Future Reflections Convention Issue 2014 PERSONAL PERSPECTIVES
A Feast of Opportunities
by Brian Mackey
From the Editor: Brian Mackey serves as secretary of the National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey (NFBNJ). He is secretary of the NFBNJ At Large Chapter and a board member of the NFBNJ Garden State Chapter. Brian is the founder and owner of Mackey Enterprises LLC, a company that provides data entry and basic bookkeeping services. In this article he describes the highlights of his experience at convention.
I went to the 2014 convention of the National Federation of the Blind eager to learn all that I could from the workshops and general sessions. First I attended the workshop on the screen reader JAWS, which was filled to capacity. JAWS users, be on the lookout for the next version of the program, JAWS 16, which is due to arrive in October. One new feature I am thrilled to see is improved navigation of Office 2013, a program I currently use. I also discovered that JAWS 16 will include semi-automatic forms settings that will allow the user to navigate a website with edit fields more easily. When the workshop leaders asked for ideas to improve JAWS, I suggested adding a ResearchIt feature to look up movies playing at AMC theaters. With this feature, a JAWS user could easily look up the show times for the movie of his/her choice.
Next I went to the HumanWare workshop. I have to say that I love my old Victor Reader Stream. The Victor Reader Stream is a portable device for recording notes and listening to audio files of several kinds. The newest version is very impressive and exciting, with many amazing added features. Users can now download books from BARD and Bookshare, NFB-Newsline publications, and podcasts directly onto the Stream without a connection to a computer! With the new WiFi connection, it is also possible to listen to internet radio stations on the Stream. I can't wait until I get my own new Victor Reader Stream, so that I can experience all of these new features.
Although I am self-employed, I'm still on the hunt for a job. It was imperative that I attend the Job Fair. I stopped at each booth and talked with the representatives about possible job openings. If you have ever attended a job fair, you know that some companies have jobs that are of interest and some do not offer positions compatible with your skills. I made an exciting stop at the Jernigan Institute booth, where I talked with Anil Lewis. Although he was seeking someone to do web design, we discussed the type of position I am searching for. My goal is to find a data entry or basic bookkeeping position. Anil asked me to forward my résumé to him, and he will check to see if there might be a potential job at the national center. I am keeping my fingers crossed. Working at the national center, among the NFB leaders, would be awesome!
One night, Mikayla Gephart, a fellow member of NFBNJ, encouraged me to attend the Unified English Braille (UEB) workshop. What a great suggestion! I learned about the new Braille code, UEB. Some of the new symbols will make Braille writing and reading much easier than it is with Grade 2 contracted Braille. Now I definitely want to learn the rest of the UEB literary code. Thank you, Mikayla!
After three days of amazing workshops, with my brain overflowing with new information, it was time for the general sessions. When we all gathered together in one room, it was truly mind-blowing. It filled me with pride to know I am a member of the NFB! This year we witnessed the passing of the torch with the election of a new NFB president. We watched a video tribute to Dr. Marc Maurer, praising his numerous accomplishments during his term as the NFB's longest-serving national president. I was amazed by all that Dr. Maurer has achieved for the NFB. The banquet concluded with Dr. Maurer and our new NFB president, Mark Riccobono, putting their hands on the gavel and bringing the 2014 convention to an end together. That was so cool!
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