Personal Perspectives on the 1988 NFB Convention

Personal Perspectives on the 1988 NFB Convention

Future Reflections Fall 1988, Vol. 7 No. 3
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PERSONAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE
1988 NFB CONVENTION
Editor's Note: The report from Jackie Loomis
is taken from the Iowa Parents of Visually Impaired
Children, Inc. newsletter. Jackie is the editor
of that publication and a member of the IPOVIC
board. Betty Shandrow is the President of the NFB
Parents of Blind Children Division of Arizona and
a board member of the national NFB Parents of
Blind Children Division. If you would like to know
more about these state parent groups, write to:
1. Jackie Loomis, Iowa Parents of Visually Impaired
Children, P.O. Box 509, Creston, IA
50801.

2. Betty Shandrow, President, NFB of Arizona
Parents of Blind Children Division, 7760 N.
Hopdown Ave., Tucson, AZ 85741.
A complete convention report is in the September/October,
1988, Braille Monitor. You may get
a free copy of that issue in print, Braille, cassette,
or disc by writing to: National Federation of the
Blind, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, MD
21230.
JACKIE LOOMIS
What could be better than spending the Fourth
of July in Chicago? Spending the Fourth of July
with thousands of members of the National
Federation of the Blind! The 48th annual convention
of the National Federation of the Blind
was held at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago, July 2
thru July 9,1988.
The week started with a seminar for parents of
blind children on Saturday. The afternoon session
broke into small groups. I learned the basics
of cane travel with hands-on experience by
traveling through the hotel in a small group using
a white cane. I noticed right away that I was
treated differently by the general public. There are still a lot of myths about blindness and we all
need to work on educating our communities that
blind people are capable people.
The rest of the week was filled with a banquet,
committee meetings, resolutions, reports,
speakers, sightseeing, and of course, fireworks.
Of special interest to parents was the IEP
workshop. It was great to get together with other
parents to compare notes and get new information.
A
panel discussion, "Literacy for the Blind at
School and Work," included panel members: Barbara
Cheadle, President of the Parents of Blind
Children Division; Ruby Ryles, parent and
educator of blind children; and Thomas Bellamy, Director of Special Education Programs, United
States Department of Education, Washington,
D.C.
Paul Harvey of Chicago, Illinois, spoke on "The
Media and The Image: Changing What It Means
To Be Blind." You may have heard his comments
about the blind on his radio broadcasts.
The greatest thing about the convention of
course was the people. Thousands of blind
people and parents of blind children who really
understand your concerns, your fears, and your
joys.
BETTY SHANDROW
As I sit in the quiet of my home, I cannot help but
recall the wonderful feelings and warmth I experienced
in meeting and mixing with the people
attending the National Federation of the Blind
National Convention in Chicago, 1988. I live in
Tucson, Arizona, and am the mother of a blind
son whose competitive spirit and ambitions make
me a very proud mother. I accompanied my son
to the convention, and the two of us encountered
so many wonderful people that I feel compelled
to describe the experience so other parents of
blind children will be motivated to attend these
conferences as I now do.
I was...impressed with the speakers and the officers
present at the National Convention. The
speakers presented their talks in a personal manner
as though sharing, not dictating, their
knowledge with those attending. Everybody
seemed a part of what was happening. There was
areal sense of unity of purpose. I came away with
many new acquaintances, friends, and a strong
feeling that I had met people who will remain important
to me for the rest of my life. I also came
away knowing that I had deepened my awareness
of matters that the parent of a blind child should
be aware of.
First, the parent of a blind child should teach the
child positive attitudes and attempt to reinforce
them when at all possible. Second, the child
should be taught that he can perform equally with
sighted children, although it may take more effort
and concentration in the beginning. Third, the parent should stress practice in the areas of
orientation, mobility and white cane travel as
much as possible to reinforce a sense of independence. Fourth, parents should attempt to
learn Braille themselves so they can realistically
assist their children in their school studies in a
meaningful fashion. Fifth, parents should attempt
to become as familiar as possible with
federal and state laws affecting the biind. A
parent should be knowledgeable about what
rights a parent has before going to an I.E.P. and
have the confidence to stand up for them. There
are times when a parent must take action when a
school or program is either moving too slowly or
too fast with a student. Sixth, a parent should
remember that blind children need to begin to
learn to read and write at the same grade as
sighted children.
Finally, I would strongly recommend that the
parents of blind children make every effort possible
to attend meetings of the National Federation
of the Blind because of the expertise and
knowledge of the speakers and participants, and
for the truly wonderful people they will meet,
people that understand their needs and challenges,
and people that are willing to share their experiences
and hopes. I hope to see all of you at
the next National Convention of the National
Federation of the Blind.