Volume 39 Number 3 Summer 2020
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.
Deborah Kent Stein, Editor
ISSN-0883-3419
Copyright © 2020 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
https://nfb.org/nopbc • [email protected] • [email protected]
FEATURE
Love Conquers Hate: An Open Letter to the Members of the National Federation of the Blind
by Mark A. Riccobono
INSTRUCTION AT HOME
Remote Learning: It Really Can Work for Blind Students
by Penny Duffy
Cane Travel at Home: Lesson Ideas for Parents and Instructors
by Liz Wisecarver
Expect the Unexpected: Creating the 2020 BELL Academy In-Home Edition
by Karen Anderson
EDUCATION
Teaching from a Distance
by Treva Olivero
The Art of Teaching: Introducing the National Organization of Professionals in Blindness Education
by Eric Guillory
LIVING AND LEARNING
How to Make a Banana Shake: Helping Blind Children Develop Independence
with the Support of Blind Mentors
by Daniel Martinez
Education is the Key
by Roanna Bacchus
The Human Body: Unlocking the Secrets
by Jasmyn Polite
Sprinkles of Grace
by Jo Elizabeth Pinto
STEM
Math that Feels Good: Enabling Sighted and Blind People to Share the Mathematical Experience
by Al Maneki
My Time at the NFB EQ 2019
by Maura Loberg
CAREERS
The Value of Job Search Skills Training for Teens and Young Adults
by Anne Steverson
ADVOCACY
Taking a Stand against the College Board
by Kaleigh Brendle
PERSPECTIVES
Why I'm Teaching My Blind Child Not to be Color Blind
by Alison Clougherty
The Complexity of Being Human: A Conversation with Jackie Anderson
NOPBC UPDATE
The Best Reality Show Ever: Real Families of the NOPBC
by Carlton Anne Cook Walker
You Can Make a Difference
Announcements
Are you the parent of a blind/low-vision child? Don’t know where to turn? Have you ever wondered what your child will be capable of when he or she grows up? Are you concerned that your child’s future will be limited by blindness or low vision? Do you have questions about how to parent a blind child? We are here for you.
Founded in 1983, the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC), a proud division of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), is a membership organization of families, friends, and educators of blind children. We have thousands of members in all fifty states plus Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico.
We have a very inclusive definition of blindness which includes children who have some usable vision. Instead of focusing on what the child can or cannot see, we focus on the child and what she or he wants to be.
NOPBC is for families, educators, and friends of blind children, including those who have some usable vision. We welcome all families of blind children, and many of our children have both blindness and other disabilities.
We help families and blind children themselves maximize the child’s abilities and opportunities; we hold high expectations for all of our children, regardless of any additional disabilities they may have.
As a division of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the largest and most influential organization of blind people in the world, the NOPBC is well informed about the societal, legislative, and technological issues that affect blind people. We enjoy the resources, support, and expertise of fifty thousand blind people who can serve as mentors and role models for us and our children. When we as parents join the NOPBC, our children belong to the Federation family.
The NOPBC:
Most states have an NOPBC affiliate chapter. You can find your state chapter at http://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.
We have been where you are, and we want to support you and your blind child. We know that blindness does not define your child's future. 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.
The NOPBC offers hope, encouragement, information, and resources for parents, families, and educators of blind children. NOPBC provides:
We offer a wide variety of 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. This conference 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.
Contact Us:
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
[email protected]
www.nopbc.org
FEATURE
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Mark Riccobono]
by NFB President Mark A. Riccobono
From the Editor: As the nation reeled in shock and grief after the horrifying death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, NFB President Mark Riccobono sent an open letter to the leaders and members of the National Federation of the Blind. His heartfelt remarks address the pain and confusion felt in the Federation community during this troubled time and offer guidance toward finding a path forward.
May 31, 2020
I write this message to you as the elected President of the National Federation of the Blind. I also write it to you as an American who is struggling this week. I call upon members of our organization to recognize the solidarity we share as blind people and that the value we place on love within our movement is needed more today than at any other time in our history.
I watched the horrific video shot by a brave seventeen-year-old of the killing of George Floyd, a citizen of our great nation. Before I watched the video, I wondered what I could do and how I could contribute to healing the pain. I had no answers. After I watched the video, I realized I still did not have the answers, and I was sad, angry, scared, frustrated, and without hope. Then I realized that we share tools in the National Federation of the Blind that can help. We cannot look away, and we need to share what we know from our experience in this people's movement.
Our movement has been sustained for the purpose of serving as a vehicle for collective action by the blind of the nation to promote the vocational, cultural, and social advancement of the blind; to achieve the integration of the blind into society on a basis of equality with the sighted; and to take any other action which will improve the overall condition and standard of living of the blind. While racial equality in our nation is not within our mission, we also recognize that blindness affects all races and that the society we live within has an impact on our membership. The Federation's Code of Conduct specifically emphasizes our commitments to diversity. In short, "We respect differences of opinion, beliefs, identities, and other characteristics that demonstrate that blind people are a diverse cross section of society. . . . In promoting a diverse and growing organization, we expect integrity and honesty in our relationships with each other and openness to learning about and experiencing cultural diversity. We believe that these qualities are crucial to fostering social and intellectual maturity. Intellectual maturity also requires individual struggle with unfamiliar ideas."
This week I have been struggling to comprehend the fear and anger that black members of my Federation family are experiencing. I do not, and never can, have the authentic lived experience that you have, but yet I am also completely outraged by the hate and injustice that fell upon George Floyd on Monday. I recognize there are many centuries of painful layers wrapped up in that moment. I recognize that George is neither the first nor the last in a chain of injustices that need to be addressed. I want you to know I stand with you in facing the injustice that persists against you because of the color of your skin. I want you to know that I love you, and I struggle with not being able to fully know your pain and fear. I want you to know I am prepared to be guided by you as to how I can make a difference. I cannot say that I have not become desensitized in times past, but I can tell you I will never turn away again.
While our organization is dedicated to advancing the rights of blind people, we should not act as though race does not exist. As our chapters attempt to do business, as we urge our members to take up our priorities, we should recognize that thousands of our members are impacted by the painful realizations of this week. As a people's movement, we cannot pretend that our people only have one characteristic. Now is the time to let each member know that we love them and that we recognize their hurt. Now is also the time for us to recognize, as individuals, that we carry implicit bias learned from the society around us and to seek the training that will enhance our awareness. Now is the time to give love to our black members so that we might learn how we can do better in building the understanding that powers the organized blind movement.
Now is not the time for us to use our organizational communication tools to offer position statements about the activities playing out on the streets of our nation. It is easy to write messages and posts of solidarity without having a true understanding of the issues. It is easy to suggest that we share the concerns of our black members. The harder thing for us to do is to consciously listen and seek understanding while supporting others in their pain and frustration. The Federation has never been known for merely doing what is easy. The priority today is to ensure that all of our black members know they are welcomed and loved in this movement. In fact, we should extend that same truth to any others who feel the real pain sweeping our nation.
Please do not use organizational assets to enter the dialogue around race. That is not our purpose as an organization, and we may unintentionally make it worse. We need to continue to coordinate messaging and to be guided by the wisdom of our diversity and inclusion committee. As leaders of our movement, we should also be conscious that our public posts may be misunderstood as representing the Federation. Our personal feelings and misunderstanding around the death of George Floyd, the protests sweeping our nation, and the underlying systemic discrimination may hurt and divide members of the organization. We cannot let that happen, and we must be careful as leaders not to add to the pain our members are experiencing. As it relates to our public messaging, let us stay focused on the priorities of the organized blind movement. As it comes to our cherished friends, let our priority be to reach out personally to listen and offer our hands in support.
I have had the opportunity to gather virtually with some of our top black leaders—a group who will continue to guide my actions related to these issues. I asked them for wisdom and love in finding ways that I could guide our membership during this trying time in our nation. Their message was clear.
Our movement is built on love, and love always conquers hate. The Federation family needs to shine a light for the rest of the nation by continuing to demonstrate that the love and solidarity that we share with each other in this movement make all the difference. They also noted that our organization has always valued civil disobedience and persistent pursuit of equality. They urged that we continue to pray for peace, justice, and equality.
I could not agree more with these friends I have been blessed to learn from in our movement. Furthermore, I am thankful that we have a movement that provides us a meaningful opportunity to know people whose lived experience is so different from our own while sharing a common bond as blind people.
In the National Federation of the Blind we know that blindness is not the characteristic that defines us or our future. Blindness is the thing that brings us together, but it is not the thing that makes us want to stay together. That, in a word, is love. We have love in our movement, and we strengthen it by giving it.
We have some wisdom, and we strengthen it by continuing to seek greater understanding. We need more of both love and wisdom at every opportunity.
Let's continue to share love, hope, and determination with each other so that together we transform our dreams into reality. One of those dreams still left to be transformed is that of a nation where we can join together regardless of our unique characteristics. That is a dream I am struggling to help my own children understand so they may do better than I in making it come true. I speak for all of our national board members when I say we sincerely believe that the love and togetherness demonstrated in our movement can go a long way in contributing to that dream. It can be hard to remember that in this moment when so many of us are hurting, angry, frustrated, and scared. Let us continue to support each other in the Federation family. Let us avoid the harmful language that will only serve to divide us in this time. Let us go forward together, love one another, and change the world for the better.
Sincerely,
Mark A. Riccobono, President
National Federation of the Blind
INSTRUCTION AT HOME
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Penny Duffy and her daughter, Abby Duffy]
by Penny Duffy
From the Editor: As the COVID-19 crisis deepens and online education becomes a long-term reality, many parents worry that their blind children will face a severe disadvantage. However, as Penny Duffy explains, blind students can continue to learn effectively through remote education when the necessary services are in place.
Education has changed a lot since last March. One day my daughter, Abby, was sitting in a tenth-grade classroom, and the next day she was at home, doing something called remote learning. Abby is blind, and I couldn't fathom how remote learning was going to work for her. How would she get access to her materials? What would happen if a remote platform turned out to be inaccessible?
Prior to COVID-19 Abby had a rigorous academic curriculum, and she was an active member of her high school community. She participated on the high school ski and track teams, and she was involved in student government and other clubs. Then the schools shut their doors, and life changed dramatically for all of us. All of the parents in our district had a three-day window to go to the school and collect their children's things. In our case, I brought home all of Abby's assistive technology.
To my great relief, our adventure into remote learning has gone remarkably well. Abby is able to do most of her online assignments independently. She has all the technology she needs at home: an iPad, a Braille display, and a laptop computer with the JAWS screen reader. When she needs support—usually for her math course—her teacher of blind students, Adrienne Shoemaker, is available to help her. Adrienne Shoemaker was honored as the Distinguished Educator of Blind Students at the 2019 NFB National Convention, and we have always found her wonderful to work with.
With remote instruction, Abby receives her assignments at the beginning of the week. She and Adrienne go through each of her classes together and determine which of her assignments are fully accessible with her screen reader and Braille display. If a teacher posts a tool that isn't accessible with JAWS, they try it using VoiceOver. If that doesn't work, Abby emails her classroom teacher to work out an alternative way for her to show her understanding of the content. For some assignments Abby requests to have the content in an embossed copy. Adrienne provides the Braille materials and drops them off on our porch.
Abby's classroom teachers have been amazing. They do their best to make sure materials are accessible, and they've been learning a lot. Recently Abby's Latin teacher even checked with Adrienne to find out how to add alt text to a slide presentation.
Meanwhile, I hear too many horror stories about the problems other families of blind students are having with remote education. Some students are not allowed to bring their technology home from school, so they have no way to access the internet for their online classes. Some are not receiving Braille materials. Some have no services at all.
A lot of parents ask me why everything has gone so well for us. We are extremely fortunate to have an excellent teacher of blind students and a school district that is willing to work with us. Carlton Anne Cook Walker, president of the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) comments, "Districts that did a good job with a blind student before the pandemic usually do a good job during it, too."
Here are a few tips I have gathered for dealing with remote education now and in the future:
Even at its best, though, there is no way to make remote education the same as going to school. Orientation and mobility [O&M] is a real challenge. Abby continues to work on some skills through remote lessons, but it is not the same as practicing skills such as crossing streets, using public transportation, and locating destinations.
Adrienne Shoemaker and other professionals are not only using technology to connect with their students, but to connect with each other as well. In the past teachers and O&M instructors in New Hampshire, where we live, sometimes felt isolated. Now they hold weekly meetings online, where they talk about what is going well and discuss their biggest challenges. "During the first two weeks of remote learning there was a lot of time spent reaching out to families and trying to connect with students," Adrienne says. "This is going to be an evolving process. Many parents have multiple children at home, and they themselves have had to transition to working from home. I want to be supportive and not have them feel overwhelmed. We are all adjusting and learning how to operate in this environment of remote learning."
Adrienne points out that there are some positive aspects to this new mode of learning. "I think students are getting an even stronger idea of what they need in terms of accessibility," she says. "Students are developing stronger self-advocacy skills, and that can be a key part in figuring out solutions." We're all in uncharted territory, and we need to work together to ensure the best outcome for everyone.
Editor’s Note: You can read more about Abby Duffy and Adrienne Shoemaker in Penny Rosenblum's blog post, "How TVIs and O&M Instructors Are Handling the Challenges of Distance Learning, Part 1," https://www.afb.org/blog/entry/how-tvis-and-om-instructors-are-handling-distance-learning-1.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Liz Wisecarver]
by Liz Wisecarver
From the Editor: As parents and teachers search for ways to make remote learning work for blind children, orientation and mobility instruction seems to pose serious challenges. How can a child learn effective travel skills without working with an instructor face to face? In this article Liz Wisecarver, an O&M instructor from Louisiana, offers suggestions for teaching important orientation and mobility skills at home.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, families of blind children are wondering how Expanded Core Curriculum services such as cane travel can be done remotely. Blind children can engage in many activities at home or in their communities to reinforce concepts such as cane technique, mental mapping, sound localization, and problem-solving. Below are several lesson ideas that are easy to accomplish with only a few supplies. These activities can be enhanced through the use of learning shades (sometimes called sleepshades) and the long white cane. Parents should consider the purchase of a teaching cane, a cane that is sized for them, to help demonstrate proper cane use to their blind child and join in playing games.
Simon Says, Mother May I, and Red Light Green Light are all games that help children develop spatial awareness. Very young children should practice directions such as left, right, up, down, in front, and behind. Older children should practice the cardinal directions: north, south, east, and west. These games are more fun when other family members join in.
Create a scavenger hunt throughout the house and outside with objects for your child to find. Your child might follow a tactile treasure map or look for Braille clues that give directions to the next object.
