness as a deficit and casts the professional as the authority who prescribes narrow tasks to be copied, Structured Discovery treats blindness as a characteristic to be managed with alternative, nonvisual skills. The learner is active; the professional is a mentor who uses modeling, Socratic questioning, and well-planned experience so that students internalize problem-solving and self-monitoring.
Stated plainly, the goal is not to teach what to think but how to think. Teaching what to think confines a person to a script; teaching how to think equips a person to meet the unknown. For this reason, PDRIB requires deep practice rather than surface proficiency, blind role models rather than low expectations, and honest difficulty rather than overprotection. The national certification framework that grew up around Structured Discovery Cane Travel (SDCT) formalizes these expectations in exam domains and continuing-education requirements.
PDRIB offers three graduate pathways that embody this philosophy:
Two of the three insist on immersion. Students complete 400 to 480 hours at an approved center such as LCB. During the training day they wear training shades—eight hours at a time—so that nonvisual techniques become reliable and efficient under real-world conditions. This is not denial of residual sight; it is a curriculum choice that ensures skills hold when lighting, fatigue, or disease makes vision unreliable and that people with progressive loss are not trained twice.
Opponents sometimes argue that shades ignore remaining vision or create unnecessary difficulty. PDRIB’s answer is that consistent nonvisual proficiency reduces anxiety, supports better generalization, and reframes identity: functioning is the point, not how much one sees. The result is steadier performance and, in time, higher expectations—by teachers, by families, and by blind students themselves.
PDRIB’s job is not only to train but to ask better questions. As Dr. Bell often says, you can have rigorous methods and impeccable measurement, but if the underlying question assumes dependence and low confidence, your data cannot speak beyond those assumptions. The institute’s mission commits it to research that “broadens and deepens our understanding of blindness and the best ways to promote independence,” and to follow the data even when results complicate our hopes.
The reality of publishing that work has sometimes been rough. Early on, as Dr. Bell recounts, “We were, frankly, the ugly stepchild of the academic world, and we wrestled with gatekeeping that seemed to judge the byline more than the design.” The response was not withdrawal but construction: help launch and lead venues where rigorous, consumer-driven research could be judged on its merits. The Journal of Blindness Innovation and Research (JBIR)—the first scholarly journal created by blind people through the National Federation of the Blind to focus explicitly on independence and self-determination—stands at the center of that effort, and Dr. Bell has served as a part of its editorial leadership.
Beyond journals, the Critical Concerns in Blindness book series (which Dr. Bell has edited) translates expectations into practice for families and teachers. Volumes such as Getting Ready for College Begins in Third Grade and Independent Movement and Travel in Blind Children put practical, high-expectation counsel into the hands of the people who need it most.
Along the way to his doctorate, Dr. Bell earned two National Federation of the Blind scholarships: one in 1995 and another in 1998, when he returned as a tenBroek Fellow—a designation reserved for prior winners who win again. Those dates show a through-line of scholarship, persistence, and increasing responsibility that would soon carry him into doctoral work and then into the directorship at Louisiana Tech.
The scientific method is simple in outline—observe, hypothesize, test, replicate—but hard to live. Fields develop momentum; journals enshrine their assumptions; people are people. In blindness rehabilitation, those assumptions have too often divided the world into caregivers and the cared-for. Structured Discovery rejects that frame. It assumes capacity, teaches generalizable skills, and insists that independence is the default—not a miracle. This insistence has measurable consequences across reading media, mobility, and employment, and it is reflected in PDRIB’s research reports and national surveys that tie high expectations and comprehensive training to better outcomes.
Leadership is not a straight line. Dr. Bell has spoken plainly about his early years: “My first several years here were plagued with imposter syndrome. I felt way out of my depth: newly minted PhD, director of this program. I’m just a kid who finished college. It was very hard for me to adjust to this role.” That candor helps students and colleagues see the work for what it is: a demanding craft learned in public, with real consequences for the people we serve.
What remains after twenty years is a living system built on four pillars:
Dr. Bell set out to articulate a mission, build an infrastructure, and strengthen a credentialing system able to maintain standards over time. He did that. But the most important thing he did may be the least visible: he helped a generation of teachers, mentors, and scholars understand that our job is not to teach a script but to equip a mind. When you teach how to think, independence follows. May his next twenty years be as personally rewarding and helpful to blind people as his last two decades.
by Denise Mackenstadt, NOMC
From the Editor: Denise Mackenstadt is a cane travel instructor based in Washington State, where she lives with her husband Gary, and has been a member of the National Federation of the Blind since 1970. This article is adapted from remarks she gave at the Contemporary Issues in Rehabilitation and Education for the Blind Conference put on by the National Blindness Professional Certification Board as part of the 2025 National Convention. Along with her compelling personal story, the article contains much insight into Federation philosophy and its relationship to the Structured Discovery teaching methods that are a hallmark of Federation training centers and increasingly accepted throughout the blindness field. Here is what Denise shared:
In 2005, I finally obtained my dream job: I completed the training to become an orientation and mobility instructor. I passed my certification test for a National Orientation Mobility Certification (NOMC) supervised by the National Blindness Professional Certification Board (NBPCB). That next school year I was hired at my first job as an orientation and mobility instructor. My path to this point had been a long journey of mentoring, philosophy, and practical skill building—a journey that started many years earlier.
While in high school, I met blind peers for the first time. In addition, I met teachers of the blind and mobility instructors who worked with these students. I became friends with some of these blind high school students. The mobility instructors were interns attending the California State University at Los Angeles master’s program in orientation and mobility. I became fascinated with what they were doing. My blind friends had not received any training before then. At the time, it was widely believed that blind people were not mature enough to use a cane until age sixteen, as if cane travel were akin to driving. On campus, blind students used a sighted guide or did their best in the crowded halls trying to avoid other students. Mobility instructors were exclusively sighted, since it was presumed blind people could not teach cane travel. This practice continued until the 1990s. My friends did not use their canes outside of mobility instruction.
The low expectations and discrimination faced by my blind friends became especially clear during the Los Angeles teachers’ strike in 1969. Administrators decided to sequester blind students in the nurse’s office “for their safety.” Many of the blind students saw this policy for what it was: custodialism. This custodialism was predicated on the assumption that blind people were unable to be responsible for their own wellbeing. All the students at this high school were expected to be safe. Protocols were put into place to protect all the students during this work stoppage. But the blind students were singled out. It was the first time that the blind students did not have advocates, adults or other students, to stand up for them. It was a time they learned that standing up had to be done by them. During this period, the campus became “open,” allowing students to leave school grounds if they attended class. For blind students, this was the first chance to travel independently. The experience was a turning point—one that revealed to them, and to me, that their independence was possible and in their own hands.
After high school graduation, I enrolled in college with the intention that after receiving my BA I would transfer to California State University at Los Angeles to go into the orientation and mobility program. This was my dream. In 1970, my blind friends introduced me to this organization that they had become involved with. This was my introduction to the National Federation of the Blind. Like many others, I did not initially join the Federation for an altruistic reason. It was 1970, and we were out on our own and wanted to have active social lives. Members of the local Federation chapter happened to throw good parties. I was eighteen years old, and obviously I was drawn to groups that I could enjoy.
This was a time of social upheaval and fast changes in the lives of Americans, including blind Americans. As time went on, the side of me that wanted to be part of advocating for a better world for all people, including blind people, made my interest in the National Federation of the Blind more important. I immersed myself in the literature and speeches of Dr. tenBroek and Dr. Jernigan. I attended my first California State Convention in 1971. The national representative was Dr. Jernigan. His speech and presence had a profound effect on me. As a sighted person, I began to try to figure out my role in this organization that was directed by and for blind people.
I was still intending to go to Cal State at Los Angeles to study to become an orientation and mobility instructor. I met and was impressed by many O&M professors in the field. However, I was influenced by the belief that an instructor needed sight to teach travel with a cane. This belief was so ingrained that I had the audacity to write a letter to Dr. Jernigan saying that I did not believe that a blind person could teach mobility. He responded in the kind and understanding way that he always did. I began, as a result, to reevaluate this belief. I later learned that he had used my letter as a discussion item at a leadership seminar. I must admit that I had mixed emotions about that. I finally realized that this was a compliment.
In my NFB chapter there were several former students of Dr. Jernigan from Iowa. They were the first individuals I knew who demonstrated the advanced skills, particularly in mobility, that they had received at the Iowa Commission for the Blind. They demonstrated the use of a longer cane, the ability to advocate for themselves, and a belief in their own self-determination. I was intrigued and, as a result, began to ask questions and research what was happening at this unique training center.
In 1973, I met someone who became the most important person in my life. Little did I know that Gary Mackenstadt would become a lifetime partner. We married in August of 1973. We have spent the last fifty-two years together. It was rough the first couple of years, as Gary sent out two hundred resumes to colleges throughout California to get a teaching position. He finally got a part-time job at Los Angeles City College. We felt in 1974 that we needed to attend a national convention of the Federation to learn more about blindness and the movement. The convention cemented our belief that the National Federation of the Blind was going to be an important organization in our lives. I continued to consider my role as a sighted person in this organization. Dr. Jernigan said to me that what I held in my heart about the possibility of blind people being in control of their lives was all that mattered. This statement was important to me.
