Voice of the Nation's Blind Blog

Project BOLD is an initiative from our Texas affiliate, which received a 2023 Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award.

Emily Coleman participated in our Teachers of Tomorrow program. She was a member of the 2011-2012 cohort, and is now the principal of the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI).

By Karl Belanger Smartphones are ubiquitous. People use them for calling, texting, navigation, and gaming. While current smartphones are accessible, using touchscreens nonvisually presents a learning curve. Getting used to specialized gestures and acclimating to typing on completely flat surfaces can even pose as deterrents to potential users.

This article contains advice from three past scholarship finalists.

Read this update from President Riccobono about National convention and our national scholarship program.

By Cricket Bidleman What does it mean to dream big?

by Marinela Ortiz

By Mark Riccobono

The National Federation of the Blind gives the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards each year (in collaboration with the Santa Barbara Foundation) to people and organizations who do great work related to the blindness community and our advocacy efforts.

By Syed Mahmud Rizvi I was born blind—I have Stargardt Disease—but I did not recognize that I was blind until I was nineteen. This was when I was first exposed to Federation philosophy, which helped me learn nonvisual techniques and taught me how to not be ashamed of my vision loss.