Volume 41, Number 4 Fall2022
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 © 2022 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]
PLAY
The Power of Play
by Michelle Murrey and Sarah Erb
Bells and Drums: Fun and Learning with Outdoor Percussion Play
Based on a Conversation with Sue Wiedder and Amber Haer
CANES AND CANINES
Have Cane, Will Travel: A Cane Travel Lesson for Elementary-Level Sighted Children
by Carol Castellano
A Guide Dog in Your Future?
Based on a Conversation with Jane Flower and Ethan Edwards
JOURNEYS
Half-Blind
by Janelle Perez
It's Not Because I'm Blind: Another Look at Sensory Integration Challenges
by Amy Albin
Managing Difficult Behaviors in Children Who Are Blind and Autistic
by Amber Bobnar
ADVOCACY
The Back-to-school Basics: Embracing Communication, Collaboration, Confidence, and Calm
by Elizabeth Rouse
She Fought on Behalf of Her Blind Son
by Ally Markovich
Bridging the Gap and Working Together: The Passage of the BRITE Bill for Blind Students in Missouri
by Gary Wunder
Model Blind Students' Rights to Independence, Training and Education Act
STEM
Stretching the Dimensions of Nonvisual Learning: Blind-Led Youth Programming and Engineering
Presented by Natalie Shaheen
The Accessible Origami Project
by Lindy van der Merwe
The Dynamic Tactile Device: A New Solution to an Old Problem
by Karen Anderson
RESOURCES
Promoting Current Event and Media Literacy with NFB-NEWSLINE®: A Parent's Perspective
by Heather Bird
REVIEW
There Plant Eyes: A Literary and Personal History of Blindness
by M. Leona Godin
Reviewed by Deborah Kent Stein
AWARDS
Announcing the NFB 2023 Scholarship Awards
by Cayte Mendez
The 2023 Blind Educator of the Year Award
by Robin House
The 2023 Distinguished Educator of Blind Students Award
by Carla McQuillan
WHAT'S NEW?
Convention Bulletin 2023
The Action Fund Continues Promoting Braille Literacy, and You Can Help!
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
by Michelle Murrey and Sarah Erb
From the Editor: Play is the essence of childhood. Through play children develop creativity, discover principles such as cause and effect, and learn to interact with others. Parents of blind children sometimes worry that their children don't play in "normal" ways; they don't interact with toys the way most sighted children do. To complicate matters further, stores are packed with games and toys that depend on colored tiles or flashing screens. How can parents find toys that will appeal to their blind children and provide opportunities for learning and fun?
Sarah Erb and Michelle Murrey have spent years collecting information about toys that are fully accessible for blind children. In this article they tell their stories and share what they have learned.
MICHELLE MURREY: When my daughter was an infant, I remember being overwhelmed when I thought about toys. Walking through the toy section at Walmart or Target left me feeling discouraged. I couldn't imagine how my child would ever play with the toys that were so popular with sighted children I had known. Since my daughter has no light perception, I felt I had to start from the beginning and reframe what "play" meant in our home.
SARAH ERB: Before my child was born I was pretty confident about raising children. Then we learned that our five-month-old was blind, and I realized I had a lot of learning to do. We learned about various parenting and educational pedagogies, including R.I.E., Montessori, and Waldorf. We also had input from our child's early-intervention team. I've learned to select what works for us and our child and leave the rest.
MICHELLE: A few philosophies guided me on my journey. I was drawn to the clarity provided by Kim John Payne's Simplicity Parenting approach, based on the idea that "less is more." The child-driven approach of Maria Montessori also appealed to me, allowing my daughter to learn independence, practical life skills, and self-determination in the midst of play. R.I.E. (Resources for Infant Educators, founded by Magda Gerber) reminded me to slow down and then slow down some more, to observe, and to give my daughter space and time to learn about the world in her own way.
MICHELLE: Sarah and I met through Facebook in the middle of the night while we were assisting our toddlers with their sleep schedules. We talked about our journeys, each of us parenting a blind child and learning new ways to understand the world. We discovered empowerment and appreciation for the development of our children as we observed them play in fascinating and clever ways, often quite different from the play we observed in sighted toddlers.
SARAH: I often shared with Michelle what I had observed recently in my child's play, only to find that she was observing something very similar in her household. This validation was very reassuring for me as a first-time parent, especially as my child didn't seem to follow the traditional, linear developmental milestones given by the pediatrician at her well-child check-ups.
Each time I received the milestones handout at a check-up, I would look it over critically. I didn't feel critical of my child but of the norms that were referenced in the document. I realized that nearly all of the milestones had a visual component. This realization made it easier for me to follow my child's lead, to "learn as we go" and "learn as we grow." Michelle and I often explored the question "How does my child's brain grow best?" The answer was the same every time: My child learns best through play.
Instead of observing how others interacted with materials while perched in a high chair, our girls engaged with the world with their whole beings. They explored every object with all their available senses. They smelled the doll, stroked the doll's hair against their cheeks, and dropped the doll over and over to experience its weight and the sound it made when it hit the floor.
MICHELLE: Em used her lips to feel the textures of handheld items that she wanted to explore further. It was as if the tactile input she received from her hands was not enough. I remember thinking how clever it was that she used her lips as a second set of hands to gain more tactile input.
This discovery sparked some definite parental anxiety. I worked to ensure that my child understood at an early age what was safe to put in her mouth and what was not. Ironically, she didn't have much interest in bringing foods to her mouth, other than a bottle of milk or water. Enter food play time, where Em got to learn about the many different foods we use in our daily meals.
MICHELLE and SARAH: Here are some parenting guidelines we have utilized in our households as powerful teaching tools for our families over our years of "parallel parenting" a blind child.
Our children are unique, complete, and whole. They are capable of learning as they go and learning as they grow.
We set aside a yes space for our children where they can learn to develop their attention span and discover independently. A yes space is a safe space where a child can explore without getting into anything 'dangerous, harmful, or inappropriate.’ It is a space that is totally safe and available for the child to use.
Like sportscasters we can narrate what our children are doing without interfering or interrupting their play physically or verbally.
Active learning is key in our children's "play lab." Their brains need ways to create the neurological pathways that sighted folks call hand-eye coordination. We think of it as hand-brain coordination.
Auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory, proprioceptive, interoceptive, and vestibular input provide a wealth of information. Our children's brains are still "seeing" their world, but not in the same way the brains of sighted folks do.
MICHELLE and SARAH: Over the past several years, we have devoted ourselves to exploring toy options and learning which toys our children most enjoy. Here are some pointers.
In general toys that do less are best for building attention span, as they encourage the child to do more.
Every new experience is an exciting experiment; every repeated or similar experience is a hypothesis waiting to be tested in our children's play lab.
Give yourself and your child permission to play with a toy differently from the ways a sighted child might play with it.
It often took patience on our parts when our girls were learning new skills. Sometimes we had to walk away to avoid the impulse to interfere. While they practiced new skills we presented playful challenges that could facilitate what they were learning. But in their own way, at their own pace, the girls figured it out.
Everyday objects are often preferable to fancy toys.
An empty cardboard box and a blanket can provide hours of imaginative play. We did not need fancy or expensive toys to bring a wealth of play into our homes. Instead of a pretend tea set or pretend kitchen utensils, we introduced pots, pans, child-safe knives, and kitchen appliances. Our children became familiar with the actual objects used in the kitchen instead of the small (often inaccurate) representations offered in most toy stores.
Now that our girls have reached school age, we relish their imaginative spirits. They create limitless stories, amazing characters, and imaginary lands that they inhabit on any given day. Couch cushions become islands populated with stuffed animals.
It is a joy to observe how the girls navigate the world, advocating for themselves in shops and at school. They use the tools they have gained through play to engage with their communities.
Wherever you are on your parenting journey, we encourage you to slow down and observe your children. Give them the gift of space and time so they can find their place in the world in their own unique ways.
We would love to share the information on fun and accessible toys that we have gathered over the past years. Please view our spreadsheet on accessible toys at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12xKYJvp-8yp3izRns-fHNi7XeI6JA_5Zx0BnuzG91ok/edit?usp=sharing
You can reach Michelle Murrey at [email protected].
Lansbury, J. "Yes Spaces—What They Really Are and Why They Matter." https://www.janetlansbury.com/2021/06/yes-spaces-what-they-really-are-and-why-they-matter
Payne, K. J. Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids. Ballantine Books, 2010.
STAR Institute. "Your 8 Senses." https://sensoryhealth.org/basic/your-8-senses
Based on a Conversation with Susan Wiedder and Amber Haer
From the Editor: Headquartered in the UK, Percussion Play is a family-operated company that makes large percussion instruments for outdoor installations. Percussion Play instruments can be found in parks, on the grounds of hospitals and senior living centers, and at schools in sixty countries worldwide. According to cofounder Jody Ashfield, "Constraints of volume and space disappear outdoors, and players can experiment and explore the sounds of these large-scale percussion instruments freely." Percussion Play was named a winner of the 2021 Queen's Award for Enterprise, one of the most prestigious awards a UK-based company can receive.
Recently the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children (WPSBC) installed Percussion Play instruments on its campus in Pittsburgh. This article is based on a conversation with Development and Communications Director Sue Wiedder and Board Certified Music Therapist Amber Haer. They describe how outdoor percussion play provides fun and learning for their students.
SUE WIEDDER: We acquired our first Percussion Play instruments at our school during the pandemic, and they were installed and ready for the students to explore when everyone came back to campus. We have two Petal Drums, which are large percussion instruments shaped like flowers. The Petal Drums are circular, and they have metal petals. There are cutouts around the center of the drum, so you produce a different sound by tapping in different places.
We also have a set of seven Tubular Bells. They are tall aluminum tubes rooted in the ground. Each one produces a different pitch when you strike it with a stick or mallet or even just with a hand. You can play simple songs on these chimes, or you can just enjoy the sounds you create. The Tubular Bells produce vibrations that differ depending on the pitch.
AMBER HAER: I'm a music therapist, and I'm also a percussionist in training. With my background, it's pretty easy for me to come up with ideas for using the equipment. The Percussion Play website also is very helpful with offering ideas.
In a typical lesson we might explore the concept of high and low pitches. We make sounds with the bells and encourage the students to make high and low sounds with their voices. We also can use the chimes to play simple songs such as "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "Mary Had a Little Lamb." Sometimes we have one student per chime, and sometimes one student plays all of the chimes.
SUE: The chimes are rooted in the ground in a large horseshoe arrangement, which means that players can stand or sit inside the curve to feel the chimes resonate. About 75 percent of our students use wheelchairs, and they can easily get into the space where the chimes are set up. The instruments are fully accessible for all of our students.
AMBER: All of our students are legally blind, and nearly all of them have additional disabilities. Our students who are deaf or hard of hearing really enjoy the vibrations when they play the instruments. They can tell the difference between the high and low notes through touch. They can place their hands on the bottom of the chime and hit the top with the rubber mallet. Some students like to put their foreheads against the chimes for more sensory input. We can explore the different intensities and durations of the vibrations from different chimes.
SUE: In addition to using the instruments for educational purposes, the students also can have fun with them. The chimes are located outside our greenhouse, which is run by our horticulture therapist. After they have a class at the greenhouse, the students sometimes go to the chimes for some independent music-making time. They can be guided by their own imaginations.
The instruments open the way to increased engagement and heightened enjoyment. Some students become more expressive when they interact with the instruments. Some will vocally match the pitch of the chimes when they play.
One of our students, Isaiah, is profoundly deaf and blind with some light perception. He's primarily a tactile learner. Within the classroom he uses sign language for core vocabulary words such as eat, drink, go, more, and finished. He uses tactile symbols and physical prompts to help him throughout the school day.
Isaiah really enjoys the Tubular Bells. He feels the movement of the bells as they are played, and he can feel the vibrations that come from striking the bells. Isaiah loves movement and gross motor activities, so it's not a surprise that he enjoys the bells as much as he does.
We are planning to renovate a large outdoor space that we call the Children's Garden. We will expand the number of and kinds of Percussion Play instruments that we install in this space. We look forward to adding instruments called Stepping Stones. Children can make sounds by running and jumping on them or rolling over them in their wheelchairs. Each Stepping Stone makes a different sound.
The students do so well with these instruments that we want to increase their opportunities. Our school has a little more than five acres of green space in the middle of Pittsburgh. We're celebrating our 135th anniversary this year. We've been around for a long time, and we're planning for the future.
You can learn more about Percussion Play by visiting https://www.percussionplay.com.
by Carol Castellano
From the Editor: Children are naturally curious. When they have a blind classmate or see stories about a blind person in the media, they want to know what those long white canes are for. Carol Castellano, past president of the NOPBC (National Organization of Parents of Blind Children) and founding president of New Jersey Parents of Blind Children (NJPOBC) designed a set of activities that provide sighted children with hands-on experience using a cane in a familiar environment. Carol is the author of four books, including Making It Work and Getting Ready for College Begins in Third Grade.
This simple cane travel lesson is designed to give sighted children success in using basic cane skills. In turn, this success will promote understanding of the fact that blind people use alternative skills to travel about safely and independently.
Skills
These activities should be undertaken with the eyes closed. At the end of the lesson, children should be able to:
Understandings
At the end of the lesson children should be able to conclude:
The teacher or other adult should ask questions and guide the discussion to draw forth the pertinent information.
Question: How does a sighted person know how to get somewhere? (They look, remember, ask, follow directions, etc.
How does a blind person get around independently? (By using a cane or guide dog)
Explain that a blind person uses remembering, asking, and following directions, too. The blind person "looks" in different ways.
Question: Why does a blind person use a cane? (To avoid bumping into things; to find where the street is; to find things; to see what's coming ahead; to find where there's a clear path.)
Question: How do you think a cane works? (The cane touches things first; the cane is out in front so the blind person finds things with it; you can tell if the way is clear by moving the cane side to side.)
Explain that just as our eyesight tells us what is out ahead of us and what is to our sides, the cane shows what is ahead and to the sides, too. It just doesn't go as far as eyesight usually goes.
Question: Do you think you can use the cane to find out what things are made of?
Tell the children to close their eyes and bang the cane on various surfaces: wood, metal, plastic, carpet, tile, or concrete. Ask them to identify the surfaces using their hearing.
Question: Do you think you would be able to tell the difference between a rug and a tile floor by touching them with a cane?
They will most likely say yes!
Question: If a person has no eyesight, what other senses might they use while walking along?
Hearing, smell, touch, touch underfoot, touch under cane, sense of direction, sense of distance, remembering where a place is or how to get to it.
Question: Blind people often tap their canes as they walk. Why might they do that?
To hear what kind of surface is ahead of them, to hear the echo. If no one brings up the idea of hearing an echo, ask! What do we call it when sound bounces off a wall?
Explain that blind people often use a special kind of listening. They listen for the sound bouncing off the walls and back to their ears. By using this kind of listening, they can hear when the wall ends and when there is an opening such as a doorway or a hallway.
Question: Why might the sound be different when there is an opening and not a wall?
The sound goes into the opening and does not bounce back.
Question: How do sighted people know when there is an open door?
We see it.
Explain that we use eyesight to find things because we are sighted. If we were blind, we could develop this special kind of hearing, too.
Question: Do you think it is hard to walk using a cane and senses other than eyesight? Accept all answers. Tell the children they will soon try out a cane.
Explain that learning how to use a cane might seem hard at first, just as it might seem hard to learn to write in cursive or to subtract with trading. Use examples appropriate to the students.
Question: How do these tasks become easier?
With practice.
Question: How do you think blind people get to be good at traveling with a cane?
With practice.
Explain that blind people practice and develop their skills just as anyone practices and gets better and better at doing something. Blind children usually get lessons in using the cane from a special teacher. Then they practice what they have learned so they can become independent travelers.
Mention that blind people travel about and do just about all the other things that everyone else does in life. They simply learn ways of doing things without eyesight. Explain that there are techniques for doing just about everything without vision.