Because of the need to frequently move for Gary to improve his career, I was unable to get the university training I would need to teach orientation and mobility for many years, but both Gary and I continued to learn and grow in the National Federation of the Blind. In 1975, we were invited to a leadership seminar in Des Moines, Iowa. Gary was elected to the Board of Directors of the American Brotherhood of the Blind, later to become the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults, which historically had worked with the deafblind and had a publishing house of print/Braille “Twin Vision” books. After the 1976 convention, Gary took a job with Blind Industries and Services of Maryland (BISM). This agency was developing an NFB-based blind training program. Gary was the director of the rehabilitation department at BISM. I got a job at the City of Baltimore program for recreation for special needs populations. This included working with blind and other disabled individuals using the city recreation services. The director of this program was John McCraw. John became an important mentor for me. He was the president of the Maryland affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind. Here again I was able to get to know a strong and independent blind person. John spent much time with us talking and helping us learn. Our time in Baltimore gave us the opportunity to get to know people who would be lifelong friends and mentors: Don and Shirley Morris, Jim and Sharon Omvig, John and Connie McCraw, Dr. Jernigan and Mrs. Mary Ellen Jernigan, Judy Sanders, and many more. We moved to Boston, Massachusetts, for Gary to start working for the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW), later the US Education Department. We remained friends with those we knew in Baltimore. Our time in Boston was important because we adopted our daughter, Amanda, while we were there. Again, I had to postpone my dream of becoming an orientation and mobility instructor to put emphasis on my family.
We moved to Washington State in 1980 and with Bennett Prows, Hazel tenBroek, and Marci Carpenter, we organized a new affiliate. In 1982 our son Eric was born. We have been in Washington State ever since. During my time in Washington, in conjunction with other community activities, I became a known advocate for families with blind children. I worked with parents in a positive and proactive way, introducing them to the Federation philosophy while supporting their efforts to raise blind and low-vision children. Some of these children had significant additional disabilities such as intellectual disabilities, deafness, emotional/behavioral disabilities, and mobility disabilities. This was a tremendously satisfying experience for me.
Subsequently I worked as a Braille transcriber/paraeducator for ten years. One of the most rewarding experiences I had was to receive the National Federation of the Blind Distinguished Educator of Blind Students Award in 2001. I am proud to be the first paraeducator to receive this award.
In 2002, I finally had an opportunity to begin a graduate program in orientation and mobility instruction. Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas received a grant to train teachers of orientation and mobility in the Northwest United States, which included Washington State. I was eligible to participate in this cohort. The classwork was conducted by video conferencing. A group of us met at the closest college with the facilities to do our lectures by video. The second year we met by telephone conferencing. I really missed meeting in person with my fellow students. I received my blindfold training in Boise, Idaho, over a four-week period. We didn’t even use our blindfolds the whole time because we traded off in a two-person team. This program also used the guided learning curriculum and philosophy. We did not use Structured Discovery (SD) techniques or philosophy. As you know, this was not near enough time to become proficient with the use of a cane with a blindfold. In addition, a person cannot develop confidence in their skill to teach under a blindfold within such a short period of time. I brought to the training my own NFB cane. This identified me as a Federationist. A sense of suspicion among the university instructors infused the experience at first. When they saw that I participated to the best of my ability, they relaxed some. I did say that I was willing to use a different cane, but I felt for safety’s sake I would insist on a longer cane than prescribed. This was not a problem because they could not find the right length among the canes they were using, so I just used my NFB cane. I performed my skills at an acceptable level to complete the instruction successfully.
A few things happened which I thought interesting. First, I was able to get the group to participate in a summer picnic with the local NFB chapter in Boise. It was an informative and interesting experience for my fellow students. Also, my fellow students were impressed with how confident and fluid I was in my cane usage. They did not get that this was a result of a longer cane and an important philosophical base. My concluding drop route was not really a drop route as we know it. We planned our own route visually. We were expected to know where we were dropped and to travel the route as we had planned. An interesting occurrence illustrated the philosophy of the guided learning approach of instruction. At one point I became disoriented. Even though I was disoriented, I did not remove my blindfold. I worked my way out of it and completed my route. The instructor made the comment that I became disoriented because I had not mapped my route to avoid the area in which I had difficulty. I thought this was telling. I need to thank Ramona Walhof and Jan and Harry Gawith for their hospitality during my blindfold training in Boise. This experience taught me that my understanding of Structured Discovery cane technique was an extension of the Federation philosophy that was already part of me. I was going to be a Structured Discovery instructor because of the leaders I knew in the NFB and the philosophy which was engrained in me.
I went home and studied everything I could get my hands on. I spoke with other instructors who used Structured Discovery philosophy and techniques. In the end I knew that my attitudes were all about the philosophy of the National Federation of the Blind. Would I have wanted to have a full experience of attending Louisiana Tech University? Of course. But circumstances would not allow for that. As a result, even though I was eligible for ACVREP Certification (COMS), I chose the NOMC. I know that attendance at an SD training center is now required for NOMC certification. I personally regret not being able to do that, but I was able to pass my NOMC examination. This was the culmination of my dream of becoming an orientation and mobility instructor who uses SD techniques and philosophy.
As with many of you, I found that using SD training, philosophy, and techniques was looked upon by my professional peers with suspicion. I was even discouraged at times. My students were the most important examples of the success we achieve with SD training. I worked primarily with blind and low-vision school-age students. This included students with additional disabilities to blindness. This may be intellectual disabilities, neurodivergent students, mobility-impaired students, and deaf students. I grew to love working with students with additional disabilities. The success of Structured Discovery was evident in the success of my students. Over time, slowly, I gained the respect of those professional peers who wanted to learn about how I successfully taught students with all disabilities. I did have experience with professional peers who wanted to discriminate against my use of Structured Discovery. However, my students were the reason I had to continue to believe in the use of SD techniques and philosophy.
I found that my work brought tremendous satisfaction. My students needed the kind of training I was able to give them to live the lives they wanted. The National Federation of the Blind continues to be my grounding. I love to be around my fellow SD instructors at national conventions. These SD professional peers are the ones who keep me believing that I am doing what is right by my students.
Currently, I have the privilege of speaking to agencies, students, and training centers about successfully working with students who have significant additional disabilities. This is a passion I have. I want my fellow professional peers to understand that these students can successfully benefit from SD training. They have the same desire and need to have the philosophy and skills to determine how they live their own lives. As committed Federationists, we need to be committed to tolerance, understanding, and patience with all students, including students who have additional significant disabilities.
I want to end this presentation as I began. My journey has been because of my belief in blind people as the determiners of their own destiny. My belief in blind people has been a result of knowing members of the National Federation of the Blind. This belief has been challenged by other professional peers, but my students validate my belief in the success of SD. My mentors over this past fifty-three years have been of unfailing influence. The professional mentors I have found in the field as we use SD to instruct and empower our students have helped me continue to learn. These mentors include, but are not exclusive of, Jeff Altman, Dr. Edward Bell, Duncan Larsen, Doug Boone, Merry-Noel Chamberlain, and Joe Cutter. My message to you is to continue to believe you are doing right. Your students will thank you.
I would like to leave you with my favorite quote. As Dr. Kenneth Jernigan said in his speech The Nature of Independence,
Hold your head high in the joy of accomplishment and the pride of independence—but not because of dog or cane or human arm, and not because of your ability to read Braille or use a computer. These are the trappings of independence, not the substance of it. They should be learned and used when needed—but they should be regarded only as means, not ends. Our independence comes from within. A slave can have keen eyesight, excellent mobility, and superb reading skills—and still be a slave. We are achieving freedom and independence in the only way that really counts—in rising self-respect, growing self-confidence, and the will and the ability to make choices. Above all, independence means choices, and the power to make those choices stick.
by Karl Belanger
From the Editor: Karl Belanger has contributed many technology reviews and articles to these pages and other Federation publications over the years and has been a familiar presenter at both virtual and in-person technology demonstrations, boutiques, and seminars. This is his last contribution as a member of the Federation staff, but he tells me he hopes to contribute more as he can while pursuing new opportunities. Here is his review of the upgraded book player from our nation’s library service for the blind:
The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled has recently begun distributing the new Digital Advanced Player 2 (DA2) as an upgrade to the existing player. This new device provides a straightforward way for patrons of the National Library Service (NLS) to download books from the Braille and Audio Reading Download, (BARD) service. The new player also supports connecting to Bluetooth headsets. It still supports playback from the NLS cartridges, as well as audio files from a USB drive. This new player represents a significant upgrade, making the player much more viable for users who weren’t interested in the original player or are frequent BARD users.
If you are familiar with the original player, the new one is fairly similar. Most of the front edge is taken up by the cartridge slot. The handle of the player starts just to the left of the cartridge slot and wraps around until it is more than halfway up the left side. The large round speaker is in the top left corner of the player. The speaker sound is very clear and can get quite loud, so you should be able to hear your book just fine in a noisy environment or outdoors. The right side of the player has a headphone jack, a standard USB port, and a USB C port for charging and file transfer. One notable difference is that the player uses a USB C adapter for charging, rather than having a cord compartment on the back of the unit. The top of the player has a very similar layout to the older advanced player. The front edge has rewind, play/pause, and fast forward buttons. On the left side of the player there are Mode, Bookmark, and Bookshelf buttons going from front to back. Just above the Play button is the Sleep button, which lets you adjust the sleep timer. In the middle of the top face are triangular up/down/left/right buttons with an Info button in the middle. Across the back edge are three sets of up/down buttons to adjust the Tone, Volume and Speed respectively. Lastly, the power button is near the right side of the player and surrounded by a raised ring in the top surface. All the buttons are fairly large, rubberized, and easily identifiable by both shape and Braille labels.
