Volume 42, Number 1 Winter 2023
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 © 2023 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]
There are plenty of reasons one might travel to Houston, Texas, the fourth most populous city in the United States. One might visit for the nearly three-week-long Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The city's vibrant arts scene boasts the largest concentration of theater seats outside of 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. The city's real draw, however, is that it will play host to the National Federation of the Blind's 2023 National Convention.
It has now been more than fifty years since the largest gathering of the organized blind last convened in Houston, Texas, 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 22nd floor. There are several dining options on the hotel's lobby level (including a Starbucks for those of us requiring a caffeine fix) and many more choices 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 both 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 also $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. Similarly, 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 the week off 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 kick off 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 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 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 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.
FEATURE
Sports and Recreation for Young Blind Children
by Heather Field
DISCOVERING AND LEARNING
Archaeology through Touch
by Natasha Ishaq
Cooking Is My Passion
by Regina Mitchell
GROWING UP
Learning in Real Time
by Sydney Mattinson
The Evolution of Independence
by Elizabeth Rouse
JOURNEYS
Blind Girl Magic
by Jeanetta Price
Disability Intersections: Blindness and Autism
by Matt Langland
ADVOCACY
Lessons from My Federation Family
by Cassie McNabb McKinney
OPPORTUNITIES
NFB BELL® Academy: Raising Expectations, Changing Lives
by Karen Anderson
Get Ready to Blast into Space
by Ashleigh Moon
Getting Books on Time with Bookshare
by Charles LaPierre and Deborah Kent Stein
Growing My Federation Heart Started with a Scholarship
by Kinshuk Tella
AWARDS
What You Should Know to Win Yourself a Scholarship
by Cayte Mendez
The Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards
by Everette Bacon
WHAT'S HAPPENING?
The American Action Fund Sends Out Braille Calendars
Summer Learning
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 Heather Field
Reprinted from Future Reflections, Volume 31, Number 3, Summer 2012
From the Editor: Some articles in Future Reflections are closely tied to current programs or developments. On the other hand, some are packed with timeless wisdom. I believe that this article, which appeared more than ten years ago, is well worth revisiting. Here is the original introduction:
A native of Australia and blind since infancy, Heather Field draws upon more than thirty years of experience as a teacher and consultant in Australia and the United States to write this article. She lives and works in Tennessee, where she runs a small private school for sighted and blind students and pursues her career as a songwriter.
When most people hear the word sports, they think of people running about with various combinations of balls and bats or sticks. The word recreation suggests camping, hiking, golf, surfing, or birding. Whatever activities people think of, their mental pictures rarely include blind adults, and certainly they don't involve blind children.
Those of us who are parents or educators of blind children are more likely to have expectations about their involvement in sports and recreation. We probably think of school-age children roller skating, swimming, wrestling, bowling, doing judo or gymnastics, or taking part in Brownies and Cub Scouts. However, it's unlikely that even the most informed among us have given much thought to sports and recreation for blind children under eight years of age. Yes, of course, we know they need to play, and we classify play as a form of recreation. We know it's not good for blind children to play inappropriately—rocking, spinning, poking their eyes, or aimlessly banging and sucking on toys—but usually that's about as far as the play discussions get.
Instead of thinking about blind children spending their time in recreational activities, we tend to talk about and work on trying to get young blind and low-vision children to play. We try to engage them in active play, social play, dramatic play, role play, appropriate play, and so on. Many of us, who should know better, move their bodies through space, trying to make them do the things we want them to do, the things we call play. We do all this adult-controlled taking and making in the hope that, when we stop and leave our children alone to entertain themselves, they will realize that this movement was play and will want to do it again without us.
This approach usually gets task compliance; however, as we have seen over and over, it fails to get children to move in ways that we understand as play. Faced with this result, we may plug away with the same old failing approach because we can't bear to give up. On the other hand, we may resign ourselves to our children's inactivity and strange behavior, blaming it all on their blindness.
Such resignation isn't surprising. Many blindness professionals warn us to expect delayed development and antisocial behavior from our young blind and low-vision children. The professional literature tells us that blind children probably won't crawl, and that they may not even walk until they're two or three years old—let alone run, climb, ride a tricycle, or learn to swim. When we observe our blind and low-vision children not playing, behaving strangely, and seeming to ignore the world around them, many of us become deeply discouraged, believing that the professionals must be right. All too often, we conclude that this behavior is normal for blind children. We come to feel that blindness is a tragedy that will prevent our children from leading independent, fulfilling lives. After all, the most normal thing in the world is for children to play, and, tragically, our blind children just don't seem to do that. But this is not an accurate conclusion.
We cannot afford to keep trying the same old "take and make" approach, and we cannot give up on our children, believing that blindness will bar them from normal human behavior. Instead, we need a completely new mindset. We must base our thinking on the premise that blind/low-vision children are children first, that they are like all other children, and that the lack of vision is merely a secondary consideration. Only then can we apply what we know about children and early childhood development within the nonvisual context.
The patterns set in the first years of life are critically important. Much of a child's character is molded during early childhood. In the early years he/she forms self-perceptions as well as relationships with other people and with the world.
Research shows that it is difficult to alter a person's beliefs and expectations after the age of thirteen or fourteen. Thus, if we want blind and low-vision children to think of themselves as people who engage in active pursuits such as sports and outdoor recreation, we have to give them positive experiences in the early years. They must learn that recreational activities are fun and satisfying, and that they can, in fact, participate.
"All very well in theory," you may be muttering, "but you don't know my child. He doesn't want to do anything but sit and rock . . . or press buttons on noise-making toys . . . or open and close the fridge door . . . or chew on his blankie . . . or . . ." (you can fill in the activity). "How do you propose I get my child from there to 'sports and recreation'?"
Obviously, this is a very important question. Before I suggest sports and recreational activities for the under-eights, I want to talk about the cause and prevention of the inappropriate behaviors so prevalent among young blind and low-vision children. How do we convince them to stop themselves doing the inappropriate behaviors and get them to try new things?
Note that I said "How do we convince them to stop themselves," and not "How do we stop them?" Getting children to want to stop and to want to try new things is the real problem to be solved.
The official position of the NFB on blindness is that "the problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight, but the misconceptions and lack of information that exist about blindness." This is true in the area of the development of young blind children. The misconception is that blind infants and toddlers don't want to move like other children do; obviously, we think, they would move if they wanted to. Because they don't move as typical children do, we believe we have to make them move (or try to make them) until they finally do want to, or until we decide they're beyond changing.
People continue to believe this misconception, even though it doesn't fit with anything else we know about children and early childhood development. As Shakespeare said, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." A child, whether it's called blind or given another label, is still a child. His or her essential "childness" is not altered by characteristics such as the amount of vision. Furthermore, to believe the misconception that blind infants and toddlers don't want to move like other children do requires us to ignore all of the blind and low-vision children who develop like typical children of the same age.
The average parent knows three things about young children and play:
1. Children want to do things—to play.
2. Children want to choose what they do—to decide for themselves.
3. Children can't be made to want to do something. (Try getting a two-year-old out of the bath when he doesn't want to get out!)
Why, then, do we ignore these three basic principles about play when it comes to blind children? After all, they are still children!
Let's assume for a moment that blind and sighted children are identical except for the fact that one group gets information about movement options through the eyes and the other group does not. The average sighted child, from the time she is born, is driven to move. She watches how others move and does the same. In fact, by the time she is four or five years old, most of our movement-related conversations with her are about moderating or stopping particular movements. "Stop running! ... Don't throw that! ... Get down off there! ... Don't jump from up there! ... Sit down! ... Stop hitting! ... Give that back ..." Why do we expect that the child with little or no usable vision will be different? Her inner drive to move is just as strong and irresistible as it is in the child who is sighted. This is the reason so many blind children rock or engage in repetitive behaviors. They need to move and they do move, though they do not move in ways that typically sighted children do.
Why do blind children move in ways that seem so strange? Is it because blindness causes different behavior patterns? No! It's simply because blind children lack information on available movement options. Blind and low-vision children don't visually observe the movements of others. Unfortunately, sighted caregivers usually don't realize that they need to give the blind child information about movement options in nonvisual ways. Even when they recognize the need, they may not know what to do. Joe Cutter, the renowned orientation and mobility instructor, author, and speaker, discusses the problem like this:
“Just because a child is lacking eyesight, s/he is not lacking the ‘drive to move and the need to know.’ We don't see with the eye and hear with the ear; rather we see and hear with the brain! A young blind child simply needs assistance in learning how to move and in finding out what there is to know.”
Sighted children aren't born knowing how they can move; they observe others moving and copy them. The blind child is equally capable of observing; he just can't observe using vision. If the blind child is given the opportunity to observe through his other senses, he will learn just as the sighted child learns. Cutter says, "I believe in the interconnectedness of the sensory systems, that vision is only one system and that blind children have a multitude of systems available to them (touch, auditory, vestibular, proprioceptive, smell, taste, the drive to move, the need to know, the ability to self-amuse, etc.). We must invite blind children to make the world their home; to move safely, confidently, and effectively ...”
Clearly, it's not lack of vision that keeps blind children from moving in age-appropriate ways. Rather, it's the lack of information about how people move and what's out there in the world worth moving toward. It's also the lack of people who know how to help them get this information. As is true with all children, at first caregivers must bring the world to the child in meaningful ways. Eventually, Cutter explains, "The goal is for the child to initiate movement him/herself. Parents and other adults in the child's life can facilitate movement by showing the child that the world is a safe place where s/he can find fun and enjoyment. First the adults bring the world to the child; then we help the child go to the world him/herself."
Why is movement so vitally important? Why is it so much a part of the young sighted child's life that it needs to be part of the life of the young blind child, too? "One of the things a child must do in order to make sense of the world is to put together, or integrate, the information s/he takes in through the senses (sensory integration)," Cutter says. "But a child cannot integrate information that s/he does not have! So one of the keys is making sure the child is receiving information about the world. How does a blind child get information about the world? Largely through movement. Movement brings the child into contact with objects and people in the world. If a child is restricted in movement, s/he will be restricted in information about the world."
If he doesn't know his movement options, the child won't choose them. Because the blind child needs to interact physically with the world—touching, tasting, smelling, balancing, sensing slope—it is vital that he move about. Children, blind and sighted, need to move to understand themselves and their world; the blind or low-vision child needs movement even more than the sighted child does.
The research on the play of young children shows that it is practice for life. Children learn about living life in safe, pretend situations so that they are ready and able to deal with reality when they need to. Playing up and down the steps unassisted at home gets the child ready for all the steps out there in the world. Hunting for a lost ball in the back yard or in the park lets him practice information-gathering and problem-solving, perseverance and courage, all of which he will need later on. His sense of accomplishment when he achieves his goals in play situations teaches him what to expect when he sets goals at school and beyond. Movement in play situations readies children for movement in the real world.
In summary, blind and low-vision children want to move, but they need us to interact with them in ways that don't rely on vision. If they learn that there are thousands of fun ways to move, and they learn to make these movements with confidence based on success through play, they will be able to apply this experience when they face the demands of real life. Through movement they learn that this world is a fabulously interesting place and that there are lots of fun things one can do in it. However, in order to teach the blind child about these possibilities, parents and teachers must think about the world in nonvisual ways.
Now that we've established that blind and low-vision children want to move, and that we need to help them observe their movement options nonvisually, we can talk about bringing purpose and meaning to their movement through sports and recreation. In the truest sense, sports and recreation choices begin at birth. Babies start with recreational activities such as finding their fingers and toes. Later they discover the satisfaction of self-initiated movement as they attempt to imitate the movements of the people around them. As for sports—as soon as a baby has played his first game of peek-a-boo, or has kept bouncing when you have stopped, encouraging you to bounce him more, he has played his first sports event.
Getting your blind tween or teen interested in sports and recreation starts with the games he plays with you as an infant, toddler, and preschooler. As a sighted parent or teacher, you may have trouble coming up with ideas for nonvisual movement experiences and interactions. However, I find that with a few initial ideas, a couple of successes, and the expectation that blind children can attain age-appropriate behavior, sighted people can become very good at providing sports and recreation activities for young blind and low-vision children. As your child learns all the ways he can move alone and with other people, he will be able to engage in constructive recreational activities and in age-appropriate games and group play or sports. Who knows, he might end up being the first blind person from your state to win a marathon or fly a hot-air balloon across the Atlantic—all because you showed him he could climb the monkey bars and jump onto a pile of gym mats when he was four years old.
If you ask parents what sports and recreational experiences they give their sighted babies and toddlers, they will probably look at you strangely. Parents don't realize that the big red ball they roll with their infant, the swing that their toddler enjoys, and the wading pool into which their preschooler jumps all morning are all sports and recreational experiences. With some adaptations, you must provide the same kinds of experiences for your blind or low-vision child. The only special consideration is to give your child lots of information and choice about the experiences. To feel safe one must feel in control, and one can only feel in control when one can choose an activity based on adequate information.
