1989 Annual Meeting: Parents of Blind Children Division

1989 Annual Meeting: Parents of Blind Children Division

Future Reflections Special Issue1989, Vol. 8 No. 4
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1989 ANNUAL MEETING
PARENTS OF BLIND CHILDREN DIVISION
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
The 1989 annual meeting of the Parents Division
of the NFB was without a doubt, the best ever.
After the meeting, one parent came up to me and
said that when she first saw the agenda she had
been appalled. She didn't know what we were
going to be doing for four hours (we were
scheduled to meet from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on
Wednesday, July 5), nor how she was going to get
through it. "But, you know," she said, "that was the
fastest four-hour meeting I've ever sat through.
It was a great meeting!"
And it was a great meeting. The fact that we
needed to schedule a four-hour business meeting
says something, of course, about how much the
Parents Division has grown--both in size and in
scope of activities--since we first organized in
1983. The biggest growth has come about in the
activities of our state parents divisions and
regional chapters.
Representatives from parent divisions in
Arizona, California, Colorado, Louisiana,
Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,
New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, and South
Carolina were called on to give reports at the
meeting. We also heard from our two regional
chapters, the Northwest Chapter (Oregon and
Washington) and the Midwest Chapter (Missouri,
Iowa, and Illinois). Several states do not
have NFB parents divisions or chapters, but that
didn't mean that there wasn't anything going on
in those states! Federationists from several
states-including Nebraska, South Dakota, and
Maine-- talked about what the NFB had done in
their state for parents and blind children in the
past year.
Our Michigan division sponsored a very successful
integrated summer day camp for blind
children in 1988 and reported that they will have
camps at two locations this summer. Also, the
NFB of Michigan is supporting a Braille bill
which would provide for Braille instruction for
legally blind children. Members of the parents
division will be doing their part to buttonhole
state legislators and let them know how important
this bill is. Although Delores Scearce, the
dynamic and capable president of the Michigan
POBC, could not be with us at the annual meeting
(she had just started a new job in a new city),
Michigan was well represented by Steve Handschu.
A picnic, a trip to the farm, advocacy for parents,
and keeping up the pressure on the state department
of education to find ways to provide decent
Braille instruction to more blind children, were
highlights of the year for the Maryland Parents
Division.
New Mexico sponsored a very successful daily
living skills summer program for blind children
in the Albuquerque area. Ohio has been working
with students at the Ohio School for the Blind
(several students contributed jokes to President
Maurer for use on the presidential release cassette
tapes). The representative from the
POBC/NFB of South Carolina described the
two-week summer camp for blind children which
is conducted and sponsored by the NFB of South
Carolina.The NFB of South Carolina has also
been successful in Braille legislation efforts.
Betty Shandrow, president of the POBC of
Arizona, has been an example to everyone in how to get out and get publicity for our POBC events.
She lined up television and newspaper coverage
for several POBC and Federation events in
Arizona in the past year. She also serves on a
variety of special state committees and advisory
boards--including the advisory board for the
Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind.
Our Northwest Chapter is as active and innovative
as ever. The chapter sponsored a special
leadership seminar for parents this past winter
and is planning an overnight camp-out for POBC
families and blind Federationists this summer.
What a great way for kids and parents to really
get to know blind adults!
Most of our NFB/POBC affiliates, including
California, Massachusetts, North Carolina,
Louisiana, and the Midwest Chapter (Iowa, Illinois,
Missouri), sponsored one or more parent
seminars in the 1988-89 year. The POBC of
California put together an attractive photograph
display with the theme "Blind Kids Do It All!" for
the POBC of California annual meeting/seminar.
The POBC/CA also brought the display to convention
and everyone had a chance to see it at the
annual parents seminar exhibit table.
Although the parents of our newest affiliate, the
POBC of Colorado, had little experience in the
Federation, they pitched in and worked hard as a
part of the host affiliate--the NFB of Colorado -- to make our meetings and convention successful.
Barbara Walker, president of the NFB of
Nebraska, gave a report on the parents seminar
which the Nebraska affiliate had sponsored this
past year. Over fifty parents, teachers, and blind
youth attended, and everyone declared the seminar
a huge success. Mrs. Walker also proudly
introduced, and claimed for Nebraska, Kim Bosshart.
Mrs. Bosshart, a teacher of blind children
in Fremont, Nebraska, is the recipient of the
National Federation of the Blind 1989 Distinguished
Educator of the Year Award.
Mrs. Bosshart, as the award recipient, was our
guest speaker. Everyone present was inspired
and encouraged by her description of her
philosophy of teaching blind children and how
she goes about doing her job. She is truly an
outstanding teacher of blind children, and we
hope other teachers will use her as a model. (The
remarks she made at the convention banquet are
printed elsewhere in this issue).
Nadine Jacobson, Coordinator and Judge of the
NFB's "Braille Readers are Leaders" Annual
Contest, then gave her report about the 1988-89
contest (see article on page 26 of this issue.) One
of the winners, first-grader James Konechne of
South Dakota, was present with his proud
parents, Mike and Estelle Konechne. James
came forward and read (in Braille, of course) a
delightful poem called "Hands."
Other reports were also given, and elections were
held. Delores Scearce of Michigan and Betty
Shandrow of Arizona were re-elected to the
board. Committees were established, and chairpersons
appointed by president Barbara
Cheadle. These are: Membership/Chapter
Development, Denise Mackenstadt, Washington
state; Publicity, Betty Shandrow, Arizona; Local
POBC Projects, Delores Scearce, Michigan;
Education, Charlotte Verduin (Illinois) and
Ruby Ryles (Washington state); Legislation,
Ruth Swenson, Arizona; The Blind, Multiply
Handicapped, Colleen Roth, Ohio. Coordinators
were appointed for the following: NFB
Parent Seminars, Mary Willows, California; Annual
IEP Workshop, Doris Willoughby, Iowa;
Annual POBC Seminar and Meeting Registration,
Debbie Hamm (Oregon) and Beverly
Helmboldt (Michigan); Annual Children's Seminar,
Lori LeBlanc, Minnesota; Adoption and
Blindness Network, Florence Blume, New Jersey; "Braille Readers Are Leaders" Annual Contest,
Nadine and Steve Jacobson, Minnesota;
"Slate-Mates" (the Braille Pen-Pal Program),
Fred Schroeder, New Mexico.
The excitement, new ideas, and inspiration
generated by our Annual NFB Parents of Blind
Children Meeting is sure to be evident
throughout 1990. Everyone left feeling invigorated
and ready for the challenges to come.
If you were not there, we urge you to make plans
for the 1990 NFB National Convention and Annual
POBC Meeting in Dallas, Texas. By working
together, parents and blind adults really CAN
make a difference for blind children. Come and
join us in Dallas in 1990. Every parent or teacher
of a blind child has something to contribute, and
something to learn, from the National Federation
of the Blind Parents of Blind Children
Division.
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