The new NLS player changes things up by using a USB C charger. While you lose the convenience of the built-in cord, this new method brings a lot of flexibility. You are not limited to the included charger. If you’re away from a standard outlet, you can use a portable power bank to charge the player. Since the player’s battery is quite large, I’d recommend using one with a fairly high output to ensure the battery charges in a timely manner. That said, you’re not going to need to charge the player very often; the battery life is stellar, easily lasting over thirty hours on a charge. This was with Wi-Fi connected, searching and downloading several books, and general heavy usage. If you only listen to a book with Airplane Mode on and the volume relatively low, it will probably last for much longer.
To turn the player on, press and hold the Power button for a second or two. You will hear a little jingle followed by a welcome announcement. After ten or fifteen seconds, the player will come up to the bookshelf. If there are no books in the internal memory, and a cartridge isn’t inserted, you will be placed in the key describer. Press any button to hear its function announced. Press and hold the bookshelf button to bring up the user guide.
When you first get the player, you will likely want to connect to Wi-Fi, log into BARD, and possibly pair a Bluetooth headset. Press and hold the Info button to get into the menu, and go to Settings. Under Wi-Fi Settings, you can scan for networks and select the one you want to connect to. It is possible, though a bit tedious, to enter the password using the player itself. You use the up and down arrows to move through letters, the Sleep button to enter them, and the Bookmark button to switch between lowercase, uppercase, numbers, and symbols keyboards. Holding down the arrows will let you jump a few items at a time, but it still takes a while, especially if the password is long. Fortunately, the player supports USB keyboards. Plug a keyboard into the USB port, and you can type in the credentials normally. Use left and right arrows to review what you’ve typed, and Backspace to delete characters. Enter submits the prompt. Once you’re connected to Wi-Fi, exit Settings and go to the NLS BARD menu option. Use the player or a keyboard to enter your email and password, and you’re good to go. Lastly, if you want to pair to a Bluetooth headset, go back into the settings, select Bluetooth, put your headset or speaker in pairing mode, and select it from the list.
Before we can listen to books, we need to download something. Press and hold Info to get into the menu, and select NLS BARD. Log in if you haven’t already. There are a number of options in the BARD menu including Search, Wishlist, Most Recent or Most Popular books, Recent Magazines, Previous Downloads, and Current Downloads. Selecting most of these options brings up a list of books. Use the left and right arrows to select one and press the Info button. This will bring up options to download the book, add it to your wishlist, get info including the book description, or close the menu. Once you have one or more downloads queued, you can view them in the Current Downloads option from the BARD menu. The player will download one book at a time, then proceed to the next. Once you have at least one book downloaded, or if you insert a cartridge, the bookshelf becomes available.
Once you have books available, you can access the bookshelf by either closing the menu or by pressing the Bookshelf button. You can use the left and right arrows to move through the books and Play to start reading. Pressing Info will read the book number, title, and author, and pressing Bookmark will prompt to delete the book. If a USB drive is plugged in, the player will scan the drive for books and announce “Refreshing bookshelf content” while doing so. It will then add any new books to the bookshelf. I plugged in an external 2TB hard drive with a number of audio files on it to see if the player could work with it. It took several minutes, but the player did eventually index the entire drive and found all the audio files. One downside to doing this is that if you turn the player off and back on, it needs to rescan the drive. If you have a drive with a number of NLS books on it, it may be worth copying them to the internal media if you plan to read them regularly.
Once you’ve selected a book, you can press Play to read it. This functions exactly like the reader in the previous player. You can rewind and fast forward using the buttons or navigate among the navigation levels and chapters using the arrow keys. Pressing the Speed or Tone adjustments while a book is playing will adjust the settings for that book only.
Aside from the main function of downloading and reading books, the player has a few other features worth mentioning.
You can connect the player directly to a computer to copy books to the internal storage. Before this will work, you need to turn on the Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) option in User Settings. Once this is done, the player will show up as an external drive on your computer. You can either copy books to the Books folder or copy zip folders to the Zipped Media folder. Doing the latter will cause the player to unzip the book once it is transferred.
As mentioned previously, the NLS DA2 player can connect to Bluetooth headsets for listening to books. I found the pairing process to be straightforward, and there wasn’t much lag when navigating around the player. Unfortunately, it is not possible to use any of the controls on the Bluetooth headset or speaker to control the player. This somewhat undermines the point of using a Bluetooth device. The benefit of using Bluetooth is for personal listening at a distance from the player, and having to go back to it every time you want to adjust the volume or navigate within a book is not great. I am hopeful that this may change in a future update.
In addition to entering text, you can also completely control the player using a USB keyboard. By default, only the arrow keys on the keyboard are mapped to the arrows on the player. In order to configure any other buttons, you must go into the Configure Key Bindings option in Settings and map a keyboard key to each player button. This could be useful if you’re doing a lot of searches on BARD and don’t want to have to keep switching back and forth from the keyboard to the player. This feature is also intended to work with switches or other nonstandard input devices, though I have not tested this.
by Jonathan Mosen
From the Editor: Jonathan Mosen is no newcomer to Federation conventions, but he addressed the 2025 Convention for the first time in his role as Executive Director for Accessibility Excellence at the NFB Jernigan Institute. As President Riccobono pointed out when introducing him, Jonathan picked up and moved his home and his life around the world to assume this role. Here are the updates and plans that Jonathan shared with the assembly:
Thank you Mr. President, and good afternoon fellow Federationists. It is an honor to be here as the Federation's Executive Director for Accessibility Excellence. And since I now live here in the United States, I want to assure you that I now feel honored without the letter U. [Laughter] I'd like to thank everyone who has made me feel so welcome to the Federation and to the United States. [Applause]
Technology affects us all. Some of us embrace it, some of us wish we could avoid it. [Laughter] Some of us find it intuitive, some of us find it inscrutable. Some of us rise to the challenge, some of us want to throw the darn thing out the window. While technology evokes varied responses and emotions, we all just want this stuff to work so we can get on with our lives. We demand access that is equal in functionality and reliability because we proudly and unashamedly assert our worth, and we deserve no less. When companies develop technology for our use, we, the blind, expect to have a seat at the table at a time when our voice can matter.
President Riccobono chose the title of this address, “Access On Through Collective Action.” I was delighted that he gave me this title, because “collective action” is the reason we have much of the technology we now take for granted. Sometimes, people say things to me like, “Oh, I’m really not much of a joiner. If I feel strongly about an issue, I can whip up a frenzy on social media, start an online petition, and make change that way.” It’s true, you might have some success if you have a big enough following, your issue gets sufficient traction, and all the noise reaches the right person who can implement the change you're asking for. I’ve seen it done, but it’s rare, and it takes time, skill, and a lot of luck.
Now, this organization has an unmatched track record of bringing about technological advancement because of the power of collective action. Social media is often an echo chamber, but history proudly chronicles that the voice of the organized blind has been echoing through the corridors of power, changing the world for eighty-five years. [Light applause] It is a voice that cannot be silenced and will not be ignored. While an individual complaint may be seen as a personal grievance, the organization representing the nation's blind transforms that complaint into a civil rights issue.
My fellow Federationists, the NFB is not fighting for us. Collective action means that the Federation is us, fighting for ourselves and for one another, stronger together, unstoppable in our momentum, gaining solace and strength from our solidarity. [Applause] To attendees in the room who have come to find out about the NFB, and to those listening online who are not part of our movement yet, I say this: If you want to see technology evolve and improve; if you believe that the blind have not just the right, but the duty to build on the work of those have gone before and worked hard to give us the technological victories we now enjoy; then our doors, our hearts, our arms are open. Come join us, there is a place for you in the National Federation of the Blind. [Applause]
At our Center of Excellence in Nonvisual Accessibility, which we call CENA for short, we inform, advise, educate, and advocate about technology. Of course, I have to start with artificial intelligence, AI for short, specifically generative AI. This is disruptive technology, and it has the ability to disrupt myths about blindness. The National Federation of the Blind knows that it isn't blindness that holds us back, but constraining attitudes certainly do. All the major AI players are well aware that without intervention, AI may perpetuate harmful stereotypes about blind people. The generative AI revolution has presented an opportunity to correct the record, and we intend to see that it is corrected. We’re making progress. Thankfully, it’s been a long time now since I’ve had an AI expressing sorrow that I'm blind. AI companies are actively rebalancing data, ensuring that we’re portrayed accurately. Many AI companies now have ethics boards that monitor AI for inaccurate portrayals. Blindness-specific data sets, where we ourselves demonstrate what it is to be blind, help to reduce bias and better inform the AI.
AI describes the world around us, and many of us find it helpful. Sometimes, it produces vivid, accurate descriptions. At other times it just makes things up. [Laughter] Although they continue to improve steadily, guided by member feedback, we in turn provide guidance to AI companies about the kind of information AI should convey in a range of settings. AI should never replace our own travel skills and awareness of our surroundings, nor do we wish for companies with the potential to provide us with useful information to be overly cautious and patronizing. We continue to talk with technology companies about the concept of AI as an alternative technique for access to visual information. Everyone else can identify people they already know in a crowded room, and AI in theory permits a blind person to do that too. We must make it happen. We must find ways of allowing a blind person to identify someone they know while respecting privacy concerns. This problem is no longer technological. It is ethical. We will work with the industry to figure it out.
