2021 NFB BELL® Academy In-Home Edition Application | National Federation of the Blind

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The NFB BELL Academy provides children with Braille and nonvisual skills instruction through fun, hands-on learning activities. The NFB BELL Academy—which stands for National Federation of the Blind Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning®—is a nationwide (United States and Puerto Rico) summer program that prepares blind and low-vision children to grow into confident and independent blind people who live the lives they want.

Complete the application form below to apply for one of our NFB BELL Academy sessions (spaces are limited). NFB BELL Academy is appropriate for blind and low-vision children, ages 4-12, who:

Do not receive enough Braille and nonvisual skills instruction in school
Could benefit from more Braille exposure over the summer
Would enjoy connecting with blind role models

This summer, using the Zoom web-conferencing platform, two-week-long sessions of NFB BELL Academy will take place during the following dates:

June 7, 2021 through June 18, 2021
July 19, 2021 through July 30, 2021
August 9, 2021 through August 20, 2021

The deadline to apply will be one month prior to the start of each session.

A Parent Workshop will be held in May. Our Workshop will give parents some insight into the NFB philosophy, the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC), what to expect from NFB BELL Academy and Braille. More information will be given to interested parents/guardians.

Prior to the start of each session, each accepted student will have their Braille skills assessed. A Braille assessment will help us determine in what track the student should be placed, beginner, intermediate, or advanced. After the student has been assessed, you will be notified of their track and session time. Session times will occur at either 11:00 a.m. or 6:00 p.m. Eastern time. Each accepted student will receive the materials to complete all lessons and an NFB long white cane, about 2 weeks prior to the start of each program. A daily social hour will be offered for all accepted students and their families at 3:00 p.m. Eastern. Our social hour will be a place to gather on Zoom for casual conversation, games, and more!

Complete the application form below to sign up for one of our NFB BELL Academy sessions (spaces are limited). The cost of this program is free to participating families; however, if you wish to support our efforts in providing Braille literacy please visit https://www.nfb.org/donate.

Please Note: Users of accessible mobile devices may have difficulty completing this form on a mobile device. We are working with the mobile device manufacturers to resolve this problem.

Please select the session you wish to attend *

Student First Name: *

Student Last Name: *

Student's Preferred First Name - Optional

The NFB will provide each participant with a new cane. To help ensure a correct size please indicate your child’s height in inches. *

Student’s Grade as of Fall 2021 *

What is the student’s reading medium? *

This program is designed to include Braille, accessible tools, large print and digital content/media. Will your child need additional accommodations? - Optional

Spanish language interpreting

Has the student attended an NFB BELL Academy before? *

How many times has the student attended the NFB BELL academy and which NFB BELL programs did he/she attend? - Optional

Please describe the student's experience at previous NFB BELL Academies - Optional

Does your family have access to a Perkins Braillewriter? *

Does your family have access to the internet? *

Does your family have access to a Talking Book Player? *

Is your family registered for NFB-NEWSLINE® *

Would your family like to receive more information about NFB-NEWSLINE? It is a free audio service for blind and print disabled people with hundreds of publications. - Optional

Is your family registered to receive Future Reflections?* - Optional

Would your family like to receive more information about Future Reflections? It is a quarterly magazine for parents and teachers of blind children. - Optional

Is your family members of a local NFB affiliate? *

Would you like to receive more information about joining your state affiliate? - Optional

The address entered below will be used to ship materials. Please do not include a PO Box as we will ship via UPS.

Address Line 2 - Optional

Phone Type - Optional

What is the primary language spoken at home? *

What is the parent’s reading medium? *

Are you are interested in receiving more information about our NFB BELL Academy In-Home Edition Parent Workshop? - Optional

Spanish language interpreting

Student’s TBVI First Name: - Optional

Student’s TBVI Last Name - Optional

TBVI Primary Phone Number - Optional

TBVI Email - Optional

May we contact your child’s teacher so that we may assess his/her Braille skills? - Optional

Please tell us about your student’s blindness/vision loss. Please include your student’s visual acuity, visual field, and the cause of your student’s blindness. *

Please tell us about any medical conditions or disabilities your child has other than blindness. Does your student have any other special considerations (medical or otherwise) of which we may need to be aware? - Optional

Is the student currently enrolled in school or home schooled in the United States? *

Describe your student’s academic performance. Please include a list of all strengths and areas of need *

Describe any technology your student uses. *

Describe your student’s experiences with Braille, if any (for example, use of a slate and stylus, use of manual or electronic Braille reading and/or writing devices, reading speed, knowledge of Braille contractions, knowledge of Braille math (Nemeth), experience with Music Braille, etc.). *

Describe your student’s understanding and usage of nonvisual (in other words, using his/her hands, ears, or other senses to gain information that a sighted person would gain visually) techniques. *

Tell us about your student. What interests does he/she have? Does he/she have any favorite books or authors? Feel free to share any additional information. *

Is there any other information about your student you would like to share? - Optional

NFB BELL Academy pursues grant funding to support the programs, and some of these grantors ask us to describe the racial/ethnic/socioeconomic backgrounds of our students. In order to improve our program delivery and to respond to these requests, we ask you to answer the following three questions:

East Asian or Asian Indian

Black, African American, or African

Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish

Native American or Alaska Native

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

Prefer not to answer

What is the approximate average annual household income for the child’s primary residence? *

The NFB BELL Academy In-Home Edition is a virtual program. The sessions will be recorded via Zoom. If selected, you are welcome to send us your photos and videos of your child’s participation in the program. Do you give permission for the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) to use your and/or your child’s image or likeness in materials produced by the NFB for promotional and educational purposes or for any other purpose and in any manner and medium, including, but not limited to, the following: print materials, websites, social media and news media? - Optional

If selected, I give permission for my child to participate in the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) BELL® Academy In-Home Edition events and activities. I have read and understand the questions and information on this application form, and have answered the questions truthfully to the best of my knowledge *

Upon submitting this form your responses will be saved, and you will receive an email copy of your responses. We will notify you if your child is accepted into the program. For additional questions or concerns please contact us at [email protected] or by phone at 410-659-9314, extension 2418.

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