Optional: Mention that blind people who use guide dogs also must know how to travel independently before they get a dog. They need to give instructions to the dog, because the dog does not know where to go. The dog follows instructions from the blind person.
The first two assignments work best in a hallway with an open door or alcove, but you can adapt them for the space you have. If you have access to a flight of stairs, preferably with only a few steps, you can demonstrate Assignments 3 and 4.
Tell the children they will now have a chance to try out walking around using a cane and their other senses instead of their eyesight. Hand out canes, matching them to the heights of the children. The cane should reach between the child's chin and nose.
Demonstrate how to hold the cane. Grasp the handle with your palm up and your index finger extended. Hold the cane out in front of you and slide it from side to side, a little wider than shoulder width. Line the children up along the wall and show them how to slide the cane. Tell them to touch the wall each time they slide. Let the children try it.
Assignment 1: Finding an open doorway or alcove
Sample: Your assignment is to find the library. It is down the hall, the first open door on the right. It has a rug on the floor. (Adapt directions to your space.)
Close your eyes. Try to find the library, using your cane, your hearing, and the feel of things beneath your feet. When your cane finds the opening or when you hear it, check to see if it's the library. Check by reaching your cane in there to see if there's a rug on the floor.
Send the children down the hall singly or in twos or threes. More than three at a time creates a traffic jam!
Assignment 2: Identifying and getting past an obstacle
Without the children observing you, place a large cardboard box, desk, plastic trash can, or similar object in the hallway. Instruct the children to close their eyes and use their canes to find the object, then see if they can identify it, and get past it.
Send them one at a time and have them go a few steps past the object, then wait for the others.
Assignment 3: Identifying a drop-off
A short stairway is ideal for this task.
Question: If you are using a cane, do you think you will know when you reach the first step down? How?
You can slide your cane; the cane will go down; the railing gives another clue when it angles down.
Question: How could you know when you've reached the bottom?
The cane will go flat; it will stop going down.
Demonstrate to the children how the cane goes down when it reaches a drop-off and how you can feel that in your hand.
Assignment 4: Demonstrate finding stairs up
Question: If you were using a cane, how would you find stairs going up?
The cane will bump; the cane will stop.
Demonstrate how the cane stops when it reaches the first step.
Question: If you went all the way up the stairs using a cane, how could you tell when there were no more steps up?
The cane won't bump any more; the cane will go flat.
If you wish to demonstrate how to go up the steps, do the following:
After the cane bumps into the first step, change your grip so that you are holding the cane in your fist straight up and down like a shepherd's staff. Hold your arm out about chest high and centered. The cane should lightly touch each step ahead until you reach the top step. Then change back to the regular grip and continue walking.
Last Assignment: Getting back to the classroom
(Adapt the directions to your building.)
Find your way back to your classroom using your cane and your other senses. The door is closed. It's the second wooden door on the left. Good luck!
Based on a Conversation with Jane Flower and Ethan Edwards
From the Editor: "Why don't you have a dog?" Most of us who are blind hear this question time after time as we move through our daily lives. Only a small percentage of blind people use guide dogs, but the image of an intelligent, highly trained dog helping a blind person navigate stairs and street crossings is firmly established in the public mind. Whether to use a cane or a guide dog is a highly personal choice, and each individual must weigh a variety of factors before deciding to go for guide dog training.
One guide dog school, Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB), hosts an annual summer program to teach blind youth about the advantages and responsibilities involved in working with a dog. This article is based on an interview with Youth Outreach Specialist Jane Flower and GDB Camp alumnus Ethan Edwards.
"I first heard about Guide Dogs for the Blind when I was just a little kid," explains Ethan Edwards, a college student from Illinois. "I got a couple of videos about the organization when I was seven or eight, and I was sold on it right away. People kept telling me I was still too young to get a dog, so I waited it out, but I never changed my mind."
When he was fifteen, Ethan learned that GDB sponsors a summer camp for young people who are thinking about getting a guide dog. The camp is located near GDBs campus in Boring, Oregon. Students who wish to attend the camp are asked to write an essay about why they want to get a guide dog. Ethan attended GDB Camp for two summers in a row, and the experience helped him finalize his decision.
"GDB Camp has three purposes," explains Youth Outreach Specialist Jane Flower. "It gives youth who are blind or have low vision a chance to socialize with other visually impaired youth from all over the country. It provides fun activities that promote independence. Finally, camp provides an opportunity for young people to learn about living and working with a guide dog." Recreational outings at camp have included kayaking and whitewater rafting. Although the program had to be virtual during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was held in person again in 2022.
GDB hosted its first youth program with four students during the summer of 2008. Today there are two programs each summer, one for students ages fourteen through seventeen and one for young people ages eighteen to twenty-four. The program is free of charge, apart from transportation to and from the camp. However, if families need assistance with transportation, GDB can help.
The high point of every camp session comes when each student is allowed to keep and care for a dog overnight. "The experience shows the students that having a dog is a big responsibility," Jane Flower explains. "They learn how to feed, water, and relieve their dog. They have a fun time learning how to groom their dog, and they get lots of time for dog snuggling."
The camp experience emphasizes that students need strong travel skills in order to work with a dog effectively. "Camp helped me focus on the orientation and mobility (O&M) skills I'd need so I could work with a dog," Ethan recalls. "I got my O&M instructor to work with me on specific areas where I needed to be stronger. That really helped me build confidence." Ethan's O&M instructor was present when a representative from GDB visited to conduct a pre-training evaluation. The instructor asked questions and incorporated ideas from GDB into Ethan's O&M lessons.
Before a student is accepted for training with a guide dog, GDB conducts an extensive three-part evaluation at the student's home. In the first section of the interview, the GDB instructor gets to know the student. What do they like to do? What are their plans and goals? Why do they want a guide dog?
Next the GDB instructor goes for a walk with the student to assess the student's mobility skills. First the student walks using a long white cane. Then the instructor holds a guide-dog harness and the student takes another walk, holding the harness handle. This walk attempts to simulate the experience of working with a dog. The student even has to give praise and pat the air where the dog would be.
Finally the instructor asks the student about the kind of dog they would like to receive. GDB trains Labrador and golden retrievers as well as a Labrador/golden retriever cross breed.
Ethan Edwards applied for a guide dog in the fall of 2019. He was scheduled to begin training in the summer of 2020, but due to COVID, his training had to be postponed. Finally, near the end of his senior year in high school, Ethan got a call letting him know that he could begin training in a week. "I was thrilled!" Ethan says. "My teachers knew I'd been working toward this for a long time, and they did everything they could to help me complete my schoolwork so I could go."
In May 2021 Ethan spent twelve days training at GDB. He returned home with a beautiful yellow Lab named Ginsburg, the guide dog he had dreamed of since he was a child.
Today Ethan is enrolled at Illinois State University in Bloomington, Illinois. "Having a dog makes navigating the campus a lot easier for me," he says. "For instance, I find the dog helps me make straighter street crossings." However, the public still needs to be educated about guide dogs. "I take every opportunity to explain to people about how the dog helps me and things like not petting the dog while it's in harness. We still have a long way to go."
For more information about youth programs at Guide Dogs for the Blind, visit https://www.guidedogs.com/get-a-guide-dog/youth-programs or call 800-295-4050.
by Janelle Perez
From the Editor: Janelle Perez is a speech and language therapist who lives in Winter Haven, Florida. She works with stroke survivors and with people who have a variety of other conditions that affect speech, swallowing, and/or cognition. She dreams of starting a community-based center that brings together people with these challenges for support, enrichment, and natural communication opportunities. She has five children, ranging in age from twenty to five, and members of the family play instruments including piano, guitar, violin, and percussion, as well as singing in church.
"Manny, can you tell us about your vision? What can you see?"
For the hundredth time Manny patiently answers the questions with his ready-made responses. "I can't see shapes or colors. I can't see how many fingers you're holding up, but I can see shadows." Then, with a twinkle in his eye and a sideways grin, he adds, "And I can see when my Dad is putting his hand on my plate."
"Are you blind?"
"No, I'm half-blind."
Half-blind. Like most people unfamiliar with vision development and visual impairments, I used to think blindness was a pretty easy thing to define. You know, the lights are on or they're off. You can see or you can't. Okay, some of us can see better than others, but everyone could be assigned an acuity level from the trusty Snellen chart. Unless, of course, they were totally blind.
Over the past several years I've learned that defining blindness is not so simple, especially when we're talking about the perplexing condition called cerebral visual impairment (CVI). But I'm ahead of myself. I'd like to tell the story of my son Manny's journey with CVI. I've learned so much from others' experiences and stories, and I hope ours might help someone else on this journey to feel a little less confused, or at least a little less alone.
From the time Manny was a toddler, he was a strong-willed bowling ball of a little boy who was as rambunctious as he was affectionate. He loved playing outside and wrestling with his much gentler older brother, Lucas, who still bears battle scars from their scuffles. His dad signed him up for T-ball as a three-year-old, and he proudly wore his "Born to Retire" team jersey and played his heart out with the big kids. With no family history of serious illness, and with a little boy who was the picture of absolute health, the farthest thing from our minds was the dreaded word cancer.
But in the summer of 2012, our very active little Manny suddenly and uncharacteristically became sluggish. He was diagnosed with Stage IV acute lymphoblastic leukemia with features of Burkitt's lymphoma. His chemotherapy started immediately, and so did a tsunami of complications. One week into his planned six-month course of chemo, there was a sudden change in Manny's vision. He started seeing things that weren't there, and his gaze was unfocused. It seemed as though he was looking through things, not at them. He stopped watching the TV and preferred to listen to the sound. His brain imaging revealed that he had posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES), and he had a small hemorrhage in the right frontal lobe of his brain. Soon after, he experienced a massive hemorrhage in his brain that required the removal of a large section of his skull. Manny was in a coma for the next two months.
In the fall of 2012, our Manny was stable enough to come home from the hospital, but he was unable to communicate or control his movements. There was no smile, no hand squeeze, nothing. He just slept and moaned and cried. His vision was the least of our concerns.
Then came the amazing day when Manny showed us that he was still "in there." He broke through to us by moving a maraca that we often placed in his hand. Usually he seemed to move it absently, without any real purpose. Then one day something changed about the movement. He gained enough control of his arm to shake it, and we were able to get functional communication. Shake the maraca for yes, leave it quiet for no.
"Do you have a brother?" The maraca rattled.
"Is your brother's name Pedro?" Quiet maraca.
"Do you want applesauce?" Quiet maraca.
"How about cheesy mashed potatoes?" A definite yes!
I thought I was hallucinating in the middle of the night when I first heard a faint croak from the direction of Manny's bed, which we had pulled next to ours. "Mama." But the next night, there it was again. "Mama." And soon after, there was no doubt, he was saying words—barely audible, precious words that required herculean effort for him to utter.
Manny grew stronger, and his communication kept improving, along with his movement and strength. That's when we realized our boy couldn't see. It didn't bother him at all. He didn't even seem to notice. He was just living life and loving on his family, especially his baby sister, who went from the fragile newborn he remembered to a sudden bundle of clumsy toddling, wet kisses, and curious feeding-pump button-pressing.
Manny's radical improvement meant that he was ready for rehab. We went back to the hospital for intensive therapy. At that time we had no clue what to do about his vision, and neither did his therapists. We did what seemed to make sense and started teaching him basic adaptive skills such as tactile exploration. I read whatever I could get my hands on about cortical blindness. That was the label he first received, but it was quickly swapped out for cortical visual impairment (CVI), the more comfortable/acceptable term. (Comfortable for whom? you ask. Good question! More on that later.)
After we were discharged from inpatient rehab, we sought out the professionals who, we hoped, could help us better understand what was going on with Manny's vision. It was a frustrating experience! The people we expected to fill us in didn't seem to know how to assess our son. They assumed that Manny couldn't identify the objects on the modified Snellen chart due to a cognitive impairment. He was prescribed glasses, which of course didn't help. We reached out to Lighthouse for the Blind, and they provided vision therapy services. I read Dr. Christine Roman-Lantzy's textbook on CVI, and on multiple occasions I administered the CVI-range tool she developed. I purchased the recommended vision therapy apps, diligently observed Manny's vision therapist, and tried to incorporate the strategies she suggested to rehabilitate Manny's vision.
Full disclosure here, I'm a speech therapist myself. One driving force behind rehabilitation is that we know the brain can heal and reorganize after an injury. When Manny's injuries occurred and I learned about CVI, I believed at my core that he could regain some visual function if we applied the principles of neuroplasticity. I also knew it was equally important for him to have the tools to navigate the world with vision impairment, so we introduced adaptive strategies, including Braille, very early on. However, the strategies for rehabilitating vision and the strategies for encouraging tactile exploration and teaching Braille are in direct opposition to each other.
After two years of vision therapy, Manny still couldn't recognize anything by sight, and it didn't bother him in the least. It bothered me, though. I felt like a failure whenever we went to see the low-vision specialist. Apparently the standard strategies work in about 90 percent of CVI cases, and the child goes on to develop some degree of functional vision. For all my training and the research I had done, I still was not confident about our approach to this puzzling situation.
Enter Erin, an adult with CVI and a fellow mom. She responded to an SOS I posted in an online support forum for parents with blind children. In one heartfelt post this dear woman did what I couldn't do with all my hounding of specialists. She helped me let go of my mom guilt and provided me with much needed clarity on what it's really like to grow up with CVI. She gave me the best advice I've gotten from anyone on this journey: to accept and embrace Manny's blindness. Or half-blindness. "You aren't teaching your child to be blind," she said. "He is already blind. Allowing and acknowledging that isn't giving up. Giving him blindness tools doesn't make him blind, it makes him more successful when he already is blind, just using different techniques." Her advice gave me the confidence I needed to focus our time and effort on what was working and to let go of what wasn't.
Recently I read an article by a neonatologist and neuroscientist who explains that the diagnosis cortical blindness given to babies becomes inappropriate as the baby's vision improves and develops. The neonatologist said the term should be dropped in favor of the term cerebral or cortical visual impairment. Her rationale is that cortical blindness is a "no-treatment" diagnosis that effectively delays timely and appropriate therapy. She goes on to say that, unlike cortical blindness, CVI can be treated.
I understand the intention of avoiding an incorrect label and the need to reflect accurately a child's visual progress in the diagnosis. However, I think that the "cortical blindness is a no treatment diagnosis" mindset lies at the heart of the confusion surrounding CVI. It reflects the idea that blindness can't be remediated, and therefore the term should be avoided. Why should cortical blindness be considered a no-treatment diagnosis?
Wouldn't it be more helpful for families like mine to understand early on that the term blindness encompasses a whole range of abilities, and that there is an array of services and tools to make life easier? Wouldn't it be helpful for therapists like me to work closely with parents, vision therapists, and teachers of the visually impaired to understand and utilize strategies for dealing with blindness—both rehabilitative and compensatory—in our service delivery? We have a lot to learn from each other.
Not long ago I talked with another mom whose sixteen-year-old son has CVI. She felt defeated because, after years of vision therapy and adaptations by the school system, her son still had no access to literacy. He had some vision, and the professionals had advised against teaching him Braille until now, as he was going into his senior year of high school. "I just wish I'd had the sense to get him learning Braille a long time ago," she lamented. That was mom guilt talking.
I was able to offer some hope, thanks to Erin, the mom whose advice helped me so much. Erin taught herself Braille as an adult and graduated from college with honors.
I wonder what could happen if we got over our collective fear of blindness. Maybe we would be better able to help people access the tools that work for their unique situations. Those tools could be vision strategies or blindness strategies or some combination of both.
To a sighted person, learning to read Braille can seem like an impossible task. People sometimes assume that those with cognitive disabilities can't learn the system. Manny is proving them wrong. Do his cognitive disabilities slow down his progress? Sure. Do his daily seizures make learning impossible sometimes? Yes. Are there days when I wonder whether learning to read Braille is really worth all the time and effort? I have to admit that sometimes it's true.