You'll be hearing much more about agents in the world of AI in the year ahead. AI has the potential to create a new screen-reading paradigm that will be particularly beneficial for people who become blind in later life and may not have vocational goals. It can be conversational and easy to use for daily tasks like shopping and communication. We look forward to working with a range of companies, in the mainstream and access technology sectors, to see this new product category emerge in a way that makes technology more inclusive while preserving the efficiency so many experienced users need.
Speaking of efficiency, we continue to receive feedback from members about the need for companies to remember efficiency when designing for accessibility. There are some applications which are broadly accessible but which are unnecessarily verbose. Software developers mean well when they do this. But it is the equivalent of ordering a cup of coffee somewhere, and then when someone hands it to you they say, “Be careful, it’s hot.” [Laughter] We know it's hot, it’s what we ordered! [Laughter] When we press Enter in a browser to load a page, we don’t need to be told it's loading the page; it’s what we ordered. [Laughter] We’re in the undesirable situation of some applications speaking way too much, and third-party screen readers, with far fewer resources than big tech, having to invest some of those limited resources in making these apps bearable. That is wasteful, pure and simple. Some may think this is a finicky complaint. It is not. When you calculate over a work or school year the lost productivity due to suboptimal experiences, accessible but inefficient user interfaces hold us back. [Applause]
Now I’d like to talk about something we’ve received many phone calls and emails about: Facebook. Given how much concern people have expressed, I think it is important that I account in detail to the convention about our advocacy on this subject. Blind smartphone users who use Facebook have not had an easy time of it. Several severe bugs crept into the Facebook app which were left unresolved for a long time. Not everyone uses a smartphone. That is their choice, that is their right, and if a desktop site exists, we demand that it is fully accessible to everyone. [Applause] Late last year, just ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, when people often use social media to connect with one another, Meta closed down its MBasic Facebook site. We know that change is the only constant when it comes to technology, and that the MBasic site was designed for older mobile phone browsers that no longer exist. But many blind people used it because it was clean, simple, and accessible. I don't think Meta appreciated the accessibility impact of deprecating the site. Nevertheless, the elimination of that workaround exposed how increasingly riddled with accessibility problems the primary Facebook site had become. Things were pretty bad. But the National Federation of the Blind and Meta have been in constructive, respectful, forthright dialog. We’ve gathered your feedback. We’ve found common threads and provided helpful steps for the Meta team to duplicate defects. Meta, in turn, has been responding. It has fixed some of the particularly egregious bugs that were frustrating smartphone users. We’re now starting to see improvements to the main Facebook website, with some of the keyboard shortcuts fixed and extraneous block quote characters removed. We’re not yet at our destination; the journey continues. But as long as we see changes in response to our feedback, we will keep the conversation going. I also acknowledge Meta’s presence here at our national convention; they have come so they can hear from their blind users. And we are pleased that they have responded to our feedback on improving the Meta smart glasses. [Applause] And I think you will be impressed with what is coming.
It was a significant moment in 1990 when Dr. Maurer unveiled the concept of the International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind. He said, and I quote, “When the blind buy technology, we deserve the same Consumer Reports-style independence that sighted people take for granted. The International Braille and Technology Center will exist only to answer one question—what really works for a blind person?” We launched the IBTC fifty years to the day that our Federation was founded. At a press briefing, Dr. Jernigan said this: “The IBTC is at least one of everything: every speech synthesizer, every Braille display, every scanner we can find. It is the tool we will use to keep industry honest and to keep blind people employed.”
Of course, the Federation delivered. There is no place on the planet like the IBTC. [Light applause] We have been so successful in our advocacy that many devices available for general purchase now offer accessibility features. The IBTC purchases a selection of such devices. But we have stayed true to the founding mission of the IBTC. When a device specifically for blind people comes on the market, we purchase it, we evaluate it without fear or favor, and we communicate our findings to you.
In 2017, in his banquet address, President Riccobono observed, “We live in a time in which technology is constantly a part of our human experience, but of course we’ve always lived with technology. However, the difference today is the speed with which technology is becoming increasingly important in our lives. The changes that occur as technology alters the pattern of our lives take place not in decades but in days. The increased velocity of change will soon demand altered patterns of thought and behavior from us hour by hour or minute by minute. Technology has changed the way we work, play, and even the way we think.” In response to the rapidity, impact, and nature of technological change, last year President Riccobono concluded that the time was right to create an executive director position with a technology focus. The Federation never stands still, and the time has come to write an exciting new chapter.
I have recently completed a thorough strategic review of CENA, which includes the IBTC and related functions, and there are ten key strategic objectives that will guide us moving forward:
In the years ahead, we’ll be making the operational changes that better equip us to deliver on those strategic objectives. As President Riccobono said in his report, in the coming year he will create a committee to more closely link the membership with CENA’s work. But there is much more. We’ll find innovative ways to bring the knowledge of the IBTC to you. Our new technology podcast, Access On, is just the beginning. Access On is an opportunity for us to tell you about some of the technology that we’ve been evaluating and let you hear the movers and shakers talking about the latest developments in technology. But we also love hearing listener contributions, and there are plenty of people in this room who can add immense value to the podcast, giving it a strong Federation flavor. So, if you have something to share, a concern, a demonstration others may benefit from, a tech tip to improve efficiency, remember Access On is the Federation’s podcast, which means it is your podcast.
Now as Steve Jobs used to say, I have one more thing. I’d like to share with you our bold dreams for the International Braille and Technology Center of the future. We’re reimagining the IBTC’s layout to reflect that technology is not an end in itself, but the means to living the life we want. In the IBTC of the future, when you look at equipment that can help you study, you’ll do so in a classroom. When you consider equipment to help you succeed on the job, you’ll do so in an office where you can sit down at your desk and try as many solutions as you need to. In the IBTC of the future, we’ll have extensive home automation set up so you can bring your own smartphone along, see what’s possible, and how effective it is to control the home yourself. These changes will take time and significant resourcing. But we know that when the National Federation of the Blind has a dream, we always turn the dream into reality through the grit, determination, and love that is the lifeblood of our movement. [Applause] This dream must come true, because technology affects us all. Accessible, functional, useful technology developed not only for us but with us means employment, education, entertainment, and empowerment. Let’s do what we must to preserve it and take further control of our technological future and make it happen. It will be so, because we are the National Federation of the Blind, and that is our right, that is our duty, that is our destiny. Thank you so much. [Applause]
by John Ciocca
From the Editor: At some time in our lives, most blind people access federal cash and other benefits through programs such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). These benefits are a blessing when we need them, but they can also become a burden and even a trap when we run afoul of the means tests and other rules that apply to them. John Ciocca, who addressed the 2025 National Convention on July 12 immediately following the national financial report and board elections, is co-founder and CEO of a company that seeks to help with this problem. Here is his presentation, including President Riccobono’s introduction:
President Riccobono: Okay, we have a couple more presentations this morning. We’re going to continue the financial discussion by inviting a gentleman to this stage for the first time. Access to financial services is really critical in living the lives that we want and competing in society, and oftentimes there are barriers in the financial services sector. We’ve talked about them in the past with some of our legal and advocacy work. Of course, if we’re going back through the decades, we’ve worked on accessible ATMs and websites and other aspects of banking. Our next presenter is really changing the landscape of how to think about accessibility in financial services by engineering a company that is looking at how to use financial tools and financial technology to better drive opportunities for people with disabilities. And the National Federation of the Blind was happy to provide a contribution to help this venture get off the ground. The company is called Purple. Maybe he'll tell us why Purple. And he’s already been talking to us about how we can find ways to use his platform to further the work of the organized blind movement. So I’d invite you, for his first time on our stage, to welcome the founder and chief executive officer of Purple. Here's John Ciocca. [Applause and music]
John Ciocca: Good morning. Thank you to President Riccobono for inviting me and to everyone at the NFB who helped bring this incredible convention to life and all of you for being here and being part of such an incredible movement. My name’s John Ciocca. I’m the co-founder and CEO of Purple. I’m honored to be here today and excited to share the Purple story with you, what we’ve built, what’s coming next, and most importantly, how we’re working together to build a financial system that truly serves this community.
At Purple, we build financial products for people with disabilities and their families to help them manage money, maximize benefits, and save for the future, all while protecting critical benefits.
My journey into tech started with my older brother Christian, who has Down’s Syndrome. He’s been the inspiration behind everything I’ve built. Growing up, I saw firsthand the barriers he faced not because of his disability, but because the systems and tools around him weren’t built for him. In middle school, I built my first app called MyVoice. MyVoice provided alternative augmentative communication or AAC to people with speech-impeding disabilities. The app was based on the Picture Exchange [Communications] System, also known as PECS. The traditional PECS book involved a student physically picking images and forming a sentence that a teacher would then read out loud. Obviously that's a time-consuming and frustrating process. My dad was a special educator, so I saw this over and over again with his students while sitting in his classroom after school. With MyVoice, instead of shuffling through a physical book, students could drag and drop images into sentences and the app would speak them aloud instantly. MyVoice was used in classrooms across the country, helping students and adults find their voice and speak their needs. [Cheers and applause]
Later on in high school, I built youBelong, a social network designed specifically for people with disabilities and their families to connect. I started it after our family moved from New Jersey to Florida. Shout-out to New Jersey and Florida! [Cheers and applause] My brother had to leave his closest friends behind, and I saw how difficult the move was for him, so I wanted to create a safe, welcoming place where he could stay connected and meet new friends.