As a variation, have your child go on a sound scavenger hunt. Walk around the house and outside to find every type of sound you possibly can. Sounds might include the dishwasher, the washing machine, singing birds, or a neighbor's barking dog. Ask your child specific questions about the sounds and their locations. Remember to pay attention to how the cane sounds as it taps on different surfaces, such as carpet, grass, or asphalt. Your child might enjoy recording the scavenger hunt sounds to listen to later—the flushing toilet was always a favorite with my elementary school students!
Play with noisy athletic balls, the kind with bells or rattles inside, to practice sound localization. This game is more fun when other family members join in. Have your child listen to where the ball rolls and find it with their cane. Practice rolling, bouncing, or tossing the ball between players. Let your child run and kick the ball in an open space to get some exercise.
Practice your household fire drill. Make sure everyone in the house knows where to go in case of a fire emergency. Pick a location outside the house, such as the front gate, where the whole family should meet. Have your child start from their bedroom so they know the best way to get outside. Show your child the smoke alarms, where they are located, and what they sound like when they are activated.
Make a game out of the practice drills by using a stopwatch to time your child. Your child should have easy access to their cane. They should know where it is located at all times for emergencies.
Play a game to practice identifying the location of the sun. Have your child spin in a circle, stop, and locate the sun by feeling the heat on their body. Just don't get too dizzy and fall over!
To reinforce mental mapping skills ask your child to write down as many street names as they can think of in your neighborhood or on a particular route. Ask them to indicate if the streets run north-south or east-west. Have them name any special characteristics about the streets or intersections, such as a boulevard or a T-intersection.
Make certain your child knows your home address and can give meaningful directions to your house. Your child should be able to describe your house, such as saying, "It's a red brick house with a circular driveway." Your child should know the names of nearby streets and landmarks in order to give directions when traveling home with others. You can help your child learn to give specific driving directions, such as knowing the name of the neighborhood and where the house is in relation to main streets and businesses.
Talk about the address system as you are driving or walking. Name the streets as you cross them. Read the numbers on the buildings or houses, and tell your child how the mail carrier uses these numbers to deliver the mail. Explain what a city block is and how the blocks relate to the address system. Point out that even numbered and odd numbered addresses are on opposite sides of the street, and ask your child to look for other number patterns.
Let your child deliver some happy mail to friends and neighbors. Try making some cards or baked goods together to brighten someone's day. Your child can determine the walking or driving route and deliver the packages to front doors or mailboxes. As a bonus they can practice skills such as writing or cooking as they make the presents.
Have your child draw maps using cardinal directions. The maps can include details about streets and buildings. Let your child explain how to get from one place to another, based on the directions they have created. Ask them to draw maps of familiar locations, or let them get creative and design a world from their own imagination. Tactile drawing boards such as the Sensational Blackboard and inTACT Sketchpad are useful tools, but your child also can use Wikki Stix, foam stickers, and adhesive-backed sequins to make tactile maps.
Talk to your child about identifiable landmarks in your area and their locations. Examples might include "the mountains are north of us," or "the interstate is west of us." Expand further and talk about other locations in relation to your home, such as "Canada is north of us." Talk about which towns border your hometown, how far away they are located, and which direction you would travel to reach them. Make sure your child knows which states border your home state, and talk about where your state is in relation to the rest of the country.
Expand this conversation to include other countries and continents. Tactile maps, globes, and atlases are helpful if they are available to you. Otherwise, you can make your own simple maps to explain these concepts. Make sure your child knows where your state is in relation to other states, i.e., We’re in Iowa, Minnesota is north of us, and Nebraska is to the west.
Ask your child to put an address in the GPS phone app and give you the driving or walking directions. If your family uses rideshare apps, let your child request a ride from Uber or Lyft. Have them explore direction options within various GPS apps, including walking, driving, or public transportation directions. Ask your child to plan a route from home to a particular destination. Discuss how they gathered information and what transportation options are available. Talk about changes to transportation options that may be related to the COVID-19 shutdown, such as reduced public transit or longer rideshare wait times.
Let your child be the cane travel teacher and give you instructions. Kids love being in charge, so grab some learning shades and a teaching cane so they can tell you where to go. Make sure they give you clear instructions using words such as left and right. Otherwise you won't know which way to go.
Let your child help in the grocery store or with delivery apps. If you are going to the grocery store in person, talk to your child about the changes put in place to help with social distancing, such as marked off aisles, hand sanitation stations, distancing in check-out lines, and wearing masks. Do some role-playing so your child can practice following lines while staying at the proper distance and asking for assistance with shopping. It can be helpful to practice wearing masks at home periodically so your child can get used to how they feel.
If your family uses a grocery delivery app, let your child help by selecting foods on your list and completing the checkout process. Shopping lessons provide an excellent opportunity for you to talk about money and budgeting.
Find a successful blind adult and let your child interview them about travel. You can help your child flesh out questions beforehand that can address the curiosities, fears, and hopes they are feeling about their future. Reach out to your local chapter of the National Federation of the Blind to meet a blind adult who would be happy to chat with your family about their lived experiences. The National Federation of the Blind is an excellent resource on any kind of blindness-related information for you and your child.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Karen Anderson]
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Dressed like a fairy princess, Abigail admires her sunflower plant.]
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Kingston kneels beside his sunflower seeds.]
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Daxton works on his Perkins Braille writer.]
by Karen Anderson
From the Editor: Each summer for nearly a decade, blind children and blind mentors across the country have taken part in the NFB BELL® Academies. BELL stands for Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning. BELL Academy was conceived to foster Braille reading and writing through a host of activities such as cooking, crafts, science experiments, and field trips. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, it was clear that the tried and true BELL Academies could not take place safely. In this article Karen Anderson, national coordinator of the NFB BELL Academies, explains how the program was reconfigured to meet the new demands of our COVID-dominated world.
In January 2020 BELL Academy coordinators and teachers from all over the United States gathered in Baltimore for a packed weekend of planning and brainstorming. We drew upon years of experience as we mapped out the summer ahead. None of us imagined that two months later our careful plans would be completely derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
By the middle of March it was clear that safety concerns had to come first, and we would not be able to hold our traditional face-to-face BELL Academies. Would we have to cancel the program entirely? Was there still a way we could hold a program and keep participants safe? I had no earthly idea what we might do!
I had several intense meetings with NFB President Mark Riccobono and Anil Lewis, executive director of Blindness Initiatives, trying to imagine what BELL might look like this summer. We wanted to make sure the program wasn't simply another version of the remote learning created by the schools. The program needed to be meaningful for children between the ages of four and twelve, and it had to be fun.
Out of those discussions grew the program we named BELL Academy In-Home Edition. We designed the program to include online sessions with teachers and mentors and hands-on learning activities that children and their families could do at home.
Instead of having each state affiliate schedule its own BELL Academies, In-Home Edition brought together children and their families from all across the United States. We planned three two-week sessions, with the online portion headed by teachers of blind students. Our teachers included Kristen Simms, Stacie Gallegos, Casey Robertson, and Kayleigh Joiner.
Information about applicants from each state was sent to affiliate presidents and state BELL coordinators. Each participant was paired with a blind mentor who made daily contact with the family to serve as a resource.
Before each of the three BELL sessions, every participating family received a big box of surprises. Among other things each box contained a slate and stylus, styrofoam plates, drawing paper, bells, paper towel tubes, and a packet of sunflower seeds. We hoped that unpacking the boxes would heighten the children's excitement about the start of BELL. If only we could have come up with a way to send the ingredients for that famous BELL favorite, ice cream in a bag!
BELL lessons fell into four categories: reading, writing, travel, and nonvisual skills. The In-Home curriculum for each of the three BELL sessions consisted of five lessons from each of these four categories. Before each class the students and their families watched a video pertaining to the lesson. We planned for them to do the lesson at home and bring their questions and comments into the Zoom meet-up with the teacher.
Does any program ever work the way you plan it? It turned out that most of the families didn't want to work on lessons by themselves. They wanted to do the lessons together, sharing the experience with other families and getting direction and encouragement from the BELL teachers. Fortunately, our BELL teachers managed to do an instant regroup. BELL lessons immediately became group projects.
BELL activities included making tambourines with bells and paper plates, creating raised-line drawings, and writing stories. Growing sunflower seeds turned out to be one of our most popular projects. The children were amazed when we told them that many kinds of seeds can germinate without being planted in the ground. They wrapped the seeds in damp paper towels and checked each day to discover how much they had sprouted.
Most of our BELL families had been exposed to a lot of cyber classes since the school shut their doors in March. We were all too familiar with the weary phrase "Zoomed out." Nevertheless, we discovered that our BELL students were highly engaged by the lessons in the program. Every aspect of each lesson was fully accessible. There were no struggles with inaccessible graphics and poorly described video content. This was the world as it was truly meant to be!
However, we recognized that BELL involved much more than lessons. In our face-to-face program kids giggled together waiting for the bus or chattered about their favorite movies as they prepared lunch. BELL was about learning Braille and nonvisual skills, and it was also about making friends and building a sense of community. Somehow we had to make space for that key component in our BELL In-Home Edition.
With a lot of input from folks in our Arizona affiliate, we built a daily social hour into our BELL schedule. Students and their families could gather for casual conversation on any topic they chose. It turned out that some groups were more comfortable than others with this open format. In general we found that we had to provide some structure to get people talking. It helped to toss out a leading question: What does blind mean to you? How do you ask for help when you need it? How do you turn down help that you don't need or want? Even with a bit of structure, group involvement was uneven. Some groups talked eagerly, and others were much more quiet.
When we planned BELL In-Home Edition we wondered how many families would sign up for such a program. As it turned out, enrollment for the new program was about the same as it had been for our face-to-face programs over the past few years. Forty-five students took part in Session 1, eighty-seven in Session 2, and one hundred and forty in Session 3. Nearly half of our 2020 participants were brand-new to the program.
Letters from parents and teachers let us know that, for some families at least, BELL In-Home Edition made a positive difference. One mother emailed to tell us that the video on cane travel gave her the courage to let her daughter use her cane on a walk to the park. Another mom wrote, "My daughter Liz and I are so thankful to have the opportunity to join in on the virtual BELL camp this year. Liz loves all of the activities and having the chance to learn from blind adults who are so encouraging." A teacher from California texted me to say, "I want you to know what a difference you have made for the family of one of my former students. Four years ago he was very isolated and withdrawn. His parents weren't in favor of him learning Braille. This summer he's doing great, and his dad really got on board."
What will BELL look like in the future? We look forward to resuming our face-to-face BELL Academies as soon as it is safe for us to do so. However, we hope to preserve some of the most successful elements of the BELL In-Home Edition. In-Home Edition has allowed the participation of families from places where a face-to-face program has never been available. It has also permitted us to be involved with parents and siblings in ways that were not possible in our traditional program. We hope we can take everything we've learned this summer and build on it in the years ahead. Let the BELLS ring out!
EDUCATION
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Treva Olivero]
by Treva Olivero
From the Editor: Even before COVID-19 made virtual instruction a household word, distance learning emerged as a valuable means for educators to reach blind and low-vision students. Communities that could not provide a qualified teacher of blind students were able to hire a teacher who might live anywhere in the country. In this article Treva Olivero describes her experience providing remote instruction.
In 2018 I had the opportunity to do distance teaching with a high school student in another state. The student needed some training in assistive technology. As a paraprofessional and as a teacher for summer programs, I was comfortable with in-person instruction. However, I was apprehensive about distance teaching. How could I demonstrate the technology properly? What if the student's computer froze? How well would I be able to hear the student's screen reader? Would they be able to hear mine?
To prepare for this new set of challenges, I talked to some of my colleagues and learned how to use JAWS Tandem and Zoom. JAWS Tandem allows me to connect to another computer using the JAWS screen reader. I can listen to and interact with the student's computer. Zoom is a meeting platform that is very accessible to blind users. I use Zoom to talk to my students and give them instruction.
After the first few lessons I solved some connectivity issues and got over my fear of distance teaching. In fact, I really started to enjoy it. As I became more comfortable with this style of teaching, I started to see the advantages for me and my students.
Learning virtually helps students be more independent. From the beginning I teach my students to log into Zoom by themselves. If an adult is present, I encourage that person to let the student log in independently after the first few lessons.
Virtual learning promotes problem-solving skills. One of my students has frequent connectivity issues. He has learned how to troubleshoot, and he knows what to do if we get disconnected. I teach students how to problem solve and listen to what their device is doing or read the Braille display. I can't rescue them if they press the wrong keys. They learn to fix their own mistakes and get themselves out of trouble. I teach the students where the escape key is on their computers, and I make sure they know how to find the cancel or go back button.
Although I have JAWS Tandem running and can hear what my students are doing, I let them explore and learn about whatever app we are working on. Virtual learning promotes discovery learning.
Teaching virtually has made me a better educator. Instead of just fixing the problems that the students might have with their technology, I take the time to teach them how to get out of the situation. Teaching using Zoom has taught me to be more descriptive and to give more detailed instructions. For example, in teaching iPhone gestures, I am not sitting beside my students, so I can't check their hand positioning. Therefore, I explain the gesture verbally, and the student and I listen closely to the feedback from Voiceover. I taught a student how to use the Victor Reader Stream, and I had to make sure I was descriptive about the physical layout and the buttons. In turn, the student paid closer attention because she really wanted to be able to listen to audiobooks.
Over the past several years I have gained a lot of great experiences through distance teaching. I continue to learn. I am glad I took that initial leap of faith to try a new way of teaching. It has enabled me to be comfortable with distance teaching in our recent months of virtual instruction. Whether I am with my students in person or virtually, I still love teaching!
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Eric Guillory reads a Braille page.]
by Eric Guillory
From the Editor: First established in 2011, the National Organization of Professionals in Blindness Education (PIBE) is a vitally important division of the National Federation of the Blind. In this article PIBE President Eric Guillory introduces the division, describing its goals and accomplishments.
"The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery." This quote from Mark Van Doren speaks to the critical importance of students taking an active role in exploring their environments. Van Doren recognizes the meaning, joy, and challenges these places and contexts have to offer. As a proud division of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the National Organization of Professionals in Blindness Education, or PIBE as we are more commonly known, works to foster exploration and creative problem solving in the lives of blind students, their families, and the educators with whom they interact.
As the premier consumer organization of blind people in the United States, the NFB possesses the experience and know-how to address the myriad opportunities and challenges of today's fast-paced, highly dynamic world. All too often educators serving blind students feel overwhelmed and alone, uncertain of where to turn for resources and networking opportunities. By connecting with PIBE professionals and, by extension, those they serve, educators can gain two essential elements—expertise and hope.