Here are some suggested activities to get you started on your sports and recreation plan for your blind or low-vision child. Even if your child is over age eight, it's never too late to apply the principle that children will do what they want to do if they believe they can do it.
Interactive play is the foundation of purposeful movement in babies. We need to play with blind babies just as we do with typically sighted children, taking care to provide nonvisual interaction such as touching the hand and using a playful tone of voice rather than merely smiling.
1. Give your baby lots of close physical contact. Your infant may enjoy being carried about in a sling or "snuggle sack." Right now you are his sports and recreation. Basically, you're teaching him that life and people are safe and lots of fun, and that interacting with people—belonging to a team rather than being alone—is very satisfying.
2. Create interesting midline (vertical center line of child's body) space in varied situations so that your baby's movements will bring him into contact with things to touch and hear. When the baby is lying in a crib, dangle toys from cradle gyms and mobiles so that they are within his reach. When the baby is sitting independently or playing in a playpen, place interesting toys within reach. In this way, his attempts at choosing recreation outside of his own body are rewarded. He learns that his mind can be engaged. He can set goals for himself ("I'll reach out and find something to do"), and he can achieve those goals. This sense of personal achievement motivates children like nothing we can offer them.
3. Play games—lots and lots of games, all kinds of games. Tickling games; touching and naming body part games; snuggling games where you blow "raspberries" on baby's tummy, back, legs, or arms; jiggling games where you hold baby in your arms and dance to some fun music. Try anything you can think of to interact with the baby. Also, play patty-cake and other hand and finger games that encourage the baby to hold his hands at midline.
4. Place the baby's hands on his bottle when he is being fed. When he knows the word bottle and the sound of the bottle being shaken, encourage him to reach out and grab it and to hold it for himself. This teaches him that he can choose to control what's happening to him.
5. Who's This: Provide objects and stuffed animals of various textures and shapes. Sit them on the baby's tummy or lap and make appropriate, funny noises. Encourage your baby to touch and explore.
6. Hide and Seek: Encourage your baby to search for an object that has been withdrawn slightly from his touch.
7. Get Me: Encourage your baby to reach toward the sound of a familiar toy and grab it, first at midline, and then at various points within reaching distance.
8. Wiggle-Wiggle: This game will help your baby understand that spatial information can be gained through sound. Place a rattle or bell in your child's hand or around his wrist or ankle. Alternately move his hand or foot and then keep it still. Do the same with your own hand or foot and let the baby feel you do it.
9. Chasey: Slowly move a sound-making toy, keeping it within your baby's reach. Encourage him to catch it.
10. Talk to your baby about his activity, naming the objects he contacts and the actions he performs.
All of these suggestions are meant to be fun for you and your baby. Enjoy your play! (Based on the study "The Development of Reaching in Blind Children as It Reflects Object Permanence," Hatem, G., Hyrnan, N., Keith, E., Maida, S., Rogone, S., Saar, M.)
Provide your child with lots of opportunities to move on and with you.
1. Slippy-Slidey: Sit on the couch or chair and slide the child down your legs to the floor. Let her climb back up and go down again as many times as she wants to (within reason!) Let her roll down sideways as well as headfirst. Let her do the same with a big pile of cushions or pillows next to the couch.
2. Squashy-Squeezy: With your toddler on the floor, tell her you are going to go "squashy squeezy." Put your body over her and cuddle down around her. Let her escape by crawling or rolling out from under you. Try variations where you catch her legs or arms and let her struggle to escape. Let her climb on you and do the same.
3. Bouncey-Wouncey: Sitting on the floor, set your toddler on your outstretched legs and bounce her on your knees. Say, "Uh-oh, it's going to tip you off!" and gently tumble her off after seven or eight bounces. Over a period of days, remove your hands from supporting the toddler and let her enjoy the freedom. She will soon tip herself off onto the carpet. Move on to bouncing her on other parts of your body. Lying on your back, draw up your knees and set the toddler on your legs with your feet supporting her back. Hold her by the upper legs and very gently bounce her. Make the same progression toward the child holding on by herself and balancing independently. Move to sitting the toddler on your back and bouncing her as you lie face down on the floor. When she shows she's ready to try something new, move to being on all fours and bouncing and swaying her about as she lies and, finally, sits on your back.
4. Roly-poly: Let your toddler lie on your front and roll off, helping with your arm to make it a gentle experience. Your toddler will want to roll around and soon will not need your arm support. Let her roll up and down the length of your body, from chest to feet and back again. Remember to keep up the verbal commentary, such as, "Oh dear, someone's rolling on me like a rolling pin! Someone's squashing me flat." (Of course you can show her how a rolling pin works, using Play-Doh or pastry dough.) Once she is good at rolling, let her roll up and down and on and off on your back.
5. Swing-Swing: Holding your toddler's hands and feet, gently swing her back and forward, from side to side, and from head to foot. Start by only doing three swings and then put her down. If she enjoys it, introduce her to a real swing.
6. Jumping Jack: Stand your toddler on the bed and bounce her up and down as you hold her around the waist. Encourage her to jump by herself. When she is independently making jumping movements, hold her hands and let her jump herself, using you only as a guide. As soon as she is confident with this, move her onto a mini trampoline. (There are trampolines with attached handles for children to hold onto as they jump).
7. Chasey: Have your toddler catch you as you move away from her. Keep talking the whole time you are running away, saying things like, "I'm going down the hall to the bathroom. Catch me, catch me! Uh-oh, here she comes! She's gonna catch me, she's getting closer!" Let the child catch you after only a few seconds when you first introduce the game, and make the time longer as she gets better at it. Have your toddler run away from you as you chase her. This is a good outside game. One parent or a friend can hold the toddler's hand and run with her while the other parent (making lots of noise) chases them. At first the toddler will not run; she will walk fast. She will need to learn what run means by doing it.
8. Seesaw: Find a seesaw at the local park and invite another parent to put her toddler on with yours. Hold them in place and explain what's going to happen. Say, "Up and down," as the seesaw moves. If no other child is available, work the seesaw yourself.
9. Independent Play: These are some of the toys that allow a toddler to play independently: toys that can be pulled or pushed, such as a doll's stroller or play shopping cart; sit-on riding toys, a large beach ball, an inflated inner tube, a wading pool, and a sandbox.
The following ideas can be used with younger children where appropriate and should occur spontaneously as part of the movements they observe you doing. The list below is intended to be a resource of ideas that you can incorporate into your everyday play activities. This is not a list of things for you to do to your child. Instead, it is a list of experiences that would be great for a blind/low-vision child to have. For example, walking a balance beam should not be a required activity, but can be part of a game, such as crossing the bridge in a favorite story. Rolling off a pile of gym mats or cushions can be a variation on a game of Chasey. Going for a walk over different surfaces can be a game of Hunt the Tiger. Punching the knock-down clown can be Kill the Monster.
The emphasis should always be on letting the child observe what you do and choosing his own movements. Allow the child to try out his own ideas and suggest several choices if he does not initiate a movement: "Do you want to climb up the monkey bars, or would you like to go underneath and have a look what's down there?" Remember that children learn through repetition and may want to do the same activity a number of times before moving on to something new. Rolling off a pile of mats may not seem exciting to us as adults, but it's very exciting when you're three years old and you've just discovered that you can do it by yourself.
1. Knock-Down Clown: Place the clown next to the child. Tap or move it against his body, encouraging him to grasp it and knock it down.
2. Balloon or Beach Ball: Suspend a balloon or beach ball with string and tape. Sway it back and forth, tap it, rub it, and encourage the child to do the same. Turn it, hold it, and make speech sounds or vibrations. Rub it on the child's face and hands. You can insert rice or other sound-making objects, or you might attach small bells to the string.
3. Bells: Suspend a bell or string of bells. Try to stimulate a reaction to the sound.
4. Bounce or roll a beach ball past or toward the child, or use a soft ball with a bell inside.
5. Open or close doors with the child.
6. Carrying: Carry or hold objects with one or both hands. Vary the size and weight of the object.
7. Crawling and Climbing: Put the child on or under a rolled-up mat. If necessary, help him roll off, get out, or climb over.
8. Walking Trips: Take walks over gravel, rocks, grass, sand, dirt, cement and blacktop, carpet, and tile. Climb over logs, go up and down ramps, and climb stairs. Walk through puddles. Climb on large boulders and duck under chains.
9. Exploring: Examine things in the environment, such as trees, shrubs, stairs, tables, benches, and play equipment. Encourage the child to move around by himself, exploring with his hands or using his long white cane.
10. Wheels: Expose the child to toys that roll and have moveable parts.
11. Balloon: Attach balloon with elastic to wrist or ankle.
12. Rocking: Expose to rocking horse or teeter-totter. Tumble about, even if only one hand is on it.
13. Scooter-Board: Have child lie on tummy on a scooter-board and pull himself along with his hands. Sit and twirl in swivel chair or sit/lie down on a wheeled vehicle and be pulled, pushed, etc. Include a three-wheel vehicle if possible.
14. Shopping Bags and Boxes: Fill them up with items and take things out.
15. Gym Mats: Child moves about on all fours, lifting up one leg or arm at a time. Kick like a grumpy horse or lash out to scratch like a fierce tiger! Child rolls across the length and breadth of the mat. Place the mat on a slope or double the mat over and let the child roll or run down the resulting hill.
16. Hidey House Box: Get a big cardboard box from an appliance store. Let the child hide inside it, crawl in and out, pull the "door" shut, sit in it, and bang on it from the inside. Tip the box from the closed end so the child slides out onto the floor. Put the open end of the box on the couch so child slides down inside to the other end.
17. Balance Beam: Use a regular low balance beam or a long, rectangular board six to twelve inches wide, supported by two bases several inches above the floor. Walk sideways on the beam. Crawl across it. Scoot across. Walk across with one foot on and one foot off. Straddle the beam. Use the balance beam as an inclined plane, one end supported by a box.
18. Inner Tube: Child can play with it, walk on it, and step in and out. Tie it to something and let him crawl through it. Suspend it several inches above the ground to make a tire swing and have the child lie in it on his tummy.
19. Sandbox: Bury the child's feet. Pretend he has lost them; be surprised when you dig them out. Encourage shoveling and scooping.
20. Toys: Old spinning tops, Slinky, Jack-in-the-Box, Fisher Price bus or house.
21. Water Play: Fill a basin or small pool with water. Put in toys such as sponges, boats, and rubber duckies. Wash items, rubbing and squeezing.
22. Water Pistol: Let the child squirt himself and others. Squirt objects such as balloons that will make a sound when water strikes them. Squirt water into a cup.
23. Missing Objects: Scatter toys on the floor. Crawl around and find them. Hide objects under cushions or behind furniture.
24. Spray Fun: Provide the child with a box of spray containers, such as shaving cream, whipped cream, Krazy Foam, Silly String, and water with scented oils added. Let the child spray them. Play with body lotions and powders. (This is a good outdoor activity.)
25. Bubbles: Feel them, break them, follow them.
26. Textures: Examine and identify the textures of food and substances.
27. Scents: Examine and identify the scents of food and substances.
28. Music: Encourage movement of body parts in many combinations, following rhythm.
29. Swinging: Introduce the child to objects that rock or swing—rocking chair, glider, or hammock. Let him feel the movement. Encourage him to try ways of moving his body that make the object move for him.
30. Pushing: Push objects with the hand off the table and into a container.
31. Licking: Let the child lick a lollipop or ice cream cone.
32. Obstacles: Encourage as much movement as possible in relation to obstacles. Use verbal terms such as left and right, sideways, around, over, under, on top of, go in, sit in, sit under. If needed, provide sound by tapping or by any other means to assist or motivate the child to climb or move. Help him find objects to catch, grab, strike, kick, or push. Throw objects to a person or at another object.
Barna, G. Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions. Ventura, CA: Regal, 2003.
Cutter, J. Independent Movement and Travel in Blind Children. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, 2007.
Eisenberg, J.P. and Quisenberry, N. "Play: Essential for All Children. A Position Paper of the Association of Childhood Education International." Childhood Education 79:1 (Fall 2002): 33-39.
by Natasha Ishaq
Reprinted from Braille Monitor, Volume 66, Number 1
From the Editor: In the National Federation of the Blind, we strive to promote the philosophy that blindness need not stop us from pursuing our goals, no matter what the profession or avocation. In this article Natasha Ishaq shares how blindness didn't hold her back when she took part on an archaeological dig.
My name is Natasha Ishaq, and I am a senior at The College of New Jersey in Ewing Township near Trenton. I am also a proud member of the National Federation of the Blind, and I was the recipient of an NFB National Scholarship this past year. I am majoring in anthropology and have a minor in political science.