Through these projects, I learned a powerful lesson. Technology can empower, but only when it's built with the community, not just for the community. [Light applause] As I listened to families and individuals using youBelong, one topic came up again and again: money. Families would share stories about how hard it was to manage their benefits, how afraid they were of going over asset limits, and how confusing the rules were when trying to save even a little for the future. And I saw these same struggles at home. As Christian became old enough to apply for benefits, my parents faced stacks of paperwork, hours on the phone, and constant fear of making a small mistake that could jeopardize his benefits. I realized that while there were tools to support communication and connection, there was a huge gap when it came to financial tools designed with and for people with disabilities.
When we talk about financial inclusion, we often think about simply opening a bank account, but for people with disabilities, true financial inclusion is about so much more. It’s about being able to save without fear of losing benefits. It’s about understanding complex rules in plain language. It’s about being able to navigate benefits, income, and expenses independently and accessibly. It’s about having the freedom to make financial choices and build security for the future. But today, the financial system isn’t designed with these needs in mind.
So let’s talk about the asset limit. If you receive SSI benefits, you’re limited to $2,000 in total assets across checking, savings, [and] investment accounts. This rule hasn’t changed in decades. For many, it creates an impossible choice: save money and risk losing benefits or spend everything each month and remain eligible. Last year alone, over 400,000 people lost their benefits because they crossed that $2,000 limit, often because of small things like working a few extra hours, a mistimed deposit, or a small gift from family. When that happens, families lose critical monthly income, sometimes for months at a time, and must spend countless hours trying to fix the situation.
In 2014, Congress introduced the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act, also known as ABLE, to provide a solution to this asset element. ABLE accounts allow people with disabilities to save up to a hundred thousand dollars in a tax-advantaged account without impacting their eligibility for benefits. You can contribute up to $19,000 per year, and funds can be used on a wide range of qualified disability expenses, and these include housing, transportation, assistive technology, education, and basic living expenses. And recent ABLE updates like the permanent extension of ABLE to Work allow working individuals to contribute even more beyond the standard annual limit, making it easier for people to build savings while maintaining employment. On paper, ABLE accounts are an incredible tool. They help people build real financial security. But in reality, they haven’t reached most of the people they were designed to help. Today, there are eight million people eligible to save with an ABLE account, yet fewer than 200,000 have opened one. Why? Because the user experience is confusing and fragmented, state-run ABLE programs have outdated dashboards, enrollment flows are long and complicated, investment choices are poorly explained, and most importantly, these accounts weren’t built with accessibility or lived experience at the center.
Starting next year, ABLE eligibility will expand dramatically from onset of disability before age twenty-six to onset before age forty-six. This change will add another six million people who can finally take advantage of these savings accounts, including one million disabled veterans. [Applause] This is going to be a huge opportunity to reach fourteen million people to save for a better life, but only if we build better, more accessible, more human-centered experiences.
At Purple, we’re working to reimagine the ABLE experience from the ground up. We’re building the first integrated ABLE banking experience so that people can easily manage everyday spending and long-term savings in one accessible platform. At the end of each month, Purple will automatically move leftover funds into your ABLE account to help you stay under the asset limit before your next deposit arrives. And when you spend, we’ll flag eligible expenses to make sure the money is coming from the most tax-advantaged account, giving you more control and confidence every step of the way.
With ABLE fully integrated, we wanted to make sure every part of daily money management felt just as seamless. That’s why we started with the Purple checking account and debit card, giving members a strong foundation for everyday spending while also making it easier to save for the future. The Purple checking account allows you to get your disability benefits earlier. You can set spending limits on your card, capture receipts and memos to stay compliant with SSA reporting requirements, and link your SNAP EBT card so you can manage all your balances in one place. Later this year, we’ll be making our debit card even more accessible. In partnership with MasterCard, we’ll be leveraging MasterCard’s Touch Card, a design that adds a distinctive notch to the card. This tactile feature makes it easier to identify the card in your wallet when paying at the point of sale, whether using the chip or a contactless tap. MasterCard has shown a commitment to accessibility, not just through the Touch Card, but also through features like the recognizable MasterCard Sound Mark at Checkout. This distinct sound lets people know their transaction has been successfully processed, an important cue for blind and low-vision users to feel confident and secure when paying. This shared focus on accessibility is exactly why we love working with the MasterCard team. Together, we're working every day to make spending even more inclusive for everyone.
Now, beyond the card itself, we built a suite of features designed to empower members in every part of their lives. Our income monitoring feature helps you track your progress towards the SSA’s substantial gainful activity limit, also known as the SGA limit. This is the amount of income you can earn while still remaining eligible for disability benefits. You can link any external account, and Purple will automatically watch for deposits and income, alerting you if you’re approaching your individual limit.
We also built document storage, a secure way to keep SSA notices, receipts, appointment notes, and other important disability-related paperwork all in one place. And we introduced Purple Companion, our AI assistant trained to help answer money management and benefits questions, helping users to make informed financial decisions without fear or guesswork. We're excited to keep improving Companion, building toward a future where AI and financial tools work hand in hand. [Applause]
But none of these features would exist without listening to the community. Early on, we spoke to hundreds of people with disabilities and their families. We heard about the fear of depositing a small check or working a few extra hours and accidentally losing benefits. We heard how overwhelming and confusing it can be to track income and expenses under strict benefit rules, and we heard the need for a simpler, clearer way to manage money without constant worry. And we’ve also had the pleasure of working with testers from the NFB BUILD program to put our software through real-world scenarios. Their feedback has helped us identify issues, improve navigation, and make meaningful progress toward a more accessible experience. [Applause] We know that accessibility is a journey and our software isn’t perfect today, but it isn’t an afterthought for us. It’s a foundational principle. We're always learning from our members and working every day to make our tools more accessible for everyone.
The idea of disability wisdom means designing with the community, not just for it. It means recognizing that lived experience, expertise, and every piece of feedback—whether it's about the language we use, the way information is grouped on the screen, or how a notification sounds—is treated as essential knowledge that shapes our product. We see our members not as users, but as co-designers and partners in this work. That’s how we make sure our tools truly support independence and that they reflect the real needs and goals of the community.
We also know that these financial barriers don’t exist in isolation. They’re deeply connected to other systemic challenges like housing insecurity, healthcare access, employment discrimination, and a long history of policies that have limited financial independence for people with disabilities. We understand that the debit card and a savings account alone isn’t enough to solve these issues, but we believe it’s a start, a foundation to give people more control, more choices, and more opportunity to build stability for the future. Our hope is that by making these tools more accessible and removing some of the fear and confusion around money, we can help open doors to greater independence and empower people to focus on what really matters in their lives.
As we look to the future, we’re exploring ways to support even more savings tools like Special Needs Trusts so members have options beyond traditional accounts and can choose what works best for them. We’re working to make Purple a true one-stop hub by servicing information about Medicaid waivers, other benefits programs, and resources that help families navigate complex systems with more confidence. And we’re even thinking about how we can help members build credit, connect with employment opportunities, and access the tools they need to strengthen their financial security and independence on their own terms.
Now, before I wrap, I’m excited to announce a special collaboration. Purple is partnering with the NFB to make it easier than ever for our members to support the organization. Later this year, Purple members will be able to set up recurring donations to the NFB by simply entering their Purple account email and phone number. Purple and NFB will handle the rest securely behind the scenes. No more hunting down and manually entering your routing and account number. This means more members can quickly support the advocacy and work that the NFB does every day. So stay tuned to your inbox for more information from the NFB team as we roll this out. [Cheers and applause]
At Purple, we believe that financial technology, when guided by disability wisdom, can be a tool for real collective action. It’s not just about checking balances or moving money around. It’s about independence, dignity, and having choices. It’s about freeing people from systems designed to keep them in poverty and empowering them to dream bigger. When we build together, we make sure no one is left behind and we move closer to a world where accessibility and financial equity aren’t special features, but simply the standard. [Applause] We’re honored to be on this journey with you, and we can’t wait for you to join the Purple community and help shape what comes next. You can learn more at withpurple.com. Purple is available in the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and on the web. If you run into any accessibility issues or have ideas for improvement, email us at [email protected]. Myself and our team read every message. Your feedback is not just welcomed, but it's essential. Thank you for your time today. Thank you for your leadership and your wisdom. Let's keep building this future together. Thank you.
In the July 2025 issue of the Braille Monitor, we shared an update on the Museum of the Blind People’s Movement (https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm25/bm2507/bm250707.htm).
On May 21, 2025, John Paré, Executive Director of Advocacy and Policy at the National Federation of the Blind, spoke to the Maryland Board of Public Works to secure state funding for the museum. John presented historic artifacts from the NFB archives, including a letter from Thurgood Marshall to Jacobus tenBroek. Governor Wes Moore declared the letter “amazing.” Below is an article from the November 2010 Braille Monitor with background information about the letter, followed by the full transcript of the letter. This letter is just one of the many treasures in our national archives, and this history is an example of the powerful stories that we will celebrate in the Museum of the Blind People’s Movement.