I watch Manny zipping around the house in his wheelchair, clearly using his vision not to crash into the walls, and I'm thankful he can use his sight in that way. (Now if you left something you care about on the floor, you might want to pick it up, or risk getting it run over!) I think about Manny confusing me for his Dad when he's not expecting me. I remember how he often asks, "Who is that looking at me?" and it could be a chair or a painting or a hat, and I'm thankful for his adaptive strategies. He loves his audiobooks, and he learns a lot through the auditory medium.
I don't know whether Manny will become a fluent and efficient Braille reader beyond basic literacy. I do know that the grit it takes for him to tackle the challenge will help him build the cognitive resilience he needs to face other challenges that are sure to come. I smile as Manny learns to read basic sentences and triumphantly declares, "This is so easy I can do it with my eyes closed!" I believe the day is coming soon when he'll be saying the same thing when he's reading to learn, a task that not long ago seemed completely out of reach.
https://karenpapemd.com/myths-and-truths-about-cortical-blindness-baby-brains-do-recover/
Roman-Lantzy, C. Cortical Visual Impairment: An Approach to Assessment and Intervention. Louisville, KY: American Printing House for the Blind, 2018.
by Amy Albin
From the Editor: Amy Albin is about to graduate from Montclair State University with her master's degree in industrial/organizational psychology. As a 2019 National Scholarship winner, she has previously been active in both the New Jersey and National Blind Students divisions. Amy currently works at Vispero (which owns Freedom Scientific—the makers of JAWS) as a human resources intern, combining her HR background with her experience as a blind person to make a difference at the leading company for blindness accessibility solutions.
After I graduated from high school in 2017, I decided to attend a residential blindness training center to improve my sorely lacking independent-living skills. Within a few weeks I noticed I was progressing much more slowly than the other students. While they were walking around the block, I continued to get lost in the center building. While they were cooking meals, I struggled to measure flour into a cup. I spent weeks in my ADL class (activities of daily living) struggling to learn the seemingly simple task of putting a fitted sheet on a bed.
Why was nearly every spatial task so hard for me? It wasn't that I didn't know how to learn; I'd gotten A’s throughout my school career in honors and Advanced Placement classes. Throughout my life people told me my problem was that I didn't practice these skills enough. That was true. Every time I tried to practice hanging a shirt, for example, I would feel the hanger and the shirt in my hand and have no idea what to do with them. I knew that somehow the shirt had to go onto the hanger, but that wasn't enough information to help me figure out what my hands needed to do to accomplish the task. So, after trying a whole bunch of strategies, I would give up practicing.
I received occupational therapy throughout my K-12 schooling, but the skills they taught never seemed to click for me. I thought it was because the therapists didn't know how to teach blind people. I hoped that when I went to a blindness training center things would change. But at the blindness center the teachers told me to get occupational therapy!
With the help of Joe Ruffalo, who was president of the NFB of New Jersey at that time, I contacted Carol Castellano. I had met her previously, and we had discussed training centers. Now I told her about my problems and asked her if she knew anything about sensory integration, which was the phrase that someone had advised me to use.
Sensory integration disorder is not an official diagnosis in most places. However, it often occurs in the presence of other challenges such as prematurity. In my case, we are unsure of the reason for the condition, as I was born at full term.
Carol knew exactly what I was talking about from raising her daughter, Serena Cucco, who had sensory integration challenges. We decided to meet in person so Carol could evaluate me, drawing upon her experience and observation. She discovered that I couldn't tell a square from a rectangle. I could verbalize the difference: "A square has four equal sides, and a rectangle has two short sides and two long sides." My verbal skills allowed me to trick everyone, including myself, into thinking that I understood concepts that I actually did not understand. When I examined a figure, I couldn't tell which were the long sides and which were the short sides. I couldn't tell whether it was a rectangle or a square. No wonder making a bed was hard for me!
Carol discovered that I didn't know the significance of turning my hands palms up or palms down, and I didn't know when to use which position. Palms down means putting my palms down on the table with the back of my hands off the table and exposed. Palms up is the opposite, where my palms are off the table and exposed, and the backs of my hands are on the table. Without this understanding, no wonder I couldn't clean crumbs off a table!
At our first meeting I told Carol that I never crawled as a baby. She told me to get down on my hands and knees on the floor and move my palms in and out. She explained to me that, for some reason, I have to teach my body and my brain things that most people seem to be born knowing. For me that teaching has come in the form of exercises Carol has given me to practice throughout the years. I can keep coming back to those exercises and expanding upon them as I progress through my sensory integration journey, which started on that fateful day in 2017 and continues to the present.
I wrote this article as a follow-up to an article written by Carol Castellano in 2019. Her article is linked below. If you haven't read it, please do so before you visit any of the other resources presented.
Castellano, Carol. "Maybe It's Not Because They're Blind: How Sensory Integration Exercises May Help Our Children."
https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/fr/fr38/4/fr380407.htm
Carol recommended the following article:
A Parent's Guide to Understanding Sensory Integration
Sensory Integration International
https://www.efrconline.org/admin/files/Parent%27sGuideToSI.pdf
by Amber Bobner
Reprinted from wonderbaby.org
From the Editor: Many children who are blind from birth display behaviors that place them on the autism spectrum. Whether these children truly have autism is open to debate; in many cases, autistic behaviors fade or even disappear in these children as they grow older. Whether or not these blind children truly are autistic, however, their behaviors can get in the way of socializing and learning. In this article, Amber Bobnar looks at current options for assessing and managing autistic behaviors in blind children.
Parents of children who are blind and autistic often face unique challenges when it comes to managing behavioral issues. Many traditional behavioral management techniques rely on visual supports, which can be ineffective or even counterproductive for a child who is blind. However, there are several strategies that can be effective with children who are blind and autistic.
I had the opportunity to talk to Mary Jane Weiss, PhD, BCBA-D, LABA, and Associate Dean of Applied Behavior Analysis at Endicott College. I asked her how we can diagnose autism in children who are blind and how we can better address and serve the needs of kids who are blind and autistic.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) isn't diagnosed through a simple blood test, but through developmental monitoring, screening, and evaluation. The CDC offers milestone and developmental checklists for parents to consult to ensure their kids are staying on track developmentally. If you or your child's doctor suspect ASD, you can request a formal evaluation. Some signs to look for are:
As the parent of a blind child, you may notice a problem here. A child who doesn't make eye contact, has difficulties developing social skills, thrives on routine, self-stims, and dislikes loud noises? That easily could describe a child who is visually impaired!
Many families raising children who are blind will find themselves wondering about a possible autism diagnosis. According to a recent study in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, "At least one-third of all children with blindness have been reported to meet the diagnostic criteria for ASD," with an increased likelihood for children diagnosed with optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH), retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), anophthalmia, and Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA).
Dr. Weiss stresses the importance of individualized assessments. After all, that is the point of an evaluation! She says, "I think that one of the most important things to remember about diagnosis is how individualized it is and how careful we have to be about the presence of any one characteristic being indicative of anything."
When having your child evaluated for autism, find someone with experience working with blind children. A local school for the blind or your child's ophthalmologist may be able to point you in the right direction. Parents' groups such as the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) can be valuable resources. It's crucial for your child's evaluator to understand that some behaviors associated with autism may appear with other diagnoses as well.
Dr. Weiss points out, "An individual might be engaging in behaviors we commonly call self-stimulatory, such as flapping or other repetitive behaviors. This may be an indicator of autism, along with many other characteristics, but it may not be. Those behaviors occur in individuals who have autism and individuals who do not have autism, and certainly in individuals who may have other disabilities, including visual impairment."
ASD is often associated with emotional and behavioral problems. If your child has autism, you may see them acting out, having meltdowns, self-harming, or becoming overwhelmed very easily. It's difficult to address these problem behaviors if you don't understand their origin.
Dr. Weiss appreciates that for parents "a child's challenging behaviors often do seem to come out of nowhere, and it isn't something you can easily gain an understanding of or control over, so you feel kind of helpless. I think one of the things that we've developed as a field over the last few decades is understanding why anyone engages in challenging behaviors.
"Autism experts used to focus much more on behavior modification. As professionals, we would see challenging behaviors and then work to reduce or eradicate them. Now the field of behavior analysis focuses much more on understanding behavior and understanding the unique reasons why a particular individual might be experiencing behavioral challenges."
Two common sources of behavior problems are attention seeking and escape motivation. A child may act out in a classroom in order to gain the attention of the teacher, for example. In other instances, a child may act out because they want to avoid a particularly difficult situation or task. How we approach these behaviors would depend on the reason behind them.
"What we need to understand is how this particular behavior emerged for this individual as a coping strategy," says Dr. Weiss. "Then we can look at how to creatively construct an environment where other alternatives are available for that individual. It's important to remember that often the root of the problem is limited communication skills. We need to help children with autism convey to the adults in their lives what they're experiencing and what they need. Augmentative and alternative communication devices (AAC) can be extremely helpful for children who exhibit problem behaviors."
A Behavior Support Plan (BSP) is a personalized strategy that helps support healthy and positive responses in children who may be struggling with challenging behaviors. The BSP addresses difficulties a child is having in school or at home and outlines specific goals that have been tailored to meet those challenges.
Crafting an effective Behavior Support Plan is tricky. You want to be able to meet your child's needs while also giving your child the space to grow and succeed. Below are Dr. Weiss's four tips for creating a successful BSP:
All good plans begin with a strong assessment. It's impossible to address a problem effectively without fully understanding what the problem is!
"I think it's easy for any of us to overgeneralize from one example of a problem behavior and think we understand the full story," admits Dr. Weiss. "But you really do need to do a comprehensive assessment and get a broad understanding of that individual's behavior that enables you to have some confidence as a team in what might be experienced by that individual. That's going to help you identify what you need to do to change the environment to make your child's behavioral issues less likely."
Dr. Weiss is a big proponent of relying on a team when addressing your child's behaviors, particularly for children with multiple disabilities. "I think whenever you're talking about an individual who has multiple disabilities, you do have to make sure you have expertise on the team in all of those areas," she says. "One of the things that I always emphasize in my instruction to students of applied behavior analysis is that you have to always know what your own personal scope of competence is. Do you understand the ways in which this particular disability might influence this person or might be at play here? I think that's important to say, because knowing one of those fields of study is not sufficient in terms of meeting the complex needs of somebody who actually has more than one thing going on.
"Especially when you have children who have multiple disabilities, the essential nature of that interdisciplinary team is really highlighted, because every member of that team will have a different angle, a different perspective, and a unique expertise that can help be part of the solution. I think one thing I'd want to do is make sure I have people on the team who have those multiple areas of expertise. I'd want to make sure that there's an interdisciplinary approach so that the behavior support plan that is developed follows a comprehensive model."
Sometimes the strategy we develop to address a challenging behavior is based on our own hypothesis of the situation, and that can actually make things worse. That's why it's important to understand what the function of any behavior is, because ideally you want your intervention to match that function.
"The same behavior can have different functions in different contexts," says Dr. Weiss. "So, it may not be the case that aggressive behaviors always mean escape. It could be that aggression serves multiple functions in different ways, depending on the situation. We need to really analyze the context and be a bit more nuanced in how we understand why it might be happening right now at this moment in time."
Dr. Weiss stresses that "your plan also needs to include preventative strategies, such as what are we going to change about our responses to these behaviors or about the environment to make it easier for this individual? You also need to consider teaching more specific communication skills so that they have an avenue to express what the nature of their frustration is or what their need is in that moment. Behavior plans also should include that communicative piece."
A plan only works well if we follow it, right? Maybe not. In fact, a rigid adherence to any plan or strategy without the ability to reassess can sometimes do more harm than good.
Successful Behavior Support Plans are based on assessment and evaluations, and that process is ongoing. We should always reevaluate our approaches, be aware of unrealistic expectations, and make note of how our children respond to their environment. Compromise is key, and, as Dr. Weiss points out, "isn't all parenting a compromise of one sort or another?"
"I think it's important for us not to have rigidity about our definitions of goals and to be able to look at family vision, family input, the individual themselves and what they're telling us about goals and what's acceptable, as well as our own views as professionals.
"One of the things that I love about the science of ABA is the individualization. We should always be asking these critical questions: does this make sense for this individual, in this setting, in this context? We need to be able to change what our definition of achieved or mastered is, based on all those contextual variables. I would have no problem dropping certain requirements from goals based on whether or not they have any contextual relevance for that individual."
Having a child who is both blind and diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder can lead to another discouraging problem: Where do you find the best services to meet your child's diverse needs?
Programs designed for blind or visually impaired children offer orientation and mobility training, assistive devices or technology, and other support regarding issues related to visual impairment. ASD programs are better at developing behavior plans or support for children with intellectual disabilities or developmental disorders.
It's not unusual to hear a program for the blind say they don't serve children with autism, or for behavior programs to admit they aren't able to meet the needs of children who are blind. How can we bridge this gap?
"It's a really interesting question, and I think it's one that probably happens to parents of kids with other disabilities as well," says Dr. Weiss. "I've heard similar stories from individuals whose children are deaf or profoundly hard of hearing. They have similar kinds of specialized schools, but they don't really treat individuals who are on the spectrum. Sometimes there's an outlier program that does serve both communities, but mostly not.
"I don't think we talk enough about how much those kids and families fall through the cracks and how inadequate, frankly, the services are. Let's say you go the route of just the services designed for the blind, but in the absence of specialized behavioral services, it might be a much rougher road for that child behaviorally than if they had access to those services.
"Similarly, you can't be doing skill acquisition programming for someone who is autistic in the absence of expertise in how to educate someone who is blind. I do think that we probably need to have some kind of integration of those services in a more formalized way than just a parent talking to two groups of people.
"Parents often end up serving as their own case managers as they try to cobble together the services their child needs. Ideally, you don't want parents to have to take on that role. You want there to be a professional who's independent of the family, looking out for the individual in that way.
"I have seen families getting really creative and really persistent about advocating and ensuring that the right kind of expertise is available for their child. But then what happens is the children whose families are capable of that kind of advocacy end up getting a very different, higher quality level of individualized service than children whose families might not be in a position to do that, for a wide variety of reasons."
Some families have been moving away from applied behavior analysis, feeling that it's too strict to meet their child's needs. Parents of children who are blind or have low vision worry that ABA relies too much on visual supports or visual schedules. Can ABA be flexible enough for blind children with autism?
Dr. Weiss is very aware of the current criticisms of ABA, and she welcomes the opportunity to improve the field. "I think that ABA is in a tough time; there are a lot of critiques of ABA," she says. "It's a field that's being held accountable for things that have happened historically as well as for current practices. I think all of that is very healthy and very important, and I think it's good for us to talk about and address those concerns.
"I really believe, not just in the efficacy of ABA, but in the humanity and the compassion that can be shared with ABA. As with any intervention, it can be done in the presence of compassionate care, and it can be done in the absence of compassionate care. As a field, I think we've moved far away from those rigid behavioral modification roots and more toward understanding challenging behavior and increasingly toward the compassionate implementation of ABA."
With the right tools and a supportive team, ABA can definitely meet the needs of children who are blind and exhibiting problem behaviors. A flexible and compassionate implementation of ABA can not only help your child control maladaptive behaviors but also acquire new skills and gain self-confidence!
by Elizabeth Rouse
Reprinted from the Blog of the National Association of Blind Students, August 8, 2021.
From the Editor: Elizabeth Rouse, a recent graduate of the Louisiana Center for the Blind, comes from a family of educators. She grew up in an enriched environment that encouraged self-advocacy in all aspects of life, especially in academia. Currently she is preparing to apply to law school. Her thoughts about getting ready to start a new college semester are relevant for blind students of any age, and they can be guidelines for parents, too.
