American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults
Future Reflections Winter 2021 WHAT'S NEW?
NFB National Scholarships
https://nfb.org/scholarships
Contact: [email protected]
Application Deadline: Midnight EDT, 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 thirty 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 must attend the NFB National Convention in July 2021, when the winners will be presented with their awards. Scholarship winners have gone on to succeed in careers ranging from computer science and engineering to civil rights law and international diplomacy.
Scholarship 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.
The NFB once again is excited to be offering our National Federation of the Blind BELL® Academy, In-Home Edition, for the summer of 2021. BELL stands for Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning, and for more than a decade BELL participants have enjoyed learning and using Braille by following recipes, conducting science experiments, doing crafts activities, reading stories, and more. This year students will be organized into classes based on their prior knowledge of the Braille code, which means we will be better able to offer challenging and fun content for Braille learners of all levels. The NFB BELL Academy is appropriate for students ages four through twelve; applications for the 2021 program are now open and available in English and Spanish at https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/nfb-bell-academy.
Seedlings Braille Books for Children
http://www.seedlings.org/bkangel2009.php
Through the Book Angel program blind and low-vision children in the US ages birth to twenty-one are eligible for three free Braille books of their choice per year from Seedlings. The child must be registered each calendar year to participate. Orders will be filled as time and materials allow and will be sent as Free Matter for the Blind through the US Postal Service.
Free Children's Braille Book Club
National Braille Press
https://info.nbp.org/cbbc-info
Contact: 800-548-7323
Since 1983 the Children's Braille Book Club (CBBC) has been a subscription-based program through which National Braille Press sends a new print/Braille picture book every month for a small fee. Thanks to a generous matching program from the NewCo Foundation, NBP has started fundraising to kick off a new chapter in the Children's Braille Book Club. In 2021 free one-year subscriptions will be available to 125 eligible families. Members will need to reapply each year. The CBBC program is available to blind children from birth to age ten and to parents/legal guardians who are blind and have children ages birth to ten. NBP hopes to make the Children's Braille Book Club free to all subscribers in the next five years.
2021 Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards
https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/scholarships-and-awards/dr-jacob-bolotin-awards/application-information
Application Deadline: April 15, 2021
The Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards honor individuals and organizations that are a positive force in the lives of blind people. Winners break down barriers facing blind people in an innovative way, change negative perceptions of blindness and blind people, and push past existing boundaries to help blind people achieve new heights. An application may be made directly by the applicant or by a third party. Each application requires an essay describing the work or project to be recognized and must include at least one letter of recommendation. Winners will receive a cash award and a handsome plaque at the 2021 NFB National Convention.
2021 Schneider Family Book Awards
On January 25 the American Library Association (ALA) announced the recipients of the 2021 Schneider Family Book Awards that honor authors or illustrators for their artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences. Recipients are selected in three categories: younger children, ages 0-8; middle grades (ages 9-13), and teens (ages 14-18).
Younger Children
All the Way to the Top: How One Girl's Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everything, by Annette Day Pimentel, illustrated by Nabi H. Ali (Sourcebook eXplore
Itzhak: A Boy Who Loved the Violin, by Tracy Newman, illustrated by Abigail Halpin (Abrams Books for Young Readers)
I Talk Like a River, by Jordan Scott, illustrated by Sydney Smith (Neal Porter Books/Holiday House)
Middle Grade
Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen! by Sarah Kapit, (Dial Books for Young Readers)
When Stars Are Scattered, by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed, illustrated by Victoria Jamieson (Dial Books for Young Readers)
Show Me a Sign, by Ann Clare leZotte (Scholastic Press)
Teens
This Is My Brain in Love, by I. W. Gregorio (Little Brown and Company)
Teachers of Tomorrow
The National Federation of the Blind is excited to announce the Class of 2021 Teachers of Tomorrow. Teachers of Tomorrow is an immersive professional development program that connects teachers of blind and low-vision students to the lived experiences of blind people, equipping participants with knowledge about the skills and attitudes that can help students thrive in school and beyond. This list includes the student's name, the state they come from, and the school they attend or from which they recently graduated. Meet our 2021 Teachers of Tomorrow:
Andrea Amestoy, Idaho, Texas Tech University
Megan Becker, West Virginia, Marshall University
Kelsey Bink, Missouri, Missouri State University
Annie Biondi, Texas, Texas Tech University
Leslie Borton, South Carolina, University of South Carolina Upstate
Madison Caldwell, Georgia, University of Alabama
Anne Marie Chambers, Missouri, Missouri State University
Rebecca Colagreco, Pennsylvania, Kutztown University
Danielle Driscoll, South Carolina, University of South Carolina Upstate
Stacy Lee Durant, California, San Francisco State University
Kaitlin Fleet, South Dakota, University of Northern Colorado
Martha Hazen, Maryland, University of Massachusetts
Kyra Hoehn, California, San Francisco State University
Sarah Kassim, Louisiana, Louisiana Tech University
Rebecca Kirsch, Texas, Texas Tech University
Jennifer Macías, California, California State University/Los Angeles
Jasmine Motley, California, San Francisco State University
Dorit Resnikoff, California, San Francisco State University
Sarah Scapardine, New Jersey, The College of New Jersey
Dori Senatori, Texas, Texas Tech University
Ashley Walley, Alaska, Stephen F. Austin University
Helen Wright, Massachusetts, University of Massachusetts
Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP)
www.dcmp.org
DCMP supports families and educators with free remote learning resources. Families and educators who have at least one child or student with a disability can register for free membership and access over eight thousand captioned and described educational videos. Teachers can create student accounts, group students together, and assign videos to classes. Users can choose "Captioned" or "Described" with the language/accessibility button found under the video player. Many videos are available without registering. DCMP is funded by the US Department of Education and administered by the National Association of the Deaf.
Keiki Story Hour
Contact: [email protected]
The NFB of Hawaii is restarting their Keiki (Children'ness) Reading/Story Time, which will take place on the last Saturday of each month. Children across the country are invited to join in the fun and read stories aloud to their friends and families over Zoom. Contact the NFB of Hawaii for information about scheduling and how to join.