All Federationists know that Jacobus tenBroek was the founder and first president of the NFB, but many are unaware that he was also a towering figure in the field of constitutional law. In fact, tenBroek’s scholarship helped establish the legal underpinnings of the civil rights movement by demonstrating the applicability of the equal protection clause of the Constitution’s Fourteenth Amendment to matters of racial discrimination and segregation. Though it is now fundamental to American civil rights law, prior to tenBroek’s groundbreaking work the equal protection clause was often regarded as “the last resort of constitutional lawyers.”
In his 1949 California Law Review article, “The Equal Protection of the Law” (coauthored by Joseph Tussman), and in his 1951 book, The Antislavery Origins of the Fourteenth Amendment, Jacobus tenBroek provided lawyers and judges the tools needed to determine when a law improperly discriminates by excluding or including a class of people. A letter in the Jacobus tenBroek papers illustrates this important service.
In August 1953, Thurgood Marshall, then the director and counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, wrote to Dr. tenBroek, “As you know, we are trying to get together as much material as possible for our rearguments of the school segregation cases in the Supreme Court this fall. We have taken full advantage of your book, Anti-Slavery [sic] Origins of the Fourteenth Amendment, and many of our research people have been using it.”
Marshall’s letter went on to request a meeting with Dr. tenBroek to discuss some of the ideas and conclusions the NAACP lawyers were developing. This letter may be viewed by visitors to the Jacobus tenBroek Library in the NFB Jernigan Institute, where it is archived as part of the tenBroek papers collection.
The meeting between Thurgood Marshall and Jacobus tenBroek never took place, but on May 17, 1954, the United States Supreme Court declared that segregation by race in the public schools was unconstitutional. Specifically, in Brown v. Board of Education, the high court held that the separate but equal doctrine failed to meet the requirements of the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. tenBroek’s scholarship had led to a new era in race relations in the United States.
In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson appointed Thurgood Marshall to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court, the first Black person to serve in that position. Marshall died in 1993 at age eighty-four, two years after retiring. Jacobus tenBroek died at age fifty-six in 1968. In a relatively short life, tenBroek achieved a huge amount for the blind, all disabled people, and indeed all Americans.
N.A.A.C.P. Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
107 West 43rd Street, New York 36, N.Y.
JUDSON 6-8397
August 18, 1953
Professor Jacobus tenBroek University of California
Berkeley, California
Dear Professor tenBroek:
As you know, we are trying to get together as much material as possible for our rearguments of the school segregation cases in the Supreme Court this Fall. We have taken full advantage of your book "Anti-Slavery Origins of the Fourteenth Amendment" and many of our research people have been using it.
I expect to be in San Francisco on Friday and Saturday, August 28th and 29th. If you expect to be in Berkeley at that time, I would like very much to come over and talk over with you some of the ideas we have. I would like to do this in order to check on some of our conclusions. I assure you I would appreciate very much this opportunity to talk with you, if it can be arranged.
Sincerely,
Thurgood Marshall Director and Counsel
TM:abs
[The back side of the letter includes a list of the NAACP National Officers, Executive Officers, Board of Directors, National Legal Committee, and “Committee of 100.”]
“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.
With your help, the NFB will continue to:
Below are just a few of the many tax-deductible ways you can show your support of the National Federation of the Blind.
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.
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 Melissa Riccobono
From the Editor: Melissa Riccobono is the first lady of the National Federation of the Blind, the co-host of the Nation’s Blind Podcast, and, as she shows in this article, has held or currently holds many other leadership roles in our movement. The National Federation of the Blind is dedicated both to helping blind people achieve our individual dreams and engaging in collective action to advance all of our lives. Happily, we often find ways for these two missions to intersect, and Melissa describes how such an intersection was personally profound for her and how it can be for our readers as well. Learn more and plan your own participation at https://nfb.org/movers, or make a financial contribution in honor of a runner/walker at https://nfb.org/baybridge. Here is what Melissa shares:
As I step out of the van, I hear the sounds of hundreds—perhaps even thousands—of people. There’s fast-paced, familiar music filling the air. There’s someone on a mic making announcements. There’s cheering in the distance. There are the feelings of the sunshine and a soft fall breeze on my skin. And there’s something else in the air—invisible, but unmistakable—an energy that makes my heart speed up, brings a smile to my face, and a few happy tears to my eyes that I do not shed. It is at once positively familiar yet something I foolishly believed I’d never feel again in quite the way I used to. It is the energy of competition, of teamwork, and of people eager to conquer something for themselves while also being a part of something bigger. It is truly a bridge back to myself, the person I used to be and the way I used to feel.
These are all of the things I experienced in November 2024, as I waited for my turn to take part in the Bay Bridge Run/Walk. The first time I rode across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in November 2003, I was fascinated. What an iconic bridge—a bridge that connects the Western and Eastern parts of Maryland, a bridge that is 4.4 miles long and 186 feet tall. We have nothing like it in Wisconsin where I grew up. Now that Maryland was home, I was lucky enough to have the Chesapeake Bay, and this bridge, only forty-five minutes from my home. I don’t know why, but I asked the driver if people could walk across the bridge, or if it was just for traffic. I was told that, for the most part, people could not walk across the bridge, but on one day a year, the bridge was open to runners and walkers. At that moment, I added participating in this event to my bucket list. I knew I wanted to experience the length and height of the bridge, and the only way I could truly do this was by running or walking across it.
When I added this event to my bucket list, I figured it would only be a short time before I checked it off. After all, I was young and healthy. I ran track in eighth grade and cross-country and track in high school. I ran in the Paralympics in Atlanta in 1996. I participated in some 5K and longer races in college, though I did not run nearly as much then as I did while training in high school. I had my share of injuries—sprained ankles a few times and, unfortunately, some extremely painful stress fractures in my legs that cut some of my seasons short—and I did not have someone to serve as a guide runner for me in Maryland. But I figured these things could be overcome. I could advertise and find a guide runner. I could start training. I could heal from any injuries. And I could run the Bay Bridge. It was as simple as that.
Life, as John Lennon observed, is what happens while we’re making other plans. As my husband, Mark, settled into his new job at the National Federation of the Blind, I began my own job hunt. I had a brand new master’s degree in counseling psychology, with an emphasis in school counseling. I wanted a job, but not just any job; I wanted a job as a school counselor, ideally in an elementary school. It took nine months, but I finally landed this job in the fall of 2004. Hobbies, including running, took a back seat as I learned to navigate my job and all of my new responsibilities and as Mark and I hunted for, bought, and moved into the first house we owned together. By 2005 I felt ready to begin running again. I started out on the treadmill, wanting to get into some type of shape before looking for a guide. Unfortunately, my knee began to bother me. I eventually went to physical therapy to strengthen it and found out the way my feet strike the ground while running is somewhat unusual. My therapist told me I could absolutely run again, but before I started training, I needed to go to a specific shoe store where they could watch me run and where they could recommend, and I could purchase, specific shoes that took my running style into account and would help alleviate the strain on my body. This sounded expensive, and while I waited to save some money for this purchase, I got pregnant with our first child, Cynthia.
I will not bore you with a breakdown of everything else that happened, year after year, which caused me to put my running on hold. Of course there were two other children who joined our family. I became president of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland for a time, and then Mark was elected President of the National Federation of the Blind. Our lives were full. I couldn’t quite figure out how I would put running into the mix. Then, for a while, the Bay Bridge Run/Walk was not held, so I figured there was no way I would ever be able to go across the bridge on foot. Then the pandemic came, and, for me, serious health concerns that had been building for a while and were finally diagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome in the winter of 2022.
To say that chronic fatigue changed my life is a vast understatement. I am incredibly lucky to have received treatment that has improved my symptoms a great deal. But back when I was diagnosed, I truly believed participation in any strenuous exercise was over. I could not stay awake for an entire day; I needed at least one nap in the afternoon to function. I had severe short-term memory and word retrieval issues. I had an incredibly difficult time writing, something I have always enjoyed and taken pride in. There were events I wanted to attend but just couldn’t because I knew I would not be able to get through them without becoming completely exhausted and staying exhausted for days to come. Chronic fatigue does not just make you tired; it crushes you. You are tired down to your very bones and in your soul. You reach for some energy reserve, but there’s nothing there. My doctor told me to exercise for five minutes a day. That was it. Of course I could walk, but I couldn’t get my heart rate up for much more than five minutes. This made running out of the question even if I had the energy to run, which of course I didn’t.
Listening to my doctor, changing my diet, and taking a variety of supplements slowly began to work for me. Also, and most importantly, learning to listen to my body and give it the rest it needed when it needed the rest and not just pushing through made an enormous difference in the amount of energy I began to regain. It did take time, but the changes in me were unmistakable. Little by little, I could begin to look ahead not to what I needed to do in order to keep up my energy and avoid crashing but to things I wanted to and could do with the energy I actually had. This was an amazing transformation.
In 2022, I saw a post on Facebook that the Bay Bridge Run/Walk was going to be held again. Unfortunately, it was happening the same weekend as the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland Convention, so I knew I wouldn’t be able to take part. But the desire to take part, and the belief that I might actually have the energy to do so, kindled something inside I hadn’t felt for a very long time. It was the first step in crossing the bridge back to myself.