Since its founding in 1940, the National Federation of the Blind has combatted the tyranny of low expectations. Tirelessly it has resisted the deleterious effects that low expectations have on educational and life outcomes for blind students. Through innovative initiatives developed and led by skilled, knowledgeable blind experts, the Federation demonstrates that diminished expectations, rather than blindness itself, create and perpetuate obstacles to success in the classroom and beyond. PIBE members are among those who take the lead in crafting current and future programming that will ensure that students are provided access to the skills they deserve. These skills, along with a positive philosophy about blindness, can enable them to compete on terms of equality with their sighted peers.
Through the individual and collective efforts of its members, PIBE has been influential at the local, state, and national levels since it was established. It conducts workshops, gives presentations, and provides requested support to individual educators and students. Often PIBE works collaboratively with the Jernigan Institute, the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC), and others in the provision of these services.
In March 2020 schools began to close their doors, and students, teachers, and families scrambled to acclimate to at-home learning. Members of PIBE and NOPBC worked in concert with the Federation's education team to develop instructional content for our blind children. Following the lead of Education Programs Coordinator Karen Anderson, this group of dedicated individuals worked quickly and with savvy. Members teamed up with additional Federationists to create meaningful resources that will remain useful for the foreseeable future. Please visit https://www.nfb.org/resources/covid-19-resources to explore the fun and engaging materials that have been made available free of charge.
"In the National Federation of the Blind, we believe in the capacity of blind students to shape their own destinies," says Karen Anderson. "These students deserve the same opportunities to access high-quality instructional content as do their sighted peers. I am privileged to serve alongside my fellow Federationists as we work to provide meaningful lessons for students and their families. The negative that is COVID-19 has given us new opportunities to continue to make a positive difference in their lives."
The coming months will doubtless be fraught with uncertainty and replete with challenges. Nevertheless, this uncertainty will not impede our ongoing commitment to blind students and their families. We will make sure that students and those who serve them remain connected and that their educational rights are protected. Already PIBE is planning the next series of lessons and other distance education content, doing so in consultation with students, families, and practitioners. In spite of the dire effects the pandemic continues to have on our world, we will not settle for blind students being given short shrift. Our advocacy work, always of paramount importance, is indispensable. We will not retreat from the hard-fought gains it has taken us far too long to realize. The determination of our members and the support of our fellow Federationists will give students and educators the opportunities and the victories they deserve.
To join or to learn more about the Organization of Professionals in Blindness Education, please visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/npibe.
LIVING AND LEARNING
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Daniel Martinez]
by Daniel Martinez
From the Editor: Daniel Martinez holds a master's degree in early childhood special education and has been recognized by the Susan M. Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame. He serves as a mentor in programs sponsored by the National Federation of the Blind and METAS LLC.
I often hear parents request advice on how to help their blind children become independent. Usually they want a simple answer: "Do this and that, and your child will be independent tomorrow." The path to independence, however, is more complicated than simply completing one or two tasks.
For a blind person to become fully capable and independent requires the proper attitude in addition to a set of skills. As blind people we must dedicate the time and effort to develop the alternative techniques that will enable us to function as blind people in a sight-oriented world. Sometimes it takes courage to tackle new challenges without sight, but if one uses care and implements nonvisual skills, we can complete everyday tasks and meet our full potential.
Recently I taught an independent living class on how to make a banana shake nonvisually. Using a blender I mixed milk, bananas, and sugar. Then I enjoyed my shake. Some of the students complained that the instruction was too basic. Later I discussed the lesson with the parent of a blind child.
Daniel: Can your son make a banana shake independently?
Parent: Yes . . .
Daniel: Is your son making his own banana shakes in the morning, or are you preparing them for him?
Parent: I prepare breakfast for everyone.
It took a while to help this parent understand my point. If we expect her blind son to be independent, he should be practicing basic skills such as the ones involved in making a banana shake. Perhaps she could let the children take turns making breakfast. In this way her blind son will build the foundation for developing more complex skills later on. In the meantime, I expect the child to be able to collect the ingredients and utensils, prepare his banana shake, and clean up after himself.
Things get done faster and more easily when parents and teachers do the work for the children. But in the long run the adults are not doing the children any favors. We can't expect blind adults to be independent when we didn't expect them to be functioning at an age-appropriate level when they were growing up.
I have had many discussions about this issue with Graciela L. Olivo, the National Federation of the Blind's 2020 Distinguished Educator of Blind Students. We concluded that the more we expect from students, the harder they will try and the more they will accomplish. High expectations and the acknowledgement that they are able to do for themselves are often enough to help the students be successful.
Children need the experience of completing tasks on their own. When they tackle practical tasks, it is important for them to learn through trial and error. Blind or sighted, we all face challenges from time to time. We can meet those challenges if we have come to view ourselves as competent and resourceful.
Mentoring can play a key role in helping blind children reach their full potential. According to Derek Shields, director of the National Disability Mentoring Coalition, research has proven that peer mentors "positively affect the movement of individuals with disabilities toward self-sufficiency through the establishment of high expectations, social support, and empowerment."
Regarding the advice that parents request on how to help their child develop independence, I would recommend finding a mentor who can provide guidance. Currently I am serving as a mentor in the Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning (BELL) Academy. My task is to communicate with a BELL student and his parents to ensure that they are having a beneficial experience at the academy, which is being conducted virtually this summer. I have tried to make them feel welcome, I've answered questions, and I've provided problem solving support. Ultimately I'm trying to make sure the student is gaining independence through the BELL Academy. I am also mentoring a blind teenager in my community as part of a mentoring team with the National Federation of the Blind of Texas. We've established a relationship through which we share our life experiences. He knows that I have high expectations for what he is planning to do after graduating from high school. He is requesting support in learning how to advocate for his rights as a blind student, and with my assistance he has been able to find resources to help him overcome his challenges. He certainly has the potential to live the life he wants. I hope that, through our mentoring relationship, I may guide him to reach his goals.
I encourage parents to find mentors who can provide support and guidance, according to their children's needs. Everyone's life experiences are different, but children can learn and grow with the guidance of a mentor who relates to their situation. A strong mentoring bond will encourage the child to develop fundamental skills and the confidence to move forward.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Roanna Bacchus and her family.]
by Roanna Bacchus
From the Editor: Each time a new issue of Future Reflections appears, Roanna Bacchus sends me a note to let me know she has read it from cover to cover. She tells me which articles she liked best, and sometimes she makes suggestions for future issues. Recently she told me a little bit about her background, and I was delighted when she agreed to share her story with our readers.
When my mom tells the story of my birth, it sounds like nothing short of a miracle. I was born four months premature on February 28, 1990, at Boston City Hospital. I weighed only one pound nine ounces, and I spent the first six months of my life in the hospital. One of my lungs collapsed, and because I received too much oxygen in the incubator, I became totally blind.
My parents immigrated to the United States from the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago. Growing up on the islands, they had never known any independent blind people. In the West Indies, most blind people are isolated from the rest of the population. If they work at all, they weave baskets or do other handicrafts.
Many members of our extended family lived near us in Boston. When I finally came home from the hospital, some of our relatives were on hand to care for me while my parents worked. As a toddler, I attended the early intervention program at Perkins School for the Blind. I received occupational therapy and audiology services, and I learned to interact socially with other blind children. My early intervention teacher also came to our home to work with me outside of class. After I completed the Infant/Toddler program I attended a pre-school at Perkins, where I continued my educational journey.
In December of 1995 I moved with my family to Florida, where my quest for literacy began. The closest school for the blind was located in St. Augustine, two hours away from us. If my parents enrolled me there, I would have had to live at the school during the week, only coming home on the weekends. My parents felt this separation would not be suitable for me at such an early age. They decided I should attend a local school instead.
In January of 1996 I entered Lake Mary Elementary School, where I met my regular classroom teacher, my Orientation and Mobility (O&M) instructor, and my teacher of blind students (TBS). I rode the bus to school each morning, and I remember being tired on many days as I sat in the classroom.
I was in first grade when Mrs. Susan Hale, my TBS, brought a Perkins Braillewriter to my classroom, and I began learning to read and write Braille. Mrs. Hale helped me master the alphabet, numbers, punctuation, and Braille contractions. Each week I spent hours completing my homework assignments. Since few of my assignments were transcribed into Braille in a timely manner, my mom sat and read my homework to me. Most of my mathematics classes were taught visually, and I was required to demonstrate certain concepts through drawings, charts, and graphs. I am so appreciative of all the time my mother spent with me during the early years of my life.
Before I was able to obtain a refreshable Braille device I relied on the Perkins Braillewriter and the slate and stylus. My textbooks were produced at the Florida Instructional Materials Center for the Visually Impaired in Tampa. I also received instructional materials produced by the American Printing House for the Blind. My textbooks for each grade from third through twelfth had to be ordered several months in advance.
Books in Braille are comprised of many volumes, and they take up a lot of space. I had two sets of each Braille textbook, one at home and one at school. I was glad I did not have to carry those heavy books from home to school in my backpack each day! At the end of the school year, all of my books were boxed up and shipped back to Tampa.
My family worked hard to provide me with normal experiences throughout my childhood. For example, during my fourth-grade year, I played golf along with some blind students from other local schools in the Central Florida area. Practices were held on Saturday afternoons at a driving range in Orlando. I also took piano lessons. My first piano teacher was a man who was blind. He came to our home each week to give me lessons. I practiced the piano before starting my homework, but the lessons did not last for very long.
In 2008, 2009, and 2011 I competed in the East Florida Braille Challenge. The Braille Challenge is a national program sponsored by the Braille Institute in Los Angeles. The program is a series of competitions that reward blind students for their proficiency in reading and writing Braille. Each state holds several regional competitions from January through March every year. Students are tested in the areas of spelling, reading comprehension, charts and graphs, and speed and accuracy. For me, the speed and accuracy section of the contest was the most difficult. The first time I attended this event, I won first place, and I won second place the next time.
In 2017 and 2018 I had the privilege of volunteering at this event in Orlando. After I graduated from college in December of 2016, I googled the 2017 Florida Braille Challenge just for fun. I discovered that the 2017 program was being held at a local church in Orlando, where I lived. I assisted by making sure that the students in the Sophomore category had all of the materials they needed to complete their tests for the day. Participants in the Braille Challenge are divided into five categories: Apprentice, Freshman, Sophomore, Junior Varsity, and Varsity.
My parents came from a culture that was quite different from the culture of the United States. At times their ideas and expectations clashed with those of other parents I knew. One day when I was in sixth grade, a sighted friend invited me to a sleepover. When I got home from school that afternoon, I asked my mom if she would allow me to attend, but she said no. She said I couldn't go because the sleepover was taking place on the same weekend when we were hosting a graduation party at our home. I was sad that I would not be allowed to attend the sleepover. I realized that my parents did not feel comfortable letting me attend because they did not know my friend or her parents. At the same time I think my blindness had something to do with their decision. They just didn't feel comfortable letting me go out into the unknown. I never brought up the subject of sleepovers again.
When I finished high school I told my counselor at the Florida Division of Blind Services (DBS) that I wanted to become a court reporter. My counselor didn't think I needed a college degree to pursue that career goal, and at first DBS refused to help pay for me to go to college. In August of 2011 I finally began my college career at the age of twenty-one. Challenging DBS helped make me stronger and gave me the grit to pursue my education.
Based on their glimpses of blind people on the islands, my parents had no idea what life might hold for me, their blind daughter. Although their fears sometimes held me back, I have been fortunate that they believed in the power of education. I hope readers of Future Reflections have gained a deeper understanding of the struggles I have faced and the positive experiences that have enriched my life.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Jasmyn Polite]
by Jasmyn Polite
From the Editor: Jasmyn Polite is about to enter Kutztown University in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, where she will pursue studies in early childhood education for blind children. She has served as secretary of the Shoreline Chapter of the NFB of Connecticut, and she recently won an NFB of Connecticut scholarship.
When I was a little girl, my grandma introduced me to the structure of the human body. She encouraged me to memorize all the bones of the body—there are 206 of them!—writing their names on index cards. She quizzed me by having me match each card to the correct bone. I also learned to name the organs such as the heart, lungs, and brain by studying a plastic replica of the body.
As I learned about the human body, I developed a passion for anatomy. I became obsessed with watching episodes of Bill Nye the Science Guy that involved the human body. I watched medical shows such as Dr. G: Medical Examiner, Birth Day, and Babies: Special Delivery on Discovery Health Channel. As I grew older I even thought of pursuing a career in medicine. I wanted to become an obstetrician, neonatal nurse, pediatric nurse, or midwife.
At the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, my teacher of anatomy and physiology provided fascinating hands-on lessons using an assortment of models and tactile graphics. When we learned about the human eye, I was required to write a report about my eye condition, juvenile glaucoma.
Although I changed my mind about working in the medical field, I still love learning about the human body. I am currently reading a two-volume Braille book about glaucoma to gain tactile knowledge of how glaucoma affects my eyes. I look forward to reading more Braille books involving the human body.
As a future educator of blind and low-vision preschoolers, I would like to share my fascination with the human body through my teaching. I hope my students will learn how their bodies work and how to take care of them.
Since blind and low-vision children rely on tactile and auditory skills, they can learn about the human body through hands-on activities. A toy Halloween skeleton can give children a basic idea of where the bones are located and how the joints operate. Wikki Stix or pipe cleaners can be used to make 3D models or images of the skeleton or of the arteries and veins. The names of the bones or organs can be written on index cards in Braille or large print. The students can put the index cards on the correct location on a model or on their own bodies. Cutout circles of different colors and textures can teach children about the different kinds of blood cells. Many retail and online stores sell educational models of the human body with removable organs for children to touch and manipulate. Amazon and other websites also sell models of body parts such as the eye, heart, and brain.
After the children can name the bones and organs, they can relate the lesson to themselves. They can put their hand in the middle of their chest and feel their heartbeat or rest their hand on their chest and take a deep breath to feel the action of their lungs. The more we understand about our bodies, the better we are equipped to lead healthy lives.
Doctors, artists, and elementary- and secondary-school students all use models to gain an understanding of human anatomy. Educational models of the human body are available through numerous online stores and websites. Here are just a few options to get you started.
See 3D: 3D Printing for the Blind
https://see3d.org
Contact: [email protected]
See 3D is a nonprofit organization that manages the printing and distribution of 3D printed models for people who are blind. Anyone who is blind or has low vision, or the teacher of a blind student, can request free models. The Anatomy Model Kit is a collection of models of various organs of the human body, including the intestine, inner ear, brainstem, and upper gastrointestinal track.
Anatomic Modeling Solutions
https://www.3dsystems.com
Contact: 888-598-1438
3D Systems offers a range of services for obtaining anatomical models. Submit an STL file to be printed for you or apply to have an already processed file printed and sent to you.
Health Edco
https://www.healthedco.com
Contact: 855-510-6720
[email protected]
Health Edco sells models of anatomical structures including arteries and veins, components of blood, the human brain, the female pelvis representing labor and birth, and the fetal skull.