Back-to-school season can seem overwhelming at times, especially for blind students entering a new environment. Whether you're heading off to your first semester of undergrad or starting to take control of your IEP meetings as a high school student, unfamiliar challenges can feel daunting. Over the past eight years, I've learned quite a bit about navigating new situations, and I'm excited to share a few of my ideas with you. I hope that my experience can make some of these steps in your educational journey a pinch less stressful.
One of the simplest pieces of advice I can offer is to use your voice. Letting those around you know what will help you is important, whether they are teachers/professors, disability services staff members, or even your closest friends. We may sometimes wish someone could simply read our minds and understand what we need, but that isn't reality. Instead, we are tasked with the responsibility of requesting, suggesting, and advocating for anything and everything that will make the classroom more conducive to our unique learning styles. After all, no one knows what we need to succeed better than we do ourselves.
Building on the idea of communicating with those around us, working alongside those same individuals comes next. Pay attention to the steps in the process that can make gathering resources easier for you. For example, if you are working with an office to find an accessible textbook or trying to schedule your upcoming IEP meeting at a time when everyone can attend, be attentive to deadlines. Respect the fact that you aren't the only student working with these entities to accomplish tasks. Make sure everyone is on the same page and remains tied into communication channels.
It's also important to remember that, in some instances, a system may already be in place to help you succeed. Check with an office coordinator to see how things have been done in the past. Use the tools already available to you before you start building systems from scratch.
If there isn't a system in place at your academic institution, remember that you've got a Federation family ready, able, and willing to assist. Reach out to someone in the National Association of Blind Students to see whether someone has gone through a similar experience. Doing everything alone gets tiring, and it's perfectly normal to lean on others for support since you've also got classes and extracurricular activities to contend with.
When I first started college, I was anything but confident in my own abilities. I'd just graduated from a tiny high school, and I thought I was the only blind student at my college. However, by communicating with the Student Support Services office, I found two other blind students on my campus. They became a pivotal resource for me, and together we worked through difficulties we faced both in and out of the classroom. As I shared both my positive and my negative experiences with them, my confidence began to grow.
The more challenges I faced down and overcame, the more I felt I could take on. By working alongside those willing to help me, I evolved into a more confident person. I also stepped outside my comfort zone, attending events such as Washington Seminar, which helped me recognize how my newfound, and still developing, sense of confidence could benefit others to come after me.
The age-old phrase "Rome wasn't built in a day" is sadly true. It takes time to develop as a communicative and confident student dedicated to collaborating with others. Throughout this process, it is essential to try to remain calm when things get tough. At times you may experience stress, frustration, and a sense of defeat. Learning to cope with these feelings is a part of raising your level of maturity.
The calmer you remain, the more you can handle in a level-headed manner. Screaming, crying, and throwing things at a wall may work wonders on your frustration levels, but after your temper has settled, the problem still stands, and all you're left with is a mess to clean up. The most important thing to remember, though, is that you can clean up that mess, take a few breaths, and tackle the problem from a different angle.
Academia is a wonderful environment where students have the chance to grow into their own talents and abilities. Be patient with yourself and the situations you face, and remember to tap into your resources. No matter how you may feel, you're never facing things alone.
As you enter the classroom this fall, I encourage you to keep this Japanese proverb in the back of your mind: "Fall seven times and stand up eight." As students we are resilient, dedicated, and much stronger than we might think.
by Ally Markovich
Reprinted from Braille Monitor, Volume 65, Number 10, November 2022
From the Editor: This article originally appeared on Berkeleyside, an online nonprofit news source, on July 21, 2022. It is reprinted with the kind permission of the author and of Berkeleyside.
She fought on behalf of her blind son. Now BUSD [Berkeley Unified School District] will make online learning tools more accessible. The National Federation of the Blind hopes a settlement the mother reached with BUSD will become a blueprint for other school districts.
Kai Wang was in first grade when the pandemic moved his classroom at Cragmont Elementary behind the screen of his laptop. And for all the challenges of virtual learning, Kai, who is blind, faced even more of them.
Virtual learning hastened the arrival of a new era in educational technology. The problem, though, was that many of these tools were not built with students with disabilities in mind.
Math, for instance, was no longer a paper and pencil affair—instead, numbers flashed on the screen and students solved equations using educational technology software. But when Kai moved his cursor around the screen during his math class, the screen reader repeated the same word. "Unpronounceable," it said over and over again. "Unpronounceable."
The same situation repeated itself nearly every time Kai logged on for class, a situation that was documented in the SF [San Francisco] Chronicle. Once, a teacher told him he was excused for the rest of the hour because he wouldn't be able to see it.
"That was unbearable for us. He's a sponge, wanting to learn every single thing. And he was just simply excluded from learning," said Mina Sun, Kai's mom.
As the pandemic wore on, Sun quit her job as a scientist at UC Berkeley to focus full-time on advocacy for her son and other blind students. After numerous attempts to work with Berkeley Unified, Sun said, she secured the help of the National Federation of the Blind and an attorney, Timothy Elder, who is blind himself.
After she sent a demand letter on Dec. 2, 2020, arguing that the district was not meeting its obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the district agreed to a process called "structured negotiations" that serves as a more collaborative alternative to a lawsuit.
The result was a June 9 settlement—the first of its kind, according to Sun and the National Federation of the Blind—that establishes a process for reviewing the technology BUSD uses and creates a system for responding to accessibility complaints.
"Providing quality, engaging, and accessible learning in service to our students is a district priority. As a system, we will continue to reflect on our work and make continual improvements to make sure this remains true," a BUSD spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement, saying that the district could not comment further on the settlement due to student privacy requirements.
Moving forward, any new tech purchases will have to go through staff at multiple departments with the hope of ensuring accessibility for students with disabilities. The structured negotiations didn't result in any damages (the district paid out just $50,000 in legal fees); instead, Sun wanted systemic policy changes.
Sun and her team hope that the settlement will be the sort of experiment that, if it's effective, could become a blueprint for other school districts.
When Kai was in preschool, he was diagnosed with retinal degeneration. As he got older, his vision would deteriorate, and he would become legally blind.
Sun, who did not know anyone who was blind at the time, was terrified. It took years for her to develop the stance she now takes: Kai is brilliant, he can achieve anything he wants, and her job is to get rid of the logistical barriers that stand in his way.
"I have talked to lots of people who think, 'You're asking too much. You can't expect everything to be accessible,'" Sun said.
But from her perspective, she is asking for the bare minimum: for Kai, now nine years old, to simply have the same educational access that his younger brother, Skyler, who is not visually impaired, will get.
One time, Kai asked his mom whether she could call "just one" of the ten or so technology companies whose tools he was supposed to be using in class every day. Could they make their tool just "a little bit" accessible for him, he asked?
"It was heartbreaking for me to hear that," Sun said. "It's just the casual message our society is sending—we're not supposed to ask for all, we can ask for less."
While the technology schools are using may be new, the obligations they have to educate students with disabilities are not.
"The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [IDEA] has existed in one form or another since 1975," said Chris Danielsen, the public relations director at National Federation of the Blind, who worked with Sun. "Yes, technology has changed. But if the school can adapt to the existence of new technology, then it should also be thinking about how that technology is potentially going to affect students with disabilities."
Though IDEA has existed for decades, compliance can be spotty, and it's at least part of the explanation for why just 15 percent of blind people in the U.S. have a college degree.
Classroom use of tech has increased over the last decade or so, dictating how students turn in homework and complete projects.
"But the problem just hit an exponential curve when distance learning happened," said Timothy Elder, founder of the TRE Legal Practice, a law firm that focuses on students with disabilities.
As a result, blind students like Kai—as well as students with disabilities like deafness—faced increasing accessibility challenges.
"Some of the same technology that the BUSD is using is being used elsewhere, which means that blind kids who encounter it are experiencing the same barriers," Danielsen said.
The settlement, which lays out an Instructional Software Review and Approval Process in Berkeley Unified, is intended to ensure that technology will be accessible for all students. It could apply to everything from students turning in assignments on SeeSaw to playing study games like Kahoot.
When BUSD wants to purchase a new technology, it will have to go through a review by staff in special education, technology services, and educational services. Only if the technology is accessible, aligns with the curriculum, and complies with student privacy rules will it be approved for purchase under the new process.
Though it sounds bureaucratic, this could mean the difference between kids getting to participate in class and having to sit out altogether.
And while Sun wishes it didn't have to come to a legal letter or “fall on the shoulders of parents," her attorney praised BUSD for "having the political will to . . . be a leader in the field."
"Software should be accessible across the board, and we shouldn't be expecting the school districts to have to fight for it, district by district," Elder said.
As Sun and others work toward a more accessible world, they have cause to celebrate, and they're hopeful that this means Kai's life will be just a little bit easier in the future.
"He's an exceptionally bright and talented individual, and I'm sure he's going to do amazing things in life," Elder said. "I just want to make sure he gets every opportunity to do that."
Correction: A previous version of this story—and its headline—mistakenly stated that Mina Sun sued BUSD on behalf of her son, Kai. Sun sent a letter arguing that the district was not meeting its obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The letter led to structured negotiations, which eventually yielded a settlement. No lawsuit was filed.
Ally Markovich reports on education and other topics for Berkeleyside. Email: [email protected]. Twitter: allymarkovich.
by Gary Wunder
From the Editor: Gary Wunder is a long-time Federationist who has served the blind community in many capacities. He is a past president of the NFB of Missouri, and he edits the Federation's flagship publication, Braille Monitor. He is also a dedicated advocate for the rights of blind children.
On December 8, 2020, the National Association of Blind Students (NABS) posted a model legislative proposal on the web. They called this model legislation the BRITE Act. BRITE is the acronym for the Blind Students' Right to Independence, Training, and Education.
Sometimes when we get behind a piece of legislation, it is national in scope. It is considered by the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. In other cases we publish model bills and encourage individual states to pass them through their legislatures. This was the case with our Model Parental Rights Bill, and it was true of the Model White Cane Act passed by many states during the 1960s and 1970s. It is the case with the BRITE Bill as well.
In Missouri we have long wrestled over what to do to improve services for our blind students. Early on we passed the Model Braille Bill. However, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education immediately issued a template that school districts could use, allowing them to claim that Braille had been considered and found inappropriate for a particular blind student. We created a task force to make frequent reports on the progress of blind students. All too often the reports were so vague that they were almost meaningless.
In addition to the work we do with the Missouri General Assembly, we help students and parents as they prepare for and attend their Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings. Sometimes we are able to make a real difference, but sometimes we come to the fight too late. Far too often we find that the struggle is sucking the energy away from the learning that might be accomplished for a child sitting in a classroom.
When we took a look at the BRITE Act, we were encouraged. We pitched in and did all the things we knew how to do. We talked with members of the General Assembly about the problems faced by blind children in the Missouri schools. We offered the BRITE Act as a partial solution, and we found an enthusiastic sponsor, Brenda Shields.
Brenda Shields serves in the Missouri House of Representatives, and we couldn't have had a better advocate. She took our model bill and gave it to legislative research. There the language was made to conform to that used in other bills considered by the House and Senate. The bill was introduced and a hearing was scheduled. We certainly thought the sun was shining in Missouri as we went to testify. From what we could tell, our bill had nothing but support. Unfortunately, we were wrong.
Let me digress for a moment to talk about some of our work with the General Assembly in the past. It is not uncommon for us to find an interested sponsor or sponsors, get a hearing, and give what legislators refer to as "impressive testimony," only to find that one of two things happens. Sometimes the legislation dies because there isn't enough time in the session to bring it to a final vote; or, as the bill gets close to passage, opposition materializes and the legislation goes no farther. It feels great to testify before the House and the Senate, but it is no fun to run three quarters of the way down the field and be deprived of a touchdown. It takes more than adrenaline to get points on the scoreboard, and being in the red zone only suggests what might have been, not what is.
At first we were surprised when we found that our representative was being contacted by people who said they could not support our bill. Then we were surprised at being surprised, given how often we had faced this very scenario. First we got mad. We were going to get the same kind of treatment with the BRITE Act that we had gotten when we fought for the National Reading Media Assessment and anything else to do with the quick introduction of Braille. Our sponsor was matter-of-fact. "You don't have to have everybody on your side," she told us, "but a little opposition can go a long way in derailing what you want to do."
So then we had a heart-to-heart talk with ourselves. When Representative Shields asked us whether we had contacted people in the education arena, we mumbled yes and mentioned a few folks we knew. But in our hearts we realized that the contacts we had made were sparse at best. Professionals had told us for so long that we didn't know anything about education; we just wanted to push something through and make those educators and administrators conform to what we believed blind students needed. If they wanted to shrug us off for not being professionals, we would shrug them off for not being part of the blind community. This attitude played into some popular ideas that seem to flourish today: everybody knows more about teaching than teachers do; teachers are looking out for themselves and not for their students; school administrators want to save money, not to provide service.
Although the smugness of our argument stopped us most of the time, some people in the legislature liked it. They applauded the blind fighting for education and against the establishment. Unfortunately they seldom liked our fight enough to advance our cause. If we weren't winning for blind students, why were we playing the game?
The less smug but hardly more defensible part of our argument was that we simply didn't know most of the folks who should be involved in helping us shape education law in Missouri. Besides, we were afraid that if we got the educators involved, our concerns would become diluted. If legislation finally got passed, the reforms we intended to make could turn out to be invisible.
The more we thought about how to see our bill progress, the more uncomfortable we grew with the us vs. them scenario, with the idea of their special interests opposed to our special interests. If we were more than a self-serving special interest group, perhaps they, too, were more.
We decided it was worth the risk to meet with some educators and see if we could make something of our proposal. To our surprise, the educators rather liked it. Some of the things our bill demanded they thought were impractical; yet, in some areas, they thought the bill could be even stronger. Our working group included a teacher of the visually impaired who holds certifications in orientation and mobility and assistive technology; a preschool teacher from a private blindness foundation; the parent of a blind child; and three members of our Federation affiliate: President Shelia Wright; Second Vice President Jenny Carmack; and none other than Gary Wunder, the immediate past president of the affiliate.
A series of meetings commenced in the summer of 2021 and continued for the better part of six months. Sometimes we went for two or three weeks without a meeting, but occasionally the work found us meeting two or three times in a week.
One of the things we three Federationists learned is that knowing the outcome you want is not the same as knowing how to get it within the system that exists. We learned that ignorance is no crime, but failing to learn can be fatal. We learned about things we weren't familiar with, such as the extended core curriculum and the difference between services under a 504 Plan and under an Individualized Education Plan. We learned about the various certifications that teachers can and should have if they want to claim expertise in their field and be paid for it. We learned how to discuss issues on which we could find easy agreement, and how to intersperse them with the difficult issues that threatened to cause an impasse. We learned to keep our group small enough to be fast and flexible, yet transparent enough that everyone knew what we were doing and how they could become involved at various points in the process.
Our goal was to construct a statute that would lead to better education for blind children. Along the way we were building trust. We were learning that the phrase "it's all about relationships" is more than a warm, fuzzy slogan. Building relationships produced real results for us. It is our hope that we have created a foundation on which we can build to solve problems that go well beyond the reach of this particular statute.
When we thought we were close to finishing our work, we emailed it widely to educators, administrators, and consumers. At the same time, we gave a copy of our proposal to Representative Shields to see if anything we had done might interfere with her support. To our relief, those with whom we shared the proposed text had a positive response. Their only real regret was it did not tackle all of the issues they believed we must address to create equity and equality of opportunity.
In 2022 we went back to the legislature. The legislators were impressed with our work, and they were also impressed with our unity. They were not being asked to mediate between warring factions. In a legislative session that overflowed with controversy, our education bill was a welcomed relief.
