Future Reflections

A Magazine for Parents and Teachers of Blind Children published by
the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults in partnership
with the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children.

Volume 33 Number 2                                    Special Issue on Low Vision

Deborah Kent Stein, Editor

Grace sits in a wagon holding a lollipop. See article: Finding Our Way with Grace

ISSN-0883-3419

Copyright © 2014 American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults

For more information about blindness and children contact:
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place, Baltimore, MD 21230 • (410) 659-9314
www.nfb.org/nopbc • [email protected] • [email protected]

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Orlando Site of 2014 NFB Convention

The 2014 convention of the National Federation of the Blind will take place in Orlando, Florida, July 1-6, at the Rosen Centre Hotel at 9840 International Drive, Orlando, Florida 32819. Make your room reservation as soon as possible with the Rosen Centre staff only. Call (800) 204-7234.

The 2014 room rates are singles, doubles, and twins, $82; and triples and quads, $88. In addition to the room rates there will be a tax, which at present is 13.5 percent. No charge will be made for children under seventeen in the room with parents, as long as no extra bed is requested. The hotel is accepting reservations now. A $95-per-room deposit is required to make a reservation. Fifty percent of the deposit will be refunded if notice is given to the hotel of a reservation cancellation before May 28, 2014. The other 50 percent is not refundable.

Rooms will be available on a first-come, first-served basis until our block is filled or until May 28, whichever comes first. After our block is filled and/or after May 28, the hotel has no obligation to accept any further reservations, but may do so if it has rooms available. In other words, you should get your reservation in soon.

Guest-room amenities include cable television; in-room safe; coffeemaker; hairdryer; and, for a fee, high-speed Internet access. Guests can also enjoy a swimming pool, fitness center, and on-site spa. The Rosen Centre Hotel offers fine dining at Executive Chef Michael Rumplik's award-winning Everglades Restaurant. In addition, there is an array of dining options from sushi to tapas to a 24-hour deli. The hotel has first-rate amenities and shuttle service to the Orlando airport.

The schedule for the 2014 convention is:

Tuesday, July 1           Seminar Day
Wednesday, July 2      Registration Day
Thursday, July 3          Board Meeting and Division Day
Friday, July 4              Opening Session
Saturday, July 5          Business Session
Sunday, July 6            Banquet Day and Adjournment

National Federation of the Blind
2014 National Convention Preregistration Form

Please register online at <www.nfb.org/registration> or use this mail-in form.  Print legibly, provide all requested information, and mail form and payment to:

National Federation of the Blind
Attn: Convention Registration
200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, MD 21230

Please register only one person per registration form; however, one check or money order may cover multiple registrations.  Check or money order (sorry, no credit cards) must be enclosed with registration(s).

Registrant Name ________________________________________________________
Address _______________________________________________________________
City ________________________________ State _____________ Zip ___________    
Phone ______________________________ Email ______________________________

___ I will pick up my registration packet at convention.
or
___ The following person will pick up my registration packet:
        Pickup Name _________________________________________________

Number of preregistrations                                                     x $25   = ____________
Number of pre-purchased banquet tickets                              x $55   = ____________
                                                                                                Total    = ____________
PLEASE NOTE:
1.  Preconvention registration and banquet sales are final (no refunds).
2.  All preregistration mail-in forms must be postmarked by May 31.

Contents

Volume 33 Number 2                                    Special Issue on Low Vision

 

IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT YOUR SUBSCRIPTION!Listen Now (MP3)

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Closing the DivideListen Now (MP3)
by Deborah Kent Stein

FEATURE

Why Do You Want to Make That Child Blind?Listen Now (MP3)
by Carol Castellano

PARENTS' PERSPECTIVES

Blind Enough for a Cane?Listen Now (MP3)
by Carrie Gilmer

Finding Our Way with GraceListen Now (MP3)
by Anna Wallis

Marley and Me Musical ChairsListen Now (MP3)
by Terri Rupp

READING

Dual Media Learning: A Blessing or a Curse?Listen Now (MP3)
by Tammy Parson

Print or Braille? I Use Both!Listen Now (MP3)
by Charles Brown

IDENTITY

Learning the Hard WayListen Now (MP3)
by Carla McQuillan

My Long Journey from Partially
Sighted to Really BlindListen Now (MP3)
by Michele Denise Michaels

TRAINING

The Hierarchy of SightListen Now (MP3)
by Eric Guillory

Expanding the ChoicesListen Now (MP3)
by Brent Batron and Dan Burke

A New Kind of TrustListen Now (MP3)
by Charlene Guggisberg

ADVOCACY

Blindness Advocacy: Power Tools in the ToolboxListen Now (MP3)
by Sharon Krevor-Weisbaum, Esq.; Natalie Shaheen; and Jayne S. Wesler, LCSW, Esq.