Learning Resources Human Body Model
https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Resources-Human-Body-Model/dp/B0012OELR6
Designed for children ages eight and up, this model includes thirty-one pieces representing the skull, brain, ribcage, heart, lungs, stomach, liver, pancreas, kidneys, intestines, and spine. Children learn by assembling the model and fitting the pieces where they belong.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Jo Elizabeth Pinto walks along a sidewalk with her guide dog.]
[PHOTO/CAPTION: The cover of Jo Elizabeth Pinto’s book Dad Won’t Let Mom Drive the Car]
by Jo Elizabeth Pinto
From the Editor: Jo Elizabeth Pinto is a writer based in Colorado. This piece is excerpted from her recent book, Daddy Won't Let Mom Drive the Car: True Tales of Parenting in the Dark. Available in Kindle, audio, and paperback formats, the book is a collection of vignettes showing that the dents and delights of parenthood are universal, with or without a disability. To learn more, visit https://www.brightsideauthor.com.
When my daughter Sarah finished her first full year of preschool at age four, it was time to celebrate. I let her decide between a trip to a nearby park or homemade ice cream sundaes, but I breathed an inward sigh of relief when she chose the sundaes. It was one of those ridiculously hot afternoons in late May when spring plays hooky and lets summer take over.
First came ice cream, then chocolate sauce. Just a dab of sauce for me, a little more for Sarah. Why not—we were celebrating, right? Then whipped cream in a can. Sarah giggled when the spray cream made its usual silly noise as it billowed magically onto her sundae.
"How do they squeeze the cream into that can?" she asked.
"I have no idea," I answered, thinking to myself that I really didn't want to know. I reached up into the cupboard for the rainbow sprinkles.
Sarah, who had been sitting on the kitchen counter watching me build the sundaes, stretched past me and grabbed a plastic jar. "I want this kind."
Thinking she had recognized her beloved rainbow sprinkles on the shelf, I didn't take time to check the bottle she gave me. I just unscrewed the cap and shook the jar generously over her sundae. I took a hard pass on the sprinkles, so I secured the lid and put the jar back in the cupboard while I made sure my daughter got down from the counter safely. She busied herself rifling through the silverware drawer for her favorite spoons with Snoopy® heads on the handles, all the while belting out the "Teamwork" song from the Wonder Pets® program that was starting on the TV in the living room.
I carried our sundaes carefully to the plastic mat we had spread on the carpet in front of the TV. That was when the calamity happened.
I bit into my ice cream, relishing the cold, delicious bliss. I expected a sigh of contentment from my daughter as she tasted her perfectly decadent sundae.
"Mommy!" Sarah wailed. "It's yucky! It tastes like ... sh—" She gagged, then started sobbing.
"Sarah! What's wrong?"
"It tastes like . . ." Another gag. "Sugar!"
In preschool, Sarah had learned more than how to count to ten and distinguish her colors, which had resulted in a few serious discussions and word substitutions at our house. I knew my distraught little girl wasn't talking about the sweet white crystals I stirred into my coffee every morning.
"Oh . . . don't cry . . . let me see." I took the sundae from her, and after one sniff, I knew. "Sarah, I put garlic on your ice cream!"
"Garlic is awful!" my daughter sniffled. "You ruined my sundae!"
My heart sank. I had wanted to make a perfect celebration sundae for Sarah. A sighted mom would never have mistaken minced garlic for rainbow sprinkles. For that matter, I would never have mistaken minced garlic for rainbow sprinkles either, if I had taken an extra second to feel the shape of the bottle and sniff its contents. I'd been so sure Sarah would recognize her sprinkles and hand them to me, I'd cut corners. Now I'd ruined her sundae, ruined her celebration, ruined everything. She didn't deserve this.
"Mom?" Sarah said in a small voice as she took my hand. "You look sad. We can get more ice cream."
"Sure we can." I smiled, jolted out of my pity party. There was an easy fix. I set my dish of melting ice cream on the TV stand where my guide dog couldn't get it and carried Sarah's garlic sundae back to the kitchen. We rinsed the evidence of our goof-up down the sink, built a new sundae, complete with a generous helping of rainbow sprinkles, and settled down to watch the Wonder Pets save the day with teamwork.
Even now, five years later, we laugh about garlic sundaes when the topics of miscommunication or cooking disasters come up. Because guess what? Mistakes aren't the end of the world—not just for moms whose eyes don't work, but for everybody. Mistakes are nothing more than glitches to be gotten through and gotten over. My daughter and I both learned a lot from that garlic sundae—about grace and teamwork, about bouncing back and remembering what really matters, and about how chocolate ice cream and rainbow sprinkles can make any situation a little better.
STEM
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Al Maneki]
by Al Maneki
Reprinted from Braille Monitor, Volume 63, Number 5, May 2020
From the Editor: As parents, students, and teachers are sadly aware, it can be a major challenge to obtain math textbooks that are correctly transcribed and formatted, complete with graphs, tables, and diagrams. After a successful career as a mathematician, Al Maneki is deeply committed to making math fully accessible to blind people. He has helped make the National Federation of the Blind a leading force in the development of innovative tools in the fields of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics.
Author's Note: I want to begin this article by acknowledging the valuable assistance of fellow team member Karen Herstein, who verified most of the facts and citations given here. I also want to thank the other members of the Nemeth Braille translation team: Martha Siegel, Alexei S. Kolesnikov, Rob Beezer, and Volker Sorge, for reviewing the first draft of this article and making suggestions. I also want to thank David Farmer, director of programs, and the American Institute of Mathematics, for its support and assistance with our work on Nemeth Braille translation. As the author of this article I assume full responsibility for any errors, misrepresentations, and oversights. Readers who wish to contact me may do so by email, [email protected].
The press release issued by the American Institute of Mathematics (AIM) on January 16, 2020, said in part:
Mathematics and science Braille textbooks are expensive and require an enormous effort to produce—until now. A team of researchers has developed a method for easily creating textbooks in Braille, with an initial focus on mathematics textbooks. The new process is made possible by a new authoring system which serves as a "universal translator" for textbook formats, combined with enhancements to the standard method for putting mathematics in a web page. Basing the new work on established systems will ensure that the production of Braille textbooks will become easy, inexpensive, and widespread.
This press release was issued in conjunction with the annual Joint Mathematics Meetings (JMM) of the American Mathematical Society (AMS), Mathematical Association of America (MAA), and several other professional mathematics organizations. There was a special session at this year's JMM, held in Denver, on open educational resources. A one-hour portion of this session was devoted to talks by me and two of our team members on the progress we have made so far. We will have more to say about AIM later in this article.
The work described in this press release has been taking place quietly but with considerable NFB involvement since 2017. Given the considerable progress that has been made to date, the overwhelmingly positive response to this press release and to our JMM talks from both the mathematics and the blind communities, this is the right moment to inform readers of this magazine about this effort. Let me emphasize here that it is still too early for anyone to expect that mathematics textbooks can be produced on demand and delivered promptly.
For a very long time the development of an easy, inexpensive, and widely used piece of software to convert printed mathematics texts into Nemeth Braille has been considered the Holy Grail of providing mathematics textbooks to blind students. Marc Maurer, the immediate past president of the NFB, told me that years ago, he asked Abraham Nemeth and Tim Cranmer to work on automated Nemeth Braille translation software. This effort was to no avail. Neither of the leading technology giants of that day took up Dr. Maurer's request.
Anyone who has experienced the pleasure of learning mathematics from a hardcopy Braille text can tell you how much simpler the learning process and self-discovery can be. By keeping the fingers of one hand on an initial calculation and by keeping the fingers of the other hand on a concluding calculation, one can mull over the sequence of calculations that leads from the first one to the final one. In the case of logical arguments, one can mull over the sequence of logical steps that would lead from an initial proposition to a conclusion. To save textbook space and to challenge reader's mathematical abilities, textbook authors will frequently leave out this intermediate material. Hardcopy format of a mathematical text gives the reader the necessary time to think about the material and fill in the details left by the author to the readers.
In the case of tactile diagrams, a reader may use both hands to explore the patterns and the relationships displayed by the entire diagram. This type of exploration simply is not possible when a diagram is described verbally. A verbal rendering of a diagram may introduce the describer's own interpretations of that diagram, depriving the listener of the opportunity for self-discovery of that diagram's content. This is not to say that the use of refreshable Braille displays has no place in mathematics. We will have more to say about refreshable Braille displays later in this article.
Our story begins with Natalie Shaheen, the project director for the National Federation of the Blind's Spatial Ability and Blind Engineering Research Project and the program director for the associated NFB EQ summer programs, who was undertaking her doctoral studies at Towson University under Dr. Jonathan Lazar. As Martha Siegel, professor emerita, Department of Mathematics, Towson University, tells it, Shaheen and Lazar discussed the difficulties and delays in obtaining a Braille textbook for a required statistics course. This tale of woe is well known to many of us. Lazar suggested that Shaheen take this matter up with Siegel.
The outcome of this conversation was an enraged Dr. Martha Siegel, determined to do something about this problem. At this point, early in 2017, Siegel and I had an extensive conversation and began to map out a strategy. Our first collaboration was "Guidelines for Collegiate Faculty to Teach Mathematics to Blind and Visually Impaired Students" which appeared in the summer 2017 issue of Future Reflections, the NFB's quarterly publication for parents and teachers of blind children. See: https://nfb.org/images/nfb/ publications/fr/fr36/3/fr360307.htm, or https://www.maa.org/sites/default/files/cupm/ FacultyGuidelinesForTeachingVisuallyImpairedStudents.pdf
Siegel is the ideal spokesperson to promote our quest for the Holy Grail of automated Braille translation software. She has boundless energy and is totally committed to our Braille project. Siegel served as the editor of Mathematics Magazine from 1991 to 1996 and as secretary of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) from 1996-2010. She was a faculty member in the mathematics department of Towson University from 1971 until 2015, when she became professor emerita. From her extensive service, she has many contacts in the mathematics community.
From the beginning, Siegel held a firm mental image of how Braille translation software might work. She realized that Braille translation from all renditions of LaTeX and other presentation software languages would be virtually impossible because we cannot anticipate the form and structure of all presentation languages. Despite the overabundance of just LaTeX versions alone, Siegel's plan was to develop a standard version of LaTeX to provide the framework for Braille translation software. She insisted that authors could be persuaded to write their textbooks in this standardized LaTeX version, enabling straightforward Braille translations.
In the summer of 2018, Siegel recruited Alexei Kolesnikov, a colleague at Towson University. Although he had no prior experience with Braille translation, he was very familiar with LaTeX. He realized, along with Martha and me, that converting the words is easy: Braille is just another alphabet. The hard part is converting the structure of the book in a nonvisual way, converting the mathematics formulas, and converting the graphs and diagrams. "Given the amazing technology available today, we thought it would be easy to piece together existing tools into an automated process," Kolesnikov said later.
Our approach to developing Braille translation software depended on breaking up the overall problem into three distinct problems, then solving each piece separately:
Our plan to develop a standardized version of LaTeX began to change when Siegel introduced us to the American Institute of Mathematics (AIM) in January 2019, at the JMM which was held in Baltimore. AIM is an organization devoted to advancing mathematical knowledge through collaboration, to broadening participation in the mathematical endeavors, and to increasing the awareness of the contributions of the mathematical sciences to society. Since 2002 AIM has been part of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Mathematical Sciences Institutes program.
One of the participants from AIM was Rob Beezer, a mathematics professor at the University of Puget Sound in Washington state. His participation was most fortunate for us. He had already developed an authoring tool which he called PreTeXt, open-source software that contains all the properties of the standardized version of LaTeX that we were hoping to develop.
In August 2018 Siegel and Kolesnikov initiated a call with Beezer and David Farmer from AIM about PreTeXt. But it was the 2019 JMM where Beezer spoke with Volker Sorge about Braille (more on Volker Sorge later in this article). Later that day Siegel, Kolesnikov, Volker, Beezer, Farmer, Herstein, and I gathered at a table where we were introduced to Brian Conrey, AIM's director. Looking back, it would be fair to say that this is when our Nemeth Braille team was formed and our collaboration with AIM was solidified.
Beezer sees automated Braille translation software as a natural extension of a dream he has been pursuing for several years: "We have been developing a system for writing textbooks which automatically produces print versions as well as online, EPUB, Jupyter, and other formats. Our mantra is 'Write once, read anywhere.'" Beezer added Braille as an output format in his system when we decided to use PreTeXt as our standardized file format and authoring tool. According to Beezer's scheme, we may consider all the Braille codes—Nemeth, music, etc.—as other presentation languages on par with EPUB, Jupyter, etc. What a novel view of Braille!
All the elements of the first problem will be handled through PreTeXt. The nonmathematical elements in a PreTeXt file may be transferred as inputs to Liblouis, an open-source Braille translator and back-translator. The output BRF file for the translated mathematics textbook is created by Liblouis.
The codes in the PreTeXt file identify the mathematical elements for us. These elements are then inserted into a Nemeth Braille translator, and the translated Nemeth Code is transferred into its proper positions in the BRF file. For our Nemeth Braille translator, we are using MathJax, a standard, open-source package for displaying mathematics formulas on web pages.
When we met Volker Sorge, a reader in scientific document analysis in the School of Computer Science at the University of Birmingham, England, he had already extended MathJax to produce accessible mathematics content on the web through verbal screen readers. This MathJax accessibility was initially introduced as part of a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation with support from AMS and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM). Sorge was added to our team when he agreed to extend MathJax accessibility to include electronic Braille devices and hard copy Braille printers. Sorge noted, "We have made great progress in having MathJax produce accessible mathematics content on the web, so the conversion to Braille was a natural extension of that work." Sorge is a member of the MathJax consortium and the sole developer of Speech Rule Engine, the system that is at the core of the Nemeth translation and provides accessibility features in MathJax and other online tools.
When I inquired about the connection between AIM and MathJax, I got three responses from Sorge, Farmer, and Siegel. Here are their direct quotes:
According to Sorge: "We (i.e., MathJax and Alex Jordan (mathematics department, Portland Community College)) organized an AIM workshop on mathematics accessibility on the web a few years ago. That's where Rob and I started experimenting with Braille translation. But I assume most people were aware of MathJax before that, as it is the main solution to transform and render math on the web."
According to Farmer: "I was going to say it as: AIM is not involved with MathJax, but AIM is involved with Volker because of the workshop he co-organized in May 2018."
According to Siegel: "And we are involved with AIM (and therefore MathJax) because I saw that AIM had sponsored the workshop on web accessibility for the blind, and I contacted Brian Conrey. MAA has been recommending MathJax for a while."
