American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults
Future Reflections Convention 2018 ANNOUNCEMENTS AND MORE
Announcements
PARENT RESOURCE
Parent-Affiliate Teamwork Program
Contact: Carlton Walker, 717-658-9894
[email protected]
The National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC), a proud division of the National Federation of the Blind, announces the creation of the Parent Affiliate Teamwork Program (PAT). National parent leaders are available to come to your state to speak at events, provide workshops, assist in creating and building a state parents' division, and serve as mentors to families. To take part in the PAT program, the affiliate can request a parent leader and/or let the NOPBC know which topics it would like to cover. The NOPBC can work with the affiliate to identify a parent leader in a nearby area or determine the speaker who would be best for the topics of interest. The affiliate and the NOPBC will work together to determine how best to cover transportation costs, meals, and lodging. To request a speaker, please contact NOPBC President Carlton Walker.
CONTEST
Nationwide Braille Readers Are Leaders Contest
www.nfbofillinois.org/nationwide-bral-contest
Contact: Deborah Kent Stein, [email protected]
Contest Reading Period: December 1, 2018-January 19, 2019
Deadline for Registration: January 19, 2019
Deadline to Submit Reading Logs: February 2, 2019
The National Federation of the Blind of Illinois (NFBI), in partnership with the NFB Jernigan Institute and the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults, announces the second annual Nationwide Braille Readers Are Leaders Contest (BRAL). To enter, students must be in grades K-12 and must reside in a state that has opted to participate in this year's contest. Students compete with those in their grade category to read the most Braille pages during the contest period. The top three students in each grade category will receive cash prizes, and every student who submits a reading log at the close of the contest will be sent a packet of Braille-related gifts. Contact your state affiliate president or the contest administrator if you have questions.
SCHOLARSHIPS
National Federation of the Blind Scholarships
nfb.org/scholarships
Contact: Cayte Mendez, [email protected]
410-659-9314, extension 2415
Deadline for Applications: March 31, 2019
Every year the National Federation of the Blind awards more than $120,000 to blind scholars in the United States and Puerto Rico in recognition of their achievements and professional aspirations. Thanks to help from generous partners, there are thirty merit-based scholarships available, ranging from $3,000 to $12,000. All scholarships are awarded based on academic excellence, community service, and leadership. To be eligible a candidate must be legally blind in both eyes; must reside in the United States, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico; must be pursuing or plan to pursue a full-time, postsecondary course of study in the US in the fall of 2019; and must participate in the entire NFB national convention and all of its scheduled scholarship program activities.
AWARDS
Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards
https://nfb.org/programs/dr-jacob-bolotin-awards
Contact: James Gashel, 808-234-9259
[email protected]
Deadline for Applications: April 15, 2019
The Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards are presented each year to persons or organizations that demonstrate exemplary leadership and extraordinary accomplishments in improving the lives of blind people in the United States. An application can be made by the applicant directly or by third parties who nominate an applicant. Each application requires an essay describing the work or project to be recognized. In addition, each application must have at least one letter of recommendation in support of the nominee.
Touch of Genius Prize
https://www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/technology/tog/tog_prize
Contact: [email protected]
Deadline for Applications: January 11, 2019
The Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation is an annual prize of $20,000 awarded to a project that shows the most innovative ideas in the field of Braille and tactile literacy. Winners and applicants have submitted projects for professional software and apps, educational software and apps, gaming software and apps, and Braille or tactile-related hardware. Innovators have come from all over the world in the fields of education, technology, engineering, tactile graphics, and literacy. This is the only prize to foster and reward innovation in the area of Braille and tactile literacy for the blind and deaf-blind communities. The prizes have been provided since 2007 through support from the Gibney Family Foundation.
COLLEGE READINESS
College Success at Perkins
perkins.org/college
Perkins School for the Blind
175 N. Beacon St., Watertown, MA 02472
617-972-7573
[email protected]
College Success at Perkins is a nine-month program for blind and visually impaired high school graduates who are college bound as well as students who have attended some college and are looking to hone their skills and returned prepared for success. This residential program centers on the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC), as well as the specific skills that students need in order to be successful in college.
SURVEY
Factors that Impact Interest in Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4534361/fstem
Edward Bell, Principal Investigator
Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness
318-257-4554
[email protected]
The purpose of this survey is to learn about factors that influence interest and motivation in STEM-related careers, including the role that mentors and others have had in shaping that interest. Participants must be adults between the ages of eighteen and sixty-five who are legally blind or significantly visually impaired and who reside in the United States. All individuals who complete the survey will have the chance to win a gift card valued at $100.
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