In 2024, I decided it was time for me to stop just saying I wanted to walk the bridge and to do something about it. So I posted on Facebook that I intended to walk the bridge—I don’t know if I’ll ever have the stamina to run again the way I used to, but that’s OK—and asked if anyone would like to walk with me. And, to my surprise, two people who serve with me on the board of the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) said they wanted to walk with me, and they weren’t even from Maryland. And then local friends said they wanted to walk with me. And then we discovered that there was a way for charities to create teams and use this event as a fundraiser, so the NOPBC and the National Federation of the Blind started asking others from around the country to join this walk virtually or in person. All of a sudden, there I was in November 2024, along with many others from the NFB and NOPBC, at a starting line again. No, I wasn’t running as part of a school team to try to place and earn points, but the adrenaline and energy were the same. I was walking for myself, with others. I felt like an athlete again; something I hadn’t felt for years. We were raising awareness of blindness. We were out in the community, along with tons of other people, enjoying a beautiful fall day and experiencing something many have not. And there were Federationists across the country who were walking with us in their own way, bringing awareness of blindness to their own communities and proving to themselves that they had the strength to run or walk six miles.
Our daughter, Oriana, ran the entire race that day. She ran in her Crocs—I do not recommend this, but she’s young so she was no worse for wear. She wasn’t really planning to run the entire event, but she got caught up in the energy, and she was so proud when she finished the race. She plans to run again this year; I guess the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree! (She will definitely wear proper shoes this time!)
I was obviously not the first to finish, but I was certainly not the last. I was tired at the end of the walk, but after a good sleep, I was thrilled that I bounced back and had energy to be productive the next day. Now, as the event gets closer this year, I am walking more in preparation for crossing the bridge again.
As I am preparing to walk the bridge again this year, I hope many of you will consider joining me on this adventure, either in person on Sunday, November 9, or virtually at a convenient time for you.
If you are a runner, you can run the six miles—and more power to you! However, you don’t have to be in perfect shape. You don’t have to run the fastest to take part. If you’re a part of our virtual event, you don’t even have to run or walk the entire six miles at one time. What you might have to do is to go a little outside of your comfort zone. What I recommend that you do is find others to come along with you for the experience; it’s always more fun with friends. What we ask you to do is to tell others about your participation in this event and ask them for financial contributions to the National Federation of the Blind—the organization that believes in blind people and our dreams and creates bridges of all kinds for us to cross. What I wish for you is the feeling of energy that comes at the beginning of the event and the pride in yourself and your team when the event is complete. If you are already in great shape, allow this to be an event to help you continue your healthy lifestyle. If you have doubts about whether you can make it or if you should participate at all, take small steps now to test the waters. And if you don’t end up being able to make it the entire way, at least you tried. And there are Federationists across the country who are cheering you on.
Taking part in the Bay Bridge Run/Walk was a private dream of mine. It grew, then partially died, and I wasn’t sure I would be able to achieve it. Yet I did achieve this dream, and this achievement was made all the sweeter because of the others who participated with me in order to achieve dreams of their own and who used the event to raise money so the Federation can continue to help all blind people achieve our dreams. Yes, this is a personal story of triumph for me, and I am proud of myself and grateful each day for how far I have come. But I am just as grateful to share this adventure with all of you. I cannot wait to hear your stories of participation in the Bay Bridge Run/Walk and how this event helped you cross a bridge to yourself and a bridge to our dreams.
by Gary Wunder
With the death of Ruth Miriam Swenson on July 22, 2024, the National Federation of the Blind lost a passionate advocate, a fierce intellect, and a cherished friend. Ruth served as president of the National Federation of the Blind of Arizona from 1987 to 1995 and again from 2001 to 2005, pouring herself into the work as if it were a second full-time job. Her dedication helped shape the Arizona affiliate, giving it new life and purpose. Chapters in the East Valley, Prescott, and Yuma grew under her guidance, and even when those chapters eventually dissolved, her legacy of local leadership and outreach endured.
Born in Chicago on February 21, 1949, and raised in Wilmette, Illinois, Ruth lost her sight while in high school. Her blindness, however, never defined her limits; it revealed her resolve. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Northern Colorado University, a master’s degree in special education from Illinois State University, and a law degree from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. In Lincoln, she met her future husband, Jim Sohl, who had volunteered to read for her. The partnership that began with shared print materials grew into thirty-nine years of marriage and professional collaboration. Together they moved to Chandler, Arizona, where Ruth first worked for Community Legal Services before opening her own law firm focused on family law and domestic violence. Jim served as her paralegal, and together they worked to ensure that those most vulnerable had strong, capable representation.
Ruth was tireless in her commitment to justice. Within the Federation, she helped blind vendors win Social Security cases and secure their legal rights and fair earnings. She brought intelligence and clarity to her advocacy, insisting that her accomplishments were the result of hard work and dedication—by someone who, in her words, “happened to be blind.”
She was known to those close to her as a lover of good books, a sharp debater, and a generous host. She cherished conversation, welcomed lively disagreement, and never hesitated to speak her mind. Her son Tony recalls that she was affectionately called “the Bookworm” and that she loved to laugh—even in her final days, when she told him with calm resolve, “I’m ready to go home.”
Faith played a central role in Ruth’s life. As a teenager, she embraced the Bahá’í Faith, and her steadfast belief influenced not only her actions but those of her family as well.
In remembering Ruth Swenson, we celebrate a woman who led with intellect, fought with courage, and lived with conviction. She is gone from our sight but not from our hearts, and the Federation is stronger for the years she gave to us.
From the Editor: The following is another selection of letters that President Riccobono has recently written to government officials regarding policies that affect blind Americans. These two letters address protecting the Randolph-Sheppard priority at military installations and Rehabilitation Act regulations that help blind people obtain employment with federal contractors. Here are the letters:
August 20, 2025
The Honorable Pete Hegseth
Secretary
United States Department of Defense
1400 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301
Re: Randolph-Sheppard Program
Dear Mr. Secretary:
It has come to the attention of the National Federation of the Blind, the nation’s premier membership and advocacy organization of blind Americans, that you recently sent a request to the Department of Education (DOE) seeking a waiver to the Randolph-Sheppard priority on all Department of Defense (DOD) properties. Your request is predicated on the assertion that vending facilities operated by blind vendors adversely affect the interests of the United States.
On behalf of the more than 1,300 blind entrepreneurs who operate vending facilities across the country, including approximately 115 on DOD properties, we respectfully disagree. We hope to enter into much-needed dialogue with DOD on how Randolph-Sheppard vendors can better meet the needs of the men and women in our military.
We recognize that the current process leads to some inefficiencies and, working with the Department of Education and your office, we believe we can drastically streamline and improve operations. As the Secretary of Defense, you are uniquely positioned to make that happen.
In that regard, I want to note that part of the problem is that the Program operates under an outdated model that has not changed in the last fifty years. Our organization has ideas on how to modernize the program to improve efficiencies. This may be the perfect opportunity for DOE, DOD, and the Randolph-Sheppard stakeholders to work collaboratively toward such modernization.
Your letter addresses two different issues. The first relates to military troop dining contracts and the other to traditional vending facilities such as automated vending machines, micromarkets, and snack bars. We want to keep the issues separate and wish to start with concerns about the dining contracts.
Blind entrepreneurs currently operate dining contracts on only fifty-five bases, so we are a fairly small piece of the pie. Still, the Randolph-Sheppard community is very proud of the quality of dining services it provides. In 2025, two of our blind entrepreneurs were presented with the Captain Edward F. Ney Memorial Food Service Award that recognizes best mess halls in the Navy.
Eddie Turner, who manages the contract at the Meridian Naval Air Station in Mississippi, was presented the award in May for having the best Navy food service in the East and Jerry Gann at the San Diego Naval Base was presented the award for the best in the West. Another of our blind entrepreneurs, Virgil Stinnett at the Marine Corps Base Hawaii, was presented the same award in 2024. Over the years, multiple blind entrepreneurs have won the Air Force’s John L. Hennessey Trophy and the Phillip A. Connelly Award for Excellence in Army Food Services.
These numerous accolades speak to the high quality that blind entrepreneurs deliver to their customers. If there is a perceived lack of quality, it should be stressed that our blind entrepreneurs can only contribute so much since they are typically required to use food and recipes provided by the military. In some instances, we don’t even cook the food and provide only dining facility attendant services.
As for the expense of Randolph-Sheppard contracts, the contracting officers have statutory authority to directly negotiate contracts with state licensing agencies that ensure a fair and reasonable price. Increasingly more contracting officers are taking advantage of this flexibility, which increases contracting efficiencies and saves the DOD millions in costs associated with lengthy and expensive solicitations.
Through Randolph-Sheppard, contracts can be awarded faster and with much less administrative overhead. We cannot overemphasize that the price is negotiated and that the contracting officers determine and ensure a fair price to the United States government. Direct negotiation is a tool granted by Congress that offers the opportunity for everyone to win, and we are seeing it in practice right now.
It is worth noting that if the Secretary of Education grants your request, we do not believe you will get the outcome you desire. First, Secretary McMahon’s determination would be challenged in court, which would mean a significant expense of time and taxpayer dollars. Even if she were to prevail, other set-aside programs would step in to fill the void.
The AbilityOne program currently operates more dining contracts than Randolph-Sheppard, and that program would then expand to more bases. However, AbilityOne contracts can cost more than Randolph-Sheppard contracts, so troop dining costs could increase rather than decrease. Other set-aside programs such as 8a would be in line to assume some of the slack as well.