In Missouri statutes we now have a recognition that blind students need more from school than academics. They need mobility instruction at school and at home, and sometimes this requires providing service after school hours. This cost will not be passed on to parents or instructors, but will be borne by the district. Furthermore, blind students need technology, not only at school, but also at home. Again, this is not a cost for parents, but for the district. The statute still says that Braille will be the default for blind children; it also says that blind students who use Braille will be expected to be as competent in reading as their sighted peers of comparable age and ability. In its construction, the law serves to pull most statutes related to blindness and education together so that it is easier to figure out what is expected of a school district and what rights blind students and their parents have under law.
Of course, the effectiveness of the legislation that has been passed and signed will depend on its implementation. This law certainly doesn't solve all of the underlying problems that stand between blind students and the education we want them to have. We have to figure out a way to solve the teacher shortage that makes it difficult, and in some cases nearly impossible, to find qualified teachers of the blind. We also face a shortage of mobility and technology instructors. We must figure out how to deal effectively with school districts that contract for services, only to find that those with whom they contract do not have staff qualified to meet their agreed-upon obligations. We still have to work on the problem posed by geography. How can we ensure that services are available in those small communities where there may be only one or two blind students?
Some of what now lives in the statutes of Missouri will make it difficult for local education agencies and districts to comply. However, as our legislative sponsor reminded us, "You won't find people meeting obligations that aren't spelled out. What we may view today as aspirational will in the near future be expected compliance."
Only time will reveal how significant the passage of the BRITE Act in Missouri will be. For many of us who participated in its passage, working together and tearing down some of the walls that we jointly built between us has been a wonderful experience. We believe the law will help blind students, and we believe it will help the professionals whose careers revolve around meeting their students' needs. Most of us feel a bit better about being able to bridge what we so uncomfortably and uncritically thought of as unbridgeable gaps. How wonderful it is that sometimes one can fight for a cause without fighting with another human being! Being victorious is even sweeter when we look out at a win/win rather than a win/lose! Not every conflict can be resolved in this way, but it is worth the try—it is always worth the try.
From the Editor: In 2020 the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) and the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) drafted a model bill, the Blind Students' Rights to Independence Training and Education Act (known as the BRITE Bill). The model bill presented here can be found and downloaded at https://nfb.org/sites/www.nfb.org/files/2020-12-model%20blind%20students%20rights%20to%20
independence%20training%20and%20education%20act.pdf. It is hoped that Federationists, parents, and educators will work together to pass this bill in states across the country.
Purpose: To require Local Education Agencies to include in the individualized education programs (IEPs) of Blind students (as defined by this Act) provisions for instruction in Braille and the use and mastery of Braille (unless the IEP team finds that Braille is inappropriate for the student, pursuant to 20 U.S.C. section 1414(d)(3)(B)(iii), provisions for the home and school use of accessible assistive technology devices as well as accessible assistive technology services, including instruction, that allows the student to achieve age-appropriate mastery of such technology; provisions for instruction in orientation and mobility and the use and mastery of orientation and mobility, and to require the certification and re-certification, or comparable examination and comparable re-examination of the teacher of blind students' proficiency in accordance with their areas of expertise; to require that instructional technology and technology-mediated learning methods are accessible to all students, parents, educators, and administrative staff, including those who are blind; and to require local education agencies to offer instruction of nonvisual skills outside of school hours.
Section 1: This act may be cited as the Blind Students' Rights to Independence, Training and Education Act or the "BRITE Act."
Section 2: Findings
a. The Legislature finds the following:
1. Seventy percent of all working-age blind people are either unemployed or underemployed, and that approximately 50 percent of all blind students drop out of high school.
2. Blind individuals who exhibit literacy in Braille have statistically and historically been more likely to be employed and earn higher wages as opposed to those who do not possess basic Braille literacy.
3. Improving the instruction of nonvisual skills to blind students will improve graduation rates and employment opportunities.
4. By providing increased flexibility for the provision of nonvisual services like Braille instruction, accessible assistive technology instruction, and orientation and mobility instruction to their students, Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) can increase graduation and employment rates among blind students.
5. Technology-mediated learning environments and methods have become an integral part of the education landscape, but many Blind students do not have access to the necessary instruction or accessible assistive technology tools to learn, practice, and master the most basic grade-level-appropriate expectations.
b. Therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to ensure that Blind students, as defined below, receive the grade-level-appropriate instruction, services, and accessible assistive technology that they need to receive a free appropriate public education.
Section 3: Definitions
a. Accessible Assistive Technology—The term "Accessible assistive technology" refers to assistive technology, as defined at 20 U.S.C. 1401(1)(A), that provides Blind students the benefits of their educational program in an equally effective and integrated manner as that provided to nondisabled students.
b. Adequate Instruction—The term "Adequate Instruction" refers to the quality teaching of blind students, as it pertains to general education and necessary blindness skills, in alignment with the US Department of Education's definition of "appropriate education."
c. Blind Student(s)—The term "Blind student(s)" means any child with an individualized education plan and identified as having the disability of "visual impairment, including blindness" and/or the disability of "deaf-blindness" pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) and successor legislation thereto.
d. Grade-Level Instruction—The term "Grade-Level Instruction" refers to instruction that aligns with State-designated content standards and curriculum for students of the same age or level of maturity, based on their development of intellectual, emotional, physical, and behavioral capacity that is typical for the student’s age or age group.
e. Local Educational Agency—The term "Local Educational Agency" has the meaning given in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act at 20 U.S.C. 1401(19).
f. Nonvisual Access—The term "nonvisual access" means the ability of a Blind student to use all functions of a device, without utilizing their vision, in an equally effective, equally integrated manner, and with equivalent ease of use as their sighted peers.
g. Nonvisual Skills—The term "Nonvisual Skills" refers to skills that are taught in such a way that the student does not need to use any vision.
h. State Educational Agency—The term "State Educational Agency" has the meaning given in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act at 20 U.S.C. 1401(32).
i. Technology-Mediated Learning Environments and Methods—The term "Technology-Mediated Learning Environments and Methods" refers to the settings in which electronic and information technology, to include computer-based applications and simulations, personal and mobile computing devices such as smartphones or tablets, web-based platforms, online or distance-learning programs, video games, exhibits or installations that feature digital media, wearable technology, or other tools that support participants' engagement with new knowledge, skills, or practices is used.
j. United States Access Board—The term "United States Access Board" refers to the independent federal agency created in 1973 that promotes equality for people with disabilities through leadership in accessible design and the development of accessibility guidelines and standards.
Section 4: Eligibility and Commencement of Services
a. Use and Instruction
(1) Braille—In conjunction with the US Department of Education's Braille presumption requirement (20 U.S.C. 1414(d)(3)(B)(iii), instruction in Braille reading and writing shall be sufficient to enable each Blind student to communicate effectively and efficiently at a level commensurate with their same-age and with their non-disabled peers of comparable intellectual ability. The Blind student's individualized education program shall specify:
A. the results obtained from an evaluation of the Blind student's reading and writing skills, needs, and appropriate reading and writing media (including an evaluation of the Blind student's future needs for instruction in Braille or the use of Braille);
B. how Braille will be implemented as the primary mode for learning through integration with other classroom activities;
C. the date on which Braille instruction will commence;
D. the length of the period of instruction and the frequency and duration of each instructional session, which shall include at least as much instruction in literary and mathematical Braille as is provided to non-disabled print learners;
E. the level of competency in Braille reading and writing to be achieved by the end of the period, which shall be comparable to that of non-disabled print-reading peers.
(2) Accessible assistive technology—In conjunction with accessible assistive technology requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(1)(2B)(i), the Blind student must receive grade-level instruction that will equip the Blind student with the appropriate technology-mediated learning environments and methods to perform on the same level of proficiency expected of peers of comparable intellectual ability and grade level. The Blind student's individualized education program shall specify:
A. the results obtained from an assessment of the Blind student's skills, needs, and appropriate accessible assistive technology, including an evaluation of the future needs for nonvisual accessible assistive technology training or the use of nonvisual accessible assistive technology;
B. how nonvisual accessible assistive technology will be implemented as the primary mode for learning through integration with other classroom activities;
C. the date on which accessible assistive technology instruction will commence;
D. the length of the period of instruction and the frequency and duration of each instructional session;
E. the level of mastery of the accessible assistive technology specified by the blind student's assessment to be achieved by the end of the period;
F. acknowledgment that either:
(i) the blind student may transport the accessible assistive technology to and from school without the need for payment, family assumption of liability for loss or damage, or any other cost to the student or the family; or
(ii) if the accessible assistive technology remains at school, the LEA will provide duplicate accessible assistive technology in the Blind student's home without requiring payment, family assumption of liability for loss or damage, or any other cost to the student or the family.
(3) In conjunction with related services requirement of the IDEA, orientation and mobility instruction must be sufficient and shall equip each Blind student with the age-appropriate tools, techniques, and nonvisual skills to navigate in and around their homes, schools, communities, and other environments as applicable, and as expected of peers of comparable intellectual ability and grade level.
A. (i) Assessments—An orientation and mobility evaluation shall be conducted by a person who is appropriately certified by the National Blindness Professional Certification Board (NBPCB) with a National Orientation and Mobility Certification (NOMC), or through the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals (ACVREP) as a Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist (COMS).
(ii) The orientation and mobility evaluations described in paragraph (i) shall occur in familiar and unfamiliar environments and around the home, school, and community, as determined age-appropriate by the Blind student's IEP.
Section 5: Certifications
a. Braille—As part of the state educational agency's certification and renewal process, educators hired to teach Braille must hold current and valid certification in Unified English Braille (NCUEB), or a comparable examination of the teacher's proficiency in Braille.
b. Accessible Assistive Technology—As part of the state department of education's certification and renewal process, educators hired to teach accessible assistive technology must hold valid and current National Certification in Access Technology for the Blind (NCATB), or take a comparable examination of the teacher's proficiency in, and ability to teach accessible assistive technology.
c. Orientation and Mobility—part of the state educational agency's certification and renewal process, educators hired to teach Orientation and Mobility should hold valid and current National Orientation and Mobility Certification (NOMC), Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist (COMS), or another comparable nationally recognized certification standard.
Section 6: Delivery of Services: LEAs will deliver services to Blind Students in a manner that abides by IDEA, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requirements at all times, including during declared local, state, or national emergencies.
a. An LEA shall not impose any preclusions or limitations of a student to receive instruction in orientation and mobility services in and around the home, school, or community setting.
b. An LEA may require annual written parental consent to conduct effective instruction when those services are provided before or after regular school hours or when those services are provided away from the educational institution or the blind student's residence.
c. If an LEA prohibits an orientation and mobility instructor from using their preferred mode of transportation to transport Blind students to and from outside environments, the LEA shall provide, without cost to the orientation and mobility instructor, an equally effective transportation alternative for that purpose.
Section 7: Other Provisions
a. Eye Report—if an LEA requires an eye report, then the LEA must bear all costs associated with obtaining such report, and LEAs may not delay an evaluation for eligibility based on the absence or delay of such report.
b. All electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained or used by LEAs must be compliant with the United States Access Board's Section 508 standards promulgated on January 18, 2017, and all subsequent revisions.
c. Presumption of Full Inclusion in the General Education Curriculum—It is crucial for LEAs to anticipate the need for nonvisual accessibility, and to put policies and procedures in place in order to reduce or eliminate common barriers experienced by blind students, parents, educators, administrators, and other staff.
by Natalie Shaheen
Based on a Presentation at the 2022 NFB National Convention
Introduction by Mark Riccobono: The next presentation will be partly in the room and partly virtual. A number of people who are participating in this presentation have been part of our efforts to stimulate the education of and innovation for blind people in science, technology, engineering, and math. This is always a powerful moment in our convention, especially when we can hear from the next generation who have been impacted by the work we've done. This is a good time for us to think about how we can transform our own learning in ways that impact not only blind people but the broader community.
For a number of years you've heard about ourSpatial Ability and Blind Engineering Research (SABER) program, which we have been undertaking to teach and explore spatial reasoning and understanding and to stretch the dimensions of what nonvisual access means and how we can contribute to the broader understanding of engineering. Here to lead us in this presentation is someone well-known in many parts of this convention. She serves as director of our NFB SABER program. She also has the distinction of being a Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award winner. Here is Dr. Natalie Shaheen.
NATALIE SHAHEEN: As you may have deduced from the announcement and the materials that were passed around earlier, this session is going to employ a pedagogical approach that's a little different from what you're accustomed to.
NFB EQ is a program to help develop the spatial abilities of blind participants. We held face-to-face programs in Baltimore in 2018 and 2019 and remote programs in 2020 and 2021. As you will hear from the students, the face-to-face programs involved a project in which students designed and engineered a place of their own and then constructed a scale model of their place. The remote programs focused on the art and math of paper-folding, as well as its engineering applications. Students learned about the mathematical laws that govern origami.
That's right—there are four mathematical laws that govern origami. The laws are two-colorability, mountain-valley counting, angles around a vertex, and layer ordering. If you want to learn more about the mathematics of origami, I recommend the work of Doctors Robert Lang and Thomas Hull.
Madeline Mau, a 2021 NFB EQ online participant who hails from New Jersey, is here to share her NFB EQ experience. Here's Maddy.
MADELINE MAU: Hi everyone! Thank you so much! There are many things middle-school science classes might be known for: long lectures, zany teachers, and Periodic Table t-shirts, or group labs devolving into good-natured horseplay among classmates. My science education had some of those things—mostly the former—but there was an even bigger component many people overlooked, the inaccessibility of STEM education. Since early childhood I have been given a science education far less adapted for my learning needs than that of my sighted peers. This manifested in myriad ways: teachers using inaccessible materials, sloppy or nonexistent tactile graphics, reduced opportunities for my participation in labs, and my needs being given less importance by the teacher, to name a few. These patterns caused me to become apprehensive about pursuing STEM as a career or subjecting myself to more rigorous STEM education. I feared all of it would be similar to what I had previously experienced.
My freshman year of high school was filled with hurdles and challenges similar to those of my middle-school career. Teachers continually underestimated me or tried to put me in classes at a lower level than those I should have been allowed to take. They didn't want to deal with adapting complex material for me, or they thought I was incapable of understanding the concepts, even though the only difference between me and my peers was my blindness.
I started to gain a new perspective when I enrolled in the National Federation of the Blind's EQ program for high school students last summer. It has been almost a year since the program ended, but I still treasure the lessons and techniques it has taught me. I cherish the connections I made with other blind students and members of the Federation.
The curriculum is rigorous, with many activities devoted to developing spatial reasoning skills through technical drawing, paper folding, and puzzle solving. My peers and I were given many challenging assignments that encouraged us to reframe how we thought about STEM as a whole. We learned through conversations with blind STEM professionals and resources about blind people in STEM fields. We were also provided with many manipulatives that enabled us to participate in hands-on activities such as folding origami boxes, making fractals with index cards, and drawing multiview sketches of various objects in our daily lives.
There were also ample opportunities for combining spatial reasoning with recreation. We were encouraged to build with LEGO®s using nonvisual instructions or given origami popup books to deconstruct and analyze. Though this curriculum contained vastly different activities from those in my standard science education, it has proven to be far more valuable. It introduced me to advanced spatial reasoning concepts, gave me transferable skills I could use in my mainstream classes, and showed me how fulfilling accessible STEM could be, complete with advice from successful blind people in the workforce.
Not only did the EQ program offer engaging activities and lessons, it also had a student showcase where my peers and I presented projects inspired by what we learned. The showcase was one of the biggest highlights for me. It demonstrated everyone's unique perspective on what we learned in addition to our skill sets and our other interests. Some students who knew about web development created websites sharing EQ resources such as origami patterns and LEGO instructions in adapted formats, as well as new patterns they created. Others used the skills they learned at EQ to make detailed paper creations that highlighted their spatial thinking and inventive mindsets. Others, like me, wrote about their positive experiences and takeaways to tell the world about the benefits of adapted STEM education and explain why it is essential for all blind students, STEM-inclined or not.