For the past year and a half, I have been fortunate to conduct original research in paleoanthropology. In fact, I hope to publish my work in an academic journal in the near future.
This past summer I took part in my first ever excavation and archaeological dig. The site was a historic one, and although historical archaeology does not necessarily align with my research interests, I figured that the hands-on experience of working in the field would be worthwhile. I joined a team of two archaeologists and several other college students to carry out this excavation.
Our team excavated a historic farmhouse and property located at the edge of my college campus. This farmhouse is called the William Green House. The house was used as a billet for Washington's cavalry during the American Revolution. In addition, archival research has revealed that enslavement occurred on the property as well. For several years the school's anthropology faculty and students have been excavating this historic site in search of artifacts to help tell the story of the house and its inhabitants. So far, hundreds of artifacts have been excavated and cataloged.
Although I was excited by the opportunity to gain experience in the field, I could not help but wonder how I would navigate this experience as a blind person. I have always been comfortable with finding innovative ways to accomplish visual tasks, but this was completely new territory for me. When I tried to find information online about blind archaeologists and anthropologists, I had very little luck. I was shocked and saddened to learn about the lack of blindness representation in my field of study.
Nonetheless, I had a fantastic time out in the field, and I found that I was able to use my sense of touch extensively. For example, I would dig with a trowel in my right hand and then use my left hand to feel the dirt for artifacts. After filling my bucket with dirt, I would then head over to the sieve. Using the sieve allowed the dirt to fall out, leaving behind rocks and artifacts. At this point I was able to use both of my hands to search for artifacts. What I found included shards of glass, a brown eighteenth- or nineteenth-century bottle cap, shell, and brick. While my peers examined the artifacts with their eyes, I examined them with my hands and fingers.
A key component to the excavation was the collection and recording of field notes. When one is out in the field digging, it is vital to write down everything. Keeping track of how far down one has dug and what one found in that soil layer is important. Noting something like the soil stratigraphy is also helpful. Typically, field notes are recorded in a field notebook. I, on the other hand, recorded my field notes on my iPad, using my screen-reading software and other accessibility features.
Overall, the team came across a variety of artifacts. While each person's individual archaeological finds were interesting and unique, we made some extraordinary discoveries as a collective group. One such discovery involved the unearthing of the stone and brick foundation of a late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century springhouse in the heart of a bamboo forest that stands next to the house.
In no shape or form was my blindness a hindrance to my ability to succeed out in the field. Fields of study and careers such as archaeology that are often presumed to be visual in nature are by no means unreachable for blind people. I encourage other blind people not to fear archaeology, science, or fieldwork. Embrace it. Challenge yourself. You will find that you will gradually adapt to the environment and will find, or perhaps even create, innovative ways to succeed within it. I sure did!
by Regina Mitchell
From the Editor: When Regina Mitchell received an NFB National Scholarship in 2017, she planned to become a neurobiologist. Yet, as so often happens, life led her in a very different direction, back to her true passion—cooking. In this article she recounts the long journey of this passion, from its roots in her early childhood to the work she is doing today.
I've loved cooking for almost as long as I can remember. I grew up as a fully sighted child in Southern California, the oldest of four. When I was very small, my mother allowed me to assist her in the kitchen when she prepared small dishes such as salads and dressings. Later she taught me to make meals that included more steps, such as tacos, enchiladas, spaghetti, and my childhood favorites: sloppy joes and awesome tuna melts. I grew to appreciate every process of cooking, and I loved creating dishes that my family enjoyed.
Both of my grandmothers lived within a few blocks of one another, and they shared their knowledge and love of cooking with me. My maternal grandmother, born in Arkansas and the mother of thirteen children, taught me the secrets of making southern family style meals such as casseroles, burritos, fried and smothered chicken, gravy, biscuits, and fruit preserves. My paternal grandmother, born in New Orleans, taught me the secrets of refined French Creole cuisine. She also introduced me to the rustic fare of Cajun cooking with bold flavors of étouffée, all kinds of gumbos, jambalayas, and seafood Creoles. In addition, I learned the magic of cooking vegetables such as squash, green beans, beets, and the mysteries behind great salads.
After I got married, I learned more cooking secrets from my husband's mother, who was born in Texas. She taught me to make a wide variety of dishes such as smoked brisket, grilled salmon, pastas, and pilafs. One dish for which I never got the recipe was her outstanding spaghetti sauce.
After a few years of marriage, my husband and I moved to British Columbia, Canada, and we also lived in Seattle, Washington. The advantage of living between two countries was that I discovered the totally different cuisine of the Pacific Northwest. Instead of the Southwestern dishes I was used to, I began to enjoy the abundance and varieties of fresh coastal seafood and the offerings of coffee houses, vineyards, farmers' markets, and herb farms. My curiosity led me on a quest for more knowledge of the fundamentals of food science. I took my passion for cooking to another level; I decided to pursue it professionally. I followed a lead and enrolled at the Seattle Culinary Academy.
In culinary school we were taught fundamental, technical, and safety skills. A huge emphasis was placed on proper knife skills. We moved from basics to advanced lessons in stocks, soups, sauces, international cuisines, culinary trends, and the use of fresh herbs (I even started my own herb garden). I learned to cook for vegans, vegetarians, and pescatarians, and I studied organization, discipline, and time management. I learned how to run a kitchen, and I received training in how to manage a restaurant. Although I chose culinary cuisine, courses in the baking school were required. I hadn't had much experience in baking, and I found it a bit challenging, yet it was a powerful tool in my creativity and understanding. During my two years in culinary training, I learned well over 120 lessons, concluding with several externships. All of my training began with basic skills, then layered those skills upon others, just as one builds a dish by layering flavors.
When I completed my schooling in Seattle, I applied for a fellowship to train under master chefs in Great Britain. I lived and worked in Scotland for four months while I trained at the Stakis Hilton Hotel in Edinburgh. From there I went on to train at the Metropole Hotel in London. I studied in Paris, Barcelona, and Rome, and I finished my fellowship at the film festival in Cannes on the French Riviera. Altogether I trained in Europe for eighteen months.
I finally returned to the United States in the late 1990s. In the early 2000s I worked with master chef Julia Child and Emeril Lagasse at NOLA's. At Sur La Table in Seattle I worked with local and guest celebrity chefs, and I assisted chefs behind the scenes at food shows on Seattle stations. Eventually, I created a wildly successful niche for myself, providing a restaurant-style service in the homes of elite clients and creating corporate executive team building experiences.
One day I got a call from the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. They were building a new boutique hotel in Las Vegas, and they wanted to hire people who were used to dealing with high-end clientele. I had worked with several Fortune 500 executives and many celebrities, and I felt I would be a good fit. I went to Las Vegas for the interview.
The interview was a grueling process that stretched over three days. In the end I was one of fourteen people who were hired. My family packed up and relocated to Las Vegas. I transitioned from being a chef in the culinary profession to being a butler in the hospitality industry that specialized in personalized elite services to global nomads, royalists, celebrities, and gamers. My favorite guests were those who saved for months to enjoy just one night of luxurious pampering.
Then my life underwent a dramatic change. Between 2012 and 2013 I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called lupus. Lupus can affect any system in the body. In my case I started to have severe eye pain. In 2014 I was diagnosed with bilateral panuveitis (inflammation of all layers of the uvea, from the front to the back of the eye). To my consternation my doctors suggested that I take a medical retirement. They were convinced that my work in hospitality would be impossible due to my vision loss.
So I left my job. I sat at home week after week, month after month. While sitting there I realized my losses; I had lost my sight, lost my career, and lost the independence of driving, cooking, and navigating my previous world. I was utterly disheartened, discouraged, and disappointed that life had dealt me such a traumatic blow. I was a burden to myself, and I felt I was a burden to my family and friends.
There had to be something I could do to become active again! I made a decision to return to school to finish my bachelor's degree. I enrolled in classes at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).
I had no idea what was ahead of me as a returning blind student. I still had some residual vision, but I soon realized it wouldn't be enough. I sat in class and could barely see my professor's face. I ordered textbooks and could barely see the print on pages. I truly didn't understand the gravity of my circumstances.
One day I met with one of my professors about the problems I was having. He referred me to the Disability Resource Center (DRC) on campus. There I met my advisor, Raquel O'Neill. Raquel was the first blind person I ever knew. Almost overnight my life was transformed. The DRC reformatted my books and showed me how to use a CCTV and the speech output on my smartphone. I learned many other skills that I needed for academic success. Raquel later referred me to BlindConnect, the only blindness training program in Las Vegas, which provides life skills training, employment training, and peer support programs. At BlindConnect I learned the basics of daily living skills and the use of a long white cane. I signed up for paratransit services and gained peer support.
In 2017, nearing my last year at UNLV, I found myself running low on funds. I did a Google search for scholarships for blind students, and I found a scholarship program run by an organization called the National Federation of the Blind. I applied for a national scholarship, and to my joy and amazement, I received a call from Julie Deden in Colorado. She told me I was a finalist, and I would be attending the national convention of the NFB in Orlando, Florida.
In July of 2017 I flew to Orlando and attended my first NFB National Convention. I was the oldest student in my scholarship cohort, but blindness and NFB have no age barriers. At the convention I found a safe place where I truly belonged! The whole experience was inspiring and beautiful! I was honored to receive a STEM scholarship contributed by Oracle.
When I returned home from the convention I was eager to get involved with the NFB of Nevada Southern Chapter. It wasn't long before I became president of the Southern Las Vegas Chapter.
In 2018 I graduated with honors from UNLV. In addition to the general commencement ceremony, I was asked to present as a guest speaker in the African American Heritage commencement ceremony.
In the summer of 2019, I returned to BlindConnect to attend weekly peer support meetings. Shortly, I shared with Raquel O'Neill my desire to join in partnership with BlindConnect and share my cooking skills and passion with this new community I am embracing. I had exceptional culinary skills, but I needed some techniques specific to blindness, which in time I would learn.
A few months later, however, the COVID-19 pandemic brought face-to-face classes to a halt for several months. The cooking classes later resumed on Zoom, and for eight weeks I taught theory and techniques. People really enjoyed the classes, but I wanted to give more. I decided to demonstrate, describing my cooking process step by step. I tried to describe everything I was doing as I went along. I call it, "Intuitive Cooking." I give an audio description of what an ingredient should feel like and how it should taste and smell. The students were thrilled. Many had never cooked on the stove or in the oven. Now they began recreating the same meals in their own kitchens.
Because I held my classes online, geography was no barrier. My classes opened up to people all over the country. The media was curious: Who is this blind chef who is teaching blind people? The media began to pursue interviews for podcasts. The LA Times ran an article about my work. CNN flew down and observed one of my classes and later featured a small segment on The Human Factor with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and the local paper's Review Journal.
National Federation of the Blind President Mark Riccobono invited me to chair a group for cooking and food enthusiasts. We called it the NFB in the Kitchen Group.
As I reflected on my long history with cooking, I realized that it's very important to give children experience in the kitchen from an early age. Wisconsin Parents of Blind Children reached out to me to teach a few cooking sessions to their families. We started with monthly sessions during the summer. I've taught them blindness skills and tool use, such as using a pizza cutter and a food processor in place of a knife. Safety always comes first! We've learned how to make lava cake, meatballs, smoothies, quiche, and pumpkin pie. Currently my youngest student is eight years old. These children are fearless, learning independence in their own kitchens and challenging obstacles!
I feel tremendously blessed as I look back over my life! Blindness has brought its challenges, but it has enriched my life as well. I've often said that one of my superpowers is welcoming new experiences, and so it is here! I have met many amazing people, people I never would have known if I hadn't lost my sight. I have learned new skills I never would have mastered as a sighted chef.
I'll do whatever I can to encourage people to get into the kitchen! I tell students to start without heat: making salads, sandwiches, and vinaigrettes. Visit the deli and find out what's available to taste. Discover herbs such as lavender, verbena, basil, and rosemary. Be open to spices such as anise and cardamom, and try leeks, golden beets, wild mushrooms, and other produce. Experiment with making your own spice blend. Don't be intimidated by long-winded recipes. Read them carefully and pare them down to the essentials. Just make something. Enjoy eating what you create.
I learned patience from my mother and grandmothers, and I learned to love what I do. I think my students sense that. They understand that my knowledge is freely given.
Sometimes every day becomes the same as the one before. Sometimes in the midst of it all we lose our joy of eating, let alone cooking. And we are desperate for a little dose of kindness and an open, safe space.
The table is central to our lives. It's safe, open, and inviting. We believe in sharing life through great food at our own table. Over food, stories are told, our days unfold, our family histories are gleaned, and often we sort out our differences. The table is a safe space, the place where we are nourished. As blind people we can take that step into the heart of our homes, make the kitchen our friend. We can make space at the table and fully take part in our nourishing traditions.