Currently, we have no solutions to the third problem, i.e., the automated generation of tactile graphs and diagrams. At best, graphs and diagrams may be generated from PDF files and scaled to size to fit a standard 11" x 11.5" Braille sheet. Individual graphs and diagrams, once they have been embossed, are then manually inserted into the proper positions in a Braille volume that has already been generated from the BRF file. Alexei Kolesnikov has done much of the work and gained valuable experience in producing tactile graphs and diagrams. He has used a Tiger Max Braille embosser to produce them. Converting the print labels into Braille. Creating Braille labels also requires an extra level of attention to details. All these difficulties will have to be taken into consideration for us to automate textbook production completely.
The initial work for automated Nemeth Braille translation was funded by a grant issued in 2019 to Towson University from the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults. Under this grant, we began to develop some of the methods for automated translation as stated in the three problem areas. Kolesnikov downloaded a set of calculus II lecture notes with the belief that if we could translate these notes, we would be able to translate anything at an equivalent or lower-class level. Our translation of the chapter on double integrals of functions over regions in these lecture notes revealed several problems with the structure elements of PreTeXt that were intended for Braille translation and the Nemeth translation from MathJax. After several iterations of proofreading by Herstein and me, improvements and corrections were made to PreTeXt, and some improvements were made to the MathJax Nemeth translator. I think we have the PreTeXt translation software working quite well. But we don't have all the features that we need in Speech Rule Engine and MathJax.
To avoid the difficulties inherent in embossing three-dimensional diagrams, we decided not to attempt a complete translation of these calculus II lecture notes. However, we gained valuable experience in the art and craft of automated Braille translation.
To complete work on the current grant, we began a Braille translation of the open-source textbook, Abstract Algebra: Theory and Applications (AATA) by Thomas W. Judson, written initially in PreTeXt. In the standard mathematics curriculum, abstract algebra is taught at a comparable level to or a slightly higher level than calculus II. As of this writing we have Brailled the first five chapters, and Herstein and I are now proofreading them. Diagrams have been produced for these five chapters. The diagrams are accurate; but work is still needed to automate the process of producing Braille labels and placing these labels in their proper positions, and if necessary, providing additional text explaining what is in the diagram.
For the purposes of demonstration, we brought a Braille copy of Chapter Two (with no diagrams) and a set of embossed diagrams from Chapter One (both items containing imperfections) of Judson's book to the JMM. The other two speakers from our team were Sorge and Kolesnikov. The overall response to our three presentations was most enthusiastic. Members of the audience went away with a better understanding of PreTeXt, Nemeth Braille, and the importance of hardcopy Braille textbooks for blind and visually impaired students. They sympathized with and supported the need for PreTeXt. However, in addition to the target audience at JMM, we must develop a greater appreciation for PreTeXt and Nemeth in the overall mathematics community. This was the very reason for AIM's press release at this time. The challenges of getting more textbooks authored in PreTeXt are immense. There is the matter of inertia. Authors are accustomed to doing what they have always done. Too often they don't want to learn anything new. Textbook publishers must also buy into PreTeXt so that they will be willing to mass produce books from PreTeXt files.
Despite the overwhelming difficulties inherent in the PreTeXt/Liblious/MathJax (PLM) approach to automatic translation, this is our best strategy for getting Braille books produced rapidly. Eventually, this approach can be made to work for books in all scholarly fields, especially those involving heavy use of footnotes. While direct Braille translations from presentation languages, such as LaTeXt, may be desirable, there seems to be the universal belief that Braille translation from any presentation language is impractical. Since all textbooks written in any presentation language contain so much code that is irrelevant to Braille, the process of extracting the relevant material for Braille is daunting. For this reason, there have been virtually no successful efforts at translation from presentation language files.
In today's learning and research environment, downloading and uploading of mathematical content to the web is absolutely essential. Although many limitations are imposed using one-line refreshable Braille displays, these are the only devices we have for web communications. We will use them until better refreshable Braille displays become available. We must continue to insist that all mathematical materials on the web are nonvisually accessible.
In order to simplify the PLM translation software for the average blind or sighted user, we must improve all the software components so that file transfers and specification of parameters are easy to perform and foolproof. We must also write good documentation to guarantee ease of use. Of course, the procedures and use of PLM translation software will be nonvisually accessible. I don't know when all of this will be finished. At present, if anyone wishes to write a mathematics book in PreTeXt and to translate it into Nemeth Braille, it would be best to get in touch with Rob Beezer, email [email protected].
For the remainder of this year, we hope to perfect our techniques in order to produce an error-free Nemeth Braille copy of AATA with diagrams. Also, on the calendar this year, there will be a one-week workshop on Braille translation sponsored by AIM from August 3-7. At this workshop we will reconsider all aspects of PLM translation software. We will pay special attention to the problem of automating tactile graphics. Ultimately, PLM translation software should be good enough so that any book that is translated into Nemeth Braille from it will pass the proofreading of a certified Nemeth proofreader. You can be sure that the NFB's technical and mathematical expertise will be well represented at this workshop.
This work on PLM translation software has been a most pleasant experience for me. It has brought back many of the memories of my student days—the struggles and the triumphs of mastering mathematical concepts without benefit of hardcopy Braille textbooks. The work we are doing now will make life easier for the next generation of blind students. Despite the difficulties I faced, compared to the advantages that the upcoming students will have, there is no doubt in my mind; I would do it all over again just the way I did it. My accomplishments in mathematics are all the proof I need.
I have been an NFB member for almost fifty years. Over this half century, we have accomplished enormous successes because of both our collective and individual actions. Just remember that PLM translation software would never have been started if Natalie Shaheen hadn't taken the individual action of paying a visit to Martha Siegel. My heart and soul are inextricably tied to NFB. We are the only game in town!
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Maura Loberg]
by Maura Loberg
Reprinted from Braille Monitor, Volume 62, Number 6, June 2020
From the Editor: The National Federation of the Blind is deeply committed to helping blind students participate fully in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Through a generous grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), NFB EQ gives blind students hands-on experience in the field of engineering. In this article Maura Loberg recounts her experience at NFB EQ during the summer of 2019. Maura is pursuing a double major in psychology and English at Nebraska Wesleyan University, and she serves as president of the Nebraska Association of Blind Students. This article is based on a speech she delivered at the 2019 convention of the NFB of Nebraska.
The revolving door opens, and the sounds of airport traffic fill my ears. Dozens of people line up for the noisy TSA machines, while others amble to the food court to grab their morning coffee. The rush makes my aunt visibly nervous as we walk toward the empty ticket counter.
Before I have time to load my behemoth of a suitcase onto the conveyor belt, I hear familiar voices saying my name. I say a brief goodbye to my aunt before I head toward the comforting voices of a Nebraska friend's family. As we all check in together, we run across the other two friends heading to the program; by the time we head to the gate, we resemble a small tribe.
Even with such great company, however, I still don't expect much from the program. For context, I had been to many science programs for both blind and sighted youth. Many of them were full of cranky teenagers and scatterbrained instructors who rushed through experiments like wildfire. I assumed NFB EQ would be similar, but luckily I was mistaken.
My three friends and I flew into BWI (Baltimore-Washington International) after a long layover. We were met with anticipation and excitement by the NFB staff right when we landed at the gate. As soon as we got to the Jernigan Institute, I heard familiar voices, music, and the unmistakable swipe of canes. I ran into several old friends in the Harbor Room, and, after several slices of pizza and an unexpected conversation with an engineering professor, my hopes for the week were lifted.
NFB EQ was about re-imagining blindness in the STEM fields, taking on the unknown, and, well, building stuff. And build stuff we did!
On the first full day of NFB EQ we were told to build a rough model of the structure we hoped to showcase at the end of the week. We were given no major rules; we needed to put our creative juices to work. Needless to say, I had a lot of fun throwing around ideas (and pieces of cardboard). That experience set the tone for the days ahead.
Tuesday brought several tutorials on drawing with different dimensional views, cutting with handsaws, and using various measuring and organizational techniques. It amazed me that there truly were no tasks we couldn't do. We made raised-line drawings with Sensational Blackboards. Braille rulers and straight-edges were readily at hand. Handsaws were distributed without fear for the students' safety. With our alternative techniques and tools we were asked to start mapping out our structures. We knew that any kind of model we wanted to build for the exhibition was truly within our grasp.
Wednesday saw us take a tour of a post and beam facility, where we got up close and personal with a wooden bridge. We climbed on stepladders into the rafters of an adjacent building constructed nearly a century ago. This experience gave us an idea of how we could best support our structures. We also learned more than we thought possible about the load and calculation methods that engineers use in their everyday occupations. We were asked to put together towers in teams, and we had to see which ones would hold the most weight based on our calculations.
Thursday was a chaotic mess of events happening at once. We had to bear down and get our projects ready for the exhibition on Friday. Members Hall at the NFB Jernigan Institute bustled with noise. I could hear the scratch of pens drawing detailed plans from the top, front, and right views; the cutting and hot-gluing of balsa wood in extremely specific measurements; and the frantic whispers of the mathematical formulas behind our individual structures, which we had to write out and explain to the audience. I spent a lot of time that day cutting out the pieces of my design. It was called a Netflix room, and it was shaped like a hexagon.
Friday's exhibition got me in contact with some of the most important members of the NFB, and all the presentations were fascinating. I saw everything from simple square and rectangular creations to a 19-gon, which is exactly what it sounds like, a nineteen-sided polygon. The exhibition showed me just how creative and innovative we can be with the right tools and alternative techniques.
Luckily for us, we weren't just using our newfound vigor and overly caffeinated brains for all work and no play during the week. The staff of NFB EQ was extremely energetic and motivated. They pushed us to explore the wonders of Baltimore and the potential we had to travel in unfamiliar places. We went swimming in the lake, explored several areas downtown, and had a taco picnic at a nearby park, where we were free to go wherever we wanted. I ended up on the swings for three hours that night—I'm a child at heart. We also played extreme games of accessible UNO and Apples to Apples while socializing with friends in the iconic Harbor Room. These fun experiences reminded me that, beyond our blindness and additional challenges, we were all teenagers who wanted to have fun with our friends. NFB EQ made that happen.
After all was said and done, I found myself flying to Omaha with a revitalized belief that I truly could achieve my dreams and do anything I set my mind to. I'd like to thank the Nebraska affiliate for its continued support, as well as the entire National Federation of the Blind. I can no longer participate in these specialized STEM events now that I have graduated from high school, but I will keep the memories for years to come. The Federation has done a remarkable job of showing me that I can live the life I want and that my blindness is not the characteristic that solely defines me or my future. I hope that these essential programs continue taking place. Even though I will not pursue a career in science, technology, engineering, or math, I hope that those who go down that career path can use these experiences to launch them into new and exciting opportunities. Thank you, Federation family, for constantly inspiring me to think better, dream bigger, and live the life I want.
CAREERS
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Anne Steverson]
by Anne Steverson
From the Editor: In 2017 Future Reflections published an article called "Career Mentoring for College Students" by Sophie Kershaw. The article described the outcome of a five-year mentoring program for blind college students conducted at Mississippi State University. In this article Anne Steverson shares the outcome of another pilot project at Mississippi State, this one providing blind college students with training in job search skills.
Author's Note: The contents of this report were developed under a grant from the US Department of Health and Human Services, NIDILRR grant 90RT5040-01-00. However, this content does not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Health and Human Services and should not indicate endorsement by the federal government.
We know from research that blind and low-vision youth are less likely than sighted youth to have early work experiences and to be employed after high school. We also know that paid work experience during high school predicts later employment for blind youth. However, finding opportunities for early paid work experiences can be challenging, especially for blind youth who may not have been encouraged to believe they are capable of working like their sighted peers.
The National Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision (NRTC) at Mississippi State University recently conducted a research project to find out if job search skills training is beneficial for blind and low-vision youth. As part of this research project, a program was developed to train blind and low-vision youth on the various aspects of job search skills. This program is called Putting Your Best Foot Forward (PYBFF).
Blind and low-vision high school- and college-age youth participated in the PYBFF program. They took part in group discussions, role plays, and small-group exercises that focused on using examples to demonstrate their strengths and skills to employers, interacting with employers, learning the importance of networking, disclosing their disability, and overcoming barriers to employment. In addition, the youth had opportunities to practice filling out job applications, writing résumés, and participating in two interviews with employers. Researchers followed up with participants periodically to inquire about whether or not they continued to use the skills learned from the program and whether they were employed.
I talked with one of the research participants, Shelly (not her real name), about her job search experiences and participation in the PYBFF program. Prior to PYBFF, Shelly was not sure how to start searching for a job and what to do to look for one, although she did some career preparation in high school. The program helped her realize there is more to life than school, and that she can be productive as an adult.
Right after the PYBFF program, Shelly participated in a work experience at a local children's hospital. She had a specific task for six weeks, which ended up being larger than expected. She wrote policies for the volunteer services program and entered them into the hospital's internal database of policies and procedures. In order to do her task, Shelly had to go through the entire volunteer process to learn how to be a volunteer. She continued to volunteer at the children's hospital after the work experience ended. She is also currently employed at a title and closing company for homes, where she assists homebuyers in the process of closing on or refinancing their homes.
The following conversation ensued regarding the impact PYBFF had on Shelly's job search efforts since the end of the project. Shelly shared what she learned with other blind and low-vision job seekers.
Anne Steverson: Prior to participating in the PYBFF program, had you searched for a job?
Shelly: No, not really. I had worked some for my mom's company, but I was mostly focused on a service project I was leading.
Anne: What did you expect going into the PYBFF program?
Shelly: I didn't really know what to expect. I knew there would be some time devoted to how to work the disability into a conversation. The program helped me learn when and how to talk to employers about disabilities and how to address transportation challenges. It helped me develop my résumé and figure out what to put on there. I have self-esteem issues, and the program helped me work on being positive, especially during the mock interviews [interviews with employers], when I had to answer "Why should I hire you specifically?" That took me a little while to get okay with answering. The class definitely helped me with that. Then also, the idea of networking and everything. I mean, that's how I got my first job.
Anne: So you mentioned several things about the program from networking, how to write a résumé, talking about your disability, a lot of things that seemed to have been a help to you. What was the most valuable part of PYBFF?
Shelly: The mock interviews and the lessons leading up to them. It gave me confidence that I was hirable. The most valuable portion of the program was the preparation we did in the classroom: getting a résumé put together; how to put your résumé out there; who to contact when you find a job ad; how you should approach that entity, whether it be a store or business or whatever situation it is; how to start the conversation if they have put out there that they need help; what to say, what to wait to say, that kind of thing—also, the value of networking.
Anne: Have you used any of the skills you learned from the program?