After reflecting on my experiences in the NFB EQ program, I still don't know if STEM truly is for me. I worry a lot about what my future science education will look like, or whether higher level STEM classes will be accessible so I can succeed. As I am speaking to you today I am a rising junior in high school, and I have just finished a school year filled with the same unadapted STEM materials and uncooperative teachers, on top of a more demanding course load and the daunting prospect of choosing a career. However, I now understand how STEM can become more than inaccessible experiments and inflexible teachers. I've been fortunate to experience how an accessible and engaging science education can boost confidence and open up new possibilities for me and my blind peers. I hope others will have easy access to such opportunities in the future. Thank you!
NATALIE: Thanks so much, Maddy! Now, are you all ready to be active learners? Before we get started, a couple of notes about mindset. First, we all come to today's activity with different knowledge and experience. In the Federation we have some skilled origami artists. I'm not one of them. Today's activities are for you, whether you're a skilled origami artist or someone who has never folded paper. Each of us will have different takeaways from today's activities. Your takeaways might be how to fold paper to make interesting shapes, or they might be about how to support others in developing that knowledge. Second, each of us uses a different combination of supports to learn. Your learning supports might be personal capacities like your sense of touch, digital tools, analog tools, or other humans. Whatever combination of supports works best for you is perfect. From my perspective, learning supports do not exist in a hierarchy. I encourage you to use whatever combination of supports suits you today.
Here are a couple of supports specific to these activities that are available for those who prefer to read. You will find written instructions for the activities in the transcript, which is linked on the Crab-pass app and on the tweet I posted this morning. Our NFB EQ students, mentors, and staff are on the floor to provide human supports. You will also find human supports all around you. It's the Federation way to help each other out. I am sure the folks around you will be pleased to support your learning.
[At this point Natalie gave instructions for people in the audience to fold squares of origami paper to create a cube and to teach another person the process.]
NATALIE: Next, we have recorded presentations from five of our NFB EQ students.
ABBY DUFFY: Hi! My name is Abby Duffy, and I'm from New Hampshire. I participated in NFB EQ in both 2019 and 2020. In both of these programs I was able to learn a lot about science, but I also was able to have a lot of fun.
In 2019 some of my favorite memories are making new friends and experiencing new things. Also we built really cool wooden models that I still have to this day. In 2020 I also participated in STEM EQ. This time it was a virtual EQ, but I made a lot of friends there as well. I learned a lot of cool things and listened to a lot of cool speakers. I'm really glad I got to participate in both of these programs.
RONALD EGLESTON: Hello, I'm Ronald Egleston from Virginia. I was one of the participants in the NFB EQ virtual program in summer session. I believe that the most valuable skill I took away from the program was how to think and design in three dimensions, which I learned through the lessons in origami. Now this skill helps me when I navigate through buildings and when I design STEM related projects.
ANDREA CATAQUIZ: My name is Andrea Cataquiz, and I'm from Illinois. In 2021 via Zoom I attended the NFB STEM EQ program, where we did a variety of fun activities such as origami. We ended the program by creating a project where we could share our experiences and the things we learned.
GABRIEL MONIZ FRANCES: Hello, my name is Gabriel Moniz Frances, and I am from Alabama. I participated in the NFB EQ program in 2019. Most of the other STEM programs I've been to have been kind of concept-based or theoretical. They show you what you have to do, but they never actually show you how to do it. This time we actually went hands-on with the project. We had to study architectural engineering. After that, we applied some of those concepts by looking at different ways they could work bit by bit. Ultimately we made a final project, a structure of our own. It was completely creative, no guide rails. I built an observatory, and I actually have it to this day.
MAURA: My name is Maura. I am a college student, and I am from Nebraska. I participated in NFB EQ in 2019. It was a really great experience. We got to build little models of rooms we would like to have someday. Mine was a Netflix room. Don't ask me why! It was a really fun time. We got to make drawings and measure the balsawood as much as we could with the angles we had. Mine was a hexagon. At the end of the week we got to do an exhibition in front of a lot of NFB leaders. I got to answer some really cool questions. It was fun to see people who were truly invested in my future and didn't see my blindness as an obstacle.
NATALIE: Many thanks to Abby, Robert, Andrea, Gabe, and Maura.
Remember Maddy mentioned making a fractal out of index cards at the beginning of this presentation? Well, that's what we're going to do now! Don't worry—you don't have to have a deep understanding of fractals to fold one! In fact, folding a fractal is a great way to learn about them or refresh your memory. Today we’re going to fold a Menger sponge, a fractal Emily Gibbs of Texas originally introduced me to. We're going to fold this fractal in four rounds. The first three rounds we'll do together, and the fourth round you can do with some friends later.
[Natalie then gave instructions for the audience to make the fractal with index cards.]
NATALIE: Later today, gather with nineteen of your friends and use your cubes to make a Level One Menger Sponge. That's a cube comprised of twenty smaller cubes. If you're ambitious, use twenty Level One Menger sponges to make a Level Two Menger sponge, an even bigger cube. Emily Gibbs, some students, and I once made a Level Three Menger sponge out of index cards. That was a really big cube!
There are enough index cards here in the ballroom to make that happen. The question is, are you up to the collaborative challenge? Share your progress on social media, using the NFB22 hashtag.
Keep thinking spatially and stretching the dimensions of nonvisual learning. Remember, STEM isn't visual, it's spatial.
by Lindy van der Merwe
From the Editor: Lindy van der Merwe is a blind mother raising two teens in Cape Town, South Africa. She is a crafts enthusiast, and she has built a website that offers blind-friendly, verbal instructions for creating origami models. She reached out to Future Reflections when she discovered through a web search that origami is being used to teach engineering principles in the NFB EQ programs. Her Accessible Origami Project is an exciting resource.
I have always been interested in arts and crafts, but my thirst for new craft projects took on a life of its own once I became a mum. I realized that arts and crafts could be lots of fun to share with my children, and they could also be a way for me to foster my own creativity.
I wasn't alone, it turns out. In 2007 a small crafts listserv was established called Crafting without Sight. Although some of us liked the more traditional crafts such as knitting and crocheting, many of us were interested in crafts such as scrapbooking, card making, quilting and sewing, cooking, decorating, and all kinds of crafts that we could do with our kids. Someone on the list mentioned origami. Since it was around Valentine's Day, a list member found some instructions on how to fold a paper heart. I tried the project, but I was not very successful.
A few months later I thought of looking into origami again. I remembered folding a paper plane or two and a fortuneteller as a kid. I thought all I'd need were my hands, some paper, and a hard, flat surface—and some instructions, of course.
Blind people have come a long way with the development of technology that gives us access to computers and the Internet. I started searching for the keyword origami, and I found lots of information, from craft sites with origami for kids to sites with hundreds of videos of people merrily folding away and sharing their handiwork with the world. However, to my dismay, it became clear that the instructions for everything from the simplest sailboat to the most amazing models are, for the most part, presented as diagrams.
A fairly standardized system of visual representation (the Yoshizawa-Randlett-Harbin system) is used worldwide in almost all modern books on the art of paper folding. As the ability to represent photos and drawings online progressed, artists and authors from all over the world have made diagrams available for folding origami models on various websites across the Internet. Sometimes instructions consist of only drawings, while some people prefer to combine visual elements such as pictures and drawings with verbal instructions. Files are often in gif or jpg formats, which are inaccessible for people using screen readers. PDF files are somewhat more accessible, but a lot depends on how the files have been compiled.
Even if one finds instructions that include verbal descriptions, often they refer to the pictures that accompany them. For instance, "fold the point up to the dotted line" tells me nothing, but "bring the top point down to meet the bottom point" makes sense without a drawing.
Probably the best way to learn origami as a blind person is to have someone show you how to fold a model. You will usually be able to memorize the steps and, with practice, fold a model successfully. Using this method, a blind person can learn through touch, feeling the other person's hands, the changes in the orientation of the paper, and the way each fold is made in order to visualize and memorize the folding process.
Unfortunately, origami is not yet popular here in South Africa. There is no national society or local club that I could join to gain hands-on experience.
As digital technology and social networking developed, more information about crafts in general and origami in particular became available online through videos. Unfortunately, like photos and drawings, videos are of little help. Although many videos are accompanied by verbal instructions or transcripts of text, the instructions are very confusing without such verbal information as the orientation of the model and the direction of each fold. Also, for models that require more than four or five folds, it is often necessary to refer back to instructions. It is easy to forget folding sequences, especially if you don't fold a model on a regular basis. Also, a blind person cannot view the end-product before starting a project. Thus it is difficult to know how complex a model might be, and, once you have completed it, there is no way to compare your model to the actual one shown on a video or diagram.
I was extremely fortunate to find essortment.com, a site that had some text instructions already. I spent hours on this site, learning to fold simple models with the help of extensive description of folding sequences and methods. This activity filled me with immense pleasure and satisfaction. However, I found myself struggling a lot as I moved on to more complex models. Though folding could be done using text only step-by-step instructions, I realized that clear explanation of the results was also necessary.
I was becoming hooked, as most sites promised I would. The only way I could learn to fold many of the models was with the help of a sighted family member or friend. Though this is one way to learn, I wanted to pursue origami in my own time, and I did not want to be dependent on others in this regard. After all, arts and crafts are all about being creative and challenging yourself by acquiring new skills.
If you are the type of person who likes following recipes, origami may be for you. Many people find the sequential and sometimes repetitive nature of folding a model is very satisfying. Folding can be a meditative and relaxing endeavor as well. Some models have what I call a magic moment—that moment when a certain action is performed and the paper is inexplicably transformed from one flat form into something three-dimensional and recognizable. We must remember that origami is a varied art form, meaning there are very simple folds that are great to teach to children and that they will love to play with. Think of the simple sailboat or jumping frog. Then there are models that are so intricate that they can take many hours to fold. Between these are brilliant models that are useful in everyday life, including boxes, vases, bookmarks, cards, coasters, photo frames, envelopes, and more. Some models may be simple, forming the bare outline of an object and leaving the interpretation to the imagination. Other models are detailed replicas of actual objects. This means there may be thousands of ways to fold one specific object. You might find yourself drawn to the more artistic side of origami, or, like me, you might love to fold and design useful objects for decoration or getting organized.
Many origami pieces are not static. Some models can move, transform, jump, fly, tumble, make noise, and more. Needless to say, these action models are very popular with children, and many adults love them, too. I strongly believe that origami can be used with great success as a craft activity for blind adults and children, as well as in educational settings across different fields. Touch is an integral part of the creation process, and each object can be appreciated through touch as well. It is fairly easy to integrate origami into many learning areas, including math, science, art, and even language and comprehension. Paper is relatively inexpensive, recyclable, and portable, and folding can be done anywhere with limited time and limited space. Although many people might want to progress to advanced origami after some time, this does not have to be your ultimate aim. If you enjoy the process of folding, there are many simple models to choose from, and you will never run out of things to fold.
The Accessible Origami Project was established in 2009 with a basic blog where I have posted text instructions over the years. The blog is a work in progress, with instructions for models added over time. I have also compiled different text files called Volumes, which are downloadable from my blog or can be requested via email to [email protected].
I am encouraged by the fact that blind people seem to have discovered origami over the past few years. Lisamaria Martinez established the Accessible Origami Facebook page some years ago, and today it has about eighty members. LM, as she is known, is a blind blogger from the Bay Area, and her blog can be found at bayareablmom.com. She is passionate about origami and has been writing instructions herself and teaching in person and virtually over the past two years. Other sites have also been established with text-only instructions geared toward blind folders, including a French site with "folding sheets" for many models.
Recent changes to my blog include the creation of the following pages:
Start Here: an explanation of the features of the blog, including using the search function and labels to find models
To conclude, I am sharing the instructions for folding a traditional origami rectangular box/tray. I hope you will try this model, even if you have never done origami before. It has no complicated folds, and you may use any rectangular paper you have at hand. Copy paper, flyers, magazine pages, or construction paper will work fine. Don't worry if your first attempt is not perfect. Your folding abilities will improve with practice.
You are more than welcome to contact me for help, to make any suggestions, to share ideas, or to ask questions. If you want to contribute instructions or if you are a caregiver or teacher who can help teach origami, please let me know. My sincere gratitude goes to everyone who has helped me fulfil my dream of creating this project. It is my hope that it will benefit many blind and low-vision adults and children all over the world. For me, this is an ongoing project, since there is, as yet, very little access to this art for blind crafters. There are more models than one could ever imagine, and talented people all over the world are adding more on a daily basis. The Accessible Origami Project website is located at https://accessibleartsandcrafts.blogspot.com.
Text-Only Instructions
Paper to be used: Rectangular, thicker paper is recommended.
Folding level: Easy/Beginner
Steps: 8
Description: This is a fairly large, shallow, rectangular open box or tray.
To make a lid, instead of folding the edges in to meet exactly on the center vertical and horizontal crease lines, leave a slight gap when you fold your edges inwards in Steps 3 and 5. This will result in a lid, identical to, but just slightly larger than your box.
Making a lid that fits perfectly may take some practice and a little guesswork, so experiment with scrap paper first.
If you are using two-sided paper, lay your paper with the patterned or colored side down before starting to fold. The color or pattern will be visible on the outside of your box and/or lid.
Step 1
Place a rectangular piece of paper on a hard, flat surface, with the short edges at the left and right, or in landscape orientation.
Step 2
Fold the top edge down to meet the bottom edge. Crease and unfold.
Step 3
Fold both the top and bottom edges in to meet at the horizontal crease line you have just folded. Crease well and unfold.
Step 4
Now fold the left, short edge over to meet the right edge. Crease and unfold.
Step 5
Fold both the left and right edges in to meet at the vertical crease line you have just folded. Crease well and leave folded. The creases made in Steps 3 and 5 will determine the depth of your box. The closer your folds are to the horizontal and vertical center of the model, the higher the sides of your box will be—and the other way around, of course. Your model should now have three horizontal crease lines, resembling an upright cupboard with its doors closed.
Step 6
Next you will fold in all four corners in a similar way. To do this for the two top corners, fold the paper downward and inward diagonally until the edges lie on the first horizontal crease you encounter. Likewise, for the two bottom corners. Fold them upward and inward until the paper reaches the first horizontal crease you encounter. Crease very well and leave all corners folded.
Note that your corners will not reach the center vertical crease line after they have been folded. To ensure that the sides and corners of the box do not sag, I always fold these corners so their inner points overlap the horizontal crease lines very slightly.
Step 7
Notice that there are two flaps that lie in the center of your model along the vertical crease line. Fold them outwards, to the left and right, as far as they will go. They will lie over the four corners you folded in the previous step. Crease these folds very well and leave folded.
Step 8
All that remains is to turn your flat piece into a three-dimensional box. Make the magic happen by grasping the two long folds you have just made at the vertical center of the model and lifting them upward and outward to form the sides of the box. The corners and remaining two sides will start to form as you do this. Pinch the folds from the outside to improve the shape of the box, and make sure all corners and sides are the same and look neatly creased. Your very own box/tray is ready for use.
For non-commercial use only.
Compiled by Lindy van der Merwe, November 2009; Revised, October 2022
by Karen Anderson
From the Editor: Most parents and teachers of blind students are all too aware that the technology available to sighted users has far outstripped specialized Braille technology. Blind people are at a severe disadvantage when it comes to the graphics that are so ubiquitous for sighted computer users. In this article, Karen Anderson suggests that a new Braille device is being developed that may be the advance we have long awaited.
I grew up as a blind Braille-reading student in the public school system in Nebraska. I vividly remember my third-grade teacher, Mrs. Williams, rearranging her classroom storage so we had space in the classroom for all the volumes of my Braille textbooks. She never wanted me to feel that I had to miss instruction time to go get a new volume. In my desk I kept the volumes I needed for each textbook we were using. When I needed a new volume, I got up, walked across the room, and found the cupboard where my books were stored. Then I thumbed through the volumes until I found the one with the pages we were using. This was the best setup I could imagine at the time, but I wondered what it must be like for my sighted peers, who only had one book to worry about.
