American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults
Future Reflections Convention 2020 EXTRAS
Speaking Up and Branching Out
National Association of Blind Students (NABS)
https://nabslink.org
Contact: Kinshuk Tella at [email protected]
Dates: January 9-10, 2021
Deadline for Registration: December 15, 2020
Location: Virtual
Terrified of public speaking? Have experience but are excited to refine your skills? NABS is excited to launch its first-ever virtual NABS At Large seminar, focused on encouraging students to own their voices. The conference is designed to empower blind students to sharpen their public speaking skills. It hopes to equip attendees with self-confidence to advocate effectively in academic and everyday life.
2020-2021 Braille Readers Are Leaders
https://actionfund.org/BRAL
Contact: 410-659-9315
Registration period: November 1, 2020 to January 18, 2021
Contest Reading Period: December 1, 2020 to January 18, 2021
Join the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults and the National Federation of the Blind in this contest to promote Braille. K-12 students and adults learning Braille across the US compete for seven weeks to read the most Braille pages, going against participants in similar contest categories. Top readers in each category win cash prizes, and all participants will receive a gift bag at the end of the contest. Additional awards are given to students who face barriers to learning Braille and demonstrate great determination in their journey to literacy, such as being an English language learner or having disabilities in addition to blindness. Join us as we continue to promote Braille throughout the nation, a cornerstone mission of the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults and the National Federation of the Blind.
NFB National Scholarships
https://nfb.org/scholarships
Contact: [email protected]
Application Deadline: March 31, 2021
The annual scholarship program of the National Federation of the Blind is the largest of its kind in the United States. Every year more than $120,000 is awarded to blind scholars across the United States and Puerto Rico in recognition of their achievements and professional aspirations. Thanks to our generous partners, more than twenty merit-based scholarships are available, ranging from $3,000 to $12,000. All scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic excellence, community service, and leadership. Scholarship finalists attend the NFB National Convention in July, when the winners of each individual scholarship are selected. Scholarship winners have gone on to succeed in careers ranging from computer science and engineering to civil rights law and international diplomacy. Applicants must be legally blind in both eyes; must reside in the United States or Puerto Rico; must be pursuing or planning to pursue a full-time, postsecondary course of study in a degree-granting program in the fall of 2021; and must participate in the entire NFB national convention and all of its scheduled scholarship program activities.
Education Technology Survey
https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/legal-program/education-technology-survey
As a result of schools shifting to virtual instruction to minimize the dangers of COVID-19, blind students may encounter increased accessibility barriers. Your feedback is critical. The National Federation of the Blind gathers information regarding the accessibility of virtual instruction and educational technology used by our nation's schools (kindergarten through graduate level). This provides valuable data for our advocacy and legal efforts. If you are a student, parent, teacher, or administrator who uses screen access software or other accommodations to participate nonvisually in educational programs or services, or if you are the parent, teacher, or administrator of someone who does, please complete this survey and contribute to our important research.
NFB Science and Engineering Division Survey on STEM Student Experiences in Higher Education
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfMPK9xwm9gwcGvnSUMEWKvjmfy0noNa4xMGI63PDKpurUeiw/viewform
Contact: Don Winiecki, 208-426-1899
[email protected]
If you are or have been a student in a STEM major in higher education, the Science and Engineering Division of the NFB would like to hear from you. The division has designed a survey to help you share your experience as a STEM student. The information will be used to help other students choose the best schools for their studies and to help colleges and universities improve their support for blind and low-vision students.
Teachers of Tomorrow
https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/education/teachers-tomorrow
Teachers of Tomorrow is an immersive professional development program that connects teachers of blind and low-vision students with the lived experiences of blind people, equipping participants with knowledge about the skills and attitudes that can help blind students thrive in school and beyond. The program is free to participants thanks to a partnership between the National Federation of the Blind and the Gustavus and Louise Pfeiffer Research Foundation. If you are preparing for a career in teaching blind students or if you are an early career educator looking to enhance your teaching, then the National Federation of the Blind invites you to apply for a spot in the first cohort. The program will begin in January 2021 and will continue with monthly sessions throughout the year. Sessions will address Braille literacy, orientation and mobility, access technology, accessible STEM instruction, diversity, and other topics that participants wish to explore. The perspective centers on the blind community, drawing upon the expertise of blind mentors and teachers experienced with integrating this approach into their work with students and families.
The Blind History Lady
www.smashwords.com
Contact: [email protected]
Did you know that a blind man was president of a bank in New Mexico for more than twenty-five years; a blind woman wrote several cookbooks, had her own cooking show in San Francisco, and started a frozen food business; or that a blind man invented cruise control? The Blind History Lady has many stories to tell and can provide blind children with a host of topics to research. We have blind ancestors who led their community and our nation. Some have been farmers while others founded businesses that long outlived their blind founder. Peggy Chong has spent decades collecting material about blind women and men who have made a difference. You can explore her website at smashwords.com or email her to subscribe to her monthly newsletter.