Editor's Note: You can visit Regina Mitchell at her website, chefregina.com. To get in touch, email her at [email protected].
by Sydney Mattinson
From the Editor: The COVID-19 lockdown profoundly affected a generation of students, both sighted and blind. Sydney Mattinson is a former participant in Illinois' NFB BELL® Academy. Now, as a ninth grader, she looks back at the ways online classes affected her learning and describes her return to face-to-face classes.
I was in sixth grade when I first heard that school was shutting down because of the COVID-19 epidemic. I thought, yay! no more classes! I can just stay home, and it will be like doing homework. The way it turned out, though, learning at home was much harder than I expected. When I had a question, there was no teacher across the room to help me. I had to send my teacher an email and then wait and wait for a response.
We had classes on Zoom, and I had a hard time concentrating. It really was a struggle sometimes for me to keep paying attention. I felt like the whole class went at a slower pace. People would have technical difficulties, and sometimes they even got disconnected. Everybody would have to wait while the teacher tried to help one person figure out how to do something like download information or access the chapter. Sometimes I just wanted the session to be over!
When I started seventh grade we were still having virtual classes. I felt as though I were still in sixth grade. I noticed that some students got poor grades on quizzes because they didn't listen well. I had an advantage there because I have pretty good listening skills.
Near the end of seventh grade school opened up again and we all went back to the classroom. I was a little concerned about the transition, but it went pretty smoothly. After a few weeks, I felt like school was pretty much back to normal. Being at school in real time helped with my learning, and it gave me the chance to build better relationships with my friends.
This year I'm in high school. I'm in the resource room for blind kids part of the day, and I'm mainstreamed for three of my classes. At the beginning of the year, an aide walked me from class to class. Then my O&M (orientation and mobility) instructor taught me to get to my classes by myself.
The cafeteria is still a challenge. There's a lady there who tells me what they have, and when I say what I want, she puts it on my tray. I usually get help carrying my tray and finding a table. I need to get better at holding my tray with one hand and using my cane with the other.
High school is really big, and I don't relate to everybody. One teacher noticed that I kept sitting with the kids I knew from the resource room. She encouraged me to sit at different tables and talk to kids I don't know yet. I have to start up conversations and find out if a person is someone I want to be friends with.
One thing I like about high school is that there are a lot of extracurricular activities. In middle school they only had sports, and I wasn't very interested in that. This year I'm involved in a program called Youth in Government. Everybody gets assigned a role, and we work on writing bills and trying to get them passed. I play the part of a legislative assistant. I write proposals and help the legislators write bills. Right now I'm working on a bill about storing carbon so it doesn't pollute the environment. The bill has to be very structured, with a lot of citations. Later in the year we go debate our bills at the Illinois Capitol in Springfield, and the real state legislators listen to us. If they think a bill is good enough they might even take it up in the real legislature!
At our school you can start clubs, but first you have to get permission from one of the administrators. It's kind of hard to find them when you want them! I'd like to start two clubs. I want to start one for people who are interested in Canada and one for people who want to learn about screen readers.
I love to read survival stories. I'm writing a book called The Science Ordeal. It's about a girl going on a CIA mission, and there are tensions between the people on the mission with her. I think it's important to read about people from other countries. Reading gives me a more diverse perspective. There's a lot more to the world than just the United States. A lot of people have the habit of just reading about their own country. Reading is a way to expand our perspective on the world.
When school was virtual I didn't have to worry about moving around the building and going through crowded halls. Now that I'm in a big high school, people worry that I'll bump into other kids. The trick is to pay attention. I need to stay focused. If I stay focused, I avoid getting into trouble. It was a lot harder to stay focused sitting in Zoom sessions day after day. I'm glad I'm back at school, learning and having fun in real time!
by Elizabeth Rouse
Reprinted from Braille Monitor, Volume 66, Number 1, January 2023
From the Editor: Growing up is a long journey toward becoming independent. As small children we learn to dress ourselves, to put away our toys, and to do chores without being reminded. We take on more responsibility as we get older, and we have more freedom to make our own decisions. If we are blind, however, the process of becoming independent may take some added twists and turns. Parents and teachers may not feel quite sure how we can handle certain tasks without help. We ourselves may feel wary about stepping into new situations that require us to put new skills into practice. Without positive role models, the road to independence may have a few bumps and potholes. In this article Elizabeth Rouse recounts her own journey toward independence and points the way for others to follow.
When I was young the concept of independence seemed simple. Independence meant learning to ride my bike without training wheels or receiving permission to ride said bike to the end of our curved road and back (without parental supervision). It meant staying at the community pool for a few hours after my parents left to go home, if I promised to be home by dinner.
As I grew, so did my understanding of this not-so-simple concept. In middle school, independence meant having my first flip phone (with parental monitors, of course). It was not until my second year of high school that independence became a concept that left a nasty aftertaste in my mouth.
A large-scale milestone in a young person's life is the ability to drive a car. Because of my blindness, I was unable to learn this skill along with my sighted peers. Add in the fact that my parents both served in the roles of driver's education instructors, and that my sighted brother had learned to drive about two years before, and you can imagine that I was a cocktail of bitterness, anger, and a myriad of other negative emotions. It took me most of my sixteenth year to recognize how much this denial of independence affected me emotionally. Almost ten years later the only thing I can say now is that I was immensely lucky my parents did not reciprocate my disrespectful angst with whatever punishment I truly deserved. Instead, they chose to try to understand my confusion. After all, it was no secret that our one-square-mile town could make anyone feel claustrophobic from time to time, regardless of their level of vision.
At the end of my high school career, my understanding of independence shifted drastically once again. I chose to attend a private college about two hours down the road from my hometown. No one else I knew would be attending there in the fall. Although I felt a wave of nervousness and more than a little sadness as my parents moved me into my first-year dorm, I knew that this was my chance to grow into a new version of myself, starting with my name. At my first floor meeting, I introduced myself as Elizabeth instead of Beth for probably the first time in my life, and the rest was history. Over the next four years, I made friendships that will last a lifetime, received mentorship and guidance from some of the most amazing professors I will ever know, and, quite possibly the most important, applied for a National Federation of the Blind Scholarship.
In the summer of 2018, I said goodbye to my parents about halfway through my summer break and boarded a plane to Orlando, Florida, for my first ever national convention. I remember changing flights in St. Louis, Missouri, and finding other blind people boarding my second flight. Even though I had been relatively active in my state affiliate over the past two years, this still managed to surprise me. For the next six days, I was awed to meet blind people in so many different career fields, living the successful lives that I had always imagined for myself but never fully believed were attainable. After that week I returned home and began carrying my cane full-time. I started to self-identify as blind instead of visually impaired, which was its own monster to tackle with my mom! However, the greatest period of growth was yet to come.
During my senior year of college, I made the decision to attend the Louisiana Center for the Blind after graduation. I knew many confident individuals who had gone through the program previously, and even more, I knew I wanted more of their independent spirit instilled in me. So, on January first of 2021, I began the twelve-hour journey to Ruston, Louisiana.
The following nine months challenged me in more ways than I can count. I remember having conversations about failure with one of my home management instructors that left me in tears after not pouring enough oil onto a baking sheet. I remember threatening to throw my laptop against a wall when assistive technology became so frustrating that I wanted to rip out my hair. But I also remember feeling a distinct sense of empowerment the first time I successfully and safely operated the full roster of power tools in my wood shop class. Nothing has ever made me feel the sense of pride I felt the day I completed my first independent drop route in cane travel. Walking into the center that day and hugging my travel instructor is one of the moments I will remember and cherish for the rest of my life.
Do I know everything there is to know about independence? Absolutely not! I have had to make some decisions in my life within even the last three months that have forced me to redefine independence entirely; however, I know that independence is a choice I get to make each day. Whether I choose to walk to a destination or call a Lyft is my decision. Whether I ask for help in a given situation is my decision, too. I do know this for certain: the National Federation of the Blind has given me the knowledge and sense of determination that allow me to continue shaping the presence of independence in my life.
Through my day-to-day interactions with friends, mentors, and strangers both in and out of the Federation, I get to take pride in being an independent blind person. I actively choose to follow the wise words of William Faulkner, "We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it." I will always be grateful to my Federation family not only for showing me that we can change what it means to be blind, but for helping me understand that choosing to embrace independence can be one of the most remarkable changes of all.
by Jeanetta Price
From the Editor: At the 2022 NFB National Convention in New Orleans, Jeanetta Price was honored with a Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award in the amount of $15,000. The Bolotin Awards are given each year to people and organizations whose groundbreaking work helps change what it means to be blind. Jeanetta's work is bold and original. In this article she shares her story.
I grew up in Beaumont, Texas, thinking of myself as a healthy person without any disabilities. My life took an unexpected turn when I had a brain aneurysm at the age of twenty-one. The condition could have killed me, but by the grace of God I made a full recovery. As I liked to say, “I took that lickin’ and kept on tickin’.”
Then, when I was twenty-five, I developed a very aggressive form of glaucoma. Over the next four years I underwent more than twenty surgeries in a desperate effort to save my sight. Nothing worked for long. By the time I was twenty-nine I was blind, with only light perception in one eye.
When I had the aneurysm I never lost my confidence. I never lost hope. But I was really undone by vision loss. In short order I lost my job, I lost my fiancé, and I lost my confidence. I felt as if blindness had stolen my life, and I sank into a deep depression.
Eventually I realized I had to do something to rebuild my life. I enrolled in college to get a degree in social work, and I applied for a scholarship from the National Federation of the Blind. I didn't win a scholarship, but I got connected to the Texas affiliate of the NFB. Kim Flores was our president, and she put me in touch with a wonderful mentor named Gracie Jackson. I ordered my first long white cane, and the shame of being blind faded away as I gained blindness skills. I also started journaling and writing poetry from a place of healing as I transitioned from being sighted to being blinded by ambition.
As I worked through my feelings about becoming blind, I realized that countless other people were also experiencing challenges with sight loss. I desired to help others realize that there is still life after blindness, and you can live your best life outta sight. I started reciting my poems all over my community and beyond. I'm a strong believer that your gifts will make room for you, and my gift of writing poetry has made room for me in places I could only have imagined.
In 2019 I went to a social mixer with a Texas group called Black Girls Rock. I wanted to share information about the blind community to show that blind Black girls rock, too! I invited some of my blind friends to the Black Girls Rock mixer. I came up with the idea of wearing red T-shirts that said Blind Girl Magic.
I thought I was at the mixer to spread awareness about blindness. I didn't know I was there to build a company! Then one of the organizers told me she wanted to buy a T-shirt and sunglasses. When I said I had none to sell, she said to me, "What? You're at a Black Girls Rock mixer, and you've got no product?" That planted the entrepreneurial spirit!
After the mixer I contacted the local vendor and ordered a hundred more shirts. I took them to the 2019 NFB National Convention in Las Vegas. My whole supply sold out in just three days. Suddenly I realized I had a business! I was an entrepreneur!
After that, Blind Girl Magic really took off, and I had to catch up with it. I sell shirts and other products all over the world. All of my gear incorporates the long white cane. I come up with eye-catching statements that bring confidence to blind women, letting them know that we are beautiful. Once you rock Blind Girl Magic gear, you will activate the magic that lives within us all. I became an entrepreneur with purpose on purpose.
There was a time when I couldn't bear to say “Jeanetta” and “blind” in the same sentence. I couldn't imagine I'd ever say I'm proud to be a strong blind, Black woman, which I consider to be a triple blessing. Blind Girl Magic is an independent movement that is leading blind women to freedom. We have to be here for each other and share what we know. We're each other's support system.
When the world shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, I started hosting seminars online. I lost two people who were close to me due to COVID, and I knew other people were experiencing challenges as well. For this reason, I started Zooming into various organizations, hosting "The Write to Heal Seminars."
I begin the seminars by reciting some of my poetry. My freedom of expression, vulnerability, boldness, and confidence set me aside from other artists and advocates. As I recite I take you on a poetic journey, so buckle up! We may experience some bumps in the road, but know we'll reach our destination of healing. The fire that is shut up in my bones spread wildly around the atmosphere and set others on fire to stand fearless in their truth while exercising their voice for change and healing.
I was overjoyed and in disbelief when I received a call telling me that I was one of the 2022 Jacob Bolotin Award winners. All I could say was, "Who, me?" Then I asked myself, Why not me? I have served as a blind advocate throughout my journey on a local and national level. My family and friends have labored with me, as my visions require a team of visionaries. My work has ranged from hosting live events to spread awareness about life after blindness, holding seminars to inform individuals about sight loss as a new beginning, mentoring newly blind individuals, and providing sensitivity training to local businesses and support groups for the blind. For over fifteen years I flown, Zoomed, Ubered, and bused around the world to plant seeds of hope by sharing my spoken word, motivational speaking, and volunteering to inspire, educate, and empower one to live their best life outta sight! I share not to brag but to encourage you all to be driven by purpose, and the world will see and feel your passion.
