The National Federation of the Blind relies on the generosity of individual supporters and partner organizations to help us transform dreams into reality for blind people. Now is a great time to contribute to our mission. Thanks to a generous challenge gift from Vispero, every dollar contributed between October 15 and the end of the year will be matched up to $50,000!
Double your contribution and help ensure that we fulfill this matching gift.
Three Ways to Give
- Give online
- Mail a check to National Federation of the Blind, 200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230
- Contribute by phone using a credit card by calling 410-659-9314, extension 2430
Challenging Expectations at Work, School, and Home
Those without equal access to technology struggle to succeed in school, in the workplace, and in their communities. Vispero’s commitment to accessibility and partnership with the Federation challenges expectations and helps us achieve independence. Together we help blind people live the lives they want.
About Vispero
Vispero is the world's largest assistive technology provider for the blind. Although officially formed in 2016, our brands Freedom Scientific, Enhanced Vision, Optelec, and TPG Interactive, share a long, rich history as industry leaders dating back to 1975. At Vispero we are driven by our mission of providing hope, determination, and independence through our complementary family of brands. We develop and deliver innovative solutions that enable blind and low vision individuals to reach their full potential–to gain an education, obtain employment, succeed in professional careers, and live independently throughout their lives.
About the National Federation of the Blind
The National Federation of the Blind is a transformative membership and advocacy organization of blind people. Through our network of members and friends, we coordinate services and resources, provide education and support to blind children and adults, advocate for accessible technology, and help blind people live the lives they want. We believe in the hopes and dreams of blind people and work together to transform them into reality.
Transcript to the YouTube Video
Mark: Hello, I'm Mark Riccobono, president of the National Federation of the Blind. You know, nothing that we do as blind people in the National Federation of the Blind happens because of one or two or even ten people. It's a community of people working together. And our mission is not just about advocacy and about changing the laws of society and raising expectations. It's about full participation. And so that means having fun and being involved in all aspects of life. And here to talk a little bit about that, I've invited my good friend and the treasurer of the National Association of Blind Students from Iowa. Elizabeth Rouse is here with me, Elizabeth.
Elizabeth: Hi President Riccobono I'm really excited to be here.
Mark: What kind of things do you do to have fun and maybe bring a little competition in with your friends?
Elizabeth: Absolutely. That's a great question. And that definitely made me think of a pretty important season of the year that's going on right now. It is football season. And more importantly in my life right now, it's fantasy football season. Do you do you play fantasy football President Riccobono?
Mark: I do not. I also don't play real football. I admire my colleagues that do, but I know from doing fantasy baseball that, you know, there's a lot of complexities, a lot of things to track and you know, there's lots of tools out there for you to do that. But I mean, how do you do that as a blind person?
Elizabeth: I use two primary tools and one of them is voiceover on my iPhone. And the other one, no surprise, is JAWS. It's a part of every segment of my life, actually, so I've gone a little bit above and beyond. JAWS helps me organize my player roster. So we use Yahoo fantasy, the app on our iPhones, which is how I do a lot of my primary navigation. But when I'm deciding who to play, who to kind of push into the lineup, to get the odds more in my favor on a weekly basis, I use an Excel spreadsheet that gives me my player breakdowns, estimated point values, injury updates, you name it, and I've probably found a way to incorporate it into that spreadsheet. You can hear some of my players names. (JAWS Speech) So those are my three quarterbacks. I've got the Jaguars, I've got the Dolphins, and right now I have the Cowboys. So for each of my players, I usually do a bit of information. I've got a position column. (JAWS Speech) QB, B4. That's my quarterbacks, and then I take the projected points per week and then I will update that with how many points that person has scored. So this player that I'm on right now, Cooper Rush, I just added him within the last week. So I'm going to flip back up here to my Dolphins quarterback Tua. (JAWS Speech) QB, B3 and you can see I've had him on my team from week one because it starts with his week one projected rank, (JAWS Speech) 19.16, C3 and he ended up doing pretty well that week, (JAWS Speech) 14.8 D3, so 14.8 of his 19.6 points and each of my players has these columns so that at the end of the week I could say, okay, did they fulfill what they were intended? Do I need to change it up a little bit for for the next week coming and sometimes, I do really well and sometimes I do not. I'm really looking forward to the challenge that the Federation's got coming our way in just the next, you know, short while.
Mark: Thank you, Elizabeth. And enjoy fantasy football. I'm not there to compete with you, so you have a better shot. But I'm glad that Vispero is on your side. And speaking of Vispero, I think I'd like to welcome them in to talk about their role on our team with our end of the year giving challenge.
Ryan: Hi, I'm Ryan Jones, Vice President of software at Vispero. I love to see JAWS used at work, home, or school every day. My goal is to ensure that we create software that allows those of us who are blind or have low vision to both challenge and exceed the expectations put upon us each day. Our partnership with the National Federation of the Blind is very important to us, and Vispero is proud to issue a challenge grant to give up to $50,000 in matching gifts from October 15th through the end of the year. Each dollar you contribute will be doubled so you can have twice the impact. We are excited to continue our teamwork with all of you along with the Federation. And Elizabeth, good luck on your fantasy football for this year.
Voiceover: Challenge expectations and contribute today. You can play the great odds and double your dollars by giving. Help us meet 100% of the matching challenge. Give at NFB.org/donate, call 410-659-9314, ext. 2430 or send a check to the National Federation of the Blind at 200 East Wells Street. Baltimore, Maryland 21230.
Text to Speech Voiceover: Thank you for your support of the National Federation of the Blind and Vispero.