Shelly: After the program, I applied for a position at a marketing firm. My résumé caught their attention, and I was invited to an interview. Although I didn't have the qualifications they were looking for, I was able to make a good argument about the marketing experience I had gained with my service project by talking to local companies to get them to donate items to my project. I also mentioned how I worked with the marketing people at the children's hospital to design a logo, and then met with a company to add the logo at a minimal price to bags and blankets. When I explained to the interviewer that I had not worked for a marketing firm, I could tell the interviewer's interest went downhill. Being able to identify that they're not as interested in me based on what I learned from PYBFF helped to lessen the blow of not getting the job. It did give me interviewing experience and feeling what that was like. That was good.
I also sought a job at an apartment complex nearby. I did research on the complex's business structure and found out they were hiring. I submitted a résumé and application. Unfortunately, they had already filled the position, but I employed the skills I learned in the class as far as finding a possible situation that might work.
Anne: So it sounds like you have been using the job search skills in many ways in looking for a job. Do you have any advice for other young job searchers who are blind or have low vision?
Shelly: When going for an interview, if you have a cane with you, you are showing proof of your disability. So be prepared to disclose that you are blind and that you have technology that can help [you perform the necessary job duties]. It's up to you as the blind person how you tell the interviewer about your visual impairment. The interviewer may want you to go ahead and put it out there if you have a visible disability.
Also, the idea of networking is super important. Sometimes you don't know what opportunities are hidden and the value of people that you know. They can open up doors. There was a person in my network that I hadn't really thought about. I had no idea that he would be such a great help. The value of networking is often much greater than you can imagine. Sometimes knowing someone and having a foot in the door is more important than anything else. Develop your network; don't lose your network.
Shelly said her ability to network and her strong communication skills helped her get her current job. She has realized she's become a valuable piece in the process of getting someone from loan application to home ownership. Although Shelly is employed, she continues to use the skills she learned from PYBFF to look for a job with more upward mobility and opportunities to grow professionally.
The importance of job search skills cannot be underestimated, especially for blind and low-vision youth. These skills not only help youth find employment as adults, but they also help them find employment opportunities as they progress through their education, contributing to gainful employment when they become adults.
Other participants in the study mentioned that they liked having the opportunities to call employers and ask about job openings, learning how to ask for accommodations, and role playing different job search scenarios. Several participants said the program encouraged them to be less shy and more self-confident.
Thus, learning job search skills helped blind and low-vision youth build confidence and learn to advocate for their needs. Searching for a job can be difficult for anyone, but with the right skills, the process is a lot easier.
The NRTC has developed several products for blind and low-vision youth and their parents from this research project. They include fact sheets related to employment and SSI and videos on how to prepare for a video interview. Other NRTC products for job seekers, but not specific to this project, are the "Resource Sheet for Job Seekers" and "Career Advantage for V.I.P.s." If you are interested in learning more about the PYBFF program, outcomes from the research project, or other products for job seekers, visit the NRTC website at www.blind.msstate.edu.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Anne Steverson, NRTC on Blindness and Low Vision, PO Box 6189, Mississippi State, MS 37962. Telephone: 662-325-2001. Email: [email protected]
Cmar, J. L., & McDonnall, M. C. (2019). "Effectiveness of a Job Search Training Program for Youth with Visual Impairments." Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/2165143418792238
Cmar, J. L., & McDonnall, M. C. (2020). "A Curriculum for Teaching Job Search Skills to Youth with Visual Impairments." Visual Impairment and Deafblind Education Quarterly, 65 (2), 74-86.
Cmar, J. L., & McDonnall, M. C. (2020). "Short-term Effectiveness of Job Search Skills Training: Comparisons by Summer Work Experience Participation." Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/0034355220910225
McDonnall, M. C., & Crudden, A. (2009). "Factors Affecting the Successful Employment of Transition-age Youths with Visual Impairments." Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 103, 329-341.
McDonnall, M. C., & O'Mally, J. (2012). "Characteristics of Early Work Experiences and Their Association with Future Employment." Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 106, 133-144.
ADVOCACY
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Kaleigh Brendle]
by Kaleigh Brendle
From the Editor: On July 15 Kaleigh Brendle, a rising high school senior from New Jersey, delivered this presentation to an audience of more than seven thousand people at the virtual convention of the National Federation of the Blind. Here is a portion of the introduction given by NFB President Mark Riccobono.
MARK RICCOBONO: We celebrate a lot of the work we do collectively in the National Federation of the Blind, but this agenda item is truly about a movement that this young lady spearheaded. She was the one who really called the College Board to task and organized blind students, and we just provided the technical assistance to give her voice power from New Jersey. I am pleased to introduce Kaleigh Brendle!
KALEIGH BRENDLE: Good afternoon. Before I begin, I would just like to express what a true honor it is to be able to speak to all of you today. My name is Kaleigh Brendle. I am seventeen years old, and I am a rising senior in the Scholar Center for Humanities program in New Jersey. Since birth I have possessed a condition that left me visually impaired.
As many of you know, living with blindness can be a challenge, but that which challenges us strengthens our resolve and solidifies our courage.
In keeping with that philosophy, I strive to challenge myself in all aspects of life, most notably the classroom. Since third grade my curriculum has consisted of rigorous courses. As I grew older, the level of classes I could take grew more strenuous. In high school the option arose for me to participate in courses classified as AP or Advanced Placement.
Advanced Placement courses are essentially collegiate classes that high school students across the world are eligible to enroll in. Students who perform well on the final exam for an AP course may be eligible to receive college credit. This makes the exams important for both academic and fiscal reasons, as AP courses are more cost effective than regular college classes.
The curricula and final exams for these courses are created and administered by an organization called the College Board. This organization also presides over other standardized tests such as the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test). This past year, I was offered the opportunity to take four AP courses. I submitted my accommodation plan, asking for hard copy Braille exams. For such visual courses as AP biology, requesting a Braille copy meant that any diagrams or graphics would be produced for me in tactile form. I requested the common accommodation of breaks as needed to prevent such factors as eye strain or finger fatigue from interfering with my performance.
I was granted all of the accommodations I requested. Since accommodation plans applied to all College Board exams, I encountered no difficulties with the SAT when I took it this past December. I was provided with everything I needed. Thus, I expected that the AP exams would be no different.
Then the pandemic struck, and everything began to take an unexpected turn. The College Board announced that it was shortening and digitizing its exams with no intention to provide Braille for blind and deafblind students. The College Board's solution for providing exams that included graphics was something called alternative text, or alt text. Screen reading software will read alt text if it is coded into an image. However, large blocks of text are not a substitute for the spatial information contained within a graph. Moreover, the alt text is not visually accessible. Therefore, if VoiceOver or JAWS were to malfunction, a parent or teacher of blind students would be unable to assist the student by reading the description.
The College Board's website informed me that 65 percent of my AP biology exam score would depend upon my ability to interpret and analyze a single graphic successfully. If there were a lab whose data was expressed in an XY coordinate plane with multiple lines for the experimental and control groups or other variants, I would not be able to feel and explore the graph and derive the information I needed through touch, as other students would through sight.
Executives at the College Board suggested that blind and deafblind students use our Braille displays. However, these devices are extremely expensive, and they only display a fraction of a sentence at a time. So for those English-heavy exams where students need to navigate quickly between lengthy passages, a Braille display could prove inefficient.
I also desired to see what would happen if my technology were to glitch. As Dr. Natalie Shaheen expertly phrased it, blind students have more opportunities for our devices to glitch, possessing two additional variables pertaining to our assistive technology. When I spoke with a College Board representative, I learned that any time it took me to resolve an issue with my technology would count against me in terms of my exam completion time. For example, if I had an hour to complete an exam and assistive technology glitches ate up forty-five minutes, I would have fifteen minutes to test. Of course, I could request a makeup exam. But if my devices were to glitch during that makeup, I would have no more opportunities to test. The suggestion I received then from multiple College Board executives was, "Use a device with fewer problems." No one can foresee when technology will malfunction. I found that suggestion absurd and slightly offensive.
At this point I desired to see whether any other blind students I knew were experiencing this. I explained the problem on social media, and it currently has received almost 90,000 views. Teachers, parents, and students began to contact me. Some students were unaware this was even a problem. Some had figured out that they faced a problem, but, like me, they were unsure if anyone else was enduring this. Many felt alone and exhausted with fighting constantly for their needs to be met.
I orchestrated a Zoom call for students only, where we all expressed our feelings. It was a powerful experience for all of us. Nicholas Spohn, a student with aspirations to study mechanical engineering, recalled, "I alone could not stand up to the discrimination from College Board. It was great to know that other blind students also believed that our accommodations should not be reduced or eliminated during this pandemic." Nicholas later went on to join our complaint.
At the same time, I was contacting the Office of Civil Rights at the US Department of Education and preparing to file a class complaint. I also reached out to Valerie Yingling, the legal program coordinator of the National Federation of the Blind, for assistance. I began working closely with her and with Sharon Krevor-Weisbaum, a managing partner of the law firm Brown, Goldstein & Levy. With the experience of those individuals and my knowledge of the situation, we began to assemble the necessary documentation. Other students, including Ryan, Mitchell, and Nicholas signed on as complainants. "The Americans with Disabilities Act was created with the intent to provide students with an equal opportunity on standardized and other exams," asserted Ryan, one of the aforementioned complainants, who was intent on pursuing a career in children's advocacy. He added, "Without accommodations, students with disabilities would be at a severe disadvantage to their nondisabled counterparts, and the entirety of their educational future would be jeopardized. Filing a complaint against the College Board was the last thing we wanted to do, but advocating for our rights and the rights of other disabled students who needed a voice was a necessity."
He's exactly right. Even after we filed, we did everything in our power to compromise. As the complaint was submitted, I worked with Chris Danielsen of the NFB to draft a press release. The day after we filed, the press release circulated far and wide. Reporters began to pick up the story, including individuals affiliated with major media outlets such as Fox News and The New York Times. That very same day we cross-filed with the US Department of Justice. I spent the next three weeks on the phone with attorneys, executives, governmental officials, and the media. As someone who desires to become a disability rights attorney and later run for office, I was and am extremely grateful for the experience. However, I spent so much time attempting to ensure the accessibility of my exams that I hardly had time to study for them. If I couldn't access them, studying would not help anyway, so I did everything I could to resolve the issue.
I came in contact with the CEO of a Braille transcription company, who expressed that if the College Board could provide the exams, his staff would produce the Braille. But the College Board wouldn't do it. Apparently it was concerned about security. It was fearful of us cheating. The NFB and I suggested many solutions it could implement to ensure that cheating wouldn't happen, but it would not listen.
Finally, the College Board agreed to meet with us over Zoom to discuss the situation. I had the honor of representing the students involved, and I became part of an incredible team. This team consisted of technology specialists: Valerie Yingling; Sharon Krevor-Weisbaum; Kevin, an esteemed disability advocate with Brown, Goldstein & Levy; and NFB President Mark Riccobono, who allocated his support for our cause and expressed an earnest desire to assist us in any way he could.
We spent hours in discussion with the College Board's accessibility executives, and after two days they finally heard us. They listened to us. And they were ready to create an agreement.
The first call I made following this amazing breakthrough was directly to the students. Throughout the entire process, I always kept the students informed, posting recap calls every step of the way. The relief and joy on those calls were unlike anything I have ever experienced.
Christopher Abel, another complainant whose passions lie in finance, had this to say: "I was not surprised to hear the great news of our success. I knew we had a fantastic team of students and NFB leadership, and we were only seeking equal accommodations for blind students. Given the solutions our team had provided to the College Board, it was simply much easier for it to fulfill our needs than to fight to exclude us. I was certainly relieved to learn that our battle had finally reached its conclusion. I was proud to work and get to know so many intelligent blind students and advocates."
In the following days, we solidified our agreement. Again I collaborated with Chris Danielsen to create a press release. According to our agreement on the NFB's website, any student, regardless of whether they had already taken the test with College Board's improper accommodations, would be eligible to receive a hard copy Braille exam in September if they so desired. On May 29, we withdrew our complaints. The press release was issued, and College Board began to fulfill its agreement.
I sincerely wish that the situation had not climbed to the zenith that it had, but all of us students were lucky to have one another and the NFB to guide us through that turbulent time. Now other students will also be able to utilize this experience as an example of the type of self-advocacy they can exemplify. This is an assertion the complainant Mitchell, a future broadcast journalist, firmly believes, stating, "It doesn't stop with College Board. Blind people will face challenges and inequalities at virtually every turn. Don't sit idly by."
I agree. Every voice is powerful. No one should be afraid to raise their voice in the name of equality and opportunity.
I want to thank President Riccobono and the National Federation of the Blind for permitting me to share this story with you. I ask you to remember that if ever an accommodation that you require is being denied or revoked, fight for what you know you need! This May I showed that I am not blind to injustice. If the situation arises for you, I encourage you to do the same.
Thank you.
MARK RICCOBONO: Hey Kaleigh, are you done with your advocacy now? Is that it? You got more to do?
KALEIGH BRENDLE: There will always be more advocacy barriers in the way, but whenever I can, I strive to eliminate those.
MARK RICCOBONO: Congratulations on your work and on becoming a member of the National Federation of the Blind. We look forward to seeing much more of you in the future. And thank you for organizing blind students. Really tremendous! Thank you for being here.
KALEIGH BRENDLE: Thank you.
PERSPECTIVES
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Alison Clougherty’s collection of children’s books representing diverse characters]
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Alison Clougherty’s son, Finn, holds a Braille book on his lap.]
by Alison Clougherty
From the Editor: On her blog, Seeing Things in a Different Way, Alison Clougherty has written a number of thoughtful posts about her journey as the parent of a blind child. This recent post is especially insightful today, as the nation reflects upon our history of racial division and injustice. You can follow Alison's blog at https://seeingthingsinadifferentway.com/2020/06/19/why-im-teaching-my-blind-child-not-to-be-color-blind/.
I have said many times to friends and family that I'm thankful that Finn can't see skin color and thus won't judge people based on color or other appearance-based information. I now know that it was both naíve and wrong for me to believe this was true.
Following George Floyd's murder and the ensuing protests over the past months, I've been doing a lot of research, reading, self-examination, and listening. One thing, among many, that has really been a lesson for me is that "not seeing color," something I've more than once been proud to claim, is not the goal in achieving racial equality. Rather, the Black community and other racial minority groups want badly to be seen. They want to be seen, they want their differences and struggles to be known, and they want to be treated fairly and equally. I now recognize that ignoring race only perpetuates systemic racial prejudices and the idea that being white means being normal.