I am a very spatial learner, particularly when it comes to math and science concepts. By the time I was in high school, I had a notetaker with a forty-cell Braille display. My teachers were hopeful that I could do my math homework on the notetaker rather than working everything out in hard copy Braille on a Perkins Braillewriter and waiting for my teacher of blind students to transcribe my assignments. However, try as I might, I could not keep enough of the information in my head to handle doing complex math without seeing the entire problem. Reading one line of Braille at a time simply didn't cut it for me. I went back to the Perkins, and I was successful, but I needed that extra step, my teacher of the blind transcribing my work.
I know that my experiences are not unique. Generations of blind students have worked through similar challenges, and we have all lived to tell the tale. But blind students and blind adults have long dreamed of a refreshable Braille display that could display more than one line of Braille at a time. In our wildest dreams we have even imagined that this multi-line Braille display would be able to show us tactile graphics. In general, tactile graphics have been limited or nonexistent for blind students and adults.
The National Federation of the Blind, along with our partners at the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) and HumanWare, believe that the time has come to make this dream a reality. We believe that technology has come far enough to make this device possible. Just as importantly, we believe that we have assembled the right team to make it a reality.
Many blind people are likely to be skeptical. After all, this is not the first time we have heard about work on a device that can do at least some of these things. I can't count the number of times I have been tagged on social media by friends and family, eagerly sharing a news story about a future tablet for blind people that will present multiple lines of Braille. I get my hopes up, only to discover that no headway has been made on the project. In most cases it turns out that blind people haven't even been consulted at all.
Now, for the first time, a truly unified effort has been launched to make this dream a reality. Our partners at APH have more than a century of experience providing Braille textbooks to blind students across the country. HumanWare has decades of expertise developing innovative technology used by blind people around the world. And we in the National Federation of the Blind belong to the nation's oldest organization of blind people. Who better to help develop this game-changing technology for blind people than blind people themselves?
A great deal of research and thought has gone into developing this dynamic new tactile device. Everyone involved in the project wants to make sure it will meet the needs of as many blind people, particularly blind students, as possible.
The Dynamic Tactile Device (DTD) will be able to show ten lines of Braille at a time, and it will be thirty-two characters across. This decision was made in part because we want to make sure that it will easily fit on a student's desk. One of the things that most excites me about these developments is the fact that blind students once again will be able to use the butterfly method of reading, where the right hand finishes a line of Braille while the left hand drops down to begin reading the line below. For obvious reasons this method hasn't been possible for readers using traditional one-line Braille displays. We know that reading with both hands, using the butterfly method, is the best way to build speed as a Braille reader. I look forward to seeing how fast some of our students will be able to read with so much Braille under their fingertips.
In addition, equidistant pins mean that the Dynamic Tactile Device will be able to show tactile graphics, not just Braille characters. This development will be truly revolutionary in terms of math, science, and other spatial content. The device will be able to show tactile graphics labeled in Braille. Furthermore, blind people will be able to interact with the graphics in ways we never really have been able to before. We will be able to zoom in and out on pictures to explore more detail or less, as needed. We will also be able to view material that has been drawn or shown on another device. For example, we might be able to touch a diagram that has been drawn on an iPad using an Apple Pencil. This capability will absolutely change how we interact with tactile graphics and how we teach blind students to understand what has previously been seen as a mostly visual medium.
Below the display on the Dynamic Tactile Device is a Perkins-style keypad that allows the device to be used for writing as well as reading. The Dynamic Tactile Device will also have an on-board ecosystem of Braille-centric applications optimized for viewing multiple lines of Braille at a time. Students will be able to work math problems on this device and still read the lines above and below where they are currently writing. Touch-sensitive cells will allow us to use our fingers to navigate to where we want to edit, rather than having to use cursor-routing keys as we do when we use Braille displays that are currently on the market.
We anticipate that this device will dramatically shorten the time it takes to get Braille textbooks into the hands of blind students. A student will be able to download their books from the cloud instead of waiting for boxes and boxes of Braille volumes to be shipped across the country. But the Dynamic Tactile Device isn't just a powerful tool for blind students. Blind adults will be able to view sports schedules, maps, or knitting patterns. Undoubtedly they will find uses for the device that we can't yet imagine. Picture a blind website developer using the Dynamic Tactile Device to look at the webpage they are designing, checking how it will be laid out without having to use a human reader. A blind architect could tactilely examine digital blueprints as they change in real time. A blind musician could view both hands of a piece of piano music or multiple parts of a finished score.
The Dynamic Tactile Device does not stand alone. In order to make a multi-line Braille display truly feasible and usable to its full potential, our partners have realized that we need to develop a new Braille file standard. The new standard must be optimized to show multiple lines of Braille on one device. We are currently working together to develop the EBRF, or Electronic Braille Ready File, standard. EBRF will make it possible for users to navigate through files as seamlessly as sighted people navigate through electronic files on their Kindle or iPad.
One of our first goals is to get this device into the hands of every blind student in the United States K-12 system. Of course, such a powerful device won't be inexpensive, at least at the start. To make it available we will need to work together to find funding. The American Printing House for the Blind receives an annual appropriation to provide educational books and other materials for students who are blind or have low vision. Increasing this funding will be the most efficient way to get this device into the hands of students quickly. The National Federation of the Blind supports increasing the appropriation for APH to fund distribution of this new Braille display. Our members excel in this kind of advocacy. We know our stories, and we are comfortable telling them. I have illustrated some of the ways having a device like this could have impacted my educational career. We need to share many more stories from our members across the country. We have our stories, our experiences, and most importantly, we have our passion to make things better for the next generation of blind students. By working together we have the power to help our partners secure funding to get the Dynamic Tactile Device into the hands of blind students across the United States, and to make it available to blind adults as well.
Our partners know what a huge impact this device will have on the blind community, and we all believe that this is the right group to make it happen. Bruce Miles, CEO of HumanWare, says, "At HumanWare we are absolutely thrilled to be working on the DTD project alongside our partners at APH and the NFB. It will be nothing short of a revolution in electronic Braille that will clearly transform the Braille experience for everyone around the world. It aligns perfectly with our mission and is the type of challenge that is built into the DNA of our company."
Craig Meador, President of APH, states, "There is no more important frontier for APH than this project. Leveling the education and learning playing field, not just for students but for adults as well, begins with equal access to Braille and tactile images. This really isn't about fancy tech; it is about achieving equality. And there is no other partner we need by our side in the journey to achieve equality than NFB."
President Riccobono put it eloquently. "Each of us has the power to shape the future of the DTD through our active involvement in promoting Braille literacy through the National Federation of the Blind. As we move toward beta testing this innovative device, we as blind people need to be the quality control. What does it do well? What does it do really badly? What does it not do that it should? How could it be leveraged to be more meaningful to us and our authentic experience as blind people? What can we learn from testing these new approaches? These questions and more we must explore through our active testing of this innovative device.
"More importantly, how are we, as blind people, going to utilize the power of this partnership to raise expectations and transform dreams into reality? The answer is, together. Let's imagine what is possible and then make it happen together."
by Heather Bird
Reprinted from Braille Monitor, Volume 65, Number 11, December 2022
From the Editor: Heather Bird lives in Rochester, New York, with her husband and two children. This article is taken from a newsletter about NFB-NEWSLINE published by the NFB of New York. NFB-NEWSLINE has been available for nearly thirty years, but too often it is overlooked as a resource for blind children and teens.
In the NFB we stress the importance of Braille literacy. However, today literacy has taken on many forms. One of these forms is media literacy or being media savvy. I certainly encourage Braille literacy for both of my boys, who are blind. I also work hard to make them as media literate as possible.
Listening to news stories on the radio or television isn't a bad place to start, but it is a very bad place to stop. There may be a temptation with kids, because of their somewhat shorter attention spans, to stick to stories that they can "watch" or "listen to" on the radio or the TV. It is true that listening or watching a news story can make the news accessible, especially if the televised news program is audio-described. However, it is important to help children understand that what fits into a sound bite or predefined clip doesn't always provide the complete story. I stress to my children the importance of reading a full newspaper or magazine article as one way of getting a more detailed, and hopefully broader, picture of current events.
For a child with a print-related disability, NFB-NEWSLINE is a fantastic resource for increasing media literacy. One helpful exercise you can do with a child is to have them watch a short news story on the television or listen to one on the radio. Then, using NFB-NEWSLINE, find an article on the same incident, event, or topic in a newspaper or magazine. Ask the child critical thinking questions about how much more information was given and how differently it was presented and explained in the various forms of media.
Recently I was working in the kitchen and listening to NPR on my Amazon Echo Plus. My son overheard a story about a controversial and sensitive topic, the pro-life versus pro-choice issue. At such a moment, it is tempting to shape a child's view on such a difficult and controversial subject.
I decided not to do that. Instead, we talked about how the station I was listening to is generally considered to be a liberal news source. We also talked about how the stories shared on radio, much like those on television, are often simplified and shortened compared to those that appear in print media.
Then we got on NFB-NEWSLINE and found a few articles on each side of the issue from varying perspectives. We also accessed a scientific article from a magazine rather than articles strictly from newspapers. We then got into a discussion about the Constitution and United States history. We did more research on the topic using Bookshare.org, an accessible digital library containing over a million books. In addition, we accessed the Braille and Audio Reading Download application (BARD) from the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS), which also provides access to hundreds of thousands of recorded and Braille books.
In the end my child made up his own mind about the issue, after exploring various viewpoints and perspectives. Having a child who is blind or otherwise unable to read print doesn't mean you can't help them become a citizen of the world, an explorer, a researcher, a scientist, a journalist, or a critical thinker. In fact, with resources such as NFB-NEWSLINE, you have increased opportunities to help them to achieve these goals.
I recommend signing up your child for NFB-NEWSLINE, a service that is entirely free to the user and intended for anyone with a print-related disability. This service will give your child access to hundreds of newspapers and magazines that can be accessed using a landline phone, smartphone, Alexa device, specialized readers such as the Victor Reader Stream, the portable book player provided free of charge by the National Library Service, and through the web on a desktop or laptop computer.
NFB-NEWSLINE has content for younger readers. However, for younger children, I recommend that parents preview and download suitable articles from the "Kids Reading Corner" of the magazines section. Then use this material to let your children develop and practice their technology and reading skills.
NFB-NEWSLINE is an excellent resource to foster the development of Braille reading and writing skills. You can produce hardcopy Braille content or have the child read using a Braille display. In addition, you can show a student how to access and download content from NFB-NEWSLINE to a Braille notetaker or other device capable of producing Braille.
As the child matures, NFB-NEWSLINE can serve as an excellent resource to teach basic media literacy, research, and notetaking skills. An older child can access NFB-NEWSLINE content using any of the platforms and devices through which NFB-NEWSLINE content can be retrieved and read.
While each child has differing needs, I recommend that you do everything you can to encourage blind children to use a Braille display, paired with their computer or smart device, whenever possible. Subtleties such as the spelling of a politician's name, the letters that make up an acronym representing an organization, or the exact words in a speech are more readily absorbed if read in Braille. This will also aid in citing sources of information for a school assignment.
The sign-up process for NFB-NEWSLINE is relatively simple. I recommend NFB-NEWSLINE as a place to start working with a child on technology and media literacy because of the large volume of accessible and current information provided by the service daily.
If you are looking for additional reading services for a member of your family who can't access print due to a disability, I also recommend the National Library Service, Bookshare.org, and Learning Ally. All of these services are invaluable resources, with thousands of recorded and digital books. Today there is also a large and growing number of free and commercial sources of online books and magazines available with varying degrees of accessibility. However, NFB-NEWSLINE was and remains a pioneer in bringing barrier-free newspapers, magazines, and other information to people who can't access print due to a disability. Whether you are a parent or a teacher, I encourage you to make use of NFB-NEWSLINE as a learning tool for your child or student.
Editor's Note: NFB-NEWSLINE makes available more than five hundred US and international newspapers and magazines, as well as emergency weather alerts, job listings, and more. The NFB-NEWSLINE limited access account is a structured set of materials and features recommended for children age twelve and under.
To register for NFB-NEWSLINE, call your state's Library for the Blind and Print Disabled, or contact the National Federation of the Blind at 866-504-7300 to request an application. You can also download an application or complete an application online. After your registration is processed, you will receive a message containing your activation codes and instructions.
To learn more, visit https://nfb.org/programs-services/NFB-NEWSLINE.
by M. Leona Godin
Reviewed by Deborah Kent Stein
There Plant Eyes: A Cultural and Personal History of Blindness
by M. Leona Godin
Pantheon Books, 2021
331 pages
Available from audible.com and National Library Service (NLS). Also available on bookshare.org
When she was ten years old Leona Godin began to have trouble seeing the blackboard at school. Her mother took her to an ophthalmologist who suggested, "Her eyes are growing too fast for her body." For years her mother took her to one eye doctor after another, but none of them seemed to take Leona's symptoms seriously. One highly respected specialist even suggested, "Maybe she can't see because you've been taking her to so many eye doctors."
At last Leona Godin was diagnosed with a progressive condition called retinal dystrophy. Over the next three decades she passed through several stages of visual impairment and finally arrived at nearly total blindness. As a professor of literature, she was inspired by this journey to study the ways blindness has been imagined and interpreted in Western culture from classical Greece to the present day.
From Homer to John Milton, Louis Braille to Helen Keller, our ocular-centric culture simultaneously holds divergent views of blindness and blind people. Godin writes, "The blind are either idealized in theory, as being exceptionally pure or super powered, or pitied in practice, as being inept or unaware." The richly varied lives of actual blind people are seldom portrayed in literature or in the media.
Godin draws her title from a passage in John Milton's Paradise Lost. The poet, blind from the age of forty-four, calls upon God to "Irradiate, there plant eyes, all mist from thence / Purge and disperse, that I may see and tell / Of things invisible to mortal sight." Milton suggests a deeper perception beyond physical vision, the poetic imagination that will enable him to create his literary masterpiece. Ironically, hints of oncoming blindness also sparked the imaginations of the learned ophthalmologists who examined young Leona's eyes, only "to grow frustrated and spin yarns."
Godin points out longstanding themes in the literary and cultural depictions of blind characters. Blind characters such as Tiresias in classical Greek drama have the superhuman ability to see into the future. Godin delivers a long list of present-day blind superheroes, including Sensei Tomonaga, the blind zombie slayer in World War Z; Alicia Masters, the blind sculptress in The Fantastic Four; Eli in The Book of Eli; Toph in Avatar; Blindfold in the Marvel Comics series; and Daredevil of the Daredevil comics.
Although memoirs by blind people abound, blind authors have published very few works of fiction that depict blind characters. In contrast, sighted writers frequently include blind characters in novels and screenplays. Godin strongly suggests that the publishing industry is not yet open to the work of blind writers who portray blindness from the inside. Similarly, blind characters abound in film and television, but nearly all of them are represented (badly, Godin assures us) by sighted actors. The public clings tenaciously to long-held stereotypes about blindness, unwilling to explore the experiences of actual blind people.
Woven throughout Godin's examination of literary figures and cultural icons are reflections drawn from her own life as a blind woman. "The discomfort of a specimen stuck but not yet dead," she writes, "is one that I, as a blind person, can easily relate to, especially when I venture out alone." She is inspected as “other” by the curious sighted gaze, while her unique personal characteristics are entirely unseen. The notion that sight is highly superior to the other senses allows the sighted public to dismiss the blind person's knowledge and opinions as trivial or, at the other extreme, altogether remarkable, considering the source.
Godin's exploration of blindness in culture reaches beyond literary representations. She also examines historical figures, especially Louis Braille and Helen Keller, and the ways their lives and achievements are understood and misrepresented by the sighted public. She discusses the nineteenth-century blind traveler, James Holman, whose life and work were dismissed and forgotten by the public until rediscovered by the biographer Jason Roberts in 2006.