TECHNOLOGY

A Small Tablet War: Reading (and a Few Other Things)
on the iPad Mini and Nexus 7Listen Now (MP3)
by Clara Van Gerven

NFB CONVENTION 2014

Taking the Next Step: The 2014 National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
(NOPBC) Conference for Families and TeachersListen Now (MP3)
by Carlton Anne Walker and Carol Castellano

NFB Camp Convention AdventuresListen Now (MP3)
by Carla McQuillan

NFB Camp RegistrationListen Now (MP3)

ANNOUNCEMENTSListen Now (MP3)

ODDS AND ENDSListen Now (MP3)

     Complete Future Reflections

     Complete Future Reflections Audio File (Zipped MP3 Version)

     Complete DAISY Audio File (Zipped MP3 Version)

Subscription Information

Future Reflections is a magazine for parents and teachers of blind children. It is published quarterly by the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults in partnership with the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children. Future Reflections is available free of charge to subscriber addresses in the U.S. in regular print and audio formats and via email, or it can be read online on the NFB website. Canadian subscriptions are $35.00 per year, and other foreign subscriptions are $75.00 U.S. per year. Checks should be made payable to the National Federation of the Blind and sent to the NFB, Attention Future Reflections, 200 E. Wells Street at Jernigan Place, Baltimore, MD 21230.

For an email subscription to Future Reflections, visit <www.nfbcal.org/listserv-signup.html> and follow the instructions.

To subscribe to Future Reflections in print or audio format, send an email to [email protected]. Put "Subscribe to FR" in the subject line and include your preferred medium in the body. Please include your address, whether you are the parent of a blind child, a teacher, or other subscriber. If you are a parent, include your child's name and birth date.

URL:  <https://nfb.org/future-reflections>

Why Join the NOPBC?

Are you the parent of a blind or visually impaired child?  Don’t know where to turn? 

Founded in 1983, the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) is a membership organization of parents, educators, and friends of blind children reaching out to give each other vital support, encouragement, and information. We have thousands of members in all fifty states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

The NOPBC offers hope, encouragement, information, and resources for parents of blind or visually impaired children.  NOPBC provides emotional support and a network of other families dealing with the same challenges you are facing.  We also provide information, training, and resources to empower you to take an active role in guiding your child’s development and education.  We can provide information on your child’s rights and on the laws and legislative issues that will enable you and your child to become strong and effective advocates. 

Have you ever wondered what your blind or visually impaired child will be capable of when he or she grows up?  The answer to that question is that blindness/visual impairment does not have to stop your child from doing anything he or she wants to do.  We can connect you with other families and blind adults who can serve as positive mentors and role models. They can teach you the attitudes and techniques that will enable your child to become independent and to succeed in life.  

What is different about the NOPBC?

Our status as a division of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the largest and most influential organization of blind people in the world, provides many benefits. Our members are well informed about the societal, legislative, and technological issues that affect blind people. We also enjoy the resources, support, and expertise of fifty thousand blind people who can serve as mentors and role models for us and our children. Finally, as our children grow up, they have the Federation to belong to.

No other organization for parents of blind/visually impaired children offers more programs, activities, and training to families, children, and youth.  One of our most exciting activities is our annual conference.  Every year since it was established, the NOPBC has conducted an annual conference for parents and teachers of blind children as part of the national convention of the NFB.  The program has grown to include five exciting days of workshops, training sessions, activities for all family members, including sighted siblings, and countless opportunities to meet blind adults and other families and children from around the country.

What is the mission of the NOPBC?

The purpose of the NOPBC is to:

Most states have an NOPBC affiliate chapter.  You can find your state chapter at <www.nopbc.org>.  If your state does not have a chapter and you would like to start one, please contact us.  We may be able to offer training and other assistance to start a state NOPBC chapter.

What are the programs, activities, publications, and resources of the NOPBC?

Contact Us:
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
[email protected]
<www.nopbc.org>