It was an honor to receive the Bolotin Award! I was the top winner in the Individual Category. No, we are the top winners of the individual category. We won! Every blind person who thought their life was over. We won! Every blind woman who thought her beauty faded as she lost sight. We won! Every blind, Black woman and man who have been discriminated against. We won! This win is all about all of us! It took for me to lose sight to gain vision, and God allowed me to see better days.
My name is Jeanetta Price. I am founder and CEO of Blind Girl Magic. I am the visionary of the bestselling anthology The Write to Heal. I am president of the Golden Triangle Chapter of the NFB of Texas. I am also president of NFB’s Community Service Division. I am a licensed mortgage originator, and I am a licensed professional counselor. Most of all, I am a child of God. So why not me?
Blind Girl Magic isn't just for blind people. It's for everybody. We don't make moves, we make movements. We are changing what it means to be blind with our motivational merchandise, our seminars, and our fabulous daily lives. Please join our movement! You can find us on Facebook at Blind Girl Magic and The Write 2 Heal.
We look forward to being in Houston this summer for the 2023 NFB Convention, so please visit the Blind Girl Magic booth. We'll be there, bold and beautiful, screaming, "Blind Girl Magic this way!"
by Matt Langland
Reprinted from Braille Monitor, Volume 66, Number 2, February 2023
Originally published in the Minnesota Bulletin, Spring 2022
From the Editor: The intersection of blindness and autism poses a unique set of challenges for parents and educators as well as for the many people who live with dual disabilities. In this article Matt Langland shares his story of growing up as a blind person who also has autistic characteristics. He calls on people in the National Federation of the Blind to widen the conversation around blindness and additional disabilities.
I was born sixteen weeks premature in June 1986. When I was a few months old, it was discovered that I had retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). While a small amount of vision in my right eye was saved, I am legally blind. When I was about six months old, the teacher of blind students came to visit with my parents and started conducting home visits with me. My mom researched as much about blindness as she possibly could and attended her first NFB convention in 1987 to learn more.
I learned that I was considered a blind person when I was around three or four. It did not bother me that much since I had usable vision. Another funny thing was happening, though. I was also different in other ways. Not only was I blind, but other interesting behaviors were appearing.
From when I was as young as I can remember, I developed an obsession with vacuum cleaners. This obsession eventually wore off when I started school. I also would get bent out of shape and throw temper tantrums when plans changed or things did not go exactly as I wanted. I liked routines and for things to stay the same, and if they did not, that would upset me. I would get upset at the silliest little things such as plans changing unexpectedly.
Interacting with kids my own age sometimes felt forced. My mom had a few birthday parties for me when I was young, inviting kids from preschool or day care whom I knew. I struggled to play with them, as I preferred to be antisocial.
By the time I entered kindergarten, the main issue to be dealt with was my blindness. I was starting to learn both Braille and print. I relied mostly on enlarged print for my schoolwork, and I would read some books for fun in Braille. Since my vision was quite usable and I could read print, I decided at this point that I was only visually impaired, not blind. My mom tried to tell me that I was legally blind and that I really should consider myself blind, but I was insistent that, because I could see something, I was not blind. Teachers made sure I got all the accommodations I needed, such as explaining everything written on the board. I proceeded through elementary, middle, and high school in this way.
I continued to find strange new obsessions and preoccupations throughout elementary school. I started spending my free time listening to the local radio station, KTRF. I memorized the phone numbers for about every business in town. A few times I would call the businesses after hours to find out if they had answering machines and see what they said. I never had any reason to call these places; I just liked memorizing phone numbers. In fact, I did not want to talk to anyone on the phone. I had a phone phobia of sorts. If I had to talk on the phone to anyone, I would tense up, my throat would dry out, and my voice would lock up and start shaking when I attempted to talk. It was not until I got into high school that I started to conquer this fear of talking on the phone.
I had other obsessions, such as walking through the city campground on a nightly basis all summer so I could observe the campers. I also continued to struggle when plans changed or my planned routine did not pan out as I hoped.
In 1996 my mom attempted to take me to my first NFB convention in Anaheim, California. She would attend meetings for parents while I attended kids' camp. She thought it would be a great experience for me in terms of learning more about blindness and meeting positive blind role models. I had absolutely no interest. On the first day she tried to drop me off at kids' camp, I was so scared that I was crying and screaming out of fear of the unknown. I was expected to go off with all these people, knowing none of them, and make a day of it, taking the train from Los Angeles down to San Diego to visit an aquarium, among other activities. I still had the mindset that I was visually impaired, not blind, and I had no interest in the convention. Since I had just turned ten, it was out of character for a child of my age to be throwing a temper tantrum over having to leave their mother's side for a day. I can only imagine what the people around me must have been thinking!
NFB philosophy says that blind children can have all the same opportunities as sighted children and that nothing should hold them back. This incident made me look like a poorly socialized blind child; and it made my mother feel that she had failed. Other kids my age would just say, "Bye, Mom, see you later." I did not. I could not handle being with unfamiliar people in unfamiliar places. I was too afraid of something bad happening when nobody I was comfortable with was around. I had a fear of trying to interact with new people.
When I was in fourth or fifth grade, a year or two after the NFB convention incident, my mom approached me and said she had read an article and figured out I had something called Asperger's, now commonly referred to as autism spectrum disorder. I had never heard of this before, and I remember my first reaction was hating the sound of the word. My mom explained that this was why I had strange obsessions, liked routines, did not like change of plans, and did not interact well with my peers. Now she would have more understanding when I would lose it over a change in plans, and she could understand my obsessions. My parents and teacher of the blind immediately decided that we would not mention this to teachers, write it up in my IEP, or bring any attention to it in the school setting. It was thought that teachers would be stressed enough to have a blind student in their class. If we added autism to the mix, I would create unnecessary stress on my teachers. Besides, my autism did not have any effect on my academic abilities, only my social skills.
Through my K-12 school years, I had basically zero association with my peers outside the school environment. My peers in school pretty much left me alone. Luckily I never really got teased, picked on, or bullied. No girl in high school ever tried to ask me out on a date, I never attended a school dance, and nobody invited me to a gathering of any kind. I did not want to participate in any of these activities anyway. I probably would have declined if asked. My weirdness was attributed to my blindness. My participation in Key Club and the speech team was all I could handle.
Not wanting to leave the comforts of home made me decide to stay in Thief River Falls after graduating high school and take classes at the local community college. In the spring of my first year of college, I obtained a job as a people greeter at Walmart. It was the perfect job for me while I was in school. It gave me work experience, a social outlet interacting with my co-workers, and customer service skills. I had no problem putting a happy face on and saying, "Welcome to Walmart!" in a friendly tone. Small talk conversation was never a problem for me, but developing any long-lasting friendship or getting to know people my age on a deeper level just did not exist. I worked with a lot of fellow college students at Walmart and even had classes with some of them, so the job really helped me learn to be better socialized.
As I was finishing my associate's degree, I had a conversation with my parents where autism got brought up. They indicated it was still an issue I had to deal with. I said I did not understand why, since I functioned fine on a day-to-day level. My dad said, "Name a person in their early twenties, like you, who has absolutely zero close friends." It was sort of a revelation, in that it made me think my autism was affecting me more than I realized. I lived at home with my parents, so I received all my social and emotional support through them. I knew that blindness was my visible disability, and I would need accommodations for the rest of my life. It dawned on me that I needed to become more independent than I was. These things were partially due to being autistic but also due to my lack of confidence as a blind person. I needed to build my own friend circle.
I decided the answer to building my independence skills and building myself a social life was training at BLIND, Inc. While in training, I was able to attend two major events, Day at the Capitol and Washington Seminar. I could take my strong interest in politics and in blindness, an issue that impacted me personally, and I could combine them to advocate for other blind people. I jumped in and have never looked back.
Thanks to the support of the National Federation of the Blind, I found the confidence to do things I could only have dreamed of. I learned to live independently, and I obtained my bachelor's degree in social science, which I was not sure I ever wanted to do after my associate's degree. I also added a master's in advocacy and political leadership. I thank the Federation for giving me a social life and a place to feel welcome when there are so few places where I ever have fit in.
Still, very few people are aware that I am on the autism spectrum except for my immediate family and a few close friends. It is not something I advertise. To this day, it is my thought that I got a pass on my social skills in school, as teachers and peers attributed my social oddities to my blindness while not realizing there might have been something more to it. If I were just autistic and not blind, the autism may have needed to be addressed in school. Maybe my parents would have figured out I was on the autism spectrum sooner. I believe this may still be the case in some social situations today. How much of my social awkwardness can be attributed to blindness and how much is related to being autistic is a question I do not have an answer for. Another question to explore is: How many people are there in which another disability such as blindness is masking their autism, as mine did for many years?
In the NFB we are starting to talk more about multiple disabilities and people are labeling themselves as both blind and autistic. I am glad to see this conversation starting, since this secret is something I have had difficulty sharing, and I have covered it up for a long time. Sometimes we have a tendency to jump to conclusions and connect every single little social struggle to a blind person being poorly socialized. Maybe we should ask ourselves what other hidden disabilities or struggles one may be having besides blindness. These questions do not have clear and easy answers. As we in the National Federation of the Blind further explore the interactions around blindness, autism, and multiple disabilities, I would love to be a part of the conversation.
by Cassie McNabb McKinney
From the Editor: At the 2013 NFB National Convention Cassie McKinney delivered a presentation called "An Unusual Profession," describing her work as a funeral director. In this article she shares a very different aspect of her life, the challenges and joys of parenting.
The lessons that we are taught in life come from those who are the closest to us, those in the inner circle with which we surround ourselves. My parents and grandparents served as examples for me. They taught me to be respectful of all people and to show love rather than hastening to anger. Above all they taught me to believe in myself and the dreams and goals I had for my life.
During the summer of 2003 I extended my circle when I met the National Federation of the Blind. Leaders in this organization reinforced the lessons I had learned from my family. They set an example by living full and productive lives as blind people.
Throughout the years I have had many opportunities to serve our organization in positions of leadership. Each time one of these situations has arisen, I have learned even greater lessons about myself. All of the roads I have journeyed within my Federation family have prepared me for one of the most challenging and rewarding opportunities in life: parenthood.
On January 13, 2016, Robert Dennis McKinney came into this world. He was a healthy baby boy with a lot to say and the lungs to make sure that everyone heard him. As he grew it became evident that he had inherited not only my nose and my sass; he also inherited my eye condition. This knowledge was not the stress to me that it might have been without my growth through the Federation. My Federation family had empowered me to be the very best advocate for Robert that I can be.
At seven years old Robert is now quite the self-advocate. He has no trouble voicing his needs to his teachers and instructors. He tells them exactly what he needs to be able to learn alongside his peers. His immersion in the Federation from a young age has put all of this into motion.
Now, fast forward two years. On May 19, 2018, Timothy Otis McKinney made his grand entrance into the world. His brother had been more vocal, but Timothy was simply a force to be reckoned with. We soon learned that Timothy has autism. The day we received his formal diagnosis, I froze in my seat. I was utterly speechless.
Where had all my courage gone? I had had the courage to fight for my oldest son, to get him what he needed. Was it not the same for Timothy? Of course it was!
The Federation is a movement of the blind, for the blind, but it is so much more. At its core the Federation supports individuals who struggle with so much more than blindness. It is an organization that builds and empowers. It is an organization whose core belief is that we are a family. A family does what it has to do to help where help is needed.
I have had wonderful support from my family and friends throughout my life. My Federation family has taught me invaluable lessons about advocacy and self-advocacy. It takes real courage to stand strong when the rights of our children are on the line and it is our duty to protect them. Not only must we defend the rights of our own children; we must fight for the rights of the children of our nation.
Years from now, when Robert and Timothy are older, they may reflect on their lives and the people who have shaped who they are. No doubt there will be a circle of people that has surrounded them, a circle of people they have learned from. I know in my heart that when they think of those important people in their lives, they will think of the National Federation of the Blind.
by Karen Anderson
From the Editor: The National Federation of the Blind is deeply committed to building opportunities for blind children. One of our longstanding youth programs is NFB BELL® Academy. The program launched in Maryland in 2008, and it quickly spread nationwide. In this article NFB BELL® Academy coordinator Karen Anderson shares her passion for the program and explains what it can mean for blind children and their families.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Josefina, Emmanuel, and Cheyenne search for fossils at a dinosaur park with the NFB of Connecticut BELL Academy.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: At the Louisiana NFB BELL Academy a mentor helps a student use a Perkins Braillewriter.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: During the New Jersey NFB BELL Academy two girls enjoy the spinning cups at an amusement park.
"Every day we work to raise the expectations for blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams."