In her final chapter Godin ponders the notion of blind pride, of blind people celebrating their power, achievements, and potential. Strangely, however, she does not draw upon the history of the organized blind movement. She mentions the National Federation of the Blind when she writes about the need to improve Braille literacy. As a case in point, she recounts the battle waged by past president of the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC), Carlton Anne Cook Walker, to obtain Braille instruction for her blind child. Yet the Federation's efforts over the past eighty years to achieve equality, opportunity, and security for the blind go unmentioned.
Apart from this omission—and, granted, it is a significant one—There Plant Eyes is a remarkable book, a highly readable and thoroughly fascinating history of blindness. While blind readers are likely to say, "Yes, of course! As I've always known!" sighted readers may come away with a fresh perspective that will start them thinking in new ways.
by Cayte Mendez
Reprinted from Braille Monitor, Volume 65, Number 11, December 2022
From the Editor: Some volunteer positions in the NFB are as demanding as full-time employment. One such job is chairing our NFB Scholarship Committee. Scholarship Chair Cayte Mendez manages to remain organized, calm, and compassionate in the performance of her duties. Here is her announcement about the 2023 Scholarship Program.
The National Federation of the Blind is pleased to announce our 2023 Scholarship Program. We offer thirty eight thousand-dollar scholarships to blind students who will be at least eighteen years of age by July 1, 2023. Students may apply if they reside in the fifty states, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico and will be enrolled in a full-time accredited postsecondary degree program during the 2022-2023 school year. All scholarships will be awarded at our 2023 National Convention, which will take place in Houston, Texas, from July 1 to 6, 2023.
The application period begins December 1, 2022, and closes at midnight EST on March 31, 2023. Go to www.nfb.org/scholarships. To apply during the four-month open period, read the rules and the submission checklist, complete the official 2023 Scholarship Application form (online or in print), supply all required documents, and request and complete an interview with an NFB affiliate president. Remember, the only way to win is to apply!
by Robin House
Reprinted from Braille Monitor, Volume 65, Number 11, December 2022
From the Editor: Robin House is an experienced educator in her own right, and she was named Blind Educator of the Year in 2018. She holds a Master of Education degree, is a Licensed Professional Counselor, and she is a Registered Play Therapist. She chairs the 2023 Blind Educator of the Year Award Selection Committee.
A number of years ago the Blind Educator of the Year Award was established by the National Organization of Blind Educators (the Educators Division of the National Federation of the Blind) to pay tribute to a blind teacher whose exceptional classroom performance, notable community service, and uncommon commitment to the NFB merit national recognition. Beginning with the 1991 presentation, this award became an honor bestowed by our entire movement. This change reflects our recognition of the importance of good teaching and the effect an outstanding blind teacher has on students, faculty, community, and all blind Americans.
This award is presented in the spirit of the outstanding educators who founded and have continued to nurture the National Federation of the Blind and who, by example, have imparted knowledge of our strengths and raised our expectations. We have learned from Dr. Jacobus tenBroek, Dr. Kenneth Jernigan, Dr. Marc Maurer, and our current President Mark Riccobono that a teacher not only provides a student with information but also provides guidance, advocacy, and love. The recipient of the Blind Educator of the Year Award must exhibit all these traits and must advance the cause of blind people in the spirit and philosophy of the National Federation of the Blind.
The Blind Educator of the Year Award is presented at the annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind. Honorees must be present to receive an appropriately inscribed plaque and a check for $1,000.
Nominations should be sent to Ms. Robin House by email to [email protected] or by mail to Stix ECC, 647 Tower Grove Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110. Letters of nomination must be accompanied by a copy of the nominee's current résumé and supporting documentation of community and Federation activity. All nomination materials must be in the hands of the committee chairperson by May 1, 2023, to be considered for this year's award. For further information contact Robin House at 314-265-6852, or [email protected].
by Carla McQuillan
Reprinted from Braille Monitor, Volume 65, Number 11, December 2022
From the Editor: Carla McQuillan is the president of the National Federation of the Blind of Oregon, a member of the NFB National Board of Directors, and the owner and executive director of Main Street Montessori Association, operating two Montessori schools. She chairs the Distinguished Educator of Blind Students Award Committee, and here is her announcement seeking applications for the 2023 award.
The National Federation of the Blind will recognize an outstanding teacher of blind students at our 2023 National Convention, taking place in Houston, Texas, from July 1 through July 6, 2023. The winner of this award will receive the following:
The education of blind children is one of the National Federation of the Blind's highest priorities. We are committed to offering and supporting programs that enhance educational opportunities for this group. Please help us recognize dedicated and innovative teachers who provide quality education and meaningful experiences and opportunities for their blind students.
Q: Who is eligible to receive this award?
A: Anyone who is currently a teacher, counselor, or the administrator of programs for blind students.
Q: Does an applicant have to be a member of the National Federation of the Blind?
A: No, but attending the 2023 Convention of the National Federation of the Blind in Houston, Texas, is required.
Q: Can I nominate someone else for this award?
A: Yes. Applicants can be nominated by colleagues, parents, supervisors, or friends who have first-hand knowledge of the individual's work with blind students.
Q: How would I apply?
A: You can fill out the application at the end of this article or find it on our website at https://nfb.org/images/nfb/documents/pdf/distinguished-educator-of-blind-students-award-form-fillable.pdf.
Q: What is the deadline to submit an application or make a nomination?
A: All applications must be received no later than May 1, 2023.
Please complete the application and attach the required documents specified in the application. If you are submitting a nomination for someone other than yourself, please answer the questions to the best of your ability. Your experience and observations of the nominee will assist the selection committee in their decision. Questions? Contact Carla McQuillan at 541-653-9153, or by email at: [email protected].
Deadline: May 1, 2023
Name: _______________________________________________________
Home Address: _________________________________________________
City, State, Zip: _________________________________________________
Phone: (H) ____________________ (W) ____________________________
Email: ______________________________________________________
School/Program: ______________________________________________________
Address: _____________________________________________________
City, State, Zip: _________________________________________________
Please list any awards or commendations you have received.
How long and in what programs have you worked with blind children?
In what setting do you currently work?
Briefly describe your current job and teaching responsibilities.
How would you describe your philosophy of blindness as it relates to the education of blind students?
What are your thoughts on teaching Braille and cane travel? When and at what age would you begin? How do you determine whether to teach print or Braille?
What was your most memorable experience working with blind students?
Why should you be selected to receive this award?
Email is strongly encouraged for transmitting nominations; letters of support and other relevant materials should be included as attachments.
Applications sent by mail and postmarked by the deadline will also be accepted. Send all material by May 1, 2023, to Carla McQuillan, chairperson, Teacher Award Committee, [email protected] or by mail to:
2378 11th Street
Florence, OR 97439
Phone: 541-653-9153
There are plenty of reasons one might travel to Houston, Texas, the fourth most populous city in the United States. One might visit to attend the nearly three-week-long Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The city's vibrant arts scene boasts the greatest concentration of theater seats outside New York City. And no Houston resident would let a visitor forget that the city is home to the 2022 World Series Champion Houston Astros. There is little question that Houston has a great deal going for it. For Federationists, however, the city's real draw is that it will play host to the National Federation of the Blind's 2023 National Convention.
It has been more than fifty years since the largest gathering of the organized blind last convened in Houston, and our return in 2023 will be an event not to be missed. The Hilton Americas-Houston Hotel (1600 Lamar Street, Houston, TX 77010) will serve as our convention headquarters hotel. Situated in the heart of downtown Houston across the street from the beautiful twelve-acre Discovery Green Park, the Hilton Americas is an ideal location for our annual event. Ballrooms, breakout space, and sleeping rooms are all stacked in the same tower, housed on a single city block, simplifying navigation and minimizing travel distances. In-room internet is complimentary to all attendees, as is access to the health club and swimming pool on the twenty-second floor. There are several dining options on the hotel's lobby level, including a Starbucks for those of us requiring a caffeine fix. Many more choices are within easy walking distance from the Hilton's front door.
The nightly rate at the Hilton Americas-Houston is $119 for singles, doubles, triples, and quads. In addition, the sales tax rate is 8.25 percent, and the hotel occupancy tax rate is 17 percent. To book your room for the 2023 convention, call 1-800-236-2905 after January 1 and ask for the NFB Convention block. For each room, the hotel will take a deposit of the first night's room rate and taxes and will require a credit card or a personal check. If you use a credit card, the deposit will be charged against your card immediately. If a reservation is cancelled before Monday, June 1, 2023, half of the deposit will be returned. Otherwise refunds will not be made.
We have also secured overflow space at the wonderful Marriott Marquis Houston. The Marriott is only a three-block walk directly across Discovery Green, or attendees can walk entirely indoors through the George R. Brown convention center, connecting the hotels on the second level. You will find many of the same amenities at the Marriott as well as a Texas-shaped lazy river pool. The room rate at the Marriott Marquis is a slightly higher $119 per night for singles, doubles, triples, and quads. To book a room, call 1-877-622-3056 after January 1. Again, ask for the NFB Convention block. The same deposit and cancellation policies apply.
The 2023 convention of the National Federation of the Blind will be a truly exciting and memorable event with an unparalleled program and rededication to the goals and work of our movement. A wide range of seminars for parents of blind children, technology enthusiasts, job seekers, and other groups will kick off the week on Saturday, July 1. Convention registration and registration packet pick-up will also open on Saturday. Breakout sessions continue on Sunday along with committee meetings. Monday, July 3, will begin with the annual meeting, open to all, of the Board of Directors of the National Federation of the Blind. National division meetings will follow the board meeting that afternoon and evening. General convention sessions will begin on Tuesday, July 4, and continue through the afternoon of Thursday, July 6. Convention ends on a high note with the banquet on Thursday evening, so be sure to pack your fancy clothes. The fall of the gavel at the close of banquet will signal convention's adjournment.
Remember that, as usual, we need door prizes from state affiliates, local chapters, and individuals. Once again prizes should be small in size but large in value. Cash, of course, is always appropriate and welcome. As a rule, we ask that prizes of all kinds have a value of at least $25 and that they not include alcohol. Drawings will occur steadily throughout the convention sessions, and you can anticipate a Texas-sized grand prize to be drawn at the banquet. You may bring door prizes with you to convention or send them in advance to the National Federation of the Blind of Texas at 1600 E Highway 6, Suite 215, Alvin, TX 77511.
The best collection of exhibits featuring new technology; meetings of our special interest groups, committees, and divisions; the most stimulating and provocative program items of any meeting of the blind in the world; the chance to renew friendships in our Federation family; and the unparalleled opportunity to be where the real action is and where decisions are being made—all of these mean you will not want to miss being a part of the 2023 NFB National Convention. To assure yourself a room in the headquarters hotel at convention rates, make your reservations early. We plan to see you in Houston in July.
"Our son was an early print reader with extreme magnification, and he was on the verge of being able to read Braille books when the schools closed. What he needed was hands-on instruction. I thank you for showing us that it didn't have to be delivered in person. In fact, he grew tremendously in his Braille skills with the help of the experienced teachers you recommended. They worked with him online."
"In January of 2021, thanks to the generosity of the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults, we were able to purchase and ship geometric shaped materials and Braille books to blind and visually impaired students in Colorado who were forced to learn virtually. The Learning Box activities were a lot of fun for the blind children and helped keep them involved in their classwork."
"Tianna is six (almost seven) and completely blind from birth. She loves to read and looks forward to receiving your Braille books. I asked her what she likes the best, and she said she would like more word searches and scavenger hunts. Thank you for enhancing her daily experiences."
When you read testimonials such as these, please remember how Braille literacy opens a world of opportunities for blind and deafblind children.
You know that the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults publishes this magazine, and that Future Reflections provides inspiration and information to you.
The work we do to encourage independent travel, excellence in education, and Braille literacy nationwide must be done. These programs are made possible through your support. If you are in a position to do so, you can also make a difference by making a contribution. Please help by giving a tax-deductible gift to the American Action Fund.
You can give online by visiting our homepage, actionfund.org; over the phone by calling 410-659-9315; or by sending a check made out to "American Action Fund" to 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, MD 21230.
Often the simplest and most significant way to make a charitable gift is to plan 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 the distribution. 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. Additionally, planning for a legacy gift may reduce the total amount of your taxable estate, which can positively impact 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 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, you can 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 if you 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.
American Printing House for the Blind (APH)
https://www.aph.org/8-stem-products-for-inclusive-classrooms
APH has a series of products to help make STEM topics accessible to blind and low-vision students. The Snap Circuits Jr Access Kit is an inclusive way to teach basic electronics concepts in the classroom. Other products include Sense of Science: Astronomy; DNA Twist; DNA-RNA Kit; Protein Synthesis Kit; and Code Jumper. APH also offers Basic Science Tactile Graphics and Life Science Tactile Graphics.
Braille Readers Are Leaders
actionfund.beanstack.org
Contest Period: December 5, 2022 to January 23, 2023
Registration is open for the Braille Readers Are Leaders Contest, sponsored by the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults in partnership with the National Federation of the Blind. Braille reading students and adults across the US compete against other participants in similar contest categories for seven weeks. Participants
A video is available to walk contestants through the login process. Participants receive a contest t-shirt as soon as possible after registration. If you have questions or are having trouble logging minutes, email [email protected].
2023 NFB Writers Division Contest
Contact: Shelley Alongi, [email protected]
Deadline for Submissions: April 30, 2023
The 2023 NFB Writers Division Contest is open to all aspiring writers, whether blind or sighted. Adult contest categories are short fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Youth contest categories are short fiction and poetry.
The youth contest is divided into three groups: elementary (grades 1-4), middle (grades 5-8), and high school (grades 9-12). Youth contest prize winners will receive $30 for first place, $20 for second place, and $10 for third place.
Fiction entries in the youth contest may be no more than one thousand words, and poetry entries must not exceed fifty lines. Entries must be submitted in hand-embossed contracted Braille, either written with a slate and stylus or Perkins Brailler. An electronic copy must be sent in DOC, DOCX, or RTF format to Shelley Alongi at the address above. The cover letter must include the contestant's name, mailing address, phone number and email address, and the titles of all submissions. Submissions and cover letter should be sent to:
Chelsea Cook
901 Englewood Parkway, Apt. J 304
Englewood, CO 80110
National Federation of the Blind Surveys
https://nfb.org/legal/surveys
The National Federation of the Blind works to advance disability rights. One important way to do that is to learn about your stories. The NFB is conducting several surveys to gain more information in various areas of access. Please review our current survey categories and report your experiences via one of these important surveys. Links to these surveys can be found at the address above. Thank you for your time!
Rideshare Discrimination Survey
The National Federation of the Blind is seeking feedback from Uber and Lyft customers who have been discriminated against by either rideshare company because of disability, including but not limited to a rider's use of a service animal or white cane, or due to inaccessible rideshare app technology. Please take time to report all instances of discrimination through the Rideshare Discrimination Survey.
Education Technology Survey
The NFB is gathering information regarding the accessibility of educational technology used in our nation's schools (kindergarten through graduate level). 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 our Education Technology Survey once a semester and contribute to this important research.
Access to COVID 19 Vaccine and Testing Survey
The National Federation of the Blind is gathering data to monitor and challenge access barriers for blind people to COVID-19 vaccines and tests. It is vital that blind and low-vision Americans receive the same opportunities and tools to participate in ending this public-health threat as others do. Please complete a five- to fifteen-minute survey regarding your experience with COVID-19 vaccines and testing.
Access to Digital Library Services Survey
Equal access to digital library services is a priority for the National Federation of the Blind. Digital services provide additional opportunities to engage with libraries and increase the availability of information. Your feedback will help us advocate for improved access to digital library services in public and school libraries. Please complete our survey on access to digital library services.
Unemployment Benefits Survey
The National Federation of the Blind is investigating barriers or denials related to unemployment benefits. If you have been terminated or laid off from your job within the past two years, please complete this important survey.
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