Admittedly, the arbitration process can be burdensome, and if state licensing agencies believe the contracting officer inappropriately applied the priority, they often request the Secretary of Education to convene an arbitration panel. These can be frustrating, costly, and time-consuming. We understand that. Just a few short years ago there were multiple arbitrations at any given time. Today, there is not a single active arbitration. That speaks to the progress that has been made.
Before leaving the issue of cafeteria contracts, I want to directly address the upcoming national contract to provide food services at all Marine Corps bases in the United States. This is a textbook example of how the Randolph-Sheppard priority can be used to the advantage of everyone involved. Sodexo is the incumbent, and by all indications the Marines are happy with the service and would be more than happy for Sodexo to continue. Randolph-Sheppard has proposed a unique approach whereby the states involved would team with Sodexo, and thirteen blind entrepreneurs would help manage that contract at a price the Marine Corps believes is fair.
A burdensome and costly solicitation would be avoided. Randolph-Sheppard has proposed direct negotiations as a means to accomplish this. In this scenario everyone wins. The Marines will be able to ensure the same high-quality service by keeping Sodexo as a partner in the contract. The contracting officers know they will get a fair and reasonable price because they get to negotiate price and only agree if they are satisfied. Thirteen blind entrepreneurs in eight states will have jobs. The state agencies for the blind that administer the programs will be able to fulfill their responsibility to create opportunities for the blind.
It is a win-win-win scenario. Our concern is that if your letter filters down to the Marine Corps contracting officers, they will be hesitant to proceed down a road they have indicated they desire to follow but that may be seen as being in conflict with your position. Under the circumstances, we urge your office to communicate with the Marines and other branches of the military and allow them to continue operating under the status quo until we have an opportunity to work with you to explore other possibilities.
Finally, I want to briefly address traditional vending facilities, which are more typical of most businesses operated by blind entrepreneurs. By our count, there are 348 military installations in the United States and blind vendors have a presence on only 22 percent of those installations in terms of operating vending machines, snack bars, micromarkets, etc. By law, a blind entrepreneur should be on every installation. Opportunities have been blocked by the exchanges. Congress granted a priority to blind vendors.
The exchanges do not have any such statutory priority other than internal policies and directives. This has created friction. And that friction has only intensified because the Army and Air Force Exchange Services (AAFES) and some members of your staff have refused to have conversations on how AAFES and Randolph-Sheppard can co-exist and complement each other. It is not the goal of Randolph-Sheppard to take over everything and run the exchanges out of business. We understand and appreciate their mission.
But the Randolph-Sheppard Act requires at least one blind vendor on every base if practicable. There are opportunities if those involved could just sit down with the intent of working things out and engage in meaningful dialogue. Our members have tried but have been blocked at every turn. Randolph-Sheppard has much to offer. Some bases are very unhappy with the quality of AAFES vending services on their bases. If a base commander wants better service for his soldiers, isn’t having options other than AAFES a positive for our troops?
What if Randolph-Sheppard could bring national chains to your men and women in uniform? Chick-fil-A may not be inclined to do business with the federal government, but there could be an opportunity to bring its restaurants to military bases through Randolph-Sheppard. We’ve met with them in the past and have at least one Chick-fil-A operating in a state building in Tennessee. Perhaps we need to revisit that.
What if we can offer healthier options that are more in line with the Make America Healthy Again initiative? Aren’t the exchanges by statute restricted to selling to uniformed personnel with some limited exceptions? They serve civilians in multiple locations. Could that be a starting point for discussions? I say all of this to highlight that there are opportunities for collaboration.
In conclusion, the National Federation of the Blind urges you to work with the Randolph-Sheppard community in a mutually beneficial way. We request that you withdraw your waiver request until such time as we can meet with you, which we request at your earliest convenience. We look forward to ushering in a new era of collaboration.
Sincerely,
Mark Riccobono, President
National Federation of the Blind
Cc: The Honorable Linda McMahon
August 14, 2025
Catherine L. Eschbach, Director
Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs
United States Department of Labor
200 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20210
RE: Modifications to the Regulations Implementing Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Dear Director Eschbach:
The National Federation of the Blind is the nation’s premier membership and advocacy organization of blind Americans, and we appreciate the opportunity to comment on the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs’ (OFCCP) proposed rule. Due to our longstanding advocacy efforts to improve employment opportunities for the blind of America, we must oppose the OFCCP’s proposal to rescind the affirmative action and employment utilization goal of Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Since our founding in 1940, we have worked tirelessly to advance the lives of our tens of thousands of members from our fifty-two affiliates, as well as all blind people in the United States. Naturally, a significant part of our advocacy over the past eighty-five years has been striving to ensure that blind Americans are able to obtain steady, fulfilling, and gainful employment. The OFCCP’s proposed rule is contrary to those efforts.
Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act requires federal contractors with contracts in excess of 15,000 dollars to engage in “affirmative action to employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with disabilities” (29 U.S.C. § 793). By requiring “affirmative action,” Congress thus imposed higher obligations on federal contractors—beyond mere nondiscrimination—than it imposed on noncontractor employers under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”).
The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs promulgated regulations clarifying the meaning of “affirmative action” for purposes of Section 503 by specifying that federal contractors should have an affirmative action policy and plan in place, undertake positive outreach and recruitment activities to recruit individuals with disabilities to apply, invite applicants and employees to voluntarily self-identify as people with disabilities for purposes of affirmative action, and use a utilization goal of having 7 percent of their employees be people with disabilities as a guideline for assessing their progress. This regulation went through extensive notice and comment and reflected a compromise lower than the prevalence of people with disabilities in the working-age population (approximately 20 percent).
Importantly, the invitation for applicants and employees to self-identify as people with disabilities under Section 503 is voluntary and the self-identification can only be used for affirmative action purposes. No individual with a disability is required to self-identify, there are no penalties for failing to self-identify, and the self-identification is subject to strict confidentiality protections.
The self-identification cannot be used to discriminate and cannot be compelled. These protections distinguish Section 503 self-identification from the pre-employment medical inquiries prohibited by the ADA Title I regulations, which are mandatory and could be used for the purpose of discrimination.
However, OFCCP, in proposing to rescind the Section 503 self-identification requirement conflates the Section 503 self-identification requirements with the prohibited pre-employment medical inquiry prohibition. Indeed, even the ADA permits post-offer medical examinations before an employee starts working and permits employers to seek voluntary medical information for purposes of employee wellness programs.
There is no legal basis for OFCCP’s conflation of the Section 503 and ADA provisions. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which is legally responsible for interpreting Title I of the ADA, has repeatedly made clear that disability affirmative action programs, including voluntary self-identification, do not violate the ADA.
The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs refers to merely one example of the EEOC’s expression of this conclusion—a 2013 letter from the EEOC Legal Counsel to the OFCCP Director. It ignores the fact that the EEOC’s position has been consistent for three decades and has, indeed, been issued by the Commission itself and not merely its Legal Counsel (See Enforcement Guidance: Preemployment Disability-Related Questions and Medical Examinations, 1995).
In addition, in the thirty years since that guidance was issued, and in the decade since the Section 503 self-identification regulation was promulgated, no court has found that voluntary affirmative-action-related self-identification violates the ADA. Far from being an “exception” to the ADA prohibition on mandatory pre-employment inquiries, the Section 503 voluntary self-identification requirement is fully consistent with, and furthers the goals of, the ADA.
There is also no basis for eliminating the Section 503 utilization goal. Again, no court has found the goal to be illegal and OFCCP does not provide any basis for finding the goal illegal. The Section 503 regulation specifically provides that quotas are not required, and in fact are prohibited. Thus, there is no basis for OFCCP’s unsupported conclusion that “contractors may, in practice, be induced to using quotas to meet the utilization goal.”
There is no evidence—and OFCCP cites to none—that contractors are instituting disability quotas. The utilization goal requirement merely provides a benchmark for contractors to assess their progress toward a nondiscriminatory workplace. Because the ADA does not protect nondisabled people and the United States Constitution merely protects nondisabled people under the rational basis standard, a nondisabled person would not have standing to challenge the utilization goal, even if it did result in a quota.
Because disability discrimination in employment is so prevalent and because employment rates of people with disabilities have consistently lagged so far behind disability prevalence in the workforce (see US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Economic News Release, Persons with a Disability: Labor Force Characteristics Summary (showing working-age disabled people with double the unemployment rate and half the labor force participation rate of nondisabled people)) there are good policy reasons, far beyond a rational basis, to require affirmative action and to provide contractors a tool for assessing their progress in eliminating disability discrimination.
It is worth noting that according to the American Community Survey, conducted annually by the United States Census Bureau, the full-time/full-year employment rate for blind, working age (ages 21-64) Americans has increased steadily each year since the implementation of the Section 503 utilization goal regulation in 2014.
In fact, the rate has increased by nearly 12 percent in the decade since the regulation has been in effect. Prior to that, the number was stagnant. We know there have also been advancements in training, education, and technology in that time, but with all of these factors combined the employment rate for the blind of the nation is trending in a positive direction, and we would hate to see any of that progress reversed.
Once again, we appreciate the opportunity to comment and we are available to answer any further questions you may have.
Sincerely,
Mark A. Riccobono, President
National Federation of the Blind
Notices and information in this section may be of interest to Monitor readers. We are not responsible for the accuracy of the information; we have edited only for space and clarity.
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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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