I have committed these words to my memory and to my heart. When someone asks me what the National Federation of the Blind is, and, specifically, what I do within the organization, these are some of the first words off my tongue. I keep them in mind as I work with our members to develop our education programs. High expectations for blind people are at the center of everything we build. Our NFB BELL® Academy has been running for more than a decade now, raising expectations for blind kids across the country. We have changed a tremendous number of lives, and that number is growing all the time.
The National Federation of the Blind Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning (BELL) Academy was started by members of the Federation in Maryland. They realized that blind and low-vision children were being held back by low expectations and weren't getting access to nearly enough Braille instruction. For two weeks in the summer of 2008, kids came to the Jernigan Institute for learning and fun. They made edible Braille dots, cooked using Braille recipes, and listened to blind mentors read Braille stories. They didn't have to learn Braille; they got to learn Braille alongside their peers in a space where they were encouraged and challenged. These kids learned that Braille wasn't just about boring worksheets; they discovered that literacy could be fun. Equally as important, they learned a host of skills that helped them become independent. These students learned to carry their own trays while they used their canes in the lunch line. They learned to pour their own drinks, to open their own snacks, and to clean up after themselves. All of these skills were modeled by blind adults who used these skills every day and who had high expectations for the BELL students.
Over the following decade, NFB BELL Academy spread across the country. Blind adults volunteered to show blind kids what is possible, and in many cases those blind kids grew up and came back to the program as BELL volunteers. Each summer we raised expectations for blind kids and their families.
When COVID-19 hit the world, we took NFB BELL Academy to Zoom. From the extensive BELL curriculum we chose lessons that we thought would work well in a virtual setting. We sent boxes of materials for those lessons to hundreds of families across the country. While the structure of the NFB BELL Academy In-Home Edition looked different, the core message was the same. The program promoted high expectations for blind children, supported by blind mentors and role models.
In the summer of 2023, bells will be ringing across the country once again. As we have since 2020, we again will hold our NFB BELL Academy In-Home Edition. This year's virtual BELL Academy will run for three weeks, from July 24 through August 11, and it will be very similar to the programs of the past two summers. Students will be placed in the beginner, intermediate, or advanced track, based on their current Braille skills. Each participant will be sent a box containing materials specifically geared for their track. Each track will meet on Zoom for an hour every weekday, doing various lessons together along with a teacher and blind mentors. In addition, because we know how important it is for blind kids to have a chance to talk with one another, we will hold a social hour on Zoom every weekday. This social hour is a space where students can talk with each other and with blind mentors. They can discuss those things that are unique to the experience of blind students—what do you do with your cane on the playground? How do you find a spot where you want to sit in the lunchroom at school? During social hour we also learn things that many sighted kids learn simply by observing, such as how to do popular dances. I love hearing from former BELL participants that they were able to dance with their peers at a birthday party or family wedding because of what they learned in BELL.
I am also delighted to share that several states are planning to hold in-person NFB BELL Academies this coming summer. Nothing is more powerful for a blind child than being in the same room with other blind children and blind adults. I look forward to hearing about all of the activities our BELL students participate in with their blind mentors. I want to hear about their new ways of decorating their canes and learning shades. I look forward to hearing about the community-based instruction (or field trips, for those of us who don't speak Educationese) that each BELL Academy goes on. I especially look forward to hearing about the mentoring relationships and connections that will last far beyond the summer of 2023.
I know that what we do makes a difference. I know that our programs stand apart from other programs offered to blind children. Still, talking with the parents and students from previous NFB BELL Academies impresses upon me just how much of a difference we actually make.
In January of 2022 I got a call from a parent who was trying to figure out how to help her daughter, Lynn. This twelve-year-old had spent her life struggling to read and process visual information. Only recently had she been diagnosed with cortical visual impairment, or CVI. The parent had started teaching Lynn Braille and it was going well, but the family wasn't sure Lynn was eligible for BELL Academy. I beamed when I told Lynn's mother that yes, absolutely, we would love to have Lynn join us for the 2022 NFB BELL Academy In-Home Edition. The family was actively working on Braille throughout the winter and spring, so I agreed to touch base with them closer to the start of BELL. At that point we could figure out which track Lynn should be placed in so she could be challenged but not overwhelmed. By May this young lady, who had struggled with reading for her entire life, had learned the entire Braille code and was placed in the Advanced track. She attended our social hour nearly every day, and she was always eager to ask questions and give suggestions to her peers and to the younger students. Almost every day she came back with a story about how she had tried a new nonvisual technique she had learned in BELL Academy. I saw her confidence grow throughout the three weeks of the program. This young lady was realizing she was not a broken sighted person, but a blind person who could use alternative techniques to live a full and happy life.
Recently I talked with Lynn's mom again, and we discussed what Lynn was going to do for the 2023 summer. She expressed surprise that so few programs she had found throughout the past year demonstrated the high expectations her family had become accustomed to during BELL. One program Lynn attended told students that, if they learned to do their chores well at home, they could someday get a job doing piecework. Lynn's mom knows that Lynn is capable of more. I am so glad that Lynn's family has connected with the National Federation of the Blind and become surrounded by a group of people who know that Lynn is capable of more as well.
If you want to register for the NFB BELL® Academy In-Home Edition or see, whether your state or a state near you is hosting an in-person BELL Academy, visit nfb.org/bell. I look forward to hearing more from Lynn and our other BELL participants about how their expectations have been raised by participating in NFB BELL!
by Ashleigh Moon
From the Editor: The NFB is deeply committed to opening opportunities in the STEM fields to blind students. This spring and summer mentors from affiliates across the country will host STEM programs for blind children. In this article Ashleigh Moon of Arizona captures the excitement these hands-on programs bring to the study of science.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: At STEM2U in 2019 Abby Duffy, Maura Loberg, and Kai Owens use a scale to weigh Cheetos.
The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not a barrier to active participation in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) learning, and NFB STEM2U is the perfect example. Building moon bases and launching rockets is just a day in the life for participants of the NFB's STEM2U program! Thanks to a generous grant from General Motors, blind students will have the opportunity to spend an entire day participating in accessible and fun activities around the theme of outer space.
Program participants will spend the day planning and executing their journey into space. Each student will be provided with a box containing all the materials needed to complete five fun activities. These activities will take them all the way to the moon and back.
Engineering a moon base, measuring craters, and designing a home on the moon are just a few of the fun projects the students will undertake. Each activity has been planned and tested with nonvisual accessibility in mind. The activities are designed to meet students at their individual skill levels. Students from third to eighth grade will be able to enjoy and learn, no matter their level of science knowledge and expertise.
Recently I had the awesome opportunity to visit the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute to try out these STEM activities myself. I love science projects, particularly science projects designed for children, because they are, well, just so much fun! I enjoyed launching my own antacid rocket (yes, you read that right!), and I decided what I wanted to include in my moon base. In addition, I got to learn how these projects will help participants work on key skills such as critical thinking and teamwork. Participants will have endless opportunities to work on alternative techniques such as measuring with tactile rulers and creating tactile drawings.
Of course, there is a vital key component to any NFB youth program. It is perhaps the most important program benefit: the opportunity to work with blind mentors who coach students through any challenges they may encounter. This connection has always been my favorite aspect of the NFB programs I participated in. Eventually I helped lead programs, and I plan to send my daughter to this one.
There is a sense of ease and comfort when you observe blind people, people like you, accomplishing the things you want to accomplish yourself. Programs such as STEM2U truly create a unique and powerful learning space that our blind students don't find anywhere else.
Now, are you as excited as I am about NFB STEM2U? With more than ten programs scheduled to take place in states across the country, there is bound to be one near you. Head over to the NFB STEM2U website, where you will find program dates, locations, and contact information. You can complete your child's registration today!
Visit the website at https://nfb.org/programs-services/education/nfb-stem2u or send an email to [email protected].
by Charles LaPierre and Deborah Kent Stein
From the Editor: I grew up in the era that many blind people refer to as the Book Famine. Only a handful of books were transcribed into Braille or produced as Talking Books each year, and they could be hard to come by. New Jersey, where I lived, was served by the regional Braille and Talking Book Library in faraway Philadelphia. I remember mailing off long lists of the books I wanted to read—calling the library long distance was unthinkably expensive! Then I waited hopefully for weeks or even months. At last the heavy cartons of Braille and Talking Books arrived, sometimes stacked waist high on the front porch. If I was lucky, some of the books that landed at my house were among those I had requested. As often as not, though, those cartons contained surprises, books I'd never even heard of before. Whatever they were, I read them anyway.
On the plus side, the Book Famine taught me to value books as the treasures they truly are. It also meant that I lived with the endless frustration of not being able to get my hands on the books I longed to read. When I was a child, even popular series such as Nancy Drew and the Bobsey Twins were nonexistent in the Library of Congress (now NLS) collection. When I got older, the bestsellers I wanted to read might not become available for three years or even more.
In my wildest imaginings, I never thought that someday I would be able to type in a book title and have that book at my fingertips in a matter of seconds. Bookshare brought this astounding reality into my life and the lives of blind and print-disabled people all over the world. Today the Bookshare collection contains 1,184,000 titles and counting! To catch up on the latest developments at Bookshare, I spoke with Benetech's Principal, Accessibility and Content Architect Charles LaPierre.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Ellashae and her guide dog
[PHOTO/CAPTION: A boy sits outside, listening to a book on an audio device.
Bookshare receives countless letters of appreciation from readers of all ages and backgrounds. "I love being able to pick any book I want on Bookshare. When someone talked about a book in class, I would go home, download it, and read it that night," says Ellashae, a high school senior from Atlanta. "I read so many books that I was known as 'the girl who reads', and not 'the blind girl.'"
"I am legally blind. I have used Bookshare since I started first grade," says a high school student named Shmuel. "This has been my best resource for educational and leisure reading material. The enormous library and various formats available have enabled me to read books in large print, audio, Braille, and digitally. Bookshare is an essential component of my academic progress."
Since its founding in 2001, Bookshare has become an essential resource for blind and print-disabled students from the K-12 grades through college and graduate studies. It also serves the leisure and professional reading needs of people who are no longer in school.
Bookshare was founded by philanthropist Jim Fruchterman as part of Benetech, a nonprofit that works toward equitable access to education by providing technology and services to break down systemic barriers and empower all learners, regardless of ability. Benetech is committed to levering technology to positively impact students from under-served, under-resourced, and historically marginalized communities. As early as 1989 Fruchterman pioneered the use of OCR scanning for blind readers when he developed the Arkenstone Reading System.
Bookshare began operation at a time when the Internet was still relatively new, and people were just starting to realize its immense potential. When Bookshare began operation, most of the titles in the collection were submitted by blind volunteers who busily scanned print books at home, using OCR scanners.
Over the years Bookshare developed relationships with many mainstream and university publishers who submitted electronic versions of their titles to the collection. Today Bookshare has relationships with more than one thousand publishers that contribute books. These include major educational houses such as Wiley, Pearson, and MacMillan Learning.
Beginning in 2007 Bookshare has been awarded a series of five-year allocations from the US Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). These grants provide free access to Bookshare for all K-12 students in the United States who have qualifying print disabilities. More than one million US students are currently registered as Bookshare users.
The OSEP grants also cover qualifying postsecondary students who have individual accounts. Many colleges and universities subscribe to Bookshare through their Offices for Disabled Students' Services (DSS), making this resource available to students registered for these services. For non-students, a Bookshare membership costs fifty dollars per year.
Over the years Bookshare has worked to meet the diverse needs of readers with print disabilities, including people who are blind and visually-impaired, people with severe dyslexia, and those with physical disabilities such as cerebral palsy that affect the ability to handle traditional hardcopy books. Since the early days, Bookshare titles have been available in MS Word, DAISY, and BRF (Braille Ready Format).
The new Bookshare Reader Suite has been designed to make books accessible to people with a wide assortment of reading needs. It allows readers to hear a book read aloud while they follow along on a Braille display or with highlighted print text on the screen. Readers can adjust the reading speed, font, and color of the text, and they can choose among a variety of reading voices. Readers can navigate easily by page or chapter and bookmark their reading spot to find it again later on. The Bookshare Reader Suite is available for PC and Apple computers as well as iOS and Android mobile devices and Alexa-enabled smart speakers. A full user guide is available in English and Spanish.
For Braille readers, Bookshare offers several options. Most titles are available in BRF as either contracted or uncontracted Braille files. Titles can be read in English Braille American Edition or in Unified English Braille (UEB). Braille files can be translated with a program such as Duxbury or read on a Braille notetaker.
Any Bookshare title in BRF or UEB format can be transcribed to create a hard copy. Once the file is downloaded and opened on a computer, it can be transcribed with Duxbury or another Braille embossing program. If you do not have access to a Braille embosser, you can arrange to have the file embossed by an outside source. American Printing House for the Blind (APH) and the National Library Service Directory of Producers of Accessible Materials maintain lists of individuals and companies that can turn Braille files into embossed volumes.