This has been a real shift in perspective for me, and this shift in perspective has taught me that I need to adjust some of my parenting tactics. I work to teach Finn colors by saying "The grass is green" or "The sky is blue" so he can begin to understand that objects in the world have distinct differences beyond texture, taste, and sound. What he imagines green or blue to be in his mind is known only to himself, but I want him to be aware that the world is full of different colors and that diversity is a wonderful, beautiful thing. What I've failed to do is point out to him that people come in different colors, too. I've never once mentioned his skin color or anyone else's to him, and this was purposeful. I thought I was doing the right thing—that I was allowing him to view all people (or characters in the books we read) on an even playing field and to make his own judgments about them based only on their words, actions, or his interactions with them.
I no longer ascribe to the belief that being "color blind" is doing a favor to Finn or to those who may be treated unfairly due to the color of their skin. The reality is that we don't reside on an even playing field. Sooner or later my child, blind or not, is going to figure that out.
Recently a friend of mine told me that her ten-year-old daughter asked whether she would approve if she wanted to marry someone of a different skin color than her own someday. My friend replied, "Of course! As long as he/she treats you well, then you marry whomever you want!" My friend is one of the kindest, least racist people I know, yet her daughter still felt the need to ask that question. Why? Because my friend has remained mostly silent on the topic of race with her child, just as I have with mine, in an effort not to draw attention to race or make it an issue. Nevertheless, her daughter deduced somewhere along the way that an interracial relationship might not be acceptable. She didn't automatically know that her mother would approve.
This is the difference between being non-racist and anti-racist. We have to talk to our children about racism, and we have to tell them that we are against it in every way. We have to explain our role in not perpetuating it.
Luckily, my friend's daughter asked the question and didn't make her own assumptions. But many children won't ever ask. In the absence of direct conversation, our children are left to make their own assumptions or gather information from other sources that may not be aligned with the values we hope to instill in them. We have to open the conversation.
My blind son may not see differences with his eyes, but he will see them. He will learn them just as he learns everything else. In fact, in part of my research recently I discovered a study from 2015. The study found that, although it may take blind people longer to categorize people by race, they still often develop racial stereotypes.1 As he grows up, Finn is going to be out in the world, encountering new people and places beyond the small circle he lives in right now. He's going to learn about the world from many sources other than his family. I never want him to mistake my silence on the topic of race for underlying prejudice.
We can't protect our children from the prejudices that they will encounter, whether it be through classmates they meet, books they read, music they listen to, or television they watch. However, we can talk openly with them, make our beliefs known, and control the narrative as much as possible. It's on us as parents to make our children know from the start that there are differences of all kinds, that we see those differences, that we celebrate those differences, and that we do not support racism, sexism, ableism, or any other "isms" of any kind. Ignoring these topics does not make them go away. It does not make them a non-issue, and it does not serve those on the receiving end.
We have to tell them.
So how do we start? For us, it's starting with direct dialogue and representation in our home. Recently we started explaining to Finn what his skin is, that it has a color, that everyone has skin, but not everyone has the same skin color. We talk about the people in our lives who have different skin color than ours and how these differences make the world a better place. We also took stock of our children's book collection. Unsurprisingly, we realized that it is overwhelmingly representative of people who look like us. Immediately we ordered a collection of children's books reflecting races, histories, cultures, and skin colors other than our own to read to Finn and his sister.
My son has his own physical differences, and I want people to see him for exactly who he is—a sensitive, sweet, blind boy—while also treating him the same as they would treat a sensitive, sweet, sighted boy. I've never wanted his blindness to be ignored, unseen, or not talked about. In fact, I've often hoped that parents out there are reading books to their sighted children that include representations of little boys and girls holding canes or reading Braille. And I hope they are telling their children to be kind and fair and to listen to kids like Finn when they encounter them in the real world. Why didn't I realize sooner that the Black community would want the same?
Finn is not yet even three, and Sloane is not yet one. There is a limit to what they can understand right now, but this is only the beginning. We plan to teach our children not only about color differences, but about the different lived experiences (good and bad) that often come with them, just as we will teach Finn about his own differences. We will teach our children not just to be non-racists, but to be anti-racists. We will teach them that the word ally is a verb—with it there must come action, and silence is inaction. We will teach them to stand up and say something when they encounter injustices in the world. We will teach them that events such as the murder of George Floyd are not just single events where "one bad person did a bad thing." We will help them understand that institutional and systemic prejudices, alongside inequality of resources, lie at the root.
There is much more work to be done, definitely including my own, but this is a starting point for how we hope to move the needle with our children and make sure they don't go into the world color blind.
Below is a link to several books for young children to help start the discussion about race. I've also linked an article about how to choose the right anti-racist media for your children. Finally, I've linked an episode from a new series on Instagram called Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man that briefly addresses the issue of color blindness.
https://theeverymom.com/kids-books-to-help-start-a-discussion-about-race/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2020/06/12/9-things-parents-should-consider-when-searching-anti-racist-media-their-kids
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CBjlGmOB31o/?igshid=e1bjcbzwjze7
1. https://www.cnn.com/2015/08/30/health/blind-people-race/index.html
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Jackie Anderson]
From the Editor: In the National Federation of the Blind, Jackie Anderson is best known as the teacher who established the first BELL program (Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning) in 2008. She holds a master's in the education of blind students and is completing doctoral studies in inclusive education at Kennesaw State University in Georgia. Her company, Let's Connect Resources, provides consultation and training services for parents and teachers of blind children. This article is based on our recent conversation about the complex intersection of blindness and race in the United States.
Deborah Kent Stein: Blind people and black people belong to groups that have to deal with overt discrimination. But there are deep differences between racism and the discrimination that blind people experience. What has it been like for you as a member of both of these groups?
Jackie Anderson: I grew up in Jamaica. Prejudice certainly exists there, but it was a black-dominated culture, and I never experienced racism while I lived there. I was raised with the idea that you should work hard and play hard. If you did what you needed to do, things would work out for you.
DKS: What do you mean when you say you experienced prejudice but not racism? How are those things different?
JA: Prejudice is an automatic feeling toward a particular group of people based on a characteristic such as race. People in a subordinate group may be prejudiced toward people in a more dominant group and vice versa. It's racism when people in a dominant group exert power over people in other groups. So racism is about power and the ways power is expressed. I didn't really understand that until we discussed it in one of my doctoral courses.
DKS: What was it like for you when you came to live in the United States?
JA: When we moved to the United States my siblings, who are sighted, experienced the effects of racism right away. But when people met me they saw me as a blind person before they saw me as a black person. In a way being blind protected me from some of the things my siblings had to go through.
DKS: What kinds of conversations have you had about race with your children?
JA: I don't think I really talked a lot about race with my kids. Because of my own upbringing in Jamaica I had an expectation that they would relate to people from all backgrounds, and it would be fine. I understand race as being much more than skin color.
DKS: I know that one of your children is blind. Do you find that her experiences around race are different from the experiences of your sighted children?
JA: My daughter Aunya, who is blind, will tell you in a heartbeat that people see her blindness first, before they see anything else, including her race. But race does have an impact on her experience.
Most of the students at Aunya's middle school are white. She is one of only two black students in the school band. When the band went on a performance trip, the two of them automatically were assigned to room together. They weren't friends particularly, so it seemed obvious that they were assigned to room together because of their race. The two of them had never really talked before, and they discovered that their experiences at school were very different. Aunya had friends in every subgroup. She hung out with the boys in the trombone section, where she was one of only two girls. At lunch period it looked like the United Nations at her table, because there were students from every racial background sitting there. The other girl, the girl Aunya was rooming with, only hung out with the black kids at school. I don't know whether Aunya's experience is related to my own lived experience and the way I have raised her, or whether it's mostly because of her blindness.
DKS: How does that compare with the experiences of your sighted children?
JA: My youngest daughter Amya, who is sighted, had a rough time when she transferred to a new school in fifth grade. Some of the kids were really mean, and they called her all sorts of names. I only found out about it later, and I was horrified. I asked her, "Why didn't you tell me about this?" She said she just tried to brush it aside and tell herself it was their problem, not hers. Finally she made two friends, one white and one who also is of Caribbean descent.
I also have raised three older children, none of them with any visual impairment. All of them are very vocal about their experiences around race. We have had an increasing number of conversations about race over the past few months, and I've become much more conscious of conversations we've had over the years. When my boys started driving I told them to text me when they finished school, and I told them to come straight home. I didn't want them hanging around places after school and coming home late. We lived in the most affluent section of the county. I warned the boys to check their speed and always be sure they weren't driving above the speed limit, in case anyone thought they were in a place where they didn't belong. I talked to them about the protocol, what you do if you get pulled over. I did that automatically, as a matter of course. About a year and a half ago I discovered that my white friends don't have those conversations with their kids.
DKS: Have you had a conversation like that with your sighted daughters?
JA: Amya is only thirteen, so we're not there yet. But with my older daughter, Corinne, I've had a talk somewhat similar to my conversations with the boys. The onus is on them to make sure the person they're talking to is comfortable.
DKS: That choice of words is interesting to me, because as blind people we often talk about how the onus is on us to help sighted people feel comfortable. It's not that we will be in physical danger if people are uncomfortable with us, but our opportunities to get a job or rent an apartment, to make our way in the world, often depend on our ability to make people feel comfortable around us.
JA: Definitely. I totally agree. Karen Anderson posted that same sentiment on Facebook a few weeks ago. She said that making that connection has helped her, as a blind person who is white, relate to what black people are talking about. She can make that connection as a white person who is blind; it's real for her.
DKS: Still, I'm a bit wary of suggesting that people in the blind community are more empathic than others around racial issues. There's a stereotype that says blind people are oblivious to color, so therefore blind people don't have color prejudice and can't be racists.
JA: Oh, that's a great fallacy! Sure, a lot of sighted people make that assumption. It's based on the idea that racism is based on color, but it's not. Actually I think skin color is the least important aspect of racism. We humans are so complex! So many different experiences shape our mindsets. I've had conversations with several blind people around the issue of having to make others feel comfortable, and they get it, that this is something the blind community and the black community both experience. But I've also had conversations with white people who are blind, and they don't get it at all. Their other lived experience of whiteness is more dominant in shaping their perception. And in the same way I've talked to people who are not blind who are having a very hard time wrapping their heads around the whole discussion of race.
The bottom line is the question of which aspects of your lived experience inform who you are. Which is the dominant piece? An individual who is blind may know the experience of having to check the comfort level of the person they're interacting with. But still, that may not be their dominant lived experience. Their level of empathy really may depend on their dominant lived experience.
DKS: When you think about ways for parents to help their kids have a deeper understanding about race and racial issues, are there things it might be helpful for them to discuss?
JA: I think the first thing parents need to do is acknowledge that racism and prejudice exist. When they're young our kids only know what we share with them. If your children only learn about people from your own culture and socioeconomic background, that's all they will know. If the only information they hear about another community is negative, that's what they will absorb. Who are the characters in the literature we present to our kids? Is their diversity in their books and movies? If you take your children to a museum, do you ever go to a museum that exposes them to African American art and culture? We need for everyone to have cross-cultural exposure. You need to be purposeful to find those opportunities, but they do exist. We now have access to so much more than we had a few decades ago. And we still need so much more.
Diversity isn't just about white and black cultures. When we first had the lockdown last March, I told my kids we were going to use the time to do research on some different countries. I said, "Let's not research the countries we hear about all the time, like Mexico or France. Let's study countries we don't hear about much at all." It took some pushing. We have to be intentional about it. So much exists in our world, and if we only keep looking at the same things over and over, there is no growth.
DKS: That means pushing ourselves beyond our comfort zones.
JA: Not long ago a mother I've been working with texted me, and she said, "Jackie, I really want to respond to the discussion of racism and Black Lives Matter. I want it to be meaningful, and I don't want to be offensive." We went back and forth for quite a while, and I explained how my upbringing in Jamaica is different from the experience of so many black people raised in the United States. Finally my answer to her question was, "Whatever you share is okay, as long as it's authentic to you." We've started the discussion. People are talking, and this is the only way change will occur. What I share may have an impact on how you behave or what you believe, but that can only happen if we start to talk.
NOPBC UPDATE
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Carlton Anne Cook Walker]
by Carlton Anne Cook Walker
From the Editor: Carlton Anne Cook Walker serves as president of the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC), a division of the National Federation of the Blind. At the 2020 NFB convention, which was held virtually from July 14-18, she delivered this report on the past year's activities and developments.
We really are a Federation family. This NOPBC conference and the NFB national convention are our annual family reunion. You may already have participated in a virtual or socially distanced family gathering this year. Like many large families, our Federation family often breaks into small groups as well as meeting with the entire clan. Groups of individuals with similar interests gather in divisions; the NOPBC is one of the twenty-four divisions of the NFB. We also connect with NFB members through our state affiliates and our local chapters. No matter how many or how few conferences and conventions you have attended in the past, we are thrilled to welcome you to the 2020 Federation Family Reunion.
I attended my first NOPBC conference and NFB convention in 2006 in Dallas, Texas. Before that time, my child's blindness didn't seem exactly real. Sure, Anna Catherine was getting some Braille services. They were minimal, and the TVI (teacher of the visually impaired) was really pushing the CCTV—even though our child had to work alone in a corner because "that's where the outlet is." That TVI was also very firm that Anna Catherine did not need a long white cane, and I attributed her frequent trips and falls as a genetic continuation of my lifelong clumsiness. In other words, the school was treating Anna Catherine as a sighted kid—but one that was somewhat broken because the child couldn't see that well. In essence, Anna Catherine was living the life of a "virtual" sighted person.
In Dallas my family found our Federation family, and we found reality. With the knowledge we gained and the support we received at the NOPBC conference and the NFB convention, we learned that Anna Catherine did not need to be a "virtual" sighted student—or a "virtual" sighted person. We learned that, with blindness skills, Anna Catherine could emerge from a "virtual" life into reality. While her TVI and other teachers wanted to keep my child in the "virtual" status that was comfortable for them, our family experienced a taste of a much better reality. We discovered a reality where Anna Catherine would develop the skills she needed to make decisions based on her dreams and not on artificial barriers necessitated by a "virtual" education.
A few months before my family's first NOPBC conference and NFB convention, a "reality" television program, the Real Housewives of Orange County, premiered on the Bravo Network. Real Housewives of Orange County is about as far from the reality of my life as is fathomable. In fact, I'd wager that none of us live the extravagant, pampered lifestyles depicted in the Real Housewives shows.
No, our realities are quite different. Instead of hours-long, margarita-fueled lunches, we have hours-long, angst-filled IEP meetings. Instead of tearing down other parents on camera, we support and lift each other up in our Facebook group and our listserv. Instead of lamenting and denigrating the accomplishments of others, we burst with pride and celebrate their victories as if they were our own. We are the Real Families of the NOPBC, and we live the best reality show on Earth!
It's been a little more than one year since the end of our last family reunion—umm, conference—in Las Vegas last July. It seems like we packed a lot into that year, doesn't it?
