The Children of the 1995 Convention

The Children of the 1995 Convention

Future Reflections Spring 1996, Vol. 15 No. 2
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THE CHILDREN OF THE 1995 CONVENTION
Editor's Note: The paragraphs below are reprinted from the
much longer "1995 Convention Roundup" article by Barbara
Pierce which appeared in the December 1995 issue of the
Braille Monitor. The photographs on the following pages depict
children and parents engaged in the broad spectrum of
convention activities.
Those who attended the 1995 convention of the National
Federation of the Blind are still talking about the
unforgettable experiences we shared during the first week of
July. The Chicago Hilton and Towers provided an almost perfect
setting for a National Federation of the Blind convention:
friendly and competent staff, an elegant but uncomplicated
facility, and a stimulating host city in the nation's
heartland. As each convention closes and fades into memory,
one is left with a few indelible memories that forever after
spring to mind each time that convention is rememberedþthe
skirling of bag pipes on the convention floor, half a hundred
blind children and their families taking their rightful place
in the Federation clan, the hotel's television channel
broadcasting Federation programming all day every day, and a
deaf-blind two-year-old showing off for his parents and other
adults by running in circles and signing "funny!" These are a
few of the pictures that will always color my own memories of
the 1995 convention of the National Federation of the Blind.
In many ways this was the convention of the children.
Ninety of them registered during the week at NFB Camp, the day
camp for kids conducted by Mary Willows and her crew of child
care workersþmost of them volunteers. A number of other
youngsters remained with their parents or other care givers
during convention activities. But wherever the children were,
learning was taking place. A deaf-blind teen who had always
been told that bouncing on beds was "against the rules" was
taught the joyful art by an adult who recognized the
importance of such harmless pleasures. Sighted children begged
for and sometimes got (for the week at least) their own canes
so they could be like everybody else. Parents saw blind adults
and even other blind children engaging in independent activity
that they had only dreamed of for their own youngsters. And
throughout the week blind adults talked with parents, played
and worked with their blind children, and redoubled their
determination to change what it will mean to be blind for this
generation of children.
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