Recently Bookshare acquired about five thousand audiobooks read by human readers. For the most part, these titles were donated by publishers, and Bookshare added them to its ever-growing collection. These audiobooks may not meet the needs of students, but they are likely to appeal to the casual reader.
As Benetech's Principal, Accessibility and Content Architect, Charles LaPierre works to improve the accessibility of all Bookshare titles. "I help publishers create more accessible files from the get-go," he explains. "We work with the conversion vendors that publishers hire to create their ePub files, and we try to make sure that the end product is accessible. We work to keep everyone up-to-date so we don't find ourselves at cross-purposes."
One area where Bookshare hopes to improve is the production of accessible graphics. For several years Bookshare partnered with the Diagram Center, a consortium of educators, parents, students, and developers collaborating to meet the access needs of students with disabilities. The Diagram Project created detailed verbal descriptions of charts, graphs, maps, and other graphics for titles in the Bookshare collection. Unfortunately, funding for this work dried up a few years ago. At this point descriptions of graphics in Bookshare files are quite limited.
In the coming years, Bookshare hopes to use AI (artificial intelligence) to improve the quality of books in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). This conversation is spurred by the development of multi-line Braille displays that will give readers access to refreshable Braille graphics. A worldwide consortium is working to make electronic STEM materials fully accessible for Braille users.
Right now Bookshare offers titles in almost sixty languages. The bulk of the collection consists of English titles, with Spanish the next most widely represented language. Other Bookshare languages include French, German, Portuguese, Arabic, Turkish, Hindi, Urdu, and Swahili. Bookshare is now available to readers in sixty-five countries. This expansion is thanks in part to the passage of the Marrakesh Treaty, which allows books for people with print disabilities to be shared across borders.
Bookshare is also concerned to meet the needs of students enrolled in schools in the United States for whom English is a second language. Many students can benefit from access to titles in their native language. Spanish is the first language of the largest group of English language learners. Bookshare also sees a need for books in a host of languages from all parts of the globe. There is also a need for titles in some indigenous languages such as Diné, the language of the Navajo Nation.
The pandemic was at its height when Bookshare reached a major milestone, adding its one millionth title to the collection. "It certainly was a great achievement," Charles LaPierre states, "but we didn't publicize it very much. We felt we still needed to double down on quality. We're trying hard to get the books people need and want to read. We still need to build relationships with more publishers. Many publishers still don't partner with us. They don't give us ePub versions of their books, so a lot of titles still have to be scanned for people who need them."
When Bookshare began operations, its headquarters were in Palo Alto, California. Today Bookshare staff operate virtually from all over the US. Although most new titles are contributed by the publishers, volunteers still submit and proofread hundreds of books every year.
The entirety of Bookshare's vast collection is housed in the Cloud. Bookshare uses multiple Cloud storage sites to ensure that the precious collection will survive any future calamity. Through the years ahead Bookshare will keep on growing.
To explore Bookshare's collection and to sign up for service, visit bookshare.org.
by Kinshuk Tella
Reprinted from The Voice of the Nation's Blind, Monday, March 7, 2022
For me, every day is Earth Day. Nature always fascinated me. It began with catching insects in my backyard as a child and constructing miniature rainforests in glass terrariums. It has now led me to conducting research in the field of environmental geology at Miami University.
When I was growing up, I learned about the environmental issues we face today: deforestation leading to the extinction of species, melting glaciers leading to the decimation of our freshwater supplies, just to name a few. I am driven to develop and apply science-based solutions for these environmental problems and more. This drive is why I am on track to graduate with my Bachelor of Science degree in geology and environmental science in the spring of 2023, with an additional Master's degree in environmental science, focused on policy analysis. It is what takes me this summer to an internship in the Silicon Valley of northern California, to ensure environmental compliance for Tesla, the world's largest electric vehicle company. Above all, it is why I'm dedicating my life to fighting climate change, personally and professionally, for decades to come.
I didn't always have the confidence to pursue these dreams. Growing up in an average suburban town in southwest Ohio, I lacked the positive blind role models that I did not know I needed. Being raised in a traditional South Asian household, my blindness was seen as a shameful disease to be cured. My own parents unintentionally gave me vitamin A toxicity from the gallons of carrot juice I was force-fed as a child. I internalized this mindset of shame, sitting in the back of the classroom to look like I was sighted, handwriting notes I could never actually read.
This mindset only changed when I found passions worth self-advocating for. I joined the marching band in seventh grade and built confidence by finding pride in the hours of hard work that I put into shows and concert performances. This coincided with my entry into the natural sciences. I took advanced placement classes in related fields, and finally I was able to put a career choice to what I have always enjoyed. But despite these passions, I still was missing a community.
Upon getting involved with the National Federation of the Blind, I went from lacking role models to having a community full of successful people who were breaking down the barriers they faced. My love for advocacy has led me to get involved in leadership in disability spaces at every level. I serve on the board for the National Association of Blind Students (NABS), the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio, and the Miami Valley Chapter. I co-founded Prism Marching Arts, the first all-inclusive special needs marching arts program in the Midwest. We put instruments in the hands of people who otherwise never would have been given such opportunities in their communities. In these ways I pay forward the opportunities that I have received, to everyone, no matter who they are and where they come from.
The National Federation of the Blind's scholarship programs, at both the state and national level, were the vessels that brought me into this community. This program showed me that I was not alone, that there were thousands of other blind people pursuing their dreams and redefining what it means to be blind. At first I simply viewed this program as a monetary award for my educational pursuits. But oftentimes the best experiences come as surprises. I quickly realized that the scholarship program offered much more than that scholarship; it offered invaluable mentorship, engaging community, and surplus fuel for my growing Federation heart. Blindness is the characteristic that brings us together, brings us to fight for our rights, and brings us to make the world an equitable place. I truly believe that programs like the National Federation of the Blind's scholarship program help mold these characteristics and experiences into a vessel for collective action and self-growth.
For me personally, I can say with certainty that the NFB Scholarship program has been a catalyst for allowing me to gain the confidence to pursue my dreams, to take my career in the direction that I desire, and more.
If there is one lesson that I have learned, it is that we all live internally in different worlds, but at the same time we live physically in the same world. Our perspectives differ, but our resources and actions affect us the same. We live in an era in which the Earth and its systems are at a critical point, a point where climate change is arguably the greatest issue we face. This is why I dedicate my studies and future work to the environmental issues humanity faces today. I hope to work for the betterment of tomorrow and to make a world we can call our own.
by Cayte Mendez
Reprinted from Braille Monitor, Volume 66, Number 2, February 2023
From the Editor: Cayte Mendez is a first-grade teacher in The Bronx and a member of the board of the New York affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind. She also chairs the National Federation of the Blind Scholarship Committee, which is almost a full-time job in itself. All year students ask her, "What do I have to do to win a scholarship?" In this article she tries to answer their questions.
Each year the NFB scholarship program receives many, many questions related to the hows and whys of the scholarship process. Many of the answers to these questions can be found at https://nfb.org/programs-services/scholarships-and-awards/scholarship-program/scholarship-program-faqs. However, it is worth expanding on some of the responses to these frequently asked questions in order to give a fuller, more detailed view of the scholarship program. The following is an overview of the program, its benefits, and the application process. Remember, you can't win if you don't apply, and now is the perfect time to start getting your application materials together!
The NFB scholarship program has two long-time, overarching goals that continue to guide our work. First, the program seeks to support and promote the academic and career success of blind students nationwide by rewarding scholastic excellence. Second, the program serves as an opportunity to grow potential leaders within our organization by selecting applicants who exhibit ingenuity, creativity, and the ability to motivate others. It gives them access to Federation leadership at the highest levels through the convention mentoring process.
In April the NFB Scholarship Committee will review all of the several hundred applications the program will have received on or before the March 31 deadline. This group of successful blind Federation leaders from across the country will select the top thirty applicants who will become the scholarship class of 2023. There are far more qualified applications each year than there are scholarships to be awarded.
Applicants who have applied before and have not yet received a scholarship should apply again. Some members of the scholarship class of 2022 received their scholarships after two or even three attempts. Don't give up!
The process of applying for a scholarship and the experience of being a winner are the true prizes, above and beyond the financial award. Yes, each of the thirty finalists for 2023 will receive eight thousand dollars to help pay for college expenses, but while the money will be quickly spent, the benefits of being a scholarship winner will last for a lifetime. During the NFB's national convention, which all finalists are required to attend in full, scholarship finalists have the opportunity to network with other blind students, to exchange information and ideas, and to meet and talk with hundreds of blind people who are successfully employed in many occupations and professions.
No dollar amount can be assigned to the friendships that develop among the members of a scholarship class. The scholarship finalists support one another during an action-packed week of getting to know the Federation and sharing their own accomplishments and goals with us.
Likewise, there isn't a financial equivalent to the unprecedented access our finalists gain every year to the outstanding leaders who serve as members of the scholarship committee. Through discussions with these successful blind mentors, scholarship winners have an unequaled opportunity to get to know our organization's leaders by asking questions and discussing their own ideas and opinions. They also have the chance to make all of our Federation experiences richer as they share their own diverse experiences and perspectives with us during the Board of Directors meeting and at student division events.
When the gavel drops each year and convention draws to a close, the rewards of the scholarship program do not come to an end. Our winners continue to deepen their connections and maintain their collaboration with one another as they pursue their various academic degrees and professional goals. They continue to build relationships with the Federation through involvement with their state affiliates, strengthening and evolving the foundations laid during those initial applicant interviews and enriched during the week of the convention itself. Our winners develop and strengthen professional networks with other blind people in their chosen fields and with members who share in their intersectional identities through the work of our divisions and groups. They serve on NABS [National Association of Blind Students] boards, take on the work of the Federation in their affiliates, and carry what they have learned about the capacity of the blind into their schools, communities, and families. The scholarship checks are mailed and cashed in August, but the rewards of being an NFB scholarship recipient last for a lifetime.
The best way to answer this question is to begin by debunking some persistent myths around the scholarship selection process. Many students think the key to becoming a scholarship winner is a high grade-point average. An applicant's GPA certainly has value because it demonstrates their ability to learn and be successful academically. However, this is by no means the only attribute that influences the decisions of the scholarship committee. Likewise, others believe that the secret to winning is abundant participation in extracurricular activities. Recognizing an applicant's willingness to take on commitments outside of school and/or work can help the committee develop a portrait of a well-rounded individual. But this is also not sufficient in itself to justify a scholarship award.
Still others think the magic scholarship-winning ingredient is an applicant's level of commitment to the NFB. It is certainly true that the scholarship program provides our organization with a tremendous opportunity to develop future leaders, but scholarship awards are by no means restricted to members of the organization. The National Federation of the Blind is dedicated to creating opportunities for all blind people. Recipients of NFB scholarships need not be members of the NFB. Many of our past winners were not even aware of the NFB until they applied for one of our scholarships.
Others speculate that the committee looks for winners among applicants from specific fields of study or specific demographics. Over the years students of all ages and in widely differing fields have become finalists. The class of 2022 included students entering their freshman year as well as older students who were nearly ready to write their PhD dissertations. Past scholarship winners are working toward credentials for employment in many diverse fields.
The truthful answer is that there is no one attribute that serves as the proverbial silver bullet for guaranteeing that an applicant will receive a scholarship. The committee examines each application on its own merits and considers each applicant within the context of the materials they submit. The best way to ensure yourself a chance to win is to apply by submitting a complete application that represents your achievements and goals with authenticity.
A complete application consists of the official application form and a student essay, plus these supporting documents: student transcripts, one letter of recommendation, and proof of legal blindness. Each applicant must also complete an interview with the NFB affiliate president of their state of residence or the state where they will be attending school. High school seniors may also include a copy of the results of their ACT, SAT, or other college entrance exams.
Students should carefully consider who can do the best job of writing their letter of reference. These letters should support the application by being full of facts and observations that will help the members of the committee see the applicant as a bright, active student and citizen.
Remember to use the spell checker or a human proofreader before submitting the essay! In an effective essay, the applicant will talk about their life in a way that gives the committee insight into who they are. The essay should cover the ways in which each applicant lives successfully as a blind person and describe the applicant's personal goals for the future. Information about positions of leadership is especially helpful. Committee members give the essay a great deal of attention.
It is true that the requirements for an NFB scholarship application are varied and extensive. It is a good idea to begin gathering the required documents as soon as possible and to reach out to the prospective authors of recommendation letters to give those folks plenty of time to craft thoughtful, detailed letters that reflect well on each applicant.
NO! Only submitted applications are considered by the committee!
Remember, applicants can return to their online form as often as necessary during the application window, but MUST hit the Submit button for their application to be considered complete. Those who have properly submitted will receive an email confirmation. If an applicant does not receive this confirmation email, their application will not be considered complete and cannot be reviewed by the committee. They should go back and hit Submit as soon as possible to guarantee that their application will be considered.