As we returned home from Las Vegas, we prepared for school in the fall. Real Families of the NOPBC ushered their children into elementary school. Early elementary school focuses on literacy and early mathematics. Our families faced real crises: many students' Braille skills lagged far behind what they needed to fully access their school curricula. Some schools suggested continued reliance on poor vision, but our families know better. We know that a child who cannot read the extra-large print in kindergarten without magnification or exhaustion will not be able to keep up; every year that print gets smaller, and there is more of it on every page.
The Real Families of the NOPBC leaned on one another as teachers infuse educational technology into almost every activity in earlier and earlier grades. We help each other understand that our children need to know how to access an iPad nonvisually and how to use a computer without needing a mouse. We call on our blind adult Federation family members to help us know what is possible and, sometimes, to teach these essential nonvisual access technology skills to our children. With these skills they may unlock the worlds of information and entertainment their typically sighted peers enjoy.
As fall settled in, the Real Families of the NOPBC continued to thrive. We shared fun fall activities with all of our children, and we discussed ways to make family activities inclusive and fun for all. From creating tactile graphics with leaves and wax crayons to making apple pies from scratch without using any vision at all, our children developed competence and confidence in themselves and their abilities. Halloween brought a wonderful and motivating opportunity to practice independent travel skills. After all, running around with your friends and getting free candy is pretty darn fun.
Thanksgiving break brought family gatherings for many. Sometimes our extended family members do not understand what we know is true: our blind children are children first, last, and always. We leaned on one another when anxious relatives attempted to "protect" our children. Our Federation family helped us gently remind relatives that our children are capable of joining in family activities and in age-appropriate activities with their peers—including clearing the table.
Holiday gift-giving time brought challenges to many who asked, "What is a good gift for a blind child?" The Real Families of the NOPBC and our Federation family reminded us that our children are children first. Instead of looking for "blind child" gifts, we must first examine the child. Music and books, toys and games, crafts supplies and athletic equipment, musical instruments and electronics, gardening and woodworking tools—all these things and more are appropriate gifts for blind children. Once we know the child's particular interests, you can bet we'll come up with a long list of great gift ideas.
The holiday break from school proved challenging to some of our families. Some schools made our blind students leave their access technology at school. For many children this meant limiting access to books and other information sources. After all, the local library often isn't too accessible for our children. We helped parents advocate for bringing technology home over school breaks, and we shared resources for accessible games and for free Braille books.
We all celebrated the new year of 2020 with great expectations. In January Federationists gathered at our national office in Baltimore to train for our summer education programs, Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning (NFB BELL Academy). In February Federationists from across the nation gathered in Washington, DC to make sure our Congressional representatives understand the crucial importance of accessibility for blind individuals of all ages. Our Washington Seminar involved early mornings, late nights, and long days of hard work. The time we spent together was far more meaningful and fulfilling than any of the indulgent jaunts of the "Real Housewives" have ever been.
You probably know that the saying, "May you live in interesting times" is a centuries-old curse. March definitely brought some interesting times to us all. We live in interesting times right now, but we will not allow ourselves to be cursed.
All of a sudden last March, businesses and schools were closing. Many students were sent home without the access technology they needed. Some schools openly attacked students with IEPs as the "problem" with providing online educational opportunities to nondisabled students. Suddenly, it appeared that years of progress toward inclusive education would be wiped away.
But our Federation family did not let that happen. The Real Families of the NOPBC sprang into action. We shared the multiple and frequent information updates from the United States Department of Education as well as guidance on what they meant and how they impacted blind children and their educational rights. We shared long-existing resources and those that became available as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. We welcomed new families and provided them with the information and assistance they needed. As Lilo noted in the Disney movie, "Family means no one gets left behind."
We Real Families of the NOPBC also took advantage of accessible online gathering tools. NOPBC hosted two Zoom series last spring: "Fabulous Fridays" and "What DO You Want Wednesdays," which grew into "What Works Wednesdays." In addition, our parent division in the Show-Me state hosted the Missouri Parents of Blind Children Seminar on Zoom during the NFB of Missouri Together at Home Convention. Throughout our existence, our NOPBC families have been scattered across the nation; we know how to keep our family ties strong over the miles.
Our Federation family remained hard at work as well. The National Federation of the Blind developed a wealth of resources for blind children and their families. They included the NFB Distance Education Resources, offering activities, how-to videos, Braille Story Time videos, and interactive lessons using nonvisual skills. NFB also developed a page of COVID-19 Resources that included valuable information such as a guide to the guidance every state department of education provided to its schools. We recognized that many families were receiving false information from their local school officials.
As you know, COVID-19 still impairs our ability to gather together safely. While many schools and agencies curtailed their educational offerings, NFB committed to providing NFB BELL Academy this summer as NFB BELL Academy In-Home Edition. Three two-week sessions will serve hundreds of blind children and support them in Braille and other nonvisual skills.
The College Board is an agency that administers many high-stakes tests, including the SAT, the PSAT, and Advanced Placement (AP) exams. As the COVID-19 crisis deepened, the College Board flouted federal law and refused to provide hard copy Braille and tactile graphics to blind and deafblind students for their Advanced Placement examinations. Again, they were trying to roll back the decades of progress we have made in the area of access to educational materials. When a high school junior from New Jersey, Kaleigh Brendle, brought this matter to our attention, the NFB quickly mobilized our advocacy resources and enlisted the assistance of Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP, nationally recognized experts in disability law. We truly "made a federal case out of it." Kaleigh filed a complaint against the College Board with the United States Department of Education Office of Civil Rights (OCR) on behalf of herself and four other blind students named in the complaint, as well as all other blind and deafblind students who were registered to take AP examinations from the College Board in May 2020. Before the end of the month, the complaint was settled out of court on terms that provided meaningful access to hard copy Braille and tactile graphics for all students wrongly stripped of this access. No, it's not the table-flipping antics of some Real Housewives episodes. We know how to flip something far more important, discriminatory actions that threaten to rob us and our children of our hard-won civil rights.
While many slowed down as quarantines and lockdowns dragged on, our Federation family and the Real Families of the NOPBC did not stop to rest. In addition to developing our Distance Education Resources and the NFB BELL Academy In-Home Edition, as well as sustaining and bolstering our families through the ups and downs of regular life in a COVID environment, we had a conference and a convention to plan. And here we are.
We are so glad you have joined us this week at this family reunion! We look forward to getting to know you better this week and continuing our relationships throughout the year. The Bravo television network may keep its Real Housewives franchises. We are living the best reality show ever; we are the Real Families of the NOPBC.
The American Action Fund knows that blind adults and children are fully capable, and that Braille literacy is an important building block of success. We provide Braille books each month to thousands of families across the United States to empower blind people. Our programs are needed now more than ever. Due to the pandemic many schools are not distributing hard copy Braille, and our Braille books are sometimes the only Braille materials that blind children receive.
Blind students depend on parents, teachers, and libraries for learning, and parents, teachers, and libraries depend upon the American Action Fund to help. The American Action Fund provides free white canes, Braille calendars, Braille books, resources for creating tactile art and graphics, and more.
"My daughter, Brooke, has been enrolled in the Braille Books Program for quite a few years," a parent wrote recently. "She is able to keep up with her sighted peers in her inclusive classroom because we pushed for her to start receiving Braille instruction at the age of three. We are extremely thankful for programs such as the American Action Fund that have provided her with the resources needed to practice her Braille literacy skills. We know Braille literacy is the single biggest factor to help Brooke achieve her life goals and dreams."
The work we do to encourage independent travel, excellence in education, and Braille literacy nationwide must continue. If you are in a position to do so, you can make a difference by making a contribution. These programs are made possible through your support. Please help by giving a tax-deductible gift to the American Action Fund.
You can donate online by visiting our new webpage at https://www.actionfund.org, over the phone by calling 410-659-9315, or by sending a check to the address below:
American Action Fund
1800 Johnson Street
Baltimore, MD 21230
To learn more about how to receive Braille books in the mail or to donate a Braille book of your own, visit ShareBraille.org. Through the ShareBraille program you can donate and receive Braille books, keeping them in circulation for years to come.
There is another way you can help the American Action Fund. You can join our Legacy Society.
Often the simplest and most significant way to make a charitable gift is to plan to give a legacy gift. It is easier than you think. You can plan to give all or part of a bank account, insurance proceeds, investment assets, real estate, or a retirement account. You can even give a required minimum distribution from your IRA directly to charity and avoid taxes on that money. You could bequeath a specific dollar amount or percentage of your estate, after taking care of your loved ones, to an organization whose mission is important to you.
Your bequest carries with it the values and ideals that have been important to you throughout your lifetime and supports an organization whose mission you hold dear.
In addition, planning for a legacy gift may reduce the total amount of your taxable estate, which can have a positive impact on any funds you have designated for your heirs.
The American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults Legacy Society honors and recognizes the generosity and the vision of special friends of the Action Fund who have chosen to leave a legacy through a will or other planned giving option.
If you wish to give part or all of an account, simply fill out a P.O.D. (payable on death) or T.O.D. (transfer on death) form. For pensions and insurance assets, simply designate a charity as a beneficiary. If you would like to leave a legacy to the Action Fund in your will, please include the following language:
"I give, devise, and bequeath unto the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults, 1800 Johnson Street, Suite 100, Baltimore, Maryland 21230, a Maryland nonprofit corporation, the sum of $______________ (or) _________ percent of my net estate" or "the following stocks and bonds: ____________________, to be used for its worthy purposes on behalf of blind persons."
If you have questions or would like more information, please reach out to Patti Chang at 410-659-9315. If you have included the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults in your will or have made some other provision for a future gift to us and would like to tell us about it, please contact Patti so we can recognize you as a member of our Legacy Society.
Legacy gifts provide for generations of blind children and adults. Please consider the American Action Fund in your future plans.
Inclusion in Science: Learning a New Direction (ISLAND)
www.islandconference.org
Contact: [email protected]
Date: September 12, 2020
The ISLAND Conference serves as a forum for people interested in the full inclusion of people with disabilities in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Presentations are given by science teachers, access technology developers, rehabilitation professionals, and science faculty who have experience providing accommodations for a student with a disability or who are actively conducting research that promotes inclusion of people with disabilities. This year's conference will be held remotely. Registration is free, and all registered persons will receive the Zoom link the week of the conference.
Early Childhood Initiatives
https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/early-childhood-initiatives
Contact: [email protected]
410-659-9314, Extension 2287
The Early Childhood Initiatives of the National Federation of the Blind provide young blind children and their families with support and guidance to master the fundamental skills of literacy and travel through two programs, Braille Reading Pals and Early Explorers.
Braille Reading Pals Club
The Braille Reading Pals Club introduces young blind children and their families to literacy through Braille. The program fosters positive attitudes about Braille and helps sighted family members promote a love of reading through the shared reading of print/Braille books with their blind children. This program is designed for blind and low-vision children birth through eight years old.
Early Explorers
The Early Explorers program introduces young blind children and their families to the long white cane. Children will become more independent, confident, and curious travelers throughout life. The program provides strategies to teach children beginning cane travel skills. This program is designed for blind and low-vision children birth through eight years old.
LEGO® Braille Bricks
www.legobraillebricks.com
LEGO Braille Bricks is a playful tool to teach Braille to blind and low-vision children. The LEGO Braille Bricks concept is a play-based methodology for teaching Braille. Each brick in the toolkit retains its iconic form. The studs are arranged to correspond to Braille numbers or letters in the Braille alphabet. Each brick shows the printed version of the number or letter, allowing blind and sighted children to learn together. The Braille Bricks are being offered free of charge to schools and institutions involved in the education of blind children.
Fat Brain Toys
https://www.fatbraintoys.com/special_needs/vision_impairment.cfm
Contact: 800-590-5987
The Special Needs Center at Fat Brain Toys has compiled an extensive list of fun puzzles, games, and toys that are accessible for blind children with and without additional disabilities. In addition to a detailed description of each product, there are testimonials from parents and teachers describing how particular children enjoyed and learned from the toy.
Most kids enjoy showing off their knowledge, and a healthy splash of competition adds to the excitement. Whether you're on a long car trip or fighting cabin fever while you shelter in place, trivia games are fun for the whole family. Here are a few sites that offer accessible trivia quizzes.
Parade Magazine Trivia Questions
https://parade.com/944584/parade/trivia-questions-for-kids
50 Trivia Questions for Kids
https://www.signupgenius.com/home/trivia-questions-for-kids.cfm
That After-School Life
https://thatafterschoollife.com/trivia.html
60 + Awesome Trivia Questions for Kids
https://www.reallyareyouserious.com/trivia-questions-for-kids
Mary P. Oenslager Scholastic Achievement Awards
https://learningally.org/naa
Deadline for Applications: November 30, 2020
Each year the Mary P. Oenslager Scholastic Achievement Awards are presented to blind or visually impaired students who are registered with Learning Ally. Students must be completing undergraduate or graduate degrees and must demonstrate high academic achievement and service to others. Top winners are awarded $6,000, and honors winners receive $3,000.
National Association of Blind Students (NABS)
http://nabslink.org
The National Association of Blind Students is the student division of the National Federation of the Blind. With chapters in affiliates nationwide, NABS provides a host of resources for students in high school, college, and beyond. The NABS listserv and Facebook page keep students abreast of news and ideas. Produced for students by students, the NABS Now podcast focuses on stories from blind students and professionals in a variety of careers. The most recent episode deals with accessibility in the classroom. NABS Notes is a monthly blog of news and tips, including information about widely used learning platforms such as Canvas and Google Classroom.
Learning Ally College Success Program for Students Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
www.learningally.org/collegesuccess
Contact: 800-221-4792
Learning Ally's College Success Program (CSP) strives to give students the support they need as they navigate their college journey. The CSP consists of a series of free, self-led courses and on-demand resources. Students can be paired with blind mentors who are college graduates. The curriculum helps students learn more about challenges that are unique to their college journey. College students can meet each other through a Facebook community and virtual community events. Webinars and podcasts explore topics of interest.
Sleep Problems for Children with Visual Impairment
https://cmhredcap.cmh.edu/surveys/?s=YRTMLA9K9D&fbclid=IwAR3h5BtVRAzIY66RMLkJtF9q
7pAT2EJlffu7u60NGfzgrruo-2QIMWxXlHw
or,
https://cmhredcap.cmh.edu/surveys/?s=YRTMLA9K9D&fbclid=IwAR2hnMTQzA_bP2NgQ9BQIby
cyZ6mqbycls-OdWLimP3zwE2bRp-klCK1-dA
Contact: David Ingram, 816-983-6626
Researchers at Children's Mercy Hospital are conducting a survey to learn about sleep problems in children with visual impairments. To participate you must be the parent of a child with visual impairment who is between the ages of one and seven.
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