Are you a legally blind student? Do you reside in one of the fifty states, the District of Colombia, or Puerto Rico? Will you be pursuing a full-time postsecondary course of study in a degree-granting program at an accredited United States institution in the fall of the 2023-2024 academic year? Will you be eighteen years of age by July 1, 2023, and will you be able to participate in person in the entire NFB National Convention and in all scheduled scholarship activities from July 1 through July 6 if chosen as a finalist? If you answered yes to all these questions, please visit https://nfb.org/scholarships to begin the online application today!
by Everette Bacon
Reprinted from Braille Monitor Volume 66, Number 1, February 2023
From the Editor: Everette Bacon is a member of the National Board of Directors and the president of the NFB of Utah. He also chairs the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award Committee. Here is his announcement about the 2023 Bolotin Awards program.
The National Federation of the Blind is pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards. These prestigious awards, granted each year as funds permit, seek to honor initiatives, innovations, and individuals that are an exemplary positive force in the lives of blind people and advance the ultimate goal of helping them to live the lives they want. Award winners will be publicly recognized during the 2023 annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind in Houston, Texas. Each recipient will receive a cash award determined by the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award Committee and will also be honored with an engraved medallion and plaque.
Dr. Jacob W. Bolotin (1888-1924) was a pioneering blind physician, the first in history who achieved that goal despite the tremendous challenges faced by blind people in his time. Not only did he realize his own dream; he went on to support and inspire many others in making their own dreams a reality. The awards which bear his name are supported in part by the Alfred and Rosalind Perlman Trust, left as a bequest by Dr. Bolotin's late nephew and niece to the Santa Barbara Foundation and the National Federation of the Blind to present the annual cash awards.
As chronicled in his biography, The Blind Doctor by Rosalind Perlman, Dr. Bolotin fought ignorance and prejudice to gain entrance to medical school and the medical profession. He became one of the most respected physicians in Chicago during his career, which spanned the period from 1912 until his death in 1924. He was particularly known for his expertise in diseases of the heart and lungs.
During his successful career, Dr. Bolotin used his many public speaking engagements to advocate for employment of the blind and the full integration of the blind into society. Interested in young people in general and blind youth in particular, Dr. Bolotin established the first Boy Scout troop consisting entirely of blind boys, and he served as its leader.
Jacob Bolotin's wife Helen had a sister whose husband died suddenly, leaving her to raise a son, Alfred Perlman. The Perlmans moved in with the Bolotins when Alfred was eleven, and for four years (until Jacob Bolotin's untimely death at age thirty-six), "Uncle Jake" became Alfred's surrogate father. Alfred later married Rosalind, and the couple worked on a book about Dr. Bolotin's life. After Alfred's death in 2001, Rosalind dedicated the rest of her life to completing and publishing the book, The Blind Doctor: The Jacob Bolotin Story, published by Blue Point Books. The book is available in digital audio format from the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) program.
Past award winners have:
1. Broken down barriers facing blind people in innovative ways.
2. Changed negative perceptions of blindness and blind people.
3. Pushed past existing boundaries to inspire blind people to achieve new heights.
In 2023 the National Federation of the Blind will again recognize individuals and organizations that have distinguished themselves in accordance with the criteria established to receive a Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award. The committee will determine both the number of awards and the value of each cash award presented. The Federation determines the total amount to be distributed each year based on income received from the trust supporting the award program. The award categories for each year are blind individuals; sighted individuals; and organizations, corporations, or other entities. Individuals may apply on their own behalf or may submit a third-party nomination, or the committee may also consider other individual or organizational candidates.
Individuals: Only individuals over eighteen years of age may be considered for a Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award. Applicants must demonstrate that they have shown substantial initiative and leadership in improving the lives of the blind. Examples of such initiative include but are not limited to developing products, technologies, or techniques that increase the independence of the blind; directing quality programs or agencies for the blind; or mentoring other blind people. All individual applicants or third-party applicants nominating other individuals must demonstrate that the work to be recognized has been conducted within the twelve months preceding the application and/or that the work is continuing.
Applications by or on behalf of individuals must include at least one letter of recommendation from a person familiar with or directly affected by the work to be recognized.
Organizations: Organizations may apply for a Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award in order to further programs, services, technology, or techniques of unique and outstanding merit that have assisted and will continue to assist the blind.
Applications from third parties nominating an organization will also be considered. The organization category includes for-profit or nonprofit corporations or organizations or other entities, such as a specific division within an organization.
Organizations or third-party applicants must demonstrate that the programs or services to be recognized include substantial participation by blind people as developers, mentors, administrators, or executives and not merely as clients, consumers, or beneficiaries. For example, an organization operating a program for blind youth might demonstrate that a substantial number of the counselors, teachers, or mentors involved in the program are blind. The organization or third-party applicant must demonstrate that it has substantially aided blind people within the twelve months prior to application and that an award would support efforts to build on previous successes. The application must also include at least one testimonial from a blind person who has benefited substantially from the programs or services.
To qualify for an award, both individuals and organizations must provide programs, services, or benefits to blind people in the United States of America.
More information, including an online application, can be found on the National Federation of the Blind website at https://nfb.org/bolotin. Online submission of nominations, letters of support, and other relevant materials is strongly encouraged, but applications sent by mail and postmarked by the deadline will also be accepted. The 2023 deadline for application submission is April 15, and recipients chosen by the committee will be individually notified of their selection no later than May 15. Receipt of all complete applications will be acknowledged, but only those applicants chosen to receive an award will be notified of their selection. All decisions of the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award Committee are final.
The awards will be presented in July during the annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind. Individuals selected to receive an award must appear in person, not send a representative.
Organizations may send an individual representative, preferably their chief executive officer. Recipient candidates must confirm that they will appear in person to accept the award at the National Federation of the Blind annual convention. Failure to confirm attendance for the award presentation by June 1 will result in forfeiture of the award.
Those employed full-time by the National Federation of the Blind may not apply for a Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award for work performed within the scope of their employment. Students may not apply for both a Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award and a National Federation of the Blind Scholarship in the same year.
"My Action Fund calendar has been one of the most valuable tools on my desk for work for the last ten years. For six years, I worked as a PBX Operator, Reservationist, and assistant to the Sales Teams in hotels. I used my calendar daily to check reservation dates, help schedule events, and track holidays. Print calendars hung on the walls for quick reference for my sighted colleagues, and my Braille calendar was one of the first things I set out when I made my work desk my own.
"Now that I work as an Unemployment Claims Adjudicator for the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, I use my calendar to track weeks appropriately for disqualifications, count quarters for benefits verifications, and schedule meetings and events. Having the correct dates at my fingertips means that claimants get their benefits calculated correctly and, when necessary, serve their disqualifications within the appropriate timeframes.
"Thank you for continuing to provide the Braille calendars that make me more efficient, effective, and empowered at work and home. They are tools beyond compare." — Maryann
When you read testimonials like this one, please remember that the American Action Fund has an impact on the lives of blind and deafblind people every day.
You know that the Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults publishes this magazine, and that Future Reflections provides inspiration and information to you and to parents and teachers across the country.
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 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 at https://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.
There is another way you can help the Action Fund. Often the simplest and most significant way to make a charitable contribution is to plan a legacy gift. It is easier than you may 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 can bequeath a specific dollar amount or percentage of your estate, after taking care of your loved ones, to an organization whose mission is important to you. Your bequest carries with it the values and ideals that have been important to you throughout your lifetime and supports an organization whose mission you hold dear. In addition, planning for a legacy gift may reduce the total amount of your taxable estate, which can 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 of special friends. These supporters 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!
Since the 1980s the NFB training centers have provided unique opportunities for blind children and teens. While participants enhance their cane travel, Braille, and home management skills, they also build positive attitudes about blindness. The COVID-19 pandemic curtailed these programs, but this summer many of them are back. Below is information about some 2023 summer programs.
Buddy Program 2023
When: June 11 - 25, 2023
Where: BLIND, Inc.
100 East 22nd St.
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404
Who is eligible: Blind and low-vision students ages nine to thirteen
Application Deadline: April 15, 2023
Challenge yourself. Conquer your fears. Create new memories.
"Buddies" will gain important blindness skills along with the empowering attitudes about blindness and exposure to the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) while exploring and experiencing the Twin Cities.
Buddies will learn Braille reading and writing, orientation and mobility (O&M), access technology, independent living skills, and much more! Buddies will also have the chance to craft friendships that will last a lifetime with their blind/low-vision peers. Buddies will have an educational and recreational experience with program counselors, most of whom are blind college students. Buddies will learn to prepare meals under the supervision of the instructors. They will also learn to travel effectively, using the public transit system. These skills will be beneficial for a lifetime!
Buddies will participate in a variety of activities around the Twin Cities. Activities may include: visiting the Mall of America, exploring a museum, and visiting an amusement park. They will experience adaptive cycling, swimming, and more. Buddies use the skills they are taught in the program while they participate in these fun activities.
For more information or to apply, contact Michell Gip, Youth Services Coordinator, at 612-872-0100, Ext. 231, or [email protected]. Apply today to ensure your space in the 2023 Buddy Program!
No Limits to Learning
When: July 9 - August 4, 2023
Who is eligible: Blind and low-vision students ages fourteen to twenty-one
This four-week residential program will change lives. Participants will live in apartments with other students and a staff member. Mentors will meet blind people who work in all kinds of jobs. They will challenge themselves by participating in rock climbing, goalball, boating, and more. Participants will build their core skills in Braille, technology, home management, and cane travel. They expand their skills in STEM fields with hands-on experiments using accessible, nonvisual tools and strategies.
College coming up soon? Participants learn what it takes to be successful, including how to navigate the unfamiliar new landscape of higher education. They will learn that being blind need not limit them from pursuing their dreams.
For more information or to apply, contact Chaz Davis, [email protected] or 303-778-1130.
101 S. Trenton
Ruston, LA 71270
Contact: Pamela Allen
318-251-2891
[email protected]
Plans are underway for the Louisiana Center for the Blind to host a STEM enrichment program for students this summer. For more information, please contact Pamela Allen.
Braille Monitor in Spanish
https://nfb.org//images/nfb/publications/bm/bm23/bm2301/es/bm2301tc-es.htm
The National Federation of the Blind is pleased to announce that it published a Spanish-language version of the organization's flagship publication, Braille Monitor, in January 2023. Spanish editions of the Monitor will be available moving forward.
Adopt a Reader
Seedlings Braille Books for Children
www.seedlings.org
Contact: 800-777-8552
[email protected]
If you live in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, or Indiana, and your child has vision loss and is under the age of twenty-one, you may enroll them in Seedlings' Adopt-a-Reader program each calendar year. When enrolling, choose twelve titles that your child would like to receive. Once matched with a sponsor, your child will receive ten of those twelve titles free of charge.
Seedlings has some 1,200 Braille and print/Braille titles available for children from infancy through high school. You can browse the catalog online or request a print copy by mail.
STEM Teachers Advisory Board
https://stelar.edc.org/poster/engaging-blind-visually-impaired-and-sighted-students-stem-storytelling-through-podcasts
STEM Storytelling through Podcasts for Sighted, Blind, and Visually-Impaired Students is an NSF-funded project involving the use and creation of podcasts in the classroom. NSF is attempting to broaden participation for blind, visually impaired, and sighted upper-elementary students through engaging with podcast technology to tell stories about scientists, including those who are blind and visually impaired. The advisory board wishes to engage a range of teacher voices, expertise, and experience. Teacher-advisors' feedback will be used in designing and modifying podcasts and resources developed as part of this project. They hope to recruit twenty-five teachers of STEM courses for grades three to five who are working in a variety of schools and conditions. They seek teachers from classrooms with sighted students and those with blind and visually-impaired students. Teacher/advisors will review material throughout the year, providing feedback through questionnaires and focus groups and by testing materials in the classroom. Teachers who are selected will receive a stipend of $500 and will be recognized as a teacher in the national project.
Creating Tactile Graphics
https://www.nypl.org/about/locations/heiskell
The Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library, a branch of the New York Public Library, has a program called Dimensions: Community Tools for Making Tactile Graphics and Objects. Interested blind and low-vision persons can attend training sessions on creating 2-D and 3-D graphics using a program called Openscad.
Tactile Adaptation and Labgear Kits
Independence Science
independencescience.com
Contact: 866-862-9665
[email protected]
These two multisensory kits have proved to be valuable resources for teachers and parents of blind and low-vision students by helping to make science learning more accessible in a hands-on way. The Tactile Adaptation Kit includes materials to make tactile representations in numerous ways, along with an instruction manual documenting methods and illustrative examples. The Labgear Kit includes an instruction manual illustrating how students can use adapted measuring tools in their middle- and high-school laboratory learning experiences.
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 any 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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